Monday, December 31, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of a New Year

The Mayans were wrong.

Cool, 'cuz Daddy had a full Saturday planned and a Friday end of the world would have really futzed thangs up, ya feel me?  But it's cool, because they were wrong.  We're still here.  Glad I didn't tell people what I really thought about them.  ;)

Still though, plenty of people bought into the whole Mayan calendar thing - We're a people that likes to buy into things, don'tcha think?  It's like we groove on the danger - "Y2K!!!  End of the world!!"  "Rapture coming 'cuz some Baptist Minister said so!   End of the world!!"  "Snookie's having a baby!!  End of the world!!!!!!!"  Any excuse for us to stock up on bibles, guns and canned goods - we're in.

And we play that damned REM song 'til it can't play no mo'.

You know the one.  I know the one.  I think even my mother knows the one I'm talking about, and my mother still thinks that Jim Nabors is a great contemporary artist.  The song is "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I feel Fine)" -

From Wiki"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" is a song by the rock band R.E.M. which appeared on their 1987 album Document, the 1988 compilation Eponymous, and the 2006 compilation And I Feel Fine...The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987. It was released as a single in November 1987, reaching No. 69 US Billboard Hot 100 and later reaching No. 39 in the UK singles chart on its re-release in December 1991.
The song originated from a previously unreleased R.E.M. song called "PSA" ("Public Service Announcement"); the two songs are very similar in melody and tempo. "PSA" was itself later released as a single in 2003, under the title "Bad Day". In an interview with Guitar World magazine published in November 1996, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck agreed that "End of the World" was in the tradition of Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues
The music video was directed by James Herbert, who worked with the band on several other videos in the late 1980s. It depicts a young skateboarder, Noah Ray, rifling through an abandoned, collapsing farmhouse and displaying the relics that he finds to the camera.
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed on the list of post 9/11 inappropriate titles distributed by Clear Channel.

It's a fun song; I'm sure it's a favorite at karaoke bars, and it's probably the only reason you will hear entire rooms of adults shout out in unison, "LEONARD BERNSTEIN!!"  But I think there's a little more to it than that...

The lyric is, "It's the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine".  Prepositional phrases are such important things, don'tcha think?  The end of the world...as...we...know...it.  Did you know that the world as we know it ceases to be, completely and utterly, in the half of a half of a nanosecond after we've known it?  Human beings, the planet that we live on, the animals that share it with us and the atmosphere and the stratosphere and the universe - we are all in a constant state of regeneration.  Life in transition.  Life is transition. The atoms that make up your body once made up the body of Christ.  I didn't say that - Deepak Chopra did. We are ever changing, living in a universe that is never the exact same from one millisecond to the next - matter and energy ever changing, ever transitioning, ever Becoming.  That's the good news - we are always becoming something new, something different; often times, something wonderful.  But only if we allow it.

Y'see, the universe is simple, in a way.  It listens, and gives us what we want; kinda like a cosmic McDonald's counter person.  If we see ourselves as a standard hamburger, and believe ourselves to be a standard hamburger, then when the Cosmic Counter Person asks us what we would like, we confidently (and all too routinely) answer, "hamburger, please."

Yum.

And why wouldn't we?  It's what we've known; it's all we've known.  It's what our family and teachers and friends and work associates know us to be, so it must be true, and therefore must be continued.  But, what if we ignored our history, our daily adherence and belief in what we are, and all the evidence it provides to our senses that we are merely - the standard burger.  What if we allowed ourselves to dream for a moment, to go wild in our fantasizing, and imagine ourselves to be... the Number 1 Combo Meal - the Big Mac, large fries and your choice of an icy soft drink!  What if you ordered that from the Cosmic Counter Person?  Hell - why limit yourself to the McDonald's menu?  Why not order the Mascarpone Enriched Chestnut Agnolotti from Per Se?  Why not embody Del Posto's delightful Pumpkin Cappellacci with brown butter and biscotti?  Or Amber's Hokaiddo Diver Scallop with Jerusalem Artichokes, green apple, 56 month old Patanegrade bellota ham & white alba truffles (which I understand pairs magnificently with the 2003 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc,  Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux) ??

Or a banana?

My point is; change is inevitable.  Why do we not take active control of that change, instead of leaving the choice of who we are to be made by the powers around us?  A rudderless ship will still be carried by the ocean's currents, and will find itself arriving at a destination that it had no say in choosing, or worse yet, may just become lost at sea, never finding it's home, it's true destination...it's destiny.

We have a rudder.  We have a wheel.  We have a choice.  The Status Quo was built and is powered by people and organizations that profit from The Status Quo remaining as it is - unchanged.  Since we have established that everything changes, then the only thing that maintains The Status Quo...is our belief in it.  Our belief that we are what they say we are, and that we are powerless to change it.  Such myths are the stuff of fairy tales.  We have had, and always will have, the power to change our worlds in an instant.  What we have lost is the desire to do so, and the belief that we are able.

Tonight marks the beginning of a new year. My wish is that it truly is a "New" Year for us all; unlike the old years of compliance, complacency and acceptance of the unacceptable.  In 2013, may we be unconventional in the face of conventional wisdom, may we rise up and challenge inane notions that we can be categorized by percentages, or antiquated belief systems; may we see the dronings and squawkings of Television News Puppets as the silly, nonsensical noise that they are and not for a second take them seriously; may we begin this day to become something completely new, something superior to what we have ever allowed ourselves to be before.  In 2013, may we be Magnificent.  It is the End of the World as We Know It...and I Do Feel Fine.  How 'bout you?




Happy New Year,

Daddy


Monday, September 24, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of Imagining...

Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do, 
 Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too, 
Imagine all the people, Living life in peace...




I was gonna spew some pompous shit here, but then I realized there was no need.  Just watch this guy...


