The Yeti Rants

Hey all!

This is a quick update.

I just recently got a weekly column for my political rantings... Please, all go take a look and leave comments!!

http://moodspins.insidepulse.com/index.php

I'm under the policical section.

LEt me know what you think!!

* A note. For Yeti fans, this is a bit of a switch and a little more personal than usual.. but you'll just have to deal.

I am NOT an OLD SAD BASTARD!!

I came to this fine conclusion sometime in the last week or so. I'm not sure what did it, I know I can credit some of my old friends who stuck by me, some new friends who saw potential and kicked me in the ass, and one in particular who awakednd some feelings in me that I hadn't realized had been dormant for a long time. A big thanks to all of you..

BUT.. in Yeti fashion this is not going to be a huggy love fest about how I'm all better now. It's going to be a fucking RANT!!!

I looked over at my passenger seat today and noticed it was empty. Well, not empty, there were glasses, cd's, a book, some used kleenex, and an Ice Tea sitting there, but there was noBODY there. Sure it was 10pm. Sure it was a Tuesday night. The music was blasting, the stars were shining, the wind was blowing, but for some reason I coudln't find a single person to fill the seat next to me.

I tried, but I got the usual run of excuses. Sick, tired, work tomorrow, and on and on. Could someone tell me when the people in the world stop enjoying the simple things like a long drive some car CD player kareokie and nowhere as the destionation on a warm night? When did this "adult" shit thing take over and chase away the simple pleasures that were enjoyed when we were kids?

Is it work or women? Is it bills or credit cards? Is it student loans or mortgages? I don't know. The fact that I got caught up in this mire myself makes me not the one to answer these questions. I do know that I was a part of it and for that I'm truely sorry.

Jason said to me today that we need to revive the old memores. FUCK That.. we need to make NEW memories. The old ones are wonderful to have around, but it's time to augment them with more!!! Why is it so hard?

I'm not a live for the moment type person. I consider myself moderatly irresponsible. I'm not talking about throwing caution to the wind, I'm talking about remembering the simple things and enjoying the time that we are given on this silly blue and green ball. Is there something about life that slowly drains this simple fun away from us? Wish I knew the answer.

Master Yoda said that "Once you begin down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny"

Well Master Yoda, I've been to the Tree. I took my blaster and light saber with me and I felt the hate anger and fear of the darkside. I made my way back.. and I think I'm mostly intact.

So.. any of you who would like to fill the passenger seat, I hope you don't mind some off key singing to CD's, it appears I can't hit the high notes like I used to be able to. But I'd love to have you along to enjoy the ride. I hate being in a good mood all alone.

*personal confession. When a particular person is on your mind too much, it's hard to concentrate. Since I want my posts not to suck.. I've been waiting till things cleared up to write something coherent...


I'm a movie fan. I wouldn't call myself a film student or a connoisseur. I'm a movie fan. I like films. I watch and go to the movies a lot. I pay the $8 for popcorn and a drink because I realize that it's where the theaters make their real money, and I want to make sure that one of my favorite entertainment mediums gets supported. I enjoy all sorts of movies. Pop culture films by Kevin Smith, awful cheesy horror flicks, thought provoking films like Pi and Memento, and fun comic book films. I don't ask a lot from my movie, just entertain me for a couple hours. Despite that low standard, some films still end up failing. Can anyone say Alien Vs. Predator? I knew you could.

I am NOT a fan of Hollywood. Hollywood represents yet another distillation and corruption of an art form. Much like the RIAA, the MPAA has taken the art out of film making and sacrificed it for the sake of things like unions, profit margins and blockbuster films. It's not about the quality or the art of the film anymore. It's about the box office take. Compromise the story to make it pander to the lowest common denominator. Take all the controversy out because people might get offended. Don't' make people think, do the thinking for them.

