Category: Rants

Dr Ablow Needs His Head Examined

On By WinstonIn Personal Responsibility, Politics, Psychology, Rants, Society, Uncategorized, Values3 Comments

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatrist and a member of the “Fox News Medical A Team”. Despite that rather embarrassing affliction, he still feels qualified to offer the following advice to people. “Instead of getting a divorce, try a consorce.” Even though there’s no such word as consorce.

If the word did exist, the “good” doctor assures us it would mean something like this…. Don’t get a messy, expensive, painful divorce. It will be nasty for you and terrible for your children. What you need is a (made up word).

The consorce works like this. The couple agrees to continue living together as friends as friends and partners in child-rearing. They are to accept that the “romantic” phase of their relationship has ended and they should see this as an opportunity to strengthen their “platonic” relationship.

The following is a direct quote from Dr Reallystrangelove’s Guide To Consorce… “Why not just stay in the same house, continue to work together financially for the good of the family, and, perhaps sleep in the same room (without sexual contact expected by either individual)? original authors parentheses.

He also believes this is all in the best interests of any children involved. They have both parents in their lives full time and a greater likelihood of financial stability in the home. Ummm… Yeah… That’s what’s important… Financial stability and the business partners who make it possible.

So my first thought was that Doc KAblow is “nuttier than a squirrel turd”. (I don’t remember where I encountered that phrase, but I love the way it sounds). Then I started thinking maybe he has made it through his professional career without encountering anybody who isn’t BFFs with their spouse. After a few seconds of profound doubt, I called bull**it and chose option three.

Keith (can I call you Keith) has an agenda (the sanctity of marriage) to push and an ideology to promote. Clearly we can’t let something as arbitrary as reality get in the way. I’ve had the opportunity to observe the decline and dissolution of several marriages over the years and feel quite confident when I say I’ve never seen a single one where consorce would have been an option.

It’s pretty clear from his article here that Dr Ablow regards sex as the only real difference between marriage and consorce. Contrary to Dr. Squirrel-turd, sex is generally only a contributing factor, rather than a primary cause. The withholding of affection and decline in intimacy is more often a reflection of issues in other parts of the relationship. Where these deeper issues exist, the removal of the “romantic” component of the relationship isn’t going to resolve them.

That brings me to what is in my opinion his most egregiously stupid idea. Doctor Dumb claims that this is somehow in the best interest of the children. Sure, having both parents on hand is great. Financial stability is great. Growing up in an environment where love is sacrificed on the altar of expediency and commercial betterment… That’s not so great.

What are these hypothetical children learning about the foundation of a strong and meaningful marriage. Forget love, it’s all about financial stability, a nice house, the illusion is more important than the substance. What an utterly terrible thing to teach children! Love is the foundation of marriage not convenience. More to the point, love is the essential ingredient in a family regardless of marital status. That is by far the most important lesson we can model for our children, not some loveless partnership for the sake of a nice home.

That’s why Dr. Ablow needs his head examined.

Cheers, Winston

How To Scratch Your Own Back

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Politics, Rants, Society, U.S. Election 2012, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

There I was peacefully reading a Reuters article about the looming “fiscal cliff” in the U.S. When I stumbled upon this gem that almost passed tea out my nose.

With the clock running down on the budget negotiations, everyone who’s anyone is weighing in on the subject. So it’s no surprise that the chairman of the Business Roundtable would have an opinion on it. In his opinion, “We encourage both sides to work around the clock, if necessary, to avoid the severe repercussions that inaction would have on U.S. economic growth and job creation,”

Sounds good so far right? It’s just a hard working bureaucrat expressing his concern for the future of the country. We need more like him. More people who put the good of the nation ahead of their own interests. Am I right, or what.

Turns out to be “or what”. You see, the chairman of the Business Roundtable is a gentleman by the name of Jim McNerney. That’s nice you think, but so what. Here’s what… Mr. Jim McNerney just happens to be the Chief Executive Officer of Boeing. That’s right, the same Boeing that proactively cut a ton of jobs the day after President Obama was re-elected. Now Mr McNerney is lecturing about job creation because there’s nothing ironic about that. Oh yeah… Boeing also stands to lose billions of defense bucks if the U.S. sails blissfully off the fiscal cliff.

