Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Reverend's Rants, Postponed!

Sorry everyone, I haven't had a chance to record my latest rant. I will have it up sometime before Sunday. I apologize for being late again. Perhaps I will record an extra one to make up for it.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Reverend's Rants: The Evils Of The Catholic Church


Today I talk about why I think the Catholic Church is a force for evil.



Thanks for listening! Please feel free to email me at askthereverendrtb@yahoo.com.
/rant

Sunday, June 26, 2011

New York Is A Better Place!


I'm a little late in posting this, but New York finally passed gay marriage into law! It's the sixth state to do so, and the most populated state to pass it by far. It makes me happy to see another state finally recognize that marriage is a basic right for all people.


Ignore the image (ATHF was an awesome movie, though) and listen to the lyrics. When these things happen, even though it's on the other side of the country, I always feel like partying. I even did a little victory dance when I heard the news. Congratulations New York! You have made your state a better place to live, and you have made the government of this country seem slightly less bigoted!

My uncanny ability to piss people off.

Just call me ass head!
We've been at this for nearly three months now. It's been very fun, I've really enjoyed it. If there are three things I've learned about myself since I've been a heathen blogger it's these.....
  1. I am a terrible speller!
  2. I am horrible with grammar!
  3. I have an uncanny ability and down right talent at pissing people off!
Not including me and the Rev we have 26 followers now. Plus I believe we have a couple of frequent readers who don't follow so I'd say we have about 30 readers of this blog. 

To anyone who I've ever offended or pissed off, please forgive me! It truly never has, never is, and never will be my intent to upset anyone personally! I know I have a hair trigger and a tendency of knee jerk reactions. I know I'm proud, and arrogant, and unkind at times. Ask my wife what a pain in the butt I can be sometimes, she'd talk to you for hours!

I appreciate you all and hope you've enjoyed this blog as much as we've enjoyed doing it. I want to particularly thank the Rev man! Who puts up with my dramatic ways with an unwavering ease! Believe me when I say that behind the scenes I am a jittery stress case and the Reverend is calm, cool, and collected. It's been fun to be a part of this with him and I value his friendship.

I also thank my wife. Who is my best friend in the world and my rock! She also is my best spell checker and proof reader. She is extremely patient with me! I am a very sensitive, judgemental, selfish, self doubting person and she puts up with me anyway. I love her so much and want to start being a better husband. I have been so involved with this blog as of late that it's starting to take hold of my life right now. So I'll be away for awhile. Just until I feel whole and complete with my wife and daughter.

I'll be back when my heart is in it again. Right now I want to take a small break, and give you all a break from me. I think I'm the kind of person one can only enjoy in small doses. I've always been that way. Probably always will be.I work two jobs, have a wife and 5 year old little girl, and a whole plethora of pressing issues. It's time to prioritize!

So I bid you all adieu for now. I hope the Rev man keeps posting from time to time, I've enjoyed his posts and pod casts and will continue to read and listen to his awesome stuff! I will still enthusiastically follow and leave comments from time to time, I will be back, I just need some time to reflect. I'm tired of myself so I can imagine how tired everyone else is of me.

I shall return!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Reverend's Rants: The Book Of Mormon Musical


Welcome to another episode of The Reverend's Rants! Today I talk a little about The Book Of Mormon Musical!





Thanks for listening! Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, or concerns at askthereverendrtb@yahoo.com.
/rant

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The pros and cons of my favorite president's war withdraw.

I will always make no bones about it that Obama is my favorite President now and most likely ever! I support him, I'll enthusiastically vote for him in 2012, I hope that someday he'll visit Utah so I can have a chance of a quick handshake and if I'm lucky maybe a photo and an autograph! 

I also make no bones that my biggest disagreement with Obama is his foreign policy. Picture this, in the last 21/2 years our presence in Afghanistan has tripled, our strikes using unmanned drones have doubled in Pakistan(that has caused so many problems it truly is scary if you stop and think about it) and we're now in a conflict in Libya that Obama has not gotten any sort of war power resolution of any kind. Even Bush had a vote of support from congress before he invaded Iraq! 

Had Bush been president during the last two years and done the things Obama has done there would be riots on the streets. The anti-war movement would make the Tea party rallies look like a stroll down Mr. Rogers neighborhood. In a strange way this shows how beloved our president really is. The economy sucks, unemployment is high, our national debt is about to default, we're in these wars that cost so much time and resources let alone lives, and yet his approval rating hovers around 50 percent. If it were any other president they would be at around 20 percent or lower!

