Friday, March 23, 2012
It could happen
What if Bigfoot was an alien and we can't ever find them because they move through underground tunnels that expand beneath the surface?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Hitler was the aliens' bitch
Definition of over-simplifying: The term "Aryan Nation" has always been defined as the racism of Nazis. The truth is even wilder... "Aryan" refers to a race of aliens, the perfect creation of the gods or perhaps, the gods themselves. Hitler's Nazi army was, actually, a cult of believers in aliens who visited our planet and possibly created humans in their image for one of several self-serving purposes. Aryans were the result of perfect outcome. Puts things in a whole new perspective, doesn't it? Especially considering the Aryan Nation of today is mostly made up of "God fearing" people who mock belief in aliens.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Damn kids!
Borrowed from a friend who received this as an e-mail. Keep it going if you can relate! Damn kids... LOL
"When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; walking 25 miles to school every morning....uphill....barefoot....BOTH ways... yadda, yadda, yadda, And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of shit like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!! But now, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today!! You have got it sooo easy!! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!! And, I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you really have it...
1.) I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!
2.) There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!!
3.) Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat our asses. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends were allowed to kick our ass!! Nowhere was safe!!
4.) There were no MP3's or Napsters or Itunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift that shit..
5.) Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#% it all up!! There were no CD players. We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come all undone rendering it useless..
6.) We didn't have fancy shit like call waiting.. if you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal.. and that's it..
7.) There weren't any cell phones either..If you left the house, you just didn't make a damn call or receive one either.. You actually had to be out of touch with your friends.. OMG!!! Think of the horror..not being in touch 24/7!!! And then, there is texting.. yeah right.. Please, you damn kids have no idea how annoying you are...
8.) And we didn't have fancy caller ID either!! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was.. It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent.. you just didn't know!! You had to pick it up and take the chance..
9.) We didn't have any playstation or xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics. We had to Atari 2600!! With games like "space invaders" and "asteriods" Our screen guy was a little square and you had to use your imagination.. And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen....forever!!! And you could never win, the game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died!!! Just like life!!!!!
10.) You had to use a little book called a TV guide to find out what was on!! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing!! You had to get off your ass and walk over and turn the dial and change the channel. NO REMOTES!! Oh, no, what is this world coming to!!!!
11.) There was no Cartoon Network either!! You could only watch cartoons on Saturday mornings.. Do you hear what I am saying??? We had to wait all week for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards....
12.) And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove.. OMG!!!
13.) And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long.. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort.. And if you came back inside, then you were doing your chores!! What the hell are those?????
14.) And car seats - oh please!!! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place...
Monday, March 19, 2012
Quit peeing in my can!
People who can't spell and/or pronounce their Cajun names should be required to change their name and have their Cajun heritage revoked! Same for idiots who mispronounce pecan .. It's not pee in a can or conning one out of their pee. It's an Algonquin word pronounced puh-con. Damned yankees who can't speak with culturally correct accents!
Fuck your peanut butter and jelly!!
Swear to god, I'm going to find the person who created the Peanut Butter Jelly song and kill him!!!!!! And all I have to do is play that fucking song in court and not only would I get off, I would be given a medal of honor and a statue would be erected in my honor celebrating the demise of that sadistic bastard!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Be gay or be catholic! Then STFU!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-archdiocese-denying-communion-to-lesbian-at-funeral-was-against-policy/2012/02/28/gIQAlIxVgR_story.html
FACT: Fr. Guarnizo acted exactly as he should. A priest is bound by the oath he took to God and the Vatican to uphold all of the laws of the Church. To permit or turn a blind eye to anyone willfully breaking the laws of the church is a crime against the Vatican and punishable by his removal from priesthood and possibly the Church, itself.
I am appalled this Rev. Barry Knestout sent her a letter of apology and threw this priest, WHO FOLLOWED THE COMMANDMENTS OF HIS CHURCH, to the controversy-hungry wolves. The Vatican needs to fire Knestout, who is supposed to be a high-ranking administrator.
Furthermore, she needs to be ex-communicated! She has been knowingly breaking the laws of the Church for as long as she has been a Catholic and living as a lesbian by receiving Communion. The last thing she deserves is an apology!
This is such bullshit! It's no secret how I feel about the Catholic Church, and I support the gay and lesbian community about 90% of the time. This is part of the 10% that I DO NOT! Mark this rare occasion because I stand with the Church and Fr. Guarnizo 100%, and I have ZERO sympathy for this bitch who used her mother's funeral to start shit for a religion to which she CHOSE to belong.
