The ban on handguns in Chicago has been overturned! Gun control hasn’t done anything to reduce violent crime here and it’s disgusting that citizens can’t have a gun for defense of their homes and families. The criminals certainly aren’t worried about buying, carrying, and using firearms. Now honest citizens have the opportunity to own the means to defend themselves. Even with the ban, you’re more likely to be shot in Chicago than in Afghanistan. I think we had 50 shootings last weekend. Overturning the ban won’t give criminals guns as they don’t legally purchase them.

Meanwhile, our southern border has plenty of gun and drug-toting Mexicans but there doesn’t seem to be much of a response from the Feds. Cops are getting death-threats from Mexican gangs and somehow that’s not a national security issue. The Mexican government can’t or won’t prevent drug lords from violating our borders for illicit purposes. We’ll ship troops half way around the world to protect our country but we won’t deploy a few thousand troops to secure our borders?

Obama spent a year on healthcare but border security, the economy, and the oil spill are bitched about but not receiving nearly as much effort. He’s asking for more stimulus money and encouraging socialist Europe to keep spending – and they ignored him. Obama is too liberal with money for Europe – 60% of their population supports price controls and money for failing industries! Europe has recognized that it can’t spend its way out of a hole but the President of the United States just keeps digging despite being able to see the trouble they got themselves into.

Big Government, Big Fail.

Still writing my research paper. I’m really close to meeting the page requirement but I’m out of material. I still have to write the abstract which will eat up a little space but it won’t provide the two pages I’m missing. I usually run out of things to say by page 8 – silly me and making my point quickly. My current prof is pretty anal about grammar, APA, and professional writing so my margins for bullshitting are tight.

I was reading an article about Afghanistan earlier. Converting from Islam is punished with death so Christians there aren’t doing so well. I’m tempted to say something cruel but I’ll hold my tongue. However, I will point out we’re giving their government millions of dollars in aid so it would be nice if they wouldn’t violate human rights. It’d also be nice if the U.N. or maybe the United freaking States would at least SAY SOMETHING. We’ll piss on countries for gay-bashing but executions for religious conversion are overlooked? What good is it to kill all the terrorists in Afghanistan if the government we leave behind is just another strain of abusive fundamentalist?

I wish Afghanistan was the only country killing and/or persecuting Christians but in Islamic and Communistic countries it’s more of a norm than an exception.

The reason Christians are paranoid in the West is because they don’t want that bullshit coming here. When the West turns a blind eye to those abuses Christians start to wonder if it cares or even approves. Jailing a preacher in Britain for saying “homosexuality is a sin” doesn’t instill us with trust. And when Americans begin saying we should import the same laws and limit free speech we begin to sweat.

In many parts of the world the Christian isn’t even a second class citizen. In Britain and Canada they’re second class. In the United States they’re mocked but tolerated. The treatment of Christ in pop-culture and the media would get people killed if it were Mohammed instead. We’re an easy target because we don’t kill people for insulting our religion. The West is cowardly, like the internet troll, and it only criticizes parties that can’t or won’t hurt it. It sits back uses Jesus as a punchline or to stir controversy and then warns against painting Muslims with the same brush.

I have nothing but contempt for you. Your appeals to reason and fairness are disgusting in their hypocrisy. The Christian is just as human as the Muslim, the atheist, and the homosexual – why are we not afforded the same rights and protections? These are not the “jerks” who shoved Christianity in your face but an oppressed minority trying to live their convictions in peace. They are beaten, jailed, killed, or driven from their homes – express some outrage! The world condemns Israel for killing 9 armed activists but the routine persecution or execution of Christians is ignored?

Liberty and Justice for All (who agree with us)

Found something to blog about…

I had to pick up my prescription today – just under $500 and that’s with insurance. Part of the problem is that my insurance sucks and I can’t get any better. In Illinois being on any sort of mental health medication gets you blacklisted for private insurance – works about teh same for a mental health diagnosis. It doesn’t matter if you’re taking those meds for an off-label reason (as I am). When I had a good policy it cost me $90 for a three month supply – a buck a pill. Not cheap but tolerable. When I first lost my insurance the cost was tripled but the price has steadily climbed past five times the cost and toward six times.

