Fun With Cancer

Posted on March 8, 2018 by theboeskool

So it turns out my wife has cancer… We found out this week. She noticed a lump on her neck, and after having it checked out, she got sent her in for a biopsy. They say “biopsy,” but the correct term for what they did was a “Fine Needle Aspiration” on her thyroid… Often shortened to an “FNA.” But not to be confused with the “Effin’ A” below.

Anyone who has ever had to hear a doctor say the word “Cancer” knows that it is a terrifying moment. They tell you you should never Google things like this, but on the other hand, screw that. I immediately did. Actually, I Googled the words “Best types of cancer to have.” The way I figured, if Thyroid Cancer was on the list, that would mean I would be able to take that big breath I couldn’t seem to manage to find. And good news… It was. As far as rates of survival are concerned, Thyroid Cancer is one of the best. Prostate, Breast, and Thyroid were on the list I looked at. There was one other one, but I can’t remember what it was, because I stopped reading after reading the word “Thyroid.” And then I Googled and read a bunch of other stuff about thyroid cancer. And now, I’m basically an expert. Or I’m just a really annoying husband who thinks he knows things because he read a whole Wikipedia page… Either one.

After the initial “Hey, you’ve got cancer” telephone call, they schedule you for a sit down consultation with a surgeon right away. While filling out the intake forms, there was a question something like “How would you like the person calling your name to address you?” My wife said something to the woman checking us in about writing that she would only respond if they pronounced our last name correctly (people very rarely do). A couple minutes later, a women came to the door and said, “Mrs. Bow-School?” to which Lillian shook her head and said, “Nope.” The woman who checked us in laughed in a way that seemed too loud for a doctor”s office… and I remembered how happy and proud it makes me that I am married to someone who can make people laugh so effortlessly. 

When I am in stressful, scary situations, it turns out I cope by trying to say funny things. But for whatever reason, I am often the only one laughing (this was also true for the story of my vasectomy). That feeling of not being able to catch your breath seems momentarily alleviated with laughter. We thought we were going to be in the sort of office with bookshelves, but it was the sort of office with those reclining exam tables with the paper cover. I offered to find stirrups to put her feet in, but she politely declined… Without so much as a smile, which I found rude, because I knew she was laughing on the inside. When our doctor came in, I have never paid such close attention to anything in my life. I tried to dazzle him with my Wikipedia knowledge, but it turns out he already knew all that stuff.

The conversation was punctuated by me answering the occasional exam question as if he were asking me the question instead of her. It was a tough crowd. He assured us that this is one of the best cancers to get. Again, I dropped some of my Google M.D. knowledge on him, and said, “Thyroid and Prostate… Right?” He said that he would be VERY concerned if she had prostate cancer… I felt a little betrayed that she laughed at HIS jokes so easily. I assured myself she was just being polite. He said that if he was going to choose a cancer to have, thyroid cancer was the one. Lillian congratulated herself on “Winning at cancer.” He explained that the thyroid controls hormone stuff, and that she would be taking meds to control her hormones for the rest of her life. I asked if it will make her any nicer… Crickets.

When he asked if we had any questions, I said, “Listen–I got my vasectomy done by a man named ‘Dr. Concepcion.’ Any chance your name has something to do with this surgery? Because I’d kind of like to keep that streak going…” He assured me his name in Spanish meant “The Thyroid Whisperer.” I said, “Fair enough.” After giggling to myself about imagining me asking if anyone wanted to see the scar from my vasectomy, I made a mental note to look up his “Thyroid Whisperer” claim later on Wikipedia.

He went over the risks involved, and I’ve got to be honest… It’s some scary stuff. We have  friends dealing with some pretty aggressive cancers right now, and it’s hard to know how to act. Yes, cancer is scary. Yes, we’re sad that this is happening. Yes, we’re grateful that it isn’t a worse prognosis. It’s a weird thing to deal with… This feeling of “not wanting people to worry about you” and “knowing that others have it so much worse than us” and “feeling scared and sad and grateful all at the same time.” And then someone shared this photo, and I just loved it…

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When we told our kids, my son hugged my wife and cried. She told him, “You don’t need to cry,” and I finished her sentence, “but it’s okay that you do.” One of the best parts of being married is having someone to help you out when you forget to finish your sentences…

And then someone shared this… And again, I just loved it.

And as often happens with me, this made me think of theological issues. A while ago, I wrote about the BS that is “Better than I deserve,” and my last post about Total Depravity. I thought about the LIES we buy into: That we aren’t worthy of good things… And that we don’t get to grieve if someone has it worse than us… And that bravery means not letting people know we’re sad… Oh, how I want to be free from those lies.

Near the end of our meeting with the doctor, he asked what I did for a living. I told him I work as a server, and I write a blog about Jesus, Politics, & Bathroom Humor. He said that one of the cool things about the hospital we were at is that there are plenty of people willing to pray for you and with you… I said this exact sentence: “I’ll take my prayers in the form of competent expertise.”

And that’s the last thing I’ll leave you with: There was a time in my life where finding out that the person I love the most in the world has CANCER would have been met with deep and pleading prayers to God… Prayers for God to intervene in some miraculous way, and heal her cancer. Or to “guide the hands of the surgeons.” Or for us to know what God was teaching us with this trial. I can’t tell you how happy and peaceful it makes me feel to be free from THOSE lies. Since I’ve come to know the God who is with us during our pain… who grieves with us… who knows what it’s like to feel forsaken, I can’t even remember the god who is in control of every little thing… and “never gives us more than we can handle”… The fake god who gives people cancer to teach them some sort of lesson. 

I realize that there are a whole lot of folks out there who get peace by asking God to intervene… It’s just not me anymore. And it’s not that I don’t appreciate the people who offer those prayers — It’s not even that I am convinced the miraculous isn’t sometimes possible — It’s just that when friends and family offer up their love and support and their fervent desire to help, those “prayers” are so much more tangible and precious than any acts of supplication or intersession to a God who may or may not decide to help. There is a god who — every time the volcano erupts or the rains cause a flood — is demonstrating “his” anger and judgement and power… But when we realize that sometimes volcanos erupt, and sometimes it rains really hard, completely separate from any higher power, our minds and hearts are free to feel the pull of Love toward helping those who are feeling one of life’s eruptions… Free to love those in the path of the flood.  I’d much rather believe in the God who CAN’T, than believe in the God who can, but WON’T.

 

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I love you all. When stuff happens — good or bad — it’s not God blessing or cursing us. Stuff happens — both good and bad — and God is here with us, pulling us toward Love… Celebrating with us, grieving with us, and letting us know we don’t need to be afraid. Maybe share this with someone who needs to be reminded that we don’t need to be afraid, but it’s okay when we are.

Posted in 1) Jesus, 5) Not Quite Sure | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

“All Sins Are Equal,” and Other Christian Nonsense

Posted on March 7, 2018 by theboeskool

“No sin is worse than any other.” You’ve probably heard this little piece of “christian” craziness before. I remember hearing it as a child, growing up in the Calvinist tradition of my family. It is a widely accepted absurdity meant to convince the sheep of their own “Total Depravity,” which is the idea that — in God’s eyes — we are all so utterly disgusting and corrupted that each of us actually DESERVES to be tortured, in a fiery Hell, for eternity. We are all equally guilty — Mother Teresa and Hitler alike — and all equally deserving of the full wrath of God… And I tell you what: GOD IS PISSED.

