No, not me. Someone else. Someone I thought was reasonably sane... until politics came up.
I actually blocked someone on my Facebook account.
I expressed my opinions about a certain candidate, as is my right to do, to have her reply, "Puh-leeese." Yes. "Puh-leeese." Much like an eye-rolling 14-year-old. A less than valid argument, I'd hazard to say. So I replied by providing validation for my beliefs. Another reply was given that hit yet another level of rude, sporting opinions that sounded as if they were gleaned from 1 minute of Bill O'Reilly sound bites.
Wanting to demonstrate that I actually make up my own mind based on multiple reputable sources, I refuted her unfounded claims and made a few valid arguments of my own, citing said reputable sources... and even quoting them.
Today, her reply had all the depth and weight of... of... well, the same uninformed rhetoric of the candidate she supports. My sources? Can't cite the New York Times! Can't cite CBS! Thery're left-leaning liberals patsys! Her sources? Guess she doesn't need them. Dirty political ads, frightenenly false email spam, and Rush Limbaugh seem to be proof enough.
So, I had two choices - keep up this ridiculous waste of time where I'd spend precious minutes of my life reading, researching and evaluating before sending back a measured and well thought out response...
... or I could lob one last volley and block this angry, intolerant, uninformed, and most of all rude former co-worker.
I chose the latter.
Bye!
Showing posts with label Dumb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dumb. Show all posts
Monday, October 06, 2008
Thursday, October 02, 2008
I Pledge to Not be a Dumb-ass
My friend Teresa over at Anomalous Data posted this email she received from the AFA (American Family Association). If you'd like to see it for yourself, you can find it online. Here's the text:
Are you tired of the extremely bias reporting by ABC, NBC and CBS? Do something about it! Tell the networks you are fed up with their attack on conservatives. Join other Americans who are tired of these networks promoting Barack Obama and attacking Sarah Palin. Take the pledge to not watch ABC, NBC or CBS until after the November elections! When the networks lose viewers, they also lose money. If viewers aren’t watching their promotion of Barack Obama and their trashing of Sarah Palin, they are losing money!
Send a message! We are sick and tired of your bias reporting, and we are not going to watch it anymore!
We will keep you informed on the progress of The Viewers’ Pledge.
Results will be given to ABC, NBC, and CBS.
The Viewers Pledge’ simply states, "I pledge not to watch any news programs on ABC, NBC and CBS until after the November elections."
**************************
Brilliant. Let's encourage the voting populace to be sheltered and uninformed. While we're at it, let's tell them to put gum in their ears and stick their heads in the sand. They might as well keep them there after election day.
I made up my own pledge, anyone care to join me?
"I pledge to not blindly believe any more blatant lies or rampant speculation without performing due diligence by fact checking with multiple reputable sources to make up my own mind."
Are you tired of the extremely bias reporting by ABC, NBC and CBS? Do something about it! Tell the networks you are fed up with their attack on conservatives. Join other Americans who are tired of these networks promoting Barack Obama and attacking Sarah Palin. Take the pledge to not watch ABC, NBC or CBS until after the November elections! When the networks lose viewers, they also lose money. If viewers aren’t watching their promotion of Barack Obama and their trashing of Sarah Palin, they are losing money!
Send a message! We are sick and tired of your bias reporting, and we are not going to watch it anymore!
We will keep you informed on the progress of The Viewers’ Pledge.
Results will be given to ABC, NBC, and CBS.
The Viewers Pledge’ simply states, "I pledge not to watch any news programs on ABC, NBC and CBS until after the November elections."
**************************
Brilliant. Let's encourage the voting populace to be sheltered and uninformed. While we're at it, let's tell them to put gum in their ears and stick their heads in the sand. They might as well keep them there after election day.
I made up my own pledge, anyone care to join me?
"I pledge to not blindly believe any more blatant lies or rampant speculation without performing due diligence by fact checking with multiple reputable sources to make up my own mind."
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Best VP Candidate the Republican Party can Offer?
Can anyone in good conscience vote for Sarah Palin? Check out this quote from an Associated Press article in the Star Tribune.
***************************************************************
Asked what other Supreme Court decisions she disagrees with, Alaska's governor couldn't name any.
"Well, let's see. There's, of course, in the great history of America rulings there have been rulings, that's never going to be absolute consensus by every American," Palin said. "And there are, those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but ...."
