Dark Knight

I just got back from watching the highly anticipated sequel to Batman Returns titled Dark Knight. I'm going to set aside the Heath Ledger comments for now because that seems to be all that anyone is talking about right now. Wow, where to begin. I feel as though I had just finished watching a rarity in American cinema. Not only was this film extremely rewarding, it was also very well done. It broke off from what viewers typically expect from an action/hero film.

The one thing that stands out about this movie was Christian Bale's noticeable size difference. One recommendation for Mr. Bale in the future: don't act in a role as demanding as The Machinist if you're planning on doing an action film following that. In Batman Begins, Bale is very large and tone. In Dark Knight, Bale has a more frail appearance. I don't know if this was Chistopher Nolan's intention, but Christian Bale's performance was actually quite grounded. Dark Knight focuses a lot more on Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, and Gary Oldman's roles. As hard as it is for me to say this, I really wasn't feeling an on screen presence from Maggie Gyllenhaal.

As for the action, I was actually expecting a lot more action. Don't get me wrong, the action scenes were plentiful, but I was expecting much more.

All of the characters really developed themselves and came into their own. I can't do this for much longer, I need to talk about Heath Ledger.

If you put me down to watch Dark Knight I couldn't tell you who was playing the Joker. Heath Ledger was that good. He was creepy, funny, and as convincing as you'll ever see someone play a character. From the very beginning you knew that the Joker was the worst kind of criminal you could ever deal with. I've got to get to bed, but this movie was great and was worth the lack of sleep that I'll have tonight. Cheers!

Poor Grammar

If there is one thing that upsets me about American society today, it's how poor we have become in regards to our own written and spoken language. There is one word that is constantly spelled incorrectly and can alter the entire meaning of a particular sentence or paragraph. Of course the reader can distinguish the correct version based on reading experience, but the writer needs to be held accountable for not knowing their own language.

The words that I'm specifically talking about are "your" and "you're". If you don't understand what each word means and what context it is used, I suggest you start reading more. I see it all of the time in text messages, emails, blogs, etc. A recent study on CNN stated that incorrect spellings and grammar in text messages, emails, and on blogs doesn't not transpose or reflect a person's actual ability, or inability, to spell or how intelligent they are. I don't believe this...not in the least bit. I have seen it and I know many of you have seen it...our country has embraced ignorance.

If you truly don't care whether your grammar is accurate or not, you have done more than disappoint me. Your actions reflect upon your teachers, your parents, yourself, your loved ones, and most importantly American society. How is the rest of the world supposed to respect us and take us seriosly when our own citizens misspell words and use incorrect grammar? When we pay more attention to blonde airheads in Hollywood than to our own Executive Branch of government? It sickens me to even be associated with people who are "fine" or "cool" with being ignorant. If you think that spelling and grammar are small problems you're gravely mistaken.

When you drive down the road you might see signs for businesses and certain advertisers. The replacement of the letter "s" by the letter "z" is one of the worst examples in recent times (Good Times VS Good TIMEZ). We are setting poor examples to young, vulnerable children that misspelling words is not only cool, but lucrative as well. It has a much bigger impact than you may possibly fathom.

I was playing basketball with this young 18, 19 year old kid. He had a tattoo that immediately grabbed my attention. I asked him, "What's Geto? Is that a name of a lost friend or something"?
He responded, "What? Hell nah man! Do you know how to spell"?
I then asked him, "What does it mean"?
"You can't read? It says geto (ghetto)," he snapped back.
"Well, if that's what it's supposed to say, it doesn't. It's spelled wrong. Ghetto has an "H" after the "G"".
He responded, "No it doesn't. Hey, Darrell! Come over here! This guy thinks that my tat is spelled wrong. Tell me, what does that say"? as he points to his tattoo.
"It says GHETTO baby! Hell yeah! What? This dude can't read"? laughed Darrell.
I looked for someone who appeared to have a brain and I asked them to read it aloud for me. It was some guy from the exercise bikes and he read it like I did, "Geto? What the hell is a GETO"?
"Wait, what? Are you guys sure"? he said.
"Yeah man. I'm sorry bro, but your tattoo is spelled wrong. Wow. You paid for that"? I asked.
"Yeah, I did. I told him to write GHETTO on my arm and told him what style of lettering to use. Damn man. Are you sure it's spelled wrong"? he asked.
"Yeah man. Sorry," I responded.

You see what I mean? I was ridiculed and laughed at because I knew the actual spelling of a very simple word and this guy didn't. Why do we ridicule intelligence and embrace stupidity? Some of you might say that this is not a real problem and that I shouldn't worry. I'm sorry, but I disagree. For as advanced as we are for a country, we have failed to properly and accurately educate ourselves. Knowledge and information is everywhere. It is available to almost every person in the United States; there is no excuse for lack of an educated citizenry.

As Americans, we need to quit making excuses for mistakes and shortcomings and we need to man up. Admit fault and correct that fault so that it doesn't happen again. We need to correct each other irregardless of how it makes the other person feel. They'll be a better person for it, trust me. Stop ignoring problems simply to "be nice". If you care about this country and the people living here, you need to encourage people to take responsibility for their actions. Ignorance is not bliss; it is the failure as a society to properly educate one another. If you care about this country as much as I do you'll decide to take action. Being indifferent merely adds to the problem.

Matt Fyalka

Matthew Paul Fyalka Dec. 14, 1979-July 13, 2008 Matt, Matthew, Maneuw: Our Love, son, brother, nephew, cousin and friend. Today, we lost his smile, his wit, his laughter, his love. July 13, 2008: Matt was tragically lost to an automobile accident, leaving one of his elk scouting spots. Matt Fyalka was undoubtedly connected to the outdoors. He was a bit of a Fir, a moment at sunrise and the call of anything wild, including himself. He will live on through memories: a "Grizzly" hug, an "Avalanche" grin, laughter that rolled over rocks like his waded rivers, a mountainous heart that encompassed us all. Matthew will forever reflect in the majesty that surrounds us. Matt echoes in mountains, bugles with elk, glances in silver rivers, stops our ears with rain (like his wet-willies), dusts our face with snow. Matt will whisper each morning an affirmation: "Live it, Love it, Share it.", and we will continue one We will miss you, Buddy. Matt is survived by his "hero": father, Paul Fyalka; his step-mother, Sharon Fyalka; his mother: Robin Fink; his Love: Jenn Strickling; his brother: Jacob Fyalka; his sister: Tashia Heckard; his grandparents: Robert and Elaine Fyalka; maternal grandmother: Ann White, uncles, aunties, a herd of cousins, friends, and his dog: Trigger. Please, join us in a celebration of his life: Memorial Reception- Date: Saturday, July 19th, 2008 at 2:00 PM Location: 8111 Waller Rd.


This has been an ongoing trend for many young men from Puyallup schools in my age range. I remember the first time that a fellow student passed away that I personally knew. His name was Kevin Jackowski and he and I were always cool with each other. We were both in choir and, sadly, made fun of the same people. I still remember how the entire event played out as if it happened yesterday. Our teacher stepped into class and looked at all of us for about 15 seconds in total and complete silence. "Class, I have something very important to say to you. Our fellow classmate and friend, Kevin Jackowski, died in a tragic car accident over the weekend. If any of you need help in grieving, the school counselor has set aside additional time to help many of you during this difficult process. We should all remember Kevin and pray for his family". For the first time in my life someone I knew had died. It wasn't a grandparent, one of my parents, or even one of my close family members. This was a young man, much like myself at that time. It was at that time that I remember understanding how truly delicate our life really is and how quickly it can be taken away from us. From what we all knew, Kevin was in the back of a truck bed when it rolled over, thus crushing him. I don't know if this is actually what happened, but I never doubted it until I experienced another loss later in my high school years.
In the 8th grade, it happened again. I had a young man in my history class whom I joked around with and discussed music and girls from time to time. His name was Jessie Smith. He was fairly tall and was built like a football player. He and I were on the 7th and 8th grade football teams at Aylen Junior High. When I think of Jessie, I always remember his braces when he smiled. He was, from my recollection, a well mannered young man with a good head on his shoulders. However, I, like most people at school, were way off in our judgment of Jessie. I came to school one day and I was suddenly approached by my group of friends asking me if I had heard about Jessie Smith. I told them that I hadn't heard anything and to tell me because I knew it was killing them to tell me. "Jessie killed himself last night. Apparently shot himself in the head". At that very moment, I learned that not only were young men like me vulnerable to death by auto accidents, but by fragile emotional states as well. Nobody, including me, ever saw how truly sad Jessie was and how much he had going on in his personal life. The only thing that I remember about Jessie is that he was having a hard time dealing with his Dad either dying or actually being dead. I'm not 100% sure on which one that it was, but I'm more certain that it was about his Dad who was dying of cancer. Jessie Smith, a young and vibrant young man had taken his own life for reasons that many of us didn't understand and will probably never understand. Jessie's suicide took place right after I had fully recovered from Kurt Cobain's suicide in 1994. The day that I heard about Kurt dying was one of the worst days of my life. I mourned his death for nearly a year. I was fairly advanced when it came to music. I started listening to music from the older kids' generation starting in the 6th grade beginning with the Beastie Boys and Duran Duran. How many 6th graders do you know who even know who Duran Duran are? My Dad noticed how much stress I was going through and how depressed I had become because of Kurt's untimely death. I remember him telling me how pathetic of a man Kurt was for being greedy and taking his own life. He told me that he should have considered how his fans, especially the younger ones like me, would take his death. I remember a lot of memories from that period of my life, but from what my Mom has told me, I struggled quite heavily after Kurt's death.

