Sometimes I'll Twitch for No Reason

First of the Month

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:04:51 GMT

I didn't do much in June. I'm bored as hell and running out of money, too. Maybe July will be more exciting.

Sex Work

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:12:50 GMT

I just heard a really neat idea that I thought I'd share with you all. I haven't really thought about it but on the surface it sounds pretty good. Maybe I'm missing something?
Anyway, the idea is about prostitution. There are a few ways to tackle it. One is to ban it completely and arrest the sex workers and their clients. This is what we do in the States and is really awful. It drives the whole market underground and makes it less likely for abused sex workers to get the help they might need.
Another idea, one that I've come to agree with, would be to decriminalize the selling of sex but to keep the buying of sex illegal. In other words, stop arresting prostitutes and keep arresting the johns. I like this idea because it allows the sex worker to go to the hospital or to the police when something goes wrong without fear of being arrested.
But this new idea sounds interesting. What if you license the johns? In some places prostitution is legal if the sex worker, almost always a woman, gets approval from the government in the form of a license. She gets STD checks to make sure she's healthy. But the johns? Nothing. Anybody can walk up and hire a prostitute.
But what if you had to have a permit to buy sex? What if you had to go to the Department of Sex Work and stand in line to get a special license that says you've had a background check and a health check? This would help ensure the safety of sex workers as much as licensing prostitutes has helped the johns.
Anyone engaging in the sex trade without this permit would be arrested, of course. That's the thing I haven't thought about, yet. The unlicensed, mentally unbalanced and unhealthy johns out there buying sex off the street from an unlicensed sex worker. We're back to the same problem there, for these poor people (which is why sex workers shouldn't be arrested, either way).
Just a thought. What do you think?

I Love the World

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:08:43 GMT

Almost There

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:40:27 GMT

I only have three more days in the Huntington house. A great deal of my things are already here in Hurricane, storaged up. But yesterday I was in Huntington, in the basement of that house, throwing away my old things. Seven trash bags of things I no longer wanted or needed. It was hard letting some of those things go.
I got rid of every empty DVD case I own. They're empty because I have all of my DVDs in three of those portable cases that hold 120 each. Not only that, but I haven't bought a DVD since I started Netflix more than a year ago. So why keep those things around?
But not only those DVD things but lots of old papers were sent to the dumpster, too. Graded papers from five semesters ago? Gone. Address to people when I went to Spain in 2006? Gone. (Hell, most of them don't even live there any more.) Instruction manuals to my PS1 or wires for some electronics I don't own any more? Gone.
Seven trash bags. I've been collecting this stuff for years and just keeping it in boxes in the basement. I'm glad they're all gone. Now I only have to worry about couches, entertainment centers, bookshelves, beds, and chests of drawers. I've got to move those out of there either tomorrow or the next day. Hopefully, when I move back to Huntington in the fall I won't be bringing any of those things with me.

Without Internet

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:05:21 GMT

I've been away from the computer for a while. The problem can be traced to the lack of internet in Hurricane. At least, in my part of Hurricane. It looks as if this is how things are going to be all summer. What a bummer! I'll still do what I can to check my mail and my Facebook, though. I can't go without internet completely! But blogs may be a bit too much. Sorry about that, folks. To make it up to you I'll give you a naked picture!

Vote

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:34:21 GMT

I voted in the West Virginia primary yesterday. Not that it mattered. First, I'm a Republican and so I couldn't vote for Obama. Also, there was this convention a few months back in which "top party members" got together and voted to give most of our Republican delegates to Huckabee. So my vote as a Republican didn't matter at all. Still, there's no way I would vote for John McCain. Ron Paul got my vote.
I think Hillary should drop out of the race. There is no way she can come out of this looking good. If she goes into the Democratic convention without the nomination and makes some kind of deal to become the candidate then she will be hated. How many new voters are out? How many new people are interested in politics for the first time because of Obama's campaign of hope and change? Then they find out that all the work they put in, all the hope they had, is taken away because of some back room deal cut between party elites? I'd be pissed off.
If Clinton gets the nomination then I'd vote for her. She'd be far better than McCain. Far, far better. But it won't matter. Republicans and conservatives are going to hate her for being a socialist, for being a Clinton, for being a Democrat, for being a liberal. A large portion of Democrats will resent her for taking away their candidate. But the worst will be the new voters who are completely turned off by politics because of this.
I can imagine some poor working African Americans seeing one of their own running for office promising change and giving them hope that their life will get better. So these people start campaigning to get their guy in office. Then some entrenched white politician from a political family from some rich country club comes in at the last minute after getting a lot of votes from the oh-so-enlightened white citizens of rural West Virginia an Ohio. She gets the nomination. All this work they put into campaigning for Obama was crushed by more of the same.
Clinton can win. She has the talent and ability to be president. But what would the cost be? I want more than just a competent president. I want a competent president that gives the rest of America and me hope.

