Piss on the U.S. Senate

An amendment calling for expanded background checks as part of the doomed gun bill failed today in the U. S. Senate.

Really?

Link.

"The amendment failed 54 to 46, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster of the measure, even as victims of the Sandy Hook shootings and other shooting watched from the Senate gallery and activists at a vigil outside the Capitol read the names of people slain since then, hoping to prompt action."

I hope the Senators listed on the right of the picture above who are up for re-election in 2014 have this vote shoved down their throats!  Unfortunately my two Senators are also part of this gang of thugs who don't care what 90 percent of the American public want.

Why even bring up any bill or amendment up for a vote in the Senate when a super majority is always needed to get anything done?  Fuck those 45 Senators on the right.  Fuck the Senate.  The National Rifle Association owns your government America...   

Extreme Couponing

So I was watching "Extreme Couponing" earlier today while eating lunch.  Yeah I know, I really need to get a life, but like a train wreck, I had to stop and take a peek.  This woman was loading up on a bunch of shit at the grocery store with the goal of paying little or nothing with the help of coupons and store discounts.  I even saw one women get a credit! 

Kind of a cool concept if you want to load up on a hundred bags of Cheetos, or fifty boxes of cat food, or any other useless garbage to ingest.  What really left me flabbergasted was after one shoppers triumph she commented along the lines of the following:  (I'm paraphrasing) "I just don't understand why anyone would go hungry when I just bought 3,000 dollars worth of groceries for under 50 dollars."

The fuck?

On the very few occasions when I've caught bits and pieces of this show I've hardly ever seen much worthwhile that anyone would need to buy in bulk.  I guess what I'm wondering from anyone out there that takes couponing to the extreme, do you every buy anything that you really want or need?  Even for light couponers, do you tend to buy items that you might otherwise skip because you happened upon a coupon in the Sunday paper? 

I guess on the plus side some people do this in order to donate their haul to local food banks, etc.  An admirable goal but still, I think a soup kitchen would be better served receiving goods with a higher food value.  Admittedly I could be wrong about what kinds of items people are snagging since it's not something I'm want to watch regularly.  Though, I've yet to see an extreme couponer loading up on a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables.

America.

From My Cold Dead Hands!

How dare some politician or a government bureaucrat tell me I can't have a surface to air missle!  You know, for duck hunting... 

Of course I'm kidding.  I don't duck hunt.

I see on the news that the gun control legislation in the U.S. Senate has passed cloiture so now our illustrious politicians can do their job:  vote and debate a bill before the body.  It still chaps my ass that it takes 60 votes to get anything moving in the Senate, you know, just as the Constitution lays out.

So finally after a lot of back and forth since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14th of last year, something is going to be done about gun violence in our country!  If anything meaningful comes out of the tragedy it'll hairlip the Pope.  It looks like the best liberals can hope for is some kind of universal background checks on the purchase of firearms.  And that's about it, unfortunately.  I guess it's a brave start considering that only a paltry 90% of American agree with such legislation.  How brave our elected leaders in the Senate are!  I do, however, agree with some conservatives that there should be limits to background checks.  If you're put on a list for mental reasons, are you on that list for the rest of your life?  Is it really necessary to do a background check on your uncle Fred when selling him your shotgun?  These are issues that should and probably will be addressed and I'm okay with that.

So universal background checks are probably going to pass, at least in the Senate.  There's not telling what the House will do.  So what else do gun control advocates want?  A limit to the capacity of bullets that can be held in a firearm you say?  Unfortunately, it looks like that sort of legislation is DOA, at least, according the all the talking heads on FOX, FOX LITE (CNN), and MSNBC.  Why?  Why would a law abiding citizen, hunter, whatever, be opposed to how many bullets they can queeze off from their firearm within a given amount of time?  Is it possible that if the shooter in Connecticut or Colorado had to reload his magazine that maybe a few extra lives would have been saved?  Again, I believe this kind of restriction is supported by a majority in our country.  I guess it just hasn't hit that magical 90% approval rate yet.

A ban on assult type weapons?  Most assuredly DOA, if it even gets a vote.  In all honesty I don't really have a dog in this fight.  But I'm so tired of hearing redneck goobers bitch about the government wanting to take away their guns.  I think everyone is debating gun CONTROL not gun CONFISCATION.  My understanding is that a ban on assult type weapons would mean you couldn't buy them, not that you couldn't already own them.  Still I would like the Senate to at least vote on this issue.  You know, once again, just aking them to to their job:  debate and vote.

