Peeing In The Shower…

I shall blame Buddy Hackett for bringing this act to my attention. When I was about 17 I heard a stand-up routine, where part of the joke that Buddy was telling had the line “She was so high class she steps out of the shower to pee.” It was at that moment my brain crashed trying to figure out who pees in the shower? Maybe it’s because for the first 10-11 years of my life I only taken baths and I learned to pee before I got in the tub (peeing in the bath is NOT OK).

I’ve heard people say it’s no big deal and they are probably right, I mean the water is running and the drain that it’s going down hooks into the same drain as the toilet. I’ve also heard that peeing in the shower will kill bacteria that can cause foot fungus, I don’t know how true that is or if it’s just an excuse to make it sound acceptable.

Most places that I have lived, I’ve actually had to pass the toilet to get to the shower. The few places that I lived where you didn’t actually have to pass the former to get to the latter, it still wasn’t out of my way to stop, and stopping was always a good idea since I know the affect that running water (and getting wet) has on the human body. So unless your bathroom is really big or your house has a truly horrible floor plan there is no reason not to make a stop on your way to the shower.

On the other hand not making that stop and using the shower can save a flush which saves water and in this day and age that’s a good thing. Right?

Global Warming/Climate Change

When it comes to climate change/global warming, why do we always ask and argue over the wrong questions? Is it real? Is it caused by man? We use present events to prove or disprove points that makes no real sense. Washington D.C. had a blizzard so that proves climate change is a hoax or this is the first time in recorded history that Minneapolis had no snow in the month of March (usually their second snowiest month) which proves it’s real and we need to do something now.

Lately my answers to these questions and arguments has been “SHUT UP!” The questions should be, Are we polluting? Is pollution a good thing? Are we capable/do we have the technology that would allow us to pollute less? Most people can agree on the answers to those questions.

Arguing over the affect humans have on the world weather is a waste of time. If they do, then making the changes necessary could save future generations and countless lives. If they don’t then we as a species just did the good/right thing by polluting less.

“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it”.
Henry David Thoreau “

Stopping DWI’s and Other Alcohol Related Problems

A few months ago there was a story about a man getting his 20^th DWI*. That, along with some other problems that drinking contributes to, like domestic abuse got me thinking there has to be a better way to handle the problem.

Losing your drivers license doesn’t seem to stop people from drinking and driving.

Since a business has to have an alcohol licenses to sell alcohol I was thinking why not have it mandatory that you have to have an alcohol license to buy alcohol. A  photo alcohol  I.D that anyone of drinking age or older must get in order to purchase alcohol  (yes this means that even grandma and grandpa would be carded.) If you get a DWI, or involved with any alcohol related problem (i.e. domestic violence or supplying alcohol to anyone not licensed to have alcohol) would lose their alcohol license  for a period of time. Other punishments would/could still apply.

If you get a DWI and the state takes away your alcohol license for (let’s say) 6 months, after your 6 months is up you would have to buy a new license for double the original cost. So if your first license cost you $10 after a single DWI your costs would be $20 for each renewal (for life) and if you get a second offense your next license would be $40 then $80 after the third and so on or it could be three offenses and then lose your alcohol license permanently.

The State could charge you $5 – $10 for your I.D. And you would have to renew it every 4-5 years. Money the state could use for a number of things including to help pay for more law enforcement.

(Yes, I drink and I even get drunk from time to time, and yes I think this is a great idea and I would be willing to do it.)

Story * http://www.startribune.com/local/west/80213592.html?page=1&c=y

The results of our current way of handling the problem: http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html

More can be done.

Legalizing Marijuana

More and more states are legalizing marijuana for medical use, and there is talk of legalizing marijuana altogether. I’m all for the legalization of medical marijuana. As someone that has suffered from chronic pain, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss and many sleepless nights I can see the benefits of using pot. I don’t understand how as a society we can accept a prescription from a doctor of morphine, when needed, but not a prescription for marijuana even if a doctor feels it would be beneficial. I’m sure there will be some abuse by patients and doctors but there are abusers to a lot of prescription drugs. Legalization would also mean regulation. For those that say the pharmaceutical companies have already came up with THC in pill form, all I can say is that there is something about a ritual that is far more affective than just popping a pill. I use to have some of my own rituals so I can see the benefit of cleaning, rolling and smoking, just the inhaling and holding the smoke sounds a lot like controlling your breath which is a form of meditation.

As far as legalizing marijuana altogether I have given serious thoughts to both sides. The conclusion I came to even surprised me.

Most arguments against marijuana can be dismissed simply by comparing marijuana to alcohol. For example, for those of you who think that marijuana is the gateway drug, I would argue that alcohol and tobacco would have that distinction if they were illegal. It’s also my opinion that alcohol has caused far more problems than marijuana ever will. In 2008 there were over 13,000 alcohol related driving fatalities in the US, 37% of auto fatalities were alcohol related (http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html).

