Category: Henry Rollins

This made my day

I’m still working on my first science post.  It’s hard to do.  This stuff is difficult to understand, and even more difficult to put into layman’s terms, especially when you don’t understand it much better than in layman’s terms.  Be patient.

Every once in a while I look at the stats for my blog, just to see if anything interesting is going on traffic-wise.  Usually there’s not, but today I saw something which made me laugh: the first two results for keyword searches which have led to a page on my blog:

Capture

The Evolution of the Cowboy

As I write this, I’m sitting here watching Cosmos on Netflix on my XBox.  Coolest XBox feature EVAR.  I’m reminded of this video I watched the other night.

I know what he’s talking about.  It’s the oddest feeling when you’ve learned enough science that suddenly everything starts to fit together.  I’m reminded of the common Christian claim that Atheism or Science is a religion.  The stupidity of that claim aside, I’ve realized something: These kinds of moments are not unique to religion.  Religion has these kinds of epiphany moments.  So does music.  I remember my first musical “Moment” during a performance of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.  It was amazing.  I think I’d like to call it a Musicgasm.  You simply can’t imagine it until you’ve had one, it’s unreal.  They’re far too few and far between. 

Religion can have the same kind of moments.  I had one in the cult.  A Godgasm, if you will.  I know the allure of it.  People believe they’re feeling the presence of God.   It can be very hard to reason with someone who has had a Godgasm.

This is a Sciencegasm.  It’s totally unique, yet familiar.  I’ve had one.  Apparently that’s all you get.  It’s that moment when you realize that the Universe is glorious and amazing, awe inspiring if you will.  Everything clicks, and you realize just how awesome it is to be a part of the Universe and to understand it as we do, and it doesn’t require a supernatural being to appreciate it. 

What’s cool is that it only gets better.  We actually understand very little about our Universe, but we learn more every day.  A hundred, a thousand years from now, we’ll know so much more, but still not everything.  There’s always another amazing, awe-inspiring discovery to make. 

I can’t explain the unbelievable feeling of understanding how the pieces fit together, how we fit into our world, our Universe, and how even though we’re a small seemingly insignificant part of it, we’re still a part of it.  Atheism is just as, no, more gratifying than Religion.  I wish everybody could see this, but Atheists don’t proselytize.  I’m not recruiting for the Atheist cause.  None of us do.  The only reason we’re in a fight with Religion is frankly because they started it.  At some point teaching science became blasphemy.  At some point realizing that we don’t need a god to be good became a threat.   At some point no longer needing an imaginary Master became an affront.  When we fight back we have reason and science on our side, but facts are meaningless to people who have already made up their minds. 

It seems every Fall I undergo some kind of mental change.  I evolve into a newer, better being.  Well, sometimes it’s better.  This blog has chronicled my evolution over the past few years.  It’s time for another change. 

On this blog I’ve made some friends.  I’ve realized that conservatives, or at least Republicans, do not represent my values as a human being.  I’ve advocated Henry Rollins for President.  I’ve argued against voting party lines, and I’ve voted straight Democratic tickets.  I’ve espoused the virtues of Taoism, and I’ve abandoned it because of the value it places on ignorance.  I’ve ranted.  A lot.  I’ve geeked out.  I’ve complained about religious intolerance, I’ve been intolerant of religion, and I’ve abandoned religion altogether, although I’m pretty sure that actually happened a very long time ago.  I’ve really only just recently admitted it to myself.  I’ve cussed, and blasphemed, I’ve hoped, and I’ve wondered.  I’ve deleted the whole thing in a moment of anger, and I’ve painstakingly restored it after regretting my actions.  I’ve had spiritual epiphanies, and I’ve despaired for the entire human race.  I’ve grown as a human being, and it wasn’t always pretty.

I’ve discovered a lot about myself over the past few years.  Anybody who reads this blog regularly probably has too. 

I’ve been thinking about a new direction for several days now, and I think I’m going to do it.  Hopefully I don’t lose what little audience I may have acquired spewing vitriol over the interwebs for the past few years.  I’m absolutely in love with science right now, and I think I’m going to begin posting about this.  For one, just so that I’m not just bitching all the time.  For two, hopefully somebody will begin to see just what is so amazing about all of this.  For three, it’s a nice convenient place to keep track of the things I’ve learned.  Crap I wish I’d paid more attention in school!