Along with that, the politics of Hollywood can go out the window. I don't ask the guy working a Best Buy what he thinks of the current political climate. Why? To be honest, I don't really care. I feel the same way about Hollywood. Stars that use their fame to pander retarded political messages can stick it as far as I'm concerned. I don't care if your liberal or conservative, shut up and be an actor, actress or director. Putting a message into a movie is fine. You want me to think about something by telling a story about it.. Bully for you. Don't hit me over the head with it though, let me form the opinion.

Having said all of that, can someone tell me why it is that we seem to be indundated with remakes and rehashings lately? Amnityville Horror, Miami Vice, The Fog, Starski and Hutch, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Dukes of Hazard are just a few of the ones that are or have been made? Shouldn't these films stand on their own? Do we really need to see a remake of a film that's not even twenty years old?

Maybe it's my age showing. It seems to me though that the corporate machine has driven not only the soul out of Hollywood, but the desire to be creative as well. Don't come up with new ideas, rehash the old ones because the nostalgia hounds will run out to view them. Use a tried and true name, don't establish one of your own. Do what's been done, but put your "twist" on it. No creation, only revisiting. The indy movie circuit is the only place where we get fresh ideas anymore. Where directors and small companies try to make it on their own.

I just don't understand the lack of creativity. I refuse to believe the theory that there are only 32 stories and everything is just a rehashing of those 32 plots over and over. What other reason is there for this lazy disregard for creativity? Granted, I'm not the most motivated when it comes to my creativity. I have four novels sitting unfinished.. But I'm not getting PAID to be a writer either. It's a hobby for me. I just think it's disturbing that this sort of creative outlet not only for myself but for others is being stifled in such a very disturbing way. Is it nostalgia for the past that's doing it? People don't want to take the risk on something new? I don't' think that's it. I think it's the fear from the corporate backers that don't want to have a movie bomb on them. Better to dupe audiences opening weekend and make our money back instead of actually putting out something that we believe in.

Are we this culturally bankrupt? Have we really lost this much of ourselves that even our creativity is falling to the wayside? I wonder.

On that note, I'm going to take a STAB at a movie Review. I've never done one before, but since I have delusions of journalist you'll all have to deal. If it goes over well enough, I may make it a regular Yeti rant feature.

Sin City
Directors:Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller
with special guest director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast:
Bruce Willis..........John Hartigan
Mickey Rourke..........Marv
Clive Owen............Dwight
Jessica Alba............Nancy Callahan
Rosario Dawon............Gail
Elijah Wood............Kevin
Benicio Del Toro..........Jack Rafferty
Michael Clarke Duncan............Manute
Brittany Murphy..........Shellie
Nick Stahl..........Junior/Yellow Bastard
Josh Hartnett..........The Salesman
Michael Madsen..........Bob
Alexis Bledel..........Becky

My first thought when the movie was over was Wow. Overload.

I saw a preview for it a few weeks ago, and it brought back memories of a graphic novel that I had seen sitting on shelves for years but never bothered to pick up. I've always been a fan of Frank Miller's Batman work, but never really got into picking up Sin City off the shelves. So, I'll admit to not being a fan of the comic books.

The good thing is the film stands on it's own. It is most definitely a comic book movie, with some film noir attitude thrown in for good measure. If you are a fan of Philip Marlowe type atmosphere then this is going to be your cup of tea. With a decidedly dark and violent twist.

Touching on the plot, it's three interwoven stories about various characters living in (Ba)Sin City (the B and A have been shot off the sign). Marv (Mickey Rourke) is a thug looking for vengeance against a murdered hooker who was kind to him. Dwight (Clive Owen) is an exmurderer who is trying to save the whores from Old Town in being caught between the mob and the crooked cops. Finally Hartigan( Bruce Willis) is one of the few clean cops in town just trying to get one last little girl saved from the corrupt machine before he retires. All the acting performances were believable and well done. As with most movies of this type, there is a parade of stars across the screen, but fortunately it does not detract from the movie in any way.

