Pedigree… Top Choice for Chumps

August 10, 2008 at 9:43 am (Uncategorized)

We try to do our best when it comes to knowing what is in the food we eat. And the same goes for the strict diet of our animals… as for our dog I thought we were doing well with all-natural Wysong… and we were comparatively… compared to the options we have that is.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

I stummbled upon Dogfood analysis dot com and was shocked with what I found….

On the sites star-chart from 1 to 6 Wysong was a one (1)… right there next to Pedigree…right under the phrase…. “would not recommend”

Now, I understand it is for dogs….. and that they can eat sub-human quality meat. They have been eating our scraps for thousands of years…. My biggest problems come in two forms:

1) Carcinogenic preservatives….. Wysong does not use any… but Pedigree does, and unlike others, they dont even hide the fact. BHA & BHT are right there in the ingredients. This website also calls out the fact the Pedigree uses artificial coloring……. really? come on now….

The foot note on the Pedigree review board reads: (and I quote) “Overall, this is one of the lowest quality products reviewed on this site. It receives a 1* rating do to the unavailability of anything lower.”

This coming from a site with over 1600 dry dog foods on review……

2) My second, almost more insulting, issue with these foods is the use of corn, wheat and soy. All of which are difficult if not impossible for dogs to digest. The act merely as filler…… wasted carbohydrates that your dog cant even use, and it makes up almost 80% of commercial food (after the water weight is dehydrated from the meats, which they dont do until after putting it on the labels). As a side-note: wheat and soy are believed to be the number one cause of food allergies in animals…. you know why??? because it is the last thing they are supposed to eat. period.

Dog food companies are playing their market for suckers….. a majority of their ingredients are waste and byproducts that they sweep off the floor of processing plants and pay bottom dollar for. They fill their products with indigestible grains that simply pass through the animal and leave it hungry for more. and they spend more on marketing each year to try and overshadow their use of cancer causing preservatives rather that developing new options.

There are better alternitives… The site rates 24 brands our of about 1600 as 6*s. Most of which I have never seen in person, or have no clue how to get without mail-order. Personaly, we are starting to make my lady;s food from scratch.

For those of you who are interested: dogs roughly require 40% meat- 30% Veg- 30% starch

Meat- (especially low cost organ meat) and eggs (shells and all) are wonderful sources od protine as well as essential oils.

Vegetables- almost anything goes. Peas and carrots being favorites… realize, like you and I, brasiccas cause gas…. so be careful

Starch-Oatmeal, rice and potatoes are some of the most inexpensive and viable sources available.

Note: Garlic and onions should be avoided because of possible toxic effects….

That is all. We now return you to your regular scheduled surfing…..

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Elsa-Gator

July 28, 2008 at 1:19 pm (elsa-Gator)

So I was standing in the baby ward in a swedish hospital and was quite surprised to find myself playing “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours”.

Elsa Agnetha was born at just about the right time, and was cooler than a 10-speed. She was taged at 50cm and weighed in at a whooping (not Whopping) 3610 grams.

Speaking of the metric system, I had a long time, 21 and a half (h)ours actually, to think about the Astro Dome. Now I dont get to name things, probably for a good reason… and I understand WHY they call it contractions…… Still, I would have referred to it as retractions. Seemed to make more sense to me.

The My started delivery at about 3am on the 26th…. 45 minuets (and pirouettes) later, with out the use of gas or epidural, she gave birth to what appeared to be a blue squid. Thankfully, it wasn’t. Or I would have had to retitled this post.

Honestly, maybe it was the 24 hours of sleepless clock watching…. every 5 minutes turning up the alarm hand, or maybe it was true emotion upon seeing her concur this beast that got to me. She set her mind to it: No drugs, No whining and she did it. Much to the regard of the midwives who said they were happy to be able to check that rarely used box on the certificate indicating a Natural Birth. Now, I knew she could do it. I’ve watched her break both bones in her leg and not shed a tear. I’ve watched her help with a complicated birth for one of the sheep, balling her eyes out like the rest of us, but never wavered in her determination to do everything that she could to help. But never would I have imagined the long hours of off and on agony, only to be fallowed by the bravest (and some may say fool-hearty) show of courage I have ever witnessed. For some reason, mid birth she was still pushing longer and harder than any one in the room ….. wanted.

