DC. Class. Trip

Yesterday was our first day of the dc trip, everything went well, except when we visited the memorials. Students from other schools were so disrespectful, it was as if they had no idea where they were. At the wall of fallen vietnam soldiers, two girls and their posse started laughing uncontrolably in the middle of a very quiet reflection. I, infuriated, confronted them stating, "i dont know how youre comfortable laughing in the presence of the names of the soldiers who have fallen for this country, especially after they fought and died for your right to laugh and show disrespect."

They, with shock on their faces, shrugge me off and walked away.

Moments later they started trying to joke around with me, i walked away.

Still angry.

Osama Bin Laden

WHITE HOUSE TO RELEASE OSAMA BIN LADEN DEATH PHOTO TONIGHT AT 10:55 TUNE IN!

     This is probably a good time to talk about my feelings on the subject...  I can't help but have a weird feeling in my stomach knowing that US citizens are celebrating someone's death. I know that Osama Bin Laden was a terrible person, and a genocidal maniac, and by no means do I wish he was still alive, I also strongly believe osama bin laden deserved to die. I don't want people to think i am sympathetic to him. But you have to think, isn't this kind of like when we see the Taliban celebrating the death of one of our soldiers? And with our celebration, this may only anger the Taliban even more. I ,along with many others, kind of view this victory as a time to reflect and not necessarily to party it up. Thankfully, this US victory will bring Americans together. "BREAKING: Imam vows revenge."  This 5 minute old headline further emphasizes our need to be careful with what we say and do. I think Martin Luther King Junior said it best....

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that..."

...So with that quote let us show love for the deaths caused by this man, and show love for the families of the victims, while showing love for the soldiers fighting to keep us safe...

God bless America,
  Anthony C.

9/11 First Responders Bill.

     Early January, President Barack Obama signed the 9/11 first responders bill into law. This bill will give nearly 16,000 responders and 2,700 people living near ground zero who are currently sick and receiving treatment,more affordable and/ or free coverage. At first, republicans wanted to stop the bill, saying that it would cost too much. But after a compromise was reached (4.2 billion dollars, none of which would come from other countries or tax payers.) the republicans accepted and the bill was sent to the white house. But now that Obama has signed the bill, both democrat and republican representatives want to pass an amendment, forcing those needing coverage to go through one more checkpoint. (Here's the kicker.) Before being accepted for treatment, the responder or resident will need to be given a full background check and it will have to be verified that they are not on the terrorist watch list. Are you kidding me? So what do these politicians think? Not only are they thinking that terrorists are running in saving people from collapsing buildings, but they are also insulting national heroes. Our representatives should be ashamed of themselves.
Not only is this possible amendment extremely disrespectful, it is extremely ignorant.

    I am sorry. But this kind of Bureaucratic garbage is what makes me angry.
  I, on behalf of any politician against the measure, apologize for forcing you to have to suffer longer than you should have to.
     Leave a comment telling me what you think. Do you support or oppose the amendment?
God bless,
Anthony C.

The beginning.

     I have been approached by a few friends as of late, being told to write a blog. At first, I was skeptical; eventually ideas came welling up inside me. What do I have to lose? I am a realist, maybe a pessimist, and I need facts if I am to believe a story (especially an outlandish one). I'm not as much of a grouch as I make myself out to be. I'm athletic, I have friends, I've been told I'm funny, and I believe I am well liked among my acquaintances. I realize this blog is about politics and the young independent's thought-out views, but I felt no need to be abrasive when we're just getting to know each other. Let's start off with me stating off certain beliefs so that you may know where i stand on relevant issues.

•  Abortion - It's best not to have one,but im not going to attack someone for having one
• Affirmative action- Come's out of social upbringing, not race. Who are we to tell others they can't do something on their own based on the color of their skin?
• Collective Bargaining- Yes. Defiantly. It protects the worker and the consumer.
• Higher taxes for the rich- Not too much higher, but yes.
• Regulation- Regulate monopolies and big corporations, not small businesses.
• Gay marriage- I don't care. I am all for a civil union. And allowing homosexuals adopt children.
• Prosecute hate crimes- Yes! A crime committed solely because of race or sex is heinous and should be treated as such.
• Marijuana legalization - If you have glaucoma, cancer, etc.
• Diplomacy first- Yes. Exhaust all options before going to war.
• Nuclear Proliferation- No. Eliminate nuclear arms.
• Social Security- No. It's a broken system.
• Welfare- Yes
• Unemployment benefits- Yes, stimulates the economy.

 I'm sure there are many more issues to look into, but these are most of the ones I care about. I apologize if this blog may seem like, Me Me Me.. because I want this blog to be as much about you as me. Comment and/or message and i will try to respond. I will be happy to debate.

            Many issues to be brought up soon.
                     Stay tuned!
 Anthony