People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: PETA

Post 18:


*NOTE*
I will be updating this probably weekly (unless big news breaks). The current outlook for November is identical in the polls as it was last week, that is, Obama should win:

*END OF NOTE*

Before I start properly though, I want to ask, how is it being kind to an animal to cut off it's testicles?

On the internets it is not hard to find a website that promotes the love of one specific group of things. From fan clubs of TV shows to sites that spew forth the good things about bestiality, we are told to love the whales, love the trees, love each other, love God, etc. The Internet is full of these websites. Then there is PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), a website/organization that is dedicated to the ethical treatment of animals via legislation, protests, lies and violence. PETA is an interesting group, as they claim to be attempting to remove the corporate veil of secrecy (LIES) and reveal the TRUTH of what is happening behind the scenes. Then, you know, they out and lie about it; that encourages all of us to be so trusting of this organization. PETA riles me up for four primary reasons: Their attack on person who care about animals - They provide insane propaganda - They encourage terrorist groups - PETA lies. Yes, I know, I have more than my normal three reasons; the world is coming to an end. PETA: What Really Grinds my Gigantic Notched Wheels.

They attack people who care about animals:
I do not know about you, but if somebody agreed with my organization I would not go out of my way to try and discredit, attack, and deamonize that person. Yet, that is exactly what PETA does. They attacked Jack Hanna (PETA Claims this is their own letter) because he goes out of his way to show the animals (which increases the knowledge of how endangered they are) and that is not natural. They attacked Steve Irwin for provoking these animals into reactions, which, then encourages the young viewers to care about the animals. Also, do not forget that PETA does not approve of zoos; that is right, they do not believe that the primary help of endangered animals is a good thing. PETA needs to realize that these people actually increase the overall knowledge of conservation and helping save animals, and PETA should stop bitting the hand that helps them.

They provide insane propaganda:



This video is one put out by PETA about cruelty to animals.
When any organization decides to give graphic and misleading information to children like PETA does you need to start getting a little worried. PETA outputs videos that are very emotionally disturbing and gut wrenching for a reason, because they know it will evoke a response from us. The problem is, most of these videos are misleading or incorrect. They mention the worker who sticks his finger up a chicken clocala (live, supposedly), but miss the fact that one worker is one worker. There are people who are screw ups in every group, people who get sick pleasure out of pain in others. PETA uses that one person to say the entire industry is that way. Furthermore, PETA sends out information to kids about the horrors of dissection which very interestingly mention the taking of pets to use in these classrooms. They conveniently leave out the fact that PETA kills pets quite often. As with any group that utilizes propaganda, you need to be very careful when looking at PETA.

They encourage terrorist groups:
For this section, two quotes ought to be all that is needed:
"I think it would be great if all of the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories and the banks that fund them exploded tomorrow.” -PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich
"Arson, property destruction, burglary and theft are 'acceptable crimes' when used for the animal cause." -Alex Pacheco, Director, PeTA
PETA engages in funding and supporting of terrorist activities. They not only encourage illegal acts via their wording (as listed above), but they also fund these far-left eco-terrorist groups. PETA even supported and funded a guy who THEY KNEW was planning on burning down a MSU research lab. Anytime you have a group that encourages, supports, and funds terrorists I think that we have a major problem on our hands.

PETA Lies:
More or less, this section is simply a culmination of all the other sections. PETA attacks people for doing something (like Jack Hanna or Irwin) and then does the same thing themselves. The put out material that is gut-wrenching yet full of lies. PETA attacks those who they claim kill pets and then goes and kills pets. They attack those who harm animals yet defend those who bomb humans (do remember, we are animals too). PETA is an organization that exists as a lie, and is entirely run via lies. Any group that requires lies to win over supporters or to get money is not a good organization and not one that anybody can trust.






As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.
Thanks,
Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu


Read more ...

Taking a Bigger Bite of a PETA then you can chew

Every group has a purpose. Every person has a goal. And everything action has a reaction. All of these are limited, and all are specific. NRA wants guns for all (no gun control), MADD wants better drinking laws, and the ACLU wants the Constitution to be followed. All of these groups will do things, usually lawsuits and lobbying, to get this accomplished. PETA, on the other hand, has many many goals, all tied together under one umbrella. Go on, read more...



Now, this is not an attack on PETA, even though I always like to insult them, but this is more a quandary about their goals. Unlike most of these other groups, PETA targets 1983983294349234834 (note, number is made up, please don't sue me) issues instead of just one. For example:
-Stop all animal testing
-Stop all medical research on animals
-End certain types of zoos
-A Whole Pet issue
-No more meat
-No more leather etc.
-etc
-etc
-etc
-Oh yeah, and ethical treatment of all animals (animal abuse)

Okay, so, as you can see, PETA has several end goals that they are working on. These goals are vast and diverse, which greatly harms their ability to implement them all. Instead of focusing on one area and using all resources to enact it, PETA is spread out. We all know what happens when things spread out.

Well, on the off chance that you don't know what happen, here is a quick over view:
-You pick your targets
-Get donations
-Spend 100,000$ on each
-Get nothing done

Now, what other people do is spend the money on one target, so like 8,000,000$ on gun rights, and they get stuff done. Why? Because money=power, and the more you spend the more you are able to invest. The more you invest, the more likely you are able to accomplish your goal. Simply for the monetary reason, PETA should focus more.