    


Pretty fucking cool, right? Now watch these people -




How amazing is that?  Wanna see something even more amazing?  The Iranians responded (this is even more amazing because the Iranian government could show these people a world of hurt for participating in such a video) - watch -







And Ronny isn't done - now he wants to get the new message - "Not Ready to Die in Your War" - up on billboards in Tel Aviv.  Wanna help?  Check his indiegogo page - http://www.indiegogo.com/peacefactory and give what you can.  Or go to the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/israellovesiran or just share the videos above.  Can we tell the politicians to shut the hell up?  The people are speaking, and the people are calling for Peace.


What would happen if they threw a War and nobody came?

Imagine, 

Daddy

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of Chicken Shit

Sometimes Corporate America pisses me off.

Why?  Oh, so many reasons, but the first is that they screwed up my blog.  If you came looking for the last blog post, "Daddy on the Edge of a Musical Interlude", you may not have been able to view the second video that was featured, because the idjits at Vimeo put some stupid subscription lock on it.  So, screw Vimeo.  I went to YouTube and got a replacement which seems to be working fine, so if you tried to view the last post and were running into problems, please go back and see the whole thing as it was meant to be seen - there's really some amazing music there.  As for Vimeo, I know you were trying to gain subscribers, but instead you got me telling folks how much you suck, so job well done there  Maybe in the future, you won't put content out there as something good only to later turn around and change the rules...weenies.

Which brings me to This Asshole!  Yes, Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A is back in
the news and back on Daddy's shit list.  As you may remember, Dan Cathy caught a lot of heat for funding anti-LGBT groups.  Protests, counter-protests, boycotting Chick-fil-A, Mike Huckabee calling for a day to support the chickenhawk or something like that - all the whack-jobs came out for that one...
It got nasty for the Chicken Head, because he wanted to build a new Chick-fil-A coop in Chicago, and Alderman Joe Moreno basically said that he wasn't gonna bend the zoning laws required to let Cathy's homophobic chickeny goodness come to Chicago's North side.  So, there was no joy in Mudville...until this story came out (credit to Yahoo News - written by Dylan Stableford)...  

Chick-fil-A agrees to stop funding antigay groups, Chicago alderman says


Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain that sparked a firestorm earlier this year after its president made public comments against same-sex marriage, has agreed to stop funding antigay groups, a Chicago alderman says.
Joe Moreno, the alderman whose opposition of a proposed Chick-fil-A on Chicago's north side helped fuel the controversy, told the Chicago Tribune the company has pledged to include a statement of respect for all sexual orientations in a memo to staffers, and has promised that the WinShape Foundations, its not-for-profit arm, would no longer contribute money to groups that oppose gay marriage. Moreno said he will recommend that Chick-fil-A's construction plans be approved.
"Last week, I met with Chick-fil-A executives for the second time this month," Moreno said in a statement on Wednesday. "These meetings cap 10 months of negotiations with the company over concerns about fair and equal hiring and serving practices within the company. Before now, Chick-fil-A had no formal message as it related to the fair treatment of all citizens in our great democracy. Now, for the first time in the company's history, Chick-fil-A provided an official company document, which clarifies their new policies to ensure equality at Chick-fil-A facilities."
The memo, "Chick-fil-A: Who We Are," will be distributed to all corporate employees and restaurant operators, encouraging them to "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect—regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," Moreno said.
In a letter to the alderman, the company wrote that WinShape is "taking a much closer look at the organizations it considers helping, and in that process will remain true to its stated philosophy of not supporting organizations with political agendas."
Since 2003, the nonprofit has donated millions of dollars to groups that promote "traditional marriage," including Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage. According to the Civil Rights Agenda, a Chicago-based LGBT advocacy group that worked closely with Moreno, Chick-fil-A executives "clarified that they will no longer give to anti-gay organizations."
A Chick-fil-A spokeswoman declined to comment to Yahoo News but forwarded a statement the company made in July:
"The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect —regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," the statement reads. "Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."


Now, let me tell you - Daddy was frigging ecstatic to read that.  Giddy as a school girl I was, and I posted this story immediately on my Facebook page, praising the company for reversing their discriminatory stand.  Unfortunately, that was all too short lived.

Days after Dan Cathy himself said he wouldn't give any more money to anti-LGBT groups, he tweeted this - 

"WinShape Ride for the Family bikers locked and loaded for 200 mile ride to Wilmington out of Charleston."

This event was to raise funds for the Marriage and Family Foundation.  This is the exact group he promised not to support - y'know, the one he's proudly tweeting about supporting right here.

Before, I was pissed at Dan Cathy because he was cherry picking the Bible, and because he and his company were supporting charities that actively wage war against the LGBT community - that's doubly annoying because the idea of a hateful charity seems like an oxymoron to me.

But now, I have to wonder how stupid Dan Cathy thinks we are?  I have met some brilliant liars in my day and, while I don't believe that lying is a good thing, I can't help but appreciate watching a master of the craft weaving a tale of deception that, while being completely fictitious, rings with an undeniable sound of truth. Dan Cathy and others of his ilk are bush league liars; they don't do it well, and they don't even seem to care.  They bullshit for just as long as they have to to get what they want and then act like they never said any of that, that you imagined it, or misinterpreted their words, or the all too popular, "took my words out of context".

Well Dan, you lied.  Simple as that.  Now, I was about to hope that Joe Moreno rescinded his permission to let you build your new store, but the more I think about it, the more I think you should build that store.  Building that store will mean construction jobs, tax revenue, and salaries for your employees.  So build that store.  In fact, build two.

But know this - we're gonna keep reminding people to never eat at your Hate-Shack.  We're gonna keep up the campaign that lunch tastes better without homophobia. Until you stop funding your Anti-LGBT friends, we'll do our best to make sure that your employees always outnumber your customers.   "Eat Mor Chikin"?  How about "Keep the Hate Off My Plate"? That's a slogan I can get behind.

My thanks to Willam Belli, Detox and Vicky Vox for providing the following Chick-fil-A theme song...




 Chow Down, Cathy. 


 Daddy

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of a Musical Interlude



Wassup, potential voting populace?  Disclaimer - the picture above has very little to do with today's post - I just found it and couldn't resist.  I kinda like it, though - these guys might have a chance in Hell in Daddy's neighborhood if they were anything like this pic.