I have a couple more ideas that Congress should consider when talking about gun control:

 I like Chris Rock's thoughts on the price of bullets.  Tax the hell out of them.  If a bullet costs 500 dollars people may think twice about what they use them for or some nut job may be priced out of the market.  Of course nothing like this would ever happen, nor should it probably happen; however, maybe a modest tax on ammunition could help fund all these armed guards that the NRA wants to install into places of learning.

An Oklahoma legislator proposed that if Oklahoma teachers are required to carry firearms in public schools then the state should offer a voucher program so citizens could afford to send their children to private schools that are gun free.  I love it!  Liberals get to be a little snarky and conservatives finally get a school voucher program that they've been harping on since time immemorial in Oklahoma.

Finally just limiting who can own a firearm will not eliminate gun violence in this country.  Will it help?  I think so but there is a bigger problem to consider.  America is a violent culture in general.  How do we curb this?  I have no fucking clue.  Maybe the video game and entertainment industies could be more responsible.  But what more could be done legislatively besides a rating system, which is in place, to help parents make resonable choices for their children?  I literally have no clue but a discussion on all aspect of our culture should be had.  And liberals and conservatives should engage in this conversation instead of drawing a line in the sand and then burying their heads in the same sand, or up their asses.  It's a sad democracy when no one is heard over the yelling or through the echo chamber.

I don't like guns.  I don't want to be around them.  I know that being around a firearm increases my chances of being killed by one dramatically.  Recently I was eating at a restaurant where a d-bag in the table next to me was wearing a sidearm, and he wasn't wearing blue or brown with a little badge affixed to his chest.  I don't want to call out the restaurant but it rhymes with Old Chicago and their most popular dish rhymes with pizza.  I should have spoken to the manager about what I saw to get a clarification on their carry policy within their place of business.  I didn't.  I guess my punking out probably just adds to the overall problem...

I apologize for the winding unruliness of this posting but I would genuinely be curious what others think, even if it's something with which I don't necessarily agree.

Poor Mittens!

Willard Romney, trying to become only the second retarded President in U.S. history, really knows how to put his foot in it! I know, that statement is actually insulting to the developmentally disabled. The Rainbow Tour made its way to England where Romney had some unkind words about London hosting the 2012 Olympics:

"'You know, it's hard to know just how well it will turn out,' Romney told NBC. 'There are a few things that were disconcerting. The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials … that obviously is not something which is encouraging.'"

To which Prime Minister David Cameron (of the Conservative Party) responded:

"We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere."

Burn! Of course Romney back-pedaled on the issue when pressed further after an uproar in the London press, like he always does and always has his entire political career. What was meant as a visit to prove his chops at being nuanced at foreign policy has turned into another example of his buffoonery. The guy just can't catch a break. Too bad speaking is a required part of the job he's seeking, otherwise he might be a shoo-in.

I can't wait until the Presidential debates! Obama is going to mop the floor with this smarmy asshole. Though I think the election is going to be a nail biter. In a world where George W. Bush was elected twice (well once technically) anything is possible.

Link.

The Oklahoma Taliban Strikes Again

In this case the Oklahoma Senate (again!) by passing the "Personhood Act."

"Oklahoma lawmakers edged closer toward trying to outlaw abortion on Wednesday by approving 'personhood' legislation that gives individual rights to an embryo from the moment of conception.

The Republican-controlled state Senate voted 34-8 to pass the 'Personhood Act' which defines the word person under state law to include unborn children from the moment of conception.

The measure now goes to the state House where pro-life Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than a 2-1 margin."

Link.

I can understand this kind of law passing the Oklahoma Senate, it is full of a bunch of right-wing zealots after all! What I can't understand is why there isn't a provisions for rape or incest victims. Basically if you're the victim of either of these lovely scenarios you're fucked, literally and figuratively.

What's really going to happen shortly is that the Oklahoma House will also pass the measure, our idiot Governor will sign it into law, and it will get struck down by the courts. This seems to happen a lot with our state laws...

You gotta love a legislative body that is more concerned with abortion, an issue I thought was settled 39 years ago, than current real-world issues. Where are the jobs and economic development? How do we handle the budget shortfall again this year? What are we going to do about a capital building that's literally crumbling at the foundation?

Up next for the law makers of the great state of Oklahoma: raising the tobacco buying age to 21!! I've said it before, we need serious people to fix our serious state and local problems...

Life Begins at Ejaculation

"Democratic Oklahoma state Senator Constance Johnson has proposed a bill that would make it illegal for a man to ejaculate anywhere except into a woman’s sexual organs, giving an even more extreme twist to the current so-called 'personhood' laws cropping up across conservative states."