Even more, however, is the fact that to join PETA you more or less need to agree with all of the goals. Special interest groups wrok because they are focused, not because they want to accomplish a ton. People join ACLU to protect civil rights, they join AARP for benefits, and they join MADD to get tougher drinking laws. People join PETA because they support all of PETA, but that means that others can't join.

If PETA wants to increase membership, maybe they should start to focus on select and specific areas. Almost everybody is against animal abuse and unneeded cruelty (NOTE, I am not interested in arguing this point at this time), but they are against the other things that PETA supports. Thus, instead of getting these voters (and their money), PETA is screwed because they are too wide. PETA should focus in this regard.

Finally, there is one other primary and good reason to specialize. This reason is the best – it limits the freaks you get. As Whalertly pointed out a week or so ago, PETA has connections to terrorists (who are not endorsed) and this harms them. If PETA was focused, they wouldn't be connected to people on the FBI Most Wanted and ELF. Clearly PETA needs to move away from these people, and the best way is to focus. Unless PETA limits their scope, these people will squeeze in, and they will fault the entire system.

My main point is that PETA has great ideas and potential, but because they are so wide focusing and encompass every animal group in the world, they actually are only harming themselves. I believe that PETA needs to close their focus and pick things they can get more supporters for. Always remember, people and their money=power.
Read more ...

Give PEAS a chance

I know, I know, I really do not like PETA. In fact, I usually can find nothing that they do right. But, for once, I have to give them some commendations. See, they are trying this new campaign that is going to attempt to get some peace in the Middle East by giving people peas. Sure, It is unlikely to work, but we must assume that they are trying this to be good people.



Anyways, PETA is running the "Give Peas a Chance" campaign with the intent on putting posters on both sides of the fence in Israel promoting vegetarianism. They are contending that terror and violence starts by eating meat (not sure if this is due to the murder of the animals or due to some sort of mental instability caused by meat) and so having people be vegies will cause less violence. This is an interesting idea, but I am not so sure how it would work.

I mean, how likely is it that being a vegie will decrease violence. Manson was a vegie, as was Hitler, and several other killers. Wait, that is a strawman, but who cares. Anyways, there is no evidence that shows that eating less meat causes less violence. No, I think this is more a marketing ploy by PETA to get people to think that they are all for peace. And, frankly, I buy it. I really think that PETA is attempting to interject humor in the situation which will hopefully help ease the tensions. If this works, I will like PETA slightly more. If it doesn't, I will be happy that they attempted to help.


Just so you don't think that I am starting to like PETA, I have to point out something they did wrong. See that picture up there, well it is wrong. PETA thinks that people shouldn't have pets as pets, but that dog and that cat clearly look like pets. PETA needs to get a new artist..
Read more ...

How I am Going to be Rich... And PETA Strikes Again

I had some problems with my computer today (somehow I corrupted GRUB, screwed up my loading til I found my live CD for ubutnu) so I have a tiny post

Today I have two short little blurbs that I want to share with you. They are both basically little responses to two things coming live off of the AP news feed.

Also, as a side note, that Alex I was arguing with, she stops letting your comments go through on her site when you keep disagreeing with her. This is sad, and I hate this on any site. Really, I want any and all comments on my site, even those that accuse me of sucking cock.




Finger length may predict financial success

Straight from the AP news feed, the size of your ring finger in comparison to your index indicates that you will be wealthy. Oh, it also shows that you will be good at competitive sports and be a hansom devil. Let's see, my ring finger is bigger, so we know it is obviously true.^my sexy hand^

Anyways, as is indicated, it appears that I should be good at sports and also a good stock trader. While I can argue that I am good at both, I think that this is the stupidest conclusion ever. A sample size of like 50 people is nothing to show a conclusion. This is not science, this is merely a coincidence.
That said, invest in my mutual fund, please

PETA: Spearfish school should be called Sea Kitten

PETA, apparently, in all of their wisdom, has decided that the term 'spearfish' somehow harms an animal. While I am not exactly sure how a name harms an animal, I find their logic to be hilarious. By arguing that fish have friends and think rationally they are kinda screwing up their biology. This shows the folly that PETA has become, and shows some problems with them

Why would you waste resources and support by proposing something as asinine as this? Seriously, there is something wrong with PETA if they think that this is important

Even worse, PETA has decided to make this an OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN with cudlly images and everything. Now, I am all for humane treatment of animals, but I think that PETA has finally lost its rocker here. Seriously, what the hell. Besides the simplistic pictures, and the teaching that your parents are idiots, there is something else wrong here... See the picture of the chick hugging a fish, yeah, that would kill it.
PETA IS PROMOTING THE SUFFOCATION AND REMOVING OF SCALES ON FISH!! Read more ...

PETA and an Ohio City’s Fireworks... and... A Cop and a Pregnant Lady

Today I bring you two short blurbs from my thoughts. One is local, dealing with PETA and their proposal to the town of Pickerington. The other is from Boston, where a cop ticketed a pregnant lady. Enjoy, and make sure to comment!



Recently, the city of Pickerington in central Ohio announced that they needed to cut 1.4million dollars from their annual budget. In this time with tightening budgets and belts, the announcement was nothing surprising, and is actually quite typical as cities in the rust belt start to lose citizens. What is interesting, however, is the fact that Pickerington was planning on eliminating their 28,000$ fireworks display that they have annually on July 4th. After public debate and the like, they started to look for a way to still have their public celebration, but without the cost.

