The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

It was 2015 and the Democratic Party seemed all but certain to nominate Hillary Clinton as its representative for the 2016 presidential election. The event seemed so inevitable, only a handful of Democrats stepped forward to run for the highest office in the land, in stark contrast to the 17 Republicans whom were doing the same. Former Secretary of State Clinton was riding high in all the Democratic primary polls, that was until progressive stalwart Bernie Sanders started making some noise. His rise in the polls surprised many and made Secretary Clinton's journey to the Democratic nomination anything but an easy one. By the time Clinton was nominated, a divide was lodged inside the Democratic Party's establishment and progressive wings, between ardent Clinton backers and "Bernie Bros," as they were (are still) called. While most Sanders supporters went on to vote for Hillary Clinton in the general election, some admittedly either voted 3rd party, didn't vote, or v...

I can't tell you how many times a day I spot a person all over the road, and when I pull up beside them at a traffic stop, I see they're on their cell phones. No matter the hour, it appears as though half of this nation's drivers are drunk, and the chances are high they haven't consumed a drop of alcohol. Studies have actually showcased that drivers' delayed reaction times are similar when on their cell phones as they are when intoxicated. This may be why an increasing number of states are passing laws banning the use of cell phones while driving. As drunk driving is illegal, it wouldn't make much for a similar distraction to be legal. Millions of people around the world would give just about anything to have a vehicle or even just have the opportunity to drive. Such a privilege shouldn't be taken for granted. Not only are we putting our own lives in danger when we focus on our cell phones while driving, we're putting other people's lives in danger...

Not long after the ugly turn of events which took place at the "Unite the Right" march in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday, many Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, attempted to deflect blame to the far-left group antifa and depict the marchers as alt-right in their ideology and not emblematic of the Republican Party as a whole. Regardless of these attempts at spin, however, there's a stark difference between the two groups and their relation to the Democrat and Republican parties, respectively. First off, for those who aren't familiar with the terms "alt-right" and "antifa," allow me to define them for you. Alt-right is short for "alternative right," which is, as reported by the Associated Press, "a name currently embraced by some white supremacists and white nationalists to refer to themselves and their ideology, which emphasizes preserving and protecting the white race in the United States in addition to, or over,...

There's been a great deal of controversy swirling around HB2, a bill recently passed in North Carolina and signed by Governor Pat McCrory. The law prevents transgender individuals from using public restrooms of the gender with which they identify. This has led to a series of boycotts, ranging from businesspeople to athletes to musicians and beyond. One musician who cancelled a show in North Carolina due to the controversial bill was "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen. In response to his cancellation, several conservatives criticized the rock star for being hypocritical, as he cancelled a show in the U.S. due to anti-LGBT legislation yet didn't do so in foreign countries which possessed far more extreme anti-LGBT laws. I've heard this line of reasoning on multiple occasions from conservatives, especially with regard to the LGBT community: "Things aren't so bad here. Just be grateful you don't live in Africa or the Middle East" or "Why do you critic...

I've long said I see Congress to be like a marriage. While Republicans and Democrats may have a differing ideal vision of America and how we reach this ideal, we won't be able to come anywhere close to this ideal without working together. In other words, sacrifices and compromises need to be made to, at the very least, take baby steps forward, if not giant leaps. If one side or the other says no to each and every proposal, unwilling to make any kind of sacrifice or come to any form of compromise, progress will be next to impossible. It's similar to a marriage. The two spouses may have slightly differing ideas on what the perfect marriage or family life is and how to reach that point, but unless the two make some sacrifices along the way and form compromises in the process, the relationship will be all but doomed. Just imagine if a husband and wife behaved the way Congress has been in recent years... Setting: Mr. and Mrs. Congress' home as they eat dinner in the dining...

What has it been with the crazy comments I've been receiving on my blog entries recently? It's as if several far right-wing organizations passed memos around, saying, "So, like, do you know that crazy progressive Craig dude? I guess he's been in and out of the hospital lately, so now's the time to fill his blog with right-wing propaganda! Let's do this!" The most recent such comment was in response to my December 7th post, entitled, "Another false equivalence Facebook meme," which can be read in its entirety here - http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2015/12/another-false-equivalence-facebook-meme.html. The blog revolved around this Facebook meme, which began circulating the Internet shortly after the San Bernardino mass shooting: "if the shooting by a window licking retard with a bowl haircut in south carolina is cause for banning the confederate battle flag, removing statues of confederate soldiers and erasing southern histor...

Much talk has been made of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs, even though same-sex marriage is now legal nationwide. She was then found in contempt of court and temporarily jailed before being released earlier today. Well, another such story regarding religious freedom  at the workplace was reported recently, as ExpressJet flight attendant Charee Stanley was suspended by the airline for refusing to serve alcohol on flights due to her Islamic faith. She's been placed on unpaid leave and it's uncertain at this time if she'll ever work for the company again. She's since filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. After reading the entire article, Charee Stanley's case is quite similar to Kim Clark's, but not identical. Ms. Stanley's been an employee of ExpressJet for approximately three years. Two years ago, she converted to Islam and ...