And I can’t just quit taking them. My ability to take nutrients from food is highly dependent on these meds. Not to mention my body has gotten used to having them around so a sudden stop would make me ill enough to require hospitalization. I’m caught between my health and an empty wallet. Ironically, the antidepressants I’m on don’t help with my depression *sigh*

Moving on, my family is babysitting a dog that freaks out any time it rains or storms – it’s been storming every day since this idiot creature entered our house. It freaks out two hours ahead and doesn’t calm down for two hours after. It doesn’t even matter if the storm is close or not. I can barely here rumbling in the distance and she’s shaking like the groom at a shotgun wedding. She’s noisey about it too.

Immigration reform – Arizona has a more politically correct law than the Feds but the Feds are suing them over it. Politicians are playing the race card to drum up votes…that isn’t unusual but it is sad how many people fell for it. Our laws, policies, and government are a joke. Our enemies laugh at us and our allies are looking for friends elsewhere because they know our representatives (and now our money) are increasingly unreliable.

Obama has goofy ears just like Bush but he’ll never be compared to a monkey because he’s black – THAT’S RACIST. If people get past their fear of portraying him as a monkey, I suggest giving him a monacle because he is well-spoken (unlike the Bush who stumbles at times). Oh, he’s also an elitist douche who panders to the proletariat while serving bourgeois interests (aka his own). He’s more Al Gore than Martin Luther King Jr – a wooden insider lacking true soul and the guts to back it.

*foams at the mouth; twitches*

My brain is disinterested in choosing a topic for posting. I’d like to post every day but sometimes I can’t think of anything to rant…write about.

I have craving for whiskey but my budget is tight *sigh* I’m also desirous of a new video game – my other bad habit. Beyond lacking cash, I’m rather busy this week. I’m already disinterested in what I need to get done so a video game would muddle my efforts…whiskey would do the same to my brain.

I was reading books on Mormonism and martyrdom in the 20th century but I’ve managed to misplace them. Fail.

The Democrats are complaining that the Republicans are blocking everything. This is delightful to me because that’s exactly what the Democrats did to the the Republicans when Bush was in office. I don’t say this to be spiteful but to smile at the irony. Why did the Dems block then and the Reps now? They did so for two reasons. First, their voting block wanted it. Dems hated Bush and Reps cringe whenever Obama or his team open their mouths. Second, to be partisan assholes. They smell blood in the water and it’s time to frenzy!

So for the supporters of the Dems – STFU. The shoe is on the other foot, as you gloated then, so enjoy reaping what you’ve sown.

I liked Bush, going to throw that out there, and I think he got a raw deal. However, I don’t agree with everything he supported and I believe that his administration a), supported positions antithetical to traditional Republican ones and b), did a crappy job overall.

Obama, like Bush, is suffering for who he surrounded himself with. Both men made bad choices in their cabinet and support staff which made them look bad. The difference between the two is that Obama blames everyone around him. He says that the buck stops with him but he’s always got an excuse or a villain. It makes him look weak. He’s also terrible at taking criticism. Bush stayed rather jolly despite scalding critiques.

Bush might have been an idiot, in the world’s eyes, but Obama is a fool. He’s done far more to hurt our position in the world that Bush did. Obama has no teeth. His administration has no teeth – which makes it easier to lie through them. He’s giving Jimmy Carter a run for the “Most Pathetic President” trophy.

Am I alone in being depressed by how weak of mind and spine the U.S. government has been for over a decade? I’m unimpressed by every President since Ronnie and I can’t remember him! Politicians are only human but the criminal stupidity and lack of character our leaders have been exhibiting makes me think that God has poured out a heaping helping of “act like a retard” on them. I’m fairly certain that retards have a more accurate moral compass.

Wisdom is from God alone. For those who believer, pray that our nation is lead by men and women of wisdom. Democrat or Republican, God, give us leaders who DON’T SUCK.

I wish we’d leave the U.N. It’s a useless, corrupt, and expensive institution.

The storm that dropped all those tornadoes on Minnesota is about to hit Chicago - it’s a big band of “red” on the radar and it looks like it might extend all the way across Illinois.

My mother was robbed. It was the second or third attempt at our house in the past couple years. This isn’t a poor neighborhood so the idiot was either a druggy or a kid looking for thrills. Ironically, there’s at least four cops that live in our neighborhood and one of them lives next door. Stealing my mother’s wallet netted them maybe $20, a mint, and a bunch of useless credit cards. It was a pointless crime.

The world is full of stupid and some of it spilled in my front yard.