Enter PETA.

As many of you know, I really do not like PETA. They are a group that enables terrorists, and even funds them. Plus, they have crazy ideas and they lie outright. That said, PETA offered to help the city by contributing $1,000 if they do a laser light show instead of the traditional fireworks.

While this money does nothing to help the budget issues, it does give the city a nice alternative that is cheaper than the fireworks. Now, I have no issue with changing the display to lasers, nor do I have an issue with making the display dog-friendly. Hell, I think that this is a great idea, provided they find a way to reproduce the loud bangs. My problem is with the idea that Pickerington might accept this money from PETA. Our government, no matter what level, should not accept monies from groups that violate the law, tell others to, or outright lie. I think that Pickerington should change their display methods, but they should leave the money with PETA.



Over in the great state of Massachusetts there is an interesting story emerging about a cop ticketing a couple rushing to the hospital to deliver their new kid. The couple was rushing to Boston and needed to drive on the shoulder to get around the gridlock of rush hour. After being waved on by two other cops, a third ticketed them. This has created a lot of controversy, and has had a lot of people call for the cops badge.

I think those people are morons.

Here is the deal, you endanger your kid by not going to a local hospital (for personal preference, no real reason), you don’t call an ambulance, you refuse the cops offer to get you one TWICE, and you then violate the law by driving on the shoulder. Then you have the nerve to complain, and think that the cop should get in trouble. That is bull, pure and simple. The cop was doing his job, unlike the other two, and was probably trying to protect the public. The couple put others lives at risk because they were far to self centered to think about others.

I am happy that the baby was born healthy, and I am happy that nobody go hurt, but I am appalled at the parents actions, the two cops actions, and the people demanding the cop is fired. This reminds me of Palin flying back to Alaska just to give birth. The parents were absurd

Moral of the story, get a ambulance next time and stay near the hospital you want to give birth in. Oh, and I hope that the cop gets a promotion. Read more ...

How PETA and Terrorism are linked

It is exam week for me (shit, did I just admit that I was still in school??) and so this will be a pretty quick post. Don't worry, I am sure that Alex will show up and I can fight with her.

While Barga is the one who normally attacks PETA, I have decided that it is my time to tear this idiotic organization a new hole. Apparently, a PETA member has been placed on the FBI top 10 most wanted list for a bombing he did 5 years ago. It is about time that these college kids learn exactly what freaks they are funding when they donate. Oh, and remove the bloody tax free status these people get.

Really, PETA needs to be shut down. Seriously, this organization gets money then funds shitheads like this. This guy bombed a few buildings, INTENDED TO HARM PEOPLE, and then they just act like he is all cool and innocent. This is just like the people who bomb researchers claiming that they are harming animals. Tell you what, if the research saves a human life, then it is worth it.

Oh, and isn't he a vegan? How does a vegan get off on trying to harm humans (ANIMALS)?

Time to study for my midterms, yay... Read more ...

On People Who Want Out Of Iraq

Post 15:
On People Who Want Out Of Iraq


*NOTE*
I am sorry about not having an entry up on Friday, I know that I copped out, but I really was doing a lot of other work
*END OF NOTE*

In 2001 the World Trade Center was hit by two airplanes and collapsed in the event that will forever be known as 9/11. About a year later President Bush decided to invade the country of Iraq claiming that it had something directly to do with 9/11. We now know that was false, and so many Americans have taken up the chant that we should get out of Iraq immediately. While I was at first for this position, and I never supported the invasion to start, I have reformed my position to one in which I think that we should stay in Iraq. While I have only one mail reason for staying in Iraq, I have two secondary reasons that are more defenses against persons who wish to leave - We need to clean up our spilled milk - The Soldiers signed up for this - The past is the past. People who want to leave Iraq - What Really Grinds My Gigantic Notched Wheels.

We need to clean up our spilled milk:
Really, I have only one reason for supporting the staying in Iraq. That is, We need to clean up our spilled milk. While we should never have gone into Iraq in the first place, we are now in there, and now need to fix what we have done. We have torn down (literally) the infrastructure of Iraq and made it extremely unlivable. We have allowed rouge gangs to roam the country, killing those who disagree with them on the slightest things. Frankly, we have taken Iraq from the Hell-hole that it was into a worse Hell-hole, don't ask me how we did that. Frankly, I think it is time that we stop making a mountain out of a mole-hill and stop crying over the milk. Let's clean up, get it back to at least how it was when we went in, and then get the hell out.

The Soldiers Signed Up For This
When arguing about the Iraq war people often bring up the fact that so many soldiers have died in Iraq. Yes, in March of this year we did indeed pass 4,000 deaths in Iraq. However, that is a far toss from any other war, where we lost tens of thousands, if not hundreds. 4,000 mothers, fathers, wife, brothers, and children lost their families, 4,000 people lost a main income source. Yet, didn't these soldiers know the risks when they signed up? Didn't they know what they were getting themselves into? That is my position; they knew what they were getting into, so, while sad, this is not really our concern.