Bitching about the Catholic Church refusing you communion because you're gay is as fucktarded as suing the Nazis for denying your request to join because you're a Jew!
FACT: No one who has a sin on their heart and soul is permitted to receive Holy Communion. This is the purpose for confession prior to attending Mass.
FACT: Homosexuality is a sin in the Catholic Church.
FACT: This woman knew her lifestyle was a sin, but she continued to receive communion.
FACT: Fr. Guarnizo acted exactly as he should. A priest is bound by the oath he took to God and the Vatican to uphold all of the laws of the Church. To permit or turn a blind eye to anyone willfully breaking the laws of the church is a crime against the Vatican and punishable by his removal from priesthood and possibly the Church, itself.
I am appalled this Rev. Barry Knestout sent her a letter of apology and threw this priest, WHO FOLLOWED THE COMMANDMENTS OF HIS CHURCH, to the controversy-hungry wolves. The Vatican needs to fire Knestout, who is supposed to be a high-ranking administrator.
And I can't believe the audacity of this pretentious sow to accuse Fr. Guarnizo of "bringing his politics" into Church! How dare she! He was following the laws of the same Church SHE chose to join even though everyone on this planet knows homosexuality is a major sin in Catholicism. If ANYONE brought politics into church that day, it was HER and her oh-so-obvious agenda. Using her mother's funeral as a jumping board for this crystal clear agenda is DISGUSTING! I really hope she doesn't think her mom is proud.
Furthermore, she needs to be ex-communicated! She has been knowingly breaking the laws of the Church for as long as she has been a Catholic and living as a lesbian by receiving Communion. The last thing she deserves is an apology!
I knew a few gays back when I was Catholic, and not one of them ever received Communion. They didn't like that part of the faith that said homosexuality was a sin (and let's be honest, it's a mistake of nature and NOT a choice and cannot be held against anyone born that way), but they chose to be part of the Church for everything else. They simply refused Communion because of the laws of the Church. The priests knew about them and would bless them with the sign of the cross as they moved passed them.
It may seem very weird to see me defend the Catholic Church like this, but I am so sick of bullshit and there are so many things wrong with this, I just can't keep quiet.
She's a sneaky bitch, plain and simple, and a good man is being punished for only following the laws of the Church, and being punished by his peers who should be standing beside him and supporting him through this fall-out. It's just wrong and I despise anyone setting out with the intention to ruin a good person for their own selfish reasons.
It's a religion, you fucking twat. Get a new one!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Terrorism is okay when St. Patrick does it
So, I asked the child yesterday how things went at school, if anyone gave her a hard time for not celebrating St. Patrick's Day (since it is on a Saturday this year, they did it yesterday). She said it was okay but she was asked a lot why she wasn't wearing green and why she didn't celebrate. One little girl said, "If you don't celebrate it, then you don't celebrate me!" When my daughter asked what she meant, she said, "You know!" My daughter was laughing when she told me, then we both started laughing. She was like, "What does that even mean?" I said, "It means you have weird friends!"
This morning, my daughter told me that they watched a movie on St. Patrick, but that she thinks it was lying about him.
(Pause for a moment: Um.... why is a public school teaching about a Catholic religious belief? Let alone cramming bullshit lies down kids' throats? So much for "education" in school, right?)
When she was done telling me the bullshit they were forced to swallow (although my child isn't that stupid and I've taught her facts of enough things that she knows bullshit when she hears it), I corrected everything for her. I just thought I'd share those things from the movie here, and correct them for anyone else subjected to revisionist history (those with the power write the history)...
MYTH: St. Patrick was a christian born in Rome.
FACT: St. Patrick was a Celtic PAGAN born near Scotland. His real name was Maewyn Succat.
***
MYTH: Patrick was kidnapped by Vikings who were trying to kill the catholics and who were attacking peaceful monasteries to steal their gold and riches.
FACT #1: The Vikings attacked the catholic monasteries because they were set up for the sole purpose of converting, by force if necessary, the Pagans and stealing their riches and their land, with the help of Roman forces, for Rome. The Vikings were simple people and didn't care about gold and riches. They weren't easily dominated and fought back against any force that tried to destroy their livelihood.
