The more they do, the more confused I get about their choice of occupation. I mean, why would you be a cabby in the ghetto if you hate black people? What could possibly make you consider a profession that forces you to spend a good amount of time in a rolling box with the very people you hate? In some cases, it’s gotta be that they really just can’t do anything else. Because Jesus, these people are stupid.

For example, did you know all the violent criminals in the US, and especially in Schenectady, are either drug dealers or drug addicts? No one has ever been arrested for beating, raping, stabbing, shooting, mutilating, or killing another human being who wasn’t involved with drugs in some way. And the second they arrest one young blood drug dealer (who’s black, by the way), another one takes his place, and starts hurting people again.

Yeah… that’s what yesterday’s cabby said in response to my comment on New York’s police force seeming to be more interested in drug busts than murders and assaults. “That’s because the murderers and assaulters are all drug dealers and drug addicts. It’s all over money and drugs.”

o.O

But Rayne! My cousin’s sister’s aunt’s best friend’s uncle tried meth just one time, and he was hooked, and started stealing and stuff to get money for it. And someone caught him stealing their stuff, and he went nuts, and killed them.

I hear ya! Drugs do bad things to good people, and some violent criminals were on drugs when they were picked up. But “some” is not “all”, and just as many armed robberies are about the person being flat broke and having to feed their family as they are about drug money. Desperate times, and all that.

For that matter, I’d venture to say that your cousin’s sister’s aunt’s best friend’s uncle is more to blame than the meth. Being a former addict, I can tell you there’s a moment where you go, “Hmm… I wonder if I’m just a little too into this. Maybe I should quit.” I don’t know that I met any addicts at rehab who didn’t say they had similar thoughts. Many say they make a conscious decision not to care before spiraling out of control. I mean, no one really thinks it can happen to them, you know?

“Oh, whatever. I can stop whenever I want. It’ll take a lot more than a couple lines here, a few more there, to get me addicted.”

Not to mention the conscious decision the addict makes to try the drug in the first place. There are very few people who aren’t subjected to some form of drug abuse prevention therapy at some age in these great United States.

The thing about a drug dealer is, usually, the hustler on the street, or behind the door at the knock spot, is just a cog in the wheel. The cashier at the grocery store. A dude trying to make a buck to feed himself and his family. Half of them only own weapons because of who they have to deal with, and the dangers surrounding being a drug dealer, not because they actively seek to use it. The vast majority of the ones I’ve known intentionally keep their weapons in a place only they know, out of reach, and never look at it again unless they’re cleaning it, or find themselves in a position where they have to use it.

I’ve known a couple who had never been in a fight. I’ve known a couple who only fight in defense of themselves or those around them. I’ve known a couple who found themselves in a position to defend a stranger on the street in a situation they knew nothing about, or just walk on by, and they stopped and saved the stranger.

And I’ve known a couple who would just as soon kill you as look at you. But they are in the minority, by far, and usually didn’t come up right to begin with, so they were gonna go bad whether they got involved with drugs or not.

And, naturally, you’ve got the psychotic, power hungry thug often portrayed on television, or the big screen. They’re even fewer and farther between, and they’re easily deflated. Just plop someone in front of them who is completely unfazed by their abuse, and isn’t really afraid to die. They become completely confused, retreat to a dark room to try and figure out how to hurt the person, and finally just wither and die.

Okay, maybe that last is wishful thinking. The psychotic thugs seem to have nine lives. So maybe use nine people who are unfazed?

Let’s say there’s no need to point out that some drug dealers are the equivalent of a WalMart cashier. Let’s, instead, point out to these ignoramuses the fact that most serial killers are white males, and plenty of white people have been arrested for and convicted of armed robbery, assault, possession of drugs with intent to sell. Hell, the chief of police up here was arrested for heading a drug ring, and he’s white!

While the cabby is correct in his belief that in order to do away with the drug-related violence, we have to go after the people involved, he’s completely wrong about which people we should be going after.

We shouldn’t be arresting the weed dealer on the street because the crack dealer behind the window killed a crackhead for looking at him funny. We shouldn’t be putting nonviolent criminals behind bars for the majority of their lives because other people who choose their illegal line of work think they have the right to go around hurting people who piss them off. That’s like hating all bus drivers because one of them intentionally splashed water out of the gutter on your brand new thousand dollar suit. Or deciding to put down all the pit bulls in the world because a few that weren’t properly cared for hurt children. Or executing all the AIDS patients because a few assholes are going around intentionally infecting people.

I’d love to see stories in the news about the dealers I knew who were constantly trying to find and hold down a legitimate job, and barely covering their bills with the money they made selling drugs. I’d love to see an exposé on the ones who try really hard to hold their families together, and don’t go to work till their kids are in bed, and make sure to be there when they wake up, and keep it completely separate from their families. Or even the ones who are heavily involved in the community, and not the way the mafia was–or is, depending on who you ask.

But you might not even see that if pot is legalized. I think even if that happens, it’ll be demonized. Just like alcohol, and cigarettes, and now carbs, and trans fat, and gluten, and high fructose corn syrup.

