Goodbye yellow brick road, hello yellow brick wall

Hollywood has sunk to a new low, even for them - capitulating to demands from an oppressive government not to insult them or their country. All for the sake of money.

And no, I am not talking about America. Because Hollywood has proven they don't care about demeaning America, Americans or American values. I am talking about how they are cow-towing to China and Chinese demands for "sensitivity".

This is pretty sickening. Hollywood has always been a bastion of morally repugnant heels, but this latest bit of "concessions" to the demands of a totalitarian government makes my blood boil. Hollywood has never failed to insult one aspect of America or the other, from the Bush bashing W, EVERY Roger Moore flick and the denigrating Julianna Moore depictions in Game Change to the constant barrage of white supremacy / black violence / homosexual acceptance that inundates the "silver" (yea right) screen. Yet no Hollywood producer cares about - and even hopes for the controversy from - the outcry from the public over these constant insults to America, American business or American values. Yet insult one aspect of China and they "excise" the film. Deplorable. And these low life scum who call themselves members of some elite group of artisans wonder what has happened to American audiences. I'll tell you, they are sick of paying your exorbitant ticket prices for mediocre movies that constantly assault our eyes, ears and sensibilities. Also, when it comes to paying these high prices (both in tickets and concessions) vs paying our bills, putting food on the table or buying medicine for our children, you lose . . . EVERY time.

I guess its time for another round of independent filmmakers and production companies. The last time Hollywood went too far afield, along cam such visionary independent companies such as Weinstein, Wachowski, New Line and others. Eventually, they were absorbed by the Hollywood megaliths of cinematography. Some, like Touchstone, were the big companies pretending to be independent. But these were quickly discovered and the ruse abandoned. But new indepndents will rise in response to thsi latest Hollywood depravity.

I hope. Otherwise, coming soon to a theatre near you, you'll be watching the new incarnation of Red Dawn, where it is America swooping into a country and toppling the government, only to be thwarted by the brave cadre of rice farmers who battle the evil invaders.

Anyway, agree or not, I really don't care. Just stop being mindless sheep and unconcerned drones. Think for yourself. But hell, its all good. This is just me, Thinking Out Loud.

Have a great day.

Charles

Gun Control does NOT stop criminals

So, you all are hearing about all this gun control rhetoric from DC. Most of it is such crap. It addresses nothing and positions the government to take away more and more from Americans.

Now there is an email form the White House that is just loaded with lies, bupkas and more crap.


"For the first time since the 1990s, Congress might be on track to pass legislation aimed at reducing gun violence in the United States."

Legislation to control guns does NOT stop gun violence. Chicago, IL has the most restrictive gun control laws in the country. Would you feel safe walking the streets of that city during the day let alone at 2am? Not me. In 2012, gun violence was UP, not down. And new gun legislation won't affect the illegal purchase of guns.

"And it's because folks in Washington are starting to understand that the rest of the country isn't going to sit by and let them ignore this issue. Your voices are the reason we have a chance to win this debate. The American people expect and demand a yes or no vote."

No, moron, what the American people demand is you get your heads out of your butts and understand what the real issues are and not your insipid knee-jerk reactions to events like Sandy Hook Elementary.

"But this is a critical moment. It's been almost four months since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, thousands more Americans have died at the hands of gun violence, and time is on the side of those who would prefer that we do nothing."

Ta da! See, Sandy Hook. The legislation they are proposing would NOT have stopped that tragedy. A better mental health view in this country WOULD HAVE!


"We want to make sure that your voices are impossible to ignore. So we're asking people from all over the country to speak out online in concert -- all at the same time. Will you join us?"

I agree wholeheartedly. Speak out. And tell these idiots to stop worrying about their re-election campaigns and where their next special interest payment is coming from and start doing some good. Spread the word on Facebook to call up, email, visit your leaders in DC and tell them that 1) Gun legislation WILL NOT stop the violence in this country 2) Maybe they don't think they are an overbearing government that would strip our rights but even the founding fathers knew that future governments might not be as faithful to our Constitution and gave us the right to protect ourselves from such governments with the Second Amendment 3) Mental health is a better use of their time than gun laws that won't work 4) If they keep worrying about their re-election and their special interest kick backs we will make sure they don't have anything to worry about. 5) Stop with the knee jerk reactions to things. Sandy hook was a tragedy but you are focusing on the wrong aspect of that tragedy.

"So let's make sure that there's absolutely no confusion about the public consensus."

YES! 100% in agreement. Let us REALLY give them an idea of public consensus. Tell them THEY ARE FREAKING MORONS! Stop making laws that don't work! Stop wasting their time on these useless pieces of legislation!

Okay, that is my rant for the day. Agree or not, just so long as you stop listening to every word from these people who have no care about you as gospel. Start looking at FACTS not SPIN, and decide for yourself. Whether you agree or not makes no difference to me, just think for yourselves. ANyway, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.

have a great day.

