Music and Politics

So, if you couldn't tell already by many of my posts, I am a huge supporter of our troops and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 really got under my skin.  So for my music that relates to politics I've chosen two songs that have to do with the troops.  I think most people know these songs or at least Toby Keith's.  Hope you enjoy them!


Toby Keith "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (the Angry American)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc


Darryl Worley "Have you Forgotten"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6yLQRF-cEU 

Toby Keith's song was written right after the 9/11 attacks and has been played repeatedly to rally the troops and millions of Americans.  It exudes the pain and anger that was felt on September 11th.

Darryl Worley's song was written some years later.  He, like many Americans, felt like we were forgetting why we were in Afghanistan in the first place.  Neither song is about Iraq, both are about the terrorist attacks and the war in Afghanistan that followed.  Darryl Worley is trying to express that even if you don't agree with the war in Iraq, we are fighting in Afghanistan because terrorists killed our people nine years ago, terrorists that reside within Afghanistan.  Have we gotten so caught up in our anger over Iraq that we've forgotten the almost three thousand lives stolen from us that day?  I would say most people have. 

Heroes

Who was your hero growing up?  Your mom? Your dad?  Your favorite ball player or actor or singer?  Your grandparents?  We all have heroes in our lives.  Sometimes they are public figures like ballplayers or actors or singers, but a lot of times people will answer that question by saying their parents, either one or both.  What do you do to honor your heroes?  Tell them you love them and appreciate them (your parents), write them and tell them?  Well, there are heroes all around the world, CNN decided to honor some of those heroes this week.  The people honored are people just like you and me who have a desire and a passion for helping people.  In the program CNN honors 10 people and then picks one of the Hero of the Year. 
This year a woman named Anuradha Koirala was picked as Hero of the Year.  Why you may be asking, what did this women with a name I can't quite pronounce do to deserve this award?  Well, since 1993 she has rescued over 12,000 young girls and women from the sex trafficking and slave trade.  Impressed yet?  Yeah I was too.  Koirala and her team patrol the Indian-Nepal boarder trying to stop this horrendous act from happening.  they have been very successful, however, much more needs to be done.  Sex trafficking and the slave trade is very much alive despite what many people think.  Many many people think that slavery was abolished years ago, but it's not true, not for a second.  Atlanta is actually one of the top places in the U.S. for sex trafficking.  Scary huh?  More like terrifying.  Thanks to people like Koirala thousands of young girls and women have found sanctuary and hope for a normal life.
The other nine heroes were:
Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega for building a hospital down in Mexico
Susan Burton for opening a rehabilitation program for female addicts in California
Linda Fondren for her weight-loss program in Mississippi
Narayanan Krishnan for his non-profit organization that feeds India's homeless
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow for his program that feeds more than 400,000 children around the world
Harmon Parker for building footbridges in Kenya over rivers
Aki Ra for clearing land mines in his native Cambodia
Evans Wandongo for helping to replace kerosene and firelight in Kenya with solar power lanterns
Dan Wallrath for building homes, mortgage free, for returning injured veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Recently a British soldier was killed in Afghanistan bringing the total for British loses to 344 in the past nine years.  The soldier died during an ambush attack the news reported.  The British have been on America's side since the beginning of this war.  They are only second to America in the number of loses they have suffered since 2001.  They are scheduled to stay in Afghanistan till 2015.  Is it right for a country that had no reason, except for the UN Charter, to stay there that long when other NATO countries have already pulled out or have plans to be out very soon?  Their choice.  But it is interesting to look at the history of America and Britain.
In the not too distant past England owned America, as we all know, until we decided we wanted to be free.  The ensuing bloody war called the American Revolution took place as we fought, for the first time united, for our freedom that we so dearly valued and continue to value today.  We won, obviously, and built up our nation over the next couple hundred years, not without our problems, and eventually become trading partners with England.  It's kind of ironic to me since they had once owned us.  It gets even more ironic when you think about our relationship with England today.  England is our closest ally and friend.  Can't say the same about the relationship in 1764.  We've come a long way since then.  So is our sense of duty to one another stemming from our history together?  Maybe.  Many people's ancestors are from England.  The relationship that the two countries have had has been strenuous at times, but at other times solid as a rock.  As they have been there for us, we will always be there for them too.  England decided nine years ago to uphold a Charter they signed and have since voluntarily decided to stay and help American forces fight a battle that was never theirs.  Because of their relationship with us they have fallen victim to their own terrorist attacks.  That's a sacrifice.  Britain is not the only country that has sacrificed for us, but they are the country that has been for there for us significantly.  

