The new Hitler?

As far as I can remember, I have refrained from politically based musings thus far. However, I couldn't hold back any longer. I’ve noticed a certain number of similarities between the two leaders, and felt the desire to point them out. Now, I’m not saying that Bush’s ultimate goal is genocide (at least, not intentionally). However, there are other similarities.

They both worked their way up the political system, with a firm agenda in mind. Hitler had to rely on his charisma slightly more than Bush, but they both made the rise. Once in power, they went to work on their agenda. Unfortunately, I have to give them both credit. They both pushed their agendas in a very smart manner. Neither one went all out right away. They edged along, bit by bit. They convinced us of a goal that we “needed” to attain. Then, they went about gathering up support of that goal, through propaganda. And yes, in both cases, there were little white lies strewn about to help make the case. Then came the power play. They slowly stripped us and the rest of the government of our rights and powers, and funneled supreme power unto themselves. That was the final piece of their equation.

You are undoubtedly aware of the various loss of civil liberties we’ve suffered through this administration. I won’t go into detail on that. But in this most recent step, Bush has taken that final turn toward attempting to make himself dictator. Ignoring the wishes and wills of the people, the advisors, and even the other branches of government. If you’re unaware of this, I’ll quote from a recent article regarding the buildup of troops in Iraq.

“President Bush, facing opposition from both parties over his plan to send more troops to Iraq, said he has the authority to act no matter what Congress wants.

"I fully understand they could try to stop me from doing it. But I've made my decision. And we're going forward," Bush told CBS'"60 Minutes" in an interview to air Sunday night.”

The full article can be read here. It also touches upon the subject of Iran. This is coming to light as a possible goal, of which the Iraq war has been merely a setup. Time shall tell on that. And with that said, I’ll end this rant.

The state of literacy in America today

So, allow me if you will, the opportunity to step up onto my soap box once again. This time, it's over one of my biggest pet peeves: grammar and spelling. Now, I'm not saying everything I write is perfect. I'm human to a large extent. However, these errors are generally attributed to pressing the wrong key than not knowing the correct way. And I was by no means the scholarly type in school. Far from it, actually. (note the horrific fragmentation of that sentence!) I'm still not really sure how I ever passed my English classes.

One of the worst (yet most frequently occurring) infractions on decent language stems from that fun little symbol we like to call the apostrophe. Used correctly, it can take two words, and combine them into one, compact, time-saving unit! Used incorrectly, however, it can send me from zero to annoyed in not much time at all. I'm still not sure how people have such a hard time with these. Granted, there are some cases that are not easily figured out. For the most part, however, it comes down to a few easy to remember rules. Rule one, apostrophes are used to make contractions and indicate possession. Rule 2, apostrophes are generally not used to pluralize. For example, this was taken from a sign in a restaurant. You can get 5 taco's for some amount of coinage. NO. You can get 5 tacos. Or, the outer part of the taco is the taco's shell. Note the difference. When making it plural, just add an 's'. It's as simple as that. When making it possessive, then you add the apostrophe and 's'. This is a general rule of thumb here. Not a difficult concept. Yet, I see so many people struggle with this everyday.

Alright, this has turned more into a lesson than I had originally intended. So I'll shift slightly to another aspect. People have a hard time with using the correct spelling of certain words. Too, your, and their are probably the three biggest offenders. Allow me to switch back into teacher mode again. To - We are going to the park. Too - It is too cold out to go to the park. Two - There two of us were going to the park, but it's too cold out. One down, two to go! (note the double t-words in that one, mee-oww!). Let's move on to the y-words. Your - I like your jacket. You're - I see that you're wearing your jacket. Yours - That car of yours is very nice. Your's - THIS WORD DOES NOT EXIST, STOP USING IT! And finally, we have the other t-word. Their - We are all chillin' on their porch. They're - While on the porch, they're drinking their beer. There - That's the porch we're talking about, right over there.

I'm back out of teacher mode now. I just felt the need to illustrate my point. And who knows, maybe I've helped someone along the way. I now relinquish my soap box. But beware, I'll be back to claim it again another day!

The "tomorrow justification"

You've used it before. You know others who've used it before. Heck, I just used it myseld about 5 minutes ago. It's the "tomorrow justification". And this is the time of year when it makes it grandiose apperance. It starts around Thanksgiving. It definitely goes on at Christmas time. And makes its grand finale on New Year's eve.

What is the "tomorrow justification," you ask? Well, first, it's not always a "tomorrow," but sometimes a "coule of days," "next week," or on occasion even a "next month." The last is not for the faint of heart, however, and recommended to only be used by professionals with years of experience with the "tomorrow justification."

Now, to the actual definition. The "tomorrow justification" is a means of allowing yourself guilt-free indulgence into the vice of your choice, because "as of tomorrow, I'm not going to be able to / let myself anymore." Now, how it relates to the aforementioned examples.

Case study 1: Sitting around the Thanksgiving table, having already consumed twice your normal daily intake. Grandma offers another 5 pound hunk of Turkey, 4 scoops of mashed potatoes, and enough gravy to swim in. Literally. Normally, you wouldn't dream of trying to polish all of that off. But then the "tomorrow justification" kicks in. "Oh, I'll start eating better again tomorrow, it's Thanksgiving after all!" Start swimming!

Case study 2: Holiday parties. And in comes your aunt, co-worker, friend, random person off the street, carrying yet another tray of cookies. "I can't eat any more cookies, I've already eaten 3 dozen today!" Ah, but then it happens. The "tomorrow justification." And in you go for dozen number 4! Go get 'em, tiger.

Case study 3: New Year's eve. This is where it all started. Sure, you've been drinking since noon. Sure, you already washed down enough nachos to feed a small country with a case of beer. But, then your buddy brings out the chicken wing dip. And another case. "I can't eat and drink all that" you plead. "I made a resolution to lose weight." To which your buddy, always looking out for your best interests, replies "New Year's resolutions don't kick in until tomorrow, you're fine for today." And so it began. The manner in which the "tomorrow justification" was born, and the manner in which it holds supreme.

So, until next time, have a great New Year's Eve, and a Happy New Year! I think my chicken wing dip's almost ready...