Gay Marriage

Two questions. First, what are they putting in the water, in North Carolina? Second, why are we having this discussion again? For the billionth time?

It’s this simple. You cannot be in favor of banning gay marriage, without violating the principles America is supposed to be based upon. The only legitimate reason to ban gay marriage, is religious. The only thing that truly backs up your stance, is the bible. Or the koran, or whatever prejudice-supporting religious authority you happen to advocate. Yep. It’s right there, in Leviticus. Of course, being that you’ve got no proof that the bible is the pure, unfiltered word of God, even if we do make the assumption that it isn’t complete fiction (are you counting? That’s two ridiculous leaps of faith.), all you can say is that the bible prohibits it. You can be considerably less certain that God does.

But let’s go ahead and stick with this assumption. That Christianity deems homosexuality a sin. Congratulations, you have a legitimate reason to be opposed to gay marriage. But not a legitimate reason to favor banning it, in America. Why? Because as much as you may want to claim that America was founded by Christians, on Christian values, and that’s a whole other argument, the simple fact of the matter is, whether it was or not, does not matter. Because to have Christianity calling the shots, determining our laws, violates the freedom of religion we are all guaranteed, under the constitution. You can’t promise people freedom of religion, and at the same time, force them to follow your religion’s laws. The two policies cannot coincide. It’s just that simple.

You don’t have to like homosexuality, or gay marriage. You don’t have to support it. You can think it’s a sin, you can think it’s disgusting, you can think it’s an abomination. You can openly express those opinions. You can’t ban it. Nobody expects you to condone it. Nobody is trying to force society to condone it. But the government has to. Because the government has to remain impartial, and it already condones heterosexual marriage. And if you honestly think that impartiality means advocating your religious beliefs and personal prejudices, then you’re pretty fucked up, in the head.

The only legitimate objection to gay marriage, is religious. Every other objection that has been made, is an excuse and an attempt to distract attention away from that, because everyone who objects to gay marriage is well aware that their plight will fail, if their entire argument is the imposition of Christian law. I’m more than willing to demonstrate this, too. Let’s review, shall we?

“If we allow marriage to include homosexuality, it will have to include all other deviations from traditional sexuality (polygamy, bestiality, pedophilia).”

Not so. Every example given entails different circumstances, which must be considered in order to determine the implications of including it in the definition of marriage, which by the way, has been redefined plenty of times throughout history. One would have a very difficult time making a case for pedophilia or bestiality, because legal marriage is essentially a contract, and neither animals nor minors can legally consent to it. Polygamy might have a chance, but again, there are some key differences to consider, not the least of which being that a polygamist would still be able to enjoy the benefits of marriage without changing a fundamental element of his sexuality. That is, I don’t think it’s so bad to tell a person they have to pick one person to be legally married to, but telling them the person they pick has to be of a certain gender would be no different than saying, “You have to marry a white person” or “You have to marry someone who is shorter than you” or “You have to marry a blonde”. Regardless, it is certainly within our ability to consider the merits of each kind of marriage, and determine whether or not it should be legally recognized, and gay marriage absolutely should.

In short, if you really believe that everything that differs in any way from the traditional standard can be lumped together, and must either all be accepted or all rejected equally, then you’ve clearly engaged conservative protocol, and given the subject a full three nanoseconds of consideration before committing to an opinion.

“Homosexuality is Unnatural!”

First, nature begs to differ. There have been documented cases of homosexual relationships in animals. Second, do you live in the woods or in a cave? Do you hunt your food and cook it over a fire you made by rubbing two sticks together? Have you never taken medicine or gone to a doctor? Are you reading this through some form of telepathy, as opposed to on a computer? Yeah, I didn’t think so. We’re humans. Shut the fuck up about what’s natural. Nobody gives a shit. In case you haven’t noticed, we have established that it is acceptable to have sex for reasons other than procreation. Or do you not believe in birth control? I don’t mean, “Do you have moral objections to it?” either. I mean, “Do you believe it does not exist?”

“Children raised by gay couples will...”

Will what, exactly? I don’t even know how to finish that argument. There is no evidence that a child raised by a gay couple is any more likely than one raised by a straight couple to have a horrible childhood, or become a horrible person, or whatever it is you’re worried about. Children need to be loved, nurtured, and taught, and there is no reason to believe that, in general, a straight couple is any more capable of doing that than a gay couple is.

The constitution is obviously meaningless, because we’re still having this debate, and states are still being permitted to pass laws banning gay marriage.

Now, as for Obama’s stance on the subject. Which he seems to have changed whenever it is convenient. Look, he’s a politician, all right? They all do that. I think that he’s actually done it less than his opponent, and indeed, less than most republicans, but I can’t pretend he isn’t guilty of saying whatever he thinks will appeal to his audience, as opposed to stating his true opinions.

