So yeah, I just woke up from my post-work nap and I read one of the editorials in the paper ... which said that liberals were to BLAME for no smoking in the hospital or parking lot. Uhm ... Okay, there's been no smoking in hospitals for a long time, and there's a damn good reason NOT to smoke around sick people, you know? I think that perhaps the parkinglot thing might be taking it a little too far, but I don't think that liberals are to BLAME for it. The editorial reads as follows: Blame the liberals for taking away smoking rights Readers Write 07/17/03 An editorial in this newspaper said it took courage to ban smoking from the hospital and parking lot. It wasn't courage; it was a desire for power and control over people. Not to worry though, you can smoke in your own home. These liberals will take another step and try to stop you from smoking in your home or car, especially if you have young children. They will take their time about it, and when they think it's time, they will try to take this step. It's like the frog in the pot. He starts out with cold water, turn up a notch to lukewarm and the frog says, "Oh, that's not too bad." The liberals turn the heat up another notch and before the frog realizes it, he's cooked! Courage is when a liberal leader stands up and says that abortion (the woman's right to choose to kill her unborn baby) is wrong; to say that law-abiding citizens have a right to keep a gun to protect themselves from criminals; to vote to go to war with Iraq to stop Saddam Hussein from killing thousands of his own people and to try to protect our own country. Charity McManaway Owensboro ... how stupid ... can people be? Courage - in this liberal sense - is when someone stands up for what they believe in. Courage is when someone is scared to do something, but they do it anyway - courage isn't in having no fear, it's in what you do when you are afraid. Though I have to admit that sometimes, people straddle the line between courage and stupidity. Like there was this other editorial a few days back that said that the newspaper should cover Christian bands, and not Metatron (which is a really hardcore local group). You know ... you can't tell the newspaper what to and what not to publish. That's called "propaganda," my friends. Writing to a newspaper to tell them not to write about some group, or not to show a photo of a dead zebra - that's like saying "hey! Why don't you stop writing about the war, too!" What makes that any different? The woman went on to write this piece said that the band promoted Satanism. Uhm ... no they don't. She was talking about how the teens and "young adults" in this "Christian city" didn't need to be exposed to any of this ... Uhm ... Yes, they do. Might as well be exposed to it - how else are they going to learn? Owensboro is only one TINY city in comparison to the world. I mean, this world is much, much, much bigger than they think it is. When you're in traffic, do you ever realize that there are actually people in those cars? Always coming from and going to somewhere? Ever notice how cars just keep coming? There are lots of people out there - people who live lives, think thoughts - even after you see them. It's not a TV show; they're not extras in your life's sitcom. They have their very own shows, their very own lives that they keep living after you see them - in which they see other people, and they think thoughts 24/7 ... The world is full of people - and, believe me, they're not all Christian. If the newspaper cut out everything that would be seen as "offensive" or "unacceptable" to one group, then these teens and young adults are going to lead sheltered lives and then out into the world to be met by everything that was left out of their lives ... but they'll be adults by then. Which means no more parent of guardian there to hold their hands and give them answers. This lady needs to understand that the right that allows her to write into the newspaper to give her opinion, is the same right that allows the newspaper to publish those things. People are stupid ... they're just ... so stupid. People suck. They suck balls. I hate people. Blessed be.