Are people really that dumb?

I have had three examples of dumbness lately. I always assumed people were relatively smart. I think I may be wrong. Let me share:

1. Not funny dude - I write my blog because I like it. It is an outlet for me. I can say things here that I cannot say on my website, email lists I belong to, or to people who may be clients or opposing counsel. Hence the short intro under the title: "This blog serves one purpose: for me to rant. That is it. If you have ideas or comments, please post them. If you have a topic you want me to rant on, please let me know. But, most of all, enjoy!" Notice the purpose is for me to rant? That is the idea.

Now, some of it, I think, is funny. Some of it is serious. Go read my post about religion. Not funny. My post on SB94 and AB764 - not funny. Those are serious issues that I want to get off my chest. Some of it is serious - go read my posts about Michael Jackson or Whale Wars. That is some funny stuff. But, either way, it is for me. I think it is funny.

You may say I'm an egomaniac, but I'm not the only one. Oh wait, that's dreamer. Sorry. But it's not about that. If I get 2 readers, 200 readers or turn into the next Chive, it doesn't matter to me. Its a release. If you don't like it, don't read it. If you don't think its funny, you can either choose not to read it or you can click the little button that has the "x" on it and close the browser. It is not that hard. But sending me a comment that you do not find it funny pretty much shows that you need hobbies. A lot. Now. Sheesh.

2. I hate attorneys dude - This is my favorite. People who post comments on the internet about how much they hate attorneys. This is usually done in the context of "I hate trial lawyers" or "Trial lawyers always file these ridiculous lawsuits." Of course, this dude never admits that he hires trial lawyers to sue his clients or other people. This dude will never admit that he has hired an attorney a day in his life or that he regularly uses attorneys. He probably pays more to attorneys in a month than most people pay to an attorney in 10 years.

These people seem to think that "trial lawyer" is a derogatory term. I mean it is like "shock jock." Is a shock jock negative? I guess to those people who think that shock jocks are all Howard Stern - tall, skinny ugly dudes who couldn't make a living. But most "shock jocks" are just DJ's who put on a persona to sell ads on the radio to people who listen.

Trial lawyers are not bad people. We try lawsuits. That means sometimes we represent the plaintiff. But, the person representing the defendant is also a trial lawyer. The DA is a trial lawyer. The public defender is a trial lawyer. We may try different kinds of cases, but we are all trial lawyers. So next time you want to insult someone's profession, at least do it intelligently.

3. Hater, Dude - (Okay, that is a bad play on skater dude!) I am not even going to go the easy way. The racist dude is a hater. The anti-Semite is Bernie Eccelstone. Oh wait, I mean the anti-semite is a hater too. Then there is the anti Peter Brown. No wait, Peter Brown hates Jane Taylor. Thankfully for Jane and the rest of the Steve Irwin crew, he didn't get them all killed!

I want to focus on a specific hater - the disabled hater. We don't really have a good word for this person. The disabilitist. The anti-disabled. The scumbag. Oh yeah, that is what we call them.

There is the dude who hates on the person in the wheelchair. I actually read a comment from someone about a woman in a wheelchair and the dude said "She deserves whatever happened to her." Really? She deserves it? If you really believe that, may God have mercy on your soul, you sick bastard. Maybe she was born that way. Maybe some drunk driver crashed into her car. Maybe it is a genetic condition. Maybe it is some horrible illness that no one would want. Maybe it was a freak accident. Are there some people in wheelchairs who are jerks? Yep. But there are also people who are able bodied who are jerks too. And saying that someone deserves to be in a wheelchair is just mean. Don't justify it now you Jacka**. You are just a mean spirited person who should be taken out back and run over by a wheelchair several times. Hell, maybe we should strap you in one and see how much you like life and how easy life is for you. Trust me, it isn't easy. I wonder if your brain functions or if you are just that dumb.