The Past is the Past:
This has always been a pet peeve of mine, the people who claim that because something was in the past means it should not be now. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long argued that because cows were originally not like they are now (not dominated by humans, not producing as much milk, etc.) they should not be like that now (I do reserve the right to use this same argument when I complain about PETA). The problem with this argument is that if we release all cows now, they would die of starvation and need of us (they now do need us). Remember, the past is the past, not the present. With Iraq there is a large argument that we should not stay because we should never have been there to start with. That argument is, of course, very fallacious. Yes, we should not have been there, BUT WE ARE. Stop worrying about what happened in the past and worry about what is now.






As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.
Thanks,
Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu


Read more ...

Hand Holding Can Cause Babies

Before we start, the bossman wanted me to say a few quick things:
1) The swine flu thing will come when it goes live on blogcritics the next normal update later
2) His PETA and being careful about how much you try to take on will be the next one after that, or on wednesday, whichever happens first
3) he hates you
4) okay, I added the fourth one

Anyway, moving on


IN case you didn't already know, there is a nice court case in the news about a kid and his dad suing his school. See, the school suspended him (though allowed him to take the finals and graduate) for attending prom with his girlfriend. The school also bans rock music, dancing, and holding hands (After all, that can cause babies). So, this kid and his dad are suing the school. Before you get all riled up and pissy, note that the school is a private baptist institution. (http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7735/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=KrwI7xzm)

So, we have this kid, and he is suing his school, and this just gets really fun. Why is it fun? Well, it is fun because you have three different areas to look at. You have the fact that the school is acting on an act outside of their jurisdiction, the fact that it is private, and the fact that the dad paid a shit ton to go there. Let's play with this

So, well, for starters, the step-dad points out that the school has no right when it is outside of a school function and off of school grounds. This is a good argument, FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL, and one that SCOTUS has upheld many times. In this case, however, the school is private and thus free to do as they please within reason. The school informed Tyler of the risk, had a signed contract stating that he would follow the rules, and yet he still disobeyed. The school was well within their rights to punish him in this manner.

Well, I just covered the second point as well. Shit

Another interesting facet of this issue is the fact that the dad is paying tens of thousands of dollars to send his kid here, and yet he didn't read the contract. When you buy anything, a car, a house, a prostitute, and an education, always read the contract. Here, the dad didn't, and now he is pissed off. Frankly, I want the court to throw this out and have the dad pay ALL court costs, serves him right.

Because my second point got covered in the first, just a random fourth (3rd) point. IN all honesty, I believe that Heritage Christian is acting exactly as they should. The kid violated the rules and he is punished. While the school could have kicked him out, they did the proper and Christian thing (hehe) and let him graduate. Frankly, good job to the school.
Read more ...

Bicycle Race

Post 41:


Before I start, I would like to know, what the hell is the DNC thinking by having Michelle have a speech at the convention? Bloody morons... Michelle is going to lose it for Obama and they need to shut her up...

*MAP UPDATE*
Recent polls have put the national average at roughly +4.4 for Obama; however, that is well within the margin of error and this is still not a runaway. There is no overall change in the map this time; however, both Florida and Missouri are now clearly McCain territories.
*END OF MAP UPDATE*

I bike often; I will sometimes bike to work, sometimes to school, and around town or for fun. I always ride on the road or a designated bike path. That said, I don't really like most bikers. The Other Paper has a recent article featuring them and The Dispatch has had a plethora of editorials and letter dealing with them (feel free to find them on your own, too many to find). It would appear as though Columbus has been infested with a swarm of bikers. Really, these bikers piss me off for three (gasp, is Barga really back to using the three things method?) reasons: They do not follow the law - they are as pompous as prius drivers - they impede traffic. Please remember, not all bikers are like this (I know that I, for the most part, am not) and so do not treat them as such (or badly). Bikers: What Really Grinds My Gigantic Notched Wheels.

They Do Not Follow The Law:
For the record, if any car does not treat a biker like another vehicle on the road, they are breaking the law. Respect all vehicles on the road, be they motored or not. Bikes irk me because I often see people not following the laws of the road when they are out biking around, especially in the campus area (where I most often are). Bikers will pass cars that are stopped at a light, will run lights and stop signs, cut people off, and even pass a car that is turning ON THE SIDE THAT IT IS TURNING TO. Besides the obvious Darwin Award that this causes, it is the main reason that there are so many accidents involving bikes and cars. Furthermore, this is one of the main reasons that drivers hate bikers. Frankly, Bikers, if you want respect you need to give it. All parties on the road need to follow the laws, period.

The Are As Pompous As Prius Drivers:
You know, I can be peddling along at about 15 MPH and this hotshot on a road bike (I need to replace my mountain bike with one) goes flying by at 20. JACKASS. Really now, these big time bikers are exceptionally pompous, traveling at such unnatural speeds, acting all high and mighty because they have leg muscles. SCREW YOU.
Anyways, really, I find most bikers to be a lot like people who drive priuses, those who join PETA or Green peace and the like. They think that because they are helping the environment their shit don't stink. Well, both South Park and I think that your shit does smell (badly) and that you are just like the rest of us. Stop acting so special and deserving, the more you do that, the more you are resented.

