First and foremost, if you are offended easily, just know that I don't give a fuck.
Now, that I got that out of the way...
Modern society always looks at problems from the wrong perspective. I try to envision the world before man screwed it up with his technology, try to ponder on how man interacted with one another, try to see how social constructs would be different, and try to contemplate a world without written laws.
That is a very dangerous rabbit hole to travel within and I do not recommend it for the weak or timid. However, for those brave souls willing to venture outside their comfort zones, come on this journey to a very uncomfortable place...
... The setting is year 2 of man's existence. I don't care if you think we morphed from tadpoles or were glued together from dirt, today it's a moot point. Focus, is on man is alive and there are no written laws.
Man sees woman. Man is naked. Woman is naked. Man gets erection. Woman gets wet. Man and woman have sex. Fast-foward 200 years so we don't have to make this too awkward. World has several different families of mans and womans (Did that intentionally). Man2 from family 1 sees Woman2 from family B. Man2 is minimally "covered." Woman2 is minimally "covered." (J.Crew didn't existed so I'm not gonna say "clothed"). Man2 gets erection. Woman2 gets wet. Man2 and woman2 have sex.
Now, it both scenarios, because I put man/ woman and am speaking about the topic of sexual relations you are more than likely thinking about adults of consenting age. Though, the idea of "consent" and "adulthood" are both terms that find their origins within the realm of organized social structures and mainly those with written laws.
So, I'm going to be more specific, just to tamper with your mind. Man2 has experienced 12 winters and woman 2 has experienced 13 winters. By our calculations that would make them 12 years old and 13 y/o, respectfully.
Man2 and woman2 have sex again the next day- because they like it. Woman2 gets pregnant. They don't know that, because there's no ept first response. The next day, again, they have sex, because their world has no jobs; and they really enjoy it. Since they really enjoy sex with each other and know what each other like, they typically only have sex with each other. Plus, they like each others' smells and looks.
Fast-forward a year.
Man2 and woman2 now have their own little family with baby.
How long do you think baby will live with mommy and daddy? Until he's 18y/o? Younger?
Whatever you thought, you're wrong. He's not going anywhere. They're a family. We are community/ social creatures. They would kill him or cast him out of the community if he was a problem to the group, but other than that, he is with the family for life.
But the biggest focus is the age at when people are ready for sexual relations. The human body is able to handle the responsibility of procreation about the age of 11 for male and female. And in a world were there are no written laws, social taboos, or communal stigmas surrounding the concept of 11 year olds engaging in coitus, then that is exactly what they will do if the time and opportunity presents itself.
I could go on and cite multiple benefits that would present to a society but that would REALLY chafe your anus, so I will stop there and ask the question; "What real reason is there that the age of consent is 18?"
Disclaimer: I lost my virginity at 17 to a 22y/o. I'm not into 11y/o. Honestly, the only people that are probably into any 11 year old is another 11 year old. So don't think this is me trying to rationalize some pedo fantasy. (I know that's the first argument I'm going to get from the first pissed off dad, without a brain to defend our stupid laws).
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Why I Won't Start a Church...
When people hear my theology, my deep convictions on the truth as the bible says and my dogmatic stance on Scripture's inability to morph into what people "want" it to say, the first thing out of their mouth is generally something along the lines of, "Why don't you start your own church and preach what you want?"
Recently, after my grandfather's funeral, I was asked this by my family as well. At the funeral, I got up and said a few words to my family, some things that I had been meditating on since I found out about my grandfather's death the week before. I had said more in the short (3-4 min) moment than the "pastor" that did the 20-30min eulogy. My family couldn't remember what his sermon was about, what the point was and if it was ever made. Yet they all came up to me (those who are clearly not saved and "unchurched" to those that who hold doctorates in theology) saying that what I said was "beautiful," "a blessing," "made [them] proud," or "really spoke to [them]," just to name a few of the comment made. What I said was only the truth, I was not seeking approval, but trying to lighten the hearts of those hurting. (I was also prepared for the "pastor" to get up there and say absolutely nothing for 30min- he seriously could repeat [verbatim] Jesus' sermon on the Mount and make it ineffective- so I wanted the family to leave with SOMETHING to hold on to).
So the next day, the entire family was gathered at one of my uncle's house and I was pulled aside by a different uncle. It started off as just a conversation between him and I, with my grandmother sitting and listening but before long there were 7 people sitting there telling me what God had called me to do. I told them my concerns with "churches" and then they asked the ever repetitive question, "Why not start your own and preach what you know is right?"
Allow me to answer this question so I will never have to hear it again... or at least not from the same people....
The simple answer to the question is this- It cost too much and I can NOT afford the price of starting my own church. [Let's insert some dead space so you can ponder that......................................................................................................................................................................................................] I can hear it now, "You lack faith if you think that God cannot provide money to start a church." Hahaha... Silly American's thinking that everything can be bought with your cotton paper. The price I am talking about is far greater than that of a monetary value.
Let's examine the last successful church. Nope, not T.D. Jakes, not Joel Osteen, not Billy Graham, but Jesus the Christ. Yes. That was the last successful Church. The Church is His body and He is the head. There can only be one Church, only different gatherings (because of location not doctrine). Jesus paid for His Church with a perfect life, a brutal death, and experiencing the wrath for the sins of all those whom God the Father has called to be His own. Jesus' Church is spotless, blameless and without fault. Jesus' Church is not capitalist but socialist (look at Acts). Jesus' Church is not about recruiting people for the sake of getting numbers but instead about preaching the gospel for sending out a general call to look for the lost sheep. Then teaching those sheep that do come in. Jesus' Church is not about watering down the gospel to make it appealing to others. Jesus' Church is the only Church that is valid.
What about YOUR church?! Am I saying that your church is a false church and not of God? Yup. Intentionally, more than likely, no. There are very few people that endeavor to embark on a path of righteousness for selfish reasons. However, when you say that God is telling you to start a church, I find that extremely hard to believe. God started His own Church through His Son, whom He sent for that very purpose. Why would God tell you to do something that is direct contradiction with His written word and have you do something different than a different church who is saying to serve the same God? Does God really need to change His message, His appeal, His ways to make it more enticing to man? That sounds like selling the gospel with gimmicks and not preaching the truth. You show me WITH SCRIPTURE where God has a history of allowing the slight perversion of His truth just to entice men to believe in Him.
I am not CAPABLE of starting a Church. I currently hold many sins to my name and I am banking on the promise of Abraham to get me out of the "spiritual debt" that I accrued through the years. There is no way that I can afford for others to be my body when I am not a head to begin with.
I am prepared for this to be argued, for me to lose "friends" (both real and fb friends), for me to be ostracized and even hated. That is fine. It is the burden that comes with speaking the truth. I only ask that you sit back and think about what I said and try to argue it apart from your feelings and use only Scripture. If you can use Scripture only (in context), then you know that what you are saying is true.
Recently, after my grandfather's funeral, I was asked this by my family as well. At the funeral, I got up and said a few words to my family, some things that I had been meditating on since I found out about my grandfather's death the week before. I had said more in the short (3-4 min) moment than the "pastor" that did the 20-30min eulogy. My family couldn't remember what his sermon was about, what the point was and if it was ever made. Yet they all came up to me (those who are clearly not saved and "unchurched" to those that who hold doctorates in theology) saying that what I said was "beautiful," "a blessing," "made [them] proud," or "really spoke to [them]," just to name a few of the comment made. What I said was only the truth, I was not seeking approval, but trying to lighten the hearts of those hurting. (I was also prepared for the "pastor" to get up there and say absolutely nothing for 30min- he seriously could repeat [verbatim] Jesus' sermon on the Mount and make it ineffective- so I wanted the family to leave with SOMETHING to hold on to).
So the next day, the entire family was gathered at one of my uncle's house and I was pulled aside by a different uncle. It started off as just a conversation between him and I, with my grandmother sitting and listening but before long there were 7 people sitting there telling me what God had called me to do. I told them my concerns with "churches" and then they asked the ever repetitive question, "Why not start your own and preach what you know is right?"
Allow me to answer this question so I will never have to hear it again... or at least not from the same people....
The simple answer to the question is this- It cost too much and I can NOT afford the price of starting my own church. [Let's insert some dead space so you can ponder that......................................................................................................................................................................................................] I can hear it now, "You lack faith if you think that God cannot provide money to start a church." Hahaha... Silly American's thinking that everything can be bought with your cotton paper. The price I am talking about is far greater than that of a monetary value.
Let's examine the last successful church. Nope, not T.D. Jakes, not Joel Osteen, not Billy Graham, but Jesus the Christ. Yes. That was the last successful Church. The Church is His body and He is the head. There can only be one Church, only different gatherings (because of location not doctrine). Jesus paid for His Church with a perfect life, a brutal death, and experiencing the wrath for the sins of all those whom God the Father has called to be His own. Jesus' Church is spotless, blameless and without fault. Jesus' Church is not capitalist but socialist (look at Acts). Jesus' Church is not about recruiting people for the sake of getting numbers but instead about preaching the gospel for sending out a general call to look for the lost sheep. Then teaching those sheep that do come in. Jesus' Church is not about watering down the gospel to make it appealing to others. Jesus' Church is the only Church that is valid.
