Not Feeling Well

Today, I do not feel well. I am beyond grumpy. I am scream-at-slow-people-in-traffic grumpy. Not one of my finer moments, and certainly not very Christ-like of me, but I'm human. And I don't feel good.

Quinn has had an ear infection this week. I have kind of felt under the weather all week myself. I get home from work and help relieve my wife a little bit because she deals with the sick, clingy, needy kid-o all day. It sucks because Quinn is NEVER like this, so you know he really feels miserable, which breaks this daddy's heart.

Anyways, last night we finally got to bed between 1230 and 1AM. Quinn woke up in the middle of the night because the Tylenol wore off, so Brooke got up with him. I woke up at 4AM sick to my stomach. So I slept from approximately 1230AM to 4AM. I didn't fall back to sleep until 5AM. I got up at 630AM. Totaled, I got 5 hours of sleep. And it wasn't good, deep, restful sleep. It was miserable sleep. It was laying there not feeling good and falling in and out of sleep kind of sleep.

I said all that to say this. I don't feel well. I'm tired. I'm cranky. I'm stressed. I'm feeling a bit bitter today because I'm tired, cranky, stressed, and I don't feel well. Because of all this, today I blog not about spiritual truths or uplifting insights. Today I rant. Sometimes when you're sick and tired, screaming about being sick and tired makes you feel better. So; if you are looking for some uplifting anecdote or spiritual insight, go read your Bible, because I've got nothing for you today. But if your curiosity has gotten the better of you; if you are wondering "What is this ill, mad-man going to complain about today?" then read on, my friends.

First, I've noticed something in the restrooms here at work. People come in, unzip and begin to put the urinal to good use, and just as the tinkle hits the water, they spit. Not out of necessity or because they need to clear their sinuses or throat or whatever. No, they spit out of habit. They spit out of some weird need to do something manly, or something... It irritates the crap out of me. It's gross and weird, and it's pointless. They spit in the urinal almost like they are throwing a penny into a wishing well; like the porcelain god's are going to grant them their wish because they did their little good-luck ritual of spitting in the same urinal they are peeing in.

I have never seen anything like this phenomenon anywhere else. It's almost as if a memo from corporate higher-ups went out to all male employees and requested they spit while taking a leak. And it isn't just a few guys that do it, its the majority of them. Literally any time I use the facilities, I hear someone spit into the can. I don't know why it aggravates me so much, other than that I find it weird and repulsive. But it does.

Now, on to more important issues. There is so much political stuff I could rant about today that I'd never finish this post and you've probably already given up once I started talking about spitting in urinals, so there would be no point anyways. However, there are a couple issues that I'd like to highlight.

Because President Obama said "You can't get corporate jets, you can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime," the mayor of Las Vegas is demanding an apology and a retraction. Evidently, he doesn't care that the taxpayers, struggling to make ends meet in their own lives, foot the bill for corporations to enjoy lavish vacations in his town. And why should he? Doesn't EVERYONE in America get to take a Las Vegas vacation every year at someone else's expense? No, the bottom line is the bottom dollar. Mayor Oscar Goodman doesn't care what happens to the rest of the nation as long as his town gets business. Even if it is at the expense of the American people. I don't know anything about the man other than this news story. But if I had to make a snap judgement based on the fact that he is demanding an apology from the president because he disagrees with taxpayer's money going towards corporate vacations, I'd say he was a selfish jerkoff who has neither the brains or the integrity to be in any kind of office.

Next, I am outraged by the lawsuit of an Arizona rancher to the tune of $32 million by 16 illegal immigrants represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Roger Barnett stopped 16 illegal immigrants from sneaking into America across his 22,000 acre ranch in Arizona. He stopped them at gunpoint and had an intimidating dog at his side. He held them there until the Border Patrol arrived to take them into custody. Since 1998, he turned over 12,000 illegals to the US Border Patrol. And now, with the help of the MALDEF, 16 illegal immigrants are threatening to take this poor rancher for $32 million!

I have no doubt that being held at gunpoint is terrifying. A man threatening to feed you to his big, mean dog would be enough to make me wet my pants. Inhumane? Perhaps. None of us were there, so we don't really know. But this is America where we have a right to protect ourselves and our property. You don't want some guy holding you at gunpoint and sending you back Tijuana? STOP TRYING TO SNEAK INTO OUR COUNTRY!!! You don't want some guy threatening to feed you to his dog? KEEP YOUR BUTT OFF OF HIS PROPERTY!!! Seriously folks, this is an absolute outrage. And what's worse is that some anti-American law firm is representing this farce as an injustice. It makes me angry. It makes me want to start a border patrol militia. It makes me want to round up 12,000 people and go traipsing through THEIR backyards, destroying their fences, killing their animals, leaving their garbage and crap all over. I'm curious how they'd feel then. I wonder if they would feel violated and try to stop it. Furthermore, I wonder how they'd feel if their attempt to protect their property was called inhumane and THEY were sued for $32 million by people who ARE NOT EVEN CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTRY!!!

You can read these stories for yourself at FoxNews.com and the Washington times here.

On a short positive note, I don't agree with the stimulus bill. I don't agree with what I feel is wasteful spending and nothing more than a Democratic spending spree under the guise of saving our nation from catastrophe. That, I believe, is fear-mongering. However, I will say this. I appreciate and respect the fact that Obama is making it a priority for the American people to see where every single dollar of the stimulus is being spent. The problem with the government is that there is no accountability to the people. And the more bloated the government becomes, the less accountability there is. It might be a bit extreme, but Thomas Jefferson said “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government...” I wonder sometimes if our government has become bloated to the point of doing more harm than good. Perhaps it's time for people to start seriously considering a peaceful revolution, if there can ever be such a thing.

Tomorrow I will feel better. Tomorrow will be a better day. Perhaps tomorrow I will write something positive and uplifting; something in stark contrast to today's rantings. However I must admit, I do feel a little better now that I've let some of my grumpiness out of the cage of my attitude and placed in the cage of my blog.

Cheers, and God bless!

Hoss