Visually the movie is stunning. It's filmed in digital black and white, and color is used for emphasis (much like in the comic book I'm assuming). Blood, eyes, lipstick, hair color, all of these things will appear in color on certain people, the most disturbing being the gold eye of Michael Clark Duncans Manute. Cars jumping over brick streets, cops flying through railings, hero's riddled with bullets but somehow making a last gasp to save who's needed, it's all there and it all looks wonderful.

The movie could have used a little editing. At 2:06 it seemed to run a little long, but it was worth sitting through. I got lost a little along the way, but seemed to get drawn back in rather quickly. I understand that it was Rodriguez's desire to remain faithful to the source material that prevented him from cutting things, but as a movie fan, I'm always up for a little editing for pacing sake.

All in all an excellent film, but one that you MUST leave the kids home for. Anyone offended by gratuitous violence, nudity and anti-heros need not apply. Odds are if you were offended by Pulp Fiction, this movie will make you outraged. If you loved Pulp Fiction (like myself) you'll be on board.

*apologies for another absence, work sucks

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

That ladies and gentlemen is the first amendment. The much bantered about, much debated, much quoted, often misunderstood, first of our "uninaleniable" rights.

So it's fitting that it's one of the first to be taken away by the bureaucracy.

What the hell am I talking about now? Well, take a look at the lovely news story below.
http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=2989614

For those of you too lazy to click the link, let me summarize. It seems that a young man of 17 was arrested and prosecuted under our joyous patriot act for making Terroristic threats. What did this young man do? Why, he wrote a fiction story about zombies attacking a high school. That's right folks, Zombies attacking a high school. Even better, his GRANDPARENTS are the ones that turned the story in to the police. Sound like an Orwellian nightmare to you? Well it does to me.

It seems that now we are going to be arrested and prosecuted for thought crimes. Right here in Pittsburgh, a young man (16) was arrested and jailed for saying that he was going to take a gun to school to shoot people. Now, when they arrested him, he had no gun, he didn't try to take a gun to school, as a matter of fact, other than making a silly threat over IM he did nothing wrong. Yet the kid is going to jail. Sounds like a Thought Crime to me. Yet, apparently under the patriot act "having the physical ability to commit the act is not taken into consideration". Hmm... so I guess all the times I've threatened to blow something up over IM the person could have turned the log in and gotten me arrested as a terrorist? Was it a stupid thing for the kid to do? Yes. Was it something he should probably get some In School Suspension and Detentions for? Yes. Should he being Jail? FUCK NO. Another amendment is coming to my mind Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Yeah, that's the 8th amendment. Seems like we're jumping the gun here. We should be moving to the Second amendment next.

In an even more disturbing turn of events, it seems that the "youth" of the US doesn't even get the point of the 1st amendment. Results from a study done here are downright disturbing: http://firstamendment.jideas.org/findings/findings.php Kids think that the government should be able to censor the news, and should have control over news outlets. Most of them don't even care about the 1st amendment. It seems that between an lack of proper civics education combined with a national apathy towards anything that requires thought is to blame.

When are the citizens of this country going to wake up and realize that 1984 is more than 21 years ago and the year Ghosbusters came out? The government is slowly but surely draining away our rights for our "safety" and soon we're not going to have any of them left. What's next? Oh.. This is next... http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-5611908.html. It seems that in the wise land of California, that only the "approved" journalists are allowed to protect sources. Us poor internet folks are just going to be court ordered to give up confidential sources, which means that the only outlets other than the mainstream news media are slowly being undermined. Blogs, news sites, message boards and news groups are finally starting to come into their own for news reporting. They are all outside the mainstream and can't be manipulated by the big government/big media power base that seems to be growing ever stronger. So, we'll just legislate ways around it. Wonderful. Keep the information in the hands of the people who SHOULD be giving it out out when they decide it's okay. What person is going to leak news to a site or a blog knowing that the confidentiality laws don't protect them?