“breath emmy….. you face is going to blow up. ….. take it easy…. wait no, rest this time.”

Still she didnt listen. Elsa came out so fast that she didnt necessarily have time to “fit” out. And Ill I could think of was the final scene in BraveHeart.

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Medonomics

July 25, 2008 at 9:09 am (political)

Based on the comments of the previous TAXATION post……..

I believe it would be nice to have government cover at least medical, if anything,….. I believe that this would actually lower medical costs… The way it seems now is that the government is trapped in a payment cycle where the prices are fixed and stretched by the private sector.

With more government involvement (preferably state rather than federal, but I will address that later) prices would be more reasonable by lowering superfluous spending habits, over treatment and useless treatments… (this being a prescription world., and all. )

Also, medical lawsuits must be addressed…Weather it is wrongful entitlement or someone trying to make a quick buck… insurance costs play a huge roll in the price of medical treatment… even childbirth. Everybody is so afraid of getting sued that midwives have, if not associated with a Hospital, nearly gone extinct.

So there is a mental shift that needs to be addressed. This isnt simply poor people trying to make a buck, or rich people out for revenge… I believe it is a combination….

The State I believe should be responsible for health care, not the feds…for 2 simple reasons.

#1 Smaller is simpler, easier to run.. easier to over see… More local support… and more local regulation (if you see a friend living off the system you will feel more connected and more apt to say something.)

#2 Strength in segments: Each state should be responsible for their own… that way if you are unhappy you are able to pick up and move. Also, all states are not responsible for bailing out states that cant seem to manage their own system…That way the whole system wont collapse because one or two states are sucking surplus from the others…If you cut the whole into segments it is easier to diagnose and treat the ailments…. (ok its not your heart and not your lungs…. not Vermont, not Minnesota… what it is?)

The role of the Feds would be simply to hold states responsible for their own management and oversee in order to make sure no one cuts corners.

Really, this is how I believe it should be…. If states want to try and enact a retirement plan they should be able to…. Same with unemployment…. The federal government is to small compared to our population to be able to take care of everything efficiently… The cracks are too big and the people feel too disembodied from the problems, or even the solutions…. Smaller is simpler is safer.

The Federal government should not be here to take care of us…. we should do it on our own, within our own states…. local organization, self actualization, personal realization. No one knows better than us what it is we need or want…. and you will never get 300 million people to agree…. but divide that number by 50 and we are starting to find manageable numbers. Places with higher populations have more people to tax… places with less have fewer people to take from the system.

speaking of which, contractions are getting closer… i should go.

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Euro Nudity.

July 22, 2008 at 4:54 pm (Uncategorized)

Last night, sitting around with the family, watching something I would relate to Law & Order…. crime drama…about a morgue… I saw a a scene that caught me off guard…

Man lying on a slab in the morgue being examined. Butt naked… no tricky angles. You were able to see enough to tell he was a European…. if you know what I mean.

A scene like this an America would not even fit in an ‘R’ rated movie. And I know we are pretty up tight, and i like to think I am more open to these kind of things than our puritan ancestors…. But i get the feeling that most of Europe is this open… all stories having been told.

Apparently here (sweden) after gym class in school there is coed showering in first grade. (not beyond) Obviously I was baffled… but i am told that it is simply not questioned, no issues raised…..Now I dont see much of a problem with it in a culture where you can see a hoodie at 7pm on broadcast TV…. but at home I believe it would be awkward.

By age 5 in America there has already been such a rift driven between the sexes that someone would get snapped by a towel and a law suit would fallow…. or the teacher would be accused of pediphilism…. i mean seriously…. we never showered after such classes or sports until highschool (maybe)…

Maybe we just dont like being clean….. or maybe the catholics have won the war on decency…..

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Taxation vs. Entitlement pt.2

July 21, 2008 at 6:07 pm (Uncategorized)

Entitlement.

Wiki Definition #1: a guarantee of access to benefits because of rights, or by agreement through law.

Income based taxation in Sweden is confusing, but this is a gist that I got.  People making roughly $~4,300(U.S. dollars) or more per month pay 30% plus local municipal taxes(flat rate). People making $5,800+ pay roughly 37% (plus municipal). People in this, the highest income bracket pay all together 45-50% of their income.

