Daddy on the Edge of a Tempest in a Teapot

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

~ Marcus Aurelius


The Tea Party Candidates - are crazy. Completely...Batshit...Crazy. The plain truth is that they are not qualified to hold the offices that they seek - in fact, I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't let most of these folks serve as school crossing guards. Their plans and ideas for the USA, if followed through to their illogical conclusions, would hurt this country more than both Bush presidencies combined.

They're goal is to save money, by any means necessary. While I get that, the logic they use is the same ill-conceived logic used by the family of an ICU-bound mother who has decided to cut off her life support because "it's too damned expensive and Momma needs that money to live on!" Ill-conceived. Dangerous. Batshit crazy.

But don't take my word for it; they can tell you themselves. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Tea Party - in their own words.

Here's Rand Paul, who wishes he had been in office in '64, so he could've continued the practice of segregated lunch counters;

Here's Stephen Broden, Republican Candidate for Congress in Texas' 30th District. He's all for fair elections, but if that doesn't work...well.....

Then there's everybody's favorite wing nut, Sharon Angle. Sharon Angle wants the US to withdraw from the United Nations. She is quoted as saying; "The United Nations resides on our soil and costs us money. I don't see anyplace in the Constitution, in those eight priorities, about the United Nations - so when we start talking about cutting programs five percent per year, I think the United Nations fits into that category.".

Sharon Angle also wants to eliminate the Department of Education. Not fix it. Not improve it. Eliminate it.

Y'see, she doesn't want to have anything to do with the UN or the Department of Education because they're not in the Constitution. Neither is the Space Program; should we stop going there, too? Apparently, in the Tea Party World, we're gonna party like it's 1799.

Then sometimes there are folks who act out on behalf of their candidates. Since they represent the candidate, we might assume that their actions reflect the wishes of the candidate. Here's a clip of the Rand Paul supporters who assaulted a 23 year old female protester. Maybe this is the behavior Palin wants to see when she says, "Man Up"?

Here's what Joe Miller's security did to a reporter for asking questions that Mr. Miller didn't like;

Speaking of what Joe Miller doesn't like - well hell, where do I start? Here are some programs that Joe and his fellow Tea Baggers would like to change, get rid of, or basically stop paying for;

Social Security

Medicare

The Minimum Wage

Unemployment Benefits

Health Care Reform

And this is only the tip of the iceberg. You have to - no, really, you HAVE to ask yourself - when someone like Joe Miller expresses his admiration for how East Germany secured their borders with a wall (and guards on that wall with "shoot to kill" orders, but he conveniently forgets that - or maybe he's just saving that part for when he gets into office), can we really afford to let him and the rest of his rag-tag bunch of lunatics take over our government?

This weekend is Halloween. The time of year when normal, everyday people dress up in costume to look crazy, or scary, or funny. But then you take off your costume and you're a normal, everyday person underneath, just like you always were. On Election Day, it's the opposite - the crazy, scary, funny Tea Party people will be dressed up as normal, everyday candidates - Trick or Treating for your vote. Don't be fooled by the costumes that they wear - The Tea Party is most definitely... a Trick.

My thanks to Mrfreedomdemocracy for this clip. I think this completes side one of the Daddy on the Edge Revolution Soundtrack.

Happy Halloween, y'all.

Vote.

Daddy

Daddy on the Edge of Sharon Angle's Testicles

Should female candidates reallly suggest that their opponents should "Man Up"?

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Midterm Erection
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

Ironic, ain't it? Making a penis part of the job requirements when you yourself don't possess one. The only thing more ironic would be if you asked your opponent to think.

Later Bitchez,

Daddy

Daddy on the Edge of the Rich & Famous

"Congress needs to enact a new law... Until all our soldiers come home, until every American is earning a living wage, until there is a cure for AIDS, until no one in this country is victimized because of their sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation, and until we have saved the planet...There can be no more news stories about Lindsay Lohan."

I didn't write that; a friend posted it on Facebook, but I love the sentiment. Why do people care so much about the plight of Lindsay and those like her? Is it because it's so sad that such a tragic fate should befall someone so beautiful? Well, there's 14% unemployment in parts of America, folks losing their houses left and right, people going to bed hungry in the greatest nation in the land - and I'll bet a whole bunch of them are pretty, too.