Total Depravity is the “T” of the Calvinist acronym “TULIP.” Just in case you didn’t grow up in a small, Calvinist community like I did, here is “TULIP” spelled out:

  • Total Depravity (We are all garbage, and incapable of doing something good… Like choosing God or loving the people around us.)
  • Unconditional Election (God picks people God is going to save, like picking names out of a divine hat, NOT based on anything they’ve done. Because, again… Garbage.)
  • Limited Atonement (The idea that Jesus died only for “the elect” — the ones picked out of the hat — and not for any of the rest the the hellbound others.)
  • Irresistible Grace (The ones randomly picked by God, or the “Elect,” cannot resist God calling them into salvation. Because choosing to accept salvation would mean we are able to do something good, and again… We’re total garbage.)
  • Perseverance of the Saints (AKA, “Once Saved, Always Saved. Once you’re in, you’re in, baby! You can’t lose your salvation.)

Anyway, TULIP is an important part of the foundation of much of reformed theology… and as you can see, the entirety of it is based on the idea that we are complete crap, we are totally deserving of being tortured in Hell forever, and we are completely unable to do anything worthwhile or redeeming. And in order for THAT nonsense to be able to be swallowed, people have to be convinced that all sins are equal. Otherwise, we might start thinking that some actions we choose are “better” than others… And to those convinced and committed to preaching our total depravity, that smells suspiciously like we have a “potential for good.” And if THAT happens, we might get the idea that we are worthy of being loved… And we can’t have that, because obviously we all deserve HELL!

https://twitter.com/mikemchargue/status/968870112051609606

So in that messed up world, what this means is that the action of being turned on by someone’s body is basically the same “level” of sin as Larry Nassar molesting hundreds of young girls who came to him for care. Or one of my kids calling someone a “jerk” makes them just as deserving of eternal torture as if they completed an elaborate plan to stab someone in the neck and make it look like someone else did it. And just as an aside, when I speak of “sin,” I’m talking about “missing the mark.” Some think of this “mark” as something concrete and unchanging, known by God, and something for which anything less than 100% perfection is a failing grade (Hell). So if we’re trowing darts, anything less than a perfect bullseye is a death sentence. But this makes NO SENSE. If “missing the mark” is like throwing darts, sometimes we miss the target by a bit… Sometimes we miss the board altogether, leaving little holes in the drywall at our friend’s house… Other times we get drunk and throw the dart in the complete opposite direction, and it ends up stuck in someone’s thigh. Or eyeball. Or jugular.

And listen: This idea does not just appear out of nowhere. People get it from the Bible… But like most of the world’s truly awful things, they get it from a really messed up INTERPRETATION of the Bible. During Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, he is speaking to people who are interested in following the LETTER of the law, and missing the HEART of the law. So when the law says, “Do not murder,” if they are thinking, “I haven’t murdered anyone… I’m good,” Jesus is trying to tell them they are missing the whole point. It’s not about Not Murdering… It’s about Loving. And if you are calling your brother a fool (but not murdering him), you are guilty of breaking the law.

But like so many things, when Jesus tries to get at the heart of things, we immediately take his words and try to turn them into dogma with firm lines of orthodoxy, so we can know who’s in and who’s out. Someone asks about forgiveness, and if we should forgive people seven times… So Jesus says, “More like 70 times 7.” And then some people start an Excel spread sheet to figure out when a person reaches 490 so they can finally stop forgiving them, while other people use his words to tell an abused wife that she has to forgive her husband about 480 more times before she is allowed to leave. Or they’ll say that beating up your wife is not worse than not being totally truthful when you tell your wife you like her blouse… So “We’re all guilty!” And “Who are you to judge?” “ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” “Judge not, lest YE be judged.” Et cetera, et cetera…

This little bit of theological idiocy is used by people in the Church in such messed up ways. However, it’s possible to use this concept in healthy ways. If you’re keeping yourself from being too judgmental by reminding yourself that you ALSO have made mistakes before, that’s a GOOD thing. But if you’re using this to excuse/diminish/justify something harmful you or someone else has done, then you are using this concept in an ABUSIVE way. So if someone loses their patience and snaps at you, and you are more able to forgive them because you remember a time where you did the exact same thing… GREAT! But if you’re using “All sins are equal” or  “Just not, lest YE be judged.” to excuse some priest who abused a bunch of kids, you are doing it wrong. In fact, you are throwing the dart in the complete opposite direction.

Because some actions ARE better than others. When I was a kid, I stole a Star Wars figure from a friend while I was playing at his house. My mom asked me about it, and I lied and said my friend gave it to me. She knew I was full of it, so she threatened to call and ask. I confessed to her that I took it, and I assured her that I would give it back and apologize. When I gave it back, I told him I took it “on accident.” That was another lie. In this short little story, there were ALL KINDS of opportunities for me to make “better” or “worse” decisions than the ones I made. I could have told my friend the truth about stealing it. I could have not stolen it in the first place. I could have told my mom the truth when she first asked. OR, I could have gone over to “give it back,” actually stolen his AT-AT, filled it with Star Wars figures, and then set his house on fire to cover up the evidence. All sins are NOT equal.

And the reason these sorts of theological things are important to discuss is because the concept of Total Depravity has real-life, political implications. A worldview that has a foundation of “Everyone and everything is hopeless garbage” makes it a whole lot easier to not try to fix the things that are broken. And a god who is going to send nearly everyone to be tortured forever makes it a whole lot easier to kill someone you consider your enemy.

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“Okay — NOW I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth… This time I mean it.”

 

The question for ME right now is this: Can we acknowledge that someone did something wrong while still giving them credit for making a choice that is BETTER than another choice? For example, in Nashville right now (where I live), Megan Barry just resigned as the city’s mayor after pleading guilty to theft in the form of compensation for the man she recently admitted to having an extra-marital affair with (who was also married). She went on TV, answered questions, and took responsibility for the harm she has done. Yes, it would have been better if she had admitted her infidelity before someone tipped off the press. And yes, it would have been better if she hadn’t had the affair in the first place. And yes, it would have been better if she hadn’t used public funds to have her lover (in his job as her head of security) go on multiple trips with her. These moral failings will follow her for the rest of her life…  But also, YES, it would have been far worse if she had continued lying, denied the affair ever happened, called her accuser a liar for coming forward, and called the whole thing “fake news” (as is consistently done by this immoral GOP administration).

So when I see people comparing Megan Barry’s actions to the deplorable actions of the current president, they are missing the whole point. It’s not that liberals are (necessarily) being hypocritical about things like this. We understand right and wrong… It’s just that one of the things which makes people “liberal” is the ability to see things on a SPECTRUM. There is a spectrum on moral issues like this. We see this everywhere — Harvey Weinstein is NOT the same as Louis CK. Harvey Weinstein still denies the harm he has done (causing even more harm). When Louis CK was accused of masturbating in front women whose careers he had the power to destroy, his response was “These stories are true.” It is possible to acknowledge that Louis CK’s actions were completely reprehensible and harmful, while ALSO acknowledging that him admitting to them was the right thing to do. Megan Barry’s actions were wrong. They were selfish and harmful… But the fact that she is talking responsibility for the harm that she has done is LIGHT YEARS better than the sad, broken, corrupt narcissist sitting in the White House. So at least there’s that.

