I am shocked I haven’t written about how much I despise Metrocast.

I have dealt with a variety of internet service providers over the years, and I can say with 100% certainty that Metrocast is the WORST ISP I have ever used. The “High Speed” technical service is mediocre at best. When I was in high school I was qualified to get my CCNA and I had an internship helping other prepare for the CCNA exam. Their customer service regularly talks down to me like I’m an idiot when I am probably 10x more qualified to do network technical support than they are. They even do this after I clarify how much I know.

Metrocast’s customer service is even more subpar. Here in Starkville, if you want any of your programming or your internet preferences changed, you have to go down to their local office. You can’t call and make changes over the phone and you sure and the heck can’t use the interwebz. Another thing, they also like to randomly jack your rates around without telling you. Last summer I got a bill for $300 because they switched VoIP providers and started to charge me for it. Shockingly, I was already paying for VoIP services, but they didn’t apply the new rates to my bills for a year. What’s even worse, I was never notified of the new rates.

The thing that sparked this rant is their internet connectivity. By far, the quality of their internet is so subpar there should be a class action lawsuit for false advertising. I am paying for their “high speed gamers” package. The perks of the package are 7mb down and 1mb up. I get 7mb down less than 50% of the time. The remaining time, my download speeds are around 1.0 - 1.5mb down, but I always get 1mb up.

A few weeks ago I had this exact same issue and I was tired of dealing with slow internet speeds. I called their technical support. I spent an hour on their phone for the technical support guy to tell me that Metrocast can’t guarantee 7mb service. Why? Because their backbone is connected to another provider who’s backbone can’t support their bandwidth. So, Metrocast, how and the hell can you advertise your internet speeds and not be able to standup to what you advertise? In my opinion this is a clear cut case of false advertisement.

I would move to DSL if DSL was available. I would figure that with all of the new development in my neighborhood that AT&T would get on the ball, but they haven’t. When DSL is available, I am jumping ship and changing services and I will go door-to-door in my neighborhood to convince everyone one of my neighbors to also make the switch to DSL.

Metrocast, stop sucking!

I found this article from someone else’s blog: http://www.auburnbrewclub.org/2008/03/10/la-times-beer-battle-brewing-in-alabama/

I am responding to this article because I think it does a good job showing some of the same beer law issues that are also present in Mississippi.

I know that Alabama has changed from their alcohol content laws from 6% ABV to 13% ABV. That is a huge step in the right direction.

There are some comments I would like to reply specifically about.

“The Rev. Dan Ireland, a former preacher who leads an advocacy group billed as “Alabama’s Moral Compass,” has spent considerable time in the Capitol lobbying against the bill on practical as well as theological grounds. He says legislators seem responsive to his warnings that high-alcohol beer will endanger teenagers, making it easier for them to get drunk.”

Really!? I highly doubt teenagers will spend $10+ on a few high end beers to get drunk. Plus, where do they get their beer in the first place? Last time I checked you needed to be carded to buy beer, so how are these kids getting their hands on beer? If they have a source to buy the beer, they are going to purchase the cheapest they can get their hands on. Plus, most of these kids aren’t going to like the taste of these beers. These beers are usually stronger in taste and more complex. Teenagers don’t care about such things, they just want to get drunk. If they have a source for alcohol, why would the buy expensive beer when they can by cheaper liquors and get drunker more quickly? It’s also easier to hide liquor bottles from the parents. The last time I checked a 24 pack of “Natty Lite” wasn’t small. If they are stealing the beer from their parents, they don’t dare steal mom or dad’s high end beer because they WILL notice.

“We’re losing too many kids now on the road because of drinking and driving. Why aggravate that?” says state Rep. DuWayne Bridges.

How about Alabama teach parents to keep better tabs on their kids so they aren’t drunk driving in the first place. In the south hunting isn’t anything new to teenagers. I know hunting accidents also take the lives of teenagers. So, why don’t you make hunting illegal?

“I don’t even like being drunk,” Tipton says. “I just enjoy beer.”