If we focused half as much attention on holding our elected officials accountable for the state of the nation and working to improve it as we do worrying about Lindsay, Paris, the Kardashian kids and all of those ridiculously spoiled Real Housewives of Where-eva, we'd be out of this national mess we've gotten ourselves into and be back on top as the Number One Nation in all that we attempt.

Today, I'm going to turn off the tv for a little while and go do something to better my community. Hopefully, Lindsay will follow my lead.

Here's the next track on the Daddy on the Edge Revolution Soundtrack. Turn it up.

Wishing Lindsay All the Best,

Daddy

Daddy on the Edge of Communication Breakdown

Some people just don't like Twinkies.

I said in my last blog post that I was putting an "end to tolerating toxic relationships, and putting others through a cost/benefit analysis".

Do you know how many people thought I was talking about them? I've explained to most of them that I was referring to something very particular (and if you actually read past that one phrase you would've realized that this was a pretty specific thing to which I was referring), and mentally I was lumping in FOX News, and one of my former doctors who nearly poisoned me - that one was literally a toxic relationship - but the point is, several people completely misinterpreted that statement. One person even said to a mutual third party, "I'm just refusing to read the things he writes". Well damn, kid. Daddy's only got eight followers - I really can't afford to have people boycotting me.

I didn't think Daddy on the Edge needed ground rules, but here's one that apparently I actually need to say;

Talk to Me.

If you have a problem with me or something I've said, I would hope and expect that you would speak to me about it (or comment in the comments section below! It's easy! It's fun!). As you may have guessed from this blog, Daddy is not afraid of expressing his opinion and telling his side of the story, and is more than willing to listen to your side as well in the hope that we might find some common understanding and perhaps clear up misconceptions of the past. As someone once said, "There are three sides to every story - my side, your side and the truth". However, it is only through rational discussion that we can come anywhere close to finding that truth.

If however, you are one of those people that is so certain of their side of things that there can be no discussion, there must not be any debate, and anything other than your opinion of the way things are is just wrong, wrong, wrong - well then I have to ask; Are you a Republican?

The mid-term elections are coming up. I would sincerely request that anyone reading these words think carefully about the choices put before you this election. Do you want someone in office that will attempt to see both sides of an issue, and is open to compromise and working across the aisle, or do you want someone who is so hellbent on their own positions, so blindly certain that their story is the right story and the facts be damned - someone who will stick to their guns even if it means shooting themselves in the foot?

It's your choice, of course. Daddy is gonna vote for the people that aren't afraid to debate. The people that aren't afraid to talk to any and every news outlet - not just the ones that agree with them. The people that aren't afraid to at least entertain the possibility that there may be a legitimate "other side" to a story, and are at least open to hearing it.

Finally, let me say this - while Daddy on the Edge often deals with some very serious subjects, you should remember to not always take Daddy hisself too seriously. This is my place to rant and rave and howl at the moon - it is my place to be myself in all my irreverence. Sometimes, no matter how angry you are, you've just gotta stop, let it go, and laugh about it - if only for a moment.

Case in point - Meg Whitman's $140 million campaign recently sent out a tweet with a link that was supposed to send people to a statement from the Deputy Sheriff's Association of San Diego County and it's endorsement of her. Well, through miscommunication, misinterpretation or misinformation, the address posted sent people to the video below instead. Let it be lesson number one in making sure you have the right information, and in not taking yourself too seriously. ;)

Rock on Dude,

Daddy

Daddy on the Edge of One Year Later...and a Twinkie

Remember this?


That was me, one year ago today. Y'know what they say; "The heart wants what the heart wants." And a year ago, my heart wanted an angioplasty.

This day marked the beginning of the end for a lot of things;

It was the end of smoking. Not only was that a long time coming health-wise, but it has also had the added financial benefit of saving me over $3,700 this year.

It was the end of running as fast as I could in several different directions at once. That wasn't working and I'm more than happy to say that I've put it behind me. I'm living for myself and not my FICO score lately, and that has made all the difference.

It was the end of tolerating toxic relationships, and putting others through a cost/benefit analysis. Don't get me started. Suffice it to say that if you manipulate my life for ten years and, in doing so, warp my perception of who my friends are, I'm not gonna return your calls.

This day also marked the beginning of this blog (at least in my mind - I was actually doing other things on this particular day, like getting stents installed, eating jello, suffering terminal bedhead without a hat in sight - but mentally, I was all about the blogging).