Asked again to name a decision she disagreed with, Palin replied: "Well, I could think of, of any again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level. Maybe I would take issue with. But you know, as mayor, and then as governor and even as a vice president, if I'm so privileged to serve, wouldn't be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today."
***************************************************************
Wow. That many words to actually say, "I don't know squat about the judicial history of the United States."
Excuse me, Governor, is there any valid question to a possible future vice president for which you can offer an intelligent, articulate, straight-forward answer? She's one wrestling pose away from "Idiocracy".
***************************************************************
Asked what other Supreme Court decisions she disagrees with, Alaska's governor couldn't name any.
"Well, let's see. There's, of course, in the great history of America rulings there have been rulings, that's never going to be absolute consensus by every American," Palin said. "And there are, those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but ...."
Asked again to name a decision she disagreed with, Palin replied: "Well, I could think of, of any again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level. Maybe I would take issue with. But you know, as mayor, and then as governor and even as a vice president, if I'm so privileged to serve, wouldn't be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today."
***************************************************************
Wow. That many words to actually say, "I don't know squat about the judicial history of the United States."
Excuse me, Governor, is there any valid question to a possible future vice president for which you can offer an intelligent, articulate, straight-forward answer? She's one wrestling pose away from "Idiocracy".
Friday, May 30, 2008
Your Stupid? Or My Stupid?
The other day, during my lengthy new commute, I got stuck behind a bright yellow XTerra. The back was covered in stickers expressing the "My incredible, brightly-colored, 4-wheel drive vehicle exemplifies that I lead a life of adventure and I'm better than you!" attitude of its driver. All very well and good, I suppose, except for 10 white sticker letters mounted on the back window, just above the rear wiper. These letters proudly stated, "YOUR STUPID".
It gave me no end of amusement the rest of the way home.
Yes, yes. I know I've been away for awhile. Lots of stuff going on. So sue me!
It gave me no end of amusement the rest of the way home.
Yes, yes. I know I've been away for awhile. Lots of stuff going on. So sue me!
Friday, March 07, 2008
DST a Sham?
Wow, am I ever a bundle of rant today.
I just got an email from the very thoughtful production manager of the theater where we're doing Sound of Music. She was reminding us to set our clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time, so that we weren't late for Sunday's performance.
It got me thinking. What is Daylight Savings Time anyway? What's it's purpose?
As a kid, I'd always heard that it had something to do with farmers having more sunlight to work. That explanation didn't set right with me though, since farmers are pretty much free to make their own hours from sun up to sun down, regardless of what the clock says.
Daylight Savings Time, ever a controversial concept intended to help reduce energy consumption, was adapted by the United States in 1918, but repealed in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson tried to repeal it... he liked to have that extra daylight time off the office clock to play golf. No joke. DST reared it's head temporarily over the next 50 years, but became standard in 1966.
Recently, a University of California study found that DST actually raises utility bills. According to sources listed in Wikipedia, it not only costs consumers more in utilities, but also creates increased revenue for many buisnesses. I guess that's why, over the years, big businesses, often backed by politicians have supported the continuance of DST, even though it's been proven to be unsuccessful in providing any kind of savings for Americans.
Yes, we'll all grudgingly "spring ahead" this Sunday while we lose an hour of sleep. But next time the question of continuing this practice comes up, let's not let the lobbyists prevail so they can sell more french fries and slurpies.
I just got an email from the very thoughtful production manager of the theater where we're doing Sound of Music. She was reminding us to set our clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time, so that we weren't late for Sunday's performance.
It got me thinking. What is Daylight Savings Time anyway? What's it's purpose?
As a kid, I'd always heard that it had something to do with farmers having more sunlight to work. That explanation didn't set right with me though, since farmers are pretty much free to make their own hours from sun up to sun down, regardless of what the clock says.
Daylight Savings Time, ever a controversial concept intended to help reduce energy consumption, was adapted by the United States in 1918, but repealed in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson tried to repeal it... he liked to have that extra daylight time off the office clock to play golf. No joke. DST reared it's head temporarily over the next 50 years, but became standard in 1966.
Recently, a University of California study found that DST actually raises utility bills. According to sources listed in Wikipedia, it not only costs consumers more in utilities, but also creates increased revenue for many buisnesses. I guess that's why, over the years, big businesses, often backed by politicians have supported the continuance of DST, even though it's been proven to be unsuccessful in providing any kind of savings for Americans.
