Oh, if only I had remained ignorant, friends. Ignorance is bliss, at least when it saves you from looking at this grubby little fellow:

Since it’s Friday evening and you’re all about to drink yourselves into blissful oblivion (well, I am anyway!) I figured there wouldn’t be much harm in getting our collective blood pressure up. So, here are some quotes from The Illustrious Glenn Beck. Try not to punch anyone after reading this. Unless, of course, you have a Glenn Beck-shaped pillow. Then by all means, have at it.

Glenn Beck on Nuclear Warfare

“The most used phrase in my administration if I were to be President would be “What the hell you mean we’re out of missiles?”

Glenn Beck on President Obama

“This president I think has exposed himself as a guy [with] a deep seated hatred for white people or the white culture…”

Glenn Beck on Beer

“That’s obscene!”

Glenn Beck on Honesty

“Last week I made a video on YouTube and I didn’t think that it would be something that would be so huge…I mean, why, I don’t know. Maybe because I was honest in a world where most people aren’t, I guess.”

Glenn Beck on Murder

“I’m thinking about killing Michael Moore…I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it,…No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out. Is this wrong?”

Glenn Beck on Activism

“Cindy Sheehan is a tragedy slut.”

Glenn Beck on Global Warming

“Al Gore’s not going to be rounding up Jews and exterminating them. It is the same tactic, however. The goal is different. The goal is globalization. The goal is global carbon tax.…You need to have fear. You needed to have the fear of starvation. You needed to have the fear of the whole place going to hell in a handbasket. Which — do we have that fear now with global warming?…Then you have to discredit the scientists that say ‘That’s not right.’ And you must silence all dissenting voices. That’s what Hitler did. That’s what Al Gore, the U.N., and everybody on the global warming bandwagon [are doing].”

Glenn Beck on Gloria Steinem

“You pinhead. You think we would actually be sitting here and saying “well, look at the way she was dressed?” If she were Joan McCain, stop it. You self-centered self-righteous socialist out of control dangerous man-hating bitch. Shut your mouth. We might have bought into this crap in the 1960s because too many people were doing LSD. We’re not on LSD anymore — we need to start making sense.”

Glenn Beck on Neo-Nazism

“And it was from America. Progressive movement in America. Eugenics. In case you don’t know what Eugenics led us to: the Final Solution. A master race! A perfect person. …. The stuff that we are facing is absolutely frightening. So I guess I have to put my name on yes, I hope Barack Obama fails. But I just want his policies to fail; I want America to wake up.”

Glenn Beck on Spreading Knowledge

“Having tired of the predictable left versus right debates in cable news, I am eager to offer a different take for Headline News viewers. I hope that people will come away from our show not only informed, but also entertained, in a way they’re not used to seeing on cable news.”

Glenn Beck on Keith Ellison (first Muslim elected to U.S. Congress)

“No offense, and I know Muslims, I like Muslims, I have been to mosques…I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, “Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies, and I know you’re not. I’m not accusing you of being an enemy, but that’s the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.”

Glenn Beck on the Power of Words

“Remember the talk radio industry is so powerful that the government must silence us. We are whipping people up into a frenzy and you will kill people because we tell you to. Remember that. You will kill people because we tell you to.”

Glenn Beck on Infanticide

“So in other words, babies born survived the abortion and Barack Obama after the birth is like, “Yeah, let’s go ahead and let her die anyway.”

Glenn Beck on Government

“The government is a middleman. The government is acting in the role of Lucifer. They are taking stuff from you. They are forcing you yes, I did, I did just say, yes, the government is the devil. They are taking your choices from you.”

Glenn Beck on 1984 Doublespeak

“Capitalism is freedom.”

Glenn Beck on Science

“So here’s what I’m afraid of and, you know, call me crazy, but whenever you unplug from ethics and you put science at the top and then you surround it with a bunch of progressive elitists, that usually doesn’t spell, you know, spell out anything that’s good.”

Glenn Beck on the Constitution

“I said our founders believed that without religion our country would fail.”

Glenn Beck on Glenn Beck

“I think I’m going to vomit just a little in my mouth. Okay, did it.”

Reasons Why Our NEW Stance on Foreign Policy is AWESOME:

1) It’s realistic – We won’t be a superpower forever (take a look at the historical rise and fall of great civilizations if you don’t believe me) and we can either a) plan for that occasion NOW or b) continue to piss everyone off and get fucked over when another country dominates the world stage.

