Boycotting Businesses for Differing Political Views

I started out this rainy, miserable day wondering what we could do to entertain our kids who have been cooped up in this house because of the weather. We had decided a while back that we would take them to the Build a Bear workshop to make their own "travel buddies" for our upcoming move to Okinawa. Today was a perfect day for that to happen. However before we left I was chatting with a friend online and she made the statement that she was surprised I would shop at Build a Bear after their recent (and recently rescinded) video's depicting an elf freaking out that the North Pole was going to melt.

I will explain my take on Global Warming in a later blog, but for this one I will just say that there are things going on that I am skeptical about and I have voiced my opinion plenty. Thus giving my friend the impression that I might be so hardcore as to boycott them. That might be true, and it is true in her case as she sent the BaB stuff she bought for her kids back. I have absolutely no problem with what she did, but this isn't about her really. My choice to patronize this business was solely based on the fact that my kids wanted one, and while I do not agree with their position on global warming, it just isn't enough to stop me. I don't see BaB as a "radical" corporation. Which are the ones I am after, and the ones I would definitely boycott. I see them simply as a company whose founder may be just a bit misguided, and with their quickness in recanting their video's, also tells me that they are far from "whacko" about global warming.

This whole conversation got me thinking about the feasibility of boycotting companies based on political views. From my side, I am pro-gun, anti-global warming, pro-hunting, and most everything that falls into those types of societal beliefs. Except weed. Weed should definitely be legalized. Maybe then I wouldn't be so high strung. Anyway, for example looking at the NRA's black list of companies, organizations, celebrities, scholars, and businessmen/women who actively support gun control it is unfathomable to boycott them unless you completely disconnect yourself from society. This means growing all of your own food (and weed), making your own gas, watching no t.v., movies, or news whatsoever, keeping all of your money in your mattress, not calling the cops in case of emergency, etc. etc. etc. The NRA's black list is in normal font upwards of 14 pages long I believe. They include names such 7-Eleven Inc. and Clorox Corporation. Media outlets like ABC, NY Times, Time Magazine. Famous faces like Matt Damon and George Clooney. Basically, Hollywood's liberal elite. These few names are only a drop of melted polar ice cap water when it comes to this list. The one that hits closest to home is the American Medical Association and the National Education Agency. So now I have to home school using materials that I have researched thoroughly as to not include any endorsement by the NEA, and if I need medical care, I have to look for a medicine man in the hopes that he has something that will cure whatever ailment I get from smoking (weed).

So is it possible to boycott businesses that don't share your political beliefs? I say no. It is not. Reading through both sides of many lists that are for or against any topic you can possibly think of, if one were to attempt to do so by adhering to these lists, then that person would have reached a level of obsessive-compulsiveness that would require constant medical observation and treatment, in-patient. BUT then they would have to deal with the fact that the facility they are in is monitored by the American Medical Association. Ever been walking in the woods and realize you just walked through a gigantic spider web and you start going crazy looking for the spider and trying to get the web off your face? Think of that about 1000 times over and you have the outcome of trying to boycott businesses that don't share your beliefs.

How can we control these maniacal urges to take down these blacklisted people? My solution is this. I don't plan on giving up the occasional 7-Eleven hot dog, so what could I do? Maybe write a letter. A letter asking the executives of this company to change their ways. Not necessarily to my way, but simply a different way that is more neutral on topics such as gun control or global warming. Can't do much about those individuals that speak or donate money from themselves as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The difference being that boycotting a company does hurt the economy, jobs, etc. But boycotting an individual is easy and really hurts only them. Especially those who carry guns on t.v. or the movies, but are so arrogant to tell the rest of us what we can't or should not do.

Case in point, Build a Bear is a proud sponsor of the World Wildlife Fund. They even sell their bears and such branded with the WWF logo. Now if one were to research the WWF on say hunting, you might find that every animal rights group out there hates the WWF because of their stance on it. They are neither for or against it, and recognize it as a necessary tool for controlling over abundances of wild animals. This has the ARA's panties in a bunch big time. Even that whacko and his group of kiddies on the Sea Shepherd (Whale Wars) have tasked their brethren over at the ALF to TAKE ACTION! ALF being the Animal Liberation Front, which also sits on the DHS domestic terrorist list for random acts of violence and property destruction. So basically everything is so tied together that attempting to unravel all of the ties would be like trying to unravel tangled up fishing line. It's easier to just cut it and go with new line. By the way, WWF is all over this Global Warming thing too.

Remember growing up we had those "choose your own adventure" books? Boycotting a business based on their political leanings is pretty much like reading one of those that goes on for infinity. The adventure never ends, but somewhere on page 423, you will have to choose between sanity or a trip to the nuthouse. Me? I choose to put the book down and retain my sanity.

The O'lympics

Read a commentary this morning from Roland Martin on CNN voicing his displeasure with comments that were made on the blog "Red State" about the U.S. loss of the Olympic location pick. I envisioned this guy pounding away on his computer writing hateful things about conservatives and their patriotism until his fingers were black and blue. Probably hitting the delete key more than a hundred times to clean it up for publication. Well, here is my take on that commentary and possibly the reason why the Windy City was not chosen.

