God Bless America - Happy Memorial Day

Just a quick line to ask everybody to remember the sacrifices of countless American soldiers throughout history. It's easy to lose sight of what they've really done for us, being that most of us are pretty far removed from any sort of military life.

With the media constantly bombarding us with negative images of the U.S. and our military, it's important to dig deeper and seek the truth. We need to get back to the days of patriotism in America. Return to the days where we as a country supported our brave men and women that put themselves in harms way for us ALL.

Pick up a history book. Re-acquaint yourselves with what it really means to be an American. Also, to remember just how bloody war USED to be. Be thankful for the advances of our modern military and their ability to greatly reduce U.S. casualties in times of conflict.

I'm reading a book about WWII right now, called Flags of Our Fathers. It's a really good book. It is written by the son of one of the flag raisers at Iwo Jima. It describes, in vivid detail, just some of the horrors that our soldiers endured to secure America's freedom. It chronicles the lives of the 6 men in that famous picture. It's pretty intense.

In just ONE battle at Iwo Jima, the U.S. lost in excess of 5,000 men in just ONE DAY. Compare that to our modest losses in the war we're in now. We've been in Iraq for over 3 years and we've lost in the neighborhood of 2,400 soldiers. We lost a total of 26,000 at Iwo Jima when all was said and done. Twenty six THOUSAND. By comparison, I think that's pretty remarkable.
Not only does this book talk about some of the battles, but it also talks about something even more important - patriotism. These courageous young men (some even as young as 15, who lied about their age to get in) selflessly put themselves in harms way for their country. They didn't back down. They wanted to be where they were. They had fire in their bellies, and had a sense of duty to fulfill. They didn't cower, they didn't complain. To them, serving was an honor.

I recommend the book, for sure. It's a pretty moving account of the events of that era.

As Americans, don't forget the sacrifices our soldiers have made for our freedom. We all enjoy a very privileged lifestyle because of the valor and bravery of many people who are no longer with us. My grandfather was one of those, awarded the Purple Heart during WWII. He was one of the lucky ones to make it back alive though. My father served, as well as many cousins, uncles, great uncles, etc. in all branches of the armed forces. I've got friends serving right now.

To them all, I say THANK YOU.

"Granny, why are you scratching your crotch?"

I never thought I'd read a story like the one I just read. (click here for full story)

The headline was "STDs Running Rampant In Retirement Community".

Senior citizens at a retirement communtiy in Florida are getting freaky with a combination of Viagra and carelessness. They don't have to worry about getting pregnant (obviously) and they old dudes are all walking around with hard-ons, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine.

The result? Lots of STDs. Sounds strange to me to think about a bunch of old wrinkle bags passing the ass. I mean I know it happens, but I never really thought about it I guess. Read the story though. It's worth a laugh or two (which is my second favorite thing to do).

A gynecologist at The Villages community near Orlando, Fla., said she treats more cases of herpes and the human papilloma virus in the retirement community than she did in the city of Miami.

And next time you go visit granny, make sure you don't kiss her on the lips. You don't know whose cork she's been soaking. You don't want to have to tell your friends that you caught herpes from Grandma Esther. That slut.

Cosby for President

The more I hear Bill Cosby's name in the news, the more I think he should run for office. He tells it like it is. He's blunt and to the point, and speaks very clearly so he cannot be misunderstood. The man doesn't worry about political correctness. We need someone like that in government.

Anyone who knows me understands that I can't stand political correctness, and that I'm a blunt person. I think that's why I respect Cosby. Cosby stands for high moral values and accountability. He doesn't believe in excuses or using racism to justify poor choices.

I find it interesting to observe how other people react to Bill Cosby's speeches. In particular, I like to hear what other black people have to say. (Notice I didn't say "African-American".)

(SIDE RANT) I don't believe in that term. It's too politically correct, and it doesn't make sense. There are many white people (and other races) on the continent of Africa. If a white guy from Africa moved to America, would you call him "African-American"? Probably not, even though he's more African-American than Ray-Ray from Detroit. If you can't call everybody from Africa (who now live in America) African-American, then the term is bogus and means nothing. You can't use it to denote color unless everyone from that continent is the same color. And besides, hyphenated names annoy me.

