Rights and Freedoms

I was thinking about this the other day and I came up with a phrase I like :

"The only rights you have are those you give to everyone else."

If you are allowed to do something that someone else is prohibited from doing - its not a right, it is a privilege.

This is what irks me about the Tea Party and the GOP and the Religious Reich... er... Right.  They go on and on about Freedom and Liberty and Rights, but they don't mean it.  They want the privilege to own any kind of gun they want without any regulation (despite the 2nd amendment saying "well regulated" before "right to bear arms") or the privilege to have government benefits without paying anything for them or the privilege to be the only religion taught in public schools.  They also only want the "rights" that they approve of - if they object to the behavior or belief, they want that outlawed!  "Big Government should leave us alone... but put those people in prison!" (Think about all the strict sex laws states have - Republicans want to control your bedroom!)

One example is how people are accusing Obama of infringing on the religious freedom of catholic churches by telling them they can't deny birth control to employees of their secular businesses, like hospitals.  Obama's quote is right on the money :

"No, you can't deny women their basic rights and pretend it's about your 'religious freedom'. If you don't like birth control, don't use it. Religious freedom doesn't mean you can force others to live by your own beliefs.” - Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States (though under some dispute)

There is no freedom to oppress others.  Your rights stop when they encounter someone else's rights.  This is what most "Conservatives" and "Libertarians" fail to realize.  Heck, many outright deny it!

"As Americans we are guaranteed the right to freedom of religion, but that freedom is limited so that it doesn’t infringe upon the rights of others to do the same. The reality is that the individuals who claim “conscience clause” rights are discriminately denying the patient or individuals to whom they are denying care or services to, the right to practice their own freedom of religion—or non-religion. By denying public access to legally allowed services, they are forcing their beliefs on specific members of the public who don’t share their religious views."

"Religious freedom does not mean that you can ignore portions of your job, administer only the portions of the law that you like, deny services to the public based on your personal beliefs or infringe on the rights of another." - Lauren Anderson Youngblood

If your job requires you to do something you object to, you have the freedom to quit and find another job - an argument they use frequently when discussing abuses by upper management and/or horrible pay.  They also use it to say that if your job refuses to cover contraceptives, you are free to find another job.  Apparently, they think that finding a job is so super easy, anyone can do it at will, no matter where they live.  I suppose if there are no jobs where you live, you are free to move.  (as if moving is free...)

Anyway - a Bonus Bobism :

"Nobody wins if anybody loses."

Longest Ride yet!

I've only been riding since July, completely addicted though.  I ride to work almost every day - rode in when it was 31 degrees last week. I've done a 88 mile round trip, some cruises up the Natchez Trace and Sunday I made my longest in-saddle trip to see my grandmother.  It was about 60 miles before my butt got uncomfortable (intersection of Hwy 25 and Mars Hill Road/427). 188 miles round trip, 79 miles one-way in-the-saddle.  Coming back was 89 miles, but I stopped for a drink about 59 miles.

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Here is the cool thing I brought back from the ride - stopping or even slowing down after a long, unbroken ride feels like coming out of a deep meditation.

The not-so-cool thing is that I really need some highway pegs!  Also, Louisville kinda sucks.  I rode on from my grandmother's house to town so I could get some gas...
... first stop, the gas station is blasting Jesus music at everyone.  So, I politely decline to do business there. Yeah, their right to play whatever music they want, my right to not buy from them because of it.  So, second gas station doesn't have pay-at-pump capable pumps.  I mean OLD pumps probably been there since the seventies.  Third gas station has pay-at-pump, but only regular 87 octane gas - both ethanol and ethanol free versions - the motorcycle takes 91+ octane to run properly.  The fourth gas station was good.  No religious music blaring, pay-at-the-pump and three grades of fuel.  I gassed up and duck-walked to a parking spot to go in and get a drink.  Picked out a drink and - $5.00 minimum to use my bank card.  No twenty-five cent charge if under five dollars... just no sale.  So, I walked out thirsty.  I couldn't wait to get out of town!  59 miles down the road, I stopped for a drink at Coal Bluff Trading Post and paid the convenience fee to get a drink.  I suppose I will put some cash in the motorcycle jacket for such podunk locations in the future.

