just john

Being overtly political this week...

I've seen this theme before. I chose to respond:

Interfaith group files brief in Iowa gay marriage case
Group says legal marriage for gays would trigger government prohibitions
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) | Jul 31, 1:17 PM

Among their arguments (paraphrasing is mine)...

--Ministers and preachers could face hate crime or hate speech conspiracy or incitement lawsuits, if after hearing a preacher's strongly worded sermon against same-sex marriage, a congregant commits a hate crime against a person or business.
It should be okay to incite violence among sheep and allow the shepard to go unpunished. Jim Jones and David Koresh were actually stand-up guys just providing prose for entertainment, they never expected anyone to actually follow through.

--Religious institutions offering soup kitchens, hospitals, wedding reception facilities, schools and counseling services may be the subject of discrimination lawsuits if they decline to extend services to same-sex couples.
Charities who feed the homeless only want to feed the right kind of homeless. Sort of like if you were to hypothetically go to a starving nation, like Africa, and offer food and medicine in exchange for changing your native religion. Where was christianity growing again? Doctors and hospitals should be allowed to turn away those who are sick or dying, just like they could with black people during the 50's and Americans of Asian descent during WWI.

--Church groups who fire married same-sex employees to make it clear certain behaviors are not condoned may be sued under employment anti-discrimination statutes.
It shold be okay to receive federal funding and federal tax exemption but avoid following federal laws.

So many good people in this nation have faith in God, it's no small wonder they stay out of the churches and refuse to finance the largest passive hate group in the history of the world.

Posted by justjohn at 20:03 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I hate taking my shoes off in the airport. It used to be never, then shoes with probable metal shanks, and now everything. I've seriously considered checking all my bags and just flying in my underwear.

Anyway, here's the guy who caused the entire problem. He's currently being held in England and I thought about doing something ridiculous to his picture with Photoshop, but his God-given (ha ha, not Allah) countenance is punishment enough.

If you see him, please fulfill his greatest hope and ignite his shoes.

Posted by justjohn at 17:51 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This aging thing has been on my mind lately. It's moderately bothersome but so far I've been able to work around it. Not so for members of the Kiss Army. I was never really a fan and they were a bit before my musical coming of age, which came dangerously close to launching with "Eat'em and Smile," but "Phantom of the Park" did appeal to my movie tastes. Poor chaps suffered a minor set back recently:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070729/people_nm/kiss_singer_dc;_ylt=AroRtJgOkwhLu1.cW56AvlKs0NUE

Entirely by coincidence, a blogger I follow, who is my age, recently had a similar problem. http://www.faggotyassfaggot.com/

Posted by justjohn at 18:47 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Gott sei Dank dass es Freitag ist! Thank God it's Friday.

It has been decreed that, henceforth, only German is to be spoken at work. Yes, I will learn it and yes, it will suck a bit.

Posted by justjohn at 13:57 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

He's been a long time annoyance, just one I never talked about. I never heard him speak before today though. "Toady" was simply invented for him. Watch the video.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070726/ap_on_go_co/congress_gonzales;_ylt=Ann6L1BpGvgjUI9rDl1P_8Ws0NUE

Posted by justjohn at 21:57 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20070723/cm_usatoday/ourviewonincomeinequalitywealthmoneymanagersmakemoregettaxedless;_ylt=AkkCxVdGMLQkQ5h09mmUPK6s0NUE

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I was thinking that today. I think it often, likely because I have the time. I certainly didn't come here for things to suck or for my personal life and relationships in the U.S. to fall apart. Working in a foreign country is an enormous strain on all the ties you have with the people who didn't come with you. That part does suck.

When I came to work for *Company X* I knew there would be the potential for an expatriate assignment. Call it a personal and career goal. My grandfather worked abroad, often six months at a time, while my grandmother stayed in the U.S. She never went with him until much later in life in spite of having the freedom to do so. Forty some-odd years of marriage later they both died, still happily married. I wonder sometimes if I'll ever get that same opportunity instead of the patchwork of non-federal crap that may or may not benefit me now.

Coming here at the point of life I am in was selfish. It was a singular act of self-centered opportunism which I do, in fact, feel guilty about.

Coming here was an almost incomparable opportunity. I have the rare chance to learn about life in a foreign culture with almost marital intimacy. No amout of tourism or travel can ever take the place of actually living here.

Coming here is sad some days. I miss my normal life and the people who filled it. When I call them in the evenings, they are still at work, un-relaxed and often not terribly conversive by simple virtue of still being at work. The rythm of our moods are no longer in sync.

Coming here is life-changing. It turns out the rest of the world is often as modern and more (or less) progressive in it's legislation. I despise the period of history the U.S. is living through but I know it is necessary and ultimately beneficial.

Coming here was simply a decision. I made it not entirely alone and the consequences extend beyond me. My time here is short, 17 more months, and filled with diversion but other days it seems like an eternity. Especially when I cannot be near the people I care about.

Posted by justjohn at 14:15 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Worried about Bill. Those of you who know what's going on should be okay getting in touch with him Thurday, but I'd hold off today. He'll be groggy and tired. I just hope he has the same luck as everyone else on this one. We can discuss it more when it's over.

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I know and you know about these women employees who walk through my locker room. It's all good. So yesterday, I'm standing on the scale minding my own business, sorry for the visual but naked per the requirements of accurate weighing, when a potential new customer is shown through hand in hand with his 5 year old daughter. No time to grab the towel on that one. Sheesh.

Dabbling in you tube lately. I was disappointed to find the same kind of hateful anonymous posting there. Maybe if everyone's mother were copied on their public rhetoric the tone would improve.

Posted by justjohn at 21:40 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Can you really look at this face and not think "smarmy little butt-kisser?"

