Lowest Divorce Rate in the US: Massachusetts
Highest Divorce Rate in the US: Texas
Self-identified religious group with the highest divorce rate in the US: Conservative Christians
Self-identified religious group with the lowest divorce rate in the US: Episcopalians
Highest Percent of Live Births to Mothers Under 20 Years of Age: Mississippi
Lowest Percent of Live Births to Mothers Under 20 Years of Age: Massachusetts
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Tagged: crazy people, divorce, gays, marriage, teen pregnancy
Oh my lovelies,
I have moved. That is right; Miss Rants is now coming to you from a different flat and from much more urban environ. I could not be happier about this. To begin with, my old house is about to collapse. No, seriously. It is dangerous. But more importantly, I am happy to be much closer in to the city. I am an urban girl and will always be happiest among the pulsing beats and lovely cacophony of the inner city.
I have often said that I would only live someplace so long as it has Indian food, gay bars, and opera. This is only half a jest. The country has its charms for certain, but these charms are temporary, holiday charms that wear thing at the end of the weekend. The suburbs are…well, Mama always said that if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all.
Sarah Palin (and basically every other speaker at the RNC last year) suggested that the Real America™ could be found amongst the wholesome, salt of the earth types in small towns and rural areas. Part of this was racial; I am certain. Small town was code for white. But even if I give Mrs. Palin and her company the benefit of the doubt for a moment and assume that by “small towns” they really meant “small towns” and not “where white people live”; even then I cannot believe that these are the loci of all goodness and virtue. Small towns are more often than not places of small mindedness, small heartedness, and small vision. In small towns, I have encountered too many people who are much too ignorant of the world outside the village limits. Why else would the greatest minds and boldest spirits born in small towns strike out from them to the bright lights of the city?
It is a sort of heresy in our culture to attack small towns. The suburbs can be mocked or at least used as a back drop for horror flicks, but not small towns. Like many false teachings, the idolization of the small town is beyond reason. It is also a haven in which people may hide their fears, prejudices, and naïveté. I wish to hide none of this which I find in myself. I want all that darkness in me exposed and burned by the city’s lights and by the electric pulse of its people. So yes, my dears, I have moved. I will move again. I know for certain though that each time I do it will be within the confines of the concert jungles that I love.
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Tagged: big city, me, RNC, Sarah Palin, small towns
“For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”–
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
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Go Read this blog; then immediately return to my blog to hear commentary: Snarly Skepticism…(and Unofficial JREF Watch).
This is a blog devoted to attacking people who are sceptical of paranormal activity (of course, you already know that because you went and read the blog. Trés bien fait!). Of course , it seems to me that scepticism is the absolutely correct post-Enlightenment response to ghosts, goblins, Bigfoot, and UFOs. It is an even healthier response to psychics and mediums that do make a lot of money predicting our futures and talking to all of our dead relatives without offering very much proof that they are doing anything short of just making general statements similar to the horoscope in the daily paper. And then there are the T.V. shows about all this. Don’t you think it is weird that undeniable proof of ghosts and alien life is consigned to basic cable? This earth shaking information cannot get on the networks? Weird.
Now, at this point, you are probably saying, “But what about God? You chatter on about God quite a bit.” And you are right. I invoke the Triune God a good deal on this little blog. Truth be told, I do possess the completely irrational belief that a benevolent force pervades the universe, a force that is simultaneously infinite beyond understanding and capable of loving every human being in a profoundly personal way. I also totally get why others think that it is totally bogus. So I don’t attack or mock them; I try to be good natured when they mock me.
I also don’t head off with cassette players, motion detectors, and digital cameras attempting to prove the existence of God. I wouldn’t do that even if I was offered a T.V. deal. My faith is beyond science. It is an opinion I arrived at (for better or for worst) without evidence or logic. Evidence and logic will not convince me otherwise nor will they solidify my belief. Paranormal investigators go out seeking evidence for their illogical beliefs; an act of such illogic it defies explanation. Even worse, much worse, psychics and mediums take advantage of the fears of hurting people to turn a quick buck. It is an insanity for which scepticism is perhaps the only possible response. The minute you demand that your illogical, irrational beliefs are capable of producing testable evidence than you bring them into the arena of science. Here they will most likely be mocked and destroyed as they should. That is the role of science.
Reason and science tell me that there is not a breeding population of giant apes living outside of Seattle; they tell me that there are no aliens making crop circles in the English countryside; and my grandmother is not going to send me a message via Chip Coffey. Of course, they also tell me that a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth who lived on the outer-edge of the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago was not the omnipotent ruler of the universe. That I can expect the former but reject the later is a sign of my own intellectual laziness perhaps. Even more so then, I appreciate the sceptical. I cannot help but think that blessed are those who do not believe what they do not see.