After doing some serious thinking about it I came to a couple of conclusions. First, pot isn’t and shouldn’t be a serious offense. Secondly it shouldn’t be made legal unless there are some stipulations attached like age and where and when it can be smoked (just like alcohol and cigarettes). If it’s ever legalized I think there should be pot dens for smokers to smoke and that should be the only place they should be allowed to smoke (I feel this way about cigarettes too). The reason I think we need pot dens is the simple fact that if I’m in a room with a group of people and they are drinking I can still decide not to drink, but if I’m in a room with smokers I’m going to get a contact buzz simply by breathing, taking away my choice. If marijuana was just made legal it would end up being smoked around others who may not want to be subjected to it (this was also my reasoning for banning cigarettes from public places).

Since I don’t see the “Pot Den” becoming a reality I guess I’ll stay on the side of making and keeping marijuana legal for medical use only.

On a personal note, I have done pot when I was younger and after awhile I just didn’t like it enough to continue and I have not used it for medical purposes, but I wouldn’t keep something beneficial away from others just because I haven’t used it.

Thoughts on Abortion

 

Many years ago I heard of a shooting of a doctor (who preformed abortions) by some pro life nut claiming to be a Christian. I really couldn’t understand how someone claiming to be pro life (or a Christian) could kill. The reasoning was taking a life to save many other lives. Being pro choice I decided to put some real thought into the matter and try to understand both sides and that way understand my own position.

I started with the reasons to have an abortion. It became clear that almost every reason began with I. “I’m too young,” “I want a career,” “I can’t do this on my own,” etc. Even in the case of rape or incest it came to “I can’t bring a child from those circumstances in to the world.” Then there is the abortion when the mothers life is in danger, which boils down to “I want to live.” Even though I can understand the reasons for wanting/having an abortion, it became clear, (even if I didn’t want to admit it) an abortion is purely a selfish act. With that being said, everyone has the right to be selfish.

The next step I took was the question of “When does life begin?”. When I honestly answered that question the only answer I could come to was that life begins at conception. Sure the embryo may just be cells but it’s going to be a baby/child (not a third arm), and the question was “when does life BEGIN?” and not “when does life become recognizable?”.  If the law makers ever admit that life begins at conception then abortions would have to be illegal and those having them or giving them would have to be charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They (the law makers) could however come to the conclusion that abortions early enough would not be punishable (which leaves us at where we are now) or less punishable. Then you would have the problem that if age becomes a factor in punishment of murder, you could argue that killing a child (even a fetus) should get a more severe punishment. Kill a child and you kill any offspring they may have had, effecting the planet more. Where as, killing a 70 year old should get less of a punishment since they are past child bearing age. Then you could argue that a 70 year old male could still father kids so would that make men worth more than women? So how can the law makers (or anyone) admit when life begins if their answer lead them to a place they don’t want to go? (Who is to say whose life is more valuable?)

 

Question: Who has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body? Answer: The woman. However, in the case of pregnancy/abortion though is it really just her body? Should the man have no say in his child? The answer to both of these questions I believe is no. As I established earlier life has already begun so it is not just her body. For the second question, it took two to make it it should take two to decide on a course of action (in a perfect world). If a pregnant woman gets 100% of the say shouldn’t she also get 100% of the consequences? I’m a realist though and I know that is impossible to enforce or expect. It shouldn’t become a world where a man can say here’s the money for an abortion, now I’m not responsible if you decide to have it. Then again how fair is it that only one person gets to say, hey I’m having it and you’re paying for it (for 18 years) or I’m getting rid of your baby and you have no say in it? There is also no way for a man to say hey you are having or aborting it if you want to or not. Since the woman carries/grows the baby in her body it is more of a womans issue but since the decision she makes will affect the man it isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s a human issue.

Being pro choice is not the same as being pro abortion and anyone that says it is is an idiot. These are the same people that don’t want to educate or reduce the number of abortions. They just want to teach abstinence. Abstinence and waiting until you are married was fine and dandy back in the day when people got married at an earlier age (13-16 years old). Now though we live in a world when some girls hit puberty at the age of 8 years old. Abstinence should be taught along with other birth control methods and sex education in general. Planned parenthood does not (or should not) equal abortion clinic. Every last pro-lifer that is out there trying to make abortion illegal should have at least one adopted child too, since they always say that you should keep it or have it then put it up for adoption. Don’t just adopt the babies either, there are plenty (too many) children that age out of the system and are never adopted. There are also studies out that show that unwanted children are more likely to end up in prison. So anyone not willing to take responsibility for educating people or for the unwanted children being born, be it through welfare or adoption, should keep their mouth shut about abortions. In the event that your teen tells you that they are pregnant, never tell them that “I’ve raised you better than that”. Apparently you didn’t, so you have some responsibility too.

My conclusion is that I’m still pro choice, but only because I know the world is better off with legal abortions than with illegal abortions taking place.