Obama is, and has been, what I call the best of a bad situation. But you know something? That’s exactly what you want. Go ahead, try to tell me I’m wrong. You like phonies. How would you react to a presidential candidate who wasn’t all dressed up in a suit and tie? What if he, or dare I say she, showed up naked? Or in a clown costume? What if a presidential candidate used profanity? Would you, or more importantly, Americans in general, listen to what they were saying? Would we consider the merits of their policies, would we judge their competence by what they were saying? Or would we be too distracted by the fact that they were a naked, cursing clown? And it’s not just presidential candidates, you idiots get distracted by that kind of shit all the time, and then wonder why everything sucks so much. You know what you people remind me of? You know those women who keep dating assholes, and keep wondering why those assholes are always such assholes, and keep complaining that there are no nice guys out there, despite the fact that they are pretty much intentionally seeking out assholes? And they continue to regard their shitty circumstances as being foisted upon them, rather than as the direct result of their own attitudes and decisions and values? Yeah. That’s America. You know what? Vote for me, this November. That’s crazy, right? Right. I rest my case.

It's Done!

The episode of Maverick Knights: Deep Space Stories I was working on is done! It's some time in the middle of season 3 (no definite number has been set), so a lot of it may not make sense, if you're not familiar with the whole Maverick Knights universe (which you wouldn't be unless you know me personally, and even then, it might be a little confusing). But it should still be pretty entertaining, and if you read through the other available episodes (including the Brillo and Blaze episodes) in my profile, you can definitely at least get a sense of what's going on. This episode is called "Less Thunder, More Hawk" and it can be found here.

The Government vs. The Private Sector

Here’s my next question, for conservatives. And I’ll say this ahead of time, if you’re just going to recite your Faux News bullshit at me, don’t waste your time. I don’t want mindless assertions.

Why do you demonize the government, and glorify the private sector? To me, these are two sides of the same coin. The government is corrupt? Oh? And the private sector isn’t? Are you seriously going to tell me there is any less corruption among big corporations than there is in the government? The government is incompetent? I don’t think it is any more than the private sector is. I have just as many complaints (if not more!) about the goods, services, and operation of privately owned businesses and corporations as those provided by the government. The government is taking away your freedoms? Which ones? What freedoms is the government depriving you of? Free speech? Are you not allowed to say what you want? The right to keep and bear arms? I know you’re paranoid about it, but paranoia does not a legitimate argument make. Has Obama actually done anything to outlaw guns? In fact, I’d say the gun paranoia among conservatives is just more evidence of the urge to react to a problem that doesn’t exist. And you don’t think the private sector can infringe on your freedom? I worked in a distribution center, where overtime could be required with no advance notice, whatsoever. Sure, you’re free to decline, and go find another job...where things would be no better. The private sector rewards greed. The people at the highest levels in the private sector are every bit as greedy, detached and corrupt as anyone in the government.

The private sector is people? Corporations are people? And the government is...what? A robot? Let me offer a quote from my favorite comedian, Lewis Black. “And they talk about it (government), as if it’s a building that’s walking around and doing shit. Government is human beings. And the reason government sucks, is that none of the human beings have any common sense! And none of us do!” And there it is, and the private sector sucks just as much, for the same reason. But the government, is elected people. If you don’t like the people running the government, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself, and your fellow citizens. You know, the same people who are “the answer”. A better “answer” than the government. Do you have any say, whatsoever, in who’s in charge of the company you work for? Nope. Do you get to help make decisions, for that company? Do policies have to be approved by you and your coworkers? No. It’s a dictatorship. So let me get this straight. You rant and rave about how terrible the government is, but you’re glorifying what amounts to an actual dictatorship, ruled over by the self-proclaimed elite, because you have the illusion of choice. You can choose which dictatorship you want to work for. And you have the illusion of choice, in the government, too. You can choose between two clueless shitheads! So again, what’s the big difference?

But wait! Maybe you want to circumvent the private sector dictatorships, and go into business for yourself! But then the government is going to ruin it for you, because it destroys small businesses! And in the private sector, we all have the opportunity to succeed! But...you know that makes no sense, right? There have to be more workers than owners, and you can’t avoid competition. An economy can’t be comprised entirely of “successes”, or nobody is going to do the actual work. But always remember, the people who are doing the actual work are vital, and should not be abused. Now, what’s your goal, as a business owner? Minimize competition. The more of your competitors you can drive out of business, the better. The less you pay your employees, the more money you make, and the less you risk them becoming successful themselves, which would result in more competition. The private sector is a dictatorship, a monarchy of sorts. And ruthless by necessity. Its success relies on the exploitation of those on the bottom. The government and its regulations, for the most part, force the private sector to be responsible, and limit the extent to which it can abuse its employees and deceive its consumers. Wouldn’t it be perfect if the leaders of the private sector could convince people that the government is their enemy? That the regulations that protect them are bad? Convince them to give the private sector absolute power?