Now, I realize that a lot of you would sit back and say I'm being paranoid. I admit to a minor level of paranoia here. The reason for it is, things at the fringe are always what are cut back first. Take away the porn because porn is bad, and nobody will care. Then take away the Sci Fi, because, really only a small amount of us read Sci Fi, and mostly nobody will care. Then take away the mainstream stuff, and when the people cry out, well it's too late, we've done it to porn and sci-fi and created precedent. The old saying of "I don't agree with your opinion but I will die fighting for your right to have it" is a mantra that I live by. Too bad the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitude has spread like an infection through the US. As long as it's not affecting me, fuck it. I don't care. Well guess what folks, eventually it WILL affect you, and if you don't start figuring this stuff out now, then it's going to be too late to fight for yourself when the time comes.

This...
Special thanks to Dave H. my coauthor in bordom on this one....

Long ago in a galaxy far far away.....

Two very bored hockey fans sat eagerly awaiting the start of baseball season because it's the only thing to look forward to in Mid Feburary in Pittsburgh.

With no sign of a CBA agreement for the NHL, their thoughts soon turned to pitchers and catchers reporting.

However, due to the fact that the evil empire has pretty much assured that their little rebel team has no hope of even getting a sniff of the playoff race, instead of discussing the actual sport.. they came up with this.........


BASEBALL WARS... STARRING:

The Yankees as Darth Vader (or Evil Empire, in general)
This one is obvious. The Yankees are generally referred to all over the world as the “Evil Empire”, and for good reason. No other franchise is more gluttonous and power-hungry as the Yankees. They go around the baseball universe gobbling up free agents, luring them in with lusty promises of power, fame, and fortune.

The Red Sox as Grand Moff Tarkin
The Red Sox are a solid member of the Empire, with the second-highest payroll behind only the Yankees. Always competing with Vader to be the most-favored son of the Emperor. Maybe they should really be called Tarkin’s lackey (you know… the one that Vader starts choking out right in front of him in Episode 4, until Tarkin makes Vader back off), given their history, until last year, of choking at crunch time, rather than actually being in charge of Vader. But, since we all know that Vader is truly the power, not Tarkin, this title will suffice.

The Orioles as Han Solo
The Orioles try hard to be cool, and they want to take down the empire, but they just seem to be lacking any true motivation to do so. They’ve got some decent weapons at their disposal, but they seem comfortable settling for third place behind the Yankees and Red Sox every year. Maybe someday when they finally realize that Leia (you’ll have to read further to find out who she is…) is Luke’s sister they’ll be motivated to win something…

The Blue Jays as Greedo
Since the Jays are usually worse than the Orioles (our Han Solo), who better than Greedo to represent them. That’s right… Greedo. The bounty hunter that pathetically misses Han Solo from point blank range in the bar in Mos Eisley Spaceport. Just when you think you’ve got him and you’re going to collect your bounty… WHOOPS! You can’t shoot the dude from across the table, and you end up dead. Sort of like when you had The Rocket throwing heat for you and still couldn’t win much.

The Devil Rays as some fat dancer from Jabba’s palace
Nobody wants to watch that… NOBODY. Please, Jabba, hit that button… the Rancor Monster is hungry.

The Twins as R2D2
A small market team that packs a punch (occasionally, though usually they do it with speed, and R2 is NOT fast… but, hey! Lay off… this is tough, OK?) You never see them coming, yet they have the tools to get the job done. Plus, you can’t help but root for the little guy, much like the way it is with the Twins.

The White Sox as Stormtroopers
All they know are white suits and killing! OK, so that’s the wrong movie, but it does fit here. The typical Empire grunts, they can do a good job mowing down rebel peons, but find a rebel with any skill whatsoever with a rifle or a lightsaber and they’re toast.

The Indians as Dagobah
You have to remember that this discussion is being brought to you by a couple of Pittsburgh guys, and we feel that there’s no place in America dirtier, smellier, and more run-down than Cleveland… yes, worse even than our own rust-belt hell hole. I’m sure nobody as powerful and respected as Yoda has ever gone to Cleveland to die, but other than that, Dagobah would be the perfect description for this town.

