Four ‘fer Friday

Welcome to world politics, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter.

Join me, as I take you on an international journey through the field of current events, as we explore the diverse, shitty news erupting out of every corner of the Earth.

Mankind, you make me so proud.

 

As seen in this slightly modified screen capture taken from Google Maps, illustrated is the current, complex, geo-political quagmire that is the world.

 

The Motherland of Dangerous Shit

You still have a better chance of being struck by a lightning bolt filled with AIDS than contracting Ebola, unless, of course, you live in the Sierra Leone region of Africa (then, you may get both!).  Despite the increasing death-toll overseas (currently nearing 1,000 people) and the heightened alert statuses from the CDC and WHO, the US population has been reassured that bringing two Ebola-ridden missionary doctors from Africa to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, will not endanger US citizens in any way.  It appears that, so far, experimental treatments are having mixed to positive effects on both patients.

And cue the Ebola conspiracy theories.

 

Zionism: I Don’t Think It Means What You Think It Means

A new old war has been raging between Israeli forces and the Hamas-led militants in the Gaza Strip via Operation Protective Edge, a military campaign formed by Israel to repel the increasing rocket fire originating from Gaza.  Different news sources will give you different perspectives on the situation, and even different “facts,” but this much is certain: Hamas is a formally declared terrorist organization.  People seem to forget that.  Palestine is not a formal country, despite the UN’s best efforts to make it so.  People seem to forget that, too.  The overwhelming anti-Semitic tone of the mainstream media’s coverage, as well as the US’s standoffish approach to the situation, certainly doesn’t leave a peaceful feeling in the pit of my stomach.  But, hey, they’re just Jews, and it’s probably their fault anyway.  And if blaming them worked for 1930’s Nazi Germany, it can certainly work now.

Thanks for showing your true colors, world.

 

I Thought We Settled That Shit, Bro

ISIS is certainly making headway in Iraq (as well as the rest of the Middle East) on their quest for Sharia-led world domination.  And I know of quite a few active and former service members who, aside from being enraged about the current crisis that our government helped make happen, wouldn’t mind going back to lend a hand in remedying the situation, if you know what I mean.  They may just get the opportunity, thanks to a flip-flop in White House administration policy regarding the use of military force in Iraq.  President Obama declared this week the authorization of targeted airstrikes in support of the defense against invading Islamic militants, but stressed that the US will not support operations with ground troops.  Laughable, as this was the same policy put into effect in Libya, with pitiful consequences.

10+ years, billions of dollars, and hundreds of dead soldiers later, we’re back to where we started.  If a full withdrawal of troops is Obama’s desired legacy, as has been stated, then just get the fuck out of there and let the place (further) go to shit.  Why not?  Putting lipstick on a pig is exactly that.  Though, I’ve previously stated enough on my views of US foreign policy that I don’t think there is anything more constructive or innovative I can add here.

Good luck with your quagmire.  Let us know how it works out for you.

 

Putin Putout

Citizens of the US can no longer purchase newly manufactured Russian made (read: Kalashnikov Concern, makers of Saiga and other Izhmash factory produced firearms) AK-pattern rifles thanks to one of the many sanctions imposed against Russia by President Barack Obama.  At this news, some were pissed, some were indifferent, some were filled with joy.  Multiple subsequent postings on firearms boards and trade sites had many users pulling their Russian-made rifles out of the woodwork and listing them for ridiculous premiums, similar to the phenomenon that struck the firearms industry immediately after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

So what does that have to do with anything?

Aside from my utter sadness, yet understanding, of the aforementioned news, Russia has decided to retaliate against the European Union, the US, and associated opposition for the recent tightening of sanctions.  In a vibrant display of kamikaze affection, Putin announced the immediate embargo on the import of numerous foodstuffs, instigating a trade war which could possibly disrupt the world’s economies.  Because if Russia’s going down, they’re taking the rest of us with them.

Sooo… can we just let them keep Crimea now?  This shit is getting more and more pointless.

