The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I normally don't have much beef with the reporting of Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post , but a recent article of his made me give a facial expression so out of whack, only my mother could love it, and even then, she'd only be saying to be nice. The article was entitled, "Cecily Strong was wrong about Hillary Clinton's appearance being off limits," and it started off like this: "Comedian Cecily Strong asked reporters to raise their right hands and make a pledge during her speech at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday night. 'I want all the media to put their hands up and swear something this election season,' she said. 'I solemnly swear not to talk about Hillary's appearance because that is not journalism.'" Not long after that, Cillizza added this: "To a point, I agree with Strong. Hillary Clinton, by far the most high-profile woman in politics for, well, the better part of the last two d...

There's a distinct difference between just loving oneself and loving one's country, yet it appears as if the wealthiest among us, as well as the most conservative of politicians, have been able to increasingly blur those lines over the past several years. For some strange reason, when a wealthy or powerful person loudly declares that they love this country or that it's the country in the world, people tend to respond, "They're such good, patriotic Americans! Nobody loves this country more than they do!" However, as the old saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words," and their actions tend to tell a different story. The extremely wealthy, and many far-right conservative politicians for that matter, live in a different world than most of us. They may all have loved this country at one point, but in their minds, they've made it, so now they can afford to stop looking after the country and simply just look after themselves. Many even deny the...

Unless one has been in a coma while living under a rock the past few days, there's roughly a 99.9% chance he or she has heard about the protests and rioting in Baltimore, Maryland. Freddie Gray, an African-American male, died in prison a week after he was arrested of a non-violent crime, as approximately 80% of his spine had been severed. Speculation about his death coming at the hands of the area's police force, in conjunction with the seemingly countless other such cases across the country over the past several months, sparked a number of African-Americans to protest the matter. Unfortunately, while a majority of these protesters went about their business in a peaceful manner, some decided violence and property damage was the better option. Like with the protests in Ferguson, Missouri a few months ago, this situation has brought attention to the issues of police brutality, prejudice, poverty, and (in)equality, and has prompted a vast array of opinions along the way. While I...

I once heard a person say, "I don't care if a person hates me; I just hope it's for the right reason(s)." Likewise, I don't care if Republicans hate President Obama; I just hope it's for the right reason(s), and this goes for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) as well. Unfortunately, it appears most of them are still trying to find that "right" reason to despise both as a recent poll shows. According to a recently released YouGov.com poll, just 43% of Republicans believe the Affordable Care Act has resulted in an increase in the number of people with health insurance, while 25% believe that number has remained the same, and 21% believe the ACA has actually resulted in a decrease in that very number. That's right, over 1 in 5 Republicans believe "Obamacare" has done the direct opposite of expanding healthcare coverage across the country and more believe the healthcare law has either resulted in no change or a decrease in the number of...

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 21,639 followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 4 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle

I've felt for some time that Mike Huckabee has been veering further and further to the side I like to refer to as "crazy town," but based on his most recent such comments, it appears as if the man has now officially lost it and will now be permanently residing in crazy town. During a recent conference call with conservative pastors, organized by the uber-conservative Family Research Council, Huckabee made the following comments: - "Christian convictions are under attack as never before. Not just in our lifetime, but ever before in the history of this great nation. We are moving rapidly towards the criminalization of Christianity." - "If the courts rule that people have a civil right not only to be a homosexual but a civil right to have a homosexual marriage, then a homosexual couple coming to a pastor who believes in biblical marriage who says 'I can't perform that wedding' will now be breaking the law. It's not just saying, 'I...

So I went out last week to celebrate a friend of mine's birthday. During the evening, another friend of mine's mother, whom appeared to be a bit inebriated, began talking to me. She and I had met a couple of times before and I think it's safe to say she's taken a liking to me. This was especially apparent last week when she attempted to set me up with pretty much every single woman in her family. It even reached the point where she talked about setting me up with her other son's ex-wife and a 23-year-old niece that's in college. It was an awkward yet flattering moment to be certain. Knowing how intoxicated she was and how embarrassed her son was, I just attempted to go with the flow, let her know that her words were extremely flattering, but that I wasn't interested. One remark she made about her niece stood out to me and almost made me chuckle as a result. Fortunately, I was able to withhold from doing that, as I limited my laughter to the internal kind. Ye...