So what’s a person to do? If you’re Jim McNerney, you put on your Business Roundtable chairman hat and demand a solution to the problem so that Boeing CEO Jim McNerney can keep getting rich off of defense contracts.

That ladies and gentlemen is how to scratch your own back.

Cheers, Winston

Why Is It Even A. Question?

On By WinstonIn Media, Politics, Rants, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

Disgraced former media mogul and ex-con Conrad Black is saying he shouldn’t be stripped of his Order of Canada.  Why not?

He is a convicted criminal who served over three years for fraud and obstruction of justice.  What part of that sounds like he should be allowed to keep one of Canada’s highest honors?  Oh, he also renounced his citizenship in order to accept a British Peerage. That’s how important Canadian honors are to him.

Yet now that his appointment to the Order of Canada is under review, he has decided this Canadian stuff is important to him.  So important in fact that the rules about such things shouldn’t apply to the mighty Lord Black.

He was told to submit in writing his arguments for not being stripped of his Order of Canada.  He is now engaged in a legal battle to give an oral presentation instead.  The judge said no, so now con Conrad is appealing.

Of course he is.  If there’s one thing we’ve learned about this man it’s his deep and abiding sense of his own importance.  The rules shouldn’t apply to Conrad Black because he is a great man and great men shouldn’t be bound by the same rules as the commoners.

Lord Black seems to have let his title go his head.  As with the aristocracy of old, he wishes to be elevated above the reach of the laws and obligations of the rest of society.  Unfortunately for him, that’s not how Canada works.

Lying, cheating and stealing your way to wealth and privilege doesn’t make you better than everyone else here.  In fact, in the eyes of many, it makes you a great deal less worthy of honors and accolades.  Like the honor of being a member of the Order of Canada.

In fact, since being a Lord was more important to him than being Canadian, maybe they could revoke the special pass that let’s his sorry ex-con ass stay here and kick him out.  Then he could move to Britain and see if anyone there cares if he’s Lord Black.  Nobody here does.

Should they strip Conrad Black of his Order of Canada?

Why is it even a question?

Cheers, Winston

Why Newt Gingrich Should Get The Republican Nomination

On By WinstonIn Humor, Politics, Rants, Society, U.S. Election 2012Leave a comment

Photo by: Joe Burbank/Orlando SentinelPhoto by:  Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

For those who don’t know, I don’t live in the U.S.  I live in Canada, which means I still have a large vested interest in the activities of our friend and neighbour to the south.  As such, I have been following with some interest the campaigns for the leadership of the Republican party.  So far, I’ve been a little less than impressed by their “circus of the week” approach to selecting a front runner.

In their rush to find a political outsider who supports family [read Christian (read very narrow interpretation of Christian)] values, they have produced a series of truly spectacular failures with Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Michelle Bachman being just a few.  For me however, the most incredible candidate to date has to be Newt Gingrich.  This is a man who utterly typifies the very essence of modern democracy.

After serving for a number of years as the Speaker of the House, Mr. Gingrich then spent several more years selling himself and his political connections to the highest bidder.  All the while, he steadfastly refused to list himself as a lobbyist.  No-no!  He was just a consultant.  The beauty of this is not his non-lobbyist delusions.  The beauty lies in his ability to convince delegates and possibly himself that he is not a “Washington insider”.  That is hilarious!  But it’s not the best thing to come out of his campaign.  It gets better.

Mr. Gingrich also found time to work as a consultant for Freddie Mac.  You may have heard of them.  They, along with Fannie May, are the lending giants behind the sub-prime mortgage fiasco.  You remember that.  The record foreclosures, the collapse of the housing  bubble, and the bank bailouts that led to massive protests and the simultaneous destruction of faith in both business and government.  Yup.  Newt took a pile of consulting bucks from them.  This is still not the best part of his candidacy.  Nope.  The best part is his staunch defence of FAMILY VALUES.