 

The Wrap Up…

The world’s plights may make for entertaining fodder, or a short discussion between friends, or a half-amusing blog post, but these are real issues affecting real people.  And we’re moving backward.

The United States faces geopolitical and economic pressures like never before seen in world history.  Despite our best efforts through the evolution of science and technology, obstacles such as disease, war, and famine still erode any progress we make as a society.  Cultural barriers block an outstretched hand.   Trade barriers block a peaceful union.  Leadership barriers block a meaningful discussion.  We yearn to fly, but face against the wind.

The time has come for our nation to turn around and spread its wings.

Hold Me Closer, Hobby Lobby

In a direct hit to the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obamacare), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision on Monday allowing “closely held” for-profit companies to refuse to cover contraceptives via their insurance programs if they hold religious objections to these sorts of fancy, first-world-sponsored creations of the devil.

As noted in Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dissent of the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case, unknown is the breadth of reach this decision could have on future “religiously based” employer mandates; whether this will allow employers to encroach upon human rights (denying life-saving coverage such as blood transfusions), or force their employees to perform actions against their will (say, mandatorily perform salat five times a day, because, Allah).

Also unknown is how “closely held” the company must be in order for the company to act upon their so-called “objections.” If you bear hug the shit out of it, does that count? Also, who’s “objections” are being voiced, exactly?

So a Priest, a Rabbi, and a Satanist go in on a company…

The joke would be funnier if the implications weren’t so frightening. Thanks, SCOTUS, you earned that 30% approval rating.

Current Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. Feel their power. Heed to their glory.

However, what is known is that the protection afforded to employees by making mandatory a certain level of coverage has now been undermined. The worst part of this debacle is that people are failing to recognize that this is a public health issue, not a religious one.

As noted in a number of articles, birth control does much more than simply preventing pregnancy. There are other aspects of taking birth control that are medically relevant to the health and well-being of women, such as reducing the risk of cancer, quelling the discomfort of menstruation, and balancing hormones.

It’s not about sex. It’s not about faith. It’s about health.

Ginsburg acknowledged that in her dissent. “What the Court must decide is not ‘the plausibility of a religious claim…’ but whether accommodating that claim risks depriving others of rights accorded them by the laws of the United States.”

Denying coverage of contraceptives, or any other legitimate medical need, leads to a lack of accessibility. Ever check to see the original cost of medications your doctor has prescribed you? It’s a hell of a lot cheaper through insurance. Wages aren’t exactly on the rise, by any means. And Washington has yet to spearhead any in-depth, fruitful inquiry into the high medical costs that plague the health care industry, let alone talk about the issue.

The Supreme Court majority royally fucked up here when they fell for the religion ploy. I place the blame, and any subsequent fallout, squarely on their shoulders – make no mistake about it. Hobby Lobby just so happened to be the good, God-fearing Christians who brought the case forward. You know, the same ones who order and stock cheaper and more profitable products produced in China by slave workers forced to live in the squalid settings of the poverty-laden repression they face every day. Those ones.

Religious beliefs should be and are protected, but to what end? The opinion issued by Justice Scalia attacked the dissent as questioning the faith of the organization. This is the same man who also said, when issuing the ruling on Employment Divison v. Smith (1990), “To permit [that a person may defy neutral laws of general applicability, such as public accommodation laws, as an expression of religious belief]would make the professed doctrines of religious belief superior to the law of the land, and in effect to permit every citizen to become a law unto himself.”

So a company can establish blatantly discriminatory practices based on “faith,” but individuals don’t meet the standard? Companies like Hobby Lobby make their profits off the backs of the same people they’re disenfranchising. Worker’s rights are now effectively dead.

The oft-mentioned Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) doesn’t even apply here, except to discredit the Supreme’s own majority ruling. The purpose of the law, passed in 1993 as a direct response to the above mentioned case, was to establish an overriding of a general law if it was found to be unreasonably burdensome to a person’s exercise of their religion. I see no mention of “companies” made, let alone the connection between offering a choice and forcing one’s self to exercise that choice.

