Capital Punishment

Something tragic just happened in Florida. During a family celebration on Thanksgiving, a man shot his twin sisters, aunt, and 6-year-old cousin to death. This is obviously not the first time that something like this has happened, and it is not a pleasant thing to think about. But after I hear about these events occurring time and time again, I think about the appropriate consequences of these evil deeds. Should there be a death penalty?

Personally, I believe that there should be a death penalty. Well, it should only be used for very SERIOUS crimes–which would involve the death of at least 1 person–and there must be absolute 100% evidence that the criminal is guilty. This "absolute evidence" would entitle the use of DNA, fingerprinting, video cameras, witnesses, etc.

Let's look at Saddam Hussein. The man killed his entire soccer team for losing. He put his own people into plastic shredders. He ended up killing a grand total of approximately 200,000 of his own people. Now, this man is the definition of evil. As we probably all know, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by the Iraqi court. I personally think that the death penalty in this case is well deserved, but some people disagree with me. I mean, after Hussein committed all of those evil crimes, why should we have to pay for his cable TV in prison? Why should we have to pay for the many meals he will be eating in prison? It just doesn't make sense to me. For one, I think that if you are truly as evil as Hussein you don't deserve to live. And even if you were to live, you shouldn't be given such luxuries as cable television.

What do you think?

Thanksgiving

As we all know, Thanksgiving is coming up relatively soon. Many people prefer to spend Thanksgiving with their friends and loved ones and stuff their faces with delicious food. In the spirit of the holiday, I read a poem about Thanksgiving written by Joanna Fuchs:

Thanksgiving Feasting

When the Halloween pumpkins are gone,
And the leaves have all fallen to ground,
When the air has turned windy and cold,
Then Thanksgiving will soon be around.

Thoughts of loved ones all feasting together,
Pleasant pictures from past times appear
To dwell in each heart and each mind--
Then Thanksgiving is finally here!

The kitchen has scrumptious aromas,
The dining room looks oh, so fine,
Decorations with pilgrims and turkeys,
And now we are ready to dine!

First the napkins are placed on our laps;
Now the prayer for the meal to be blessed,
Then we stuff the good food in our tummies,
And we hope for it all to digest!
By Joanna Fuchs


This poem got me thinking: Why shouldn't every night be a "Thanksgiving"? I mean, we obviously don't have to eat turkey every night, but why is it just once a year that we really show gratitude for everything that we have? Especially around here, we are very lucky and have many privileges that others do not. Although I really enjoy the food eaten on Thanksgiving, I believe that being thankful should be emphasized more than just once a year. One might even argue that you should be thankful for being born because the chances of life are so small. Anyway, the poem also got me thinking that possibly nowadays Thanksgiving's whole meaning (getting people to be thankful) has disappeared and that people only like the holiday for the food. My personal opinion is that being thankful is more important than the food, but obviously not everyone agrees.

What do you think?

Friday the 13th

Many people think that Friday the 13th of any month is an unlucky day. If this is the case, then 2009 has really been an unlucky year; we have had 3 Friday the 13ths (one of which is today!), and this only happens every 11 years apparently. An article about this topic entitled "Friday the 13th: Your Luck Is About to Change" grabbed my attention.

America has a tremendous fear of the number 13. In fact, in many buildings, apartments, hospitals, etc., there is no floor 13! It simply goes from floor 12 to 14. How strange is that? I personally think that's an embarrassment; this superstition needs to stop! Many historical figures have also had an unusual fear of the number 13. FDR, for instance, never traveled on the 13th day of any month and never hosted a dinner party with 13 guests.

This belief (that numbers are connected to life and the physical world) is called numerology. It has had quite  a history, and now it is considered a para-science, just like astrology (don't even get me started on how much I hate astrology!). According to professional numerologist Sonia Ducie, "Numerology can 'make sense' of an individual's life...by recognizing which number cycle they are in, and by giving them clarity."

There's one little tiny issue here (which is why mathematicians dismiss numerology): THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PROOF OR SCIENTIFIC MERIT!!!!!!!!!!!! According to astrophysicist Mario Lirio, "Seemingly coincidental connections between numbers will always appear if you look hard enough." This is why I am so annoyed by things like numerology and astrology; they aren't real! I wouldn't mind if this stuff were made illegal, personally, because I really think that people need to accept the fact that this stuff is a load of junk and should be spending their time worrying about reality.

What do you think?

Sarah Palin & The 2008 Election

Approximately a year ago from now, we found out that McCain/Palin lost the 2008 election. Did you listen to McCain's concession speech? Well, if you did, you'll notice that it was pretty clear that Sarah Palin was standing near John McCain on the stage, but she did not say one word. Instead, McCain recited the entire speech himself.

I watched a 2-minute clip relating to this subject, and I found out that Sarah Palin actually wanted to speak. According to this video (taken from ABC News), in Palin's concession speech she would "praise" John McCain as a hero and explain how she believes that our country will do just fine under Barack Obama's presidency.

You're probably wondering, "Why couldn't Palin deliver her speech if she wanted to?" And the answer that the video presents is: the McCain Administration didn't trust her. No specifics as to why or how they didn't trust her were mentioned; maybe they thought she would mess up, were angry at her, etc. If Palin had something nice to say, I don't understand why they wouldn't let her speak. I think that it is unfair that she didn't get her voice heard. Don't get me wrong - McCain should have definitely delivered his wonderful speech - but Palin should have been given the right to speak as well. After all, she would have been our nation's Vice President, a very important role in our nation. Plus, many Republicans support Palin and think that she has future potential in the Republican Party. And if you think about it, between McCain and Palin, Palin is the real Conservative - McCain is only a Moderate Republican.

What do you think? Why didn't the McCain Administration want Palin to speak? In your opinion, should she have been given the right to speak?