Take That!

Local government here in MN is proposing a bill that would require that written driver's license tests be administered only in English. As it stands now, it can be taken in English, Spanish, Hmong, Russian, Vietnamese, and Somali. Plus, those who don't speak English can bring an interpreter as long as he or she is a licensed driver. Senator Reiter, who is white, stated that "There are some places where folks may drive through a stop sign and I have to believe that they just don't read English." She is also the same senator who is trying to establish English as the primary language of Minnesota. In response to that, Senator Moua, who is Hmong, matter of factly stated, "There are plenty of people who whiz through stop signs- many of them look more like you than like me." Hah!


There are many incidents like these happening nationwide and perhaps it's because we're living here in the Midwest, but I feel that it's more prevalent that people of color have to voice, fight, and establish their rights in this predominantly white state. Instead of taking steps forward, people are taking two steps back putting blame on immigrants and people of color. Sometimes the anger and frustration is too much and it just builds. I'm reminded of all of the Asian American studies classes that I took back at SFState and the bitterness of what generations before me had to endure for their desire to seek a better life wells up inside. I've come to notice that white people, albeit not all of them, still have that superior attitude over people like me. It's as if they expect us to bow down to them and thank them for the supposed generosity that "their people" have graciously bestowed onto us or some shit like that. It's so tempting to want to give these fools a piece of my mind and bring them down from that high pedestal that they believe they so deserve to be on. It's ridiculously more tempting to want to slap these people silly and shake some sense into them. But why stoop to their level? People like that, those who are ignoramous and misguided, those who cannot muster the effort to open up their minds, those who cast their eyes upon those they feel are inferior, and those who are judgemental do not deserve a minute, no, a second of my time. People like that, no matter what nationality or race or creed, are so steadfast in their ways that I almost feel sorry for them. It's all bullshit to me and I pity the ignorant fools. (why did I sound like Mr. T just now?)


Okay...moving on!


Other Midwest News


In my last post, I wrote about the different crimes that, unsurprisingly, plague this part of the country. Among the things that I forgot to include was animal cruelty. Lately, the feline community has been making the headlines. Just across the border in Wisconsin, a hunter is proposing a bill to include cats on the shooting free for all block. He claims that if wild cats wander on his territory that he should have the right to "expel" them . Apparently, these wild cats are endangering the bird community. Sure, I understand the reasoning of trying to protect certain bird species and all, but should Wisconsinites be allowed to run up in their homes and grab their rifles and shoot away? If you can imagine, cat lovers are appalled.


Somewhere in MN, there is a colony of feral cats. According to the news, there are hundreds of cats living in the wild. (No wonder gun-happy Wisconsin hunter is irked!) There is a dedicated group who go out there on a daily basis to feed these cats and vet doctors are doing their share of neutering them so they won't mulitiply. Opponents of this have suggested that it might be easier to just kill them off. If you can imagine, cat lovers are even more appalled. It's just like how statewide hunters are suggesting that deer season be extended because of the overpopulation of white-tailed deer (think Bambi). It's their supposed solution to the problem. Add to that deer trafficking and it becomes a whole different story.


In yesterday's paper, a man was charged for putting his girlfriend's (um, ex-girlfriend now) cat in the oven and baking it. Yes, BAKING it! The woman woke up to the sounds of her cat screaming and miraculously, it survived. It somehow survived the 250-degree heat, lost its eyelids, the padding on its paws, and sufferend a severe burn on its stomach. Cat lovers, at this point, are having heart attacks.


Lastly, a couple of weeks ago, a woman found a dog on her porch whimpering because it had an arrow in its head. A freakin' arrow! Fortunately, it didn't penetrate
completely through its skull and doctors were able to safely remove it. The picture alone was enough to break my heart. Who would do such a thing?! I may not be an animal lover, but DAYAMN!


Whatever happened to just regular cow-tipping?