There is no burden, plain and simple. There are only discriminatory tactics that are working against a sound public health policy.

I don’t agree with a lot of the ACA, but if you don’t see the flaws in this ruling, you must really hate women more than you love God.

Washington’s Wake Up Call

An effigy of change has taken hold in the 7^th congressional district in Virginia, and it spells hope for a nation mired in a political albatross.

In what’s being touted as a major upset to Republican politics, Dave Brat, an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College, widely defeated incumbent congressman and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor with a 56 to 44 percent win in the primaries. And given the district’s R+10 lean toward the GOP, Brat is all but a sure bet in November.

In this classic underdog story, Dave Brat, left, defeated incumbent congressman Eric Cantor, right, in the VA 7th congressional district Republican primaries.

The facts surrounding Brat’s successful run are simply astounding, and should serve as a warning to both parties that change begins on the ground, and America is not pleased with what we see in Washington.

Brat was outspent 40 to 1. Cantor had the backing of PACs, corporations, and other benefactors locally and nationally. Brat raised a paltry $200,000 for his run, most of it from grassroots supporters (and no support from any Tea Party faction, as was erroneously claimed). Running up to the primary election, polls indicated a potential landslide victory for Cantor. He had taken on most of his previous contenders with merely a scratch against him. However, when you fall out of favor with your constituency, all the money in the world can’t cushion the effects.

Brat ran on a moderate platform, as evidenced by his positions closely aligning with basic tenants of classic, pre-schism Republicanism. His oft-repeated mantra includes:

• That the free enterprise system is the most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice,
• That all individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice, and opportunities and should assume their responsibilities as citizens in a free society,
• That fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraints must be exercised at all levels of government,
• That the Federal Government must preserve individual liberty by observing Constitutional limitations,
• That peace is best preserved through a strong national defense,
• That faith in God, as recognized by our Founding Fathers, is essential to the moral fiber of the Nation

Oh my God, a sensible Republican! Well, time will tell, anyway, but these points certainly speak more to positive intrinsic beliefs than the cronyism and other disparities embodied by his soon-to-be predecessor.

Logic and politics fell hand in hand, and won. Are your feet beginning to feel the pangs of frost, yet? Certainly, hell must have frozen over.

With an approval rating hovering around only 14%, it’s no wonder congressional incumbents, such as Cantor, the first Majority Leader in United States history to be voted out of active office, are facing a tough re-election process in November. This example of bucking the trend should strike fear into their cold hearts, and lead our elected representatives to the realization that none of their jobs are safe.

We will not stand idly by as career politicians destroy the tenets of America.

We can harp on enacting term limits all day, stand upon our soap boxes with bullhorns, and decry the injustice we feel by our sworn leaders’ betrayal of the people’s interests, but in our country, the only way to enact real change is to vote. Our quintessential right has been re-infused and given new hope by the actions of a 65,000 citizen-strong electorate.

Our nation doesn’t need to be ruled by an extreme, ruthless faction of tyrannical partisan hacks. We just need to pull our heads out of our asses long enough to smell freedom, and pull the lever for some well-qualified, levelheaded, fresh faces.

During a post-election event last night outside Richmond, VA, Brat stated, “”The reason we won this campaign, there is just one reason, and that’s because dollars do not vote – you do.”

Here’s your wake up call, Washington.

A Treasonous Exchange

Last week, President Barack Obama stated his desire to reshape the face of US foreign policy – a shift toward popularly quoted “might doing right.” The concept asserts that cautious, diplomatic avenues will need to be explored to strengthen our desperately lacking stance as a world power commitment to doing the right thing. So, how, exactly, do we begin our fruitful journey in seeking to exhibit our national standing? What can we give to the world that will show we mean business?

Terrorists. Thanks, Obama!

Sans sarcasm, that was the gist of the heartfelt reaction from Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar when describing the exchange of five high-ranking former Taliban operatives for one US soldier, Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, as a “big victory.”

Sgt Bergdahl, left, B.O., right, B.S., everywhere.

