ZEITGEIST

A new look, but not from my hands. This theme is a pre-fab I downloaded to clear up some of the issues the last one left open. I’ll have something of my own design up ASAFP. It won’t be too long now. I just wanted to get something up to help with some of the bugs that nagged at me about that last theme.

Something new incoming soon. Happy weekend!

I was just thinking about how tragic it is that a HUGE number of Hurricane Katrina’s victims will be hosed by their insurance companies. Flood insurance isn’t included in normal home-owners or rental insurance, those are policies you have to buy separately. I’m guessing that MOST of the victims didn’t have the resources to throw at flood insurance.

Makes me sad to think that if they lost their house, they just totally lost out. I think the insurance companies should man-up and put in on helping these people out. Either that or anyone, who’s home is basically destroyed by Katrina, should burn down what’s left of their home. THEN it would be covered by normal home-owners / rental insurance.

NPR.org, September 14, 2005 · SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools was declared unconstitutional Wednesday by a federal judge ruling in the second attempt by an atheist to have the pledge removed from classrooms. The man lost his previous battle before the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge’s reference to one nation “under God” violates school children’s right to be “free from a coercive requirement to affirm God.”

Karlton said he was bound by precedent of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which in 2002 ruled in favor of Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow that the pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools.

The Supreme Court dismissed the case last year, saying Newdow lacked standing because he did not have custody of his elementary school daughter he sued on behalf of.

I’ve seen this called “Judicial Activism” and an “extreme Liberal judgment” on both CNN and Fox News Channel. It seems to me that this term is just thrown around by people who disagree with the judgments rendered by a judge. “Judicial Activism” is entirely subjective.

Now if John Roberts were to spearhead the overturning of Roe v. Wade, these same people who are SOOOO upset about this ruling in California, will be pissing themselves with delight, ignorant to the fact that that would be “Judicial Activism” by the other side of that issue’s respective coin.

Face it, folks, the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional containing the words “under God”. I don’t know for sure about now, but when I was a kid, the Pledge was a mandatory thing each and every morning, for every child in the classroom. I’ve said it before, I just think the idea of a Pledge of Allegiance for children is creepy. They have NO idea what in the hell they’re saying, and it’s weird that they’re forced to swear allegiance to anything at that age.

How about pledging allegiance to the truth? …or to the pursuit of ending poverty? Making children pledge allegiance to anything is fuckin FREAKY.

I’ve seen Michael Newdow, the plaintiff who won the judgment in California, get shredded by news analysts on a variety of news networks, which is just lame. I can relate to both sides of this issue, since this is a society based on Judao-Christian morals and such, but I can easily see how uncomfortable it would make an atheist to know his child is forced to acknowledge a “god” or “higher power” each morning. As I said: I don’t know how it is in schools now, but it was mandatory when I was in school.

Think of it like this, Mr. & Mrs. Christian-America: Say every morning your kids are required for recite the pledge of allegiance, only in place of “under god”, it was “under satan” or “hail satan”. You’d be PLENTY pissed and upset that your kids have to say that every morning, since it would be the complete opposite of the beliefs that YOU have and want your children to have.

Even if it isn’t mandatory for the students to say it, they have to be there to listen to it. And it IS an acknowledgement of a “god”, in which they may not believe, in a government institution. If you can’t see how this would violate the separation of church and state portions of the constitution, you’re completely closed-minded to the diversity in this country. And if you can’t see why the Christian groups are upset, you’re just as closed-minded. I just happen to think that the judge made the right decision, based on the context of the complaint.

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8.35 am: Well, today’s the day! Lauren finally starts her first day of pre-school. In my wife’s family, it’s a tradition to take pictures of the kids by the mailbox on the first day of school each year. She is totally excited to get to play with other kids and swing on the swingset. We’ll see how it lives up to her vision of it.

9.00 am: The drop-off is successful with no tears about being left around nothing but strangers. She did better than I did on my first day of school. I was a mess when my mom dropped me off and I realized I didn’t know anybody there.