You know, government workers are paid more and get better benefits, on average, than private sector employees. People making minimum wage in the private sector, people whose multibillion dollar corporate employers refuse to provide them with decent wages or benefits, would be screwed without the government’s help. So keep letting the high profile, wealthy private sector mouthpieces keep telling you how bad the government is. That’s what they get paid for. Believe them when they tell you they’re just like you, and they’re on your side. Keep believing everything would be perfect if the government got out of the way. You just might get your wish, and find out what oppression really is.

Personally, I’m a believer in karma, as a product of causality. And I believe that a lot of the things people bitch about, are things they’ve got nobody but themselves to blame for. And most of the time, they never think about why that might be the case. Because we all have a habit of making excuses for our own flaws, our own shortcomings, while constantly hammering everyone else for theirs. You know what I mean, you cut someone off in traffic, and it was the only time it’s ever happened, and you were tired, and running late, and it was a simple mistake. Somebody else cuts you off in traffic, and they’re an inconsiderate prick who doesn’t give a fuck if they cause an accident. They should go die in a fire. And that’s only natural. We’re humans. We tend to like ourselves more than other people. And we know everything about our own situations, whereas we kind of have to fill in the blanks, with others. But it’s important to remind ourselves that we’re doing that, and while our impulse reactions can be forgiven to an extent, when we’re calm, and supposed to be rational, we need to, for example, consider that maybe the person who cut us off was just having a rough day. It happens to the best of us.

Where am I going with this? Glad you asked. Glad I decided to assume you asked. I’m sure you’re familiar with this somewhat common exchange between teenagers and their parents: “Stop treating me like a child!” countered with, “I will, when you stop acting like one!” This is precisely the problem with the conservative argument that government is getting too big. You want small government? Stop making big government necessary. If the people running the private sector, the employers, all paid their employees a living wage, and provided them with decent benefits, we wouldn’t need government programs to help people who aren’t paid enough, and don’t have or can’t afford health insurance. These are things every person who is willing to work absolutely deserves. And there’s no reason anyone who can and is willing to work should be unemployed. The economy is just an advanced barter system designed to aid us in fulfilling each other’s wants and needs. Last time I checked, everyone still wants stuff. There is no shortage of work to be done. People just can’t afford what they want. We’ve got too much money concentrated in the hands of too few people. So until everyone who wants a job has one, and every job is paying at least $12 an hour, plus benefits, I don’t want to hear you gripe about government being too big. Apparently, it needs to be bigger, because we’ve still got all this poverty, and people are still working for less than they need, to make a living. Don’t think the government can or should fix it? Then...fucking fix it. Stop pissing and moaning about how the government can’t do it, and prove that we don’t need the government to do it. It is well within the ability of the wealthiest people in the country, to fix it. But it will mean giving back some of what they’ve got. Many of them, not all, but many, have taken more than they’ve earned. It will mean paying their workers, the people who helped them amass their wealth, what their contribution is worth. Now either fix it, or shut the hell up and let the government try to fix it. Shit or get off the pot.

Lately, conservatives have been all but unable to open their mouths without blurting out something about communism. Or socialism. Most conservatives couldn’t tell you the difference between the two. Of the ones that could, nine out of ten probably ONLY know the difference between them, and no details about either. They’re all aware that communism is bad news. Actually, no they aren’t. It is bad news, but they only believe that because it’s something American culture drills into us, constantly. It happens to be true, but most of you are still accepting that just because it’s what you’re told. Do yourself a favor, and learn something about it. Learn why it’s bad news, and while you’re at it, learn about the conditions that gave rise to it. Guess what! The same version of capitalism you’re so rabidly defending, is what made communism look like such a good idea in the first place! People don’t like being exploited! Go fucking figure! Maybe we really will eventually convert to communism. Maybe that’s the price we’ll pay for being such idiots, and not getting our rampant greed under control, while there’s still time.

Sure, you’re entitled to your opinion. But for fuck’s sake, if you’re going to have one, make it an informed one. Learn something, instead of relying on your favorite mouthpiece to feed you information they’ve carefully selected and filtered, to suit their agenda. Understand that “common sense” is not enough to address complex scientific and political issues, without adequate information to apply it to, and stop using claims of “common sense” as an excuse to dismiss that information and avoid thinking.

