Countdown to Extinction

The last week got scary as far as Trump and Cruz are total possibilities to win the candidacy for president. How does this fare with both parties? The Republicans are not liking either and picking sides but many are choosing Trump over Cruz because Cruz is one who will not work with Congress. Added to that, in my personal opinion, he's too religious to fairly represent the people fairly. For someone who holds the Constitution with supposed high regards. Just like those idiots in Oregon's stand-off. Cliven Bundy, the father of the idiots in charge, said how the federal government shouldn't be there and how "sons and other people there [are] trying to protect our rights and liberties and freedoms." These morons oppose the federal government, but they sight the Constitution (a federal document) and their rights via that document to justify their occupation and stand off.

One can go back further to see how these outliers in their party can gain such a strong hold is because of the monopoly put in place (via Coalition for Presidential Debates) to prevent any third party candidate participate in debates so these people with far different ideologies have to run under those names and now those nutbags are fucking them over. What did they expect to happen from the divisiveness they have been allowing to widen in the past several years.

This leads to a society who does not want to be informed but back their ideologies, however ineptly applied, no matter the expense - even if it means being deceitful. People like Trump and Cruz make shit up and apply whatever bullshit to an idealistic, ideological rhetoric and people go for it; doesn't matter when it gets debunked. I thought of this when Marc Maron introed this Monday's WTF with his rant about the Amy Shumer debacle I was unaware of.

I had listened to the episode where he did mention watching her recent special because he doesn't usually watch current ones because he likes to stay fresh and original with his bits. He did mention that she had a joke fairly similar to his and called her to mention that and she had said "parallel thinking" and they can talk about that on his show sometime. And that was that. Apparently, someone edited what he said and posted it somewhere to purposefully misrepresent what he said to push that person's agenda and now there's some mean-spirited, misogynistic backlash as a result. Maron then mentioned how the mention of Michael Moore on his show people were dismissive and said things like no thanks or "pass."

The first part of what Marc said bothers me because there is a difference between adding a bias to something because most people do not know how to objectively or critically analyze their approach towards an issue or how they hear or read something. So most times this biased application is unintentional and can be forgiven. The thing that is different is the purposeful manipulation of information or false representing of those to make a point or push an agenda. If one has to resort to those tactics, then they are assholes or trying to make a thing fit their ideology - which is the reason I do not like ideologies, labels, etc.

I am not perfect but do believe that my opinions and current beliefs are truer in that I believe first of all that they are current beliefs and can evolve with new information presented. But also, I like to research things and can critically read and listen to things and see what is fact from opinion and see where biases are or whose voice is missing from that conversation, etc. I also try to get as much first-hand information as possible.

The second thing with Maron's statement is about being dismiss of people with someone based on the idea of that person based on, usually, second-hand information; which they actually talked about in the interview. This is so frustrating because it is a lazy, uninformed way to approach something or form an opinion on. Second, but maybe firstly, these are usually held by people who have strong beliefs which they use to judge and act upon or just be fucking pieces-of-shits to other people (think Ted Cruz, Trump, and most of their angry, judgmental followers, Fox News pundits and their demographics, and most American church goers). But usually these end up being false, misrepresented, flat out lied about, etc.

One way to find this out, is to look at the main divisive issues out there and see those things on different publications, periodicals, networks, people. Then research them further by first-hand information or other documents or even other countries' reporting on those. One finds how these things are divide-and-conquer tactics from the real issues and how things are manipulated etc. But having candidates like Trump, Cruz (and outlets such as Fox News) and even the current situation with the Planned Parenthood issue where they pushed an ideological issue by lying and misrepresenting something. They even tried to entrap them and it still was totally legal. But it is all for fucking ideologies.

This is important because most people do not remember the follow up or fact checking (unless it supports their side), but more so now, people do not care and they justify or qualify such actions as necessary to save us from this evil that does not exist. Like, "Oh, that's just the New York Times" is the Republican answer to anything they write about them that's negative and people accept that as a valid answer. Even when we talk about our debt as being mostly medical people just start blaming Obama. There's no knowledge or wisdom behind that it's just that's the answer. Not the we have a Republican government in our state which refuses to expand Medicaid, or that insurance companies have a big presence here in our state, or that there is a big hospital/pharmaceutical industry in our city, etc. This is how something goes down a bigger hole which can more precisely explain a situation which easily gets dismissed with no solution by just blaming Obama.

The Second Amendment

Just the other day I got an email from school stating that President Obama was to speak there. I did a double take because it didn't seem likely that he would be speaking in Omaha, let alone at our new, ridiculous arena (I can't get student loans for living expenses or an education next semester). But 'twas true. I looked at ticket distribution and they were issuing public one Sunday from 3-8 pm. However, we had a wedding to go to at 2-6, leaving two hours. Because there were separate days with different times, I assumed there would be limited amounts at each distribution periods and areas.

