New Purpose

There's going to be a little change of pace here at the WOG. For those who enjoy mocking my pathetic attempts at bloggery wit or clucking at my lazy upkeep record, you'll still find lots to love. Beyond that there's going to be a major new focus.

WOG is and always has been a vehicle for me to rant. I make no pretense that the rantings of a strange internet blogger is something to cherish. I just want to rant all the same. And while I do find women who use their baby strollers as battering rams through crowds insufferable, its going to be less chatter about that sort of thing and way more vitriol pointing at a particular party. Gentle readers, I have selected my target.

My intent, to wit, is to either say enough shit, or do enough shit and then write about it, against the Mormon Church, specifically its utah manifestation, that they excommunicate me. I'm interested in discovering how much it takes to provoke a "court of love" hearing for a nameless, irrelevant, inactive member of their church.

It turns out just being inactive is not satisfying enough. Not when my church is running around making gays second class citizens like they used to do with blacks, women, and Native Americans. I need closure. Yes I could just call them and have my name removed from the rolls. But this isn't a magazine subscription I'm canceling here. I'm not Jim Morrison. I can't just blandly ask to be off the resurrection list. Again, not nearly satisfying enough.

No, I crossed a rickety, treacherous, plank bridge to get where I am today. Instead of stumbling forward with a religious hang over into the landmark forsaken valleys of agnosticism, I want take a moment to turn around, light a match, and watch that fucker burn. Who knows, maybe I'll succeed in getting the brethren to take notice. Not only is this satisfying, it serves as a little sociological experiment.

We know that the General Authorities will excommunicate gay missionaries, faithful but independently-minded published intellectuals, polygamists, and satan worshippers. What about a married, heterosexual, taxpaying, unpublished, non academic, inactive windbag who still believes the importance of adhering to a christian ethic. Someone who doesn't even try to offend as much as be as sincere and honest as possible.

If they don't take the bait. Well it will still be a lot of fun.

Its been over 10 years since I've left the church into which I was born and raised. I have kept the reasons for the split to myself. I have kept the criticisms to myself out of respect and consideration to all of my family and friends who are still mormon. I did not want to hurt them in the past any more than I want to hurt them now. At the same time I feel continually cornered into a position where I have to say something. I must speak for my family, and my friends, for without any love for them I would feel no indignation towards the church.

I am not really annonymous, nor am I legion. But I am extremely pissed off and its time to dance.

Open Letter To Sen. Barak Obama

I just sent this open letter to the Barak Obama campaign.

I want to recommend a sure fire way to win this nomination and the election: build up an economically conservative advisory board.

Like Senator Obama, Peter Schiff spoke against popular belief in 2002 and has been proven right. Opening up your platform to such economic advisors will not only position you to win bipartisan support, but will go far into building up a media friendly image against which the issue of spiritual advisory discretions wither away.

As a voter I'm not asking you to shy away from government sponsored programs like green energy exploration and health care. I'm suggesting you look into bringing in the massive resources of conservative economic policy that remains untapped even by republicans because of their own hubris.

Thanks,

Rexistopheles

Clinton: U SUCX Obama: O RLY

This internal memo from the Clinton campaign to the media bears posting. It is a true living, breathing, specimen of political spin, countered by the truth. You have to just admire the cool responses the Obama campaign continues to come back with as they get hit left and right by not only the kitchen sink but the counters and linoleum floors. Text in [blue] Obama's response

To: Interested Parties
From: Clinton Campaign
Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Re: Keystone Test: Obama Losing Ground [Get ready for a good one.]
The path to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue goes through Pennsylvania so if Barack Obama
can’t win there, how will he win the general election?

[Answer: I suppose by holding obviously Democratic states like California and New
York, and beating McCain in swing states like Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota,
Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin where Clinton lost to Obama by mostly crushing
margins. But good question.]

After setbacks in Ohio and Texas, Barack Obama needs to demonstrate that he can win
the state of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is the last state with more than 15 electoral votes
on the primary calendar and Barack Obama has lost six of the seven other largest states
so far – every state except his home state of Illinois.

[If you define “setback” as netting enough delegates out of our 20-plus-point wins in Mississippi and Wyoming to completely erase any delegate advantage the Clinton campaign earned out of March 4th, then yeah, we feel pretty setback.]

Pennsylvania is of particular importance, along with Ohio, Florida and Michigan, because
it is dominated by the swing voters who are critical to a Democratic victory in November.
No Democrat has won the presidency without winning Pennsylvania since 1948. And no
candidate has won the Democratic nomination without winning Pennsylvania since 1972.

[What the Clinton campaign secretly means: PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE
FACT THAT WE’VE LOST 14 OF THE LAST 17 CONTESTS AND SAID THAT
MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA WOULDN’T COUNT FOR ANYTHING. Also,
we’re still trying to wrap our minds around the amazing coincidence that the only
“important” states in the nominating process are the ones that Clinton won.]

