Ogre’s Not Here

Okay, this temporary home was quite nice, I must say. But I’m done with it.

The new, permanent (as permanent as you can get with the Internet) is now easy to remember:

WWW.OGRESVIEW.COM

So come on over and say hello! Oh, and the theme I selected first is sort of dark. That’s the right place. It’s dark, but it’s awful clean…

Friday Feast #171

Yes, it’s time once again for the Friday Feast. This is where you get to learn a little more about your host, Ogre, via weird and random questions from the Friday Feast blog. So, without further delay, here it is:

Appetizer: What was the last game you purchased?

Hmmm… Well, since the question didn’t specify, I guess I have to consider any game purchased. I suppose the last one that I bought was, well… know what? I can’t really remember. I guess it would have been last year, before Christmas. I don’t think I’ve bought any this year. Maybe it was a Settlers of Catan expansion pack. That’s a fun game. You need more than two people, but when you get 4-6, it’s really a blast.

Soup: Name something in which you don’t believe.

Now I really try and keep politics out of the Friday afternoons. This is a time for fun. But I have to admit, my first thought when reading this question was political. My first thought was that I don’t believe Democrats have good intentions. But in keeping with the spirit of leaving politics out of the Friday afternoons, I won’t answer that way. Instead, I’ll go with the deep, philosophical thoughts: I don’t believe that man is good.

Salad: If you could choose a celebrity to be your boss, who would you pick?

Why would I want to torture myself? Most celebrities are good at one thing: being a celebrity. I can’t imagine how screwed up things would be if most of those media whores were actually in charge of, well, anything. I guess I’d have to pick some comedian — that way at least while things were really messed up, we’d all be laughing all the time.

Main Course: What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?

That “easy” payments aren’t really all that easy.

Dessert: Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.

Anywhere without any whiners. Really.

So there you have it! Feel free to join in on your own blog, or even right here in the comments! Oh, and if you’re in a reading mood, here’s a few others who have joined in this week:
Mel
Happy Wanderer
Kara
Lady Jane
Mitchypoo
Laane
Hootin’ Anni

Versus Terrorists

So, who is the best current presidential candidate in terms of stopping terrorism and terrorists? I know Rudy is often named as being supported because of his “experience” in dealing with them for some reason. I know some people who support Rudy simply because of his leadership as related to this issue. But who is really the best for you, if your issue is stopping terrorists and stopping terrorism against the United States?

Do you know what the Number 1 tool is that terrorists use to recruit more terrorists? Surprisingly enough, it’s not just religion. That only goes so far. Instead, there is one tool that terrorists use far more than any other. And there’s just one presidential candidate that actually is working to completely REMOVE that tool from the terrorists’ arsenal of recruiting tools. So what do you think? Can you support a candidate for president that will do the most possible effect thing to reduce terrorism against the US?

That number 1 tool of terrorists is foreign occupation (according to CIA analysts). And the candidate that wants to remove that tool is Ron Paul. Seriously, he will reduce terrorism more than any other candidate. Go here and read more details about this situation. And keep in mind — Ron Paul has more donations from active duty military members than any other candidate.

Mall Shooter: Why?

So that’s the big question on everyone’s mind. After the news headlines flashed about the number dead, all the top headlines are all asking, “Why?” There’s discussion about all sorts of reasons. I humbly submit that the answer is really very, very simple. First, a word about the weapon of choice.

“Assault” Weapons

This really is beating a dead horse, but the media continues to mis-use words, so I feel the need to point out their bias. If you blame the weapon, you’re either ignorant or intentionally misleading. The left and the media here continue to show their bias, no, their hatred for guns. They honestly desire for no individual to ever own a firearm. They hate them. I think that it’s for one of two reasons — either they believe in a fantasy world where if private citizens didn’t own firearms that no one would ever die; or they believe that only government should have absolute power over people. Either way, it’s intentional.

There’s no such thing as an “assault” weapon. It’s not possible. The word “assault” is a verb. If the gun used in this attack were actually an “assault” weapon, then the guy who was involved in the shooting is a hero — because he must have been trying to STOP this evil weapon from assaulting more people. And to illustrate the bias, if the press were consistent, then anything that causes death would be referred to as an “assault” weapon. But how often do you read about “assault knives?” The media should be reporting about the “assault” wave that killed that surfer. There should be reports about the “assault” concrete that fell on those folks. But no, “assault” is reserved for things that the media hates — guns.