Pirates!! AARGH!!!!

We all see the videos on the news of the unfortunate people begging for their lives as several men surround them with guns.  We've seen these kinds of videos from terrorist groups around the world and we feel bad for the people in them, as we secretly say to ourselves, gosh I'm happy that's not me, that must suck, but then we move on and forget that these people are going through hell as prisoners.  Wouldn't you want someone to care about whether you lived or died if you were captured like that?  I would!! 
Here in America when we think of a terrorist what do we automatically think of?  Let's not lie, Middle Eastern.  Cause to us we see the terrorists from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia (not so much anymore), Yemen, Oman, etc. as the bad guys cause terrorists from that region of the world are the ones who attacked us on 9/11 and are the ones we continue to fight today.  However, the terrorists from that region of the world are only a small portion of the terrorists that are in our world.  Another group of terrorists, that we hear about but not too often, are pirates off the coast of east Africa.  Now, I say pirate, you say?  Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean.  But that is not what the pirates off the coast of Africa are like.  These pirates mostly come from Somalia.  Why? Because Somalia doesn't have laws against them.  These terrorists are vicious and ruthless and if they feel like it will flat out kill you for no reason.  Sound like Johnny Depp's character?  umm...no!  Everyone was on Jack Sparrow's side, we wanted him to get away.  But the Somalian pirates, not so much.  They need to be taken care of.  They have been causing terror along the east African coast for some years now.  Efforts have been made to try and stop them, but they aren't exactly easy to catch and it helps to have all the participating governments on the same page.  Until Somalia decides that it might actually be a good idea to stop these pirates not much is going to succeed unfortunately.
Now, you're probably wondering how this topic came up.  Well, I read a story on CNN that said a couple who was captured a little over a year ago by these pirates was recently released and allowed to go home to England.  This is a rare occurrence.  Soon after there capture the husband was forced to make a video pleading for his life and for the British government to pay a ransom that the pirates requested.  However, like the American government the British government does not negotiate with terrorists.  Smart idea?  Yeah, I'd say so.  It comes with a price sometimes, but I understand why governments say that.
So what's a solution to this problem so that no more people have to go through what this English couple went through?  Well, first we need to get Somalia on board which may be a little difficult but definitely worth the effort.    

Decision Day!!!

Yesterday was THE day.  The day when America let her voice be heard.  And what did she say?  She said that republicans are stepping it up and the democrats better start to if they want to succeed in 2012.  Republicans took the House and barely lost the Senate by a couple of seats.  So now we have a split Congress, republicans have a lot more power, and a President who is democrat.  Makes for an interesting situation, doesn't it? 
Georgia of course went Republican.  Was that really a surprise to anyone?  I mean some people were still hoping real hard that Barnes would win, but despite some controversy most people knew that Deal would win, and he did.  There are always those states that will always be democrat or republican.  For example, Massachusetts will always be majority democratic state, Georgia will always be a majority republican state.  It's just how it is sometimes.  i think it would take something drastic to switch up these kinds of states.  There are always those swing states though that you never know which way they might go, which was evident from the election that just took place.  It really wasn't a surprise to anyone though that the republicans took the House.  As many political analysts predicted the democrats kept the Senate.  The political analysts thought that the democrats would hold onto the Senate but just by a few seats, as they did.
So what happens now?  The republicans have a lot of power now.  Will Obama be a lame duck?  Will he be able to get anything threw the Congress?  Who knows, we'll have to wait and see what happens over the next two years, but one things is for sure, it should be VERY interesting to see what does happen.     

