Congress Doesn't Care, But We Do

So the idiots in Washington have shut down the government.

Don't even get me started about that. While I do feel I have a good rant inside me, I think it's better to be a little constructive instead. If this crap doesn't end quickly, people... regular people, are going to start hurting. Imagine it's your family whose main paycheck has been suspended. Worse yet, imagine both heads of household are government workers, and overnight there is no income to feed your family.

We can do something to help.

It's almost the time of year when Food Banks begin their big push to start stocking up for the holidays. So, let's get the ball rolling to fill the shelves a little early in anticipation of the many families across the country who will be forced to look to others for the basics.

I started thinking about this very seriously this afternoon, after reading a couple of tweets from The Bloggess, of thebloggess.com. She tweeted about the Food Bank issue, and I thought, why can't we pass this along from blogger to blogger, from FaceBook page to FaceBook page, and so on. All over social media.

So here's what I think.

First, Pack up some food, toiletries, pet food and household items and take them to your local food bank.
Second, share this blog, write your own, tweet the message, FaceBook it, whatever. Let's just start thinking of all the people that Congress has chosen to forget.

And don't forget about Animal Shelters and Pet Pantries. They always need your help.

This is easy stuff people. No excuses.

What are you waiting for? Go.

Thanks.

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North Carolina's Important State Breast-a-Stature

I just came across this story and if had been the night before I was scheduled to post on sprocketink, I would have posted it there. But this is just too damn tasty to postpone.

We all know that Congress has so much work to do. They have saved us temporarily from the "fiscal cliff" and have to work on healthcare issues, immigration laws, and gay marriage. So many important issues to legislate. You would think that even on the state level there are issues so important that they demand immediate attention. So what pieces of critical legislation are the state representatives of North Carolina introducing? We've all heard the drunken battle cry "show us your tits." Well, if this bill passes...eh not anymore, unless you want to spend up to six months in jail. Six months for a wardrobe malfunction.

Yes, yes, Rep. Rayne Brown (R) has co-sponsored House Bill 34, which would make it a Class H felony to expose "external organs of sex and of excretion, including the nipple, or any portion of the areola, of the human female breast." CLASS H FELONY. Apparently Rep. Brown was not happy when they decided in Asheville to hold their second annual topless rally for women's equal rights. Last year's event drew about a dozen women. Twelve women, twenty-four breasts, well hell yeah, let's stop that shit right now.


Ok, so the felony count is if someone over 18 shows a little too much to someone under 16 for the purpose of getting the 16 year old a little, shall we say happy. But really, do we need another piece of legislation making it easy to lock you up for something just popping out?

It may be time to organize another rally. Better do it soon before they "nip" it in the bud.
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So, Who Do You Trust?

The Gallup people, they of the poll business, have published the results of their annual study into what professions are considered to be the most ethical. Well isn't that fun.

So this was the question that was asked:

Please tell me how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields—very high, high, average, low or very low?

The top three rated professions are: Nurses, Pharmacists and Doctors. Nurses topping the list is no surprise, as they have been at the top for every year but one, since they were included in the list. The only year they came in second was in 2001 when firefighters were in added after 9/11. The interesting thing is the margin by which nurses were considered more ethical than doctors...15%.  Another interesting statistic, engineers and dentists are considered more ethical than cops.

So who's at the bottom of the list? Car salesmen, no surprise there. And right above them...Members of the House of Representatives. Senators rank a few places up on the list, but both rankings give us something to think about. Besides the fact that we think of Congress as a resource-sucking vacuum of do-nothings, we also question their core morality. And we question it a lot. Nurses got a low/very low rating of 3%, Congress... 49%. Scary.

For the entire list of the professions and their rankings, click here

In the big scheme of life, this poll doesn't mean much. It is interesting however, to note that being part of a high profile profession does not really make you all that trustworthy.

I end this with a quote from Senator Jeffrey Pelt in the movie 'The Hunt for Red October."
"Listen, I'm a politician which means I'm a liar and a cheat, and when I'm not kissing babies I'm stealing their lollipops."

Sounds just about right.
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A "Legitimate" Candidate

And here we go again.

Today's subject: "Legitimate Rape"

Actually we have two discussions today. First the idiocy of the man who said it and the aftermath of the idiot saying it.

It seems that in a TV interview on Sunday, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) was discussing his anti-abortion stance and said "From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare," said Akin said of pregnancy caused by rape. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume maybe that didn't work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist."

Ok, can we get a clarification on a "legitimate rape," as opposed to what...an illegitimate rape? Are you freaking kidding me. And what's the deal on women's bodies shutting down for pregnancy during rape. I love the line "But let's assume maybe that didn't work or something." Something??? That something would be a child. It's news to me that those sperm swimming upstream all of a sudden hit a roadblock if you are being raped. Tell that to all the women who every time they look into the eyes of their child conceived by rape, sees the traumatic event of their conception. 

Look, it doesn't matter which side of a woman's right to choose you stand, this guy is running for the Senate. And he's an idiot. Now I realize most of them are, but some hide it until after they are elected. It's bad enough he represents some district in the House, but to elect him as Senator...just say no.

Discussion #2: The Congressman misspoke. Ya think?