Then our friend Dale posted that they had gotten tickets. We have been meaning to hang out with them for a long time but just too busy. He was at the Donald Trump rally protesting but I didn't notice him (more on that in a bit). So Jeanne decided to go see about getting tickets. I was going to go to school this morning for UNO student tickets but I could only get one so decided to go. We got to the Baxter Arena and they ran out but said the Kroc Center, which is near the Metro South campus had some left. So we decided to head there. We got there and I headed in with Ayana while Jeanne trailed behind carrying Masa. As they entered the guy closed the door behind her saying they were the last ones for tickets. As Ayana and I signed for our Jeanne got the last ones. I assumed for that day but as it came to be known, it was the last of all, save for the ones at school today which ran out by 11 am.

In the paper today, it had photos of the lines for the tickets on Sunday which filled up inside the arena and around the block. It did not mentioned the Fort Omaha Metro Campus but the Kroc Center was the same. After all that, those people waiting at northern-gusting, single-digit temperatures, I was surprised we were able to get some. Jeanne's friend saw one offer online offering $10k. If I saw that I would have sold mine. The current offers ranged from $5-50. As a result of this, though, school is cancelled on Wednesday for this

So at the wedding, I talked to my buddy Fa'iz. We talked about his chickens because we want to get some and his situation is similar to ours and it seems good for us to get some and should be easy. Added to that, I mentioned how I've been interested in hunting and have been reading up on it and have a future plan to go with Chad in Montana and/or the Dakotas (ultimately, Alaska); also, our midwife who lives up near Deadwood has a house in the mountains and she hunts as well. So we have several private land offers. But I also have never shot a gun, but wanted to bow-hunt since I've done archery many times and seemed cheaper and more attainable. Chad has gear and I would only have to worry about travel. Fa'iz said their kids' martial arts intructor has land and hunts and has invited him many times and asked if I was interested, which I said yes. It's the hunting I want to learn which is also processing it ourselves there, because ultimately I want to hike in mountains to hunt and process and carry it out and survive off the land.

Also, while talking to Fa'iz, he mentioned the Obama deal and I asked what the occassion was, as I had not read the news on my break. He said it was the post-State of the Union Address deal and since Brad Ashford went to UNO, he work this out. I like Brad Ashford for many reasons, but getting Obama to come is good. With all other political nonsense aside, I think it is great that Obama is coming here for a couple of reasons. One being that he has visited all 50 states but Nebraska was just to land at Offutt to campaign in Council Bluffs. But the other, based on that one, is that no presidents or candidates come here because Republican's (stupidly) don't need to and for Democrats, it don't make sense to.

I mentioned to Fa'iz how we had tickets to Donald Trump and stood in line with frozen toes and had to pee for over an hour only to be turned away near the door because the "fire marshall said [they] were at capacity." I found this suspicious because they issued tickets and why would they give more than necessary, it's not like an airlines. I watched the speech he gave which was posted on YouTube and he opened by saying, being an hour late already, that "thousands" of people are waiting to get in and asked if they should wait. Now, us being outside I can say there were a hundred or so people. I took all this as his typical style and figured they wanted to start already. Fa'iz said that there was a report the other day which said he does this for the cameras so they pan outside while he's speaking so it seems as if the rallies are bursting at the seams to see him. Smart man.

So the other thing at this rally was on the way to the line, checking out the merch-people with the "We Shall Overcome" buttons and me and Duffy not talking too much because our toes were frozen, we had to pee, and were kind of taking in the crowd and comments and trying not to say stuff which potentially could get us shot, we walked past the protesters. I just mentioned how ridiculous it is to protest because you're not changing minds. I could stand outside a Nickelback concert protesting how bad that band sucks, those people are still going in; however, our friend Dale was there. Now, he is different. He is more to the point where he would like to politely dialogue people. For instance, his sign said, "Iraq Vet against Trump," looking more for people to come ask why, as a vet, is he against Trump. Though, not surprisingly, he got "Traitor," "Terrorist," told to "get a job."

Once turned away, we headed quickly to Bass Pro Shops for warmth and to pee. Now, I've been to this store once, not to pee but just to observe since we were in the parking lot. However, I was quickly able to, without assistance, find the restroom, because I know how every fucking store is typically set up and restrooms are usually somewhere along the front wall or back. I paralleled this to people at the ice cream shop who come up to ask where they are. It's in the only other place it could possibly, reasonably be, you dumb fuck!