Barak Obama was elected President of the United States in November of 2008, at a time when NOBODY REALLY KNEW what this guy was all about, except for a select few that understood that ALL OF HIS PRIOR ACTIONS pointed to him being a socialist. But nobody wanted to believe that. They ONLY wanted to believe that Barak Obama would be the FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT, and thereby PROCLAIM THE END TO RACISM! In effect, people voted for him because of HIS RACE! That makes him, for the most part, an 'affirmative action' president, since it was his RACE that got him elected, and not his QUALIFICATIONS! That, of course, assumes that you did NOT really want a FLAMING SOCIALIST to be the Chief Executive of the most powerful nation on earth, the LARGEST ECONOMY on earth, and the SUPPOSED PROTECTOR AND PROMOTER OF FREEDOM on the earth.
And we all know the record. Barak Obama has SCARED THE BUSINESS WORLD into NOT INVESTING THEIR PILES OF CASH (that continue to pile up) WITHIN THE UNITED STATES! Instead, they invest offshore, where it's LESS LIKELY that they will LOSE IT ALL due to a) government obstruction, b) government confiscation, or c) government wishy-washy policies. The latter is best illustrated in the BP fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico, which I propose is MORE due to government "blame game" politics, and a desire to find the FIRST example possible that would lead to a SHUT DOWN of OIL DRILLING within U.S. borders, by a man who FLAT OUT TOLD EVERYONE that energy prices "must necessarily increase" because Obama, after all, appears to buy into that RIDICULOUS MAN MADE GLOBAL WARMING crap. But I say 'appears' because his TRUE agenda is SOCIALISM and the BEST WAY to achieve THAT is to DESTROY CAPITALISM whenever possible.
OIL drives the economy in the U.S.. When the free flow of INEXPENSIVE OIL is in ANY WAY obstructed, THE U.S. ECONOMY WILL ALWAYS SUFFER! The connection HERE is obvious. Man-made global warming (the policy) with its ridiculous carbon credits and assumptions that man-made CO2 is damaging the planet, seeks IN REALITY to DAMAGE CAPITALISM so that government TOTALITARIANISM and SOCIALISM can take the place of the U.S. Constitution. And that's what Barak Obama is about. He wants POWER, and CONTROL, over YOU.
'Societal Evolution' follows the SAME RULES of natural selection and 'survival of the fittest' as does BIOLOGICAL evolution. Societies that flourish will grow and make THEIR METHODS and THEIR GENES dominant in the world's 'gene pool of society', and societies that do NOT flourish are eventually TAKEN OVER by their competition, and either subdued or assimilated.
If you look at human history, you will see a PREDOMINANCE of a certain KIND of society. Men do most of the 'heavy work' outside of the home, while women do most of the 'house' work, and taking care of children. Men and women just 200 years ago were literally FORCED into having families, because it was the ONLY way for them to survive! And of course, divorce rates were LOW, and you didn't have a boatload of whiney selfish feminists bitching about how evil MEN are, because they NEEDED MEN for survival.
Now, PAST society was primarily aggrarian, and favored the 'linear minded' FARMER over the non-linear minded HUNTER or GATHERER. As such, FARMING societies flourished, and eventually conquored or 'assimilated' the hunter/gatherer societies. Non-linear minded people ADAPTED (another darwinian advantage for 'survival of the fittest') and found things within the linear-minded 'FARMER' society that they were good at, such as blacksmithing, carpentry, pottery, various other kinds of crafts, and THE MILITARY. And that is how human history became MOST successful up until the industrial revolution.
The good side of the industrial revolution is that it provided LABOR SAVING devices mass-produced at LOW COST due to 'economy of scale', and people found that they NOW had MORE FREE TIME, and BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. The introduction of industry greatly changed society from being PRIMARILY AGRARIAN to PRIMARILY INVENTIVE. Now the people who once had an evolutionary advantage, the 'linear-minded FARMER', was at a DISADVANTAGE to the 'non-linear minded GEEK'. And there has been a CONSTANT BARRAGE of methods to "HOLD BACK" the predominance of THE GEEK over THE FARMER, INCLUDING (but not limited to) SOCIALISM and so-called 'progressive' taxation on the so-called 'rich' (who are really MIDDLE CLASS business owners and professionals trying to BECOME the rich). The "Union Mentality" of 'get a job at 18, work all your life at your factory job, then retire' is not only UNPOPULAR and UNWANTED, but it SMACKS THE FACE of a typical non-linear minded person. Who wants THAT anyway? (Apparently OBAMA does, for US, but, of course, not for himself and the other 'elite').