But my point of this post was to express my view points on his announcement for troop withdraws. A pro and con list if you will. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion, some will find it hawkish, others will find it wishy washy....
  •  Pro, he very plainly stated that we need not send troops abroad from now on to resolve conflict. I whole heartily agree with that!
  • con, no specifics about what happens to the remaining 66 thousand troops after 2012. 
  • pro, A quicker draw down than the military wanted, and what the media in general expected. At least troop tours will go down from 12 months to 9 months.
  • con, he pretty much promised 31/2 more years of a war that has already been waged the past 10!
  • pro, stressed that we can no longer go it alone, that we must have international support like we did with Libya. 
  • con, I got the sense that his heart wasn't in this speech. That's extremely rare.I always watch major Obama speeches and I could just tell that he wasn't feelin it so to speak. It makes me wonder what we don't know. 
Pakistan is quickly becoming our greatest threat. They are nuclear armed, their military overwhelmingly despises us, they clearly support terrorist organizations, it's just scary if you think about it. I have a feeling that we aren't even in Afghanistan to defeat Al-Quida any more. I have a feeling we're their to keep an eye on Pakistan as long as we possibly can.

The reason I think we need to get out and now is because we're just delaying the inevitable. The second we leave Afghanistan will be screwed! If you don't think that you're crazy! The only reason Afghanistan is semi, semi stable right now is because of our presence there. This isn't Iraq, we're not leaving behind a stable culture with a stable government. The Afghani Government is corrupt and inept at best!

Obama inherited a horrific situation! I truly believe that he's doing the best he can and I'm sure there is alot that we don't know. I just think we should just pull the plug already. Tear off Afghanistan like a band aid and hope that we can protect our borders better than we could on the morning of Sept. 11 2001! The only thing I view that's worse now from then is Pakistan is unbelievably pissed at us. They have nuclear weapons, power, international clout, and money. Everything Al-Quida wished they had back then.

The dawn of the return of the moderate middle.

This post will include no pictures, this post will not be entertaining. This post is for those who enjoy the written word and serious dialogue...

Tomorrow, August 1st, 2011. Both chambers of congress WILL pass legislation that will do three important things. 1) Raise the debt ceiling by 2.4 trillion effectively thwarting a global depression. 2) Cut deficit spending by 1 trillion over the next ten years. And most importantly of even the first two but what nobody realizes. Obama will deliver on one of his most important campaign pledges. 3) Change the tone in Washington!


There is a mechanism that is hard to explain in detail in this bill so I will sum it up as best as I can in a nutshell.....

DEMOCRATS: YOU HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT BY 2 TRILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS. YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK WITH THE OTHER PARTY, YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT CHOICES, YOU CANNOT DEMAGOGUE THE OTHER SIDE IN THIS PROCESS.

-WHY???-

BECAUSE IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS THERE WILL BE ACROSS THE BOARD SPENDING CUTS THAT WILL THEN REDUCE THE DEFICIT BY 2 TRILLION AND IT WILL INVOLVE DEEP SPENDING CUTS TO MEDICARE! ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!

REPUBLICANS: YOU HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT BY 2 TRILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS. YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK WITH THE OTHER PARTY, YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT CHOICES, YOU CANNOT DEMAGOGUE THE OTHER SIDE IN THIS PROCESS.

-WHY???-

BECAUSE IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS THERE WILL BE ACROSS THE BOARD SPENDING CUTS THAT WILL REDUCE THE DEFICIT BY 2 TRILLION AND THE MOST CUTS WILL BE MILITARY DEFENSE SPENDING! IF THESE CUTS GO INTO EFFECT IT SUBSEQUENTLY BRINGS AN END TO THESE WARS THAT YOU HAVE FOUGHT SO HARD TO KEEP GOING. ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!

Liberals and Conservatives hate this bill and that's why it MUST pass! They know that they will now lose their voices! If the American public has learned anything in the past 6-8 years is that the fringe elements on the left and right have no business governing! They have their place in keeping their party leaders on their toes, but when it comes to governing a complex nation such as ours, the moderate middle of both sides MUST have the majority of say and sway!

The liberal notion of "We must continue spending billions of dollars because if we don't America will no longer prosper!" is an utter joke! The vast majority of businesses are sitting on billions of dollars because of out of control spending in Washington! Our national debt is currently 14 trillion dollars and rising! Is that really a good thing liberals??? Spending cuts must be in the discussion and yes, that includes making tweaks and adjustments to medicare, medicaid, and social security! We must, and you can whine, and piss, and moan all you want but we must do this if we are to remain a strong and prosperous country!

