One Step at a Time.

You don't have to run a marathon...just one step forward, and eventually you'll reach your destination. Don't judge yourself by those whizzing past you on the road. It's o.k. to take your time navigating through life...better to arrive late than never.

-hbw-

Shit I Hate Blog.

I'm starting a side-blog, called "Shit I Hate." It's essentially a blog to vent my frustrations and anger over the mind-numbing stupidity of people, and the insanity of the modern world. This blog is absolutely NOT SAFE FOR WORK!! Or, NSFW. There will be no limits, and lots, and lots of fucking adult language, so if you are offended by such real-emotions then I suggest to FUCK OFF!! Don't read it and start bitching about my language, and content because you were forewarned. I won't suffer assholes or fools lightly. If you don't want to be scorched by my pit of flaming anger then I suggest you stifle your smart-ass bullshit, ok?

Now that I've throttled the "moral police", all others are welcome to find the blog at: http://shit-i-hate.blogspot.com/

-hbw-

Laura Ingraham, Islamophobia and Republican Irrelevancy.

Laura Ingraham, conservative, radio talk-show host, professional bully and passionate bigot, "[...] announced on her program Monday that she’s long believed the United States should shut down all immigration from central Asia and any nation with a majority Muslim population." (Quote from Raw Story News Agency: Link).

Yeah, that's not "over-reacting" or anything (sarcasm). This ignorant gas-bag obviously doesn't realize that banning all Muslims from coming to America is short-sighted. A lot of the best doctors, smartest scientists and most brilliant engineers in the world live in America, but have come from countries that are predominately Islamic. Imagine if America rejected immigrants coming from Nazi Germany during World War II. Albert Einstein wouldn't have made it to America. 

Ingraham says to ban travel "only" from "predominately" Islamic countries. It doesn't take a rocket science for al-Qaeda to exploit that loophole. Send a terrorist into America who comes from a country were there are few Muslims. They don't even have to send terrorists into America anymore. They don't need Muslim immigrants to carry out their crimes in America.

They can radicalize any "waspy" American kid via the internet, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Does Ingraham remember the "American Taliban" John Walker Lind? What about Adam Gadahn? The Christian, American kid who has Jewish ancestry and is now one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world? The captured bomber involved in the Boston Marathon bombing is an American citizen, too!! 

What about those Christian fundamentalists who sometimes attempt to blow-up abortion clinics, and/or their doctors? Should we ban all Christian immigrants, because the majority of abortion clinic bombers are Christian? 

If we followed Ingrapham's logic, we'd have to change the Statue of Liberty's poem to say, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! Offer void if Muslim." 

Does that sound American to you? To me it sounds like undemocratic xenophobia to me. These are the kind of half-baked ideas that seem to pervade the Republican party today. It's sad to see such a great party reduced to a rat's nest of rhetorical bomb-throwers and wild-eyed, conspiracy theorists. After nearly 50 years, American culture is rapidly changing away from their "American Ideal"--the 1950s. An era, by the way, that was far from ideal for a lot of people--women, blacks, gays, non-Christians, etc. Rather than adapt with the times, they stubbornly continue to live in denial and resort to attempts at stopping change. All this does is slow things down. They can't stall and obstruct forever. Trying to stop change is like swimming against the current of a powerful river. If they don't want to be swept over the falls and crash into the abyss of irrelevancy, they need to face reality and retool their party.

Pictures and Video of Boston Marathon Bombing Suspects.

From CNN: The FBI on Thursday released photos and video of two men it called suspects in the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon and pleaded for public help in identifying them. If you have seen, and/or know the men in the following pictures, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324).

SUSPECT #1:

SUSPECT #2:

VIDEO:

IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING CONTACT: 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit, bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov

Senator Mitch McConnell, Republicans and Mental Health.

The stigma surrounding mental health diseases is difficult enough to surmount without a powerful, U.S. senator's campaign team piling-on. In response to a possible Ashley Judd candidacy against Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, his aids floated the idea of attacking the actress over her history of dealing with depression. This from the Mother Jones news organization:

She's clearly, this sounds extreme, but she is emotionally unbalanced. I mean it's been documented. Jesse can go in chapter and verse from her autobiography about, you know, she's suffered some suicidal tendencies. She was hospitalized for 42 days when she had a mental breakdown in the '90s.