But the end result of GOING AGAINST THE FLOW of Societal Evolution, which NOW favors "The Geek" instead of "The Farmer" will NOT result in prosperity. FAR FROM IT! Going against Societal Evolution is A RECIPE FOR FAILURE! We should be EMBRACING creativity, NOT PUNISHING IT! It is NOT the government's job to ONLY REWARD THE CREATIVITY THAT IS POLITICALLY CORRECT, either. Evolution and natural selection apply to technologies as well, and "The Market" is the place where the natural selection takes place. It would be like trying to protect an endangered species that SHOULD become extinct! It takes a lot of time and effort to keep the population viable OUTSIDE OF A ZOO, and brings to question both the need and 'morality' of GOING AGAINST NATURE.
Society has been trying to GO AGAINST NATURE for a long time, LED by the so-called PROGRESSIVES, who are otherwise known as "liberals", that seek to DESTROY society in order to RE-BUILD it in THEIR idea of 'what is right'. Well, _I_ say, WHY DESTROY what Societal Evolution has SELECTED in the cauldron of the world? Wouldn't it be better to JUST ALLOW NATURAL SELECTION to pick "the best way?" And Natural Selection favors a FREE MARKET, and the FREE MARKET favors "The Geek". But 80% of the population thinks in a linear manner, for the most part. THEY are not 'favored'. And they are not pleased...
Isn't it amazing how the shrill accusations of 'the left' and various activists always try to categorize ANY criticism of their policies, their ridiculous political correctness fascism, or their apparent desire to 'throw a grenade' to create chaos, as either RACISM or MISOGYNY or some other "you are a hater" term. It really is the last desperate act of someone who is OBVIOUSLY IN THE WRONG!
OK, you 'misogynist' accusers, you: you are 'misandronists'! You have been HATING MEN for DECADES, forcing the legislation of "all men are abusers" and "guilty by accusation only" policies (say 'domestic violence' laws, k-thx) and the breakup of the nuclear family and the creation of divorce laws and policies that seek to PUNISH ANYONE WITH A 'Y' CHROMOSOME! Except in SOME cases it backfires, as in a California case where a woman divorced her husband after he was convicted of 'spousal rape' (apparently this guy WAS an abuser), but NOW has to pay this guy ALIMONY??? AND HIS LEGAL FEES??? Yes, you have to ask "what is wrong with THIS picture". Thing is, THIS has been happening to MEN as a "MATTER OF COURSE" for DECADES, and don't forget the garnished wages and liens that prevent you from buying or selling property and restraining orders that require you to TURN IN ALL OF YOUR FIREARMS, all as "matter of course" when you have a 'Y' chromosome. But that's 'OK' because it's happening to MEN, right?
Well, _I_ call THAT 'misandrony'. You 'misogyny' accusers out there KNOW that you are BEHIND this, and you don't care, because YOU ARE HYPOCRITES. Of course I think this goes FAR DEEPER. It is, in my bombastic opinion, an attempt BY THE LEFT to DESTROY the family, which stabilizes the nation, in order to DE-STABILIZE the nation. It begins by breaking up families and getting government involved in children's lives AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. It grows from this point to PUNISH THE ACHIEVERS, and PUNISH MEN FOR BEING IN ANY WAY AGGRESSIVE, which normally would lead to SUCCESS in business. Then we PUNISH SUCCESSFUL MEN for DARING to have children in families with ridiculously one-sided support for meal-ticket mommies (and the rules to keep children with them so that government can be even MORE involved in raising the offspring), and so on.
And then, of course, the FINAL HAND GRENADE, the emotion-bomb known as 'misogyny', the catch-all accusation to label anyone with a 'Y' chromosome as a WOMAN HATER and BIGOT and RACIST and anything ELSE that you can think of that's generally considered 'bad'. You people aren't yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, you're THROWING A HAND GRENADE and running, yelling "GRENADE!" in a crowded theater, and then PRETENDING YOU DID NOT CAUSE THIS!
Well, you misandronists better WATCH YOUR BACKSIDES, for there WILL be a backlash. And I don't think you're going to like the results much. Good people leave places where they are being oppressed. 'Who is John Galt' indeed! And others seek ways of CIRCUMVENTING the system, like maybe CREATING FEMALE ROBOTS to replace all of those 'misandronistic women' out there. Maybe "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" should read "A man needs a woman like a victim needs a rapist." Oh, but that was HATEFUL and MISOGYNISTIC, wasn't it? TOO BAD! I think I'll invent a fem-bot now...
