No Happy Meal

On Thursday federal agents raided 11 McDonald's restaurants in northern Nevada. Why? Well despite what you may think it was not to arrest the Hamburglar. Agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made at least 56 arrests on McDonald's employees who are believed to be illegal immigrants.

Luther Mack, owner of at least some of the restaurants that were raided, insisted that his businesses require employees to provide documentation. So explain the 56 employees who are being accused of being in this country illegally. It's not like this situation is unbelievable.

Supporters of the 56 would say that this whole situation was handled in the wrong fashion. But who really knows how the everything took place? Is the media just building the story up by using the word "raid"? Others say it's wrong to keep men and women from returning home to their children who have no idea where the parents are. I doubt both parents of a child(ren) are being held.

Though America is very serious about who it allows to enter the country, we must also be careful how we handle such a task. I would hope agents of the U.S. Immigration service treat someone who may be here illegally respectively. We don't want these "raids" to become a routine- that would be no happy meal.

Only a Dream?

Two thousand years ago a murderer named Barabbas was sentenced to death by means of crucifixion. It was during the Jewish holiday, Passover, that one prisoner was released by the choosing of the people. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate gave the crowd two men to be chosen for the special release. Barabbas was one, the other was Jesus. The crowd chanted, “Barabbas! Give us Barabbas!” Pilate was shocked to hear that they would choose a murderer over a man who he had found no fault with. But rather deal with the crowd, Pilate freed Barabbas and turned Jesus over to the people to be crucified.

Yesterday, hundreds of protesters joined together in support for six African- American men who have been charged with beating a white peer. However the story goes back to almost a year ago at Jena High School where hangman’s nooses were placed on a tree that was mostly used by Caucasian students. The three white student perpetrators received in-school suspension.

In December 2006 a school fight broke out involving six black students beating white student. According to reports, the young man beaten had been bragging about how one of his attackers had been beaten by a white man the weeks before. The six claim there had been a weeks worth of intimidation led by white students. The six black students were arrested and charged with attempting second-degree murder.

The six young men have been dubbed the “Jena Six” and are currently still being held for the charges against them. So because of the recent news about the six, hundreds of African-Americans protested the young men being held. Protested? A man nearly died and you run out to support the one who gave the beating. Now I’m not defending the white students whose actions are inexcusable, I’m just guessing that since one man came close to death is the reason why six young men are being held.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

So in a situation like this what can you expect to get? Yep, someone goes and pulls out their race card. That’s starting to get really old. People out there are saying this is an attack on black people. Stop looking at it that way! I see it as six men beating another man to death. It shouldn’t matter if their red and yellow, black or white. Sure the guy who beat up one of the six should’ve been punished- I don’t know that he wasn’t or why there hasn’t been any report of his actions- but I’m going to say I find that man’s action equally as offensive as that of the six. It's issues or incidents like this that unfortunately keep people like Al Sharpton in business.

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

The events of 9/11 led to mass racial profiling for people from the Middle East. The Virginia Tech assassin led to few eyes turning on people of Oriental heritage. Hitler murdered Jews. When is this world going to wake up and get through a day without one person accusing another of being racial? If you know your history you know that we all go back to Adam and Eve- though you may not be a believer of Christianity. My point is that we are all one, and if we have to judge someone is needs to be on character or actions, not by skin color. The question is, will we ever make the following hopes come true, or are they only a dream?

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

* Quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Fight They Can Win

Tonight President Bush addressed the country on the subject of America's current role in the War on Terror. But perhaps the main reason for tuning in was to hear the president speak on reducing the numbers of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. 5,700 troops will return home by Christmas time followed by four brigades of at least 21,500 returning in July 2008. Currently there are at least 169,000 soldiers stationed in the Middle East.