It amazes me how many liberals see President Obama as too conservative and how many conservatives see the president as too liberal. As usual, chances are the truth lies somewhere between the two extremes, and therein lies the problem. Typically the most vocal among us are those whom describe themselves as being on the far end of the political spectrum in one direction or another, not to mention they are typically the most involved and most likely to vote as well. It's no wonder Congress is drifting increasingly further apart as far as ideology goes. The problem is that most people classify themselves as moderate and the more moderate members of Congress we have, the more likely we are to see things get accomplished in Washington and elsewhere in the country. Also, while I realize everyone has their "ideal" image of America, we also have to realize that, no matter how liberal or conservative we may be, in order to try and move closer to that vision of America, we have to m...

The more I think about the matter, the more I can't wrap my head around hard-core conservatives' thinking when it comes to sex. This includes: Education, contraception, homosexuality (and with that, gay marriage), and abortion. I can understand perfectly well why most self-described conservatives are against abortion. However, whether one supports or opposes such procedures and whether they are legal or illegal, they are going to occur. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just am matter-of-factly stating that these procedures aren't ever going to completely vanish from our existence. So, since that's the case, wouldn't it make sense for "pro-lifers" to support measures which would likely decrease the number of abortions yet wouldn't endanger women's freedoms and/or health? Comprehensive sex education has been proven to work far better than abstinence-only education when it comes to preventing unwanted (teenage) pregnancies, and with tha...

I often times find it humorous how far right-wing Republicans, like Rick Santorum, will make the claim that progressives are trying to "redefine" marriage. They'll then also claim that, in the Bible, marriage is between one man and one woman. Sure, that's one form of marriage in the Bible, but let's ignore polygamous marriages and marriages where raped women had to marry their rapists. It's funny how many people seem to cherry-pick what they like and agree with in the Bible (according to their own interpretation), yet attempt to ignore the rest as if it didn't exist. As gay marriage grows in support across the country, however, these same die-hard Republicans have had to try and get a little more creative with their intolerance of the LGBT community, and it seems that most times when this occurs, awkward laughter soon follows. Such was the case when conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt recently asked former Pennsylvania senator and possible future pr...

With all the serious topics I cover in my blog, I thought I'd lighten things up a bit and provide some brief reviews on television shows I try to regularly watch. Fresh Off the Boat : In my opinion, the show got off to a bit of a rocky start and had trouble finding its footing. A majority of the racially-charged jokes came across as forced, as did many of the child actors' lines. I still saw some potential, however, so I decided to keep viewing it Tuesday nights. Fortunately, the episodes over the past two weeks have been arguably the best yet and I'm now starting to see the writers find their footing and find consistency throughout the duration of episodes, which it had been lacking early in the season. Grade: 6.5/10 (trending upward) Your Family or Mine : This is a new TBS show which attempts to comically illustrate those awkward moments with the in-laws. Yes, even as an unmarried person myself, I can confidently declare that such moments exist with all married cou...

While I can perfectly understand why a person would seek revenge on one whom has wronged them, I've personally never been a big fan of the concept. It seems that some become so obsessed with the notion of revenge, they lose focus of their own lives and wind up suffering as a result. This is why I often times believe that the best revenge is to rise above the obstacle or hardship that was thrown one's way and to use the unfortunate situation as a springboard to a better life. Sure, that's often times easier said than done, yet I still find it's more productive in both the short- and long-term to try and improve one's own life than to try and destroy another's. Also, since the world has become hooked on phonics, I mean social networking sites, the concept of "revenge" has seemingly changed along the way, to the point where it often times comes across as immature and silly. The latest such case is with regard to sports broadcaster Erin Andrews and forme...