They Impede Traffic:
While I feel that bikes have every right to the road as motor vehicles, they should realize that they are a slower (and more fragile) vehicle in the road and should act accordingly. Bikers need to give more clearance for cars to pass with and need to bike only at good times. I do not think that bikers should bike during rush hour (between 7-8 in the morning and between 5-6 at night) due to the problems that are already there, bikers just contribute more to them. Furthermore, bikers should not be biking at dark without proper lighting, this not only causes more accidents but is just a general practice. While bikes will always slow traffic down, they should do their best not to impede it.











As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.
Feel free to e-mail me if you so wish too instead.
Thanks,
Robert M. Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu



Stumble It! Read more ...

The Jena 6, two years later

Before I start let me just say something. Michael is a Biblical name, it is a bloody angel, spell it right when you name your kid. There are reasons people stereotype against the black members of our community.
For those of you wondering the reason why I am talking about the Jena Six, only two year and a half late, I am simply because one of the members was in the news again today; Mr. Bell apparently shot himself while cleaning his gun (which is why you always have the safety on and CHECK THE DAMN GUN).

On December 4th ,2006 six males beat one male until he passed out. They greatly injured his face and body. Basically, 6 guys teamed up and kicked the shit out of another. What should have been a simple prosecution soon turned into the biggest civil rights trial in years. Going back to my old three-point style of posting, I think that the Jena Six should have been convicted, and that it should have been handled differently. I feel that they attacked a person for no reason, I believe that they were merely used as a scapegoat, I hate Sharpton with a passion.

I feel that they attacked a person for no reason
A young man was beaten, nearly to death, by a gang of other people. Under any logical circumstance the gang should be tried and convicted, regardless of their color. The only thing here is the fact that they thought that the white man had used ‘fighting words’ and thus deserved it. Guess what, there is no reason to beat a person unless they are actively threatening you or another.
Basically, the entire argument moves around the fact that the white teenager supposedly hung a noose on a white-only tree. While this seems quite dangerous, it apparently was common place. There was no evidence that he was the hanger of the noose, nor any that he agreed with it. In fact, this beating might now cause him to be racist. Even if he did hang the noose, there is no reason to believe

I feel that they were merely used as a scapegoat
I do believe that our country has a judicial system that is over harsh on those of African decent. A simple look at the drug penalties shows as much. But, at the same time, I do not think that race played a single role in this situation. I see this as a proper move by the DA of the area, you prosecute people who attacked another, violently and without cause or provocation. Basically, I think the DA was doing his job perfectly. The only reason this was big was the fact that all the boys were black, and they were able to make an argument about the nooses that WERE NOT HUNG BY JUSTIN.
A large group of black Americans want to be able to blame the system. Jackson, Sharpton, Wright, they all want to be able to blame the man for the reason that statistically there is a higher poverty rate for blacks. Most blacks, however, are intellegent and no that this is not smart, nor is it right. Anyways, I really feel that the boys were used as scapegoats merely to further the agenda of these people. They were used to draw sympathy, longing, and a desire to amend our justice system. Frankly, the boys should not have been used in this way, and, even if they should have, THEY BROKE THE BLOODY LAW.

I hate Sharpton with a passion
I believe that Sharpton is a bigot (see his comments about Romney and Mormonism), an anti-Semite (see the Feddy Market Case), and an asshole (see his unpaid taxes and his campaign finances). The fact that he can say he argues for civil rights while keeping a straight face is beyond me. While he was good at first, he has become useless and a harm to the black community. Jackson, on the other hand, attempts to actually do good, he just fails. Sharpton has even show his willingness to lie in a trial, and then to accuse the people helping him when they contend that he was wrong.
On a side note, I do like some of the works he does. His groups, his funding, his anti-animal-cruelty bits (though I do dislike PETA), and his strong support for gays is a great thing for this country. If only he kept to logical areas of civil rights, not making shit up for the publicity.



In the end, I think that, while there might have been a HINT of racism in the whole Jena Six debacle, there was not enough to make it a bad trial. The boys broke the law, period, end of story. Sure, they were acting like idiots and they are kids, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be punished. Read more ...

White Wedding

Post 33:

No map update today, having power problems with my laptop and thus don't have time to get to that...


Todays topic is brought to you by my cousin Nick who sat by me on a plane for roughly six hours... Lets all feel bad for him.

So, on Saturday morning, my uncle decided that he was going to get married. So, all of the family went out, we all ate, drank, sang, smiled, cried, you know the drill. Well, we had a wedding. In the end, my entire weekend of three days was summed up by that 20 minute ceremony (it was short and small, great way to have a wedding). The other 71 hours and 40 minutes were spent with family, YAY. Really, I do not like family gatherings at all. They drive me crazy for several reasons, amongst which are: seeing people who remember you when you were “yay-tall to a pumper nickel” (okay, I made that phrase up) - having to deal with all of the family at the same time - meeting a whole new branch of the family, and, them expecting you to be family to them. I know, I know, this is a pretty typical bitch-fest, but, hey, it is my blog, so deal with it. Family Events (especially weddings): what really grinds my gigantic notched wheels.

Seeing people who remember when you were small, and that is all they remember about you:
Now, we all know about the pinched cheeks, the noogies, and all the other great things that family loves to put you through during special events. Well, the one I hate the most is when they start talking about your past self; no matter how old you are, the family seems to only remember when you were five. NEWS FLASH: I am 20 now, I am not anything like what I was when I was five. This really just drives me crazy. I understand that I used to be different and that I used to by about three foot tall (instead of my current 6' 1”), however, why the hell does it matter. I wish the my family, and people general, would just accept that now is now, and move out of the past. If we did that, society would be much better off (Notice the parallels here to my Iraq and PETA entires?).

