Category: BullShit

Posted on

N.Y. mayor ‘shocked’ by soda law ruling

I saw the following headline this morning. This link should take you to the whole article.

N.Y. mayor ‘shocked’ by soda law ruling, takes shot at Mississippi law

I couldn’t help myself…

 

 

NewImage

Dear Mayor Bloomberg.

First… REALLY???

You really don’t understand why Mississippi has passed an anti Bloomberg law?

You really were shocked that  the Judge ruled against your soda law? Obviously you must have forgotten about a little thing called freedom.

You can’t be that clueless, therefore you have to be working at being purposefully obtuse.

Let me explain this to you in a way that perhaps your sycophant aides won’t.

Mississippi, isn’t legislating in favor of obesity they’re legislating against government interference in their lives, a phenomenon all too present these days.

I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand this concept, you’re so sure that you know whats best for everyone.

In your arrogant conceit you assume that no-one is capable of thinking for themselves or making their own choices. Further, you seek to remove any choice that could have deleterious effect.

Where Mr. Mayor would you stop?

Would Steak and all red meat be outlawed in the city of New York? Would you further legislate that only a vegan diet is acceptable? A healthier lifestyle requires less in medical costs doesn’t it?

Would you ban all alcoholic beverages from your city? That should put a stop to drunk driving. It would also reduce employee absenteeism thereby making your city more industrious and productive.

To protect society and New Yorkers Would you criminalize sex out of wedlock? Or Would you simply pass legislation to enforce reversible sterilization? This would prevent the poor from overly burdening themselves with children that could require assistance from the state, or who might become criminals.

How about requiring registration and licensing for use all cooking knives over 5” long?Those too can be used as deadly weapons.

Would you decide that fashion envy is a threat to the stability of your city and require uniforms to be worn by everyone?

Would you try to engage in eugenics, assigning men and women to each other for the purposes of reproduction. After all, in just a few generations you could erase or significantly blur the color lines in your city. Homogenous is good isn’t it?

Would you outlaw religion? Or will you simply define a State religion, thereby removing any potential conflict over beliefs?

When your ideas were rejected and the people engaged in protests and other forms of civil disobedience would you give the police a shoot to kill order? Would you bring in the national guard to enforce your will? I suppose you wouldn’t need the national guard, NYPD does seem to shoot and kill innocent people with frightening efficiency. 

Mr Mayor…

As insane as these ideas sound. To some extent throughout history been tried in various times and places, thankfully for the most part they’ve failed or at least been mercifully short lived.

Despots, and Dictators seem to start out by enacting laws “For the safety and Security of their people”. Historically, it doesn’t end well.

Thankfully you’re not in a position of national power. You pose little threat to the rest of us. 

The people of Mississippi and indeed other states are using you as a means to voice their opinion by saying no to the Nannyism which leads to a dark path, a path that is anathema to the core beliefs of America and her citizens.

That Mr Mayor is why you’ve become a laughing stock in so many places.

That’s why a Judge has ruled against your silly law. That is why other states are etching your name in the annals of their books of law as someone who is on the wrong side of common sense and freedom.

That’s why you’re becoming largely irrelevant.

Mr. Mayor, you do serve one purpose, You’re an example to our politicians about what can happen when you go too far.

I hope they get the message.

I look forward to the phrase “He’s a / Thats a Bloomberg” entering the national conversation as a euphemism for someone or something which is largely irrelevant.

Posted on

In the “Biting the Hand that Feeds” column…

NewImage

Hamid Karzai has accused the US of conspiring with the Taliban so that we can keep troops in his shit hole of a country.

All I can say is it’s a damn good thing I’m not the president of our country.

I’d have ordered our troops out of Afghanistan instantly. Like within 48 hours!

Enough is enough and Hamid fucking Karzai has certainly pushed my personal limits with his duplicity and hypocrisy. 

Secretary of Defense Hagel is visiting Afghanistan. I was pleased that he cancelled a joint press conference after Karzais statements. I’d have been happier if Hagel had also cancelled the state dinner. 