Bergdahl was previously captured by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in June 2009 when he mysteriously disappeared from his base in the Paktika Province of Afghanistan. Allegations of desertion, fueled by previous conduct and statements shared with friends and family, plague the obscurities that lead to his POW status. And they look pretty convincing.

In the ensuing weeks after the allegedly traitorous fuck decided to switch teams, his base came under heavy enemy fire, resulting in the loss of many soldier’s lives. To add insult to injury, he appeared in videos (coerced, of course) denouncing the war effort and begged for the US to release fellow homies of the Taliban. But the follow-up Taliban reunion album and tour are going to have to be put on hold, at least for a little while.

Obama stated that he had received security guarantees from Qatar – the Muslim Brotherhood-loving mediators of the deal – “that it will put in place measures to protect our national security.” The almost laughable, if not hollow, measure they took? They fab-five have been banned from leaving Qatar for at least a year.

By George, that’ll stop ‘em!

In defense of the decision, Chuck Hagel said, “We didn’t negotiate with terrorists. Sergeant Bergdahl was a prisoner of war. That’s a normal process in getting your prisoners back,” he told NBC TV.

Is that the famous “doublespeak” I’ve heard so much of from that silly old book, 1984?

“No shots were fired – it went as well as it could have.”

Yeah, except we just released possibly the most dangerous men in the world, the consequences of which are tall and foreboding. Here’s a brief, yet accurate, look at their colorful past, as brought to you by the BBC:

Mohammad Fazl served as the Taliban’s deputy defence minister during America’s military campaign in 2001. Accused of possible war crimes, including the murder of thousands of Shia Muslims.

Khirullah Khairkhwa was a senior Taliban official serving as interior minister and governor of Herat, Afghanistan’s third largest city. Alleged to have had direct links to Osama Bin Laden.

Abdul Haq Wasiq was the Taliban’s deputy minister of intelligence. Said to have been central in forming alliances with other Islamist groups to fight against US and coalition forces.

Mullah Norullah Noori was a senior Taliban military commander and a governor. Also accused of being involved in the mass killings of Shia Muslims.

Mohammad Nabi Omari held multiple Taliban leadership roles, including chief of security. Alleged to have been involved in attacks against US and coalition forces.

Just the type of guys we want freely wandering around the face of the earth. Especially in exchange for such a hero as Sgt Bergdahl. Long-held mantras be damned, this was totally worth it!

“…what makes us exceptional is not flouting international norms and the rule of law; it’s our willingness to affirm them through our actions,” Obama said in his speech to West Point graduates just last week.

Yes. What makes us exceptional is negotiating with terrorists and breaking international law with Afghanistan regarding releasing their citizens to Qatar. Sounds exactly like what he just said, right there.

Also, drones. The Ukraine crisis. Syria. NSA spying. We’re totally affirming the hell out of that shit… depending on whom you ask.

“[Those] who suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership slip away, are either misreading history or engaged in partisan politics,” must be an irrefutable statement as well. When, under the current regime, have there been non-partisan politics at play? We must all be biased. Or illiterate.

Puffing up your chest in the mirror does not constitute strong leadership. It just means you’re literally full of hot air.

Can we have our terrorists back, please? We’ll trade you the most treacherous one we know.

America’s Final Solution

We love to hate criminals.  The worse the crime, the more we look down upon them. We view them as deeply flawed, permanently damaged individuals with no soul. Remorseless. Scum of the earth. We love to kill them, too. Legally, of course, but to what end?

As an expansion upon the 2002 ruling by which mentally disabled people cannot be legally executed, the Supreme Court handed down the 5-4 decision that death row inmates with IQ scores that fall within 5 points of the previously established 70 marker must be allowed to show alternate proof of disability.

The real injustice here is against the poor guy who scores 76 on the test. Guess he isn’t too stupid to die.

It is death row, though. You can drag out appeals for years (nearly 15 on average), to the point where you have a 1 in 4 chance of dying from natural causes, anyway. It sure makes for a nice place for accomplished criminals to retire.

Please, lay down. We’ll be with you in 7,882,329 minutes.

