I consider myself to be of average intelligence (throwing that outbecause everyone in the Internet world seems to get off on insulting another's mental capacity, and or grammatical errors--which I may make many of 'cause I'm not trying to impress anyone. I'm a creative writer,not an English major. And I may "slang" it up a bit in an attempt to throw off the filters). I'm an introverted, minimalist, extremist who suffers from agoraphobia and chronic dissociation. Just a little insight into my complicatedworld, that I thought I'd throw in. It makes life "interesting" to say the least.

Anywho, for over six...maybe seven years now, I've been absent from the political "circus" (not watching the news, not voting, etc). My only source of current events had been my local news, which is party-neutral for the most part. The decision had to do withrelieving stress, associated with the agoraphobia and dissociation.It's been very therapeutic, I must say. My blood pressure has gone down.

So, over the years I'mgoing through websites; funny pics, funny vids, etc, and I notice amongthe posts that are associated with the vids, pics, etc, that almost everything turns into a heated, political flame war. And over some ofthe stupidest things you could ever imagine. Now, I figured I'd blow off some steam. (Don't get p!ssed. Relax. Breath. And read to the end. Everything works out in the end. Keep saying to yourself, "It works out in the end.")

I've been on both sides of the political spectrum and thought I'd share mystory of conversion, which inevitably leads to my choosing not to voteat all (oops, I just ruined the end).

Let's see...as a child, I didn't label myself a"Christian", but believed in Jesus; went to a Catholic Church onholidays, said prayers at night pleading with God to let the Buccaneers win a game, etc. That was the extent of my religion. Politically I wasoblivious to what liberals, democrats, republicans or conservatives were. This was the early 80's and I was into Dungeons and Dragons andMarvel comics. My best friend's mother was a Christian and used to getupset when we'd play D&D. That was my first resentment towards "Christians". But let me note that I'll try to leave religion out ofthis story, keeping my political beliefs separate as much as possible. Maybe to prove a point. I dunno.

Into the early 90's I became ajaded, introverted, punk rocker-type teen. I skipped school to gosurfing, got loaded on anything I could get my hands on or steal, dropped out of high school, earned my GED and went straight to college; for commercial art. Most of my art was based on the church's greed, the plight of the black man, anti-government, animal rights, etc. I thoughtI was so cool--piercings, ink all over my body, green hair (in theearly 90's it was slightly more odd), I was uber anti-conformist! I did the vegan thing, treated all life (including insects) withrespect...and recycled, yada-yada.

One day I met a beautifulgirl, "Casey", and fell in love. Casey grew up as a Christian and hadrooted those values deep in the soil, but failed to go into much detailthroughout our relationship, which was fine by me at the time. Thewicked little devil that I was, tempted her into having sex withme...blah, blah, she became pregnant. At this point, my opinion onabortion was a dopey, "don't matter either way to me!" Honestly, I hadno opinion. But in my mind, the RESPONSIBLE thing to do would beto marry her and support the child I had carelessly helped to create.We planned on marrying before the baby was born. The pastor of Casey'schurch, who was to marry us, found out that we were living together andsaid that he wouldn't perform the ceremony. We went to a Catholic
priest who would (go figure).

So Casey and I marry, the honeymoon's at Disney World, then into the "family" routine until the baby is born.
Long story short...our son died.
Yeah,I went into serious depression. Shortly after his burial, I went to myfather's house--he's a heavy-drinking German and, get this, he's a gayconservative republican (honest to God). We got drunk on Glenfiddichand watched TV. He was always watching the news. A story aboutaffirmative action was on and I started to question him about it, gethis opinion and all. Mind you, I'm like nineteen years old and Icouldn't differentiate left or right-wing if I tried. I was simplyignorant to politics. The topic was mute in my family's conversations, even though both of my parents voted republican, they were parents of very few words. After listening to the news report...I was like, "duh". I was at a loss for words, and I was suddenly feeling animosity. Interviews with the minority cultures in the neighborhood had them declaring "whoever" as racists. I'm thinking to myself, "I'm not racist."
I think that that was the last time that I had that notion.

My political views remained stale, I grew out of the childish attire that only seemed to matter back then because I had actually cared about whatothers thought of me. I was a husband and father now. Piercings and tattoos were prepubescent status symbols that held absolutely nomeaning at this point in my life. And I had moved on into a career insoftware development where I eased into a polo/khaki/sneakers style out of apathy for my appearance, and overall comfort. I didn't consider it "conforming", I simply grew up.

