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Entered on: October 9, 2004 12:00 AM by Swerb

Welcome to America, where you're free to be stupid and uneducated

PHOTO 141 - 26 Comments
From: Swerb Entered on: October 9, 2004 2:44 PM
So, Stacy and I went to Home Depot this afternoon, and came out to find this piece of literature stuck in the rear view mirror of my car. I assume it's in response to the "keep your church away from my state" sticker in my back window. It appears to be a gift from a George Dubya Bush supporter or Nazi - the line between the two is increasingly blurry. Note the stains on the paper plate. Must have been a tasty hot dog.     I find the "go to Iraq don't come back" statement to be especially offensive in its stupidity. Otherwise, it really speaks for itself, don't you think?
From: Jackzilla Entered on: October 9, 2004 3:15 PM
It does rhyme nicely, so it's got that going for it.     Seriously, that's why I stay away from getting political with my bumper stickers. What's to gain? Where as there's always plenty of crazy's out there that are pissed off with their lot in life and are looking for someone to take it out on. Consider yourself lucky he didn't key your car or some shit.     Now go get a universally accepted "Don't Laugh It's Paid For" or "I'd Rather Be Frisbee Golfing" bumper sticker and cover that thing up!
From: The Bone Entered on: October 9, 2004 3:19 PM
In the spirit of Vincent Vega, it would have been worth it just to catch him placing the paper plate in your windshield. Not only would I have been able to smack him down verbally, I would have goaded him into attacking me - a serious mistake that would have resulted in a knocked out religious fanatic.
From: Swerb Entered on: October 9, 2004 5:21 PM
Jack, I can see your point about not putting bumper stickers on your car... but sometimes, shit pisses me off so much that I can't just sit on my convictions. I also think the problem with some people is that they're too passive... not that I'm overreaching with the potential power of a bumper sticker, but if putting one on my car invokes some dialogue amongst people, even if they don't agree, we're better for it as a society. Fact is, 99% of people out there are decent human beings (even the Christian ones, who I personally believe are misguided), and aren't going to slash your tires if they don't agree with your publicly displayed political statement. I don't want to live my life in fear of the 1% assholes out there.     How about THAT for some intellectual bullshit? Honestly, I don't know what I would have done had I caught the person, but if they really wanted to duke it out - verbally or otherwise - they would have waited for me to come out of the store. We weren't in there very long, so it had to have been pretty close. I think it's cowardly to just anonymously leave what is essentally an abusive note on somebody's car. Sure, I'm tempted to throw shit at people with Bush stickers, or yell "what the fuck are you thinking?" at them, or rip the sticker off their car, but I don't - I'm a civil person, and I respect their right to their idiotic opinion.     On a similar note, I just watched Friday night's debate (recorded it cuz I was gone), and wanted to stand up and cheer when Kerry, responding to a question about abortion, said he was Catholic, and religion is a big part of his life, but he's not going to legislate his "article of faith" to people who don't believe in his "article of faith." He actually acknowledged that there are Jews, Muslims, atheists, etc. in this country, which is something that doesn't even enter Bush's fundamentalist brain. Kerry isn't the perfect candidate by any means, but I do feel better about voting for him.
From: The Bone Entered on: October 9, 2004 8:22 PM
Yeah, once again with the time difference in Hawaii and my work schedule, I missed the debates. However, I caught the last two questions of the debate on the radio on my way home and Kerry's response to the abortion comment was awesome. He basically said he intends to keep the matters of church and state seperate. I'd vote for Kerry almost exclusively based on his remarks.     On a more radical note. Lately I've been thinking about the fact that almost everyone believes that the biggest issue in this election is national security. Well, my logic is a bit harsh but I'm thinking it's not. First of all, no country will ever invade the U.S. Our sizeable military and nuclear weapons are an effective detterent. Incidents like those of 9/11 are aggregious but they only kill a very very very tiny amount of the U.S. population. Way more people die in automobile accidents and complications related to obesity. It's just that Americans are permeated with fear hyped up by the godamn TV. In the end hower, the Ross Johnson's of this world are far more concerned with the very real prospect of being jobless and poor. Sure, everyone feels bad about motherfuckers that had to jump out of the WTC aflame, but I bet they would feel ten times worse if they lost their house and car because they lost their 6 figure job only to be replaced with one of Bush's new jobs created paying in at 8 bucks an hour. So I guess the real issue in this election in my mind at least is the economy.     Discuss.
