It is now time to discuss the up coming election. Why? Because Romney's stupidity is finally visible enough that Republicans started hating his stupid ass.
Many people don't like Obama, because he talked really big four years ago and haven't gotten much of his to do list done.
Many people don't like Romney, because he would sooner sell America, piece by piece, to the highest bidder instead of give this country what it really needs.
Reasons not to vote for Obama:
- He didn't get everything accomplished that he said he would (even though he dealt with a lame duck congress and was DEFINITELY the first politician to fall short of the plans they have)
- He's black. (Yeah, people seriously have an issue with having a black president even though it's been this way for the last 4 years, and we were SO MUCH BETTER OFF with the last white guy.)
- I'm sure there are other petty reasons that people can come up with, but I can't right now.
Reasons to vote for Romney:
- Prove that George Bush really wasn't that bad
- Try to achieve total anarchy
- He's white. (Seriously, people?)
- We like having a president that we can laugh at anytime they come in front of a camera.
Reasons to VOTE FOR OBAMA:
- He cares about this country
- He has helped to turn this country back around (not where we were before Bush, but definitely not worse off)
- He is in favor of the idea of having a female president
- He wants to work for the everyday person and not just the people like Mrs. Reinhart who think we should be able to eat cake if we can't afford bread.
Reasons NOT TO VOTE FOR ROMNEY:
- He wants more tax cuts for the top 1%
- He wants to keep the class warfare and current status quo intact
- He wants to dismantle FAFSA
- He publicly disregarded 47% of the country, because they don't like him
- He offends people whenever he travels somewhere
- He doesn't care about gay families or rights
- He is a calloused person (which is more against him as a person than as a president, but still)
- I could continue, but really this guy only one the primary because he was the best of the worst
It would be a crime against this nation to elect Mitt Romney so that he can continue to coddle his CEO and exceedingly rich friends. Obama has the capacity to do something. At the VERY least, he won't make things worse.
I'm begging the people of blogspot who read this, don't make things worse. PLEASE, don't elect Romney.
Vive.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Update
As it would seem, life catches up to everyone. I'm going to resort to posting once a week so that I can catch up on the life that's been piling up. (I'm writing a book.) So every Thursday, (or when inspiration strikes) I'll post something new on here. Still posting regularly, but just not as often as I'd like. Sorry to anyone who's actually been reading this.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Key to Understanding This Blog
If ever I refer to this country and this society, I am referring to the United States as I am a Chicagoan. Also, because our media does not cover other countries ever, because we are a self-centered country, I do not have formed enough opinions on other country's politics yet. Plus, my country is so much for a mess, I'll have material for decades. So, if you are not "American" I apologize since I'll just be ranting about the U.S.
Vive.
Vive.
Taking a Breather: My Dream
I cannot believe I did not rant yesterday. I apologize to my readers...or lack thereof.
Today, however, I'm going to take a moment to discuss my dream and why its my dream. I'm an English major, and for a while now, I've been wondering what to do with my degree.
I started on this major wanting to be an English teacher, you know the cool ones from high school who know their shit and do cart wheels when the principal isn't looking. I kind of wanted to be like Morgan Freeman from Lean on Me, start off as the best damn English teacher ever and then get called upon to fix a dying system.
Then, the system didn't just die, it turned into a zombie.
Teachers taught to get good scores on weekly tests so their schools don't close so they can continue to lower standards, get good enough scores, and so on. The life was sucked out of the education system in this country and was replaced with an insatiable hunger for good results but no real reward.
I hate George W. Bush and his No Child Left Behind.
We should just get rid of standardized tests and replace them with an army of one on one testers who test to each student's specific learning needs and potentials. It would stop students being taught for testing, and it would open up a new profession!
Anyway, after the zombification of my one true love, I didn't want to change my major, but I sure as hell did not want to teach drones how to be drones in a world that requires and deserves more than that. So I discovered Editing. I decided on this career path, because I love literature. So why not? I could help fix up the next Charles Dickens or Emily Dickinson and get their words out there.
It wasn't until recently that I realized that lulu.com is a thing and I'm not much for advertising.
