Homophobic bigots (opinion)

Four centuries and two years ago, the first colony in American was established. Since then, many people of differing backgrounds have migrated to America to seek tolerance for their way of life. However, many of these people who sought tolerance were not tolerant of those who went against their own belief system.

Today, many people have much contempt for those who do not follow their own code of morality, and make it their business to have their moral standards as law. Many “immoral” actions have been banned, or are restricted; actions that include prostitution, abortion, public nudity, premarital sex, and homosexuality.

What's interesting about the previously listed actions is that many who proclaim they are immoral often engage in the activities, and might not be very “loud” in outright banning them all: all but homosexuality, specifically homosexual marriages.

Many people do not understand the circumstance of being gay, and assume that it is a disease, or that people simply make an irrational decision and choose to be gay. They believe it's sinful and immoral, and that God detests those that engage in homosexual activities. If God is omnipotent, he most certainly knows and loves homosexuals, and is fine with their lifestyle.

Stripping the right to be married from them based on the archaic procreation and marriage belief systems and actively campaigning against them is the height of folly in this era, and shows the ignorance in which they live. It is especially ignorant of the conservative religious groups to look down on homosexuals when they themselves commit sins of cheating, stealing, greed, and blasphemy when proclaiming “God’s Message,” a message distorted to serve the religious groups’ own purposes.

These purposes can be summed up as "Tyranny of the Majority" as the rights of those who form a small minority do not have enough votes, power, or influence to protect their lifestyle. The majority casts them down and spits upon their ideals, ignoring their needs and their contributions to the country. These events happen as the government stands by and does nothing, much money lobbied to them from these conservative religious groups to "protect" the country from "immorality." The government does not do its job, and contributes to the problem.

While America is still fighting the intolerance within, how can she be a shining example of the “Land of the Free” to the rest of the world?

American teens, where art though intelligence?

I was reading a news story, and was absolutely shocked at what I had read. Six teen girls beating on another teen girl, videotaping it, and planning to show it on YouTube as a popular video. The article can be found here. There are video clips in it as well, showing a scene of such primal violence.

After reading the article, my first thought was, "Jesus, these girls should be imprisoned for life and denied even the most basic rights." I did more thinking, and was wondering how the girls could come to such an idea, how they thought they would get away with it, and why their common sense didn't stop them from doing such a premeditated act. I came to the conclusion that the answer is one that has been plaguing this generation of teens: Bad parenting and a horrible public high school system.

I believe bad parenting is running rampant, with parents letting their children do as they please and not caring what really happens. There are few rules for the children to follow, essentially too many privileges with no responsibilities. These children believe that they are immune to trouble when they compare themselves to other teens who have a "normal" family with parents restricting them in some ways. These teens are brought up to do what they want, and unless they have other role-models, they literally will do what they want to the point they will get in serious trouble.

The second major problem is the public school education system. Teachers who are not qualified are teaching teens, scholastic goals for each teen are not being enforced by the school system (no real consequences for cutting class, not doing homework, etc.), and the deadly influences of religion are are being interwined into the state funded curriculum rather than being taught in proper setting such as a church. The students are not learning much at less they truly want to be there, and lets face it, most people who are in high school do not appreciate being there as they go through it.

The teens are less fit to be alone in the real world than their parents are, and the parenting system will further degrade as each generation gets a worse education than the previous until the modern world finally collapses and the human race is plunged into another dark age. The education system requires the parents to be the motivating factor in getting their children to attend classes with no other enforcer, and until such a time exists, the government should devote some resources to forcing minors to attend school at less they are given the consent from a doctor that they are not well enough to attend school.

Jeremy

A Thought After Reading an Email

I was looking through my email this morning, and came across a rather interesting chain letter. I copied and pasted it below,

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of
birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible foodBut then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table....everywhere! Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder, and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was the way it used to be.... quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal. Now let's see. ............ Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, and free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to 'press one' to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than 'Old Glory' are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties. Just my opinion, but maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.If you agree, pass it on; if not, continue cleaning up the poop!

The body of the letter is a story alluding to illegal immigrants in this country and how they are a drain on American social programs. They come over and find jobs, generally very low paying, and once they achieve the status as an American citizen they line up at all the social programs offices that will give them aid.

While I do believe this to be unethical, I do no think it is that big of an issue alone to be truly worried about. However, social programs as a whole do need to be looked at, and require many more limitations than they do now, if not entirely eliminated. Many people may disagree with me, but the question is why are they disagreeing. Most would disagree because they require and depend on certain social programs to survive. The dependency on such programs is a crutch for the American people that use them, and ultimately does not allow them to learn how to take care of themselves through smart budgeting, paying bills on time, and buying only what is essential.

Through the last six months, my mother has had me pay for my car insurance and gas from working $8.00/hour part-time at Safeway in order to teach me the responsibility of money. I am 19 years old and drive a 2000 Chevy Tahoe (32 miles round trip to school and back each day), so both gas an insurance cost a lot. I am able to not only pay for such things dealing with my car, but also food and some entertainment as well, while saving a little on the side each week. If I were to multiply my earnings out for each week, I would make a total $15,000 a year before union fees, government taxes, etc.

I look at the money I make, and know that if I were to work full time, take public transportation, and always buy in bulk what was on sale, I would still have a surplus of money if living alone. This involves no splurging on things I do not need; only what was essential.

A person is able to live on a low income and not require federal aid, it is a matter of being smart with one's money. The biggest reason, I think, in how people end up on social programs is their want to have children. Couples who are not able to afford the costs of a child should not have them. It is a huge oversight, if not intentional to get more money from welfare offices, furthering their dependency on such social programs.