Contrary to popular belief, it was foolish of BHO to think he could fly over in his big shiny jet and woo the Olympic Committee by shear presence alone. Not to mention his choice of city was undoubtedly a bit biased. Now, I can only imagine those conservatives (patriots) saying WTF when Super Fly announced that his pick was Chicago. Well, duh. Martin decrys these opinions by saying that Chicago was a choice for America. Just typing that made me spew coffee out of my nose. That's twice today. The first time was when I read the original article.

Now, I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't want Chicago-vich representing America's patriotism. I wonder if Mark Sanford is quietly cheering that Brazil got picked though? Heh heh heh...Hiking on the Appalachian Trail..That's a good one...Off topic.

My opinion on Martin's thought of American's being more happy if they beat other countries on their own soil is completely opposite. You see, I would prefer to go somewhere else and show them what we are made of. Now, if Brazil was hosting the International Consortium of Wet T-Shirt contests, then I might be a bit nervous. Does it really matter though where the Olympics are held? To me, no. It's purely economical and more often political when leaders want to host the games. Americans will celebrate their patriotism in the manner in which they see fit. I'll be cheering them on no matter where they are. I'm not saying that I would not be happy if the games were held here, but this also leads me to another point.

Historically, the Olympic games to a terrorist is comparable to a bunch of rednecks setting up camp in an "All Nude, BYOB" strip club on a Friday night. It's heaven for them. I have to ask if our nation's security is prepared for that considering that everyday I read something on the news about "Die America." It's not about patriotism in the flag waving form that most people believe, it's about being smart. I'm guessing that this topic was not off the Olympic Committee's table either. Being smart to preserve this nation is in fact a form patriotism. If the committee even considered this security nightmare, then they are thinking smarter than our own nation. I feel personally that Obama's choice to push for this was purely political. My thought is that he should tend the matters at hand instead of taking on an increased security concern that this country does not need at the moment.

Mother Earth News and Population Control

If you have never read this magazine, I urge you to pick up a copy. Be warned though, a recent article posted by some whacko suggests that the U.S. government should take a serious look into population control ala China style. This article was written months ago, but the fallout from it is still apparent in more recent issues in the "Letters" section. People announcing their departure from the list of subscribers in a grand fashion citing "liberal spew" or the accusatory "Communist agenda" as the reason. These are all typical responses, but the ones that make my blood boil are the ones who are in agreeance with the writer. To sum up a bevy of responses, "I agree with (the author) and believe the government should take a serious look into this as our Earth cannot support the vast amounts of people present and the ever growing populations."

Are you fucking kidding me? The same magazine that teaches people self sufficiency is promoting this idea? Obviously this bonehead has some other agenda. If I was a betting man, I would say that this guy is concerned about minorities breeding out of fucking control. That's right, i'm turning this into a race thang. No other moron would come up with this idea and package it and sell it as "saving the Earth." I know he's not talking about all those country folks that grow their own food and live off their own little chunk of land while raising all their little farm hands. Me thinks city folk, and inner city to boot. I also don't think its any big secret what races make up a huge population of inner city people. There is no other obvious reason. My word to all those inner city folks is this: If you wanna have 10 kids, go for it, but YOU better be able to support them. Damn those that will tell me that I can only have a certain amount of kids.

I'm reaching here, but another far out rationalization is that this dude (who wasted a fortune on his education) is upset because development is taking over all the perfect landing zones for when the mother ship and the rest of the fleet arrive to assimilate us. Curses you developers and breeders!

The occassional ramblings of some idiot (sound familiar?) will not sway me enough to stop purchasing this magazine though. It's chock full of some great information on what to do to be self sufficient and live cheaply. Which is what we should all focus on instead of communist ideas such as population control.

My question is when is the human race going to stop being such zombies and letting out of control thought run their lives simply because it's easier?

Oh No You Di'int!

There is nothing more in life to fear than this right here. Some see her as the All Mighty of female leaders, second only to the Ice Queen herself, Hillary. All I see is a human possessed. Possessed with something unexplainable. I don't quite know what it is, but I am guessing that it has something to do with little Nancy not getting her way when she was just a little tot. Either way, this picture in itself scares the living shit out of me knowing that this psycho is sitting as Obama's #2 (or sniffing it). It's bad enough Dear Leader and his idiot excuse for a #1 are both molding this country into a "give a fish" nation instead of a "teach to fish" nation. Bottom line: Bitch is crazy. This picture proves it. Something tells me she wants that big round office in that big white house. God help us all should that shit happen. I will know that at that point this country is done, and any remnants of it will be found on the bottom of the ocean a few hundred years from now by some scuba diver. Hell, it's almost there now.

Just Venting is the Best Therapy

Ok, so it's been a while since I have been to this particular blog o' mine. What drew me back here is a conversation I had with my wife the other day about how funny she thought it was that I read a celebrity blog called DListed (http://dlisted.com/). Anyone that has spent any amount of time with me knows that I am about as anti-celebrity as a person gets. The one thing that draws me to dlisted.com is that the writer prides himself on chastizing celebrities in the media in THE most rude and crude manner he can. Yep, from my taking, he is gay too. However, I kinda pass over the talk about where he wants to put his "peen." Although the whole thing is hysterically funny.