With any luck the tone here will change.  With any luck I’ll open a few minds.  Mostly, I just don’t want to forget this stuff.  I would love nothing more than to return to college right now and rack up several doctorate degrees in various fields of science, but that’s simply not reality given the cost of living and the cost of college.  I’m also desperately trying to save for my children’s college, and sending myself back to school doesn’t help that cause. 

Well, here we go…

The best presidential choice yet

I’ve been thinking, and that’s a dangerous thing.  I still like Henry Rollins for president, but perhaps there’s somebody I trust to do the right thing even more than Henry.  Who could it be?

Then the answer hit me like a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster:

ME!

Of course, why didn’t I think of it before?  I’m the one person on the planet I trust to do the right thing in office.  Cowboy: President of the United States.  Nice ring to it…

I hereby announce my candidacy for POTUS!

Here’s a summary of my qualifications:

  • I’ve never been convicted of a felony (convicted, mind you…)
  • I’ve never had a DUI (that one-ups Dubya)
  • I’ve never been involved in a sex and/or financial scandal as a perpetrator, but occasionally as a victim. (One ups Clinton)
  • I’m smarter than George Bush FWIW.
  • I have less experience than Barack Obama (remember, that’s a good thing).
  • I’m a white guy, but I’m not as white as John McCain.
  • I’m not a creationist like Sarah Palin.  Neither would my teenage daughter’s baby daddy stand up on stage with me, as he wouldn’t have any working legs in order to do so.
  • I believe that freedom of religion means freedom to follow ANY religion, not just Christianity. 
  • I’m aware that there are more than two points of view when it comes to evolution.  Science should be taught in schools.  Creation theories should be taught in relevant religious temples.  Debate solved. 

As president, here is my first term agenda (in order):

  • Withdraw all troops from Iraq immediately or even sooner.
  • Send a few Navy Seal teams into the mountains where Bin Laden is believed to be hiding, kill the fucker, mount his head on the hood of my brand new $400,000 Maserati, drive around America, withdraw from Afghanistan.
  • Hire T. Boone Pickens as Secretary of Energy.
  • Hire Henry Rollins as Secretary of Defense.
  • Hire Rory Blyth as Secretary of the Treasury.
  • Hire Celes as Secretary of State
  • Make Morgan Webb my Vice President.  I know she’s smart enough to do the job, but mainly I just want her to be around a lot.  I’m pretty sure she won’t shoot anybody in the ass either (video games notwithstanding).
  • Hire Bill Clinton as Secretary of How To Get Away With Having Hotties in the White House.
  • Banish George Bush to the Middle East.
  • Energy Crisis: Get an energy plan that will work via Pickens.  Kick the crap out of anybody that tries to put a rider on it, intimidate corrupt old politicians until they recant their evil ways and pass my bill.
  • Health Care: Model health care after Europe, where it actually works.  Change farm subsidies so that farmers are financially encouraged to grow fruits and vegetables.  Make McDonalds illegal.  Banish Hillary Clinton to Cuba.
  • Abortion: I’m personally against abortion, not for any religions reasons, but because I believe a life is taken when one is performed.  Instead, I plan to offer free Government Sponsored Surgical Sterilization to everybody with an I.Q. under 110 or from southern California.  Said procedure will be mandatory under 95. 

In the coming weeks, I will create a way that you can contribute to my campaign, as I know you already see the value in my Presidency.  In the meantime, spread the word to everybody you know, and tell them to vote Cowboy in November.  Good, yo!.

I’m the Cowboy and I approve this message

The Slippery Slope

I’m continually astounded at buzz around the current election.  I listen to people tell me why McCain is great and why Obama is great.  Once you cut through the bullshit it usually boils down to why McCain or Obama sucks.  Honestly, do you vote for candidates, or against them?  Honestly?

