Back in the saddle

So it's been about a month since I blogged and I hope I haven't lost all of my readers (hi mom). I think I was just a but burned out with the elections and then I went on vacation which got me out of my groove. Anyhow, I'm back now and will resume posting on my rigorous "whenever I feel like it" schedule.

Not all news is bad on the culture front

According to the Sun:

YouTube bans 'suggestive' vids

Actually that headline is misleading, they are simply age restricting those videos to accounts held by people 18 and over, but it's a start.

Hukd un fonix...

People often ask me why I think democracy is a bad idea (I favor a republic over a democracy, if you don't know the difference you'll be addressed in the next sentence) . When I tell them it's because the vast majority of Americans are to ignorant to be voting they look at me as if I have just uttered a racial epitaph or worse. Behold, my point is eloquently made in this news article.

A taste:

Some people collect sports memorabilia, or rare coins, or sea shells from the beach at Ocean City. Wilson Watson collects sentences. He taught local community college students for 35 years and has now slipped gently into retirement. But his students’ sentences trail behind him like ship’s anchors, evidence of the sinking of American writing skills.

Or, as one of Watson’s scholars wrote so succinctly: “Some people use bad language and is not even aware of the fact.”

Or, another: “It’s good I’m doing something with my self; Therefore, I can do better in the foochure.”

Or, “People who murder a lot of people are called masked
murderers.”

There's more if you follow the link, just bear in mind that these are high school grads. Puts the whole "get out the youth vote" thing in perspective, doesn't it?

Real Men

From BlackFive

Pearl Harbor survivor Houston James of Dallas embraces Marine Staff Sgt. Mark Graunke Jr. during a Veterans Day commemoration in Dallas. Graunke lost a hand, a leg and and eye when he was injured by a bomb in Iraq last year. (AP Photo)

I look at this photo and tears well up in my eyes. These men are warriors, men who have faced the devil himself for the love of their country. Men who deserve our honor and respect. From me, they shall receive it. I look at these men and my blood runs cold when I think of those who would denigrate their service. It runs especially cold when I think of those who would do it in my presence, I don't recommend it.

This is cute

Sort of a "Sorry we've been calling you bigots, fools, nazis, rednecks, inbreds, fascists, etc for the past 8 years, but now that we're in charge let's kiss and make up" thing.

See it for yourself here. If I was a Republican I'd be skeptical.

Family Update

The house has sold...yesssssss!!!!!! Now I just need to sell my truck and I'll be stylin'. We are officially leaving San Angelo on the 8th of December on our new adventure and we are all stoked.

TV Commercials

Do commercials for feminine products really need to ennumerate the symptoms they treat? Honestly, does anybody who is in search of these products not know what they are seeking to treat? I know, freedom of speech and all that, but I'd like to get through my lunch without hearing the words "feminine odor and itching".

Elitism

I love to read. Magazines, novels, history, philosophy, the back of the cereal box, if it's printed, I will probably at least give it a chance to see if it grabs my attention. Recently it has come to my attention that many fellow readers are snobs. They look down on my love of some authors, presumably because those authors sell too many books. This confused me for a while, than I realized where the root of this problem lies, people are elitist. They like to think that they are better than the common man, so anything that is embraced by the common man must be held at arms length, lest these elitist be associated with the very people they are trying to set themselves apart from. Now, admittedly, this is not a bad policy for the most part, not because I wish to set myself apart from anybody, but because, generally speaking, most highly popular movies, authors, and musicians are horrendous. That being said, there are some exceptions, and just because somebody is popular does not mean that their work is without merit. If you hold this attitude it proves two things:
1. That you cannot think for yourself, you must adopt the view of those around you so that you can be one with the flock. Baaaaa.
2. That you are no better than the people who like something simply because it's popular, they just belong to a bigger flock.
It's OK to hate Brittany Spears music because it's tripe, but don't hate it just because everybody else in your circle of friends (flock) hates it. Try thinking for yourself. You might be surprised to find out that you are missing out on some very good stuff. Life is to short to do otherwise. I'm off to read my new Ludlum novel.

Boat Show & US Naval Acadamy

I went to a boat show with my friend today and.....HOLY CRAP......I've never seen such opulence in my pitiful 29 years on this earth!!!!! Some of these boats had more square footage then my house. Now granted, I don't live in the Taj Majal, but still, we're talking about some serious power yacht action here. Boats with multiple plasma screen TVs, multiple helm stations, sleeping for six, two bathrooms, cherry wood trim, need I go on? One boat I saw had a cruising range of FOUR THOUSAND MILES!!!!!! For those of you that are geographically challenged, that's enough gas to cruise from New York to London with fuel to spare. But hey, it was only $6,000,000. Unfortunately the broker wouldn't take a personal check. They made you take you shoes off before entering most of the boats, but since I didn't know that in advance, I of course didn't wear shoes that were easy to take on and off. After a few boats I learned to look around and see if I wanted to look at any of the adjacent boats to minimize the taking off and putting on off shoes. Later I came to a group of boats that did not require the doffing and donning of shoes, and I must say that it made me happy. The broker in charge of these boats told me that my shoes could do no damage that he couldn't fix in 5 minutes with his steam cleaner. I thought that was a good point and tried to get him to walk around the show with me and convince others of this, but alas he, like the other broker, would not accept a personal check either.

I also went the museum at the Naval Academy, quite cool indeed. They had some great items of significant historical value such as a flag that hung in Hitlers Chancellery, and the uniform that Nimitz wore at the Japanese surrender. I recommend it if you are in the area.