Double Jeopardy?

Legal situations are always touchy. Especially as an outside person looking in. Especially when I am the outside person. Now, this article could just be shoddy journalism (lord knows there's a ton of that on CNN.com), but my mind chooses to give the author the benefit of the doubt (something I know I shouldn't do) and take what's there at face value.

Read this.

Note especially where, when, and for what he was convicted.

Feel free to correct me, if you want. I don't really care. But, to me...it seems this man's had some basic Constitutional rights violated, here. Namely, Double Jeopardy as seen in the following:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

The way this particular article reads, it looks like the civilian court and the military court found this guy guilty of the same crimes. I can understand why they'd want to try him twice--he raped and killed a civilian and raped and killed/attempted to kill a couple of Army personnel. According to the article. That's three people. If you re-read the first part of that article, the civilian court convicted him on two counts of murder and five counts of rape (which is impressive for having three known victims). Then the following year, a court martial also found him guilty of two murders, one attempted murder, and three rapes. That equates to the two military personnel and the civilian.

Now, don't get me wrong. Y'all should know by now how I feel about murderers and rapists and the death penalty. But, I'm also a very big supporter of the US Constitution. It's there for a reason. It's there so the government can't tell us to just bend over and take it--even though they try. The government can get away with a lot. Know why? Because they rely on the fact that Americans, as a whole, are uninformed. With the way trends are for the education of the youth of America, I'd say the government is trying to make it so that very few are even literate in this country. That way, when the citizens willingly give up their rights because they don't know any better, the power-hungry Federal Government will just pat them on the heads and send them on their merry little way.

I, for one, don't plan on allowing that to happen. What am I going to do about it? I'll write my congressmen. I'll petition Mr. Obama. I'll even run for office, if I have to. Ooooh...yesh, I said it. I'll run for OFFICE, if I have to. I'll make sure my Libertarian view of government gets broadcasted the world over. So, if you don't like the fact your rights are slowly being stripped from you, do something about it.

READ the Constitution.

KNOW your rights.

WRITE your congressman.

Don't settle for the standard answers. Make them accountable for their decisions. Let them know they can't just make arbitrary decisions that affect your life. Let them know that they can't just overwrite the Constitution. And I'm not talking about minority groups here. I'm talking about US CITIZENS. I'm talking about reading the articles of the Constitution of our country and the Amendments. Know them. Understand them. That way when someone says to you, "Hey, don't you think Schwartzenegger should run for President?" You can say (with confidence, knowledge, and accuracy), "Yes, but sadly, he can't. He doesn't meet the qualifications. Neither does RA, but give her a few years and she'll be a-okay!"

Vote RA/Cthulu in 2012! You'll be glad you did.

CA's Prop 8

I was going to avoid this topic. But, I've decided to just go with it. Especially after my darling SO sent me this little article.

*takes a deep breath*

GET AN EFFING CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you.

Now. Let's move on.

For those of you not living in California, Prop 8 directly affects the Supreme Court (CA State) ruling that same-sex marriages should be legal. Now. California already recognizes same-sex partnerships the same way they recognize marriage.

THE SAME WAY.

There's not a difference. If you want to wear rings, wear 'em! A little piece of paper means jack. Trust me, I have one. I still retain my rights as a human and I'm still entitled to whatever state law allows me. JUST LIKE YOU!

Just because I voted for Prop 8 to be passed because I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman doesn't mean I hate you. It does mean that I disagree with your lifestyle, but you know what? Talk to me for five minutes and you'd figure that out. I'm sorta the "love the sinner, hate the sin" kinda person. Ya know, like Jesus.

So, what's really got my dander? The Musical Theatre community. They actually decided to boycott the director because he chose to vote for Prop 8 (or against it...not sure which it's supposed to be, really. Never did get a straight answer). By the way? Prop 8 passed, meaning that same-sex marriages aren't recognized as legal marriages in the state of CA. This upsets people because...they didn't get their way, I guess....see all previous statements of having the same benefits as marriage.

It's getting to the point in this country where "religion, race, gender, or creed" is actually being reversed. You're "intolerant" if you disagree with a "minority." Screw these so-called minority groups. I'm not coddling you. GROW UP! You're just as dumb as the rest of us. I don't care if you're gay. I don't care if you're Muslim. I don't care if you're pink with purple polk-a-dots. You don't get special treatment. You're a dog gone AMERICAN. We have 25 amendments to our Constitution that give you more freedoms and liberties than you can get anywhere else in the world. Just because my ancestors were (mostly) white doesn't mean I owe you anything. My ancestors didn't even live in the United States until well after the Civil War. To boot, they didn't even own slaves. I owe you zipp-o.