Senator Johnson is now officially my favorite Oklahoma lawmaker!

Link.

It's about time someone took a stand against these bumbling idiots in the Oklahoma legislature.

Where's the economic growth? Does anyone over on Lincoln Blvd. give a fuck? Conservatives (Republicans) control everything in Oklahoma, and I mean everything! Instead of trying to do something about jobs and the economy we're treated with anti-abortion laws, fetal free food laws, eliminating income taxes (in spite of the budget shortfalls every year!), allowing lawmakers to carry guns at the House and Senate, and allowing administrators to have fire arms at schools! I'm not shitty about any of these proposals.

Makes me want to puke.

More on Fetus Free Food

Things are heating up with the fetus food debate in Oklahoma. I found a letter to the editor in the Oklahoma Gazette that takes an awesome swipe at Senator Ralph Shortey's proposed bill in the Oklahoma legislature. Sadly this may not be the worst bill he's proposed this year, but more on that later...

Link.

"New legislation for consideration by the Oklahoma legislative body includes a bill by Sen. Ralph Shortey stating roughly that no person or entity shall sell food containing aborted fetuses as an ingredient.

I had no idea! Aborted fetuses are being served to Oklahomans and all you are going to do about it, Mr. Shortey, is write a bill? As a concerned citizen, I call on the offices of Gov. Mary Fallin and Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb to immediately shut down all restaurants and grocery stores hawking food items containing aborted fetuses.

In addition, I expect the state of Oklahoma to launch a full-scale investigation into the matter, as well as a major public-service campaign to alert all Oklahoma citizens as to the specific names of each and every food item and their manufacturer so we know whether we are eating human fetuses in Oklahoma!

It seems to me, now that the Republicans have alerted us to this horror, calmly continuing to allow our people to eat abortions is a grave act of treason against our people.

Or maybe the people of this state should quit voting for and publicly supporting these people who continue to make an embarrassing mockery of us and are being fully allowed, by both parties, to promote a ridiculous caricature of who we are as Oklahomans."

The Gazette is the best paper in the state despite the fact that it's a weekly, free publication.

Fetus Free Food

Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey from District 44 has sponsored State Bill 1418 which states:

"Food; prohibiting the sale or manufacture of food or products which contain aborted human fetuses. Effective date."

Now I don't know about you, dear reader, but I usually do prefer that my food doesn't include aborted human fetuses. I know, call me crazy!

Where do we get these legislators and who the hell votes for them? Maybe even more disturbing is that Senator Shortey represents an area in the Oklahoma City metro! Though calling the south side metropolitan may be a stretch. And I thought all the crazies represented places like Pushmataha County.

We have serious problems in this state and we need serious people apparently to address those problems. The serious people are few and far between...

"In God We Trust"

"In a 396-9 vote, the House of Representatives reaffirmed 'In God We Trust' as the nation's motto on Wednesday. The resolution's Republican sponsor said it would clear up any confusion President Obama created by once referring mistakenly to 'E Pluribus Unum' — a Latin phrase meaning 'out of many, one' — as our motto. ('In God We Trust' replaced 'E Pluribus Unum' in 1956.) Obama mocked Congress for frittering away its day on such a symbolic gesture instead of focusing on creating jobs."

Link.

Does anyone else like "E Pluribus Unum" better? Why was it changed, along with The Pledge of Allegiance, back in the last century? This would be a great springboard into attacking religion again on my part but I think I'm going to take a pass today, anyone who reads this blog already knows my views: if you're a Christian get some help! There are some great psychotropic medications on the market these days...

In other news, the House of Representatives will be holding votes all week to reaffirm the following:

The bald eagle as the nation's symbol. Too bad we didn't go with the turkey, it seems more apropos these days, no?

The Star Spangled Banner as the nation's anthem. However, the House may try to tweak Francis Scott Key's famous poem by adding God somewhere in the patriotic song.

The American Flag. The House will declare that yes indeed the flag has 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies and 50 stars representing all fifty states. The colors will also be reaffirmed as such: white signifying purity and hope, red standing for courage and sacrifice, and blue representing freedom, truth and justice. Why one of these colors doesn't represent the Christian God was an egregious oversight by our forefathers!

Taking a back seat to the legislation mentioned above will be jobs and the economy. God bless America...

Bible Thumping!

"Chickasha, Okla. -- Chickasha police arrest Justin Farley, who is accused of beating up his wife for not buying a Bible.

According to a police report, Farley punched his wife three times in the head and then choked her for not buying a Bible at a local Walmart store.

Police said Farley's wife claimed her husband likes to buy Bibles and then tear them apart.

