It's Your Character Rev. Wright

Now Rev. Jeremiah Wright isn’t running for president, but with the amount of media coverage he gets you would think he was. After being dropped by Sen. Obama, and retiring from his church, Rev. Wright has stepped back into the spotlight this time saying that criticism surrounding his fiery sermons is an attack on the black church. No, I don’t think so. Any criticism you’re receiving is because you’re an idiot. Sure you’re entitled to your opinion, but you were saying that the government was responsible for 9/11.

Because of the controversy Wright has rejected those who have labeled him unpatriotic. "I served six years in the military, does that make me patriotic? How many years did (Vice President Dick) Cheney serve?" Wright went on about the good deeds and community service done by his church. Alright, that’s great; I don’t think anyone is knocking that. The only thing I think anyone has an issue with are the fiery words that came out of Wright’s mouth. Wright also added that church and family members have served in the military, fighting in areas like Afghanistan and Iraq, though he added their being sent over a lie.

Alright fine, let’s say we got it wrong; there were no weapons of mass destruction, we made a huge mistake. But, the minds and hands capable of causing the destruction of 9/11 are still over there. As much as we want the war to end, it’s being fought to keep everyone here in America safe. So yes brings the troops home, but if we’ve made a mistake in being over there, let’s no leave without cleaning up the mess. We can’t fix the evil in the world, we can’t rid the world of war and terrorism, and America can’t go and try to fix the problems of the world. But perhaps we can try to say that we had the safety of others in mind.

So fine Rev. Wright, say what you will. America isn’t perfect, it can’t be perfect, and I know that. But don’t make this about race. That shouldn’t be an issue anymore. It shouldn’t be the card dealt when someone receives criticism. Dr. King said, “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.” I think we’re there, so it’s not the color of your skin, it's your character Rev. Wright.

What Would Hannah Montana Do?

She may have the “Best of Both Worlds”, but Miley Cyrus is receiving some unwanted attention, and this time she’s embarrassed. The 15-year-old teen queen posed for Vanity Fair. In one image she is shown looking over her shoulder with her back exposed while holding a bedsheet. “I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed,” said Cyrus. Oh, well that makes sense; she thought it was just tasteful art.

Miley had both her parents on set, and they all saw the image and thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait. “I think it's really artsy," she told the magazine at the time. "It wasn't in a skanky way. Annie (the photographer/artist) took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool. That's what she wanted me to do, and you can't say no to Annie.” Hmmm, can’t say no?

So why the change? Well it’s probably because of the questionable images of her that surfaced last week. And “if” that’s the case, would she have a problem with the photos if her racy ones hadn’t been revealed? “I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.” And yes, what about that fans? What will the fans think? What will their parents think? What does Disney think? You know this is starting to become a habit with Disney/Nickelodeon stars making poor choices. Oh Miley, why didn’t you stop and think? You should’ve asked yourself, “what would Hannah Montana do?”

Leading the Sheep Astray?

It's no secret that Pope Benedict XVI is in the United States of America, his first visit since becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church. Today Benedict met with President George W. Bush on the White House lawns for a celebration held in his honor. Spending his 81st birthday today in America comes as somewhat of a gift for the pontiff, for he is here to help nurture and re-ignite the faith in the Catholics of America. Saying to the audience in attendance at the White House, ""I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the church in the United States and strengthens the resolve of Catholics to contribute even more responsibly to the life of this nation of which they are proud to be citizens."

While continuing my research on Pope Benedict's visit, I came across the following statement made by President Bush, "In a world where some treat life as something to be debased and discarded, we need your message that all human life is sacred and that each of us is willed, each of us is loved, and each of us is necessary."

Wait sorry, his message? You mean we need the pope to help us feel better about ourselves, or to help renew our faith? Now I'm not Catholic but I don't think anyone needs the pope to blow his little horn of positive thinking, or his message of love to help them realize what is needed in a world full of evil. To me the pope's like Al Gore, receiving honor for something he didn't do- I'm surprised he hasn't been given the Noble Peace Prize yet. Now correct me if I was wrong but wasn't the main reason the pilgrims came to this land for religious freedom? Sure we have freedom of religion, but it certainly seems that the president is speaking on behalf of the entire of nation in accepting the "words" of Pope Benedict.