In the interest of fairness, I have included his entire statement. After he say's he misspoke...it's pretty much blah, blah, blah. Scroll down if you're not interested.

"As a member of Congress, I believe that working to protect the most vulnerable in our society is one of my most important responsibilities, and that includes protecting both the unborn and victims of sexual assault. In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year. Those who perpetrate these crimes are the lowest of the low in our society and their victims will have no stronger advocate in the Senate to help ensure they have the justice they deserve.

"I recognize that abortion, and particularly in the case of rape, is a very emotionally charged issue. But I believe deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action. I also recognize that there are those who, like my opponent, support abortion and I understand I may not have their support in this election.

"But I also believe that this election is about a wide range of very important issues, starting with the economy and the type of country we will be leaving our children and grandchildren. We've had 42 straight months of unacceptably high unemployment, trillion-dollar deficits, and Democratic leaders in Washington who are focused on growing government, instead of jobs. That is my primary focus in this campaign and while there are those who want to distract from that, knowing they cannot defend the Democrats' failed economic record of the last four years, that will continue to be my focus in the months ahead."

So when did we all start taking the politically correct stance on our morality code.  I misspoke. I mis-remembered. I was misquoted. I was misinformed. Well, how about having some balls and standing up and saying "I fucked up." Take some responsibility for your actions and when you make a mistake, don't hide behind veiled implications and cloudy advice.

Maybe then we will be able to choose a candidate who stands for something a little more tangible than the direction of the wind.

You know...someone who's legitimate. 

Oh screw it, they're all idiots.

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I Don't Like Mondays: So Who The Hell Does

So, let's talk about Mondays.

Yes, yes, we all agree..they suck. Unless your profession forces you to work weekends, no one looks forward to Monday. The word alone is boring. Monday...mundane. It fits. It also means you have to drag your ass out of the bed, shower, get ready and go to work...all while your body is still in a "sleep-in-why-don't-you-it's-the-weekend"  mode.

Now Friday and Saturday nights are traditionally the fun nights. Sunday is the day to recoup. As you get a little, ok a lot older...one day to recover is not nearly enough. These days, for some reason, Sunday is not so much a problem. It's the next day...Monday when it really hits the fan.

Kind of like when we change the clocks for daylight savings time. The next day (Sunday) is fine...but the second day (Monday of course) leaves you barely coherent for most of the day. It's not like we've traveled across the globe going through time zones...it's one freakin' hour. On any given night, don't we all get one more or one less hour of sleep regularly? Then what gives with the changing of the clocks.

Personally, I think it's a Monday conspiracy.

The only time Monday is really enjoyable is if you are on vacation...preferably in some comfy hotel bed and you wake up and realize almost everyone you know is A) Getting ready for work, B) Already in work or C) Cursing you out.  Usually it's a combination of A+C or B+C...but C is a definite.

Working from home means I do need to get out of bed...but the shower and get ready part, while mandatory, can ease off until a bit later. The dog walk sadly...cannot.

It is now 8:05, time to get into the workday. Time to hit Monday straight on and start thinking about...the weekend.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...too many days. Need to do something about this Monday thing. Three day weekends could be the answer. Apparently the business world didn't get the memo on that.

At the very least, Monday's should begin around 11 AM.  Lunch at noon.

Sort of like Congress.

Have a nice  (Mon)day.
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It Is Super Tuesday: The Oreo Turns 100

So today marks two things in the world. It is Super Freakin' Tuesday and more importantly...it is the 100 birthday of the Oreo cookie. There is no contest in my mind which is more important. Can you say Yum?

Now I remember years ago, campaigning for presidential elections would start after the midterm elections were over.  A little over two years after the last one. We have now entered the age where campaigning takes place basically as soon as the new president is sworn in.  Everyone takes off the month of December...January begins with non-stop coverage about the inauguration, then BAM, as soon as the new guy is in...we start talking about mid-term elections.

And Congress starts fund-raising. Going from place to place sucking up money like a vacuum.  It seems the only thing the two parties can agree on is, raise as much money as you can and do as little work as you can get away with.

Today a bunch of states (don't ask me how many..I've long since stopped caring) will vote for the Republican of their choice.  But apparently this year, Super Tuesday is not so super.  None of the candidates will have enough delegates to proclaim themselves as the presidential nominee, so off we go...campaigning again.

Are there really people who foam at the mouth in anticipation of every bit of political news coming out of these primaries? Maybe, all I know is I used to be a news junkie...now it gives me a headache and a case of Deja Vu.  Let me know when the foreplay is over...and what the date is in November when I need to show up at the polling place.

Now, what really matters today is that 100 years ago, someone had an insanely wonderful recipe put into production.  The Oreo cookie was created and the dunking world has never been the same.  whether you twist and lick (I personally never understood that attack) or you put that sucker into a nice wide-rimmed glass of milk...dear God...it is heaven on earth.  Now nothing is the same without the trans-fats, but when you start with something close to perfection, you can go down a rung or two and still be enthralled.

So, if you must watch all the political maneuvering...just be sure there's a couple of Oreo's ready to go.
If I was betting on anything today...it would be milk futures are going through the roof.

Dunk 'em if ya got 'em.

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