I started writing "Daddy on the Edge" basically as something to do while I was in recovery. And, although my comments section has that virtual ghost town feel, it does seem like I'm getting read and that people enjoy what they're reading. People that I never expected would like my brand of commentary not only read me, but have had very positive things to say. One friend told me that I say the things that she's thinking, but wouldn't say out loud. And that's when it hit me;

"Daddy on the Edge" is a guilty pleasure.

As defined by Wiki; A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the "guilt" involved is simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt. Fashion, music, and food (especially unhealthier foods high in sugar and/or fat) can be examples of guilty pleasures.


I am the Twinkie at the bottom of your purse. I am the Ring Ding that calls out to you in the night. I am the Devil Dog who's name you dare not speak.




Okay, maybe Daddy's not all that, but if reading me is your guilty pleasure, then I'm happy to be that for you. I'll be your Twinkie. But I hope you might not feel embarrassed to share Daddy with a friend. For Daddy, like the Twinkie, is meant to be shared. That's why they give you two.



I haven't posted a music video in a while, so here's a favorite. While not a track for Daddy's Revolution Soundtrack, it's still a lot of fun. Thanks for hanging with me this past year. And don't worry - I'll never tell. ;)

Daddy on the Edge of Campaign Finance

Did you know there was an election coming up?

I know, I know - how could you not? This time of year, the leaves turn and the lawns fill with...signs. Not only that, but our televisions get overrun with attack ads. Daddy hates this time of year, and usually sets the DVR to record everything, just so we can fast forward through all the campaign nonsense (from both sides) and get on with TV that matters, programs of substance (okay, okay - we watch Family Guy and re-runs of The Office, but that's still better than looking at Carl Paladino's ugly kisser).



And now, with the recent Supreme Court decision that allows corporations to spend as much as they want on campaign ads, we're seeing more of it than any other midterm election in history. Add to that the whole hooplah about the US Chamber of Commerce allegedly using foreign contributions to buy ad time for the Republicans, and it just makes Daddy want to spit. And these are only the midterms - just wait for the 2012 elections.




Times like these, I either get depressed or angry. Angry is far more productive, because it gets me thinking (depression usually just leads to a nap). So, I was angrily thinking, "What can we do about this? Every attempt at campaign finance reform has been an abysmal failure, and now we've gone in the opposite direction, with more money than ever going to ads that nobody likes, and nobody really wants with no apparent end in sight, soooo...how can we make this work for us?" And then it came to me...

Let's Tax the bastards.

Daddy used to smoke...a lot. And it seemed like every year, the taxes on cigarettes just kept going up. State and Federal taxes on cigarettes in New York account for nearly forty percent of the price of a pack, and they always said they were using that "Sin Tax" to support the schools. So tell me, with all that tax money, why is it that today, the US ranks 17th in science education worldwide, 24th in math and 11th in literacy? Obviously, we need more tax money to support our schools. And of course, we could use some 21st century job training programs. And then there's infrastructure - NJ Governor Chris Christie recently put the kibosh on a current (read half completed) infrastructure project that was going to give us a brand new tunnel between NJ and NYC. Now, if you've ever been in Lincoln Tunnel traffic, I'm sure you'll agree - that's some change we could've believed in. But Christie said it was going to end up being too expensive. Good for him for being fiscally responsible and all that, but instead of putting people out of work because there's not enough money, why don't we bring in more money instead? Here's the proposal - run it the same as the cigarette tax;

For every dollar spent on any and every form of campaign advertising from any and every candidate, forty cents of each dollar will be withdrawn as a sin tax and will go directly to financing the repair, updating and renewing of the US Public Education System.

When the US has a solid standing as one of the top ten leading countries in education, then some of that sin tax can target other programs like job training and infrastructure. Heck, if they keep spending the way they have been, we can send some of that money to the Social Security, Medicaid and Welfare system as well. Think about it - Democrats are happy because social programs are being funded, the Tea Party should be happy because they won't have to pay any new taxes, yet the social programs that we all depend on will remain solvent, and the rest of the Republicans...well, they'll never be happy, but two out of three ain't bad, right?


I've been calling this a sin tax, and I meant that. If smoking is a "sin", it's one I perpetrated on myself - a minor sin, at best. I doubt if it would get me a "Hail Mary" in a confession booth. But raking in the money that these people bring in, and using it in the ways that they do to achieve the goals they have in mind - those are sinners of a far higher league. That's Pro Ball right there.