Karzai is not someone that we should trust, deal with, or support. 

Let’s bring our people home and let the Afghani people devour themselves. It’s time for us to cut our losses. 

Posted on

My Day…

Ahhh just vented my spleen on a manufacturers web site. I took some solace knowing I’m not the only person having problems with their product. 

EC1DF091 BCA6 4E0B A443 92D577F9CD93

I feel sorry for the original poster on the product forum. They have 8 blinds, I only have 7.

I posted this bit of bitching in hopes that someone considering purchase of the product might be forewarned and not have to deal with the craziness I have.

Re: Worst product I have encountered
on March 8th, 2013, 3:26 pm

I wholeheartedly agree with the original poster.

I have 7 blinds equipped with the somfy motors I hate the product! I’m sick and tired of the blinds breaking and crashing to the bottom of the windows sill or the floor. After the blinds are restrung I get the “JOY” of fighting to reprogram them.

Who had the bright idea to put the reset plug on the end of the blind motor enclosure? This means that when a blind blows its programming, you have to fight to get the blind up.

Then you have to take the blind OFF the mounting brackets, put the blind on a table or the floor. Then you plug in the little button attachment, press and hold the little button until the light tells you the blind is cleared. Then you have to put the blind back up in the window and try to reprogram it again.

You get to repeat this process at least twice perhaps three times, if you’ve been very good and your Karma is clean you only have to reprogram the blind that had the problem.

More often than not, you get to reprogram ALL the blinds on a particular control because the reprogramming of the one blind screws up the programming of all the others.

Which means that you get to spend at least an hour, usually 2 to 4 hours taking blinds down, resetting them, putting blinds back up, attempting to reprogram them, then taking them down again, resetting them, reprogramming them and all the while you’re praying that the three blinds you’ve been successful in reprogramming aren’t screwed up when you’re trying to reprogram the last blind.

Inevitably, though you end up reprogramming all of the blinds on a four blind controller at least twice.

I suppose this has “Enhanced my lifestyle” in that I don’t have to go to the Gym on days when I get to play “Reprogram the blinds“

As often as the blinds need to be reprogrammed, they should have a reset button right on the front of the enclosure. Make it a big red button so that you can’t miss it.

Why was it decided not to give the reset button and cord to the customer with each and every purchase? I was quoted $25 for a wire with a tiny plug at one end and a button with a light at the other.

I didn’t actually have to pay for the device because I pitched a fit and pointed out that the blinds were still under warranty.

The vendor could either send me the button thing, OR they could drive 50 miles to my house every time one of these blinds needed reprogramming…

I got the button next day Federal Express. I should have taken that as a clue.

You absolutely MUST have this device in order to regain control over a blind once it’s decided to flush it’s programming, which happens too often to keep track of.

In addition to the programming issues with the product. These blinds eat the nice expensive lithium batteries like candy. The motors “sing” to themselves all the time. By this I mean sitting idle doing nothing, you can hear the motors making high pitched whining noises.

That kind of sound is really irritating, and sure doesn’t “Enhance my lifestyle“. Having to listen to these blinds “Sing” while you’re trying to go to sleep has forced me to wear earplugs in my bedroom. (Pulling the batteries over night flushes the programming)

These are without doubt the worst products EVER, with the possible exception of perhaps a Ford Pinto. At least the Pintos had the decency to burst into flames and self destruct.

I’ve gotten so tired of dealing with these blinds I’ve decided that the next time they break down they’re going in the recycle bin. Enhanced my lifestyle???? Are you kidding?

I’m ready to just mount a roll-up shade in place of these horrible things. Heck, tacking a bedsheet across the windows would almost be preferable

I’d actually be happy if I could put them in “STUPID” mode and make them go up and down for as long as I held the button on the control. Especially if that would silence the motor noises.

The blinds are a pain in the behind because they’re “Smart”. The major issue with programming the dang things is that the motor has a concept of Top and Bottom. If I could… I’d lobotomize the darn things.