The conservative notion of "We must cut and gut spending! No taxes, no revenues, no cuts to military spending!" is also an utter joke! We cannot, shall not, and will not ask the bottom 98% of American citizens to foot the bill on deficit reduction while the top 2% most wealthy Americans enjoy their tax breaks, subsidies, and loopholes! 1% of this country controls 90% of this countries wealth! We're not going to continue the gap of wealth in this country! We must reform the tax code, we must end the Bush tax cuts, we must end subsidies to big corporations who frankly don't need it!

Finally both sides will have no choice but to work together for at least the rest of the year! I believe it will give all of us a break from the extremes of both sides constantly yelling and screaming at each other. Liberals will be pissed and go and watch MSNBC to feel better because MSNBC will simply reaffirm their preconceived notions that more spending is the only answer and and those damn republicans are evil, evil people! Conservatives will be pissed and go watch Fox News to feel better because Fox News will simply reaffirm their preconceived notions that cutting, and gutting spending is the only answer and those damn Democrats are evil!

Meanwhile the vast majority of Americans will enjoy watching a functional government working together to solve a very serious problems! That we can tackle the hard things and get our fiscal house in order! The world is watching us! This past week in my opinion was probably the most embarrassing week this country has ever endured! Here we had two sides that were more interested in making the other side look bad than actually solving problems! I believe Obama just handed this country a great gift, a break from endless partisanship!


My only hope is that the next five months will make the American people realize how great our government works when the moderate middle is at the helm and the extremes of both sides are left to where they should be.... The talk radio, cable news, blogosphere sidelines!

The Reverend's Rants: The Sticky Green


Sorry for being a day late! Today's rant is all about legalizing marijuana.




Here are the links for Dr. Tashkin's studies (they are the news articles, anyway)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729.html
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/142271/smoking_marijuana_does_not_cause_lung_cancer/?page=2
And here is the link to the story about the National Cancer Institute
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/03/national_cancer_institute_adds.php

Thanks for listening! Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, or concerns at askthereverendrtb@yahoo.com!
/rant

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Corporate Court!

This picture doesn't have the newest member Elena Kagen but you get my point!

Yesterday the Supreme court showed it's contempt for the average citizen once again by ruling 5-4(what a shock huh?) in favor of the corporate overlords at Walmart. It was an attempted class action law suit that had 1.6 million female ex and current employees who had an extremely strong case showing that Walmart is biased towards their male counterparts. With pay, promotions, and company standings Walmart clearly was sexually discriminating towards women as a whole.





But is it really a suprise to anyone that the Supreme Corporate Court threw out the case in favor of a big corporate power? Does anybody care? Does anyone realize how powerful corporate influence has on our day to day lives? They're making all the money, getting all the tax breaks, getting all the power, can now pretty much buy elections (thankyou very much corporate court) and now cannot be stopped in court from class action law suits when they trample on our rights! Frankly I don't think you give a shit! Prove me wrong America! Make me choke on these words....

Americans are unwilling, incapable, or too lazy to stop listening to fucking commercials(brainwashing) and demand big business to treat their workers fairly and with respect! American's buy in to the right wing philosophy that"Corporations know all! Free enterprise trumps common sense! If it's not for profit it un-American!"




Prove me wrong America! Prove me wrong! After you stop watching American Idol of course!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Gay Marriage In New York

New York is voting on whether or not legalize same sex marriage. It's passed their state Assembly, and is in their Senate. They were supposed to end their legislative session today, but it looks like they will be there for most of the week.

I'm hoping it will pass (and it looks like it just might) because if New York accepts gay marriage, it will do a lot for the cause as a whole. New York is the third most populous state, and contains the most populous city (New York City). If they legalize gay marriage it will be a huge step for this country.

Of course, there are protesters to try and stop the bill. There are also counter protesters, and that makes me much happier about the whole thing. The protesters are praying and chanting "God says 'No!'". One protester even said if they pass this law, we will become Sodom and Gomorrah.


What?

Do they not realize that legally we can't legislate religious beliefs? It doesn't matter what 'God' says, this is not a mother fucking theocracy. If you want to gripe about something within the law, bring a secular reason! Your religion has no legal standing to make decisions for this country, or its citizens. I actually challenge you to give me a secular reason homosexuals should not be allowed to marry. Try. Think hard. And "Because I don't like/understand/participate in it." is not a good reason. (Also, it does happen in nature (like we aren't part of nature?) so that's a shit answer too!)

