government | Piss and Moan

Idiocy

Posted on January 7, 2021 by backuphill

I hate to say it, but America (the land that I love and still think is better than anywhere else in the world) has become the land of idiocy. Yesterday, as well as the events of the last…well, pick a time frame…either way, this stupidity has been going on for a long while. A LONG while. Yesterday, and many events over the last year, are just coming to a head of ultimate stupidity.

Let’s be clear, the events of yesterday and storming the Capitol building are unacceptable. It should have never happened and I hope that it never happens again.

History has shown us (our own history) that displeasure with the government isn’t all that unusual and leads people to do things they would not normally do. Our Founding Fathers led a rebellion against a king and a government they found to be unjust. Those who supported the king and did extreme things in their support of the king likely found some actions despicable when the “other side” did them. Those who supported the colonies and eventually a free nation likely found the “other side” despicable when they did some of the same extreme things. Heck, even during our Civil War, both sides did despicable things to each other. Vietnam era protests? Yep, still some ugly things happening even then.

The difference between now and then?

Increased, instantaneous communication. It exists now, it didn’t at any time in the past.

How does that play a part in all this? Well, it literally takes no time for a rumor, opinion, or thought to spread far and wide. In an instant “information” can be disseminated to any number of people at one time. That’s a problem. It could be a good thing, but for the most part I think we see more problems with it than we see positives for it. Why?

It eliminates the possibility for someone to evaluate information and immediately creates an emotional response. There is little time for an individual to consider the information, process it, and then evaluate a response. Instead, people have devolved into an instantaneous, emotional response. They don’t think. They let their idiocy take over.

Instead of thoughtfully considering a response, or thinking clearly about their actions, they just respond. No forethought. No consideration. No evaluation. No wait. No weighing of consequences. No evidence. No proof. No nothing. Just response.

That, folks, is a terrible thing.

Social media has killed our ability to thoughtfully consider, to evaluate response, and restrict our own actions. Instead, we feed our need of immediacy, our need of instant gratification, with regrettable words and actions. We don’t wait for facts. We don’t consider another’s point of view. We don’t tolerate those who are different from us, think different from us, or believe different than us. We just don’t. We are not better off because of this.

We are actually becoming unrecognizable.

We are no longer a bastion of freedom, tolerance, and opportunity.

We have divided ourselves into camps of this or that. We have let ourselves be divided into those camps. We are not what our Founding Fathers believed we could become. And the direction we are currently headed won’t get us there either.

This idiocy can’t continue. We are in trouble if we continue to let it happen.

Arbitrary

Posted on January 6, 2021 by backuphill

No rhyme. No reason. Definitely not science. Just arbitrary rule making and enforcement. That’s just where things have been and are when it comes to a government that is willing to grab power and the ability to make decisions from the people.

A local establishment has caught the wrath of the government because it’s “outdoor dining” doesn’t quite fit the same description as “outdoor dining” that others are doing. No common sense enforcement, just arbitrary wielding of power because some of the local “Karens” have decided the business doesn’t fit, in their judgement, the safety standards set out by the government. Oh, and there isn’t any science to support the enforcement, just opinion and personal preference.

The restaurant in question has five giant garage doors that it can open up to elements. FIVE. Essentially, these are removable walls and is a trend in many other places around the country (dare I say, world?). Difference is that in many places the weather is warm and a nice cross breeze can be generated with the doors open. Here in the Northwest it isn’t warm but when the doors are open at this place there is one hell of a cross breeze, along with some sideways rain, or mist, or general damp air.

In WA, the rules right now say that “outdoor dining” can only take place in a temporary structure with, for all intents and purposes, one open side so there is adequate air flow.

The establishment above, according to the state, doesn’t qualify because it is a permanent structure. Doesn’t matter that two of the major walls of the structure are virtually non-existent then when the doors are open. It doesn’t take a lot of common sense to realize that the walls of the structure are open, regardless of the roof over one’s head being permanent, and there is air flowing through the room like the breeze blowing through a deck or park gazebo.

Hell, there is less air flowing through and airplane but we are allowed to do that? See what I mean? Arbitrary.

So, I know where I’ll be ordering food from this week.

Get out there and support those local businesses you want to see stay open. Hell, get out there and support any local business, because in the end they are your family, friends, and neighbors that working there. Don’t be arbitrary about that support. Be very intentional and very targeted.

Doorknob

Posted on January 5, 2021 by backuphill

WTF? Who is this doorknob and who the hell let him pray? An utter embarrassment to himself, to those who listen to him, to those he represents, and to all people of faith in general.

