Déjà vu

The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.

As Commander-in-Chief, the President does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the Legislative branch. It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action.

That is a quote from then Senator Obama on the limit and reach of the President's military power. Again the United States has engaged itself in a military conflict. We are already at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States does not need to be getting involved in Libya's affairs. I am usually the first one to say how the United States has a responsibility to protect human rights and prevent human right abuses. I still feel that way, but in this case I can't help but feel like in this case the help is ingenuous. Muammar Gaddafi has been in power for 42 years. The United State has paid little attention to him or Libya. Now all of a sudden the western world wants to flock to the aid of the revolting Libyans. The Libyans did this on their own they started this revolution and now it seems that the western world is attempting to co-sign their achievements. True that the Libyans probably need the help, but was the aid that they received wanted? This action is eerily similar to how Iraq started out. Again a President has committed troops to a foreign country. I am a strong legislature type of person. I do not think the excessive power the president has is good for this country. I think that troops should be deployed with congress' approval. True at times troop deployment without congress' approval is necessary, but this isn't one of those times. President Obama should be be careful about this situation. It is too easy to compare this with the actions of President Bush. Seeing that President Obama campaigned on change, he should be careful not to follow on a path followed by previous presidents.

Reality TV is ruining America

It is no secret that I have a distaste for celebrities. I especially hate reality tv. Reality shows take the most absurd people, and turns them into objects of obsession by ordinary Americans who have nothing better than obsess over these people for no good reason. I remember when these shows first started popping up. It never seemed more than game shows. Survivor and other shows, but then they made shows that focused on people. Reality shows never were truly reality, but at some point these shows became caricatures of people. They were always made for ratings, but now they are incongruous. All these real housewives shows, the cake shows, pawn shop shows, and so many more. The shows are not good or just bad they are harmful. The show sister wives on TLC is just bad. first of all they are engaged in illegal activity. TLC, which stands for The Learning Channel, is almost nothing but reality shows. The channel has little if any education based shows. All that channel is, is cake shows, kate plus 8, tattoo parlor shows. How does any of that help anyone learn? The history channel is also guilty of this. They have shows like IRT deadliest roads, Ice road truckers, Pawn Stars, and American Pickers. These shows have the weakest connection to history I have ever heard in my life. These two channels and many more have sold their integrity for rating and in TV that means money. We are all doing this. reality shows create celebrities who are famous for being famous. Now the average person just wants to be famous because that is how you become someone in our culture rather than achieving something of scientific, political, or cultural significance they would rather be on some show and make a fool of themselves for money. Case in point the Situation. He was on that show dancing with the stars, I heard he has a book deal, and makes more money, doing absolutely nothing, than I will possibly ever see. Celebrity is turning Americans into a people who have no interest in things that actually advance society. The worst part is that celebrity is fusing with politics. Politicians are the people who lead our nation. True they have their character flaws, everyone does. I just expected politicians or at least the office to be above that. Sarah Palin has a show in TLC, and Elliot Spitzer is on CNN I think. Sarah Palin regardless of your feeling toward her, is wanted by a lot of people to run for President. The president should never have a reality show. I see the tabloids featuring articles on both president Bush and Obama. I would hope they would be removed from this cult of celebrity. Hollywood is moving toward politicians, and Politicians are moving toward celebrity. At some point they might clash. I would hate to think that someone could become president one day because they were thrust into the spot light because of some show. While the celebrities have always been politicians from time to time that was more of a move from one sphere to the other. Not with people like Palin, it is more like they inhabit both worlds. They are are becoming one it seems. That is why Reality TV is ruining America.

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Egos

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Art

So I was involved a conversation with a group of my friends. The conversation was about rappers. they were all say this person was better than that person. I was of the opinion that the genres of rap are too diverse to be comparing the rappers. Isn't this true? I see it that all forms of art are too diverse to always be compared. With rap you can't compare styles, but you can compare lyrics. What would this conversation be like with another form of art? Can you compare Da Vinci with Warhol, Rockwell against Barry McGee? Would you compare H G wells with Shakespeare or Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson? My point is that all art is unique. I am in the opinion that art should be of quality. I am not saying that you can make any thing put it in a genre and then resist any criticism. all forms of art have a standard Can you compare Hangover and Inception? Maybe, but a more legit question is Date movie against Hangover or Inside Man and Inception. I hope you see what I am getting at. All art needs a standard and comparison, but at the same time art is best compared against it's own form. You can't weigh a power forward against a quarterback or a third baseman. What do you all think? can you compare against the grain? What are some forms of your favorite art ex movies, paintings, music, literature, sports, ect.