This morning, I read "Spokenwordlife" by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai for my gender studies class. I still want to edit, but I want to focus on the people who can't get published because of some sort of prejudice. I want to help the unheard voices reach the people of this wonderful world, because words and voices are of the utmost importance. What if the next Charles Dickens is part of a minority that is being blocked by the predominantly white publishing world? We need more literature and poetry from the voices that history tends to forget or how will we ever know anything other than what we are allowed by society to know?
Maybe after removing prejudice from publishing, I'll find the cure for our poor zombie of an education system.
Vive.
Today, however, I'm going to take a moment to discuss my dream and why its my dream. I'm an English major, and for a while now, I've been wondering what to do with my degree.
I started on this major wanting to be an English teacher, you know the cool ones from high school who know their shit and do cart wheels when the principal isn't looking. I kind of wanted to be like Morgan Freeman from Lean on Me, start off as the best damn English teacher ever and then get called upon to fix a dying system.
Then, the system didn't just die, it turned into a zombie.
Teachers taught to get good scores on weekly tests so their schools don't close so they can continue to lower standards, get good enough scores, and so on. The life was sucked out of the education system in this country and was replaced with an insatiable hunger for good results but no real reward.
I hate George W. Bush and his No Child Left Behind.
We should just get rid of standardized tests and replace them with an army of one on one testers who test to each student's specific learning needs and potentials. It would stop students being taught for testing, and it would open up a new profession!
Anyway, after the zombification of my one true love, I didn't want to change my major, but I sure as hell did not want to teach drones how to be drones in a world that requires and deserves more than that. So I discovered Editing. I decided on this career path, because I love literature. So why not? I could help fix up the next Charles Dickens or Emily Dickinson and get their words out there.
It wasn't until recently that I realized that lulu.com is a thing and I'm not much for advertising.
This morning, I read "Spokenwordlife" by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai for my gender studies class. I still want to edit, but I want to focus on the people who can't get published because of some sort of prejudice. I want to help the unheard voices reach the people of this wonderful world, because words and voices are of the utmost importance. What if the next Charles Dickens is part of a minority that is being blocked by the predominantly white publishing world? We need more literature and poetry from the voices that history tends to forget or how will we ever know anything other than what we are allowed by society to know?
Maybe after removing prejudice from publishing, I'll find the cure for our poor zombie of an education system.
Vive.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Marriage: Gay, Straight, and Otherwise
I fully support gay marriage. Not all homosexual people want to get married, not all marriages should be homosexual. It comes down, again, to the right to choose. If two people want to get married and seen as a legal entity in the eyes of state and federal government, there should not be anyone telling them that they cannot.
For the same reason as I stated with abortion, it is not anybody else's lives that are being impacted by the decision to marry within the same sex.
The fact that gays and lesbians can't marry just shows the power of homophobes and small-minded individuals. It has got to stop.
Why are there no gay marriage rights?
The Bible and Homophobes Who Use the Bible as a Justification for Their Small Minds
We all know the argument, it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. This argument is stupid. I can barely give it an iota of thought. It is as if part of our society said, "We can't use cell phones, because the Bible does not mention cell phones existing." I can't even focus enough to rip open this argument. How can someone say that the lack of something means that something should NEVER happen? It's absurd. Considering how widely accepted the Theory of Evolution is, I can hardly believe that this argument carries any water.
Perhaps if it had been Adam and Steve, paradise would not have been lost.
People say that the Bible says homosexuality is a sin. The last I heard, the Bible says someone pretty important died for our sins, so why is this even an issue? Also, I believe there are MANY passages about keeping women in submission, keeping slaves in line, and using slaves as bartering chips. The Bible even condones murder! That part about not suffering a Witch to live? That little line in the Bible gave justification to the insanity that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. I'm sorry, but society seemed to have figured out a while ago that the Bible says things that are not necessarily for the greater good of society in general. Why are we still using this text to defend the part of society that seems hellbent to return to the stone age?
Keeping gay marriage illegal is unconscionable. Gay marriage NEEDS to be legalized. It would stimulate the economy, because of more money spent on weddings. It would allow people the same rights and status as everyone else. (Equality is a good thing!) It would stop hundreds of people from looking as stupid as the people who opposed interracial marriage. And, maybe, just maybe, gay marriage give the world more of the love that it deserves.
