Profiling: No Pros… All Cons

FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2013: Four decades ago, when I was a college student, it was not uncommon for guys my age to let their freak flags fly. Of course, once we graduated, we did have to conform to shorter hairstyles; i.e., if we ever hoped to find meaningful employment.

Four years ago, feeling nostalgic for those heady hippie times, as well as hoping to attain my cost cutting goal, I had decided to cut out haircuts. It didn’t take long for me to regain my long hair hippie appearance. It also didn’t take long for me to discover that society’s reactions to my unconventional appearance hadn’t changed a bit in those forty years. Cutting through the euphemistic crap of that previous sentence, I was being profiled.

Now mind you, way back then, as I do now, I shower daily; so it’s not like I’ve ever looked or smelled dirty. And while my blue jeans may’ve looked worn, they, too, were clean.

Nonetheless, I found that doing something as ordinary as walking down a city street netted me wary stares from approaching pedestrians; with some of these needlessly frightened folks even cutting me a wide berth (or even crossing the street). Shopping in stores (notorious for not waiting on their patrons) earned me immediate “customer service”, too. True, as a legitimate, customer, I was delighted for the attention, BUT, upon deeper reflection, I could not help but view the motivation of these retailers to be suspect.

No doubt, had I needed to fly from point A to B, c2011, the apprehensive TSA would’ve either given me one of their more, comprehensive, patently offensive pat-downs or added me to some terrorist watch list (perhaps both?).

While I’m not about to suggest that others profiling me (to be some sort of derelict) ever came even close to the severity and seriousness of the racial and ethnic profiling of minorities, there are still unsettling similarities.

Of course, the major difference, here, is obvious. In my case, virtually all of my profiling problems vanished upon the resumption of regular visits to my barber. For those with a greater amount of melanin in their skin, there can be no such easy recourse. Even more disturbing, the latter physical trait can and does trigger a lifetime of problems. As incidents (such as George Zimmerman needlessly getting in Trayvon Martin’s face) have amply demonstrated, the consequences can be deadly.

My personal experience in being profiled, even as mild as that was, is just one more reason why I am so sensitive to what happened in Sanford, Florida; why I am so adamantly opposed to the written-by-racists-for-racists stand-your-ground laws.

Once gun nuts get that evil shit in writing; once they get it in their F’d up heads that they can kill minorities with impunity; that no jury will be allowed to find them guilty; it then becomes open season on their racially profiled victims. Indeed, the ink of these flawed laws won’t be fully dry before these seething with violence, vigilantes go out of their way to scratch their itchy, bigoted trigger fingers.

Pogo Sticks and Trampolines

Over the past 7 years, I’ve blogged left of center content under 5 different screen names at 3 different social networks. With such a critical mass of archived blogs, I do have my favorites. While I do not intend to make reposting a routine practice… I’ve just got to post this one… one more time. And since it only got 21 hits at my previous blogging “home”, it’s highly unlikely that folks now visiting blogger dot com will have seen it anyway. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.

TUESDAY, MARCH 05, 2013: Let’s start out with a short, multiple choice quiz.

When listening to a scientist report on her/his conclusive findings, how would the typical gaggle of Republican legislators react?

A. Stare blankly with slack jaws.
B. Shrink in horror, cover their ears and hysterically exclaim (in unison), “We hear nothing!”
C. Crap their pants.
D. Promptly rush outside, en masse, to bury their heads in the dirt.

Well, this was actually a trick question. All above choices are correct. However, I’ve chosen to dig a bit deeper into Scenario “D”.

Indeed, the GOP, instead of digging Geology, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, would much rather dig a couple of holes; one for their heads, the other to deep-six all time-honored, scientific facts. And, were they to ever find any preserved fossil evidence unearthed during their excavations? Well… they’d totally ignore this, too.

But, what other than a lack of intellectual curiosity could we ever expect from Righties, who continue to believe mice spontaneously generate from piles of rags? Who unfalteringly believe leaches and bloodletting can cure whatever ails you? Who still believe the Sun, Moon, Planets and stars revolve around a 6,000-year-old, FLAT Earth? Who still maintain Creationism overrules Evolution? Who still believe that cavemen and dinosaurs coexisted? (Little doubt, instead of relying on carbon dating, their “corroborating evidence” comes from the Hanna-Barbera anachronism of Fred Flintstone and Dino.)

