And So It Goes...

"People will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time they will pick themselves up and continue on." -- Winston Churchill

We are on the verge of a new year. 2006 is just around the corner, about three days away. It's time we started our list of resolutions, you know, the promises we make to ourselves and break a week later. I think I'm going to make one this year and try like the dickens to hold to it. I'm going to grasp on to hope. It is a concept that eluded a lot of people this year. Those in the path of Katrina and Rita, so many in Africa, in Iraq. And how many others spread around the world. A friend of mine told me once that, it's not that so many are poor or ill or under nourished that causes them such grief. It's not their lack of education. It is, instead, that lack of hope. For without hope they have no purpose. They have no reason. We see this so evidently in our own cities and towns. Impoverished youth with no hope to achieve any thing more than what they have and so turn to lives of crime. What have they to lose? People in third world countries dying of AIDS with no hope of medication and so sit and wait to die. How many young people take their lives every year because they have no hope? Far too many. This coming year, I will hold on to Hope.

Happy New Year, and a Hopeful 2006

Chuck

Fuck your Christmas???

Well, well, well. It seems the religious right can't stand a day without it's holier-than-thou panties in some sort of a bunch. They are sitting in their Republican supportin' houses of "repute" complaining about a "War on Chirstmas". All the while, they are closing church doors on the high holy holiday because it falls on Sunday. I suppose they would rather hold the service in Target? That's how it sounds to me. Let's close church on Jesus' birthday but piss on Target for including Chanukah and Kwanzaa and New Year in their "Happy Holiday" rhetoric. I think the religious amoung us needs to start getting it's own to obey it's dogma and leave those of us who think they are full of useless bullshit alone. They want to talk about war, ok, fix the one in Iraq that you were so hell bent on. Until you get that right, shut the fuck up. Where are the lions when you need them?

For all of you (all two of you) faithful readers, I'm sorry for the rant. They just really do strike a nerve. I'm all for freedom to worship however and whoever you want, but it really needs to go both ways. We also need the freedom to NOT worship, or even NOT agree with religious dogma. If you don't want me to infringe upon your freedom, don't infringe upon mine. Simple. That means, too, keeping your religion OUT of public school. It's not church. That's what you have church for. Teach your creation and ID there. Also, keep your religion OUT of my government, like the supreme court. If you can't regulate your own little church population, how are you going to regulate a whole country? You know, my mom used to always say, "Be sure your sins will always find you out", and she is right. Look at the catholic church. Look at GW.

You know what I think? I think we need a war on religious zealots. Like Pat Robertson and Jimmy Swaggart. Heck, throw in the pope, too. Why not? They are so power hungry, wanting to tell EVERYBODY how to live. Like that didn't stop with my folks when I turned 18. Again, where are the lions? Boy could we use them again.

Chuck

p.s. Look, Pudge, a new one!!