FACT #2: He was kidnapped by marauders who were engaged in slave trade. At this time, Rome had set about chaos in the many lands in Europe by forcing so many Pagan clans into hiding. These clans became unruly because they were being starved -- it was punishable by death to hunt on Rome's newly stolen lands. The chaos and turmoil the people were forced to suffer through created men who went to undignified lengths to feed their families and to survive. Slave trade grew from this desperation to protect their own meager territories from other clans growing and spreading out through land not capable of holding so many outcasts.
***
MYTH: Patrick was sent to Ireland to peacefully spread the word of Jesus and set up churches for Rome for new converts. He requested this assignment because he loved and forgave his kidnappers and wanted to introduce them to a peaceful life dedicated to Jesus Christ.
FACT: Patrick was sent to Ireland as a last resort because his predecessor was pre-occupied in England. More than likely, he wanted to seek revenge against those who kidnapped him. Today, this would be the verdict if he was justifiably arrested and went to trial. He knew because of his learning and prior servitude to Roman priests how things worked and what was intended for the Pagans of Ireland. More than likely, he begged for this assignment so he could watch the destruction of the people who had been backed into the corner by his new religion and survived the best they could. Of course, we know now that Rome, the Church of Rome, the Vatican today, tightly affixes blinders onto their brainwashed minions so they can't see the true criminals and reason for events happening as they do.
***
MYTH: Patrick introduced the significance of the shamrock to the Irish people, which was the Holy Trinity, and it was the Holy Shamrock and his Papal Staff that he used to magically drive out the evil snakes.
FACT #1: That Papal Staff was traditionally Druish. It was never used in Rome prior to the christian invasion of Ireland.
FACT #2: The shamrock has been a symbol for pagans throughout the world long before christianity. The particular shamrock of Ireland was revered by the Druids to ward off evil spirits, to aide one in premonitions, enlighten one's spirit and brain, and bring knowledge of our world and of spiritual realms. The heart-shaped leaves have been used by the Celts to represent the Triple Goddess, the Three Morgans, the Triple Mothers. Three is a very powerful, mystical number. Patrick implemented the tradition of Rome bastardizing Pagan beliefs and twisting it to their own use.
***
MYTH: Patrick freed Ireland from the devil and from the demon-possessed snakes.
FACT #1: There is no scientific evidence of snakes existing on the island of Ireland after the last Ice Age.
FACT #2: Pagans and every religious order in the world revered snakes as positive bringers of knowledge, peace, and harmony. The symbol for the Druids was the snake due to their wisdom and harmonious commune with nature.
The snake was first demonized by Rome when it adopted Christianity in a popular effort to manipulate other religions. It fed the fear of the day with stories (lies) of demonic possessions of snakes until it succeeded in making the snake a symbol for Lucifer, thereby re-writing the ancient stories of the Tree of Life to include a deceptive snake intent on bringing about the downfall of humans.
FACT #3: "Driving out the snakes from Ireland", then, means forcing out the Pagans and Protestants, who were in Ireland and a threat to the Church of England (pre-Protestant Reformation) and the Church of Rome. This was accomplished by the wide-spread practice of manipulation and brainwashing. Those who were not so easily converted were forced out or murdered by the armies of Rome and England. (hence, St. Patrick is considered a terrorist by everyone but Catholics)
Pagans and Protestants had lived peacefully until the arrival of St. Patrick, Roman Catholicism and King Henry's Church of England. After King Henry's marital debacles resulted in his hatred of Rome and Catholicism, he decided to wage war on the Catholic churches in Ireland. This war is continues today between the Protestants and the Catholics, with the rebirth of Druidism growing and being swept up in the middle.
All was pleasant and peace when the Celtic Druids reigned. Introduce Rome and every pure, beautiful celebration is hijacked and bastardized, with the traditions being called "satanic" and mocked -- even within the walls of learning, teaching our children to continue the fraud in an effort to make Rome appear relevant.
Without a doubt, if Patrick did today what he did back then, he would be hunted down by SEAL Team 6 and taken out as the terrorist leader he was.
Monday, March 5, 2012
We're breeding brats!
I was picking up the child from school and pulled behind one of the buses leaving. Almost immediately, a 5th grade boy in the last seat started flipping me off. Not just a quick raise of the finger, but he held his hand up high and held it there as the bus drove down the road, stopped at the stop light, turned and proceeded to drive some more. He didn't put it down until one of his laughing friends pointed out that I had my phone pointing toward them. Must've caught on that I was taking a picture.