Anyway, to sum up…

  1. We are worthy of being loved.
  2. We are not garbage.
  3. We do not deserve to be tortured in Hell forever.
  4. We know the difference between what is Good or Right or Better, and what is harmful & wrong & worse… And when those things aren’t as clear as we hope, we at least know the general direction of the dartboard.
  5. We are capable of choosing to do the next right thing.
  6. When we screw up (and we all screw up), telling the truth about our screw ups is FAR BETTER — both to others, and to ourselves — than lying about them.
  7. When in doubt, see #1.

 

 

SO MANY THANKS to the people who support this blog, my writing, and my family. It is such an encouragement to me. If you value this blog, and you’d like to give a couple bucks a month to help support it, you can BECOME A PATRON. If you’d rather just leave a tip, you can do that HERE ON PAYPAL. Otherwise, this is me ON TWITTER, and this is me ON FACEBOOK.

 

Posted in 1) Jesus, 2) Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A Short Play About What It’s Like To Be A Server

Posted on February 26, 2018 by theboeskool

(Complete with GIFs, to better tell the story)

I work at a restaurant. It’s open late. Like, REALLY late… Which means that sometimes I am there until the wee hours of the morning. One of the GOOD things about being a server at a restaurant like this is that other service industry people usually come in after their shifts have ended, and those people tend to be very cool and very generous. But in addition to these cool/generous people, there are a whole lot of weirdos: People who have already closed down other bars who are already WAY drunk… People who walk in with little kids at 1 o’clock in the morning, and then order that kid a Coke… People dressed like some sort of weirdly sexual stuffed animal… People who seem unaware that they have a Pigpen-like cloud of skunky weed stink hovering around them in a 20 meter radius like some sort of Peanuts character with the munchies… All kinds (I proposed the idea of adding an automatic gratuity to any table that noticeably smells of pot, and unfortunately it got shot down).

So seeing as how I work late, I see a lot of stuff… A lot of stories (Stories like THIS ONE with a walk-in wedding reception for folks with camouflage cumber buns). But one from this past week was one of my favorites. They say good stories happen to people who can tell them, so I’m going to try to you this one… The story begins with a couple sitting at my table, ordering a pizza. The guy ordered a pizza with 6 toppings… One of them being anchovies. When I repeated his order back to him, I thought he had said “Artichokes.” He stopped me and said, “Not artichokes. ANCHOVIES.” I said, “Anchovies?” And he nodded and said, “Anchovies.” About 10 minutes later, I brought him his pizza. And this is where our story begins…

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Guy [flagging me down, looking a bit disconcerted]: “Hey man… Did you put some tuna on this pizza?”

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Me [laughing just a bit]: “Tuna?”

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Guy: “Or like, some salmon or something?”

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Me: “No, man. That’s just the anchovies you ordered on your pizza.”

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[Guy squints his eyes suspiciously, and gives me a hesitant, confused nod as I walk away]

TWO MINUTES LATER

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Guy’s girlfriend: “Excuse me, sir… SIR??”

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Me: “Yes?”

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Guy’s girlfriend [bringing her hand to her chest in a “clutching her pearls” motion which partially obscures the large tattoo on her breast]: “Those anchovies have RUINED that pizza for him!”

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Me [looking over to the man who just ordered a pizza with anchovies as one of his toppings]: …

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Guy [sulking, clearly grossed out]: “Tastes like FISH, man…”

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Me: “That’s… That’s because anchovies are little fishes.”

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Guy: “I can’t eat it.”

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Me, with any annoyance at having to get this guy a new pizza offset by the pure joy of being able to tell this story for the rest of my life: “So sorry about that. I’ll bring you a new pizza right out, sir.”

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And… SCENE.

PROLOGUE

The guy, still apparently angry at me Jedi-Mind-Tricking him into eating slimy, salty little fish on pizza, leaves me a $5 tip on a $60 tab.

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Me [thinking to myself]: “Still worth it.”

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THE END

Thanks for reading… I hope this story makes you as happy as it makes me. I realized recently that I survive wholly on the generosity of others. If you feel like leaving a tip, you can do that on PAYPAL. If you’d like to become a Patron, you can do that HERE. Otherwise, I’m on TWITTER and I’m on FACEBOOK.

 

Posted in 3) Bathroom Humor, 5) Not Quite Sure, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Forget Guns For Teachers — Surround Our Schools With Land Mines

Posted on February 24, 2018 by theboeskool

The president and the GOP administration have suggested arming teachers with guns… But I don’t think this plan goes far enough. Here’s my plan:

https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/967191981691719680

It’s clear that we have a problem in this country, but as so many before me have pointed out: We don’t have a GUN problem — We have a HEART problem. Shootings like the one in Florida are what happen when you take God out of schools. This is why the Florida Legislature took drastic action this week… Not to allow even CONSIDERING restrictions on assault rifles (they voted that down, because that would just be silly), but to declare porn “dangerous” and to approve a bill to post “In God We Trust” in all public schools.

But whittling away the line between Church and State is obviously not enough. More MUST be done. So the NRA President of the United States of America (along with many other republicans) is suggesting doing the only logical thing… The only thing that will WORK to put an end to all these massacres in our schools:  They are calling for arming teachers with guns.

Now, many people are skeptical of this plan. But what other option IS there? It’s not like we should be reconsidering the value to our society of having weapons of war, designed to efficiently kill as many people as possible in as short a time as possible, readily available to anyone who has managed to keep a felony off their record! That’s our GOD-GIVEN RIGHT. Like Jesus always said: “Kill them before they can kill you.” So we need to start putting killing tools into the chalky hands of America’s teachers. And don’t get me wrong –We’re not going to just hand them a gun… We’re going to TRAIN them too.

https://twitter.com/TimfromDa70s/status/966764149408653312

When teachers are packing heat, that will make those murderous maniacs think twice before coming into schools (as if seeing “In God We Trust” above the doorway didn’t already make him think twice… I’m saying “him” because only males seems to be the ones doing this). And sure, there was an armed officer assigned to the Florida school where 17 people just died… But it turns out he was scared to enter the school, because the shooter was armed with an AR-15 style assault rifle, and all the deputy had was a measly pistol. And listen — Just because the president dodged the draft five times over nonexistent bone spurs, it doesn’t mean he can’t call that officer a coward…

This is why I believe we are thinking too small here. There is NO WAY for some 26 year old with a pink handgun holstered beneath her smock to compete with some guy armed with an AR-15 with multiple high capacity clips. But again, we have to do SOMETHING. We can’t have some “knee-jerk” reaction to a mass shooting like Australia and enact strict gun laws in the country. That’ll never work… All THAT did was put an end to mass shootings in Australia for the past 22 years or so. We need to figure out a way to protect our kids RIGHT NOW. And as anyone who has ever had one of their kids hit another kid with a stick can tell you, you DON’T take the stick away from your kid… You obviously hand out sticks to all the other kids so they can protect themselves.

And the bigger the stick, the better. This is why I’m thinking we consider a MILITARY solution to this problem. If officers assigned to schools feel outgunned, let’s give them grenade launchers. And possibly flamethrowers. An SRO with a flamethrower is an intimidating sight for a school shooter to see. Of course, these bigger weapons would be reserved for trained law enforcement officers only… We obviously can’t just be handing out grenade launchers and flamethrowers to teachers in every classroom. That would just be silly. They SHOULD probably have an AR-15 above the chalkboard, though (obviously out of reach of little hands).