In his dissent, Justice Samuel Alito said the court has no evidence that relying on test scores just above 70 is unreasonable, and should not be held as unconstitutional. You know, because, un-science.

Meanwhile, Tennessee decided to bring back a classic, in their revival of the use of THE CHAIR™. Republican Governor Bill Haslam signed a bill into law last week allowing the state use of THE CHAIR™ in the event they can’t get their hands on some good drugs… uh, you know, for the execution, dude.

Many states have been running into problems obtaining drugs that were never officially approved for use in life ending measures, mostly due to a boycott of drug sales for executions, as well as the 2011 discontinuation of the manufacture of sodium thiopental (the good stuff) by Hospira. And when you just can’t get a hold of the good stuff, well, that leaves you with Clayton Lockett.

After having a hard time finding a place on his body to start the IV, the curtains went up at 6:23 p.m. on April 29, and the procedure began. The Oklahoma death row inmate was injected with midazolam, to induce unconsciousness. Ten minutes later, he was formally declared unconscious.

Three minutes after that, Lockett raised his head and noted that something was wrong. He started convulsing, groaning, shaking, and the curtain quickly went back down and the microphone was cut off. Behind the shade, he died of a heart attack shortly after. Witnesses of the execution were visibly disturbed by the horrific scene.

Upon review, Pharmacology professor Craig Stevens of Oklahoma State University said, “Veterinarians in at least one state are barred from using a three-drug formula used on several inmates, including Clayton Lockett” because the drug combination used is considered too painful to euthanize animals.

If this happened to any other human, it would be universally accepted as a travesty. But because the victim is a convicted criminal, it’s as easy to dismiss as muck under our boot that needs to be wiped off. And this is where society, and the justice system, fails.

There are only around 3000 convicts on death row in the United States at any given time. It’s a statistically insignificant population, yet capital punishment remains one of the most dividing topics within our country. The primary motivator behind such resentment of these caged animals? Fear.

The concept of rehabilitation is foreign to the penal system in the United States. However, programs like the one covered by John D. Sutter of CNN in his article, The Rapist Next Door (http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/opinion/sutter-change-alaska-rape/), are far more effective at treating the issue and reducing the rate of recidivism than the average prison stint.

This is not to say that everyone can be fixed, but mandatory euthanasia certainly doesn’t afford such opportunities.

It especially doesn’t help when studies come out to conclude that 1 out of every 25 death row inmates may actually be innocent. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows the data, and reveals that from 1973 to 2004, 1.6 percent of those sentenced to death in the U.S. — 138 prisoners — were exonerated and released because of innocence.

Uhhh… oops?

Capital punishment is not a wholly legitimate or viable solution. It’s merely a cop-out designed to feed the ego. Once a criminal threat is stopped, by means such as imprisonment, it is no longer a threat. At that point, like it or not, we are only committing murder via execution, an act as reprehensible as those perpetrated by the criminal. That’s called vengeance, not justice.

There is no moral or ethical reasoning that affords us the right to end the lives of fellow humans as we see fit. An eye for an eye is an archaic belief, with the implied supposition that someone can become so far removed from the sanctity of personhood, the only solution is to eliminate them.

And that is exactly how the Nazis felt about the Jews.

Wronging a Right

Toll the bells and let freedom erode, it’s Starbucks 2.0!

Chipotle Mexican Grill recently announced the unwelcoming of firearms in their restaurants, sans law enforcement personnel (because only they should have guns, right, guys?!) – an asinine, meritless position based on illogical fear, caused by freedom fighters, with no couth or sense, wielding “military-style assault rifles” at a Dallas, Texas, restaurant.

Yes, the quotation marks are there for a reason.

The issue at hand was forced forward by yet another of Bloomberg’s “grassroots” anti-2A groups, Moms Demand Action (Lord knows they need some) for Gun Sense in America. Their bitchy pushing of the issue caused Chipotle to go back on their previous position regarding firearms in their stores, which was to observe local laws instead of making up their own.

