I just remembered this existed

Gun control - the rant version

I'm going to try to make this coherent.

For one thing, I'm glad the office today has banned discussion of politics. It makes me much happier. For one thing, the gun-happy, Obama-hating people around me are forced to shut the heck up. On the other hand, having this kind of strict cultural divide limits actual talking about problems; gun violence being one of them.

But that's exactly the problem. Polarization on both ends leads to incredibly vocal people acting as if they're in the best interest of the majority, but they manifestly are NOT. I do not want to spend all this money bolstering failing social programs but I also don't want to leave people in the cold. I'm middle of the road and feel like an endangered species. I would like people to start talking about safety programs for abandoned children. I'd like sex ed (actual sex ed, not abstinence) in schools so we stop having "unwanted" kids to begin with. I would love for people with mental illness to get to kind of help they need.

The biggest problem I have with government/society is the complete ignoring of lessons from history. We know that when people are better informed, they make better decisions. So why do we teach abstinence only sex ed when we know it doesn't work? (know, as in from studies and basic knowledge of human nature)

Why do we ban abortions and birth control when we know pregnancies can be life threatening and forcing women to have an unwanted kid adds to their stress, potential trauma to the child, and rising crime from a generation raised on apathy and "speshulness"

Why do we talk about banning guns and putting people in jail but we don't try to help the people with the mental illness that puts them in that position in the first place?

Why do we blame a President for the failings of government when the failings (and rights-undermining legislation and corporate lobbying and....) have been going on for longer than a generation?

I can't even make this funny. I can't talk about it, but I can write it here.

Epiphany, part 242

I have epiphanies ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously, probably more than I should. Or maybe they're hyperbole and some realiziations of supremely simple things I THINK I should know rather than life-changing realizations. Either way, I get the light-bulb moment all the time.

This time was about boys. Yes. Boys. I don't really think about boys anymore because I've been in self-sterilization and isolation mode. It's one of those things I did to get me out of my self-destructive loop, but my current problem is how do I stop? And do I even want to? Most of the boys I come in contact with seem to be overly-apologetic or completely unapologetic. Or maybe it's not just boys? Is there any middle ground left at all? I'd like to think so...

And here's a cat story


This little dickins (Fizzgig, hereby dubbed Greedy Gus or Gus) woke me up at midnight. My bed was shaking so of course I woke up. Then there was scratching and thumping at the head of the bed and I'm thinking "well, Anya got in the window yestereday. That's probably what's going on"

(for perspective, my bed is a canopy bed and I've hung curtains from the back rod to cover the window/act all cool-like and the kittens have discovered a Narnia-like secret world from the window. They like it)

But it wasn't Anya. It was Fizzgig. And all I saw was a cat butt and tail on top of the railing. The 6.5 foot tall railing. The only think I could think of was "Please don't fall on me. Please, please don't fall on me"

This is old but I forgot to post it - I have another one coming shortly.

Cat Circus and Mushroom Dreams

Apparently I was eating mushrooms because that's the only explanation I have for the dream I had last night. The one where homeland security will still let you fly to Europe without a passport if you let them handcuff you. And Adam Levine will beat up people in front of you.

Half this stuff I don't even remember but it was WEIRD.

Then the cats woke me up. Charlie is a grumpy old lady cat and the kittens are....kittens.

Anya: poke poke poke. You up?
Charlie: Dude, WTF YO. I'M SLEEPING LEAVE ME ALONE YOU WHIPPERSNAPPER
Toothless: Huh?
Fizzgig: Chirp chirp snoooooooooze
Anya: SRSLY GUYS WHY ISN'T ANYONE PLAYING WITH ME
Charlie: And you expect ME out of EVERYONE to play?
Anya: yup. poke poke poke
Toothless: chirp chirp snooooooooze
Fizzgig: I'll play
Anya and Fizzgig: CHARLIE COME PLAY WITH US
Charlie: NOOOOOOOOO growl growl growl
Toothless: snooooooooze

That was this morning. It's hilarious. I'm totally in love with these kittens. More cat conversations to follow because I like this. Also, pictures.

Leftover Fuming from the Election

All right, I have 2 blog posts in my head, but I'm going to write this one first. And be warned, it's a bit ranty. And political.

