The Steaming Pile
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The Steaming Pile is a compilation of my thoughts on various subjects, compiled alphabetically. As I learn new things, my opinion may change, but I'll keep the old rants posted along with the new. Longer rants about more specific things are located on The Other Side.
If you're going to quote something as an example of my opinion, be certain to quote the most recent statement, and include the date, *and* check back before you do the quotin'- otherwise, you could be wrong, and if you don't check back first, folks might think you were intentionally lying. Remember, this represents only the opinion I had as of the last time I posted, not necessarily the opinion I have at the time you want to quote me. I don't consider this a blog, but others might. Call it whatever you want, as long as you don't call it late for dinner.
I'm not afraid of posting this crap because I don't plan on running for office. This stuff is just my opinion, and it's worth what you paid for it. Sue me, if you feel you need the exercise, because you sure won't be able to actually collect anything. Moreover, I'm not particularly interested in your opinions on my opinions, which is why there's no email address on this page. Your flames will simply end up deleted unread. There is no such thing as freedom from offense, nor should there be. Somewhere in the world, someone will be offended by anything. Nobody seems to be particularly concerned about what offends me. I'll keep posting my opinions as long as the United States Constitution has a First Amendment. If something you read here offends you, stop reading and don't come back. You are completely in charge of your browser, just as you are in charge of your television.
Don't believe anything you read here unless it not only fits what you think is true, but which you have taken the time to verify from other sources. Single source facts are often no facts at all.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | # |
Abortion
Adultery
Affirmative Action
African-Americans (see also Hyphenated-Americans)
AIDS - (02/07/06) AIDS is primarily, though not entirely, a behavioral problem. I know it's out-of-fashion to discuss morality, but if people did what the Bible suggested- have sex only with your spouse- it would be hard for AIDS to pass on. AIDS is not "God's judgment on homosexuals", since the fastest-growing demographic for AIDS is heterosexuals, mostly as a result of having sex with prostitutes. There are also a lot of cultural taboos against using condoms, particularly in Africa, but this is a self-resolving problem because those folks will eventually die as a result of their refusal to face reality. Unfortunately, they ensure that a lot of others will die as well.
Some folks, particularly those with disorders related to blood such as hemophilia or children born to women who have AIDS, can get AIDS though no fault of their own. Only the spiritually ignorant would think of AIDS as a punishment for sin. It may be, in some cases, but neither I nor anyone else except for Jehova himself is in a position to know that.
Alan Greenspan - (02/09/06) Gonna miss you. Wish all the government lackeys could behave like you- you did your job (very well), kept your mouth shut and behaved in private as well. Enjoy your well deserved retirement, even though you're doing a disservice to your country. May the fish always find your line.
Albuquerque
Al Franken - (02/09/06) Good comedian. Questionable role model because of his politics.
Alien Nation - (02/11/06) A magnificent film and television show. Fox killed it prematurely, but then assisted with a series of TV movies that completed the cliffhanger ending of the TV show and added more. I thought bad thoughts about those who cancelled the show, but they did something wonderful by giving us more with the movies- and not letting the cliffhanger be the ending. Thank you, Fox TV, for your additional support.
American Flag - (02/06/06) From John Wayne's bio entry on the Internet Movie DataBase: "Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be."
American Idol - (02/11/06)The title says it all. It's a sorry statement about our country when this show is so successful. I don't have anything against the participants, I just think it says a lot that people are so desperate to fill a void in their life that they idolize people who sing. The participants on American Idol are not role models, no matter how good they look or how well they sing. Why don't we see police officers, teachers, firemen or parents on a program called American Idol? That said, I think Kelly Clarkson has done a good job of avoiding the scandal that so easily follows sudden fame.
Americans - (02/08/06) Some nitwits who clearly have too much time on their hands have argued about the name for the citizens of the United States. "Why, they aren't the only Americans! How arrogant!" Well, as it happens, we are the only Americans! The United States of America is the only nation in the world with the word "America" in its name. Note that it's not North America, just America. The United States of America is located in North America, and thus the citizens of the USA are also North Americans, along with Canadians and Mexicans, but Canadians and Mexicans are not Americans. This has nothing to do with arrogance, but rather, the proper use of a proper name. Some folks try to use "USian", which I don't have a problem with as long as they don't have a problem with me abusing the proper name of citizens of their nation. I'm a strong believer in free speech and the right of morons who use "USian" to expose their shortcomings to the world.