One Week!!

One week from today we find out who wins the elections!  I don't know about you, but I'm so ready for everything to be over already.  Every other commercial is by one party or the other bashing their competitor.  These commercials and ads have been running for a while now as the country prepares for what could be history.  We sit on edge wondering, are the democrats going to hold onto both the Senate and the House, are the republicans going to take both the Senate and the House, or will they split???  Here is Georgia we're wondering who will win the Governor's race, Deal or Barnes???  Will people actually go out and vote???
Who knows, but I can say that I will be so excited when it's all over.  I know I know, it's weird that I'm a political science major and i can't wait for this all to be over, it's not because I really want to know who's going to win, I do care, but I'm ready for it to be over because I'm tired of the bashing.  It's like geeze, if you want to go into politics then you better know how to throw a punch and take one too cause it's getting brutal in these election races. 
Many people are speculating that the country is upset at how Obama has handled the administration so far and think that the Congress may flip.  Well, if that happens, we'll have a democratic President and a republican Congress.  I wonder how well that would work (insert sarcasm).  Let's just say it is possible that everything would work out, but let's be honest with ourselves, it probably wouldn't work too well.  Would Obama be a lame duck for the last two years of his administration?  Maybe, maybe not, I guess we'll have to wait and see, but until we find out next week, can we PLEASE lay off the political bashing.  By bashing your opponent it does not make me like you any better, if fact it does the opposite.  I do not care what you think of your opponent, we all know you don't like each other anyways no need to publicize, but I DO care about your own policies and how you handled situations.  So, political leaders, let's try focusing on how you yourself perform and what you yourself believe in for a change.  Maybe then people would actually go out and vote.  Why? Because they might actually be more well informed about their candidates, shocker I know.  Can we give it a try please, just once. 

Haiti just can't catch a break

It has been reported over the past couple of days that Haiti is experiencing a cholera outbreak.  This poor, little country whom back in January experienced one of the worst earthquakes, just can't catch a break.  Haiti was destroyed by the earthquake back in January, thousands of people died and many more were injured, millions were put out of their homes, because well, there was nothing left of their homes.  Thousands dead, millions displaced, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, what are they to do?  With billions in international aid and aid workers flocking into the country, Haiti began the process of rebuilding and trying to organize the country once again.  The country is still in shambles, however.  Millions are still displaced, and now, there is an outbreak of cholera. 
Cholera can be easily cured and is extremely preventable.  Cholera is a bacteria and can spread through contaminated food or water.  Basically, if the people of Haiti had clean drinking water this could be prevented.  The news in Haiti has reported that due to the extreme rains recently the Artibonite River has flooded and since this river is the main sewage drainage for the country the sewage spread.  Cholera is said to cause diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps.  The CDC reports that once an outbreak of cholera starts it is most likely spread through the feces of the people who already have the disease.  This occurs because many countries were cholera is prevalent are poorer countries that do not have good clean water sources.  So if someone who has cholera goes the bathroom upstream from where someone who doesn't have cholera gets their drinking water, then the person downstream is most likely to get the disease.  Cholera can spread very quickly and if not treated can be fatal.  So far, in Haiti, 208 people have died.  Kits to help decontaminate the water have been and continue to be distributed throughout the country.  Workers are also trying to help prevent and stop the spread of the cholera outbreak any further. 
When Haiti first got hit by the devastating earthquake back in January people were very anxious to help and aid flooded in; now as like with many natural disasters people have moved on and forgotten about the devastation that continues in Haiti.  It's harder for people who don't live there and go through what these people are going through to remember what happened because we aren't as affected.  Now it's not an excuse to stop helping, but it is the truth.  Since we don't live it every day we don't think about it every day.