As the years went by,learning about politics, I discovered that my political beliefs were somewhat disorganized. In a relatively rudimentary way (using theK.I.S.S. technique), I began to cross-examine the similarities and differences in my political views, and inevitably add my own tweaks.This list is what's left of my "liberal" beliefs. (Be patient conservatives, your time is coming. Some of this may be irrational thinking, but let's not forget, these are my "liberal" views)
1) This isn't really a political POV, just an opinion, a rant, a personal pet-peeve. Anywho, I detest greedy and or vain people with a fiery passion--though Hollywood pretty much defines vanity and greed. If your world revolves around money and or power, there's something seriously wrong with your priorities. But most of all, I suppose my general target of offense isthe classic yuppie. This is the upper-middle class type of family that argues over finances because they just hadto have his-and-hers Mercedes, the six-bedroom pad on the water, rhinoplasty and breast implants, Rolex, exotic vacations, etc. (the examples given are a reflection of my childhood, I've witnessed gross vanity first-hand). Honestly though, having a thirty million dollarhome? An Italian sports car for a few hundred grand? There's nothingwrong with having money...until you use it in an attempt to impressothers. And that goes double for Hollywood and athletes. Talking of corporate America? The big-wigs? The fat catz? Well, I'm all for
capitalism. Americans are free to do whatever the he|| they like. But it doesn't mean that I have to like them. Greedy pieces of sh!t. You know who I'm talkin' about. All you f*%king bastards in corporate or management will still get your bonuses if quotas aren't met.
2) I'm not "homophobic", I say that because I have a concealed carry permit andkeep my Sig on me at all times, in addition I've earned blackbelts innumerous styles of martial arts. I don't scare easily, so I'm certainlynot "afraid" of a homosexual. But being introverted, I just don't getalong with flamboyant, obnoxious people. Yes, I'm stereotyping becausethat's the type of homosexual that annoys me. So sue me. BUT, I thinkif they want to get married, more power to them. It doesn't affect mylife. And as far as the religious aspect of it goes, the Christiansshouldn't be concerned because a homosexual union won't be recognizedby God anyway (I can't back that up with scripture, but I can be 100%certain that the concept of gay marriage undermines "God'splan"…according to scripture. Sorry, but I've read the Bible many timesand it's FACT)
3) The death sentence should be outlawed. *Conservative exception: make them wish they were dead.
4)Okay, here's where I may lose my credibility, but, this is somethingI've often considered and despite the hokey humor, I'm being quiteserious. So, please read through…
Marijuana should be legalized forprivate use, in turn DUI penalties DRASTICALLY harsher. I don't usemarijuana--or any other drug--but have tried it at least a dozen timesover the course of my life. I'm fully aware that it's a hell of
alot safer than booze. Face it, most people consume alcohol or smoke potfor the "high". If you want a "buzz" why not get one that allows you torelax, as opposed to one that's going to make you b!tch-slap yourgirlfriend because she over-cooked your pot-pie. Or transform you intoan "omnipotent" know-it-all, master of karate that can kick everyone's@ss in the bar. Worst yet, you get into your vehicle and, possibly killsomeone. Most proponents for the legality of marijuana "mask theiragenda" with claims of medicinal benefits, crime reduction and or itsmany hemp uses. While I agree that all of that is coincidentally true,the fact of the matter is; they just want to get a legal high. Anothertruth? Marijuana is not addictive, and you cannot overdose from it (Iwould have never tried it in my youth otherwise). Let them have theirfun, I say. *Note: I'm adamant about this issue after witnessingmarijuana's medicinal benefits on my late father-in-law, who wasincidentally a devout Christian conservative.
5) Unless it involves disaster relief, the US of A needs to mind its own damn business when it comes to world affairs. *My conservative exception is in Israel's defense.
6) The illegal aliens are already here…most of them work...decent values...might as well let them stay. *Conservative exception…And then we build a wall.
7)Having children, I'm a safe driver. Not to mention, I hate thosec0cksuckers in their [Beemers, rice-rockets, tricked-out Hondas, etc.]who blast in and out of traffic cutting people off. If every personalvehicle on the road were run on "alternative" fuels…I'm certain theroads would be much safer…putting it simply. I've lived in a relativelypollution-free area all my life (and want to keep it that way), so Ican't fully appreciate the environmental benefits, but I'm sure those who live in polluted cities would be thankful. *Yeah, I'm a native Floridian. And among the insults between parties, I've also witnessed that people like to judge another person by what state they were raised
in. For those of you that may or may not know, most of the people from Florida, whomeveryone seems to enjoy making fun of? Yeah, most "Floridians" areoriginally from either the NORTHERN STATES, Canada, Puerto Rico, Cuba,Mexico, the Islands, etc. So S7FU and save your dumb misconceptions forsomeone who cares.