(SIDE, SIDE RANT) If you get married, take your husband's last name for crying out loud. Making your kid grow up confused is just plain stupid. A kid's family (and name) is where they get their identity from. If mommy's last name is different from daddy's last name, it makes for a lot of unneccessary questions.

If you were born and raised in America, then you're AMERICAN. Not African-American, not Mexican-American, not Irish-American, not Italian-American. JUST American. Got it? Likewise, if your maiden name is Smith and you marry a man named Finkelstein, then your name is now Finkelstein. It's not Smith-Finkelstein. Ok? Are we all on the same page now?

Ok, good. Now back to my original subject. What was it again? Oh yeah, Bill Cosby. Great guy. He tells people like it is, no matter if they like it or not. Sometimes, the truth hurts. Sometimes, it sounds abrasive. You know what I say to that? TOO BAD. If what he says offends you, then maybe you need to reflect upon your life and reconsider the choices you've made.

If Cosby's on a stage saying that some black people can't speak proper English, and that offends you...maybe it's YOU that has the problem. If you speak like a normal person and not some idiot making up jibberish, then what he says shouldn't offend you in the least. If he's up there talking about guys that get several women pregnant out of wedlock, skips out on them and/or goes to prison, it shouldn't bother you either...UNLESS you are one of those deadbeats that aren't supporting their kids because you're an idiot. If that's the case, then I HOPE he offends you. You SHOULD be offended, because you are part of a big problem in America. That problem is people having kids with no intention of raising them properly. When that happens, the kid becomes everybody's problem. And that's why Bill Cosby is so vocal about these issues.

He doesn't believe in making up excuses for your behavior, simply because of the color of your skin. You can be a moral and responsible person no matter if your skin is black, purple, white, yellow, brown or polka dotted.

Unfortunately, some black people in the media actually get upset with Cosby when he speaks out in a public forum. They don't get mad at him for what he's saying. They get mad at him for saying it out in the open. Now, what kind of sense does that make? If it's the truth, then it's the truth. It needs to be out in the open.

Some of the things he's saying are:

“People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we’ve got these knuckleheads walking around...the lower economic people are not holding up their end of the deal. These people are not parenting.” ...They are standing on the corner and they can’t speak English.”

"And these people are not parenting. They’re buying things for the kid. $500 sneakers, for what? They won’t buy or spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics." (clapping)

"Are you not paying attention, people with their hat on backwards, pants down around the crack. Isn’t that a sign of something, or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up (laughter and clapping ). Isn’t it a sign of something when she’s got her dress all the way up to the crack…and got all kinds of needles and things going through her body. What part of Africa did this come from? (laughter). We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans, they don’t know a damned thing about Africa."

"These people are fighting hard to be ignorant. There’s no English being spoken, and they’re walking and they’re angry. Oh God, they’re angry and they have pistols and they shoot and they do stupid things"

"And then they stand there in an orange suit and you drop to your knees, “(crying sound) He didn’t do anything, he didn’t do anything.” Yes, he did do it. And you need to have an orange suit on too" (referring to parents)

Cosby recently told the graduates at Spelman College (a college for black women):

"You have to know that it is time for you all to take charge. You have to seriously see yourselves not as the old women where the men stood in front and you all stood behind, because the men, most of them are in prison."

"Our race depends upon you and your sisters graduating all across the United States to realize that what's left is you."

All Cosby is saying is that people should hold themselves to a higher standard. I wholeheartedly agree. And I don't think that applies to JUST one race or group. It applies to everybody.

The other reason I like Bill is because he brought us Fat Albert and Picture Pages. Gotta love a guy that's as genuinely cool as Bill is.

If you have time, read the entire transcript of Cosby's speech at the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education in D.C. (click here)

Disturbing, On So Many Levels

So, I'm reading the news today and I come across this story. It's a story about a girl in the UK that got pregnant at age 11. She started drinking at age 9, and got knocked up by a 15 year old during a drunken night out. She's about 8 months along and still smokes 20 cigarettes a day.

