A friend of mine told me she liked reading my blogs if they had a topic she cared about. I told her to pick any topic and I would blog about it so she could read something she cared about. Well, the topic she picked was Justin Bieber. I told her I accepted the challenge but that she probably wouldnt like my response.
I did a quick Google of the kid, just to get a few basic facts straight. He was born in Canada in 1994. He actually does play some instruments which I have to admit raises the bar on the guy for me a little. apparently he plays guitar, piano, percussion, and trumpet. It doesnt say how well he plays them though so I am reserved a bit on those.
Bieber marks the beginning of an entire new Genre of musician, the youtube sensation. First we had the performers that played live and were "discovered" by agents. Then we had the American Idol types of artist that duked it out in contest for a chance to be the next big thing. Now The Beeb is here, a product of being discovered on YouTube and molded into an entertainment powerhouse by professionals. Make no mistake about it, Bieber is a big deal. Platinum albums are already present in his resume'. His net worth in 2011 was 110 million. Then why is it that someone that is so popular and recognized sends shivers up my back worse than when Quint scraped his nails down the chalkboard in the city council meeting in the movie Jaws? I guess because its just wrapped up in such a neat little package and crammed down our throats as if this is the future of music in the world today. I feel there is a difference between music and entertainment. All music is entertainment, but all entertainment is not music. You either love him or hate him. I dont think he will stay around long, but I may be wrong.
I love music, all kinds of music. I can usually find something good in any tune, and his sounds arent any different. I sometimes catch myself tapping a foot or humming the lyrics "Baby..Baby...Baby..OHHH. Admit it, you have too. But there is something left to be desired in computer generated music and beat boxes. Listen, I think I just heard Jimi Hendrix roll over in his grave. I guess it is just normal for each generation to look down on the music of the next, but I think i am close to right on this one. My daughter, that is about to turn 14 has always despised the Beeb, and so does my oldest son. So I know there is hope in their musical taste.
So as for this corporation produced, cookie cutter recipe entertainer, I wish him the best. He has already exceeded my net worth by a few dollars so he doesnt really need my endorsements. I hope that in his progressing age, Justin realizes the need to change and keep fresh, and to rely on his talents (if they do exist) instead of white collar excutives following the greenbacks. To be his own...gulp!...man.. and take care of business will allow him to have a productive, long lasting career. Just remember to add some guitars to your music and MORE COW BELL!!!
So that is my blog on Justin Bieber. Not as bad as I thought it would be, maybe I realized a few things as I wrote this, maybe I am just unattached. There is a demand for what he does for sure, I am just glad that 10 to 18 year old girls dont vote yet. So I return my brain now to distortion pedals, double bass drum rolls, and wicked guitar licks that leave me begging for more...Van Halen is now in control of my mind again, fasten your seatbelts.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
A Supreme Mistake
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court made a ruling on the laws that the State of Arizona have been trying to enforce lately in an attempt to protect itself and the people that live there. Arizona has found itself in the middle of a battle over a states right to govern themselves independently against federal laws that are set forth for our nation. Texas and Arizona are the front lines of an increasing problem in this country, and make no mistake, it effects you greatly.
I know I have blogged before about the immigration laws and the effects on our nation, but this is worthy of revisiting because it is so important. First, let me state this. I have no problems with the Mexican people. This isnt an Anti-Mexican issue. This is a discussion of law. We as a country have to have laws, we have to have borders, we have to have accountability for ourselves. When this ceases to exists, so will our country.
I am a simple man, I try to keep things simple in my life. I do not claim, by far, to know more about the law than the supreme court justices, but I know that something is horribly wrong. This is the one rule that I think is the problem right now. If you are in this country without citizenship or documentation you are considered an illegal alien. It is a violation of federal law to enter this country unrecognized. If this wasnt such an issue, why have we had U.S. Customs agents at crossings and airports for decades now to protect this? Is this a discrimination issue? No, it is a safety issue. Every developed nation in the world has strict guidelines on entering their country. It baffles me when the Liberals here state we are being to tough on immigrants and that the government should just leave them alone. Just try to go visit ANY other country without good documentation and see how far you make it.