By the time I had finished junior high, I had personally known 2 kids that had passed away. However, there were many, many more to come during my time at Puyallup High School.

The death that stands out the most to me during my days in high school are Aaron Duscharme and Justin Martinson. Justin was a close, personal friend of mine and we spent the night at each others houses and with mutual friends. He and my friend Travis were really into BMX racing and that is how we met. It was at one of the many sleep-overs that we had at Travis' house during 8th and 9th grade. Of course, many of us, including me, would make an extra effort to encourage Travis' younger sister to have a sleep-over the same night as we had ours. There were so many nights where we had pillow fights, hot tub conversations, and camping trips. Man, I still remember those days quite vividly.
Funny side story: I used to ride my bike over to Travis' house in the morning so that we could ride to school together. One morning, he was late getting ready. I told him that I had left a video game upstairs and that I was going to go grab it. In reality, I knew that his sister was in the shower and her room was right next to his. Well, my one and only attempt as a "peeping Tom" worked. I had strategically placed myself behind his door that had an angle that I could see into her room as well. I stood there refusing to breathe and she walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. I remember her taking off the towel and standing there...naked. There has never been a "peeping Tom" experience better than the one that I was currently experiencing. To this day, not Travis or his sister know that I had done what I did. Do I regret it? Maybe. I, mean, what can I say? I was 13 or 14 and had raging hormones.
Back to the Justin story. I remember playing basketball and video games with Justin at his house which was about 2 or 3 blocks from Puyallup High School. I remember meeting his Dad, who was injured during the Vietnam War and was paralyzed from the waist down. He was the most motivated person I have ever met. Despite his physical setbacks, he excelled in wheelchair athletics and has several gold medals from the handicapped Olympics. In fact, he was the one who invented skies for people in wheelchairs and received a large chunk of money for his patent.
I remember his older brother and how much he looked like Justin. I think I met his sister once, too, but I'm unsure where or when that occurred. Justin's Mom, from my recollection, had either divorced his Dad or had passed away. All I know is that his Mom was never around and his Dad was single.
I saw Justin all throughout high school and we hung out less and less as time progressed. People fall into certain social groups and get separated by hobbies and music tastes. I fell into the jock scene, listened to hip-hop, and attracted a small portion of females. Justin, however, was still in the alternative music scene, rode his BMX and skateboard often, and attracted far more females than I. The last memory that I have of Justin was while I was working at Toys R Us. He came in and recognized me right away. I ran up to him, gave him some old school love, and gave him a hug. We talked about how our lives were, how our lives were after graduating from high school, and what we planned on doing with the rest of our lives. His hair had gotten much longer than what I remember it being and he was there getting something childish to play with. As he left, I waved to him not knowing that that was the last that I would ever see Justin alive. Shortly after that, Justin died in a car crash. I was told us that he had ran into a tree going roughly 70 mph. I was heartbroken and our little group of friends that had since grew apart, were once again brought together by the loss of one of our friends. It wasn't until I worked the night-shift at Tacoma General Hospital in the morgue that I found out the truth behind Justin's untimely death. I won't elaborate on it, but I cried for hours upon hours after reading what I wasn't supposed to be reading. I'll miss you Justin and every one of your chuckles and smiles that are engraved in my memory forever. I still regret reading the truth about his death, but at the same time, I'm glad I did read it.

The funniest thing that I remember about playing football was what Aaron Ducharme did to me. We were watching scrimmage footage that my (still) good friend David was filming for his 9th grade project. Aaron got the ball on a sweep and I was the pursuing linebacker coming in for a mid-level tackle. Aaron reached his hand out, grabbed my facemask, and threw me to the ground. The entire team laughed at the footage and I remember coach telling Aaron, "Man, that's funny as hell. But Aaron, you can't do that. It's a penalty. Poor Matt over there got to experience one of the easiest penalties to avoid. Aaron, from now on, be nice to Matt". He turned around and smiled at me so as to say, "Sorry man, but that was funny as hell". I had the Rudy reputation on that team because, although I was built like a football player, I was really short. Aaron always hung out with his fullback, Derek Keough. They were always cool with me, but never with the people that I hung around with...particularly Scott Maib.

I came home on March 9th, 1998 telling my Mom about a fight that was about to take place downtown and how much I wanted to go. The fight, as it went, was between the "skaters" and the "gangsters". My friend James wanted to go down there and help out the "gangsters" because James had and still has, to some degree, an anti-white complex. My Mom became worried and told neither of us to go and ran us down to rent a movie to keep us occupied.

The next day, all hell broke loose. The second I walked onto campus, there were news crews all over the campus. Not knowing what happened, I refused to discuss anything with any of the news crews. My friend James walked up to me and told me that Aaron had died last night during the fight that we both wanted to go watch. Apparently, a friend of mine for a number of years, Jeffrey Pennick, got into a fist fight with Aaron in a parking lot. Each person had roughly 5 or 6 friends each behind them cheering them on. What Aaron and everyone else didn't know was that Jeff had something up his sleeve...literally. While fighting, Jeff had pulled out a knife and had stabbed Aaron over 18 times in the face, head, and neck. Aaron shortly after and Jeff received 23 years in prison for his crime. I always hung out with Jeff and I had to witness a friend of mine being taken away to prison.

Jeff and I first met in 5th grade shortly after he arrived in Puyallup. I went over to my friend Shawna Needham's place to hang out with her and her brother Ryan. When I showed up, there was a black kid there. Now, you have to understand how rare black people were in Puyallup in the 90s. We started talking and Jeff managed to talk how great of a fighter he was. I called him out on it and we ended up fighting, with boxing gloves on, in Ryan's front yard.

I ended up having 5th and 6th grade with Jeff. In 5th grade, we had some beef. We would always play each other at basketball and challenge each other. One day, things reached a boiling point. Jeff was unable to play basketball because he has broken his hand/wrist a few weeks ago after a bike accident. Something happened and words were exchanged between he and I. I ended up calling him a "pussy". Jeff immediately got into my face and we both glared at each other for about 15 seconds. He then stepped back and hit me with his casted hand. After getting hit, I just glared at him until it was time to go into class. I didn't say a word to anyone for the rest of the day. After class, Jeff walked up to me in the hall and apologized for hitting me. I told him that I was sorry for calling him a "pussy" and we shook hands and hugged. After that, we were pretty close friends.

We hung out quite often and I started to get in my "I'm white, but I feel black phase" of my life. We would hang out, listen to gangsta rap, and chill. In 6th grade, he and I were voted "class clowns" and there was a picture of him laughing and me hanging upside down on a chain-link fence making a hand sign that had grown to become a class joke...the Jason Kidd triangle. I made the sign and made the goofy noise during the picture. Jeff had the biggest laugh on his face and that is the way that I will always remember Jeff. Even after he brutally stabbed Aaron, I only remember his softer, funny side.

Aaron was a huge loss to our school and put our school into the spotlight. During my senior year, we had news crews on campus for roughly 2 weeks during what was called the "race case". Because of the low number of black kids at Puyallup High School, many of them felt singled out and not taken seriously. A few things happened and the Thomas family ended up suing the school district for $6 million dollars...which they ended up winning after a year or so of deliberation.

After high school, many more of my fellow Puyallup High School alums came to pass away: Billy Stocking, Brandon Sensky, Derek Keough, Jake McQuade, and Matt Fyalka.

I remember having a few classes with Matt Fyalka because he had to finish a few more classes in order to graduate, but not because he was a bad student. He was involved in another auto accident that had killed a couple of people and the others had a long road to recovery. Matt would stroll into class with that pimp-like strut and tell me to crack a freestyle. He and I would rap in class to each other and it would piss the hell out of our English teacher. I remember him sitting next to Ryan and telling him to tell "the story". Ryan told him, "no way, dude. It's funny, but only to you and me". Matt told him that it was a great story for everyone to hear. It was about Ryan getting back at a teacher.

Ryan got into trouble and was forced to stay after school to discuss things with his history teacher Miss Beal. She told him to stay in the class and to feed her fish while she left to grab some coffee from the lounge. What Ryan did was one of the funniest things I have ever heard. Instead of feeding Miss Beal's fish fish-food, he masturbated into the fish bowl. Apparently she never questioned what he did. After Ryan finished that story, Matt and I were rolling on the ground laughing. I, at the time, had Miss Beal and how much she loved her fish. That was a great moment.

I remember running into his grandparents while I was working at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. I noticed their last name and asked them if they were related to Matt. They told me that he was their grandson. They went on to tell me how proud they were of him and how he was pursuing a degree in forestry from the University of Montana in Missoula (he did graduate with a bachelor's degree in forestry). They told me how proud they were that he chose to stay motivated in his career while still doing what he loved. I gave them a hug and wished them well. They were glad to meet someone who their grandson had touched and I was glad to learn a little bit more about him.

Matt always had a smile on his face and was a guy very few could find a reason to dislike. Besides, who would want to? Matt was a warm soul with the ability to find the goodness in everyone that he met. He loved the forest, he loved nature, he loved people, he loved his family and friends, and he loved life. Matt touched a lot of lives during his 28 years on this planet including mine. Rest in peace Matt.

"I Hate Politics!"