What about YOUR church?! Am I saying that your church is a false church and not of God? Yup. Intentionally, more than likely, no. There are very few people that endeavor to embark on a path of righteousness for selfish reasons. However, when you say that God is telling you to start a church, I find that extremely hard to believe. God started His own Church through His Son, whom He sent for that very purpose. Why would God tell you to do something that is direct contradiction with His written word and have you do something different than a different church who is saying to serve the same God? Does God really need to change His message, His appeal, His ways to make it more enticing to man? That sounds like selling the gospel with gimmicks and not preaching the truth. You show me WITH SCRIPTURE where God has a history of allowing the slight perversion of His truth just to entice men to believe in Him.
I am not CAPABLE of starting a Church. I currently hold many sins to my name and I am banking on the promise of Abraham to get me out of the "spiritual debt" that I accrued through the years. There is no way that I can afford for others to be my body when I am not a head to begin with.
I am prepared for this to be argued, for me to lose "friends" (both real and fb friends), for me to be ostracized and even hated. That is fine. It is the burden that comes with speaking the truth. I only ask that you sit back and think about what I said and try to argue it apart from your feelings and use only Scripture. If you can use Scripture only (in context), then you know that what you are saying is true.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Father's Day...
Today being Father's Day, I have seen many people on TV, heard many things over the radio and read many different post and articles over the web that indicates that we are living in a time where it is not common for a father to willingly father their child. So as many of outlets have concluded, those that fall short are not really fathers. Yes, it takes more than the ability to procreate to be a father. One guy posted on his FB status that "Father is a verb"- meaning you must be willing to BE a father and act out the role of a father. With all this I must say that I am very fortunate that I have a dad who was always willing to be a father. Even though I am only 23, I cannot recall a time in which my dad wasn't willing to father us. My sister and I were constantly loved and taught by both parents.
When we were young my parents considered themselves to be "poor" but my sister and I would have never known it. They didn't deny us much and were constantly active in our childhood. A common story of mine; when I was about 3 or 4 my dad would take us camping on Fridays or sometime during the weekend. We would roast marshmallows in the crackling fire, eat fresh berries and listen to him tell stories. We had old fashion fun. It wasn't until I got older (around middle school) that I realized that we didn't go camping at all, we were just in the living room in front of the fireplace with blankets to sleep in. At the time we loved it, we didn't know the difference and my dad was there spending quality time with us, that 20 years later, I still vividly remember. As a family we would go down to the park and play on the play scape, he would chase us, play tag, push us on the swing and in the summer months go swimming with us. On a side note my dad has probably taught more kids to swim than Micheal Phelps. Our early childhood was filled with memories of my dad actively participating in our upbringing. I've seen toddlers that do not really care
for their father. I am foreign to that, my dad was my hero and I recall crying myself to sleep when he worked nights or overtime and wasn't home before we had to go to bed. The only thing that made me feel somewhat better was going in his drawer and taking his shirt and sleeping with it to have his smell. Then he would come in and give us a kiss when he got home.
If you ever met my dad, or been in his room in their house, you know that my dad is no dummy, he didn't raise any either. My parents, including my dad if not mainly my dad, spent a good deal of time trying to educate us. When we lived in our first house we had the entire alphabet on wall paper trimming the room. He would read to us at night, taught us how to spell our name, our phone number and our address before we went to kindergarten. My dad was intent on us knowing the upcoming years material before going to school. When we watched television it wasn't Spongebob Squarepants, it was Bill Nye the Science Guy, Reading Rainbow, Magic School Bus, Scooby Doo, etc. Yes, there were some Tom and Jerry, Looney Toons, etc. however, those shows were not as mindless as a sponge living in the ocean and they were supplemented by educational programs. We had science labs, toys we had to build, magic sets, computer games that taught us logic, math and science; Gizmos and Gadgets. It wasn't all fun and games, but he would make learning enjoyable. Sometimes we would be privy to his schemes of trying to educate us and we would refuse, my dad would wise us and go a different route (especially for me), he would see how fast he could do it, then I would be begging to race him to beat him.
My dad would also teach us physical activities, not only swimming but also riding a bicycle, fishing, roller skate. etc.. As we got older and into sports, my dad who only played baseball, karate and some boxing while in the Air Force, would teach us the game or sport we were trying to learn. We played basketball, volleyball, cross country, and track and field. My dad would become trainer, coach, fan, and cheerleader. He was there at every game, and a camera that was sure to record the ceiling and/ or the floor more than the actual game.
When it came to school in his participation with school activities, if we asked he was there; from field trips to career days to anything we had planned. I had to interview someone for a project and do a presentation of the interview and what they do for a living. I used my dad, since we would go up to his job on the weekends and play at the warehouse while he worked. He walked me through that process to many times, that I cannot even recall. I not only interviewed him, but he came and brought a touchscreen that he built at his job. It was 1995-96 and touchscreens were sci-fi in this time period. He was not just the only interviewee that came but he was the coolest one. My dad's father died when he was 14 or 16 years old from a heart attack. Once I learned told me that it can be heredity I feared that my dad might die while I was young, so every time he came up to the school (and I wasn't in trouble) I would give him a kiss when he left. Regardless of who was around, I had my dad and he was a good one so I had no problem giving him a kiss on the cheek to show my appreciation of him.
Now that we are adults, my dad is still there for us whenever we need him. He has bailed us out of situations, he has come to the hospital for us, taken us to the hospital, spent countless of dollars on us, taught me how to drive a stick, help me buy my 1st car and is always trying to educate us. Though we are no longer minors my dad realizes that being a Father is not a part-time gig nor something that lasts for
18 years. It is an all-time position and a lifetime appointment. To that I thank him.
I see in movies and every now and again I will hear people say that they do not want to be like their father, I am not only like my father but embrace it. I have a heart for kids, but I will not be ran by a child. I have a passion to learn even if it doesn't count for college credits. I am a one woman man. I am willing to help those around me and do for them what I can. I am a critical thinker and a problem solver. I pray that my kids would appreciate me as much as I appreciate my father.
I am in no way saying that my dad did it by himself or that he was perfect, but he did his best and I would be a fool to wish I wasn't like him. My dad is a great example of a father and how a dad should father their children. Happy Father's Day, Howard M. Little, Sr!!
When we were young my parents considered themselves to be "poor" but my sister and I would have never known it. They didn't deny us much and were constantly active in our childhood. A common story of mine; when I was about 3 or 4 my dad would take us camping on Fridays or sometime during the weekend. We would roast marshmallows in the crackling fire, eat fresh berries and listen to him tell stories. We had old fashion fun. It wasn't until I got older (around middle school) that I realized that we didn't go camping at all, we were just in the living room in front of the fireplace with blankets to sleep in. At the time we loved it, we didn't know the difference and my dad was there spending quality time with us, that 20 years later, I still vividly remember. As a family we would go down to the park and play on the play scape, he would chase us, play tag, push us on the swing and in the summer months go swimming with us. On a side note my dad has probably taught more kids to swim than Micheal Phelps. Our early childhood was filled with memories of my dad actively participating in our upbringing. I've seen toddlers that do not really care
for their father. I am foreign to that, my dad was my hero and I recall crying myself to sleep when he worked nights or overtime and wasn't home before we had to go to bed. The only thing that made me feel somewhat better was going in his drawer and taking his shirt and sleeping with it to have his smell. Then he would come in and give us a kiss when he got home.
If you ever met my dad, or been in his room in their house, you know that my dad is no dummy, he didn't raise any either. My parents, including my dad if not mainly my dad, spent a good deal of time trying to educate us. When we lived in our first house we had the entire alphabet on wall paper trimming the room. He would read to us at night, taught us how to spell our name, our phone number and our address before we went to kindergarten. My dad was intent on us knowing the upcoming years material before going to school. When we watched television it wasn't Spongebob Squarepants, it was Bill Nye the Science Guy, Reading Rainbow, Magic School Bus, Scooby Doo, etc. Yes, there were some Tom and Jerry, Looney Toons, etc. however, those shows were not as mindless as a sponge living in the ocean and they were supplemented by educational programs. We had science labs, toys we had to build, magic sets, computer games that taught us logic, math and science; Gizmos and Gadgets. It wasn't all fun and games, but he would make learning enjoyable. Sometimes we would be privy to his schemes of trying to educate us and we would refuse, my dad would wise us and go a different route (especially for me), he would see how fast he could do it, then I would be begging to race him to beat him.
My dad would also teach us physical activities, not only swimming but also riding a bicycle, fishing, roller skate. etc.. As we got older and into sports, my dad who only played baseball, karate and some boxing while in the Air Force, would teach us the game or sport we were trying to learn. We played basketball, volleyball, cross country, and track and field. My dad would become trainer, coach, fan, and cheerleader. He was there at every game, and a camera that was sure to record the ceiling and/ or the floor more than the actual game.