From: Swerb Entered on: October 9, 2004 11:52 PM
Well, the economy was on the pot taking a shit when Bush came into office, and 9/11 made it spray diarrhea all over the bowl... for 3 years. I tend to believe Kerry's criticisms of how Bush handled the economy - the deficit is appalling, even presidents who dealt with recessions didn't bungle things that badly in the past (even if I'm not convinced of Kerry's plan to fix it... he did stare at the camera and say he would not raise taxes for the middle class, which will likely come back to bite him in the ass if he's elected). But I think the Bush administration is purposely putting national security at the forefront, scaring people with all this talk about a terrorist setting off a nuclear warhead in a U.S. city just to distract them from the fact that their quality of life is in the shitter - "hey, it could be worse, you could be in a backwards country like Iraq!" seems to be the message. They truly are fearmongers, spraying up a smokescreen of bullshit.     I dunno, in my mind, the fact that the line between church and state is blurring seems to undermine a lot of the issues - it sure as hell is a lot easier to bomb the fuck out of a country whose religious ideology opposes Christianity than, say, North Korea. Plus, Bush likes to throw around the words "freedom" and "liberty" when it comes to Iraq, but those ideals are deteriorating every day right here in America, and people are swallowing the propganda, like the mystery dumbfuck who put the paper plate on my car. Bert Johnson could rant for days about this topic, in a much more eloquent and educated manner, so maybe I'll let him step in on this one..........
From: Ross Entered on: October 10, 2004 1:58 AM
First, let me say that I nearly stood up and cheered when John Kerry answered the abortion question the other night. I literally had a hard time believing that a presidential candidate could make that much sense answering one question. I was never more sure at that moment that I'm voting for the right guy. Granted, there are issues that I disagree with him on - he's misguided on various economic issues such as trying to strongarm companies from outsourcing, and he made a disturbing comment about faith-based initiatives - but as Bone said, that answer alone makes him ten times the thinking man's candidate that Bush is.     As for that paper plate - I'm going to try not to rant (too much). But it is disgusting. At the same time, it is far more civil than keying your car, and it does articulate this person's (ignorance-based) opinion: they seem believe this country was "founded on the church" if I read that right. They didn't cause any damage to your vehicle, I assume, so really what they did wasn't fundamentally different from what you did by putting the bumper sticker on your car in the first place, though it was more directed specfically at one person, and yes, somehow it does seem more cowardly but I'm not sure why.     Anyway, on to the content of the note. It is fitting that it was undoubtedly scrawled on a plate that held one of those greasy hot dogs that Home Depot sells. Really helps you picture the kind of person you're dealing with. The fact is that it is most likely a churchgoer who has been told this myth - that America is a "Christian Nation" time and again by their religious leadership. Of course, over the past few months, I've read several books on this very topic and I can tell you that that is in no way close to the truth. However, to give you all an idea of why so many people think this way, I will say that it is likely that had our country's Constitution been written ten years prior or later than when it was, we likely would find references to God or Jesus in the document, whereas now there are none. It was really slim luck that it was written when it was. So what I"m saying is that many, many people loathe the notion of our country being as secular as it is on paper. You see, there are many more secularized countries in this world in practice - but on paper, our Constitution presents us as the most non-religious government in world history. Not that politicians have chosen to obey the law as written.     Allow me to share an anecdote that happened to me recently in a small hick town - I made one of my very, very infrequent stops at a McDonald's to grab some coffee on my way out of town, and I was explaining to the guy I was with that the coffee is very hot, and made reference to the lady who sued McDonald's and won because of the serious burns she suffered from the coffee. The guy, like most people, only knew what he heard on the radio and TV about the suit being the archetypal example of frivolous lawsuits, so I corrected him and told him the story. Read here for more details:     http://lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm     The gist is that McDonalds was definitely in the wrong. Whether the woman was a tard or not really wasn't the issue - McDonalds had been asked repeatedly to lower the temp of the coffee and she got F'd in the A as a result of their nose-thumbing to safety. All she wanted was her medical bills taken care of. This was not a litigious woman.     