This is the kind of bullshit I'm so tired of seeing. You can practice your religion, you can hate homosexuals, non-whites, women, whoever the fuck you want to hate, but you can't force that point of view on others! This is why we progressives call you bigots. This is why we say you are homophobic. This is why we call you bible thumpers. If you don't like those names, quit being so damn deserving of them. Learn that we are all people, and we all deserve the Exact. Same. Rights.



On a related note, I read a few of the comments left by readers on that news article. My favorite had to be this little gem,
You would think that jobs and the economy would be more important to the citizens of New York than this?
What a stupid comment. People care about equal rights and love just as much, if not more, than the economy. I would focus more on getting my rights than other peoples jobs if it were my ability to marry the love of my life on the line. Especially since there is no real justification to deny that right. 

I hope in only a few years we will view this as the equivalent of  denying blacks or women the right to vote. Or denying interracial marriage. Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?


Sunday, June 19, 2011

My impression of the media

  • omg, check out how dumb Lady Gaga is!
 
  • wtf, why is Anthony Wiener so lame?
  • LOL, Obamacare still sucks says some
  • omg, See who's naked now!?
  • wtf, John and Kate are late for date!
  • holy cow,Rebecca Blacks popular Friday pulled from youtube(omg)
  • LOL, you're dumb unless you buy the latest cell phone technology(wtf)
 
  • omg, Lady Gaga said what?(LOL)
  • geese Louise, is Mariah Carey too old now?(omg)
  • wtf, Bad news for Palin, but for how long?(LOL)
  • omg, wtf, LOL?
  • wtf, LOL, omg!
  • LOL, LOL, LMFAO!
  • omg, look at how lame this guy is!(LOL)
  • Holy Moly guacamole! Justin Timberlake is up to no good!(WTF)
  • oh my stars! Why are Americans so dumb these days?(LOL)
  • wtf, the Republican debate was great, but late!(omg)
  • omg, latest poll shows Obama losing message with white supremacists!(LOL)
 
  • omg, Romney slams Obama(wtf)
  • ooh la la, latest celebrity gossip(LOL)
  • wtf, latest poll shows America is lagging in education(omg)
  • what the geese? Obama's not popular anymore(LOL)
  • gosh! check out latest gadgets celebrities use(wtf)
  • you're all stupid cuz we say so!
  • Britney Spears is in the heazy, omg she's sleazy(LOL)

  • Lady Gaga's latest poll numbers(omg)
  • wtf, everyone loves their jobs says poll!
  • hip hip hurray, P Diddy is da bomb!
  • LOL, Bush tax cuts extended(omg)

 THIS IS JUST A SMALL EXAMPLE BUT YOU SURELY GET MY POINT! THE MEDIA KEEPS US ALL DUMBED DOWN, THEY KEEP US DISTRACTED AND "ENTERTAINED" SO WE DON'T DEMAND BETTER! 


IT'S NO DIFFERENT FROM THE ROMAN DAYS AND THE CAESARS USING GLADIATORS AND SAVAGE COMPETITION TO KEEP THE MINIONS PRE-OCCUPIED WITH STUPID MINDLESS CRAP!


WE NEED TO IGNORE THE SIDE SHOWS, WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE REAL ISSUES! WAR, DEFICIT, ECONOMY, WORKERS RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE TO NAME A FEW!


C'MON PEOPLE! WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT WHAT JUSTIN BIEBER IS DOING!






















          Thursday, June 16, 2011

          The Reverend's Rants: Censoring Art

          Today I make clear my position on art censorship. This episode is explicit, you have been fairly warned.




          This is Rodin's "The Kiss"
          Definitely too much lust going on here!

          Thanks for listening! Please feel free to email me at askthereverendrtb@yahoo.com.
          /rant

          Tuesday, June 14, 2011

          Obama's toast, enjoy him while you can!

          I dared to go up against corporate greed and power....
          Ever since FDR no president has ever won re-election if the unemployment rate was 7.2 or higher. Does anybody here really see the unemployment rate being any lower than 8.2 a year and a half from now?? Big business and corporations are sitting on record profits yet are not spending that money on investments or hiring, coincidence?? They know they've got Obama right where they want him and they know the dumbed down American people will blame Obama for their unwillingness to help turn the economy around. 