When it came to school in his participation with school activities, if we asked he was there; from field trips to career days to anything we had planned. I had to interview someone for a project and do a presentation of the interview and what they do for a living. I used my dad, since we would go up to his job on the weekends and play at the warehouse while he worked. He walked me through that process to many times, that I cannot even recall. I not only interviewed him, but he came and brought a touchscreen that he built at his job. It was 1995-96 and touchscreens were sci-fi in this time period. He was not just the only interviewee that came but he was the coolest one. My dad's father died when he was 14 or 16 years old from a heart attack. Once I learned told me that it can be heredity I feared that my dad might die while I was young, so every time he came up to the school (and I wasn't in trouble) I would give him a kiss when he left. Regardless of who was around, I had my dad and he was a good one so I had no problem giving him a kiss on the cheek to show my appreciation of him.
Now that we are adults, my dad is still there for us whenever we need him. He has bailed us out of situations, he has come to the hospital for us, taken us to the hospital, spent countless of dollars on us, taught me how to drive a stick, help me buy my 1st car and is always trying to educate us. Though we are no longer minors my dad realizes that being a Father is not a part-time gig nor something that lasts for
18 years. It is an all-time position and a lifetime appointment. To that I thank him.
I see in movies and every now and again I will hear people say that they do not want to be like their father, I am not only like my father but embrace it. I have a heart for kids, but I will not be ran by a child. I have a passion to learn even if it doesn't count for college credits. I am a one woman man. I am willing to help those around me and do for them what I can. I am a critical thinker and a problem solver. I pray that my kids would appreciate me as much as I appreciate my father.
I am in no way saying that my dad did it by himself or that he was perfect, but he did his best and I would be a fool to wish I wasn't like him. My dad is a great example of a father and how a dad should father their children. Happy Father's Day, Howard M. Little, Sr!!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, “Why did this have to happen?” The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn’t enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Needless to say, this rant could fill volumes with example after example if I would let it. I find the process of writing it frustrating, tedious, and probably pointless… especially given my gross inability to gracefully articulate my thoughts in light of the storm raging in my head. Exactly what is therapeutic about that I’m not sure, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
We are all taught as children that without laws there would be no society, only anarchy. Sadly, starting at early ages we in this country have been brainwashed to believe that, in return for our dedication and service, our government stands for justice for all. We are further brainwashed to believe that there is freedom in this place, and that we should be ready to lay our lives down for the noble principals represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was “no taxation without representation”. I have spent the total years of my adulthood unlearning that crap from only a few years of my childhood. These days anyone who really stands up for that principal is promptly labeled a “crackpot”, traitor and worse.
While very few working people would say they haven’t had their fair share of taxes (as can I), in my lifetime I can say with a great degree of certainty that there has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that matter, are they the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say.
Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it’s time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours? Yet at the same time, the joke we call the American medical system, including the drug and insurance companies, are murdering tens of thousands of people a year and stealing from the corpses and victims they cripple, and this country’s leaders don’t see this as important as bailing out a few of their vile, rich cronies. Yet, the political “representatives” (thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags is far more accurate) have endless time to sit around for year after year and debate the state of the “terrible health care problem”. It’s clear they see no crisis as long as the dead people don’t get in the way of their corporate profits rolling in.
And justice? You’ve got to be kidding!
How can any rational individual explain that white elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and, indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand. Yet, it mercilessly “holds accountable” its victims, claiming that they’re responsible for fully complying with laws not even the experts understand. The law “requires” a signature on the bottom of a tax filing; yet no one can say truthfully that they understand what they are signing; if that’s not “duress” than what is. If this is not the measure of a totalitarian regime, nothing is.
How did I get here?
My introduction to the real American nightmare starts back in the early ‘80s. Unfortunately after more than 16 years of school, somewhere along the line I picked up the absurd, pompous notion that I could read and understand plain English. Some friends introduced me to a group of people who were having ‘tax code’ readings and discussions. In particular, zeroed in on a section relating to the wonderful “exemptions” that make institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so incredibly wealthy. We carefully studied the law (with the help of some of the “best”, high-paid, experienced tax lawyers in the business), and then began to do exactly what the “big boys” were doing (except that we weren’t steeling from our congregation or lying to the government about our massive profits in the name of God). We took a great deal of care to make it all visible, following all of the rules, exactly the way the law said it was to be done.
The intent of this exercise and our efforts was to bring about a much-needed re-evaluation of the laws that allow the monsters of organized religion to make such a mockery of people who earn an honest living. However, this is where I learned that there are two “interpretations” for every law; one for the very rich, and one for the rest of us… Oh, and the monsters are the very ones making and enforcing the laws; the inquisition is still alive and well today in this country.
That little lesson in patriotism cost me $40,000+, 10 years of my life, and set my retirement plans back to 0. It made me realize for the first time that I live in a country with an ideology that is based on a total and complete lie. It also made me realize, not only how naive I had been, but also the incredible stupidity of the American public; that they buy, hook, line, and sinker, the crap about their “freedom”… and that they continue to do so with eyes closed in the face of overwhelming evidence and all that keeps happening in front of them.
Before even having to make a shaky recovery from the sting of the first lesson on what justice really means in this country (around 1984 after making my way through engineering school and still another five years of “paying my dues”), I felt I finally had to take a chance of launching my dream of becoming an independent engineer.
On the subjects of engineers and dreams of independence, I should digress somewhat to say that I’m sure that I inherited the fascination for creative problem solving from my father. I realized this at a very young age.
The significance of independence, however, came much later during my early years of college; at the age of 18 or 19 when I was living on my own as student in an apartment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My neighbor was an elderly retired woman (80+ seemed ancient to me at that age) who was the widowed wife of a retired steel worker. Her husband had worked all his life in the steel mills of central Pennsylvania with promises from big business and the union that, for his 30 years of service, he would have a pension and medical care to look forward to in his retirement. Instead he was one of the thousands who got nothing because the incompetent mill management and corrupt union (not to mention the government) raided their pension funds and stole their retirement. All she had was social security to live on.
In retrospect, the situation was laughable because here I was living on peanut butter and bread (or Ritz crackers when I could afford to splurge) for months at a time. When I got to know this poor figure and heard her story I felt worse for her plight than for my own (I, after all, I thought I had everything to in front of me). I was genuinely appalled at one point, as we exchanged stories and commiserated with each other over our situations, when she in her grandmotherly fashion tried to convince me that I would be “healthier” eating cat food (like her) rather than trying to get all my substance from peanut butter and bread. I couldn’t quite go there, but the impression was made. I decided that I didn’t trust big business to take care of me, and that I would take responsibility for my own future and myself.
Return to the early ‘80s, and here I was off to a terrifying start as a ‘wet-behind-the-ears’ contract software engineer... and two years later, thanks to the fine backroom, midnight effort by the sleazy executives of Arthur Andersen (the very same folks who later brought us Enron and other such calamities) and an equally sleazy New York Senator (Patrick Moynihan), we saw the passage of 1986 tax reform act with its section 1706.
For you who are unfamiliar, here is the core text of the IRS Section 1706, defining the treatment of workers (such as contract engineers) for tax purposes. Visit this link for a conference committee report (http://www.synergistech.com/1706.shtml#ConferenceCommitteeReport) regarding the intended interpretation of Section 1706 and the relevant parts of Section 530, as amended. For information on how these laws affect technical services workers and their clients, read our discussion here (http://www.synergistech.com/ic-taxlaw.shtml).
SEC. 1706. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN TECHNICAL PERSONNEL.
(a) IN GENERAL - Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:
(d) EXCEPTION. - This section shall not apply in the case of an individual who pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and another person, provides services for such other person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly skilled worker engaged in a similar line of work.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE. - The amendment made by this section shall apply to remuneration paid and services rendered after December 31, 1986.
Note:
· "another person" is the client in the traditional job-shop relationship.
· "taxpayer" is the recruiter, broker, agency, or job shop.
· "individual", "employee", or "worker" is you.
Admittedly, you need to read the treatment to understand what it is saying but it’s not very complicated. The bottom line is that they may as well have put my name right in the text of section (d). Moreover, they could only have been more blunt if they would have came out and directly declared me a criminal and non-citizen slave. Twenty years later, I still can’t believe my eyes.
During 1987, I spent close to $5000 of my ‘pocket change’, and at least 1000 hours of my time writing, printing, and mailing to any senator, congressman, governor, or slug that might listen; none did, and they universally treated me as if I was wasting their time. I spent countless hours on the L.A. freeways driving to meetings and any and all of the disorganized professional groups who were attempting to mount a campaign against this atrocity. This, only to discover that our efforts were being easily derailed by a few moles from the brokers who were just beginning to enjoy the windfall from the new declaration of their “freedom”. Oh, and don’t forget, for all of the time I was spending on this, I was loosing income that I couldn’t bill clients.
After months of struggling it had clearly gotten to be a futile exercise. The best we could get for all of our trouble is a pronouncement from an IRS mouthpiece that they weren’t going to enforce that provision (read harass engineers and scientists). This immediately proved to be a lie, and the mere existence of the regulation began to have its impact on my bottom line; this, of course, was the intended effect.
