Game on Beck-heim

Religion belongs in politics, like children belong in porn. I seriously mean that, and I’m not just talking young kids, I mean the 16 and 17 year olds too. First off, it’s wrong, and against every moral value we supposedly stand on. It’s also gross and hugely offensive. But that’s what “Restoring Honor,” brought to us by that Glenn Beck tool, is all about. He’s such a humble guy, he was telling us ahead of time how this was going to change the country.

Of course, I don’t think Beck believes that. I don’t think he really believes most of the garbage he spews. Look at his back ground, it isn’t one of a journalist. He isn’t a professor or even a college graduate. He’s an entertainer, who plays the role of a leader of some kind. Glenn Beck isn’t Jesus, he isn’t Jon Stewart and he isn’t Anderson Cooper. He most closely resembles Howard Stern, just a shock jock. Only Stern is funny while being offensive, and Beck is just dangerous.

Beck earned a reported $32 million last year. Earning such a healthy wage is his right, though not God given, just American given. But when someone, with no training in reporting, is able to pull such an insane amount of cash, you have to start wondering why. It’s not, as he often says, because the truth hurts. In fact, the truth doesn’t hurt at all, it’s living a lie that hurts.  The money is a motive, like it often is, to bend the rules. Not so much laws, but to start emphasizing aspects of one’s self. Like a porn star getting a boob job. I’m sure Beck is a fan of the Constitution and a conservative fella, I just don’t actually believe he agrees with every stance he takes. But for $32 million, I might even tell you I’m a Nascar fan who rocks Zubuz on the weekend.

You know how they say teenage drivers act like “it won’t happen to me?” Well, that’s how most of us really act when it comes to the country going to shit. If you listen to past generations, it’s been going to shit since this thing got up and running. But no one really thinks they’ll see the collapse of the country in their lifetime. We’re not Russia for crying out loud. And this is just how Beck thinks. It won’t happen, but why not make a few bucks jumping up and down crying fire in a crowded theatre, it’s a pretty good paying gig.

So now he’s going to restore our honor, and I’m not even sure what that means.  We had honor? When did we lose and who took it? Oh that’s right, the non-believers.  Even though a recent report states that roughly 75% of adults in this country would call themselves Christians, there’s some how a lack of believers in America, and we need to find God so bad, that we should throw out a few of our core fundamentals. Freedom of religion? Gone, and see ya later Seperation of Church and State. Only what happens when you combine religion and decision making? You get Iran, or Hamas, you get the nut bags and extremist.

We have had our boots in the sand in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. And what, it’s just a coincidence that 15 of the 19 terrorists on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia? Right, and it was just a coincidence that the SS worked for Hitler. But when an Imam states that America has blood on its hands, as well, that’s just the most offensive thing since “your momma was a snow blower.” We have blood on our hands. We fight wars, and over stay our welcome, that’s what happens.

Most Americans aren’t far right or far left, we’re pretty much in the middle. But if you listen to either side, you’re either with em, or against em. Never mind the fact that most of us want the same things. A job, a safe place to raise our families, a future we can be excited about, and for anyone with 13 items in the 12 items or less lane to be shot on site. But saying that doesn’t get ratings and therefore it doesn’t make money. If 75% of us are believers and wanted religion in our politics, we’d be a one party system by now. Funny how that hasn’t happened.

If we could just exorcise  religion from politics only, we could debate issues and decide what makes sense to us, and which Church one prays at would be as relevant as which football team we root for. Instead, we actually spend time polling Americans to see how many think Obama is a Muslim. I wish, when asked about his religious beliefs, President Obama would have said nunya. It’s simply none of our business. Only you can’t get elected if you keep your religious beliefs to yourself, or your marital issues inside your marriage.

End result? Rather than Beck, and most of us, being right that America won’t really fall in to an abyss in our lifetimes. Well, it just fucking might. Lord help us. Oh, and like George Carlin, when I pray, I pray to Joe Pesci. 

Switch

Two things you should know. Okay, two things you probably already know: I’m a fan of Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy, and I’m a fan of Jennifer Aniston. Those two collide in my head today because of something Simmons’ wrote. Basically, he summed up Aniston’s career as a bust, and that she isn’t married because by playing the role of the victim, she remains relevant. The first point is more complicated, and the second isn’t my business. Now it’s true that Aniston hasn’t picked the best roles. I can’t even bring myself to consider watching The Bounty Hunter. Derailed was actually painful and embarrassing to watch, and Along Came Polly is as memorable as a trip to the DMV. She picked those movies, and they weren’t any good. So she’s guilty of some bad decisions.