People making less than $4,200 per month pay (after the appropriate deductions) 20-25%. Pensioners pay nearly nothing…

This is (since 1991) a 3 tier tax system…plus the varying deductions. And there is nearly no capitol tax…. (so there is a plus)… and no taxation on financial gifts.

The general reason I got for such a taxation system was very romantic…..as I think Marx said it:

From each and every one… how much they can contribute…

To each and every one.. how much they need.

Benefit analysis:

  • Co-pay Day-care
  • Co-Pay elderly Care
  • Completely free education (up to PhD)
  • $10 Co-pay  Health care
  • Money back if hospitalized! (!!!)
  • Free access to library and museums.
  • Free internet to anyone in the city
  • Wonderfully organized public transportation…
  • Playgrounds, parks and sport stadiums.
  • Clean streets.
  • Free access to all lakes, streams and coastlines (private property or not)
  • All public parks are free access.

And you may think this would ruin an economy…. Granted the U.S. is seriously struggling…. but in the last 6 years the Swedish Dollar has DOUBLED! compared the the American…. Stability or growth…. take your pick.

(note: I married a swede… can you tell?)

Wiki Definition #2: “In clinical psychology and psychiatry, an unrealistic, exaggerated, or rigidly held sense of entitlement may be considered a symptom of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.”

In America we want services….. from healthcare on one side to world domination on the other…. and everything in between…. meanwhile…. everyone demands tax breaks…

According to Wikipedia (who else)  :

The National Bureau of Economic Research has concluded that the combined federal, state, and local government average marginal tax rate for most workers to be about 40% of income.[1][2] The Tax Foundation concluded that government at all levels will collect 30.8% of the nation’s income for 2008.

Thats not much more…. not much at all…. so what do we get?

Benefit Analisys:

  • Security
  • security
  • security
  • education up to 12th grade (not recognized in foreign countries)
  • no healthcare
  • no elderly care
  • dead-end social security
  • freedom to pay out of pocket where ever we go.
  • Non-solvent school systems
  • degraded public transportation
  • Clean streets (some places….)

NOw, I am not biased…. wait, yes I am… I love America… wouldnt choose to  live anywhere else.. but seriously… where does all this tax money go? Lets see….

  • The military
  • Private companies supporting the military (Halliburton)
  • Private companies protecting military officials (blackwater)
  • Bailing out floundering car companies
  • Bailing out floundering Airlines
  • Bailing out floundering factory farms (thanks for the salmonella by the way, asshole.)
  • Ethanol….. seriously?

Instead of me going into a Privatization rant right here I am going to stop……

But instead of complaining about high taxes… lets focus in the real issues… wasteful government spending.What we really need to concentrate on is Oversight…Accountability… and Entitlement.

We who are citizens need to pay attention. We need to hold people responsible for what they do while in public office… and we need to demand to see something for our investment…. anything. preferably not on CNN, either.

How about something here, at home….. where the heart is.

(I apologize in epilogue for this post… it kind of got away from me….)

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Free Market Medical?

July 20, 2008 at 9:00 am (Uncategorized)

So how does this free market theory of medical coverage relate to job based programs….?

Topographically it seems that it would be in the disinterest of a truly free market to offer coverage plans to employees… I do see how the company or corporation has all freedom in excepting the bids from different insurance providers. But does this limit the freedom of the individual employee to choose?

Yes, they have options with the plans they take, usually correlating with the amount of money to be taken out of their own pay check…. so there are limited choices.  Or they could opt out all together….right? It seems that the only options I have heard in my quest for affordable medical coverage is to find a job providing or go with out…. This may not be a clear issue of freedom here but a more cloudy instance of passive coercion.

The state of maine is very ridged. only Blue Cross and Blue shield is really allowed to operate in the state…. any outsider must submit through the state program…. (oh, MY!) And Anthem is very limited and itself now suffers from slipping coverages…

To their defense: Emmy and I spent 6 months paying into MEGA Life and Health based out of Texas…. Turned out they wouldnt cover much, if anything…. After paying hundreds of dollars out of my own pocket to cover a common physical and cholesterol blood work which they did not cover we dropped them.