“Chipotle’s statement that firearms are not welcome in their restaurants is bold and meaningful – it shows that you can support the Second Amendment while also taking reasonable measures to ensure that Americans are safe and secure in the places we take our children,” said founder of Moms Demand Action Shannon Watts.

Funny, all I read was “no guns allowed.” It reminds me of the Benjamin Franklin quote regarding liberty and security. Sadly, neither exists at Chipotle anymore.

You would expect Moms Demand[ing Hot] Action to jump all over such a stiffening topic. And I suppose it’s understandable for a profit-seeking company to cave in to the demands of some weak 10,000 signature petition, you know, for the children. After all, it is very convincing. And they don’t want to offend anyone.

Bro, do you even Switzerland?

What really slaps my nuts are these douchebag, long-gun toting, misguided fucks who think they’re doing the rest of us a favor by parading around like a paramilitary fighting force and shoving guns in the public’s face, all in the name of “rights.”

Sir Isaac Newton taught us that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Well, to get this sort of backlash, you must be doing it wrong.

There are different ways to make your voice heard. You can vote (pfffffft, but I still do anyway), you can contact your elected representatives (again, pfffffft), you can start a military coup and take over the government (simply hypothetical, in this instance ;-), or you can rally… with smaller, less intimidating-looking firearms.

“But… our rights!”

Making progress requires moderation. Exercising our rights requires common sense.

If you want openly carried (or any sort of) firearms to be more generally accepted in society, which should be the endgame here, you need to have realistic expectations and a cohesive, sensible game plan. Sadly, much like with the modern-day Republican Party, these ideals have gone the way of the dodo. This is why these groups lack the sort of influence and progress they desire.

However, this still does not leave Chipotle off the hook for their implementation of a moronic policy that bars law-abiding citizens from openly, or concealed, carry of a legitimate tool of self-defense. I’m proud to say that I haven’t stepped foot in a Starbucks since they took the anti-gun path.

I have no desire to surrender my rights and subject myself willingly and unnecessarily to entering a gun-free zone. After all, that’s where all the most deadly shootings occur.

You can keep your burritos, I’ll keep my freedom.

The State of the Comatose Republic, I

Our citizenry is a powerful force, yet we remain divided – our hearts, together; our minds, apart. We choose to see what is before us, not what is actually presented. Our future is in the hands of a powerful few, instead of an engaged majority.

As this, we stand.

The once huddled masses are now at arm’s length from each other. We value distance, distraction, and differences over inclusiveness. Our failure to work together will lead to our tearing apart, and the common thread of civilization will snap under weakness.

As this, we fall.

The state of the union is relative to those who are in power. To the common man, it is weak. To the career politician, it is strong. Droves of lethargic citizens continue to pay their dues, and the government continues to spend it how they please. We are no longer tax payers – we are benefactors.

We comprise this nation, yet bestow it no dignity. We once fought more for less, but now settle for more of the same. Surely, this cannot be the way we will be remembered.

The sons and daughters of the greatest generation have perpetuated the issue, and bred a culture of entitlement. Hard work is rewarded with higher taxes. Laziness is punished with handouts. Half of our nation survives on the crutch of government, yet we take no issue, and resolve it by no means.

The home of the brave is now a nation of complacency. The land of the free has become a surveillance state. This is not the America we were given. This is not the country we were promised. But, we are not the quality of citizenry we should be.

Make time to spend with your family. Help a neighbor. Enroll your children in extracurricular activities to enrich their lives and expand their minds. Encourage intellectual debate regarding topics that impact your way of life. Educate yourself and those around you.

You owe it to yourself and your country to be an informed citizen of the United States. Your rights, established by our forefathers, defended by our kin, should not be taken for granted. Within, you hold the courage to be triumphant, or the cowardice to crumble. You determine your own destiny, and manifest it as such.

The change this nation needs begins with you.

The New Crusades

Bigotry.

People like to throw that word around a lot lately. If you’re a bigot, you must be evil. You must go against all that is well and sacred, to intentionally negatively impact the livelihood of your fellow brethren. You must simply… have a differing viewpoint?