In fact, the Book of Proverbs states that the Lord specifically regards "six things the Lord hateth, and the seventh His soul detesteth." namely:

• A proud look
• A lying tongue
• Hands that shed innocent blood
• A heart that devises wicked plots
• Feet that are swift to run into mischief
• A deceitful witness that uttereth lies
• Him that soweth discord among brethren

Sound like any politicians you know? Sound like most politicians you know? At forty cents on the dollar, these weenies are getting off easy.




I joke about this, but it's a serious thing. Every year, we fall further and further behind in education, while every year, special interests dig their claws deeper and deeper into our government. This plan can level the playing field and there's a certain karmic justice in it that just makes Daddy smile. If you like my plan, tell a friend, tell your state and local representatives - tell anyone you think will listen. We can do this, and it'd be fun. :)


I'm gonna wrap this up with a YouTube clip from The West Wing. The point of my posting it comes up at the 39 second mark, but the whole scene is fun. Enjoy.

I'm Daddy on the Edge, and I approved this message.

Daddy on the Edge of promoting the Gay Agenda

I wish that someone would market day planners for homosexuals and call them "The Gay Agenda". Wouldn't that just be fabulous? Pink for the boys, flannel for the girls...



Sorry; Daddy was channeling his inner Hedda Lettuce (and for my International readers and people from Iowa and other parts Middle West that have no idea who I'm talking about, here is her Wiki Entry - just click the green haired lady - )

AND before y'all get puritan on me, let me just say what we all should admit to ourselves - Everyone has an inner drag queen. Want proof? Here's proof;

This is Republican former NYC Mayor, one time Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani. He actually let his inner drag queen out. (I never said it would be pretty - I only said that everyone has one - even this guy.) At some point today, take a good look at your significant other and picture them in drag. If nothing else, the laugh will do you good. ;)

But I digress. The Gay Agenda (which, if anyone now does actually make it into a day planner, I want royalties, bitches.). "The Gay Agenda" is one of those ridiculous made up "Republican Fear Phrases". Y'know, like Terror Alert, Anchor Babies, ObamaCare, Possible Third Term for George Bush (I'll admit it - that one scared the CRAP out of Daddy). These terms are designed to make something that, upon rational investigation shouldn't be scary at all, into something terrifying that will usually "tear the fabric" of our otherwise totally perfect universe. Like, there was no war, no poverty, no hunger, no unemployment, no disease, no global warming, no crime...it was a friggin' Logan's Run paradise around here until the damn Gays came along and wanted to get married?!? Like gay marriage will somehow get cooties all over your regular marriage?

Grow Up.

Because seriously, you are pulling the "cooties" argument - that, if people who you don't like have the same thing you have, that it somehow cheapens that thing...makes it not worth having, 'cause they got their cooties all over it...WAAHHHHHH! That's just sad. And when you listen to the standard Republican arguments, it gets even sadder. They seem to love the "separate but unequal" argument - like Straight White America lets you live in this country.

We let you live here, and work here; we let you pay taxes and vote - we almost let you be...like us. And the only time we'll vilify, assault or kill you is if you are too public in your displays of affection, or we feel sexually threatened by your presence, or we want to feel superior to someone, or you want more rights than we feel like giving you, which would be the same rights that we have. Silly Gay person - don't you wish you had chosen to be straight?

Well, Daddy's here to tell you that gays and lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders, genderqueers and intersexed folks have been a part of this country since before it was this country. They have served with us, they have governed us, they have cared for us, they have clothed us, they have protected us, they have lived among us and died beside us - they ARE US. They can no more tear the fabric of this country than we can, because they ARE the fabric of this country, just as we are. And if you don't like that, or can't see that, or are just having way to much fun with your little Hate Party to listen to rational discussion, then I have only this to say to you.

Fuck You.

I say that, not to shock or offend, but to prepare you for this video that Daddy has been asked to share. Here's the Daddy on the Edge warning -

If the word Fuck bothers you, then you probably shouldn't watch this Fucking video. There's a Fucking cleaned up version of it, but that, to Daddy, is like low fat Fucking cheesecake - what's the Fucking point? You want to say Fuck in your video? Say Fuck in your video. So here's the Fucking video. I hope you Fucking enjoy it as much as I Fucking did.

Oh, and Fucking Donate too, ok?

Fuck Hate,

Daddy

Daddy on the Edge of the GW Bridge

At first, I didn't get it.