Extreme is an understatement, it's disgusting. I would have supported an Ashley Judd candidacy but there are plenty of legitimate political issues to attack her on without having to go after her health issues. McConnell himself wasn't heard discussing Judd's mental health struggles, but he has done nothing to speak out against the comments. Would McConnell like it if Democrats went after his medical issues? Is it o.k. to suggest that McConnell isn't fit for political office because he was experienced symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

This insulting of people with psychological disorders is the kind of talk that keeps people suffering with psychological diseases from talking about their experiences publicly, which reinforces feelings of isolation and depression that often only fuel suicidal thinking further!! Talking this way about people with mental health problems reinforces the stigma and keeps people suffering in the shadows. Or, worse, it prevents them from getting the help they need for fear of how family and friends will judge them if they do. This kind of trash-talk shouldn't be acceptable any longer. Stop the sleazy politics, Mitch McConnell!!

If you are from Kentucky, why would you support such a candidate? He may not have said the offensive words himself but he has said nothing about the harm such comments can do. He should apologize and use this moment to educate Americans about those who live with psychological diseases, and the harm that is caused by these harsh judgments.

It seems like Republicans only talk about mental health when it suits them politically, otherwise, they use it against someone, like the McConnell example. Then you have Republicans suddenly talking about improving the mental health care system but only so that they can avoid having to talk about the serious gun violence problem in America. If you honestly think the conservatives will do anything to actually reform the broken, mental health care system in this country, I'm sorry to say that you're in denial.

-hbw-

SNL Skit: Djesus Uncrossed.

Pearl Jam Music Therapy

Trust me, if you're a Pearl Jam fan, you'll want to watch this video. They're better than ever, even after all these years. I'd have given my left NUT to see this show!!! This song has always been one of my absolute favorite PJ songs. It always gives me chills, but this version with the crowd singing nearly brought me to tears. 
PJ has been my favorite rock band since they came out with "Ten" when I was in my senior year of high-school. Eddie Veder's deep and powerful but emotionally vulnerable voice carried me through some dark nights when all I wanted to do was curl up and die. As an emotionally troubled kid I found a lot of solace and comfort in Pearl Jam's lyrics. Eddie Veder's life was trouble too but he kept going by using his art as therapy and I connected with it--in a profoundly personal way.
I have often wanted to personally thank him (and Radiohead) for writing songs that literally saved my life--maybe someday I'll get that chance. In the meantime, I hope they keep jammin' until they drop dead!! I'll be blaring my PJ in the nursing home being the rebel. The old man that swears and smokes pot in the day-room....HAHAHA!!!! Good times, good times....
-hbw-

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook and Bipolar Disorder.

Psychological diseases touch nearly every family, and individual, yet we don't discuss these medical disorders openly out of fear. It's so sad that there are so many others living through the same hellish nightmare but something holds us back from comparing notes. That something is the fear, shame and ignorance that still permeates our society but I feel we are at a tipping point where a national dialogue is soon approaching. 
When famous celebrities come forward and open-up about their personal stories involving psychological diseases, like De Niro, it gives the rest of us permission to talk openly, too. That is one benefit from living in a celebrity worshiping culture. We follow their example, for better or worse. Unfortunately, people are more likely to listen, and believe, celebrities talking about psychological disorders than their own family and friends. 
Another change happening is movies portraying bipolar, and other diseases of the brain, in all their brutal honesty. For years, Hollywood has chosen to exploit psychological diseases for their shock value, only depicting the most extreme cases. This lead the public to believe that people with psychological disorders were all stark-raving lunatics who like to kill people and eat their young.  However, now, with movies like "Silver Linings Playbook" and "A Beautiful Mind" the discussion is real, honest and fair. Hollywood is finally stripping away the ridiculous caricature to reveal the gritty reality of people living with these diseases, and the families who love them. These movies can reach an audience far easier, wider and quicker than individual activism. Hopefully, these movies can help start the dialogue, nationally. I feel we are so close to the dam of ignorance breaking as education spreads. 
Hopefully, soon, we can get to a level of understanding and acceptance like that of the gay and lesbian community. We have seen how fast stigmas and ignorance can change with the gay rights movement. So, now that people are feeling safer to talk about these diseases, openly, we can stop reinforcing stigmas that do nothing but make these diseases even hard to survive. If nothing else, these movies help speak to people who feel alone, and without any understanding from family or friends. It gives them the message that they are not alone and that there is hope. That there are people out there who suffer similarly, people who care and want to help.   -hbw-