So don’t blame the gun, that’s stupid. Don’t blame “access” to guns — it’s harder now than ever in history to get a gun. Don’t blame the number of guns — there’s FEWER guns in public than ever before. I think it’s much more simple than that, and it has nothing to do with guns at all.

Today’s Society

So where are we today? What is it like growing up in America today? First, the government is involved in absolutely everything. And I mean that literally. There is absolutely nothing you can do today without asking government permission or paying government. Go ahead and try and think of something — I bet you can’t. So government is involved in literally every facet of life. Therefore, as children grow up today, most are heavily influenced by that very government. It was not always this way. Just 40 or 50 years ago, this was not the case.

So what does government and the public education system do today? Well, their main focus is “Accepting.” Everyone is taught and told to accept everything else. In fact, if you think that 2+2 = 5, you’re not wrong. You’re just thinking differently. You’re not ridiculed. You’re not even to be told that you’re wrong — that might damage your self-esteem. And you might be offended. In fact, you’re supposed to be offended. You’re supposed to be offended any time you disagree with anything (unless you’re a white, Christian, male, of course). But at the same time, you’re taught to have “tolerance” for any and all ideas that are not traditional or Christian.

That’s quite different than things used to be. You see, 50 or 60 years ago, government was not in everything. People were allowed to have points of view and were not sued or arrested for having those points of view. And, as a matter of fact, the vast majority of Americans were in agreement about basic ideas — and those were Christian ideas, whether you like it or not. Children were taught those ideas by their parents and other adults — and government was not used as a hammer to force them NOT to believe those ideas. I’m not saying that government was used to promote religion, just that government wasn’t used in opposition to religion as it is today.

Guns were more common and no one really cared if you were “offended.” But at the same time, Christian values were not “offensive” to government and the public. They were accepted as good. People actually believed that there was a power higher than government. Today that is not the case. Today, in America, government is the highest power that exists. Don’t believe me? Talk to any government employee (and there’s lots to choose from, unfortunately).

How many times do you hear, “I’m just doing my job?” In ancient days (50 years ago), there was right and wrong. People understood and accepted that there was an absolute truth — and it had nothing to do with government. But today, with a pervasive government, that’s no longer the case. Ask any government employee, and they will tell you why they do things: “Because it’s my job.” If you ask further, you might even hear, “I could get fired if I don’t do that.” There is no judgment. There is no consideration whether they should be doing anything — they’re told to do it, so they do it. They obey government, the highest power on the planet. They do only what government tells them to, no matter what.

So, why?

So how does that relate to this shooting? I submit that perhaps the reason this person shot those people is very simple. Perhaps he had never been told not to. Seriously. In today’s society, with government as the highest power, people are conditioned to do what they’re told. They’re taught to not do anything else. They’re taught not to think and judge, but to obey. And in the education system, children are taught to be accepting of anything — especially anything that’s “different” or “non-traditional.” And if you tell someone they’re wrong, that’s bad.

So I would seriously suggest that in today’s society, children are not taught that there’s right and wrong. No one told this kid that it would be wrong to kill other people. He did it because he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. He believed that he wouldn’t have to answer to anyone for his actions — he never had to before in his life. Or if he believed that it was wrong, all that would happen if he got caught is that he might go to jail for a little while. That’s it. Of course, in reality, he’s burning in hell right now. But you can’t tell people that, because they might be offended.

Martin Lancaster Spits on the Law

So who is Martin Lancaster? He’s the about-to-retire president of the North Carolina state community college system (a highly paid bureaucrat government employee). And he openly supports lawbreaking and directs his employees to ignore the laws that he doesn’t happen to like. Did I mention he’s a government employee?

At issue is the recent change by the North Carolina bureaucracy that has decided that they want to give taxpayer cash to active criminals — illegal aliens. Fred Smith, Republican candidate for governor, has asked the state attorney general to investigate whether the community college system is breaking the law. I’m not really sure why they need an investigation — Mr. Lancaster openly admits he’s breaking the law and he doesn’t care.

I’d like to see a few more INS agents hanging around the community colleges at registration time. It’s completely and totally wrong to give taxpayer money to illegal immigrants, period. Their “contribution” to society does not matter at all. They’re openly breaking the law and getting rewarded for it with cash that American citizens earn. That’s plain wrong. And Mr. Lancaster should be arrested for aiding and abetting criminal activity — but since he’s part of the government and the education system, he’s quite literally above the law.