Such over expenditures of one's money and inability to properly budget causes people to fall behind on paying taxes and such. Items such as alcohol, drugs, cable television, etc. should not be bought if money is an issue. In conclusion, the government should instead be investing money normally used for social programs into teach people about how to wisely use money, as less money will be spent on social programs, and more people will be better off in life.

Jeremy

The "Protestant Revolution" of Islam

I was scanning through news articles about Muslims in the Middle East, Islam extremist, and the likes until I ran over a rather interesting topic talking about a Muslim who is trying to promote free thought, women's rights, and separation of church and state in Muslim countries. I found this interesting because this man is promoting when he believes to be human rights and the path to a successful government in Islamic States in the face of adversity.

I was reminded much of Martin Luther when reading through this article. Like Martin Luther, this man, Abdullahi Ahmed an-Naim, sees the problems in his religion and recognizes ways to improve it according to their religious documents. Like Martin Luther, he encourages intellectualism rather than blind faith and acceptance, and tries to promote innovative ideas that will help the religion become healthy. He is a notable man for trying to improve the way of life in the Middle East and trying to modernize the way of thinking in that part of the world.

All we can do, unfortunately, is sit and watch how things play out. Extremism is a very deadly thing and can discourage members from following even the most simple logic. Important voices are silenced in the name of orthodoxy, and no one is given a chance to speak up.

Jeremy

The article is Here.

Prevention of Illigal Immigrants by Fence

I was reading an article about the American government building a fence along 400 miles of land bordering Mexico. According to the article, the government has bypassed many laws using some waivers and are preparing to build the fence. They claim that it will deter illegal immigration and are preparing to spend what is needed in order to complete the fence by the end of 2008.

I was thinking to myself about the cost of the fence, manpower involved, cost in repairs, and finally the human will. People will go to any lengths to get what they need and want in life, regardless of the cost. Regardless of any defensive mechanism in place, there are always ways around them, and even through them. While a fence may prevent people from illegally immigrating from Mexico initially, those who wish to immigrate to America will eventually find a way to do so.

The article says specifically that it is a fence that will be built, which leaves the assumption that it will be the chained iron strips crisscrossing and held together by large iron poles on either side, with the possibility of electricity flowing through it, maybe even some barbed wire at the top of the fence. Throwing aside the negative ecological impacts of such a fence, such a fence might be a good idea. Although, one must question if these fences will be constantly patrolled. If they aren't, a pair of rubber gloves and fence cutters will get someone through any fence. If we look at the ex-U.S.S.R. there were parts of that nation with fences rather than walls, and even had military personnel stationed around the fenced borders ordered to kill anyone trying to escape. Even with such extreme methods in place, residents of the U.S.S.R. still managed to escape. It is doubtful that American soldiers will be posted around the fence, or even shoot on sight, so history has shown us that the human will can get through even the toughest of fences.

Economically, it isn't smart to build such a fence. Illegal immigration will still occur, and adding a fence to build and repair to the budget can cause more of a strain on the economy as it will require more money and other government projects that may truly need the money will suffer. Deportation will still occur, budgeting for assault forces to catch illegal immigrants will still occur, payroll for those whom handle illegal immigration will still occur, so adding a fence to the equation is an utter waste of tax payer's money.

Jeremy

Article is: Rules to be Waived for Border Fence by Eileen Sullivan

Global Impact of Biofuel

I was reading an article on Yahoo News, and found an interesting article dealing with the impact of of biodiesel as it becomes used more often. The basics of the article tells the readers that in order to supply the demand for biodiesel, forests must be cleared to grow more crops, and with more land being used for the crops required for biodiesel, the prices of these crops is rising and is having an affect on the prices of products that rely on these crops (eggs, meat, and anything coming from livestock).

The article specifically talks about land being converted to farmland in the Indonesian area and how it is having a negative effect on the environment. The type of land that is being cleared are peatlands, which releases huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere contributing to global warming. According to the article, it will take approximately 800 years of using biodiesel cars to make up the amount of green house gases released into the air from clearing the peatlands.

This article is a perfect example of the requirement to take four steps backward for every five steps forward. Every project requires a little sacrifice and spending in order to make progress. Although the question is, are we in a position to make such a sacrifice? The consequences of causing so much carbon to be emitted into the atmosphere might cause the disastrous effects of global warming to occur before the earth starts to revert due to our efforts. Our other immediate option is to suspend the privilege of driving oneself around and use the public transportation system in use. Buses and trains will need to be added into the system in order to accommodate an influx of new people. This is the dilemma we face, both choices will have a negative influence on cultures and economies, but which choice is most beneficial to the preservation of our planet when self-servitude is taken out of the equation?

Assuming the suspension of cars was to take place, the motor industry and oil industry would be forced to spend more money into creating a high efficiency electric car, or other projects to invent complete environmentally friendly cars. New technologies could begin to take root as a desperation for personal travel creeps up, and we may see the beginning of a new age. Time will tell how we as a species strive to overcome the inconvenience of global warming.

Jeremy

The article is located here:

World cooling on biofuel solution to climate change

(Article written by: Aubrey Belford)

Re: Barack Bowl

I was reading a New York Times blog page of Barack Obama dropping by a bowling alley and bowling with one of the patrons. I must say, genuine or not, it is rather great of him to spend some time with people whom he will be representing if he wins the presidential election. Lets hope that he does things like this if he does win presidency, as his interaction directly with people will have a bigger affect on him and how he decides his policies as well as which policies to make rather than hearing what needs to be done and how only from his cabinet members, and will be good for keeping his public image decent in the face of the country.

For the story, the blog is located here: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/barack-bowl/#more-4667


Jeremy