Political Correctness has gone past the point of idiocy. As a general rule, I LAMPOON IT and REBEL AGAINST IT at ALL POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITIES.
And not only that, we have ninny-nanny INTERFERERS getting into ALL ASPECTS of YOUR LIFE. Do you have children? Ever get "seen" by ANYONE WITH A CAMERA AND AN AGENDA? Oh, sure, your defiant toddler may deserve a swat on his backside, and get one - while YOU are CAUGHT ON CAMERA, by some ninny-nanny who knows BETTER THAN YOU how to RUN YOUR LIFE and RAISE YOUR CHILD! A California Supreme Court decision, though stating that parents have "the right to reasonably discipline a child by physical punishment and may administer reasonable punishment without being liable for battery". HOWEVER, it _ALSO_ suggests that "spanking a child in public may result in complaints being filed with Child Protective Services by third parties". NOSY third parties that DO NOT HAVE A CLUE! (link HERE). At least they ADMIT it, though no state law against parents punishing children in this manner exist in the state of California. Yet. Because NORMAL people aren't being HARASSED ENOUGH ALREADY.
And what about all of the ABSOLUTE IDIOCY REGARDING 'BULLYING' nowadays? There is ONLY ONE WAY to stop bullying, and it involves CONFLICT which SCARES THE HELL out of 'non-free' people (aka 'sheeple'). A bully is both a coward AND a selfish son of a barking female dog, and should be treated as such. You GET IN THEIR FACE and you BULLY THEM BACK, and if they RESIST, you BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF THEM while placing them under CITIZENS ARREST for ASSAULT and/or BATTERY (aka 'your excuse' for using 'reasonable force' to 'arrest them')! Then they'll think TWICE before BULLYING ANYBODY ELSE. It is the lesson learned "on the playground" if you didn't grow up with 'helicopter parents'. And since BULLIES ACT LIKE SPOILED CHILDREN, you'll just have to TREAT THEM LIKE SPOILED CHILDREN to STOP THEM. Dealing with these people can ONLY be done by CREATING CONFLICT. Conflict CAN be a 'good thing' when you are DIRECTLY OPPOSING 'WRONG'. VIOLENCE can be a GOOD thing when you are STANDING UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT! But having testicles is considered "politically incorrect". Oh, well, TOO BAD!
About 20 years ago IBM and Microsoft developed an S.Q.L. (the language) interpreter and database engine called (the product) 'Sequel Server' (written SQL Server). It continues to be updated and maintained by Microsoft, as Microsoft (pronounced 'Sequel') SQL Server, though I continue to rebel and call it 'S Q L Server' anyway, since 'sequel' is a misleading term that leads more to confusion than to understanding. It's not a 'sequel' to an earlier database, nor is it 'sequential'. It's just a buzzy-fuzzy way of pronouncing 'SQL' in a manner that separates the geekier database people from the rest of us.
Regardless of what Wikipedia or any OTHER resource might say, here's the straight dope: 'SQL' or 'S.Q.L.' the programming language is ALWAYS prounounced 'S' 'Q' 'L' for Structured Query Language. It is a well-accepted acronym for the language. 'Sequel' is not a programming language. It _IS_, however, the name of a product that USES S.Q.L.. So if you want to go around calling toilet paper 'Charmin' you're welcome to do so, but you should realize you're using a BRAND NAME to describe toilet paper. And even if it is well known within your circle of influence, don't expect EVERYONE to understand what you mean if you call it 'Charmin'. Same applies to 'S' 'Q' 'L'.
Jack-rabbit starts (when a traffic light goes from red to green) save gas for EVERYBODY! Why? Because they MAXIMIZE the number of people who CAN GET THROUGH A RED LIGHT. All of those EXTRA people will NOW spend LESS time waiting at traffic lights, so long as EVERYBODY COOPERATES. You also save TIME, which is more important than saving fuel anyway. TIME is a LOT more expensive than gasoline. Otherwise everyone would RIDE THE BUS.