Leave it to the Democrats to make a circus out of something so basic.

“Amen and awoman“? You gotta see it to even believe it.

I am stumbling all over myself at the stupidity of this. It’s hard to even put into words how uneducated and unnecessary something like this is. It doesn’t take much research to know that “amen” means “so be it”. It has nothing to do with gender.

But this doorknob has to make an issue out of a word he clearly doesn’t know the meaning of. Actually, I believe there were quite a few words in his “prayer” that he didn’t know the meaning of. Not because he is ignorant (actually, he might be), but more because his speech writer likely used a thesaurus to write the speech. It sounded a lot like the essays I would get from my high school students who were trying to fill space by using words that made them sound smarter than they were and sometimes didn’t even fit in the sentence correctly. Whatever is going on there, it was a piss poor display of speech writing and intelligence.

Please, sir, never pray again. You obviously don’t actually know what it means, understand how it is done, or have a concept of where a prayer comes from – the heart. It isn’t a political tool, or stunt.

Are you Sears-ious?

Posted on December 28, 2020 by backuphill

You’re gonna like this! No seriously, I am telling you to like it. But whatever you do, don’t expose yourself to free thinking. It’s bad for you. No seriously, it’s bad. Bad for some, that is.

If you haven’t encountered one of J.P. Sears’ videos, well, you just haven’t been on social media. They are everywhere! YouTube, Facebook, … you know, everywhere! No seriously, you will like these because they’re everywhere. I mean it.

Anyway, the man has been busy and is producing videos that just make you wanna sit back and think. No, seriously, think.

Is he serious, or is it comedy? Is it satire or is it truth? I’ll let you decide (provided you haven’t seen any of these already). These direct links to the videos are very specific, but if you click on that link up above, you’ll be taken to his channel where you can view all the stuff he has done. You can thank me later for this deep dive and lost afternoon of work, sleep, leisure, or whatever else you were planning on doing.

Socialist Media – The New Rules

How To Raise Weak Children During Lockdowns

My Apology to Facebook

A Communist Christmas

Instagram’s New Terms of Service – Not Sketchy at All!

Wanna be angry about something? Wanna be fearful and obedient? Wanna be controlled? Then don’t watch the videos, because they might enlighten you and no one wants that. That’s why Facebook has threatened him with de-platforming.

It takes brave people to standup and shout against the mainstream. I suggest you support this creator when you can.

Pork

Posted on December 23, 2020 by backuphill

The amount of pork in the “stimulus” package passed by Congress and challenged by the President, even a lame duck president, is stupid. For a body that says they are trying to help the American people, they sure know how to help themselves to our money. This stuff, among other things, is why so many Americans don’t believe the government is working and is broken beyond repair.

For the record, I don’t believe it is beyond repair. However, I do believe it is not working the way it was intended or should.

Is it really necessary to include money for foreign countries in a bill that is aimed at helping American citizens? Is it really necessary for the country, already in debt, to make it larger to help people outside of the U.S.? Is it really necessary for our congressional representatives to stuff every spending bill with frivolous pork barrel crap just so they can get themselves re-elected and pad every pet project brought to them by the countless lobbyists?

Honestly, there is nothing stimulating about the bill.

For those who need the direct payment, it isn’t enough. For a majority of Americans (including myself), they don’t actually need a direct payment and so it is too much. Once again, Congress isn’t actually addressing the real issues and they have delayed real help by including a massive amount of stupid spending at a time when many Americans are looking at their finances and wondering how to make it from day to day.

Don’t forget the money a government spends wasn’t theirs in the first place. THIS MONEY COMES FROM YOUR POCKET! So, in one way or another, they are taking if from you: payroll taxes, income taxes, sales tax, death tax, capital gains tax, etc. The list is seemingly never ending.

The least you could do is demand that your money be spend in ways that make sense. Spend wisely. Use and follow a budget. Save.

There used to be a joke (maybe it still is a thing) that when you bought stuff from China it was cheap and would break almost immediately. People would say, “You get what you pay for,” meaning the more you pay for an item (in most cases) equates to the quality and durability of the item. Though it is cliche, the thought hold weight because there is some truth to it.

The same can be said of our representative government. We get what we pay for. Unfortunately, most of us can’t pay for a senator or a representative, so the people and companies with real money get what they pay for.