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“Do you have a question, Jesse? That gun? That’s an AR-15. It’s designed to kill a lot of people in a short amount of time. I have it there in case I might need to send hot lead tumbling through someone’s internal organs. It’s deadly and efficient. And THAT is vocabulary word for today: ‘Efficient.’ Everyone repeat after me… EFFICIENT.”

But what if we take it a step further? What if we empower schools to set up IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) in their hallways? This way, if the school is on lockdown, and some murderer is walking the hallways, the school secretary see him on the security cameras, and she can detonate an IED as he walks past. “Sorry, Bad Guy With A Gun… Good luck shooting up our school with NO LEGS!” And as everybody knows, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun… or a remotely detonated Hallway IED.”

You know what? I think we’re STILL thinking too small here. What if the school shooter uses his very accurate assault rifle to shoot out the cameras? THEN what? Here’s what I’m thinking: Surround the school with land mines. I mean, don’t put them EVERYWHERE (that would just be silly)… Just put them in enough places to make it probable that a man with an assault rifle might step on one as he walks into the school. You might be thinking, “What if a kid steps on the land mine?” Well, this is just part of the price we have to pay for living in a free country. Anyway, obviously we would let the kids know where the land mines are. If could be part of their practice fire drills… “Here’s where our class goes in case of a fire. Here’s where the underground explosive is buried that helps protect us from people hellbent on killing you and your classmates. We never EVER step there.” And so on…

https://twitter.com/meiiosis/status/966773580813029379

Speaking of fire drills, the more I think about it, maybe this same strategy would be effective in case of a fire. If there is a fire in the school, maybe we set the other parts of the school on fire as well. I mean, we’ve already go a flamethrower there… Set fire to the other classrooms as well!! “Good luck burning up our school, you stupid fire… We beat you to it. We burnt it down before you even got the chance!” “Fight fire with fire,” amiright?

 

sat·ire
ˈsaˌtī(ə)r/
noun
  1. the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

Anyway, I’ve also got some interesting ideas about Kevlar SSA (Standard School Attire). It’s a little pricy, a little bulky, and a little hot on the playground… but Lord knows there’s nothing we can do to get make it harder to keep guns out of the hands of anyone who has $500, so there has to be some sacrifices made to keep kids safe. And guess what — even with all these protections, there are still going to be kids who get killed. But that’s the price of freedom, y’all. When you’re making a Freedom Omelette, you’re going to crack a few eggs. These precious kids are those eggs. God bless America…

https://twitter.com/SpikedCranium/status/966768001943875584

If you like some of these ideas, I’ve got some other ones you may enjoy: Namely, “Getting Rid Of Windows” in schools, “Why I’ve Decided To Buy A Tiger” for home defense, “Please Stop Acting Like You Care About All These Shootings,” and “Guns For Christians Are Like Condoms For Nuns.” Also, I cannot express how thankful I am for the Patrons of this blog. Your support is one of the ways I take care of my family. Sometimes people who WERE Patrons can’t afford to anymore, and I totally get that. If you value this blog, if you’re able to throw a couple dollars a month this way, and if you’d like to become a Patron, you can do that RIGHT HERE. If you’d like to leave a tip, HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN DO THAT. And if you want to follow me on FACEBOOK or on TWITTER, please do. Love you all!

 

Posted in 2) Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

School Shootings and Fake Christians

Posted on February 15, 2018 by theboeskool

I think that Christianity divorced from Reason is one of the most destructive forces on the planet. And the brand of religion that makes people choose between faith and rationality has been on full display since this most recent school shooting that shattered the lives of 17 different families. It is basically this idea that “God’s ways are higher than our ways, “ and “God is in control,” and “Everything happens for a reason,” and countless other pieces of utter BS. I’ve spent too much time today watching fake christians make irrational argument after irrational argument while arguing with people who are calling for reform on America’s gun control laws. They are people calling themselves “christians,” who — when backed into a logical corner — would rather fall back on “His ways are higher than our ways” than actually reexamine their own flawed belief system. And they are dangerous as hell.

I understand that they don’t *think* they’re fake christians… But they are. They are fake christians, worshiping a fake god who — if he was real — could never ever be called “good.” Anyone who looks at pictures of terrified kids hiding under desks and says, “Nothing can be done” is a fake christian. Anyone who sees twenty first graders massacred in Newtown and says, “Guns don’t kill people — People kill people” is a fake christian. Anyone who thinks we can legislate transgender people into the bathrooms of their assigned birth genders, but believes we are powerless to do anything to stop the daily cycle of gun violence is a fake christian.

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James said, “Faith without works is dead.” As dead as those 17 kids in that Florida high school…

We are NOT powerless to change the world, and any religion who tells you we are is garbage. There is one christianity that believes everything is crap and nothing can be done. It the christianity that has been waiting 2000 years for an apocalyptic event which is going to bring an end to the the spiraling shit-storm that has been building and building over centuries. It is a christianity that responds to irrationality by reminding people that “His ways are above our ways.” It is a christianity that encourages people to “turn off their brains,” and it ensures the pews are filled with the dangerous sorts of people who are willing to turn off their brains. It is christianity divorced from Hope and Reason and Love… And I want nothing to do with that garbage religion.

“I prayed for twenty years, but received no answers until I prayed with my legs.” ~ Fredrick Douglass

There is another Christianity which tells us there is Hope beyond some divine post-death retribution. It is a Christianity which can see that — Yes, things are broken… But there are things we can do together to make them better. It is a Christianity which believes that something CAN be done. It is a Christianity which looks at history and sees evidence that things are actually getting BETTER. It is a Christianity which looks at science and rationality as evidence of God, rather than something to be ignored in the name of “faith.” It is a Christianity which is filled with HOPE… A Hope that moves beyond the punishment and destruction of our enemies into the REDEMPTION of our enemies.

One is fake.

One is real.

This is not an “agree to disagree” situation. This isn’t “everyone has a right to their own opinion.” This is just right and wrong. And it’s especially easy to tell the difference between the two by looking at how people respond to tragedies like the one that took place in a Florida high school this week. The fake one says “Nothing can be done” and offers up nothing more than “Thoughts & Prayers,” prayed to a God who COULD, but doesn’t. It is impotent and worthless. But if Christianity is to be worth ANYTHING, it must be based on ACTION. Followers of Jesus don’t just pray for the hungry… We FEED the hungry. We don’t just pray for the sick… We WORK to get sick people healthcare. We don’t just pray for the poor… We work to DISMANTLE the systems which create poverty and inequality. 

One is a christianity based on what you believe… The other is a Christianity based on what we actually DO. One is basically worthless. The other is at least worth something… Even if it ends up being “wrong.” I’d rather have a rational, moral person praying to Boba Fett than someone using the name of Jesus who can’t see the clear evil of continuing to elect leaders who are bought and paid for by a terrorist organization like the NRA… Or people who rationalize a “christian” president who cheated on his third wife with a porn star who he paid $130,000 to not tell about it. Fake, FAKE, FAKE!