The current administration has figured out that if they can appease the Hispanics in this country and promise them amnesty from deportation, it will increase their voting base and assure them re-election. Thats right, compromise your safety for another term in office. But wait, dont you have to be a citizen of the United States and show I.D before you can vote? Not if Obama has his way. Think about this, the most precious value that we have as US citizens, as carefully put in place by our founding fathers to guarantee our freedoms and rights, are being cast aside by a power hungry administration with a tremendous liberal agenda. I have news for you Obama, it wont work...illegals will not vote in the general election..this I promise. You will have compromised the dignity of the country you are sworn to protect and endanger the prosperity of this great nation. Shame on you for not standing up with the State of Arizona and saying enough is enough, we will support you. I promise the people in Arizona have a clue what they are talking about.
If our borders go unprotected, and people arent required to be readily identified, we might as well just pull our border patrol agents off the walls, TSA from out of the airports, and throw our customs regulations in the trash. we can use the money saved from all those salaries to help pay for the free health care and entitlements that all the illegal, oh i'm sorry, I mean new undocumented citizens, will need to survive. I promise I will work harder so more of my paycheck can be taken away to support our new citizens.
I welcome immigrants to the United States, its what we are. I have good friends and even close family that were born in Mexico and are here legally, and take great pride in their citizenship or visa's. I am lucky, I didnt choose America and have to fight my way in here, I was just born here. The people I know that chose to come here, and do it right, I have the utmost respect for. President Obama is trashing their hard work and determination to better themselves by granting Amnesty to the illegals that have made it in and stayed hidden long enough. So keep the faith....If you are a rapist, murderer, kidnapper, dope dealer, child molester or just run of the mill thief, dont give up hope, you soon to may be accepted as the new "norm" in our society. Just dont forget to vote for OBAMA!!!!!
\
I know I have blogged before about the immigration laws and the effects on our nation, but this is worthy of revisiting because it is so important. First, let me state this. I have no problems with the Mexican people. This isnt an Anti-Mexican issue. This is a discussion of law. We as a country have to have laws, we have to have borders, we have to have accountability for ourselves. When this ceases to exists, so will our country.
I am a simple man, I try to keep things simple in my life. I do not claim, by far, to know more about the law than the supreme court justices, but I know that something is horribly wrong. This is the one rule that I think is the problem right now. If you are in this country without citizenship or documentation you are considered an illegal alien. It is a violation of federal law to enter this country unrecognized. If this wasnt such an issue, why have we had U.S. Customs agents at crossings and airports for decades now to protect this? Is this a discrimination issue? No, it is a safety issue. Every developed nation in the world has strict guidelines on entering their country. It baffles me when the Liberals here state we are being to tough on immigrants and that the government should just leave them alone. Just try to go visit ANY other country without good documentation and see how far you make it.
The current administration has figured out that if they can appease the Hispanics in this country and promise them amnesty from deportation, it will increase their voting base and assure them re-election. Thats right, compromise your safety for another term in office. But wait, dont you have to be a citizen of the United States and show I.D before you can vote? Not if Obama has his way. Think about this, the most precious value that we have as US citizens, as carefully put in place by our founding fathers to guarantee our freedoms and rights, are being cast aside by a power hungry administration with a tremendous liberal agenda. I have news for you Obama, it wont work...illegals will not vote in the general election..this I promise. You will have compromised the dignity of the country you are sworn to protect and endanger the prosperity of this great nation. Shame on you for not standing up with the State of Arizona and saying enough is enough, we will support you. I promise the people in Arizona have a clue what they are talking about.
If our borders go unprotected, and people arent required to be readily identified, we might as well just pull our border patrol agents off the walls, TSA from out of the airports, and throw our customs regulations in the trash. we can use the money saved from all those salaries to help pay for the free health care and entitlements that all the illegal, oh i'm sorry, I mean new undocumented citizens, will need to survive. I promise I will work harder so more of my paycheck can be taken away to support our new citizens.