Anyway, when I tell this to my companion, he nods and stays silent. See, he had a reasonable response: he didn't have enough facts to argue with me, but he clearly wasn't going to fully take my word for it, so he probably made a mental note to check it out later, or maybe he dropped it.     But this asswipe with a mohawk ponytail ahead of us in line turns around and decides that I must be some kind of asshole. He tells me that every time he goes to McDonalds, the coffee is that hot. I told him a) he doesn't know how hot that lady's coffee was because he wasn't there and b) even if that was true, that just means that all McDonald's are still screwing up - the coffee is way too hot to drink. He tells me that that's because people set it down and drive first. I told him that when I drive to pick up coffee, I actually like to consume it immediately at my own discretion. Then he starts jabbering about people being too stupid to know coffee is hot, the usual line, so I explain that there's "hot" and then there's "HOT" - and this stuff is third-degree-burns hot and nobody has any business dealing with shit that hot. No matter what I said, he wouldn't listen to reason. He was already indoctrinated with the culture that the McDonald's lawsuit was frivolous, and anyone who questions the conventional wisdom must be crazy or stupid or both, so he was going to lay down the small-town wisdom on me. He was actually quite belligerent and I though he might take it too far but luckily he didn't and we left peacefully. But not before I realized that arguing with people like that, in a forum like that, much like a parking lot scenario, is futile.     That does NOT mean that debate is futile, however! Although not everyone can be reasoned with, plenty of people can be. Furthermore, in the case of a bumper sticker, it's not wordy enough to be a reasoned argument but many people are swayed by popular opinion and if they see enough people expressing the same point of view, they will be more likely to at least consider it as a valid point of view.     So yeah, as ridiculous as that paper plate is, you could look at it as part of the necessary cost of your freedom of conscience and freedom of speech. As Jefferson put it, their point of view neither picked your pocket nor broke your leg. Chalk it up to just one more idiot that won't listen to sense - they're everywhere.     I also agree about Bush's use of the word "freedom" - when he says it, I think of a grade-schooler saying it - it's so clear to me that he doesn't know what freedom really is, he denigrates the ideal it represents by the very act of using its name. It makes me cringe.     Also Bone, you're right about the stats on the number of deaths from the WTC. As horrible as it was, more people die in a month just from auto accidents. Granted this was one day but planes don't often crash into buildings and cause fatalities. This is not to say that I think for one second that we shouldn't devastate all terrorists responsible. But it is really unpopular to talk about what the numbers mean in the grand scheme of things. People just don't want to hear it.     You're right, national security is not my main concern with this election. I have no doubt that whatever will happen will largely happen indepently of the administration in the white house. However, supreme court appointments will last much longer and if Bush wins, will cause more damage to our country than 9/11 did, as shitty as that sounds.
From: Jackzilla Entered on: October 10, 2004 9:00 AM
"It is fitting that it was undoubtedly scrawled on a plate that held one of those greasy hot dogs that Home Depot sells. Really helps you picture the kind of person you're dealing with."     I am deeply offended at the suggestion that hot dog lovers are apparently cowardly, mindless simpletons. I can assure you that most of us are educated, law-abiding, tax-paying Americans that love our families and respect other people's rights to express themselves. We just also really like hot dogs.     Fatty! Don't leave me hanging all alone -- Let your voice be heard!
From: The Bone Entered on: October 10, 2004 10:48 AM
Maybe a Yesterdog, but a Home Depot special? Really
From: Jackzilla Entered on: October 10, 2004 10:53 AM
You, my friend, are a HOT DOG SNOB! I've never tried Home Depot's myself, but I'm sure it's tasty and worth every bit the 50 cents they charge. Our own beloved Fatty loves them!     If all of us various hot dog lovers could get over our differences and come together and unite: We could change the world.
From: The Bone Entered on: October 10, 2004 6:52 PM
Well if you haven't been to Yesterdog you are cheating yourself out of one of life's pleasures. I generally don't give a damn about hotdogs but Yesterdog's is sweet as hell. They are cheapo dogs with cheapo buns and cheapo chili but somehow they taste so good. Plus they ring em up on an old fashion cash register. On top of it all they are inexpensive as hell. Truly the classic cheap eats. They are located on Wealthy in Eastown. Get there in a hurry.
From: Jackzilla Entered on: October 10, 2004 8:45 PM
DUDE! Being a dog connoisseur of course I am familiar with Yesterdog. But you forget! Lowell is home of Ball's which has not only awesome BBQ pork "samitches" but also awesome chili dogs!     So Bone, what do you think? Will Ross and Swerb be pleased that we've reduced their thoughtful discussion into a hot dog lovefest?
