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OK, so although it may seem so, I DO NOT have a personal vendetta against PETA – they’re just so hypocritical and ludicrous that it’s easy to make fun of them.

Case in point: In a recent “Animal Record” report filed with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, PETA reported that of the 2,216 animals it took in in 2008, only 7 (yes SEVEN) of them were placed in homes.

Why would PETA euthanize so many pets entrusted to them under the premise of finding adequate homes? It’s not real hard to figure out. As with most things, you need only look to the money.

You see, PETA has an annual budget of $32 million. They’re pretty aggressive in their advertising, and that costs money. The simple logic seems to indicate that in order to spread their message of animal rights and prevention of animal cruelty, PETA consciously disregards the former and actively engages in the latter.

And the 2008 year is not an anomaly. This has happened before, as illustrated in this 2003 cartoon from www.PETAsucks.com

And just because it made me laugh, and is pretty much on topic:

Yes, folks. It’s that easy.

Before you read any further, watch the above video – it’s important to know what I’m talking about to understand this post.

This tape is from March 19 in Meriden, Connecticut.

Now, the Internet is abundant with videos of cops beating people, and people wishing death on cops, and going on and on about what assholes cops are and what gives them the right, and on and on ad nauseum.

Here’s a simple solution – don’t resist!

I’m a big believer in personal freedoms and civil rights, but with those freedoms and rights come accountability for ones actions. I’m not saying that a Rodney King situation is justifiable or deserved, or anything like that. What I am saying is if you don’t want the cops to treat you with hostility and aggression, don’t be hostile and aggressive! 

It’s that simple.

Did this nozzle get what he deserved? Not really for me to say. What I understand from the video is that he was running from the cops, they rammed his car to stop him, and repeatedly asked him to stop resisting (a request he can clearly be seen ignoring).

Again, I’m not saying the cop was justified, but I’m certainly not condemning his actions, either.

Consider it from the cops’ point of view – they have no idea what they’re gonna find in that car. All they know is that the dude is running from them. Hell, they don’t even know why he’s running. Could be he’s got drugs in the car. Could be he’s got a gun. Could be he’s an ex-con that just did 20 for aggravated homicide. They don’t have any way of knowing how dangerous the situation they’re approaching is, or even if they’ll make it out alive.  

According to PoliceMag.com, there were 181 officers killed in the line of duty in 2008. I can only imagine what goes through an officers head at the beginning of a chase that ends like this one. “Am I going to be next” or something along those lines has gotta be right up there with “will I make it home tonight to see my wife and kids?”

I’ve been in the company (usually not by choice) of plenty of officers that were dicks, and I’ve had my share of friendly and understanding ones as well. I’ll tell you what, though – I’ve never even come close to an officer striking me, and it’s because I am polite and cordial, even when asserting my rights, and even when I think the officer is flat-out wrong. The moral of the story is pretty simple, really. Don’t be a dick and you won’t get treated like one.

I’ve always held a pretty dim view of zealots and activists. I mean, I just don’t see the logic behind losing your ever-loving mind in the process of trying to teach someone else a lesson or bring them around to your point of view. Truth is, the further into zealotry and activism you drift, the farther away from logic and reason you stray. Consequently, I’m less inclined to listen to you, or give any credence or merit to anything you might say – you’re insane.

To illustrate my point, just take a glance at Ingrid Newkirk’s Last Will & Testament here. For those who don’t know, she’s the president of PETA. That last link goes to the wikipedia page describing PETA, not their actual home page – I don’t want to be responsible for sending any traffic to those morons. 

Here’s some of the more fascinating and down right insane parts of this womans last will:

“That the “meat” of my body, or a portion thereof, be used for a human barbecue, to remind the world that the meat of a corpse is all flesh, regardless of whether it comes from a human being or another animal, and that flesh foods are not needed; “

“That my skin, or a portion thereof, be removed and made into leather products, such as purses, to remind the world that human skin and the skin of other animals is the same and that neither is “fabric” nor needed, and that some skin be tacked up outside the Indian Leather Fair each year to serve as a reminder of the government’s need to abate the suffering of Indian bullocks who, after a life of extreme and involuntary servitude, as I have seen firsthand, are exported all over the world in this form;”

“That in remembrance of the elephant-foot umbrella stands and tiger rugs I saw, as a child, offered for sale by merchants at Connaught Place in Delhi, my feet be removed and umbrella stands or other ornamentation be made from them, as a reminder of the depravity of killing innocent animals, such as elephants, in order that we might use their body parts for household items and decorations;”

Yes, this is a woman of reason, devoted to a good cause, who rationally and compellingly explains her position and persuades others to join her noble cause.

/sarcasm.

Jeezus. I really don’t even know what to say, other than I want to know where to buy a wallet made out of this woman’s skin. That’d be awesome. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for treating animals and other people, and plants – hell, even inanimate objects like stones and dirt – in a respectable fashion. In the case of plants and animals, that simply doesn’t extend to not eating them. I mean, from my point of view, the human body has basic chemical requirements, the same ones it’s had for millions of years. Meat fulfills some of those requirements nicely. Can the same requirements be fulfilled without meat? Sure, but it’s a pain in the ass and involves all kinds of unnatural things like tofu and soy derivatives.

I get that poeple find many things to be passionate about. If you’re really interested in making a differerence, why not start with logic and reason. You might actually get somewhere.

I’ve covered a lot of different tools for building and maintaining a blog, but I thought I’d compile some of the best here for easy reference.

To start a blog, first choose a platform. The two most popular are Blogger and WordPress. Blogger is much easier and quicker to get up and running. This is the one I suggest for most users and casual bloggers. Wordpress is a bit more flexible and robust. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but there’s plenty of online support and tutorials, and in the long run the time investment in learning WordPress can be well worth it. Both services are free.

Blogger.com

WordPress.com

Once you’ve chosen a platform, just follow the easy on-screen instructions for the preliminary setup. As a apart of this, you might want to get a snappy domain name. ww.jlooney.com is already taken, so you’ll have to find something else that’s just not as cool. You can check availability and the order the domain at GoDaddy. Their site is very tricky to navigate, just know that you always want to hit “no, thanks. Continue to Checkout” and you’ll be able to steer through their maze of offers and suggested upgrades.

GoDaddy.com

Now, clearly you’ll want your blog to look nice, and there are hundreds of thousands of templates available for free. Some of the best for Blogger can be found at TheCutestBlogontheBlock.com. A good source for WordPress themes is BestWPThemes.com. And, if you Google “Blogger themes” or “WordPress themes“, you’ll get a boatload of resources so you can find just what you want.

TheCutestBlogontheBlock.com

BestWPThemes.com

And of course, you’ll want to monitor the traffic to your site. I suggest Google analytics. Again, it’s free, works with either platform, and provides a wealth of data on the traffic to your site.

Google.com/analytics

Finally, there are any number of resources for optimizing your blog, increasing traffic, and just plain understanding what this blogging thing is all about. I’ve included three of my favorites below.

Top 10 tools for your Blog or Website (via LifeHacker)

Ten blogging hacks and tricks (via Micro Persuasion)

18 lessons for all bloggers (via ProBlogger)

If there’s a site or tool that you find particularly useful, share it with the rest of us in the comments.

Happy blogging!