This “stimulus” bill and all the pork in it just proves that’s true…again…

Governmental abuse

Posted on December 17, 2020 by backuphill

This is what a government looks like when free choice and free will is taken from you.

The premise behind the shutdowns/lockdowns is “we’re protecting you.” However, that premise goes right out the door if that order is limiting your ability to make choices for yourself.

As an adult, you have the free will to make choices that are good or bad for yourself. When your ability to do so is limited or taken away then there is a line that gets crossed and it isn’t one that should be taken lightly.

We all know smoking (anything, really) is bad for you, and those in close proximity to you. Whether is is first-hand or second-hand smoke, there is an affect on the body that deep down you know is going to have detrimental effects. Its a proven fact, be it cigs or marijuana, or whatever. The government hasn’t banned you from being able to make this choice, even when it harms yourself and others. Why? Well, that is probably debatable, but likely because they collect tax dollars from it.

So why then are people not allowed to make the decision to dine out for themselves? People who choose to go out and eat obviously know the risk by now. They are adults and responsible for themselves. They are allowed to make these choices, so why is this choice taken away and not others? The connection is lost and the “we’re protecting you and others” argument holds little water when people are 1) making a free will choice to stay open to the public, and 2) people are willing to take that risk and visit said open establishment. No one is being forced to dine in these places.

Government gone wild. There is no review because the legislature isn’t allowed to meet and the state Constitution has given the governor virtually dictatorial powers in an “emergency” or a real emergency. So, there is no way to stop it and one man (or two, if you include the state health guy) have virtually unlimited power. These rules basically task a governmental department with enforcement powers with little oversight since the people in charge or enforcement aren’t elected.

Smells a lot like late 1930s Germany…or post WWII Soviet Union…

AND…the fact that citizens are snitching on their neighbors or community members smacks of American 1950’s Red Scare, only it isn’t about Communism this time. It is all about “Covid under everybody’s bed.”

Sad. Infuriating. Scary.

Assume

Posted on December 10, 2020 by backuphill

There seems to be a lot of assumptions going around these days. And you know that old saying about those that ass-u-me, “You make an ass of you and me.”

If that is the case, there are a lot of asses running around with no clue as to what they are speaking of.

Shall we count the ways?

There are a lot of people that assume the last two elections were “stolen” by one party or the other. The Democrats spent two plus years of wasted time and wasted money to investigate Trump, on the assumption that there is no way he could have legitimately beaten Hillary, only to find there was scant to no evidence that he had help in stealing the election. Now, the Republicans are going to waste time and money to try to stop or investigate whether or not Biden has stolen this election. Again, there seems to be little evidence of such an occurrence and lots of assumptions are being made.

There are a lot of people making assumptions about a vaccine that will “save the world” from Covid. The assumption is that once available it will help life go back to “normal.” It is safe to say that even with a vaccine, life will not return to normal as we are now seeing evidence that if you don’t get the vaccine you may be excluded from society until you. There are also those who assume that when it become available that it will be mandatory for all. There is nothing normal about that.

There are a lot of assumptions being made about wearing, or not wearing, as mask. Violence being done to those without. Name calling to those who do. People thinking it’s their job to inform others of the mandates or rules or whatever. Lots of assumptions being made about others without actually knowing them or their situation.

There are a lot of assumptions about people who are different from ourselves. That’s definitely a part of the problem we see in society at large. We someone who is different from us and we assume we know something about them, or people like them. Never a good way to deal with people.

There are a lot of assumptions being made in every Hallmark Channel movie, especially the Christmas ones. Good grief I had to endure one last night and the assumptions written into the storylines to generate conflict to enable the resolution are ridiculous. Of course, I can’t help but make assumptions about the people who regularly consume such entertainment, so there is that for me…

Anyway, you probably assumed where this post was going or where it wasn’t going. You may have been write, or you may have been wrong. The fact is we all make assumptions and it is hard to do so. As such, there’s a little bit of ass in us all.

I assume you read to the end. Tell me what you think if you did. What assumptions do you have, or are willing to admit?

Not gonna do it

Posted on December 8, 2020 by backuphill

The one man show continues. Well, technically it is likely two men, the governor and the top health dude in the state that he appointed. But, that guy can only make recommendations so it really comes down to one guy, Jay Inslee.

He is extending the limits he put in place before Thanksgiving. Of course, he would like to spend his holidays alone because no one likes him anyway, but he wants others to suffer the same fate as himself.

Well, I for one (and many others I know) aren’t gonna do it. Not gonna have it and not gonna participate in it. We shall see our families as we see fit. We shall celebrate as we see fit.