Freedom for Miners!!!

The Chilean miners have been freed from their underground imprisonment!!! All 33 men were safely brought to the surface in a capsule to a warm welcome from the family, workers, and some government officials.  The men, who have been trapped underground for the past couple of months after an explosion at the mine, were brought up one by one and taken directly to the hospital for examination.  Before being brought up the men were checked to make sure they were all in suitable condition to make the journey.  All of the men seemed to be in good spirits and in as healthy a condition as possible.  Since being discovered just over two weeks after the explosive the men have been being supplied with food, water, and clean air.  They were allowed to make short videos for their families.  At first it was said that the media would not be allowed to see the miners come up and a tarp was put up around the hole, however, as time went on the media was allowed to see what all happened.  The world, burdened by what had happened, watched hopefully as one by one the miners were brought to the surface, and guaranteed, tears were flowing as the miners embraced their loved ones.  What had started out as a tragedy ended in a triumph!  Not only were 33 men who should have died saved and reunited with their families, but the dangers of mining and not keeping up with mine regulations was exposed to the world.  Most people just do not care where their coal, copper, gold, whatever, come from as long as they have it, but now international steps are being taken to make sure that mines are safer so that these types of situations can be avoided in the future.  We may not be as lucky next time.
The media played a huge role in helping to get these men rescued.  If the families had not contacted the media and alerted the world about what had happened these families may be having funerals instead of celebratory parties.  When the news stations broadcast what had happened the world listened and wanted something to be done.  American companies were essential in helping to retrieve these men, but if not for the media they may not have known what had happened.  This experience is one example of how the media played a vital and crucial role for the better.    

9 Years

Nine years.....nobody would have thought that nine years ago today when the United States invaded Afghanistan that we would still be fighting a war today.  Nine years ago America had just been attacked in the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor.  Americans were revved up and willing to do just about anything to protect our country.  Oh how things have changed.
When we invaded Afghanistan it wasn't because we thought they had weapons of mass destruction, it was because Osama bin Laden and his crew of terrorists had just killed almost three thousand of OUR people and they needed to pay.  It was the first time in history that NATO invoked Article 5 of the charter, which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.  So we had the world on our side and were ready and willing to fight and die for our country and to get justice for the almost three thousand lives lost that fateful day.  We bombed the mess out of Afghanistan and the terrorists, but never could quite get Osama bin Laden, a task we are still trying to accomplish nine years later.  However, the question arises quite often, if we had focused ALL of our energy on Afghanistan instead of chasing some, let's say, questionable information, could we be out by now?  Could this war be over already?  We will never know the answer to that question since we can't turn back time, but it is a possibility. 
Two years after invading Afghanistan we invaded Iraq.  Why?  Well, there have been many explanations thrown out there so you can believe whichever one you would like, but the fact is we did invade, right or wrong, it happened.  However, the motives were different.  Iraq had never attacked us, but they did harbor terrorists.  Was that justification?  Or the fact that we had "information" that they had WMDs, was that justification?  Even if they did have WMDs was it really our place to invade since we were already fighting a war?  Could we not have let the international community handle it the way they wanted to on their time?  Some people might say that we were looking for a reason to invade Iraq.  An old beef between political leaders.  Take your pick from the reasons.  But as soon as we invaded Iraq the attention from Afghanistan dissipated.  The people that had attacked us were forgotten.  The new enemy, an old enemy, the not-at-the-moment enemy, Iraq had done nothing to invoke our attack.  But, Americans were still revved up from 9/11 so any terrorist was a good target.  At first Americans were very supportive and the media was too.  However, over the past 9 years as our men and women have died and paid the ultimate price, people have begun to wonder if a war in Iraq was worth these soldiers' sacrifice.  Whether this war was really worth fighting.  As more and more soldiers were sent home in flag-draped coffins to grieving families, the country began to turn.  No longer was the war seen as worth the sacrifice.  America grew tired of fighting a war that was never ours to begin with.  The media began to turn and question whether we were fighting for the right reasons, or any reason at all.  When the country began to turn on the Iraqi war they also began to turn of the Afghan war.  Have we forgotten what Afghanistan is really all about?  Have we forgotten the almost three thousand lives lost?  Have we forgotten the terrible men who committed those heinous acts and continue to today?  I think so in a way.  Our focus for so long has been on Iraq that we forgot why we began fighting in Afghanistan in the first place.  Let me remind you, a man named Osama bin Laden.  He has been quoted as saying that it is his and every Muslim's duty to acquire nuclear weapons to use against America to kill us.  He will not stop until he is dead.  So unless you want to continue to be attacked by terrorists, by all means protest the war in Afghanistan.  Now the war in Iraq is a different story, but Afghanistan, there is no question why we are fighting there.  Maybe people just need a little reminder.  So here it is, 9 years ago today almost 3,000 lives perished at the hands of 20 heinous men.  Our cities were attacked, our buildings destroyed, our people killed.  Every single person in this country was affected on that day and millions more continue to be affected every single day.  Let's not forget that day, because if we do......well I don't really want to know what our country will look like then.    