That’s right.  Newt Gingrich values family so much that when Bill Clinton had an affair with Whitehouse intern Monica Lewinsky, Gingrich led the drive to have him impeached.  So it’s clear that he values family a lot.  The only problem, he isn’t sure which family he actually values.  You see Newt was cheating on his own wife whom he later divorced so that he could marry his paramour.  Okay.  That happens sometimes.  Right?  Maybe.  But then he cheated on that wife, divorced her and married paramour number two.  The second wife (first paramour) is now claiming that Newt “Super-Stud” Gingrich had asked her for an open marriage.  She declined, which she alleges is why he now married to paramour number two.

All of that would be “Yeah. Whatever.”  if he weren’t in danger of becoming the leader of a party which spends every possible moment screaming about Family Values and Christian Values.  Apparently, Newt never heard the bit about letting he who is without sin chuck the first brick.  The Republican  faithful seem to have missed the irony of having their holier than thou party led by someone who’s moral compass got smashed when his mistresses stepped on it.  Repeatedly.

Against the rest of the Republican circus, he polls well.  Against President Obama, the polls tell a significantly different story.  I’d like to see Obama get a second mandate.  Id like to see what he could do with another four years.

That’s the real reason why Newt Gingrich should get the Republican nomination.

Cheers, Winston

p.s.  I was just reading that Herman Cain (former candidate and pizza magnate) has thrown his endorsement to Newt Gingrich.  Mr. Cain dropped out of the running for the Republican nomination amid allegations of sexual harassment and marital infidelity.  His endorsement of Newt proves that birds of a feather really do flock together.

W

Too Many Police Or Too Many Idiots?

On By WinstonIn Personal Responsibility, Rants, SocietyLeave a comment

Recently I was browsing back issues of Maclean’s magazine when an article caught my eye from the September 5th issue.  It’s title “Too Many Cops?” makes the author’s position clear.  They aren’t asking a question, they’re delivering a verdict.  It just looks nicer if they frame it as a question.

The gist of the article is that crime is down, law enforcement is bigger than ever and minor charges are skyrocketing.  According to them, we have too many police with too little to do.  That’s why they’re handing out speeding tickets, manning record numbers of RIDE checkpoints and arresting far more people for marijuana possession.

It is pointed out that the RIDE program during the 2010 holiday season enjoyed only a .029 capture rate.  They feel that this is too low and there may be other, more beneficial ways to spend the same money.  Maybe, but I doubt that they’d find a lot of support among people who have lost family, friends or loved ones to an impaired driver.  They made “only” 294 arrests, but that’s 294 less potentially devastated families.  They lament that it required one million vehicle stops to achieve those arrests.  If they saved even one life, then it’s a bargain.

The article also insists that speeding ticket and moving violation increases are just a cash grab on the part of municipalities.  These would be the same municipalities that it states are allocating ever increasing portions of their budgets to law enforcement.  For example, if I’m the mayor of Toronto, I’m going to spend nearly one billion dollars on police services so that I can collect a few hundred million in ticket revenue.  Wow!  I’m a financial wizard with no interest in getting re-elected.

Montreal has long been recognized as having the worst drivers in Canada.  The article describes it as a “city long known for it’s spirited drivers”.  They aren’t spirited, they’re reckless with a blatant and potentially homicidal disregard for traffic laws.  According to the authors though, this has almost nothing to do with the 93% increase in citations for moving violations and the 140% increase for speeders.  Apparently, it has nothing to do with speeding and moving violations.  Nope.  It’s all about hordes of bored cops and greedy civc managers.

The other group of horribly abused victims they talk about are the pot users.  Yep.  Those poor people who get arrested and end up with a criminal record for committing a crime.  That’s just terrible.  The police are at fault again for charging people who commit crimes.  I agree that pot possession probably isn’t the greatest crime a person can commit, but it’s still a crime.  The amazing part for me is that they want to blame the police or the government.  How could they saddle this poor person with a criminal record that could interfere with their chances of crossing into the U.S. or getting the job they want?

Wait…. what?

This isn’t about over-zealous policing or government hard-liners.  This is all about the person who gets caught with a controlled substance in their pocket.  If someone is in possession of a controlled substance, after they get arrested is probably the wrong time to start thinking about the long term ramifications.  I agree that this isn’t the most serious crime in our society, but it’s not about the severity, it’s about the attitude.