Class always leaves me tired but for some reason I’m still up and it’s nearly 4am. This will be a very busy week for me as another class is coming to an end and that means two things: another research paper and presentation to prepare. I’ve had to give so many presentations in this program that I no longer loathe giving presentations! I think I’m actually starting to enjoy them. I won’t say I enjoy writing research papers but doing so has become insanely easy for me. Not counting the research I’ve already done, it’ll take be about three hours to write that 10 to 15 page paper.

Which is apparently a lot faster than my classmates. I don’t think any of them write for work or pleasure so that puts me at an advantage. The more you write the less any single page feels like. A four page paper would have taken me an evening when I started school but now it takes an hour.

Which if you ask me is still too long. I swear so much of my education has felt like busywork – AND I HATE BUSYWORK. “Look busy” was not something I liked hearing any of my previous bosses say. If I’ve finished all my work (and then some) why do I need to pretend there’s still work to be done? Shouldn’t I be allowed to bask in the glory of my triumph over chaos? What’s even better is the lazy bastards who did none of the work get praise for doing nothing but appearing busy.

So much of life is like that – stupid, nonsensical, and entirely unfair. It shouldn’t be any wonder that our children are performing poorly in school, our politicians are incompetent and corrupt, and our corporations greedy and failing – we’ve taught all of them that image is more important that substance, spin greater than truth, and lies more profitable than hard work. When I say “we” I refer to American society in general – I’m sure there are innocents out there who did their best to curtail the spread of corruption.

I should just set my jaw and grimly accept that things will never be perfect and that injustice will reign for a season. I can hack away at it but it will never die. I will have no shortage of work if I make it my purpose to pull up weeds in society’s garden. There are times when I want to throw up my hands and say “screw it – let it burn” but I eventually get frustrated again because I can’t become apathetic or maintain my emotional exhaustion.

You might think all this base are belong to us but I will launch the Zig for great justice! (let’s see how many people get that and how many have to google it…)

I made the leap to LIFE. Despite what it says to the left, I’ve been on Xanga since 2004. I discovered this community through my roommate but I can’t recall why I wanted to start blogging. I had a different site at the time and started up JJ when I took a hiatus and came back…only to realize I’d forgotten my login and password. I wasn’t that fond of my first blog so I didn’t mourn its loss.

So I had to decide on a new name. I didn’t want to pick a pop-culture reference or use my own name but I also drew a blank on what my other options were. I had one of those delightful failures of creativity. “JJ_Ames” is actually insanely nerdy – he’s a character in a story I wrote to prepare for a Werewolf: The Apocalypse game. For those of you who aren’t huge nerd, Werewolf is a pen & paper rpg – think Dungeons and Dragons.

And the first person to say “Werewolf is nothing like D&D!!!” gets a nerd badge – oh, and stfu! I know what it is or isn’t like!

The second “J” is a reference to my actual name – Jonathan.

Anyhow, I chose to upgrade to LIFE to support Xanga. I love this community and it has treated me well. The catharsis I’ve gotten out of Xanga was well worth the cash I’ve finally dropped on it. My long absence and recent return were not a sign of displeasure or disinterest but of depression. Severe, soul-sucking depression – the kind I get every damn winter. I’d say I’m used to it but it sucks every year and leaves me playing catch up with friends and responsibilities.

I lose two to three months every year. Sometimes writing helps me cope, sometimes I can’t even write. It’s rough. It’s embarrassing. It makes me look irresponsible. I spend the rest of my year busting my ass to make up for the three months I spend trying not to kill myself. The downside of how “awesome” I am in those nine months is people come to expect superhuman performances from me. They come to rely on me and I feel obligated to help because I “failed” them earlier in the year. Of course the winter soon comes and as I shutdown I start to feel shamed that I’m unable to meet their expectations.

Every-freaking-year. Some years are better than others. I’m hoping to find a career that allows me to work on my own schedule but many companies are too rigid and time-driven for me to work around my issues. That’s partly why I hope to become a writer. Crank out a book during the nine months I’m healthy and head for my padded room for the other three.

But back to Xanga. Looking forward to spending time wandering through blogs and sharing ideas while my energy is high. If I happen to disappear for a bit then just take it as a sign of the seasons. And like the seasons I will return in time. And like the bear I will be cranky, hungry, and roaring for a fight!

bwahaha, pirates.