Anyway, there's been a lot of really, really, utterly, completely Stupid Shit coming out of political wordholes lately, and I am doing my very damnedest...to avoid talking about it.  Why?  Because rape is a serious, serious issue - it is a heinous act with devastating, long lasting consequences.  It can all too often be a destroyer of lives.  The last thing - the very LAST thing it should ever be is a prop in some misguided Republican's campaign.  Because it never ends there.  In RepublicanLand, if one of your brothers says something so completely fucking stupid that you check him for signs of severe head trauma, your reaction as a Republican brother MUST be to stand along side the idiot and not only defend him, but rationalize his behavior and question why the liberals are over reacting.  It's the Republican Double Down, and they've perfected it.  I used to think it could be countered; I used to think that if we yelled back just as loudly, that we could possibly change some minds.  But lately, I see more and more that those set in their way of thinking are not going to be changed by logic, or common sense, or facts.  Dave Ramsey has a favorite saying; "Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still".  And it's true.  It is my fervent belief that Barack Obama has been a good President during a very difficult time in our countries history; I further think that he could be a great President if he had a Congress with any motivation to do anything (aside from seeing him fail - they have gleeful amounts of motivation for that - weenies).  But no matter what I believe, no matter what I say, it will not change the right wing hatred of this President.  Why the hatred?  Two reasons;

1. Because they believe what they hear on FOX News.

and/or

2.  They're racist.

That's really it.  Seriously, let's stop sugar coating this - unemployment is down, housing starts are up, the DOW is at near record levels, the auto industry is back, banks have repaid TARP money with interest, and taxes are at their lowest rate since the 1950's  - I could go on, and on, and on - but that doesn't matter.  To the right wing, none of that matters because he's  a Secret Communist Socialist Muslim Kenyan Demon who wants to destroy the US and hates the military and hates America and hates our Freedom and blah, blah, blah - here, have some more Koolaid. It's your favorite flavor - "DumbFuck".

So anyway, Daddy's not gonna change their minds.  And I'm pretty much done trying, so I can just let this be plainly said;

Republicans, we're better than you.  

There.  I said it.  We're better than you.  We're smarter than you, we're more honest than you, we're kinder than you (to everyone, not just the other straight, white guys) we're definitely happier than you ('cause all that hate'll eat you alive - and y'all seem to hate just about EVERYBODY who ain't YOU!) and, most importantly for this post - we sing circles around your sorry asses!

Don't believe me?  Fine - presenting, for your approval (or not - I no longer give a shit), Exhibit A;

On August 21st, an organization called The Chicago Young Republicans (The CYR's) put out a YouTube parody video to "Call Me Maybe" - Check it -



So...yeah.  First of all, I just gotta say, if one more dumb ass tea-bagging bimbo says "Give me back my country" I'm gonna projectile vomit in her general direction.  Sweetheart, your country is still here; it's pretty much the same as it was under the last guy except we're out of Iraq, Osama is dead and there's better healthcare.  Did you want any of those things back the way they were?  Dumb as a box o' rocks, I swear.

But secondly, and far more importantly, I am offended as both a performer and as a professional parody writer by this video.  This was a crass, amateur, seemingly rushed attempt to push through a misguided, non-factual message with little to no thought of the proper execution of such an exercise (which actually sums up the current Republican Congress quite well, so if that was your point - then job well done!)

In contrast, I now present Exhibit B.  "One Term More" is a political parody written by Don DeMesquita to the music of "One Day More" from the musical "Les Miserables" - Check it -


No Contest.

Daddy

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of a Foodie...

As defined by the Wiki -

"Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.

Foodies differ from gourmets in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food."

Daddy...is not a Foodie.  Daddy is the homegrown result of a white bread, middle class family of six from Upstate New York - a homogenized distillation of umpteen generations of WASP cooking - our average menu was the culinary equivalent of low fat mayonnaise, but not quite as flavorful.  Oh, and there was no drinking in my house, either - and that included wine.  So...low fat mayo, and milk.

Since moving out of my parents house over two decades ago, I have certainly expanded my palate (and I've had an awful lot to drink), but I have never, and don't think I will ever be such a "fan" of food that the label of "Foodie" would ever apply to me.  Daddy can give you two shows a night of liberal politics, LGBT rights and a list of which members of Congress are weenies and whack-a-moles (don't worry Boehner - you're still Number 1!) - yeah, with that stuff, I'm here all week, you're a great audience...try the veal.

But if you want to know about the veal...really understand the veal...you don't talk to Daddy.

You go check out "Dinner and a..."

I met Vince Umbrino, Chief Correspondent  of "Dinner and a..." on the set of the web series, "Haywire".  (What?  You've never heard of this critically acclaimed web series featuring Daddy hisself??  Click HERE, and check it out!!)  Since learning about his blog during that initial filming session, I've been dropping  in from time to time when I need a break from my sanctimonious, socialist soapbox and there's always something entertaining to read.  The title of his very first post is,


"And I got six syrups on the table, I gotta use every one of them...otherwise why be there?  
Why be there?"

And that just tickled me.  That's a smile with a side of fries (and the boy's got a thing or twelve to say about fries - don't think he hasn't).   And so, our "Smile of the Week" (or week and a half, or month...I don't know - Smile of the Fortnight?  Let's stick with week, although that's not all together accurate) goes to the lovely and talented Vince Umbrino and "Dinner and a...".  Click the neon burger and check him out - I think you'll be glad you did.


Tell him Daddy sent you,

Daddy

Friday, July 27, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of a Smile


In the 1982 film "Diner" (which if you haven't seen you absolutely, positively HAVE TO SEE! - this, of course, has made me think about all the other films that you absolutely have to see, but I'll post that list another time. Trust me, though - you will not be disappointed).

Okay, I guess that was a stand alone sentence - let me try this again.  In the 1982 movie "Diner", Kevin Bacon has a catchphrase; you'll find him doing something that makes him happy, and he says; "It's a smile".  Not, "It makes me smile" but, "It's a smile" - activity and result have become one - cause and effect have merged.  I love that.