By now most everyone has heard of the terror threats that happened across Europe, but what about the terror threats that happen in America every day? Why don't we hear about those as much? Is it the media's fault? Is it the government's? Or is it just a lack of caring by the American people? I think it's a mixture. The government doesn't always release information about terror threats in America because they think it would create widespread panic. They aren't exactly wrong. Americans are used to having wars and terrorism being on far away lands thT the large majority of us will never go to. I've often thought that Americans believe that we live in our own little world, since we're the dominant superpower in the world we don't really think about many others besides ourselves. 9/11 brought a reality check to America, we are not invincible. Just like every other country we are susceptible to terrorism and its effects. But still, even after 9/11, people either don't want to or just never do heat about the very real terror threats that are foiled in our nation everyday. We all knew that the government doesn't always tell us the truth oreven let us know about what's really going on, but what if they did tell us? Maybe then people would understand how to handle a terror threat better abs so when one does come along people won't freak out. Is that asking too much of the government? Of the people? People in other countries deal head on with terror threats every day. So why should America be any different? Is it that if we deal head onwoth terrorism that people think our country would devolve? I don't know the answers but that would be my guess. Ok so we know why the government doesn't always let us in on the secrets, so Noe why doesn't yhe medi always divulge information? More than most people, the media has accesss to information. They don't always share in the wealth of knowledge though. Partly because they can't, either due to national security or other reasons. Do the American people have a right to information though no matter what? Well not always. Besides, a lot of Americans honestly don't care. Ad ling as the war stays where it is, they don't need to know about it. That's sad, but true. Why don't some people care? I mean everyone should, we do have men and women over in the Middle East fighting every day. Is it ignorance? Because it's not here in our own backyard we just don't want to know about it? I believe, and not just I'm a political science major, that every single American should know what is going on in their country. We have so many ways to gain information these days that there is no excuse not to know. So thoughts? Should we as Americans be informed and care about what our nation doing not just abroad but within our own boarders?

Ahmahdinejad's Speech

With the General Assembly in session in New York City nobody is really surprised that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech was riveting and controversial.  From Ahmadinejad saying that capitalism is dying to representatives walking out to Iran's nuclear program, the controversial leader didn't leave much unsaid.

One of the biggest jaw-dropping moments came when President Ahmahdinejad proclaimed that the United States government had had something to do with the September 11th attacks that killed 3,000 people.  He said that some sectors of the government had helped with the plan in order to save the declining economy.  He also claimed that U.S. officials let the attack happen so that they could continue their world domination.  Just to put my opinion in, that's crazy.  Last time I checked imperialism ended a long time ago for America.  And there is no way possible that our high-ranking officials are so corrupt that they would let 3,000 people die just to bring the economy up.  But anyways, President Ahmahdinejad announced that Iran would hold a conference this coming year to study terrorism and find a way to combat it.  One of the topics of this conference will be to investigate who actually organized the September 11th attacks.