I love discussing politics. Whether I'm on break at work, at school, with a group of friends, on a date, having dinner, or standing in line for something, I love discussing politics. I have come in to contact with a few people who claim that they "hate politics". I always tell them that politics is, in fact, everything that goes on in your life. Hating politics is, in my view, a lazy excuse for not paying attention to things of important matter. If you go to the gas station to fuel up, the price of that gasoline and the taxes on your Sobe drink are all determined by politics. If you legally get married, politics played a part in your tax filing status and your tax exemptions. If you go to a park or a state park, politics plays a role as to what rules exist on that land, how much, if at all, it costs to enter, and whether that land exists or not. You see, politics just isn't what you see on CSPAN or observe on your local city council channel. Politics is "the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy". Governmental policy, in actuality, is everything that occurs in your daily life whether you like to admit it or not. If you buy a house and some property, you have to vote whether to approve higher taxes on your property to fund a new local library, a new school or school improvements, and are directly influenced by the increasing/decreasing value of your property. Politics is everywhere. So, with that being said, why do people hate discussing it and avoid the subject altogether? Well, to me, it's an issue of how much someone knows. I'll admit that I'm not the person to discuss botany with or how many square feet of material is needed for the production of a pair of jeans or a dress. However, those things are merely hobbies and not something that affects a vast number of people. Politics is something that exists for everyone and, therefore, affects everyone along some line. Here is where I come to my main argument. Feeling uncomfortable/non-interest while discussing politics means you haven't done your responsibility as a citizen. People complain about the price of gas, the price of food, etc. and yet do nothing to improve the situation. I can't explain why some people gripe and complain, yet do nothing about it. People complain that life is hard and that things are getting more and more expensive. Yet, I fail to see many of these people making decisions that would either help their situation or improve their overall quality of life.
Politics plays a role in your life whether you like it or not. I have no respect for people who avoid getting involved and merely complain about things as a means to their end. If I'm at a table eating a meal and the subject of politics comes up, I listen and, when I can, provide a response. If someone proposes a change of subject, that should be denied by others at the table. Political discussion is very important to the bettering of society and the future of this country. It's crucial that people start paying attention and learning as much as they possibly can about as many subjects as they possibly can.
I propose this solution: The hardest part is the start of your ambition to get involved in any political discussion. Start by merely listening. Listen to each person's point of view and listen to other people's responses or criticisms. This will allow you to see at least two different sides to the story and allow you to start developing your own point of view. A lot of the subjects covered during discussions are merely rhetorical. Stating a particular point, whatever it may be, can be persuaded with evidence. This is where research and reading come into play. I remember how difficult the Israeli-Palestinian situation was and how much I hated hearing people talk about it. However, all it took on my part was listening and a steady balance of reading current events and the history of the conflict. It all starts with listening.
Listening is the most important thing that you can do. The feeling of discomfort will happen, but it will happen less and less the more you learn and engage with discussions with other people. Nobody can hop onto a bicycle for the first time and ride without some struggle. This is a part of life and learning. You will slowly develop a level of comfort about certain subjects and may become bored or uninterested. This is where you can move on to another subject or propose the changing of the discussion subject. This will allow other people to discuss alternatives or a subject that they might know less about than you. Here is where you can influence other people and make an impression on them.
The process of learning never ends and is strengthened by people exchanging ideas and facts with each other.
What if someone refuses to discuss a topic? This is where listening is most important. If someone says that the current discussion of religion is making them uncomfortable, simply and nicely ask them, "Why"? Sometimes allowing someone to discuss their reasons for being uncomfortable towards a particular subject will allow them to get more comfortable with discussing the subject. After listening to them, state how much you appreciate their input. Approach your response with caution and try to strengthen what they said while, at the same time, formulating your own response. The most important thing that you must remember is to make the conversation as positive and constructive as possible. This possibility of this person engaging in discussions in the future relies on how well you handle what they say and how you respond.
You see, political discussion is extremely important for all people. Many people refuse to engage in it because of a lack of general knowledge on the subject, their discomfort of debating, or for fear of being proven wrong. These are many of the humps that I have had to overcome and it was a long and grueling process. However, it was only grueling for me because I choose to learn as much as I possibly could about as much as I could. This probably wasn't the best thing to do, but it allowed me to feel comfortable in almost all possible discussions.
Discussing Britney Spears, Pitt and Jolie's baby, etc. may pass time, but does nothing to improve the state of the world or your intellectual capacity. In actuality, it's rather quite regressive to your overall intellectual level. This is why I refuse to watch television. Sure, it helps to pass time and to entertain you, but its entire future and level of success depends on every one's continued and increased attention. This, in reality, decreases the time that could be devoting towards your family or to improving your intellectual capacity. I want you to learn as much as you possibly can and I feel that it is important for me to help you in that path. I would like to help out as many people as I possibly can and I understand what many of you are going through.
It is commonly known that the discussion of politics and religion are dangerous grounds to walk on at work and in the beginning of a relationship. However, I feel that it could be easily improved if people were able to accept some else's point of view while being able to state their own. This is one of the many reasons that the freedom of speech exists. Formulated ideas come from discussion and the challenging of one's own point of view. Challenging a view or belief can lead to a solution and the overall improvement of that person's life. There are drawbacks to this.
Not everything said is truthful and is merely rhetorical. That is why it is important to advance your level of understanding so that you can challenge another person's view. This will require you to read news and information that you may not typically agree with.
With the accessibility of information in this day in age, it is a sorry excuse to not know what is important. Sometimes doing what makes you happy and what you enjoy isn't beneficial to you or society. The progression of humankind relies on the ability of the people to expand their intellectual capacity, to challenge themselves, and to meet and exceed expectations. There is no excuse for not becoming an integral part of society and being a part of the motivating force behind its change. The future is not guaranteed...we must earn it by constantly challenging ourselves and doing what we can to improve the overall state of the world. Thank you and I urge you to get involved.

Being Critical and Realistic

I have been and still remain a Ron Paul supporter. I feel that I, unlike many people in this country, still support him despite certain ideological differences. I agree with him on the eradication of the IRS, the decriminalization of certain drugs, and his views on helping the current state of the economy. However, there remains a difference between Dr. Paul and myself. I refused to comment on how I felt about his foreign policy until I read some of his book "A Foreign Policy of Freedom". I've read a lot of this book and see how consistent he has been during his time in office. He, unlike most or all politicians, has never swayed back and forth on his political views based on the current state of things in America. He goes by what the Constitution says and lays out. From reading his numerous speeches, I have to say that he is very well read and very intelligent. However, I disagree with him on one very crucial aspect: American foreign policy and intervention. Dr. Paul believes that the world would run efficiently if countries only had economic relations with each other and did not intervene in each other's autonomy. That sounds great, but it won't work in today's world. Why do I say that? Take a look at WWII. Both Germany and Japan were imperialistic powers looking to broaden their influence and their hegemony. Being a pacifist, isolated world superpower would not have worked. Other countries have shown their quest for more power and look to war as a means to their ends...more land and power. Dr. Paul's assessment would work if every country and every leader were to sign a global treaty promising that each country only be involved in their own business and not to intervene in others. However, this would do great damage to what the United States is and represents. Many people criticize the US government for a number of things that it has done in the past. What many people fail to recognize is that they are living in a country that is only what it is today because of those choices in the past. Sure, training Afghanistan to fight the Soviet invasion backfired on us. But doing this prevented the deaths of many US soldiers and the possible declaration of war between the US and the Soviet Union. In other words, it could have been a lot worse. Making a decision during the climax of a situation isn't easy and could ultimately be wrong. However, I would rather choose to get involved to deter a possible problem than to deal with it after it has become extremely powerful and detrimental to the interests of the United States. That is why I disagree with Dr. Paul on this issue. President Harry Truman, on March 12th, 1947, stated, 'I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures". This was the beginning of American intervention throughout the world in the name of freedom. It was also the end of what Dr. Paul and the forefathers believed, no entangling alliances. Sure, this aggressive foreign policy hasn't worked 100% of the time, but then again, what foreign policy has? The answer to that is none.
McCain has flip-flopped on his stance on torture, his view towards the Christian elites, etc. Obama has flip-flopped on his stance on gun control, Israel, foreign policy, and campaign funding. If any of this is confusing, you haven't been paying attention and fulfilling your duty as a citizen. You see, neither of these candidates have stuck to their guns. Each of them have swallowed their pride and gone against their beliefs in order to gain electoral support. History tends to repeat itself. With that in mind, I ask "How do you know that Obama or McCain will follow through on their promises and their policies when both of them have a history of flip-flopping"? I still think that Dr. Paul is the best candidate that is running for president and I wish that other voters were just as critical towards their candidate as I am with mine.