NEVER again!

I won’t ever purchase another motorized blind.

Simple is best. Save yourself the expense and aggravation stick with a good old fashioned pull cord to operate your window coverings. Better yet go with tab curtains and avoid all that mucking about with pulleys, gears, and strings.

Posted on

Can we now safely say its gone too far?

I caught this headline yesterday, the NRA picked it up this morning on Twitter.

7-year-old Maryland boy suspended for shaping pastry into gun – (via @WashTimes)

This boggles my mind. It’s almost as bad as the boy being suspended from making a gun with his index finger.

Or the Canadian boy last year whose parents home was raided because the boy drew a picture of a gun in school on a piece of paper. Uh… hello? It was a picture! (There’s more to the story and I’m oversimplifying the Canadian case a little. If you’re interested, you can find the original article in the archive section of this blog.)

20130303-094656.jpg Folks lets get a fucking clue!

Guns are in our culture, they are in every cop show, they’re romanticized, demonized, and endlessly discussed in the media.

As an aside, I happened to catch an episode of Hawaii Five-O a few weeks back.

There was a very interesting exchange between the two main characters, I don’t remember the whole thing exactly but it was something like “you’re a cop how can you not like guns?”, The other characters said “I use a gun as part of my job but that doesn’t mean I have to like guns.”

I remember that caught my attention because it was unusual for a cop show to address the gun issue and I wondered if the actor(s) or writers were taking a bit of a stand. I wondered if the actor who played the character not liking guns was making a personal statement for himself in the show with the help of the writers.

Either way, I liked the delivery. I thought it was reasonable, not preachy and pretty adult in it’s message. It also happened that it mirrors my own opinions about guns. They’re tools. Shooting at a target range is fun, a gun is a tool that facilitates shooting at the target range. I might like a particular gun, or a certain gun might have sentimental value to me. But that’s about as far as it goes. I am by no means and don’t anticipate becoming a collector / ammo hoarder with a walk in gun safe

There are pictures of guns almost daily in the newspapers in this country.

We shouldn’t be surprised that our kids would be curious.

The problem I see with the irrational behavior exhibited in these instances is that we add to the mystique of guns.

What lesson are we teaching a 7 year old by suspending him? Are we saying that guns are mysterious, forbidden, frightening, and therefore ultimately desirable?

Will this child learn the lesson that he can get out of school anytime he wants by presenting any remotely pseudo gun like object in class? Where will that lead?

Will this child and his peers ultimately decide that a gun is the most sought after object they can acquire? If so, doesn’t that logically increase the probability of children accidentally shooting each other?

20130303-094712.jpg It’s time for us to dial it down a few notches.

Water pistols will soon be making their annual appearance.

How do we as a society justify water guns being sold at Toys r Us and Walgreens, as toys and at the same time suspend kids for making croissant or finger guns?

I personally think making gang hand signs is far more damaging and deserving of sanction but that’s my opinion.

How about the schools, instead of freaking out, do something like actually teach the kids why they’re concerned?

Why not teach children what guns are used for, (hunting, law enforcement, military actions,) etc?

How about teaching kids the dangers of guns and that they’re loud and smelly. (Gunpowder smoke isn’t all that pleasant, when I was a kid I didn’t like the smell, now… Well it’s not a problem.)

I’d say get law enforcement involved, have them speak to the kids about guns and why they carry them.

Have local gun clubs or ranges put on demonstrations so the kids have a very clear idea about what a gun is, how much damage a gun can cause and why the children should be very careful if they find themselves around guns.

Even if none of the above was possible, I think it would be far more responsible for schools to teach kids something useful, like what to do if they happen to find an unattended gun or even just bullets.

Useful information like;

Don’t touch
Leave the area
Go find an adult and tell them where the gun/bullets are.

It’s not necessary to dwell on the negative. Criminals will provide ample examples of misuse via the daily news.

Instead of increasing the mystique, lets dispel it.