Not many representatives stayed, however, to listen to all of President Ahmahdinejad's speech.  Many representatives from various countries, including the United States, walked out of Ahmahdinejad's speech while he was spewing his theories about the September 11th attacks.  Ahmahdinejad expected people to stay and listen to his idiotic ramblings, but yet he has not responded to Western power's invitation to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

In part of his speech Ahmahdinejad did address nuclear programs saying that everyone was entitled to nuclear energy but no one was entitled to have nuclear weapons.  He stated that 2011 should be the year that every country disarms their arsenals.  But yet Iran can't submit to the IAEA?  He claimed that the IAEA has "illegally imposed pressures."  Also in his speech Ahmahdinejad railed on the Western world.  He said that the Western world "destroys 'the purity and exquisiteness' of women."

In the end, Ahmahdinejad held up both the Quran and the Bible and said "We pay respect to both books."
What are your thoughts on President Ahmahdinejad's speech?  Do they pay respect to both books?

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2010/0923/Iran-s-Ahmadinejad-US-used-9-11-to-prolong-world-domination

Were they spies?

Many people remember the situation between Iran and the United States with the three hikers, Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer, and Josh Fattal.  The three friends were hiking in Iraq and supposedly crossed the Iranian border.  The hikers claim they were hiking but that they had no idea that the Iranian border was so close because it was not clearly marked.  They have been held captive by Iran for the past 13 months.  Iran claims that the three are American spies and say that they will face trial for espionage.  However, Iran decided that at the end of Ramadan this year Sarah would be freed and sent back to America.  She had been having some health issues.  The doctors had found a lump in her breast and precancerous cells in her cervix. 
According to Sarah though, she is only one-third home.  Her fiance, Shane Bauer, and their friend, Josh Fattal, are both still in the Iranian prison, Evin Prison.  Sarah is hoping that by her being released she can spread the word of her friends' innocence and try to convince the Iranian government to free her friends.  The Iranian government has requested that the United States now free eight Iranian prisoners who Iran claims were arrested illegally.
The relationship between Iran and the United States is pretty tense right now with all the other issues going on, so it will be interesting to see how the rest of this story plays out.

What do you think?  Were Sarah, Shane, and Josh just innocent Americans trying to go for a hike or were they American spies who got caught?

Pakistan

A couple days ago I found an article that listed the recent missile attacks in Pakistan that are suspected to be by America.  For the month of September they were listed as:

"— Sept. 14: Missiles fired from an unmanned aircraft target a house in the village of Shawal in North Waziristan, a region dominated by the Haqqani network of Islamist militants. Ten alleged militants are killed.

— Sept. 11: Strike kills five associates of warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur in Datta Khel village in North Waziristan.

— Sept. 9: Missiles pound a house close to a disused match factory near Miran Shah in North Waziristan, killing five alleged militants.

— Sept. 8: Three missile strikes target houses, including one owned by Maulvi Azizullah, a member of the Haqqani network, and vehicles in Dande Darpa Khel in North Waziristan, killing 14 alleged militants.

— Sept. 6: Missiles kill three alleged militants in a vehicle in Datta Khel in North Waziristan.

— Sept. 3: Two strikes kill seven alleged insurgents, four of them foreigners, in a house and a vehicle in Datta Khel in North Waziristan.

— Sept. 2: Two airstrikes kill seven people, two believed to be foreign militants, in a house in Datta Khel in North Waziristan."

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/09/14/recent-suspected-missile-strikes-targeting-militants-inside-pakistan/

So, I know that Pakistan is our ally and we aren't supposed to be shooting drones at them, but if their Tribal Areas and some other areas are harboring terrorists, should we fire missiles at them?  If Pakistan really wanted to they could stop us from firing missiles into their country, but they don't.  Some of the terrorists killed in these attacks were part of the Haqqani network, the man who brought suicide bombings to this war.  Should we really feel that bad that they died?  I understand why the Pakistani government is so mum about their involvement with the U.S. government.  So what are your thoughts on the Pakistan situation?