I think the real issue, isn’t just her bad choices, it’s the lack of quality roles to pick from. She’s in her 40’s, she’s attractive and she’s funny. How many roles are out there for someone fitting that description to begin with? And aren’t studios first calling up Julia Roberts? Then Sandra Bullock, and after that, its either a 20 or 30 something, or ask Meryl Streep to do it. Ask yourself, where have Naomi Watts, Uma Thurman, and Nicole Kidman gone? Hell, the last time I saw Ashley Judd was when the Kyd rented The Tooth Fairy. Has Cameron Diaz been memorable in anything since There’s Something About Mary? If Hollywood wants a serious actress, they’re calling Hillary Swank or Kate Winslet. Occasionally they ring Angelina, but not that often. Two of the better actresses who just happen to be around the same age as Jennifer are now working on Showtime series. There are simply not enough quality roles to keep the top actresses working in quality movies. Two roles that come to mind, that I think Aniston would have been good for, are smaller roles. Roles that went to Vera Farmiga, The Departed and Up in the Air.

Honestly, I do not actually want to see this, but the writers easily could have made Hot Tub Time Machine or the Hangover vehicles for the ladies. And you know what; there still wouldn’t be a role for Aniston, because they largely went with cheaper talent. Truth is, most of the public only wants to see her as Rachel Green, and she still looks just like Rachel. Tom Hanks resembles the guy from “Bosom Buddies.” 

Hirp'd Off

I never really meant for this blog to get all political, but that seems to be the only consistent topic to get me riled up enough to post.

This week it’s the idiots who are losing their minds about a proposed Islamic Faith Center, and Mosque, in lower Manhattan. The site is actually 2 ½ blocks away from Ground Zero, although that doesn’t matter. I have yet to read about a magical boundry that makes everything okay, eight blocks? Jersey? It has nothing to do with where it is, just that there are some very religious people, who don’t believe what most Americans believe, and that a few of their so-called “believers” did a tremendously horrible thing. For shits and giggles, along with a splitting headache, I sometimes like to read Sarah Palins Tweets. She’s always full of such wisdom. If wisdom had the same meaning as bullshit. “Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. Pls reject it in interest of healing”

A Mosque isn’t a provocation; it’s a place of worship. I’m used to reading Sarah Pain going on about how great the United States is because of our freedoms. When Dr. Laura went off her rocker and dropped the “N” bomb 11 times, and then, by her own choice, decided to against renewing her radio contract, Ms. Pain rallied her troops with an impassioned tweet “Dr.Laura:don't retreat...reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence"isn't American ,not fair") Shocking, she defends the rights of a conservative and not the rights of Muslims. She sure has leader written all over her. She’d be great as the head of the KKK.

The truth is, those who are most uncomfortable with this Mosque should be the ones fighting for it the hardest. They’re the ones who most need to understand that Muslims have the same split as the rest of the religions. They have their nuts, but by in large, most are just looking for some sort of guidance and a feeling of belonging. Timothy McVeigh was a registered Republican, yet I don’t think anyone is worried about how close the Oklahoma GOP office in OKC is to the memorial park. Jews drive German cars, and Hawaiians’ drive Japanese cars. Southerners even travel to New York City. People, some how, are able to cope with all these things, even though there’s been some serious shit in the past.

I’ve also read that some have issue with the Imam behind this idea. I guess he said something in the past about He pointed some blame at the US for the 9/11 attacks. I know this is hard to take, but yeah, we did some shit that lead to that awful day. If someone walks up to you and punches you in the jaw, it’s good to understand what you may have done that upset someone so much that they’d take such a chicken shit way to retaliate. We didn’t see things through to the end after helping Afghanistan defeat Russia. We bailed on Iraq after the first war and we left our troops in Saudi Arabia for years. And we’re offended by a Mosque? That attacks our sensibilities? If you hear someone saying that, the truth is, they don’t have any sensibilities to be offended. Does that justify the killing of 3,000 innocent citizens? Hell no, but you can’t discount the fact that it upset some peeps.

Of course, once religion gets involved, all the rules fly out the window..oh there’s a really horrible pun there, and I won’t touch it. Leave it up to me, and I’d like to see every religious house of worship shut down. Only it isn’t up to me, thankfully, and the Constitution affords all of us the freedom of religion. And the Constitution wasn’t written by gang members, so there’s no territorial claims in that motha. Again, this is just one more of the worlds problems that wouldn’t exists in a world that had no organized religion.

All of this is really just crap to build campaigns around, I even doubt if most people believe this is such a horrible thing. But it’ll get people upset enough to pick a side on Election Day. And that got me to thinking: after a Tsunami or a major earthquake, we send out the Clinton and Bush show. Those two have actually built some sort of genuine relationship, and we like to pimp that sort of thing. Only we pimp it around the globe. Well its time we send those boys out around this country. Two former Presidents, who really piss off the other party, working together, for the good of the United States. That may be the one thing that can actually help bring us together. That, or another terrorist attack. Which would you rather see?