Brain Splatter

I have been thinking about what to write. I still don't know. I was going to write about something topical like illegal immigrant situation. I have written about that before. I will probably address it again sometime soon.

(note--I started writing a little and was into it so I guess I am covering this topic now--B)

I do know that seeing all those people on the street made me kind of mad. Not because I have anything against them. In fact, I am all for them protesting. But why don't they do it in their own countries? Don't come here and try to change us. Stay where you are and change the situation there if you feel like marching. You come to America and then have the nerve to demand that we change to suit you? That is not the spirit that former immigrants came with. They wanted to be Americans. Do these new immigrants want to be Americans or do they just want to be treated as such for as long as they choose to be here? Hey, if you are not legally here, you have no right to bitch about anything. If you are not an American, your opinion, right or wrong when it comes to how we run this country, means very little if nothing.

The other thing that totally drives me nuts is the phrase, "They do the jobs that American won't do." What kind of insanity is that? Let's be clear, these people do not do the jobs that Americans won't do. They do the jobs that businesses are too cheap to pay a living wage for. It is a hell of a lot easier and cheaper to get a foreigner who is just glad to be here to do a job for very little money and no benefits then it is to pay an American who pays taxes and has kids to feed.

You want an example? Look at garbagemen. In most places nowadays, if you get a job as a garbageman you are going to make some good money. Odds are you are working for a city government, probably part of a union, and you get benefits. Now is picking up trash a job that no American wants to do? Hell, no. People covet those jobs. They pay to get them from dishonest officials and nepotism runs rampant. It has nothing to do with the work. It is the pay.

I work for a company that prides itself on thing being clean and orderly. Yet the cleaning department makes very little money. Why? Well, when management can bring in Chinese and non-American-Hispanic workers and pay them minimum wage and no benefits, why shouldn't they? It is good for business. Every few months they bring in so-called, "interns". These are students they bring in from different countries for a few months. Here is the rub, the students want to work like crazy and are guaranteed hours. So they get forty hours a week at least. People who work there all year long as a consequence have their hours cut because the foreign workers are working cheaper and will be leaving soon, which means no benefits. It wouldn't surprise me if there were other savings also for the company. This keeps totally wages for the company down. If labor is cheap then there is no need to pay good wages.

That is supply and demand. I mean, it is hard to fault the companies, all they do is play by the rules. You get labor for as cheap as possible. It isn't the illegal's fault, they just want to live. It comes down to being the fault of us Average Americans.

The government is supposed to do what we want. If we are not protecting our borders or our American way of life, whose fault is that? We have to make the hard choices and I say when it comes down to us or them, I have to choose us. I just think that leaving our borders open, letting companies not pay a wage that Americans can live on, and having millions of people with no loyalty or love for this country living here taking advantage of this country is just not a good idea.

Soon, the hard choices a going to have to be made. Don't doubt that for an instant. If you pass legislation, those "peaceful" protests will turn violent. Building a wall, means defending a wall. If you let the ones who are here stay, you have to keep out the ones who want in, don't you? Then you have to address the fact that here in America, in the year 2006 you can work your ass off, 40 hours a week, and still not have enough to live on, or be able to take your child to the doctor if they have a cold. Is America ready to address those issues? Honestly, I don't think so. Change takes pain. I don't think we are hurting enough just right now. The thing you got to remember is that sometimes, when the pain starts, it is too late to cure the disease.

Laterzzz...

// posted by Biff Manly @ 12:05 AM 1 comments

I don't know what caused this. I just had to show it to you. Laterzzz...

// posted by Biff Manly @ 10:52 PM 0 comments

Then I think of my job. There will be no good will earned. It doesn't work that way. I need my days off. I like having days off. It keeps me semi-sane.

Who am I kidding? I am not going to go in. Fuck them. I knew that from when they called. Now the decision is, do I call back or do I just ignore the call and be all, "what? oh...so sorry, didn't get the message..." tomorrow or on Tuesday when I do actually go in? I don't really care either way. I am a low cog in the machine and I kind of like it that way...no one expects too much. Now if only I could figure out a way to get paid hugely exorbitant amounts of money for it...

Wow...lost my train of thought. Had some other sites open as I typed and now I can't think of where I was going with my thoughts. That only makes me think of one thing--Alzheimer's. I know that can sound kind of paranoid but for like a split second, don't we all think that? Or, I sometimes get a finger tremor, like a muscle spasm where my finger twitches a little and I swear I think Parkinson's. I know I am not the only one. You watch a show on TV or a news report and the next time you get any kind of sniffle you have the disease du jour. Bird flu (bird flu!) anyone?

Ahhchoo! Sniff, Laterzzz...

