Politics

The Mid-term elections ushered in sweeping changes for America, not all of it a direct result of the Mid-term elections. First of all the Democrates took not only the house, but the Senate as well. That itself is a major change for six year this nation was run by conservatives. This political coup by the Democrates makes me happy, because of the change it will bring. Even though I oppose Republicans I was willing to give them a chance. I am registered as a Democrate, but I do not like labels Democrate or Republican. My view on politics is what ever is best for this nation, so if it be Republicans or democrates that doesn't matter to me. A label that does better suit me is a liberal. I am absolutely not a conservative, and as longs as Republicans keep up this super-conservative attitude of theirs I feel I will continue to oppose them for the most part. The second thing that happened was Sec. Donald Rumsfeld (Rummy) stepped down. This is a huge thing, Rumsfeld manages the Iraq War. We will have new blood in charge. Rumsfeld, in my opinion, is a person who refuses to acknowledge wrong doing and that frustrates me. Now that Rumsfeld is out we may veer in a little bit of a new direction. Last is that Sen. Lieberman was reelected. I would like to admit that I was wrong the people did want him back and perhaps he knows more about his constituents than I do. I still think its was childish for him to run as an Independent after he lost the primary, but my ideas about what they wanted were misguided. So the U.S. is entering a new political environment, hopefully it will be a better one.

Execution

We had all forgotten about the former Iraqi leader. The other day it was announced that Saddam will be executed by means of hanging. I am an opponent of capital punishment. In any form. I do not think that Saddam should be spared punishment, he is a horrible man. and deserves everything he gets. We as a nation had no legitimet reason to invade his country. Iraq in theory would have been better off without Saddam in power. I admit I felt that way, but now I understand that was fanciful thinking. We as human beings have to be better than the monsters of this world by killing him will not heal any wounds. I know that by killing him we are not being more moral than he in fact we stoop to his level. Saddam is a madman. What he did while in power was horrible. He committed attrocities at the drop of a hat. I promise you that I will not lose any sleep over his death, I don't feel any compassion for Saddam. I think that capital punishment is a punishment carried out by primitive society. I think all cultures have move beyond a point where legalized killing is necessary. We may not have realized it yet. It has been said that absolute power corrupts absolutely. If you have the right to take a mans life you get one more step to that absolute corruption. This by no means excuses Saddam. I will not challenge the ruling, but that doesn't make it justifiable.

Question of the Day

When my grandmother was sick it was a hard time for me, But eventually she got better. So I thought. When she got really sick I found out that she had put on a strong face for me. This was during my graduation. When I thought she was better I was extremly happy it seemed thing were fine. After her I found out the truth, I was hurt. So When was I better off, ignorant, or knowledgable.

Question: Is false hope better than no hope?

Please post your opinions

Rhyme Time

North Korea successfully tested a nuke awhile back. This has sent the world into an uproar. Japan is furious, China is midway, U.S. is in shock, Asia as a whole is about to wet itself, and the UN is threatening sanctions. I personally think that N. Korea is a huge threat to world security. I know that many nations have nuclear weapons. I feel no one should have at all, period, but they have had them for sometime now and nuclear weapons have been used only twice. That itself was two too many. N. Korea has a tyranical leader who I feel would readily use them if he feels threatened. I felt back in 2003 when they announced that they were researching Nuclear power, in hopes of making a bomb, that something should have been done. Pres. Bush was trigger happy when it came to Iraq, a possible hazard at best, but when a nation comes forward and admits it wants WMDs we talk to them. Three years passed, and here we are N. Korea has WMDs, and Iraq never did. Ironic I think. So Japan isn't allowing N. Korean ships into its ports and is ready with warships if N. Korean ships pose any threat to Japan. China is worried about rerfugees flooding in across it border, which they say will happen if too harsh sanctions are placed on the nation, but they have placed some sanctions on N. Korea. China and N. Korea are road dogs. they have a very close relationship with N. Korea, so they may not be an ally in this case. The U.S. is proposing sanctions, and wants N. Korea to return to six-party talks. Pres. Bush has also stated that the U.S. will not use military force against the nation, but will help its allies in the area with ballistic missle defense. The UN gives idle threats again. The UN needs a backbone to enforce their own rules. It has been said that history repeats itself, But a better statement is that History ryhmes. Think for a moment Rogue nation N. Korea( Nazi Germany), One nation who sees the real threat Japan(Great Britain) and the nation that agrees, but won't get involved U.S.(U.S.), the circumstantial ally China(Russia). Sounds familiar to me. Hickory dickory dock?