Since Nixon in the 70s we’ve had an increasingly cynical view of Washington.  This is exacerbated by constant sex or financial scandals, continually lying, broken campaign promises, Right/Left slanted media, movies, failing economies, and wars that don’t make sense.  I think we can agree that nearly the whole of Washington is corrupt.  Why, then, is it that we keep electing the same people?  Isn’t the definition of insanity when you keep doing the same thing and expect different results?  That’s what we do, election after election.  We keep electing the same people and expecting them to behave differently.  We keep thinking “This time they’ll keep their campaign promises.”  We keep thinking “This candidate really is different because he says so.”  That Is Insane.  Are we really that stupid?

Why are we as a country so afraid to consider a third party candidate?  Why have we not done away with the absurdly inaccurate and outdated electoral college system?  Are we really such a commercially jaded and malleable society that we can only consider the big party candidates with billions to spend on their campaigns?  Are we really so pathetic that we’ll vote for McCain just because he’s got a young woman for a running mate?  Are we really so obtuse that we’ll vote for Obama only because we’re angry at Bush and the Republicans?  Are we really all stupid enough to eat the biased crap the media vomits at us daily (both right and left, don’t kid yourself)?  Are we really all so effectively programmed that we think there are only two choices? 

Remember Ron Paul? 

 http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/10/paul.endorsement/

“I’ve come to the conclusion, after having spent many years in politics, is that our presidential elections turn out to be more of a charade than anything else, and I think that is true today. It is a charade,” he said.

Paul said a strong showing by the third-party candidates would express the public’s frustration with the current system.

“If you ever get to the point where you believe the two parties are essentially the same, if the majority is outside of the establishment, it’s not very democratic. The process is not working,” Paul said.

Don’t be a robot this November.  Stop obeying the programming they give you.  Don’t vote Republican/Democrat because your family does, or you always have.  And for the love of sanity DON’T VOTE ALONG PARTY LINES!  THINK FOR YOURSELF!  Look up the Libertarian party, or the Green Party, or the Constitution Party, or independents like Ralph Nader.  Or for the love of whatever you hold dear, if you don’t like any of them, FIND SOMEONE YOU DO AND WRITE THEM IN!  Don’t just vote for “the other guy.”  It’s not a binary problem.

THAT is what the Henry Rollins for President thing is all about.  He won’t win, I know that.  I’m not stupid.  But I can’t in good conscience vote for the candidates from the two giant Good ‘Ole Boys clubs that have been running our government for over a hundred years.  It’s time for change.  Real change.

Elections are supposed to be the time when We The People can have a say in how we are governed.  That’s been taken away from us by two bloated political parties and the media, and we need to take it back.

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2008 Election Results

I don’t care.  I’m still voting for Henry Rollins.  (I didn’t expect him to win anyway).

Supersize ME!

Numbers

Sometimes we see numbers, and don’t really think about what they mean.  I’m not intending this post to be for or against John McCain or Barack Obama. 

I don’t think there are many Americans who would deny that the attack on 9/11/2001 was horrific, or that the death toll was catastrophic, or that the scope of it all traumatized our nation and changed us in a profound way. 

I looked up these numbers on the Internet, therefore they may not be entirely accurate, but I believe they’re close.

The number of American lives lost as a result of the terrorist attack on 9/11/2001:

2,740

The number of American lives lost in Iraq as a result of the American invasion:

4,124

Interestingly, I also found this number.  I have no idea of it’s validity.

The number of Iraqi lives lost as a result of the American invasion:

1,245,538

I suspect this number might be inflated in order to serve the anti-war movement’s point of view, however, according to an article I found on CNN, 5,800 Iraqis died in June 2006.  I’m sure many, if not most of these deaths were caused by insurgents, not by the American Military, but they happened because we were there. 

At this point, I feel the need to clarify that I am not disparaging the American Military.  Like any other cross section of society, the military will be made up of those who are good and those who are bad, if there really is any such thing.  I support the soldiers in Iraq.  They’re Americans, and they’re going through a kind of Hell I can’t imagine.  And they’re following orders.  I only question the orders, something they aren’t allowed to do.  And over 4,000 of them are dead.

I got to wondering, this is a lot of death.  How many people did Hitler murder?  I looked it up.  Six million.  That number, by the way, does not include military deaths. 