The Tigers as TIE Fighters
Given that they’ve recently been able to sign Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez, you might think that the Tigers have escalated beyond the designation of TIE Fighters, but c’mon let’s be real here for a minute. The Tigers suck. TIE Fighters suck. Who’d they ever beat? Porkins? See the correlation here?

The Royals as Alderan
If you’re looking for a team that gets unmercifully slaughtered by the Empire, just as a demonstration of their power, then the Royals are your team. Remember when the fans were throwing fake money on the field to “taunt” the Yankees a couple years back? That’s about as rebel as the Royals get. They would prefer to just live in peace and be left alone, and, as Leia herself said, they have no weapons. We seem to have come out of hyperspace into an asteroid field…

The Angels as Jabba
So, it wasn’t really until their recent ownership takeover that their payroll has become fat, bloated, and useless (see Bartolo Colon, Raul Mondesi, Jose Guillen, etc.), but since then, they’ve made it their policy to buy up high-priced bounty hunters to try and do their dirty work, because they can no longer get off their giant, lazy asses and do it themselves. And really, it might have been an alien, but Jabba DID have his own person Rally Monkey.

The A’s as Mace Windu
Samuel L. Jackson is just cool. He does what he wants, when he wants, but still has plenty of respect for the elder Jedi and the Jedi Council. He hates the empire… everything they stand for. He wants to take them down, but just can’t quite get it done on his own.

The Rangers as Rancor Monster
Remember that contract they gave to A-Rod? And it got them where? That made them look big, tough, and nasty, but all it took was shoving a bone in their mouth and closing a door on them to make them go away.

The Mariners as Ewoks
They’re really far away, nobody pays much attention to them, and they’ve got one recognizable character (Ichiro). Doesn’t Seattle have a lot of trees near it, too? A couple years ago, with enough stones and logs in their arsenal, they were able to put up a slight challenge to the Empire, but they mostly suck.

The Braves as Obi Wan
None of us here in Pittsburgh really wants to admit that the Braves are anything good, but somehow, through all these years, they just keep winning. The only team that can pose a reasonable threat to Vader on a regular basis (and stocked with crusty old dudes), the Braves would have to be considered the Obi Wan of baseball.

The Mets as Jawas
Is there another team in baseball that collects more junk and useless spare parts than the Mets? Is there?

The Marlins as The Millennium Falcon
The fastest ship in the galaxy. Even blew up the Death Star once (and our Dagobah, but that’s besides the point). Once in a while, they’re something great… the rest of the time, they’re held together with duct tape.

The Phillies as Tuscan Raiders
Big bully pretenders who run home to momma when Obi Wan (the Braves) comes around. Close to Cleveland on the stinky scale, Tuscan raiders are known to ride large smelly beasts across the barren desert. And for what? What did they think they were going to accomplish by kidnapping Anakin’s mom? Dumbasses just begging to get slaughtered? Sounds like Philly.

The Nationals (formerly les Expos) as Wamprats
Luke used Wamprats for target practice. The rest of baseball uses the Expos for target practice.

The Pirates as Yoda
Remember, this is being written by guys from Pittsburgh. That being said, Pittsburgh’s glory days (yes they had them… 5 World Series wins) are way behind them, and many the citizen here goes to Cleveland to die. Of course, none of the sports teams ever bow down to Cleveland’s teams. They tried, for a while, to train a bunch of Jedi to oppose the empire, but failed miserably, so now the Bucs are just sitting around the swamp waiting for some young Jedi to seek them out and return them to glory.

The Cardinals as Chewbacca
With all hitting and no pitching, the Cardinals are a team that can shell out a ton of damage, but never win it all when it counts, at least, not on their own. Between themselves, the Orioles (Han Solo), and the Marlins (the Millennium Falcon), they could, on the right day, destroy the Empire once and for all. Now, if only Joe Buck could master the Chewy scream when calling out a homer…

The Astros as Boba Fett
For a few years now, the Astros have been taking in some REALLY high-priced free agents, but not winning a damn thing with them. Randy Johnson stopped there between the Mariners and Diamondbacks (could he be considered some kind of Boba Fett-Chewbacca hybrid, just on his own?). Who else… Jeff Kent? Carlos Beltran? Roger Clemens? Sure seems like the Astros are in the bounty hunting business.

