Sunday, June 30, 2013

Texas Abortion Filibuster

I want to give a huge amount of admiration for Texas State Senator Wendy Davis. She did a filibuster old school style. She stood and talked for 11 hours to defeat an abortion bill that would close all but 5 clinics in Texas which provide abortions. That was only one of 4 things the bill would have done. This filibuster differs from a US Senate filibuster because you actually have to stand there and talk for the duration of the filibuster, and you have to stay on topic. You have 3 strikes, if your opponents think you have strayed of topic they take a vote. After 3 strikes your filibuster is over.

Wendy Davis did have 3 strikes the third coming at 15 minutes before the bill would die. Then the gallery did a citizen filibuster by creating such a clamor that the vote was unable to happen before the deadline. Well, the GOP also did some SHENANIGANS with the time on the bill saying it passed by lying, but the information went out on Twitter and they got caught.

Governor Rick "Oops" Perry called for another special session to get the bill passed and they won't be as stupid about the planning of passage. But still, what an asshole. It was defeated, the country knows what you are doing in your state to make women second class citizens. Texas needs healthcare for women. They have the 4th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. They teach abstinence to teenagers instead of teaching them the facts about sex. Hence the pregnancy rate. They defunded Planned Parenthood from the Texas budget.

Men, especially old white men can have a say about abortion when they can carry a child to term. Until then, shut your small minded pieholes!

DOMA and Prop 8

These were struck down by SCOTUS this week. Not sweeping decisions impacting the entire country but a  small step.

I do find the conservatives reactions funny. I think they were expecting earthquakes to immediately hit the USA. Nope no earthquakes. So for all the "Jesus Wept" tweets of Mike Huckabee former governor and FOX news gold huckster, all I got to say to you is "fuck off." 

No gay marriage makes any straight marriage less legitimate. What does it do to Rick Santorum's marriage? Nothing. It might effect Michelle Bachmann's marriage because her gay husband can now marry the boyfriend he's probably hiding. But all in all it does nothing to harm anyone's marriage.

I think the problem conservatives have is gay sex. They think it's icky. Sodomy was only removed as being a crime in 2003. Lawrence v. Texas. I always wondered how the cops would enforce sodomy laws. Do you break into a house during "illegal" sex? How rude.

The only drawback I see to gay marriage is gay divorce lawyers. Anything that creates more lawyers is kinda suspect.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

An Old Letter Found in a Bible.




After my Grandma died in 1993 I found an old bible in the basement on the bookshelves which had old books. My grandpa collected The Hardy Boys and the Kamikaze Boys, Tarzan and others. I found this bible published in 1865 and among the pages was a very old letter on delicate paper with thin writing. I carefully transcribed into my computer. 

What I found most interesting is that no one writes like this any more. It has a great vocabulary and poetry almost. 


                                                                                   Clarkson.  April 2nd, 1851

My dear Mrs. Gould

I will make one more attempt to write you and see if I shall meet with as good success as when I wrote before. The letter alluded to, I dropped in Mr. P’s overcoat jacket, I presume he pulled it out accidentally on his way to Buffalo, but nevermind. I will write once more, hoping these few lines may reach you. Let me first assure you that I was very happy indeed to receive your kind letter, I must acknowledge it was rather unexpected, but nonetheless gratefully received. I have had very much anxiety on account of your health since I saw you last, and have felt that I must hear from you. When Mr. P. has been leaving for Buffalo, I have charged him to be sure and call upon Mrs. G. At the time, he would feel confident that he should call, but on his return he would plead an excuse, want of time. You know my husband is always in a great hurryhis business always drives. After remaining in ignorance so long of your condition, you would infer that I must be gratified to learn that you were so much better, also that your family had enjoyed such uninterrupted health. May the blessings on health be long continued to you, may you be spared to train your children physically, morally, and religiously, that through the blessing of God whom your instructions, and holy example, you may have the happiness of seeing them bright and shining lights in this dark and dreary world, and ornaments in the church of Christ. Yes, and may you live to see your dear husband come out from this wicked world, and join himself with the people of God. Then the burthen of your soul would be removed. Then would you rejoice to depart and be with Christ. Do not we too lightly prize the riches of the Grace of God, and are we not groping our way through the dark, on account of our unbelief, when it is our privilege to live in the full liberty of the gospel—as children of the light and not of darkness. Why should we live so far from our Heavenly Father? Is not the Bible full of promises to those who would live “Godly in Christ Jesus?”  How much encouragement and consolation to the true believer is the whole of the New Testament. Is there not comfort and peace to be found in the reading of the Scriptures, and in communion with Christ that is to be found in no other source whatever. I think I can at times approach near unto my Heavenly Father, and find great consolations in the promises of God. But let me blush to say, that he world, the flesh, and the devil, too often prevent my enjoyment and very much retard my onward course. Oh, for an abiding faith to overcome at all times. The Lord has in his infinite mercy visited Zion in various places, and is still visiting, still reviving the dying, drooping graces of the people, and in many instances calling sinners “out of darkness into His marvelous light.”  Oh, how precious are these showers! Brockport has been very much blessed, the three churches, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, have shared and are still sharing largely in the outpouring of God’s Spirit. There have been more than 80 hopeful conversions among the Presbyterian and Baptist congregations, and as many in proportion in the Methodist, there is very much a union of feeling among the ministers, also our minister share the same feeling and shares frequently with the other ministers. We have very interesting prayer meetings here, some of the brethren seem very much engaged, and there is much tenderness of feeling among the impenitent, there have been 2 or 3 hopeful conversions. I trust my niece has passed from death unto life. It seems as though God was waiting to be gracious unto His people—The cloud of mercy is hovering over us, but we are not ready to receive it as a church. There seems to be something in the way clogging the chariot wheels of salvation. Oh, that every stumbling block might speedily be removed. I am sorry to hear that Buffalo has been so “gay” the past winter, if that has been the case, has not the love of many almost expired, and are not many at ease in Zion? What a delusive world is this and how busy is the enemy of all righteousness deceiving the very elect. But God be praised such shall be received even if they have to pass through fiery trials.
I think the journey you anticipate east may be beneficial to your health, I shall be very happy to see you, and your husband and children should they accompany you. Please let us know by sending a note at what time you will visit us. I hope Mrs. Hotchkiss will not disappoint us, Mr. P. said she dreaded the idea of taking the packet, should it be healthy, it will only be tedious till she gets here, or between Buffalo and Brockport. Then, I presume we will be so situated that we can take her to Bergen or Rochester. Should either or both of you call on your return, you would only be obliged to change from R.R. to packet at Rochester. There is a daily packet running from Rochester to Holley. It leaves R. at 3 o’clock pm that would put neither of you to much extra trouble. At all events you must both try to come. Do you know we are expecting Grandma Duffy and Kate in June?
Much love to dear Mrs. Hotchkiss and other friends who may inquire. My kindest regards to Mr. Gould, and love to the children. Our children unite in sending much love to you and your little ones. Mary says tell Mrs. G. she must bring Julia. Will you not write soon.