Then there are those who have insisted there is only one American continent, so there is only one America. Well, even if that were true, it stopped being true with the Panama Canal. Otherwise, the Suez Canal doesn't count, either, and Africa is really a part of Asia and Europe. After all, Europe and Asia are part of a single land mass, and without the Suez Canal, so is Africa. So that ends the argument over the number of American continents.
Besides, if Canadians and Mexicans were also Americans, they why don't they say so? If someone at random in, say, Iran were asked their opinion of Americans, it would very likely be substantially different than their opinion of Mexicans. If Mexicans were Americans, as opposed to North Americans, why would that be?
Only the citizens of the United States of America are Americans. Live with it. If you want to be an American, come on over (using the proper channels) and become a citizen. If you don't want to be an American, then shut about it.
Amnesty International - (02/11/09) This is a better name than the more accurate "Hug A Criminal Dictator and Murder Society". This group clearly blames the murder victim and wants murderers to stick around so they can do it again.
Animal Rights
Animal Testing
Anime
Anina - (02/11/06) A beautiful woman who also knows her tech who works for real jerks. And here the French think we Americans are Neanderthals.
Annulment
Anorexia
Apples
Arrested Development - (02/101/06) Where were you when this show was on? Maeby you were watching some lame sitcom, because you sure as hell weren't watching this show.
Asbestos
Assisted Suicide
Astrology
Astronomy
Atheism
Baptists
BBC World News - (02/09/06) A nice alternative to the usual broadcast crap.
Ben Franklin
Betty Friedan - (02/04/06) The world just got sadder with the passing of Betty Friedan. I believe that she did a great many good things, and the heart of her message was a good one- women should be more than simply a broodmare and appendage of their husbands. "Don't get into the bra-burning, anti-man, politics-of-orgasm school," Friedan told a college audience in 1970. I believe the problem was less her than it was those who distorted her message and used it for their own political purposes. She promoted feminism while rejecting radicalism. Women would be far better off today had feminism not been hijacked by those pushing their personal agendas. I don't agree with a lot she said, but I believe it needed to be and should have been said. In her later years, she seemed very determined to win the Gollum Look-Alike Award.
Bill Clinton (see also Hillary Clinton)
Bill Gates
Bill Richardson (Governor of New Mexico)
Billy Graham
Biological Weapons (see also Chemical Weapons, Nuclear Weapons)
Bioweapons (see Biological Weapons)
Birthdays
Blood
Blood Donations
Bottled Water - (02/11/06) I drink it too, but I tend to reuse the bottles with tap water. Bottled water is no better than tap water. Some waters have unique combinations of minerals that give them a good taste, but as for health, *water* is healthy, so there's nothing especially healthy about bottled water.
Britney Spears - (02/09/06) Huge boner by driving with her kid on her lap. Her excuse is no excuse at all. She needs to be bent over someone's knee (definitely not mine) and get exactly one swat with a hickory switch. After that, anyone who ever mentions it again should get fifty swats by her, with their pants down. If she does it again, jail time.
As to her singing, when she chose to stop being a role-model for my little girl and instead chose to follow the crowd and be a slut, I stopped listening. Sure, it's her right to look and act like a slut, it's just such a shame that she decided to go the route that everyone else seems to go. Guess she wasn't talented enough to be different.
Browncoats
Bubba
Buddhists
Building Codes
Bulimia
Business Ethics
[Index]
Cable a la carte
Canada
Canadians
Capitalism
Carl Sagan
Charities
Chick Flicks
Children
Chiles
China
Christianity
Christmas
Citizenship
Civil rights
Coffee
Commercialism
Communism - (02/06/06) From John Wayne's bio entry on the Internet Movie DataBase: "Communism is quite obviously still a threat. Yes, they are human beings, with a right to their point of view... but you certainly don't want your children to share their point of view. That's all I'm interested in -- seeing that they don't disrupt what we've proven for two hundred years to be a pretty workable system, a system in which human beings can get along and thrive."
Common-Law Liens - (02/06/06) Liens are a function of statutory law. There is no such thing as a common-law lien.
Common Sense
Computers
Cancer
Conspiracies
"Constitutional Scholars"
Consumerism
Convenience Stores
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Cuba (see also Elian Gonzales)
DDT
Death Penalty - (02/11/06) I don't like it, but there's nothing equivalent to death. Life in prison is not equivalent to death- if that were the case, then food consumption should be the same between a lifer and a dead guy. Also, the dead guy has no chance whatsoever of escape. The problem with the death penalty is a great deal less death and a great deal more the piss-poor way death penalty cases are handled. I'd like to see fewer appeals, but rather than arbitrarily pass laws limiting them, I'd like to see a great deal more effort put into a proper defense for someone accused of a capital crime, particularly if the defendant is black or is accused of killing a child. I believe the imbalance in race on death row is caused a lot more because there is less money spent on a proper defense for blacks than because juries are more disposed to find guilt. There should be more blacks on death row, all other things being equal, if more blacks are accused of capital crimes. The problem is more at the front end of the justice system. Stop dicking around with the defense, and you'll stop providing more material for appeals.
