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Rally ’round the flag: Shut your mouth?

CA legislature should have better stuff to do

April 4, 2010
by Christine Carey | Online Features Editor

While over looking some past newspaper articles I came across, one that grabbed my attention more than a “school zone” would a pedophile: CA Proposes NO cussing week.


A junior high school student, McKay Hatch, started a No Cussing Club at school, which turned into an international movement with more than 35,000 members at www.nocussing.com. California Assemblyman Anthony Portantino then proposed a bill (ACR 112) that would make the first week in March a “Cuss Free Week” in California.



California citizens from all over were hoping lawmakers would take the time out of their day to clean up something other than California’s devastating deficit: our dirty f*****g mouths.



Thanks to California’s ongoing fiscal devastation, the state Senate has indefinitely postponed action on this resolution that passed by the Assembly in February. 



I would like to apologize to anyone in advance for my following statements regarding the Senate’s decision to postpone ACR 112 to deal with California’s widening $20 billion budget deficit. Hell to the yea! The “derogatory” four letter words that impulsively flow freely out of my mouth every day are here to stay.



When I heard that officials at the Capitol were taking time out of their day to make ACR 112 go into effect, I almost shit a brick. Lawmakers were actually wasting time to pass a law that had no fines and no financial benefits to improve our state’s deficit? Have you ever seen the movie “Goodfellas”? Well, as Joe Pesci’s character says “In this day and age, what the f**k is the world coming to?”

While our lawmakers are sitting around wasting time and money on ACR 112, California programs are being cut like the arms of a suicidal teenager. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed deep cuts to health care, education, the state work force and human services programs beyond those already enacted. Additional deep cuts include reductions to Medi-Cal (Medicaid) services, increased co-payments and reduced eligibility for immigrants.

Also included is a $1.5 billion reduction in K-12 and community college funding in 2010-11. State employees salaries will be cut 5 to 10 percent and there will be a reduction in Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Program (SSI/SSP) grants by $15 per month. We’re facing the elimination of the CalWORKS program (TANF), a number of other human services programs and cuts in funding to respond to enrollment growth in the state’s public universities.





I would like to ask Hatch and his more than 35,000 members of the No Cussing Club one question: Do you now understand why Californians are talking out of their asses now? I guess I can’t really blame Hatch or Portantino, can I? I’m assuming people like them are trying to pass laws like ACR 112 as a result to the lack of funds received by schools to educate them not to do so.


I guess you could say it’s a moral issue regarding cussing openly in front of citizens. However, in my opinion, you are just going to have to f*****g deal with it. According to my First Amendment rights, I can say what I want. Especially when I have to endure the economic meltdown our state is currently going through. 



I understand that people don’t like to hear cuss words. However, I cuss on a daily basis.
The words come out just as easy for me as it would be for Rush Limbaugh to announce he’s a Republican douche; OK maybe cut out the douche. To make my point, I have been smoking for 12 years. I guarantee I could quit smoking faster that I could quit cussing. It’s more impulsive to me than peeing is to an alcoholic who downed two pitchers of beer.



So who can blame me and other Californians for cussing with all the problems we are facing. People say that my language makes me sound horrible and uneducated? So I guess I have our lawmakers at the Capitol to blame for my unintelligent language. Maybe if they weren’t cutting education by $1.5 billion I would know to clean up my potty mouth.

Maybe, if our lawmakers didn’t make cuts to education, I would also be educated enough not to sport a specific derogatory hand gesture toward anyone who doesn’t like the way I talk. And, maybe, just maybe (which is a damn huge maybe) I wouldn’t say f**k you to those who wasted taxpayer money to pass ACR 112 through the Assembly.



According to my lack of education, my brain tells me that cursing helps me relax, and relieves pain and stress from daily California life. As, a matter of fact, I was smart enough to hop online and find a tidbit of information that makes me feel better about the way I talk.



A neurological study published in the Aug. 5 NeuroReport suggest that cursing may alleviate stress and pain. Wow, what a surprising concept. Thanks, governor.


Psychologist Richard Stephens of Keele University tested subjects by putting their hands in very cold water for as long as they could. One batch of students repeatedly cursed while their hand was immersed and the other batch of students were told to repeat a neutral word. Those who repeated a swear word were able to keep their hand in longer. Scientists think this caused the beginning of the fight-or-flight syndrome, which kicks in response to pain or fear. Apparently there really is some merit in cursing.

So, if you’re the type of person who gets annoyed and stressed out enough that you want to propose a resolution to stop the uneducated ways I communicate, maybe you should blame the people who run our state. Also, if you’re still stressed about it, and don’t want to wait for a response from our lawmakers, consider this: just drop the F-bomb to relieve some stress and get the hell over it. There are more pressing matters in the world today.