Even if they did, there's a law in place that prohibits them from continuing that practice. I owe you nothing--not even an "Oh, I'm sorry that nearly 200 years ago, some distant relative of mine beat the snot out of a distant relative of yours. I can see where this has caused such painful trauma in your life."

If you're gay, great! I owe you nothing. You don't owe me anything for being straight, why do I owe you something for your choices? You're not "born gay." You make that choice. I have plenty of gay friends and I know that somewhere in their lives, they made the choice. I'm not buying your crap of "I was just born this way." Take some dog gone responsibility and stop making -me- have to pay for your crap.

Make your choice then deal with the consequences. Like a HUMAN BEING.

Alcoholism is a choice.
Obesity is a choice. There are very few situations where it is not.
Lesbianism/Gay-ism/bi-sexualism is a choice.

Make your choice and DEAL with it!

I understand, not everyone can be mature and accept responsibility. But, someone's gotta start somewhere. Don't make me link every previous blog entry. (( you can search my site for more... just use the handy search function. It's right there to the right. ))

GoP LOLZ

So, a friend of mine sent me a link to this lovely post and forum comments. I sort of quirked a brow and snickered at most of the first-page comments. Then I decided to follow links.

Psychotic Friend: I figure there's something in here worth a blog rant.
Rogue Assassin: heh.
Psychotic Friend: I mostly figure you'll tear into the girl who's reporting this for being a lying little $h1t.
Rogue Assassin: Heh... yeah, I could blog about it.

I'm a person of few words when it comes to IM conversations. Deal. Point is, he's right.

Mostly.

I can tear into Miss Todd for being a complete moron (or praise her for being one of the best secret campaigners for Obama), or I can lay into the American populace who will read this story and realize that she's an idiot and for that reason only vote for Obama.

I'm not against Obama.

I'm not against McCain.

What I'm against is the American public thinking (or, more appropriately, not thinking) that the only important issue is...the color of the skin of our leader.

Be honest. With yourself. Heck, I don't expect you to be honest with me. I can't get employers to be honest with me, why would I expect you to be?! Now. Back on topic. Be honest with yourself. The color of our President's skin matters to you. It is a yes or no question. It has no qualifiers. Are you ready to accept and embrace change and allow a black man to lead us? I ask this assuming that my reading population is white. If you're actually black, you don't get to answer this question. I have a different one for you. Drill down into the candidates and look at their stance on the issues and then think about how those issues will affect you. That's how the political system is supposed to work in this country. You get a chance to have your voice heard--and yes, every vote counts. Even if you do a write in for Mickey Mouse, your voice still counts. It's not a "throw-away" vote. It's your right and duty as an American citizen (unless, of course, you've been convicted of a felony...then you don't get the right to vote). Speak up, America! Let your voice be heard!

Now.

The other question for the blacks that read this blog. If you're voting for Obama, why are you voting for him? Because of his skin color? Be honest.

So, let's go back to our original story of this poor McCain Campaign volunteer being mercilessly attacked just out of view of the surveillance cameras at the walk-up ATM. The alleged attacker saw a bumper sticker/campaign button/lights in the sky which enraged him so much that he gently scratched a backwards "B" on her cheek. Everyone says that it looks like what you would do to yourself in the mirror...and smacks of Morton Downey, Jr. (Please, folks. MORTON Downey, Jr. NOT Robert Downey, Jr. Besides there being a pretty significant age difference and status of life, Robert's a better actor and is quite good looking...despite his drug problem. And speaking of drug problems, he's at least acknowledged it's a problem and doesn't try to hide it...like, say, Mary Kate Olson).

Digression. It happens.

So, this girl thinks that she can run a smear campaign on Obama. But, the problem is, it all comes down to race. McCain's even said some things that allude to race. Oh, what. NOW you want a link, eh? Here's the YouTube video that's brought a lot of controversy to his credibility. I know of at least one person, personally, (and a myriad of internet people) who heard the phrase, "Brown Noise." Now, pardon me, but if you're running for an important position such as, say, PRESIDENT, the last thing you want to do is say something that could even hint at racism. Was it "ground noise" or "brown noise"? Either way, that was probably not the best choice of phrases.

