Tea Party Protests

These protests are insane. It's like these people don't remember who was running things a year ago. They are so quick to blame Obama for the Bush administration's screw ups. Do they forget that Bush spent 17 billion a POP for the war? Obama is going to fix what he broke. And how dare they think they can compare themselves to history. The Boston Tea Party was justified. This is not. Obama hasn't raised taxes. And I think that taxing the rich is a good thing. They have enough money anyways. I'm not saying that because I'm not rich. How many of us know the mega billionaires that would be taxed anyways? It won't hurt them. Our nation voted Obama into office. And the ones against him need to let go of their pride and accept that he is running our country now.

Do you have Bedbugs?

I found an article on NPR's website particularly disturbing today. It's focal point was on the resurgence of bedbug infestations across the U.S. My reaction to the wild numbers of bedbugs being found is similar to the feeling I used to get in elementary school after a lice outbreak. Unfortunately it is only 10am and my mind is now playing tricks on me, making me belief that I am itching from bedbugs. This article proves more problematic to my life today than helpful because in their efforts to bring awareness and prevention of a problem, it has created a problem in my mind. You see, bed bugs are not known to transfer disease or cause any other life-altering issue other than being an annoying nuisance. An annoying nuisance is exactly what they have become in my thoughts today. The article tells how virtually impossible in can be to spot a bed bug infestation because they are so small and hide during the day;therefore, one must have night vision to locate the nests. It then explains how they can get into practically anything that would be on or around a bed, such as clothing, sheets, suitcases, etc. Then to put the icing on the cake, the article closes with ideas that are a complete hassle for prevention or extermination. Not only do you have to clean, vacuum and scrub all of your belonging to hopefully rid your home from bedbugs, BUT you basically cannot visibly confirm whether your efforts have been successful!!! Frustrated is not nearly a powerful enough word to express my high-drama emotions for this article as I scratch my back against my computer chair. Flees, lice and other tiny pests I can handle and exterminate, but this bedbug mystery pushed me over the limit. Call me crazy if you'd like but see for yourself at  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103091338

Glenn Beck tearfully advocates secession.

Texans generally aren't the rugged, independent, liberty-conscious folks they once were. Like most Americans, they happily acquiesce to the U.S. government's steady theft of their rights and property via unlawful statutes, programs, and activities.

Unfamiliar with historical or legal details, being largely products of public (i.e., government) "education," today's Texans easily adopt the "politically correct" myths that litter the landscape of American popular opinion. Many don't even know what the word secede means, and believe that the United States is a "democracy" (hint: it's not).

These are the same people who are doing their best to forbid teaching evolution in Texas; the same ones who "[have] accused "liberal New York publishers" of inserting "stealth" homosexual messages into textbooks" and "forced the publisher of another to replace a picture of a woman carrying a briefcase with a picture of a woman baking a cake". I cannot fathom what their ideal educational system would be.

Glenn Beck at least puts a face on this madness. I'm still unsure what exactly the 'economic suicide' refers to - is it the establishment of multilateral financial institutions? is it the bailout? TARP? Are we threatening your constitutional right to whine? Are we taking your guns, Glenn? Are we hurting your feelings?

Somali Pirates

Capt. Richard Phillips was taken hostage on Wednesday by a group of Somali pirates when they took over his ship. On Friday, Phillips tried to escape by jumping into the waters but was promptly recaptured. "Captain Phillips was in the water for a short period before the pirates hauled him back on board, said an American defense official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak about the matter." Somali officials claim that prior to attacking Phillips' ship the pirates had raided another vessel. Currenty, the United States is working on getting Phillips home to his family safely.

Pirates Sell Papers

Looking for some decent news to critique, I came across the CNN.com report by Barbara Starr, "Captain Tried to Escape Pirates, U.S. Official Says." Easy. I was reading that story the moment I read "Pirates."

The attacks along the African coast are not news to me and I realize that pirates are still operating heavily in the Indian Ocean, but I still get more excited to read this story than one about Obama's greeting the Saudi King or even the Michigan shooting. Traditional sea-faring pirates just don't dock in America that much anymore, and in our cinema and literature we are still obsessing over them. I think we may actually miss them somehow.

This is why I believe we can find these pirating stories at the top of news sites and on the front of newspapers. Catching American readers' attention with pirates as bait is like shooting fish in a barrel (sorry). Congratulations to Ms. Starr and her golden goose.

SWORD FIGHT!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30136788/

The attached article above summarizes the tragic story of a 77-year-old grandmother who died Thursday morning in Indianapolis. She either died from a heart attack or from sword wounds. As sad as this is, I couldn't help but snicker at the thought of two grown men, 39-year old Chris Rondeau and 69-year-old Adolf Stegbauer, dueling with swords. Both men are in critical condition and under arrest for attempted murder.
The journalist who wrote the article did a great job of reporting facts. If I were assigned to such a story, I wouldn't be able to restrain a sarcastic remark or two. The matter-of-fact tone, which is expected, makes this article all the more hilarious. The headline grabbed my attention, and I'm glad it did. Its well written and made me laugh.

Link Between Economy and Killings

"Americans are struggling" said criminologist James Alan Fox in the article entitled Some link economy with crime wave; as if we didn't already know this. However, what we don't usually connect are the mass killings which continue to take place and the continuous fall of our economy. The question is should we link the two? If so, is there anything we can do to prevent this death rate when we, individually, don't necessarily control the economy?

After reading this article it really left me thinking about all of the murders, homicides, shootings and deaths that have been taking place. The article stated an undeniable fact that in the past month 57 people have died due to these killings. I've read about the killings, even seen them on the news, but I suppose I simply never took the time to connect the deaths to anything in particular. Now that it has been brought to my attention however, it seems quite plausible that Americans are taking their lives due to this economic drought we find ourselves in.

The scariest part is that this many Americans have died in a month time span, what will it look like as we continue to weather this issue?