This is the general consensus of people who buy high end beer. We don’t drink this stuff to get drunk. We drink it because we like the tastes and experiences that go along with these beers. If I want to get drunk, I am going for the tequila and the rum and cokes because it’s hell of a lot cheaper.

“Oberman’s basement, lit by a bare bulb dangling from the ceiling insulation, is loud and warm; not surprisingly, it smells like a brewery. Jim Trollinger, 46, a big man with a wild beard, takes in the scene with a grin. “This is all an exercise in civil disobedience,” he says proudly.”

I am proud of Jim Trollinger for standing up for our hobby. I would also like to try some of his home brews. I don’t see why it should be difficult to perform one of the practices all of the founding fathers had preformed when this country was fonded. I don’t like it when religion gets involve with politics, there is a reason for a separation of church and state. Any laws that are passed based on religion should be abolished.

Also, It would also be stupid and resource wastefulness to have local law enforcement beat down the doors of home brewers. There are plenty of drug dealers, meth labs, murders, and a plethora of other things where their time would be better spent. I know for a fact that right now, if I were a teenager, I could walk into the Starkville High School and buy as much weed wanted. Now if I went to the high school to buy a high end beer or a home brew, I would be out of luck.

Keep your sermons in your church and out of politics. If you don’t want people to drink these beers, then preach about it on your church and stop trying to cram your religious views down anyone else throats. Remember, not everyone practices the religion or has the same political views. So stop trying to restrict those that don’t have the same views.

It’s no longer prohibition, so change these damn laws!

I found this on cnn today: http://www.justnews.com/news/23077184/detail.html

First of all, the boy’s parents have failed at their duty to raise a proper human being. Who and the heck raises a child to let them think it’s ok to beat up on women? I feel bad for the girl and their families, no one deserves to be in this situation because of a silly text message. I also feel the girls parents should sue the crap of the boys family for raising such a piece of trash. I hope he finds that beating up this girl was worth it, because I don’t think it was necessary or even proper. I also hope the local court system tries him as an adult.

This blog is a response to an “article” in the Sunday Journal. I am going to quote it all here for you, but here is the original link.

“People reminded what being Christian means

Why do people who are not living in Itawamba County think they know what is best for our school?

Well, let me tell you I am proud of our board members and faculty more than ever for standing for what is right. Maybe you forgot about Creation. God created man and woman. Adam first, then Eve. Plain enough for you? Or do you still not understand? Well, nature itself would tell you that two male dogs cannot have puppies by themselves. You narrow-minded people are forgetting, we do not have to answer to the ACLU when we die but to God and Him only. So if you think you are a Christian, well, let me remind you the Bible says to be a Christian is to be Christ-like. Well, it looks like some are lacking the principles. If you want to live like this, do not try to shove this down our throats. For we are standing on solid ground. Christ gave us a road map to Heaven. It is the straight and narrow way.

Read Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:24 and Matthew 7:13-27 and then tell me we true Christians are wrong. God has richly blessed me and the least I can do is take a stand against the wrong in this world and live for Him. I have two grown married children and five grandchildren with a great-grandchild on the way. I want to be an example and not a stumbling block to any of them and to the rest of the world. In Christ I will stand. I am not judging. The Bible says you can tell a tree by the fruit it bears.

Mary Pearl Rogers
Fulton”

Since this is my blog, I can write whatever I want.

First, why do you think you know what is best for your schools? You clearly don’t know what is best for your schools because you haven’t even begun to think about people who might attend that school who are not christian. Plus, your children don’t even attend the school.

Second, god created man and women in his image. Since he made gay men, isn’t he a little bicurious himself?

Third, gay dogs can’t have puppies, but you can’t keep them from humping (Quoting someone else here). You are clearly ignorant of nature. If you would open a book or turn on national geographic once in a while, you would notice that homosexuality isn’t something that only humans do. Homosexuality has been found in several mammal species.

Fourth, you will have to answer to god for your sins, so why should we have to listen to you in the process? Mind your own business. The ACLU is there for a reason, so people like you can’t cram YOUR thoughts down anyone else’s throat.

Fifth, you say the bible says, “to be a christian is to be christ-like.” You might want to go back and read that part again along with the ten commandments.

