Category Archives: Rants & Raves

A State Without Mexicans? | Mother Jones

In Alabama, like Georgia and North Carolina before them, racism is put above both economic and civil rights concerns as the state basically makes it illegal to be brown.

Sure, there are undocumented and falsely documented workers in this country. Either find a way to get them to work legally or find a way to pay Americans enough to do the work. Because, whatever the current laws are trying to do is just going to make a lot of folks hungry, both the workers not getting paid, the farmers fined or forced out of business, and the rest of us paying more for smaller amounts of food as it rots in the fields.

Short-sighted and cruel conservatives will truly be the undoing of this nation if their agenda can’t be stopped. Or at least turned to productive ends. Laws like the one mentioned sure as hell won’t do the job.

A Long, Turbulent Journey For Afghan Female Pilot : NPR

Everyone acts like we spent the past decade getting Afghanistan to come our of the Dark Ages and join the 21st century.

That is a simple – and wrong – explanation. Between religion, culture, and decades of war, yes, the place is a tad behind the times. Some of that, however, is by choice.

I mean, we’ve got so-called Christians who are too afraid to leave their homes because they are afraid of gay people. So bigotry, hatred, and sexual hatred isn’t anything new.

That said, this story about how an Afghan pilot has to take her daughter on her chopper during potential combat missions is just damn unsettling.

I get why she does it. You just wish someone would pull their head out of their ass and create conditions where she doesn’t have to make the decision in the first place.

You can give folks weapons. You can train their to use them. You can slap names on buildings that make it the Ministry of Whatsit. But you can’t make a nation out of guns and name plaques. You’ve got to get them to want to do it.

Japanese Seniors: Send Us To Damaged Nuclear Plant : NPR

Sometimes a tragedy just spawns other forms of tragedy.

In Japan, many elderly citizens are volunteering to clean up the nuclear plant at Fukujima, sparing the lives of younger workers with small children.

This is beyond admirable. It is humbling that folks would do such a thing.

This is not the tragedy, though it is pretty much a volunteer death sentence to those folks.

The tragedy is that their nation’s leaders are not taking them seriously.

The other tragedy is that the only motivation we get from the elderly here in the US is a bunch of racist morons who complain about the government and travel to Tea Bagger rallies using their Social Security checks and buying pills in faraway WalMarts with their Medicare money.

Just makes ya sick some days.

The Science of Why We Don’t Believe Science

There is a scientific reason behind why we doubt things that have been proven with hard evidence.

Granted, we’re all skeptics. Well, I’m more of a cynic, but you get the idea.

Sadly, the folks that doubt science the most these days – anti-vaccine folks, creationists, climate change deniers – won’t be listening to this argument either. And the racists posing as birthers, afterbirthers, whatever wont see the correlation to their lunacy either.

Oh well, at least there’s a reason why they are embracing their particular madness. Not to mention the crazy stuff you and I believe – or don’t.

The Vizzini Doctrine

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warns against the future use of our military might in land wars in other parts of the world.

Now, he’s done a great job in his role. How Bush picked someone competent for a government job just amazes me, but I guess he had to after Rumsfeld.

I know he’s being serious here and wants to save American lives and treasure, but I just get giggly thinking about how much this sounds like The Princess Bride:

“You only think I guessed wrong! That’s what’s so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders – The most famous of which is ‘never get involved in a land war in Asia’ – but only slightly less well-known is this: “Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line”! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha… ” – Vizzini

Why We Need Unions | Mother Jones

I was raised in what was apparently a fairly radical home so I really don’t see the argument against unions. I haven’t been in one for years but I have no problem supporting them. Like all things, yes, they are subject to poor and even criminal leadership, but hell, you still put your money in banks and people still vote Republican, right?

So, here is an argument FOR unions plus some more info on the history – and future? – of unions and the Democratic Party.

South Dakota Moves To Legalize Killing Abortion Providers | Mother Jones

Apparently abandoning both the concepts of “Thou shalt not kill” and “Though shall have no other gods before me”, South Dakota is looking to legalize the killing of anyone working at an abortion clinic.

You know, because Republicans have a better handle on this judging other’s sins business than to wait for any possible atonement in the afterlife.

Um, assholes? This is EXACTLY the kind of crap people were referring to when saying some GOP members are endorsing violence. Guess you decided to double down on the bloodshed.