What the bang dang diddly is goin on?

Sunday, January 10, 2016

This Is A TenThousand Year War

Saudi and Iran are at each other's throats, ISIS is crucifying children, liquidating Christians and tomorrow I will share a video of them training how to make chemical weapons and driverless car bombs, North Korea just detonated a Hydrogen Bomb (5.1 on the Richter scale). The stock Market tumbles, doctors now ordered to ignore Hippa with Presidents Gun grab, Muslim killers are within our borders, RANGERS ARE TRAPPED AND BEING SLAUGHTERED IN AFGHANISTAN, 95 million jobless andthe country believes the #1 problem is not terror, war or the economy, but according to Gallup the number one problem:
The government.
And what is the press talking about? Why the president cried. (His tears real and mine fake of course). Why gun control which even the Washington post says would not have prevented ANY of the shootings, is so desperately needed.
They want to know if Ted Cruz is mad at Trump for going all "birther"on him!!!!
Grow up! God help us.
Ted thanks for not taking the bait. Stay presidential. We need an adult!

Twenty-One Years Old For Me

Two years ago, a few days before New Year's Eve, I last got drunk. It was the closing night of the Lincoln Lodge, a fantastic comedy venue in Chicago in the back of a now-closed diner. They've since moved, but after that show, I thought I should take a breather from drinking -- and eating meat -- and focus on productivity.
Here's a short list of what I've accomplished since I stopped drinking:
  • Lost 75 pounds.
  • Bought an amazing loft condo.
  • Finished a first draft of an advice book.
  • Started exercising three days a week, then four.
  • Went from a size XXL to size Large.
  • Performed in three comedy festivals.
  • Got an amazing new job.
  • Finished multiple drafts of multiple television and movie scripts.
  • Went from a 42-inch waist to a 36-inch waist.
  • Went from hating myself daily to relatively enjoying myself.
A lot of this is what I externally accomplished, what I can show on paper. But I think that last one is the most important.
I've learned a lot in two years, so I thought I'd share that with you, in case you'd like to take a break from the booze cruise. Also, that's what I tell myself: I've taken a break. Maybe I'll drink again. Maybe I won't.
But overall, life seems to be a whole lot better for me because I took a break. Perhaps it could be for you too.
Things I've learned:

You don't have to drink to have fun

What a shocker! As someone who's been drinking since senior year of high school (sorry, Mom, we weren't just "hanging out" in the basement), most events in my life revolved around booze.

Almost everything does: Comedy shows, concerts, after-work functions, meetups, dates, conferences, dinner, museum tours. But guess what? The events don't change if you decide not to drink!
You're still you. Maybe you're more "inhibited," but is that altogether terrible? I've found that when I hang out with folks who have been drinking, I start to feel the same way I felt -- in terms of becoming silly, goofy, fun -- when I was drinking too.
And I remember everything that happened during the events, which is always nice.

You have way fewer regrets

Since I stopped drinking, I've yet to wake up and look at my phone, see something I texted, and go, "Ugh, wwwwwwhhhhhy." I'm in control of my actions basically all of the time.
I think longer before I respond to something someone says. If I'm angry, it gives me time to calm down. Drinking definitely helped my inner jerk come out a lot more often. Now I am better at keeping the jerkier side of me locked up. It still comes out, sure, but at least I have more control over when that happens.

People will judge the heck out of you

This was the weirdest one to deal with. Many, many folks will give you attitude for not drinking. Here are some things I've been told:
"C'mon, dude, just have one beer! It's not like you're going to meetings or whatever!"
"I can't trust someone who doesn't drink."
"You're not fun unless you're drunk."
"When you don't drink, it makes me feel bad about myself, which makes me not like you."
"I can't date someone who doesn't want to get drunk with me, sorry."
I'll bet I said some of these things myself, back when I used to drink -- because when you're around someone who doesn't do something you like doing, you can be taken aback by it.
I've had friends who've stopped hanging out with me because I don't drink anymore. I've had relationships end (or not even start) because of it. I have been sent screen shots of people I know talking smack about me to other people because I choose to not do a thing.
It's weird. But it makes you realize the bad relationship with booze that other folks must be having. And for that, I have empathy. And I hope they figure it out.

You sleep so much better

I haven't slept this great since before high school. Man, it's fantastic. I could point you to all the studies that show how alcohol affects your sleep, but hey, take my word for it.

You get less sad

I don't know if I have depression, but I used to get bummed out a lot. There were days when I wouldn't want to leave my apartment, or see anyone, mostly because I hated myself. I don't hate myself nearly as much as I used to. I'm generally OK with my life and who I am. Positivity is now my go-to emotion, even when something bad or terrible happens to me.
It's like I flipped this switch inside my brain: Instead of going to negativity, I try to find the reason something is positive. It's definitely weird to have this happen to me.