Daddy loves a good smile, and Daddy loves to share - so every once in a while, I'm gonna post a referral and ask you to visit, for a little while, someone that Daddy thinks is pretty cool; something that qualifies as "a smile" or, as Judy Jetson would say, is "the most ut".


Enter Jackson Pearce.

This woman is a smile.  Not because she's pretty (which she is); no, Daddy's got a whole house full of pretty ladies - you've gotta do a lot more than that to turn my head (especially since I've got this arthritic neck that makes it hard to turn my head - I really only do it on special occasions).  Jackson Pearce is funny, and witty; she knows her way around social commentary and is pretty darned handy with a screwdriver.

This is her formal bio (courtesy of http://jackson-pearce.com/ )

"Jackson Pearce lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy. She auditioned for the circus once, but didn’t make it; other jobs she’s had include obituaries writer, biker bar waitress, and receptionist.


Jackson began writing when she got angry that the school librarian couldn’t tell her of a book that contained a smart girl, horses, baby animals, and magic. Her solution was to write the book herself when she was twelve. Her parents thought it was cute at first, but have grown steadily more concerned for her ever since.
Jackson is the author of a series of retold fairytales, including SISTERS RED,SWEETLY, and FATHOMLESS (Fall 2012), as well as two standalones, AS YOU WISH, and PURITY."
As you might have noticed from the bio, Jackson is not someone that would normally come across Daddy's radar (although I was nearly in the circus as well, but that is a story for another time).  So what brought me to her?  What made our stars align?

Chick-fil-A.

Yes, the home of waffle fries and a homophobic CEO.  I was thinking of commenting on the whole Chick-fil-A weirdness but luckily, Jackson Pearce beat me to it and said it better than Daddy could ever have imagined.

And so, without further ado, here is Jackson Pearce;





Thanks for being a smile,

Daddy



PS:  To Jackson - I love that your electrical panel is labelled as well as it is, but I would always caution against trusting those labels and recommend the use of a voltage tester before attacking a light switch.  That said, as a licensed Home Improvement Contractor, I can say with authority that you are 100% correct - you do not need a penis to make repairs around your home.  And I'll never look at a Philips head screwdriver the same way again.  Thanks for that.   ;)

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of Aurora

I'm sorry.

All my life, the movie house has been a special, reverent place - a place of magic and possibility, illusion blending with reality, a place that seemed to contain within its walls the stuff from which dreams were made, at least for me.

It was never supposed to become a living nightmare.  It was never supposed to destroy.  Reality was never supposed to raise it's ugly head and change lives forever in a moment of smoke and gunfire.  It was never supposed to happen.

And for that - for all of the victims of the tragedy in Aurora, I am truly sorry.

It's hard to know what to say - what to do in a time like this.  We can't really look to our elected leaders, since they're all up for re-election and no one wants to piss off the NRA.  I'm not sure why being against automatic weapons in a movie theater should piss off gun owners, but they seem to think that any speaking out against any type of guns is a direct assault on their Second Amendment rights.  Well, sorry guys - Daddy's not running for any office and I feel perfectly secure in using my First Amendment rights to call NRA leaders and lobbyists a bunch of fucking douche bags.  No one, aside from the military, needs to have semi-automatic weapons unless they intend to hurt a lot of people in a short amount of time.  These weapons were banned until you fuckheads got our pistol whipped government to roll over and repeal the ban.  Repealing that ban was truly a senseless act, and it begat another senseless act, in which many innocent lives were lost.  But hey - y'all get to play soldier with your M-16s now, right?  You fucking, fucking, fucktards.

Anyway, while we've had our share of villains in this story, we have also seen a hero or two.  Enter Batman.


Christian Bale and his wife Sibi Blazic visited Aurora, first laying flowers at the makeshift memorial for the victims, then heading to The Medical Center of Aurora where they spent over two hours meeting with doctors, first responders and seven of the wounded.




He was not sent there by Warner Brothers.  There was no press conference.  He asked that the media not be informed of his visit.  In a world seemingly owned and operated by ulterior motive, Christian Bale decided to just do the right thing.


Here he is at the bedside of Carey Rottman, who was quick to post this photo to his Facebook page.  Shortly after the shooting, a Facebook campaign had been launched imploring Bale to go meet with  the victims.  I don't know if that was the impetus for his visit, or if he just decided to go on his own.  I'd like to think it was the latter, but either way - this is what a stand up guy looks like.  Congress - take note.


Carey Rottman was lucky enough to be awake and alert when Batman showed up in his room; Caleb Medley was not as fortunate.


This is Caleb Medley.  Caleb was shot in the eye during Friday's shooting, and is currently in an induced coma.  His wife Katie, who was also at the theater but made it out uninjured, gave birth to their son Hugo in the same hospital on Tuesday.  Caleb has a tough road ahead of him, made tougher by the fact that his medical bills could run as high as $2 million...and he has no insurance.




From The Huffington Post;

"Medley’s story illustrates the dangers of remaining uninsured in America. The Affordable Care Act aims to help the ranks of that class, which has swelled for four straight years and is now approaching 50 million. The law, which the Supreme Court ruled constitutional last month, could extend health care coverage to up to 30 million uninsured Americans like Medley beginning in 2014.
As Medley's tragic story shows, going without health insurance can have stark consequences. About 26,000 Americans died prematurely in 2010 because they lacked health insurance, according to a recent report from Families USA.
In addition to lacking health insurance, rising costs have made it increasingly difficult for Americans to get access to health care. In 2010, Americans spent $2.6 trillion on medical care, a tenfold increase from 1980. That boost in cost pushed nearly 60 percent of Americans  put off or went without health care last year, according to a June report from the Kaiser Family foundation."

There's just so much wrong with this story, it's hard to imagine a happy ending - hard, but not impossible.