Almost a year later I got a letter from the state….. (scary right?) here I thought it was Hilary Care and I was going to be fined for not having insurance… instead I was informed that I was, unannounced to me, part of a class action lawsuit against MEGA life. I was reimbursed all the money that I had to pay out of pocket while I was simultaneously paying MEGAlife for the peace of mind they offered.

Needless to say I was pretty happy…. and proud of all things, that my state (not the federal government) was looking out for my well being. MEGA ended up having to pay out over 7 MIL in fines and reimbursements to Maine residence… how about other states?

So as I was frustrated with the state for being so regulated… they were still looking out for me… But, I am still uninsured… Have no desire to imprison myself in a crap job simply to afford medical, and cant make enough to pay the $800/month that seems standard (most others being MEGA-like scams.)

So is this freedom of choice? or economic coercion?

I am confused.

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Taxation vs. Entitlement pt.1

July 19, 2008 at 4:38 pm (political)

I would like to continue picking at a thought that has recently gotten under my nails….. Taxation vs. Entitlement

Pt #1  Taxation

If one works in the U.S. (hypothetically, of coarse) ….. if they use the pre-established infrastructure (paid for by Taxations Past) yes the roads and wires, public services and what not… but also the banks, the markets and such utilities, then a certain amount of taxation is expected. The house takes a cut in order to keep the dealer fed, clothed and housed…. It keeps the ball rolling.

Now suppose we do away with taxes (for what ever reason). Rather than saving money by not paying I have the inclination that things would get more expensive…. or at least get substantially more hectic…

What happens when the mechinized farms loose their subsidies? Milk prices go up… corn and corn chips…. they go up as well. (anything containing corn actually…) soy maybe? what else?

What happens when car companies and airlines loose their subsidies? traveling will get more expensive… possibly cheaper. Once the big flops fold maybe things can get cheaper again… a truely free market might be a nice change….

If transportation goes up so does food, right? I dont read books on this stuff but I do believe they would…. we are feeling something real similar with gas prices already.

So if we loose such subsidies, paid for by tax dollars… How do the White-collars feed their family? Some might be able to milk a cow… (some). how about cleaning a chicken…. there is more to it than the queen might know…(off with its head, and all that jazz). Tofu can only take you so far….. Let alone trying to grow tomatoes in a NY penthouse… or malibu Beach (ok… stereotypes recognized…)

What abaout the inner-city Blues? Diaspora….. thats about all there is…. minimal trucks, minimal food and the city becomes damn near uninhabitable. As the value of land (for life not money) increases and that many people are trying to relocate I foresee violence…..

So without said taxation, who protects who from who? That is a good question…. and I dont want to say that a cynical answer can answer itself….. but its been doing a pretty good job thus far. and this exercize is starting to become dreary….

So can we concur that taxes are essential…. part of our duty perhaps… as much if not more so than serving in the military…. To preserve and protect our great nation…. right?

Can we agree the problem is not taxes but what is being done with these taxes? can we overcome this hurdle so we can finally move on?

(i do realize my understanding of world market economics is very topographical)

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Family (friendly) Fire

July 19, 2008 at 3:50 pm (political)

Below are excerpts from my emails to relatives…. They have gotten me pretty frazzled, but I must admit I enjoy the exercise…

I will only publish my words, for their sake… but I am pretty sure You can fill in the blanks (mad libs are for winers!) The emails were not all from the same person… but pretty damn close.

email #1

I am by no means a fan of the Democratic Speaker, mostly for such taxation issues (that, and i believe the positions she takes are mostly show-boating for popularity). But I am more concerned with your attitude towards politics in general.
The term “others” you use so coldly only serve to feed this us vs. them mentality. Further more, you are playing into their game, (name). Both sides do it. And both sides continue to benefit when you do so. This is an identity war fed by language and emotions. But we are all Americans first and foremost. These catch phrases only serve to stir the pot.
The last thing we need is another “Us vs. Them” election year. Last time this happened look who was elected speaker……
We are all in the same boat…. now all we need to do is compromise on our destination.
Believe me, if Hilary was elected Mcain would be the only logical choice…. even still, I am on the fence. But your cold-war era comments sometimes make me wonder how we are going to get through this year without taking on more water than we can bale out.

email #2

Are you telling me i dont pay taxes? I was trying to tell you i agree with you but feel you could be more productive if you changed your approach and you insult me?

email #3

It wasn’t the email that I was referring to, simply the language. I do believe that they are essential to informing people, that is why I read and respond. This dialog is quite precious when it comes to knowing how and why people feel the way they do.