Bigot

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:16:20 GMT

Because I'm highly critical of religion here and in other places I've been called silly, closed minded, and ignorant. I've been told that I take things too literally, that I'm way past the point of seeing things from other people's point of view, and that I disappoint people because in spite of being a history major I don't know enough about Islamic history. Various people have been patronizing and condescending.
So fuck it. Fuck expressing my opinion about religion any more. You win, assholes. You've managed to quash another dissenting voice with your mindless dogma. I'm going to go ahead and conform to your bullshit because, hey, I don't want to lose the friends I have left! Praise Jesus.

God, I sound so whiny. I just feel so insulted. I listen to someone else's point of view, think about it, and then reject it because it has too many logical flaws. How does that make me a closed minded bigot? Am I a bigot because I don't believe in unicorns or Santa Claus?
Why is pure faith without evidence in God somehow sacred but faith without evidence of the Easter Bunny is silly? Why does it appear that I'm incapable of seeing things from other people's perspectives if I ask this question?
Someone says that when God does this it's obviously a metaphor but when God does that it's what actually happened. But if I point out the inconsistency I'm told I'm being too literal about everything.
Why do people in the West think that the Abrahamic religions are the "right" ones? Is it still closed minded of me to reject Shintoism if the other Western theists do, too?
Why does questioning theists' most basic beliefs make me the bad guy?

Iran Man

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:53:14 GMT

Picture this: A platoon of US soldiers are sweeping a neighborhood in Baghdad based on intelligence that says there may be a local militia leader in the area. So the people in the neighborhood, men, women, and children, are herded out of their homes in the middle of the day and put into a central square.
The men, one of whom might be that militia leader, are put against a wall and told to keep their hands on their heads. The woman and children are kept in a different area. There are cries of protest from the men and the women. "Why are you doing this to us"? "Hands up! Hands up"! "I want my daddy"! "Shut up and move you damn raghead"!
Suddenly they all hear a noise from the sky. Looking up they see ...something. What is it? It's Iran Man. A brilliant and wealthy Iranian businessman focused his genius on building a suit of power armor. Then he put the thing on, flew across the border, and landed with a loud and impressive boom right in the middle of this Baghdad neighborhood. He takes a look around and sees a dozen armed men in uniform pushing, shoving, and lining up unarmed and protesting civilians pleading for the lives of their family. So Iran Man uses his suit's high tech missiles and ion jet cannons to kill the US soldiers. He finds Lieutenant Marty Everyman from Poedunk, Alabama, the soldier in charge of this sweep, and tosses him into the crowd of rescued civilians. "You guys can have him," says Iran Man before flying away using his jet pack.
Weeks later, after an accident in Tehran in which a new power plant (not a fossil fuel plant, says the international community) goes critical, the Iranian businessman declares in a press conference on Iranian TV that he is Iran Man. He was the one who killed fourteen US soldiers. Not only that, but he used military funding from the Iranian government to build the power armor and if it weren't for that recent accident he'd have a power plant big enough to power his entire country and build who knows how many more Iran Man suits.
With a big enough budget and a few tweaks I think this story could be a blockbuster movie. It'd make a ton of money in its opening weekend here in the States, I'm sure, especially as a summer release.

Summer Plan

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:27:50 GMT

School is over for now. So it's time to start saving money for the fall. That new apartment isn't going to pay its own deposit, now is it? But where to work? Hurricane, maybe? I don't really see the need to drive to Huntington every day for work. Yeah, I'll only come here for my friends and my booze.

Jumping Through Hoops

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:08:47 GMT

Only one more final to go before I'm done with this semester. I feel as if I've totally bullshitted my way through this Spring. I wasn't really challenged in any way by any of my classes. I haven't really learned things. I just... got a few required classes for my Marshall plan. That's it. I guess this means I'm well rounded.