I welcome immigrants to the United States, its what we are. I have good friends and even close family that were born in Mexico and are here legally, and take great pride in their citizenship or visa's. I am lucky, I didnt choose America and have to fight my way in here, I was just born here. The people I know that chose to come here, and do it right, I have the utmost respect for. President Obama is trashing their hard work and determination to better themselves by granting Amnesty to the illegals that have made it in and stayed hidden long enough. So keep the faith....If you are a rapist, murderer, kidnapper, dope dealer, child molester or just run of the mill thief, dont give up hope, you soon to may be accepted as the new "norm" in our society. Just dont forget to vote for OBAMA!!!!!
\
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
To Arms! To Arms!
Another timely topic that has been bouncing around in my head for some time that I now feel inclined to write about due to some recent events. First, I want you to imagine a scenario.....A man that is coming down from a three day high and is in need of some quick money so he can fix his habit, decides to rob the gas station on the corner with little or no regard for the clerk or customers. As he starts to walk in he notices a sign on the door that says "No concealed handguns permitted on premises". At this point, what do you believe the reaction will be? "Darn, I cant rob this store, they don't allow guns in here!" Umm, probably not. No, he will enter the store and begin his 2 minute reign of terror just so he can get high again. The majority of these robberies are quick and no one gets hurt if everyone complies. There is a pretty good chance though of someone getting hurt or killed if one thing goes wrong. Say the man behind the counter is an owner/operator at this store and decides to resist the robber, so not to suffer any losses himself. A shot rings out and the owner falls to the floor...bleeding. Time stops for everyone in the store......the robber has now, in the blink of an eye, become a murderer. The stakes are higher, and there are witnesses. He stops and wonders if he should shoot the other two people in the store that can identify him. He can't reason because he is coming down off a high and decides to just shoot the other customers. One of the customers is a man that usually carries a concealed handgun, but has left it in his car because more and more businesses don't allow them anymore.
A telephone rings...playing a familiar song. The woman answers only to be told by police that her husband has been killed in a robbery in town at a gas station. The woman weeps and falls to the floor as her two kids look on and try to figure out what is going on.
This is a sad story, but one that is repeated everyday all across the country. The location may be slightly different, the details vary, but good people are killed by bad people all the time. It is very difficult for good, law abiding citizens to protect themselves today against the maniacs that enter stores, work sites, and schools in attempt to do harm to others. This is why it is very important for the administrators and law makers to understand how crucial it is that you do not disarm people who are qualified and trained to carry guns. I cant sit here and quote statistics and case studies in particular, but i can tell you there have been crimes stopped and lives saved by good people being armed in a crisis situation.
I am a firm believer that when you start to regulate guns in The United States, only criminals will benefit. They think it would be great if we took all the guns away from the good people in this country. The second amendment of The Constitution of the United States guarantees the right of "a Well Regulated Militia" to keep and bear arms. George Washington interpreted that a "well Regulated Militia" consisted of every able bodied man in the country. The Supreme Court has often fought over the clash in terms and has never struck down any piece of legislation on second amendment grounds.
In the state of Arkansas, to carry a concealed firearm you have to take the class from a qualified instructor, pass all kinds of tests and background checks, and demonstrate your ability to handle the firearm. I have taken the class before, and all the situations in which lawmakers are weary of covered in the class. Believe me, people that have taken the class know what is and isnt expected of the responsibility of having a weapon. Its not up to the liberal government to tell us what we need to do to make it safe.
Then why would the government not want us to have guns? Our forefathers ,in the infancy of this country, understood this perfectly. They were oppressed by an imposed military government that did not allow you to freely express yourself. In order to create the country and the government we desired, every man had to take up arms to resist and fight for the independence that we enjoy today. If the men of the time hadn't had weapons of their own, just try to imagine what direction this country might have gone. That being said, do you ever wonder what you would do if the government we have now grows to big and powerful and starts to put regulations and rules into place that we as citizens find to be intolerable? What if the majority rule starts to fail and a choice, small group begins to run the government as they see fit and democracy is overturned?