Charles

Texas Education? NOT!

This is what passes for education in the Texas school system. A teacher - whom the students say felt uncomfortable teaching this but it was "in the curriculum" - has students dressing up like Islamists, calling terrorists "freedom fighters" and sugar coating genocide (referring to the Holocaust as "ethnic cleansing").

Understanding other cultures is one thing, blatantly waxing over evil is something completely different.

If you are form Texas, you should be embarrassed by this story. If you are in the military, you should be outraged that this is what you are defending. If you are a victim of terrorism (here or in any where in the world) - which is, in my mind, nothing but the actions of cowards - you should be stunned and hurt. If you are an American, you should be calling the state officials responsible for this out!

The Holocaust was systematic murder with the intent of wiping out an entire culture, religion, heritage, genetic group. It was the actions of madmen who felt that simply by virtue of birth they were superior. ALL ETHNIC CLEANSING is this, no matter it was in Germany, Serbia, Uganda, Rwanda, ANYWHERE! It was / is murder. Cold, calculated, deliberate and premeditated murder. To say otherwise is sick. To teach otherwise is dangerous and reprehensible.

Islam has a long history of being a culture of advancement, beauty and richness. The modern version of extremist Islam is nothing but a bunch of thugs and manipulators with insane agendas. To represent it as anything else is not education, it is brainwashing.

Go ahead . . . agree or disagree. I don't care. But think about what this truly is and how it impacts not only the students of this twisted school system, but the future of this country. And decide if you want murderous thugs being portrayed as the good guys. If you do, shame on you. If you don't, get those letters and phone calls and emails flying to the Lone Star State! They need to be made aware of their sickness. But hell, what do I know? This is just me, after all, Thinking Out Loud.

Try to have a good day.

Charles

Afghans . . . good riddance

I am so sick and tired of reports like this and actions from Middle East (so-called) leaders.

BBC report of Afhan President ordering US Special Forces out of a particular province.

And even more sick and tired of our SO-CALLED leaders - from the White House on down - who cower from pompous, dictatorial, (oh I would so like to use profanity at this point) jerks.

An Afghan politician is "ordering" US Special Forces out. Who the hell do our boys and girls work for? OUR {PRESIDENT, not some loser who can't handle his own people. This jackal can ASK our President to remove our troops from a particular location. But just who the hell does this limp noodle terrorist puppet on a string think he is ORDERING our military ANYWHERE?!?!?!

So here is what I would do as President. (Which I know our loser commander-in-chief that couldn't lead his way out of a paper bag among REAL Americans will NEVER do because he is such a wimp!)

I would immediately order the start of removal of ALL our troops from these savage nations. (Don't get me wrong. This area of the world was once rich in culture and science and art - but is no longer due to fanatical losers who are brainwashed into blowing their own dumbasses up and taking their poor kids with them.) At the samer time, I would revoke all visas to anyone from this section of the world. I wouldn't care who they were, who they loved or what their situation was. They would be gone. Then I would restrict travel of anyone from this area of the world into the United States. They would all be routed to an airport that could be under 100% government control and had security out the ying-yang. (This would free up Americans who travel from having to have their three-year old wheel chair bound child from being patted down and traumatized.)

AND AT THE SAME TIME, I would cut off all foreign aide to these deplorable centers of fear, hate and cowardice (and letting them know this is exactly what they are and what they represent) and "redistribute" this wealth to our own people starving and homeless and without healthcare in OUR OWN COUNTRY.

Because charity begins at home.

some may say this is a bit extreme, but how should the United States react when they are constantly berated (and for actions that are the responsibility of their own people, not ours) for military actions but at the same time pleaded with to be the world's police force? How should the United States react when they are being called the "evil empire" with venom while at the same exact time being bled dry by people who can't take care of themselves?

The reason there are so many homeless, sick, poor, jobless, broken and hungry people in America (which is always being lauded as the richest nation in the world) is because we take care of so much of the world, we don't take care of our own.

As President, this is the first thing I would fix.

Well, maybe the second.

The first would be to get rid of all the special interest laden, self serving political structure that has been failing to lead us for decades.

But THEN I would send a message to the world.

ENOUGH!

Enough begging from us. Enough trying to kill us for your own shortcomings. Enough spewing your hatred at us, while all the time asking for our help. ENOUGH!

You take care of yourselves and we will take care of ourselves. Don't like it? Tough! Get your money and your rice and your oil revenues from somewhere else.

Which would be the third thing I would fix in this country if I were President.

But I'll leave that for later. maybe for my announcement in forming and exploratory committee to run for President in 2016.

Maybe.