The Cubs as C3PO
Nobody really cares about the Cubs, in fact, some people think they’re better off never actually getting over the Billy Goat curse. Also, it’s the Windy City. C3PO is a windbag that nobody really cares about. Most of us were probably happiest when 3PO got blown up and Chewy was carrying his broken parts around Cloud City. It’s just too bad they actually reassembled him…

The Reds as Imperial Guard
We were starting to run out of characters at this point, and the best correlation we could come up with was some dudes that think they’re intimidating, even though all they ever do is stand around in their red uniforms with their Force Pikes. You get the feeling that they should be, or maybe once were, a force to be dealt with (the Big Red Machine), but now, they, uhhh… are they really even there?

The Brewers as Princess Leia
I know, I know… you’ve all been waiting to see who was going to be Princess Leia. Well, the Brewers are the only team run by a female (aren’t they?), so they’re the obvious choice. We were thinking about going with the Reds for Leia because of Marge Schott, but we couldn’t bear the thought of Marge Schott in that metal bikini on Jabba’s slave barge. UGH! Hold on… I need a minute… one argument I had against the Brewers is that, they’re not rebel enough (you know, because the Seligs don’t REALLY try to stand up to Steinbrenner), but maybe being conformists can be explained by Leia being influenced by her daddy (Vader… not Bud)?

The Diamondbacks as Tatooine
A barren desert with hardly any talent and a spaceport filled with scum and villany. Phoenix, Arizona? You make the call. There’s sort of a 3-way-deal going on here between the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers, and the Padres, which is why we’ve decided to call the Dodgers Uncle Owen, and the Padres Aunt Beru. Yes, we’re struggling now.

The Dodgers as Uncle Owen
See Diamondbacks, above.

The Padres as Aunt Beru
See Diamondbacks, above.

The Giants as Wedge
We got down to the Dodgers, Padres, Blue Jays, Reds, and Giants when were really started to run out of characters. For the Giants, we needed someone who has had a little success, but, in the end, is fairly insignificant. Some of you might think that’s unfair to the Giants, but here on the East Coast, we don’t care about anything that has to do with the West Coast. So, once the Giants and Dodgers went out west, they became irrelevant. At least we’re throwing someone a bone, here.

The Rockies as Lando Calrissian (or Cloud City, in General)
What’s way up high in the clouds in the middle of nowhere and run by a dude that sells Colt .45? Denver! They tried to sell out to the ways of the Empire and turn their backs on the rebels by having a high payroll, but when you’re completely unable to throw a curveball, you realize that your choice of location for a ballpark was poor, and now the only way you can make any money is by hawking terrible booze. Why DOES Coors come in a YELLOW can? Hmmm…

and now for...

Special Cast of Characters

George Steinbrenner – The Emporer (a.k.a Senator Palpatine)
Again, this was the obvious choice. No explanation needed, really. Masquerades as an upstanding (yeah, right) Senator by day, while actually being the Master of the Darkside by night.

Donald Fehr – Darth Maul
The head of the players’ union comes in with his bad-ass double-edged lightsaber and strikes down all the well-intentioned proposals of the team owners, particularly those of the small-market owners. Someday, he’ll get what’s coming to him… we hope.

Bud Selig – Jar Jar Binks
You knew this was coming, didn’t you? If anything in this whole game was nailed perfectly, it’s this. Do I really have to go into the reasons? You know this is true.

Luke Skywalker - NOBODY
There is no savior that's goign to come in and save baseball... it's screwed.

Well, considering my current battle with PenDot and the state of my drivers license I find this topic eerily close to home.