// posted by Biff Manly @ 10:15 PM 1 comments

I watched a few movies recently. Nothing great but a couple were not bad. So since I really can't think of what else to write about right now...here we go. Feel free to comment and call me dumbass.

First up:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire--It was pretty good. Better than the others in the series. I have read all the Harry Potter books and this movie while not as faithful to every detail of the books did a pretty damn good job. I like how the kids are getting older and acting that way. This one also does a good job of noding at the maturity. Two scenes caught my attention. One, Ron sees the girls from the girls school go by and you get the shot that shows where his attention is focused, on their backsides. The second is where Hermoine asks Ron, "What's got your wand in a knot?" Now that is just a good old double entandre'.

Random thoughts: Lot of kids at Hogwarts, Harry included, like to rock the shaggy hair. The dragon scene was cool. One of the better dragons I have seen in a film. This movie ends on kind of a downer...which is actually good, bodes well for the next ones. Give it 8 splatters out of 10

Transporter 2--If you didn't see the first one you won't really miss anything if you see this one. It is about a guy who is driving a rich kid around, when the kid get kidnapped, the guy kicks ass. That's about it. A little similar to "Man on Fire" with Denzel Washington but not as dark. This wasn't a bad movie. I do like the guy who was the star of the movie. It's just a mindless action flick. Watch it, then forget it. 6 of 10

Domino--I guess this is based on a real person. The real Domino was a model who turned bounty hunter. This movie shines it up a bit. Makes her a rebel tough chick,you know how that goes. I really wasn't going to see this but then I found out Tony Scott directed it. He is a pretty good director and I like a lot of the movies he has done. So I saw it because I have seen so much stuff with my Netflix that I am getting to the point where I am starting to not look forward to getting movies because I am just not interested. But back to Domino...it was good. It had a certain visual style, it had guns, action, little bit of female nudity. Mickey Rourke and Chris Walken were in it. Keira Knightly played Domino and she wasn't annoying so that was ok. Just a note, she is supposedly an "it" girl in Hellywood, a next big thing. I don't know about that. She seems OK but I just don't ever see myself saying, "Let's go to the movies, we have to see the new Keira Knightly flick." That just doesn't seem like it is going to happen. So this movie was ok. Maybe a 6 out of 10.

So that is my movie reviews for today. I am not Ebert. Or even that Roeper guy. I watch some movies, if I like it I will tell you, and if it sucks? Well, if the movie sucks maybe I will tell you that it was good so that you can go see it so that I am not alone in having seen a crappy ass movie. Would that be mean? Too bad. It is getting to be movie season though. The summer releases are going to be coming out. I really want to see V for Vendetta. Other than that, I will take it as they come. Laterzzz...

// posted by Biff Manly @ 7:43 PM 0 comments

I am not saying that I am some kind of mystery, some riddle wrapped in an enigma. I just don't believe that what you see is what you get. Or maybe I am mistaken. Maybe I am transparent and about as deep as a wading pool. Whatever. I just know I am not nice. Never have been.

I was going to write an entry today, try to be funny. Dance for the people. I am not going to now. I just am not in the mood. If you got a problem with that tough, because I just don't care what anyone thinks of me right now. I know what I think of me and that will have to be enough of a let down for today. See, not nice at all. Laterzzz.

// posted by Biff Manly @ 2:37 AM 2 comments

I need to put in for a three day weekend or something. A extra day or two off is just the type of medicine that I needed. And to be honest I can do my job in like three days. I don't usually spend a whole day working. I don't get paid enough to work ALL day. Hell, I know my boss doesn't work all day, she is always on the Internet or going and getting a coffee. Then she acts like she is working so hard. I do that too, though. Only when she is there I put on that fake busy face, like what I am doing is just so difficult. They did an episode of Seinfeld were George did that, put on a look like he was angry or upset and then people think that you are busy. It is so awesome.

It always amuses me when the boss asks, "Are you busy?"

Like I am going to say,"You know, I was planning on picking my nose and spreading it on the bottom of the desk because I just finished all my work and really have nothing to do. After all, Boss, you know how much I like asking for more work to do. I mean the wages you pay me really make me want to work my ass off for you. It doesn't make me think what the hell is the point what I do as long as I put in my time till the end of the day when I can go home and try to psyche myself up to come back here and do it all over."

Don't get me wrong, I think that I have said it before, my job is not that hard. It is totally trained monkey level work. I have no illusions as to my place in the work food chain, thoroughly at the bottom. I just think or let's say more feel that there is just something wrong, if not evil about going to work everyday.

Maybe I am a lazy American? Maybe I was brought up in a time in the world where we were at the apex of American civilization so everything was essentially possible? I look around and all I can see is a country, if not a planet where there are three types of people. There are those born with privilege firmly at the top. There are those at the bottom who will never escape. Then there are those in the middle under the impression that they can work harder, pray harder, be better, and everything will suddenly work out and they will be OK, a sub-group of these think they will make it into the top layer one day.