Most people treat traffic tickets and minor pot busts like the Oscars.  “Who me?  Oh no.  I don’t deserve this.  Really.  I can’t possibly accept that.  This is only possible because of my parents/manager/co-workers.  Honestly, I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for God!”  Instead of implausible deniability, why not just opt for the truth.  “Yes, I screwed up.  Let’s just do this and hope I learn something from it.”

But that’s not where we live is it?  We live in a society where it’s always someone else’s fault.  Busted for speeding?  It’s not about my lead foot.  The cops must a ticket quota to meet.  Moving violation?  It’s not because I changed lanes without signalling and then hit my brakes almost causing a massive accident.  The cops must have a ticket quota.  Charged with marijuana possession?  It’s not because I broke some stupid law, it’s because some dickhead cop is trying to get promoted by making as many arrests as they can.

Wrong, Wrong, WRONG!

If I get a speeding ticket, odds are I was speeding.  If I get a moving violation, I probably did something stupid to deserve it.  Busted for possession?  I made the choice to break that law.  It’s not about too many police or generating extra revenue or appearing tough on crime.  If it wasn’t for the people who think the law shouldn’t apply to them, we wouldn’t have anyone for the police to be ticketing or charging.

It’s not about too many police.  It’s about too many idiots.

Cheers, Winston

The Uncritical Thinker

On By WinstonIn Discrimation, Global Issues, Personal, Politics, Rants, SocietyLeave a comment

A post has shown up in the Facebook updates of a couple of people I know which got me a little wound up.  Being me, I quite naturally fired off a response and moved on, but I couldn’t get it out of my head.  It kept nagging at me, so I did a bit more digging.  Turns out it’s good thing I did.

The gist of the post states that the Prime Minister of Australia made a public statement that Muslim immigrants who want to live by Sharia Law should go elsewhere.  It alleges that she then went on to say that if they wish to stay, they should learn english and accept that Australia is a Christian country founded on Christian values etc.  Basically, the entire rant is blatantly racist and offensive to anyone who takes the time to think it through.  The idea of the leader of a major nation saying something like this was frankly nauseating.  To see it re-posted and applauded by people I know and care about was even more so.

When I saw the post I only had my phone with me, so I just replied from there and made a note to check it out later.  Well, later is here and here’s what I learned.  It’s a fraud.

It was originally attributed to then Prime Minister Howard back in 2005 based on some much more generic comments made by one of his cabinet ministers.  Over the years, it has mutated and been expanded to include material from an article written by a retired U.S. airforce pilot for a newspaper in Georgia.  Absolutely none of it has anything to do with current Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard or her government.

What is fascinating about this to me is the context in which I encountered it.  The people who posted and endorsed this stance are themselves the descendants of immigrants.  Those immigrants certainly didn’t learn the language or respect the culture, or religious beliefs of the people who were already here.  In point of fact, our ancestors murdered them in wholesale lots, deliberately destroyed their culture and beliefs and forced them to learn the language of the immigrants.

So what is the difference between the immigrants of today and those of yesterday?  In both cases, they dream/dreamed of building a better life for themselves, their families and descendants.  Each considers/considered their way of life to be one worth maintaining.  They want/wanted the freedom to be who they are, live how they want to live, speak their own language and worship as they see fit.  Oh yes, that sounds evil to me too.

The whole point to this post is to underline the need to actually think things through.  Instead of just accepting what we read or see as being the gospel truth, we need to be willing to look a little deeper.  We need to see if someone isn’t just playing us and feeding off our dissatisfaction to push their own agenda.  We need to be just a little more critical in our thinking and step outside of our comfort zone.  It’s important to listen to people we don’t agree with to help us understand why we think the way we do.

Uncritical thinking is dangerous.  That’s the kind of thinking that leads to wars, genocide, prejudice and hate crimes of every sort.  That’s not how I choose to live and I hope it’s not how the rest of society chooses to live.  The greatest threat to our freedoms and our way of life is, “The Uncritical Thinker”.

Cheers, Winston

A New Low For Christmas Greed

On By WinstonIn Pop Culture, Rants, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

I recently read an article on the Ottawa Sun app that makes the impending zombie apocalypse look downright appealing.  It all has to do with a teenage girl’s letter to Santa.