2) We really DO need help. Americans should not (and cannot) be the only ones paying/working to end terrorism, world hunger, etc,etc,etc. Not only should we recognize the actions of other countries in pursuit of these international goals, but we should pursue more alliances & relationships with like-minded countries.

3) Multipolarity is cool. Policentrism is better. Right now most Americans function under the assumption that America is the “leader” of the Free World. Pssh. Look, we have our world view and self-interests. Other countries have their own world view and self-interests. Who says we should get to decide everything? I am personally in favor of a world order that contains many different centers of power – not separate poles of power competing or threatening each other (i.e. Cold War – Soviet Bloc vs. U.S. & allies) or a unipolar system in which one country is hegemonic.

4) It reinforces UN legitimacy — Let’s be honest, here. Bush kinda fucked up UN-U.S. relations with the whole Iraq war thing. I don’t think the UN has much hard power in general, but without the U.S. backing it/supporting it, it loses a lot of power (soft, hard, or what have you). Hopefully, now, the tides will turn back towards a stronger UN and a more diplomatic U.S.

5) Obama says it himself best:

“In his first address to the U.N. General Assembly, Obama sought to set a new tone in U.S. relations, moving away from the unilateralism of his predecessor, George W. Bush. He coupled conciliatory words about a “new era of engagement” with a summons for other nations to shoulder more of the burden.

“Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world’s problems alone,” Obama said.

“Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

…

“In an era where our destiny is shared, power is no longer a zero-sum game,” Obama said. “No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed.”

…

“If we are honest with ourselves,” he told world leaders, “we need to admit that we are not living up” to the shared responsibility to meet such challenges.

“Extremists sowing terror in pockets of the world,” Obama said. “Protracted conflicts that grind on and on; genocide; mass atrocities; more nations with nuclear weapons; melting ice caps and ravaged populations; persistent poverty and pandemic disease.”

“I say this not to sow fear, but to state a fact: The magnitude of our challenges has yet to be met by the measure of our actions,” Obama said.”

Well said, man.

- Dollface

When I sent the article to my mom, she had this to say “Very well put. Just wish he’d stop sitting on the fence & be the person he sold us at election time.”

1. United States is a democracy
2. Therefore, we have the moral authority over all non-democratic countries
3. Iraq is not a democracy
4. We start war in Iraq to make Iraq a democracy, because democracy = good morals
5. We take Iraqi prisoners and put them in Abu Ghraib
6. United States soldiers torture and rape some of those prisoners
7. Justice served?

Fuck this bullshit. If we are going to be so high and mighty as to spread democracy like it’s our “God-given duty,” why the hell are we not living up to our own goddamn “morals”?? For those who call the U.S. a Christian nation…ever heard of love thy neighbor? Okay, so maybe some of these prisoners are “potential terrorists”. They are in prison. That’s good enough right? Oh no, we need to drill them for information (or misinformation, under the duress of torture) in order to put MORE of them in our prison. What’s the best way to get information? Rape & torture, obviously.

Could you imagine the outrage and public outcries if the situation were reversed?

Ever heard of fucking human rights?

Sorry to rant, but I can’t even begin to explain how upset I am when the American public is lied to, kept in the dark, and basically handled with kid-gloves. Though they did not occur under his term, President Obama has decided to NOT release the photographs of torture and rape in order to protect our troops abroad. Not that I want to see these pictures, honestly, but I think that people should be able to see more hard evidence of our deeds, misdeeds, and so on. I also think there should be a public trial of those implicated in the crimes. How can we be proud of our country if we don’t even know what the fuck we are blindly standing for?

Should Obama release the pictures? Should there be a public trial? What can be done to prevent this hypocrisy in the future? Fuck this bullshit.

What is this nonsense about abortion being a heart-wrenching decision for any woman? Let’s stop sugar-coating this shit, people. I’m willing to say this straight up: If I got pregnant today I would abort it ASAP, no qualms, no hesitation. Give me that RU-486 pill, ma’am, thank you very much. I’m too young and I have no desire what-so-ever to bring a child into this world for at least 10 years (if ever).

If men were the ones who gave birth, do you think abortions would be “heart-wrenching” for all of them? Hell, abortion would be as common and accessible as breast augmentation.