Conservatives are Stupid

So, I just heard this conversation... Maybe its just these conservatives...

"Have you seen the price of gas lately?!"

"Up forty cents since Christmas."

"Man, we're getting hit from every side! Might as well hand over our entire paycheck."

"Thats what its coming to."

"Minimum wage $9.20. My wife said he wants to raise the minimum wage.  All that is gonna do is put people out of work."

"Thats what the gun thing is all about.  Its not about safety its about control."

"Thats what they want - everyone dependent on government."

They are totally brainwashed.  I'm convinced that if they tilted their heads to the side their brains would leak out.

Have you seen the price of gas lately?  Have you seen the Oil Company profits lately?  Its nothing to do with Government, you morons.  "We're getting hammered by high prices from all over... but we don't want anyone to get paid any more."  What The Fuck?!?!  Getting hammered by High Taxes?  Yeah, the real tax burden is at an all time low, you idiots.  Hell, their talking point is that half the country doesn't pay taxes at all, that is pretty low taxes!  They refuse to look at the fact that those people don't make enough money to qualify to pay taxes and conservatives don't want them getting paid any more!

I know Republicans are allergic to facts, but they all just need to get a cortisone shot and get some fact-based information and stay away from Fox News for a while.

When the payroll taxes went BACK up to where they were from the Cut that Obama made happen, they absolutely REFUSED to recognize that the GOP preventing the cut from being extended and called it an "Obama Tax Hike."  No mention of the FACT that Obama is the one who got the payroll tax cut through in the first place.  Absolute Refusal to acknowledge the GOP blocking of extending it.

Seriously - talk to one about it.  The mental gymnastics to blame Obama will put Cirque De Sole to shame.

Now its "The government wants our money."  "The government has our money."  SERIOUSLY!?!  Sure! Lets not give the government any money at all.  No Army, no military at all - millions of jobs lost there, but hey, at least the government is smaller, right? - no road maintenance, no free-access interstate system, no police force, no fire fighters.  Can you imagine the "Private Sector" replacements and how much they would charge for those services?

Conservatives are absolutely brain-dead stupid.

One World Shadow Government

(Inspired by discussions on Agenda 21)

Okay, lets just for a moment say that there is a "one world government" out there trying to keep us from destroying the planet so that their leaders can be given eternal life and have dominion - even in the shadows - over the world.  So, the theory goes, they are going to throw us into camps, make us ride bicycles to work and have corporate farms produce the food.

So what?  Nothing we can do about that.  We're not superheroes, this is not a movie nor a book.

If there IS such a conspiracy, then "The Liberals" sure are not behind it, because that is who everyone is pointing at and the "Shadow Government" is the one making everyone look (the other way) at "The Liberals."

Fox Newz is pumping out enough "Hey, no! Look over here, be afraid of this!" propaganda to keep the well armed distracted and the commoners scared to leave the house.  They've got people absolutely convinced that even though their favored party was in complete control for 6 years, mostly control for another 6 that it was NOT their fault the economy crashed and that even though the economy has been improving consistently, despite the GOP temper tantrum stonewalling, that Obama is destroying it (the economy).  Believing Fox despite all evidence to the absolute contrary.

Anyway, world government throwing people into camps and feeding them and making them ride bicycles to work....

You know, if we beat them to it - if we make changes to be more sustainable, to make sure the human-caused fact of global warming is reduced or eliminated and that the Earth shall remain habitable with a decent climate and habitable land for a long, long time - well, then they won't feel they have to round people up and put them in camps to keep them from destroying the planet.

So, we can do it on our terms, or let the scary shadow one-world government do it to us.

If you hate the EPA, go back and look pictures of New York before the EPA, look at all the Rivers that caught on fire and see WHY that was put into place.  Look at the current atmosphere in China - the air is poison.  But, we have people pushing to go TOWARDS that again.

To me, freedom means that you have the freedom to do what you want as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of another.  I like the freedom to go outside without a gas mask or oxygen tank.  I like to be able to drink water without worrying about getting sick from it. If that means a corporation is not free to pollute, then I'm all for it.

Maybe its the shadow government pointing it's finger at the sustainability movement because they want it to fail so they can control the world.

... got to go back to work...