Sixth, you say, “Christ gave us a road map to Heaven. It is the straight and narrow way.“ You need to invest in the new Jesus-TomTom, because you are clearly off course.

I can sit here all day and quote scripture on how wrong you are, but I am not going to sit here waste my breath. I will post one, and that is all I need to show your ignorance of your own religious beliefs.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” - Matthew 7:1 For you to make some of the statements you have made, you had to have judged Homosexuals. You can say, “I am not Judging”, but you HAVE judged.

I usually don’t have time to read books, but over spring break I made it an issue to read at least two books. The first book was Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The second book was The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I chose to read Catcher in the Rye because it was one of my favorite books in high school and it has been 10 years since I have read it. I chose to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower because it was my wife’s favorite book in high school and also because it had a similar theme as Catcher in the Rye.

Last night, my wife and I sat down in front of the T.V. and noticed we had a new episode of South Park saved on our DVR, so we decided to watch it. The first thing mentioned in the episode was Catcher in the Rye and the fact it has been banned from schools and is controversial. All of the students (including Cartmen, Kenny, Kyle and Stan) were required to read it. With the book being hyped up to the students, they couldn’t wait to get home and read the book. After all of the students had read the book, they were furious because they couldn’t believe it’s on the banned book list. I couldn’t agree more.

This South Park episode struck a cord with me, so I thought I should do some research on some of the banned books in the United States. There are a few books that are, in my opinion, that should be read by everyone at some point in their life. The first two are listed above, then some of the others include: The Grapes of Wrath, Huckleberry Finn, Lord of the Flies and etc. All of these books have been or still are banned in the U.S.

My issue is that all of the books I have listed are or have been banned in high schools in the past for a variety of reasons. Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower have both been banned because of their language and their sexual content. Parents that think these books should be banned bug the heck out of me. First, yes, there is dirty language and sex, but it’s not rampant in either book. Second, these books have valuable lessons and deeper meanings. These books could be helpful to a lot of today’s youth. Third, of all of the places that books should be banned, a school is not one of them. Schools are there for learning, even if we don’t agree with it. If you don’t like it, don’t hide it from your children, teach them from it instead. Plus, all of the themes in these books can easily be found on any television. Sex, violence, and language are no longer considered risque on T.V. Plus, if kids had a proper sex education, then the sex in these books should be nothing strange to them. And even if they didn’t see it on T.V., they are going to get it from their friends since there is a 50/50 chance that they know someone who is sexually active.

Here is my thought. I want my children to be exposed to this kind of material. These books are not smut, but they controversial and are something they should encounter so they are not uncomfortable or creeped out by similar situations in the future. I want my children to be exposed to difficult situations so they know how to handle them. This boils down to the fact I have issues with parents who shelter their children from the real world.

So, to those parents, who coddle their children, how do you expect them to deal with difficult situations in the real world? You can not! You have done nothing but raise a bunch of children that can not and will not be able to handle difficult and complex situations. Your children will someday be running this country, and they won’t be able to handle the stresses of the job. I see this country slowly going down the drain because today’s youth is so sheltered.

Instead of taking these books and hiding them in closets or burning them, lets use them to learn some valuable life lessons. These books can teach us that we all are not the same and we all have differences. It can teach us to look at things form the other side of the table. It can teach us not to be so judgmental and to be more tolerant of other people. I guess I should also be more tolerant of those sheltering parents, but creating weak minded children is dangerous for this country. Then again, this just my opinion.

I am glad my parents raised me the way they did and I am fortunate to have gone to a school where these books were not banned.

Tags: Banned books, Books, education, Reading, censorship, Racist, Sexist, Profanity, Religion, Catcher in the Rye, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Teen, Teenager, Angst

I am a firm believer that people should mine their own business when it comes to gay and lesbian couples. I have had gay and lesbian friends since I was in high school. Where I was raised, how I was raised, and my education taught me that they are just as normal as you or I, but they have a different sexual preference.