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 21,366 followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 4 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle

I'm really getting tired of writing about stories like this, but unfortunately, they've seemed to be ubiquitous in recent days and weeks. Not long after Indiana's controversial RFRA bill was signed (Religious Freedom Restoration Act), a Grandville, Michigan auto repair shop has decided to let their discriminatory views be known. Brian Klawiter, owner of the Dieseltec, decided to share these views on his Facebook page, where he wrote the following: - "I am a Christian. My company will be run in a way that reflects that. Dishonesty, thievery, immoral behavior, etc., will not be welcomed at MY place of business. (I would not hesitate to refuse service to an openly gay person or persons. Homosexuality is wrong, period. If you want to argue this fact with me then I will put your vehicle together with all bolts and no nuts and you can see how that works.)" - "Our rights as conservative Americans are being squashed more and more everyday. Apparently if you are...

It may sound like an oxymoron for a person to say they're politically logical (this is often times the case), but it is definitely possible. I'm sure most everyone could point to two positions of another individual and rightfully state that the positions don't line up or mesh well with one another. However, while this may be the case with me on occasion, I try to stay as consistent and logical as possible. I know other people whom are the same way, yet know many whom often times make less sense to me with their political logic and rationale than quantum physics to a pre-schooler (Sheldon Cooper possibly being the lone exception). This is especially the case with extreme right-wing conservatives. Allow me to provide some examples. Issue: Abortion Even though the majority of self-described conservatives are anti-abortion (or "pro-life" in their view), they also often times support abstinence-only education and disapprove of contraception coverage on women's ...

Sean Daly of the Tampa Bay Times appears to have an issue with the rock bands Marilyn Manson and the Smashing Pumpkins, who will be touring together this summer in what is being called "The End Times" tour, which he seems unafraid to admit in his latest article, entitled, "Former scary rocker Marilyn Manson now on ... Groupon?" While the article can be read in its entirety at the link in parentheses (http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/former-scary-rocker-marilyn-manson-now-ongroupon/2225295), I thought I'd share it anyway: "Remember when taboo-tweaking rocker Marilyn 'The Dope Show' Manson was considered the most dangerous man in America, a sign of the apocalypse, a satanic Pied Piper who would lead our children to the fiery pits of damnation? Yeah, Manson's on Groupon now. So is Billy 'Rat in a Cage' Corgan and whoever's in the current iteration of Smashing Pumpkins. The '90s-dominant musicians are coming to M...

It seems like everywhere I go, I'll see at least one bumper sticker or hear at least one person say, "We want our country back!" These people are typically conservative Republicans. Whenever I see or hear this, three questions immediately spring to mind: 1) Is this a regular occurrence for people on the opposite side of the political spectrum as the president?, 2) How far back do they want to go exactly?, and 3) Would they rather alter the phrase to, "We want to change our country's direction"? I think it would be perfectly understandable for Republicans to not be fully on board with a Democratic president's policies just as it would be perfectly understandable for Democrats to not be fully on board with a Republican president's policies. It's also understandable that, due to this, these disgruntled voters would want a change in direction in the Oval Office, and with that, the policies leading this country forward. However, the phrasing of ...

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 21,144 followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 4 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle

These are sad times when it comes to the Republican Party and science. It's reached the point where former South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis just received an award for being the "2015 recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for political courage." What was the award for exactly? Allow John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, to tell you: "Former U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis was named the 2015 recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for the political courage he demonstrated when he reversed his previous position on climate change, knowing that by acknowledging the scientific reality of atmospheric warming and calling on the United States to meaningfully address the issue, he was jeopardizing his political career..." Yes, a Republican just won a political courage award for finally accepting the reality of climate change. Granted, I give the guy credit for finally accepting reality, but do I think a person should ...

While the phrase has existed in some form for quite some time, "Love the sinner, hate the sin" has seemed to become increasingly more popular as the LGBT community has been garnering more rights across the country these past few years. I often times hear anti-gay marriage Christians attempt to sound more progressive and tolerant by simply saying, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Sure, that may sound easier on the ears than, "God hates fags," yet the consistent undertone of these two phrases and others is that of hate, the former simply disguised better than the latter. When's the last time you heard the following interactions? Frederick Titicaca: "So, did you hear about that pastor's wife spotting him at a Fifty Shades of Grey orgy over the weekend?" Sandra Shaft: "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Emily Teabag: "My hubby and I went to a comedy show on Friday night, and neither one of us could believe how m...