What’s hard to imagine, is exactly what these numbers mean.  We hear these numbers: 2900, 4000, 1.2 million, 6 million, and we think that’s horrible, but do you really think about what that means?  Imagine you come home and find a dead body in your kitchen.  Imagine the horror of finding a body shot to death violently in your kitchen.  Hollywood has made us a little desensitized to this kind of violence, but try to imagine what it would be like in real life? 

Now imagine it’s two bodies.  That adds a whole new dimension to the horror. 

Imagine ten.  This gets harder for a sane person to imagine.  Ten murdered bodies in your kitchen.  Given an average of 150 pounds per person, that 1500 pounds of dead human in your kitchen. 

We’re only up to 10, folks.  If you can imagine 10, try to imagine that 10 more times.  It takes a few minutes to really digest the horror there, doesn’t it.  That’s only 100 people, and yet we can barely fathom it.  100 people would not fit in your kitchen, we’ll have to move them to the back yard.  That’s 15,000 pounds of dead human.  The mind really can barely grasp this kind of horror anymore, and we’re only up to 100. 

Following our average of 150 pounds per person, the death toll in Iraq has resulted in 600,000 pounds of dead American bodies. 

At 600,000 pounds of dead American, I want a good explanation of why we’re there. 

“We believed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of Mass Destruction”

We’ve [the American public] since found out that the only evidence to that effect known before invading a sovereign country in another part of the world was a single report that was out of date by years.  The Soviet Union had weapons of Mass Destruction for decades, and the remnants of the Soviet Union, to the best of my knowledge, still has them.  We’ve never invaded the Soviet Union, and they really didn’t like us.  Nor have we invaded North Korea, and I think we be pretty sure they have them too, and probably more likely to use them on us than Saddam ever was.

Saddam Hussein didn’t like or trust Osama Bin Laden (or so I heard on CNN). 

We basically had no evidence whatsoever that Iraq was linked with Al Queda and the terrorists that attacked us seven years ago.  Afghanistan, on the other hand, admitted they had him and wouldn’t give him up.

Saddam Hussein defied the U.N. weapons inspectors, but he had been doing that for over a decade since the original invasion of Kuwait.  Suddenly in 2003 it became a crisis that couldn’t wait for diplomacy. 

We’ve lost over 4,000 American Soldiers in a war that, as far as I can tell, had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack which resulted in 2,900 American casualties. 

“We have to finish the job in Iraq.”

What job?  What is it we have to finish there?  We declared hostilities ceased in 2005.  I watched it on the news.  Why are we still there?  What do we have to do in Iraq which is more important than finding the man who was responsible for killing 2,900 American Citizens?  Seriously, I want to know, this isn’t rhetoric. 

Think about this when deciding who to vote for this November.  And think about this too.  Watch these, then watch anything from John McCain and/or Barack Obama, and ask yourself, who would you rather have running our country? 

Henry ’08.

I love comments

Maintaining a blog is always an interesting experience.  For the most part I don’t get many comments, but I received two today.  I found them both fascinating, enough so to comment on them here. 

In response to my post Tao of the Cowboy, “tao” posted the following:

All judgement is immoral and all effort to change somebody is destructive and violent. And that’s what cults and churches have been doing up to now. That’s why Lao Tzu is incomparable, unique, unsurpassed before and after. His vision is the ultimate vision of spontaneity, suchness, nature. If you understand him your life will start moving in a totally different rhythm. You will become a non-interference, WU-WEI. And only when you don’t interfere in another’s life do you respect life that’s what reverence of life is all about.

That’s what I’m talking about.  I’m guessing this is a real Taoist here, not a stupid poser like me.  Thank you for the comment.  It’s stuff like this that makes my time here worth while.

Then there’s the next one.  “henry rollins is an idiot like you” left this amazingly insightful narrative in response to my post Henry Rollins for President:

Christ, you’re a fucking idiot

Right on both counts.  You’re very observant.  One might even think you had read the name of the blog.  Thank you for several consecutive minutes of unrestrained mirth.  Or, in words you might understand better: LOL.

I had to share the irony that I only received two comments, and they came from opposite ends of the intellectual spectrum.  Keep ’em comin’ guys.