And for the small sum of $1,000.00, ladies and gentlemen, you, too, can have your professional career permanently ruined by a nefarious minority of venomous vermin! Step right up and get steamrolled!

OkCupid, a dating site you shouldn’t concern yourself with, recently announced their distaste in the hiring preference of Mozilla (the company that owns the browser Firefox) regarding their new CEO, Brendan Eich, because it’s easy to pick low hanging fruit. OkCupid voiced their concern by having a message launch within users Firefox browsers when visiting the site, which looks like this:

Douchebaggery at its finest.

For me to address the multitude of issues I have with their cute little message would be to simply post it in entirety again.

In 2008, Eich made a $1,000.00 personal donation to support Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that sought to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry within the state, for which a majority of Californians voted in favor. Mozilla was verbally attacked as an organization as retribution for his promotion to CEO – because if a person believes in “traditional” marriage and supports that viewpoint, then they obviously hate the gays. And that makes them a bigot. And if their company thinks that person is professionally qualified for a particular leadership role, regardless of his/her personal beliefs, then that makes them bigots, too.

Excellent fuzzy logic.

So this week, as the solution to the outrage built within the realm of the interwebz as well as his own company, Mozilla accepted Eich’s resignation from the position he had worked his entire life to earn. And that’s how the terrorists win.

Eich’s contribution to the development of Java is a large foundation of products we use every day. His work was revolutionary, and became an industry standard. The crowning achievement to his professional career was being selected as the CEO of an organization he helped create, while driving the company to success with his foresight and ingenuity. With no record of ever bringing his personal politics into the workplace, all of his hard work and dedication was eviscerated because of a single, outward, unrelated expression of personal values, to which he was legally entitled.

This is exactly why freedom in America is eroding. You’re either “right” or “correct”. But it’s not personal, it’s just business… as usual. Eh, and personal.

But who cares. Dialogue is for stupid-heads, anyway.

So let’s make individuals miserable for their constitutionally protected self-expressions. Let’s shame everyone into groupthink. Let’s frustrate the opposition by dragging them through the mud until they’re ready to play ball or go home.

This inane Crusade waged by the pro-gay agenda is not earning them any sympathies from me, because those who enforce misery, shame, and frustration are my enemies, and I wish them nothing but failure. They’re perpetrating the same persecution which they claim to be victims of. That’s called bigotry.

Intolerance is so intolerable.

Kane is Able

Pennsylvania State Attorney General Kathleen Kane is a number of things – stating most of which would probably land me as a defendant in a number of lawsuits. To say she is a fraud – a manipulative, narcissistic, bullying, underhanded disgrace to the office – would be a reckless statement devoid of tact.

But I bet she makes her idol and former campaign contribution beneficiary, Hillary Clinton, proud.

Elected on a platform of being “a prosecutor, not a politician,” Kane has made nothing but political moves since she stepped into the role in 2013. From attacking her opponents and predecessors to playing by her own rules, her contempt for the law, and the will, of the people of Pennsylvania has been evident from day one.

Her latest assault on the justice system is the recent dismissal of an in-depth, multi-year investigation into bribery allegations against four Philadelphia-based Democratic representatives. She had them dead to rights. But by the whimsy of her grace and her whisper of desire, countless hours and thousands of dollars are flushed down the Kane drain.

Because it’s racist, yo.

Political motivation is a hell of a drug. The fact that the investigation was started under her predecessor, Tom Corbett; that only Democrats managed to be swept up in the bi-partisan inquiry; that the charges were so abruptly dismissed, with minimal reasoning, makes her actions stink of political cronyism. The Philadelphia Inquirer performed an in-depth look into the situation, only to come out the other end with threats of libel and defamation suits from Kane’s grotesque, troll-like lawyer, Richard Sprague.

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

Hiring a personal attorney to hold a “news conference,” unsupported accusations of an investigation tainted with racism, and charges against critics of being cowardly and sexist only fuel the fire of speculation. Who’s the libelous and defamatory one now? Add “hypocrite” to the ever-growing list of adjectives.