I often times regret studying psychology in college, because it's led to me having a tendency to over-analyze everything, and not only that, but ten years after I graduated, I've yet to utilize the degrees I earned a great deal. However, once in a while, what I learned through the course of college, especially in the field of psychology, pays its dividends, where I'll have an "ah-ha!" moment and think to myself, "Now, if I hadn't have studied psychology, I probably wouldn't have thought of that." Such was the case when recently thinking about the Indiana RFRA law (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) and how many Christians positively reacted to it.  It really befuddled me to hear Christians say such things as the following in response to the passage of the bill and the backlash it received:  - "We're not discriminating against anyone! Liberals are discriminating against us for our beliefs!" - "What these liberals want...

The American dream is a lovely concept. It contends that no matter who you are or where you came from, if you continually showcase a good work ethic, dedication, and determination, this dream can become a reality. You'll have a big house in the suburbs, a beautiful wife/handsome husband, a couple of kids, a dog, a white picket fence, backyard barbecues in the summer,  and an annual family vacation. In other words, you'll be living the dream. However, it seems that over the past 30+ years, while this dream is still feasible for a decent percentage of people and their families, it's becoming decreasingly likely. Trickle-down economics, certain tax breaks and loopholes, and through that, a growing disparity between the top 1-2% and everybody else, has left many in the middle-class living paycheck to paycheck, and many in the lower-class searching for second and third jobs in order to just make ends meet. Sadly, while the rich have been continuing to get richer these past 30+ y...

It's very commonplace for liberals or progressives to desire change, to want the country to "progress" and move forward on a number of issues. It's one reason why I believe self-described liberals to be less consistent making it to the polls on election day, because if we don't see the progress we had anticipated or been told to expect, we'll often times feel less motivation to vote the next election cycle. Conservatives, meanwhile, as the term would suggest, tend to want things to stay as they are, for things not to change too drastically. Because drastic changes aren't very common, they tend to be regularly more content come election day than progressives, which may be one factor why Republican candidates have a tendency to outperform Democratic candidates in the midterms. Going along those same lines, conservatives tend to claim that they love this country as it is or "as it was" and will even go so far as to criticize progressives for seeki...

I've spoken to many common sense gun owners, even NRA members, whom agree that some gun laws are necessary, such as mandated background checks (with that, closing the gun-show and Internet-sales loopholes) and not allowing guns in bars. Some even agree that assault weapons and high-capacity magazines should be outlawed. When Ohio passed a law in 2011 allowing guns in bars, several pro-gun business owners I know thought the idea was so outrageous, they posted signs at the front of their establishments to show that no guns were allowed. Well, if these very individuals thought that law was outrageous, that was nothing compared to the recent legislative proposal made by state Representative Ron Hood of Ashville, Ohio. Currently, it's state law for aspiring gun purchasers to complete an eight-hour training course regarding gun usage and safety before getting their concealed handgun license at the sheriff's office. Well, if this new bill gets enacted, no training will be necess...

It's pretty amazing how drastically our perspectives change throughout the course of life. As a child, it's incredibly difficult to understand the responsibilities of adults, and even though we may long for some of the freedoms yet afforded us at the time, we don't yet realize the weight of responsibilities that come along with those very freedoms. We'll often times find ourselves enjoying life as a child, but wanting to grow up, yet not wanting to grow up too much. These areas become further blurred as we develop into teenagers and young adults in college. True adulthood approaches closer, yet still appears to be far enough in the distance where we needn't trouble ourselves thinking too much about it, while we enjoy our new-found freedoms in life, and don't yet miss those childhood years. Then when adulthood hits us, it often times befuddles many, overwhelms some, and leaves us longing for the years void of much responsibility or even freedom. Gone are the worr...