Now you might be wondering how I can write such things when I'm not Catholic, and how this post doesn't seem to be leaning towards neutral thinking, but I'm going to pull a Dick Cheney here and say, "so?" Sure I can here my pastors preach and thank them for their message, but I know that their message isn't their's but God's. Yes the pope can bring a message of love and speak of renewal in faith, but it doesn't take the pope, it shouldn't take the pope to bring one to God, but it seems to me that that is what's happening. Where does Jesus say in the Bible that man must go through man in order to connect with God. Yes the disciples of Christ, or missionaries in today's world have gone out and helped bring others to God, but I don't think their saying, "to get to God you must go through me." I don't go to my pastor and ask them for them to forgive me on behalf of God. And where do those who are elected to become head of the "universal" church get the right to have such authority? Faith is the most powerful thing one can control but the only one can control's one's faith- only you can be in charge of what you believe.

When the pope's six-day visit is over, he'll board Shepard One, and fly back to Rome. So I can't help but leave you with this question for you to provide your own answer too, is the pope leading the sheep astray?

Message in a Bottle

Whether you're at work, the gym, or your geometry class, you're likely to have a water bottle at your side. So what could cause me to write post a post on water bottles? Well it's because scientists have started to question whether plastic bottles might actually be harmful to our health.

Apparently a lot of reusable plastic bottles contain a chemical known as Bisphenol A. It's said that the effects are primary reproductive and fertility effects in both male and female organisms. It's also possible that this chemical can increase your chances of breast and prostate cancer.

Now you might be looking at your bottle and thinking of hurling the thing into the trash, makes sense, but the Federal Food and Drug Administration and the plastics industry agree with scientists, when they say that the chemical leaches out at such low levels that it is safe. Ok, but still, if it's "supposedly" safe then why go and announce a concern to the public? Well I'm sure it's because there's a concern and we have a right to know the possible risks to our health. And to know if your bottle is safe or not- bottles containing the number 3, 6 or 7 have the potential to release the chemical. And if there is a risk, I don't know why the government is taking its time to release a large-scale study about the plastic bottles after animal tests showed that Bisphenol A affects hormones. And what I find somewhat humourous is that the government is working on a large-scale study, though we're only going to care about a paragraph's worth of information. But sure go ahead take your time, I mean afterall it's just my life and every other person who has one of these bottles. But I still don't get these yes, no, maybe so risks. Are we seriously talking cancer or people having babys that look like puppies or Michael Jackson? Well whatever the case may be this is certainly not the most positive message in a bottle.

Stay Neutral

So yesterday, April 13, marked the one-year anniversary since I started the Neutral Zone. I find it somewhat of a big deal, mostly because I wasn't sure I would remain faithful to it, after all there is a two month gap between my first and second post. The whole point of starting the blog was to try and offer a view where people see things eye to eye. Amongst the 70+ posts we have the entertaining, the sad, the serious, and the just plain weird. Plus one of my greatest achievements I think is the creation of my other blog, the Long Haul, a spin-off as I see it.

Having been blogging for the past year, I look back on the posts and notice a lack of comments. I encourage my two readers, or possibly more, to tell me what they think, share their views, and maybe just maybe we can work to agree on things in the world and not be at each other's throats.

With a second year of blogging having begun, I hope to continue to inject some good or at least some reason into the thoughts and opinions of the world's stories. So to my readers I say to remember to stay neutral.

Why Now and Not Then?

This week we've listened to the hearings of General David Petraeus, we've looked for the signs of Beyonce's wedding, and we might just be wondering how much longer Katie Couric will remain with CBS News. But perhaps the second biggest story this week has been the mystery and horror that has come from the YFZ (Yearning for Zion) Ranch.

The compound lies just outside of Eldorado in Southwest Texas, and it is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Members of the FLDS Church left their previous locations to escape increasing scrutiny from the media, anti-polygamy activists and law enforcement officials. It was in 2004 when William Benjamin Johnson, who was fined for hunting without a license, purchased the property, insisting later that the buildings that had been constructed were part of a corporate hunting retreat. The story was a lie, the buildings were part of the FLDS church's new compound. Now what's the problem? Well members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints no longer practice plural marriages or polygamy, this is where the formation of the Fundamentalists in the 1930's comes in. And now begins a story for Dateline.

A week ago a sixteen year old girl called authorities saying she was a victim of physical and sexual abuse, abuse she had received from her 50-year-old husband. The girl had a child with the man, with the child being born just eight months ago, and the girl feared she was pregnant again. As of April 8, as many as 533 women and children had been removed from the compound by authorities. 416 children (both boys and girls) have been placed in state custody because authorities believed they "had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse," a state spokesman said. But there is no knowledge of the whereabouts of the girl who called.

If you've seen the images of the women and children, you know they look very conservative. The women are forbidden to wear makeup, pants or any skirt above the knees or to cut their hair. Wearing homemade outfits, the women look as if they've walked out of the late 1800s. And the world they know is far from ours, though we're not entirely sure what they do know- but it's probably very minimal. For example, I heard the children were handed crayons and they had no idea what to do with them.