Again, rewind my retirement plans back to 0 and shift them into idle. If I had any sense, I clearly should have left abandoned engineering and never looked back.
Instead I got busy working 100-hour workweeks. Then came the L.A. depression of the early 1990s. Our leaders decided that they didn’t need the all of those extra Air Force bases they had in Southern California, so they were closed; just like that. The result was economic devastation in the region that rivaled the widely publicized Texas S&L fiasco. However, because the government caused it, no one gave a shit about all of the young families who lost their homes or street after street of boarded up houses abandoned to the wealthy loan companies who received government funds to “shore up” their windfall. Again, I lost my retirement.
Years later, after weathering a divorce and the constant struggle trying to build some momentum with my business, I find myself once again beginning to finally pick up some speed. Then came the .COM bust and the 911 nightmare. Our leaders decided that all aircraft were grounded for what seemed like an eternity; and long after that, ‘special’ facilities like San Francisco were on security alert for months. This made access to my customers prohibitively expensive. Ironically, after what they had done the Government came to the aid of the airlines with billions of our tax dollars … as usual they left me to rot and die while they bailed out their rich, incompetent cronies WITH MY MONEY! After these events, there went my business but not quite yet all of my retirement and savings.
By this time, I’m thinking that it might be good for a change. Bye to California, I’ll try Austin for a while. So I moved, only to find out that this is a place with a highly inflated sense of self-importance and where damn little real engineering work is done. I’ve never experienced such a hard time finding work. The rates are 1/3 of what I was earning before the crash, because pay rates here are fixed by the three or four large companies in the area who are in collusion to drive down prices and wages… and this happens because the justice department is all on the take and doesn’t give a fuck about serving anyone or anything but themselves and their rich buddies.
To survive, I was forced to cannibalize my savings and retirement, the last of which was a small IRA. This came in a year with mammoth expenses and not a single dollar of income. I filed no return that year thinking that because I didn’t have any income there was no need. The sleazy government decided that they disagreed. But they didn’t notify me in time for me to launch a legal objection so when I attempted to get a protest filed with the court I was told I was no longer entitled to due process because the time to file ran out. Bend over for another $10,000 helping of justice.
So now we come to the present. After my experience with the CPA world, following the business crash I swore that I’d never enter another accountant’s office again. But here I am with a new marriage and a boatload of undocumented income, not to mention an expensive new business asset, a piano, which I had no idea how to handle. After considerable thought I decided that it would be irresponsible NOT to get professional help; a very big mistake.
When we received the forms back I was very optimistic that they were in order. I had taken all of the years information to Bill Ross, and he came back with results very similar to what I was expecting. Except that he had neglected to include the contents of Sheryl’s unreported income; $12,700 worth of it. To make matters worse, Ross knew all along this was missing and I didn’t have a clue until he pointed it out in the middle of the audit. By that time it had become brutally evident that he was representing himself and not me.
This left me stuck in the middle of this disaster trying to defend transactions that have no relationship to anything tax-related (at least the tax-related transactions were poorly documented). Things I never knew anything about and things my wife had no clue would ever matter to anyone. The end result is… well, just look around.
I remember reading about the stock market crash before the “great” depression and how there were wealthy bankers and businessmen jumping out of windows when they realized they screwed up and lost everything. Isn’t it ironic how far we’ve come in 60 years in this country that they now know how to fix that little economic problem; they just steal from the middle class (who doesn’t have any say in it, elections are a joke) to cover their asses and it’s “business-as-usual”. Now when the wealthy fuck up, the poor get to die for the mistakes… isn’t that a clever, tidy solution.
As government agencies go, the FAA is often justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though they are hardly alone. The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes unless there is a body count (unless it is in the interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough). In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws.
I know I’m hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it isn’t limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won’t continue; I have just had enough.
I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less. I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer. The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along.
I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.
The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.
Joe Stack (1956-2010)
02/18/2010
We are all taught as children that without laws there would be no society, only anarchy. Sadly, starting at early ages we in this country have been brainwashed to believe that, in return for our dedication and service, our government stands for justice for all. We are further brainwashed to believe that there is freedom in this place, and that we should be ready to lay our lives down for the noble principals represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was “no taxation without representation”. I have spent the total years of my adulthood unlearning that crap from only a few years of my childhood. These days anyone who really stands up for that principal is promptly labeled a “crackpot”, traitor and worse.
While very few working people would say they haven’t had their fair share of taxes (as can I), in my lifetime I can say with a great degree of certainty that there has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that matter, are they the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say.
Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it’s time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours? Yet at the same time, the joke we call the American medical system, including the drug and insurance companies, are murdering tens of thousands of people a year and stealing from the corpses and victims they cripple, and this country’s leaders don’t see this as important as bailing out a few of their vile, rich cronies. Yet, the political “representatives” (thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags is far more accurate) have endless time to sit around for year after year and debate the state of the “terrible health care problem”. It’s clear they see no crisis as long as the dead people don’t get in the way of their corporate profits rolling in.
And justice? You’ve got to be kidding!
How can any rational individual explain that white elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and, indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand. Yet, it mercilessly “holds accountable” its victims, claiming that they’re responsible for fully complying with laws not even the experts understand. The law “requires” a signature on the bottom of a tax filing; yet no one can say truthfully that they understand what they are signing; if that’s not “duress” than what is. If this is not the measure of a totalitarian regime, nothing is.
How did I get here?
My introduction to the real American nightmare starts back in the early ‘80s. Unfortunately after more than 16 years of school, somewhere along the line I picked up the absurd, pompous notion that I could read and understand plain English. Some friends introduced me to a group of people who were having ‘tax code’ readings and discussions. In particular, zeroed in on a section relating to the wonderful “exemptions” that make institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so incredibly wealthy. We carefully studied the law (with the help of some of the “best”, high-paid, experienced tax lawyers in the business), and then began to do exactly what the “big boys” were doing (except that we weren’t steeling from our congregation or lying to the government about our massive profits in the name of God). We took a great deal of care to make it all visible, following all of the rules, exactly the way the law said it was to be done.
The intent of this exercise and our efforts was to bring about a much-needed re-evaluation of the laws that allow the monsters of organized religion to make such a mockery of people who earn an honest living. However, this is where I learned that there are two “interpretations” for every law; one for the very rich, and one for the rest of us… Oh, and the monsters are the very ones making and enforcing the laws; the inquisition is still alive and well today in this country.
That little lesson in patriotism cost me $40,000+, 10 years of my life, and set my retirement plans back to 0. It made me realize for the first time that I live in a country with an ideology that is based on a total and complete lie. It also made me realize, not only how naive I had been, but also the incredible stupidity of the American public; that they buy, hook, line, and sinker, the crap about their “freedom”… and that they continue to do so with eyes closed in the face of overwhelming evidence and all that keeps happening in front of them.
Before even having to make a shaky recovery from the sting of the first lesson on what justice really means in this country (around 1984 after making my way through engineering school and still another five years of “paying my dues”), I felt I finally had to take a chance of launching my dream of becoming an independent engineer.
On the subjects of engineers and dreams of independence, I should digress somewhat to say that I’m sure that I inherited the fascination for creative problem solving from my father. I realized this at a very young age.
The significance of independence, however, came much later during my early years of college; at the age of 18 or 19 when I was living on my own as student in an apartment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My neighbor was an elderly retired woman (80+ seemed ancient to me at that age) who was the widowed wife of a retired steel worker. Her husband had worked all his life in the steel mills of central Pennsylvania with promises from big business and the union that, for his 30 years of service, he would have a pension and medical care to look forward to in his retirement. Instead he was one of the thousands who got nothing because the incompetent mill management and corrupt union (not to mention the government) raided their pension funds and stole their retirement. All she had was social security to live on.
In retrospect, the situation was laughable because here I was living on peanut butter and bread (or Ritz crackers when I could afford to splurge) for months at a time. When I got to know this poor figure and heard her story I felt worse for her plight than for my own (I, after all, I thought I had everything to in front of me). I was genuinely appalled at one point, as we exchanged stories and commiserated with each other over our situations, when she in her grandmotherly fashion tried to convince me that I would be “healthier” eating cat food (like her) rather than trying to get all my substance from peanut butter and bread. I couldn’t quite go there, but the impression was made. I decided that I didn’t trust big business to take care of me, and that I would take responsibility for my own future and myself.
Return to the early ‘80s, and here I was off to a terrifying start as a ‘wet-behind-the-ears’ contract software engineer... and two years later, thanks to the fine backroom, midnight effort by the sleazy executives of Arthur Andersen (the very same folks who later brought us Enron and other such calamities) and an equally sleazy New York Senator (Patrick Moynihan), we saw the passage of 1986 tax reform act with its section 1706.