Posted by justjohn at 21:33 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mom is gone, left on the jet plane, back to her subdivision across the street, literally, from James Dobson and his army of delusional, robot nut jobs. Not that I'm biased.

The visit was good, Mom got to see Europe for the first time ever and I spent 1/12th of my year with my mother. Probably the first time in 10 years. We both survived without resorting to screaming or alcoholism. Now we've seen Europe, dammit. Quit asking if I'm going to go anywhere. By summer's end I will have seen eleven countries and who knows, a supplier visit could even take me to one of those Eastern European countries where they filmed 'Hostel.'

I couldn't help but notice, since I read it every day, that G. W. Bush still has his face in the news. I think he has something to do with politics or some such, certainly not leadership. He was railing on about keeping taxes low and curbing government spending. He has, you know, managed to spend less this year than in previous ones provided you don't include (they don't) the cost of the war. To date, I think he will go down in history as the sorriest President daddy's money ever bought. If you're still supporting this guy because he lowered your tax bill, congratulations. It's a well documented and easily verifiable fact that the tax cuts enacted by the iron regime have primarily benefited people who make more than 5 million dollars per year. He saved them enough money to buy 2 Bentleys per year - $500,000. If you're making less than that, well, piss on you, seems to be the theme. Of course, if you conservative, middle income earners out there can show me your enormous financial gains, inflation adjusted, I'll happily recant.

I've spent some time watching stuff on http://www.williamsledd.com/. He's a bit self indulgent, more so than me, but otherwise funny in places. Two Bentleys per year and vetos for expanded children's health insurance? WTF is wrong with this? I'm being victimized by my own comparisons.

To whit, the job front has sucked a bit of late. Part circumstance, part culture difference, and part my own making. For those couple of you I've bitched to about it, we seem to be back on the path. Seems if yo open your mouth and speak to the right people, odds of getting what you want improve dramatically. Much as I would like to type of it, I might actually be violating some company confidentiality to put down the state of our product and my opinions on it. Guess you'll have to call and ask.

Not sure if my tallest brother reads this on a regular basis, nor the shortest one. He's 17 and acting a bit like a puke these days. We all have high hopes he'll grow out of it. The tall one, on the other hand, is benefitting from a sale on Hugo Boss. It's not often you find sleeves to cover the arms on a seven footer. Apparently it's not often you sell said shirt either. Either wear the damn thing or send it to me. I have no reservations about stuff on sale.

Sorry if the tone seems bitter tonight. That's why I write it - so I don't have to be.

Posted by justjohn at 20:31 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I see and hear the stories that cross international borders from time to time and really wonder about the state of people's curiousity. The last local U.S. headline to get translated into German and broadcast here was a woman who text-messaged a state trooper to buy weed. The most recent German counterpart was a police raid on an apartment that smelled like a dead body. Turned out to be a guy with smelly feet and a rotten pile of laundry.

Anybody know who Helmut Kohl was?

Posted by justjohn at 09:06 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by justjohn at 09:02 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's been quite a few weeks lately with mom here and the travelling. She's off alone in Paris for a few days so she can wander through museums unfettered by bored me. At present it would also be sick me. Somewhere along the way, I've managed to pick up what I hope is a harsh cold virus that has kept me down for about a week now. I even got the gravelly voice accompanied by raw throat pain for a few days. It did lead me to a new experience though. My throat finally got so raw I had to go to the pharmacy. "The pharmacy" is of course a little different here and you can't just walk in and buy a 1000 capsule bottle of Tylenol. Having just come from a pharmacy museum in Heidelburg, I at least knew the history of the trade. The pharmacist in Germany is still responsible for mixing and dispensing all medications including aspirin so you go in and tell them what's wrong with you and they give you the appropriate medication. I managed to croak out in hoarse German that I had a bad cold with a mild fever and sore throat. Very sore in response to further questioning. I ended up with some numbing lozenges, up to three at once, and some capsules I have never seen before that were for everything else. Vitamin C and paracetamol (famous in UK) were the only two active ingredients I recognized. They did get me through the next couple of nights and I feel (hope) things are clearing up today. Otherwise, I am required to go to the doctor by my job. 2 days of sick from work is fine but three requires a doctor visit and note which will likely order you to stay out even longer. Having already been on vacation for two weeks, I'd rather go back to work even if only to see what it's like again. It's been a stressfull couple of weeks altogether. Bill's having some health issues that we are fretting about some. Nothing to do but wait though. He did manage to pull a couple of A's from his MBA course so one more thing down.

Mom gets back tomorrow and we have about 5 days left of her visit. I'll be working so we'll probably be confined to Stuttgart and surrounding for the remainder. Heidelburg, by the way, was cool in spite of my illness and the following day mom had a date??!! show her around some more of Stuttgart.

Posted by justjohn at 13:25 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Week two of Mom's visit was a big drive around and to the south of Europe.

Strasbourg...

Just a day trip from Stuttgart, it was our first foray into France - though the French will tell you it's not really France but they kept the real estate anyway. 

Munich...

Would loved to have shown you the Glockenspiel buut it was coverered by scaffolding and plastic. The booming European economy has apparently provided funding to restore everything.

Venice...

We"ll have to go back to Venice for a few days one of these years. It was my first taste of Italian traffic, the day opening with a truckload of washing machines falling off the overpass right as you drive into the main train/boat/bus station of Venice. Took us 2.5 hours to drive back over the 2 mile bridge to the hotel. 

Pisa...

The people standing on short columns behind me are trying to get shots of themselves holding up the tower. I never would have thought to do that. 

Milan...

The rook of the Duomo Cathedral. It's big. 

And finally Zurich...

Mom is ragged from walking so we're taking a break for a couple of days.

Posted by justjohn at 09:34 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)