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Name

What is a Name? Is our name ours? The answer to the latter is yes and no. Our name is the legacy that our families give us. We have a responsibility to live up to the reputation or improve on it. When a person gives you their name that is one of the best gift they can give because in doing so they are putting all that they have worked for and everything their parents and grandparents worked in to that person's hands. I don't want to give the wrong idea I am a huge supporter of freedom. A person should be able to do as they wish, but don;t we also have to show respect for all the work that was done to put us in that position. Recently Laurence Fishburne's daughter Montana has decided to fulfill her dream of being a porn star. I am not going to deionized porn cause I really have no problem with it. all parties involved are adults doing as they please from the actors to the people who buy it. Now just because I have no eminent disdain for porn doesn't mean that it is a good thing. Would I want my daughter to be in porn absolutely not, but I also wouldn't want any of my children to be athletes. Her father is an excellent actor who has won Tonys, Emmys, and Nominated for Oscars. He worked had at his craft and put his family in a position to be well off. Now Montana Fishbure aka Chippy D comes along and associates his name, the name he worked hard to establish with porn. Fishburne is can now be located among names like Barbie Cummings, Janet Jacme, Cherry Poppens, and so many more. I don't want to put those ladies down, but an actor like him shouldn't have the name he worked so hard to create listed among them. When a father or mother gives a child their name they are entrusting that person with it. I have not always done what my parents have asked, and no a child should not be required to live up to every expectation of the parents. What I am saying is this the child should have enough respect if not for the parents then family to take precious care of a gift as special as a name. I know I am mostly focusing of Mr. Fishburne because he is a good example, but this applies to everyone famous or not. Think about this ladies would your father or if he is not around mother, grandfather, grandmother, uncle or just the person who gave you the title daughter want you sleeping around with his name attached. Guy same thing would they want you sleeping around or using women with their name. Would they want you doing drugs. A name is sometimes all that someone can give. Be careful what you do with it.

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Originality

I love movies. I go every chance I get, but as I have gotten more sophisticated in my choice of movies I get let down more and more. I am getting to a point where I dread a sequel. It seems now that all movies in the theaters are sequels remakes or a former TV series. There are also the random books that are popular that become movies. I think this is sad. Where is the originality in America? I liked the first sherk movie and the following ones were decent, but Shrek did not need a sequel at all in was unneccesary. Another movie, The Hangover excellent movie very funny. The Hangover is a one shot thing though. The plot and premise do not lend that movie to a sequel, yet a sequel is in the works. Spider-man, the franchise died the third movie was horrible. That should be the end for at least thirty years, but no there are plans to reboot the spider man francise with a new movie. This movie is a origin story. We just saw that story like 10 years ago. I can go on and on with examples. What is my point? The studio heads are just doing what makes them money. That is the right financial move, but it shows me that they have no respect for the art that they work with. I love movies and when done right they are a form of art. What bothers me is that this is acceptable in America. Our culture is stagnant in the arts. EVERYTHING IS THE SAME! When I think I found a movie I like that is original I find out it is a remake or a book. Where is our creativity? Why do we feel more comfortable with the same. Whenever a movie that is truly new comes out it bombs. No one goes to see it which ensure that the studio heads will not be trying new things anytime soon. Even TV shows are old TV shows from bygone years. I feel I can truly get my feeling out here. What I am trying to say, blunty I guess, is that I am tired of the same thing in the movies I desperatly need new characters and plots and premises. I find that this a bigger problem in the black communitym but that is another post. I just feel that movies are what Americans do good and where are not being original. It reflects our lives. We are overweight, getting dumber, and when asked to fix these problems we get offended. I took a class on Classical and late Antiquity and each time a civilization fell eg. Rome Greece the Arts were the first to go. I am not saying that America is crumbling, but we are supposed to be Americans mediocrity is supposed to be alien to us.