Yes, we'll all grudgingly "spring ahead" this Sunday while we lose an hour of sleep. But next time the question of continuing this practice comes up, let's not let the lobbyists prevail so they can sell more french fries and slurpies.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Where's My Brian Been?
Occasionally, I have times in my life when I'm certain that Igor has handed over the Abby Normal brain to Gene Wilder to install in my cranium.
This is one of those times.
I have a confession to make. I forgot that my parents were coming this weekend. I forgot to tell my husband that my parents were coming this weekend. In the land of married couples and in-laws, I have broken Ape Law.
Granted, we've been so preoccupied lately that I'm surprised I remember to wipe, much less anything else. I keep four (yes, count'em... FOUR) calendars updated so I can find out where I'm supposed to be at any given time. But sometimes, things slip through the cracks.
This was a mighty big crack. (insert lame joke here)
Top 3 Good Things:
1. My parents are staying in a hotel this time. Yes, I love having them stay at the house and I hate having them incur the additional expense, but sometimes space is a good thing.
2. My house will get clean before they come. In fact, with my mother, it will probably be even more clean when they leave.
3. The kids will get time with their grandparents.
Top 3 Bad Things:
1. I have to find time this week to clean my house.
2. My garage clutter is embarrassing.
3. I haven't even taken down my Christmas decorations yet.
So... I'm off to make my oh-my-god-my-parents-will-be-here-in-2-days to-do list. If I'm not back in a week, send a search party.
This is one of those times.
I have a confession to make. I forgot that my parents were coming this weekend. I forgot to tell my husband that my parents were coming this weekend. In the land of married couples and in-laws, I have broken Ape Law.
Granted, we've been so preoccupied lately that I'm surprised I remember to wipe, much less anything else. I keep four (yes, count'em... FOUR) calendars updated so I can find out where I'm supposed to be at any given time. But sometimes, things slip through the cracks.
This was a mighty big crack. (insert lame joke here)
Top 3 Good Things:
1. My parents are staying in a hotel this time. Yes, I love having them stay at the house and I hate having them incur the additional expense, but sometimes space is a good thing.
2. My house will get clean before they come. In fact, with my mother, it will probably be even more clean when they leave.
3. The kids will get time with their grandparents.
Top 3 Bad Things:
1. I have to find time this week to clean my house.
2. My garage clutter is embarrassing.
3. I haven't even taken down my Christmas decorations yet.
So... I'm off to make my oh-my-god-my-parents-will-be-here-in-2-days to-do list. If I'm not back in a week, send a search party.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
People Should Know Better
I was forwarded an email today that I had to share. It was a vitriolic attack on Target Corporation as having an anti-veteran policy... oh, and that they were owned by a French company. *GASP* Of course, it was one of those things that had been forwarded a million times. It pulls on the heart-strings of people who want to stand by our military veterans, but who don't take the time to question the content. They read it. Get incensed by the content. And forward it to 20,000 friends.
And the beat goes on.
Here's the email. The words and punctuation are the same. I removed all of the colors, giant fonts and spacing to make it fit.
Wasn't it last Christmas that Target refused to let the Salvation Army ring their bells in front of their stores? Dick Forrey of the Vietnam Veterans Association wrote. "Recently we asked the local TARGET store to be a proud sponsor of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall during our spring recognition event. We received the following reply from the local TARGET management: "Veterans do not meet our area of giving. We only donate to the arts, social action groups, gay & lesbian causes, and education." So I'm thinking, if the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and veterans in general, do not meet their donation criteria, then something is really wrong at this TARGET store. We were not asking for thousands of dollars, not even hundreds, just a small sponsorship for a memorial remembrance. As a follow-up, I E-mailed the TARGET U.S. Corporate Headquarters and their response was the same. That's their national policy. Then I looked into the company further. They will not allow the Marines to collect for 'Toys for Tots' at any of their stores. And during the recent Iraq deployment, they would not allow families of employees who were called up for active duty to continue their insurance coverage while they were on military service. Then as I dig further, TARGET is a French-owned corporation. Now, I'm thinking again. If TARGET cannot support American Veterans, then why should my family and I support their stores by spending our hard earned American dollars! And,have their profits sent to France. Without the American Vets, where would France be today? "They, most likely would be speaking German and trading in Deutsch Marks" Sincerely, Dick Forrey, Veterans Helping Veterans. Please send this on to everyone you know to let Target know we don't need them either.