She said: "I can give up smoking at any time, but I don't find it affects my pregnancy."

Brilliant. (I think the baby would disagree with her assertion that it doesn't affect her pregnancy)

Her mom (who is still popping out babies herself) is proud of her. She sees nothing to be ashamed about. (Do they have trailer parks in the UK?)

There are SO many issues here, that I'm not even going to get into them. I'll let you make your own observations. I will say one thing though. The main issue here is the complete lack of parenting and family structure. Everything else stems from that.

I wish I had time to go into a rant about this, but I am short on time. Feel free to leave me your comments though, and I'll be sure to check in periodically.

Why You Should Never Kiss A Monkey

A friend of mine emailed me a picture today with the subject line: "Never kiss a monkey".

I tend to agree. Wholeheartedly.
Personally, I wouldn't even let the little bugger drink out of the same cup as me either. I'm just sayin.

I'm Not Fat, I'm Big Boned

So, I'm browsing through Drudgereport.com today and I run across a picture of a VERY fat man. 1,212 pounds, in fact. In case you missed that...I said ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED TWELVE POUNDS. This guy is so fat that he makes Louie Anderson look like Calista Flockhart by comparison. (Clicky)

I've always wondered how a person gets that fat. I figure, once you see the scale hit...ohh...FIVE HUNDRED...perhaps you might want to start reconsidering your eating habits?

Whenever I bring this subject up, people always say "well you don't understand" or "it's not their fault" or "they're just big boned".

::SIGH::

First of all, there's no such thing as "big boned" Has anybody ever seen a fat skeleton? Fat people have more soft tissue and FAT than skinny people. They don't have bigger BONES than skinny people. Jeebus, people! Use your brains once in a while.

Secondly, it IS their fault (most of the time). Most of the fatter people I've known have definitely contributed to their weight being excessive. I see them eat. I see WHAT they eat. I don't see them exercise. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the outcome. I can look around my office right now and see food on fat people's desks. Fat people don't eat in moderation. They eat to excess. They've always got to have that extra donut, the extra helping of gravy on their bacon, the extra butter on their deep-fried cheese chunks, the extra lard on their lard cakes, the super sized soda, etc. That is why they're fat.

It's a very simple math equation. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. Conversely, if you take in less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. If you don't like how much you weigh, you should eat less and exercise more. The only person making you fat is YOU.

Obviously, there are exceptions to this. For example, a person with a thyroid problem or diabetes, or something like that. People whose bodies don't function normally in one way or another. That, I can understand. I cannot sympathize with people who shovel food into their faces 10 times a day though.

Ok, I'm done ranting for a minute.
Here's to you, Mister 12 Hundred Pound Guy. Keep surfing the internet from the comfort of your bed.

What a sad life. I hope he at least has some medical condition that is responsible for this. I'd hate for it to be attributed to nothing more than sheer laziness. Seriously, I hope he turns his life around.

Sopranos...why must you disappoint me this way?

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. The Sopranos writers have lost it. This last season is crap. Not only were the first few episodes a complete waste of time, but now that it's picking up a little steam, it's got to turn into a sissy-fest?!

Since when does a mafia story revolve around a fat, gay guy who is trying to explore his sexuality? I fail to see how Vito hanging out in an antique shop, or in the lobby of a bed & breakfast having tea contributes to the storyline at all. And what's with this random town that he stumbled into? 90% of the guys in this town are gay, apparently. The fire fighters, the diner employees, the business patrons, etc. It's like bizarro world, if bizarro world were gay. Is nothing sacred anymore?

Add to this the fact that Tony is getting soft and going easy on everybody after his near-death experience, and you've got one big estrogen-filled princess party. It's like watching a daytime soap opera at this point. Feelings...mercy...tears...LAME.

If they keep this up, I'm going to write a letter asking them to move the show to the Lifetime channel.

Bring back the cool mafia show that I used to enjoy every Sunday!!