Big Oil Continues To Screw Us

Major traffic jam on North Texas freeway....  Wouldn't have happened if they had a light rail system.  But no.  Big Oil has bought all of our politicians and Big Oil wants us to guzzle as much gas as we can.  This corporate greed is why public transit in the US sucks outside of New York.  It's why car manufacturers aren't allowed to improve gas mileage beyond a measly 20 mpg at best.  It's why the electric car is so expensive-  so people can't afford to buy them and have no choice but to use Big Oil's gas. 

And stupid people not only accept this, they encourage it.  Every time they buy an SUV they encourage Big Oil to keep financially raping the world.  Every time someone thumbs their nose at public transit or doesn't want to invest in clean energy, they are giving a big fuck you to their fellow humans.  And things like this aptly named Trafficopolypse will just keep happening. Wake up and smell the fumes.

For an example of what I mean, please see the link below.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/03/18/driver-mayhem-on-interstate-635lbj-in-dallas/

Putin's the "Dick" in Dictator

Make no mistake, Vladimir Putin was neither legally elected nor has he ever truly spoken for the Russian people. We just don't get to hear any of his detractors speak because they're all in prison. Putin is a dictator and we can't pretend otherwise just because he isn't Middle Eastern or South American like all the other dictators we know.  This guy not only trumps them all, he is far more dangerous.

Putin has almost single handedly destroyed all the advancements Russia made after the Soviet Union went bankrupt and collapsed in the 90s.  Russians finally had freedom to speak their mind, to go to church, to no longer have to stand in bread lines.  The people finally had a little money to make a decent living on.  They didn't have to worry about the secret police executing them if they weren't perfect little obedient communists.  And they LIKED it.  So why would they agree to go back to the hell hole that was communism?

THEY DIDN'T.  The Russian people don't want to go back to communism, but their government - many of whom were left overs of the communist regime (like Putin) - want to return to the level of power THEY, this small handful of people, had under communist rule.  So they rig elections to put communist sympathizers in power.  They pass laws to take away the people's new found freedom.  Suddenly it's a crime to be gay. Suddenly it's a crime to hold a protest against the government. Russian leaders put on a good show for the rest of the world.  They hid their evil designs in the beginning, but now they have reached a level of control similar to what they once had in the old Soviet Union and no longer feel it's neccessary to hide their agenda.

Russia's descent back into communism was the greatest con job of all time.  We just weren't paying attention. Did we learn anything from Sochi and the way they proudly sugar coated their Soviet past?

Now communist Russia has invaded Ukraine, their former territory who broke away from Russian communism to form their own sovereign nation.  It's obvious that Putin holds a grudge against anyone who dares to want out of his regime.  The Ukrainian people are fighting against the dictator Putin hand picked to rule his former property.  They want justice, freedom.  They know they can't get that from Russia so they turned to the west.  Another affront to Putin.  Make no mistake, Putin did NOT invade Ukraine to defend native Russians and help stop a civil war.  HE HAS NO INTENTION OF LEAVING.  He just took back the land he lost to those pesky freedom lovers who took it away from him before.  It was revenge.

And it's a dangerous kind of revenge that the rest of the world can't ignore.  Putin is actively seeking to expand his empire and he won't stop at Ukraine if he isn't checked. There are a lot of former Soviet states. A man trying to rebuild the Soviet empire is going to want them all.  This is how world wars start.

I've used the analogy of the Nazi invasion of Poland to show the similarities between that dark page of history and the one Putin is currently writing.  It's scarily accurate so far.  No one told Hitler, "Hey, dude. You can't just invade Poland because you don't like Jews."  If they had, he couldn't have so easily taken over all the other countries he did.  The world kept saying it wasn't their problem until it was almost too late.  If we had spoken up earlier, World War ll could have been a lot shorter and cost a lot less.

We have that opportunity now. We have to stand up and tell Putin he can't keep Ukraine.  Ukraine is Putin's Poland. Don't wait until he's already built the death camps to say genocide is wrong. Stop it before it gets that far.

Because you'll regret it if you don't.  Russia is a nuclear power, my friend, and the Cold War never ended for people like Putin.

We're tired of war and yes, we have our own problems.  It's tempting to say we aren't the world police and let someone else handle it. The problem with being a world power is, you don't really get that option. You have treaties to uphold, trade partners to appease.  The world is a small one and what affects one country can have an impact on us all.  The US can't turn it's back on Ukraine just because they don't give us oil.  Oppression is supposed to be our enemy, remember?  When Ukraine erupts into a civil war (and it will), they will ask for help in fighting the invaders. If we say no, not only are we allowing Putin to commit a crime, but we're losing our credibility as the defenders of freedom we made ourselves become from the moment our nation was born.  We should have helped the Syrian people sooner.  Now it's too late.  Don't let Ukraine be the next Syria.