You develop more empathy for others

A few weeks ago, a guy blared on his horn because I was crossing at a crosswalk and he wanted to turn, and he almost hit me with his car, then he flipped me off and cursed at me.
Old me probably would've stood in front of him, not moved, taken a photo or video of him, shared it on the Internet, explained, "Hey, look at this jerk who tried to hit me with his car!" and felt smug and wonderful about it.
Instead, after an initial moment of fear and anger, I realized this dude was probably having an awful day. Maybe he was late for an appointment. Maybe he was trying to get to the hospital to see his son who has cancer. Maybe he didn't have parents as loving as mine and that's filled him with resentment his entire life.
Either way, that guy had something going on, and I wanted him to be happier. Then I felt weird, because my brain has been wired forever to be a little twerp to anyone who wrongs me. But now? I generally jump to empathy. I like that.

You save so much money

I bought a condo. I'd like to pretend as though it wasn't because of how much money I saved by not drinking and buying food while drunk, but probably a quarter of my down payment came just from abstaining from booze.

You get tired earlier

It's pretty hard for me to stay up past 11 p.m. most days, even on weekends. When I was drinking, booze was a magical fuel that kept me going, trying to find a new adventure.
Now that I don't drink, I'm not constantly searching for adventure, trying to find one more fun thing that will fill the empty void inside of me. I'm content with what I've done for the day, and my body wants to go to bed. I dig that.

You become amazingly productive

When you're not spending most of your free time at bars, you get a lot done. I read more. I write more. I learn more.
I spend more time working on bettering myself and my skills than I ever would have sitting at a bar, chatting with a buddy or two. I'm much less social than I used to be, but I'm also creating more art and failing a lot more than ever before.
In the end, I know I'm going to die. I'd rather there be a few things of me still hanging around after I'm dead, some sort of personal expression that others can enjoy. That requires me to put in the time to work on projects, make something tangible and real for people to enjoy.
That seems, now, like a better use of my time than chatting with some pals at a bar. That conversation may have been great, sure, but in the end, it dies with me and those people. If I can create a few things that last longer than me, it makes my life last longer. It means I mattered a little more. I'm glad I haven't been drunk for two years. Sure, I've done a few shots of Malort with people who've never tried it. And yes, there was that one time a dude threatened to kick my rear if I didn't drink that shot of whiskey he bought to congratulate me on "being so funny" after hearing me tell jokes about how I don't drink anymore.
If you ever think, hey, this drinking thing isn't fun anymore, it's OK to take a break. I just quit. For me, it's been relatively easy, and I know it isn't easy for everyone. But just know I've found countless rad people who can have fun without booze. And you can too.
Good luck.
Andy Boyle is a comedian, writer and Web developer in Chicago. He's on Twitter @andymboyle.

Sunday, January 3, 2016




islamic jihad
We have ISIS loyalists gunning down innocent French and American citizens.
We have a President sending his Attorney General out to warn Americans to stifle their Free Speech rights.
We have a shadowy American Muslim advocacy group blaming American citizens for bringing radical Islamic terrorism on ourselves.
But here is the unvarnished truth about Islam’s history of rape, murder, torture, and slavery – all done in the name of being true to the Muslim faith.

The American Thinker has complied the facts from the past:
When one thinks of mass murder, Hitler comes to mind. If not Hitler, then Tojo, Stalin, or Mao. Credit is given to the 20th-century totalitarians as the worst species of tyranny to have ever arisen. However, the alarming truth is that Islam has killed more than any of these, and may surpass all of them combined in numbers and cruelty.
The enormity of the slaughters of the “religion of peace” are so far beyond comprehension that even honest historians overlook the scale. When one looks beyond our myopic focus, Islam is the greatest killing machine in the history of mankind, bar none.
islamic jihad 2
This is a very strong statement to make.  But just look at the facts as The American Thinker presents them:
The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. — Will Durant, as quoted on Daniel Pipes site.
Conservative estimates place the number at 80 million dead Indians.
According to some calculations, the Indian (subcontinent) population decreased by 80 million between 1000 (conquest of Afghanistan) and 1525 (end of Delhi Sultanate). — Koenrad Elst as quoted on Daniel Pipes site
80 Million?! The conquistadors’ crimes pale into insignificance at that number. No wonder Hitler admired Islam as a fighting religion. He stood in awe of Islam, whose butchery even he did not surpass.