So if you're going to DRIVE LIKE A TURTLE, consider how many people you are FORCING TO BE LIKE YOU (does the term 'self-righteous arrogance' apply? hmmm????) by BEING IN THEIR WAY. Oh, SURE, you have a right to be on the road too. But being a selfish discourtourteous driver doesn't help anybody but you (arrogance fodder), and you're really just in the way. So do us all a favor, and either KEEP UP or GET OUT OF THE WAY! Ok? And there won't be any more accidents caused by angry drivers trying to go around you illegally, either.
If you are driving the speed limit, that's ok. That's supposed to be safer, and you're not going to get speeding tickets that way. But GET THERE QUICKLY, ok? Don't make people wait several minutes to go from a stop to 25 mph, That's just IRRITATING. And if you insist on driving like a turtle anyway, PLEASE let people pass you (within reason of course). Who knows, one of the people behind you MIGHT be ME. And if you let people pass, you'll get a 'thank you' wave instead of digitus impudicus.
You smokers out there, I know you've already convinced yourself that it's "not that bad" because you're frequently inhaling a TOXIC SUBSTANCE into your lungs, voluntarily. What you do not and CAN NOT understand (apparently) is the EFFECT that has on MOST OTHER PEOPLE. And, a few of us are ALLERGIC to something that's in cigarette smoke. One of those dozens of chemicals that make up cigarette smoke causes ALLERGIC REACTIONS in a LOT OF PEOPLE. Whether it's an actual allergy or not may be debatable, but the sneezing, headaches, and asthmatic clenching of the lungs are not only REAL, but in SOME cases, LIFE THREATENING!.
As far as I'm concerned, you smokers out there can smoke all you want as long as OTHER PEOPLE don't have to breathe it. The BIGGEST PROBLEM is just how ARROGANT and even VIOLENT smokers will get when asked or told to extinguish their tobacco. It is, as far as I am concerned, a FORM of BULLYING to stand their polluting other people's air when you KNOW DAMNED WELL that you're being a total ASSHAT! And no, the people asking, telling, or beligerently insisting that you stop polluting the air that THEY HAVE TO BREATHE are NOT 'infringing' your rights, nor are THEY the asshats, jerks, or whatever OTHER label you might put on them. YOU are INFRINGING upon THEIR rights to BREATH REASONABLY CLEAN AIR that is FREE OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES. And YOUR VOLUNTARY ACTIVITY is CAUSING THE PROBLEM.
I realize that tobacco is addicting. I realize that you go through physical discomfort unless you satisfy your 'nicotene fit'. BUT, your discomfort does NOT take PRIORITY over ANYONE ELSE'S just because you are experiencing it! You are being SELFISH, SELF-CENTERED, DISCOURTEOUS, ARROGANT, and JUST PLAIN RUDE when you light up your tobacco products ANYPLACE where other people are, unless you are already certain that the OTHER people won't mind.
Being OUTSIDE doesn't make a damn bit of difference. When the wind blows your smoke towards others
it stays at NOSE LEVEL. It does NOT 'harmlessly go up'. It can TRAVEL FOR 100 FEET without being
diluted one bit. And when the sign says 'No Smoking', that means "DO NOT ARRIVE WITH YOUR LIT
CIGARETTE, NOR BLOW A CRAPLOAD OF SMOKE, NOR PUT IT 'ALMOST OUT' IN A NEARBY TRASH CAN SO THAT IT
SMOULDERS FOR AN HOUR". What it means is what it says: 'NO SMOKING'. PERIOD. And PUT
THE DAMN THING OUT long before you GET INTO THE NO SMOKING AREA!
Remember: 'No complaints' means 'thank you'.
I wouldn't mind businesses creating special smoking areas in bars, restaurants, or other places that smokers might want to 'hang out' and smoke in (as long as it does not affect ME). I _DO_ object to tobacco exhaust being in the same air volume as ME! Think 'urinating sections' in swimming pools. But if PROPER 'positive' ventilation were present in these smoke zones, and the rooms were properly isolated (and exhaust filtered?), I'd say 'go for it' to the business owners. But I would OBJECT HEAVILY to ANY smoking area that was too close to a walkway, out in the open where the smoke gets blown by the wind (or simply drifts) into people's faces, or PARTICULARLY in an area that I had NO CHOICE but to walk through to get someplace. That's JUST PLAIN WRONG. If the smoke CAN be kept AWAY from 'the rest of us', I don't give a rat's backside about people smoking. JUST DON'T AFFECT ME with it (or anyone ELSE for that matter). Unless they WANT it. And MOST PEOPLE DO NOT!