To burn or not to burn?

How a Florida minister got it in his head that it would be a good idea to burn Qurans on the 9th anniversary of September 11th is beyond me.  But that is exactly what Terry Jones and his congregation has planned to do tomorrow evening.  The problem is that according to General David Petraeus and many other international organizations the burning of the Quran could cause widespread retaliation in the Muslim community. 
In the religion of Islam the Quran is considered the holy word of God and is to be treated with the utmost respect.  There are very few reasons why a Quran can be burned or buried and when a person handles the Quran they must be in the right state of mind.
So what could be the consequences of this scheduled burning?  Well according to high-ranking officials U.S. soldiers' lives could become endangered because of the backlash that this event would cause.  Members of the Muslim community have already begun to cry out their outrage over this issue.  Multiple people have warned that this could insight more extreme violence around the world.  Not only that but terrorist organizations could and probably will use this as a recruiting tool.  Our goal in the Middle East is not to wage a war on Islam but to bring peace to the region.  Pissing the Islamic people off by burning their sacred book is not going to help our cause.  Our soldiers are over there right now fighting for us.  They understand the consequences of what could happen because the retaliation would happen to them.  Mr. Jones would still be in Florida all safe and sound and would not even know what problems his actions caused for our men and women fighting.  He says that maybe we should stand up and fight, well what the hell does he think we are doing over there????  He would be just as outraged at the Muslim community is if they all got together and burned his holy book, so why does he think it would be so different if he burned theirs? 
September 11, 2001 was a day that every American will remember.  We lost many many people that day.  Yes it was a terrorist attack and yes they were Muslim, but that does not mean that all Muslims are like that.  Not all Muslims are extremists and as Americans we need to get that in our heads.  It would be like Muslims thinking that all Americans are extremists like Terry Jones down in Florida wanting to burn the Quran.  What's the point?  All it's going to do is anger people more.  We've been fighting too hard and too long to mess things up now.  Let's just all hope that Mr. Jones changes his mind in the next 24 hours.

Trapped

In early August a Chilean mine collapsed.  After 17 days of searching for the missing persons the drillers finally found some luck.  As they pulled the drill back up to the surface they found a note attached to the end of the drill.  It said that all 33 trapped miners were okay.  Joy overwhelmed everybody.  For over two weeks the friends and families of the miners patiently, yet agonizingly, waited to hear whether their loved ones had survived the cave in.  Now that it has been established that the miners are alive, the trick is to keep them that way.  The Chilean miners are trapped about 2,257 feet below the surface and the drills that have been brought in to get them out only drills at about 65 feet a day.  This means that if everything goes as planned and nothing happens to the drill, it will be over a month before the drill even reaches the miners.

The rescuers above have established communication with the trapped miners and have begun supplying them with food, water, and air.  Also, doctors and psychiatrists have been brought to the mine to check and see what kind of condition the miners are in physically and emotionally.  In the mine their was a safety shelter that had a small food supply.  Thankfully the miners were able to reach this food supply, however, there was only supposed to be enough food to last 48 hours and not enough to feed 33 men.  Some how the trapped miners managed to ration the food long enough for rescuers to find them.  So far the psychiatrists say that the miners are doing pretty well considering the circumstances.  They will continue to monitor the miners' conditions throughout the rescue.

The families of the trapped miners were overcome with emotions when communication was established.  The miners have been able to send up notes to their families reassuring them that they are okay.  So far a camera has been sent down to the miners to check on them, but there was no audio.  Both the miners and the families understand that this rescue will take a long time.  It may take till December to get the miners out.  As one miner said in his letter to his wife, hope and faith will get them all thru.

What would you do?  If you or your loved one was trapped and wasn't going to be able to be rescued till almost December, what would you do?

