The follow-up to yesterday's hypothetical question is in yesterday's comments page, here.In the world of contradictions and insanity we are inhabiting, here's another tidbit. Our government, which, in its infinite wisdom has decided to suspend basic human rights, and which didn't bother to rescue and/or feed the survivors of its greatest natural disaster which was in part caused by their own neglect and error, has decided what's really important:
It's television.
It's very important, apparently, that the United States have a television system that is 100% digital by 2009. I don't know if that's what bothers me; Congress gets to make laws like that, I suppose. What gets me is that the bill for that includes a provision that $1.5 billion be allocated to help Americans with older, non-compatible television sets, upgrade. Okay, all together now:
WHAT THE FUCK?
We didn't provide toilets for people at the Superdome, but we're going to make sure that Ma and Pa Kettle have digital-capable TV sets?
Then there's this gem: Not only is our President somehow trying to convince us -- and possibly himself -- that all this illegal wiretapping is okay, but now it turns out that when he tells us the good stuff about the war in Iraq, he's just conveniently leaving the bad stuff out. Yes, a majority of Iraqis think their lives are going well. A majority of them would also like to see the U.S. out of their country, but that wasn't significant enough for a bit of a mention.
There's more in the news, like stuff about that shit DeLay, but I'm not going there. I don't think we should let any politicians run for office anymore.
One of the top stories on the AP newsfeed at the moment is that Gwen Stefani is pregnant. I don't recall either of my pregnancies being on the AP news wire. Is she having something other than a human baby, because listen, that would be news. Who the hell is Gwen Stefani, anyway?
As long as I'm on a news kick, the prime minister of Israel had a stroke the other day, after which I saw footage on TV of Palestinians celebrating in the street, including joyful children, distributing holiday-type foods, and so on. So world peace, not happening so soon, people. Too many sick fucks out there.
On the other hand ...
I saw Jimmy Carter on the Larry King show a few weeks ago, and really, I just love him. Here's someone who knows how to be a human being. I love that his faith is so strong and personal, because it restores my own ... well, faith, in what true spirituality can be. I read an interview with him today in the Advocate, which is the weekly news magazine for the gay community that we get at school since the advent of the GSA. You can read the interview here, if the link works. If not, here's the first question, and Carter's answer:
You�re a Christian, but you don�t have a problem with gay men and lesbians as many other Christians do. Why?
I�m a worshipper of Jesus Christ, who never mentioned homosexuals in any way - certainly not in a deleterious fashion. And when it has been mentioned in the New Testament, it�s been combined with things like selfishness or something like that. So I�ve never looked upon it as any sort of reason to condemn a person. I think it�s an inherent characteristic just like other things that we do with our lives.
So is he cool, or what? I was flirting with getting his book after I saw him on TV, but after I read the interview today, I ordered and downloaded it so I can listen in the car tomorrow on the way to get K at the train. The book is called Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis. Which pretty much says it all. I anticipate validation of my own beliefs and opinions on a major scale. I'll let you know.