Contrary to what some people say, state executions are not murder. The state has the inherent right to execute those who are convicted of crimes for which the death penalty is the stated punishment. The Bible even set criteria under which people were to be killed for violating certain laws, so God certainly did not think that executions were murder. The prohibition against killing was for individuals, on their own, without legal authority. However, it's important to remember the difference between an actual lawful killing, and one done under the color of law. History has shown cases where a person was clearly innocent and was executed anyway because of convenience to the authorities or because it was expedient. Even if all of the legal steps were taken, these cases were murder because the authorities knew the penalty was out of line for the crime actually committed, if any. A good example of this is found in To Kill a Mockingbird. However, an execution that you just happen to dislike *is not* necessarily wrong. It's not up to you or me to decide that.
You can protest against the death penalty, but in doing show, you are *actively supporting crime*. The wages of sin are death- anyone who gets less is getting off easy. The death penalty needs reform in the way it's handed out, but it's inherently right in some cases.
Deming
Democracy
Democratic Party (see also Republican Party) - (02/09/06) Here's a little something that you don't hear the Democratic Party bragging about.
Denise Crosby - (02/09/06) - A gentle beauty, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a convention in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1996. In spite of the nagging con official who kept saying "Illegal Conversation!", she and I briefly exchanged notes on the TV show Key West, tragically cut short by Fox. Even though she felt her character was not being treated properly and thus left Star Trek (guesting a few times later), she respected the part, the show and the fans, and produced Trekkies and Trekkies 2. She is as beautiful inside as she is outside. Towards the end of Deep Impact, she's standing there, grey streaks in the hair, waiting for the wave to hit- absolutely sensuous! Love ya! Call me!
Dihydrogen Monoxide - (02/09/06) Where are the environmentalists when it comes to this dangerous greenhouse gas?
Diplomacy - (02/07/06) "The best diplomat is a fully armed phaser bank." Montgomery Scott
Divorce
Domestic Terrorists
Domestic Violence
Dragon Keep
Drunk Drivers
Dr. Phil - (02/09/06) Seems to have his head on straight, which is a good thing, since we can see so much of it. On the surface, it seems like a lot of populist babble, but Dr. Phil really does help people. He seems mean sometimes only because he refuses to help folks lie to themselves.
Drug Testing - (02/11/06) On the surface, I don't have a problem with it. I think most of it is pointless window-dressing because of sloppy testing and failure to provide real enforcement. The tactics are questionable as well. Just keep navigating that yellow stream!
Dryad - (02/11/06) I miss you, Allyson. My Saladhead's not the same without your dressing.
Dwarf Tossing - (02/08/06) If a dwarf wants to be tossed,
and is old enough and not chemically or mentally incapacitated, then let him.
This is America- why is the government pandering to do-gooders and denying
an adult the right to participate in a tasteless sport? If a dwarf doesn't want
to get tossed, then don't go to places that toss dwarfs. Why should some group
or even the government be making decisions about personal dignity for people who
can speak for themselves?
[Index]
Earth - (02/05/06) Mostly harmless. Never intended to be an object of worship.
Earth Liberation Front - (02/05/06) Domestic terrorists whose actions show that they are determined to completely destroy what little credibility the enviromental movement has. All members of the Earth Liberation Front, as well as those who pass messages for them, should visit Guantanamo.
Education (see also Public Education, Public Schools)
Elian Gonzales - (02/05/06) I'm surprised that the Clinton government had the balls to do what it did. Sending the boy back to live with his custodial parent was the right thing to do. There was no evidence that the boy had been abused by his father, who wanted custody and already had legal custody, and who had the ability to keep the boy in at least the style to which he had been accustomed. There was no good reason to keep the boy in the United States. If the boy had stayed, he'd have been used as a political pawn, and by fighting a battle that could not and should not have been won, his US relative and the Cuban exile community handed Castro a potent propaganda tool. It's been hard to get much news about the boy since then, but from what little I've heard, Castro squandered his opportunity and actually let the boy have a real life. Shame on all those who interfered with the father's custody and tried to use the boy for their own gain.
Eminent Domain
Enviromentalists
Evolution
©2006 Scott Hedrick
This page was last updated 10/06/2006 07:09:23 PM