Religious Intolerance?

We've all heard of the Mosque that is being built in New York City by now.  I feel like to talk about it is just prolonging the agrument of whether it should be built or not, but this Mosque has caused huge uprising across the nation so it is something worth discussing.  According to TIME Magazine 61% of the American population oppose the building of this Mosque; 26% favor it and 13% are indecisive.  So the question isn't whether or not Americans oppose the building of the Mosque but why do we oppose it so much?  Some people are saying it's because Americans are religiously intolerant.  Is this true?  Are Americans religiously intolerant?  I don't think that religious intolerance is the case.  In the same article from TIME a specific example was used.  A man named Dr. Mansoor Mirza lives in a nearby town just outside of Oostburg, Wisconsin.  He lives and works there.  Being part of the Muslim community he decided to take a buidling that he already owned, on land that he already owned and turn it into a Mosque for local Muslims to come and practice in.  At first he thought he would have no opposition; however, when the Mosque building application went into the planning committie of the town everyone was outraged and strongly opposed the building of Dr. Mirza's Mosque.  The townspeople said they were opposed because Islam is a religion of violence and hate.  Is Islam a religion of violence and hate?  The majority of Muslims are not.  It is the extremist Muslims that set the reputation for the rest of Muslims around the world.  If Islam is a religion of violence and hate then so must all other religions be based off of violence and hate.  Now, I am a devote Christian so I'm not knocking any religions.  I'm just saying that based on historical context all religions have had violent pasts.  Look up the history of the Catholic Church if you don't belive me.  Americans are so strongly opposed to Islam because it was Muslims who attacked America on Setember 11, 2001 and killed nearly 3,000 of our own people.  So, are we a little upset at Muslims because the Muslims who attacked us on 9/11 were taught to hate America and that's the type of Islam we see?  Well, yeah.  We're mad at Muslims for attacking us on 9/11 just like we made Muslim people mad by attacking Iraq.  If someone attacks your country you are going to be mad at them, it's just that simple.  Are we religiously intolerant because of it?  I don't think most people are.  I think most people are just still extremely upset by what happened on 9/11.  It's coming up on the 9 year anniversary pretty soon and memories are still very fresh in people's minds.  To be honest, I don't think that opposition to this Mosque in New York is because of religious intolerance, I think it's because of the location.  The planned site is two blocks away from Ground Zero.  Most Americans consider Ground Zero sacred ground and by putting a Mosque there it would be a slap in the face to the victims and their families of 9/11.  I was reading a different article a couple a days ago and an example was used that I thought was just brillant.  We would never put a swatiska symbol outside the Holocaust Memorial, so why would we put a Mosque right next to Ground Zero?  If the builders of this Mosque were to move it to a different location then I think the opposition would decease. 

To get back to the story about Dr. Mirza and his Mosque in Wisconsin, he did eventually get to build it.  Shortly after tragedy struck.  A young girl, who was Muslim, disappeared in a local lake.  The community came together and supported the family through everything.  Neighbors even offered up their front yards to morners for prayer.  It's not religious intolerance.  Just like in this example a community came together to be there for each other despite their religious differences.

TIME Magazine, Is America Islamophobic?  August 30, 2010

Beginnings

Hello!  This first post does not have any news articles in it, but I wanted to kind of explain what I'd like to accomplish with this blog.  I am a conservative, just telling you up front; however, I like to know both sides of a news story and compare what they say and their differing viewpoints and then make my own conclusions.  Many people tend to watch or listen to one set station of news and just believe what they are told from that one station.  I must admit that at times I have done this too.  I feel like this is just laziness on peoples' part.  So, with this blog I want to take news stories and compare what the media from both sides of the spectrum (conservative and liberal) and hopefully other outlooks too, have to say about a certain topic.  Please feel free to leave your own comments as I will probably be including my own comments as well.  I hope that this will be a wonderful journey of discovering for not just for myself but for you too!