Lets teach the kids that a gun is a tool. Most children are less than interested in operating a shovel, rake, or lawnmower.

If we could put guns in the same context it would be far more effective at curbing children’s curiosity than completely disproportionate and frankly silly responses from adults and educators.

I swear! I’d no sooner pressed “Publish” on this entry when I saw this in Twitter.

A sixteen year old student has been suspended for disarming another student on a school bus.

But wait it gets better! Our suspended student was one of three suspended for disarming a fellow student that was pointing a loaded .22 caliber at another students head and threatening to kill him.

The gun toting student was arrested.

The referral slip for the kid that disarmed the would-be shooter, stated that he’d been suspended for being involved in an incident with a gun.

Ok… WTF?

Again what are we trying to teach our children? We say you should be responsible, get involved, prevent bullying, and when kids actually do behave bravely and with honor doing what we tell them is the right thing…

We punish them!

Folks this really is not the way to instill higher values in our children or in our society.

Posted on

Free I’m free at last!

Today marks the first day of freedom from Express Scripts.

20130301-152356.jpg

Can I get a hallelujah!

No longer will I be forced into using generic drugs if I don’t want to. It’s once again my choice to manage MY own prescription world.

I once again can go to the LOCAL pharmacy. Where I can ask a pharmacist questions and know that I’ll actually be talking to someone that knows what the fuck they’re talking about.

No more talking to a moron on a telephone who obviously couldn’t give a shit about what they’ve sent, where they sent it, or that what they sent isn’t the right shit in the first place.

The down side is that I’ll be paying through the nose but that’s better than having to fight the fucking insurance company every time I need something.

Even if I was paying for a prescription out of pocket… I ended up wasting time (mine and the pharmacy staff) because I’d call in a prescription and the insurance assholes would override my request.

Then I’d go to the pharmacy and have to have the pharmacist take back the generic shit that doesn’t work on my body to replace it with the shit I wanted in the first place and was willing to pay cash for.

Generic drugs, with a different chemical make up aren’t the same as the real deal. Generics may work in a similar fashion but maybe not as well, that’s often why the generic was superseded in the first place.

Remember having to take an antibiotic 6 times a day? Now it’s not unusual to have a prescription antibiotic that you only have to take once a day and the new drug doesn’t give you the shits either.

Let me see… I have to take a handful of pills 6 times a day and I’ll need to have a diaper or I can take one pill a day and go on with my life without scoping out where the nearest toilet is.

UHH let me have option fucking B!

Now I can choose generics if they make sense and they’re effective otherwise I can pay for non generic and know the shit will work.

Yaaaahhhhooooo!

I’m fully aware that I may not be so thrilled the first month I get the bill. But at least I have freedom of choice instead of being told cheerfully that since a generic version of the drug I’d been taking for years was now available I would be forced to accept the generic. Oh and you’ll have to have your doctor jump through hoops to get that prescription filled.

With Express Scripts in my rear view mirror perhaps at least one portion of my life will get a little simpler.

If your HR department happens to mention Express Scripts as an option during your next open enrollment… Tell them in no uncertain terms you refuse.

Believe me if a conference room full of people say something like “We’re quitting if you force us to deal with that prescription coverage company” your HR people will probably listen.

In my case, I asked questions but the majority of the folks in the room just wanted to get through the presentation. After 3 years dealing with Express Scripts those same folks welcomed being laid off. We’d all had similar stories of horrific dealings with Express Scripts.

The classic was the guy whose meds had to be kept cold. Express Scripts sent his stuff in an uninsulated paper envelope in February to Los Angeles. At the time it was in the 80s and the drugs were ruined.

When he called Express Scripts asking for a replacement and explaining what happened the Express Script people told him its Winter, “We don’t ship in insulated packaging in Winter.” After Express Scripts had screwed up 3 consecutive shipments they finally sent him to his local pharmacy.

Good riddance to a fucked up company with a shitty customer service philosophy. Hello to freedom…