Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Neoconnery™ Defined

ne·o·con·ner·y /nē ō känˈnər ē/
  1. The state of being a neocon - committing acts that define an individual as being a neocon, such as pathological lying, ripping off the taxpayers, screwing voters over or generally just being a giant dick.
  2. The act in which someone is being a neocon or has the characteristics or symptoms of a neocon.
  3. Presenting one's self in a manner that embodies the very essence of neoconservatism.

Neocons can be recognized by their fundraising attire, bad hair plugs, spray-on tans, failure to acknowledge basic human rights, and their Strawman vernacular. Use of terms like “nannystate,” “Islamofascist,” “Benghazi,” is common among neocons. They refer to others of their kind as “patriots” and their opposition as either “communists” or “union thugs.” For them, lying, cheating, and stealing aren’t just means to an end, they are a way of life as they seem to believe they are above the laws they wish to impose on everyone else.

Neocons are often found at Tea Party fundraisers and in corporate executive boardrooms, neocons ought to be avoided at all cost. If, however, one finds oneself unavoidably having a political dialogue with a neocon it is recommended you use facts and provable statistics and DO NOT under any circumstances engage their Strawman and Ad Hominem fallacies. Prolonged exposure to neocons has been known to cause neoconnery in others.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Boycott Barilla


As someone who has bought your pasta for at least 20 years I was disappointed to see the statement made by Guido Barilla regarding the use of “traditional” families in your advertising.  Contrary to the narrow view of your company’s namesake, members of the LGBT community all come from what you call a traditional family.

I’m sure you will find as other companies like Chick-fil-A have discovered that those who share your view are dwindling in number, and that support continues to decline as time goes on.  Some who agree may go out of their way to spend money in the beginning, but that will not make up for the revenues lost because you wanted to use your company as a platform to make a political statement.

I am one person who will not buy your products again, at least until Guido makes a public apology for his ignorance and insensitivity toward the LGBT community.

My comment to Senator Ted Cruz

I’m sure that countless people have pointed out the irony of your use of Dr. Seuss’ ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ story. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that perhaps you never finished the book because if you had, you might have chosen a different reference for refusing Obamacare.

In a nutshell, the cat claims he doesn’t like green eggs and ham, but has never actually tried them. At the end of the story, he tries them and ends up, to his pleasant surprise, liking them. In fact he likes them quite a lot.

On another note, if you think of using children’s’ stories to make a point in the future, ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ is about a lesson in honesty and what a pattern of dishonesty can cost a person when people don’t believe you anymore. Of course, this problem can be avoided by simply reading the entire book and having one of your handlers explain the moral of the story to you.

Adlai E. Stevenson