EDIT: Terrorism Rant

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:43:16 GMT

Today is Cinco de Mayo. Or as they say in Mexico, the fifth of May. I plan on celebrating this day by having dinner at Rio Grande. Or maybe Taco Bell. Or maybe some chips and salsa before going to bed tonight. It all depends on how uppity I feel today.

***EDIT***

What the fuck is terrorism? Is it when a military target in New York City is bombed? No, that's vandalism. Is it when a bomb goes off in a FedEx and a second bomb is found just outside waiting to kill first responders? I haven't heard anyone call that terrorism. What about if a courthouse in San Diego has a bomb go off inside? No one's calling that terrorism! No one's sending soldiers in there. No one's accusing the government of San Diego of harboring terrorists.
Bush is saying that there hasn't been a terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11 because of his awesome leadership. But what about the anthrax attacks, the sniper shootings in DC, the ELF fires, or these bombings I just mentioned above? Are they not terrorist attacks? Or is terrorism now defined as something only people with brown skin do?
How is our country any safer because of this illegal, unjust war? In the 1990s there were ELF fires, the Unabomber, WTC bombing, and the Oklahoma City bombing. It seems as if we are just as likely to have terrorism here now as we were a decade ago! So what the fuck has this war done for us (except redefining terrorism to prevent white people from, by definition, committing it in order to both claim that there is no more terrorist attacks here and to claim that we aren't committing such acts when we terrorize a population by blowing up buildings and kidnapping people off the street)?

I Keep Your Photograph

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:27:12 GMT

Since I've switched to a larger format for my pictures (which means, since two days ago) I thought I'd go back into my photobucket archives and snatch some big pictures I haven't posted here before. I'll do this until, you know, I get to photograph something interesting and new. With everyone leaving for the summer I don't know how many of such things I'll be able to photograph, though.

May Day, May Day!

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:52:25 GMT

Today is the last day of regular classes! Only Finals are left. I'm a little happy about that. Today is also a bevy of holidays. Most importantly, it's May Day. Workers of the world unite! Tragically, it's also the fifth anniversary of the Mission Accomplished speech. Yeah, major combat operations in Iraq ended five years ago. You didn't know that? Finally and most absurdly, today is the National Day of Prayer. I can't express how much I hate that.

Really, the more I ponder all this religious crap (and because of my class I've got to do that more often than I'd like) the more I realize that religion isn't something "good" and "wholesome". I've come to believe that it isn't enough to just leave religious people alone with their faith. I don't think tolerance of theists is the way to go.

I'm not talking about just Christians when I say "theist". I mean fundamentalist Muslim mullahs, Pagan druids dancing skyclad on the solstice, wise old Native American shamans, Buddhist monks in monasteries in Tibet, and New Age gurus who talk about universal life energies in everything. All of them are willfully stupid. No amount of chanting, prayer, meditation, or magic will solve the world's problems. It is only when one goes out into the world, sees a problem, comes up with a practical solution, and then carries out that solution will things get done.

It used to be I would tolerate these crazy people. They can pray all they want as long as they do solve problems with practical solutions. But then I realize that I'm just ignoring the problem because I don't want to confront it. These people will indoctrinate their children and the stupidity will spread to another generation. "What's the harm?" you might ask. There is a lot of harm.

Some of these indoctrinated people will see a problem in the world and then retreat into prayer to try to solve it. They won't look for a practical solution. Allah, the Great Spirit, the Goddess, karma, or the Universe will solve the problem for them if they just pray hard enough. These are the people who let their daughters die of curable diseases because they prayed for her instead of taking her to see a doctor. These are the people who refuse to give their son a blood transfusion for religions reasons and their son dies needlessly. Religion is the excuse for the murder of these children. And it's okay! "That's just their way." Let's leave them alone to their child abusing beliefs.

What about the theists who see a problem but don't retreat to prayer? What about the ones who see a problem but solve it not with reasonable means based on what would be best for everyone but instead solve the problem based on their religious dogma? These people are even worse than the parents who kill their own children in order to please their Sky Fairy. Are too many teenagers having unwanted pregnancies and spreading harmful STDs? One could look at the data and find the best method of reducing unwanted pregnancies and STDs or one could look at their 2000 year-old religious texts and solve the problem that way. What? Abstinence-only education doesn't work? Then let us not only give more money to these religious groups but also exempt them from paying any taxes! That should solve the problem.