"We need a spirit of community, a sense that we are all in this together. If we have no sense of community, the American dream will wither."
- President Bill Clinton

The news of withdrawing troops comes as an answered prayer for many families who have have been waiting for the return of their sons and daughters. Though while this country set out to weaken those who would do us harm, this war has not come without striking up problems in our own backyard. Many people have raised their voices protesting the war, but for reasons of safety for their loved ones who are fighting. While they might blame the government, they need to remember that this war is made up of volunteers. Some of us cannot even begin to imagine what the soldiers are having to endure for us. And that brings us to the question of whether we want to fight the problem there or fight it here.

"A president's hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right."
- President Lyndon B. Johnson

President Bush stated that we must help Iraq to defeat those who threaten their future and threaten ours. He added how we must work to help Iraq maintain its security- for America does not abandon their friends. The president talked about how Iraqi forces are becoming more capable but there is still a great deal to be done.

"All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."
- President John F. Kennedy

We know that this war is far from over and that it will continue into the following presidency, but we hope that there will be a sense of accomplishment. President Bush, "For the safety of future generations we must succeed." Since 9/11 we have hoped to put an end to terrorism and while we can try our best to protect ourselves we can never be fully safe.

"In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest."
- President William McKinely

America has certainly had its share of wars, and none were over in a short period of time. We can't look at this war as bad intentions from the Bush administration, for their goal has been nothing but the preservation and safety of human lives. You may not agree with what is said or decided by the government, its leaders, or even those who might blog their opinions. Leading a country is a great responsibility- so who are we to say that we could do a better job?

"My failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent."
- President Ulysses S. Grant

“…let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”
- President Abraham Lincoln

War of course is nothing grand, and we cry for an end to the blood that is spilled everyday. But we can't abandon those who had our best intentions in mind. So we pray for an end and the safe return of our soldiers. We can not turn against them. They're fighting so that we may never have to see another tragedy like 9/11. It may not be the withdrawal some would have wanted, but a few troops home is better than none at all. As President Bush said in his speech, "It is never too late to support our troops in a fight they can win."

September 11, 2001

It began as just another day in the world. Sure you had your problems here and there but there was nothing like the events that would later unfold. Children were getting on buses to be taken to school. They waved goodbye to their parents; parents waved back. Husbands and wives went their separate ways to work thinking it was just another day.

But then came along this pebble. It's a pebble that shows up in someone’s life every now and than, and its purpose is to send out a ripple effect that’ll send someone in a completely different direction in their life. And on what was supposed to be just another September 11; that pebble struck at the very heart of America.

It has been six years since the 9/11 tragedy. It was on that Tuesday morning the two hijacked airplanes struck the Twin Towers. Another hijacked plane struck the Pentagon; and thanks to the bravery of a few passengers another plane unfortunately crashed into a Pennsylvania field- missing whatever its intended target was.

With every passing anniversary we remember the lives lost. We continue to pray for the families who loss their loved ones. And while many of us did not lose anyone on that day, we all were affected in one way or another. So we pray for the families who continue to grieve on this day of remembrance, and we thank God for another day of life. And we also pray that we will never see another day like September 11, 2001.

Arrested for a-SALT-ing a Police Officer

UNION CITY, Ga -Kendra Bull, a McDonald’s employee, accidentally spilled a rather large amount of salt onto a hamburger she was preparing. The salty meal went to Police Officer Wendell Adams who after eating the sandwich returned claiming it had made him sick.
Kendra was charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct and freed on $1,000 bail. All of this was done because of an over-salted burger. Kendra herself has eaten a burger made the exact same and said the salt had no effect on her.

So here’s her lesson: Not everyone has the same stomach and be careful of what you serve.

Let’s continue.

If you had a highly salted burger would you eat it? If you have a great fondness for salt you probably would, though your physician may frown on that. So why did this officer continue to eat his burger? Well perhaps he ate it all in one bite with his vacuum mouth. Maybe he heard the words of his mother telling him to finish his meal. Or perhaps he just didn’t see all the salt falling from his burger. Whatever the reason might be I think we can file this case under “S” for stupidity.

Like Kendra, we should all pay attention to what we're doing or we could be arrested for a-SALT-ing a police officer.