          If I were Obama I would accept my fate as a one term president and make the most of the next year and a half. Here's what I would do if I were him....

          This post will most likely offend most readers, if your an easily offended person do not pass this point, any pissed off rants or raves will be ignored, you've been warned!
          1.  I hereby end the god damn mother fucking wars! I am commander in chief, I do not require an act of congress to end these wars! All units, every soldier will be sent home immediately! All funds for these wars will be stopped! The world will now realize that at least for the remainder of my presidency, they will not be baby sat by America!
          2. I hereby make recess appointments to the remainder of my nominees for office that are being held up by the ultra partisan, hypocritical, anti-American republican party! You are all lessor sons and daughters of greater predecessors and should be ashamed of the way you've abused your power and duty to the country you "serve"! It's one thing to be political opponents, it's entirely another to make reckless calculations to sabotage me so you can make me fail! You're bastards! All of you! 


          3. The Bush tax cuts will end on my watch, not just the top two percent, ALL OF THEM! I'm sorry everyone but if you all are really serious about lowering the national debt and deficit then we all are going to have to stop relying on that evil government you all seem to despise. If you want more money in your pockets your gonna have to stand up to your employers for once and demand better pay. If you think the government was greedy, wait till you deal with corporate welfare. Good fucking luck on that front, let me know how that goes for ya while you're standing in the bread line with everyone else!
          4. I will not cut anymore spending, not one dime! The national debt ceiling is about to reach it's limit and the republican party is shouting at me that if I don't cut spending then they wont raise the debt ceiling. I welcome that notion! If they don't then they'll have to explain to the American people why they were wrong and that they're sorry that the "Great Depression 2"has started because of they're recklessness. If they do then I'll thank them for actually using their heads for a god damn change! But I will not cut another fucking dime in spending, deal with it!






              5.  I will not sign another bill unless it has attached to it a repeal to the tax subsidies for oil companies! If a bill reaches my desk for the next year and a half without that, I will veto it!

              Will Obama do these thing? I doubt it, should he? Fuck yes!!! He clearly is not going to be re-elected at this point. The economy is getting worse not better, unemployment is going up not down, the government is cutting spending not increasing, and all we care about is tabloid bull shit! 


              If you're a liberal and pissed off at Obama, all I have to say is you better enjoy him while he's still in office while you can, just wait till the corporations are in control again!

                The Reverend's Rants: The Flag

                In honor of Flag Day, I bring you my latest rant!




                I want to include a video I found that adds to what I'm talking about in my rant.


                And of course I have to include this picture.


                Please email me with questions, comments, or concerns at askthereverendrtb@yahoo.com. Thanks for listening!

                /rant

                Sunday, June 12, 2011

                Meet Virgil

                Hello my fellow liberals! I figured it was time for everyone to catch a glimpse of me! This is just the beginning, stand by for future transmissions.....

                ps, If you ever have any questions or comments regarding this blog, or political and/or social issues, or life in general. You can contact me at virgilrtb@rocketmail.com! Rock on!\w/

                Friday, June 10, 2011

                The REAL face of the progressive movement!

                Barack's Da bomba!
                WITH ALL THE MEDIA HOOPLA OVER ANTHONY PENIS, I MEAN DICK, I MEAN SCHLONG, I MEAN SCROTUM, I MEAN WIENER HEHE THEIR WE GO! AND HOW THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT HAS LOST IT'S BEST COMMUNICATOR AND ORATOR I CAN'T HELP BUT GIGGLE, NO ACTUALLY LAUGH OUT LOUD UNCONTROLLABLY TO MYSELF AT THAT NOTION! PRETTY MUCH LIKE THIS.............


                WHETHER YOUR A CONSERVATIVE, LIBERAL, REPUB, DEM, TEA BAGGER, OR A GO CARTER, OBAMA IS, AND WILL BE THE REAL FACE OF THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT NOW AND MOST LIKELY FOR THE NEXT 10-20 YEARS! GET OVER IT!
                I vant to suck his blood blah!