First off, if you want to donate to Caleb's medical bills, you can visit the donation website by clicking here .  I would ask - I would practically insist that if you are a card carrying member of the NRA, that you give verrrry generously.  It's the least you can do.

Second, let's talk about some rules and regs for a moment, shall we?  While discussing this subject, folks on the Facebook have trudged out the argument - if the killing had been done with a car, would we rush to outlaw driving?  At first, I argued that cars and guns are two very different things, but then I thought about it.  Perhaps we should treat them the same - as follows; 
Like a car, you must be licensed to operate your weapon.
Like a car, you must pass a test showing that you know how to properly operate your weapon.
Like a car, you must register every weapon you own.
Like a car, you must have all your weapons inspected on a regular basis.
Like a car, you must carry insurance for each of your weapons and their subsequent use.
None of this would infringe on anyone's Second Amendment Rights, but there's a decent chance that it would make gun owners a little more responsible.  Does this do anything about illegal firearms?  Nope, but the shooting in Aurora was done with weapons that were all purchased legally. Well, I'm sorry - but we have to make it just a little more difficult to kill people - it's gotten way too fucking easy.
If you agree with me, call your Reps.  Call your Senators.  Call the White House.  Share this blog entry.  Tell a friend.  Give to Caleb Medley.  Do something, right now, to make things better.  Be the good guy in this movie. Be the hero - 
Be Batman.

Daddy

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of Your Circle of Friends...

FaceBook is funny.

It's social media, for sure - but it's also a social experiment.  We have re-defined the word "friend" as basically anyone that we felt like including in our thoughts, or anyone who's thoughts we were curious about -  sometimes it's just uncomfortable not to friend someone, so you do. Like, you've known of the existence of your best buddy's ex-wife's sister for so long that, when she pops up in the "people you might know" box, you almost feel beholden to "friend" her.  She will often feel equally beholden to you, and she won't want to feel awkward or make you feel skeevy for asking, so she'll accept your friend request.  Congratulations - you have now entered each others worlds.

She now knows of your love of 70's sitcoms, Sarah McLachlan and flan.  You are now keenly aware of her passion for 12th century weaponry, the music of My Chemical Romance and the collected works of Stanley Kubrick (including "Eyes Wide Shut" - no, wait, you misread that...especially "Eyes Wide Shut"...oh dear).

And...you now both know each other's political views.

Sometimes this comes as a sigh of relief.  You see that they've "liked" Rachel Maddow and you know that you can invite them to your hemp rally.  Or, conversely, maybe you see that they had prayed for a third Bush Term and you know you can proudly show them your "I Heart Cheney" underoos (which are doubly cute because the heart symbol is actually a picture of a pacemaker) - btw, I went looking for a picture of that in Google images, and all I could find was this - pretty damned close if you ask me;




But I digress.  You learn about your friends' political views on Facebook, and you can now also see what your friends friends think about all things political, and that's when you start to feel like perhaps you're in a game of "Six Degrees of Fred Phelps".  Daddy is a left wing liberal - that's pretty damned obvious, and I make no secret of it.  As such, I expect a degree of debate and lately, am not at all surprised to see overtones of complete disdain for my opinions.  I'm good with that.  I mean obviously, I think my opinions make more sense than the conservative arguments, but while I heartily wish that the world at large would agree with me completely, I know that others on the opposing side of the discussion have equal conviction to their arguments, so universal group think is probably never gonna happen.  And that's probably a good thing.  Discussion is good.  Debate is good.  It is only through questioning that new answers are found; it is only by debating the old ways that new ways come into being.  A better Tomorrow is achieved by not being satisfied with Today.

However, if you cannot make your argument without resorting to lies, racism and baseless epithets, then I am going to assume that you're argument is not worth very much, if anything at all.  But hell - why even form an argument, when complete and utter disrespect can go so far?  Dave Hurtt, a Florence, MT resident spends $700 to build an outhouse on a trailer - he names it "The Obama Presidential Library" and brings it around to Republican Conventions.  It made an appearance in the Memorial Day Parade in Corvallis, a town in Montana and was also featured outside the Montana GOP convention and prior to that at their annual Lincoln-Reagan Luncheon.  Andy Griffith, American Icon, passes away and is vilified by the Right Wing, because he apparently was a supporter of Obama.  They're "glad this idiot is dead".  He's "another hollywood commie lib" - here's my fav, from someone who likes to call himself "godisangry" - "Griffin, like all other liberals who have (sic) die, is now in helll paying the high price for his support of Obama and other liberal causes". 


That's how y'all talk about Sheriff Andy?  Damn...that's cold.


Now, I know what you're saying - they're not ALL like that...no, they're not.  Some of them just dole out the Socialist, Muslim Kenyan schtick; some of them openly declare that their number one mission is to make Obama a one term President and gleefully do their best to muck up the works.  But most of them take all of the failures, all of the epic disasters of the Bush Administration, lay them at Obama's feet and say, "It's all your fault."  It's a great way to wage an election battle, but it's a senseless way to debate the issues in a way that will benefit the country as a whole.

And that's the point...of fucking everything.  The Benefit of the Country as a WHOLE.  A rising tide lifts ALL ships.  A successful team beats with ONE heart.  Here's a favorite teamwork quote;

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives.It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

That last quote is from Andrew Carnegie.  Andrew Carnegie came to this country from Scotland in 1848.  His first job was as a factory worker in a bobbin factory.  He went on to become the second richest man in history and one of the most important philanthropists of his era.  He was a man that could see how capitalism and the common good could work together in harmony; indeed, he viewed business as simply a means to an end, as a tool for the betterment of many, not as an endless quest to attain all of the worlds fortunes for himself.