For you who are unfamiliar, here is the core text of the IRS Section 1706, defining the treatment of workers (such as contract engineers) for tax purposes. Visit this link for a conference committee report (http://www.synergistech.com/1706.shtml#ConferenceCommitteeReport) regarding the intended interpretation of Section 1706 and the relevant parts of Section 530, as amended. For information on how these laws affect technical services workers and their clients, read our discussion here (http://www.synergistech.com/ic-taxlaw.shtml).
SEC. 1706. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN TECHNICAL PERSONNEL.
(a) IN GENERAL - Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:
(d) EXCEPTION. - This section shall not apply in the case of an individual who pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and another person, provides services for such other person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly skilled worker engaged in a similar line of work.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE. - The amendment made by this section shall apply to remuneration paid and services rendered after December 31, 1986.
Note:
· "another person" is the client in the traditional job-shop relationship.
· "taxpayer" is the recruiter, broker, agency, or job shop.
· "individual", "employee", or "worker" is you.
Admittedly, you need to read the treatment to understand what it is saying but it’s not very complicated. The bottom line is that they may as well have put my name right in the text of section (d). Moreover, they could only have been more blunt if they would have came out and directly declared me a criminal and non-citizen slave. Twenty years later, I still can’t believe my eyes.
During 1987, I spent close to $5000 of my ‘pocket change’, and at least 1000 hours of my time writing, printing, and mailing to any senator, congressman, governor, or slug that might listen; none did, and they universally treated me as if I was wasting their time. I spent countless hours on the L.A. freeways driving to meetings and any and all of the disorganized professional groups who were attempting to mount a campaign against this atrocity. This, only to discover that our efforts were being easily derailed by a few moles from the brokers who were just beginning to enjoy the windfall from the new declaration of their “freedom”. Oh, and don’t forget, for all of the time I was spending on this, I was loosing income that I couldn’t bill clients.
After months of struggling it had clearly gotten to be a futile exercise. The best we could get for all of our trouble is a pronouncement from an IRS mouthpiece that they weren’t going to enforce that provision (read harass engineers and scientists). This immediately proved to be a lie, and the mere existence of the regulation began to have its impact on my bottom line; this, of course, was the intended effect.
Again, rewind my retirement plans back to 0 and shift them into idle. If I had any sense, I clearly should have left abandoned engineering and never looked back.
Instead I got busy working 100-hour workweeks. Then came the L.A. depression of the early 1990s. Our leaders decided that they didn’t need the all of those extra Air Force bases they had in Southern California, so they were closed; just like that. The result was economic devastation in the region that rivaled the widely publicized Texas S&L fiasco. However, because the government caused it, no one gave a shit about all of the young families who lost their homes or street after street of boarded up houses abandoned to the wealthy loan companies who received government funds to “shore up” their windfall. Again, I lost my retirement.
Years later, after weathering a divorce and the constant struggle trying to build some momentum with my business, I find myself once again beginning to finally pick up some speed. Then came the .COM bust and the 911 nightmare. Our leaders decided that all aircraft were grounded for what seemed like an eternity; and long after that, ‘special’ facilities like San Francisco were on security alert for months. This made access to my customers prohibitively expensive. Ironically, after what they had done the Government came to the aid of the airlines with billions of our tax dollars … as usual they left me to rot and die while they bailed out their rich, incompetent cronies WITH MY MONEY! After these events, there went my business but not quite yet all of my retirement and savings.
By this time, I’m thinking that it might be good for a change. Bye to California, I’ll try Austin for a while. So I moved, only to find out that this is a place with a highly inflated sense of self-importance and where damn little real engineering work is done. I’ve never experienced such a hard time finding work. The rates are 1/3 of what I was earning before the crash, because pay rates here are fixed by the three or four large companies in the area who are in collusion to drive down prices and wages… and this happens because the justice department is all on the take and doesn’t give a fuck about serving anyone or anything but themselves and their rich buddies.
To survive, I was forced to cannibalize my savings and retirement, the last of which was a small IRA. This came in a year with mammoth expenses and not a single dollar of income. I filed no return that year thinking that because I didn’t have any income there was no need. The sleazy government decided that they disagreed. But they didn’t notify me in time for me to launch a legal objection so when I attempted to get a protest filed with the court I was told I was no longer entitled to due process because the time to file ran out. Bend over for another $10,000 helping of justice.
So now we come to the present. After my experience with the CPA world, following the business crash I swore that I’d never enter another accountant’s office again. But here I am with a new marriage and a boatload of undocumented income, not to mention an expensive new business asset, a piano, which I had no idea how to handle. After considerable thought I decided that it would be irresponsible NOT to get professional help; a very big mistake.
When we received the forms back I was very optimistic that they were in order. I had taken all of the years information to Bill Ross, and he came back with results very similar to what I was expecting. Except that he had neglected to include the contents of Sheryl’s unreported income; $12,700 worth of it. To make matters worse, Ross knew all along this was missing and I didn’t have a clue until he pointed it out in the middle of the audit. By that time it had become brutally evident that he was representing himself and not me.
This left me stuck in the middle of this disaster trying to defend transactions that have no relationship to anything tax-related (at least the tax-related transactions were poorly documented). Things I never knew anything about and things my wife had no clue would ever matter to anyone. The end result is… well, just look around.
I remember reading about the stock market crash before the “great” depression and how there were wealthy bankers and businessmen jumping out of windows when they realized they screwed up and lost everything. Isn’t it ironic how far we’ve come in 60 years in this country that they now know how to fix that little economic problem; they just steal from the middle class (who doesn’t have any say in it, elections are a joke) to cover their asses and it’s “business-as-usual”. Now when the wealthy fuck up, the poor get to die for the mistakes… isn’t that a clever, tidy solution.
As government agencies go, the FAA is often justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though they are hardly alone. The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes unless there is a body count (unless it is in the interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough). In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws.
I know I’m hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it isn’t limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won’t continue; I have just had enough.
I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less. I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer. The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along.
I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.
The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.
Joe Stack (1956-2010)
02/18/2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
The greatest lesson...
Recently, I posted a question as a status on Facebook.com, the question read; "What is the most basic, yet most important lesson a person should learn?" The answers that I received are as follows:
Joe Shininger- actions have consequences. alternatively-don't be a jerk.
Andrea Hill- Time waits for no one
Ryanne Patrice Ross- Sex and life and friendz
Jesse Cromwell- If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.
Stephen Rubio- How to LOVE...
Justin Overton- I think the fact that God will provide you with anything you need if you put it in his hands
James Williams- Well most people lack general common sense and common decency towards eachother and manners.
Sharecess Carter- The biggest lesson one can learn is appreciating and understanding the unconditional love you get from your family.
Natasha Milliken- Treat everyone the way you want to be treated
Kevin Anderson- I am with Joe. Consiquences of descisions.
(First off, I would like to thank everyone that answered my question and took the time to give me feedback. Thank you.)
Though most of these are truly valuable lessons that a person should learn at one point or another during their lifetime, I would not say that any of these were a essential/vital basic lesson that ALL people should learn. The key words being "most basic" and "most important". For math, the most basic and most important lesson would be numbers, for if you do not know numbers you cannot understand multiplication of polynomials. So I am referring to the fundamentals, the base, the cornerstone, the building block, etc. It is essential for true, pure, unadulterated learning; it is to question EVERYTHING!! Yes, questioning is the MOST important lesson a person could learn.
Quite frankly, questioning is a natural tendency like a knee jerk reaction. Really? Yes, really. What are the two favorite games of young children; Why? and the What if...? games; "Why is the sky blue?" "Why do the birds fly?" "What if monsters did exist?". These aren't really taught and though most times it is actually an inquisitive mind trying to fill the gap in their limited understanding, unless it is honed these powerful techniques are perverted into an annoyance session and loose their intellectual value. However instead of cultivating this natural reaction, through various institutes, we are taught NOT to question, especially those in a position of authority; parents, school officials, coaches, police officers, "elected" officials, employers, etc.
Prime example of the value in questioning; when I was in the third grade, we were creating a replica of the United States flag as a class project. As we were going through it, the teacher (Ms. Smith) would ask trivia questions about different aspects of the flag. One of her questions was; "Why are there 50 stars on the flag?" We answered, "For the fifty states." Then Ms Smith said, "Correct... but there are 52 states, Hawaii and Alaska were not added to the flag because it would be difficult to change ALL the flags." She was a school teacher in the state of Texas, so she had to have a four year degree and a teacher's certificate, so I took her word as if it was gold. That day I went home to outsmart my sister, who was a year older than me in school grades. I asked her how many stars there were on the USofA flag? She answered 50. I asked her how many states there were? She said 50. AH HA! I'm smarter than you... I repeated the information I was taught by my respectable teacher to my sister to prove my superiority. Game- set- match. Check and mate. I win, you lose... Surprisingly, she didn't believe me. WTH?!?! But my teacher said so... and because I wanted to PROVE I was right, we went to my dad's atlas and counted the states together. The first time we came up with 50, which I knew was a miscount, so I recounted 3 more times. Every time, coming up with fifty... I was upset. I had been lied to, by someone that was supposed to nurture and feed my mind and prepare me for life and if she doesn't even know how many states there are after a minimum of 17 years of schooling, then how am I supposed to trust anything else that came out of her mouth? Needless to say the next day I showed up to class on a mission; to straighten out this dilemma. She tried to argue against my new found truth up until I asked her to count all the states for me, she then conceded and renounced the false teaching of 52 states. (I think she blamed it on Guam and Puerto Rico- but no excuses)...
