“Life is a great sunrise. I do not see why death should not be an even greater one.”
– Vladimir Nobokov

I have just spend ten minutes thinking of a way to open this entry for you all… My emotions are high right now, and I’m not going to attempt to censor myself for the sake of compassion or tolerance. So if you have come to read one of those articles… well you’re shit out of luck.

As I know you all have heard by now, the world has lost a fabulous person, a terrific actor, and a icon to many. The world lost Heath Ledger yesterday… Our thoughts, prayers, and good vibes go to anyone that the man had touched. We wish him a happy journey to the afterlife.

And that’s where we stop. I fucking mean it too. I don’t care how he died, I don’t want to hear the rumors of the things that lead up to it. That’s it. It’s fucking time for every asshole to step back and let his family, friends, and fans grieve.

God damn it! What the hell is wrong with people? Within hours of his death, the assholes and crazies ran out of the woodwork. Some of them weren’t a shock but nonetheless I’m still fucking pissed off. I want to know where respect for the dead went. I have a quick personal story to tell you before we get back on to the crazies.

My stepfather recently died, he was a great man and many people respected and admired him. We were told that he had one of the largest wakes, and funeral processions that the town had ever seen. While in the procession I witnessed something I rarely see. Cars would pull over to the side of the road and let the whole line of cars go by before they started again. It’s a customary thing that I had always been taught to do. It was a sign of respect for the dead, and the survivors. That small act of kindness from those people helped me to keep my eyes clear and to keep going.

I want to know why everyone isn’t like that. It’s never a good thing to maliciously cheer someones death. It’s fucking disgusting. And already we have at least 3 occasions well published for Heath’s death.

Of course Fred “crazy mother fucking asshole” Phelps has stated that Heath is in hell, and that his cult will be picketing the funeral. This didn’t surprise me. It appalled me as usual, but I expected nothing less from a group of people who hate everything and everyone. I still think that they should receive divine intervention, by means of the plague, or massive heart failure.

Best Buy took the opportunity to make some sales. Within hours a store had assembled a makeshift memorial with all of his movies, informing some customers who hadn’t heard the news, that Heath Ledger was dead, and what better way to remember him than buying his movies and re-watching them.

Go to http://www.bestweekever.tv/2008/01/23/when-is-a-makeshift-best-buy-tribute-to-heath-ledger-too-soon-the-answer-always/ if you’d like the witty version of the news. Personally I don’t even have the words to describe what a complete and total bastard the store manager was. Scum, shit, and a sorry excuse of life comes to mind.

Finally the worst to me was John Gibson. If you aren’t aware who this ignorant, cunt-faced shit is, well count yourself lucky. Suffice to say he is one of Fox’s ultra conservative trash peddlers. He had the fucking nerve to play several Brokeback Mountain clips. One being “I don’t know how to quit you.” These evil bastard then said “Well, he found out how to quit you.”. WHO THE FUCK DOES THIS? Seriously what the hell is so fucking sad about your life that the only joy you get is making distasteful, horrid jokes? Was he so turned on by the movie that he lashed out and continually had horrid things to say about the actors? Of course, Gibson couldn’t leave well enough alone. He also continually played the clip from the same movie where Heath says “We’re dead”; as well as, making Heath’s death a long running joke for the rest of his show. If you want more information about this I suggest you go to http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/23/gibson-mocks-ledger/

Because frankly, I’m done here. I’m so sick of ignorant discriminating people. It’s sad when a man isn’t even dead 4 hours before this shit starts. Actually, as Ethan pointed out, it started before the body was moved. Camera crews flooded his apartment building recording and bombarding everyone with the pictures of the officials taking the body with them. It’s sad and inexcusable to start these things at all, but to start it before anything comes back with conclusive answers… all these people deserve to be stricken sterile and set on fire.

Until next time, I send my love to those who have lost and my disapproval to those who are making this harder than it already is,

autumn

http://beshameless.net/archives/2008/01/24/is-a-little-common-decency-so-much-to-ask/trackback/

Comments(0)

So, the title is a little windy…sue me or get over it.

The United States is a nation of freedoms and democracy where the people are not only free but encouraged to govern themselves. A government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” isn’t that what Lincoln called it in his Gettysburg address? So why then are we not allowed to make our own decisions? Why are city councils deciding we, as consenting adults, are no longer allowed to kill ourselves with our cancer sticks while we feed our alcohol addictions? Why are state Senators telling women they cannot make decisions regarding our own bodies?

This of the people, by the people thing really gets me stirred up. I realize that we can’t put everything to a vote or we’d never do anything in this country but hold elections. But issues that directly affect us, affect our lives, affect our freedoms; issues such as where and when we can smoke, if and how we can abort a pregnancy; should, without question, be put to a public vote. Not only be put to a public vote but the vote should be publicized and made known to everyone of legal voting age. For at least a week, if not longer, before the vote is held it should be plastered all over the local news stations, the newspapers, fliers stapled to telephone poles… That way if you don’t vote, you have no reason to complain about the results and no excuse for not voting.

In this country, people are made to find information on their own. Which is all fine and dandy if you know where to look…or want to take the time to look. But the problem is people either don’t know where to look, don’t want to look, or don’t know they have to look. Governments know this and hide announcements of public issue voting on page 14D where no one bothers to look. That way, they have met the obligation to inform the public but no one ever set a standard of how the public should be informed.