Makes Me Sick

How many times have you witnessed someone taking advantage of a tragedy or death simply to make a profit? I know that I have. After 9/11, Americans came together to heal and take care of one another. We also brought out our US flags and other patriotic items. Somewhere in the United States, despite the pain that we were all feeling, there was a sick-minded person saying to himself, "It's terrible that 3,000 people died and I'm going to take pride in my country along with every other American. Thank God I own a flag production company. Cha-ching!". I remember all of the commercials on television advertising flags and other patriotic items. This was one of the many disgusting things that I remember about 9/11. However, I remember standing in line to donate blood and seeing the faces of all the potential blood donors willing to endure a needle prick and the feeling of lightheadedness so that others could get the blood that they needed. Many of us got turned away, but it was the willingness to act that gave me hope about people in this country. I also remember dropping out of college only to drive straight down to the recruitment office to sign up for the military. I felt that I needed to do something for my country and going to college wasn't the way to do it. That fell through because of what the recruiter told me about a number of things, but I was proud of myself for wanting to make that choice. I look back now and realize how glad I am that I didn't enlist. There were and are plenty of Americans like me who realize that tragedy calls for people to step up and sacrifice. Which brings me to my main argument.
I happened to be watching a video clip of George Carlin last week and I wanted to find a shirt on Ebay with a quote of his on it. I distinctly remember how many George Carlin items were listed on Ebay at the time...74 total items. Many of you know that The Great Mr. Carlin passed away yesterday and I just happened to take a curious look at Ebay once again. Not to my surprise there were and are now 524 George Carlin items for sale and that doesn't include the hundreds that were purchased with the "Buy It Now" feature. They even have "Remember George Carlin" black ribbons to place on your car or fridge selling for $7 each. Can you see where I'm going with this? People saw an opportunity to make a quick buck and they jumped on it. Is that how we honor a comedic legend like Mr. Carlin? By financially profitting on his death? The people choosing to do this should be ashamed of their actions. I'm all for private businesses and people trying to be successful in life. However, as with situations like this, I oppose certain actions based on something called MORALS. I used to buy tickets to concerts and sell them to other people for a profit. I made a lot of money doing this. However, I came face to face with a man who changed my way of thinking. His name was Chris and he was a happy, upbeat drummer from a great sounding band. We decided to meet up at Starbucks and have a cup of coffee and exchange my two tickets to see The Police for $800 in cash. The two tickets only cost me $385. After sitting down with him and talking about music for roughly an hour we proceeded with the transaction. I gave him the two tickets and he handed over the 40 $20 bills. I shook his hand and he left with the look of pure gratification on his face. He was going to take his son to see the band that he grew up loving and to show his son his inspiration for making and loving music. You can imagine how bad I felt as we both drove home. I soon realized that he could have done all of this for $415 less. I still feel guilty to this day and it was because of him that I have made the decision to never do that purely for financial gain. I have sold tickets to shows that I have been unable to attend for slightly more than what I paid for them (due to calculated interest accrued on my credit card), but that has only happened a few times. Most of the time I sell them for what I paid or much less than what I paid. I have taken more losses than gains and I'm fine with that.
This is why I refuse to work for any business that revolves around sales. Sure, I work at Safeway, but with Safeway it's different. How? Safeway sells food, which is a staple item necessary for living. I am opposed to businesses and people who prey on others for a profit. I know that nearly all of it is legal, but I have a MORAL problem with it. If I can purchase a pair of jeans made by hardworking Americans and not from overworked Chinese/Central American slave labor...I'll do it and I have no problem paying a few dollars more for those jeans. I understand that this is hard for a lot of people to do because of financial problems. I don't hold people who struggle accountable for their actions because if I had to decide whether to pay more for clothes out of pride or feed my family I'd choose the latter and not the former. However, I do blame those who can afford to choose the former over the latter and decide not to.
Most people will step on others, will manipulate information, take advantage of others, and stab someone in the back just to make an extra dollar. I can't embrace or respect that sort of business ethic. I also can't respect people who make a profit off of a tragedy or someone's death, like Mr. George Carlin. There comes a point where "supply and demand" shouldn't matter. They call it a matter of economics, but I call it a matter of moral obligation and respect. Rest in peace Mr. Carlin. I hope you, Richard Pryor, and Bill Hicks are making God smile.

Monday June 23rd

First day of summer classes. I didn't sleep well at all last night. This trend appears to follow me whenever I have something to look forward to. I woke up this morning looking like Don Imus after a 5 day meth/coke and hooker binge. I'm tired, but motivated. I was the only person in a class of 35 to purchase the textbook so I know that I already have a headstart on everyone in class. Classes will be daily from 9:30 to 11:30. It seems intense, but having to focus on only one class could help me improve my GPA by the fall quarter. I'm taking Arabic in the fall along with China-US relations and a class on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Goodbye social life and hello black eye rings and crow's feet wrinkles around my eyes.

I made the Dean's List last quarter which surprised even me. I know that I did good on all of my finals and final papers, but I didn't expect to do as well as I did. I received a 3.6 in Critique and Theory, a 3.5 in Russian Politics, and a 3.5 in Ancient Political Theory. I received my associate's degree with honors, but I've never made a dean's list or honor roll because I've never been able to attend school full-time due to the fact that I've always had a job.

I've discovered a new band named Mogwai and I really love their stuff. I also have a chance to see David Cross perform stand-up on July 11th, but I have to see about a few things. I'm also leaning towards attending the weekend long Sub-Pop 20th Anniversary festival at Marymoor in Renton. Green River (early Pearl Jam), the Vasolines (one of their 3 US shows EVER and Cobain's writing influence), Kinski, and Mudhoney are all slated to appear. It's also music that has influenced and put Seattle on the music scene. I'm sure Nirvana would play this show if Kurt was still around today. Their first label was Sub-Pop.

I'll close with this. A lot of reading awaits me and my eyes are starting to get heavy. Tully's Fair Trade coffee might help me a little, but it tends to wear off quickly.

For I Am

I bow my head in shame, for I am no better than you,
You beg for money, talk politics, trying to make enough to eat,
I hide my eyes from yours, trying so hard to ignore you,
The poorly tuned guitar strums notes of equality and injustice,
I bow my head in shame, for I am no better than you,
I work and have an education, my accomplishments cause me to swell in pride,
I buy excessive material things, I ignore the truth,
You hang your head in shame, cardboard sign states "Vietnam vet",
I drive by apathetically, for I am no better than you,
You have no material possessions, a simple coin donation makes you smile,
I laugh at the handicapped and complain about the quality of my food,
I scowl because I'm tired, you slept on the sidewalk in the rain,
I park my car and pay the meter, "no change man, I'm sorry",
Frustration sets in, my cell phone service has failed me again,
You sit alone, wondering what past choices you'd wish to change,
Meter maid slowly rolls up, no time left, "Where is he?" you wonder,
You insert your only quarter into the slot, I ignore you as I get into my car,
I mock you amongst my friends, you remember the days when you had friends,
I see you as I leave the bar, laughing and stumbling I proceed,
Seeing you removes my smile, for I am no better than you,
Ordering my lunch, short .75 cents, debit card left at home,
Three old quarters rattle on the counter, your daily earnings disappear into the register,
I take out the trash, glance and see you sleeping in the corner,
I hang my head as I walk by, for I am no better than you,
While on my cell phone, I drop my wallet as I walk by you,
Tap on my shoulder, a smile, my wallet has been returned,
Walking home after dinner, doggy bag full of warm leftovers,
Hoping I don't see you, for this bag is my lunch for tomorrow,
It's not that I don't like you, but it's the guilt that I feel,
And this guilt causes me to hang my head, for I am no better than you,
Finally, my lunch break has arrived, I sprint to the burger joint,
Busy lunch hour, only seat left is sitting across from you,
I contemplate leaving, but our eyes once again meet,
I show an indifferent smile, I order a #5, make that two #5s please,
Waiting for my food, you quietly sit, observing others around you,
The food arrives, you get up to leave, "Hey man, hold up",
"Hold that table for me", you're confused as I walk up,
"Sit down, man. Are you hungry?" I say, you look surprised,
"This is the least that I could do", "Tell me about yourself",
Time passes by, two new friends enjoy an unplanned meal together,
Ideas, memories, ideologies, and jokes, an unexpected connection,
A "thank you", a hand shake, a smile, and a newly embraced friendship,
"Don't bow your head as you pass, you have nothing to be ashamed of",
"Oh" I say, "if only you knew of the guilt I feel",
"If only I knew what that felt like, my shame greatly outweighs your guilt",
"That is why I bow my head as I pass, for I am no better than you".

My Letter to the University

Below is a copy of the letter that I sent to the person in charge of the University of Washington's newspage.


Dear ***** *******,

I am the student that had the letter printed in the Seattle PI regarding the possibility of students being able to carry weapons on school grounds. Despite the fact that I appreciate the Seattle PI printing my letter, I was a little upset to find out that they completely changed the direction of the article in which I had originally intended. What do I mean by this? Well, if you were to read my letter in the opinion section of the Seattle PI you can see that I sound like someone making the same pro-gun argument that we have heard and grown tired of over the years. However, I completely disagree with the manner in which my article was handled. The reason that I say "article" and not "letter" is because of the fact that another newspaper printed my article in its entirety (The News Tribune). The Seattle PI, in my opinion, manipulated my article and my argument in the way that they saw fit. I respect the fact that they are allowed to do this based upon certain business practices by newspapers; however, I feel that, by doing so, they missed the point in which I was trying to convey. My goal, in writing the article, was to suggest a change to and to challenge the current weapons policy of the University of Washington. I was not doing this to gain recognition or to irritate those whose opinions differed with mine. I wrote this article because I really care about this university and I want to help make it better for future generations. I understand that a lot of people may disagree with the stance that I have taken. However, what good is a policy if it has not been challenged?

I have read the listings that you have on the UWnews.org section and I only saw the letter that I had in the Seattle PI and not my article that the News Tribune printed. I just felt that people seeing this page would only see my "manipulated" letter and not the article that did, in fact, portray my actual views and concerns. I feel that this issue deserves to have a balance of views supporting and opposing the current University of Washington weapons policy. In my opinion, it's only fair. I will provide a link to my article that the News Tribune printed on May 25th. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear back from you regarding this issue.