Anyway… That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Still stumped? Get some culture, jack ass.

He’s got wit.  He’s got class.

Okay, maybe he’s slightly lacking in the class department.

In any case, he’s got way more class than Southwest Air, who kicked him off a flight for being too fat.  No lie.  They deemed him a flight risk.

I know… I know.  I hate celebrity news.  Kevin Smith happens to be one of the few celebrities I have respect for.  Cause he doesn’t pretend to not be who he is and that’s really flipping cool.

Last night, as I was crawling into bed, M says, “Oh shit.  Southwest is fucked.”

I said, “Why?” (Duh?)

And he read me Mr. Smith‘s tweet:

Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?

And that’s just the beginning.  Even Neil Gaiman got involved, tweeting:

@ThatKevinSmith http://twitpic.com/1340gw – Dear @southwestair, *I* would gladly sit next to @thatkevinsmith on a plane. We are mortal enemi

And it’s hit SlashDot.

Southwest, I’d suggest you quit while you’re ahead.  Just sayin’.

I wasn’t really allowed to watch much news.  My parents tried to censor as much of the violence and hatred in the world as possible from my sister and I.  So often, my father would “help” me pick a news story from the newspaper, if they allowed me to participate at all.  Back then, it wasn’t unusual for parents to keep their children from witnessing violence both in the media and on television or the big screen, so no one questioned it.

But there was one thing I do remember about the news.  It was the one place you could be sure that, if you went there, you’d learn something.  I’m sure there was opinion injected into the media back then, too.  It’s almost impossible, even for someone who tries to remain diplomatic, to not let your opinion bleed into your writing.  So, being an opinionated writer, and knowing what I know as such, I can look beyond that.

What I can’t look beyond is the constant grammatical errors, misspellings and actual attempts from the newscasters to draw in the younger generation by using popular slang and, in some cases, Ebonics.

The news shouldn’t be about ratings, first of all.  Let’s start there.

While I understand that there is huge competition between all the stations, papers, and magazines, “talking down to their level” isn’t going to win you any popularity contests.  Frankly, it’s insulting.  Because in most cases, it’s obvious you think the people who use these terms aren’t as intelligent as you.  And I’m here to tell you that’s just not true.

I’ve had more intelligent conversations with people who speak mostly Ebonics, in some cases, than with people who are well educated and in positions of power.  I’ve heard more compassion and understanding of the way the world works come from the mouths of men who dropped out of school in second grade, for one reason or another, and have had to make a life for themselves on the street. 

But let’s ignore all that.  Let’s pretend you don’t think they’re stupid.  Let’s pretend you really are just trying to relate to a group of people you don’t understand.  We’ll give you the benefit of doubt.

But Jiminey Cricket, get a better editor!

There’s nothing that infuriates me more than to go look at one of my local news stations – Or sometimes, even CNN! – and find something like, “They went to there local congressman…” or “You two can have whitened teeth in a matter of five minutes!” or “Your going to love this guy!” Repeated words and misspelled city names and sentences so mixed up you can’t make hide nor hair of what they’re trying to say.  From the news!

And that’s another thing… What’s up with all these major news stations having advertisements for scams on their front pages? Why are you, my news station, trying to sell me shit that you, yourself, probably wouldn’t even try? Selling it to me as if you know for a fact it works! Stop it!

I know you know that Americans look to you to tell them how to act.  We shouldn’t, and we’re idiots for doing it.  Especially now, with how much opinion is allowed to bleed into newscasting.  But we do.  And while I realize corruption is prevalent all over the U.S., I’d hoped that at least the places we’re supposed to go to learn about this corruption would be what they’re supposed to be.  An honest portrayal of the bullshit going on in our government, in our streets, and in our lives.

You wanna know how to be more popular?

Stop running more stories about celebrities than real world conflict.  Tell us the truth.  Don’t sugar coat it, or pander to our delicate sensibilities.  Don’t censor it.  And don’t let the government shut you down.

If we all stand up, they can’t beat us down.  Stop helping them hold us down.  Help us stand up! Because you know what? Once they’ve beaten us into submission, you’re next.  And then, you’ll be nothing but actors on a screen.  You’re not much more than that, now.

The news is supposed to have more integrity than that.  Live up to your potential.

1. Her idea of happiness involves a lot of spending
2. At heart, her show is a gawk-fest
3. She fat-shames
4. She created the monster that is Dr. Phil
5. Her perceived infallibility
6. O: The Oprah Magazine
7. She treats celebrities as medical experts
8. She endorsed The Secret and other pseudoscience
9. She popularized the word “vajayjay”
10. Retiring from her talk show will only make her more popular

I’ve never watched her show.  I’d never even looked at the cover of one of her magazines until I read that article.  I don’t know much about her, to be honest.

I’ll admit, I hope if I ever do publish a book, she puts it on her list.  Can you imagine how much money it would make, then? The royalties would be endless.  I’d be able to use them to start the nonprofit organization I want to build.  That would be so incredibly awesome.