There is barely a question. Can a white man marry a black woman? Yes? Then, it is only a matter of time that gay marriage is commonplace, too.
Let's stop trying to deprive people of their rights. Inequality does nothing but support oppression and make the idea that this is a free and just country a sad, ironic joke.
Vive.
For the same reason as I stated with abortion, it is not anybody else's lives that are being impacted by the decision to marry within the same sex.
The fact that gays and lesbians can't marry just shows the power of homophobes and small-minded individuals. It has got to stop.
Why are there no gay marriage rights?
The Bible and Homophobes Who Use the Bible as a Justification for Their Small Minds
We all know the argument, it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. This argument is stupid. I can barely give it an iota of thought. It is as if part of our society said, "We can't use cell phones, because the Bible does not mention cell phones existing." I can't even focus enough to rip open this argument. How can someone say that the lack of something means that something should NEVER happen? It's absurd. Considering how widely accepted the Theory of Evolution is, I can hardly believe that this argument carries any water.
Perhaps if it had been Adam and Steve, paradise would not have been lost.
People say that the Bible says homosexuality is a sin. The last I heard, the Bible says someone pretty important died for our sins, so why is this even an issue? Also, I believe there are MANY passages about keeping women in submission, keeping slaves in line, and using slaves as bartering chips. The Bible even condones murder! That part about not suffering a Witch to live? That little line in the Bible gave justification to the insanity that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. I'm sorry, but society seemed to have figured out a while ago that the Bible says things that are not necessarily for the greater good of society in general. Why are we still using this text to defend the part of society that seems hellbent to return to the stone age?
Keeping gay marriage illegal is unconscionable. Gay marriage NEEDS to be legalized. It would stimulate the economy, because of more money spent on weddings. It would allow people the same rights and status as everyone else. (Equality is a good thing!) It would stop hundreds of people from looking as stupid as the people who opposed interracial marriage. And, maybe, just maybe, gay marriage give the world more of the love that it deserves.
There is barely a question. Can a white man marry a black woman? Yes? Then, it is only a matter of time that gay marriage is commonplace, too.
Let's stop trying to deprive people of their rights. Inequality does nothing but support oppression and make the idea that this is a free and just country a sad, ironic joke.
Vive.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
September 11th, 2012
Due to today being the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, I'm not going to discuss anything controversial or potentially offensive. I am not going to harp about how eleven years ago, way too many of our citizens died too soon. How long did Pearl Harbor stay in the national mindset? It was a horrific waste of life that occurred eleven years ago and nothing like that should ever happen again. We will remember it in our hearts.
That is all I will say about it.
I will say that we should get the troops out overseas to come home. September 11th, 2001 killed a lot of Americans. The wars in the middle east have easily claimed twice the lives that the terrorists did eleven years ago, if not more.
I am seriously going to not rant about things today out of respect.
But I can quote!
"And all we're saying is give peace a chance." - John Lennon
Update:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/11/bush-white-house-ignored-bin-laden-warnings-because-they-wanted-iraq/
Take from that what you will.
That is all I will say about it.
I will say that we should get the troops out overseas to come home. September 11th, 2001 killed a lot of Americans. The wars in the middle east have easily claimed twice the lives that the terrorists did eleven years ago, if not more.
I am seriously going to not rant about things today out of respect.
But I can quote!
"And all we're saying is give peace a chance." - John Lennon
Update:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/11/bush-white-house-ignored-bin-laden-warnings-because-they-wanted-iraq/
Take from that what you will.
Monday, September 10, 2012
To Legalize Marijuana or Not
It's one of those big questions, should marijuana be able to land people in jail or should it be legalized and leave the world open to more drugs?
This isn't the easiest thing to explain, because, much like my stance on abortion, I see both sides of the fence and my reasoning is not right there in the rhetoric. I do not condone the use of marijuana or the use of alcohol or the use of cigarettes, but I do not think any of these things should be illegal. One hit of marijuana will not kill anyone. The same cannot be said of other drugs. Weed is just one of those drugs that, since it does affect a person's mood, is seen as a vice that is not legal so it shouldn't be.