I know living in the south people have extremely closed minds. I blame it on the fact that most people in this state are ignorant, uneducated, too brain washed by the church, or all of the above (I say all of the above). Gay and lesbian people can not help the way they are. They are born that way. Anyone who actually has an open mind can find this information in these wonderful things called books. This new internet thingy-ma-jig also has a plethora of information on the topic. Having taken a few psychology classes, I can tell you that being gay or lesbian isn't something someone can chose to be or not to be. They are born with it! Their is no choice. They can not help it or do anything about it except hide it or lie about it.

This blog is primarily about the fact that the ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the Itawamba Country School District (ICSD) here in Mississippi. This lawsuit began because ICSD would not allow gay and lesbian couples to attend prom together as couples, or let student cross dress if they chose to. Their excuse was that gays, lesbians, and cross-dressers would be a distraction. The ACLU sent a letter to the school district telling them that they we violating the students rights and they couldn't enforce such rules. Instead of lightening up on the situation, they decided to cancel prom for the whole school. After they canceled prom, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the school district. The ACLU demanded that the school reinstate the prom and let the gay and lesbian couples go with their partners. 

First, I hope the ACLU sues the crap out of the school. Maybe this will be a wake up call to the south that you can not be prejudice and you can not get away with it! Welcome the 21st century. Second, I hope they fire every single person who supported the cancellation of prom. If you are that closed minded and you are educating todays youth, you shouldn't be any where near a student. You should be at home, bashing you self in the face with a shovel. Third, this boils down to religion. I have no problem with students who pray in school and such, but when someone is clearly making a decision based on their religious that effects everyone in a public school, that person shouldn't be allowed to be within 1,000 feet of a school. Their is a reason there is a separation of church and state.  I guess people in the south haven't heard of the first amendment.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

If you work in a school district, do your self a favor, keep your bible at home and at church. Do not let your personal views be reflected in the decisions you make; it will only cause you grief.

I feel bad for the teenagers who are in the center of this. It's very hard to be who you are in this closed minded state. The state of Mississippi is 30 years behind the times intellectually, and maybe even 50 years behind in very rural cities and counties like Itawamba. These girls are going to be chastised for the rest of their time in high school. I give them mad props for stick up for who they are!

The school didn't want the gay and lesbian couples to be a distraction.... I would say being headline news on CNN and Fox News aren't distractions at all. Canceling prom isn't a distraction either(I wish I could type in sarcasm). This is a great example of “think before you speak”. If the high school would have spent as much time on proper sex education as they did on not letting gay and lesbians into the prom, their would be less teen pregnancy and STDs floating around Itawamba country.

A student at the high school told one of the girls involved, "Thanks for ruining my senior year." First of all, high school isn't about the damn prom. It's about receiving an education (I am willing to bet she doesn't care). Second, are you really that selfish, self-centred, and bitchy? Sorry, but prom just isn't about you, it's about everyone involved. Instead of chastising the girls, learn from something from these events. With a comment like that, you clearly can't think before you speak.

Pastors in the region are complaining that people not from the south see this place as "backwards". Your right, they do see this place as backwards, because it is backasswards here. Mind your own damn business and keep religion out of the schools. Plain and simple. You can keep whoever you want out of your church, but you can't apply the same rules to public schools. If you don't like the idea of homosexuals going to prom or being in public schools, then you should open a private school where you can enforce silly rules. 

It's clear that people the south haven't read the book of Matthew.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” - Matthew 7:1

Trying to keep people from who they are is no different than judging them. If you have a biased opinion of them, then you had to of judged them to come to that biased opinion. Stop being hypocrites! If you are a true Christian, you will love them for who they are. I believe Jesus would love them for who they are. I couldn't see Jesus banning lepers from prom. 

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." -  John 4:7

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. - Matthew 7:12

Anyways, ICSD needs to have the prom and let the gay and lesbian couples go with who they want to go with. I hope the ACLU sues the school well enough that everyone involved is fired.

(This is an old blog, so links may no longer work or exist.)

Tags: Missisippi, South, Itawamba, High School, Freedom of Speech, First Amendment, Gay, Prejudice, Racist, Religion, Christianity, Lesbian, Rights