I followed the bus as it pulled into an apartment complex, then as it slowed down, I came around the side to talk to the driver. She was, apparently, stopping to let a child off. I had thought she was merely slowing down to go over a speed bump right in front of where she stopped. She started yelling at me that I can't go around her when she had her signs out. I told her she didn't put out her signs until I got on the side of her. Then, I told her about the boy in the back and what he was doing.
I described exactly what he looked like and where he was sitting. She yelled, "Hey, whoever is making obscene gestures better quit it!" then she carried on about her business of closing her doors to leave. I said, "Excuse me, I just told you exactly which child it was.. not 'whoever it is.'" She looked at me like "what do you want ME to do about it?!" So, I pulled off before she put the bus in gear and when I got to my house, I called the office.
When I was explaining what happened to the principal, she became really pissed and said she was tired of the trouble with that bus, that she is getting reports about the kids at the back of the bus all the time. She knew exactly who I was talking about, too.
I told her about the conversation with the bus driver, but that the bus driver didn't seem interested in singling out exactly who it was even though I told her exactly where he was sitting. The principal said, "Oh, WE will single him out. You can bet on that! I'm tired of this!" She started talking about how it makes the school look when these kids disrespect people on that bus. I told her that yes, it was completely wrong to disrespect an adult like that, but I told her they didn't know who I was, that I could be some really sick demented person. She agreed. I asked her what she thinks would have happened if it had been a group of teenage boys. She said she didn't even have to guess, they would wait for him and teach him a lesson their way.
After I got off the phone with her, I came inside and told my husband what happened. He said, "Oh, hell no! If that had been me, I would have followed that little fucker home and scared the living shit out of him." He said more than that, but I won't repeat it.. our twisted sense of humor doesn't appeal to many LOL. He really was more pissed than I was, though. So then, I called my friend and told her. She said pretty much the same thing and that she would have stormed onto that bus, gone to the back, and asked if he wanted her to cut off his finger, among other things. After listening to her and hubby, I was like, "Yeah, so pretty much exactly the kind of danger I told the principal about."
Kids today just have absolutely no respect. Even the principal came right out and asked if he was blatant about it in a tone that I knew she already knew he was, just expected it. Parents really don't give a shit about raising their kids with dignity and respect for others. Why are we wondering how our country got the way it is?
Yeah, it pissed me off for that reason bigtime, but honestly, I couldn't help but think about the danger this kid was putting himself in behaving like that. He doesn't know me. He doesn't know my daughter. He just decided to be a little asshole to anyone behind the bus.
Kids just aren't being raised anymore. They're being left to their own devices, and worse yet, parents are letting them get away with it when they are told what's going on because they're just too busy to be bothered by the child they chose to bring into this world. And this doesn't even begin to go into the subject of the targets they are raising for predators.
I have said it a MILLION times and I'll say it a TRILLION more until it's done: People need a license to breed!
***UPDATE***
So, I heard back from the principal about the little boy who should have his middle finger shoved up his ass. Even though I was told by the assistant principal last night that they always have trouble with those three and that bus, the principal told me this little boy never does anything wrong and this behavior is very unlike him. His excuse was that it started off as the peace sign but his friends talked him into changing it to the middle finger. (No, it was never the peace sign.) She said he, also, wrote a letter of apology to me, which was his only punishment. This is his letter.... supposedly written by him .... a 5th grade boy who likes to flip off strangers in cars behind the bus...:"Dear Parent,
I'm sorry for my actions. They were completely inapropriate and unnecessary. I feel really bad and really sorry. The pressure of all the students made me slip up and I realize I was wrong of doing this action. I apologize with all my heart and I will never do it ever again. If I could go back and change what I did, I would."
All those who think this was something he copied or was dictated to him, please raise your hand.
It's funny on the surface but really, all this is doing is letting another Billy Badass in the making off without real consequences. Do I really have to say it again that we adults are why our kids are the way they are today?
"Dear Parent,I'm sorry for my actions. They were completely inapropriate and unnecessary. I feel really bad and really sorry. The pressure of all the students made me slip up and I realize I was wrong of doing this action. I apologize with all my heart and I will never do it ever again. If I could go back and change what I did, I would."
All those who think this was something he copied or was dictated to him, please raise your hand.
It's funny on the surface but really, all this is doing is letting another Billy Badass in the making off without real consequences. Do I really have to say it again that we adults are why our kids are the way they are today?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Books-A-Million SUCKS!