I'm going to show you a video now. It's from 2009, but it's still relevant.  I think Andrew Carnegie would agree wholeheartedly with the content of this vid - in my opinion, it's a good, positive message, serving as a reminder that we're all in this together.  However, if you view this on YouTube and look at the comments section, you will of course see the Right Wing tearing the piece apart. Please, whether you're Right, Left, or anywhere in between - watch the video.  Then watch it again.  Take notes.  If you disagree with any of what's being said here, let me know in the comments section.  Tell me why.  Convince me that this is wrong - that what these people are saying is flawed and should not happen.  Do it with fact based realities, not right induced rhetoric or thinly veiled racism.  If your argument is strong, you should have no problem stating it like that.  If not, perhaps you should abandon your argument altogether.  Just a thought.  Watch the video;




Tell a Friend, 

Daddy

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of the Highs and Lows


It's easy to forget, but despite all the ups and downs in the economy, we're still one of the wealthiest countries on the planet.

I know, I know - we're supposed to forget about that - "we totally can't afford social programs because we simply don't have the money." Which is just pure horseshit, but it's an election year, so that's what we're expected to swallow.


A lot of the horseshit revolves around what they've decided to call "entitlement programs" - Social Security, Medicare - what you and I call FICA tax. Daddy's been paying the FICA since 16 years of age - that's over 30 years of paying for my Social Security and Medicare, not to mention Unemployment Insurance. So..."entitlement programs"? Damned skippy I'm entitled - stop saying "entitlement" like it's a bad thing that someday I'm gonna want all that money you took from me. That's almost as ludicrous as you idiots in Congress thinking that you are "entitled" to my money. Weenies.


To be fair, Daddy is hoping not to have to use societies safety nets, but Daddy is a White American Male, and wearing that suit makes you look at the world a certain way. It's not necessarily a good way, or a bad way - it's just one facet of perspective. John Steinbeck once said, "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires". Never is that more true than in the hallowed halls of Old White Guy Land, but it's true of most Americans. We are a fascinating people - your average American can wake up, step out of his double wide past his '79 Camaro which has been on blocks since the Clinton years and stroll through the trailer park grinning at all the poor sons-a-bitches that are just gonna loose their shit when this fella makes it big. Maybe it's his upcoming American Idol audition, maybe it's the trip to A.C. that he's got planned now that he's totally memorized the "Pocket Guide to Winning Blackjack", maybe it's just the proverbial "dollar and a dream" - whatever the talisman, it's secret magical property can be boiled down to a word - "Hope".


Hope completely defies logic. It denies the reality of today over the dreamy possibility of "Some Day". Despite the Republicans belief that the poor just love getting those "free" government benefits, the poor aren't any different from any one of us. They want their brighter Some Day too.


Believe it or not, the basic welfare recipient doesn't want to remain the basic welfare recipient. One of the main reasons for this is because they have to depend on the government for their survival, and you'd have to be pretty damned stupid to wanna depend on a government like the one we have right now for anything. These assholes decide to shut the whole thing down if the White House Soup of the Day has too many beans in it. For weeks, foreign policy, economic policy, infrastructure measures, the very business of keeping the whole damned country running - all that has been tossed aside so we can talk about nothing but Trans Vaginal Probes, forcing women to look at monitors prior to an abortion, de-funding Planned Parenthood, proposing bills that would force women to tell their employer why they need birth control!?!? Government has lost its ever loving mind and has gone into the Lady Parts Control Business. Do you really think that you'd want to depend on these vagina centered whack-a-moles for your food money? For your prescription money? For your bus money???

The irony here is that they do these things largely in the name of Christ (Everything sounds better with Christ! Trans Vaginal Probes - now with extra Jesus!!). The reality is that the words abortion and blastocyst appear no where in the bible, because Christ did not speak about them. What Jesus did speak about an awful lot was the poor. Jesus loved the poor. Jesus said the poor inherit the Kingdom of God. Jesus said that when you care for the poor, you care for him.


Jesus said love one another.


Rick Santorum said that there can be no such thing as a Liberal Christian; apparently, he knows what "Real Christians" look like, and we ain't it. Well, I know the teachings of Christ, and they are as liberal as you can get. Luckily, I don't need the likes of Santorum to talk to me about religion, or governing for that matter, as he seems to have little real understanding of either. What I would like, if it's at all possible, is for he and his ridiculous political friends and associates to go home. Get out of the way and let us go back to being the type of nation that takes care of our own, that shares in the burden, that truly unites instead of divides, because what y'all are spreading is just pure poison, and too many of us are sick enough from it already.


We are the United States of America.


United We Stand; Divided We Fall.



Out of Many...One.


That's all of us. You don't like it? Then You get the hell out.



We've got Real Work to do.





God Bless Us. Every One of Us.

Daddy

Thursday, February 23, 2012

An Open Letter to the Kids

It Gets Better.

Dan Savage, Ke$ha, Kathy Griffin, Perez Hilton, Hillary Clinton, Jason Derulo, Neil Patrick Harris, President Obama and countless others have made videos telling you this; you've been hearing it all year, from people older than you who have already arrived at that magical, mystical land of "Better", but maybe you're not there yet. And this is about Now, right?

I know - it's not "Better" right now. Sometimes "right now" just sucks.

I don't know you - you could be gay, bi, lesbian - you could be trans trying to figure out where you fit on that whole spectrum, you could be questioning who you are, who you love - hell, you could even be straight - I don't know you....

But I've been there, too.

I've been on the bad side of a fist to the face. I've gotten my head put through a window for being "different"...and it sucked. Haters have been around since...well, since EVER, and honestly - I don't know if we'll ever be able to get rid of them entirely. It would be nice, but most likely, there's always gonna be someone who despises "different".

Haters are gonna hate; you sure as hell don't need Daddy to tell you that.

I'll tell you something though - in the end, the haters of this world don't win. I know - it feels like they're gonna win - it always feels like that. Any time real social change has come about, it has always felt like a lost cause...until it won. In the end, human beings want to help people more than we want to cause pain. We want to love more than we want to hate. Creation is always more rewarding than destruction. Hate is backward thinking; Love is forward thinking. You have to keep moving forward.

The Right Wing thinks that your generation is lazy; that you're a bunch of slackers with no direction just looking for a handout. They think that they can not only deprive you of rights that they take for granted, but try to further limit those rights that you already have. Why? Because they don't like who you are. And they don't think you'll fight back.