I am still completely confused by these others…. unemployed? immigrants? faith based initiatives? The conclusions that can be derived from such vague terminology is endless. That is why, i believe, everyone jumps to the defensive when they feel that they may be one of the “accused”.

I admit, I did. My wife is on state funded healthcare, and an immigrant none the less. She has paid into our tax system for over 8 years and has asked for nothing in return until now.  But I digress, this is only my personal plight. And one of my largest reasons for switching to the republican party last year (of which she is none too impressed). If we weren’t paying in thousands of dollars a year into superfluous federal taxes then maybe we could afford $800 a month for health care. Maybe not.
We’ve been scraping bottom for three years now… what about our future? We are both still paying S.S. ….. for what? for your generation? no. Because all people want are tax breaks, regardless of the national debt. regardless of how much our foreign policy costs us per year. If you dont wish to pay taxes then why support spendthrifts, regardless of their affiliations. Real republicans would be cutting costs to relieve the tax burden. Unfortunately I have yet to find one such republican on the national level. Instead we send trillions of our rapidly receding dollars over seas and you are offended that we might spend a little bit of that on Americans in need? to help them deal with this depreciation?
Thanks to the slipping dollar emmy’s school loans have doubled since she has graduated. oh, but shes not an american….
Dont get me wrong, I harbor very little compassion for illegals. After spending 3 years and thousands of dollars to do it the right way I am insulted by this “forgive and forget” approach.
But because my immigrant wife (not to mention my unborn immigrant child) has paid into our system without even a say on how things are run, don’t they too get to ask for something back?

So can these “others” be americans?
I dont like people who skirt the system. But I feel almost ashamed writing a WIC check, or going to DHS to apply for MaineCare again, Because apparently an income of 200$ per week is too much to qualify for assisted healthcare. The stigma is unbearable. But unless you are lucky enough to land a lame office job with benefits, what is an american to do? without offending the “others” that is.

You complain because you have a house, that you are somehow worth more than these others.. Do you work harder than them? Or do you feel entitled? How much do taxes hurt….
We pay the same percentage amount of taxes, yes you over a longer period of time. but you have also had a longer time to vote, to try and fill this hole back in. But now you want your retirement…. and I dont want to inherit your tax burden.

email #4

I apologize if I seem agitated… Truly I am not. Email looses all tonality and i believe thats why so many seem to take me too seriously. I am simply trying to continue this debate because I find it advantageous, and enjoyable. I only used my situation to draw a discussion piece in the sand. I hold no ill toward anyone except myself for being where i am because I could not be happier….

I am simply trying to learn more… We agree on alot. (more than I do with many I am close too) but seem to vote so differently… I was simply curious. Thats why I open Warrens emails (most of them) and thats why I occasionally respond…

email #5

I am not going to bother appealing to our shared opinions in hopes that you will take what I have to say with a grain of salt (or a lime). But I would like to think that you do comprehend, even to the slightest extent, that your wealth and comfort are due to this country. Yes you work hard and deserve to keep what you make. But you also have an obligation to this infrastructure.
You used public services to to get where you are today. Obviously, from the roads that take you to work to the police that save you from the local bully trying to bruise you for a nickle on your way home. You use their land, their markets, their banks and their security to make your money, so face it. It is not ALL yours. Pay your fair share and stop bitching.
If you dont like where the money goes, join the club. But I have a hard time believing that you can be, as intelligent as you are, so self righteous to think that you got there all on your own.
If you are not going to run for office, or join the army to serve the country to which you owe everything you have to, the least you could do is pay your fair share. Voteing isnt free.
best
z

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Rachmaninov for the Masses

July 19, 2008 at 3:34 pm (musical, Uncategorized)
Tags: , , ,

I was thinking today, as another flipped through my ipod and commented on my diverse taste in music, that yes, I discriminate on an individual basis. But I too am subject to my own in-bred sense of musical distaste. For me, since birth, when someone asked me what I listened to my answer was simple. “Anything but Country.” Like I said, ingrained since birth, reinforced by my parents… not to be brought up at the dinner table. Country was the only thing not allowed to be played in the house, or car. ICP was ok…… for some reason…. And for those of you who dont know who they are… congratulations. Riddlebox set me back almost two years of progressive thought. (but we all have our skeletons).

