7 Things: Stuff I’ve Been Meaning to Write About

There’ve been a few things lately that I’ve started, and then stopped, writing about. Because I thought they were too depressing. Or I was too annoyed. Or I put them off to a week when I thought I’d have more time to post. Or I lost interest halfway through my written jibber-jabber.

In an effort to clear those things from my mental hard drive, here they all are at once.

Some old. Some new.

In snippet form.

7 – Aurora & Chicago

On July 20th, 12 people are killed while trying to see a movie in Aurora, Colorado. Everyone takes to social networks to express their grief.

On August 18th, 6 people are killed while trying to live in Chicago, Illinois. It ties February 19th as Chicago’s deadliest day of the year. Only black celebrities take to social networks to express their grief.

Do we have a compassion gap?

6 – Pesticides Suck

Several recent reports have been released declaring that organic foods have no more nutritional value than non-organic foods. The studies focused on nutrients, claiming organics are no more nutritious. At the bottom of the article, after most people would have stopped reading, it did admit that eating organic reduced your exposure to pesticides, without listing a single negative effect of pesticides.

So, I’ll list a few things to which pesticides (not just consumption, but breathing) have been linked:

Neurological diseases, like Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis

Autism

ADHD

Reproductive disorders

Now, the reason this strange (and misleading) new study about organics appeared when it did is likely due to –

5 – California’s GMO Labeling Push

Come November, California residents get a chance to vote on whether GMO foods should be labeled. The biggest producers of GMO foods, of course, are spending a fortune to fight labeling.

The question is, if they believe their product is safe, why do they fear a label? After all, GMO foods will still be cheaper, so if the product doesn’t say, I don’t know, for the sake of argument let’s say destroy people’s immunities and degrade their brains (which, of course, occurs only in my opinion), why wouldn’t they be able to compete in the market?

Shouldn’t consumers have the right to know what they’re consuming?

4 – Great Lines from the DNC

If you watched the DNC, you know there were some killer lines in some of the high-profile speeches. A few of my favorites (limited to seven to keep with the theme… okay, eight), counted down by greatness:

Bonus line 8- “He believes that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity…you do not slam it shut behind you…you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed. – Michelle Obama

7 – “Maybe 23 cents doesn’t sound like a lot to someone with a Swiss bank account…” – Lilly Ledbetter

6 – “Now people ask me all the time, how we got four surplus budgets in a row. What new ideas did we bring to Washington? I always give a one word answer: Arithmetic.” – Bill Clinton

5 – “The Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy’s flipping burgers—she needed a tax break. But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not.” – Eva Longoria

4 – “Mitt Romney never saw the point of building something when he could profit from tearing it down. If Mitt was Santa Claus, he’d fire the reindeer and outsource the elves.” – Ted Strickland

3 – “Mitt Romney’s the guy who said corporations are people. No, Governor Romney, corporations are not people. People have hearts, they have kids, they get jobs, they get sick, they cry, they dance. They live, they love, and they die. And that matters.” – Elizabeth Warren

2 – “The American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor. My grandmother never owned a house. She cleaned other people’s houses so she could afford to rent her own. But she saw her daughter become the first in her family to graduate from college. And my mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone.” – Julian Castro

I admit, I cried.

1 – “If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire…if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores…if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote…if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time…if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream…and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love…then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream.” – Michelle Obama

Yup, cried here too.

I do hope the DNC proves as effective as it was well-spoken, because I am starting to greatly fear –

3 – Republicans

It was said several times during the DNC that this election is a choice between two very different paths for the country. I couldn’t agree more.

I know that I have been hard on President Obama in the past. I still don’t like how he got the Democratic nomination in 2008 or what the Democratic Party did to Hillary. But I do appreciate many of the things Obama has done since he’s been in office. Of course, I suspect these turns in the Democratic platform were coming no matter who sat in office.

Regardless of any of that, it’s becoming increasingly clear what those two different paths for America look like. One is colorful, inclusive, and has a bunch of people helping those who can’t walk it alone. The other is dull, exclusive, and has a bunch of people stepping over each other’s bodies.

Sometimes it seems like there’s a group of people in this world who believe the only right worth retaining is the right to hate.

2 – The New Normal

I watched the pilot. I am disturbed by all the gay people saying it’s a great show.

The stereotypes were horrendous, the jokes weren’t funny, and somehow the dialogue managed to be both cheesy and vulgar at the same time. Also, more than one of the promo shots make it look as if the surrogate is in a relationship with one of the guys.

I wonder if that inevitable moment when the surrogate makes out with the “straight acting” gay guy and he’s confused about who he is for an episode will change any opinions.

1 – The Delusion

It’s amazing how quickly I think I am going to get through a catch-up post every time I go to write one. And unreal how long it actually takes me.