Having to deal with all of my family at the same time:
My family is Jewish and Italian; we eat a lot and we complain a lot. That said, we also annoy the hell out of each other. This, of course, does make a fair bit of sense. However, when I have to deal with them for almost three solid days, it starts to drive me nuts. Now, I like my family (okay, not really, but, you know, they are my family) but family events are just too much. That is my problem with weddings, and why I would want a small one (let's see if I can get the brides consent to that). I have never understood why reunions happen, why weddings are so big, and why everybody needs to be invited to graduations. If anybody knows, please let me know.

Meeting a new 'family':
I have now added roughly 25 new people into my family. That is all fine and dandy, my clan has grown, as has my eventual voting and campaigning base. However, what fun is there in meeting all of these new people. New names, new attitudes, hell, I do not even know what jokes I am allowed to say or not (don't know their senses yet). What is even worse is the fact that they all then expect to be family with you. I have a family, and while you might be in mine, I place you no closer than certain second-cousins of mine. I know you, will see you and say high, and that is it. Do not expect me to become close to you and trust you; I do not know you yet. That is my biggest fear about going to weddings; am I going to meet people who like me and I like back, or am I going to meet people that I am forced to like?

I hope you enjoyed my bitch fest, we can get back to politics on Wednesday.








As always, please leave any comments, no matter how large or how small about the contents of this blog post. Also, please leave any comments/suggestions about this site/post as a whole.
Feel free to e-mail me if you so wish too instead.
Thanks,
Robert M. Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu



Stumble It! Read more ...

Sounds

As most of you know, I will be out camping and hiking and what-not with Pete O (a frequent commenter on this site, even though he is a Republican) and his father. As we will be gone for most of the week, there will be no real new story for this week, but there will still be updates on my normal days. I will comment on any comments when I get back, and I hope you guys can live without me for a week...

The upcoming posting schedule is as follows:
Monday (today) - This is a trial of what would be a longer (say 7 pages instead of 2) story, let me know what you think

Wednesday - This will be a post I stole from Lisa over at Liberal Common Sense. It will be a list of 7 things that you didn't know about me.

Friday - This is an essay (my final) for English 275 (A Thematic Approach To Lit.) It is my position on how Sci-fi authors feel about what humanity is, that is, what a human is. It is part 1 of 4 for my Humanity series, which is mainly in response to Alex, the PETA-poster (feel free to comment on other posts Alex, I am sure your input would be nice on all others)

Monday - Probably a collection of pictures taken on my trip.

After Monday I have no set schedule, but I will do my best to get all four parts of the humanity series up in the near future.

With that said, enjoy today's post....







I stand up, my back glistening in the candle light as yet another bead of sweat drips down it, slowly traversing my rough skin. The rubber sheath snaps as I pull it off- and it stings like a bitch -, one shot, make it, into the waste basket it goes. I root through the pile of clothing, grabbing my boxers. My head is still swimming, those stars still shooting around; calm down, just a bit more and I am out the door. Right leg in, left, slowly pull them up. I even snaps the band around my waste for the sound. God, I love sounds.

“Cindy dear, it is time to get going. I've got my actual meeting now, it is time for me to go.”

“John, love, must you go so soon? I only get to see you but every once in a while, the times when you have time to get away from your meetings. Love, I want to see you more..”

“Honey, we both know that I can only see you a few times, we both know the risks that I am taking even being with you”

I locate my Levis, pulling them up one leg at a time, over my boxers.

“Fuck”

Every time I go to a meeting I forget that I needs the shirt first. The pants go flying back to the ground, in their place, my hands suddenly grasp the blue fabric of the shirt. Left arm, right arm, pull tight. I pause for a moment, remembering how I do it at home; I would toss it into the air and then run beneath it, hoping to catch it properly upon my sexy shoulders. Button one to nine, top to bottom. Look sharp. My hands grope at the floor, attempting to attach themselves to the legs of the pants. There they are. One leg in, other leg in, meet at the waste. I buttons up, zips up the fly, listening to the sound as it slowly grinds and seals itself up. God, I love sounds.

“John, you told me that you would be here for me. You told me that it would only be a few more months, and that then you would be with me. John...”

“You are ruining this moment”

“John, we have too many of these moments, your meetings, your job, your parents. Why do you keep making excuses to me, why can't you just do what you promised?”

I search for a few minutes, as the clock slowly ticked past the fleeting moments of my frivolous life. There they are, balled up under the register, two small black bundles that should be encasing my sole. I unroll them, place them on my feet, slowly pulling the fabric up my leg to its maximum hight. My leg hairs rustle slightly as the sock pulls itself over them. God, I love sounds.

“What I promised you just can't happen yet. There are too many factors, there are too many lies. Cindy, I will be with you forever, just give me time”

“You have been telling me that for years, when will it be? When the fuck will it be John? I want it now. I am getting sick of waiting, now or never baby”

Bitch, cunt, whore, slut, fucker; I go through the list in my head, thinking of what I should really say to her out loud.

“Cindy, calm yourself. I promised didn't I, that means we will.”

