Sorry For the Long Absense

I know I haven’t been on here much the past few days, but have had a lot going on. The District Manager came to the store on Friday to test me in manager/keyholder knowledge so I could be signed off and given a key so I could actually do my job without one of the higher managers there, so I was busy studying and stressing about that most of the week.

While this was going on, I briefly had a cold that I shotgunned with DayQuil, NyQuil, and probiotics. And just when that was almost gone, I started feeling a horrible, sharp pain in the middle of my chest. It got so bad this morning that it necessitated a trip to urgent care, which in turn sent me to the ER.

Several hours later, no idea what the hell is wrong with me. They told me to follow up with my doctor for the possibility of seeing a specialist (which beats the purpose of an emergency room) and told to take antacid and a prescription that I could not have filled due to a lack of insurance. All of that destroyed the vast majority of my day.

I’m feeling a bit better now, lying in bed gaming it up and catching up on some reading. Listening to the inconsiderate children in the apartment above us stomp and bounce around as they always do at every waking hour of the day.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

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The End Results

No blue wave, no red wave.

Many Democrats won last night. At the same time, so did many Republican candidates. There were some huge margins and some won only by a point. Some parties maintained control while others took over. The Republicans maintain the Senate while it looks like the Dems take back the House, though by a much smaller margin than they adamantly believed they would.

All in all, to me that’s just proof that people are confused about politics and getting sick of games. But I also feel like some candidates and parties are being offered one last chance…some of those results were a bit too close for comfort.

As we prepare to move on with our lives, I will not go on Facebook or this blog bitching that the other party beat out my candidate for the Senate race. I won’t be furious and hateful against the likely-blue House. I will give them a chance to actually do it’s job but if all they want to do is start hating and undermining Trump then I will start writing letters and preparing for the next election. I can’t run myself (nor would I think anyone vote for me) but I can support others. And I intend to do so…

Again, folks, as I was saying yesterday let’s all be big people about this. Instead of anger and spite let’s all practice acceptance and let the politicians do their jobs. If they don’t perform to our standards, we will show them the door next time.

Consent of the governed…

Coercion and Harassing Voters

I’ve started hearing more and more this morning accounts of people trying to coerce or blackmail other voters into voting against the Republicans. I’m sure even though it hasn’t reached my ears yet there may even be Trump supporters and Republicans trying to shake blue voters into switching sides.

Seriously, that shit needs to stop and it needs to stop now. Those are Nazi and Klan tactics, not those of civilized human beings. In this country you have the fundamental RIGHT to vote for whoever you damn well please. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. If you want to vote straight Red, by all means! If you want to vote all Democrat, go for it! It’s bad enough that some people refuse to vote to begin with, but for those who do to have to endure such fascist bull crap is just not going to cut it. We are better than that, people!

As a long-time conservative and Trump supporters I have experienced all the usual liberal insults regarding my affiliations. Racist, sexist, fascist, anti-American, you name it. I kindly remind them that I’m also a U.S. Marine and that alone proves them wrong on all counts, and forget the shit was even said to me. It’s bullying and hate, the same shit they accuse Trump of originating and condoning. It’s very, very hypocritical for lefties (and righties, whoever) to beat people up because they voted for someone that they themselves did not support. Once the vote is cast, it’s cast. Spewing rubbish after the fact is just a waste of energy. It’s not going to change, and the effort is much better spent on more constructive, LEGAL things than discrimination. And that’s what it is, plain and simple. Political discrimination.

My advice to my fellow voters out there is to keep your votes secret. If you’re a devoted voter along one line or the other, just ignore the shit. Follow your gut and follow your heart. That is what this nation was founded on.

Do not and I repeat DO NOT cave in and vote for the other side because you feel pressured into doing so. Those tactics are meant for places like China and North Korea, not the United States of America. Fascism has no place here, and I mean real fascism, not the dreamworld crap the Democrats spew about Trump.

Be adults, people. There’s a reason you have to be 18 to vote.

Voted!

Even though I’m 28, today marks the third time in my life I have voted in an election. I was in the military training in the 08 election and out of state unable to get an absentee ballot in on time during 2012. Luckily I was able to get in this morning since work isn’t until the afternoon.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I voted essentially straight Republican with the exception of Democrat Gretchen Whitmer for Governor of Michigan. I almost changed my mind and voted for Bill Schuette, Michigan’s current Republican Attorney General, but some minor controversies with him in recent months and Whitmer’s commitment to working on Michigan’s infrastructure won me over. I found out afterwards that my best friend/roommate got to meet her and said that she is a nice and sweet woman, so hopefully that politeness and dignity carries over to Lansing if she wins.

Even if Schuette pulls out an upset, my party still wins. Nothing to be unhappy about there. But I guess it goes to show that no matter how hardcore conservative or moderate you are, sometimes there’s that one outlier candidate that will surprise you…

Some of the Many Reasons I’m Voting Red Today (And an Exception)

In the past, I’ve normally kept who I’ve voted for secret. To me, it’s a personal thing that nobody else has any business knowing (kind of like how much you make an hour). But today I’m letting my choices be known because it is such a contentious period in this country’s history and despite what the polls and news agencies have been reporting, it’s anybody’s game. And besides, I have nothing to be ashamed about.

A recurring theme in this blog has been the NFL Kneeler Controversy, kicked off in earnest by Colin Kaepernick. As a veteran, I’m all for freedom of speech. It’s one of the hallmarks if the nation that make it what it is and has shaped society since this country’s founding. But just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean you should. If you yell fire in a crowded movie theater there are going to be consequences. Kneeling during the National Anthem and disrespecting the flag is a blatant slap in the face to those men and women whose caskets have been draped by that flag, and who continue to offer the ultimate sacrifice on a day-to-day basis in service to this country. While Donald Trump and many other conservatives have lashed out against this practice, the Dems have supported it or have been overly quiet. Hence, Strike One against the left in my book.

