Kansas Freaks and Nosey Rosies

I feel the need to clarify things before anyone is personally offended by the words below.  When I write "you", I simply mean "anyone besides me except for you", unless the crap I write actually applies to you; then, I do mean you.   I should also say that I am not committed to the ideals of any one political party: Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, Easily-Bored, etc.  Each offers good ideas and bad ideas for solutions to our country's problems.

Actions we disagree with occur all the time.  You probably drove behind some stupid jerk this morning on the way to wherever, but did you let it go? Or did you get so perturbed that you started a campaign to revoke her driving privileges?  Probably the former, I hope.

One thing I simply cannot wrap my mind around is how some people happily meddle in strange people's personal lives. We all have our own ideals and values; that is the glory of personal freedom.  But some people try hard to change the personal lives of others, while those like me do not.

I should explain before getting started.  I am not writing about helping those in need of food or medical care.  Or stopping wars or preventing innocent people from crimes against others.

I guess what I want to know is, why are people preventing gay marriages?  Why are people preventing patients from choosing any medical relief available for their disease or chronic pain?  Why are people preventing others from immigrating to our country?   I have so many questions as to why other people interfere with personal decisions of lives they have nothing to do with.

Some will point to their religious beliefs, that God doesn't want (fill in the blank).  Well, shit.  Then let those people burn in "Hell" after their deaths, why don't you?  Why do some followers believe they have the power of God over other human beings?  Is it in the Bible?  I don't know because I never read it. I never read The Secret either.  Most of us will agree that the retards who picket funerals are disgusting, because they prefer to interfere in people's lives in a way we find repulsive.   Meanwhile, some of the very people who object to the Kansas freaks' tactics simply do it in more socially accepted ways, such as voting (against human rights), creating rules, and lathering others in shame.

If my neighbor wants to marry his brother (ignore the legality), I think it's gross.  But, I don't live in their spare room, sit at their dinner table, nor would I be aware of how and when they got-it-on.   So, what would I do?  Ignore it.  C'est la vie.  As long as their yard is kept and they aren't loud and obnoxious, then we're cool.

One of the first objections people might have to my point of view is that of "family values".   What about my kids?  Listen, that crap falls into the "hard work" category of parenting.   When it comes to anything you value and believe, it is up to you to instill that upon your children.  Undesirable things and actions are in the world.  Ignoring them or wishing they didn't exist won't get you anywhere.  When my friend, Julie, sees a young girl pushing a stroller down the sidewalk, she points her out to her teenage daughter and says stuff like, "see, that girl should be excited about Spring Break or the prom like you are, but instead she's having a difficult time just trying to get from point A to point B. Her whole life cut short because now she has to raise a baby she probably can't afford."  Julie goes on to ask her daughter what her dreams are for her own future and what kind of lifestyle she hopes to someday afford. She also reminds her daughter of their family values.  If Julie were a demented parent, she could have turned to her daughter and said, "look how cute!"  Whatever you value, it's up to you to teach it to your children, despite how revolting others may view it as (e.g. the westboro baptist clan); it's our parental responsibility.


I recently watched an episode of Dr. Oz featuring Montel Williams who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis.  The topic was medical marijuana.  Montel's stance is that he should be able to have access to it if he so chooses in order to relieve his pain; if it's legal for medical patients, it should be available to medical patients*.

One audience member argued that her kids are more likely to smoke pot if they see it is a legal medicine; they'll assume it must be safe to use.  Any parent with common sense should easily counter his/her child's dumb logic with the example that prescription medicine is also legal, but you need a proper diagnosis and valid prescription by a board-certified doctor.  The real focus should be on why your child would want to turn to pot in the first place.  Kids who smoke, drink, and/or take drugs are typically trying to alleviate some form of discomfort or depression.  I find it bizarre that if Montel wants to fill his body with prescription heroin, we're all set.  But, if he wants to inhale prescription pot, we freak out.

* Not all states where medical marijuana is legal offers patients access to it. 


Last week I watched this documentary (available on Netflix streaming) and was really moved by the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan.  I cannot imagine, especially after watching the film, how one could have the constitution to slam the proverbial door in the face of suffering people. That is all I have to say about that.

We're only on this planet for a few seconds, relatively speaking.  Why not spend that time enjoying yourself, enjoying the life you've been lucky enough to live, and accepting that fact that others may want to spend their seconds in ways different from yours.  

If you disagree with me, I welcome any criticism and am open to your perspectives, because I truly cannot understand why one desires to regulate another person's life. 

It's not yours to control.  

And, if you find it in religious text, keep in mind other religious texts exist that command people to take control of your life in ways you didn't approve.