Ever believe me your ___, though unworthy friend,

Juliebell Pinney

Thursday, June 20, 2013

In Services

There has been a lot of talk lately on the news about letting women into combat in the military. Including the forces of Seals and Rangers.

I've read books on what Seal training is like and as I was reading about it I was thinking to myself I would not survive. I would wash out. Don't know if the physical would break me or the mental. At some point I would collapse and fail. Something like 80-87% wash out of Seal training. It's not the physical training alone it's brutal mentally. You either survive or you break. Most people break.

I have friends in the military. They really don't care much about gender, sexual orientation or that stuff. What they care about is can the individual do their job. If you are in combat you have to know that the person next to you will do their job and keep you and the unit alive. Seals have even tougher training. They train for a month or longer to do a certain objective. That objective is things like going after Osama bin Laden. They also train all the time for things that come up like saving the captain  of a tanker who was in a small boat with Somali hijackers. The Seals are the ones who were able to target and kill the hijackers on choppy seas. That's thousands of hours on a shooting range to be snipers.

On a talk show I heard pundits talking about the subject of women as Seals. One was saying "what about Serena Williams?" as an example of a woman who is in shape. The training has more to do with just being fit. She would probably be able to do the physical stuff. But would she be able to be immersed in cold sea water for long periods of time, sleep deprived, hungry, doing physical training? It is meant to break people and only the toughest ones survive. All the elite military forces are like that. Most people can't do the job. Which is why they are the elite forces. The ones who do impossible tasks in dangerous circumstances.

So what am I trying to say? Keep women out of combat? No. They serve in other armed forces all over the world. But to put someone who didn't make the cut in a Seal unit for diversity sake is wrong. They need to make the team like the few who survive training and become Seals. Male or female, they have to be able to do the job.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Inconvenient

I've been noticing a lot of marketing of products is based on something being inconvenient.

Pain relief. There is a product that is 2 pills a day to relieve your pain. In the commercial they have a guy complaining about a competitors product because to use it you have to take 4 pills in a day. Oh my god! How inconvenient!!! 4 pills instead of 2! 4 pills is 100% more pills and pill taking uses up sooo much time. Like maybe 30 seconds. So every 4-6 hours your life loses 30 seconds so you can take a pill. Wow, wish we only had to do that 2 times a day instead of 4 times.

I have measured out my life in pain pills...

Another ad from the radio was for something having to do with sight. I don't remember the product but it mentioned pulling out "awkward reading glasses." They are glasses. They are small enough to perch on your nose so you can see. The ad makes it seem like you have to first come up with the idea of glasses, invent them and put them on your face.

So basically with all the time saving products out in the world everyone's life should be easy and inconvenience free. But it's not. It's marketing. These little inconveniences are part of everyday life. They are as inconvenient  or not as the person makes them.

Does the average person just want to give up on life because they have to take a fucking pill? Well, stop being a big pussy. Life only stops being inconvenient on some level when you are dead.