Enough is enough.

It’s been 12 days since Thanksgiving and there has been no significant spike reported. I think that is proof enough that things are under control and the fear-mongering, power hungry governor is out of place. He said, “…we still don’t have a clear picture…,” so this decision is based purely on fear (and little to no data).

Thanksgiving celebrations with family were great, and so will Christmas to.

The governor, well, he will be getting a big fat lump of coal anyway.

Have or have not

Posted on December 1, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

No, this isn’t a Tyler Perry show, nor is it related to personal financial bottom lines.

In this case, I think we are quickly going to become a nation (or maybe world) of “have or have not” vaccinated.

“Have you, or have you not, had the Covid-19 vaccine?”

I believe that will become a common question in society when the vaccine becomes widely available to the public. Not that it is anyone else’s business, but I just have a feeling like it will suddenly become so. A year ago no one would have ever imagined that you would have to announce before attending a public event that you were vaccinated against mumps, rubella, chicken pox, or whatever…am I right? So, what is coming seems implausible and yet all the more plausible at the same time.

No, I am not a vaccine conspiracy theorist when it comes to vaccines. I don’t believe the government is putting something in them to track us or to control us. No, I don’t believe a vaccine causes autism. No, I am not one to think that vaccines are all bad either. I believe they have their place and have been useful throughout history. I was vaccinated as a child and I vaccinated my own. So, there’s that. I believe it should be a choice. How is that the “my body, my choice” mantra only applies to certain situations? It should be a choice.

I don’t get the flu shot and never have. I also don’t think everyone should.

So, when it comes to the vaccine for Covid, yeah, I’m not on board that bus either.

But, what I envision is that not only will we be required (it’s voluntary now) to use the contract tracing apps on our phones, but we will also have to disclose whether or not we have had the vaccine for every day situations that were normal in the past:

Want to go to a professional sporting event? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
Want to go to a concert? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
Want to go to a restaurant to sit down and eat? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
Want to fly to another state or another country? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
Want to attend college? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
Want to go to a theme park? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
Want to go to a movie theater? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
Want to get a job (or keep your job)? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.

Ultimately, we will become a society of those who have and those who have not, each with our own separate places to go, see, and do. Businesses will have it posted in their windows and online for those who “have not” to be excluded and they will gladly accept those who “have.” Perhaps they (example, restaurants) will figure out a way to serve both “have” and “have nots” – say haves can dine inside while the have nots will be relegated to an outside dining experience in fresh air or a tent (kinda like now, during the lockdown).

Either way, this will, of course, lead to a society of financial have and have nots too. It’s inevitable.

Or, I could just be imagining things.

Thanksgiving and sex

Posted on November 25, 2020 by backuphill

Got your attention? Keep reading, this is gonna be good.

Is fear going to keep you from doing the things you want, seeing the people you want, celebrating the way you want?

The governor has, in all his infinite wisdom (*hack, cough, hack*) along with his fear-mongering lackeys, has advised that you keep your Thanksgiving celebration small. As in, your immediate household. And, if you should gather with more people, it can’t be more than 10 and it should be outdoors.

WTF? We live in the Northwest, land of the ever falling rain and it isn’t exactly tropical temps up here. Yeah, like people are gonna do that…and if you’re afraid, then do it.

But, I say we treat Thanksgiving like we do sex.

Sex is between consenting adults, (typically) behind closed doors or inside the walls of your residence. It’s nobody’s business but theirs, right? People usually take the precautions they think necessary when engaging in such activities and they have a good time doing it. If we are to ignore what goes on behind closed doors because it is the right and choice of consenting adults (even if it is a group, if that’s your thing…) then people can’t say anything about it.

As such, Thanksgiving this year should be treated just like sex.

Yes, it’s a group activity, but all the adults (and their minions) present have consented and acknowledged the risk of gathering behind closed doors. What happens with a turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, and whatever other foods you like is nobody’s business but your own. How many people you have together is nobody’s business but your own. How much alcohol you have to consume to be able to stand your crazy uncle, or your in-laws, or the political conversations that will inevitably start, is nobody’s business but yours. If you take precautions to protect yourselves, or others, that’s nobody’s business but your own. The point is, you get to choose, not the government.

So, celebrate. Give thanks and be thankful.

**I will not post tomorrow as I will be gathering against the advice of the government and trying to endure the people who will invade space, my peace, and my quiet for an undetermined amount of time. Happy Thanksgiving to all!**