As the world changes, and criminals are allowed to run freely among the good people of this country, I advise you to educate your family, especially your kids, on safety and self defense. The court system is failing right now due to being completely overwhelmed and the jails are too full. I have news for you people....you would not believe the amount of violent offenders being let out of jails now to save money or make room for the newly convicted. It is sad to have to be the harbinger of such news, but protect your family! The government wont do it. Law Enforcement is stretched thin. When facing a dangerous situation, and things seem bleak for you and death seems imminent, I promise, you are going to wish someone in the room had the means to stop it. I choose to rely on myself!
A telephone rings...playing a familiar song. The woman answers only to be told by police that her husband has been killed in a robbery in town at a gas station. The woman weeps and falls to the floor as her two kids look on and try to figure out what is going on.
This is a sad story, but one that is repeated everyday all across the country. The location may be slightly different, the details vary, but good people are killed by bad people all the time. It is very difficult for good, law abiding citizens to protect themselves today against the maniacs that enter stores, work sites, and schools in attempt to do harm to others. This is why it is very important for the administrators and law makers to understand how crucial it is that you do not disarm people who are qualified and trained to carry guns. I cant sit here and quote statistics and case studies in particular, but i can tell you there have been crimes stopped and lives saved by good people being armed in a crisis situation.
I am a firm believer that when you start to regulate guns in The United States, only criminals will benefit. They think it would be great if we took all the guns away from the good people in this country. The second amendment of The Constitution of the United States guarantees the right of "a Well Regulated Militia" to keep and bear arms. George Washington interpreted that a "well Regulated Militia" consisted of every able bodied man in the country. The Supreme Court has often fought over the clash in terms and has never struck down any piece of legislation on second amendment grounds.
In the state of Arkansas, to carry a concealed firearm you have to take the class from a qualified instructor, pass all kinds of tests and background checks, and demonstrate your ability to handle the firearm. I have taken the class before, and all the situations in which lawmakers are weary of covered in the class. Believe me, people that have taken the class know what is and isnt expected of the responsibility of having a weapon. Its not up to the liberal government to tell us what we need to do to make it safe.
Then why would the government not want us to have guns? Our forefathers ,in the infancy of this country, understood this perfectly. They were oppressed by an imposed military government that did not allow you to freely express yourself. In order to create the country and the government we desired, every man had to take up arms to resist and fight for the independence that we enjoy today. If the men of the time hadn't had weapons of their own, just try to imagine what direction this country might have gone. That being said, do you ever wonder what you would do if the government we have now grows to big and powerful and starts to put regulations and rules into place that we as citizens find to be intolerable? What if the majority rule starts to fail and a choice, small group begins to run the government as they see fit and democracy is overturned?
As the world changes, and criminals are allowed to run freely among the good people of this country, I advise you to educate your family, especially your kids, on safety and self defense. The court system is failing right now due to being completely overwhelmed and the jails are too full. I have news for you people....you would not believe the amount of violent offenders being let out of jails now to save money or make room for the newly convicted. It is sad to have to be the harbinger of such news, but protect your family! The government wont do it. Law Enforcement is stretched thin. When facing a dangerous situation, and things seem bleak for you and death seems imminent, I promise, you are going to wish someone in the room had the means to stop it. I choose to rely on myself!
Inside Out
Hello folks, its been awhile as i have experienced a writers block, or a lack of enthusiasm towards getting these rants posted. I have actually written a couple that never made it past the publish button. Today will be different, I may even post two blogs! Today I thought I would dive in head first into some pretty hard core issues that may come up in my bid for President.
Gay Marriage. Just those two words together strike a passion into most like a bugle playing charge on the battlefield. Others would argue that the two together are an oxymoron. There are morons alright, plenty of them, on both sides of the fence. Most of the problem comes from fear, and we fear what we don't understand. It is difficult to regulate and legislate what we do not understand. It is a complicated issue because it is something that lies at the core of what some people are. Homosexuality is not a disease. Treating it as such is just showing your ignorance. Its not a social trend either. Homosexuality has also been present as long as people have . Is it more prevalent now? Yes. It is socially more acceptable now, so more and more people are able to express their feelings without fear of reprisal. For me, this is how I see it. I don't want to know the personal details of your sex life regardless of who you like to sleep with. As far as I am concerned, it is your personal, private, life and you should keep it there. Why should it be such a public matter? Ill tell you why. Marriage. I will say this though...Dancing through the streets almost naked or dressed in crazy costumes like its Carnival season doesn't advance the cause much in my opinion, in fact it really hurts it.