The kid who killed seventeen high schoolers in Florida couldn’t buy BEER… But he could buy an AR-15 and as much ammunition as he could afford. Anyone who can’t see the clear irrationality of that situation has no business talking about which interpretation of the Bible “makes more sense.” Any religion that forces people to choose between faith and rational thought isn’t worth a shit. The same goes for any religion that casts its hopes on a deity “setting things right” by destroying everything and making a “new Earth.” “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” If Christianity is to be worth anything, it must be based on rational thought and moral action. Anything less is just fake… 

If you value this blog and my voice, I’m asking if you will consider helping to support it. You can Become A Patron and give a few dollars a month, or you can just Leave A Tip On PayPal. Otherwise, you can keep up with me on Facebook or on Twitter. Either way, know that there are things we can do. It is not hopeless. We CAN change the world… and we are stronger when we stand together.

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It’s Time To Stop Paying Attention To The Stock Market

Posted on January 31, 2018 by theboeskool

“The state of our union is strong.” That’s what we were told during the State of the Union Address. To listen to the racist moron who is currently occupying the highest office in the land tell it, in just over one year, he has turned everything around. Everything is now great. This is it, folks! We are in a new Golden Age! Everyone’s taxes are going down (a lie), and finally AMERICA IS GREAT AGAIN! All it took was twelve months of putting people in charge of agencies who desperately want to destroy that agency, lying on a daily basis, attacking any journalist who dares print the truth about him, and retweeting and generally siding with white supremacists.

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“Man of the People,” baby… He’s bringing this kind of winning to Washington, D.C. And he’s putting the “WHITE” back in the White House. #MAGA

It’s a simple plan, really… All’s you have to do is take all of the statistics about economic growth from the Obama presidency, and claim during the campaign that they are all “fake news.” It’s easy to lie to the scared, angry people at your rallies, and tell them all those statistics showing things actually ARE getting better are actually made up figures… Then, when you take office, magically those same agencies reporting economic growth become REAL news. Let’s take unemployment, for example. Here is video of an orange liar, claiming that the “REAL” unemployment rate is actually as high as 42%:

Meanwhile, today he is taking credit for the low unemployment rate that is getting reported… And suddenly those numbers are the gospel truth. As read from the gospel of “Two Corinthians,” I assume. It really is miraculous: When non-partisan groups report numbers while Obama is president, those numbers are fake… When they report the CONTINUING downward trend of unemployment during the first year of his presidency, THEN we can trust them. Just one month into his presidency, they proudly proclaimed that the job numbers went down to 4.9% (declaring that “They may have been phony in the past, but they’re very real now”). To take the unemployment rate from 42% all the way to 4.1% (for white people, that is) in just one year is truly the work of a Stable Genius.

And as further proof of his presidential prowess, we need only look at the stock market — That trusty ‘ol barometer of American success. And as long as the stock market keeps going up, everything is good… right? Well, for now we’ll leave alone the obvious and glaring hypocrisy of dismissing the dramatic increase of the stock market during Obama’s presidency. I realize that many folks have 401ks they are worried about, and it’s always nice when our retirement accounts go up in value. But half — that’s right, HALF — of the American public has almost no money in the stock market. The wealthiest top 1% holds more of America’s wealth than the bottom 90%… COMBINED. So how does that equate to the stock market? Here is an amazing, understandable, and (should be, at least) outrageous video explaining how America’s stock market wealth affects us. Even if you’ve watched it before, please watch it again…

“The top 1% own HALF the country’s stocks, bonds, and mutual funds… The bottom half own only .5% of these investments.” That’s half a percent. The bottom half of the wealthiest people in America only account for ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT of the stock market’s value. So how does that affect America’s “working class?” You know, the ones who made a narcissistic megalomaniac the president of the United States? Well, here’s one way to look at it:

Let’s say there is a BILLION DOLLAR$ in the market (there’s so very much more than that, but just go with me here). That’s $1,000,000,000. Now, let’s say that market goes up in value by 50%… Making the value of the stocks/bonds/whatnot worth $1.5 billion dollars, and adding $500,000,000 in value. Because of who owns the stocks/bonds/mutual funds, $250 million of that gain is going to the richest one percent. While the bottom 50% of the ENTIRE COUNTRY (other than the MANY folks who are so poor they have no investments) split .5%… which works out to $2.5 million. I mean, congrats on your tiny 401k going up a bit, but every time the stock market increases, the wealthiest 1% of the people in this country get SIGNIFICANTLY wealthier than they were before that rise. Imagine a graph, where one line increases at a 50% rate, while another line increases at a .5% rate… Pretty soon the distance between the “Haves” and the “Have Nots” is so drastic, they are not even living in the same country.

Now, imagine a Supreme Court decision giving that wealthiest 1% UNLIMITED influence over financing the campaigns of candidates… And then you’ll understand why congress just passed a tax cut which will make wealth inequality in this nation So. Much. Worse. It gives those people with all that wealth even more, while drastically cutting the social safety nets for the nation’s poorest folks. It is —  and I don’t use this word lightly — an act of pure EVIL. But is is not only morally repugnant to have a system where “The average worker needs to work more than a month to earn what the CEO makes in ONE HOUR,” but it is dangerous to the very fabric of our democracy. Here’s one more short video to explain this danger:

When we have a natural and appropriate correction in the stock market as a result of unfettered greed and unregulated risk-taking (like we had in 2007-08), the reason the federal government pumps so much money in to correct it is because that money being lost belongs to the super rich… You know, the people who bought those politicians their positions. And after this bailout happens, when the wealthy see that the government is committed to a system which guarantees privatized/individual gains and corporate/community losses, OF COURSE the stock market is going to go up, Up, UP!!! That’s what happens when they have taken away much of the risk of putting money into a market… But they have done it at the expense of the further erosion of a society which is even remotely just or equitable.

It’s time to stop paying attention to the stock market. The stock market going up is NOT a sign of a better life for this nation’s poor and working class — Its a sign of an increasing inequality. When you celebrate the stock market going up, you are celebrating the acceleration of the expanding chasm between the rich and the poor. And just to be clear, if that is something you are celebrating while calling yourself a Christian, you might as well also celebrate the fact that you are completely full of shit… Just like this GOP administration.

I have a new Patron! Her name is Celina, and she kicks all kinds of ass. She values this blog enough to give a little bit each month to help support it. If you also value this blog, and you want to help support it, you can do that RIGHT HERE. Or, you can leave a Tip On PayPal if that works better for you. Otherwise, you can support my writing by sharing this post with the people in your life. Keep up with me on FACEBOOK and on TWITTER.

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7 Things To Consider Before Considering Oprah For President

Posted on January 10, 2018 by theboeskool

After Oprah’s inspiring speech during the Golden Globes, people immediately started in with cries of “Oprah For President!” And that is perfectly understandable. People are STARVED for competent, compassionate leadership… And a speaker whose speeches don’t read like a third grader’s Mad Libs (though, to be fair, the “stable genius” actually speaks at a FOURTH GRADE LEVEL — lower than any of the last 15 presidents). So when Oprah takes the stage while accepting her Cecil B. de Mille Lifetime Achievement Award and drops THIS BRILLIANCE…

… It makes sense that #Oprah2020 starts trending on Twitter (by the way, even if you already watched he speech, you should take a few minutes and watch it again. I watched it for the third time just now, and it still brings tears to my eyes. And hope to my soul). People immediately (and unfairly) started comparing her to Hillary Clinton… A phenomenon which is laid bare with this one amazing tweet:
https://twitter.com/oscarmiked/status/950447565706747905
But before we start trying to figure out what we will call Stedman instead of “First Lady,” and before we toss out the idea altogether, here are a couple things I have been thinking about:

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“I want all the girls watching here, now to know that a new day is on the horizon!”