For those of you who are unaware, and from the looks of things that's an awful lot of you, the House just recently passed a bill called the Real ID Act. This act forces states to include federally mandated information electronically on State ID cards such as Drivers Licenses. This might also extend to a federal mandate that forces all adults to carry an Electronic ID card, or worse, an RIFD card or transmitter. Unfamiliar with RFID technology? Long story short they are very small imbedded transmitters that transmit tracking data. It's a scary prospect. They are already using them as Pet Licenses... In other words, trying out the technology on animals in order to see if it's practical to be used on humans.

Everyone brushing up on their newspeak?

Here's some speak for you.. A favorite quote of mine: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" It was said over two hundred years ago by Ben Franklin. It still amazes me that the men that drafted the constitution in this country saw all of this coming and attempted to make provisions for it, but somehow the stupidity of the average person has prevailed to thwart even their efforts. I will say this .. With a 191 Republican votes for this bill, I'm sorely regretting my vote for Mr. Bush and my support of his administration. Sure, it was the house voting and I voted libretarian for the house, but "The White House said in a statement this week that it "strongly supports House passage" of the bill. "* Thank you Mr. Bush. So what are the wise Republicans giving as a reason for this? Well.. 9/11 of course. In other words, they are doing this for "our safety." What's that Ben? We don't deserve liberty or safety? I couldn't agree more.

How is it that a party that stands for small federal government and broadening state powers is going to turn around and grant this kind of power to the federal government? Even more frightening, who is going to determine the data kept on these cards? Why the Department of Homeland Security of course. Who else? The new SS of the new millennium. Here are some details from the a Cnet article on the subject "States would be required to demand proof of the person's Social Security number and confirm that number with the Social Security Administration. They would also have to scan in documents showing the person's date of birth and immigration status, and create a massive store "so that the (scanned) images can be retained in electronic storage in a transferable format" permanently." Hey, George, Tom, ever heard of the 10th Amendment? You know, that thing that says it's up to STATES to control this sort of thing? Yeah... maybe you ought to listen to what the founding fathers said and heed it for once. Last I recalled, Social Security numbers were NOT to be used for identification purposes. Guess someone forgot that little detail. Cnet goes on to say "Another portion of the bill says that states would be required to link their DMV databases if they wished to receive federal funds. Among the information that must be shared: All data fields printed on drivers' licenses and identification cards, and complete drivers' histories, including motor vehicle violations, suspensions and points on licenses. " Why is it anyone's business but my own and the State who has issued my license what my driving record is eh? Or my eye color, weight, height etc. Am I being paranoid? Can't I still just choose not to carry an ID if I wish? Well, when I went to vote this year, I was required to show a Drvier's license. This is a violation of my rights. My Voter's registration card has printed RIGHT on it "Under the law you must present a form of identification to the election officals on Election Day the first time you vote in a new election district, division or precinct. This card -IS- an acceptable from of identification". Yet, when I presented it, I was required to show my Driver's license? What if I choose not to have one? Did I lose my right to not carry a state approved ID if I so choose? Seems I have considering that right on the voter signature form was a line for Drivers License number.

It seems Mr. Bush, who got reelected not on his wartime policies but on his religion and his belief that Chuck and Fred shouldn't be wearing rings, is now using that reelection to push a police state agenda for our own safety. This is all being done because "Republican politicians argued that the new rules were necessary to thwart terrorists, saying that four of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers possessed valid state-issued driver's licenses" Hmm.. Four out of 15. They all possessed legal Visas. This from the same government who wants to just let all the illegal immigrants from Mexico just stay here and enjoy. Give them a courtesy green card and a pat on the ass. Mr. Bush, excuse my French, but your priorities are FUCKED.