If you shop there and are ready to check out, prepare to come face-to-face with the bible thumpers we all slam the door on! I want to say right now that this post is NOT Christian bashing. It's Books-A-Million bashing!
I haven't been to BAM! in a few years, and back then, it was still "Books-A-Million". Apparently, BAM! is now a Christian book store... though you won't see it advertised that way. Nice to hear for some of you, I'm sure, and I don't care if it is, but I DO care when it is used to bash ME!
I took my daughter to buy a journal a few weeks ago, and chose BAM! instead of Barnes and Noble because it was closer. When we were checking out, there were some Christian trinkets and themed stationary surrounding the counter. She was asking me what some of it meant, and the guy behind the counter interrupted and started on about Jesus Christ and celebrating him.
My daughter has had so much negative experience from Christians that she is now bitter toward them at the ripe old age of 10, so she walked away and waited for me to finish the transaction. (I don't just mean that she doesn't like Christians. She is downright terrified of them and gets very emotional when she thinks someone is preaching to her.)
I didn't acknowledge his preachiness, just signed the receipt, grabbed the book and left.
There was a bookmark and pen that my daughter had wanted but I didn't have the money at the time. I thought I'd go back and get them, and wouldn't you know, Preachy Boy has a girlfriend! Really glad the child wasn't with me this time, although, I probably would have let loose, anyway. Just to make her feel safe.
This is the conversation with the clerk (I was very polite, quietly so, even. She, on the other hand, had that holier-than-thou tone we all know and hate.):
"Would you be interested in a Jesus pen today?"
"No, thank you."
"Well, we have some nice writing tablets, bookmarks, these nifty little reading lights..." (all with crosses on them and some with bible verses)
"No, thank you."
"Can I ask why not?" (since this was an odd thing to say, I looked down to see if my pentacle necklace was showing - sometimes, it falls under my collar. It was so I'm going to go out on a limb and guess she saw the necklace and instantly set upon a mission to "save my unholy soul.")
"I'm Pagan." (politely and with a smile)
"I see. Have you considered what the light of our lord savior Jesus Christ has to offer?"
I stood there for a moment, biting down the need to tell her to ram a bible up her ass, looked around (like last time, place was dead - no wonder why), took a deep breath, then answered calmly and politely.
"I'm really not interested. Can you please hand me my bag? I need to go."
"Sure but I was just trying to help you reach Jesus." (very snide, condescending tone as she handed me the bag)
"Well, sweety, that isn't your job. Your job is to make a sale, then tell me to have a nice day and shut your mouth until the next customer comes up. People don't come into a book store to be preached to, unless it is advertised as a religious book store. I realize Books-A-Million has begun carrying a lot of Christian items, but it still isn't categorized as a Christian book store. So I would appreciate not being assaulted with Jesus pimpage just to by a pen and a bookmark."
Most times if I've let myself express my true feelings and there isn't anything really left to say, I leave the situation. I was curious, though, to hear her response, so I folded my arms with my bag in my hand and waited.
"If you know BAM! sells Christian stuff, why do you come in here? I mean, since it obviously offends you so much." (VERY snotty tone and attitude)
You know when you watch a person as they speak and you see that very moment they realize they just fucked up? Yeah, the only thing she didn't do was turn red!
She quickly added in a much nicer, more pleasant (and fake) tone .... "I'm not trying to be rude and I understand this isn't a Christian bookstore, per ce. I was just wondering why you came in if you say we have so much Christian stuff."
"The Christian items don't bother me at all. It's your attitude and the attitude of the guy last time my daughter and I were here.
Look, I remember when Books-A-Million first opened up in my town. This was before they tried to become trendy and call themselves 'BAM!'. Back then, I was a Catholic and one of their largest stores opened up right across from my neighborhood. I was in there all the time because I loved books. Never was there any significant Christian merchandise. There were items mixed within genres, but not shelves of it and large displays like now. A few blocks away was a Christian bookstore where my dad and I would get things for baptisms, weddings, and stuff like that for family members. So I know very well what a Christian bookstore looks like. I don't know why but the owners of Books-A-Million seem to have decided that the best way to bounce back from being nearly obsolete is to turn themselves into a Christian bookstore. I know it's not one but it IS like having one inside of a larger bookstore.