Another useful example is when a high school varsity basketball told her athletes to run for thirty minutes because they were not going to have practice during the winter holidays. When one of the athletes told me (a personal trainer/ certified run coach) what the coach prescribed as their workout, without hesitation I asked, "Why?" She said, "IDK.." It just doesn't make sense to me though; in a game of sprinting, with the longest dimension being 74', where does long slow distance running prove effective? Stamina? No. Running long slow distances isn't going to make fast short sprints faster, it isn't going to build up your endurance, it is simply useless for basketball training. However, since she wanted to be the "good obedient athlete" she went on and did what her coach instructed her to do. She didn't question the coaches methods and the coach didn't question the terrible learned methods that someone passed on to her.
Where is the value of this "vital" lesson? Though I gave these minor, quasi insignificant examples, the liberation is being able to be a critical thinker. Throughout our lives we are taught to do what people tell us and those who comply are the ones that are rewarded- to reinforce the sheepish qualities- and those who question authority are punished. Why is thinking on your own and evaluating the validity of the information that a third party gives you (whether through lecture, book, media, etc.) frowned upon? Because it is empowering. Being able to cipher between fact and fiction means that it is harder to control and manipulate you, I would have to put forth a valiant effort to deceive you or assert dominance over you through force or another means of oppression (IE debt).
I will leave you with this clip of George Carlin (Yes, I am aware that he is an avid atheist just eat the meat and spit out the bones. For he was very insightful in other facets of life- not to mention funny too).
and this picture....
(If you are offended by Carlin's language, reread my second blog).
Many of you will read what I wrote and sheepishly simply agree (which would be the exact opposite of what I desire). I am not THAT good of an teacher/ writer to were I leave the matter resolved and without question. So feel free to question what I say, protest my thoughts, give criticism- just remember if you have taken the time to read, please take the time to leave a comment. I DO EXPECT IT.
Joe Shininger- actions have consequences. alternatively-don't be a jerk.
Andrea Hill- Time waits for no one
Ryanne Patrice Ross- Sex and life and friendz
Jesse Cromwell- If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.
Stephen Rubio- How to LOVE...
Justin Overton- I think the fact that God will provide you with anything you need if you put it in his hands
James Williams- Well most people lack general common sense and common decency towards eachother and manners.
Sharecess Carter- The biggest lesson one can learn is appreciating and understanding the unconditional love you get from your family.
Natasha Milliken- Treat everyone the way you want to be treated
Kevin Anderson- I am with Joe. Consiquences of descisions.
(First off, I would like to thank everyone that answered my question and took the time to give me feedback. Thank you.)
Though most of these are truly valuable lessons that a person should learn at one point or another during their lifetime, I would not say that any of these were a essential/vital basic lesson that ALL people should learn. The key words being "most basic" and "most important". For math, the most basic and most important lesson would be numbers, for if you do not know numbers you cannot understand multiplication of polynomials. So I am referring to the fundamentals, the base, the cornerstone, the building block, etc. It is essential for true, pure, unadulterated learning; it is to question EVERYTHING!! Yes, questioning is the MOST important lesson a person could learn.
Quite frankly, questioning is a natural tendency like a knee jerk reaction. Really? Yes, really. What are the two favorite games of young children; Why? and the What if...? games; "Why is the sky blue?" "Why do the birds fly?" "What if monsters did exist?". These aren't really taught and though most times it is actually an inquisitive mind trying to fill the gap in their limited understanding, unless it is honed these powerful techniques are perverted into an annoyance session and loose their intellectual value. However instead of cultivating this natural reaction, through various institutes, we are taught NOT to question, especially those in a position of authority; parents, school officials, coaches, police officers, "elected" officials, employers, etc.
Prime example of the value in questioning; when I was in the third grade, we were creating a replica of the United States flag as a class project. As we were going through it, the teacher (Ms. Smith) would ask trivia questions about different aspects of the flag. One of her questions was; "Why are there 50 stars on the flag?" We answered, "For the fifty states." Then Ms Smith said, "Correct... but there are 52 states, Hawaii and Alaska were not added to the flag because it would be difficult to change ALL the flags." She was a school teacher in the state of Texas, so she had to have a four year degree and a teacher's certificate, so I took her word as if it was gold. That day I went home to outsmart my sister, who was a year older than me in school grades. I asked her how many stars there were on the USofA flag? She answered 50. I asked her how many states there were? She said 50. AH HA! I'm smarter than you... I repeated the information I was taught by my respectable teacher to my sister to prove my superiority. Game- set- match. Check and mate. I win, you lose... Surprisingly, she didn't believe me. WTH?!?! But my teacher said so... and because I wanted to PROVE I was right, we went to my dad's atlas and counted the states together. The first time we came up with 50, which I knew was a miscount, so I recounted 3 more times. Every time, coming up with fifty... I was upset. I had been lied to, by someone that was supposed to nurture and feed my mind and prepare me for life and if she doesn't even know how many states there are after a minimum of 17 years of schooling, then how am I supposed to trust anything else that came out of her mouth? Needless to say the next day I showed up to class on a mission; to straighten out this dilemma. She tried to argue against my new found truth up until I asked her to count all the states for me, she then conceded and renounced the false teaching of 52 states. (I think she blamed it on Guam and Puerto Rico- but no excuses)...
Another useful example is when a high school varsity basketball told her athletes to run for thirty minutes because they were not going to have practice during the winter holidays. When one of the athletes told me (a personal trainer/ certified run coach) what the coach prescribed as their workout, without hesitation I asked, "Why?" She said, "IDK.." It just doesn't make sense to me though; in a game of sprinting, with the longest dimension being 74', where does long slow distance running prove effective? Stamina? No. Running long slow distances isn't going to make fast short sprints faster, it isn't going to build up your endurance, it is simply useless for basketball training. However, since she wanted to be the "good obedient athlete" she went on and did what her coach instructed her to do. She didn't question the coaches methods and the coach didn't question the terrible learned methods that someone passed on to her.
Where is the value of this "vital" lesson? Though I gave these minor, quasi insignificant examples, the liberation is being able to be a critical thinker. Throughout our lives we are taught to do what people tell us and those who comply are the ones that are rewarded- to reinforce the sheepish qualities- and those who question authority are punished. Why is thinking on your own and evaluating the validity of the information that a third party gives you (whether through lecture, book, media, etc.) frowned upon? Because it is empowering. Being able to cipher between fact and fiction means that it is harder to control and manipulate you, I would have to put forth a valiant effort to deceive you or assert dominance over you through force or another means of oppression (IE debt).
I will leave you with this clip of George Carlin (Yes, I am aware that he is an avid atheist just eat the meat and spit out the bones. For he was very insightful in other facets of life- not to mention funny too).
and this picture....
(If you are offended by Carlin's language, reread my second blog).
Many of you will read what I wrote and sheepishly simply agree (which would be the exact opposite of what I desire). I am not THAT good of an teacher/ writer to were I leave the matter resolved and without question. So feel free to question what I say, protest my thoughts, give criticism- just remember if you have taken the time to read, please take the time to leave a comment. I DO EXPECT IT.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Time...
With the recent birth of my nephew and today being the one year anniversary of a close friend's death (William Brandon Vaughn), I have been thinking about this thing we call "LIFE" and the time we have... This will be, more or less, a rant. It will be filled with subjective feelings and opinions, some truth, but a lot of what I am thinking and may be like trying to follow the flight path of an elusive bee (all over the place). Again, feel free to post your comments. I encourage it (and kind of expect it).
Time: A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.
Huh? Though I understood it, how can a four letter word, that is in such common [worldwide] usage, have such a complex meaning? Well, as simplistic as it seems, time is a complex and deep subject matter. I am not sure that the entire essence of time can be understood with our finite minds. I mean, time itself is limited by time, (Hahaha) for it has a beginning and will have an end... Try and figure that one out. But that does not mean we should not try our best to understand what we can about this phenomena.
Time is unique, because it is a constant factor in life (as gravity is a constant factor on Earth), it is indiscriminate for it is not a respecter of person, it effects everyone and controls everything. Time changes a boy into a man, time turns black hair into grey, time changes the seasons, and brings a brand new day. Time is a powerful domain. You cannot fight time; as shown by many of the superstars with their hideous cosmetic surgeries; they still die and die ugly. But people speak of time as if it is a bad thing, when it is not. Time has the ability to heal all wounds; the little child's scraped knee, the young teen's broken heart, the bereaving loved one, the lonely child... time is the healer of those wounds. It is only when you abuse time, waste time or mismanage time that you feel that it is something that you wish to do without.