At first glance, it seems sweet that thirteen year old Mekeeda Austin still writes letters to Santa.  That warm, fuzzy feeling comes to a screeching halt the moment you learn what it is she has actually written to him.
“This Christmas, I don’t ask for much, so if I don’t get at least two of the things I want I want, I will literally kill you!  Do you understand?  Oh, also, I’ll hunt down your reindeers, cook them and serve their meat to homeless people on Christmas Day.  None of us want that, so here’s what I want.”

She then lists a Blackberry, cash, a dress, high top Converse shoes and the real Justin Bieber.  “Remember, two of these things or you die.”  She then signs it, “Love from Keedy.”

Her mother, who found the letter, thinks it’s just humorous.  She then goes on to say that she will try to get her everything she wants but admits that the Beebs might be difficult as he will likely be busy with his own family.  She seems not to see anything wrong with her daughter’s letter, but does add that “… you  don’t want to get on the wrong side of her.”

When asked by a reporter about the letter, Keedy replied, “I want all these things and I don’t see why I shouldn’t get them.”

Now you see why I’d prefer the zombies.  They might try to eat Santa because that’s what zombies do, but at least they won’t shank him for a pair of Converse high tops.  Nope for that, you need a regular living, breathing sociopath.  In this case in the form of a thirteen year old girl.  But the truth is, they come in all shapes and sizes.  Keedy just happens to be a textbook example.

If you look up “rampant, amoral consumerism” in an encyclopedia, you should see this kid’s face.  She’s pretty much the poster child for everything that is wrong with our “things over people” approach to life.  That’s right, OUR approach to life.

Most of us are horrified by the idea of capping the jolly one for some cash or a new outfit, even more so by the thought of Blitzen Burgers down at the shelter.  The fact of the matter is, we aren’t that far removed from the self-absorbed little girl who wrote that letter.

We like to think we are, but that is demonstrably not the case.  If we were so much better than her, we wouldn’t be watching our widescreen HD TVs while someone else is watching people walk by where they’re sleeping in an alley.  We wouldn’t be worrying about staying warm in a hockey arena while others try to stay warm by huddling in a doorway.

Keedy isn’t all that special.  She’s just at a more advanced stage of a global malaise.  She may be the poster child, but we all suffer from it to some degree.

Just something to think about.

Cheers, Winston

Why Caring Has Gone To The Dogs

On By WinstonIn Rants, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

My brother sent me a link yesterday to a cute little video. In it, an animated squirrel loudly laments an allegedly lamentable fact: Change jars for dogs collect more change than similar jars for kids in retail settings.

The squirrel, or more accurately it’s creator is outraged by this. Really, really outraged. The inference is society’s blatant preference for homeless dogs over homeless children. It’s wrong, but who could blame us if it wasn’t?

My dog love’s me unconditionally. He loves Lynn unconditionally. He feels the same about Cynthia. If I go out to shovel the drive, he is thrilled when I come back inside. Lynn goes to the store and he misses her and fusses ’til she gets back. Then he loses his little puppy mind.

If I tell him to clean up the mess from his treats, he doesn’t pout at me for hours. Nor does call me an a**hole when my humor is a bit dodgy.

Dogs don’t sell crack, liquor, junk food or weapons to live off other dogs suffering. Dogs don’t practice genocide or slavery. As far as I know, no dog has ever leveled a forest.  So yeah, dogs are a lot more sympathetic than humans.    But that’s not the reason they get more change than kids.  Nope, we’re not that thoughtful,  it’s all about implausible deniability.

The truth is both simpler and more complex.  We don’t want to think of ourselves as members of a society where children will go hungry without our charity.  None of us wants to acknowledge our role in that society.  We want to pretend that we would never leave a child in that situation.  Child poverty, child hunger, child labor, homeless children, these things are inhuman.  That’s the key.  We humans couldn’t possibly allow this type of horror.