Spin

By now everyone knows about the Foley scandal. The Story with Foley is bad enough, but how both political parties are turning it against one another is bad too. Foley was caught conversing with teenage boys, via e-mails, in a very inappropriate manner. Apparently this was a well known fact among some people in Washington. Yet none of them said anything to authorities. I do not know why they didn't but they didn't. Then the e-mails were released, and immediately the spin begins. Dems trying to turn it against Reps, Reps turn it against Dems. In reality it shouldn't matter what political party you're with Foley needs to be punished. The way the two political parties are playing the whole situation makes me sick. They are too worried with promoting their own agendas that they can't just do their jobs. Which means do what is best for America. I understand that the two parties have differing views on what is best for America. In the end those should be secondary to what is obviously best for this country. The main problem with a two party system is that what is best for the nation becomes secondary, the nation becomes divided more and more. All of that creates a country that will die from internal problems unless it's citizens and officials start working together for what is best first and promote their ways second. Bipartisan should be a more common thing especially in this age. Partisans should be occurring less.

Diversity in Bedrock

I may be wrong about this. I have thought long and hard, but to my recollection their are no minorities of any sort on the Flintstones. I know that may sound silly now, but I do have a point to prove. In Bedrock everyone you saw was white. They never showed the projects of Bedrock. Or the China town of Bedrock. Why is this? In our reality, by our I mean the people in the western world. We have predetermined views or ideas that are either wrong or that are misconception. If you think of God, God is always a he, that really makes no sense to give the supreme being a limitation such as gender. When you read a book often times the race of the characters is not mentioned, but are assumed to be white. In the movie World Trade Center, the unknown heroic marine who risked his life to help in the recovery of victims is portrayed as an older white man. The truth is that he is a young black man. Since no one knew who he was he was automatically portrayed as white. Diversity need to grow in America. Even on black show all of the main characters are black, why are there no Asians or Hispanics, whites, or even native Americans as characters in black television shows. We all have preconceived notions about the different peoples of this world. What we need to do is try to overcome those notions. In every sense. The ideas we have about the standard conceptions of human beings of all races is a deep rooted pyscological problem we have as a culture in America. Maybe when we get over that problem we will see some diversity in Bedrock.

Voting

Today, for the first time I voted. Elections were held in the state of Louisiana and I voted in those elections. It felt good to participate in the demorcratic process. I have wanted to vote every since I was eleven years old. A long time coming. I often talk about the elected officials of this country in a critical manner. I do that, because I love this great nation of ours, and I only want the best for it. I felt I was doing my duty as a citizen, and it really made me happy. If you have any thing to say about the elected official, the policies they install, or the way they are running the counrty in general, please vote.

Truth editing

The current administration will do anything to keep power. I read somewhere that a new report is being held from the public. Rep. Jane Harman has asked for its release. She claims that it show a horrible image of the Iraq war. The report will not be released until January. Which is conveniently after mid-term elections. It is obvious to me that the Bush Administration uses 9/11, Terrorism, and The Iraq war to win elections. They have played that card out. People continue to fall for it. The officials claim that the report was first drafted in august and needs more revisions until it is ready for release. I think that they are only using that as an excuse to wait till after Mid-term elections. They know that if they release it now it may show the American people that the Iraq war was a terrible mistake, and that the mistake is not only costing Americans, but also being mismanaged. America need to wake up and see that it is being played by the Bush administration. Americans have been duped into believing that if they go against the current establishment then they are un-American. That can't be farther from the truth. Speak out, that is what the colonist did when the British mistreated them. We have the Bill of rights. Each American citizen has the right to speak up and say "hey this isn't right" and demand some change. I want to know what that report says. Maybe when the truth is revealed we may get to see some changes come November 2008. Maybe not, perhaps the people will contiue to be trick in to voting a certain way by threats and fear mongering.

Disappointment

One of my closest freind and I were talking one day about the state of music especially rap music. Rap music whether you like it or not was at one point a respectable genre of music, it had substance to it. Rap music was about something, but now it seems what ever song you listen to is about the samething. Then there are the songs that aren't even about something they are just beats, and a hook to go along with a dance. Maybe I am wrong, but I expect more out of my music. I also expect more from the listeners of music. They should want to be treated like they have some sort of intelligence. In the era of "gansta" Rap the rappers were supposedly gansters, but they each had their own experiences to tell they varied some. Tupac didn't rap like snoop, and Jay-z didn't rap like Ice cube. Now when you listen to rap it really all about hoes, getting money, selling rocks, how much money you have now, and club life. There is no difference if you listen to five current rap songs chances are that at the least 4 out of 5 of those songs will contain one to all of those topics. Rap has let me down. It was supposed to be the way black people expressed our hardships, culture, and let the other peoples know how original, thoughtful, and poetic we really can be. There are still good rappers out there if you want to know how rap really is supposed to be listen to Kanye West, Common, The Roots, Talib Kwali, Lupae Fiasco, and Tupac. These people, varied in style, are showing you there lives, and how they see it. Real artist. The majority of mainstream rap has gone commercial, and just really disappointed me.

College

Yestereday I started college. This is something millions have done before me, and millions will do after me. Not all people finish college. I hope I won't be one of those. I believe in education, I beleive that those who are educated can be a positve influence on the world. I also believe that the more people who are educated in the world the better off the world is as a whole. Humanity can be great, greater than what it is if we put more emphasis on educating the world. I am doing my part to help not only myself, but the world. It is difficult at times. No one is here to help me I do it all on my own. In the end I think it is worth it on a grand scale.