And you know what? I don't care. They own it, they can do with it what they wish. As long as there are still regular things here that appeal to me, I don't mind shopping here.... until I get to the counter and come face-to-face with people like you."
I stopped and looked at her, waiting for it to sink in, and after a few seconds, she replied, "I was just trying to talk with you about my faith. I didn't mean anything by it.. REALLY!" (back with the attitude)
"Okay, well, when do you go on break?"
"Huh?"
"When do you go on break? We can go over there to Joe Muggs (Books-A-Million's indoor café) and I can tell you all about Paganism."
From the look on her face, you would swear I had just reached over the counter and stabbed a knife in her throat! I waited for her to say something, but she just kept staring at me and her eyes seemed to keep getting bigger. I don't know if she just didn't know what to say or if she was horrified at the notion of speaking about "devil worship" (LOL).
When it was clear she wasn't going to respond, I took a deep breath, adjusted my bag, and walked out.
I kept thinking about this until I got curious enough to look up "BAM!" online last night in correlation with religious discrimination. Actually, my exact search was, "Is Books-A-Million a Christian bookstore?" Up pops some articles about their growing practice of pushing out the Pagan and non-Christian areas while the Christian sections continue to grow. I, even, found a petition by a group of Wiccans against a BAM! in Florida after a small Christian fundamentalist group managed to have their monthly fair tossed out of the store after being a fixture for 5 years. This was in addition to the new age/spiritual sections vanishing and being replaced by bibles and other Christian-themed material. I have the link to the petition below in comments. It's a very interesting read!
Anyway, I just wanted to get that off of my chest. I'm not as pissed off as you'd think I would and SHOULD be. I've gotten used to it. When I first accepted addressing myself as Pagan, and openly doing so, 5 years ago, I WAS pissed. Ooohhhh bigtime! That conversation would have gone so much differently back then, and would have ended in her shedding tears. I guess I've just gotten used to it.
I suppose we should never just "get used" to being treated badly. Maybe it's not getting used to it as much as tolerating it now. Shouldn't tolerate it, either... Shit. I don't know what I'm trying to say.
I just don't feel like putting my foot up bigots' asses as much as I used to. Maybe because I know their ignorance hurts them the most. It's the violent zealots we have to worry about, so blow-hards and holier-than-thou bitches aren't that important. Still, inside my mind, I was smacking that bitch 5 ways from Sunday!!! LOL
I haven't been to BAM! in a few years, and back then, it was still "Books-A-Million". Apparently, BAM! is now a Christian book store... though you won't see it advertised that way. Nice to hear for some of you, I'm sure, and I don't care if it is, but I DO care when it is used to bash ME!
I took my daughter to buy a journal a few weeks ago, and chose BAM! instead of Barnes and Noble because it was closer. When we were checking out, there were some Christian trinkets and themed stationary surrounding the counter. She was asking me what some of it meant, and the guy behind the counter interrupted and started on about Jesus Christ and celebrating him.
My daughter has had so much negative experience from Christians that she is now bitter toward them at the ripe old age of 10, so she walked away and waited for me to finish the transaction. (I don't just mean that she doesn't like Christians. She is downright terrified of them and gets very emotional when she thinks someone is preaching to her.)
I didn't acknowledge his preachiness, just signed the receipt, grabbed the book and left.
There was a bookmark and pen that my daughter had wanted but I didn't have the money at the time. I thought I'd go back and get them, and wouldn't you know, Preachy Boy has a girlfriend! Really glad the child wasn't with me this time, although, I probably would have let loose, anyway. Just to make her feel safe.
This is the conversation with the clerk (I was very polite, quietly so, even. She, on the other hand, had that holier-than-thou tone we all know and hate.):
"Would you be interested in a Jesus pen today?"
"No, thank you."
"Well, we have some nice writing tablets, bookmarks, these nifty little reading lights..." (all with crosses on them and some with bible verses)
"No, thank you."
"Can I ask why not?" (since this was an odd thing to say, I looked down to see if my pentacle necklace was showing - sometimes, it falls under my collar. It was so I'm going to go out on a limb and guess she saw the necklace and instantly set upon a mission to "save my unholy soul.")
"I'm Pagan." (politely and with a smile)
"I see. Have you considered what the light of our lord savior Jesus Christ has to offer?"
I stood there for a moment, biting down the need to tell her to ram a bible up her ass, looked around (like last time, place was dead - no wonder why), took a deep breath, then answered calmly and politely.
