Cogito Ergo

I don’t want to be insensitive but seriously, fuck Joplin, Missouri.   I’m not saying that they haven’t been through a struggle and haven’t persevered during a catastrophe but a year later, we have the president giving a commencement speech and stories all over the news about how people decided not to roll over and die after they were hit by the tornado.   What, exactly, were they supposed to do, group suicide? How much money came flowing into that little town after the tornado was gone?   How much support did they get from the federal government that so many of them have come to vilify?    That’s not even counting all the support that they got from private citizens. I’m not mad at them for taking a helping hand after a tragedy.   I’m mad because it has been blown way out of proportion.   We’ve been talking about Joplin for a year now and that was a completely unforeseeable disaster, meanwhile, here in KC, the completely avoidable disasters hav...

I have six tattoos and am preparing for another.  By preparing, I mean I'm waiting until I can afford it.  I would recommend that everyone at least entertain the idea of getting some ink.  If nothing else, tattoos remind you of the person that you used to be.  Yeah, I know they might look silly when I get old but, I probably won't care too much because I get increasingly crotchety as the days go by and I doubt I'll care how sexy women think I am when my skin gets all saggy.  That being said, these are my tattoos and a brief explanation of them all. This is my first tattoo (year 2000).  I wanted to get one and two of my frat brothers were headed down to get some work done.  This is exactly the same tattoo that one of the older frat brothers has on his leg.  I was going to get a bigger one (It's only about 3inches x 2 inches)  but once I saw the stencil, I was like "No, that looks like it'll be painful enough".  I soon found...

I love Americans but sometimes, you people make me sick. The president has recently come out in favor of gay marriage.   While some say he only did so in order to win votes, after the announcement his poll numbers began to slide. I don’t know why people take such serious interest in things that have nothing to do with their lives but it seems that homosexuality is still a big deal in America.   There is all this talk about the sanctity of marriage but in a country where nearly half of all marriages are projected to fail, is that really a valid argument at this point?   I think not.   I really don’t understand the whole ruckus.   I know that some people believe that God frowns upon homosexuality but that seriously isn’t a government issue.   The president isn’t supposed to be a proponent of God’s message and neither is the legislature.   That is the preacher’s job.   The government has an obligation to maintain fairness for its constitue...

I am a feminist.   I believe that women should be treated (and paid) on an equal basis as men when they prove themselves as qualified.   I see no reason for us to steer women toward being nurses and men toward being doctors when a woman can hold a scalpel every bit as a man can.   Women can also run companies, design buildings and run efficient governments every bit as well as their male counterparts so it makes no sense that they never seem to get their fair chance to do so. The disturbing part of the situation is that we quietly condone the gender gap just as well as we pretend that racism doesn’t exist.   I’m not willing to pretend that the status quo is alright so I will gladly proclaim myself a feminist and work hard to shape a world where women get all the respect that they are due. But, that isn’t the whole story.   You see, I’m all about some porn and strippers.   I might be a feminist but I’m not gonna turn down an opportunity to have a hal...

Junior Seau was a mountain of a man.  He had money and a 25 year old girlfriend.  He had the respect of fans all across America and yesterday he decided his life was not worth living. Now, first and foremost, R.I.P. Junior.  I hope the afterlife holds the peace you couldn't find in this one. Secondly, I have seen some pretty dark times myself, so in case that some of you are going through some crazy stuff right now, here are my tips for avoiding depression. 1)  Figure out what it is that you want.  There are a lot of people that want something of you.  It might be your boss, your teachers, your parents, pastor or significant other but none of those people should be more important than you.  Figure out who you are and what you want.  It is step one toward happiness. 2)  Find a hobby.  It sounds simple but it really can take your mind off of things.  I love video games and it keeps me off of thinking about a world that will ta...

So, I’m watching Henry Louis Gates’ “Finding Your Roots”.   First of all, I’m surprised and a little disappointed that they never use the word “rapist”.   Seriously, let’s just call it like it is.   I don’t want to harp on it because this part of American history actually disgusts me.   Just thinking of someone being attacked and raped just because they have my skin tone is revolting. Me and those women have shared a planet and a plane of existence and if it wasn’t for that amount of abuse and trauma, none of my family would never had made it to this point.   It sucks that so many people had to be beaten, sold, raped, and killed just so I can breathe on God’s beautiful earth. I  might complain about my life but I don’t doubt that it is a beautiful blessing which was hard earned by my mother, father and a myriad other people.   I also pay respect to all those Irish men and women that suffered through dealing with the English long enough to get c...