From: Swerb Entered on: October 10, 2004 9:37 PM
The one and only time I ate a Home Depot dog, I went home with a gutache. Fatty has tried to tell me how wonderful Sam's Club dogs are, but I will never, ever find out for myself because A) they look more disgusting-er than any other hot dog I've ever seen and 2) I don't want to be one of those mulleted pigs hogging down a couple of dogs at a plastic picnic table at Sam's Club. I have too much self-respect.     And I never said the person didn't have a right to put a note on my car, because they sure as hell do. And I don't consider the mystery paper-plate-scrawler part of the 1% assholes - just most likely a mulleted pig hogging down a couple of dogs at a plastic picnic table at Home Depot. But there's absolutely no reasoning with people about politics right now. My dad said today something to the effect that Republicans are stubbornly voting for Bush just because he's Republican, because anybody with any sense would see him on TV and think he's a complete jerk - and I agree. It seems that most people who will vote for Bush are doing so for completely irrational reasons. A lot of them don't care about his policies or the way he handled the Iraq situation, they just vote for him because of his "faith," and I find that infuriating. The sad thing is, Kerry is deemed boring and long-winded because he can actually give a detailed, intellectual answer to a question - like Bush's retort during the abortion question, "you're either for partial-birth abortions or you're against them." People actually PREFER that things be so black and white, and thus like Bush for dumbin' it down. Sadly, Kerry will likely lose votes because he's deemed to be TOO smart. Arggghhhhhh.     You know, I would say a semi-trained monkey would be a more reasonable candidate than Bush, if it wasn't so demeaning to monkeys.
From: Ross Entered on: October 11, 2004 9:50 PM
Good blog entry on Kerry's answer to the abortion question:     http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/kerry_v s_bush_on_abortion_a_clear_winner/
From: Ross Entered on: October 12, 2004 9:35 AM
If you want to come up to speed and on the stem cell issue, read this page. It's kind of long, but skim it if you must. When done, you will be able to intelligently pontificate on the issue and school your friends and family! It's fun!     http://www.aaas.org/spp/cstc/briefs/stemcells/index .shtml
From: Ross Entered on: October 12, 2004 2:36 PM
Apparently they finally fixed the ballots in Florida:     http://wearabledissent.com/101/floridaballot.html
From: Jackzilla Entered on: October 12, 2004 3:30 PM
I was reading an article about elections in Australia and it appears they do it how I always thought it should be done. That is, instead of picking one candidate (and risk "wasting" your vote on someone that can't win), you rate the candidates in order of preference. This is more fair -- and more democratic -- In fact, this is how voting should be done for the Oscars too!     Sorry, I'm not as sweet as Ross, so I don't have a link to an article... :)
From: Ross Entered on: October 12, 2004 3:08 PM
That is the way it should be done, I agree, Jack. It makes a helluva lot more sense. I read articles from time to time advocating this kind of practice... but the thing is, the major parties have nothing to gain (and everything to lose) by offering up a system like that, so it would take something pretty monumental to get our government to adopt it.
From: The Bone Entered on: October 12, 2004 4:53 PM
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.   -- Abraham Lincoln.
From: Ross Entered on: October 12, 2004 5:14 PM
"So I really don't think so. I hope you don't think that. I mean, I -- because I think whoever is the president must guard your liberties, must not erode your rights in America ... And so, I don't think the Patriot Act abridges your rights at all."     -- George W. Bush during the second Presidential debate.     So I guess we have nothing to worry about.
From: Jackzilla Entered on: October 12, 2004 5:18 PM
HA HA HA HA!!! Hilarious!
From: The Bone Entered on: October 12, 2004 5:21 PM
You know I just read 1984 the other day (somehow this book escaped my reading until now) and I am very concerned whenever any steps however small are taken which could infringe on privacy. The Patriot act isn't by itself a huge infingement on privacy and personal rights but its a step the that direction. Freedom and safety don't always go hand in hand. I'd rather have more freedom and less safety (within reason) but it's the irrational fear people have in the U.S. of dying by terrorsit attack. They ought to worry about obesity a llittle more.
From: Ross Entered on: October 12, 2004 6:13 PM
Old Ben Franklin said it best:     "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790), Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759     And yeah, 1984 kicks ass. I'm overdue for another reading of that one.
From: The Bone Entered on: October 13, 2004 12:58 AM
It's a good thing Asscroft has implemented his repugnant Patriot Act. According to C-Span, 5,000 fellow Americans have been aressted. Only 2 have been convicted. Both those convictions were later overturned. Supposedly some of these arrested individuals didn't see a lawyer or even here thier charges fo almost a year. If this is true, I'm disgusted.     I just found this:     http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20041004&s=col e
From: Ross Entered on: October 13, 2004 9:28 AM
Yeah, the idea that the Patriot Act doesn't abridge your rights is kind of suspect to me - the fact is that if you're suspected of being a terrorist, even as an American citizen, they reserve the right to detain you indefinitely. If that's not an infringement of your liberty, I don't know what is.
From: John Entered on: December 8, 2004 9:29 PM
Another must read line of commentary that I missed out on during my sabatical. Very interesting indeed, it good to be back.