Feb 232015
 
The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas,...

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Unless you are living somewhere under a rock or at the bottom of the ocean, you know now, it is almost Christmas!  Yes Sunday is the big day when a large part of the world celebrates the birth of Jesus and most of us celebrate the wonderfulness of the credit card.

As of mid morning on Sunday, our house will be awash in torn paper and giggles as the kids delight in what Santa will bring them.  I will just be wanting a nap I am sure. We get reminded about what and who we should be remembering during the season all too often, yet there are some people that seem to be forgotten.  If you work at a store that is open on Christmas, you should quit right now.

There are however, those who have to work on Christmas, and those are the Emergency Services people. Police, Fire Departments and hospitals will be open and running over the holiday, they can’t be closed.  If you are lucky or unlucky enough to run into one of these type of people during Christmas, say Thanks to them for working.

It may be that fireman who puts out your house after the tree catches fire, the cop who pulls you over for having too much Christmas cheer, or the Ambulance driver who rushes you to the hospital when Grandmas turkey was just a bit *too* underdone.

Then don’t forget the doctors and nurses who will be there to pump your stomach and give you some groovy feel better meds.  Yes my wife will be working the afternoon of Christmas this year as they all get a turn in the nursing field, but then again, if people were not prone to doing stupid things and getting hurt there would be no need for them.  Unless you count the heart attacks and salmonella poisonings.

From all of us here at Cantankerous Old Coots, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, or if you are one of those who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, well, I will stoop and say Happy Holidays.

We are not done for the year, but this weekend is, unless Ralph tears himself away from the family to put up a news service post.  Don’t count on it, he has permission to skip Christmas.  Even I am not that much of a Scrooge.

Merry Christmas everyone.

-Justin and the rest of the Coots, Bob and Ralph.

Merry Christmas to All And to All a Good Fight...

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Down with Feminism!

 Posted by at 11:02  Down with
Feb 232015
 
Young anarchist feminists at anti-globalizatio...

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Enough is enough!

I have lived with feminists for all of my adult life. They have changed American life dramatically from the wholesome optimistic society of my youth in the 50’s to the pessimistic nanny state of today. Maybe feminists aren’t responsible for all the problems with America today. Still if there is something wrong with modern society that they didn’t cause, it is news to me.

You are nothing but a male chauvinist pig!

So what is wrong with the feminists? Let me count the ways.

Since their rise to power in the 60’s feminists have been lauded for lifting women from their lowly place as guardians of hearth and home and the powers behind the throne to their new place in society- rulers of the world. Look around and tell me that the feminized nanny state is an improvement over survival of the fittest. We have a world today where the state makes sure to handicap anybody with superior abilities and facilitate and elevate weak-minded bureaucrats to run the place.

But it’s all about equality!

“But wait a minute,” you say . “Feminism was just about freeing women to be all they can be -to steal a phrase from the Army. “How could that damage society? All they were doing is helping women to find their proper place in society since it certainly wasn’t raising children.  No, women deserved to be in charge.   So today as we deal with all the misery and confusion that a few selfish, pretentious, ugly,  misanthropic women have dumped on both men and women since then, nobody to this day has called them out for what they are-whining losers. Well Today that is going to stop. Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Carol Hanisch, and all you others, Today The Cantankerous Old Coots are calling you out for what you are.  Coot’s say down with feminists.

But they meant well!  Didn’t they?

It started innocently enough. Women were being held down, we heard, by cultural conditioning that defined a secondary role for women. Women were discouraged from having careers, barred from studying math and science and undervalued in the workplace. It seemed benign to make some adjustments to ‘level the playing field’ so to speak. And so it all began. As did all the unintended consequences.

Media messaged social engineering

It is interesting how these changes happened. It wasn’t that these loud, ugly and pretentious feminists were anything new. There have always been loud, ugly and pretentious women with dumb ideas. It is just that after the 60’s they had support from a fawning media that wanted change (it sounds just  like the Obama campaign). And over time, America started to get the message. Once our principles about society , gender roles and responsibilities were softened up and the evil male domination of society was exposed and demonized, the snowball kept rolling and growing all by itself. Soon, it was apparent to all but the most stubborn diehard  chauvinist pigs that men had no place in society once you removed them from control. Women didn’t need men! A turkey baster would do. Women had everything they needed to make the world a better place. Women could do anything that a man can do and more besides. Men were violent, controlling and self serving unlike caring, nurturing women. How many times have you heard the propaganda about what a wonderful, peaceful world we would have if women were in control?

And if you believe that, you probably never had a woman boss.

It was the dawn of a new order.

It soon became important to beat down the male dominated world view. Women needed careers.  They needed a life of their own away from their oppressive husbands and clinging kids.  Women could have it all. Men are abusers. Women are nurturers. So we juggled the books to make sure that what didn’t happen naturally was mandated by the nanny state. You don’t want to watch woman’s basketball? Too bad because colleges must spend equal amounts on men’s and women’s sports. You think that two parents are the way nature intended for children to grow up?  You are just an evil male supporting child abuse and wife-beating.

Feminism became the new world order.

Gradually, this idea became socially acceptable enough that government created laws and eventually the legal system added more feminization to society. Schools became so feminized that male students stopped attending. School and education is now female dominated and scorned by real men (excepting athletes).

Take a small step!

