Catholicism : Or One of the Few Religions You Can Still Make Fun Of

Do you remember when the book Satanic Verses came out? The stink that was raised that sent Mr. Rushdie into hiding for his life was unbelievable. I tried to read the book. Twice. I still don't know what all the fuss was about. It took a different approach to Muhammed, but then, I thought that was what Religious Freedom was all about? Isn't it ironic that when some groups are fighting for religious freedoms, they only want freedom for what they believe, no one else? It would seem that the Muslim faith is above reproach , wouldn't it? One that isn't is Catholicism. If you are watching an action movie and a church is about to be blown to kingdom come (yes, I meant the pun) the odds are that the church in question will be some variation of a Catholic Church. Statues of saints are about to go flying, and if they can shoot a couple crucifixes-bonus!! You never see a synagogue or God forbid (another pun for those keeping score) a Mosque. Watch the movie-if you can-Hard Rain. You know that the church is going to be toast as soon as you see the statues of saints. Another good example would be the series Seinfeld. There is one episode when a confessional is visited. At least three pathetic sight gags are attempted, all of them poking fun at one religion. Which one? Guess. The only one it seems to still be Politically Correct to make fun of. And don't get me started on jokes about Priests. I know, there have been some horrible things done by Priest in the past. I am not condoning or defending that. I will personally flip the switch on those abominations that hurt defenseless children. But look up the statistics on sexual misconduct and you will quickly discover that Protestant Ministers are much more often arrested for some sort of inappropriate conduct. Do you hear about them on the news? Riiiiight. About as often as you see the censored twenty seconds of the Rodney King fiasco. The point I am trying to make is that it seems like Christianity is under attack, and no one seems to care at all. I hate to think that some persecution is allowed. That would be the very thing that the ACLU and those other hypocritical organizations are against, right? Pick any movie with a conflict and a church in it. Let's say Footloose. What do you have, besides the cool dance moves and a strange town that seems to have mountains from the west in some shots, and Spanish Moss from the south in others? Well, the other thing you have is the natural connection between religious zealots and censorship. In movies and media they goose step hand in hand don't they? Why is it necessary to make fun of a religion in the first place? I hope that they can find a new punch line soon, making fun of people for their beliefs is getting a little tedious. Another example would be Sarah Palin. Never mind that BO attended the same church of a hate spewing minister for over twenty years and never noticed anything amiss. Why in the world did so many media types hoof it all the way to Alaska, just to "report" on the church that Mrs. Palin attends. How disappointed they must have been when they couldn't buy a copy of a hate filled sermon from her Minister. I hope for religious tolerance. I really do, I know we have the freedom thing guaranteed, but it sure would be cool if they could add a few cups of tolerance. If I find it, I'll let you know and you can thank me later.