Sincerely,

Matthew Thomas Cornwall

LINK: http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/insight/story/372089.html

Yet More Criticism

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer took my article and cut it down into the length of a "letter to the editor". In doing so, they removed the basic argument that I was trying to convey. My goal for writing this article was to persuade the University of Washington to consider changing their policy on concealed weapons on campus. However, they changed and manipulated it to the point where my letter made me appear as an overly-sensitive gun owner. I have written letters to the Seattle PI in the past and have had no complaints...until now. In the past, I wrote letters praising the Muckleshoot Tribe, urging the necessity of political focus towards global climate change, voter apathy, helping the Mexican economy, and my lack of faith in the available political candidates for the next presidential election. My views, in the items I just described, were a bit leftist. Apparently, the Seattle PI praises these types of views and gladly prints them. However, I do not consider myself a leftist-thinking individual and my article concerning concealed weapons on campus supports the fact that I am an individual who has a vast array of political beliefs. It is very difficult to place me into a certain political party or a certain sterotypical political group. After the events that have transpired I have no other choice but to believe that the Seattle PI does not print letters or articles that differ from their own political beliefs. However, they do print letters or articles from readers that have been manipulated with the hope of making conservative political views seem illogical, far-fetched, and open for public criticism. In doing so, the Seattle PI prints multiple letters to the editor criticizing the conservative letter or article, thus strengthening their own personal and unbalanced, liberal views. It wasn't until my article (printed in its entirety by the News Tribune and the University of Washington's THE DAILY...both extremely appreciated by me) was cut down into the length of a "letter to the editor" and manipulated to change the overall direction of the article, that I truly realized the true political nastiness that certain media outlets embrace and practice. How many letters did the Seattle PI receive that supported my views and wanted to let others know about this particular issue? We'll never know. The reason is simple: the Seattle PI only prints letters differing from their own political views with hopes of the "manipulated" letter angering their liberal readers and motivating them to write responses that belittle and reject the conservative views that they truly despise. I always used to scoff at the notion made by right-wing politicos that the media was, in fact, liberal or at least leftist thinking. I now understand this particular argument. The good thing about this is that I am not a leftist thinker, nor am I a conservative thinker. I embrace both sides and construct arguments that I feel represent the vast number of Americans who feel alienated by certain media outlets that openly embrace and display their right or left wing political views. What we have here is a clear example of distortion and manipulation by a historically proven newspaper supposedly not associated with either right or left-wing political views. This action speaks loudly to me and many others like myself who have experienced criticism and political thrashings due to unfair and unprofessional manipulations of the truth and political views. Below is yet another letter to the Seattle PI in opposition to my manipulated article.

Possessing a weapon will not keep you safe

The beliefs of Matthew Cornwall about allowing students to carry guns on college campuses are erroneous and dangerous (Monday letter).

Many believe that possessing a gun will keep them safe. Statistics generally prove the opposite. Unless you are trained in the use of deadly force, usually military or police kill-or-be-killed training, chances are you will have your own weapon used against you. That happens because you either hesitate, giving the assailant the advantage, or you pull the weapon and issue a threat instead of just shooting. Either scenario can get you killed by your own gun.

Add to that the real possibility of being prosecuted for murder if you can't prove self-defense or being sued for wrongful death by the victim's family or sued by the victim for injuries if you don't kill him. It happens every day.

Use of non-lethal weapons, such as pepper spray, give you a better chance for surviving an attack. Pepper spray will drop an attacker in his tracks; guns don't always stop an attacker before he can hurt you.

Dave Keizur
Renton

Responses to My Article

I've had a lot of responses to my article that was printed in 3 separate newspapers (News Tribune, The Daily, and the Seattle PI). They printed 3 letters that were a direct response to my article. I also had a fellow University of Washington student respond to my article with one of her own. I'll post them here in their entirety.



Letters to the Editor
WEAPONS AT UW


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Campus full of gun-toting students won't make it safer

This is response to Matthew Thomas Cornwall's Monday letter. Having a campus full of gun-toting students will not make the University of Washington campus safer. The very idea is absurd. To use a simile with car safety: Air bags occasionally suffocate and kill people when activated. But far more lives are saved by air bags than die because of them. But because there are cases of accidental death from air bags, no one would suggest manufacturing cars without them.

Countries that have strict gun control laws and outright handgun bans have a fraction of the gun-related violence compared with the United States. More guns make situations more dangerous. That is obvious. Cornwall is far more likely to die driving his car to campus than to be assaulted by a gun-wielding lunatic on campus.

If the gun is really for safety reasons, it would make more sense for Cornwall to give up driving and worry less about villains on campus. Even if he did have a gun when assaulted, that does not necessary mean his life would have been spared.

John Whitmore
Maple Valley

Having more guns doesn't equal less shooting

Matthew Thomas Cornwall makes the tired claim that "violent crimes involving guns are not carried out by responsible, registered gun owners." Let's leave out the "responsible" part for a moment and look at "registered." Seung-Hui Cho was a registered gun owner, who purchased his two firearms via legal means. And the alleged shooter at Folklife managed to purchase one in a legal way. If you want to talk about "responsible" gun owners, then describe what makes someone responsible -- someone who doesn't use his gun in a violent crime? I don't have a firearm, and have never committed a violent crime -- so that makes me a responsible ... what, exactly?

To quote the FBI: "Among handgun homicides, only ... 2.3 percent ... were classified as justifiable homicides by civilians."

If you own a handgun, you are three times more likely to either kill or be killed by a member of your own household than in homes where there are no guns present.

When do more guns somehow equal less shooting?

Here's a thought: Maybe if we weren't afraid of everyone, we wouldn't think it necessary to purchase handguns. Why is it, in the most advanced industrial society on Earth, we kill each other in such numbers?

I prefer that we have more places where guns are banned. Keep campuses free of weapons, legal or otherwise. And yes, I'm a naïve liberal.

Sten Ryason
Seattle

State law does not require registration

I found Mathew Thomas Cornwall's letter one of the most clearly written on the subject of guns on college campuses that I have read in a long time. I agree with nearly every thing said. I am curious about one thing, though.

Cornwall states that he owns a "registered handgun." Washington state law does not require the registry of any handgun, so with whom is his firearm registered?

Dene Leach
Kent

Advocating vigilantism won’t increase safety

ASHLEY FENT Puyallup
Published: May 31st, 2008 12:00 AM
“Students with guns could save lives” (Insight, 5-25).

As a fellow student at the University of Washington, I find Matthew Thomas Cornwall’s “solution” to violence extremely troubling.

First, for someone so concerned for his own safety, he completely fails to mention university services like Husky NightWalk, which provides a police escort for those afraid for their safety. These services are not perfect, but if student safety is truly a concern, Cornwall should work with the UW police to improve these programs rather than advocate student vigilantism.

Second, his proposed “safety” measures make campus unsafe for many students who feel that guns facilitate violence. Like many universities, UW has been working to increase safety precautions in the wake of violent campus crimes. The time and money that would be required for university officials to ensure that weapons are properly registered would be better spent on campuswide programs to protect all students.

There are many alternatives to arming students: walking with friends, calling for a police escort, taking self-defense classes that provide strategies for avoiding conflict. And while working together for a safer campus, we must also address more pervasive forms of violence in this society – the violence of racism, sexism and heterosexism, the violence of war and the violence of poverty.

This is a response to her article from an avid News Tribune reader:

Ashley, you’re a little fuzzy on vigilantism. A vigilante is someone who illegally usurps the powers of law enforcement and judges. A legally armed citizen is someone exercising a constitutional right for self defense in total accordance with federal, state and local laws (even if the worst happens and they are forced to take a life).
Matt most likely can’t see the sense in paying taxes for a man who has a gun and has been trained in how and when to use it to protect him (part time, on campus) when he can buy a gun, a permit, and training in how and when to use it and have protection 24/7 nearly everywhere in the state (without a 15 minute response time).
You aren’t complaining about the armed citizens like Matt that you walk past every day off campus. What profound transformation occurs when they step on campus that makes them dangerous despite years of safe carry? What is the difference between walking past Matt on the sidewalk and sitting with him in a lecture hall - except that (under the current rules) if some madman were to open fire on the street, Matt would be armed and could try to stop him (either succeeding and saving your life or at least drawing fire and making your escape easier), whereas if the madman showed up in class all Matt could do is die beside you. Matt isn't demanding that you exercise your right to self defense, he's asking permission to exercise his right.
The actual level of safety on campus is what’s important, not the perception of safety of a group of students who can ignore pertinent facts like the successful history of campus carry in Utah and Colorado, the insignificant crime rates of carry permit holders or the reduction of violent crime in every state that passes carry laws.
The state already handles permits (with background checks and fingerprints) and registration, everything needed except a UW memo and paper for copies of permits in student and teacher files.
Matt offered a solution to a problem, and I’ll give you the same chance.
How, exactly, would anything you’ve mentioned have kept you alive if you were in that VT classroom when Cho entered?

Lowering the Drinking Age

I am posting a video that discusses the possibility of 7 states lowering the age to consume alcohol. I will post a poll to the right that will ask whether or not the United States should lower the drinking age. I hope to get some participation with this ongoing debate.

My Article

I had my article printed in the Sunday, May 25th News Tribune. Please feel free to pick up a copy, read it, and comment based on your own personal views. I have included a copy of the article below.


Tacoma, WA - Sunday, May 25, 2008

Students with guns could save lives


MATTHEW THOMAS CORNWALL
Last updated: May 25th, 2008 01:25 AM (PDT)

I’m a junior at the University of Washington in Seattle. I also possess a concealed weapons permit and own a registered handgun.
With the tragedy at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University still fresh in my head, I cannot help but feel the need to protect myself.

Seung-Hui Cho succeeded in his mission to kill as many people as he possibly could – 33 to be exact, including himself.

He understood that he would be the only student with a gun and that he had plenty of time to act before the police were to arrive.

Let’s say, in hindsight, that students had been allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus.

If Cho had been fully aware that he wouldn’t be the only student with a gun, would he have chosen to act? Would this have been enough to prevent the deaths of 32 innocent students and professors last April?