While watching this story unfold on the news, I heard one woman say it was the government going against religion. What religion allows men to take on more than one wife? Yes it's not unheard of, just watch Big Love, but this is more for the sick pleasure of the men. For the past couple of years the "officials" of the church have lowered the bar on when a man could take a girl for a wife. The permitted number being allowed has gone as low as 13. And speaking of the leaders of the group, the FLDS Church President Warren Jeffs was arrested in 2006 and is being held on rape charges. Hello! Wake up America, shouldn't something have been done two years ago? Shouldn't something have been done decades ago? And now we have women who have escaped compounds like this one coming forward with what darkness lay on the property. It's almost as if the word "escape" wasn't a good enough reason to have taken action years ago.

It would seem associating itself with the church helps to try and cast a positive outlook, but I look at the temple and it looks like an outpost for Hell- it's a sanctuary for pedophiles. And why is it that the authorities had to wait to make their move now when they have been well aware of what's been going on for several years, especially when they've supposedly had an officer on the inside?! If it wasn't for the caller how much longer would the suffering have gone on? So I guess my real question is why now and not then?

In the Eyes of Dick Cheney

The quirks or accidents of Vice-President Dick Cheney include that occasional growling smile of his, the impression he doesn't care what Americans think about the stay in Iraq, and the famous but accidental shooting incendent. But now the 67 year-old vice-president is fallung under suspision for this photo.

What is it? Nobody really knows, at least nobody but Dick Cheney and the White House. While Mr. Cheney states it to be a friend holding a fishing rod, many online speculators believe it to be a naked woman. Now that of course is just one idea, I think it looks like a deer, or perhaps Chuck E. Cheese came to pay Cheney a visit. Or perhaps it's proof that the government is working with aliens. Perhaps they have some sort of secret base in Cheyyenne Mountain in Colorado. Oh the specualtion! What ever it is that brought a smile to the vice-presidents face remains a mystery. A mystery that lies in the eyes of Dick Cheney.

In the Minds of Nine Third-Graders

An apple might be the first thing you'd expect a student to give his or her teacher, but for nine third-graders this was for from the case. It's probably the last thing you expected to hear about this week, third-graders plotting to stab their teacher. Taking place at Center Elementary School, in Waycross, GA, nine third-graders plotted to stab their teacher who they were angry with after she disciplined one of the students for standing on a chair. The students brought a crystal paperweight, to knock the teacher out, steel handcuffs, and a steal knife with a broken handle. Though only three students are facing juvenile charges, the other six played had roles as look-out and clean-up.

Now I've read that psychiatry experts doubt that the students would've gone through with the plan or feel they wouldn't have been able to succeed. Ok...but when you're one person (adult) going up against nine third-graders between the ages of 8-10, there's still a good chance damage could've been done. The students have been suspended which could be prolonged, and some of the students may face expulsion.

So what now? Does this mean security is going to have to be beefed up at elementary schools? Will school faculty members have to look over their shoulders every time they have to discipline a child? Probably not, but I think some students need to be talked to about the reasons for discipline and how it isn't anything personal. Let us also be thankful this story didn't go a completely different way. But I'm afraid we're left with wondering just what on earth was going on in the minds of nine third-graders.

Sen. Clinton, Really?

Sen. Hillary Clinton, you decided that when speaking on the issue of Foreign Policy you would refer to your trip to Bosnia as the First Lady where you landed under sniper attack, though no actual attack ever took place. Really?

And you shrugged the fictional story off, calling it a "misstatement" and a "minor blip." Really? Do you know what the definition of “blip” is? It means something relatively small or inconsequential within a larger context. So a blip would be saying you were under fire attack in Afghanistan and not in Bosnia.

Did you also not remember that the story you were telling never happened the three times you repeated it? Really?

And I'm also guessing you didn’t happen to remember the lack of gunfire at the airbase or at any of the airports you had ever visited?

During your “misstatement” you said there was supposed to be a greeting ceremony upon your arrival. You said as if it didn’t occur when in fact in was the one thing that did. Really? You didn’t remember the little girl who read you a poem? The same little girl you hugged between your airplane and your motorcade. Not to mention the fact that no one, not even your own daughter remember ever being under attack. Really?

And finally, you say it was sleep deprivation that caused you to come up with this wild tale. Really? And you say that you’re ready to answer the phone at 3 A.M. to protect this country. Really? Does this include looking under all closets and beds for monsters or the boogeyman? Really Sen. Clinton, really?