A Couple More Ideas for the Late Sam Walton's Company

My memory is terrible. I am not exaggerating, ask anyone that loves me and they will tell you that I cannot remember squat. Normally, at least one of my palms is covered in messages and things that I don't want to forget. Sadly, that doesn't always help. But one thing I do remember is when Walmart used to be a great place to work. It offered many chances that other companies didn't, and it gave quite a few people the opportunity to go further with their life then they ever thought possible. If you work for the Happy Hoe Down of Retail for very long, you start to pick up their jargon. One of the big ones that the Walmart crowd likes to use is opportunities. As in they won't say, "You did a really crappy job on that zone." What they will say is, "You have a lot of opportunities with the zone that you just did. Perhaps you want to take another look at it and try again." I am not kidding, I have heard this exact wording come out of more than one manager's mouth. I guess it is nicer way of telling someone that they did a crappy job, but the problem is when euphemisms become the norm, and it covers up what is going on. An example of that would be when Walmart explains that they have " affordable comprehensive insurance coverage" for their associates. This would be a lie. What they have are some insurance choices, and those are getting worse and worse. One of the plans that they have offered has a three thousand dollar deductible! Granted, the premiums are very low, but so what? Who has three thousand dollars that they can just liquidate in case they are in an accident? Not many of the people working for you-know-who, I can tell you that. I remember the first open enrollment when they offered this particular "plan." Even the back office associate whose job it was to explain all the choices was hesitant. She said more than once, "This is coverage in the barest minimum. Having this is insurance in name only. Think very hard before you choose something like this, okay?" So if the people who are selling it can't even endorse it, how bad must it be? Even with my bad memory, I know I have touched on the topic of Walmart doing away with the "coverage" they offer and integrating those folks into other jobs. BlueCross and BlueShield only administers the coverage, they don't actually provide the insurance in question. That would be like McDonald's only serving the hamburgers, not really cooking them for you. Then why bother? Again, I know I've said this before, but why doesn't Walmart just shop that insurance out to the local agents in the area, and let the associates vote on which company they want to award the job to. A win-win, associates get decent coverage at an affordable rate, and some lucky, hardworking insurance company gets a pool of over one hundred potential customers. No one loses in a deal like that. Another "opportunity" for Walmart would be the way they award promotions and allow associates into the management program. Instead of doing it in house, why doesn't Walmart set up a group of associates who travel from store to store and evaluate the personnel who are applying for a particular job promotion or to enter the trainee program? They could even integrate some of those insurance folks who were replaced when the insurance got outsourced? It would be a great chance (or opportunity if you will) for anyone who wanted to travel and see more of the company, wouldn't it? And, best of all, the people applying for these positions would have a more fair chance. Instead of the job going to the associate who kisses the best butt, the associates could actually have a fair and unbiased evaluation of their skills! How cool is that? But again, these are all just suggestions, aren't they? Until more managers start reading this and agreeing with it, about the only option that you have would be to bring it up at the next grassroots meeting. If they let you. Good luck. let me know if it works, and you can thank me later.

Alcoholism

When did alcoholism become a disease instead of a lack of self control? This is one of the questions that keeps me from getting a good nights sleep. Before every person in a program starts raining down on me, catch your breath. I have spent a good part of my life around people in recovery. (It's amazing how even the jargon seeps into your life) My father was a recovering alcoholic for the last 15 years of his life. A variety of his girlfriends had been involved with al-anon at some point or other. But my Dad was the first to admit the problem was his and his alone. It wasn't a genetic predisposition that he had. It wasn't because he had some underlying psychosis that he couldn't control. My Dad couldn't stop drinking once he started, and that made his life unmanageable. He told me many times of the moment that he realized that he was not in control when he was drinking. He said he came to, in his truck, with the engine running. He had a full tank of gasoline and he was over a hundred miles from his home. He had no idea how he got there, what he did before that, or anything else about the event. The last thing he did remember was 30 hours before that when he had just clocked out of work. That was what it took to sober my Dad. In all the time after that, I only saw him take one drink, ever. And that was when we had gone out to dinner to celebrate a particularly horrible woman moving out of my Father's life. But I have seen alcoholics in other places, too. The hardest part is watching the person who takes care of them. The jargon is an enabler. It is very hard to watch when the enabler is someone that you love very much. The only thing that I can suggest is that you leave a few brochures about al-anon setting around for them to find. I can't say that it will help, but one thing from all the jargon is very true. You can't help someone before they want to be helped. And I'll bet you thought I was going to stay off topic, didn't you? Well, here we are. The same can be said about Walmart. The company as a whole will not stop doing the things that they are getting away with until it isn't financially feasible for them. As long as people put up with cheap crap from China, and don't patronize their local merchants, Walmart will flourish. It is kind of handy to get everything at one place, but I also like going to the butcher shop for my meat. Not only do I get very personalized service (trimmed fat, great recipes, etc.) but I know that I am doing something to keep the local economy succeeding. See if you can't find a few local shops to buy at least some of your groceries. You'll thank me later.