Farley faces a domestic abuse charge, police said." (You think?)

Link.

I have no words... Only in Oklahoma!

Sally Kern Needs to Shut the Fuck Up!!

Lunatic Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern is at it again:

"You know if you just look at it in practical terms, which has destroyed and ended the life of more people? Terrorism attack here in America or HIV/AIDS? In the last twenty years, fifteen to twenty years, we’ve had maybe three terrorist attacks on our soil with a little over 5,000 people regrettably losing their lives. In the same time frame, there have been hundreds of thousands who have died because of having AIDS. So which one’s the biggest threat? And you know, every day our young people, adults too, but especially our young people, are bombarded at school, in movies, in music, on TV, in the mall, in magazines, they’re bombarded with ‘homosexuality is normal and natural.’ It’s something they have to deal with every day. Fortunately we don’t have to deal with a terrorist attack every day, and that’s what I mean."

Link.

Absolutely disgusting. Her hate speech not only besmirches those who live with or have died from HIV/AIDS but also those who have fallen due to terrorist attacks here and abroad. This on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. She should be ashamed. Yet the good folks of western Oklahoma City and Bethany continue to re-elect this nutbag. Thank Jeebus we have term limits in Oklahoma.

A friend on Facespace commented on this story saying that Kern was a pathetic embarrassment to Oklahoma. She was wrong. She's a pathetic embarrassment to humanity.

Fox Doing What it Does Best!

I ran across this image at I Should Be Laughing. Check out this blog, it's a great daily read on a variety of subjects. I only wish I could write half as well as the material found there.

Now the Oklahoma House is Hard at Work

From koco.com:

"OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma House has named 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' as the official gospel song of the state.

The House voted 89-0 Monday to approve the bill by Rep. Jabar Shumate of Tulsa designating the song. It now goes to Gov. Mary Fallin to be signed into law.
'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' was written in Indian Territory in 1862 by a Choctaw Freedman named Wallis Willis. The Red River reminded Willis of the Jordan River and the song was loosely based on the passage in the Bible that speaks of the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven in a chariot.

The song was adopted by England Rugby Union fans during the last match of the 1988 season and recorded by the band UB40 for the team's performance at the World Cup."

I see the Oklahoma legislature is still hard at work this term. Anything going on with job creation or growth? Discuss.

The Oklahoma Senate is Still Hard at Work

Saw this the other day at koco.com:

"OKLAHOMA CITY -- Anyone convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in Oklahoma would have to install an ignition interlock device on their vehicle for two years under a bill passed by the state Senate and sent to the House.

The Erin Elizabeth Swezey Act passed on a 45-0 vote Tuesday. It's named after a 20-year-old Edmond woman killed by a drunken driver. A second DUI conviction would require the ignition lock for five years and a third would lead to the device being installed for eight years.

The lock includes a device that detects alcohol and the driver must blow into it. If any alcohol is detected - it will not allow the vehicle to start.

Those convicted of DUI would also have the words 'interlock required' printed on the driver's license."

Hmm. I guess I really don't have anything against this kind of legislation although I think the "interlock required" flag on a driver's license is a little mean spirited. Basically if you want to drive for the first six months after getting a DUI you have to have one anyways.

So what does everyone think? Should the consequences of a DUI be more severe? Speaking from experience from my DUI two years ago next month, I spent a lovely night in the Oklahoma County jail, spent thousands on fees, fines, and probation costs, not to mention lawyer fees and I'm still on probation to boot.

I appreciate the Senate wanting to do more to curb people from driving intoxicated but I thought we were in a crunch to finish the legislative session. How much time and effort was spent on this "feel good" bill? When is the very conservative legislature going to tackle the budget shortfall, economic growth and job creation? Just wondering. Oh well, at least our children will be able to learn intellegent design in the next school year...

The Oklahoma Senate is Hard at Work

This story is a couple of days old but I just had to comment. From The Tulsa World:

"OKLAHOMA CITY — The southbound Interstate 44 bridge that crosses over the Red River into Texas will be named after former President George W. Bush under a bill approved in the Oklahoma Senate.

The Senate voted 40-5 on Tuesday for the bill by freshman Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City.

The bridge is located in Cotton County in southwest Oklahoma. The measure also directs the Department of Transportation to create signs to be placed on the highway.

The House will now consider the measure."

