Why I don't do MySpace

Nice idea, but it can have some really unwanted side effects. Check this out.

My dad always says, the more technology advances, the more complicated life becomes. Now, the action of hand-writing a letter, putting a stamp on it and mailing it is really something special, and that's pretty disgusting.

Then again, here I sit, writing this and posting it on my blog for you fine folks to read. OK, so I'm really selective.

Ray of Hope

Sivilicious emailed me this wonderful speech that Barack Obama made in last week's Take Back America conference, which took place in DC, my hometown.

I have to confess, I shed a few tears when I read this one, because of all the harm that the current government has done to America when there are of course better solutions to the problems we face today. Some might ask "so YOU got any bright ideas, Mariposa?" Well, I have ideas, some of them may be feasible and some not, but guess what, that's why I am not in politics. I know I'm smart, but not as smart as the politicians who I want to see running things. Strive to put someone smarter than me in office, I always say. Anyone who thinks otherwise must have some very deep-seated contempt of this country.

So read the speech and enjoy it.

Ghana vs. People with Nothing Better to Do

In past years, I have avoided World Cup madness like the plague. This year, I gave in, because the games are on all three TV's in my office, and the mild-mannered legal officers I work with have morphed into wild and crazy trash-talking beasts. So it's either join them or actually do a full day's work. Let me just say here how glad I am that it was Ghana that threw the US team clear off the field and made them eat shit. That was almost as great as if it had been Guatemala's soccer team. I'm so sorry to see that Ghana lost to Brazil today, but at least it was Brazil and not UK, with their lovely little pitches and cleats. Remember that most of the soccer players from Africa and Latin America learned to play barefoot in the dirt. It's only fair that one of those teams should win. This be my thinking.

I just read an article in the New York Times (select, so I can't link it - sorry) about a player on Ghana's soccer team, Mr. Painstill, who at one point in the tournament waved an Israeli flag to pay homage to his Israeli supporters. The reporter said, basically, that Mr. Painstill has the right to do whatever he wants, and I agree. Of course, it turned into this big political issue and Painstill lost a lot of supporters, but he did gain some new ones, so I doubt he's at all worried about this. I thought it was good of Painstill to acknowledge those who support him. However, in today's over-reactionary climate in which people with far too much time on their hands pass judgement on someone because of the country he pledges allegiance to, the color of his skin, and his RELIGION, etc., etc., Mr. Painstill probably should have kept his appreciation to himself. I found his action to be a nice protest against those very people.

Someone made a comment on the article saying that there this huge amount of Anti-Israel propaganda going on in the world today. While it's true that Israel has probably lost some supporters since Sharon started bombing kids, WHERE is this anti-Israel propaganda that's said to be so rampant? Maybe it is where I live, but I see many people have a lot of unwavering support for Israel. I won't say that I necessarily support Israel's actions of late and I do have some other questions, but I very much condemn the retaliatory actions on the part of some Arabs. It is disgusting of them to take these actions upon Israelis, especially since Israel was created by the UN and Britain, and the rug was simply pulled out from under the Arabs who were on that land. The fact that most Israelis are Jewish should not provide any justification for their murderous acts. I feel that both peoples are in the wrong simply because neither is about to take the high road and prefer to languish in perpetual conflict. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem, plain and simple.

And now for the obligatory disclaimer: Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but this is only one Mariposa's opinion. Now please do leave me a comment if you have something to say.

Father's Day...Mother's Day....Army Day?

Army Day in Guatemala is June 30th. When I first saw this on my desk calendar thingie, I was all, what in the hell is a country with a history like Guatemala's doing with an Army fucking Day? So my industrious arse Googled it.

Turns out it is a celebration/commemoration of the June 30 1871 revolt for agrarian reform in which Justo Rufino Barrios overthrew the Conservative president, Vicente Cerna. I'm all for overthrowing Conservatives and for agrarian reform. But in my readings on the United Fruit Company's history, I found a slight discrepancy. Was it not Barrios who began the selling off of Guatemalan lands to a company which came to be known as the UFCO? And doesn't that negate any agrarian reforms altogether?Anyway, about a hundred years later, there was this pesky little civil war there in which the army did most of the killing, taking jobless campesinos and making them into death squads who later blocked roads and demanded compensation for lowering themselves to army levels and joining in the massacreing. I don't know about you all, but if I were the president, I would have that day abolished as my very first presidential duty. All this talk about fixing past woes, but Army Day still exists in Guatemala of all places. As I said before, these are some half-assed and illogical times my friends. Just wanted to remind you all that this is still the case.

Kick the Tires and Light the Fires Big Daddy!

It seems that Pentagoners are finally getting a clue. The US is not going to win this one, it seems. Well, that's what happens when one goes to a foreign country, takes it upon himself to overthrow the leader, throws the country into complete disarray and tries the whole divide and conquer thing. Sometimes shit backfires.

Boy, I wish I could use being over-stressed as an excuse to kill unruly people.

Fuck him in the ear!

I just got done chatting with Sivilicious, my homegirl in Chi-town. She was dealing with her student loan thingies, for which the rate is now 7%, up two percentage points (Love that Bush, y'all!!). My answer to that news: This is probably the only country on earth where one who is not rolling in it and is seeking education has to agree to either put their life on the line or be indebted for life. Of course it's ridiculous, and a big reason why I have yet to do the graduate school thing. I would love the opportunity to get even more knowledge, but since it comes with such a hefty price tag, I'm good with Discovery Times and my Mac for now. I know if I wanted it bad enough, I would ante up for it, but it's a choice between getting a place and having a (quasi) permanent roof over my head, and I think for now I'd rather have the house and just exercise my brain with crossword puzzles and Jeopardy!. (By the way, Sivilicious, is there no more blog from you? Ever????)

So what good has Bush done lately? Anything? Depends on who you are and what your income is. It also has to do with where you live. First of all, to feel the glow of his latest round of tax cuts, you'll probably need to make somewhere near $200,000 or 300,000. Anything below that and you won't even feel a thing. If you make as little as I do, you can look forward to a break of about $30. If you work at the UN, this is completely unnoticeable as it is eaten by either the UN or the US mission to the UN, as part of the staff assessment of every American UN staffer goes to the US mission so they can be a part of an organization they clearly despise in order to save face. You're welcome, you ingrates.

And for those of you living in New York or Washington, DC, your anti-terror funds have been slashed to provide more funds to places like Jacksonville, Florida. If you live in New Orleans and are still recovering from Katrina, you are still up shit's creek, broke and without a paddle. The funny/disappointing thing? On some risk assessment "scorecard" that Secretary Chertoff of Homeland Security uses to try and get a clue, it is stated that New York, a primary target for it's financial institutions (duh) not to mntion a city already hit TWICE by terrorists, has no important monuments to protect and therefore does not deserve adequate funding. Well, Bloomberg, so much for trying to get all chummy with the Repubs. I could have told you they would stab you in the back. You did throw one hell of a party and violated the civil rights of some of your citizens, though, so all is not lost.

Go here for Bush's latest ratings. They are dissapointingly high, I say. People smacking themselves in the face again.