                ESPECIALLY MY FELLOW LIBERALS! YOU KNOW I LOVE YA! I DO! BUT STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT OBAMA! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME! WHEN I HEAR LIBERALS WHINING AND COMPLAINING THAT OBAMA

                • ISN'T LIBERAL ENOUGH, HE ACTUALLY ISN'T EVEN A LIBERAL
                • HASN'T DONE ANYTHING
                • HAS DRAGGED HIS FEET
                • 'S EDUCATION STAFF IS A JOKE
                • 'S HEALTH CARE REFORM WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH
                • 'S WEAK WITH THE REPUBLICANS
                • SUCKS AND I WISH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HILLARY
                • BLAH BLAH BLAH...
                IT REALLY IRRITATES THE PHUK OUTTA ME! IF YOUR A PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL AND YOU'RE NOT HAPPY WITH OBAMA THEN I'M SORRY TO SAY THAT YOU'LL NEVER BE HAPPY WITH ANY PRESIDENT EVER! BECAUSE LIKE IT OR NOT HE IS CLEARLY THE MOST PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENT WE WILL GET FOR THE FORESEEABLE  FUTURE!
                Who hunted down and killed Bin Laden??

                OBAMA HAS BEEN THE MOST PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENT EASILY SINCE LBJ! check this out!
                I UNDERSTAND THAT IT HAS BEEN FRUSTRATING AS HELL SOMETIMES AND THAT PROGRESS HASN'T BEEN MADE AS QUICKLY AND PROMPTLY AS WE'D LIKE. AND BELIEVE ME MY BIGGEST SORE SPOT HAS BEEN THE CONTINUING OF THESE WARS THAT JUST DON'T SEEM TO SHOW SIGNS OF EVER ENDING. 

                WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT HE'S PRESIDENT OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY, NOT JUST THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT. 

                TO LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES ALIKE, OBAMA ISN'T A SOCIALIST OR A COMMUNIST, HE ISN'T A HAWK OR A WAR MONGER, HE ISN'T A JOCK OR A COWBOY OR A HIPPIE......HE'S A NERD! THAT'S WHY I LOVE HIM!
                Obama Won Kenobi


                  Thursday, June 9, 2011

                  The Reverend's Rants: Porn P0rn Pr0n!

                  Welcome to another episode of The Reverend's Rants! Today I take on the issue of pornography. It's not my usual political/religious/geek topic, but it is a social issue.



                  I understand this is a very controversial topic, and I welcome debate about it. I just ask you, as always, to keep it civil.

                  I am also adding a new segment to my rants, Ask The Reverend. I encourage you to email me with questions at askthereverendrtb@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading/listening!

                  Wednesday, June 8, 2011

                  Growing Pains

                  Just a quick update. I have installed DISQUS to take over our comments. I am currently working on getting the previous comments imported in. They still exist, and worse comes to worse I can remove DISQUS and they will reappear like magic! This should hopefully be resolved shortly. Thank you in advance for your patience!

                  **EDIT**
                  The comments have been imported and everything seems to be in order. Let us know what you think of our new format!

                  Tuesday, June 7, 2011

                  The Reverend's Rants: Only White Males Need Apply

                  Welcome to another installment of The Reverend's Rants! Today I talk about how the Mormon church hates all non-white, non-male members!



                  Feel free to leave your comments below, I always enjoy intelligent discussion!

                  Monday, June 6, 2011

                  The 1st Amendment And Prayer In Schools

                  Recently, there has been a slew of cases in the news about public schools being challenged for their use of prayer in graduation ceremonies. There have been some very brave students who have stepped forward and challenged the legality of the prayers in the public school system, and I want to take a moment to recognize them.

                  First is Jessica Ahlquist, who challenged the legality of there being a banner in her school with a prayer printed on it. Apparently it's been there for decades, not that that make it OK, but even so, the first time a student takes offence it becomes illegal. Well, it was illegal before, but now they can do something about it. The school decided to take the battle to court. Why? Because fuck all non-Catholics, that's why! Jessica is a sophomore in her high school in Rhode Island, and even though there has been backlash from the Catholic community (Rhode Island is the most Catholic state in the country), she still attends and plans on graduating from there. Her courage to stay there and show they can't scare her away is very inspiring. She is also a very talented public speaker, and I encourage you to watch or listen to her interviews.



                  Then there is Damon Fowler. He questioned the prayer his public school was planning to do at the graduation. The school agreed to stop the prayer, but then allowed students to pray anyway. A faculty member actually publicly attacked him by saying he hadn't contributed anything to graduation. Unfortunately for Damon he was ostracized from the community, his mother kicked him out, and was almost unable to attend his graduation for fear of reprisal. Luckily extra security was added, and he was able to attend. He has since moved to his brother's place in Texas.