These "actively use religion to fuck problems up even more instead of using means that could solve the problem with no fuss" people are a problem that needs to be solved. Instead of praying that they go away, instead of going on a holy war against them, I think we should find a practical solution. Find out what good and desirable services these nutjobs provide and then provide a secular alternative. Then outright ban them. Ban religion. Ban the "bad" ones like fundamentalist Christianity and the "good" ones like peaceful pagan tribalism. They've been tolerated for too long, in my opinion.

But what do they provide? Why do people cling (yes, cling) to religion? I don't know. If I knew then I'd act on it. It takes some research, I think, to find that out. But if I were to guess then I'd say that religions provide a sense of community and belonging. They provide a way for people to get together and share personal things. They provide hope when all seems lost. I think these things can be provided to people without all the nonsense that leads to anti-evolution legislation, blowing up buildings in deserts, genocide in gas chambers, child abuse, and mass suicides.

I also know that my point of view is rather unpopular. My friends, especially, don't like to hear that I think they are deluded for believing in the supernatural. I wish I had more atheist friends but I live in West Virginia, right in the buckle of the Bible Belt. I end up just writing my thoughts in a blog that (ha!) mostly theists read.

Too Big?

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:08:40 GMT

Hello, readers. Can I get a little help from you all? As you can see, there's a pretty big picture in this post; bigger than usual. Can you help me out by telling me if it's too big for your Friend's Page? On the one hand I want to post larger, better pictures and on the other hand I don't want to annoy all of my Livejournal friends. So ...too big?

Illegals

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:16:52 GMT

A missionary was arrested while entering Russia when he accidentally brought through customs a box of bullets he intended to give to his friend as a gift. This missionary was found guilty of smuggling and sentenced to three years. The hypocrites at Fox News are in an uproar about this. How can the evil Soviets - I mean Russians - arrest a good and kind man, a God-fearing man, for making a mistake like that? Why call him a "smuggler"? He isn't a smuggler! The only reason he went to Russia in the first place was to help! How evil can you be, Russia?
But these are the same people who want to jail and deport undocumented workers here in the States. These workers are only here for a job; they mean no harm. They just want to live and work, contribute to their families and communities. And yet we label them "illegal", as if it were illegal to be a person.
"But it's different!" they say. "The missionary only broke a stupid law. Accidentally! Them there illegals intentionally broke a just and fair law!" Which, really, is all about opinion. The way I see it, this missionary is a smuggler. He broke Russian law by bringing in illegal ammunition. Be should be arrested, tried, and sentenced as appropriate. The same as we do to immigrants who come into the country illegally.
Or, even better, we could be human beings and see that this missionary wasn't doing anything bad. He made a mistake, should be forgiven and sent on his way. Just as those migrants without papers in the US should be given a pass. Like the missionary, the immigrants are not evil people. They shouldn't be treated as such.

Wet and Dry

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:08:17 GMT

This last week has been great. It's been warm and sunny. Pool weather. Can't wait for summer to come. Can't wait to go swimming. I've been a-hankerin' for some pool time; even got my brown swim trunks out from the depths of my closet. Until then I've got to settle for drying activities.

Firefly (with Spoilers!) and Science Fiction

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:31:39 GMT

I just finished watching the entire Firefly series. You know, Joss Whedon's spaceship show? I've heard nothing but praise for it from just about every geek I know. Hell, some of my buddies even have the role playing game based on it. I even enjoyed the movie, Serenity. So why not watch the show?
It was good, too. Though it didn't blow me away the way I'd assume it would. I don't get how people love it as much as they do. I remember walking out of the theater some years ago after seeing Serenity and all of my buddies were going on and on about how they were sad with what happened to Shepherd Book and Wash. I didn't get the same feeling and they told me it was because I had not yet seen the TV show; I didn't have any attachment to the characters.
Well, now I do. I never did get all that close to Shepherd Book. So he may or may not have been some fresh-out-the-monastery monk. Who cares? I wanted to get close to him, I did. As much as I hate the idea of religion in the real world I know it exists. I wish more science fiction dealt with religion in the future. I've had a few ideas on that.
The character I really didn't like was River Tam. Why are people so obsessed with her? She isn't even a good character. It isn't until the last episode that she gets much screen time of her own and all she does is outsmart a bounty hunter. I would have loved (loved, I tell you!) a story about River's brother being on the run from the Alliance for his own reasons but he loves his mentally challenged sister and takes her with him. I'd like a science fiction show to deal with an autistic teenager instead of a kid messed up by the evil government.
How many comics or movies have a super magical girl? The innocent girl who, in the end, has awesome powers and wins the day. The series wasn't enough, either. In the movie they turned her into a ninja master, too. I bet if there was ever a sequel to Serenity, she'd be able to fly and shoot lasers out of her eyes. After all, she's special.
I loved Jaynee, though. He was my favorite of them all. He wasn't haunted by his past, running from anyone, or trying to find himself. He knew what he wanted and did his best to keep himself happy. The same with Wash. Wash had a great wife, a great job, and realistic foibles. There was no metaplot about civil wars or government conspiracies with him.
I'm of two minds about Inara. One, I love how the sex workers in Firefly are unionized. The Companion Guild sounds like a good idea in my book. What I don't like, though, is the fact that there is a market out there for Companions. So I love how Inara is a woman who has taken control of her life but I hate how this line of work is the best one for her. Even five hundred years into the future and an entire solar system away the patriarchy still exists.