I may not be religious, but it still cracks me up sometimes to hear people describe themselves as "God-fearing." The reason for this is because, regardless of what a former druggie says he witnesses during a flashback, I've personally never seen nor heard "God," so when someone says they're "God-fearing," my first thought is, "Okay then. So, what you're saying is you fear someone you've never seen nor heard? An invisible man so to speak? Interesting..." When thinking about it, this thought-process isn't so far removed from many kids whom fear a boogeyman - a monster in their closet or under their bed. No, they may not be able to see or hear this beast, yet they're so frightened by this figment of their imagination, they swear they can hear it. In fact, let's further compare the two beliefs, shall we? Setting: A little boy screams while in bed late at night Joseph Pansyazz (the father): "What's wrong? Are...

Have you seen the new GEICO commercial, where it pokes fun of stupid characters in horror films? If not, it can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrrw0wNLc2g Oddly enough, I wrote something rather similar to the commercial on July 17th of 2013, entitled, "Horror film characters are ridiculously stupid," which can be read at this link: http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2013/07/horror-film-characters-are-ridiculously.html The story goes as follows: Is it just me or is there a written requirement somewhere which says, "If you're a character in a horror film, you have to be stupid"? My girlfriend and I went to see the film The Purge last night, and like with many contemporary horror films, we spent more time laughing and giving each other the why-in-the-hell-are-they-doing-this-are-they-stupid looks. Yes, I know the main intent of horror films is to frighten viewers. However, if the viewers find the script and plot so ridiculous, i...

Even though 97% of climate scientists, whom responded on the matter, believe climate-change is happening, is at least partially due to humans, and poses a serious threat for all of us in both the near and distant future, and even though loads of evidence continually supports these very claims, it seems as if 97% of the GOP, while believing in climate-change to a certain degree, simply see it in the manner of former George Carlin stand-up character, the hippy-dippy weatherman. For those whom are unfamiliar with Carlin's character, the hippy-dippy weatherman needed to give just one forecast in his short career, where he said something like this: "Hey man. Que pasa? What was that? Que pasa? So, I'd bring out a map to show you the weather, but I don't have one. So here's your forecast. Tonight? Dark. Partially light in the morning, and the weather will be changing on and off for a very long period of time." So, that's it. According to the Republican Part...

While Detroit Tigers starter and former Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander has been throwing a bit better of late, the facts are in - he just hasn't been the same pitcher these past two seasons. From 2006 through 2012, outside of a hiccup in 2008 (11-17 and 4.84 ERA), Verlander posted a 113-46 record (.711), a 3.15 ERA, with 1,284 strikeouts and 378 walks in 1,341.1 IP (8.62 K/9, 2.54 BB/9, and 3.40 K/BB). Over the past two seasons, however, Verlander is just 23-21 (.523), has an ERA of 3.95, with 327 strikeouts and 127 walks in 369.0 IP (7.98 K/9, 3.10 BB/9, and 2.57 K/BB). He's also allowed 374 hits in 369 innings over these past two seasons (9.12 p/9), while he only allowed 7.67 hits per 9 innings from 2006 through 2012 (excluding 2008). So, over the past two years, he's allowed about an average of 11 runners on base per 9 innings. Let's compare the states side-by-side now: Record 2006-2012 (excluding 2008): 113-46 (.711) 2013-2014: 23-21 (.523) Difference...

It was recently reported that an Orlando man (Claudius Smith) followed, shot, and killed a young man who ran through his yard, hopped over the fence, and kept running into a neighbor's yard. Smith is hoping he won't face charges due to the infamous Stand Your Ground law. I briefly wrote about this in a blog the other day - http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2014/01/another-crazy-possible-stand-your.html. The only comparison to the George Zimmerman case I made was in the following paragraph: "Trying to one-up George Zimmerman, Claudius Smith of Orlando recently shot and killed 21-year-old Ricardo Sanes, who was running away from Smith. Sanes had climbed the fence and gone into the neighbors' yard when Smith followed, shot, and killed him." I then received a message about the blog, which said the comparison to the George Zimmerman case was ludicrous and that anytime such an event takes place, the blogosphere goes crazy with Zimmerman comparisons. Du...

Another day and another dumb gay-marriage remark made by a die-hard conservative - this time by none other than Lehigh County (Pennsylvania) Commissioner Tom Creighton, who said the following: "The state has a ban on same-sex marriage, so why should the county be offering benefits for same-sex marriage? I don't feel the county should be looking for new ways to give away taxpayer money. Next it could be giving money out to people's pets or whatever. No, it probably won't go that far." Yes, Mr. Creighton just compared same-sex couples getting benefits via the taxpayers to pets receiving benefits. Yes, gay couples receiving equal benefits as straight couples is the same thing as a 65-year old's pet goldfish receiving such benefits. Excuse me for a moment while I attempt to unroll my eyes, which hadn't been rolled up so high since I auditioned for Linda Blair's part in The Exorcist . What is it with Republicans comparing gay marriage to animals? ...