We can’t reconcile our internal worldview with the truth of the external world so we ignore it.  If it doesn’t exist, it can’t be a problem.  So we look at the jars on the counter and the voices in our heads tell us needy children aren’t a real issue.  If they were, we’d be doing everything possible to fix it.  Since we are good people and we aren’t actively fixing it, it mustn’t exist.  Needy dogs we can handle.  Giving them our change seems like an appropriate response to needy dogs.

So there you have it.  It’s not that we actually prefer dogs to children.  The fact is we prefer our sanity over reality.  We want to keep our little delusions.  We want to keep believing that we are good people.  We can’t believe that if we know there are children going to bed hungry every night, and going t o school scared every day.  If we were good people we’d do more than drop some change in a jar for them.  Because we want to keep believing in our own goodness, we drop some change in the jar for the needy dogs.  It’s the right thing to do after all.

That’s why our caring (and our change) is going to the dogs.

Cheers, Winston

Lindsay Lohan To Pose For Playboy

On By WinstonIn Pop Culture, Rants, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

In the Ottawa Sun there’s an article about Lindsay Lohan. It seems she’s now going to pose for Playboy. That’s not really that surprising. Lots of “off prime” female celebs have taken that route. I’m probably the only one who finds this hilariously funny.

My first giggle is the idea of her getting paid for what she’s already given away for free. Considering that Ms. Lohan was part of the knicker free craze that included Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. A quick Google search will also “reveal” (double entendre #1) that she has a penchant for bra-free, sheer tops. Given all that, what has she got left that qualifies as a million dollar surprise.

About her only claim to current fame is with the male of the “Prison Bunny” species. Her acting career such as it was, tanked ages ago. The only time we see her anymore is during tabloid TV coverage of her latest court appearance. I can understand her motive. Everyone’s seen everything, so why not get some cash out of it while there’s still at least some interest. But why would Playboy give a million dollars to a no-talent has-been for a been there, seen that bill of goods?

That’s not the biggest giggle though. Nope. That title goes to her mother’s take on the “spread”(double entendre #2). Dina Lohan says “It will be tastefully done.” So Mom is one hundred percent supportive of her daughters decision. Oh Yes! Momma Lohan is soooo gonna get Mother of the Year! How could she not? After all, she’s just being incredibly supportive of her daughter. Really now, just ’cause she isn’t currently a cash cow doesn’t mean she can’t be a trash cow.

Just A Quick Clarification
On re-reading this post I realized it could give the impression that I feel it’s

trashy

to pose for Playboy. This is not the case. I’m certain that the majority of their models are fine people, or as much so as any other group of people.

The term

trash cow

refers to a faded, wannabe starlet trying desperately to extend a totally undeserved fifteen minutes in the spotlight. She is the sad product of our current

cult of celebrity

wherein there is a growing failure to differentiate notoriety from fame.

Cheers, Winston

Corporate Resonsibility Shouldn’t Stop At The Border

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Politics, Rants, ValuesLeave a comment

Earlier tonight, I was reading an article from the Huffington Post.  It talked about a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals saying that corporations should be held to account for human rights violations overseas.

Specifically, the residents of the island of Bougainville in the Phillipines is looking to sue the Rio Tinto for the deaths of thousands during a civil war that started in the late eighties.  The people revolted against their treatment at the hands of this multinational mining conglomerate and it’s government stooges.

While this ruling favors accountability, there are several levels of court involved in the U.S. and just as many different views.  As a result, it’s going to the Supreme Court for a final decision.  What the hell do they have to decide?

A corporation abuses people on a tiny, resource rich island on the other side of the world.  The people revolt.  The corporation pays the government to involve it’s military.  A ten year civil war ensues and thousands die.  How is the corporation not responsible?  Why do the courts even need to debate it?  Especially in a country that invades others just because they feel like it?

So why shouldn’t a massive corporation be held to account in the courts?  How about because they are a massive corporation with enough capital to buy immunity.  In much the same way that the U.S. declared a few years ago that they wouldn’t be bound by international criminal proceedings regarding their involvement in various foreign wars.

Of course that’s one of the problems.  It’s a U.S. corporation, being ruled on in U.S. courts.  Who would’ve thought they might not rule in favor of the victims?  There’s no track record of that sort of favoirtism in their courts, is there?

Cheers, Winston