But the Obama campaign has just announced that it is turning its attention away from
Pennsylvania.

[Huh?]

This is not a strategy that can beat John McCain in November.
- 2 -

[I don’t think Clinton’s strategy of losing in state after state after promising more of the same politics is working all that well either.]

In the last two weeks, Barack Obama has lost ground among men, women, Democrats,
independents and Republicans – all of which point to a candidacy past its prime.

[“A candidacy past its prime.” These guys kill me.]

For example, just a few weeks ago, Barack Obama won 68% of men in Virginia, 67% in
Wisconsin and 62% in Maryland. He won 60% of Virginia women and 55% of Maryland
women. He won 62% of independents in Maryland, 64% in Wisconsin and 69% in
Virginia. Obama won 59% of Democrats in Maryland, 53% in Wisconsin and 62% in
Virginia. And among Republicans, Obama won 72% in both Virginia and Wisconsin.
But now Obama’s support has dropped among all these groups.

[That’s true, if you don’t count all the winning we’ve been up to. As it turns out, it’s
difficult to maintain 40-point demographic advantages, even over Clinton]

In Mississippi, he won only 25% of Republicans and barely half of independents. In
Ohio, he won only 48% of men, 41% of women and 42% of Democrats. In Texas, he
won only 49% of independents and 46% of Democrats. And in Rhode Island, Obama
won just 33% of women and 37% of Democrats.

[I’m sympathetic to their attempt to parse crushing defeats. And I’m sure Rush
Limbaugh’s full-throated endorsement of Clinton didn’t make any difference.
Right]

Why are so many voters turning away from Barack Obama in state after state?

[You mean besides the fact that we’re ahead in votes, states won and delegates?]

In the last few weeks, questions have arisen about Obama’s readiness to be president. In
Virginia, 56% of Democratic primary voters said Obama was most qualified to be
commander-in-chief. That number fell to 37% in Ohio, 35% in Rhode Island and 39% in
Texas.

[Only the Clinton campaign could cherry pick states like this. But in contrast to
their logic, in the most recent contest of Mississippi, voters said that Obama was
more qualified to be commander in chief than Clinton by a margin of 55-42.]

So the late deciders – those making up their minds in the last days before the election –
have been shifting to Hillary Clinton. Among those who made their decision in the last
three days, Obama won 55% in Virginia and 53% in Wisconsin, but only 43% in
Mississippi, 40% in Ohio, 39% in Texas and 37% in Rhode Island.
- 3 -

[If only there were enough late deciders for the Clinton campaign to actually be
ahead, they would really be on to something.]

If Barack Obama cannot reverse his downward spiral with a big win in Pennsylvania, he
cannot possibly be competitive against John McCain in November.

[If they are defining downward spiral as a series of events in which the Clinton
campaign has lost more votes, lost more contests and lost more delegates to us – I
guess we will have to suffer this horribly painful slide all the way to the nomination and then on to the White House.]

[Thanks for the laughs guys. This was great.]

Hey Obama : Join the Party

Rexistopheles was on vacation today. He's invited Utahn4Bush to post this message about Barak Hussein Obama.

Hey B. Hussein Obama, (what? that's his name!). I don't see your lapel pin. So what is it, do you hate America? Listen, you're either with us or you're against us. And if you are against us, then we can't have you running for president. In my information deprived conservative pea brain I can't tell the difference between the Neo-Con's treasonous politics with the country at large. If you hate one you hate the other. That's why you need to give everyone a clear visual signal that you're on board. This isn't a new thing, you know, so don't feel like we are singling you out because you're a goddamned liberal al-kida A-rab terrorist from africa. about 60 years ago people in Germany also noticed they got along better in life when they wore an emblem of their patriotism.

Geraldine Ferarro: Shrill, Flailing, Indicative

I offer former Vice President candidate Geraldine Ferraro as the face of the over 50's female Clinton supporter. You know that demographic, that shrill baby boomer rank and file of women who think getting a person with a vagina on the hot seat trumps the importance of all other issues, domestic and foreign.

She's just made the comment that "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

So not only is Clinton standing on her own merits, popular only for her accomplishments, Obama is getting a free ride because the American people are interested in making a pernicious case of Affirmative Action for the Presidency. The logic of this is breathtaking. Laid out it is as follows. Choosing a candidate based on their biology is OK as long as I'm doing it. Opposing a candidate with a certain biology is prejudiced as long as you're doing it.

She continues

"I think what America feels about a woman becoming president takes a very secondary place to Obama's campaign - to a kind of campaign that it would be hard for anyone to run against," she said. "For one thing, you have the press, which has been uniquely hard on her. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign.