It may be too late to turn this around. There may not be enough real men left. There may be too few women who understand what they have lost when they beat the testosterone out of America and out of their sperm donors. But for what it is worth, this Coot is taking a stand today against feminism. I urge you to take a stand as well. Let’s take a small first step for mankind and help restore our language to sanity.  Let’s stamp out flipping pronouns. First lets take back the English language. Later we can take back society.

Feb 232015
 
showgirls in the Tropicana

Image by scmtngirl via Flickr

It is what it is!

Last week it seemed that we had turned the corner on bad news. This week it’s a struggle. What we have this week is news that is good only with a contrived explanation. We still have a lousy economy and a government that refuses to act on our behalf instead of its own. Finding any stories that have even a slight bit of good about them this week is a real stretch. Still, I feel that I owe our readers to give it the old college try.

So lets start our with the best shot. We’ve got a three-legged turtle that’s been given a new start in life. No more dragging that heavy shell around. He’s got wheels!

ODD: TORTOISE AMPUTEE GETS ‘WHEEL’ FOR A LEG

We have to go overseas for the next story. It may not be good news either but at least it makes me chuckle. I’m sick of hearing all the time about how good the old British Parliament runs with all its old traditions and all. So I was pleased to learn that the stodgy old institution can get a bit rowdy at times, even clownish. Why can’t our government make things more fun like the Brits?

Rupert Murdoch Attacked With Cream Pie At Parliament Hearing

Social media is all the rage these days. People are Tweeting and Facebooking every trivial event in their lives. It’s not been all that good for politicians as former Congressman Weiner discovered. There may still be hope that Social Media can find it’s place in government with Hugo Chavez leading the way.

From Cuba, Venezuela’s Chavez governs via Twitter 

On the economic front this week, the best we can do it report that our President having established his legacy by changing our country is thinking about where to put his Library so we all can relive his triumph. One lucky city will get the honor (and economic boost) from his decision. It seems the President is torn between his childhood home town of Honolulu and Chicago where he learned his politics. At least we will be getting him out of DC.

Obama Presidential Library Narrowed to Chicago, Honolulu

It’s hard to look at this next story. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a baseball tradition. Back when I was in high school they were the Brooklyn Dodgers. I still remember rooting for them against the hated Yankees. Then for all my years in Los Angeles, they were the local team with their share of victories until their recent ownership troubles. It’s hard to watch a baseball tradition brought down by an ugly divorce but even harder to accept that the team has to declare bankruptcy. Well a court has decided to reject their proposal. At least for now the Dodgers can hold their heads up. Too bad they can’t do any thing about the owners.

Dodgers Judge Rejects Bankruptcy Loan

Finally, maybe the best labor news yet. We haven’t seen much in the way of strikes and labor protests with the terrible economy (even the union goons are too smart for that) but now there is a twist for Las Vegas that make unions look good again. Finally we have a labor protest we can support. The Las Vegas showgirls have got my attention.

SHOWGIRLS PROTEST RESORT FEES

So that’s what we have for this week here at the Coots News Service. It may be a poor showing but it’s the best we could find. If you think you can do better, then just chime in with your bulletin below.

Up with ‘Vim and Vigor’

 Posted by at 11:02  Up With
Feb 232015
 

The whole idea of ‘vim and vigor’ used to amuse me. It seemed old fashioned, the kind of remark that my grandma would make. Of course that was back when I had it. Now that I’m older than my grandmother, it’s not so funny.

The dictionary says it means strength and enthusiasm, qualities which are becoming more elusive with each passing day. I never thought that ‘vim’ was an actual English word. I learn now that it is; derived from the Latin for strength. It doesn’t matter because, for me, ‘vim’ is a quality in short supply.

Not me!

Not me!

These days I find I’m spending half the day finding the ‘vim and vigor’ to get our of bed. I don’t feel old exactly- although I couldn’t tell what that might mean. I can find the energy to get up and at ’em eventually and when I do I feel just as capable of taking on the day as ever. It’s just that the sense of urgency is gone. Getting up is driven more by a full bladder than eagerness to take on the day.

I have plans, hopes and dreams just like always. What is misssing these days is the urgency.  Even more I have the feeling that I’ll be much more energetic if I lie here just a few minutes more. Certainly the body is less willing these days. What troubles me more is the realization that so is my mind.

C’est la vie. Continue reading »

Feb 232015
 
Escaped sheep being led back in to a pasture w...

Sheep are born to follow.

The role of a good sheep is to follow. Keep your head down; nose stuck in the butt of the sheep ahead. Don’t look around because you don’t want to know about anything that is off the beaten track. You don’t care where you are going so long as it’s where the crowd is. Don’t worry about what your destination will look like because it will look just like where you are now. So long as you stay with the herd it’s all good.: no muss, no fuss and no tension. The life of a sheep is secure, comfortable and stress-free. What more could you want?
You may have become a sheep after finding out that you aren’t cut out for the role of trailblazer or you might be following a family tradition. However you arrived at sheep hood, your troubles are over. It’s lonely on the path less traveled. It’s frustrating to try and fail and even harder to bounce back and hit it again. Why bother? How many times did you fall down before you embraced your mediocrity? One? Twenty? It doesn’t matter. Some sheep struggle. Others are born to follow. It doesn’t matter. The end is the same- a fat and happy life of blissful blandness. Life become placid and you are at peace with the world. You no longer accept any responsibility or blame for whatever happens. You stop worrying and striving. Life presents no more challenges. You experience no more frustration. Your mind is free from doubt. It is the way things should be.

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