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Tagged: Chip Coffey, Christianity, ghosts, God, paranormal, scepticism, Skepticism, UFOs
Mama will tell you that I am far from a neat freak. The evidence of this is piled up on my desk right now. Books and papers are stacked every which way. I know where everything is, but I would have a hard time explaining to someone else where to find this or that. There is a method to my madness, but it is my madness and my method.
I would like to think that there is something of a connection between my mess desk and God’s very mess universe. The story of Caster Semenya is a reminder of just how messy, how defiant of human categories nature really is. It will be interesting to see how all it all plays out. What is even more interesting is how desperate everyone seems to be to make this athlete fit in the gender binary. I mean, we can’t have fair athletic competition without it right?
Well, the fact is if you believe that athletic competition is already basically fair than ya probably we can. I am not a biologist but everything that I have read over the past two or three years seems pretty convinced that in nature everything (hair color, sex, sexuality, psychosis, pinkie toe size) is a spectrum and every individual falls onto some absolutely unique spot on those spectrums. In the words of Star Trek: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.
To me, this all seems quite wonderful (and not just because I am a closet Trekkie). It is a reminder that the whole universe possesses the beauty of an English garden. It is a beauty that rambles and flows, a beauty that concedes to disorder. I think (and this is a big I think) it is sort of what the Japanese mean by Wabi Sabi.
Now you would think that if Captain Kirk, Winston Churchill, Fujiwara no Shunzei, and I all agree than no one could disagree. Yet, it seems that a strange number of people do. They are frightened, I suppose. Nothing blocks our ability to see beauty like fear. They cling desperately to a small god who demands a ridged order in his creation. They cannot, in the words of Reverend Elizabeth Kaeton, accept that, “The God of Our Understanding is One who surpasses our understanding.” The writer of Ecclesiastes understood that we cannot comprehend the richness of God’s creation when he wrote:
As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.11:5
When people try to tell me that God commands the binary, I tell them, “No he doesn’t. It says so in the Bible.” Nothing is sweeter than paraphrasing someone’s own argument in your counter one.
Perhaps when we do understand a bit more or at least when we accept our lack of understanding, we will kinder to each other. God cannot tell us where he has placed each thing and each person; yet, I do not doubt that he knows. Caster Semenya and everyone else is exactly who He made them to be. We are the ones who need the tests and categories. You know, for sports and all.
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Tagged: Caster Semenya, Christians, crazy people, England, gardening, God, Japan, Olympics, sports
I was in competitive public speaking all through high school. What did you all imagine I was the head cheerleader or something? Anyway, my sophomore year speech dealt with the absolute ridiculousness that is the very concept of tolerance. Tolerance, my sixteen year old self contended, was in fact nothing more than politically correct patronization. Acceptance should be the real goal, the real virtue. Well, you will all be happy to know that my twenty-four year old self stands behind my comments. In fact, I am now even more opposed to “tolerance” than I was then. You see, m’dears, as I move through the world I am increasingly reminded of the limits of tolerance and of the obvious short-comings of tolerance as a goal. Tolerance will not bring us to a freer and more equal world; it will not even get us half way there.
Tolerance gives a sense of moral superiority to people who have no place feeling very moral at all. We on the left need to stop being so lily-livered about it. Tolerance is not enough. The fear-mongers from NOM are right: We cannot stop at tolerance. We must demand acceptance for and celebration of the lives and loves of all our fellow citizens, of all our fellow human beings. Mama always said, “If it ain’t hurting someone else, it can’t be all that bad.” Mama is, as always, right. Nothing that does not increase the pain of this rather sad world can be all that bad. And if it increases the amount of joy “here on earth” then in my book it demands celebration.
This is why tolerance is not enough and we must call to account those who would hide behind it. Do you oppose gay marriage? Then you are a bigot. Are you worried about the increasing number of Hispanics in the U.S.? Then you are a bigot. Do you think that those who receive public assistance are by and large “welfare queens”? Then you are a bigot.
Tolerance is a linguistic loophole that allows prejudice to be maintained and polished in the twenty-first century. Well it’s not good enough. Tolerance is too easy. And I am not going to tolerate it.
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Tagged: bigotry, crazy people, gay marriage, Hispanics, racism, tolerance
Remember how I said that I hoped Michael Vick wouldn’t do spots for PETA? Well he’s not. He’s doing them for the Humane Society. He has also found God. Oh, and he feels really bad about hurting the dogs, lying to the owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and disappointing everyone. And he just wanted to let all of us know about this on 60 minutes.