Politics and the Media

I just finished watching the most interesting interview. If you can find the site to http://www.howobamagotelected/ it is so eyeopening. The first time that I watched it, it was to see exit interviews with some of the brain trusts that helped to inflict BO on our country. I have never seen such a collection as the ones I watched that day. I kept thinking of the quote from Forrest Gump, "stupid is as stupid does." Not only were these people totally ignorant of the facts, but they had been so influenced by the media, that they simply attributed anything good with BO and anything bad with McCain and Palin. Now, I will be the first to say that the way the RNC handled Sarah Palin was ridiculous. They should have just let her be herself and not try to cram her into some cookie cutter that they had chosen. She is brilliant, and a huge threat to every liberal out there. How do I know that she was a threat? Because of the incredibly vicious and personal attacks, that's how. Can you imagine any one starting the rumor that Hillary Clinton wasn't Chelsea's Mom? I've heard the jokes, and while tasteless, they are funny. But the point is, the liberal media would have quickly shamed anyone who dared to impugn the child of Hillary Clinton by saying that children should be off limits. That seems to be true unless you are talking about a Republican child. Look at the flack that was raised over George W. Bush's daughters. At one point, the media and tabloids had them one step away from an appearance on Girls Gone Wild. Nice. But, as I said, their biggest crime was in being the children of Republicans, wasn't it? I'm sure that MSNBC and CNN would like to make that a capitol offense if they could. But the point I am taking so long to make is that the bias in the media is so overwhelming as to be laughable. There was a time when the liberals even tried to argue that this bias didn't exist. Now, instead, they point to talk radio. See? They cry, with their bottom lip poofed out. The talk radio is so overwhelmingly conservative that we should be able to pass laws mandating fairness!! I think such a law already exists. It's called the law of commerce. If talk radio wasn't hugely popular, the sponsors would run from it in droves. Like that foray AirAmerica, the liberal attempt at talk radio. All I can say is, if Al (why look, I just found some more votes) Franken is so great, why doesn't anyone want to listen to him? Enough of this mind scattering. The mainstream media clearly has an agenda. A simple conversation with any of them and you can see it for yourself. Their ideas have been presented as normal, but they aren't. At least not to the average person, anyway. Question what you hear from media sources. There was a time when you could take it at face value, but that time is long since passed. Be careful. Like the song says, believe half of what you see, some or none of what you hear. You'll thank me later.

My Apologies

I would like to apologize to everyone that reads my blog on a regular basis. One of the elements that I have on this page are Cheeky Quotes. I have no idea what they are going to be, they just get sent. Yesterday or the day before, I saw that the quote was congratulating BO on his inauguration. Since he has yet to supply a birth certificate that isn't his sister's; I still don't believe he is legally eligible to be the Commander in Chief. I removed the quote and only returned it today. Again, my apologies if this offended any one as much as it offended me. Sorry. p.s. do you think we'll get to see that footage the LA Times is still sitting on? My bet is that we won't see it until they have clintoned (that is desensitized) us enough.

Just off the Top of My Head

Normally I put more than a few moments thought into something that I write. At least I try to, no matter what the end result may be. But today, I purposefully sat down with almost no thought given to what I was going to write. The reason? I wanted to have an impromptu grassroots meeting so to speak. That is to say, I wanted to see how many ideas I could come up with that would help The Mom&Pop Store Killer that is Walmart. First of all, they could do away with their crappy insurance and the people who work in that division could be added to other areas. I have said this before, take your pool of potential clients and shop for bids from the local area insurance salespeople. A win win situation of associates with decent insurance and local responsiveness would result. Second, when the store must cut hours, do it by percentages so that everyone feels the same pain. Third, have some sort of accountability. For everyone. Too many managers are able to slide around the fraternization rules, with no consequences. Many people seem to think that a labor union would be able to come in and wave its magic wand and fix everything. I don't necessarily believe that that would happen, but Walmart needs to have someone or something overseeing the situation, because whatever they have now, isn't cutting it. Fourth, when it comes to promotions and the inside track, I don't think that stores are able to effectively evaluate their own personnel. Too many brown -nosers and incompetent managers have been shined on to thinking that they know what they are doing. I don't think that could be further from the truth. Perhaps they could start an evaluation team that came in and assessed the potential hires without the bias that some Walmarts are famous for. Lastly, and keep in mind that I have only been considering this post for about ten minutes, I think that the best idea that Walmart could introduce is the shifting of managers every three years. Even if it's only to a different store in the same district, the revamping and "new blood" would do wonders for removing any appearance of favoritism in a particular store, and it would expose the managers to many other situations, thereby increasing their knowledge of the company. How could they lose? I'll let you know if I hear of any of these being implemented, and you can thank me later.