                  Lastly there is Corwyn Schultz. His parents filed a lawsuit to stop the prayer in his graduation ceremony, only to have the Texas court system turn it down. The court's decision also allowed words that were otherwise illegal into the ceremony. The graduation was likened to a 'Revival Meeting' with applause whenever god was mentioned. Even more so than when school spirit, or the graduation itself was mentioned. Corwyn didn't attend his graduation, and I wouldn't have either. Way to go Medina Valley High School, way to show all of your students are welcome.






                  So here is my issue with the whole thing. It's completely unconstitutional to have a prayer at a public school. Students may pray quietly to themselves, no one is taking that right away, but the school can not be lead in any kind of prayer at all. These schools are trying to skirt the law by having students do the prayers, but they forget that they have an obligation to stop them from asking everyone to join them. Speech givers can thank god for helping them, but they can't lead a prayer. These are public schools, paid for with public money, they need to remain secular. 


                  Christians don't seem to get that this is not an attack on their religion, it's a request for equal rights for all students. Not everyone who attends public school is Christian. Some are Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist , atheist, or any number of different beliefs/non-beliefs. Since the schools are public they need to remain neutral on the whole faith thing. That means no prayers. If you are OK with the prayers remaining in schools, ask yourself this, if a valedictorian asked the students to face Mecca and pray, or asked everyone to say a prayer to Satan for letting them all be there, or asked for all the students to rise and give thanks to Krishna, are you still OK with the prayer remaining? 


                  The saddest part is, though, that they have made these graduations about 'us' and 'them'. They are using them as a way to assert their power and bully the minorities, when, really, graduation is to commemorate all the hard work the students have put in. They are tainting an important day in the lives of these teenagers.

                  Open mic night

                  Let your opinions be known!
                  Okay, so allow me to wipe off that egg on my face, hold on one sec.................

                  Alrighty, I'm back. Of course I'm talking about the now infamous Weinergate scandle and how my last post said how I thought he was hacked and pranked. Well let me recant that statement.....

                  OOPS!


                  No matter how you spin it, it has been a shitty week for the Democratic party. I'd argue the worst week we've had politically since the November election. It all started with the corporate medias joygasm to the Anthony Weiner "scandal". My views on this are I think he was hacked and pranked.HE CLEARLY IS IN THE WRONG AND IS LYING ABOUT IT TO US ALL, DO YOU REALLY THINK I'D BELIEVE SUCH A CREEP? HOW DARE YOU! But even if it was true does it really matter? Who cares what people do in there private lives! I saw the apparent photo and it's pretty G rated when compared to shit I see on blogger!I BET YOU THERE'S EVEN MORE BAD PHOTOS OF THIS SLEAZY SCUM BAG, JUST WAIT! BWAHAHAHAHAAAA But Weiner has taken a hit with this and I've liked him through the years, he's been a great liberal voice in national debates BUT NOW HE'S JUST ANOTHER LYING POLITICIAN, WHAT A FUCKING BUMMER HUH!?!

                  There, now that's more like it! Anyways I was wrong and it's not the first or last time! Just ask my wife, my mother, my daughter, or really anybody who knows me how wrong I usually am!:)D

                  But this whole thing has inspired a new segment I wanna do. And since we have some new followers I want to reiterate our open dialogue goal. Always feel free to leave comments, opinions, feedback, or funny stories to any post we ever do. You will be responded to by either myself or the reverend! Plus this blog will always be THE place to be on days like today when something big, or scandalous, or whatever happens in the world of politics so visit frequently!

                  With that I introduce "Open Mic Night". It will be where I give my opinion on current events on the day and then leave the mic to you! The great thing with being a liberal progressive is we all don't have to automatically fall in line with each other or else! Like the conservatives do. I bet you ask any liberal his or her opinion on this Weinergate thing and each one of them will have a different take.

                  Mine is, what a scum bag! I liked this guy and what bugs me the most is not what he did personally, but the fact that he lied about it to every body! As I said before, what politicians do in there personal lives is no concern to me, you, or anybody as long as they don't abuse their power in any way. If Weiner had just come out and fessed up to it I would have respected him for that. But he pulled a John Edwards about it and tried to cover it up and lie his way through it. I myself, have zero respect for that.

                  Now it's your turn, what do you think, let me know and I'll even post your comments on my next post! I now turn the mic over to you guys, just please, show respect etc, etc.............................