Anyway, you all know the drill, agree or not, it doesn't matter to me. So long as I get you thinking for yourselves instead of listening to the spin and acting like sheep, then I will consider my job done for the day.

Have a great day.

Charles

Why liberalism without conservative oversight fails

I know its been a while but things have been kind of crazy here. And by crazy, I mostly mean just trying to survive. Since I started my self employment gig a year and a half ago, its been a month to month just trying to survive. Even though I JUST pay my rent and phone, and can contribute a little to my household bills (no TV or superfluous items in this house), I get NO assistance from the government. Sure, I could probably be eligible for some kind of assistance - food stamps and the like - I refuse to do so.

Stubborn, you say? Not really . . . okay, maybe a little. But honestly, I know there are plenty of people much worse off than me that really NEED our government to help them out. So I will not be a burden and possibly take food from hungry young mouths that have no other means.

But then I see things like this and it makes my blood boil.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the government spent $2.2 BILLION dollars subsidizing phones for people, Cell phones. Fancy cell phones with lots of bells and whistles. Which really wouldn't bother me so much because even I have found the necessity of modern times where we all must stay connected. What really burns my butt is this:

"Until last year, FCC rules didn't require carriers to certify to the FCC that subscribers were eligible. Consumers could self-certify, and in many states documentation wasn't required."

And what is the government response to this failure?

Julius Genachowski pretty much summed it up. According to the WSJ article, the FCC Chairman said "The program rules we inherited were designed for the age of the rotary phone and failed to protect the program from abuse."

Come on. Really? But what can we expect from a government official simply following his great leader's example? Put the blame on the last guy to be in charge.

But I am not going there. Not right now. Where I am going is to express that THIS is a prime example of why liberalism without proper conservative oversight is a huge fail. (Note the lack of capitalization here. "liberal" and not "Liberal".)

To want to help your fellow man and fellow American is ingrained in our very existence. It is not just a religious idea (i.e. - Christian, Jewish, Wiccan, etc), it is an American ideal framed into our founding by men and women who KNEW what persecution and elitism and ignoring the poor and weak was really like. Dig into your history books and look at the glorious wrong doings of European leaders as they ignore the pleas of the hungry, hunted down and persecuted those whose religious beliefs were not in line with the powers that be, stole from those who had little to enrich their own lives. The founding fathers had left this world to create a new one. America.

So, yes, we all feel for those who need help. But without the common sense conservatism brings to the table, such programs of aide can be abused and can run amuck.

The poor in this country need help. And seeing how the government is wholly responsible for this condition, they have an obligation, a duty, to see to the needs of these people. But the lazy and the greedy (which includes ALL levels of American society and NOT just the top money makers, Mr President) and the unscrupulous not only need not apply, but should be prosecuted and forced to work off their debt.

The latter statement, of course, does not mean prison. Oh no, I am NOT paying for these people to get three squares a day (which many Americans do not), free healthcare (of which many Americans do not have), free internet and free education (again, which many AMericans cannot afford). No. They need to work off their debt by helping the very same people whom they have hidden among and stolen from.

There always needs to be a balance or things will swiftly tilt to the extreme. Dark must have light, good must have evil, wrong must have right. And liberalism must have conservatism. The ideals presented by various groups in this country have skewed the perception of Americans that one or the other is evil. The truth, however, is that without the balance of liberalism, extreme conservatism would leave far too many in dire needs. And without the balance of conservatism, extreme liberalism would bankrupt the nation and leave everyone in dire straits.

Liberalism is the heart of America. Conservatism is the common sense of America. And those who recognize this fact are the soul of America.

Agree or disagree, it doesn't really matter to me. But take a side, for God's sake, that doesn't rely on someone else telling you what to think. Not even me. Look at everything and make an INFORMED decision. Stop being sheep, stop listening to the spin of those who only have their own interest at heart. Either way, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.

Until next time, take care and have a great day.

Charles

Being a man in 2013

I love this letter by John Ransom on advice for how to be / what is a man.

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/12/25/on-being-a-man-n1473616

John writes "Firstly, God has put a special responsibility upon you to help and protect those weaker than yourself, those less fortunate than yourself and those in distress. The measure of a man is in how he meets these challenges. A good man treats those around him with kindliness and consideration especially under trying circumstances."

Responsibility. This is what separates a man and a boy. A man accepts that he has responsibilities that do not include me, me, me. And takes responsibility for his own actions. A man acts responsibly, in public and in private.

One of those responsibilities, as John points out, is protection of those weaker and less able. That is the kid being bullied, the special needs person who just wants to live their lives in dignity without being ridiculed, the elderly and the infirmed who deserve respect as human beings. The measure of difference between man and boy is such that a man does it out of kindness and compassion. A man protects those who need him not out of some hero swaggering reason. He does it because it is right to do so. A boy does it to make himself seem important.