I'd like to write a science fiction short story that deals with religion, in my case Islam. I picture a story that starts on a planet some months away from Earth and the main character(s) are there preparing for a their Hajj to Mecca. I'd deal with interesting things like which direction to pray while on a spinning spaceship, how to separate men and women on a small ship, dietary rules with artificial foods, and all sorts of interesting problems that might occur on a long space journey. And of course I'd add some drama. What are stories for?
What do you think?

Weapons on Campus

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:10:00 GMT

On the first anniversary of the school shooting at Virginia Tech our school decided to have combat demonstrations on campus. Sure, there was a memorial. But there were also weapons on the quad and lots of sword fights. I had a good time.

Remember the Hokies.

Fun Sunday

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:22:20 GMT

If only it weren't raining yesterday then it would have been the best day since my vacation. It started out with a trip to the mall and ended some place in the west end of Huntington. I even got to hang out with people I haven't seen in a long time.I don't really feel like spoiling the event by writing all about it here. (I'm just not in the writing mood today, I guess). But I will post a few pictures for you all. That's what I do.
It also occurs to me that I might be losing my internet access this summer. This means I won't be online to post pictures or write blogs. Not that anything really important happens in the summer, anyway. So I might have to make fewer posts with more pictures in each (instead of a lot of posts with just a two or three). Or I might not do this. We'll have to see.

Rome

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:00:22 GMT

After a wild final night in Amsterdam Justin and I took a plane to Rome. We had to switch planes in London and so we got to see the new Terminal 5. It wasn't as chaotic as I thought it would be but there were still delays and confusion all around. I later heard on the news that Naomi Campbell was arrested at that same terminal. Weird.
Rome was fantastic. While Amsterdam was full of drugs, prostitutes, and alcohol (and thus a favorite of Kendra and Justin) Rome was much more my style. Beautiful sculptures, historic buildings, fields of ruins, and all the museums one could ask for. Oh, there were nights out at the pub watching some football, sure, but a lot of fun was to be had at the Vatican and Coliseum.
The city is a lot dirtier and smaller than I assumed it would be. But the same could be said about any city, really. The point is that I had a wonderful time there. I probably wouldn't go back until after I've seen some of the other places on my list (Egypt, Mexico, China, Japan, etc). Still, if you haven't been then you should go.

Amsterdam

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:09:17 GMT

Justin and I made it to Amsterdam on Wednesday. Sometime that night Kendra finally arrived and we all went to our hotel. We've been to the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, the Red Light District, and countless coffee shops all over the city.
Funny thing: now we have no idea what to do. What next? I, for one, do not want to spend this entire weekend smoking weed or drinking Bavarian. So what else is there to do when you don't have any money? Sleeping in killed a few hours, as does sitting in the lobby typing away on Livejournal. But sooner or later I'm going to have to get a shower and leave this hotel. Then? Hours of walking around downtown, probably.
Still, the places I have been to so far have been amazing. The pancakes at the Pancake Bakery were as good as I remembered and the weather this time is not as killer. In 2006 it was hot all the time. Now? It's chilly, now. The food is just as expensive ($3 for a Fanta! $18 for some kabob, salad, and fries!) so I'm going to see if I can't find a market around here and buy groceries.
Maybe we'll have luck with Thomas's friend, today. He lives just outside of town and has invited us over. Here's hoping!