However, Oprah’s reputation precedes her.  On both sides of the spectrum.

Honestly, I do have a problem with her tactics.

I appreciate her motives.  I realize that she, on some level, honestly believes she’s doing good.  And her “every woman” persona has definitely done wonders for some women.  Regardless of what anyone thinks of her, or the way she goes about things, that is fact.  I know because my mother is one of them.

For all the bad she does, there is some good in her.  She often puts her money where her mouth is.  She regularly uses her celebrity status and reputation to help amazing causes.  She gets involved.  Even if she does only do it for publicity, she does it.  That’s more than can be said for most of us.

I’m not saying she deserves the almost cult-like following she’s got.  No human being deserves that.  And I’m not saying that you shouldn’t hate the way she does things, or her opinions, or even her.

I guess I just don’t like looking a gift horse in the mouth.  Even one that occasionally bites the hand that feeds it.

But, if you have any disillusionment about who Oprah really is, do give that article a look.  It’s a good read.  There were some things in there that I didn’t know.  Which isn’t saying much since, like I said, I don’t know much about her.

As for me, to put it bluntly: I don’t give a fuck. It’s even worse, tho, the entire concept of dragging politicians marriage squabbles through the mud in a public forum is what really pisses me off.

For those that don’t know, earlier this week there was much talk about the fact that no one seemed to know where the governor was this past Monday after a intense fight with the South Carolina Legislature. A spokesman for the governor finally released a statement saying that he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Of course, much political stupidity came out of this, such as the Senate Minority Leader John Land claiming that the governor’s behavior was “erratic” (cnn.com). I suppose it is, in a way, but as I was flying past this story on Tuesday I thought “Good for him!”. Ok, so I will admit to feeling a little stupid, but back to my point.

I keep a pretty close eye on the news. I like to know what’s going on around me. Most recently this has included keeping up on the Iran election fallout. For awhile, the top story on cnn.com was that Governor Sanford has admitted to having an affair with a woman in Argentina. Unfortunately, he wasn’t out hiking, but was still getting alot of, uh, exercise.  He has publicly come out to apologize and resign from the Republican Governors Association.

His wife, Jenny (insert something about peas and carrots), has had things to say publicly about this as well, admitting that she asked him to leave as part of a “trial separation”.  You can read her statement HERE. There are a number of things that disgust me about her public response, which I’ll get into in a second.

First I want to explain why this sort of thing pisses me off. What happens in someones marriage is none of our fucking business. It, frankly, boggles my mind that these politicians feel they need to apologize to an entire state (or country) for infidelities towards their spouse. It’s none of our business! I completely reject the idea that if a husband cheats on his wife, he is incapable of holding public office and making decisions to benefit the people relying on him. They are apples and oranges, and if we applied this sort of unrealistic thinking to every working American, half our workforce would have to be sent home. Somehow I don’t think that is about to happen.

Working on a state budget is not comparable to sticking it to some chick in Argentina. When it comes right down to it, this is a family issue and I wish these politicians (and their spouses) would quit making public statements about it. I also think it’s underhanded of the media to put these stories in the most prominent positions.

For those that think I’m defending him, I’m most certainly not. He’s broken his word to someone he chose to spend his life with. I consider that a major trust violation. However, it has nothing to do with me, nor the people of South Carolina. It has to do with him and his family.

Back to Jenny’s statements. Let me include an excerpt:

I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which I have been routinely engaged. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind.

I hope she didn’t dislocate anything while patting herself on the back there. To me, this came across as inappropriate.

Some more:

We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago. This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us.

Wait, what? Way to use the kids as ammunition! I understand that a breach of trust is nothing quick, nor easy, to repair. It’s a very emotional time, and sometimes this requires space. However, I have a serious issue that she requested he not contact his own children during their trial separation. Maybe I’m just overly cynical, but that looks to me like she’s using the kids to exact some revenge.

More:

This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives …

This is the only part of her statement that has anything I agree with, but if she wanted to keep this private, they shouldn’t have released public statements. This makes her look good, because after airing out her dirty laundry, she’s now requesting privacy. I think you should’ve thought of that before you and your husband turned this into a public spectacle, Jenny.

Some may wonder why I’m not ripping on the governors statements. I’ve not been able to find much to rip him about, other than the cheating itself. I do want to make sure any readers out there understand that I feel there’s no excuse for cheating on your spouse (man or woman, this isn’t a male-only sport). However, all I’ve been able to find is that he’s admitted to having an affair with someone who started out as a friend in Argentina. He apologized and requested a “zone of privacy” (see previous bitch) for his family. There’s not much there to rip into, really, other than the obvious indiscretion.

Finally, it’s easy for me to blame the politicians themselves or the media, but when it comes right down to it, the really guilty parties are those that feel the need to live through others pain and humiliation vicariously. If we stop giving our money to read this garbage, there will be no profit for the media to make off of publishing it. This isn’t a feminism issue, or a political issue, it’s a family issue between a husband and wife and it’s inappropriate for it to be dragged over the worlds stage for everyone to gobble up along with dinner.