The value of time you ask? It is priceless. I can be given items, currency, and even labor, and then able to justly repay a person with items, currency, or equivalent labor to settle a debt. But if someone were to give me an hour of their time, I would NEVER, no matter how hard I tried, be able to give them that hour back. [aside] This is why it is hard for a person to go from a high paying job to a lower one. Since time is valuable and priceless, it cannot be bought, it can only be compensated. Therefore if you start out working for $10/ hour and then you lose your job, it will be hard for you to now think that your hours worth of work is anything less than $10/ hour. Though this also begs the question; when dealing with wage work, what makes one person's hour worth less than another's? It is the same 60 minutes, the same 3600seconds, and same 360000 milliseconds. What makes one person's time worth more than another person's? Nothing. Absolutely nothing!! That is why paying completed work would be more civilized (and actually better for business- not capital-gains wise, but productivity of employees- kinda like commission but without having to rip someone off), for if a person is working his ass off and completing more tasks then they would earn more and for the person that does nothing they would earn nothing. But both would be able to manage and maximize their own time.[/aside]
The relativity of time; different situations make time FEEL different for different people. (Again time is a constant and cannot change.) For example, you are driving to pick up a friend while that friend is sitting and waiting on you. We'll say it takes you 20 minutes to drive to their house, for the driver it was a "short" 20 minutes, but for the awaiting friend it was "long." Or perhaps a person on a roller coaster versus the person waiting to get on; the time of the ride is the same, but the person on the ride will feel as though it was a "short" 3 minute ride and the person waiting will say it was a "long" 3 minutes. Albert Einstein's famous formula (E=MC^2) explains how persons in uniform motion have a the same perspective of time. So if a group of people are waiting (in either scenario) they will all agree that it was a "long" wait, but the group in motion will agree that it wasn't "long" at all. In which case they are both quasi-right, for their view of time was subjective to their motion. (One of the rare occasions I agree with subjectivity). However, objectively it was the same 20 minutes for the driver to pick of the friend and the same 3 minute roller coaster ride/wait. The time domain is not different, just the way it relates to a person.
As a child, for the longest, I couldn't fathom what eternity meant. I was trying to think of it with the mindset of; "how long is eternity?". Well we live in a space and domain where time is a factor and plays on everything indiscriminately, but more importantly, everything in this domain has a beginning and an end. Eternity is the absence of time and thus the absence of needing a beginning or an end. So, is that good or bad? Well, if you are in pain and are without time, you will not heal, if you are feeling good in a utopia then the feeling will not go away for time cannot change. (Without the sublime: if you are in Hell it will SUCK; for you will never be able to heal from your wounds, the pain will never stop, and the agony will continue in a domain that has no [metaphoric] walls).)
Conclusion; time is a constant and only VIEWED as relative to persons in uniform motion. Time is only a factor in our realm, God doesn't age nor does He grow in "knowledge" [Mormons] because He is outside of time and is not learning as things go by. (Plus how can an all-knowing-being learn...) The value of time is priceless, I can travel through space and back track and regain the distanced traveled, but cannot travel through time and back track to regain the time traveled. But most importantly, we do not know how long we have here in this domain so it is only right that we make the most of our time and use it wisely. Do not be like the fool who tries to store it up. Live like it is your last day, but prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions as if you are sure you will wake up tomorrow.
**Don't leave without commenting**
Time: A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.
Huh? Though I understood it, how can a four letter word, that is in such common [worldwide] usage, have such a complex meaning? Well, as simplistic as it seems, time is a complex and deep subject matter. I am not sure that the entire essence of time can be understood with our finite minds. I mean, time itself is limited by time, (Hahaha) for it has a beginning and will have an end... Try and figure that one out. But that does not mean we should not try our best to understand what we can about this phenomena.
Time is unique, because it is a constant factor in life (as gravity is a constant factor on Earth), it is indiscriminate for it is not a respecter of person, it effects everyone and controls everything. Time changes a boy into a man, time turns black hair into grey, time changes the seasons, and brings a brand new day. Time is a powerful domain. You cannot fight time; as shown by many of the superstars with their hideous cosmetic surgeries; they still die and die ugly. But people speak of time as if it is a bad thing, when it is not. Time has the ability to heal all wounds; the little child's scraped knee, the young teen's broken heart, the bereaving loved one, the lonely child... time is the healer of those wounds. It is only when you abuse time, waste time or mismanage time that you feel that it is something that you wish to do without.
The value of time you ask? It is priceless. I can be given items, currency, and even labor, and then able to justly repay a person with items, currency, or equivalent labor to settle a debt. But if someone were to give me an hour of their time, I would NEVER, no matter how hard I tried, be able to give them that hour back. [aside] This is why it is hard for a person to go from a high paying job to a lower one. Since time is valuable and priceless, it cannot be bought, it can only be compensated. Therefore if you start out working for $10/ hour and then you lose your job, it will be hard for you to now think that your hours worth of work is anything less than $10/ hour. Though this also begs the question; when dealing with wage work, what makes one person's hour worth less than another's? It is the same 60 minutes, the same 3600seconds, and same 360000 milliseconds. What makes one person's time worth more than another person's? Nothing. Absolutely nothing!! That is why paying completed work would be more civilized (and actually better for business- not capital-gains wise, but productivity of employees- kinda like commission but without having to rip someone off), for if a person is working his ass off and completing more tasks then they would earn more and for the person that does nothing they would earn nothing. But both would be able to manage and maximize their own time.[/aside]
The relativity of time; different situations make time FEEL different for different people. (Again time is a constant and cannot change.) For example, you are driving to pick up a friend while that friend is sitting and waiting on you. We'll say it takes you 20 minutes to drive to their house, for the driver it was a "short" 20 minutes, but for the awaiting friend it was "long." Or perhaps a person on a roller coaster versus the person waiting to get on; the time of the ride is the same, but the person on the ride will feel as though it was a "short" 3 minute ride and the person waiting will say it was a "long" 3 minutes. Albert Einstein's famous formula (E=MC^2) explains how persons in uniform motion have a the same perspective of time. So if a group of people are waiting (in either scenario) they will all agree that it was a "long" wait, but the group in motion will agree that it wasn't "long" at all. In which case they are both quasi-right, for their view of time was subjective to their motion. (One of the rare occasions I agree with subjectivity). However, objectively it was the same 20 minutes for the driver to pick of the friend and the same 3 minute roller coaster ride/wait. The time domain is not different, just the way it relates to a person.
As a child, for the longest, I couldn't fathom what eternity meant. I was trying to think of it with the mindset of; "how long is eternity?". Well we live in a space and domain where time is a factor and plays on everything indiscriminately, but more importantly, everything in this domain has a beginning and an end. Eternity is the absence of time and thus the absence of needing a beginning or an end. So, is that good or bad? Well, if you are in pain and are without time, you will not heal, if you are feeling good in a utopia then the feeling will not go away for time cannot change. (Without the sublime: if you are in Hell it will SUCK; for you will never be able to heal from your wounds, the pain will never stop, and the agony will continue in a domain that has no [metaphoric] walls).)
Conclusion; time is a constant and only VIEWED as relative to persons in uniform motion. Time is only a factor in our realm, God doesn't age nor does He grow in "knowledge" [Mormons] because He is outside of time and is not learning as things go by. (Plus how can an all-knowing-being learn...) The value of time is priceless, I can travel through space and back track and regain the distanced traveled, but cannot travel through time and back track to regain the time traveled. But most importantly, we do not know how long we have here in this domain so it is only right that we make the most of our time and use it wisely. Do not be like the fool who tries to store it up. Live like it is your last day, but prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions as if you are sure you will wake up tomorrow.
**Don't leave without commenting**
Monday, December 7, 2009
Who is in charge of deciding what words are "bad"?
As many of you know, I am one that questions a lot of things and wonders about the origins of a lot more; for it is at the origins you find original intent and the nature of an item- in it's purest form. Such as words like "goatee" (the beard) which is usually pronounced as go-tee. Though when looking at the spelling and taking into consideration the actual look of the beard one can reasonably assume, at the onset, the word was pronounced as goat-ee; for it looks like the chin hair from a goat. And even though I tend to question, I am also one that picks his battles wisely and is not a reckless gunslinger (well... for the most part). So when it comes to things like "curse/ cuss" words and "bad" words, even though I questioned, I tended to just follow what was publicly and widely accepted to be the truth.
That all changed when in the same week I was forced to ask myself, "Why are some words bad and others aren't?" "Who deemed them to be 'bad' words?" and "Can words even be bad?" Firstly, with anything that I do, I researched both sides of the argument, sifted through opinions to find (constantly and contextually) supported/ corroborated facts, and then draw a conclusion based on the best possible answer. This scientific and systematic approach is not easy when you are dealing with something that is this subjective. Nevertheless, my results are as follows. Comment, let me know what you think, let me know whether you agree or not. This is an open forum, meaning I will NOT delete, sensor or mute you from voicing your opinions- no matter how ignorant, misinformed or flat out stupid I think they are. (and this will be the conclusion of my research, I will NOT be rewriting all the info I found... If you want specifics go to www.google.com :-D )
To answer the question at hand objectively, we first must decide on what words are the bad words? For this I am going to go off of what general words are frowned upon in public schools for elementary students. These words are; ass, bitch, cunt, dick, faggot, fuck, gay, hell, hoe, pussy, queer, and shit. Secondly, we have to figure out the origins of the individual words and figure out if their original intent was to be evil or to be just another descriptive word. Finally we have to figure out when and why it became taboo and widely accepted.