Israel vs Palastine

I must admit that I do not know much about the conflict there I try understand it, but I must admit I have a hard time understanding. What I understand is this (I may be off on certain thing please feel free to correct me with facts not opinions) after WWII many Jews were displaced and searched for a place to call their own. The Palestinians offered to let them in to their country. Over time the land that was Palestine was given to the Jewish people to form their own nation, and the Palestinians were gradually forced into a minority role. My understanding is that the Jewish people feel that the land is theirs, because God gave it to them. If that is the justification then this is not an acceptable means of claiming ownership. I think it is unfair for one group of people to unseat another and take their home. Now I want to clear up that I DO NOT support any terrorist organization including HAMAS. I don't think that the Palestinians should resort to terrorism, but I just don't get how we can throw 100% of our support behind Israel. Clearly this is a complex issue that requires a little more finesse than usual. Clearly to me a shared state is the answer. What I want to make clear is that Israel and Palestine are in the wrong. Israel cannot take someones home and then use violence to subjugate them, Palestine via HAMAS is in no way justified to use violence to get it's aims across. Again I am a novice at this topic my explanation and opinions are based on my knowledge of the situation in the area. If I am wrong on any of the FACTS please correct them so I can correct myself

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Video Blogging

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Job

I have always made friends with people who were older than me, not by much maybe one or two years, but in high school my senior year all my good close friends graduated, and I was left alone my senior year my junior year was what was really fun for me. Here I am in college and the same thing is happening all over again my closest friends have graduated already except for one. I still have friends just not really close ones, but that is not the point of this post. What I want to address is that most of my friends who have graduated can't seem to find any jobs I mean I know people who did get jobs, but I also know a lot who can't. One of my friends who has a studio art degree has no job, another with a Graphic design degree has no job, sure these are artsy degrees so that is not so far fetched, but some with degrees like computer science can't find jobs either. They have all had jobs since they graduated, but they are extremely underemployed. This makes me worry about my own future. Will I be able to find a job when I graduate. I want to work in DC in government foreign policy hopefully but coming out of college I will take what I can get. Still the question persist. I really have no point to make here just expressing a concern. I am getting ready now I am taking the Foreign Service Test in October hopefully I will pass that and I am asking people now to put me in contact with some people I hope if works out. How many College graduates are un/underemployed?

Fear

One thing I can say about people in this nation of ours is that we are adept in using fear against each other. During the 2008 Presidential election the Right wing or conservatives manipulated the fear of white Americans. I watched the HBO documentary Right America: Feeling wronged, that documentary was interesting it also hurt I could see the passion they were scared of Barack Obama. They said many reasons why some were so ridiculous. They called him a terrorist, Arab, socialist, communist basically any word that has a negative connotation. Some even were just honest with themselves they didn't want a black man to be president, but he was elected and I hoped we could put this ugliness behind us. I was wrong. I was so very wrong. First they say President Obama isn't even an American that he is a Kenyan, it was on the news for so long. I could not go a day without hearing about it. Why can't he just be the President, he won fair and square. Let him serve us to the best of his ability. Then this "Town Hall" thing happened. These people are yelling to to be yelling. I have heard "I want my America back" " I don't like what my country is becoming" "what happened to the America I grew up in" "This isn't my America". Maybe I am being sensitive, but I feel that despite all the problems that they claim it all boils down to one thing a so called black man is president he is really mixed, but either way it doesn't matter he is considered black. I feel that these people feel that they are losing not their country to black people, but that they are losing their superiority over all minorities. A black president, A Latino Supreme Court Justice. They are scared this hurts me. The conservative leaders of this nation are doing nothing to prevent attitudes like this. In fact they are encouraging it. Glen Beck is a fear monger, he says the most ridiculous things. I mean he has said thing to the effect of President Obama is a racist, Health care reform is just a way to get reparations, he alluded to eugenics. Glen Beck is promoting hate and Rush Limbaugh and so many others. I feel that it all boils down to they feel they are losing their superiority over minorities. How am I supposed to feel about this as a Black man? That average Americans, people who I grew up around, who taught me is school, people I went to and do go to school with are so afraid of being true equals with black people and other minorities that they fight with a passion I have never seen them tap into is the thought of being my equal in every way that much of a threat? There is enought racial tension and problems in this country the way that conservative leadership support these attitude is not helping. I feel hurt. Can someone tell me why?