There is the 2nd type of anti disabled person. This person actually writes that people should not have kids if they cannot afford to educate the kids. Um, anyone hear of the right to a free, appropriate public education. Besides, how the heck are you supposed to know if you can afford to educate your kid? Do you think people have kids saying "I hope this kid comes out with a learning disability so that I can spend money educating the kid." Maybe they say "I hope my kid comes out deaf, dumb and blind so he can be a Pinball Wizard, but how the heck am I supposed to pay for school?" Everyone is entitled to a free, appropriate public education. When schools don't provide it, they get sued. (See trial lawyers.) But don't say that the parents should be forced to pay out of pocket for the education of their special needs child. How about you pick up the cost for educating your child in full? Clearly it is the uneducated who thinks parents make decisions about having kids based on the cost of educating a special needs child. Does anyone actually think they are going to have a child with extra educational needs before they have the child? If you think yes, let me try a little electroshock therapy on you. Please?

Look, folks, it is not that hard. If you don't like something, don't read it. If you don't like someone, don't talk about him/her. If you don't like a group of people, shut your mouth and don't talk about them. And don't lump people into groups. Treat people individually. Is it that hard, really?

Wacky Whale Wars

Ever watch the show Whale Wars? Its on Animal Planet. That means that a good airing has like 200 viewers. I am pretty sure that they consider it a success if they have more viewers than watch the test pattern. Although, the test pattern is more interesting that some of their shows. Seriously. Groomer has it? I think would watch the test pattern - in black and white!

But this Whale Wars is interesting. Are they terrorists or activists? The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is filmed as they try to either save whales or attack Japanese fishermen. It is a wacky crew:

Captain Paul Watson - dude was kicked out of Greenpeace in the 70s after helping found it. He says he is Canadian but doesn't drop an "eh" ever. But this guy was too radical for Greenpeace. That is why PETA kicking you out because you threw too much paint on a fur coat. He seems to be pretty good at navigating a boat, but sucks at management.

1st Mate Peter Brown - I to the N to the C to the O to the M to the P to the E to the T to the E to the N to the T. Yes, I called him incompetent. He doesn't know how to get the boat to change directions. He doesn't know port from starboard. I get sea sick and I think I know more about boats then this dude. He seems to have dropped too much acid in the 60s. He dropped too much something - maybe he was dropped on his head too much. Listen to him talk. It is seriously like listening to a 2 year old try to form a sentene.

2nd Mate Peter Hamerstadt - dude claims his nickname is "The Hammer." The hammer? Okay, if you want a nickname like that, you need to be able to grow a goatee. A full one. None of this mustache and some hair on your chinny, chin, chin. And my left leg weighs more than his entire scrawny body. Dude really should be called "The Nail." I'm sorry but he is about as intimidating as a wet noodle and a guy who calls himself "The Hammer" should be a lot more intimidating.

The Quartermasters - they have like a dozen. I didn't even know what a quartermaster was until I wikipedia'd it. The quartermaster is "in charge of the watch-to-watch navigation and the maintenance, correction, and preparation of nautical charts and navigation publications." Why do you need 12 of these people? How about like 4? Or maybe on the Steve Irwin, that is the name of their ship, they named it after a guy who died too young, is that a bad sign, the quartermaster is just the name of anyone who has no other title. I don't know but these folks have so many quartermasters it is like have a 4dollarmaster!

Okay, so that is the basic of the ship. Then they have their "missions." These folks boarded a Japanese whaling ship last year. This year they want to do it again - with an all woman crew. And the Captain, 1st mate and 2nd mate whine. A lot. Peter Brown complains more often than most people brush their teeth. And they whine and don't do anything about it.

Look, if you don't like the way something is being done, do it your dang self. Yes, Peter Brown, get off your bony rear and you go board the boat. Or you get in the little dingy that they have and try to sail it in the freaking southern ocean. It ain't that easy but it is easy for you to sit there and whine and complain like a kid whose lunch money was just taken.

And don't get me started on Watson. That dude hasn't done anything other than steer the boat in probably 20 years. And that doesn't look so hard. I think I could handle that - and do it with more personality.

If these folks can get a show, what is tv coming to? Maybe we need fewer stations so I don't have to listen to Peter Brown whine, watch some dufus make up a nickname so he sounds cooler than he is, and have fat boy, er, Paul Watson generally make a pain of himself and think that his job means the difference between life and death for the entire planet!