All through this election, I couldn't help but notice how COMPLETELY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED the "sides" were. I have "sides" in quotes because there was such a gulf in reasoning and in looking at the candidates. But there shouldn't be. This entire campaign season turned out to be "Candidate A is the devil incarnate and will destroy the country." Both sides were saying this. For completely different reasons, but both were pretty consistent.

Is it just me or has sanity and moderation gone the way of dial-up?

Take a look at this, for instance. From the ever-awesome cheezburger network.

Now, from my perspective, I looked at this. Blinked. Looked some more. Then did this.

From the ever-relevant Hyperbole and a Half

I have to wonder. Who is right? Is there a right? Because I look at this and remember the entire media operations that exist solely to promote ideology (Fox, Conservapedia, 700 club, etc) and a bad situation that's getting worse (undermining womens' rights [Violence against Women Act is no longer relevant? In which universe?], defunding Planned Parenthood [which educates women on contraception and provides health services to people who otherwise couldn't afford it. Yup. They're undermining society], and a million other things that are chipping away at civil liberties that minorities and women have fought tooth and nail for. You're right, Mr. O'Reilly, the situation is getting worse)

But the more I think about it, and the more I talk to people, I start to wonder. Am I crazy? All these facts I look at, that education and contraception is the way to go, not abstinence and pro-life rallies? But we need war and guns and oil and gigantic trucks and GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GUNS and LOOK AT ME I'M PATRIOTIC. And because I'm so patriotic, I'm not going to listen to anything you're saying. It's like facts don't matter, but even facts begin to pale in the face of this kind of blind belief. It's like being a patriotic republican is turning into its own religion. Why else would so-called "red states" be trying so hard to defund public education and keep their populace in ignorance?

I think what I'm getting at is this kind of hardcore propaganda and indoctrination has me feeling like I'm the crazy one in this occasion. I propose that we sit everyone down and go over a fact-checking session. Take half an hour from MSNBC and half an hour from Fox and tell everyone which part is right, which part is twisted, and which part is just plain wrong. Then we shut down both and revamp CNN to be less of a pop-phenomenon and more of a true bi-partisan network asking actual questions of politicians and holding them to their answers and promises.

But more than that, we need the American populace to care about their future and their lives. We need people to remember that the more educated are the more dangerous. That we're the ones that remember learning about the fall of Rome, the fall of Napoleon, the fall of Stalin, the fall of Hitler. The rise of America (as it once was, not that 1950's bastardization that only appeared on TV) and why it was founded in the first place (you know, freedom. All freedom, and not just religious freedom.). The rise of great men in our history and what exactly made them great.

And take a hard look at what's happening now, with the corruption and war chests, and corporations running the country into the ground. Look at who's letting it happen and who's fighting it. Because I guarantee you the Red and Blue states are that because people think there's two options. But it's really only one - the corporations. And the more the networks do their slight of hand and "look at me look at me!" broadcasting, the more the American people lose. Both in intelligence and liberty.

Next blog entry - nothing quite so heavy and ranty. I promise.

Renewal and empty promises

Title = self explanatory. Dad says I should write a blog and I think "wait, don't I already HAVE a blog?"

I suppose to truly say I have one would be to write in it far more often than I do or to remember that it exists more often than once a month. But I digress. Somehow.

I have been writing far less frequently lately. Probably because I cut out the drama queen tendencies from my younger self's journals. All that "why is this happening to me" and "oh, if only I had done this, my life would be DIFFERENT." Well, that kind of thing annoys the heck out of me now. Which I suppose is one sign of growth, if I've changed enough that my old journals and letters no longer hold any part of my personality (except my blinding wit, of course) then I'm going to claim a win for maturity. Or is that a win? I know it's not entirely a loss, but
Becoming more completely myself can not be a loss in my mind. If nothing else, the past 2 years has honed me in to Leigh concentrate, refrigerate after opening because no preservatives went into the making. Only natural ingredients.

So that's something.

Also, war, inc (the movie) is basically Grosse Pointe Blank part 2. Think about it.

Finished the Blanket and need a place to link it! I've got some things trickling down my head so I should be able to write something here soon. In the meantime, I have a blanket for my friend :)

Itty Bitty Mariner's Blankie