Kane’s first affirmation of her political exhibitionism was her blatant attack against lawful firearm owners shortly after her election. In February of last year, the repealing of the well-established concealed carry reciprocity agreement with Florida was announced. Some urban municipalities, such as the city of Philadelphia, do not properly follow the “shall-issue” status of the state of PA regarding the issuance of carry licenses. This leaves little room for options for its law-abiding citizenry, other than to apply for an out-of-state permit that is legal to use here. Chalk up a win for her in the name of “loopholes” for party support. It did nothing to actually deter crime.

Shortly thereafter, Kane affirmed that she would not uphold the state’s constitution, primarily the section related to marriages recognized under the law. Despite breaching her oath of office, she took it upon herself to rally further support from her base and ignore the law in the name of ethics. That level of irony could only be taught from the playbook of US Attorney General Eric Holder. A match made in heaven.

There are ways of changing state laws, and it’s not by pretending they don’t exist. You’d think someone would know their role in government after going to law school, but education doesn’t breed intelligence. And the only people who could hold Kane accountable to any level are either targets of her investigations or those who could easily become one.

When it comes to keeping corrupt politicians in office, superseding the rights of citizens, and making up all the rest in-between, Kane is Able!

Free Fallin’

In what’s being heralded as a triumph in democracy, Crimea successfully parted ways with Ukraine after a peaceful referendum was held, in accordance with international law, and voted upon with an outpouring of majority support.

Wait, no?  Well, how about:

With blatant disregard for their constitution, angry mobs of Ukrainians led a violent coup against their former President, leading to his expulsion and illegal takeover by an interim government.

But isn’t that what happened?

It’s hard to tell, given the position of the White House and the European Union, and how dictated facts spread in the press like herpes on prom night.  What we have right here is grounds for a good, old-fashioned info war cold war!  Obama already forms a stiff erection every time Putin is slighted.  And right now, he’s waving his raging semi in the direction of… sanctions against Russian “cronies.”

Convincing.  So much so, that the Russians laughed it off by inviting sanctions against their entire parliament.  “Bring it on, pussies!” I believe is the quote I read, though I may be mistaken.  This, followed by initiating their own sanctions against the US.

I’ve never bared witness to such a large scale superpower pissing match.  It’s not to say I support certain actions of a politically motivated, power hungry, deceptive President (Putin or Obama, take your pick), but the Cold War is long dead.  We don’t have to hate the Russians anymore.  This isn’t Rocky IV.

Hell, nowadays, even Stallone and Lundgren are working together.

What the Obama administration is exercising is not diplomacy.  Isolation tactics are not diplomacy.  Justifying said actions with “well, they did it to themselves, so there!” is not diplomacy.  We can go right ahead and have high-level, direct talks with Iran without preconditions, but we’ll snub the President of Russia by cancelling his G8 membership and imposing sanctions because he supported his own people, ethnic Russians, in an independent, self-governed state?  Who is he, the world’s police?  Only the US can be the world’s police!

The double standard is blinding.

No one’s feathers were more ruffled than Obama’s when Russia stepped in amidst the crisis in Syria and deescalated tensions derived from supposed chemical weapons usage.  Putin prevented the war that Obama and Kerry were all horny over – the same war they decried when Bush waged it in Iraq, for the same reasons.  Flaccid jimmies betwixt thighs, they decided to follow the Russian-led appeal to dismember Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.  Putin stopped them in their tracks, redirected, and led much in a manner as we should have.

Thanks for making us look bad, bruh.

What should be multi-lateral open dialogue has become Russia dictating the terms to the world.  But we can’t talk anymore, because we’re not friends.  And you can’t put a price on friendship.  Wait, yes you can.  It’s one billion dollars, via taxpayer funded foreign aid to Ukraine.  That’s a real rebuke to the likes of Russia.  Yeah, that’ll teach them.

In a world full of children, we’re supposed to be the adults.  We should be leading the conversation, not just being mentioned in passing.

The free world has begun to free fall.