I-1000

Alright, I’m finally going to jump in on this one.  My buddy over at the Cranky Monkey has been very vocal about this issue (Reference Yes on I-1000, Religious Nuts Spout Off on I-1000, and In Defense of Dignity). 

I do agree with the concept of Death with Dignity, however, after reading the entire initiative, I have found that it was written so poorly and with barely any safe guards.

Here is why I think I-1000 should be voted down and re-written in the future so that these issues are addressed:

• There are no penalties for doctors who fail to submit or falsify reports of participants in the Death with Dignity act. In fact, death certificates are actually required to be falsified stating the cause of death was the terminal illness, not the lethal overdose of the “drug”.  This means the initiative is safeguarding itself from being reported on and identified as being taken advantage of for potentially ill motives from less than honest people.  Face it, the health industry is full of people like that.
• The request form does not encompass all the limitations for witnesses as outlined in the initiative, specifically that someone who would benefit from the estate cannot be a witness.  This is a legal loop hole that would allow individuals acting as a witness not be held liable if one or more of them would benefit from the death.
• Statistically, only 2% of applicants for the “Death with Dignity” act from Oregon were referred to a psychiatrist even when applicants have a history of depression and/or suicide attempts.  I-1000 says a doctor SHOULD refer the person to psychiatrist, but is not required to do so.
• In oregon, nurses assisted with a suicide of a patient without the knowledge of the doctor.  The department of health protected these nurses under Oregon’s Death with Dignity law.  In WA’s law, there is no mention of immunity or penalization for anyone who falsely takes action in the name of the law.
• There is no mention of what the intended drug is and there is no guarantee it will work.  This can result in side effects which are far worse then the terminal disease and can cause more suffering for the patient.
• Doctors cannot be sued for malpractice if they push someone to take the drug.  Sure, a very small number of doctors are quacks, but the ones that are should be convicted.  However, this act protects them.
• Governer Booth Gardner, the spokesman for this law, states this act is a “first step”.  First step to what?!
• There are no safeguards to stop health insurance providers from pushing Death with Dignity in place of proper treatment.  Historically, in Oregon, these health insurance providers have been known to recommend alternate physicians until they find one that will approve the lethal drug.  Hm, makes me wonder if the insurance providers are the real people behind this proposed initiative?

So, until ALL of these issues are addressed, I will be voting NO on I-1000.

Found the Problem!

I was watching the news this morning and they had a snippet of Chris Gregoire, our current Washington state Governor, talk about the state’s budget deficit.  She said, quote:

I’m taking steps to eliminate the $3.2 billion deficit.  I created a plan to cut education costs that saves us $1 billion.  That’s about half of the budget resolved right there!  Dino Rossi hasn’t even given us a hint of what he’s going to do about it.

Now call me crazy, but last time I checked, I passed 1st grade math.  Therefore, I know that $1 billion is no where near half of $3.2 billion.  In fact, that’s $700 million dollars off.

Well, there’s our answer on how we got into the deficit in the first place.  Gregoire can’t do math!  It’s not that she was a reckless spender.  It wasn’t that she was a thief.  OK, well maybe she is.  Definitely is.  But the biggest problem here is that SHE CAN’T DO BASIC MATH!

Have you seen that commercial where they are trying to show her working hard and taking notes saying “she’ll work for you”?  What they aren’t telling or showing you is that her notes said “2+3=Chair”.

That’s it, I’m voting for Uzumma the baby gorilla at Woodland Park Zoo.  She’ll do a better job.

Bags

My wife sent me to work with protein shake mix. Apparently neither of us put together what this might look like. At least not until I was questioned by an ex-MP that I work with…

So, I guess a bag of heroin isn’t too far off… Whoops.

A day in the life of a drug dealer

First, I would like to leave the caveat that this is not me.  This is a re-enactment.  Uh, narrative.  Uh, re-ennarrativement.  Ah, hell, whatever.  You know what I mean.

11:30 AM: 

RRRRRIIING!!!!! (to the tone of Kottonmouth Kings or something like that)

“Ugh, why are people calling so early?” picks up the phone and hits ‘talk’ “Hello?”

“Yo dawg, I need an ounce of the chrizzo!”

“Alight man, meet me at USA Motel, room 420.”

“A’ight”

“Coo’.”

“What should I wear today?”  he says to himself “Ah, there we go.” He puts on his clothes and waits for the buyer to show up.  

About 30 minutes later, there’s a knock at the door.  Opens it up, and has the buyer come in.

They do the deal, and when the money is exchanged for the weed, the door to the room is knocked down and the police barge in with their drug dogs.  

The police, upon noticing his shirt, stop in their tracks and say “Seriously?” and point and laugh at his shirt.

“It’s not ILLEGAL unless you get CAUGHT” is printed along the shirt.

“DUMBASS!” exclaims one of the police officers, then proceeds to arrest him.

“Dumbass…” the drug dealer says to himself…

Looks like you don’t have to live in the backwoods of Alabama to be a dumbass.

Source

Who are you to judge?

As most of you know, I’m quite the FARK fan.  I found this story today and I had to provide my own commentary.

If you don’t feel like reading that article, here’s the short of it: David Popescu is a federal candidate in Canada who had a debate with other candidates at some secondary school.  Popescu claims to be uber-Christian and bases all his beliefs and political motivations on the Bible.  When asked how he felt about gay marriage, Popescu said that gays should be executed.  “The Bible is very clear about that!” he says.

Seriously?!  This is such hypocrisy!  Obviously Popescu doesn’t know the Bible at all.  Sure, it says the act of homesexuality is sinful, but it doesn’t give us (Christians) the responsibility to EXECUTE them or even judge them accordingly.  In fact, here are just a few snippets from the Bible that go against this guy’s thesis:

Leviticus 18:22: Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

Malachi 2:15: “Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.” : Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.”

Mark 10:6: But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.

Romans 1:26-27: Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10:  Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

These are the main verses in the Bible that directly speak towards homosexuality and gay marriage.  Now tell me, where in the Bible, Mr. Popescu, does it say gays should be judged and executed by man? 

Only God can judge them.  It’s the same God that said:

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

The list of verses above talk about the act of homesexuality being a perversion and a sin.  Not the people themselves.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What does this all mean?  If the sin is not against a law of the land, then only God can judge them.  If you (I am targeting Popescu and anyone like him in this manner), make judgements of execution rather than do your part as a Christian and bring them to God in a gracious manner, you yourself will have to answer to God for going against His Word.

Matthew 22:36-40: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

What Jesus says is the second greatest commandment clearly outlines that no matter who the person is and what they do, sinful or not, you are to love him as yourself.  Or your brother, your sister, whatever.  This applies to all people.

If you play God and make judgements for yourself, you are now violating the second of the original 10 commandments: You shall not make yourself an idol in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (Exodus 20:4) and the fourth: You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Exodus 20:7)

By no means am I claiming to perfect.  I know for a fact that I am not without sin, but I do my best and take heed of the commandments, especially those outlined in Matthew 22:36-40.  Therefore, I will not judge another man for his sins.  It’s not my place.  It’s not your place.  It’s not Popescu’s place.

My point is this: Popescu, and all others with a holier than thou attitude like him, you need to step off and leave the judging to Him who is worthy.  You are not Him.  Stop twisting the words of my faith to “justify” your hatred.  You are the reason that people think Christians are hypocrites.