I have always been one to say that marriage is between a man and a woman as a contract with God to serve one another and raise a family in a stable home. Now, that being said, try to find a family that consists of a man and woman that got married before they had children, then had children, raised them in a stable home and died together holding hands in the nursing home. Its a beautiful thing if you know someone like this, and I do, but I also know of plenty of people that don't, and can no way, fit into this mold.
I have friends that are openly gay, and friends that struggle with their sexuality everyday. Everybody in this world is entitled to their own happiness as long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's freedoms.Everyone needs a companion in their life to share their world, regardless of what we all think is right or wrong individually. Therefore I do believe that it should be ok for same sex partners to enter into a marriage if they think they are ready to commit to each other. Some of the biggest opponents of gay marriage probably cheat on their wives anyway.
I also know that we have a tremendous amount of children in this country that are in need of someone to love them, and a house to grow up in. A child needs love while growing up. There are a lot of people in this world that are willing to share their homes and their love with these kids if just given the chance. I promise it is much better than bouncing from foster home to foster home.
Well, that is basically my position on this matter. My conservative friends may look upon me as a traitor for these views, but i challenge them to open their minds and let people reach their full potential. People wont stop being gay if you ignore them, nor will this argument ever cease if we keep outlawing it. You don't need to regulate what goes on in other peoples bedrooms any more than you would want someone to come into yours.
Gay Marriage. Just those two words together strike a passion into most like a bugle playing charge on the battlefield. Others would argue that the two together are an oxymoron. There are morons alright, plenty of them, on both sides of the fence. Most of the problem comes from fear, and we fear what we don't understand. It is difficult to regulate and legislate what we do not understand. It is a complicated issue because it is something that lies at the core of what some people are. Homosexuality is not a disease. Treating it as such is just showing your ignorance. Its not a social trend either. Homosexuality has also been present as long as people have . Is it more prevalent now? Yes. It is socially more acceptable now, so more and more people are able to express their feelings without fear of reprisal. For me, this is how I see it. I don't want to know the personal details of your sex life regardless of who you like to sleep with. As far as I am concerned, it is your personal, private, life and you should keep it there. Why should it be such a public matter? Ill tell you why. Marriage. I will say this though...Dancing through the streets almost naked or dressed in crazy costumes like its Carnival season doesn't advance the cause much in my opinion, in fact it really hurts it.
I have always been one to say that marriage is between a man and a woman as a contract with God to serve one another and raise a family in a stable home. Now, that being said, try to find a family that consists of a man and woman that got married before they had children, then had children, raised them in a stable home and died together holding hands in the nursing home. Its a beautiful thing if you know someone like this, and I do, but I also know of plenty of people that don't, and can no way, fit into this mold.
I have friends that are openly gay, and friends that struggle with their sexuality everyday. Everybody in this world is entitled to their own happiness as long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's freedoms.Everyone needs a companion in their life to share their world, regardless of what we all think is right or wrong individually. Therefore I do believe that it should be ok for same sex partners to enter into a marriage if they think they are ready to commit to each other. Some of the biggest opponents of gay marriage probably cheat on their wives anyway.
I also know that we have a tremendous amount of children in this country that are in need of someone to love them, and a house to grow up in. A child needs love while growing up. There are a lot of people in this world that are willing to share their homes and their love with these kids if just given the chance. I promise it is much better than bouncing from foster home to foster home.
Well, that is basically my position on this matter. My conservative friends may look upon me as a traitor for these views, but i challenge them to open their minds and let people reach their full potential. People wont stop being gay if you ignore them, nor will this argument ever cease if we keep outlawing it. You don't need to regulate what goes on in other peoples bedrooms any more than you would want someone to come into yours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)