I have my shoes on now, about god damned time, I can get the fuck out of here soon. Pull each arch, feel it tightening, slowly draining my cells of their life. I pull it all taut, just the way my daddy taught me, make my crosses and bows. Rabbit round the hole, hunter pokes on through. Pull tight. Repeat for the double. Someday, I might get loafers. My belt whips through the air, cracking, as I arc it round my middle, buckling it at the front. God, I love sounds.

“John, you said that last week when you were here about the hospital project. Stopping making these excuses, tell me right now, are we going to be together in the end or not?”

I look around. The hotel is a mess, but who the hell cares. The company covers everything, the room, the food, the condoms (though they don't know that), the cab, even the damage. About time to get out of here, to get the fuck away from the bitch. God, why the hell do I keep on seeing her? Oh yeah, she is great in the sack.

“Cindy, we will be, just give me time”

“Before you go, DEAR, put your ring back on”

How could I have forgotten that? Her father is my boss for fucks sake. He would figure it out and I could lose my job. Also, I could lose her.

“Thanks love, see you next week”

I walk out the door, latching it behind me. My ring sparkles and shines on the left ring finger. One solid ban of gold, carrying all the meaning in the world. My feet make a slight clump as they pound the pavement. God, I love sounds.

Read more ...

Part 1 of 4 - Humanity Series

Are you a human? Am I a human? Is my monkey a human?

A New¹ and Improved² Essay

El Barga

Homo Sapiens is a very well defined phrase. It means “thinking (or wise) human”. Homo Sapiens (humans) are the least endangered species on the third planet from what they know as the Sun. They feature an enlarged brain (held in by a enormous head) and roughly symmetrical body. Two arms, two legs, and ten digits for each pair. The entire Hominid clan, after Habilus, is known for their intensive tool usage, their high caloric intake, and their love of heated meats (except for their idiotic members who seem to think that animals deserve rights; fucking nuts if you ask me³). Humans, unlike any other species, also seem to want to kill themselves off.

If the term 'human' is so well defined, then why would science fiction authors spend countless nights typing away at little clicking machines (that is what Bradbury called them) and waste dimes at a time to type up and define the term⁴? Well, it seems obvious that science fiction writers are all secretly existentialistic and that they also want to confuse you. They use buildings, dogs, aliens, and even other humans to make you question who is really a human and who is not. Is it your neighbor (for this argument, another Homo Sapien) who hates your ideologies or the alien who agrees with you all the time. Which of those is more human, which of those is more alien?

Different authors have had different takes on what exactly it means to be a human. Clarke, in 2001: A Space Odyssey, contends that humans are given intelligence, thus the only real humans are those who are always seeking more knowledge and the truth. Asimov, with his hundreds of stories on Robots, writes in Robbie! that to be human is simply to feel for another being (be it living or be it simulating life). Heinlein, well, his humans depend on the novel (in Stranger in a Strange land, isn't the human the one who is the leader and the followers are nothing?).

With various authors taking different positions, how is somebody supposed to conclude what is human and what is not? Well, we can assume that they all are circling a common ground, and thus we just need to find that ground. Take Bradbury with his 1950 short story “There Will Come Soft Rains”⁵. In this story, Bradbury creates a story with no actual humans (in the flesh, their shadows do remain, however). How can one find a definition of humanity in such a story, you ask? Well, it seems pretty simple: Bradbury is able to make the house that is the main, and basically the only, character of the story into a human. The house is calm despite the overall calamity. Why? Because the problems don’t

effect it. It maintains its life, it maintains its job, it keeps on truckin’. Only until the moment that the house is itself in danger, does it start to react. At that point it panics, slips into insanity, and then slowly succumbs to its death throws.

With this story, Bradbury is explaining that humans are a cold and calculating species. They can maintain themselves and keep running as they want to no matter what happens, be it a nuclear war or be it simply a person run over by a car⁶. He is claiming, that unless humans themselves are at risk, they will not act at all; humans are uncaring for each other and that they will just walk right by (keep working) while all the others die. However, once they themselves are in danger, then he feels that they will go insane trying to fix it. In the end, he says, all humans will die as they will only help themselves until it is too late: “Then they came for me, and by that time, nobody was left to stand up”.

Sterling, in his 1982 short story Swarm, takes a different stance of what humanity is. He presents us with a mutually beneficial colony, with creatures full-filling all positions. This is oddly reminiscent to a corporation in this modern age; all parts of the machine like where they are, but they do not know that they are part of it. Only when they get the rare intelligence (a Patton, a Rommel, a Washington, a Barga⁷) do they use it to help advance their status and thus ensure a safer existence for their own species. He is saying that these creatures are really humans, and that while humans need to work together to survive (the main point of There Will Come Soft Rains), we are already working together in one large clump, governed by a rare power⁸. Sterling is saying that to be human means to simply be another brick in the wall that is holding up the building

So, you have one author, Bradbury, arguing that humans are cold and calculating creatures, that they are their own seeds of destruction. You have another, Sterling, who is sitting there saying that, regardless of how the individual feels towards all of this, humans are all working together in a symbiotic relationship. These two opinions on humanity actually walk hand-in-hand as they look simply at two different parts of the same puzzle. Much like God and Evolution⁹, these two theories march together. Bradbury is looking at each individual cog of the machine, saying that it only cares about itself and that it doesn’t matter to it what happens to the other Cogs. Sterling is looking at the machine which all the cogs are a part of, and is saying that the cogs need not see the larger picture, they are part of it anyways. Either way, both are saying that to be human is to require assistance of other humans and to live as one part of the species.