Anyway, in this conversation with my wife she told me that I should keep on blogging to get out all of that anger and hatred I have for the various things I think about that are wrong with the world today. Including celebrities. She also noted that I should not hold back as in previous postings or in everyday conversation. Now, i'm not the type of person that is going to ruin a conversation by telling someone that they are a complete douchebag face to face. I maintain my civility in person for good reason...but not here. Not anymore. I have always believed in calling a spade a spade, and I believe someone has every right to call me a spade too. Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. Some stink, some don't.

So here I am, back again. Quite possibly the best therapy that one could have when they have anger issues. An ability to vent. It's quick, it's easy, and it's free. Best of all, I could click the little "monetize" tab at the top and get mother fucking paid for it. I could really care less if someone reads this junk as it is just stuff in my head that I need to get out. Some pretty demented and perverted stuff, but just as well.

Merry Christmas to All

To All My Democrat Friends:Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wish.

To My Republican Friends:Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hippies and Overpriced Coffee

I just got back from Borders book store and bought Glenn Beck's An Inconvenient Book. While I was there, I started feeling nauseated at the sheer amount of Obama (and family) material they have in there. No matter which way I turned...Obama this, Obama that. Calendars, Pens, Books, Posters, Cards, Magazines, the list goes on. Madness. In preparation for my move to Spain, I visited the travel section and grabbed a travel book to familiarize myself. After finding one I liked, I caught myself flipping through it to make sure no Obama propaganda had been either published, or slipped in somehow. After all, he is the leader of the world now. I must make sure that my viewpoint of the area I will be living is not skewed by any b.s. that may pop out. You know, something like Frommers Travel Guide of Spain...Fold out poster of President Elect of the World Barack Obama included!

Anyway, so I grab my book and head over to the politics section and lo and behold, Glenn Beck's book is on the end of the aisle with a sign over it that says "Election '08 The People have spoken!" I said to myself "Self, get your book and get out of here immediately before you say something and get thrown out." Not following my own advice, I realized I was thirsty, and meandered over to the coffee shop to get an overpriced coffee..Regular..10 sugars, a splash of half and half...The young white male behind the counter (with dreadlocks) handed me my coffee and smirked a little when he saw the book I was holding. I repeated silently the words that I had already told myself just a few minutes earlier, and headed to the register to pay for my books.

Arriving at the register, I felt relieved that the sugar in my coffee had calmed me down. You see, caffeine and sugar have the opposite effect on me. Now, I am in line. Some poor guy in front of me with 4 kids in tow that were touching everything was obviously feeling the same way I was when I was having an Obameltdown..complete with sweating, shaking, and heart palpitations. Thank god for coffee. I heard a voice from the far end of the counter beckon me. My torture was nearly over. Arriving at the counter I kept my mouth closed. Not feeling particularly friendly, I mumbled hello and handed the cashier my credit card. "Would you like to buy a book for the Camden Children's Christmas Project Sir?" Again, not feeling particularly friendly and a lot less charitable, in my best Ebenezer Scrooge voice I simply replied "No"...even though inside I wanted to fly over the counter with my best move straight from the WWE. Once I said "no", the friendly service was over, and I wondered to myself if this young lady and Mr. Dreadlocks from the coffee shop held hands and skipped over to the voting booth the day Dear Leader was elected.

I snatched up my bag and left the store. Hearing that door close behind me was like hearing the gates close behind a newly released convict. I felt like I needed a bath. Maybe scrub myself with Ajax or something. I threw my books in the backseat and stood there in the parking lot having a smoke and sipping my overpriced coffee. Perusing the parking lot I observed people lumbering out of stores with bags upon bags slung over one arm, fumbling with cell phones, and pushing buttons on their keychains..bleep bleep! With some creative timing, we could have conducted a symphony with keyless entry remotes. Although this is not really important...much less relevant.

Ever get that feeling someone is watching? While I was standing there, it seemed as if all of the hippies inside were peaking through the blinds to see "The Conservative." "Look! It smokes! That is horrible for the planet! Which reminds me, is this coffee conflict free?" the hippie says. I turn around quick to see the blinds quickly close as if I didn't KNOOOOW they were looking. For just a fleeting moment, I was more famous than Sasquatch. Maybe I should set up an office and I could do speeches from a podium emblazened with "The Office of the Man as Famous as Sasquatch...Elect." It was time to go. My brain had played too many tricks on me in the short period I had been in that store. I jumped in my German car as a famous person would. You know, perfect..with style and panache, turned the engine over, put on my seat belt, and reached for a sip of coffee before braving the Christmas Shopper Autobahn and promptly spilled my conflict free, hippie served, overpriced, and obviously rigged to explode by the far left coffee all over myself.

Long story short, if you go to Border's...Be prepared. Take a Xanax or something..and stay away from the coffee.