Reposting Addendum: In other words, lefties rely on carbon dating while righties lean towards cartoon dating!

Of course, based on the slew of recent, news making statements, which these GOPee-ers have been uttering, their sex education is abysmally lacking, too (a few specific examples in a moment).

It’s safe to say that, whichever science we’re talking about, the GOP’s misconceptions appear to get hardwired into their synapses, early on, where they persist throughout “adulthood”; the real world proof that, indeed, “elephants never forget”. So… how does this all translate into the real world?

Well, It’s a forgone conclusion that anyone so poorly educated would never be able to function as a competent geologist, biologist, physician, surgeon, gynecologist, astronaut, astronomer or cartographer. Hmmm… how about a pharmacist? NOPE… don’t think so. Were we to enter the typical Republican owned drugstore would it surprise anyone if we discovered trampolines and pogo sticks stocking the shelves up and down their family planning aisle?

NOTE TO THE NAÏVE: There’s an old “birth control” method so ridiculous that it had to have been concocted by some dickhead Republican. As ludicrous as this sounds, the female is supposed to jump up and down immediately… uh… afterwards (btw… don’t try this at home… it’s failure rate is 100%).

Uh… maybe it’s best if we move on, now. Uh… I know… let’s take a look at those above promised quotations.

I’m sure most of us recall the deplorable remarks made by U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) and Indiana GOPee-er Richard Mourdock. During the 2012 election cycle, these two misogynists both tried to out-stupid each other to “win” the right to become the poster child for the Right Wing’s all out, Nuclear War on Women.

We became ear-witness to the gross GOP ignorance about basic human reproduction; the glaring GOP intolerance towards woman, who rightfully demand total control over their own bodies; the grotesque GOP insensitivity about rape/violence.

Said Akin:

“From what I understand from doctors, (pregnancy caused by rape is) really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Said Mourdock:

“The only exception I have to have an abortion is in the case of the life of the mother. I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God. I think that even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”

And as offensive and stupid as all that already was/still is, this past Friday (03/01/13), at the spring meeting of the California Republican Assembly, CRA president, Celeste Greig, officially broke through the glass ceiling of the Akin and Mourdock “Morons Only Club”. True, she did try to call out Akin re his ignorance BUT in the process, she only accentuated her own.

Said Greig:

“That was an insensitive remark. I’m sure he (Akin) regretted it. He should have come back and apologized.”

“Granted, the percentage of pregnancies due to rape is small because it’s an act of violence, because the body is traumatized. I don't know what percentage of pregnancies are [sic] due to the violence of rape. Because of the trauma the body goes through, I don’t know what percentage of pregnancy results from the act.”

Wow! Can you believe it? Akin, Mourdock and now Grieg, too, all believe that sperm and egg cells have somehow EVOLVED (???) into sentient beings? Evolution??? “Evil-ution”??? REALLY??? These GOP nitwits actually believe that these mindless, microscopic gametes know the diff between consensual and forced sex? Know when and when not to merge to form a zygote?

That misconceptions such as these can even persist into the 21st century AND still be believed by anyone over the age of 10 / above an IQ of 50, is nothing short of astounding.

Well, if nothing else, what we know of the empty-headed GOP should be an ample heads up to all scientists. Learned ladies and gents, you have been forewarned! Save your breath, shove your reports on stem cell research, pollution, climate change/global warming back into your briefcases. Knock on the typically wooden GOP cranium and you’ll find nobody home. Whatever you try to say will EITHER be met, head on, with fierce GOP incredulity, skepticism and stupidity OR promptly go in one ear and out the other at Mach 1; Warp10 if such studies involve AIDS, STD and pregnancy prevention.

Since the old adage states “Ignorance is bliss,” one has to wonder if Republicans ever jump up and down with joy over their having attained/maintained this blank state of mind? Of course, it’d be kind of hard to tell whether it was really joy… or merely some Righty ignorantly demonstrating how to do the GOP birth control dance.

EOE? Oh Really???

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013: This morning, while listening to Morning Edition, the NPR affiliate, during one of their local cut ins, played a recorded announcement that their station is ISO of a new program director. They said that qualified, interested job applicants MUST apply online and that no in-person, paper applications would be accepted. In virtually the same breath, they so proudly boasted that their station is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

EOE? Oh Really?