To head off the feminist and women who would claim this ideal of manliness must mean I am misogynistic or a throwback to the days of female oppression. Neither is true. As John himself points out "It does not however mean the man is the boss of everyone. It consists of accepting the responsibility of making decisions, without any prejudice, for the good of your family; and then being accountable to God for the outcome."

Women are important in life and in the household. But a man, as head of household, does not abandon his family for selfish reasons. He does not leave a mother and children to fend for themselves. And he does NOT lord it over them. A marriage is a partnership and a family is a unit. A man will accept responsibility for tending to and protecting his family. A man understands that it is not "my word is law" in a household; he will do what is good for the family, not what makes him feel good about himself.

One of the probelms with the world today is that there are too many boys playing at being men and not enough role models for them to look up to. Celebrities who abandon their families and responsibilities, who offer up as models to young boys "ownership" of women and poor treatment and the axiom that toys make you happy. These are childish, un-manly activities. But this is what young boys see.

And they see childish boys in government acting in childish ways. NOT doing what is good for their "family" of constituents, NOT being men of responsibility, NOT looking out for the weaker ones (that is, those without the power these "men" in high office have).

If more men of honor and responsibility stepped up and offered true inspiration, perhaps this country and this world would take on a more positive hue.

Until then, it is up to pundits like John to point out the boy behavior of those who claim to be men so that the young can see the truth in their actions and NOT model themselves after such children.

Agree or disagree, it doesn't matter to me. So long as I get you to think, then all will be well.

Have a wonderful and happy 2013. Make a resolution to avoid the Spin and stop being sheep.

Charles

Morgan Freeman is wrong

Good, now that I have the attention of celebrity hounds, maybe I can enlighten you.

Morgan Freeman supposedly weighed in on who is to blame. True or not, it has sparked a wave of people who "blame" the media for "glorifying the killer." A poll at the end of the article linked above showed that an overwhelming majority of the 1500 plus people (at the time of this writing) indeed blame the media. Very few said it was that some "people are beyond reason."

Neither one of those is truly accurate. But it is proof that the real blame lies deeper. And it lies with all Americans.

I just have to say that although I commend anyone for maintaining the focus on the victims of these senseless events and I am often at odds with my colleagues in the media, I msut - to their defense - say that it is not them who makes these "household names." In fact, I will bet my next print paycheck that there would only be maybe 1 in 100 - hell, 1 in 1000 - who can name the shooters from these past crimes beyond a week or a month after the events. I don't speak the names of the Columbine shooters at my house. I would have to look them up if I were to refer to them in an article. And I bet dollars to doughnuts that as brilliant an actor as Morgan Freeman is, even HE had to look these names up. Its the news. It gets reported. It SHOULD teach us a lesson. But if the lesson it taught Morgan is that kids will want to emulate these sickos, then he got the wrong message. (Although, as stated above, it has come out that maybe Morgan did not say this, it certainly feels like something he would say in light of his recent public statements.)

So, just going to say it. People will get pissed but they can just get over it. Two things about gun control. 1) You pass a law to ban gun ownership and you end up living in a country where there is no protection from a possible dictatorship or military coup. 2) CRIMINALS DON'T OBEY LAWS NOW, so why the hell do you think they would do so with some NEW law?? Okay, one more. 3) There are laws NOW about 

what a citizen can own, how they can own it and when they can own it . . . if the law can't uphold THESE laws, what good is passing a new one?

What happens when people kill lots of other people has nothing to do with gun ownership. It has to do with a society that has become lazy. When I was a kid, we knew if we did something wrong our parents would find out because our neighbors would tell them. We knew that actions have consequences. But in America today TOO MANY people don't even know who their neighbors are, they hide behind closed doors and curtains if they hear kids doing bad things outside and there is no belief in actions = consequences anymore. Not where there is no personal responsibility anymore.

Americans are responsible for these tragedies that are happening. If we want them to stop, we have got to make some DRASTIC changes on how we live our lives. Find out who your neighbor is, get involved in your community, ACTUALLY care about the people in your community, stop holding stupid grudges, smile once in a while, be more concerned about the quality of life than the quantity of things in life, hold yourself / your kids / others accountable for their actions and don't make lame excuses for bad behavior, get into the lives of those around you and get the government out of them. Otherwise, sick people will continue to go unnoticed, signs of erratic / irrational behavior will go unchecked and more and more these things will continue to happen.

I'm done now. Yell, scream, rant, rave. Whatever. But deep inside . . . you know I'm right.

Agree or disagree, it matters not to me. What matters is you stop being hypnotized by others and come up with conclusions for yourself by using your own brains. Look at the world around you, dig deep for facts (not speculation, innuendo or what the latest celebrity or politician has to say about it) and formulate your own opinion. Do that and I will have done what I set out to do. Because, after all, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.

Have a great day.

Charles