Over 110 Million Blacks were killed by Islam.
… a minumum of 28 Million African were enslaved in the Muslim Middle East. Since, at least, 80 percent of those captured by Muslim slave traders were calculated to have died before reaching the slave market, it is believed that the death toll from 1400 years of Arab and Muslim slave raids into Africa could have been as high as 112 Millions. When added to the number of those sold in the slave markets, the total number of African victims of the trans-Saharan and East African slave trade could be significantly higher than 140 Million people. — John Allembillah Azumah, author of The Legacy of Arab-Islam in Africa: A Quest for Inter-religious Dialogue
islamic slave trade
Guess we won’t be hearing this anytime soon from Rev. Al and Minister Farrakhan.
But The American Thinker is not finished:
Add just those two numbers alone together, and Islam has surpassed the victims of 20th-century totalitarianism. However, it does not end there. Add the millions who died at the hand of Muslims in the Sudan in our lifetime.
Much of Islamic slavery was sexual in nature, with a preference for women. Those men who were captured were castrated. The mulatto children of the women were often killed, which explains why Islam was not demographically shifted towards the black race, unlike slaves in the West, who bore children to breed a mestizo class. Add in those dead children; and we arrive at well over 200 million. 
We know that over 1 million Europeans were enslaved by Barbary Pirates. How many died is anybody’s guess.
…for the 250 years between 1530 and 1780, the figure could easily have been as high as 1,250,000 – BBC
In the Middle Ages…
…many slaves were passed through Armenia and were castrated there to fill the Muslim demand for eunuchs. — Slavery in Early Medieval Europe.
The same practice ran through Islamic Spain. North Europeans captured from raids up to Iceland, or purchased, were butchered in the castratoriums of Iberia. Many died from the operations that ran for centuries.
Don’t forget the 1.5 million Armenian Christians killed by the Turks during WWI.
islamic Aremenian genocide
And these are certainly not all of those slaughtered by Islam throughout the world in history.
The American Thinker grapples with a total number:
Add this all up. The African victims. The Indian victims. The European victims. Add in the Armenian genocide. Then add in the lesser known, but no doubt quite large number of victims of Eastern Asia. Add in the jihad committed by Muslims against China, which was invaded in 651 AD. Add in the Crimean Khanate predations on the Slavs, especially their women.
Though the numbers are not clear, what is obvious is that Islam is the greatest murder machine in history bar none, possibly exceeding 250 million dead. Possibly one-third to one-half or more of all those killed by war or slavery in history can be traced to Islam; and this is just a cursory examination.
Now consider the over 125 Million women today who have been genitally mutilated for Islamic honor’s sake. In spite of what apologists tell you, the practice is almost totally confined to Islamic areas.
As President Obama speaks to the nation Sunday night, it is doubtful he will cite any of these historical facts.
It seems his criticism of religion is limited to Christianity and Judaism.
obama and islam
Please share these truths to all you know. The national media has not given up on the propaganda that Islam is a “religion of peace.”
Of course, they also thought the old Communist Soviet Union was THE model of government as well!










By Rebecca Santana | January 3, 2016 | 1:14 PM EST

(AP Photo)
METAIRIE, La. (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Saturday the idea of religious neutrality is not grounded in the country's constitutional traditions and that God has been good to the U.S. exactly because Americans honor him.
Scalia was speaking at a Catholic high school in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, Louisiana. Scalia, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 is the court's longest serving justice. He has consistently been one of the court's more conservative members.
He told the audience at Archbishop Rummel High School that there is "no place" in the country's constitutional traditions for the idea that the state must be neutral between religion and its absence.
"To tell you the truth there is no place for that in our constitutional tradition. Where did that come from?" he said. "To be sure, you can't favor one denomination over another but can't favor religion over non-religion?"
He also said there is "nothing wrong" with the idea of presidents and others invoking God in speeches. He said God has been good to America because Americans have honored him.
Scalia said during the Sept. 11 attacks he was in Rome at a conference. The next morning, after a speech by President George W. Bush in which he invoked God and asked for his blessing, Scalia said many of the other judges approached him and said they wished their presidents or prime ministers would do the same.
"God has been very good to us. That we won the revolution was extraordinary. The Battle of Midway was extraordinary. I think one of the reasons God has been good to us is that we have done him honor. Unlike the other countries of the world that do not even invoke his name we do him honor. In presidential addresses, in Thanksgiving proclamations and in many other ways," Scalia said.
"There is nothing wrong with that and do not let anybody tell you that there is anything wrong with that," he added. 
Scalia's comments Saturday come as the court prepares to hear arguments later this year in a case that challenges part of President Barack Obama's health care law and whether it adequately shields faith-based hospitals, colleges and charities from having to offer contraceptive coverage to their employees.
Scalia is often a lightning rod for controversy on the court.
In December he came under fire for comments he made during an affirmative action case, questioning whether some black students would benefit from going to a "slower-track school" instead of Texas' flagship campus in Austin.