Again, I'd like to emphasize that these are rawexamples of my way of thinking. I'm fully aware that these subjects aremuch more complex. Anyway, in the simplest of terms, here's why I'dnever vote democrat:
1) I'm a paranoid mo-fracky. I love my familymore than anything, and if keeping a shotgun by my bed, asemi-automatic pistol in my glove box and assault rifles readilyavailable throughout my home makes me feel safe...I have that right andI don't want anyone telling me different. Though I think Rush Limbaughis a vain weenie, he hit the nail on the head when he said, "You knowwhy there's a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to followthe first one." *My children avoid my firearms like the plague, as I did my father's growing up.
2)Abortion? Down to it, most people without restraint will f*%k anythingthat moves just for their fifteen minutes of pleasure, and to he|| withthe consequences. Nice attitude. Nice show of self-control. You fit inwell with savages…or at the zoo. *Note that this has nothing at allto do with religion, but responsibility. And the ONLY liberalexceptions should be in the instance of rape, or the endangerment ofthe mother. And if the latter is the case? Shame on you.
3) Ifmy nephew could go into a McDonalds at fifteen, in all of his emo-nessand acquire a paying job...so can you. If illegal aliens can cross theborder, with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, not speakingEnglish, get
day-jobs and support upwards of ten family membersall while dodging immigration and naturalization…then you haveabsolutely no excuse. If you can't afford to feed your fatherlesschildren on minimum wage...tough luck. Give the kid(s) to a responsibleadult. You should have learned some self-control and kept your friggin'legs closed, or your schl0ng in its cage. Nobody should have to pay foryour mistakes just because you can't control yourself. It alsohelps if you drop the vanity act and spend your income on NECESSITIES. Necessities don't include things labeled Givenchy or Prada. Also, iPhones, chrome rims and "bling" do not fall under the category of necessity. And by the way, don't expect anything buta minimum wage job if you go to an interview with your pants aroundyour ankles and ridiculous jewelry in your face. Again, it's notconformity, it's maturity. To be a non-conformist is to
conform to non-conformists. And who are they? Usually worthless people whose bodies have rejected puberty. *Note:I let my daughter have piercings. Why? Because teens are the only onesstupid enough to want to do it. I did it at her age. She's intelligentenough to grow out of it though. But if you're thirty years old andyou're still obsessed with tattoos, dreadlocks and piercings...I pityyou.
4) Grow up in a bad "hood"? Po-lice harass you? Daddy beat you? Uncle Bob molested you when you were ten and now you're dancing topless for a living? Life's tough all over. Get over it. Last time Ichecked, free will is still in effect. Dave Pelzer may be cliché, but he is a fine example…
5) It's called ILLEGAL alien for a reason. There are others trying to get into the US legally you know. I bet if I walked in front of you in the checkout line, you'd have something to say about it.
6) Prison overcrowding? Condense! Prison cells should be 6x6 rooms with a hole to "go" in. *Liberal exception: Separate sober-living facilities built for drug and or alcohol abusers that offers treatment. We all do stupid things.
Usingaddictive drugs is one of them. Once addicted, it's hard to controlyourself and typically the abuser loses sight of reality and needshelp, not imprisonment. I don't speak from experience, it's justlogical. *For those who've forgotten, it even happened to the "Mighty"Rush Limbaugh.
7) English is the national language. Case closed.Secondary language taught in school should be American Sign Language. Why? Because Deaf people don't have the option to speak English. (And as a matter of fact, my entire family is fluent in ASL)
8) As far as the war in Iraq is concerned, I'm not saying I agree with it, but I was always taught to finish what I started, no matter how long ittakes, and do my best at it.