Are you fucking kidding me? Other names considered for the bridge:

The Dr. Paul Joseph Göbbels Memorial Bridge

The Bridge Over the River Red

The Mission Accomplished Bridge

How fitting that Oklahoma, home of some of the worst bridges and roads in the nation, is naming a bridge to Texas after one of the worst Presidents in American history. It sure would be nice if the legislature would tackle some of the big issues facing our state, like maybe jobs or the budget shortfall. Instead we're treated to bridge naming, allowing intelligent design classes in our schools, and ending collective bargaining for state employees. Stay classy Oklahoma!

Zach Galifianakis

When someone prefaces a statement with "don't take offence but..." it usually isn't a compliment you're about to receive! Such was the case last night while hanging out with my friend Kim. Some random dude comes up to me and says: "don't take offence but you look like Zach Galifianakis." I think it may be time to shave the beard...

Technical Support Horror Story of the Day

It's been a while since I made one of these postings. When there is work to be done at my job it could be one of a myriad of tasks: training, sales, installations, testing, and technical support. Of everything I do the most frustrating in general is probably technical support for one of our software systems.

I spent a lot of time with a client the last few days and a supposed "data" issue. I forgot the first rule of technical support. Without going into too much detail I was helping this poor woman track down some data loss in a medical software program. About half the time we would get in to the call she would have to bail on me as they would start seeing patients. This lady was absolutely convinced that patients were randomly dropping out of the system. While this isn't usually a known problem I humored her and worked the problem to the best of my ability. We verified that she was indeed searching for the correct patients. We ran a utility routine on the program in order to clean up any corrupted data (this took forever). We also hunted through an audit trail to make sure no users had deleted the data. No luck. Finally on the third day working this call she had enough time for me to log into her system and look around. I found one of the missing patients on the first search. The dear, sweet lady who assured me our system was going crazy and deleting data without cause didn't know how to spell the name she was looking up! In her defense it was a difficult name, Smith. I hate people.

Oh, the first rule of technical support: the customer is always lying...

Unmotivated

My mood this week after the mid-term elections, which were especially bad in Oklahoma, the ultimate red state. Statewide officials from top to bottom went overwhelmingly Republican, from Governor all the way down to dog catcher. I knew it was going to be bad but I didn't think it would be an overall extermination of Democrats across the state!

Here are some of the other low lights:

Representative Kris Steele of Shawnee looks to be the next Speaker of the Oklahoma House. He's a minister, awesome.

"Little Dixie" in the Southeast region of the state went Republican in areas for the first time since statehood.

Republicans lead in the state Senate 32-16.

Republicans lead in the state House 70-31.

And my most favorite:



My new Congressional Representative to the U.S. House in the 5th district, James Lankford. I just got a cold chill down my spine...

Where do Oklahoma progressives, liberals, and Democrats go from here? I have no clue. Just when I think it can't get any worse politically around here another election proves me wrong. I think it may be easier to move to another state than fight to change this one.

Thoughts and opinions?

Is Obama a Keynesian?

"Keynesian - Economic theories that advocate using government spending programs to increase employment. They are based on the thinking of John Maynard Keynes."



My boss brought this to my attention this morning, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing! No, it really isn't funny. Well, ok, it is funny and a little sad...

I Voted, Did You?

Happy election day everyone! I know I've kind of bitched about voting this year but I got up early this morning and dragged myself to the polls (I was number three on the voting machine). I figured that people gave their lives for my right to vote and I should exercise that right! Besides, voting is my one chance a year to enter a church...

During the big election years (Presidential and mid-terms) it's always fun to see what kind of lunatic state questions will be on the ballot. This year was no exception! State Question 755:

This measure amends the State Constitution. It changes a section that deals with the courts of this state. It would amend Article 7, Section 1. It makes courts rely on federal and state law when deciding cases. It forbids courts from considering or using international law. It forbids courts from considering or using Sharia Law.
International law is also known as the law of nations. It deals with the conduct of international organizations and independent nations, such as countries, states and tribes. It deals with their relationship with each other. It also deals with some of their relationships with persons.

The law of nations is formed by the general assent of civilized nations. Sources of international law also include international agreements, as well as treaties.

Sharia Law is Islamic law. It is based on two principal sources, the Koran and the teaching of Mohammed.

Shall the proposal be approved?

Needless to say I voted no. As if a judge would use Islamic law to make a ruling, especially in Oklahoma! It was an absolute waste of time that this question was printed on our ballot, don't we have better issues before us in Oklahoma as well as the country at large? Even the Oklahoman (aka the Daily Fish Wrap) said the measure was a waste of time and shouldn't be written into our state Constitution!

We also voted on making English the official language (stupid and mean spirited) and term limits for lower elective offices (the legislature and Governor already have limits on how long they can serve).

So did everyone out there in blogger land get out and vote? Were there any crazy local questions on your ballots?