                  Saturday, June 4, 2011

                  Tough week for the Democratic Party

                  Rep. Anthony Weiner
                  No matter how you spin it, it has been a shitty week for the Democratic party. I'd argue the worst week we've had politically since the November election. It all started with the corporate medias joygasm to the Anthony Weiner "scandal". My views on this are I think he was hacked and pranked. But even if it was true does it really matter? Who cares what people do in there private lives! I saw the apparent photo and it's pretty G rated when compared to shit I see on blogger! But Weiner has taken a hit with this and I've liked him through the years, he's been a great liberal voice in national debates....


                  I'm gonna be honest, even if somehow this Weinergate scandal turns out to be true I don't fucking care! We need guys like Weiner in the United States congress and what he does in his personal life is of no concern of mine, yours, or anybodies as long as he doesn't abuse power, or use tax payer money which he definitely and unequivocally HAS NOT DONE!


                  The REAL ass head of the week!
                  And then you have former rising star of the Democratic Party John Edwards. It sickens me to know that I once liked this guy! He is quite possible the biggest scum bag EVER in any political party! If not the biggest he's for sure in the top 5! I mean put it all in perspective....
                  • Has an affair while his wife is sick with cancer
                  • uses campaign money to pay off his mistress to cover it up
                  • denies the affair
                  • denies the baby is his
                  • all while running for president in a time of great peril for the country
                  • quite possibly could have been the parties nominee if it weren't for Obama
                  • would have destroyed the Democratic party for years
                  • would have put the country through hell if he were elected president
                  • and is still lying about it after his ex-wife Elizabeth passed away!
                  He is making the Dems look pretty bad right now as it is and he's been exiled for a couple years now, imagine what would have happened had he won the nomination and won the presidency! Can you say hello to President Palin anyone!?!


                  Here is another embarrassment that won't go away!
                  Today it was Blago's turn to return from the grave and haunt the Dems! Anytime this guy is in the headlines does not bode well for the Democrats.


                  You know it's been a bad week for the Dems when Mitt Romney looks much better than Obama for a day. The unemployment figures were released yesterday and boy oh boy did the Repubs go gaga over the whole thing. Mitt was out there sayin "I told you so!" If the economy doesn't start picking up speed quick then say goodbye to Obama and hello to Corporate welfare!

                  I can't believe any body can say with a straight face,"The Bush Tax cuts have been a success!" Really? They've been in place for ten years now, how's everybody doing? I love the media too,
                  • High gas prices
                  • IT'S ALL OBAMA'S FAULT
                  • Poor housing market
                  • IT'S ALL OBAMA'S FAULT
                  • extreme weather slowed hiring
                  • IT'S ALL OBAMA'S FAULT
                  • The auto industry is roaring back
                  • chirp.......chirp..............chirp...............................................................................chirp



                  The good news you haven't heard

                   Oh ya and the auto industry has made a comeback and is paying off all the bailout money back to the government and is now a profitable, job creating industry that would have disappeared forever had Obama not stepped in and saved them but who cares about that because we're all too interested in Weinergate!

                  Superman! Oh and that super guy behind him, what's his name??



                  I have a confession, I love Obama! Ever since the day he won Iowa in 2007 I've just loved the guy! It's cool for me personally to have my role model be the President of the United States. I have faith in his abilities to overcome this horrible situation he inherited from the WORST president ever! I know it's a shitty time for ALL of us right now and it sure feels like the economy will never come back. But we've got to realize that it took eight years to get in this mess. It's gonna probably take Obama eight years to fix it!
                  my first award since grade school.:)

                  And finally, I'm flattered that I got this award from Mrs. Pickle over at http://picklesinmyass.blogspot.com/
                  what really is cool to me is she said I've been kind to her. Being called a kind person is a great compliment so I thank her for that.

                  I now get to choose five fellow bloggers to reward this to and here's my choices...
                  1. Bluzdude over at http://darwinfish2.blogspot.com/ he is hilarious without even trying that hard to be!
                  2. Tom over at http://tgoette-sophisticatedlunacy.blogspot.com/ one of our first followers, his blog is awesome!
                  3. Jayne Martin over at http://injaynesworld.blogspot.com/ her blog is fantastic!
                  4. Dusty over at http://leftwingnutjob.blogspot.com/ her blog is cool because she goes after the left as much as she goes after the right.
                  5. And Lauren over at http://thinkspin.blogspot.com/ I like her blog because she's an actual writer, and her posts are always a great and interesting read. 
                  So there are rules to this award, pretty much to pay it forward to 5 blogs that you like. If you weren't on the list just know that I have great respect for all of you and I hate picking favorites. I'm the kind of guy that thinks we should all get winners trophies. I know that's lame but hey, I'm just that kind guy!:)

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