Alternate Energy

Both here and on Facebook, I’ve been speaking out against a video I consider to be propaganda. A conspiracy theory fraught with nothing but accusations and scapegoating. You may be familiar with it. It’s called, “If I Wanted America To Fail”. The reason I consider it propaganda, is that it relies entirely on the assumption that the unsubstantiated assertions it makes are factual. If you apply critical thinking, if you do any amount of research, the case it tries to make completely disintegrates. In this entry, I will provide one example.

The claim? Oil is a cheap and abundant source of energy, capable of sustaining us for generations.

This is not presented by the speaker as a conclusion. It is not accompanied by any supporting evidence. It is offered as an axiom on which to base its paranoid allegations. After all, if oil is cheap and plentiful, and causing no harm (another implication that is made is that global warming is a hoax, again, with no research or evidence to support the claim), then aren’t the liberals evil bastards, for trying to convince us to stop using it?

Well, let’s have a look at those pesky facts. First, the world uses 87 million barrels of oil per day, on average. How much oil is left in the world? That estimate varies from a pessimistic 1.2 trillion barrels, to an optimistic 4.8 trillion barrels. If we assume the optimistic estimate of 4.8 trillion, and do the math, we end up with about 150 years. Sounds like plenty of time, right? Well, this is assuming that we one, can manage to extract ALL of the available oil, and that global oil consumption is not going to rise at all, over that century and a half. Here’s a handy guide to global rise in oil consumption:

1980: 59.9 million barrels per day

1990: 63.8 million barrels per day

2000: 76.8 million barrels per day

2012: 87 million barrels per day

Consumption increases exponentially. Given the most optimistic estimates, we have less than 100 years, if we can make use of all the oil on the planet. If the pessimistic estimates are right, it’ll be more like 25 years. If you have kids, we’re basically guaranteed to run out of oil, in their lifetimes. And regardless, basic economics dictate that cost reflects the ratio of demand to supply. Demand is only going up, and supply has nowhere to go but down. What does that mean? No matter who you feel like blaming for it, the price of oil ultimately can’t go anywhere but up. In fact, much of the reason gas prices are rising, is that other nations are rapidly developing, and as a result, demand has experienced a sharp increase. Increasing domestic drilling isn’t going to help much, either, since all the oil we drill would be sold on the global market. In reality, oil is not something we can consider particularly cheap or abundant. Our factories may not be able to run on “wind and dreams”, but I’ll tell you this, I wouldn’t count on being able to use dinosaur farts forever, either. 

So what’s the alternative? Well, my money’s on solar power. Literally. As soon as I can afford it, I want to look into installing solar panels on my house. Solar energy is rapidly decreasing in cost, to the point where if I had a system installed right now, I think it would pay for itself in 10 years. You might have noticed the giant fireball in our backyard that’s been belching free energy at us for some 4 billion years, yes? The sun has been, hands down, the cheapest, most abundant source of energy we’ve ever had. The problem was just that we were having trouble harnessing that energy. But we’re getting better at it. I think it’s a viable option now, and it’s only getting better. Why am I betting on it? Why wouldn’t I? It’s the goddamned sun. Ejaculating fuckloads of free energy is literally all it ever does, and it isn’t going anywhere. If it does, we’ve got bigger problems than figuring out how to run our Xboxes.

As for the environment, if you think global warming is a hoax or conspiracy, I don’t know what to tell you. The data doesn’t support that theory. They started calling it “climate change” not because the existence of cold weather disproves it, but because while the average temperature of the Earth rises, the result is extreme fluctuations in weather, including very hot AND very cold, abnormal weather, violent storms, and so forth. “Global warming” is accurate but misleading, and it leads to misunderstanding. This issue is like evolution. Any jackass can provide a very official-sounding argument for either side, that would cause uninformed individuals to believe a lot of disagreement exists, but in reality, among experts and according to the facts, there really isn’t much to argue about. There is a solid scientific consensus: climate change is real, and humans are making significant contributions to it.

All in all, our dependence on oil isn’t doing us any good. One can argue about how bad it is or isn’t, for the environment, but we can all agree that it isn’t doing it any good. It’s going to run out, some day. Somewhere between 20 and 100 years. It can’t get any cheaper, only more expensive. Meanwhile, the sun is hurling free energy at us. Improving our ability to harness it will pretty much amount to a potential billions of years of energy that costs nothing. Comparing oil to solar is like comparing mining to winning the lottery.

Maybe this is too soon, or in bad taste, but you know, neither of those things have ever stopped me before. I think that when they're lowering Dick Clark's casket into the ground, everyone there should count down from 10.