Now, what I'm about to say is my opinion on cultures, not individuals. Get it through your head now.
I consider cultures to be people who follow the "traditions" (cough...stereotypes) of their ancestors, great grandparents, mother and father, etc. So, let me give a simple example:
A man with red hair and freckles walks up to me for directions. His accent is distinctlyIrish. So, to me...the man is of the Irish culture, plain and simple.Now, my father-in-law, who was full-blooded Irish, I considered to beAmerican. Why? Well, apart from cooking up some delicious Irish meals,he wasn't "traditional" (cough...stereotypical).

Does that sound fair enough?
If not, you should stop reading.

Okay then. I've made many friends over the years of varying backgrounds. Thereason why I got along with them and considered them friends was thatthey had the attitude to not let anything get in the way of theirgoals, or if there were obstacles, they overcame them...and or didn'tblame anyone for their failures. If there's one thing I can't tolerate,it's a whiner. I didn't tolerate whining when my children were youngerso I'm certainly not going to entertain the thought of listening tosome middle-aged "minority" telling me that their life isn't fair.Meanwhile, half of my coworkers are of the same minority, and doingjust fine.
I gave up a long time ago trying to define a racist.Honestly? I'm sick of hearing about it. I'm sorry, but n!66er, sp!c,nappy-headed-hoes, etc...they're just words. Get over it. Peoplegetting upset about it are about as childish as the people who actuallyuse the words. And the whole "it's our word" thing…that has got to be the most ridiculous, asinine, child-like notion I've heard since theconcept of Ebonics.

Let's start off with the big one...uh, HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart disease,diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cerebal pulsy, down syndrome (which mybrother has), cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell,neurofibromitosis (never heard of it? go ahead and take a goggle at thepics), spinabifida, congenital defects, TB, craniosynistosis, paralysis, mental health conditions (yes, I am on my meds), obesity, Parkenson disease. I can keep going. My mother was a practitioner for  sixteen years, I've heard of many unpleasantways to expire. He||, I'll even add "people-who-have-looked-at-an-eclipse-and-went-blind" to the list.

Now, that is obviously only a miniscule taste of the many examples Ican give you, as to where my heart should go. And after that you expectme to really care just because someone called you a "bad word"? Take alook at the list again, and then...Go f*%k yourself.

But let's see if this helps the medicine go down any better...
As a youth, I got that "feeling", that every minority gets when certaintopics were brought up in conversation, school, work, etc, and it hadto do with your minority's culture. You feel as if all eyes are on you and
everyone is judging you based on what modern stereotypes dictate. At least that's how I feltwhen people would mistake me for being Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, youname it. My point? I took the opportunity to explain to people, "No. I'm actually American. My family came from Boston and New York. I was born and raised in Florida. My mother's parents were French and Indian. My biological father was Filipino." Case closed. (*Note: My gay-German-conservative-republican father is my step-father. But I have and always will consider him my dad) I do not follow French, Native American or Filipino "traditions" in any way, shape, or form. And I consider myself 100% American. And guess what?! Seeing as I'm more than 1/4 Native, I do qualify for government assistance! Whaddaya know 'bout that! Have I ever taken advantage of it? Hell no!
Kinda hurts when a "minority" doesn't want your nose in their a$$, huh?

Anyway, if I hear someone make a blatantly "racist" remark, I think either, "well, that was stupid" or I find humor in it; and go on myway. That's all there is to it. And as long as America remains free, people can say whatever the he|| they want. And be prepared for it togo both ways. If a "minority" comedian, Hollywood directors and or themedia are going to target white American males as comedic bumbling idiots, hate-mongers, beer-chugging couch potatoes whose only source of literature is Maxim and SI, etc(if you don't believe it happens, then there's no point in talking toyou. Just watch a friggin' beer commercial)...but that minority betterbe prepared to take some lip back, and NOT b!tch about it. Personally, I don't give a rat's @ss what ethnic group or religion you belong to, Irefuse to walk on eggshells trying not to "offend" anyone. If I offend you, I can assure you it isn't intentional, but it's not my problem and I make no apologies for it. Go cry in your blog.