1 — BEING A BETTER OPTION THAN TRUMP DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD BE PRESIDENT. Obviously, nearly ANYONE is better than the demented, lying narcissist who is currently splitting time between the White House and his golf courses. But that would be true for just about anyone or anything. The Rock… Chris Rock… Kidd Rock… An ACTUAL ROCK… Anything. I could carve a life-sized statue of Oprah from a giant waste water treatment center clog of “flushable” wipes, and it would make a better president than the dimwit we are currently stuck with.

2 — ELECTING OPRAH IS TAKING THE EASY WAY OUT. Social change involves more than thinking of a candidate so popular that she is able to win. We do not need a savior — We need to get off our asses. We need to work. We need to march. We need to VOTE… And not just in presidential elections, but in PRIMARIES! When the only people voting in the primaries are extremists, it makes sense that we are ending up with extremist candidates. And people like you — yes, YOU, reading this post — and me need to seriously consider running for office. Like Dahlia Lithwick wrote in THIS AMAZING ARTICLE on Slate, “When someone tells you ‘I alone can fix it,’ you should run screaming for the emergency exits. When someone tells you to get off your ass and fix it yourself, you should think first about running for office yourself.”

3 — STOP ACTING LIKE TRUMP AND OPRAH ARE ANYTHING ALIKE BECAUSE “THEY’RE BOTH CELEBRITIES.” They are nothing alike. It is a false equivalency. Oprah is compassionate and intelligent and kind and wise. Trump is none of those things. Oprah actually built her wealth from nothing… Trump was born on third and thought he hit a triple. Oprah can also put together a coherent sentence, and as we’ve seen time and time again, Trump cannot.  As evidenced here…

In the words of Stephen Colbert, “I offer a note of caution… Do we really want to elect ANOTHER billionaire TV star? Granted, this one is actually a billionaire, and actually a TV star…”


4 — OPRAH IN NOT A FAIRY THAT MAGICALLY FIXES EVERYTHING. From Reese Witherspoon’s introduction, you might have thought all that is needed for peace in the Middle East was a makeup trailer hug from Ms. Winfrey… Like a faith healer on “The Leftovers” (an allusion which, if you don’t get it, you should find someone’s HBO GO password and binge the entire series immediately. IMMEDIATELY). Obama could give a good speech too… That didn’t stop a dumpster fire from being elected. Still, as inspiring as Oprah’s speech was, hungry people cannot eat a speech for dinner. America is not a studio audience that can look under their chair to find healthcare and a living wage. Here’s a good tweet thread about that… 

5 — THERE ARE MANY GOOD WOMEN TO VOTE FOR WHO HAVE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE IN GOVERNING. This should go without saying. Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Tammy Duckworth, Kirstin Gillibrand, and many others have all devoted large portions of their lives to public service. Beyoncé is ALSO a black woman who is super popular and super rich — That doesn’t mean she needs to be president. I mean, she’s already Queen… What more does she want? At least she knows the words to the National Anthem…

6 — IT’S NOT OPRAH’S RESPONSIBILITY TO SAVE THE COUNTRY FROM TRUMP. When Alabama was faced with the possible election of the objectively horrible human being Roy Moore, all of a sudden the democratic party started caring about black women. This is not Oprah’s fight. I mean, if she has ideas for the direction of the country, and she wants to run, that’s her right. But we can’t get all “Help us, Oprah Wan Kenobi… You’re our only hope” on her just because we think she’ll bring in the votes from women and People of Color. We should be voting for women and People of Color because there are all kinds of women and People of Color who DESERVE A CHANCE TO LEAD… Not as some political maneuver.

7 — THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD TOTALLY VOTE FOR HER. Obviously I would if she ends up being the candidate opposite Trump, because as we discussed before, I’d vote for a vat of hot mayonnaise before I’d vote for Trump. But even beyond that, I’d vote for her because I feel like she is a good person. It’s way too early to be deciding things like this, but we could do a hell of a lot worse than a President Oprah Winfrey. Every person who gets to know her comes away feeling like they got the chance to be near a truly special human being. And that is worth something. That is worth A LOT. Experience is important… But it’s not nearly as important as integrity and wisdom.

I’ve missed you. I hope your holidays were peaceful and restful… and I hope you feel rejuvenated for a new year, ready to stay thoughtful and informed and loving and hopeful. I am honored that you allow me to play a small role in that. If you value this blog and you want to support it, you can BECOME A PATRON or LEAVE A TIP ON PAYPAL. If you’d like to stay in touch, please follow me on FACEBOOK or on TWITTER. Love you, and thanks for reading and for sharing.

Posted in 2) Politics, 5) Not Quite Sure | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Moana Is The Movie The World Needs Right Now

Posted on December 12, 2017 by theboeskool

Sometimes, when it all gets to be too much — When all of the Trumps and the Lies and the Liars and the Roy Moores and the Defenders of Pedophilia and the Jerry Falwells and the Fake Christians and the Alabama Voters and the Seemingly Endless Racism and the Persistent Attacks on Morality & Basic Decency & Human Rights & Journalism & Science & Goodness & Beauty & Truth become too overwhelming for me, and I start to doubt if anything we do makes any bit of actual difference in the world, and I wonder whether or not I should get out of bed — Here is what I do:

I watch the movie Moana.

Well… That’s ONE of the things I sometimes do. But seriously — God help me, I love the movie Moana. So damn much. I could watch it whenever. It’s a spiritual thing for me. You don’t have to watch the whole movie (although the whole movie is obviously amazing). It can just be one scene… The one where Moana starts singing to the Lava Monster the prophetic words, “This is not who you are. You know who you are.” If you need a reminder of what that scene looks and sounds like, here you go.

Oh God, it makes me cry every single time. She speaks to the water, and she says, “Let her come to me.” And in a twist on familiar Biblical imagery, the sea parts… But this time, the sea is not parting to allow an escape route from the monsters who mean to do us harm. This time — THIS story — the sea is parted to allow them come toward each other… And allow the bravery and compassion and strength of a young woman to heal the heart of the one who didn’t even realize she had become a monster. In this new story, the water does not come crashing in to kill our enemies… It creates a path TO them. And FOR them.

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If you can get through this scene without tearing up, I simply don’t understand you…

And I realize that there are many people in the world who are not ready to hear those words: “This is not who you are. You know who you are.”  I am not naive. Many of the monsters in the world will live their whole lives without ever having their hearts healed. I know there is a very good chance that Roy Moore will end up being elected to one of Alabama’s Senate seats. And there is a good chance that the republican-controlled Congress with push through a massive tax cut that will make the rich even richer and the poor even poorer. There is about a 100% chance that Trump will do something else unspeakably shameful and depressing tomorrow. And the next day. And the next… In the struggle between those who are interested in Power and those who are interested in Justice, there will be many battles won by the ones in search of more Power.

But little by little… One by one… Person by person, and story by story… Human consciousness expands… And progresses… And evolves… And the things we used to be okay with become horribly distasteful and offensive… And things we used to never even notice before become glaringly obvious… And things we were numb to become hurtful… And people we used to not even see — people we used to HATE — start looking like our neighbors.