Well, you have to fight. Y'know why it gets better? Because of all those brave folks that fought to get to where we are today. The Mattachine Society, Harvey Milk, Lee Brewster, Sylvia Rivera, Michael Callen, Audre Lorde, Christine Jorgensen, the patrons of Compton's Cafeteria, the brave Kings and Queens of the Stonewall riots and way too many other people to mention here - our society is where it is today because these people, these amazing people, stood up to the hate and fought to make a place for themselves in this world. Now it's your turn. If you're at the bottom right now...if you feel like things just couldn't get any worse and you couldn't fall down any further...then there's no where to go but up. Take a minute, take a breath - get some sleep and wake up tomorrow ready to move forward. Ready to make your way. Some days it won't happen. Some days will feel like you're going backwards. But you'll get there - you'll get to that magical, mystical place called "Better" - if you keep fighting, if you keep trying...

If you keep waking up to a new tomorrow.

Please don't give up. Please, please don't let the Haters win. I know that life might be Hell for you right now. But, as someone once said,

"When you're going through Hell...keep going."

The video below is a song by a group called XELLE - they'll be donating proceeds of this song to GLSEN, who will be putting that money to work in their efforts to ensure that schools are safe for every student, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Listen. Buy. Support.

Fight.



Stay strong, kid. We'll see you tomorrow.

Love. Always.

Daddy

Send Out The Clowns









First, they came for the Muppets, and I didn't speak out, because I was not a Muppet...



Then they came for the Girl Scouts, and I didn't speak out, because I was not a Girl Scout...



But then they came for THE LORAX -











































When you come for the Lorax, Daddy is just gonna lose his shit. Lou Dobbs acts like The Lorax is a recent creation, penned by Obama hisself as a new mascot for the 99% movement.




Lou Dobbs is a Weenie.




The Lorax has been around since 1971, written during a period of time when the Pacific Northwest was being stripped of great swaths of forests, and much of the rest of the country was suffering from the effects of massive littering, dumping and industrial waste. I used to think that industrial waste being dumped into the Great Lakes was something that could be universally thought of as being "bad". But the folks at FOX News seem to think that cleaning up the environment is a Communist plot.

I simply have no words to counter such incredible stupidity.

These are the people that warned of "the Gay Teletubbie"; these are the people that said you could get a pap smear and breast exam at Walgreens. If you think of the words coming out of their mouths as anything but comedy, you do so at your own peril.

But, in case you do take them seriously, let Daddy calm your fears -



The Muppets are not out to get you.

The Girl Scouts are not a threat to your way of life.

Dr. Seuss and his books will not bring about the downfall of society.

Adults who try to make you scared of these things are funny clowns, and should not be taken seriously.




Watch;




Keep Smiling,

Daddy








Monday, February 13, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of "Getting Better"

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

Matthew 22:39


"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

John 15:12


"God is Love."

1 John 4:8


No where in the New Testament does it say - "except for gay people". Y'know why? Jesus didn't exclude. All have sinned. All those who believe can have everlasting life. All are worthy of God's love.


The good people of the Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin school district didn't get the memo, apparently, and had made it a part of school policy that anyone gay or perceived to be so could be heckled, tormented, beaten and verbally tortured - their lives could be made a living hell until suicide appeared to be the only escape. And, if that was the district's goal, well then - job well done.


Nine students in this school district took their own lives within a two year period. Because, in their school district, hating on people is okay. Beating up what you don't understand is okay. Fighting for the death of anyone that is not exactly like you...okay. And children died. Now listen, I don't give a damn what you believe, or what you think is right, or what qualifies as acceptable behavior in your little backwater - there's one thing that you need to know, and it's pretty frigging universal -


Children are not supposed to die.




CHILDREN ARE NEVER SUPPOSED TO DIE.



Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God.
Mark 10:14


Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
Mt 18:10


Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Mt 18:14


I want to thank Mitchell S. Gilbert over at Addicting Info for his article about this ("LGBT Teens Need Lifeguards: No Experience Required") and for linking to the following video. I first watched this vid early this morning...and it left me a puddle on the floor. Now, let me tell you - Daddy is one jaded son of a gun, especially before his first cup of coffee, but this song had me weeping. Because it's filled with Love. It's filled with Hope. It's filled with a spirit and a voice and a prayer that might have saved those nine innocent souls, might have helped them make it through another day, if only they had been able to hear it.





"What we call love is the way we reconcile our search for individual fulfillment with the fact that we are social animals. For love means creating for another the space in which another person might flourish, at the same time as the other person does this for you. The fulfillment of each becomes the ground for the fulfillment of the other."
~Terry Eagleton



Spread the Love,

Daddy

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of a Do Si Do

Ladies and Gentlemen, please ready your check books,
prepare your sweet tooth, and return your tray tables to their
upright positions.

It's Go Time.

A few weeks ago, I told you about a girl in California that wanted you to support hate, bigotry and closemindedness by NOT buying Girl Scout Cookies this year. She wanted to send a message to the Girl Scouts of America that treating a transgender seven year old girl with respect, love and support was wrong. Daddy would like your help in sending the opposite message - any organization open and intelligent enough to set aside byzantine stereotypes and fears - any group that chooses instead to support a child that many in our society would completely shun (on a good day) - well son, that group gets Daddy's Seal of Approval. That group gets Daddy's cash.

I'd take a cookie for that group.

I hope you will all join me in making this a record-breaking year for Girl Scout Cookies sales. Now, I know there's a lot of us that have sworn off sweets, and I don't want anyone to have to compromise their convictions. Luckily, there's a way you can support the GSA and our US Armed Forces, and you don't have to let one Thin Mint pass your lips.

It's called "Operation Cookie Drop" - here's a bit from the GSA blog - click the hyperlink if you want to go there directly;

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Operation Cookie Drop a Huge Success


DVIDS reports that United States service members recently got a taste of home with cookies donated by Girls Scout of Hudson Valley, N.Y., through Operation Cookie Drop.