If there is no other option but to fight, then let it be for freedom. Not just for our own but for anyone who wants it.

Only Assholes Play Loud Music In Apartments

Ever wonder why every time you hear someone blaring loud music, it's always vulgar, angry, hateful music?  No one blasts Mozart at 3am.  No one blasts Michael Bubble period.  But they ALWAYS blast gangsta rap and heavy metal.  Why?  The answer lies in the kinds of people who favor these types of music, that is, angry people.  They tend to be outcasts or misfits (or want to be either one) with a grudge against society and an axe to grind. I can speak from experience. This blog is called Rantings of an Antisocial Girl for a reason. I have my moments of raging against injustice just like the next girl.

To clarify, this is not an assumption that EVERYONE who occasionally enjoys this kind of music fits the above profile but that EVERYONE who fits the above profile enjoys this kind of music.

When someone is an outcast, odds are they're mad about it. People join gangs out of anger, the us against them vibe that makes the world such a bleak place.  Whatever makes a person angry, whether it's poverty or perceived discrimination or even the desire to rebell against their parents because all their suburban friends are doing it, angry people act like assholes.  Assholes do stupid and inconsiderate things like play loud music at 3am in an apartment complex.

If it was just a matter of them not realizing they were being offensive, maybe the crime wouldn't be such a heinous one, but we all know that people who engage in asshole behavior know exactly what they're doing.  Assholes WANT to make others as unhappy as they are.  Assholes WANT to be confronted so they can take their unhappiness out on someone else.  Assholes are looking for any excuse to be an asshole because being an asshole is nothing more than a POWER TRIP perpetrated by little minded people who lack the maturity to handle life responsibly.

Responsible people are mindful of others.  They don't have to be assholes because they know you get further with people using kindness.

People don't like assholes.  Whatever happened to make you an asshole, whatever misfortunes you endured, no one gives a fart when you're being an asshole to them.  That sympathy and justice you want, you're not going to get it when you're being an asshole about it.  Assholes suck.

So how do you deal with assholes?  Take the high road.  You don't have to be affectionate.  That's asking too much.  Be civil and once you no longer have to deal with them, put them out of your mind.  Assholes aren't worth the memory space.

As for the loud music, it's against the law to disturb the peace.  Call the cops.  Tell your apartment management company.  That usually does the trick.  If nothing else, they'll be evicted.  If that doesn't work, you're not living in any place you should be.  You deserve better.  Move.

Eat The Rich

I don't care what some 30 year old movie says.  Greed IS NOT good.  Greed is bad.  Greed causes conflict and suffering.  Greed kills.  And you DO NOT get filthy rich by hard work or good fortune.  Those are lies.  The ONLY way to become a millionaire is to hoard wealth, to be greedy and take more than you need or deserve.   The ONLY way to get rich is to be selfish, willing to steal food from the mouths of children.  You aren't a saint because you're rich.  You aren't special.  You're an asshole because while you're living like royalty, someone out there is living in poverty BECAUSE of you.

The rich need to understand something and it's a very important thing.  You only get rich by exploiting the poor.  Your empire is built on the backs, on the labor and sweat of the working class. Without us, the rich cease to exist.  That deserves respect.  That deserves a wage we can live on. That deserves healthcare we can afford.  That deserves a cessation of outsourcing our jobs to third world slave labor.  We aren't asking for the rich to bless us with their charity.  We're asking for what we deserve and if we have to fight, we will do what we have to to survive.

The poor didn't start the class war.  The rich started the war by creating excessive poverty with their wealth hoarding.  Yet just like our ancestors before us, from the French Revolution to Occupy Wall Street, we will fight.  We will not bow down and worship the wealth hoarders.  It will be messy.  It may even be violent, but the day will come when we rise up against our masters yet again and it will ONLY be avoided by the wealthy recognizing what they owe us and treating us with the respect we deserve.

A Friend Request Doesn't Make You Friends

I don't entirely blame Facebook for the misconception we have as a society regarding the word "friend".  We've misunderstood the word long before Facebook came along.  But a friend request isn't the same thing as making a real friend.  You're actually just making an acquaintance.   You may share views, likes, dislikes et cetera, but you don't know them on a personal level and they don't know you.  You are associates, casually aware of one another in a continual social situation.