Riding Jacket and SOA

So, I was riding the motorcycle home yesterday - and it was HOT.  I am talking 65 degrees Fahrenheit.  Yeah, the jacket I am wearing now is way too hot for Mississippi.  Sure, it was great in the winter, especially with the liner, but with the liner out, 60 is starting to be just too warm to wear it.

So, I just ordered a Jacket from Leatherup because of one review stating : "I wore it without the liner in very muggy 98 degree weather with the vents open and I was not hot at all."


As a bonus, another review said : "I've worn it and rode when it was 31? with a long sleeve thermal shirt and was fine. Been in the 40's and 50's most mornings since I got it and have just worn a plain old white fruit of the loom tshirt with the liner and been warm the whole time."


Soon, I won't be having to roll the collar under on my London Fog nubuck leather jacket with polyester lining... with zip-out warmer lining.

Yeah... its not a "motorcycle" jacket, but its what I had.  I mean, people will ride in all kinds of clothes and footwear.  Shorts, sandals, bikinis...  but I don't want to risk the road rash.  Two people tried to change lanes into the space I was occupying on the ride in this morning.  Sure, a couple horn-blasts and they snapped back into their lane, but still... not worth risking it. 

Jax Teller trips me out with his baggy low-rider jeans and his tennis shoes on his customized Dyna Superglide Sport.  One more thing on SOA - the poster...

Jax is shooting right-handed... the throttle is on the right hand... so, he isn't giving it any gas. LOL!!
( uh, oh! The FXDX has a manual cruise control! Maybe its possible! )

Update : That jacket was WAY too small, so sent it back and went to several local motorcycle shops to find the jacket I have now - Power Trip Dakota II - although I wouldn't say it is waterproof...

Update : The Dakota II helps keep me very cool, even in July (so far).  I'll wager that I am cooler than the people riding in t-shirts as I don't have direct sun hitting my skin.  Jackets are just great - no sunburn, stay cool and, in case of a crash, you don't turn into hamburger.

88 Miles Today

I did this great ride today.  88 miles round trip from the start point.

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... hoping the route shows up.  If not, click http://goo.gl/maps/LtOFR.

First stop (after buying gas) was Dean's Stand.

I took some pics there - but nowhere else.  It was just too much fun riding.  So, below are two of my fav pics and a link to the picasa album with the others.

Someone tried to kill me

This morning it was a bit chilly, but not freezing.  There was water on the road from last night's rain, but it was not raining.  So I decided to take my motorcycle to work.  That's what I have rain gear for, after all, and any day on two wheels is just better.

So, I decide to avoid the interstate and take Hwy 80.  In Pearl, just across from the Krystal, some idiot cager in a black SUV (Ford Explorer looking) with some kind of white wings sticker on the blacked out back window just pulled casually and slowly out right in front of me.  I had to brake so hard the rear wheel started coming around on my right side.  The bike started going down to the left.  I'm not sure what exactly I did - released the brakes, leaned to the right, kept the front wheel straight - but I got upright and straight.  Then I started blowing the horn.  I'm sure the idiot didn't even notice.

I was praying for a red light so I could run up, pull them out of their cage and give them a good yelling at.  Unfortunately, the gods didn't see fit to grant me that.  They did, however, let me pull up along side them when they turned left at Walgreen's and I went straight.  I hit the horn then flipped them off as I went by.  I'm sure the idiot didn't even notice.

Oh... and if you think calling a car/truck/van a 'cage' is derogatory, well... maybe.  But it is also accurate.  When in a car, you are surrounded by steel bars - a cage.  I'd say that most car manufacturers call the passenger compartment the roll cage.

I'm borrowing a metaphor I saw on a forum - think of it as a shark cage.  Divers in a shark cage feel safe even when surrounded by danger.  Drivers in a car cage feel safe and therefore don't pay much attention to the dangers around them.  Like the guy who just pulled out in front of me, because, hey, he's safe with all the steel around him, the airbags, seatbelts, etc.

I was very glad that I had my leather chaps on under my rain-pants.  Legs would have been spared road rash.  Torso not so much right now.... under the rain jacket was only my dress shirt and a t-shirt.  Need a Leather Jacket or armored textile jacket.