I personally want to see marijuana legalized just because of the sheer amount of people who end up receiving jail time from possession or growing or selling it. As a country, we do not have the prison space or tax payer money available to keep arresting and locking up low level stoners.
Just like cigarettes or alcohol, if weed is legalized, there can be government regulations in place. There can be a marijuana age of 18 (like with cigarettes) or 21 (like with alcohol) or something else to impede the spread of the use.
Using marijuana, like any other smoke, can cause cancer just like cigarettes. Alcohol, among other substances can also negatively effect health, but there should be a measure of equality on the books when it comes to all rulings, including drugs.
Keeping weed illegal and allowing equally harmful and abused drugs legal is the kind of inequality that made it illegal for certain groups of people (i.e. Women, African Americans, the Mexicans who live in Arizona) to obtain and maintain their rights as citizens. Sure, it is not as drastic of an issue since Marijuana is not going to start marching through the streets demanding equal standing with Tobacco. This is, however, if not a matter of the freedom to do what many are doing already but a matter of the government picking and choosing what laws do and do not apply to.
Either legalize marijuana or ban alcohol and cigarettes, too. (And anyone who remembers the 1920's knows how well the latter will turn out.)
Vive.
This isn't the easiest thing to explain, because, much like my stance on abortion, I see both sides of the fence and my reasoning is not right there in the rhetoric. I do not condone the use of marijuana or the use of alcohol or the use of cigarettes, but I do not think any of these things should be illegal. One hit of marijuana will not kill anyone. The same cannot be said of other drugs. Weed is just one of those drugs that, since it does affect a person's mood, is seen as a vice that is not legal so it shouldn't be.
I personally want to see marijuana legalized just because of the sheer amount of people who end up receiving jail time from possession or growing or selling it. As a country, we do not have the prison space or tax payer money available to keep arresting and locking up low level stoners.
Just like cigarettes or alcohol, if weed is legalized, there can be government regulations in place. There can be a marijuana age of 18 (like with cigarettes) or 21 (like with alcohol) or something else to impede the spread of the use.
Using marijuana, like any other smoke, can cause cancer just like cigarettes. Alcohol, among other substances can also negatively effect health, but there should be a measure of equality on the books when it comes to all rulings, including drugs.
Keeping weed illegal and allowing equally harmful and abused drugs legal is the kind of inequality that made it illegal for certain groups of people (i.e. Women, African Americans, the Mexicans who live in Arizona) to obtain and maintain their rights as citizens. Sure, it is not as drastic of an issue since Marijuana is not going to start marching through the streets demanding equal standing with Tobacco. This is, however, if not a matter of the freedom to do what many are doing already but a matter of the government picking and choosing what laws do and do not apply to.
Either legalize marijuana or ban alcohol and cigarettes, too. (And anyone who remembers the 1920's knows how well the latter will turn out.)
Vive.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?
The issue of abortion has been in the news a lot lately with the upcoming elections. I personally am pro-choice.
This, as some conservatives tend to believe, does not mean that I am pro-abortion. I do not approve of the idea of abortion as I believe, innately, that all life is sacred and everything happens for a reason. If someone gets pregnant, even from rape, I believe that it was meant to happen. However, I am pro-choice.
I understand the pro-life stance: Life begins at conception and abortion is murder. Murder is illegal so abortion should be illegal. I get that.
Unfortunately, I abhor the idea of shoving ideas down people's throats. I hate abortion. I hate the ignoring of a personal choice more. The right to choose is what makes this country as amazing as it is. We do not have a country where the government dictates what we believe or what we can say. We live in a country where, if I do not want to watch Jersey Shore, I don't have to. If I want to vote Obama for re-election, I can. If I want to have an abortion, as I feel it would be best for the child or myself if life was not brought into this world, then that is my choice. It is not the decision of the majority of the country if I let my uterus contain a child or not. It is not the majority of the country going through an abortion on my behalf. It is a woman's right to decide if she wants her body to go through the most drastic change nature can bestow, a life-threatening change in some cases.
There are cases where a pregnant woman is a child who cannot divulge her situation to her parents for fear that they will, through anger and abuse, kill her. As a country, it has been the topic of discussion for years whether or not abortion can be legal. For unfortunate cases, abortion can be the best option. It can save a life by circumventing another.