The misinterpretation is apparent in most of our social interactions.  We assume that because we see someone often that they are a friend.  We work with them.  We bowl with them.  We live next door to them. We see them at the coffee shop every morning.  But when are their birthdays?  Who are their parents?  What are the names of their children?  Do you know your way around their kitchen?  If disaster was to strike and you needed their help, would they be there or have some excuse why they aren't?  Would you lend them money?

To become friends requires history and the intimate knowledge of one another that only comes through that history.  To become friends requires more than mutual respect.  It requires love.  Yes, you can love someone without sex.  To love your friend is to accept them unconditionally through highs and lows yours and theirs.  It's to make them an extended part of your family.  Most importantly though, to become friends requires time and effort.

This is not only on your part, mind you. The person you are trying to become friends with must put in the work too or it isn't a friendship.  Anyone can do you a favor and expect something in return.  A true friend will do you a favor and not even think to ask.

We may have many associates and acquaintances in our lives, but there are very few in our circles who can, by definition, be called friends.  It is wise to know the difference.  That way, you know who you can count on and who you can't.

I prefer to be more cautious than most with who I allow to share my friendship with.  This means a smaller circle of trusted friends and by society's standards this small circle means I'm not as "popular" as I'm supposed to want to be.  Yet, popularity contests are won based on false pretenses and I prefer quality to quantity.  Does this make me antisocial?  If so, then I embrace my antisocial status and encourage others to do the same.

Anyone can say they're friends.  They probably aren't.  There is no crime in putting substance first in our relationships and if we all were to do this, we may find ourselves less popular but more fulfilled.

You're actually not entitled to anything

So many people out there feel themselves entitled to something.  It's not just the one percent feeling they're entitled to more than their fair share.  Whether it's minorities who feel entitled to a pedestal because of slavery or the working class who feel entitled to higher wages to escape poverty, EVERYONE feels entitled to SOMETHING.  I myself feel that if I'm forced to give my wages to Social Security and welfare services,  I should be entitled to use them when I need to.

But I can't.   I'm very poor, true, but I'm an able bodied single woman  with no dependents so even if I do have to live on Ramen noodles, I don't qualify for assistance.  The painful truth no one wants to admit is, NO ONE is entitled to ANYTHING.

We like to think we are.  We constantly bemoan our situation.  We say we're entitled to freedom, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  We deserve to make enough money, to live in a safe environment, to have goods and services.  We deserve the right to free speech and to have a democratically elected government.  We deserve good roads to drive on and enough food to eat, electricity and running water and libraries and even PBS.

But we're not.  Truth is, the things we want out of life, the things we think we deserve, they don't just magically appear.  SOMEONE at some point had to WORK to make those things happen.  SOMEONE built and maintains our roads and public services.  SOMEONE fought a war for our freedom.  SOMEONE created our government from scratch and SOMEONE created Social Security and welfare programs to help the poor.  SOMEONE is working right now to keep our neighborhoods safe.  EVERYTHING we have today is because someone WORKED to make it happen.

If you want a better life, you can't sit on your ass waiting for one to come along.  You have to make it happen.  Yes, you will struggle.  Yes, you may not get as far as you want to.  Yet if you don't do ANYTHING, then you don't get ANYTHING.

And if we WANT to keep having the things we think we deserve, then SOMEONE will have to WORK to keep them.  Guess what.  That someone is you and me.

Retirement isn't for the poor.

You hear it all the time.  Old people aren't retiring the way they used to and it's keeping young people from finding jobs.  The young are so quick to blame the old for high unemployment, but the old have bills to pay too.  The problem isn't that 60 year olds don't WANT to retire, but that they CAN'T.

The days of pensions are gone.  The few jobs that have them are fazing them out.  Heck, pensions bankrupted Detroit and everyone is scrambling to keep that from being the new norm.   Your retirement savings is up to you and only you, like it or not.  But not all of us are in jobs that pay well enough to allow for savings.

And that's where the real threat to retirement is.  The majority of working people live paycheck to paycheck.  Every last dime is used.  We all want to save, but we all want the lights to stay on too.  Saving up for retirement requires money.  When you don't have spare money, you can't save.  When you can't save for retirement, you can't retire so you work either until your body gives up on you and you're forced out or you die.  That's reality.

It also takes money to play the stock market or buy rental property which are huge risks that most working class folks can't afford to take.

So I don't blame the old for needing to work longer.  I understand that I won't be able to retire either.  I even understand that Social Security isn't the answer to my future money woes.

Corporate America used to take care of their workers, valued their workers.  Not with pensions necessarily, but with fair pay.  Then they placed their own greed over their workers' well being and called it capitalism.  They kept making their fortunes, but at our expense.

So young folks complaining about old folks keeping jobs away from you, don't blame the old.  Blame their bosses.