Vacation Update

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:56:19 GMT

Five years and four thousand dead? I can't believe we're still in this fucking shit.
Anyway, things are going great over here. It's a lot colder than I thought it would be, though. That's for sure. Still, my lack of long sleeves and a warm coat will not keep me from exploring Europe. In two days I'm leaving Madrid for Amsterdam and that's a little further north than here. It may be a bit colder. Though I think we've got a hotel set up there so I might have Internet and a warm room. I'm not positive, though. You readers will find out sooner or later. I hope everyone is doing fine back in the States!
Oh, and I saw West Virginia beat Duke the other day. They played the game on TV at Dubliner's. It ruined by bracket but, hey, my brackets never survive beyond the second round anyway. Totally got a new bracket now, though.

Spring Break

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:48:06 GMT

I like airports. Not the small airports. Not the Yeager Airport in Charleston. No, they take away your toothpaste as if it were a part of some bomb kit. I like the big airports. This trip took me to Detroit, Amsterdam, and Madrid so far. They've got nice airports. But let us not forget London, Atlanta, Paris, or Philadelphia. I love those, too.
What is it about the airports? I couldn't tell you the exact thing that makes me like them so much. The people there are interesting and different. There was an Indian woman in Detroit driving one of those golf cart things through the terminal at Detroit. What was her story, I wonder? Was she born and raised there in the city or was she an immigrant? What made her pick this job? Was it her only choice or does she really like it. She looked really tired, though, when she drove by me.
Then there are the groups. A group of athletes, really just kids, going from who knows where in the US to Amsterdam. They were loud and everywhere on the plane but they were a lot of fun to watch at the airport. Really, team's center, why are you bringing your high school biology text book to Amsterdam? It's spring break!
Anyway, I'm not in an airport now. I'm at Justin's place in Madrid (while he's off in Egypt doing God knows what). Turns out, everything is closed on Easter weekend in this Catholic country. Who'd have guessed? The only thing I can think of doing this weekend (besides drinking tonight) would be going to church for the holiday. Imagine, Easter in a real European church that has been celebrating the holiday for centuries. I could also go to the Mormon temple just down the street. That place is massive.
I just wanted everyone to know that I've arrived safely and without any real problems (except that my cellphone is now broken and I have no decent access to the internet here). I hope the same can be said when I finally leave this country for my holiday in Amsterdam and Rome.

Second Amendment

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:04:19 GMT

There's a case before the Supreme Court here in the United States about the Second Amendment. Do private citizens have the right to own handguns? There's lots of coverage of it in the "main stream media" (a term I hate because it puts other forms of media on the fringes, makes them sound less-authoritative).
A lot of conservatives are pro-gun. They love the Second Amendment. Liberals are anti-gun, more or less. The question I have, though, is this: Would conservatives accept limits on the Second Amendment to protect citizens as much as they accept limits to the First Amendment for the same reason?
I mean, we have "free speech zones". Why not "arms bearing zones"? You know, only certain parts of the city where you can actually carry a gun (and these zones are far from some place where you could accidentally kill someone outside of the zone). I'm sure we could think of other interesting ideas, you know, to curb even more Amendments.

Sugar!

subterfugeboy@yahoo.com — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:03:17 GMT

Science class was canceled today. That's the second time this semester that it's happened. I find that I don't have to skip class as much this year because my teachers are doing it for me!
What did I do with my unexpected free time? I ate cookies, drank some milk, and watched TV. The cookies were good. The milk was good. The TV? Not so much. I should keep it turned off more often than I do. Maybe my almost-three weeks in Europe will cure me of my need to constantly watch it. Hopefully.
Check out my grandpa's shirt in this silly picture of him. I'm sure he won't want it posted on the internet but if you think about it, only ten or fifteen people in the entire world read this thing. No one's going to notice.

You see that last picture? Funny story. My cousins and I thought it would be a killer idea to give sugar shots to my young nephew. He loved downing those sugar packets! It reminds me of when my great-grandmother, bless her misguided heart, fed me bowls of syrup and butter when I went to visit her. Yeah, she'd pour white syrup into a bowl and chop up sticks of butter (to give it color!) into it. That was my treat. No wonder I was such a fat ass.
But is that the same as giving this boy so much sugar? I don't think so. I think it was kinda funny.