"I'm really not interested. Can you please hand me my bag? I need to go."
"Sure but I was just trying to help you reach Jesus." (very snide, condescending tone as she handed me the bag)
"Well, sweety, that isn't your job. Your job is to make a sale, then tell me to have a nice day and shut your mouth until the next customer comes up. People don't come into a book store to be preached to, unless it is advertised as a religious book store. I realize Books-A-Million has begun carrying a lot of Christian items, but it still isn't categorized as a Christian book store. So I would appreciate not being assaulted with Jesus pimpage just to by a pen and a bookmark."
Most times if I've let myself express my true feelings and there isn't anything really left to say, I leave the situation. I was curious, though, to hear her response, so I folded my arms with my bag in my hand and waited.
"If you know BAM! sells Christian stuff, why do you come in here? I mean, since it obviously offends you so much." (VERY snotty tone and attitude)
You know when you watch a person as they speak and you see that very moment they realize they just fucked up? Yeah, the only thing she didn't do was turn red!
She quickly added in a much nicer, more pleasant (and fake) tone .... "I'm not trying to be rude and I understand this isn't a Christian bookstore, per ce. I was just wondering why you came in if you say we have so much Christian stuff."
"The Christian items don't bother me at all. It's your attitude and the attitude of the guy last time my daughter and I were here.
Look, I remember when Books-A-Million first opened up in my town. This was before they tried to become trendy and call themselves 'BAM!'. Back then, I was a Catholic and one of their largest stores opened up right across from my neighborhood. I was in there all the time because I loved books. Never was there any significant Christian merchandise. There were items mixed within genres, but not shelves of it and large displays like now. A few blocks away was a Christian bookstore where my dad and I would get things for baptisms, weddings, and stuff like that for family members. So I know very well what a Christian bookstore looks like. I don't know why but the owners of Books-A-Million seem to have decided that the best way to bounce back from being nearly obsolete is to turn themselves into a Christian bookstore. I know it's not one but it IS like having one inside of a larger bookstore.
And you know what? I don't care. They own it, they can do with it what they wish. As long as there are still regular things here that appeal to me, I don't mind shopping here.... until I get to the counter and come face-to-face with people like you."
I stopped and looked at her, waiting for it to sink in, and after a few seconds, she replied, "I was just trying to talk with you about my faith. I didn't mean anything by it.. REALLY!" (back with the attitude)
"Okay, well, when do you go on break?"
"Huh?"
"When do you go on break? We can go over there to Joe Muggs (Books-A-Million's indoor café) and I can tell you all about Paganism."
From the look on her face, you would swear I had just reached over the counter and stabbed a knife in her throat! I waited for her to say something, but she just kept staring at me and her eyes seemed to keep getting bigger. I don't know if she just didn't know what to say or if she was horrified at the notion of speaking about "devil worship" (LOL).
When it was clear she wasn't going to respond, I took a deep breath, adjusted my bag, and walked out.
I kept thinking about this until I got curious enough to look up "BAM!" online last night in correlation with religious discrimination. Actually, my exact search was, "Is Books-A-Million a Christian bookstore?" Up pops some articles about their growing practice of pushing out the Pagan and non-Christian areas while the Christian sections continue to grow. I, even, found a petition by a group of Wiccans against a BAM! in Florida after a small Christian fundamentalist group managed to have their monthly fair tossed out of the store after being a fixture for 5 years. This was in addition to the new age/spiritual sections vanishing and being replaced by bibles and other Christian-themed material. I have the link to the petition below in comments. It's a very interesting read!
Anyway, I just wanted to get that off of my chest. I'm not as pissed off as you'd think I would and SHOULD be. I've gotten used to it. When I first accepted addressing myself as Pagan, and openly doing so, 5 years ago, I WAS pissed. Ooohhhh bigtime! That conversation would have gone so much differently back then, and would have ended in her shedding tears. I guess I've just gotten used to it.
I suppose we should never just "get used" to being treated badly. Maybe it's not getting used to it as much as tolerating it now. Shouldn't tolerate it, either... Shit. I don't know what I'm trying to say.
I just don't feel like putting my foot up bigots' asses as much as I used to. Maybe because I know their ignorance hurts them the most. It's the violent zealots we have to worry about, so blow-hards and holier-than-thou bitches aren't that important. Still, inside my mind, I was smacking that bitch 5 ways from Sunday!!! LOL
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