Friday Watercooler Jibber Jabber

Friends, this has been an incredible week for news junkies and lovers of juicy rumors and even though the weekend approaches with all the fury and gusto of a teenage boy on prom night, there is still lots to watch and talk about.  Let's dive in, shall we?

Ferguson, MO - The community that just keeps on giving us news upon news.  The Reverend Jackson and Reverend Al Sharpton showed up to show their support, hand out business cards and no doubt recruit individuals on their crusades to save the masses through propaganda and fundraising.  The community of Ferguson is trying to get a grip on just how jacked up they are and frankly, the jury may be out for a while.  Riots, looting, peaceful protests and jack-booted thugs posing as law enforcement have all left their mark on the landscape of that community and this Gorilla thinks it will be a very, very long time before they recover.  The only way recovery can begin is for the police department to admit fault for killing an unarmed man.  Nothing else really matters except that cold, hard fact.  It's sad that the issues there have been diluted and turned into ridiculous sound byte moments.

Gorilla Confession:  For the last week, I've physically felt better than I have in quite some time and with the exception of a few rough moments of chest pains and digestive pain, it's been an overall good week.  I confess to you, my friends, that there are times when I feel so horrible that I want to bash in my own skull with a sledgehammer, but something always brings me back to reality and reminds me that I'm bigger than the pain, that I can use that pain and channel it elsewhere.  Life is tough sometimes and mine is no different.  One thing I have learned, however, is the true meaning of the saying that we are all created in the imago Dei (image of God) and should be respected for that reason alone.  I also confess that the pain coupled with a new medication regiment has made me more than just a little cranky at times.  In fact, it makes me so uncomfortable at times that I want to bite walls.  But, with the prayers and well wishes of y'all, I live to fight and blather on for yet another day.  Thank you.

Photo courtesy KGOU

Fallin/Dorman Thriller:  The saga continues for the two candidates running for Governor, one the well known and popular incumbent, the other a little known state representative from Rush Springs (home of the Watermelon Festival).  Joe Dorman is someone I consider a friend, a man with whom I've shared deer camp and cold beer over a camp fire.  He's a damned good man and yes, he'd make a very good governor of this great state.  That being said, I have people for whom I have an enormous amount of respect in the Fallin camp and they truly believe in what Governor Fallin has in mind for her office after reelection.  I've talked to the Governor personally quite a few times over the years and yes, she is a very charming and disarming individual and she hasn't really screwed anything up as Governor.  That, my friends, is the real litmus test in Oklahoma - whether or not you can just not screw anything up during your tenure.  All that being said, I have no pony in the race and wish only the best for both candidates.  Yeah...that's me hedging my bets.

From the "Get the hell out of here" file - By 2025 Sexbots will be commonplace:  I, for one, call bullsh*t on this one.  The story is sensational to be sure, and is rather emblematic of our cultural inability to be intimate with one another in a real way that transcends merely the exchange of bodily fluids.  Some may believe the answer is robot sex partners, I am not one of them.  Read the whole incredible, borderline sickening story here.

Well kids, that's it for now.  Have a safe and sane weekend.

Rioting, Looting and Oklahoma Weed & More

Welcome back, my friends to the blog that will inspire, motivate and hopefully not bore you to tears.  Let's dive in and get wet, shall we?

Ferguson, MO

An innocent young man is shot and killed by an overzealous police force who is morbidly out of touch with its community and the world watches.  So, what is the result?  Rioting and looting and the police force pretending to be the National Guard.  People are losing their damned minds while the rest of the nation - hell, the world - watches and considers us to be babbling buffoons, unable to keep the peace in an otherwise peaceful community.

We hear daily of incidents where law enforcement gets too big for its britches and does something stupid, but in this case, a man is dead as a result.  And the response was unacceptable - there is never an excuse to riot, to loot and steal from your own damned neighborhood.  It's insane.  The police force should all be fired, the law enforcement aspects of Ferguson turned over to the County Sheriff and those who looted and rioted should spend a very, very long time in jail - and part of their punishment should be cleaning up the mess that they made.  It's a sad state of affairs, my friends.  Very sad, indeed.

Oklahoma Weed?

One of my favorite pictures of the Governor.

This week, the Governor of Oklahoma has done something that really no one ever believed possible.  She encouraged lawmakers to approve the use of medical cannabis oil for pain management as prescribed by a physician.  This is a very bold move for Governor Fallin and some have speculated that it was merely a campaign tactic because she is losing ground to former Representative Joe Dorman (D).  I call bullsh*t on that.  I believe it was as a result of some very creative lobbying and constituent calls that convinced the Governor to become a little more open minded.

