Bye Bye Braces

Yesterday, on the front page of the Metro section in the New York Times they showed the family of my orthodontist crying at his funeral. He was shot three times in the chest in a park in my neighboorhood in Queens. Somebody actually shot and killed my orthodontist, in front of his wife and kid no less. What is this world coming to?

Dog shoots man

This has got to be my favorite story since I've started blogging. In Iowa, a man went with a group of friends to go pheasant hunting. After shooting down the bird, he ran to get it and his dog followed after him. While the dog was in hot pursuit he accidentally pulled the trigger of his owners gun and shot him in the leg with about 100 to 200 rounds of pellets. The owner is okay after having had a surgery and the dog was not injured. Maybe its just me being a bit mean but I think the guy had it coming. Hunting is a senseless sport. If you like shooting things, go to a shooting range or join the N.Y.P.D., oops did I just say that? Anyway, if the bird was dead, what was the rush to run toward it, and why recklessly throw your gun? In baseball, if you swing the bat and make contact with the ball, you cannot just hurl the bat as you run to first base, you'd be called out. I guess the same applies to hunting.

Feeling sick?

As reported by the Associated Press, the Excused Absence Network sells fake letters that appear to have come from a doctor or hospital. They can be used at work to excuse a day of absnece. Students can use it too, it sells for $25 and there are other options as well such as fake jury summons or authentic-looking funeral service programs complete with comforting poems and a list of pallbearers . I love this idea. I think I am about to get myself a complete set of letters and never do another day of hard work, or at least until the week is over.

What defines torture ?

As of now Michael Mukasey has not yet been confirmed as our country's next attorney general. The reason is because he has not yet given in his own words what he believes torture to be, especially concerning whether or not waterboarding (it makes a person feels like he is drowning) constitutes torture. It either is or it isn't though. Personally, I believe it is. Anytime you're not sure what is or isn't torture, just ask yourself whether or not you would want it to happen to you and I think that will give you a pretty good idea. I like how congress is putting the pressure on a very coy Mukasey. His tiptoeing around the subject just makes me sick. If he thinks he can just talk congress and the public around in circles then he doesn't deserve to the position.

To hell with war

Today throngs of protesters across the country marched in defiance on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Senate's vote authorizing the invasion of Iraq. I could not agree more. Sad to say I didn't march. They definitely have to advertise better. Then again, it was raining. Protests are fun and all, but soggy signs aren't nearly as effective. I hear older people tell me that my generation doesn't protest as much as they did. I am offended by this assumption and generalization. The only thing we don't do that they did in the 60's and 70's is riot to the point where the police has to keep us in check or where students get shot at rallies or on campus (remember Kent State anyone?) I don't know what it will take to get us out of Iraq. We have messed up monumentally over there. Our contractors are rife with scandals and corruption as are out hired security forces like Senseless Killing INC, I mean Blackwater. We sort of owe it to the Iraqis to clean and straighten things up over there. However, between the high loss of American lives, terrorist cells expanding and civil strife between religious factions, it seems imperative for us to just get out before it gets even messier. this is a tough decision. Do we trust the country in the hands of their police force? What about Iran and Saudi Arabia? What will they do when we leave? We might look weak in the eyes of other countries, but then again, isn't it more important what America looks like in the hears and souls of Americans? This is as much a war against terror as it an ideological war that we wage amongst ourselves and our enemies. I hope a solution is not too far ahead. We need to bring our soldiers home.

Political satire/carttons

I just checked out the MSNBC website. They showed political cartoons from around the country that spanned the course of the past week. It was funny, but at the same time a sad social commentary on our country. Whether it was talking about sub prime lending practices that destroyed the housing market and made many homeowners have their houses foreclosed or how Bush reacted much quicker to the California fire crisis then he did to hurricane Katrina it was deeply disturbing all the same. I strongly urge everyone to look at them. It will only take five minutes of your time and it gives a great sense of what is really going on in todays world while also providing some dark humor. So if you read them, let me know what you think because I find it just fascinating in its breadth of content and its messages.

The cost of war

So far our government has spent 600 billion dollars on both the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's now projected that we will spend 2.4 trillion dollars through the next decade. 2.4 trillion? Isn't that the amount of the national debt ? I can't believe the way this country spends money. Both parties always talk about fiscal responsibility, but I guess they don't understand what a national budget is, or how it affects its citizens. With 2.4 trillion dollars we can overhaul our health care systems or fix education or help save social security. But no, we're sending young men to their deaths because we don't want to be conceived as weak in the eyes of the global community. It seems like a very high cost to impress a few friends and foes alike.