Operation Cookie Drop began in the wake of the aftermath of 9/11. Girl Scout communities all over the Hudson Valley began sending cards, letters and boxes of Girl Scout cookies to as many servicemen and women they could. The project began with 36 girls and 111 boxes of cookies and has now expanded to 849 girls and 56,000 boxes of cookies. Girl Scouts along with 25 sailors from Fort Dix, N.J., helped package boxes of cookies in preparation for shipment to troops serving overseas. The cookies were donated by customers who wanted to send cookies to the service members stationed overseas. In addition to the 56,000 Girl Scout cookies shipped to Kuwait, 1,000 boxes went to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. for wounded warriors, 2,000 boxes went to Stewart Air Force Base, N.Y., to be flown out to Iraq and Afghanistan and 1,500 additional boxes were sent out by local Girl Scout communities to soldiers from the Hudson Valley serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Pretty Cool, huh? You can support the GSA, support the troops, and still maintain that New Years Resolution. All of the Good and none of the Guilt. I love it.

Another way you can show your support is through a group called TransYouth Family Allies. This group now features a Transgender Girl Scout Support Page. From there, you can learn more about this issue, donate to the Girl Scouts of Colorado or donate to GSA Colorado's "Power Up" program, which now has new LGBT anti-bullying support included in the curriculum.

Finally, if you just want to buy massive amounts of cookies for you and your family, friends, PTA, church group, local food bank - you can do that, too! Here's the link to your handy dandy cookie finder, where you can find out what troop is selling cookies near you - click the cookie -







Help the Girl Scouts out this year. It's the yummiest Good you'll ever do.





Daddy

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Daddy on the Edge of a Tagalong


Happy New Year! Have a cookie.

I know, I know - lots of people make New Years Resolutions to lose weight, and my demand that you eat more cookies surely flies in the face of that...but you must. You simply must. Not just any cookies, mind you - I'm asking that you consume mass quantities of Girl Scout Cookies. Why?


Because there's a terribly misguided little girl in California who wants you to boycott Girl Scout cookies. She wants you to punish the organization for trying to be progressive, for trying to be fair - she wants to hurt The Girl Scouts for acknowledging and accepting that girls come in all shapes and sizes - and that sometimes, they're not born with girl parts.

The following video was difficult for me to post. I don't like giving this girl and her message a platform, but she raises issues here that do need to be addressed and, rather than paraphrase her words, I'm putting the whole damned message right here for you to view. Listen closely to what she has to say - there will be a test after;






Now, let me say right here - Daddy doesn't want to hate on this girl, and Daddy's not gonna hate on this girl. I've seen some people say some really nasty things in response to this video - called this child all manner of hateful names, and it saddens me. No; strike that - it pisses me off. Is she misguided? Yes, I believe she is. Is it unfortunate that she has been taught to believe what she seems to believe? You betcha. But let's keep this in mind - she's a kid. And sometimes kids don't know any better. Sometimes kids are just repeating what they've been taught, and sometimes what they've been taught is seriously flawed.

So, kiddo - let's go to school.

I've got a couple of issues with some of the terminology that you use in this video. Apparently, a bit of clarification is in order. Let's start with your repeated use of the phrase "transgender boys". Now, transgender has become somewhat of an umbrella term; based on what you're describing - a child born a boy who insists that she is a girl and wants to live as a girl - that type of person would be called a transsexual. Any good informational website dealing with transgender issues will explain to you that, when discussing transsexual people you are basically dealing with two terms - "Male to Female" (aka M2F) and "Female to Male" (aka F2M). When you say "transgender boys" I know that you're talking about transsexual people that were born as boys who are now living as girls (M2F), but your term means exactly the opposite. A transgender boy would be someone who was born as a girl who is now living as a boy (F2M) and, on average, pretty much the last thing a transgender boy would want would be to join The Girl Scouts, okay?

Next - your phrase "any boy who wants to be a girl". Transgenderism is a difficult concept to wrap one's brain around, mostly because the major organ involved in identifying as the opposite sex isn't the one between your legs; it's the one between your ears.

It is your brain, not your vagina or your penis, that tells you who and what gender you are. Someone who is truly transgender, who strongly identifies as being of the opposite sex, does not simply "want to be a girl"; someone who is truly transgender sees themselves as being of the opposite gender, and desperately wants to be accepted as such. The kids you are referring to don't "want to be girls"; they are girls, and they can't understand why you can't just let them be who they know they are.

Ironically, another of your statements drives that point home - you say that The Girl Scouts encourage their members to "just be yourself and who you are - not something you're not". Transgender people who are still in the closet - who are afraid to present their true, core being to the world for fear of ridicule, hatred or brutality - they feel unable to be themselves. They feel forced to be something they're not. They feel compelled to comply with norms and stereotypes that do not apply to them; forced to engage in activities where they find no joy, simply because it is what is expected of their assigned gender role. This transgender girl that's got you in such an uproar (who is seven years old, by the way), is actually attempting to be herself. She wants to be just like any other girl and, in this society, that is one of the bravest things she can do.



Understand this - if you are "yourself", everyone accepts you as such. When transgender people are "themselves", they go out into the world with the full knowledge that they may be laughed at, mocked, outed, discriminated against, beaten or killed. And yet, they go.





You wish you could be that brave.



Finally, you are upset with the GSA for making these allowances and exceptions "for a small amount of people". Sweetheart, just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There are more transgender people in the world than you can possibly imagine. The more accepting we can be as a society will help determine how many more of them will come out of the shadows, in to the light of day; longing for that acceptance - looking for the type of folks that will help people at all times. Looking for people that will embrace the following as it applies to them;



I will do my best to be



Honest and Fair,



Friendly and Helpful,



Considerate and Caring,



Courageous and Strong, and



Responsible for what I say and do,



And to



respect myself and others,



respect authority,



use resources wisely,



make the world a better place, and



be a sister to every Girl Scout.









To learn more about The Girls Scouts, click Here

To learn where you can buy Girl Scout Cookies, click Here


Do a Good Turn Daily,

Daddy