Going along with the disrespect factor above, the rioting, flag-burning, and otherwise horrendous displays of anti-Americanism by Clinton’s supporters and the whole “Not My President” bullshit is an easy Strike Two.

Labeling (not by actual party members in general, but by their followers) of Trump supporters as racist and fascist simply by casting a vote is Strike Three. Hell, in reality this is the only reason I need to vote Red all the way, but sadly for the Dems there are plenty of others.

While Republicans have been focused on the nation and doing what they’re there to do, which is lead the country, all the left has been focused on is either trying to derail all of Trump’s progress every single chance they get or engaging in a smear campaign as they prepare (hopefully futilely) to at least take back one of the positions of power in Washington that they haven’t had in quite a while. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to not have the Presidency, Supreme Court Majority, House, or the Senate. However, that is no excuse to try to get things done besides bullying the current Chief Executive.

Illegal Immigration. The title alone says it right there. Criminal activity. Trump is sending reinforcements to the border to back up the border personnel and is getting shit for it. Regardless of their intentions, a caravan of literally ten thousand or more is too much for local officials to handle. Multiple times throughout history presidents have sent in federal troops to assist but the left is hell-bent in trying to vilify the military and encourage them to break their oaths and disobey the President in order so that this caravan can cross our borders at full ten-thousand or so strength. Hell no.

The gist of it is is that the loony lefties don’t have their priorities in order. When they rally behind a no-talent, washed up football player with a hairdo leftover from the seventies and label him a hero when there are countless others who are far more deserving of the title (and who don’t resort to disgraceful tactics to earn it), put foreigners ahead of their own people, and are such sore losers that they’ve been neglecting their own jobs in favor of playing devil to the current president, there’s no way in hell I’m voting for ANY Democrat for the national office.

On the state level, though, there is a single exception. As a resident of Michigan, I plan on casting my vote for the Democratic candidate, Gretchen Whitmer. I have not been impressed at all lately with current Michigan AG Bill Schuette, who is the Republican candidate. If it had been anybody else running I’d likely go with them over her, but luckily as far as Democrats go Whitmer isn’t as left-leaning as a lot of them are. And with a promise to work on things like roads (which, trust me, Michigan SORELY needs to work on), water (cough cough Flint), and schools (hopefully she visits the Grand Rapids Public School system, near me) it’s an easier vote for blue than it otherwise would be. But I will be watching her closely, the first Democrat I’ve ever voted for. If she disappoints, I don’t care who the Red candidate is running against her in four years. She will not be getting my vote.

A CrapPile Public Service Announcement

To all of my fellow American followers and readers,

As you all know, tomorrow is Election Day. As citizens of the United States, we have been blessed by our founders with the right to have a say as to who we want to represent us–and the rest of the country–in Washington.

And yet every years, thousands and thousands–if not millions–choose not to go to the polls for whatever reason and cast their vote.

It is a luxury many in the world wish they had but don’t, and it’s a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. No matter what candidates are on the ballot or what the thoroughly-corrupt news polls show, or how disillusioned one might be about the state of politics in this country, we HAVE to do our due diligence and vote. There are almost certainly candidates that do not belong in office, and it is up to us regardless of any party officiating to ensure that the right people get the job. These politicians still operate through the consent of the governed, and not voting is providing consent for corruption.

I refuse to have any part in such corruption, so tomorrow morning before I go to work I am heading across the street and voting. I encourage all of you who are eligible, whether you be Republican, Democrat, independent, Communist, or whatever, to do the same.

This is OUR, country, boys and girls. Let’s all show those in power what we think.

The Married Priest Question

I’m not Catholic, but over the years I have studied and read up enough on traditions and practices of the Church to know that for the majority of its history only the unmarried were allowed to enter the priesthood. Those few men who felt the call to put on the collar would always remain unmarried; vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience meant that the only “spouse” the priests would share their life with was God.

Now, it seems that Francis, who is by far the most liberal and humble of the Popes in Catholic history, is considering taking a page or two from the Eastern church and allowing married men to become priests. There are already certain exceptions in place now for married men to enter the priesthood, but new changes could open the door for a rash of new recruits into the priesthood.

Some might argue that the Church is sacrificing traditions just to bolster its numbers. So what? Right now, there is a shortage of religious personnel in all sides of the church. A shortage of priests is one part of it; there is also a profound dwindling of the religious orders, as well. Monks, friars, nuns…very few are joining the ranks even as well-established brothers and sisters continue to age and pass away. Already there is in the news stories from around the world of monasteries that have existed for close to a thousand years being closed down because the elderly monks could no longer sustain them. But this post is about the priesthood, not the cloister.

The world we live in today is not the same as it has been for ages. People are turning a blind eye to religion. Instead of waking up on Sunday morning and going to church, people are sleeping in. Many do not want to give up a Saturday night after a long work week for mass. If people don’t want to sacrifice very superficial things like sleep or free time, can single men be expected to to give up essentially their entire existence for their religion? This is particularly pressing when you realize that most of the world’s religions allow married men–and women–to be ministers without many, if any, perpetual vows.

While allowing married men to become ordained in the Roman Catholic Church will have no effect on the monastic tradition, it could very well help fill some crucial roles and positions that need filling. It won’t completely solve the problem, but it could definitely be a crucial first step in preserving the Church for the future.

Many are stepping away from it in light of the countless child sex abuse scandals that have begun rocking the ancient institution as of late. It’s quite possible that the downward spiral it’s found itself in will be its permanent course, but if it has any hope of surviving far into the future then it’s status quo needs to change. And even before that, it needs to be properly staffed.