We sign her in, take her downstairs to her classrom and she immediately runs over to the gaggle of children gathered in the corner of the classroom, playing before hitting the ‘books’. In her eyes, her mother and I can’t get out of there and leave her alone with her new friends, quite fast enough. We head out and wait for the 11ish pickup to see how the day went for her. I’m very proud of her, hopefully she’ll watch her mouth and not use any of daddy’s ‘grown-up words’ that he says to the dog. Here’s hoping!

11.32 am: I went to pick Lauren up today, after her first day of pre-school came to a close, and was happy to peek into the classroom and see her in there, smiling and having fun as they sang the goodbye song. She was definitely not happy that I had come to take her away from her new life, but it had to be done. The teacher told me she did great. She played well, she didn’t freak out when we left her there alone. Apparently she was a little angel. Perhaps we need one of these teacher people at our home.

Anyhoo, my lil baby-girl did great on her first day and she makes me proud to be her papa. She’s my silly lil monkey!!!

Hurricane Katrina, in case you’ve been in a coma and haven’t seen any of the non-stop coverage, left widespread devastation throughout the gulf region. 5 days after the storm rolls through, wipes out pretty much ALL of New Orleans and a good share of coastal cities in that region, the National Gaurd FINALLY rolls in, en masse.

The reason this is so morbidly disappointing to the average Joe down there is all the violence happening in the absence of ANY authoritative body. The Superdome, in New Orleans, was a place that thousands of people were evacuated to before the storm, but the roof was pretty much blown off in the wind. NOW, the Superdome is a place trapping victims in the lair of predators. With several reports of murder, rape and beatings inside the Superdome, the people of that region have all the right to scream about the lack of response.

The rescue effort was decent enough, rescuing people off of rooftops and flying them to “safety”. But then, lawless assholes started shooting at the rescue helicopters, pretty much making F.E.M.A. stop their rescue efforts. Now, I’m all for looting in the face of a tragedy like this. I go one step beyond most people with this view. I hear people saying “It’s okay to loot food and water and clothing, those are necessities, but stealing TV’s and DVD players….”. Well, I don’t see a problem with it in this situation. Their TVs and DVD players and HOMES were pretty much destroyed, no reason they should have to buy new ones. Loot away, good people.

The lawlessness that I cannot understand, let alone condone, is the wild streaks of violence and rape going on in that area. WHO in the FUCK could be THAT calloused and jaded and just plain old EVIL??? People, totally uprooted from their homes and you take it upon yourself to beat them, murder them or rape them? People like that are contemptable piles of shit, worth absolutely nothing to society except maybe the money you could get for their core chemicals if we were to melt them down. I don’t care WHAT the excuse or hardship you’re going through, that is inexcusable. Sure, you may feel powerless and helpless, but that doesn’t mean you exert your power by raping somebody who was also victimized by the storm as you were.

But I digress… FIVE DAYS!!! People have had to wait FIVE DAYS for any protective security force to come in and try to make them feel safe. People have been bitching about all of our resources being tied up in Iraq, which I don’t quite buy, but I understand the comparison. When George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein and his sons 48 hours to surrender and get out of Iraq, we were in there the exact SECOND that 48 hours over, seriously down to the minute we were in there bombing. Now, we had the resources HERE, in the U.S.to secure that area and make the victims of the storm safe(r). Less than a minute to get into Iraq and FIVE DAYS to get legitimate help to our own displaced citizens within our own borders.

I’ve never been a fan of this administration or it’s policies, but can they do ANYTHING right? And don’t give me that Taliban/Afghanistan shit, Ralph fucking Nader would’ve invaded Afghanistan after 9/11. Seriously, can they? They invade Iraq, topple the government with ZERO plan for post-war Iraq. Hurricane Katrina levels the gulf region, pretty much wiping New Orleans off the map and they can’t get in there for FIVE fucking DAYS??? If they can grow a human ear on a rat’s back, they can get help to Americans in distress, IN AMERICA, in significantly less than FIVE fucking DAYS!!!

Any voter that voted for George W. Bush: I REALLY hope you’ve seen what a bumbling, ball-dropping booger of a man you’ve inflicted on us… AGAIN. This shit is inexcusable, taking 5 days to reach New Orleans with any sort of true security/aid/reflief force. Inexcusible. I’m sure if he gets SOMETHING right, he’ll revel in it, but I don’t see it ever happening. This is ridiculous that it took THIS long to get those poor people some help.