Look at what happened with the man in this video, a peanut farmer from Alabama, who lost his 23 year old lesbian daughter to suicide. Please, oh PLEASE watch this video…

Things that used to be clear have a way of becoming less so… And people who used to look like monsters start to look like people who are worthy of being loved. I think about this man wasting years of his life throwing balls of fire… I think of his heart being restored… And then I think of him pressing his fingers into soil where there used to be only blight, but now life springs up all around the things he touches. He probably used to quote all six “clobber” verses about how gay people were “preverts” and “abominations,” just like all the people supporting Roy Moore at those rallies surely do. And they probably look at a movie like Moana, and call it dangerous indoctrination. But when people quoting Bible Verses start sounding like defenders of hatred and injustice and inequality, and a movie about a young woman trying to return a magic stone to a goddess reminds me of the goodness inside of us, I’ll take Moana every time.

So whether we end up with a new democratic Senator from a red state like Alabama, or whether we end up with a horribly broken person like Roy Moore, let us stay hopeful. Even if we end up trying to make sense of another disappointing blow to our faith in humanity (like the ones we deal with on a daily basis with this presidency), let us remember the brave Polynesian girl who proclaimed who she was enough times that she started to actually believe it. Let us see the life in others, as well as the life within ourselves. Oh God, may the Te Kās of our lives become our Te Fitis.

Let that be our prayer. And like any prayer worth anything, let that prayer lead us to hope and love and action. And getting out of bed… Even if our hearts get broken by the many of the people in Alabama (and in this country, and in the world) who don’t yet realize WHO THEY ARE. Even if the shell has not yet cracked off of them, revealing the Green and the Life and the Love that is inside of them. Amen.

I needed this so much. Thank you for reading it! And thank you for those of you who value and support my writing. It always feels a bit weird telling you about how to become a Parton, but I’m okay with it. If you feel like becoming a Patron, you can do that RIGHT HERE. It you want to just leave a tip on PayPal or boost a particular post on social media, I WON’T BE MAD AT YOU. But really, one of the coolest things you can do is this: If you like this post (or anything you read, really), SHARE IT with the people in your life. Also, you can follow me on FACEBOOK and on TWITTER. Love you…

 

 

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An Actual Apology For Sexual Predators 

Posted on December 2, 2017 by theboeskool

There are a lot of men writing a lot of apologies right now. For the most part, these apologies are full of ambiguities…. full of equivocations… full of shit. These “apologies” are being written under the watchful eye of high-priced lawyers, paid to ensure they don’t leave their clients legally liable for their gross actions. I imagine conversations like this: “We need to make me look apologetic and contrite, but without actually taking any responsibility or admitting guilt… Also, try to work in some subtile language that casts doubt on the allegations (and the women making them), but not so much that it makes it look like I’m attacking them or calling them liars. Work your magic!”

Ke$ha Performs On NBC's "Today" Annual Thanksgiving Week Of Concerts

Do not waste one second feeling bad for this dude.

Almost every apology I have seen has seemed less interested in being an actual attempt to make things right, and more interested in saving face while preserving the power which made their abuse possible. And these shitty, power-preserving “apologies” have been grossing me right out lately. To me they feel like just another act of abuse… And that’s not right. If you are genuinely sorry, then BE sorry. To that end, I have written an actual apology for men to use as the people they have abused continue to bravely come forward. Here it is:

It is a strange and difficult thing coming to terms with my own shittiness. I have spent most of my life thinking of myself as one of the good guys. The reality is something different — I am one of the villains. When reality hits you in the face, you can either act like it didn’t happen, or you can try something new, and attempt to do the right thing by being TRUTHFUL. This is my attempt to do the right thing. Here is the truth: I am a disgusting perv who used his position and power to do very real harm to other human beings. The women who have accused me of these things are telling the truth. I have been treating women like they are objects for me to consume. I am so ashamed of the way I’ve treated these women. I told myself I deserved their affection. I convinced myself that these women “wanted it,” when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even now, I want to try to explain why I have repeatedly acted so shamefully, but there is no excuse for my actions.

In short, deep down I have known that I am a piece of shit for a long time… The only real difference is that now YOU know that too. My hope is that with that knowledge will come a higher degree of accountability… But more than that, my hope is that the actions I take from this point on will do something to repair the pain and damage I have caused.

My position and power is made manifest partially in my great wealth… So as an act of intentional reduction in the power that has so corrupted my soul, and so perverted the decent man I used to envision myself being, I am giving up very sizable portions of my riches. I will be giving that money both to the women I have harmed, as well as to organizations that work to help women who are sexually abused by men like me… Men who have somehow forgotten both their own humanity, as well as the humanity of the women they have mistreated. I know that money could never make right the many damages I have caused, but I have gotten very rich being a total douchebag. In many ways, money is power… And I see now that I need to give up much of my power.

I am so very sorry. I have not only harmed the women I have abused, but I have harmed my friends and family. The harm I have done is my fault, and my fault alone. I will now work to undo some of that harm, as I attempt to rebuild relationships… and maybe, someday, even rebuild trust.

The next man to be outed as a sexual predator (because there will most definitely be more) can feel free to use that if he (notice I didn’t write “he or she”) wants…

Last night at work, I spoke to a friend about the craziness of the time we are living in. We commiserated about the steady stream of soul-crushing garbage that seems to be flowing from every direction — A steady stream that I think is best articulated in this amazing tweet by Maya Kosoff:

https://twitter.com/mekosoff/status/936020781930352645

Even now, as I write this, yesterday’s newest wave of sexual harassment revelations are being forgotten as the world reacts (with celebration, and with spin) to the news of Gen. Michael Flynn’s cooperation with the Mueller investigation on Russian involvement in our election. And before I finish and publish this, people will have started to forget about Flynn, and they will be focused on the Republican tax plan passing. But we all feel the weight of the relentless attack on our hope. As if it’s not enough to have a daily barrage of hateful, dishonest tweets and comments from the elected leader of our nation… As if it’s not enough to have a president who retweets debunked anti-Muslim propaganda videos from a British hate group… As if it’s not enough to have a horribly dishonest Press Secretary doing her rhetorical gymnastics trying to justify his actions… As if it’s not enough to have a person like pedophile Roy Moore leading the polls in the Alabama Senate race… As if it’s not enough to have a bunch of people calling themselves “christians” who are so confused about what it means to follow Jesus that they are actually defending and supporting a child molester (who was so creepy he got banned from a mall) over an honorable man like Doug Jones, who convicted KKK members for killing little girls… As if it’s not enough to have to be constantly fighting against things like this awful tax plan, and attacks on healthcare and basic human decency (God help me, even writing this paragraph was exhausting)… But ADD TO THAT this growing sense that most of the powerful men in the world think they are entitled to “Trump” any woman they see (that’s slang for kissing a woman against her will, or “grabbing her by the pussy”), and one would not be faulted for just deciding to give up hope that the world is worth trying to save.

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Art like this might be able to save the world.