I hear convicted felons are cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf – for $12 to $20 bucks an hour. Which means criminals make 50% to 150% more than I have had spending time on the beach. Oh, and 15 times what Walmart and Disney pay their workers in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, honest citizens pay for the room and board of those criminals – awesome! Aaaaaaaand we’re probably paying them to do the cleanup too…

While I generally avoid the sun out of principle, I am willing to go clean up oil for $20 bucks an hour. I’m even willing to do so without committing a crime first. What a deal! And when the crisis is over you won’t have to feed me! INSANE SAVINGS. I also have a counseling degree so I can console all those screwed by BP and speak with the mourning sea turtles who’ve lost friends! MAGICAL UNICORN RAINBOW-GIGGLES!

Congressman Bob Etheridge wants to hold your hand and give side-hugs. He also wants to know your name – because he thinks you’re a demon! He’s trying to control you through your true name so give him a fake one! I recommend Mr. McCuddlebuns or Ms. Thisafayknaim. He’s going to ask you to fetch him some more cocaine and LSD so just play along – he’ll probably give you a fat wad of cash or a job cleaning up the Gulf.

If neither of those gigs is your thing, try Unemployment! It’s such a cushy gig that nearly 10% of Americans are enjoying it! The pay: a price can’t be put on it! The benefits: time! And we all know that time = money. Not only that but you’ll be making all that money while spending your time on something else. I recommend:

Knitting! The ancient art of taking string and making yourself look Amish!

Fat Storage Unit! If the economy collapses we’re going to need a food source and you’re it! You’re a true American hero and we salute you! (the eating comes later)

Homelessness! It’s like camping – the stink of the unwashed, the magic of the outdoors, exposure to the elements, challenging raccoons and bears for garbage and territory, and knife-fighting skills!

Professional Student! Pay a small group of people to judge you on a regular basis. Learn why Western civilization sucks and is run by Satan (if religion wasn’t such bullshit!) and then pay some more money to be told why you’re* undeserving of anything but misery and social servitude! Pile on debt like money is going to be worthless soon – it might be, you don’t know! You might even be able to eat that sheep skin! I’M SO EXCITED I MIGHT JUST KILL AND EAT YOU!!!! *FROTHS AT MOUTH*

*Only applies to European American Students. All other ethnicities are reminded that they should despise all whites SAVE their enlightened teachers.

Government Employee! Get paid for voting Democrat – everybody (who votes Democrat) wins!

Union Protester! Get paid for bitching, punching, and voting Democrat! (can be stacked with Government Employee for twice the voting and four identities worth of pay – SYNERGISTIC EMPLOYMENT BONUS!!!)

Blogger! Tell people you don’t even know how stupid they are and how much you want to punch them in their sex organs! Judge, argue, and throw tantrums while congratulating yourself on your superior intellect! Occasionally make a valid point so people can’t write you off without seeming like the judgmental asshole you’ve been painting them as! This career is an excellent way to prepare for a political career – let that rhetoric and hyperbole fly!

Basement Troll! EAT CHEETOS, TROLL, BITCH AT MOTHER, EAT CHEETOS, PLAY WOW, TROLL THE INTERNET FOR N00BS AND FAIL, WANK, SLEEP, REPEAT UNTIL MOTHER DIES.

Yay!

You’d think that after almost eight years of writing papers and reading textbooks I’d be sick to death of it…and you’d be right. When I finish my second masters next spring I plan on pursuing my doctorate the following Fall. Am I a glutton for punishment or is there simply a lack of better options? A little of both, I guess.

I didn’t want to go to college. It seemed stupid to bury myself under $100k of debt for a degree when I didn’t have any clue what I wanted to do or was good at. I told people I was going to study “psychology” because I was sick of people asking me what I was going to study at college…then I was sick of them asking what I was doing in college. I appreciated their interest in my life, it was nice to have some acknowledgment of my existence, but I heard the question time and again and I didn’t have a real answer.

Bah, bored with this.

Apparently the Brits are pissed because they think the United States hates them over the Gulf Spill. Please take a moment to face-palm yourself… … … …

Dear British types,

It has come to our attention that you believe our current distaste for BP and its handling of the Gulf Spill also extends to you. When we finished laughing we roundly agreed that our anger was solely for BP so unless the entirety of your nation and culture are represented by them, we are quite content with our relationship.

That being said, if you are represented by BP, you are a bunch of tea-sucking, rot-jawed, funny-walking sons of inbred monarchs and their plague-ridden whores. May your whole nation sink into the ocean and then get covered in oil slick. Do not make us send Texas over to Europe to show you what a real nation looks like.

p.s., your goalie sucks.

Your loving younger brother,

American Types