I mean, I was painting in another room, and my client was watching the tv in the kitchen, so I only half heard the report - "a local student who was filmed having sex jumped off the George Washington Bridge". I stopped mid brushstroke to mentally digest and process what I had heard. My first thought was that, if someone had filmed my first time having sex and broadcast it for all to see, I wouldn't have killed myself. Quite the contrary, my "first partner" was quite the babe and a few years older - at 16 years of age, Daddy would have been a stud among studs had that footage gone viral. Offing myself would have been the furthest thing from my mind.

Later that day of course, I heard the detail that made it all make sense - Tyler Clemente was filmed having sex with another boy. And the world found out.

And his world came to an end.

I never knew Tyler Clemente. I never knew Billy Lucas, a 15-year-old high school freshman from Greensburg, Ind., who took his own life following a period of anti gay bullying. I didn't know 13 year old Seth Walsh, who hanged himself, nor did I know Raymond Chase, an openly gay 19-year-old student at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., who committed suicide in his dorm room. I've never personally known anyone that killed themselves because they were faced with a society that refused to accept them for what they were. On top of that, I'm a married, forty something Daddy of two young kids. So, while I very much wanted to speak to this issue, I was honestly at a loss as to how I was going to relate.




I laid down to veg on some tv and let my mind cruise, and I stumbled on an episode of "Freaks and Geeks". I had never seen the show before, but it was pretty clear from the title and the plot line that we were seeing the lives of what are often thought of as the losers in high school - in my world, the show would have been called "Burnouts and Wimps". In high school, I had long hair, liked rock music, smoked and occasionally got high -

One "Burnout" label for me, please.

The kids I hung out with ran the gamut - bohemian, late seventies flower children, brilliant, sardonic, misunderstood teens and yes; at least two people in my own personal "Breakfast Club" that were more than likely gay. We didn't really seem to focus on what made us different from one another; instead, I think we simply found some lunch period comfort in the company of fellow misfits.

We dared to be different. No; that's wrong. We were undeniably different, there was really no getting around that. But, instead of hiding what we were, or trying to pretend that we were anything else, we dared to be...ourselves. And in doing so, we managed to find some level of acceptance. We also manged to get our asses kicked from time to time - for no real reason other than being different; for being what we were, which was not being "normal".

Most folks love their accepted norms. Because having them means they're safe. They're comfortable. Most of all - they're Accepted. Accepted as one of The Normal People. And how do they know that they're normal? Well, they need to identify people that Aren't Normal. And then they need to beat them up. Or harass, tease or mock them. It is that old school of thought that the only way I can make myself feel "More Than" is to make you feel "Less Than".

That's Normal. That's the status quo.

That's the same normal that told Tyler Clemente that he was a sick, evil creature surely condemned to a life of moral depravity...because of who his brain chemistry said he was attracted to. That's the same normal that once said an African American person could never be free in this country, then that they could never vote, then that they could never marry a white person. It's the same normal that once would have called Daddy hisself Evil. Why? Because I'm left handed. And left handed was so "not normal" as to be considered of the devil. Damn, that's cold.

Obviously, that's not true (Don't get me wrong - Daddy is evil - downright dastardly at times, but his being left handed has nothing to do with it.). Left handed people aren't directed by the dark forces - we're just wired to be left handed. Brain chemistry is funny that way. It tells us things like what hand to use. It also tells us things like who we are and who we're attracted to. No one chooses to be gay.

No, really.

Say it with me.

No One Chooses To Be Gay.

Being gay is as much a choice as is being straight. No one actively chooses to be gay, bi, trans, straight or any of the other varieties of gender expression and sexual attraction - we just come out that way.

Do you really believe that educating children about the concept of someone having two mothers instead of the traditional mother/father set will somehow "turn them gay"? By that logic, if you like your kids Caucasian, perhaps you should have them opt out of Black History Month, since, in your backwards Bizarro world, learning about a thing apparently makes you that thing. In that world, I would never let my kids learn about Republicans. Or Tea Baggers. Or Borat.

A child will not learn to be gay or straight. What they will learn is that people are different in infinite ways. And then, they DO get to choose. They get to choose between love or hate, between acceptance or denial, between an enlightened, intelligent, educated understanding...or the status quo.

My kids are already learning, already choosing. And at nine years of age, they already know that...

Hating on someone for what they are is wrong.

Even if they're a freak or a geek.

Even if they're gay.

Even if they're bi.

Even if they're trans.

Even if they're left handed.

Even if they're Tyler Clemente.

Rest in Peace, Tyler.

Daddy