Does the World Need the United Nations?

The current and future roll of the US in the United Nations are commonly debated among politically astute types. I have always personally sided a little more on the right of the issue, opting for actions that clearly promote the interests of the U.S. over all others (call it self preservation, if you will).In a pleasantly surprising (yet short) piece on NPR Monday, commentator Joe Loconte clearly outlines and reaffirms my personal beliefs on the subject. Hey folks, I'll take it wherever and however I can get it!

"…[The U.N.] grants veto power to autocratic regimes such as China and Russia, and somehow it's expected to defend society's weakest links. Does anyone remember Rwanda?"

Yeah, that just about nails it in two short sentences. Listen to the soundbyte, it's only about two and a half minutes long, but it's well worth the time spent.

@$$holes Grinching School Playgrounds

I picked this up today from KATU News Channel 2's website.

What a crock of horse-$#it:

Most adults can remember the carefree days of childhood, climbing trees and jumping from swings, often on schoolyard playgrounds.

Yup, I sure do.

Climbing, swinging and sliding was once a rite of passage during recess, a time for adventure, to see how high, how far and how fast we could go as a kid.

Oh hell yes, I can taste the pre-recess anticipation now…

Today, kids find themselves grounded, victims of a culture of fear and injury litigation.

I don't like where this is going.

A growing number of school districts are going so far as to ban the game of tag and are even posting signs that read "no running on the playground."

Are you fscking kidding me?

Is there real danger on the modern playground?
Safety advocates say yes and want to eliminate it.
Their first target: swing sets.
They've convinced Portland Public Schools to remove all swings from elementary schools playgrounds.

This makes me want to choke somebody….must….control…evil….urges….

But the safety advocates don't stop there.
Portland Public Schools have also rejected merry go rounds, tube slides, track rides, arch climbers, and teeter totters.

[...]

In Broward County, Florida, there's a new rule on the playground: no running. (Emphasis added)

Seriously…can this be real? This is like something you'd see on South Park. It CAN'T be real…

One parent got it right:

A parent there commented that "no running on the playground, that's kind of like no playing on the playground" and another called for a review of what exactly was "safe" or unsafe.

And we wonder why American kids are getting to be pudgy little pork-pies? Here's a fscking clue:

What can kids still play?

Not dodge ball or tether ball, that's still too dangerous. And in Beaverton, at Barnes Elementary School, rules there forbid the game of tag.

Kiss my flourescent white ass. If my kids ever get in trouble for playing tag at recess, it's gonna be bare-knuckle boxing time with the Principal…and I don't care how brute-ish she is. I'll take my chances. I'll grab her by the lip-hair and teach her a thing or two about recess…

On a lighter note, I'm curious if "Kick The Girl You Like" is still a favorite among youngsters. I seem to remember being a champ at that one…

Amusing

I find it hilarious to see how some people need to resort to quoting a comedian in order to gain some political perspective. I guess that's what happens when they find a "leader" who actually has a scrotum and a functional political compass.Fact: Steven Colbert has bigger balls than any ranking member of the Democratic Party. Kudos, Mr. Colbert. You are a man among algae.

Subsequent lesson learned: It takes no sack whatsoever to parrot his lines two weeks later. Sorry folks, sitting around on your hands and waiting for someone sprout some stones (which Colbert seemingly did), doesn't suddenly give you the authority to flex your muscles for the audience (once the "coast is clear"). Colbert proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the left-leaning leadership in this country is comprised of gun-shy, mealy-mouthed sheep. In that respect, he did the Republicans a huge favor. No longer is it merely speculation that this country's political left haven't a single backbone to share between them…they have to rely on TV personalities to speak candidly on their behalf.

UPDATE: Just as I was wrapping up this little post, Cranky over at Six Meat carved off a filet of his own. Although Cranky and I differ a tad on our opinions (Cranky feels that Colbert "bombed" at the WHCA dinner, and I feel that athough he was generally met with astonishment from the droves of dumbfounded dipshits in the audience, it really did take some massive huevos to pull that off), we both seem to be in lock-step on the sentiment that it seems as if Colbert has become the de-facto leader of the anti-Bush movement. His comments are great, check them out.

What a Stoopid Idea….

Cindy “The Brain(dead)” Sheehan is once again trying to convince the world that Iraq and Afghanistan are the same as Vietnam was…and lobbying to convince the Canadian Government to willfully harbor AWOL soldiers who are defecting the U.S. Military. This Just In: Cindy Sheehan is truly a moron.

Hey, Cindy…encouraging the troops to break the law and abandon the country they are fighting for is NOT supporting them, you jackass! The fact that you can somehow connect those dots in your head is frightening. Convincing the Canadians that they should help you is equally moronic…they’re trying their best to stay on our good side until Bush vacates. How about starting a rally to collect phone cards to send to the forward-deployed? That would be a nice way to support the troops….you know, keeping them in touch with their loved ones!? But instead, we get horseshit like this:

“My position is if it’s an all-volunteer military they should be allowed to unvolunteer,” said Sheehan.