The University of Washington send e-mails to students letting them know whenever a violent crime takes place anywhere near the campus. As much as this is appreciated, it does nothing to deter or prevent these acts of crime from taking place.

In April a weeklong protest called the Empty Holster Protest took place on campus. This was an attempt to urge university officials to change the current laws forbidding students to carry even licensed weapons on campus. Nothing changed.

I like to spend my after-class hours in the library reading and doing research. I usually don’t leave the library until 1 or 2 in the morning, and when I do it’s a one-mile walk home in the dark. If I own a registered handgun and possess a concealed weapons permit, I should have the right to protect myself as I see fit.

Let’s say, hypothetically, that I get shot and robbed after leaving the library early one morning. I could have protected myself but was unable to do so because the University of Washington does not allow weapons on campus.

Would the university accept the blame, knowing that I could have protected myself but wasn’t allowed to? Couldn’t because of its policy on weapons?

If a student carrying a licensed weapon had stopped Seung-Hui Cho’s killing spree, would the student carrying the handgun be punished or heralded as a hero?

Violent crimes involving guns are rarely carried out by responsible registered gun owners.

In fact, concealed weapons permit holders are five times less likely to commit a gun-related crime, according to the Journal of Legal Studies.

However, because we feel the need to protect ourselves we are viewed as gun-toting, right-wing nuts. This assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.

Criminals successfully attack citizens because many of them refuse to protect themselves and easily give in to a criminal’s demands.

If more responsible citizens were to carry handguns, it would lower crime rates drastically.

By not protecting ourselves we are enabling criminals.

Is the University of Washington willing to empower its students in order to prevent another massacre like Columbine, Virginia Tech or Northern Illinois? Or its leaders willing to gamble their reputation on the ignorance of their trust?

Matthew Thomas Cornwall is a Puyallup High School graduate.

Originally published: May 25th, 2008 01:25 AM (PDT

Hot Weather

I know that this sounds weird, but I'm not a big fan of hot weather. The worst that I've ever experienced was in the middle of the hot California desert waiting to see Rage Against the Machine. That, in my opinion, was worth it. I'm not a fan of extremely hot days because I don't sleep well at all. I'm not saying that it's bad, but I prefer temperatures in the upper 60s to mid 70s. Those are the really nice days. I don't mind the occasional clear sky low 80 degree days, but anything more than that is just too much for me.

Going Well

Well, I didn't get into Arabic (application is still pending), but I did manage to get into Persian (national language of Iran). This is the other hot language right now that our government needs and I hope to fill one of those positions. This fall I will be taking Arab-Israel Conflict, US-China Relations, and Elementary Persian. My schedule looks to be quite full and I will be quite busy, I'm sure.
Work: Received phone call at 8:55 from my boss telling me that I was supposed to be in at 8 that morning. I told him that I thought that it was 4pm. My mistake.
Schoolwork: Read some philosophy (Kant, Nietzsche, and Marx).
Dinner: Grilled cheese sandwiches and 2 energy drinks (appear to be my new drug of choice).
Movie: Currently watching Hell House (Christian haunted house showing the evils of not believing in Christ) and I'm not far enough in to hold a solid argument, yet.

Responding To Messages

I may be the only person who complains about this, but I think that it should be mentioned. Constructing an email or a message doesn't take that much time and/or brain use. I find it extremely disrespectful if I send someone an email, message, text message, etc. and I don't even get a response. I understand that responding to text messages at work can pose a problem; therefore, I consider this a valid and acceptable excuse. I have no problem getting a response saying "Thanks for writing me. I'm a little busy right now, but I'll make sure to respond to this as soon as I get time to sit down to formulate a thought." That's all that it takes. However, just reading the message and moving on as if nothing ever happened is rude and inconsiderate. If you've got time to sit down and read messages, you've got time to respond to each one of them in some way. We live in a time where many things are instant. I have experienced this rude behavior from both men and women. If you disagree with what I've said please feel free to comment below. However, doing so might take up too much of your "precious time". You're not a movie star or a musician so don't try to tell me that you get too many messages to respond to on a daily basis. That's just an excuse to avoid assuming blame and responsibility for being inconsiderate and lazy. What are we, a nation of 3 year olds? Just remember that people usually send messages with hopes of a response. People take time to formulate their thoughts and put them in the form of a message. The least you could do is acknowledge this effort on their behalf and show them some respect.

Feeling Good

I don't usually get the opportunity to write about my successes, but I feel that this one is justified. I have always performed fairly well on midterms and finals. However, I got back my midterm from my Russian political class today with the grade of a 3.7. My jaw dropped and I double-checked the grade to make sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. They, to my surprise, were not. I did receive a 3.7 and I reflected on what I had to go through to get to this point. The first two weeks of this class we had to read, no exaggeration, 750 pages of Russian political history. 750 pages in the first two weeks! For the remaining 9 weeks of the quarter we only had to read 600 pages. I read more pages in the first two weeks of class than I would for the last 9 weeks. I spent many nights under the soft glow of light in the Suzzalo library (the very quiet and majestic looking one). I walked home around 2am three nights a week after leaving the library. I was up all night roughly 8 or 9 times total during the first 6 weeks of class. I had no idea that my grade would be this high. I was expecting a grade around a 3.2 or something like that. After getting my midterm back I reread it to see what comments were left. Quite a few comments were left and only one was negative. I surprised myself on this one. This gives my sailboat another gust of wind and I feel extremely motivated. As for my other classes, I'm doing pretty good in those as well. I've got to get up at 4:30am tomorrow morning to register for my fall classes. I NEED (emphasis added!) to get my foreign language class first. If I don't, it won't be the end of the world because I can request to get squeezed in, but I will have to spend all summer wondering whether or not the professor will even let me in the class. I want a solid answer because I don't like being in the mental state of not knowing something. The language that I will be taking will be Arabic. If I pick up on this as well as I have with other languages in the past than I will be fine. If I do really well I might be able to get into a governmental job where I can assist our country with our current struggles in the Middle East. Politics aside, I want to help the United States become a better country and I want to help change our image in the world. I want to help Americans understand why things are the way that they are. I used to not know and that is what pushed me to learn as much as I could about as much as I could. Take one look at my bookshelves and you'll understand what I mean. Lesson learned: sometimes I surprise even myself and I know that I will not fail in my pursuit of a very rewarding career. Thank you.

Welcome Home

My brother was recently released back into captivity two weeks ago. Welcome home Brian and remember to hold on to your goals and not let other people distract you from what is important to you. Carpe Diem brother!

Turning Point

The last few years have easily been the hardest that I have ever endured. To make matters worse, the light at the end of the tunnel (if one does exist) is nowhere in sight. It should go without saying that I have become increasingly frustrated and I find myself questioning a lot of things. I follow politics and international affairs religiously. I use the term religiously because, as I have said earlier, I find the process of belief to be quite inaccurate and the following of any particular religion to be retroactive to the progression of humanity. Now that I've admitted that, let's move on. I voted for President Bush in 2000 and I felt content with myself. I felt as though I contributed to the American political process and fulfilled my responsibility as a citizen. However, as with many Americans, September 11th, 2001 changed my life and how I viewed the political process as a whole. That morning I received a phone call from my Mother who sounded quite irratic and worried.
"Pack your things and go to Canada. We're being attacked."