Now as previously mentioned, I think that Vick should be allowed to play pro football again; he should be allowed to rebuild his life after prison on and off the field. What I think is not only sad but very telling of who we are (because I could actually care less about Michael Vick) is that he really must go through this little public display of penitence if he wants his career back. It is undeniable that dog fighting s horrible, sick and atrocious. Michael Vick should feel hideously about what he has done. But I don’t think that is the reason why Michael Vick now must spend his weekends volunteering for the Humane Society.
First, at the end of the day, I don’t think that people care that much about cruelty to animals. Sure we say we do in polite company, but honestly do we? The vast majority of us still eat meat, wear leather, and reap the benefits of scientific testing on animals. I promise you ten minutes of Google searching will reveal to you that the animals breed and raised for those purposes live lives pretty much on par with the Vick dogs. Some of us even shot animals from helicopters for sport. I am looking at you Mrs. Palin. All things being equal, the outrage over Michael Vick is not about our furry friends.
What it is about is the culture of tabloid celebrity and even more it is about racism. We mustn’t deny how we like to build up people, all people regardless of race, only to tear them down the moment we see weakness. This is the impetus behind Oedipus Rex and ever political sex scandal. Oddly, enough in America we also love tales of repentance and second changes. Think Martha Stewart.
But this particular incident probably has a lot more to do with race than celebrity. A young African-American man fights dogs and he is guilty of animal cruelty. A middle-aged white lady shots wolves from a plane and she is a 2nd Amendment activist. All things being equal, aren’t they the same? Of course, all things are not equal. So bring on the public flogging. Like I said, I could care less about Michael Vick but we should probably think about whom we bring to whip in the court of public opinion.
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Tagged: crazy people, dog fighting, dogs, Michael Vick, my rightness about stuff
Well, it looks like the White House is going to cave to the pressure and take a public option off the table. I think this is not only disasters for America; it also has taught the most radical and ridiculous elements of our society that they can win by throwing a tauntrum.
One thing their tantrum in not going to stop is our brand new Miss Rants Special Guest Blogger Segment: I am from a Far Away Land and I Have Never Gone Before a Death Panel. And today’s guest blogger is Lily from Australia which we can all agree is pretty gosh-darn far away.
Now, the Australians are a lot more like us Estadounidenses than any people on Earth (All the offended Australians can leave hate mail and death threats in the comment section). Both nations pride themselves on being rugged stock who tamed an unforgiving land. We also both have not been too nice the natives. Quick: What’s the poorest county in America ? Better yet, they currently have the health care system that most accurately mirrors our proposed new health care system avec government option. So without further ado, Miss Lily to tell us how she escaped the government death panels and saved her grandma from them too. Keep reading →
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Tagged: Australia, crazy people, government option, guest blogger, health care, impending doom, Obama, Socialism
Ever noticed all the little ways that women get reminded to say in their place? Well, I have noticed A LOT lately. And this little gem of a story about Euna Lee, the American journalist freed last week, is the most recent and angering (mainly because it is the most recent).
The whole aim of this little article seems to be a not-so-subtle reminder to women not to go out into the big scary world or their kids might end up permanently damaged. I don’t remember seeing an article like this when Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and later killed by mujahideen. His wife was pregnant at the time of his murder, but no one seemed to accuse him of being derelict in his parental duties. Not that they should have, of course. Pearl was killed doing what journalists do: going out and getting the story. Lee was kidnapped the same way. Journalism is a dangerous job but it is essential to the survival of freedom. Shame on anyone who would condemn journalists for doing their important work.
My personal favourite of the aforementioned gem of an article above was this:
For all of us who have fantasized about escaping the drudgery of the everyday, let Lee serve as a reminder that dancing and jumping with your child is the stuff that makes for a full life.
Something tells me that the “us” of Ms. Halewicz readership at Parents Daily is of the more feminine variety. Her closing paragraph is a very P.C., very 21st century way of reminding women that were they belong is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Heaven forbid we should be allowed adventure and excitement. It might upset the children.
Well, I refuse to be shamed into the kitchen. Ms. Halewicz I do not doubt for a minute that moments spent with one’s children and partner are among life’s sweetest moments. But I also know this: There is drudgery in everyday life. Everyone, regardless of gender or parental status, deserves to seek out more than that; to serve a higher calling. This can be dangerous, but we all must be free to choose danger.
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Tagged: Daniel Pearl, Euna Lee, feminism, Laura Ling, motherhood, North Korea, parenting