I seriously doubt that someone who could neither afford to own a computer nor pay the monthly internet bill would concur. I can envision some qualified, down on their luck individuals caught up in that catch 22… you know the vicious cycle drill…

I don’t have a job so there’s no money to buy the damned computer to apply for the job to get the money to buy the damned computer…

True, one could always use a public library’s computers. But, that still does not alter the fact that we, as a society, are getting too damned computer dependent.

Beyond that, we have to also consider how, while filling in job applications, prospective employers will be hacking into the computers being used by prospective employees; taking a sneak peek into private files, online banking transactions, browsing history, exploring one’s taste in music, searching for naughty photos, etc…. you know… to ferret out any attitudes that might not fit in well with their evil corporate philosophy.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that if someone does apply from a library, these applications will go to the bottom of the pile. After all, the last thing any employer wants is to hire and pay an employee who can’t afford to own a computer.

But then again, is not invading everyone’s privacy the very reason why corporations and “our” corporate government officials want everyone to own a computer in the first place?

A No Power Empowering Recipe

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013: Well now… I’ve been here at blogger dot com for several weeks. So, at this point, my reader is (readers are?) likely expecting yet another of my doom and gloom political rants. True, today’s posting decidedly starts out in negative territory, but if you’ll stick with me… there truly is a sweet payoff… a literally sweet payoff... by blog’s end.

Just yesterday, I had planned on doing my weekly grocery shopping… BUT… after checking the decidedly dark blue and grey clouded skies… after checking my shopping list that decidedly contained far too many perishables… I decided it unwise to head off to the store. And minus the key ingredients of eggs and fat free milk, there went this morning’s plans for my once per week, pancake breakfast.

To explain my foregoing the shopping rationale a bit further… I did not want to stock up with perishable consumables when storms are about to hit; storms packing a destructive wallop that could knock out the electricity… and cause a consequent hit in my wallet.

SIDEBAR #1: True, it IS far better getting that figurative sick feeling while tossing spoiled food into the garbage than to risk eating it and getting that literal sick feeling due to food poisoning.  

But, getting back to the destructive Michigan weather, our summer storms involve tornadic force winds, large hail, torrential rain and severe thunderstorms… in the winter it’s gale force winds, heavy sleet, ice and snowstorms. Indeed, when these global warming intensified storm fronts slam into an aged and archaic electrical power grid (and related deteriorating infrastructure) the net result oft becomes a powerful recipe for failure… as in power failure.

SIDEBAR #2: I am fortunate that I can both heat tap water and cook with natural gas; all that equipment working independent of electricity.

Fortunately, Wednesday’s storms had not knocked out my power. And it was while feeling the appropriate gratitude that the proverbial light bulb switched on over my head. Yep, just as I was reaching for the oatmeal container, I suddenly recalled a vegan pancake recipe I had seen while reading an online newspaper. By its very nature, no milk or eggs were required! Admittedly, I did have doubts that the finished product could ever come close to the taste I was accustomed to, but I figured… hey… what the hell… give ‘em a try anyway.

SIDEBAR #3: Pancake recipes have been evolving in my family for as long as I can remember. Half a century ago, Mom’s original recipe had included a whole stick of butter, whole milk, two or more eggs and way too much salt! As the decades progressed, to make these more heart smart, I have totally cut the sodium, switched to fat free milk, tried the egg whites only route and subbed in applesauce for the butter. OK, I’ll fess up… there have been occasions where I’ve reverted to one whole egg and butter, BUT, as for the latter, I cut that per batch content down to only half a tablespoon. 

To Cliffs Notes the rest of today’s story, I went online, found the desired pancake recipe (which is simplicity itself) and stirred them up. Within half an hour the finished batter hit the griddle. With my heated double boiler housing the end product, with hot coffee poured into my mug, I was now ready to pull up a chair at my dining room table. The maple syrup was now flowing… and… well… I have to say… these turned out to be the best damned pancakes I have ever eaten!

While Michigan’s violent weather and aged power transmission equipment are a recipe for failure, with these pancakes I’ve found a recipe for success. Needless to say, I no longer need to depend on any perishable ingredients to have my cake and eat it, too! I guess I should’ve said, have my pancakes and eat them, too! Even the brand of syrup I use does not require refrigeration.

