It is time.  It has begun.  Slowly at first, growing internationally.  Those who do not want to be governed by religion are taking a stand.  Quran, bible it doesn’t matter.  Those in the world who do not want to be ruled by the loosely interpreted moral code of ancient texts are rising up.  Who can blame Egyptians for not wanting to be ruled by The Muslim Brotherhood?  I’m sure they want that as much as many Americans want to be governed by the Souther Baptist Association or any other version of the America Taliban.

Your religion is yours.  Not everyone else’s.  Do not force it upon others.  Do not judge others who do not embrace your religious code.  And NEVER, under any circumstances assume you may govern or pass laws based upon and standards of living dictated by your religious sect.  NC just passed legislation stating that no laws may be introduced to the state based on Sharia law.  Good but not far enough.  Add Christianity and we’ll be on the correct path.

Definitely not now.  I am being hassled by several people I ride with during the week to “get with it”.  Apparently I will miss the benefits of embrocation.  Until recently I didn’t even know what that is.  It’s muscle warming gel.  Hmmm.   Sounds like glorified Icy Hot.  Here are the main reasons I will not shave my legs to ride a bike:

1. My legs are still skinny.  They must be proportionally stronger than most other riders because I’m laying waste to many guys in their 20′s and 30′s during 18-20 mile FSR rides but they are still skinny.  I’m still having a hard time adjusting to Lycra after a decade without it.  I couldn’t imagine shaving yet.  I’ve actually been told I should shave if for no other reason than “it’s sexy”.  You mean scary?  I have small calves and 40 year old, scared knees.

2. It’s mostly vanity.  Unless you need that extra few seconds in a road race (I don’t ride on the road) then there are absolutely no performance advantages.  If I learn that I could drop a few minutes off 10 miles off road then I might be more receptive.

3. I want to be the underdog.  I want a podium finish to prove fur can blur.  Go ahead.  Size me up.  Look at my skinny, hairy legs and get confident.  Then try to figure out why you are losing sight of my ass while I put a 1/4 mile between us.

It’s easier to get away with unshaven legs at a mountain bike race than a cyclocross race.   There is no where near the level of roadie saturation in MTB.  If I learn that this mysterious “embrocation” holds value during the CX season, September to January, I might consider it.  Of course, that would also be during the months that I wear jeans to work so I can pull it off without shock and awe.

Edison invented the light bulb.
Marconi invented the radio.
Apple invented the smart phone.

Name three historically documented credits for invention that are completely inaccurate bullshit.

Where in the 2nd amendment does it suggest that the right to bear arms also includes the right to anonymously bear arms?

This story below made me chuckle because of the irony. The very reason the GOP holds sway in NC is the rural voters. Look at any 2012 election map you will see the urban areas of NC went overwhelmingly blue.

What rural voters think they did: cast a vote for Jesus, guns, some hollow propaganda about “personal responsibility” and found the check box that didn’t include the name of a black man.

What rural voters really did: cast a vote for a direct funnel of public money to big business better known as corporate welfare. Caught ‘em like a fish! Now these rural areas get to reap the rewards of their well informed voting. No monies for you! Gotta pay for the pet projects of the banksters in Charlotte and developers in Raleigh.

http://www.wral.com/some-say-mccrory-budget-shortchanges-rural-areas/12257858/

This is a quote from the comments section in the article “The Republican Reality Show”. Excellent summation of what the GOP needs to recognize…

I consider myself socially “liberal” and fiscally “conservative”. Maybe I’m a libertarian without the overriding fear and a persecution complex, but since I have been of age to vote, I have only voted Democrat simply because I feel that individual human rights are more important than economic policy.

To be brief, this is what the GOP would need to do to earn my vote:

1) Stop trying to lead the country toward Theocracy. As a form of government, it barely functions when nearly an entire nation is of one religion, it certainly won’t work in a country as diverse as the US.

2) Stop rejecting science. The world is not 6000 years old, the earth is not flat, and the moon is not made of cheese. We need leadership that can move us forward, and you can’t do that without a firm grasp on reality.

3) Approach the budget honestly, admit the defense budget is bloated and propose actual workable solutions. If your selling yourselves as the party of fiscal responsibility, you need to be honest about this one and pay attention to the “responsible” part.

4) Stop using “socialized” as a derogatory term. Some things are better done by a society, many hands make light work after all. Education, infrastructure, health care, and catastrophic insurance are crucial to both society and the economy.

5) Stop using fear to motivate your base, and stop scapegoating minorities. Immigrants, atheists and homosexuals will not be the downfall of the US, it will be ignorance and fear.

6) Put people before capital. If you preach freedom while simultaneously enabling the financial enslavement of the population, it will only end one way.

- noncentric

Do those calling for no guns under any circumstances, including the use of unarmed security guards, realize they sound as crazy as those wanting to arm everyone? It’s hard to reach any common sense agreements in modern political discourse when the discussion is dominated by the raised voices of those with extreme opinions on both sides.

What kind of constituency elects a guy named Crapo anyway?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/us/politics/senator-crapo-charged-with-drunken-driving.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

• $3 trillion: Enact a modest financial transaction tax: 0.5 percent on the purchase of stocks (0.25 percent for the buyer and the seller) and tax bonds and derivatives at lower rates.

• $1.7 trillion: Millionaires and billionaires pay a lower effective tax rate than working people. Rescind the Bush tax cuts for the top two percent; tax capital gains at the same rate as income (money making money is still income).

• $1 trillion: Crack down on offshore tax shelters.

• $580 billion: End tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.

• $500 billion: Establish a currency manipulation fee on China and other countries. The Economic Policy Institute has estimated that it would create one million jobs.

• $300 billion: Establish a progressive estate tax on inherited wealth of more than $3.5 million.

• $110 billion: End tax breaks and subsidies for profitable oil, gas, and coal companies.

• Many corporations pay little or no tax. End tax loopholes, subsidies, bailouts, giveaways, and other corporate welfare.

• Creates new tax brackets for incomes over $3 million with a top tax rate of 40 percent.

• End the carried interest loophole for private equity and hedge fund managers.

“Eighty percent of the state’s 115 school districts said they’ve had trouble finding instructors licensed to teach high school mathematics, while about two-thirds of the state’s local schools reported having trouble finding high school science and special education teachers.”

EMERY P. DALESIO – Associated Press