What brought me to this rant? One more U.S. city has enforced a smoking ban as of 10:00am local time on January 11. Louisville, KY has joined the list of smoke free cities. Okay, I am a smoker living in a smoke free city but that’s not the reason it ticks me off. Well, not the whole reason, anyway. When I was in college, the city I was living in at the time implemented a ban. Within a few short months one cocktail waitress (er… “server”) was raped and murdered and another severely beaten on their cigarette breaks at work because they were no longer allowed to smoke inside the bars where they worked. In a city of roughly 100,000 people. Some barkeeps in the area started sending bouncers outside anytime their waitresses left to smoke. Others simply refused to adhere to the ban, stating that they were not putting the welfare of staff and patrons at risk over a ridiculous law they had nothing to do with in the first place.

Ban supporters will say that smokers can quit or smoke in their cars if they are concerned about their safety. But in some cities, smoking in their cars is not even an option. In some cities, government officials are considering (and in others, they already have) widening the jurisdiction of the ban to include public sidewalks, parking lots and…yes, boys and girls, private properties such as cars.

If someone tries to tell me that I cannot sit in my car with my windows rolled up and hotbox myself into an early grave, they are going to be met with a severely unpleasant response. No one asked me if I wanted cigarettes and smoking to be outlawed and if they had they would have heard a loud and resounding, “Hell no!”

To bring the whole rant full circle, how can we conscientiously send military troops to foreign countries to implement democracy, a government where the citizens are free to make their own choices, when our choices and liberties are stripped from us right and left?

http://beshameless.net/archives/2008/01/11/1-civil-liberty-take-it-down-pass-it-around-no-civil-liberties-left-on-the-wall/trackback/

Comments(0)

“Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood.” – William Penn

Hello again my lovelies. I hope that Ethan’s last post didn’t cost you all to much time. At the least, I hope that it cost you less time than me. That’s why you haven’t seen me in weeks. I’ve been correcting all of my tags, and I’ve been reviewing grammar rules. I may even make Ethan proof read this so that I don’t look like a complete moron. Which is bound to have happened in some of my previous posts.

But, lets sit and discuss his post for a minute, shall we? I’m interested in hearing what you thought of his post and what you gained from it. Meanwhile, I’d like to tell you what I learned from it. Grammar aside, it is very important that you choose your words correctly.

Misspeaking can change the whole meaning of your statement.. It can make you look ignorant, racist, uncompassionate, or just a plain ass. I was having a conversation last night with someone who loved to throw the word faggot around. You have to understand that when you use that word, despite the feeling behind it brings up negative emotions.

Yes in this case that was his intent; to be insulting, to display negative feelings about something that he didn’t like. Once I objected he continued to try to justify his choice of words by making the statement that it was ok because he uses that word to “insult straight people.” And, that it was ok because he had gay friends.

Let me point out the flaws in his retorts. First off, if you feel the desire to insult someone wouldn’t it be better to point out their faults? I mean seriously if you want to piss them off just “read” them. Point out their horrid choice of dress or their lazy eye. Something that will connect to them. I don’t condone meanness or insults, but wouldn’t that be the best way to go about it?

Secondly, I have gay friends is no excuse. In that case you should hold the word with more respect because of the times your friends have had it thrust in their face. Many times they were hurt by that word, why let it breed? Taking a line from Ethan’s book… I have had friends of other ethnicities, but I don’t use the words nigger, wetback, coon, beaner, chink, haji, kyke, wop, etc.

Needless to say his arguments became more ridiculous after that, until he realized that I wouldn’t bite any of them. One that astounded me the most was “Well, I’m for free speech”. Yes so am I but I’m also intelligence, compassion and understanding.

Until next time, I think the gene pool needs a little bleach,

autumn

http://beshameless.net/archives/2008/01/10/your-mother-is-right-when-you-cant-say-something-nice-maybe-you-shouldnt-say-anything/trackback/

Comments(0)

There are few times I get aggravated with grammar while browsing online. I know that the educational system in this country is seriously lacking in many areas, however, is it that hard to teach our young people their own language? We really need to revamp the educational system.

I let the more than occasional error of ending a sentence with a preposition slide. We’ll leave that for a later post. Hell, I even do it when I’m lazy. Most do.

I am, by no means, a grammar expert. However, I do know how to use “I” verses “me” when tagging a photo I have uploaded for the world to see. I see this way too often. I know you do as well.

Just think about a friend’s Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket, Myspace, Facebook, etc. Think about a photo of that friend and someone else which has been tagged with a description. More often than not, the description will say something like, “Joe and I” or “Jane and I skiing”. I know that many people think this is correct and feel “smarter” when they use “I”. However, it is horribly wrong.

If you’ve made this mistake, here’s a hint for you. Take the examples above. If you can leave off the “Joe and” or the “Jane and” and say the rest of the description and it makes sense, it’s correct. So for the first example, you’re left with “I”. Incorrect. Second example, you’re left with “I skiing”. How does that sound? Exactly. It’s wrong. Go look at your own photos and see if you’ve made the same mistake. I trust you haven’t.

Support Article: here

ethan

http://beshameless.net/archives/2008/01/03/quick-rant/trackback/

Comments(0)