Hot Blog Sauce

Hey, still looking for that Christmas gift for that someone who has everything (that or someone who you want to get something neat for)? I suggest Hot Blog Sauce. Yes, it’s real. And it’s darn good.

Now this likely won’t be the hottest hot sauce you’ve ever had. If you’re looking for one that burns your insides good, they do have other stuff. But this one is hot and has taste. It’s an ugly green color and moderately thick (not water-like). It’s definitely hot, but it’s also got a bit of lime and something else flavor. I love it and can’t get enough of it. Oh, and all proceeds from the profits of this item go to the American Cancer Society, too!

If you like hot sauce and blogging, this one is for you! (Disclaimer: Ogre gets no profit or payment of any kind from these people, he just likes their hot sauce)

Professional Whiner: Samari Rolle

Want to know why so few players in the NFL actually get any real respect from people? It’s not because they’re making so much money. It’s not jealousy that they can play a game well. It’s not that they’re physically bigger than most and athletic. It’s because the majority of them are immature, spoiled children — like Samari Rolle.

Samari Rolle is filing an “official complaint” against a referee that is alleged to have called him a “boy.” Now I realize that when you’re 14 or 15, being called a “boy” is a pretty serious insult. When you’re 14 or 15. Samari Rolle is 31 years old. Yes, thirty-one. And he is making an “official complaint” (maybe with a lawsuit later on) about being called a “boy.” Oh, and what’s not mentioned so much is that before the referee said anything, Samari Rolle told the referee, a 53-year old, “You’ve never played football before.” Oh, and the referee? He played in the NFL for 7 years.

In other words, Rolle is saying, “I’m allowed to insult the officials of the game with childish taunts, but if they respond to my infantile name-calling, I’m going to tell my mommy.”

Hey Samari, why don’t you grow up — you’re giving all NFL players a bad reputation.

Bush: No Economic Freedom For You!

Once again, government rises up to “fix” a problem they created and in the process directly take massive amounts of freedom from people. The Bush Administration has said that they, personally, do not like a number of financial agreements that are legal, binding, and voluntarily made by people. So they’re simply deciding by government fiat that you’re simply not permitted to have such agreements, and those people who have made agreements in the past, well, the Bush Administration will decide which ones are best for you and which are suddenly no longer allowed.

Now I’m sure many of you bleeding hearts (Liberal and Republican) are thinking that it’s “good” that Bush is crushing freedom by freezing interest rates. I’m sure many think it’s “good for the country” and the economy. Know what? It absolutely stinks for freedom.

How would you feel if I agreed to pay you $500 a month to rent your car from you for the next 10 years. We both agreed, thought the terms were good, and you might even have spent some of the money I’d given you. You might even have bought a car yourself, depending on my giving you your monthly payment. Then, just imagine the government shows up and tells you, “Gee, we don’t like this agreement. We think Ogre should only give you $175 a month because that would be good.” And you’re just out of luck.

It’s wrong, plain and simple. But hey, government’s doing it, so the odds of it being right are pretty low to begin with. This is what you get when you have government managing money with the private Federal Reserve System where the money isn’t backed by anything at all. Problems like this don’t happen when you back your money with something of value — like gold.

NC Bribes More Teachers

Well, that’s not exactly the headline to this article, but it should be. Or maybe a better title would be “More North Carolina Teachers Accept Bribes.” How about “North Carolina Leads the Nation in Bribed Teachers?” Well, they’re all more accurate and truthful than the actual headline about “Teacher Certification.”

The certification they list is nothing more than government bribing government employees to get other government agencies to give them a piece of paper so the education system can put out news releases (and so the education system has more cash). Seriously. The teachers get massive piles of pay (what would you do for a 12% raise for 10 years, no matter your performance?) and benefits for getting this “national certification.” I’m not saying it’s difficult, just that the only purpose is to, once again, expand the government education system.

Keep in mind — the government-run public education system is NOT about education or children. It has nothing to do with children. It is about getting, using, and spending government cash and absolutely nothing else.

Ireland’s Beer

Archaeologists have discovered over 5,000 mysterious mounds throughout Ireland, dating from 1500 to 500 B.C. For years people have been trying to figure out what they were used for. One guy thinks he’s figure it out (and even tested his theory): they were for making ale! Imagine that! 5,000 individual breweries across Ireland. And people wonder why so many drink on Saint Patrick’s Day. Now I wonder if they’ll completely publish their “research” including diagrams and an instruction manual for replicating the “experiment” (even if such a thing would probably be illegal in most US States).