Obviously, to have an abortion is a difficult choice for some women to make. By no means do I want to belittle their emotions and experiences regarding their abortions. However, I’m tired of the shame and disgust associated with abortion. For those of us who don’t think life starts at conception, the right to an abortion is a no-brainer. For those who do think abortion=baby-killing…why don’t you worry about saving your own soul, alright? You’re perfectly willing to support a war in Iraq, which has killed thousands of people ALREADY BORN and you sleep at night just fine, so I think you can get over a few women “killing” their unborn fetus. (EDIT: I’m aware this does not extend to ALL pro-lifers…)

I’d like to say this post is open for ANY and ALL commentary/debate/what-have-you. I would love to hear from pro-lifers, pro-choicers, pro-baby killers, whatever the hell you identify as. Just remember:

1) Keep it civil. No personal attacks will pass through comment moderation.
2) If you just want to preach your religious doctrine, go somewhere else. I’m a heathen and proud of it.
3) If your post contains the words “baby murderer,” “devil worshipper,” or “evil slutty bitch” (and you’re not being sarcastic), your comment will not pass through moderation.

I obviously have much more to say on the topic, but I thought I would respond in the comments section rather than standing up on my rotten little soapbox and boring you all to tears. :-) Hope to hear from you.

Yours Truly,
Dollface

I’d love to post about how the world has become full of rainbows and unicorns and smiling mushrooms (hey, it’s my fantasy okay?) since Obama has taken office. However, I regret to report that not much has changed. This of course, is not President Obama’s fault at all – in reality I see that the people around me are still caught up in “everydayness.” Americans are still completely complacent and apathetic, at least among the folks I’ve encountered lately. Take for example the following conversation I had with a friend of mine:

Friend: “I know you are a feminist, but I am not going to lie. I’m anti-feminist myself.”
Me: “Why is that? Don’t you want women to have equal rights?”
Friend: “That’s not what feminism is about. Feminism is the opposite of misogyny…it’s a bunch of women who hate men and want women to have more rights than men.”
Me: “Uh, no actually most feminists want everyone to have equal rights and privilege…it’s about raising everyone up rather than bringing anyone down.”
Friend: “Whatever, as long as I can live my life without being bothered, I don’t care.”

I didn’t pursue this conversation because I had an essay due the next morning. Though I wish I had the time to say this to her face, I feel like it would be a pointless gesture. So, dear reader, I will share my thoughts with you instead.

I hope it is obvious that her definition of feminism is completely off-base. Sure, there might be some women who hate men, just as there are tons of men who dislike women and treat them poorly. I feel it is a fair assessment to say that these man-hating women are in the minority.

As for her comment about not wanting to be “bothered”…What the hell? You’re white, you’re rich, you live in a McMansion on the coast of California and your dad pays your 50K college tuition by check. You don’t work a job and you are unconcerned by grades or your future. What exactly do you have to be bothered by? It’s the people like me who fight for your right to an abortion, who fight to save the environment and reduce the excess of consumerism – while you put cans and plastic into the trash and shop at American Apparel. I don’t mean this to be a personal attack – in fact, many of the students I go to college with fit this description. Apathy is rampant among many college students these days – their biggest worry is where to score their next eighth of marijuana. Where are the sentiments that fueled the student protests in the 1960’s?

In the end, it is conversations like these that inspire me to blog. I want to engage with people who are open-minded, spread the word about issues I find important and attempt to make some small change in the world through my writing. I’ve already learned so much from blogging and reading other blogs – I feel like I can articulate and defend my beliefs much more so now that I have written and discussed them with other bloggers and readers.

I blog to combat my own detachment from social and political issues. It’s hard to think about upsetting issues like global warming and sexism all day, every day. It is too easy to ignore these problems and focus on fashion, or school, or hobbies. This blog keeps me aware and keeps me engaged with current events. The biggest obstacle I see to changing the world for the better is collective apathy.

So, I leave you with this quote from Mumia Abu-Jamal:

“If you ain’t angry, you ain’t paying attention.”

P.S. For those who noticed the confusion over the oath, it was not Obama who forgot the lines, but rather Chief Justice Roberts who recited it incorrectly. Obama caught this and waited for the proper phrase. At least that’s what I’ve read (I’m sure there will be more articles about it in the next couple of hours).

Personally, I think this is the best move Obama could make. He’s embracing new technologies and members of my generation are responding favorably. My cousin has Obama’s podcasts on his ipod. My friend loved Obama’s Thanksgiving Youtube video. Meanwhile, I’m just happy with the administration that he is assembling. It seems that Obama is coming from a very central, unifying position instead of selecting leftist ideologues (not that I’d mind). I do think that this approach to government is already uniting “red” and “blue” citizens and allowing more people to participate in politics.

So, if you haven’t been keeping up with politics over the Thanksgiving break, here are some articles & videos that are worthwhile perusing:

Change is coming our way. Now we just have to wait out the end of Bush’s presidency.