Tracking my movements, violating my right to privacy, and forcing me to carry your big brother ID card is not going to keep me safe. It's going to let you in on my life when you have no reason or right to be there. These are the same people that are saying it's OK for the police to place GPS trackers on my car to track my movements, because privacy doesn't extend to my car as it's driven on public roads. These are the same people who passed laws saying that I can be held in jail for 96 hours without having any charges files if they "suspect" I'm a terrorist. These are the SAME people who are against gun control, but, you need a State issued photo ID to PURCHASE a gun. These are the same people who MISSED the 9/11 attack warnings PRIOR to the attack because they had TOO MUCH DATA and NOT ENOUGH PERSONNEL!! So their solution? Track more data on honest law abiding citizens. Hey, how about tightening up the boarders? How about deporting these illegal immigrants instead of giving them carte blanche to take American jobs?

I'm very disappointed that less than a month into the new term, this is the turn our government is taking. Between this, and the attorney General appointee talking about how he wants to limit my freedom of speech, I'm really starting to regret casting my vote in the Bush Administration's direction. I didn't put him in office to remove my freedoms, I put him in office to protect them.



* All quotes were taken from the Cnet artilce that can be found below:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-5571898.html

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

That's how Abraham Lincoln ended his second inaugural address. Less than a month later he was dead at the hands of southern conspirators, but the spirit of healing did eventually move into the country, at least mending the rift while leaving scars.

Despite the lost of the Confederate States in the war Confederate flag has always remained a proud and prominent symbol in the south and of the south. It stood for southern pride. It stood as a reminder that things weren't always peachy in the good old USofA and that people died at the hands of their brothers. I suppose it's also the universal symbol for Rednecks and for Lynard Skynard, but we can let that slide. However, it seems that there's a new connotation that's being put to the Confederate Flag that I'm not please about.. Racism. It's being put their by our media, by the proponents of Political Correctness and by ignorance of the people who are viewing it.

Let's take a step back. Where does the PC movement get off trying to say that this is a racist symbol? I suppose that if we take it at the 3rd grade level of education that most of these morons have then we draw the conclusion as follows: 1) The Confederate flag stands for the South in the Civl War, 2) The South was for keeping blacks in slavery 3) Therefore that means that all people with the Confederate Flag are racist. Sure, following that base line of logic, I can see where you draw that conclusion. However, it probably also means you still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny. These idiots need to get their heads out of their asses.

The Civil War was a war of States rights versus Federal rights. Taking a look at the state of the federal government today, Rebel Flag or no, I'm sure we can see who won. The freeing of the slaves was an ancillary issue that was as much a political maneuver on the part of Lincoln as it was for any type of Civil rights. I'm sure that any black person that lived in Mississippi in the early 1900's would tell you that Lincoln or no, slavery didn't start to end until the 60's. Yet, what's easier to teach children? Slavery vs. Non slavery. It's along the lines of anything. You need a basis to build on. Yet, for some reason, we're not building on that basis. We're leaving that misconception there and this is the type of crap that it produces. We've stopped teaching the kids the rest of the story. We end with the simple because it's just easier that way. Besides, there are more important things to look at in history than the Civil War right? Like, the Clinton administration and how wonderful it was.

What other country in the world would let it's rebellious part keep their symbol? None. Yet the US let those in the south PROUDLY display their heritage on their state flags. Well, that's almost gone now. I didn't do the research, but I think there is only one state with it left. All the others have succumbed to the pressure of "racism". Reminders like this are what made us strong as a country. Embracing the differences between us. Not only in color, backgrounds, and origins, but in philosophies as well. Sure there is racism in the south. Sure there are rednecks who proudly display the flag and then head into the closet to get their KKK robes out for the rally. Sure there are those who would put the Rebel Flag right next to a swastika. However, knowing the true origins of the flag and what it stands for should take away all the power that those few people who do those things invest into it as a symbol of Racism. A little education, a little thought, and a little independent thinking are all it takes to realize what that flag REALLY means. Then again, since when do Americans think for themselves?

We do what we're told to do by the media, MTV and our bosses now. We don't' think for ourselves. That's too much work. Independent thought interferes with my nice head in the sand life.

Wonder what time Survivor is on?


(As an Post Script to this, I think it necessary to say that I'm a born and bread Yankee. I hate country music, I move at 100MPH and hate the heat.)