Privacy

Everyone loves to read about celebrities, don't they? I myself have been guilty of looking through a tabloid if I see one setting around. I don't think I have ever bought one though. My cheapness gene is much too dominant for that. But as I was tooling around the Internet, (who needs the Enquirer when you can get all the gossip online?) I kept running across sites that mentioned John Travolta and the horrific loss he has suffered. Of course, there were the usual group of sites that expressed their sympathy. The disturbing thing to me was the amount of sites dedicated to exposing the "truth" about what had happened to Mr. Travolta's son. The only thing that I could think was dear Lord, this man has lost his son, his first born. And now he can't even grieve in private because three bazillion jackasses want to throw their two cents and conspiracy theories into the mess. It seems crazy, but it's true. Somehow all of these people came to the conclusion that just because they can post about this tragedy, they would. Pitiful. Whatever happened to respecting a person's grief, or at least their privacy? I have a Brother who lost his oldest son to SIDS. I was young when it happened, but the shock and hurt of it are still fresh to me. The thought of my brother having to sort through the blinding shock and grief while dodging the leaches of today's media is frightening. Just because someone makes movies, or music or even throws a football should not give anyone licence to their personal lives. I'll bet you are wondering how in the world I can tie this in with the Big Hearted Giant of Retail, aren't you? Well, there are Walmart managers who have indicated that what you write on your myspace account, your blogs, and even a web site can come back and affect your job. Where does a person's right to privacy come in to play?? (See the connection now?) What a person does off the clock is no more Walmart's business then it is mine. If I am salaried, there might be an incredibly weak argument, but if I am hourly, what business is it of any one's -especially Walmart- what I am doing? Or writing? Or saying to someone else while I'm online? Where does it end? I knew that Walmart had many products in their stores, I never realized that they also carry Big Brother now. So if you get a check from Walmart every two weeks, be careful what you think, write or say. Apparently, Walmart is a little bigger than free speech. You'll thank me later.

Make a Wish

What would you wish for if you could have anything in the world? Would it be something like the lottery, or would it be good health for you or someone that you love? I think that if I had one guaranteed, without fail wish to spend, I would wish for all the people that I love to be happy. I know, I know, it seems like such a silly wish, doesn't it? It kind of sounds like beauty pageant contestants who wish for world peace. I can't help it, though. I would love for every person that I know to be happy. Or at least content. I think that if you can manage to be content that you have the whole happiness thing knocked, don't you? I better be careful, or I'm going to start sounding like one of those motivational speakers. But things have never made me happy. Don't get me wrong, a bargain, wherever it is found, can make me smile for the afternoon. But I don't think that having things is the path to being happy. I think that being content with what you have- a mansion or a mobile home- is the key. I am not defending the retail giant we all know and love by any means. But if you have a job, however crappy it may be, and it's paying your bills-be content. Many people would give up a kidney to be in your place. I'm not saying that you should stop sending me emails that let me know the shenanigans of your happy little management team, either. But if you can look past all the crap that you have to put up with there, and just be content with what you have going on in your life, trust me, you'll thank me later.