Christopher Columbus thought he was in India, so he referred to the people there as Indians. That makes sense. However, he wasn't in India; he was in America. So, while "Native Americans" isn't the perfect term to describe that group of people, it seems far more appropriate than Indians, which comes across as kind of silly to me. That would be like if the following scenarios occurred: - A person sails to Africa thinking it's America. From that time forth, certain people in Africa are referred to as Americans. - Someone sails to Japan thinking it's Australia. Certain folks in Japan have since been called Australians. - A delusional man sets sail to Ireland thinking it's Mars. Ireland is now full of Martians! Maybe this is why Americans are notoriously bad at geography. Christopher Columbus just paved the way for the rest of us! Hooray for Columbus Day! Columbus - the capital of Ohio, which is, where is that again? Crap, where's my globe? Where...

I for one don't really like the thought of always being looked after or watched. Whether it be the federal government or a higher power, I can't say I care for the idea that someone can see my every move. Far-right conservatives appear to feel differently on the matter, especially under our current president. While many may feel a sense of relief and protection with the thought that God is watching over us, they feel a sense of fear and paranoia with the thought that President Obama and the federal government is doing something similar. Also, I find it funny that often times these same individuals will talk about God giving us everything we need (and more), but the federal government either doesn't provide any useful services or simply only gives to the neediest among us, whom abuse the system. Keeping all this in mind, I have to imagine a conversation between such a Tea Partier and a Critical Thinking professor would go as follows: Professor Idonthinkso: "So, what a...

Human hippopotamus Rush Limbaugh was recently angered by Fox News after alleging that during a guest appearance of his on the network, he was prevented from speaking about immigration reform and the divisions in the Republican Party. After one "Tony in Tampa" called into Rush's radio show and mentioned Fox News, Limbaugh butted in and said this: "You need to stop watching these people, because they're not going to change. Your blood pressure is going to suffer if you keep watching these people. I mean, they're designed to get you ticked off. They're designed to make you question your sanity. You're going to watch these people [and] you're going to say, 'how in the world can we have such idiotic people?' And you're going to think maybe they're not and you're crazy." Now I'm confused. Was this Rush Limbaugh talking about Fox News or was this someone else talking about Rush Limbaugh? Hmm...  http://www.huffingtonp...

To die-hard conspiracists, it seems that coincidence is nonexistent. Everything has to happen for a reason - everything has to have been planned by a person or group of people - probably a person or people of power. From Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Sandy to the Columbine school shooting to the Sandy Hook school shooting to Benghazi to Oklahoma City to global warming to President Obama being elected and beyond, I can all but guarantee there is at least one group of people who believes in some sort of conspiracy theory explaining these events. I can understand conspiracy theorists to an extent. Most people want to understand the world's happenings and believe there's a reason to the madness. On that level, I see conspiracy theories as somewhat reminiscent of religious beliefs. While I myself am not religious, I can understand why many are. Many have the need to feel a sense of order to the world - to feel a purpose for their lives as well as others'. However, unlike wi...

When I awoke this morning, I thought to myself, "Magicians and pastors have quite a bit in common." I must have had a very strange, yet thought-provoking dream, so profound that I can't remember it. The more I thought about this, the more I laughed. While magicians are masters of illusion and deception, at least they have something to show for it at the end. Can you imagine if a pastor treated his sermon like a magician? Pastor Whyuhere: "Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the ultimate magic trick? I can guarantee that you will have never seen anything like this! Get ready!!! In my hands, I hold a book, and not just any book - The Bible...book. Within this book, it guarantees that regardless of how many times you mess up while here, so long as you ask Jesus for forgiveness and believe he's the son of God and was perfect before sacrificing himself for our sins, you will... Are you ready? Who here believes in Jesus? Who here wants to know what will happen ...

Texas Governor Rick Perry reminds me too much of former President George W. Bush sometimes. While they're both quite conservative, they're not as conservative as most members of the Republican House. Both hail from Texas and either were or currently are governors there. Both aren't bad looking men, have very similar southern accents, and provide more gaffes for the media than Angelina Jolie provides sexual fantasies for teenage guys that aren't named Lance. Both politicians have, at times, appeared to be auditioning for a role in a G.I. Joe movie or to be Chuck Norris' sidekick (in a film or real life). Neither are great speakers either. They have often times come across as half-drunk frat boys whom failed their 3rd grade English classes. In saying all that, let me present to you what Rick Perry's response was to President Obama's speech on preventing gun violence: "Guns require a finger to pull the trigger. The sad young man who did that in Newtown ...

Upon driving home late the other night, I was extremely tired. In hindsight, while I made it home without any problem, I think that perhaps I shouldn't have driven. I hadn't been drinking at all, but upon driving home, I started to wonder what similarities there were between driving drunk and driving tired. The following day, I did some research and unsurprisingly - for me at least - there are more similarities than differences between driving drunk and driving tired. In both cases, one's reaction time is slower than is typical, and while driving tired may be legal, it may be just as dangerous if not more dangerous to drive tired than drive drunk. So, I guess my advice for everyone is, unless you must, I'd highly recommend not driving tired. If you must, perhaps make certain to consume caffeine about thirty minutes prior to leaving to provide you with a boost. I'll include a link with more on a study comparing the similarities between driving drunk and driving tired...