A Trapdoor In The Sun

Is the controversy over building a mosque near ground zero a grand distraction or a grand opportunity? Or is it, once again, grandiose demagoguery? It has been said, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” Are we not overly preoccupied with this controversy, now being used in various ways by grandstanding politicians? It looks to me like the politicians are “fiddling while the economy burns.” The debate should have provided the conservative defenders of property rights with a perfect example of how the right to own property also protects the 1st Amendment rights of assembly and religion by supporting the building of the mosque. Instead, we hear lip service given to the property rights position while demanding that the need to be “sensitive” requires an all-out assault on the building of a mosque, several blocks from “ground zero.” Just think of what might (not) have happened if the whole issue had been ignored and the national debate stuck with war, peace, and prosperity. ...

Once again, Islamophobia raises it's ugly head. I bet you if a Catholic Church petitioned to build a 'community center' across the street from ground zero, not one person would raise their hand in protest. In fact, the center would likely be funded by some Faith Based initiative (which is conserva-speak for religious welfare). But when a Muslim group decides they want to build a community center two and a half city blocks away from ground zero, the Right Wing Jezus-Zombies start coming out of the wood work, citing one non-factual claim after another to incite fear among the population. So much so that these morons have began protesting mosques being built all over the country. Now, I can see if this Park 51 was built ON ground zero, how that could be a problem. But it isn't. It's two blocks away. But at the core we see what a double standard these idiots subscribe to. On one hand, they go on about the Constitution and Freedom of Religion. They constantly decry the...

Coffee Vomit is when you get a nice steaming cup of to-go Joe topped by one of those plastic lids with one singular uncovered hole on the top, only to have coffee suddenly shoot out of the opening like a gusher from a whale blowhole. Usually it's your freshly clean dress shirt and tie that suffers the most, aside from 3rd degree burns on your cup holding hand.

If you've never heard of Ted Olson, he's the attorney that successfully argued Bush V Gore in 2000. Although he is known to be a staunch conservative, he was the attorney behind the repealing of Prop 8 in California last week. In this interview on Fox, Olson schools Chris Wallace on the 14th Amendment, the Bill of Rights, and what truly defines the overused phrase, "judicial activism". Where is the right to same-sex marriage in the Constitution?" asked Wallace. "Where is the right to interracial marriage in the Constitution, Chris?" replied Olson. "The Supreme Court has looked at marriage and has said that the right to marry is a fundamental right for all citizens. So you call it interracial marriage and then you could prohibit it, no? The Supreme Court said no. The same thing here," explained Olson. "The judge after hearing three weeks of testimony and full day of closing arguments and listening to experts from all over the world c...

 Ah... I love the Constitutionally enforced freedom of religion in this country... unless your religion is Islam. Then you are a filthy terrorist. Seriously, what kook kool-aid do these people drink? While a high-profile battle rages over a  mosque near ground zero  in Manhattan, heated confrontations have also broken out in communities across the country where mosques are proposed for far less hallowed locations. Related Mosque Plan Clears Hurdle in New York  (August 4, 2010) Planned Sign of Tolerance Bringing Division Instead  (July 14, 2010) Times Topic:  Cordoba Center (Ground Zero Mosque) Enlarge This Image Christopher Berkey/Associated Press In Murfreesboro, Tenn., arguments broke out over a planned Muslim center. In Murfreesboro, Tenn., Republican candidates have denounced plans for a large Muslim center proposed near a subdivision, and hundreds of protesters have turned out for a march and a county meeting. In late June, in Temecula, Calif., me...

I really haven't visited Blogger much in the past few years or so. I think MySpace took over and now Facebook seems to be the place to be. For a while I was blogging at a nice little site called Multiply, but I have since moved on from there. I'm still living in Central Ohio... in beautiful Grandview Heights. We're located about 2 miles out of Columbus' downtown area. I'm currently sharing a very spacious townhome with another room mate, Ben. It's a fairly cooperative living situation, as he spends much of the year away from home, working sound on cruise ships and as a music teacher at a Jewish summer camp in rural PA. Thus, I get the place to myself for the most part. I am again working for Chase Bank in mortgage servicing. As an account supervisor, I work with heated borrowers to resolve escalated issues and serve as a team lead for my department. It's been quite the learning experience, but I definitely have a front row seat to the issues that have been...

I want to shake... I want to wind down... I want to leave... this mind and shout I've lived all this life like an ocean in disguise... I won't live forever... you can't keep me here.