OK, retard. That would work really well. Everybody enlists during peace-time to help pay for college, then when a war, conflict or deployment springs up, everybody quits! That would be a fscking stroke of genius! What a twit.

I feel so sorry for this miserable, confused woman….until she opens her mouth and speaks…

In the Spirit of Purity Balls…

Along the same lines as the often discussed, extraordinarily creepy and divergent “Purity Balls,” in which a father and his daughter attend a party to publicly pledge to uphold the girl’s chastity in a glowing, saintly dog-and-pony-show, “Virginity Pledges” are also now under harsh scrutiny from Harvard University, and for some good reasons.

On the surface, it would seem that anyone who would bemoan an attempt at abstinence by parents, children and peer groups, would be nothing more than a cretin with a bent toward contributing to the delinquency. Often, individuals or persons who speak out against the practice of sexual restraint of any nature, simply do so because they lack the ethos to comprehend the reasoning for such behavioral control. Persons who consciously deny their instinctive hormonal urges are often ridiculed and treated with contempt, regardless the apparent lack of influence on the behavior of others within the peer group.

But now a new study out of Harvard University comes to light, bearing witness to a hilarious, yet disturbing trend among the social groups encouraging “Virginity Pledges,” these “purveyors of purity,” if you will.

Virginity pledges were introduced in the early 1990s as part of the Christian Sex Education Project. Their adult champions hail the promises, which rest solely on the individual’s word, as being a major step toward reducing teen pregnancy and raising moral values.

By some estimates, at least 2.5 million adolescents around the world have publicly vowed to postpone sex until marriage. They include virgins, as well as those who have had a sexual experience but who swear to refrain from further activity.

Many wear rings or other jewelry to symbolize their pledge.

OK, this next part is my favorite, and it’s also the part that makes this whole concept no better than Kirby Vacuums or Amway:

(From www.morons.org): Those taking virginity pledges have at least shown greater resolve to buy merchandise from those pushing the “virginity pledges,” including t-shirts, keychains, mugs, stickers, books, buttons, hats, and a $60 program for leading a small group, which naturally includes an order form and ring sizer for ordering “virginity pledge” silver rings.

Yes, this is actually a wicked capitalistic venture that not only uses childrens’ innermost fears and apprehensions to their advantage, but then they also milk a few quick bucks off them while they’re at it! Funny and inappropriate, with a dash of disturbing…all wrapped into one hard-to-digest capsule! Way to paint a disengenuous face on a pretty decent idea, you motherfsckers. Are you trying to spoil capitalism for me? I LOVE capitalism, and when opportunistic fscks like this take over and make a quick buck by exploiting God and troubled kids…grrrrr.

Ok, sorry folks, but the whole concept of vilifying sexual urges makes my skin crawl. This ever-present desire by the Fundies to criminalize the natural desire to experience sexual gratification is exactly the “taboo-maker” which unwittingly adds such a great deal of allure to the already tantalizing nature of the behavior. Instead of open and honest discussion, we now are encouraging our kids to make some [obviously] empty promises, in the hope that cash, prizes and jewelry are soon to follow.

Is this a good idea? Setting our kids up for failure and forcing them into a corner where they literally CAN’T tell us the truth, since they are ashamed that they may have broken a promise? Sounds like a quick way to break down whatever lines of communication you have with your teens…

Sorry, not me. These scumbags can stuff their silver rings right up their…well…you pick.

Billy’s Cheating Off My Test….

Yes, this is supposedly one student’s answer from a real trig test. BRILLIANT!

Only In America:

Thanks to www.msjc.net for the pic.

I’m Sure Harry Reid is Looking Into This…

How To Steal an Election
From the Washington Post:

It’s easier to rig an electronic voting machine than a Las Vegas slot machine, says University of Pennsylvania visiting professor Steve Freeman. That’s because Vegas slots are better monitored and regulated than America’s voting machines, Freeman writes in a book out in July that argues, among other things, that President Bush may owe his 2004 win to an unfair vote count. We’ll wait to read his book before making a judgment about that. But Freeman has assembled comparisons that suggest Americans protect their vices more than they guard their rights, according to data he presented at an October meeting of the American Statistical Association in Philadelphia.

Planned Parenthood is a Joke….

Compared to this craziness! What a funny commercial!

The Vatican’s Stand on Science vs. Superstition

This is a very interesting article for a host of reasons…I think most of them will become obvious when you read it. Some of the information is just common sense, but modern religion isn’t always rife with logic and reason.

I’m not a Catholic, but for some reason it is rather relieving to have The Pope (or at least a de- facto arm of his mini-government) on my side of this issue.

Here is some writing from a lunatic who seems to think the opposite is true (hey, I’m being fair to the SuperFundies by letting their side be heard too, albeit feeble and riddled with stories of “magic” and “supernatural forces” and what-not). Keep in mind this stuff was written by a person who thinks Harry Potter and his fictional friends and make-believe world somehow pose a real threat to the inhabitants of Earth.