So when the comment comes out that I have country music in my playlist I obviously get on the defensive.

“Thats bluegrass! Get it straight or get out.”

But yes, sometimes I see it myself…. there is a grey area that is much bigger than I would like to admit., But this conversation is going in a bad direction for me.

The Point I intended to make at the beginning of this post was simply that, for reasons seemingly unfathomable to others I have Rachmaninov right up there on my play list next to works by Lamb of God, Zao and Norma Jean. (Genre, if I have to apply, circa: Heavy/Death Metal, though debates still arise). What seems odd is not my taste, but my reason for it. I listen to Rachmaninoff for the exact reason I listen to heavier music… I like to think it is the emotion, the breakdowns and the intensity of the music in general. Simply put,Piano Concertos Number one and two gets my blood moving, and if I am predisposed Vocalise can give me that tingly feeling that swells up in your nose…you know the one (dont make me say it).

What I think this stems from is the radio, or highschool music appreciation classes who seem to play nothing but Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach and Brahms… the 4 Horseman of horrendously overplayed musicians…. They are right up there with Skynard… some people love them…. and others just need to step in and tell them that they have a problem.

But this whole train I am riding got me to thinking about CocoRosie (of all people). I heard recently an interview where Bianca said to the effect that Opera and Hip-hop are unequaled when it comes to their Love stories… And although Opera is another line that I refuse to cross…. I get the picture. and it did make me think twice about giving opera another chance…… but stilll…. Im not that much in need of diversity.

But then again, what do I know. I still Rock STP at work and draw some amusing looks.

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eee, Gads! A fly.

July 19, 2008 at 12:51 pm (Uncategorized)

Lately, with a mix of fear and zeal, I have been having a constant dialog with a mix of family and strangers over emails. Lesser the issues, I spend much more of my energy focused on the form and funtion of other peoples approaches to such a dialog…. one that orbits, dare i say it in yet another blog, political “issues.”

But this is not my interest. Politics enrages me at the same time it bores me. Thus, my lack of fallow through with such en devours as this. In order to combat my natural tendencies and short attention span I will instead base this (and all future) posts on what does interest me, but that I have less of a chance of becoming disillusioned with . Thus being (in no particular order):

1. a cognitive study of why I don;t get along with people.

2. Agrarianism as a way of life

3. Starting a family in Rural America

4. Owning a small farm (yes, that counts as a business) in modern America

Here I have no time for issue based arguments as facts and propaganda can be used in a number of ways, most of which are frivolous and unproductive. I am here to talk about the big picture. “Ideals”, “Goals”, “Beliefs” and “Opinions”. This includes, but is not limited to : taxes, children, religion, government, art, agriculture and morality. All of which I believe are good in moderate amounts.

If, at all, I come off as sounding pretentious and/or boastful I apologize. It is simply my sense of humor… especially when I write. I act like I am not, I use word phrases and sentence structures that would, if it wasn’t me writing them, I would call pretentious and refuse to read…. such is my affliction.

In order for me to enjoy this I need feedback. Compliments need not apply. I derive most of my motivation and enjoyment from slightly heated, confrontational dialog. (but not profane or vindictive).

I argue in order to learn, as I believe we all must face that which we find offensive and/or incompatible with our beliefs in order to be truer to ourselves and those around us. Feel free to start new topics and stir which ever fire interests you most. I do this here, in my house, in order to spare people my intrusion into theirs. If you are offended by my beliefs and or morals, my passion or my logic, than you may very well feel satisfaction in the fact that you most likely offend me as well. We are all brothers here, trying to find a way to get along in the face of diversity. Because if we dont start trying to reconcile our differences now…. something involving doom might happen, possibly. I guess.

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