I thought that my Mother had gone off the deep end and was suffering from paranoia. However, after turning on the television, as she instructed, I realized that her emotional state was justified. I originally thought that the first plane flew off course or had a system malfunction of some sort. However, I started to understand what was happening as soon as the second plane crashed into building. When they announced that it was suspected that Osama Bin Laden was the suspected culprit I felt a sense of anger and confusion sweep over me. I was looking forward to hearing what President Bush had to say and hopefully he would answer some of the many questions that I had boiling within me. His address to the nation only made things worse for me. I wanted answers, I wanted comfort, and I wanted the US to avenge these terrible atrocities. I'm sure you can guess which one of the three things went unfulfilled. The other two answers came over time through the process of reading, doing research, and gaining a sense of understanding. Before all of that, I drove down to the blood bank and got in line to donate. They came out and told us that they had too much blood and that they were unable guarantee that our blood would make any difference whatsoever. It was at that point that I decided to drop out of school and pursue a career in the military. I returned to my car and drove down to the military recruitment office. I went in to the Air Force recruiter office and sat in this amazingly soft, comfortable chair. He went over what they wanted, what they expected, and what they could do for me. I agreed and asked for the forms/contract. He handed them to me and I reviewed them as if my life depended on it. I read the forms and noticed stipulations and certain things that I didn't agree with. I kept asking him questions and he couldn't give me a straight answer. Upon reading all of the forms, I handed them back to him and told him that my decision to quit school and join the military were merely done out of an acute emotional response and that I would, most likely, regret both decisions down the road. He told me that he understood, shook my hand, and told me that I could return if I changed my mind. Reflecting on that day I only regret one thing, dropping out of school. I feel as though my decision to not join the military was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. It wasn't as risky as joining the Marines or the infantry, but it would have been the end of my autonomy and possibly my thirst for knowledge. While working the night shift at Tacoma General Hospital I worked with an older guy named James who was a devout Christian. We initially found that we had a lot of things in common like sports, love of music, and beer. He convinced me to join him in attending a sermon at Lake City Church in Lakewood. I felt lost and that I needed faith in Christ. After attending a few sermons and purchasing a NIV Bible from Costco I felt that it was time to take this to the next step. While working alone during one of my 10pm-6am shifts I got to my knees and accepted Christ into my heart, mind, and soul. I cried and lifting my arms into the air begging for forgiveness for all of my sins. I felt a sense of comfort coursing through my body like that of a first kiss. Although the path wasn't easy, I continued on it for the next two years of my life. I remember being at odds with what Pastor Jim would be saying and what others around me would tell me. I didn't want to give up my music, my eye for the opposite sex, and I didn't feel comfortable talking about the Bible to other people (both non-believers and those whom were "saved"). It was at this point, roughly 1.5 years, that I started to really question what I thought I believed and if it was the best thing for me. To be honest with you, the only thing that kept me going was the guilt that I would feel when I heard someone swear or the indifference that I felt being around other Christians. I never felt as though I was a part of something meaningful. Each Sunday, I felt like a Red Sox fan walking into Yankee Stadium. It was alien to me and I felt like my presence gave the church an allergic reaction. I felt as if I had lost something inside of me that I first noticed in high school.
In high school, we had to read the newspaper and give our opinions about current events. I remember how much I loved reading the articles and how easily I could construct an argument and express that to other people in my class. I always got reactions from the class whenever I would go up to share my reactions to certain articles. I loved the attention and I felt as if I was helping other people learn something. It was at this point that I felt like a contributing factor within society. It wasn't until I gave my life to Christ that I realized how much missed this aspect of my life. I felt certain feelings after reading an article and this is what connected me with what I had just read. I started to notice this with what I was reading in the Bible. I started to develop articulated arguments against what was being said during the sermon and what was in the Bible. I'm not sure about other people, but the Bible never gave me answers. It never justified a life devoted to Christ or anything like that. I questioned my own personal beliefs and others around me. I remember what people told me as to their own personal relationship with God and I realized that I never had these experiences. In fact, the only thing that I heard was the little voice in my head better known as my conscience. I asked God hundreds of thousands of questions and I received no answers. Instead, I heard my conscience telling me what to do and what to believe. It was at this moment that I fell out of being a Christian and associating myself with other Christians. I would run into members of the church and youth group from time to time and I would always have feel a negative vibe coming out of them. I also got another job and I never saw much of James from that point on. Okay, I have a story about James that really creeped me out.
When I first met him we talked about females (ones that I was dating and those that he was interested in). He always spoke about this one particular young lady that he had been interested in for quite some time. He told me that he would ask God what to do and how to handle the situation. I told him to just ask her out and see where things go. He told me that he would like to, but God wanted him to do otherwise. First off, both he and this young lady had been friends for a number of years so there was no need to introduce himself. One day he comes in to work looking as though he hadn't felt a pillow on his head in days. He told me how he went for a walk with her. Towards the end of the walk they both sat down on a park bench and talked. He then got up and dropped to one knee and proposed to her. I never thought that a stunt like that would actually work and not to my amazement, it didn't. She looked embarrassed and told him that God was telling her that they would only be friends and that was all. He really took it really hard, but I had no idea where he would go from there. I told him that I was sorry and asked him if they were still friends. He said that they still hung out, but that it was awkward at times. Okay, that makes perfect sense. They would continue to hang out for almost 4 or 5 months until she decided to attend a school in eastern Washington. I told James to move on and look at other women. James disagreed and insisted that God told him that he was supposed to be with her and that it only took time. I ran into her at Borders one day and I asked her how things were. She told me that James was acting really weird and that he claimed that God told him that she would eventually marry James. She told me that God had told her that they were friends and nothing more than that. She also told me that she was moving to eastern Washington in a week and told me to try to talk James. That night I told James that I ran into her at Borders and his ears perked like a dog hearing a whistle. I told him what she had told me. He said that he was going to move to eastern Washington as well and keep a close eye on her. In doing so he was going to try to convince her that they were supposed to be together and that this was God's plan. James then left work and I would later run into him a few months later.
I ran into a few guys from youth group at the Best Buy at the Tacoma Mall. They told me that she was freaking out because James wasn't getting the picture and that he was getting "creepy" and "unpredictable". I told them that I wasn't going to return to that particular church and wished them the best. I ran into James for the last time about 4 months after that and he was creepier than I had ever imagined him. He was still talking about how often God told him that he would end up marrying this young lady and to maintain his persistence. I told James that I disagreed with his course of action and that what he thought God was saying was merely his inner id. I never had any further run-ins with anyone from that church. I hope that James got the message and that she filed a restraining order against him.
This is one of the major problems that I have with faith. Most people in his particular case would move on and continue with their life. James, however, never strayed off his path and continued past the point of sanity. James' situation is one of the scariest situations I have ever heard. How can you argue with someone who claims to hear God telling them to do something? I felt bad for her the entire time and I hope that James eventually woke up and got the message.
I have also asked Christians how they talk to God. I've been told, on more than one occasion, that they ask God for guidance and they receive answers...eventually. They have told me that they run across their answers while flipping through the Bible. Sometimes this takes place months even years after asking God the initial question. Isn't this just coincidence? I can pick up Huckleberry Finn and ask God to tell me how it ends. I'll eventually end up reading the entire book and finding out the answer for myself. Was this God giving me the answer? No. The answer was there the entire time and I discovered the answer because of my persistence and dedication towards finishing the book. My Aunt showed me a picture of car that drove off of the road and landed on the edge of a cliff. The second picture showed what could have happened and how terrible it could have been. My Aunt told me that this was proof that miracles happen and that angels look after us. I asked her if she thought that speed of the car, the angle in which it flew, the weight of the car, and the point of the road in which the driver drove off the road had anything to do with it. She said, "What, do you not believe in miracles? What about angels?" Here's my point: what happened to the other 100 people who drove off of that road only to land at the bottom of the cliff and die on impact? Isn't just by chance that this one particular driver survived? Why do we only hear good stories and not those in the Old Testament?
My belief that there is no God and that Jesus was merely a regular person (if at all) began after my Grandpa John passed away. I spent numerous nights asking him to show and give me a sign that he was okay, that there was, in fact, a God, a Heaven, a Hell. I talked, I prayed, and I cried myself to sleep for months after that. What do you think came of that? Absolutely nothing. I never see signs of an omnipotent being or that any religion is truthful. When my Grandma Terry passed away (a week ago this past Sunday) I asked for some sort of sign that they were both okay and that God was taking care of them. Do you know what happened? Nothing. Nothing at all.
So, here I am. I'm on the verge of my senior year in college, I don't know if I want to go to graduate school or not, I'm single, and I'm afraid that my lack of religious faith will be held against me. I had such a hard time writing my Grandma's obituary because I knew that both Grandpa and her mother would not be waiting for her in Heaven. Her life ended, plain and simple. I miss my Grandma Terry and I miss my Grandpas John and Calvin. I know that they are not watching over me and that my life is in my own hands. "God's plan" doesn't exist and my life is my own. Believing in God won't make decisions easier, it won't protect me while walking home at night, and it certainly won't help me comfort those that I love. However, not believing in God can alienate me from my family, prevent me from getting a decent job, prevent a relationship from progressing and/or cause conflict within a relationship, and damage a relationship with a friend. Being atheist is like being a homosexual. We're afraid of what others will think of us and the consequences of coming out and telling other people. Remember reading about the Crusades? Ever read what Fundamental Islamists believe? How about the Mormon church in Texas called YFZ Ranch? Those occurences only strengthen my beliefs that there is no God and that every other religion is merely an illusion.

David Stern Rant

I'm not one to rant on someone or call them out on their bullshit, but I cannot hold back on this any longer. There is a strong history of sports in the Pacific Northwest whether David Stern can acknowledge that or not. We love our teams up here, but not when they're owned by douchebags like Clay Bennett (you redneck sack of shit). I saw this day coming when the Sonics were sold to Clay Bennett by Mr. Starbucks himself Howard Schultz. We had a decent team back then and now...I can't stand watching them. David Stern seems to have replaced his love of basketball for economics. I understand economics Mr. Stern and I also understand the passion that some people have for certain sports. Admit it Mr. Stern, you've never liked Seattle. In fact, more than half of the sports writers and commentators have a real disliking for Seattle sports. Why is that? Why is it that you toss around lengthy and unnecessary economic terms when a simple answer would suffice? We're not stupid Mr. Stern...we're just a compassionate group of sports fans up here. The Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Seahawks almost left Seattle for, ironically, Florida. The Mariners were supposed to be the Florida Marlins and the Seahawks were supposed to be the Jacksonville Jaguars. You say that Mr. Bennett has invested more money and time into getting a new arena built for his team. My response to that is, "So what?" We don't have a problem with the product in which he is promoting, it's his attitude that we have a problem with. That southern, redneck attitude that seems to have a poor reputation for running a sports team. Case in point, the Texas Rangers and George W. Bush. Mr. Bush owned the majority of the Texas Rangers at one point. He traded Sammy Sosa, shortstop Scott Fletcher and pitcher Wilson Alvarez to the Chicago White Sox for Harold Baines and infielder Fred Manrique. In hindsight, one of the worst trades in baseball history. Of course this has nothing on what Harry Frazee did. For those of you who don't know Harry Frazee, he was THE MAIN CAUSE of the many years of pain and suffering endured by the Boston Red Sox and their fans. Harry Frazee, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, agreed to sell Babe Ruth (a pitcher with a 89-46 lifetime record and a then-Red Sox home run record of 29 homers) to the New York Yankees for $125,000 plus a $300,000 mortgage on Fenway Park. We all know how that ended up. Say what you will about Ed Barrow (Frazee's right hand man; introduced the sale of Ruth to the Yankees; after that became official, he jumped ship and joined the group of owners in NY...what a douche), but Frazee was the owner. I'll sum up my entire argument right here: Mr. Stern, you are in the wrong line of work. You apparently have something against Seattle. Is it innate or is this a learned response...I don't know. I won't stand by and watch you tirade around and make us Seattle fans feel guilty and look stupid. We want the Sonics here in Seattle. We don't want Clay Bennett and we certainly don't want your useless analogies and sports writer rhetoric. We want results, we want something to be proud of, and we want our Sonics to remain in Seattle. Ask yourself why the city council hasn't approved for the funding for a new arena. Ask us why the taxpayers refuse to fund such an arena (we've seen the blueprints of the proposed arena and it was disgusting). Ask yourself why we don't like dealing with Mr. Bennett. Ask yourself why the seats are empty. We refuse to show up for games not because of their poor play as of late, but for their pig-nosed owner. Mr. Schultz kept the Sonics up here because he noticed the connection between the team, the fans, and the city. He understood that...Mr. Bennett does not. In fact, Mr. Schultz has openly criticized Mr. Bennett and has said that he hopes that basketball isn't doomed in Seattle. To Mr. Stern and Mr. Bennett: look at the history of Seattle sports. We have only ONE world title and that was the 1978-79 championship team. That alone is why we love this team. You two might also look at the evidence that I presented earlier in regards to moving TWO Seattle teams to Florida. The two Seattle teams stayed in Seattle and have had great success since then. Learn from that. Learn that you cannot make friends by acting like an ass and threatening to rip a team with 40 years of history up from its roots and move it to Oklahoma City simply because you didn't get your way. Children act in that manner Mr. Bennett, not full grown men. Mr. Stern was asked whether he was convinced the Sonics would leave Seattle after 40-plus years and one NBA title. This is what he said:

"I see nothing -- I don't know why anyone would expect in the absence of what they've been saying all along, which is funding for a new building of some kind and a plan for it that they would be staying," he said. "I accept that inevitability at this point. There is no miracle here."

Mr. Stern, you know nothing of what a miracle is. Miracles have kept sports in Seattle (Edgar Martinez and "The Double" in the 1995 ALDS vs. the NY Yankees) and have helped them maintain a steady fanbase. Your doubt in miracles leads me to believe that you have no soul. Whatever you say from this point on is null and void and I ask you to listen for the "pop". What "pop" am I referring to? The "pop" is the sound that you'll hear when you pull your head out of your ass. Spiral out.

Chomsky & I- Similar Obama Thoughts

In a recent article written by Noam Chomsky, he had this to say about presidential hopeful Barack Obama. I see a similarity between his assessment and mine.

Noam Chomsky on Obama
"When I was driving home the other day and listening to NPR - my masochist streak - they happened to have a long segment on Barack Obama. It was very favorable, really enthusiastic. Here is a new star rising in the political firmament. I was listening to see if the report would say anything about his position on issues - any issue. Nothing. It was just about his image. I think they may have had a couple words about him being in favor of doing something about the climate. What are his positions? It doesn't matter. You read his articles. It's the same. He gives hope. He looks right into your eyes when you talk to him. That's what's considered significant. Not 'Should we control our own resources? Should we nationalize our resources? Should we have water for people? Should we have health care systems? Should we stop carrying out aggression?' No. That's not mentioned. Because our electoral system, our political system, has been driven to such a low level that issues are completely marginalized. You're not supposed to know the information about the candidates."

The Change

Woke up again this morning, you weren't there,
Dreamt of change, within me, within you,
Subtle yet not, it's you that brings this out in me,
Soft caresses, your skin calls for my touch,
My soul, as vulnerable as a newborn baby,
Guards were down, I let you in,
Mistake it may have been, know not unless you try,
Dreams become desirable, dreams become me,
World without boundaries, a world without pain,
Pain waits for me to awake; it has seemed to replace you,
This pain I do not desire, I long for days without worry,
Words and books postpone my immediate focus,
Faith I do not have, come and gone over the years,
Yearning, this I have, what is it that I yearn for?
Completeness, to feel whole, to embrace a change,
Challenge my core beliefs, world spinning into oblivion,
Dreams of spiraling into nothing, worried I am not,
A glance to chisel the ice, an embrace to warm the soul,
Alone I've been and alone I'll be, this much is true,
Until one day I roll over and I'm peering right at you.

The Power of A Write-In

I, along with a few other people, have become disgruntled with the current political primaries. I'm taking a class about it and I have been paying very close attention to all of the daily happenings. I feel like venting, so without any further delay...here it is.

I'm tired of people who only limit themselves to either one party or the other. I, for one, do not like Republicans or Democrats. I will never fully support either party and I know quite a few people who feel the same way. When the ballot it presented to me on November 4th, I am going to do what many Americans are afraid to do...I'm going to write in my candidate's name in the "write-in" area. People tell me, "You know that Ron Paul has no chance at winning, right?" When I hear this, I have to ask myself, "Have they forgotten about what makes the American voting system as wonderful as it is?" I predict (and I know that this has changed over the weeks) that the final ballot will have Barack Obama and John McCain going head-to-head. I do not support the idea of voting for the lesser of two evils or the easy frontrunner. That isn't me, it has never been me, and it will never be me. I have no problem supporting a candidate down to the final seconds regardless of their realistic chances of becoming elected.

To me, America has suffered by having only two prominent political parties. We limit ourselves to either one or the other. Come November, I will not support John McCain and I will not support Barack Obama. I will be in the minority and I will not be celebrating my candidates' win. I will have to live through yet another 4 years with a president that I do not support and did not vote for. However, I see this as a positive. If more people feel the way that I do then we can slowly make a change in this country. We can help push and support lesser known candidates who would be much better presidents, yet don't have the popularity, funding, and/or public appeal of the other candidates.

On November 4th, I will write Dr. Ron Paul's name in the area that says "write-in". This will make me feel better about the candidate that I voted for and supported. I feel that the majority of this country votes for reasons that I don't see as important at all. 70% of Americans state that "looks" and "appearance" are the most influencial aspects of whether or not to support a candidate. This sounds just like a high school class president election. People need to read the issues and the candidates experience in order to make an educated decision. Unless the blacks come out and vote like they did in South Carolina, John McCain will be the next president of the United States. I won't be happy with this and I will speak out as often as I possibly can. When voting for a lesser known candidate, I have the distinct pleasure of disagreeing with the president and all of the decisions that he makes. I won't disagree with everything that he does, but I will be a very critical observer.

On November 4th, do this country a favor and vote for the candidate who you feel is the best candidate. Forget gender, skin color, appearance, and promises. Look at the issues, their experience, and their voting record. Stand out for once and refuse to fall in line like all of the other sheep in this country. Vote proud and vote intelligently because the next 4 years of your life boil down to the results of November 4th.

Put Me In Coach

I'm ready to play, today! Baseball season is right around the corner and I can already smell the grass in my nose, hear the crack of the bat, and hear the sound of a little league team shouting their heroes name when they step to the plate. This, my friends, is baseball. America's pasttime and my favorite game. I've been into baseball since I was 4 or 5 years old and I have never stopped loving the game. Unlike many other things, a baseball game never seems to lose its luster. I long for the first pitch of the season, the 4-6-3 double play, the roar of the crowd, the crack of the bat, the smell of garlic fries and hot roasted peanuts, and the feeling I get inside my chest whenever I see a young boy and his father taking in a game. I love it when little boys get up and attempt to start a wave. Future leaders...these young ones. Baseball also makes me think about my future. I long for the day that I can take my first-born son to a game and explain the game to him. I can tell him about my childhood experiences with baseball, my first game, and the stories that my family told me growing up. I will show him movies like "The Sandlot", "The Natural", "Field of Dreams", and "Major League" (when he's older, of course). As soon as football season wraps up, like an adult salmon swimming to the place of his birth to spawn, I get a feeling that the baseball season is right around the corner. Baseball brings me back to the world of the fantastic. Problems, worries, bills, etc. disappear as soon as my ticket gets scanned at the gate. It's like an invitation to a place where time stands still and you are allowed a brief return to your childhood. Unlike other sports, baseball will never lose its luster with me. To quote Robert Redford from The Natural, "God, I love baseball". I couldn't have said it any better myself.

Well...

I went to the Seahawks playoff game against the Washington Redskins and it was great. I got up around 6am and I didn't get home until 10pm. We had a native guy in our group with a Sean Taylor jersey on and he got into a scuffle with a Seahawks fan. Fists flew, beers splashed, and the guy through a wooden coat hanger in retaliation?!? What?!? I know, it sounds weird and I assure you that it was. The Seahawk fan punched Mike (Redskins fan), one of our guys tossed beer on the Seahawk fan, and as the Seahawk fan was walking away tossed a wooden coat hanger at Mikey. His forehead was split open and he required stitches. $200 down the drain and a trip to the ER...a bad day for Mikey. Then Scott managed to do something really stupid. We were trying to get to someone's car and we needed to go over the railroad tracks to do this. There was a train that was fairly stationary on the tracks, but was going forwards and back every few minutes. Scott hopped over the train while it was moving and he did this right in front of a Seattle police officer. Typical Scott. The Seahawks offense seemed a bit off, but we did manage to get some decent yards on the ground. There is a glimmer of hope for one more home game. The Seahawks have to beat Green Bay in Green Bay and hope that the NY Giants can upset the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game in more than 10 years and Green Bay has only lost twice at home during the playoffs. It's a long shot, but I've got to keep a positive state of mind. At this point, I have been to 6 Seahawks home games this year and they have won each and every one of them. It feels good to be a good luck charm once in awhile.