Granted, this is a far cry from legalizing medical marijuana across the board, but this is a significant start.  Personally, I don't partake, probably never will.  However, it is painfully difficult to justify the regulation of alcohol with all of its known negative health ramifications and to turn a nose up at marijuana as a viable pain management alternative to big pharma.  It is intellectual dishonesty to argue one should be legal and regulated when the other is not. 

Kudos to the Governor for making the right call.  Of course, the Legislature will have to deal with the issue and you and I both know that Jesus would not approve of the evil marijuana, therefore it probably won't go anywhere.

Stop it.  Just stop it.

It's always been my thought that we often get caught up in the propaganda of issues and the joys of being pissed off, and it clouds our ability to remember that we're all human - like it or not.  We may disagree politically, but it's just politics - it's not a matter of life or death (generally speaking).  Then there's the religious argument...for many of my Christian brethren, it's all about recruiting new members to the club rather than making disciples of the ones already there (something Jesus commanded, by the way).  Of course, if we want to really tip the scales, we can contrast radical Islam with Christianity and before you know it, we just love the hell out of ourselves.

The fight to maintain the top of the food chain in self-righteousness is a bullshit goal and it destroys people and jeopardizes legitimate relationships.  I know a lot of judgmental pricks who are so under the guise of godliness and it's little more than an excuse to be an asshole.  The fundamental premise - something that is so real for the Christian faith that without it, Christianity doesn't exist - is that we are all sinners.  We have all failed, we are all a bunch of morons who constantly screw up.  If we just take that tack, if we just remember that we're no better than anyone else, imagine how well we could get along with one another! 

So, if you have the urge to judge someone, to look down upon them because of the clothes they wear, the number of tattoos or piercings they have, or you feel like brow-beating someone into submission to believe your worldview...stop it.  Just stop it.

He's Baaaaack

Heavens, it's been a while. And so much has happened and continues to happen.  So, let's do a quick review, shall we?

First, it's true - Obama is still President and it doesn't look like there is a whole lot his detractors can do about it.  I've said it before, and will say it again now - the problem is Congress.  A group of men and women whose whole existence is consumed by one effort:  The desire to be reelected, to keep their jobs.  It's pathetic that my Republican brethren have so little faith in the process that they must resort to petty attacks on the President.  Granted, he has screwed the proverbial pooch on countless issues, but damn.  Where are all of "God-fearing" congressmen who were elected to supposedly keep the President in check?  Oh!  Wait. They are running for the U.S. Senate now.

Second, yes, I've had some health issues and I don't want to go into great detail here because it's deeply personal.  But, that being said, I have been diagnosed with liver disease as a result of "fatty liver."  There is deterioration and now, I'm on about a billion types of pills and hopefully I'll soon be getting biopsies to really nail down what the hell is going on.  I know that I've lived with monster pain for over a year and a half, but I'm still alive and for that, I'm very thankful.  I went to the emergency room last year after vomiting up a bunch of blood, passing out and just all around feeling like crap and sure enough, I had swallowed 4 units of my own blood as a result of esophageal veracese.  I don't want to sound like a whiny bitch, so I'll just say that the big issue is pain management and determining a method to slow the deterioration of my liver and hopefully not have to get a transplant. Another problem is memory lapses.  I can remember songs, music on the guitar, but I can't remember the order in which I'm supposed to play them.  I can't remember which medications I am supposed to take and when.  It's frustrating for a guy like me. Hell, stranger things have been known to happen.

Third, contrary to popular belief, I have not been involved in any Oklahoma campaigns whatsoever.  I have no interest really, and the crop of individuals running for office is largely bottom of the barrel.  It's a bunch of names and faces we've seen before and only a couple of them are saying anything differently than their predecessors have a thousand times.  But, there are a few exceptions.

Fourth, I like Steve Russell for Congress.  The problems we have with the VA, the saber rattling of Russia, the ISIS terrorist bastards in Iraq, Iran's continuing aggressiveness and of course, Israel's struggles...we need veterans in office and if Oklahoma can contribute, so be it.  Steve Russell is the guy to represent us in Congress, in my opinion.  I believe that he'll do something about the VA bullshit and he will also provide a knowledgeable voice regarding war, the potential for war and how to adequately conduct conflagration without massive loss of life.  It's time for veterans to be heard and Russell can be our voice.  No disrespect to the former Edmond Mayor, of course, but if you have to look at where we are in this country, the last thing we need is a silver spoon Edmondite representing us - we had a camp counselor before, it's time to get serious.

Well, kids, that's enough for now.  I'll be back soon enough!