Now don't get me wrong, I adore most cultures. You still with me on the whole "cultures" thing? Good.
Now take Asians for example. They come to America and prosper. Now turn on the news...do you see the Asian
communityb!tching about anything? No. Asians are a wonderful example of aculture taking the opportunity to use what's available to them inAmerica, and put effort into learning English--not to mention theirwonderful technology. (Though I'm neither Chinese or Japanese, I've had my fill of chink jokes as a child and I lived through it just fine. So S7FU)
Middle Easterners are another fine example of outstanding citizens--save the terrorists. I never hear a peep from them except when I have to visitthe obligatory Dr. Patel...or if one of them blows something up.
And of course, our Euro ancestors and Canadian neighbors who come to the USof A and spend vast amounts of money in the tourism industry. Fine lotof people they are--though poor tippers I've hear.
And not to leaveout some more of my own heritage; the Native Americans. The only timeyou hear complaints from the Native American culture is when somewhiney Caucasian liberal from Hollywood speaks out for them just to get attention and make him/herself feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (TheHollywood exception is Chuck Norris. He gives all kinds of roles to Native actors. Two thumbs up for Chuck.) *Note: Just because your uncle's, grandmother's, sister's, mailman's, cousin's, landlord was Indian, doesn't make you Indian. I'm 1/3 Native, and I don'teven relate to their culture. So unless you're full-blooded Native and live on a friggin' reservation, S7FU and go play with your dreamcatcher.
I'd also like to include the Jewish culture/religion who've not only overcome evil, but prospered; quite well I might add. *ThoughI find it disturbing that the media and Hollywood can trash-and-bashChristians, but you can't so much as question a Jew's beliefs withoutbeing called antisemite, bigot, Nazi, etc. The same goes for the caucasian male. White men can't jump? They can't dance? Irish aredrunks? Italians are hairy and obnoxious? The French are pompous? Britshave nasty teeth? I could go on all day; I've heard many of thosestereotypes portrayed in stand-up, sit-coms, latenight comedy, er...Family Guy, etc. But OMFG! Heaven forbid a white male say something like this: http://www.adversity.net/special/rush_limbaugh.htm
(I should note that if the quote from that link was said by a liberaljournalist, there wouldn't have been an issue. You know it, I know it,God knows it)

Anyway, that leaves out a couple unmentioned major cultures! But, if I don't have anything nice to say...I won't.
Sufficeit to say, those left unmentioned have only their whiney culturalleaders to blame for my lack of sympathy and my rather harsh opinionabout the way they handle things. The only thing I have to say to them is S7FU. Most Americans are NOT racists and are sick of hearing about it. They wake up in the morning, shower, dress, go to work, pick up their children from school, do the soccer or karate thing, go home to their family for dinner, not ever caring about what others think of them. They're just living theirfriggin' lives.
Ever hear of the SILENT MAJORITY? Guess what? That's what they're all thinking..."S7FU already!"
…And to make it perfectly clear, I intentionally "traditionalized" to make a point, a point that you're either going to get...or be too stupid to understand.

So, fourteen solid years of marriage later, I have 2 children with one more on the way. How? Simple answer consists of responsibility and morals. Irefuse to vote anymore. If you actually believe Obama, Clinton or McCain care about anything other than becoming president(title)...you're delusional. My life's become mellower sinceeliminating politics. You can go to all the forums, blogs and postscalling each other names all you want, it goes to show how trivial itis when the only outcome of the argument is an ultimate distaste for the
opposite party--each thinking the other an idiot. In the end, the atheist democrat will leave his computer, go up to Pizza Hut, havea pleasant conversation concerning the weather, with the Christian server behind the counter. They'll exchange a "have a nice day",depart, never knowing each other's beliefs, and that will be that.

Well, that was fun kiddies. And I only insulted your intelligence one time. Let me save you some time by letting you know that I'm going to go back to being part of the "silent majority" again now, so I will not be reading and or writing replies. So don't waste your breath. And don't you worry your pretty little self...I'm not registered to vote.

End transmission.

PS: This account was created using a Jetable disposable email, so don't bother trying to email me either. Later suckerz!

Well..first he was in the silent majority but changed for now and then he's gone back to the silent majority and calls us all suckerz.  It is baffling to me how a person could write this epistle for absolutely no reason  and then say don't answer.  The only thing I would say to him is that it is not only his right but it is his responsibility to vote but what's the point?  

Sorry your first kid died. That is always tough.