As I talked with my friend about our declining faith in humanity, I said to her, “The problem isn’t humanity. The problem is MEN.” But I’m not sure that’s quite right. The problem is obviously not a democrat or republican thing… The problem is not “left” or “right.” The problem is not Matt Lauer, Harvey Weinstein, & Al Franken, and the problem is not Roy Moore, Bill O’Reilly, & Donald Trump. Yes, the problem is men and a warped and toxic understanding of what is meant by Masculinity… But it’s also about power. It’s about protecting privilege at all costs. And right now (as is true of all of recorded history) most of the ones with the power in the world happen to be men. But maybe — HOPEFULLY — that’s starting to change…

So here’s what I think — I think that when we find out that powerful people are using their positions to abuse others, we need to insist on separating those people from their power. And part of that has to include separating them from their wealth. Because here’s the thing: Matt Lauer was paid $25 MILLION a year! That’s over $2 MILLION a month… And if you figure he did about 20 Today Shows a month (5 per week, 4 weeks per month), that works out to $200,000 per DAY of work. If that ass hole feels bad about his actions, he needs to put his money where his mouth is. When poor men force themselves on women, they go to prison for a very long time. When rich men do it, they sit down with an attorney and a PR consultant, they write a “letter of apology,” and then they disappear for a while (vacation) with their millions and millions of dollars.

That, or they continue to deny it, even after getting caught on tape bragging about it on an Access Hollywood bus, and they go on to get elected president. Shit… Either way, stay hopeful, keep fighting for justice, and look for little things that remind you that the world is actually filled with really good people… It’s just that the awful ones seem to make a lot more noise.

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It’s Not About The Word “Pocahontas”

Posted on November 28, 2017 by theboeskool

It’s about the fact that this man lacks even the most basic understanding of human decency.  THAT’s what it’s about. After Donald did this today…

… Elizabeth Warren responded by saying, “It is deeply unfortunate that the President of the United States cannot even make it though a ceremony honoring these heroes without having to throw out a racial slur.” This was followed shortly by a Press Briefing where Sarah Sanders was asked the question, “[The president] referred to Senator Warren as ‘Pocahontas.’ Why does he feel the need to say something that is offensive to many people while honoring the Navajo Code Talker, these genuine American heroes?” She responded by saying, “I think what most people find offensive is Senator Warren lying about her heritage to advance her career.” And then Twitter exploded with debate over whether or not the word “Pocahontas” is a racial slur. As if that is the issue…

Which, first of all, it absolutely IS a racial slur. If someone identified as “black,” and the president didn’t think he was black enough, and gave him some flippant “Whatever, Kunta Kinte” or called her “Aunt Jemima,” it would TOTALLY be an offensive racial slur. And the reason we know this, is because there are enough black people around to make some noise when people are this colossally stupid… Unfortunately, white people have killed almost all of the Native Americans off, so there aren’t a whole lot around to make some noise. Now, when people refer to their Native American heritage, it’s usually in the 8ths or 16ths or 32nds. And sometimes those sorts of fractions are not as readily apparent.

Listen closely, white people — If you want to know if a term you are using is an offensive slur, here’s what you do: Ask members of the minority group you are offending. If you are using the R-word, and you don’t think it’s offensive… Ask people who are developmentally disabled, and those who work every day with people with special needs. If you refer to an Asian person as “Oriental” or just blanket-label every Asian person and “Chinese,” and you don’t feel like you need to change, ask a person of Asian descent in your life. And if you don’t have one of those, use the freaking internet. Chances are you don’t have a bunch of Indigenous Peoples in your life, so if you don’t think calling a Senator “Pocahontas” is offensive, LOOK IT UP. Here is a portion of what Amber Kanazbah Crotty, a member and delegate from The Navajo Nation, had to say about Donald’s garbage words and Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ shitty denial of its offensiveness:

“Today’s careless comment from President Trump is the latest example of systemic, deep-seated ignorance of Native Americans and our intrinsic right to exist and practice our ways of life. The intentional disregard of the historical trauma of Pocahontas as a sexual assault survivor directly resulting from colonization is disturbing.

The Navajo People are not strangers to the prejudice, discrimination, and marginalization perpetrated by western culture. Our woman and children are targets of violence. We must speak out against such ignorance in every instance, in hopes for a better future for our children and our land.

I must respond to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ flat-out denial of this racial slur, dismissing the tangible and egregious impact pejoratives have on Indigenous people. I must respond to President Trump’s remark today referencing Pocahontas. With due respect, it is problematic for the president to use this term in the manner we heard today. It diminishes the experience of Pocahontas and is totally inappropriate. The reckless appropriation of this term is deeply offensive and dangerous to the sovereignty and identity of our peoples. Such rhetoric is damaging, and it a serious infringement of our right to live as Native Americans.

The Navajo Code Talkers are not pawns to advance a personal grudge, or promote false narratives. Such pandering dishonors the sacrifice of our national heroes. Let me be clear, such antics do not change the fact of history. Indigenous peoples’ disparate socioeconomic issues are a direct result of this false narrative, and we cannot sit idly by as the citizens of the United States and our Indigenous children are gas-lighted from this terrible truth.

“We honor and respect the Navajo Code Talkers, and we are proud of their sacrifice. Let us not allow this display of immaturity and short-sightedness distract us from the important issues we advocate for collectively as sovereign nations on this continent, but continue to advance the cause and secure the future of Indigenous people in America.”

Later, Elizabeth Warren released THIS STATEMENT:

But again — Whether or not “Pocahontas” is a racial slur not the issue. If you are arguing over which words you get to say, you are missing the point. The battle is not over whether or not people are “allowed” to use certain words… All that will lead to is people wearing MAGA hats bringing up their “First Amendment rights” without really even knowing what the First Amendment is about (when really, the First Amendment is about preventing Congress from making a law abridging our freedom of speech). It protects against people being arrested for saying things the government doesn’t like… It does NOT protect a person from being asked tough questions about why he or she is such an asshole. And honestly, I hesitate to call the president an “asshole,” because I feel like it’s disrespectful… To assholes. I at least have *some* respect for actual anuses.

rtx3k2rl

This is how the rest of the world looks at us… The single greatest thing you can do, Donald,  if you desire to make America great again, is this: Resign.

I don’t know if Elizabeth Warren actually has Native American blood flowing through her veins. I haven’t seen her “23 And Me” results. But whether or not she is actually part Native American, or whether her family was misled, or misinformed, or misled her… Figuring this out is NOT the point. The point is this: Any person who would use a White House ceremony honoring some very old veterans to make a dig at a political rival is OBJECTIVELY a piece of trash. And not in an “I’m going to make myself feel better by calling him names” sort of way… I’m talking a scientific, PHD-level sociological study, PIECE OF ACTUAL HOT GARBAGE. It doesn’t have to be a White House ceremony (in front of a painting of ANDREW-EFFING-JACKSON, who is responsible for the Trail of Tears) — That kind of action is beneath ANYONE in a position of authority. It is beneath a break room ceremony for the Burger King employee of the month. It is something that even Steve Carell’s Michael Scott on “The Office” would look at in disgust. Anyone who doesn’t have the common sense — the simple human decency — to recognize this simple fact CANNOT be trusted to make any moral or ethical decisions. THAT’S the point.

But I don’t have to tell any of you that Donald Trump is an objective piece of trash… Those of us who are able to see it have been able to see that for a very long time. I’m not writing this to convince you of the president’s disgustingness… But still there are SO many people who don’t see it yet. I’m writing this to remind you that when you are dealing with these people — the ones who don’t see it yet — to focus on the point. Don’t get sucked into a “you don’t get to say that word,” political correctness debate, and don’t get into an argument over people’s “First Amendment rights.” Simply challenge them to consider WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS? And the answer, of course, is a horribly broken one. And one who is epically unfit to run a Burger King… Let alone a great nation like ours.

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