When looking at their genesis, all of these words' first written usage was in an author's literary forum; poem, letter, book, etc., and had a neutral meaning other than that which is associated to them nowadays. Ass was derived from "arsehole" which meant an animals anus, bitch is a female dog, gay means happy, hoe is a gardening tool, queer is something that is oddly different or counterfeit, shit described cattle diarrhea. Well... all but one. The only word that I came across that in it's origins was intended to be brash, offensive and controversial was the "F" word, the "F" Bomb, F-U-C-K... fuck. Ever still, the word still had a meaning, it's first recorded usage was used to say that friars where having sex with other men's wives. The ever growing consensus is that the word is not found any many early writings because it was sooo taboo no one wanted to write it down. Eh.. either way it had a denotative meaning.
So, what makes these words so controversial? Why are they deemed as vulgar and bad? Honestly, there is NO answer to those questions. The closest plausible answer is that the Scriptures speak against "cursing" people. However, the words, in and of themselves, are NOT curses. When someone says, "Shut the fuck up!" they are not wishing ill-will or your demise, they are simply telling you to close your mouth and stop speaking. If you ask someone if they love you and they answer, "Abso-fucking-lutely!" how is that bad? Where is the negativity in the usage? I can speak harm and curse someone without even uttering one of those words. For example; "Go jump off a cliff." "Shoot yourself." "I hope you contract AIDS and die." "can't wait until you have kids that are just as bad as you." Those are curses, those are things that the Bible speaks against. So it is not the words but how it is used and the context in which it is used. Words are like dynamite, if used by the right they can be used for a valid (non combative) purpose, but if used wrong they can cause a lot of damage. It is the man that is evil, not the dynamite or the word.
It is funny how in movies, songs, television shows and the like, how words such as these are; voiced over, *bleep*ed out, silenced, etc. However, they will broadcast the phrases that are actually curses. And it's not like they actually work- apart from the occasional voice over or edit version of a music track. For if I am watching a movie and mid sentence I hear a *beep* I am forced to replace the beep with a word that best makes the sentence complete and for it to make sense. For instance; "I'll give you son's of *bleep*, three mother *bleep* seconds to get your pansy *bleep* off my lawn!!!" Now, it does NOT take a rocket scientist to figure out what words I "edited" out and even with the "editing" my message was conveyed. Not to say that the sentenced required it, but the words played a useful role in stressing how adamant I was about you getting off my lawn. Irregardless, the reader was still forced to replace the "*bleep*" with the very words that I was attempting (and failing) at keeping hidden. That goes the same for pseudo-homonyms; instead of saying "fuck" you say "fudge" or instead of saying "shit" you say "ship." The message is still there and your listener or reader will still (in most cases) associate the "vulgar" word in it's stead.
All in all, words are apart of the English language and some are more colorful than others, but NO word can be bad or evil. It is dependent solely on how it is used and the motives of the user of the word. Also, contextually, all but one word is neutral from it's beginnings and it is only the slang form that is most commonly looked down upon. As I previously shown, you can use any word to tear down a person and you can use any word to build them up. We need to elevate our thinking and get beyond the minor issues of WHAT word is being used and see the true essence of how it is being used. And for all my offended Christians out there that want to say, "God wouldn't be so controversial..." I say, take a hard look at the Scriptures prior to telling me how "loving" God is. Though I will recall what Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, "'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is beneficial." Ideally it would be great if people would stop being so ignorant and minor, as to miss an entire point of a conversation by the insertion of a word that they, by tradition and through learned ignorance, deem to be profane, vulgar or bad. But in reality, that is NOT going to happen anytime soon. So take this information, do with it as you will, but be smart enough to know that it is not wise to give a speech at school, corporate gathering, church, etc. with an onslaught of words that the general public will find offensive; I can guarantee many will miss the point of your speech.
That all changed when in the same week I was forced to ask myself, "Why are some words bad and others aren't?" "Who deemed them to be 'bad' words?" and "Can words even be bad?" Firstly, with anything that I do, I researched both sides of the argument, sifted through opinions to find (constantly and contextually) supported/ corroborated facts, and then draw a conclusion based on the best possible answer. This scientific and systematic approach is not easy when you are dealing with something that is this subjective. Nevertheless, my results are as follows. Comment, let me know what you think, let me know whether you agree or not. This is an open forum, meaning I will NOT delete, sensor or mute you from voicing your opinions- no matter how ignorant, misinformed or flat out stupid I think they are. (and this will be the conclusion of my research, I will NOT be rewriting all the info I found... If you want specifics go to www.google.com :-D )
To answer the question at hand objectively, we first must decide on what words are the bad words? For this I am going to go off of what general words are frowned upon in public schools for elementary students. These words are; ass, bitch, cunt, dick, faggot, fuck, gay, hell, hoe, pussy, queer, and shit. Secondly, we have to figure out the origins of the individual words and figure out if their original intent was to be evil or to be just another descriptive word. Finally we have to figure out when and why it became taboo and widely accepted.
When looking at their genesis, all of these words' first written usage was in an author's literary forum; poem, letter, book, etc., and had a neutral meaning other than that which is associated to them nowadays. Ass was derived from "arsehole" which meant an animals anus, bitch is a female dog, gay means happy, hoe is a gardening tool, queer is something that is oddly different or counterfeit, shit described cattle diarrhea. Well... all but one. The only word that I came across that in it's origins was intended to be brash, offensive and controversial was the "F" word, the "F" Bomb, F-U-C-K... fuck. Ever still, the word still had a meaning, it's first recorded usage was used to say that friars where having sex with other men's wives. The ever growing consensus is that the word is not found any many early writings because it was sooo taboo no one wanted to write it down. Eh.. either way it had a denotative meaning.
So, what makes these words so controversial? Why are they deemed as vulgar and bad? Honestly, there is NO answer to those questions. The closest plausible answer is that the Scriptures speak against "cursing" people. However, the words, in and of themselves, are NOT curses. When someone says, "Shut the fuck up!" they are not wishing ill-will or your demise, they are simply telling you to close your mouth and stop speaking. If you ask someone if they love you and they answer, "Abso-fucking-lutely!" how is that bad? Where is the negativity in the usage? I can speak harm and curse someone without even uttering one of those words. For example; "Go jump off a cliff." "Shoot yourself." "I hope you contract AIDS and die." "can't wait until you have kids that are just as bad as you." Those are curses, those are things that the Bible speaks against. So it is not the words but how it is used and the context in which it is used. Words are like dynamite, if used by the right they can be used for a valid (non combative) purpose, but if used wrong they can cause a lot of damage. It is the man that is evil, not the dynamite or the word.
It is funny how in movies, songs, television shows and the like, how words such as these are; voiced over, *bleep*ed out, silenced, etc. However, they will broadcast the phrases that are actually curses. And it's not like they actually work- apart from the occasional voice over or edit version of a music track. For if I am watching a movie and mid sentence I hear a *beep* I am forced to replace the beep with a word that best makes the sentence complete and for it to make sense. For instance; "I'll give you son's of *bleep*, three mother *bleep* seconds to get your pansy *bleep* off my lawn!!!" Now, it does NOT take a rocket scientist to figure out what words I "edited" out and even with the "editing" my message was conveyed. Not to say that the sentenced required it, but the words played a useful role in stressing how adamant I was about you getting off my lawn. Irregardless, the reader was still forced to replace the "*bleep*" with the very words that I was attempting (and failing) at keeping hidden. That goes the same for pseudo-homonyms; instead of saying "fuck" you say "fudge" or instead of saying "shit" you say "ship." The message is still there and your listener or reader will still (in most cases) associate the "vulgar" word in it's stead.
All in all, words are apart of the English language and some are more colorful than others, but NO word can be bad or evil. It is dependent solely on how it is used and the motives of the user of the word. Also, contextually, all but one word is neutral from it's beginnings and it is only the slang form that is most commonly looked down upon. As I previously shown, you can use any word to tear down a person and you can use any word to build them up. We need to elevate our thinking and get beyond the minor issues of WHAT word is being used and see the true essence of how it is being used. And for all my offended Christians out there that want to say, "God wouldn't be so controversial..." I say, take a hard look at the Scriptures prior to telling me how "loving" God is. Though I will recall what Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, "'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is beneficial." Ideally it would be great if people would stop being so ignorant and minor, as to miss an entire point of a conversation by the insertion of a word that they, by tradition and through learned ignorance, deem to be profane, vulgar or bad. But in reality, that is NOT going to happen anytime soon. So take this information, do with it as you will, but be smart enough to know that it is not wise to give a speech at school, corporate gathering, church, etc. with an onslaught of words that the general public will find offensive; I can guarantee many will miss the point of your speech.
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