Flu 1 Me ZERO

Are you a good patient? I am not. I am cranky, and whiny and horrible to be around when I am sick. Sorry, but I am. I don't have much faith in a flu shot either. With so many kinds of influenza, and all those shifting antigens, I don't see how one shot is going to stop me from getting some mutated version of whatever crap is going around. And this year the flu seems to be a dandy one two combination of nausea and diarrhea. Good times. I have lost quite a bit of weight, so there is that. But it makes me wonder how folks with anorexia have the will power to stick with it. No offense to the late Karen Carpenter, of course. I seem to be absolutely exhausted all the time. I have no energy, and no appetite, either. Of course, it's hard to have an appetite when you know that whatever you eat is going to come screaming out of one end or the other at the speed of sound. I also love all the home cures for Flu. I have a relative who shall remain nameless for this blog entry. This particular family member knows every wives tale, home cure, try this from the old days remedy for the last half century. It's like being a science experiment every day of your sickness. I have tried onion soup. I have tried garlic tea. The same with chicken soup, chamomile tea and countless other cures. I do not want to go to the doctor. I hate it when they say "yep. That's the flu. Plenty of rest and liquids. That will be eighty five dollars, please. " I can rest and drink broth a lot better with the eighty five dollars in my pocket. Thank you very much. I know you imagine that I am off point completely with the store that Sam built, but not really. Given Walmart's absentee policy, how much less likely are you to take off work when you are sick? Don't get me wrong, I have worked with some associates who took off work when the wind shifted. But the way the policy is written now, if you try to stay home for a few days and simply heal, you will likely find yourself out of a job. I guess it's much better idea to go in every day and spread it around to everyone you see, and everything that you touch. Don't you? So here I sit, running for the bathroom every half hour or so, at least with the luxury of not having to spread this around Walmart. I hope that someone in Bentonville reads this and changes their sick policy. If they do, you can thank me later.

Dabbling in Politics

At the risk of offending the people who read this to hear me vent about Walmart, let me change the subject for a brief moment today. I think that the business of running our Country is one of the most important in the world. And I shudder to think of some of the semi-illiterate dufusses( or is the plural of dufus-dufi?) that we have in charge of things. BO is going to be one of the worst things to happen to these United States since the recent Carter then Clinton debacle. I notice a concerted effort to try to make Jimmy Carter seem like a statesman now. He certainly is a better ex president than he ever was a president. I think of him every time I put on a sweater. Or have someone I love held hostage and tortured for over a year. Of course, after President Ford pardoned Nixon, the backlash was going to be horrific. It's only now that anyone has gotten around to admitting that putting the whole sordid mess behind us was the best thing for the country. Bill Clinton, or slick willie, as I have always called him, is in a class by himself. How many felonies did he get away with? And how about those pardons that he sold to get his wife elected? Or, better yet, how about those nuclear secrets he seems to have let slip right out from under him. Never mind the obvious lack of self control on his part-what about all the willful lies and perjury that he committed? Or the terrible shredding of a person's reputation? Thank God Monica Lewinsky had a bizarre pack rat fetish. But anyway..... I don't even listen to television news anymore. The fawning over this particular administration triggers my gag reflex in less than a minute. I pray for him not to ruin anything in the two years he has until the next election. I also pray for a major conservative to make him or herself known in that time. No more milquetoast candidates. I hope that somewhere is a true conservative, someone who isn't trying to ride the middle of the road. Someone who understands that Ronald Reagan was brilliant and had the best vision for this country since I can remember. It's going to be a bumpy ride, no question. With Liberals running the show in all three houses, all we can do is sit back and get ready to give the government more of our money because we aren't smart enough to take care of it ourselves. Just ask them. I can only hope that socialized medicine, socialized jobs, and socialized thinking does as well as midnight basketball. Does anyone else remember that pearl of wisdom from the Clinton administration? But enough of my doom and gloom. He hasn't even sat his unqualified butt in the desk of the oval office (where was he born, seriously??) and he already has the selling of his senate seat to deal with. What was his cut of that, anyway? I pray that it gets better. I keep thinking of something that my dad use to say. If you don't respect the person, at least respect the office that they hold. I hope that helps you get through the next two years. If it does, you can thank me later.