Now, I could be wrong. I could just be feeling pessimistic, and that is totally valid. Maybe there is no problem in this country? Maybe that feeling that the best days in America are behind and we are becoming a country not just of haves and have not but of wills and never wills is just my imagination. But let's just think about something for a second, if you were a person, coming from a working poor family. You wanted to go to college but to go to school you have to put yourself into debt so deep you are going to be paying for the next decade at least. When you do get out of school, you are not focused on how can I make the world better, you are focused on making as much money as you can to pay your bills. It just goes on and on. The more you have the more you want the more you make the more you spend. When does it just stop for a little while?

Oh, well, enough of my semi-sentimential geopolitical blathering. Did you watch the Academy Awards? I didn't but the movie that I did recommend won for best picture, that would be "Crash". I am just glad that the "gay cowboys eating pudding" movie didn't win. I have nothing against the homosexuals, I just don't like the idea that if I don't want to see a crappy movie that happens to be about gay guys that that in some way indicates that I am against them. Hell, do what ever you want to whoever you want in a totally consensual type of way. It is none of my business. That goes both ways however. It is your responsibility to keep your private stuff private because I dont' want to know. And I will be totally honest to say that two hairy guys going at it is heave inducing-ly icky. At the same time to hot chicks going for it is hot. Double-standard? So?

I did see the Johnny Cash movie "Walk the Line". It was really good. I can see why Reese Witherspoon won the Oscar. I think Joaquin Phoenix (forgive me for the spelling) was pretty great too. It defiantly joins the other great bio-pic like "La Bamba" and uh...whatever another one is that I can't think of right now. I give it a recommendation. Warning though, you should buy or download some Johnny Cash songs before you watch the movie because after you watch it you will want to listen to some of his songs.

Speaking of songs, "It's hard out here for a pimp" won the fucking Oscar! The song is from the movie "Hustle and Flow" which you will remember me saying you should watch. I guess from reading on the Internet or "Net", the performance was corny but at least it was one of the better things of the night. I think that has to do with the fact that everyone has to act like they have a stick up their ass. I mean, my God people, you get paid to tell stories to pretend. Get over yourselves. I am all for being a pompous asshole, call it a hobby, but you are supposed to be entertainers, entertain me. And one word to the the girls when you pick a dress, more skin and see through fabrics! Boing!

OK, I am done for now. Maybe more later if I can think of something to talk about that I haven't bitched about a hundred times before. Laterzzz...

// posted by Biff Manly @ 10:39 PM 0 comments

I think maybe I should make it my cause to see that February gets its 29th and 30th day. That is a more worth cause than a lot of the causes out there. Send me a comment if you want to join my campaign. We can call it, "February Equality Movement" or FEM. Yeah, that sounds about right. Good name too, it will get the chicks to join up. If MoveOn.org has taught us anything it's that if you get the chicks involved the horny guys will soon follow. With enough horny guys and hot chicks you might be able to change the world. At the very least the party should be pretty good.

They just had Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Good for them. I mean if you are going to have a party in the ruins of a great American city, you might as well make it a big one. The town is still a wreck. Like I said in an early rant, you got the lawyers coming out and you have the scummy insurance companies running for the hills, denying claims, and generally make good hardworking people's lives hell. It's good to know that our government is there to help,wait not so fast. When was the last time Bush mentioned New Orleans? Instead he is trying to give away the keys to our ports.

Ok, that is not fair. What is happening is this: The United Arab Emerits (or however it is spelled) has since 9/11 been nice and let the U.S. use its ports, at a hefty fee I am sure, to dock ships and use some bases to run airstrikes. So now the Bush administration wants to throw them a billion dollar bone for being such swell fellows. That is the great thing about the Republicans, once they buy you off, they keep the dough coming. So this money for the ports, tax money, is going to go flowing out of the good old U.S. of A. What I wonder is, is there no American company that can handle these ports? Why is our own government so eager to give the American Taxpayer's money to foreign countries? They can't be that stupid can they?

I mean, over an over again the question that I ask with this government is the same,"They can't be that stupid can they?" I just don't know the answer. I do know one thing. It makes me nervous to thing that the people who are supposedly in charge are not that bright, and don't know what the hell they are doing. It make me even more nervous to think that maybe, just maybe, they know exactly what they are doing. They are working straight to plan and every point that they had laid out is being hit right on the dot. What are they planning? Why would they hide it? That is what makes me more than nervous, that is the part that scares me. Laterzzz...

// posted by Biff Manly @ 12:01 AM 1 comments