Also, do any pro-lifers know what happens when a woman enters an abortion clinic? For an hour, the woman goes through a psychological counseling session. For another hour, the woman sits in a room, receives an ultra sound, and listens to the heartbeat of their unborn child while given statistics about the health, age, and development. Then, after signing many wavers and given more and more time to think about what they are about to do, the abortion can be performed. If a woman can go through all of that and still want to abort, they should not have a child at that time. Many women go to have an abortion and, through the hours, decide against it.
AND even if there was legislature to outlaw abortion, abortion would still happen, just not as safe or as ethically conscious as it currently operates. I do not support abortion in the slightest, but it is not MY body, it is not MY child, and it is not MY choice to make. I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion, because I will defend to the death the right of women and men to make their own choices. Vive.
I understand the pro-life stance: Life begins at conception and abortion is murder. Murder is illegal so abortion should be illegal. I get that.
Unfortunately, I abhor the idea of shoving ideas down people's throats. I hate abortion. I hate the ignoring of a personal choice more. The right to choose is what makes this country as amazing as it is. We do not have a country where the government dictates what we believe or what we can say. We live in a country where, if I do not want to watch Jersey Shore, I don't have to. If I want to vote Obama for re-election, I can. If I want to have an abortion, as I feel it would be best for the child or myself if life was not brought into this world, then that is my choice. It is not the decision of the majority of the country if I let my uterus contain a child or not. It is not the majority of the country going through an abortion on my behalf. It is a woman's right to decide if she wants her body to go through the most drastic change nature can bestow, a life-threatening change in some cases.
There are cases where a pregnant woman is a child who cannot divulge her situation to her parents for fear that they will, through anger and abuse, kill her. As a country, it has been the topic of discussion for years whether or not abortion can be legal. For unfortunate cases, abortion can be the best option. It can save a life by circumventing another.
Also, do any pro-lifers know what happens when a woman enters an abortion clinic? For an hour, the woman goes through a psychological counseling session. For another hour, the woman sits in a room, receives an ultra sound, and listens to the heartbeat of their unborn child while given statistics about the health, age, and development. Then, after signing many wavers and given more and more time to think about what they are about to do, the abortion can be performed. If a woman can go through all of that and still want to abort, they should not have a child at that time. Many women go to have an abortion and, through the hours, decide against it.
AND even if there was legislature to outlaw abortion, abortion would still happen, just not as safe or as ethically conscious as it currently operates. I do not support abortion in the slightest, but it is not MY body, it is not MY child, and it is not MY choice to make. I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion, because I will defend to the death the right of women and men to make their own choices. Vive.
Introduction to the Radical Onion Slice
This is the first post of the Radical Onion Slice. Once a day, hopefully, I will be posting one post about a controversial topic. I'll discuss my opinions and respond to questions and comments if anyone actually winds up reading this. If it weren't for my personal beliefs, I would try to break into politics instead of create a blog as an outlet. Still, this will keep me from driving my friends and family insane with my endless political rants. Quick version. I am, on the political spectrum, a radical. I believe in gay marriage being something that should not only be allowed but not argued over in the first place. I am pro-choice, anti-death penalty (actually helped get rid of that institution in Illinois), pro-liberal, pro-Obama, pro-universal health care, and it scares a lot of conservatives that I can say that, be a woman, and have the power to vote. I am a feminist, am a junior in college at UIC, and a Wiccan. I believe in equal rights for all, not just for White, Anglo-Saxon Men who own land, not even just men and women. FOR ALL. I am not one of those women who want equality AND special gender treatment. I want to live in a world where I can piss off a guy and actually run the risk of getting hit or sworn at, not because I'm a woman, but because I pissed him off. I don't need people to help me pick stuff up or move heavy stuff, but I will not get outrageously mad if someone offered to help. I'm genuinely easy going, but my mouth can get me in trouble sometimes. If you want an opinion on controversial issues, feel free to continue. If you are easily offended, by all means read and get offended if that's what you are looking for. These are my opinions and I do not force them on others, but I refuse to be silent on issues that affect me and the world I live in.
Vive.
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