*******
Now all of this crap didn't exactly ring true. So I took 3 minutes, checked into it and found this:
http://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-001461
It's a page on Target's corporate site that addresses exactly what they do for veterans. And they do a lot. It also mentions this vitriolic email campaign in particular.
Of course, I copied everyone in the email that had been sent to me with the proof that it was false. It also happened to list the name of the person who had forwarded it to my sender. She's an executive assistant to a Chief Marketing Officer for a MAJOR U.S. CORPORATION.
It never ceases to amaze me that people, even those that should be smart and educated, will continue to propigate lies without question because it pushes their emotional buttons.
Wow.
And the beat goes on.
Here's the email. The words and punctuation are the same. I removed all of the colors, giant fonts and spacing to make it fit.
Wasn't it last Christmas that Target refused to let the Salvation Army ring their bells in front of their stores? Dick Forrey of the Vietnam Veterans Association wrote. "Recently we asked the local TARGET store to be a proud sponsor of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall during our spring recognition event. We received the following reply from the local TARGET management: "Veterans do not meet our area of giving. We only donate to the arts, social action groups, gay & lesbian causes, and education." So I'm thinking, if the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and veterans in general, do not meet their donation criteria, then something is really wrong at this TARGET store. We were not asking for thousands of dollars, not even hundreds, just a small sponsorship for a memorial remembrance. As a follow-up, I E-mailed the TARGET U.S. Corporate Headquarters and their response was the same. That's their national policy. Then I looked into the company further. They will not allow the Marines to collect for 'Toys for Tots' at any of their stores. And during the recent Iraq deployment, they would not allow families of employees who were called up for active duty to continue their insurance coverage while they were on military service. Then as I dig further, TARGET is a French-owned corporation. Now, I'm thinking again. If TARGET cannot support American Veterans, then why should my family and I support their stores by spending our hard earned American dollars! And,have their profits sent to France. Without the American Vets, where would France be today? "They, most likely would be speaking German and trading in Deutsch Marks" Sincerely, Dick Forrey, Veterans Helping Veterans. Please send this on to everyone you know to let Target know we don't need them either.
*******
Now all of this crap didn't exactly ring true. So I took 3 minutes, checked into it and found this:
http://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-001461
It's a page on Target's corporate site that addresses exactly what they do for veterans. And they do a lot. It also mentions this vitriolic email campaign in particular.
Of course, I copied everyone in the email that had been sent to me with the proof that it was false. It also happened to list the name of the person who had forwarded it to my sender. She's an executive assistant to a Chief Marketing Officer for a MAJOR U.S. CORPORATION.
It never ceases to amaze me that people, even those that should be smart and educated, will continue to propigate lies without question because it pushes their emotional buttons.
Wow.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Spellchecker is Only a Tool
I'm a professional writer and editor by trade. In the past, I underestimated the value of my knowledge of the English language. I thought that everyone knew how to write. How did I have anything special to offer?
Then I see something like this in my hometown newspaper:
"Man fleas cops on 5-horsepower cycle"
Please. Tell me I didn't just read that. Tell me this headline didn't make it past the proofers and the editors and the printers.
At my front door today, a local company that replaces driveways and sidewalks left a flyer with this dandy quote at the bottom:
"Call now to schedule an appointment for a FREE consolation."
Excuse me? A free WHAT? I didn't know people usually charged for that these days. What do they do? Put an arm around your shoulder and say, "Gee, I'm sorry your driveway looks so crappy. We can help fix it. No charge for the consolation." Perhaps I should call and offer a consultation on their advertising in trade for a new driveway?
Then I see something like this in my hometown newspaper:
"Man fleas cops on 5-horsepower cycle"
Please. Tell me I didn't just read that. Tell me this headline didn't make it past the proofers and the editors and the printers.
At my front door today, a local company that replaces driveways and sidewalks left a flyer with this dandy quote at the bottom:
"Call now to schedule an appointment for a FREE consolation."
Excuse me? A free WHAT? I didn't know people usually charged for that these days. What do they do? Put an arm around your shoulder and say, "Gee, I'm sorry your driveway looks so crappy. We can help fix it. No charge for the consolation." Perhaps I should call and offer a consultation on their advertising in trade for a new driveway?
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