This is a blindness (hypocrisy a better word?) mixed with selfishness. And a blind selfishness that borders on hypocrisy is the reputation baby boomers have earned for themselves. And it looks like they want to go out with a bang. How else can you explain why their focus is that 10 percent deficit of salary for the same job as their male colleagues, eclipsing the suffering and death in Iraq. I mean talk about women's issues. Try being a woman over there. This demographic feels they have a right to be indignant should they not see, in their lifetime, a woman president, even if it means rewarding the highest levels of power to a person who enabled the worst catastrophe this country has brought upon itself - the iraq war

Please, ladies, for once in your life, understand. It isn't just about you.

And don't be indignant about the blacks either. Because this election isn't just about them either.

Its about the american people, and since we kind of owe something to them for destroying their country, its about the Iraqi people too.

According to this article the steadfast bastion of support can be described like this.

They know Clinton isn't perfect — many are quite willing to criticize her positions and her campaign strategy — but they remain unwavering supporters.

The reason is simple, said Cathy Brown, 61: "Because she understands."

This is an almost mystical response. Like the way a follower would describe their hippy cult leader. And it is indicative of the blindness required to shove off every other issue in favor of the sexual/age similarity.

How deep is their denial? check out this choice quote from Ferraro

"I was reading an article that said young Republicans are out there campaigning for Obama because they believe he's going to be able to put an end to partisanship," Ferraro said, clearly annoyed. "Dear God! Anyone that has worked in the Congress knows that for over 200 years this country has had partisanship - that's the way our country is."

In other words, we're more interested in the vagina than removing the partisan edge in this country, because hey it happens to be impossible to improve the situation anyway.

After Clinton succeeds in rigging and stealing this election, which she will, I'm looking forward to all the opportunities of smug reminders. Don't like the war in Iraq? You voted for one its champions. Don't like partisan politics? You voted for one of the most divisive politicians of our times. But hey, enjoy that special female bond you share with your new president.

Sigur Ros "Heima"

Chances are, you are not an indie hipster. The kind who knee jerk purchases everything on the pitchfork best new music list in between sips of your modified several times over starbucks beverage. In which case you might not have heard of Sigur Ros.

In which case now is the time educate yourself of the Sigur Ros experience. And do by watching the film Heima, showcasing the beautiful country of Iceland in context with the music of the band.

One can't help but consider the power of music in this venue, stripped down from the recording business, RIAA, ticket master, and MTV, even if that transition is of an economical necessity. But in this raw form, with free unannounced concerts by a world renowned band in their homeland, and sometimes including local musicians we come full circle in the musical experience. Not only is the film about a band going back to its own roots, it brings music itself back to its roots. Unconventional, a collective forged by pure individual desire, more primal than the depths of any religion or creed.

A trailer is here



The full movie is here

Hillary "Tracy Flick" Clinton

For those who haven't seen the movie "Election" please act now to alleviate your woeful lack of haut couture. For those who have seen it, let us, arm in arm, reminisce though what brought us the authoritative portrayal of something everyone is bound to brush up against. The tracy flick phenomenon.

The tracy flick phenomenon is when you see an ambitious go getter on a predictable, unobstructed path to success and you find it thoroughly irritating. It is irritating because their impending triumph is only partially consequent of their abilities. The main factor is the unchecked myth of entitlement that people around them have happily conceded. The harder working, the more determined and ambitious the tracy flick character becomes the more everyone sees it as the natural behavior of one born to lead, and thus even more entitled to that power.

Another characteristic of the the tracy flick phenomenon are certain transgressions that have caused certain supporting characters a certain amount of pain and suffering that doesn't really seem to bother the tracy flick or her supporters.

Remind you of anyone? Who knew that we'd see a tracy flick run for president and that her campaign would so strangely parallel the flim? Its compelled me to ask the question : with respect to Hillary Clinton's campaign, why do I feel like Matthew Broderick watching Tracy Flick run for student body president?

Apparently a few other people have found the similarities just as obvious.

Turing Test

On the subject of the "Turing Test" I have my reservations. Simply because it focuses on a human-centric awareness of intelligence. There is an unsaid assumption here that human intelligence is intelligence proper. This seems like arrogance to me and wouldn't really make for the best assessment of A.I.

It's only recently that humans have stopped seeing the natural world as a complex, soulless system of cogs, from which their own rational being must be forever distinct. Now there's a healthy bit of room to consider the intelligence of cephalopods, the pain our house pets feel, and that our own language is as necessary and sufficient to intelligence as two over six legs would be to walking. The Cartesian dualism has long held fast on our zeitgeist.

Our own history is rife with painful examples of the times we placed our own opinions, our own importance, above all other things in the universe.

And yet somehow we are given full power deny any existence of machine intelligence/consciousness by a simple test of being confronted with a computer that may or may not be running on a program, or the real time input of a human.

My thinking is that a conciousness that is created will happen long before or after we are able to confirm.