Goodbye to the Polar Bears

Knut the Polar Bear is counting his blessings these days- he's not living in an environment that you could call a death trap.

According to a recent U.S. Geological Survey, two-thirds of the earth's polar bears could die out by the year 2050. This also includes the entire polar bear population from Alaska. The reason is of course is due to the thinning of sea ice as a result of global warming. Polar bears living on the northern Canadian Arctic islands and the western coast of Greenland are expected to survive until the end of the century. Polar bears have a life span of up to thirty years- so any bears born before 2020 should be safe.

We can't lose the polar bears- their a symbol of winter and a important holiday promotion for Coca-Cola.

It must be too much to ask of scientists to show a little bit of positivity. It's rare that we hear of them pointing out ways to save the planet from its doom. On second thought that isn't entirely true- when not talking about his own life, Al Gore does promote ways of improving the earth's environment.

So according to scientist there is no hope of a change and we should await when everything we know comes to an end for not only ourselves but the polar bears as well. Now I don't believe in this global wipe out- I'm staying positive and believing that we will one day be saved. I may not be an expert in science and now all there is to know- I do know that like some scientists I am capable of pulling ideas out of thin air. Well let's just hope that we won't really be saying goodbye to the polar bears.

Bibliography:

"Most Polar Bears Could Die Out by 2050." MSNBC. 8 Sept. 2007 .

Another iRip-off

It was this past Christmas (2006) that I received my Zune. I spent the day uploading music, pictures, and just admiring what is probably one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. But it's my praise to Microsoft that has other companies looking for new ways to out do each other. Do you need an example of a company? Didn't think so.

Once again in his black shirt and blue jeans, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the new iPod Touch. It's almost identical to the iPhone, which was released in late June, except it lacks the phone function. The new device has WiFi and is capable of surfing the Internet, allowing users to connect to iTunes. Could it get any better? Guess what...it could! When you step into Starbucks to purchase your recently price risen drink, your iPod will tell you what song is playing in the coffee establishment thanks to its Starbucks alert icon. Now that feature could come in handy, or you could do what I do- find a few key words from the song and enter them in Google.

Now if this is the first you've heard of Apple's new little toy you're probably asking yourself how much it costs. Well a 8GB iPod Touch costs $299 and 16GB costs $399. Reasonable...if you have the money to blow on something so outrageous. Microsoft sells their 30 GB Zune for $199.

But remember class; if we've learned anything about Apple, higher prices don't exactly mean fewer sales. We're attracted to style and style equals profit.

For once Apple has done something somewhat sensible depending on your wallet size. They've tweaked the original iPod video, now iPod Classic, and it now goes $249 for 80 GB and $349 160 GB models, and it's a bit thinner than previous models, too.

I will admit it does look great and with that much being said or written, here's another blog addressing another iRip-off.

Somewhere in the Great Blue Yonder

In 1937 Amelia Earhart became lost to the sky. She disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean during an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight. To this day her disappearance remains a mystery. And now seventy years later the search has begun for Steve Fossett.

On September 3, 2007, Fossett’s single-engine plane vanished Monday as he was scouting dry lake beds for an attempt to set a world land speed record. Fossett's emergency locator radio beacon, which is designed to be automatically activated in the event of a crash, has failed to send out a signal. Fossett's plane had enough fuel to last him four to five hours, the search began six hours later.

Fossett didn't make a flight plan nor was he required to do so. Not required? I know airplanes are supposed to be the safest means of transportation, but should private flight patterns really go unrequired?

So what happened? His beacon didn't go off- perhaps it malfunctioned or he didn't crash. Could for some strange reason he be on the run? Maybe he had to make an emergecy landing and is stranded with no way to call for help. Perhaps he got pulled into the Bermuda triangle- but we can rule that theory out for obvious reasons...it's in the Atlantic. Whatever the reason is we can only hope that he hasn't become lost somewhere in the great blue yonder.