For me, the evolution of the pancake confection has reached the peak of perfection! I know I’ll never miss the butter, eggs and milk and neither will my heart and vascular system! And I’m sure, once you taste test these pancakes, too, you’ll wholeheartedly agree with me.

Best of all, you don’t even have to wait for a power failure to try this totally delicious, empowering PANCAKE RECIPE!

The Day After Tomorrow: Fictional Flick or Reality Show?

MONDAY, JULY 01, 2013: The list of freakish weather events is becoming alarming. States in the southwestern US are sweltering through near record-breaking, triple digit temperatures; this blistering heat even extending all the way up to North Dakota and the Canadian border. Such heat waves and their accompanying droughts are shriveling vegetation to tinder dry kindling… the dry lightning oft igniting it… the resultant raging wildfires scorching everything in their paths.

We’ve seen pre-Halloween ice storms weigh down, crack and topple trees that still have their leaves on. Our new millennium’s snowstorms are getting measured in multiple feet not inches. Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane / Super Storm Sandy have gone on record as the two costliest storms in US History; the latter making itself felt far into inland territory (including my home state of MI).

Killer tornados plague and devastate the Deep South, Great Plains and Midwest states. Derechos, assert themselves, too; these widespread, long-lived, straight-lined squalls (featuring hurricanic and tornadic wind velocities) are accompanied by severe lightning, hail and flash flooding. And some of those floods have approached Biblical proportions.

Are these just isolated incidents? I think not. What else could this be but the symptoms of Global Warming? And it just could be irreparable and irreversible.

The side effects, too, are becoming alarming. Thousands of humans are severely injured and many die. Downed power lines, zapped transformers and sheared off utility poles black out entire regions for weeks and longer. The impact of toppled, inundated and burnt to ashes architecture, overtaxed infrastructure and storm re-landscaped coastlines is felt long after each storm passes.

Other weather related problems arise, as well. Too early warm weather causes planted crops to grow before they should; fruit trees to blossom too soon; only to be destroyed when sudden, more seasonable, killer frosts later descend on the fields and trees. This not only lays waste to the profit margins of farmers and produce growers, but also hits the produce consumers in the wallet. In time, we could be hit in our tummies, too, when severe food shortages cause widespread famine.

Beyond that, as northern latitudes heat up, tropical insects, such as venomous scorpions and malaria spreading mosquitos will eventually be finding these newly habitable regions inviting. The environment gone wild is also sending migratory birds mixed messages, delaying / preventing their flying south for the winter; even causing some species to fly further north. Either scenario (since birds could never hope to sort this all out), not being able to secure the proper temperatures they need to survive could kill them; as could not being able to find food sources due to growing seasons being out of whack.

But there’s even more to consider here. If you’ll excuse the wordplay… I’m just warming up.

I have seen the evidence of global warming trends here in Michigan. During the first half of June on the 13th, a weather warning informed us that a derecho was heading our way (fortunately is didn’t arrive). Also, for the past two weeks, on a daily basis, we’ve been swamped by an endless series of torrential downpours; each lasting anywhere from mere minutes to several hours. Abruptly, the sun would next reappear (for awhile) and then, the rain/sun cycle would repeat itself again and again. The way the first week of July’s extended forecast is shaping up, there’ll likely be more of the same.

On my frequent power / nature walks, I’ve also been noticing the changes in a river. This past April, it overflowed its banks to the point where the entire park it courses through was practically inundated. Throughout June it was also far deeper and wider than normal. And to think that just one year ago, during a heat wave of upper nineties / triple digits, it nearly dried up.

For any sensible person… by now the reaction would be: The time for action is long overdue. Yet, even with the slightest whisper of the phrase “global warming”, invariably, the kneejerk reaction of Republican legislator jerks will be, “There’s no real proof that humans are causing it.” As if what? We should just keep on plodding along? Business as usual? At all costs? But think of what the cost of doing nothing could be.

I mean, WTF is it going to take to convince these Righties that it’s virtually certain that they’re wrong? An environmental catastrophe of global magnitude? Wouldn’t you rather err on the side of caution than err on the side of foolhardiness?

Humankind’s carbon footprints are all over the place. We are trampling planet Earth to death; to a degree where the film, The Day After Tomorrow, just could wind up being transformed from a fictional plot into an apocalyptic reality show.