To make matters worse, some authors say ‘fuck it¹⁰’ to the implied humanity and instead take it at the literal definition. Terry Bisson, in his short story Bears Discover Fire, is looking at what makes one entity, without its representative society, into a human. Bisson moved more into the traditional scientific definition of what a human is: he was contending that anything which could use tools (Hominid trait sense Habilus) is a human. Bears are almost identical to us hominids save for their teeth, their fur, and their strength¹¹. They are symmetrical, they consume large amounts of calories, and they shop at The Gap¹². Bisson took a creature, one that we consider dumb and below us, and showed us that it is really just as human as we are¹³. Bisson was saying that humans are merely animals that can use tools (in this case, fire) and thus can alter to a large part their environment. Under this logic, my monkey (most monkey use tools) counts as a human too.¹⁴

So, Bisson just threw us a curve ball and we have to grab it to throw out the person stealing second.¹⁵ He is contending, as have several other greats in science fiction, specifically Clarke in 2001: A Space Odyssey, that all that makes a human is our use of technology. That is, the only reason we are above dolphins is due to the fact that we use technology. Other authors, like Adams, quickly contend that dolphins are above us, we just can not under stand what they are saying.¹⁶ Anyways, back to my point, technology makes a human is all that Bisson is proposing. Now, this might seem different from the social groups in Bradbury and Sterling but it is a similar thing. All three stories have used technology of some sort, and in all three it seems to be a requirement of being human. The house is technology, the bears use fire, the creatures use an evolutionary advancement (genetic modification). Additionally, in all of the stories, Humans are one part of a giant chain that needs each other to survive (the bears travel en mass). Basically, Science Fiction authors are saying that humans are just one part of a machine, but that part is using technology and somewhat independent. Pretty interesting machine if you ask me.¹⁷

So, we are all settled on a definition and then this piss-pot from South Carolina¹⁸ decides that he is going to write several amazingly successful stories, both of sci-fi and of fantasy, and challenge the assumption of what a human is. He explains that there are four forms of intelligent life:

“Utlanning are strangers of one's own species and one's own world

Framling are members of one's own species but from another world or culture.

Ramen are strangers from another species who are capable of communication and peaceful coexistence with Homo sapiens sapiens, though that does not guarantee they will pursue the latter

Varelse are strangers from another species who are not able to communicate with us. They are true aliens, completely incapable of common ground with humanity. “¹⁹

Here Card is telling us that humans are simply creatures that are a known species and that can communicate and POTENTIALLY live peacefully with us. He is not saying that just Homo Sapiens are humans, but that any creature that can communicate and be peaceful is a human. Wow, I guess that GW Bush is not a human then.²⁰

This throws a large wrench into the overall argument as to what a human is. We have most authors saying technology and society makes a human, but here is this other author contending that technology and society is not needed, only rational thought and a way to express it. While this can fit into Bears and into Swarm, it fails to fit with Rain. In Rain the house can not communicate what it wants, only what it is supposed to. Plus, it acts quite irrational during the whole thing. However, from common experience, we know that not all humans are rational and that not all humans can communicate.

By looking at just that last sentence we can see how to tie Bradbury into Card’s new position. The house is an outlier, the humans on the side, and the dog, communicated what they were doing/wanted, and they were rational about it. Clearly, the house is simply the person in the mental ward that is deaf and doesn’t know sign language. Provided you consider the house an outlier, and not representative of the society²¹ then this fits. Card, Bisson, Bradbury, and Sterling all feel that to be human you merely need to be rational and able to communicate. Now, who are you to argue with them?²²

And to leave you with an image to remember me by…

By the way, this would be a great cover for Swarm

1 Yet it keeps the same basic premise and has three paragraphs that are fully identical to the previous edition, and many other parts with only a little bit of changes. But if Coke Zero® is new, then by God so it this

2 With a new bit o’ dribble added to make it 7 pages

3 And you did

4 Because they are assholes. Also, they wanted me to have a paper topic for my final.

5 Which I just discovered is referenced in a scene in the Video Game Fallout 3

6 Which seems to be his specialty, see Fahrenheit 451

7 Of course the best brain ever

8 It’s the Zionists, or the New World Order… must get my tin-foil hat

9 He created all, then let it go. Also, it is ev-O-lution, not e-VIL-ution like you Brits say

10 Yeah, stick it to the man

11 Doesn’t that mean that they are not like us at all?

12 In fact, in 1995 it was rumored that there was a large polar bear shopping at The Gap inside Polaris Mall. It turned out simply to be a fat old woman.

13 PETA just had a field day

14 Yay

15 Yes, I just wanted a Baseball reference

16 Those fish were mine. THEY TOOK MY BLOODY FISH

17 See footnote 3

18 Obvious a red-neck hick

19 Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card, no bloody clue what page

20 Bad taste? Well, too bad

21 Which, sadly, is not the case mostly. We have some idiots in this country. Way, way too many idiot.

22 If you were me then you would be able to argue with them (and you would be right), but you are not me; God, it must suck to be you.

Read more ...