Sunday, June 12, 2005

Compiling a book, I think

Of late, I have been involved in some major debates on a forum I frequent. The biggest arguments are on gay pride celebrations, women's rights, child support and public schools. I am saving many of the threads for later posting and then compilation into a book about the things people say when they have the luxury of anonymity under screen aliases.

It can be quite the amusing little game to argue with some of the more mentally challenged in the lot. We have a racist who hides his racism under the guise of "freedom not to be forced into integration." We also have a Bible-thumping, pro-life, gay-hating case that hides her opinions by using that oft-overworked phrase "some of my best friends are....." Then there are just the people with too much damned time on their hands and plenty of work to do in the Devil's workshop. Even the most intelligent of the bunch likes to call a choice few names and respond to other' s posts with nasty plays on their screen names and raspberry sound effects.

Personally, I have issues with the Bible-thumper because she so obviously has secrets she's dying to tell, but she couches all her remarks in such holy-roller rhetoric while dropping juicy hints about her wild and wicked past. Her latest rants came out of a discussion about a Gay Pride rally planned for my old stomping grounds. This time around, she's bragging about a lesbian making a pass at her in the 1980s while making a stink about how all gay people are trying to recruit her. As if there is some club that you can just join! At the same time, she's going on and on about how nasty and disgusting and pervy gay people are. Someone that frequents this forum as well as another made a rude comment about her and the rants-the next thing you know, she's threatening to call the "forum police" and have the other person banned for "threatening" her. You should see how she reacts to comments about abortion and birth control!

I need to glean some choice remarks for sharing later, but believe me! The originals as written are priceless. I will post them WITHOUT corrections for spelling or grammar so that you may have the full effect of her "wisdom."

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In real life, school is out. D made honor roll and passed her ballet exams, so she moves to 4th grade and into Elementary A. During the summer, she will be taking a crash course in both RAD and Vaganova methods. She also will be at the youth center summer camp, so lots of field trips. Girl Scout camping trips, too, along with her modeling stuff. Sleepovers and all that coolness. Now if she would just stop talking like she was already in high school...

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Sad days for women

Today is International Women's Day, but it is more a novelty than anything else for the women in our own country.

The Senate is arguing bankruptcy law, but refusing to exempt court-related debts from discharge. The main focus is on whether or not violent anti-choice demonstrators can get out of paying fines and court costs by declaring bankruptcy. Currently they can do so and some senators were just trying to close that loophole for all such debts.

The Republicans also killed any raises in the minimum wage. What does that have to do with IWD? Women in the United States are overwhelming minimum-wage slaves and refusing to give them a little more money is just mean. Especially mean when you consider that at the same time, Medicaid is being cut along with welfare benefits, food stamps and SSI.

Georgia just passed a particularly oneous abortion "reform" bill called "The Woman's Right to NO" law. It won't allow a woman to have an abortion until after a 24-hour cooling off period. It also removes the right of a rape/incest victim to be accompanied by someone other than her parents. Parents must always be with the minor, so if it is a case of incest, guess who ain't getting an abortion? It also requires "education" on fetal status (almost always incorrect when presented as a method of preventing abortions). It also allows the FOB or a grandparent to sue (!?!?) if even one "i" wasn't dotted properly. Guess what? No exemption when the FOB is a rapist or a perv relative who decides he wanted the poor woman to have the kid. All geared to force a woman to have a baby she may not be equipped mentally, physically or financially to care for.

At the same time, Georgia is contemplating a bill to change child support laws. Again, to appease the men. "The Second Wives Club" is responsible for this one. These women marry men that have children from previous relationships and marriages that they pay support to, then they bitch because the men are at least attempting to be somewhat responsible. The ONLY good thing in the whole 50 page bill is that finally men wouldn't be able to prevent their names from being put on their child's birth certificate. Oh, and the new payment charts would result in a doubling of what D's dad would have to pay (if he actually did-the schleimscheisse is in arrears/enforcement again). The bad thing is that if he became under-employed, his default payment would only be $50/month. That wouldn't even cover D's meds!

Elsewhere, benefits are being cut across the board. Bush even wants to charge disabled vets to use the VA if they have non-service disabilities. Considering that Bush's folks are declaring any injury in Iraq that didn't happen as a result of direct combat non-related (as if running over a land mine in a country we shouldn't be in would be unrelated to the war we started). So any of those pesky limb-losses or head injuries are just unfortunate accidents...

Yeah, I'm in a pissy mood tonight. I turned down a transfer to San Antonio because it was a lateral with more work, but no more money and no one would talk benefits, moving bonuses or anything close. I kept getting told "We can't do that!" However, when asked why not, I got a lot of stuttering as a non-answer. AND I would have to uproot D and probably cause her a lot of grief. She is pretty much settled now and has a routine, which she needs as a special needs child.

Besides, she may actually have a career pending as a model. Long story, but an aquaintance saw her and insisted I take her to her friend's agency. They signed her and raved the whole time about her "Nickelodeon" voice and look. Who knows? Knowing my luck, though, my FOB may all of a sudden decide he wants a relationship with her if she makes it. Like I told him in 2001, the reaction is going to be "Who are you and why do you think you are someone I should care about after all this time?" It's coming up on eight years since he last saw her in person, and that was in court when he was playing the DNA thing to delay the inevitable.

Sunday, January 23, 2005

Total Cost of Ownership

More work on the car-this time it was the fuel pump and the ignition switch. $450 later, it is running, but I still need a tuneup and some other things. Once I put more than half into the car than it is worth, who knows? New car, but the money will come from where?

Inventory this week, so all nights. Danielle will have to spend nights with Bobbi and then I will have to haul ass every morning to get her to school. Hopefully, there will be some overtime in this. I need it because I had to take an advance on my salary to get the car fixed. Poverty sucks!

We got to go to the Styx concert at the Aladdin on the 16th. Very cool and Danielle enjoyed it as much as I did, even though it started late and she was getting tired. The encore was the best part, with Billy Preston (which tabloid said he was near death?) and Sam Moore of Sam and Dave. For old sick guys, they kicked ass! Read the review on the Styx site.

Other than that, the same old things going on...

Danielle turns nine next week, so she is already practicing to be a pre-teen. You know, attitude up the wazoo, refusal to wear her school uniforms, nail polish... ARRRRRGH! If this is a preview of the teen years, please someone send me a list of boarding schools that offer scholarships!