From the news I've seen/read/heard/taken in by osmosis, this political event has been less about the issues at hand (abortion, gay marriage, the war in Iraq) and more about gender and skin color. Conservative Republicans seem to think that Obama lacks the ability to lead this Nation--mostly because he's black. In their minds, they see America turning into a ghetto with "bling bling" everywhere.

Here's a newsflash: IT ALREADY IS. Sadly, the education system in this country has reduced what would be well-educated people into blithering idiots. You know why there's no appreciation for the likes of Poe and Lovecraft? Because no one can understand what the heck they're saying. Imagery is lost on the current crop of Americans--and it's only going to get worse as teachers are disempowered. Texas just laid off a bunch of teachers. Let's make America an even DUMBER place and wonder why crime goes up.

Vote for whomever you want to vote for in November.

Just. Know the issues.

Obama-Biden

McCain-Palin

And some others...

Bob Barr - Libertarian Party
Mike Gravel - Libertarian Party
Chuck Baldwin - Constitution Party
Ralph Nader - Independent Party
Cynthia McKinney - Green Party

Don't see your party? OnTheIssues.org Go forth and be informed.

Oh, No! The VP is Dressing Professionally!

Since I've been pretty hard-core job searching, I have done a good amount of research on just what it means to "dress professionally." The particular link there is to a consulting firm. If you really read that dress code, you will either feel eternally grateful that you are not subject to such policies, or you will think (as I did), "Dang! That's an awesome policy."

So, why should we hold our Nation's leaders and potential leaders to anything less than a database consulting firm?

My point is in this article. Because we have nothing better to do with our time than harass McCain and Palin about things that don't actually pertain to politics, we have to pick on them about housing and clothing.

See, Mrs. Palin said that she was a "regular hockey mom." The Republican party funded a shopping spree at Sacks Fifth Avenue, among other top of the line expensive places. Why? Because she's a hockey mom.

You can't be respected if your clothes don't match your position. What may be good for a governor of a state is not good for the potential second in command of the Nation. You dress for your position--or the position you want. Sarah Palin wants the position of Vice President. That's how she's dressing.

"But, spending that kind of money with our economy?!"

Yeah.

Because you know what? I'm gonna share a little story with you.

In 1929, the stock market crashed. Big time. It plunged the country into the Great Depression. During that time, people couldn't find jobs fast enough, inflation went through the roof, and just trying to get by gave way to interesting foods (like scrapple). During all this, one man made millions--and one community thrived because of it.

The best way to help the economy, he thought, was to give people jobs so they can return the money to the economy. And that's what he did. Milton S. Hershey commissioned the building of the Hotel Hershey, the Community Center, Senior Hall of the Milton S. Hershey School, the Hersheypark Stadium, the Hersheypark Arena, and a windowless, air conditioned office building for the factory.

The economy in Derry Church, PA didn't know there was a "Great Depression."

So, why is it that we should be upset about the Republican party--yay, even Sarah Palin--spending money during the down time for the economy? She's putting money BACK into the pockets of those working. That's how economy works. You pay for goods and services. Those business make money which they use to pay their employees. Those employees are then able to use that money to spend and it's a great cycle.

Besides, would you vote for McCain/Palin if he wore an Armani suit and she wore something from Target? Probably not. The fact of the matter is, a well-tailored suit not only looks impressive, it's also very empowering. It commands respect. Unless of course, you're me.

Apparently, my little cheap-o suit from the Goodwill just doesn't cut it for commanding respect. If I were running for VP or President, you better believe I'd have my butt in a top-of-the-line charcoal or navy suit from Sacks or Macy's. Heck, I'd go to Italy and have them tailor made to my particular, odd proportions.

So, how about we focus on the issues, mkay?

Mkay.

See... I wanna know what the stance is on the death penalty. And abortion. And God in public. And my right to not have to prove that I'm not a terrorist when I fly. The list can go on and on. When are our boys and girls coming home from Iraq where we should have never been in the first place? When are we going to nuke the crap out of bin Laden?

That's what makes the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates. Their stance on the issues. Not the price tag on the clothing or how many houses they happen to own. Let's focus on what really matters.