Don't Ask, Don't Tell

In the latest news, Congress came together and formed a meeting to discuss the ban of the policy Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). Also, the Pentagon has discussed the issue of openly recruiting gays. The decision has been made that the ban of the policy can be overturned if a recruiter discovers the sexuality of a recruit. The policy became known well under President Bill Clinton in the 90's. Now that attitudes have changed, federal judges have decided to declare the policy unconstitutional. On a more surprising note, the White House has made the promise to appeal the decision. For the first time in history, the United States military is allowing recruits that are openly gay. This major decision has opened up numerous opportunities and has answered many questions concerning those that were interested in serving their country. Not only does this brighten the future for most, but it also allows the rest of the nation to realize that military cohesion would not be disrupted. Anyone with the capabilities should be allowed to serve their country regardless of their sexual preference. As a precaution, gay recruits were sent to recruiting stations to test the policy to ensure their eligibility. Overturning the ban on the policy is a major aspect in the atmosphere of Congress. Although this may be a positive look for some of America, recruits have been asked not to come out just yet in case a judge decides to change his/her mind on the decision made by the Pentagon. As the court battle rages on, most are hopeful that the final decision allows most to continue serving readily in the military or open up career opportunities for others. The current ban on the policy has made most cautious as to how they might express their sexuality. Eventually, this battle will be over and a final decision will have to be made. Until then, President Obama has assured most that the defense authorization will be passed before Congress. Will the policy Don't Ask, Don't Tell be active again?

Miami Heat, Contender's or Pretender's? (part 3)

            With all of the hype surrounding the Miami Heat this off season, most sports fans want to know if this team is a legitimate threat to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers as the next NBA champions. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this team, there are too many egos, they don’t have enough supporting players, and they don’t have a coach with a back bone who can hold them together. All of these are great reasons to bet against the Heat, but will they hold up when the season finally comes around. There are some people that pose the argument that if the Celtics “Big 3” could do it in 2008, why cant the Heat? Just like the Heat, the Celtics brought together three superstar players to try to win a Title.  Although this worked out perfectly for the Celtics, there are a few main reasons why it will not work as well for the Heat. First, the Celtics were built with three veteran players that were willing to do anything to win. The Heat’s superstars are still in the beginning stages of their careers, which means that they are still all about themselves. One day they will wise up and play together, but this will not happen in the upcoming NBA season. The next reason that the Celtics were a success is the fact that none of their big three had ever one a Title. They had all been in the league for many years giving everything they had, but getting nothing in return. This fact tells us that they would have done anything just to win something before they retired. The Heats “Big 3” is a talented team with all the ability in the world to win a title, but although they might think they are, they are not willing do anything and to give up everything to win. So in the question of contenders or pretenders, the Miami Heat are most definitely pretenders for the 2011 NBA Championship.

Hero or Accomplice? 14 year-old charged on total of 44 counts.

Many people were curious as to what happened to the bus driver driving the bus that day, well Lucille Boddy, did speak out in an exclusive interview on WAPT news. The bus driver reported that she had pulled over the bus on a separate occasion to tell the kids to stop picking at her. She also feels that the teen should not be tried as an adult and that she should just seek medical attention. I do disagree with the statement of the teen being unaware of what she was doing. Although it is obvious to all that she acted out of fear, in the video she repeatedly said that she doesn't mind going to jail. She expects to be punished, she knew what she was doing was wrong. The bus driver still drives buses in the area. She was never suspended nor fired. I am sure she will testify at the trial, but to my knowledge nothing else has been done to the bus driver.

What Is Really More Important?

Saving the planet is not based on buying the more expensive products that claim to be eco-friendly. The little things we do on a daily basis all add up to a bigger problem. A fact from the Environmental Protection Agency found that around eightty percent of American's "garbage" is recyclable. This is simply not acceptable. I recycle at my home. I understand what it takes to keep up recycling. It does not take much time or aggravation to do so. There are places to recycle in just about every city. Even if you do not want to take your own recycling, in some cities they provide a curbside recycling which is similar to that of picking up garbage. You simply leave a binon your curb along side your garbage and it is picked up straight from your home. For more information on how to make this possible and check your cities' availability, click on this link http://www.therecyclingcenter.info/recyclefromhome.html. Another wayto get rid of unecessary waste in your trash is to sort it for what can naturally decompose. A easy way to take care of your decomposable trash is a compost. Making a compost is very simple and easy to maintain, steps to making a compost are easy to follow. Everyone is capable of making their own compost.By taking these few little steps our world could be better off and face it. you know you would feel better knowing you are doing a good thing for the environment.

Response to Robot Love: Are we too Dependent?

In response to my first blog post, Robot Love: Are We too Dependent? I want to point out the affect of our technology dependence on future generations. When you look back, its hard to remember exactly what we did before Facebook, Google, Mapquest, or Internet period. It's hard to remember the times where you had to actually had to call some one to communicate with them, or go to the library when you had an unanswered question, or even stop and read a map when you got lost. If our generation is slowly moving away from doing these things, you can only imagine what our future generation will be doing. The underlying concern is, what will happen if all of our modern day and possibly future technological conviences were to disappear? Would our future generation suffer from not knowing how to complete everyday tasks that are made simple because of technology? While it's difficult to imagine all of our technological advances 'disappearing', it is certainly a possibility. With computers taking over everything to everday tasks to jobs, would our future generation be at loss because of our dependence on technology?

Death or Life

The death penalty is one method of punishment that sentences the criminal to death for certain extreme offenses. Some countries see the death penalty as wrong, and have abolished it in their country. In the United States, the death penalty is not abolished, but there are many arguments as to if it should still be used. In 2008, only 37 states in the U.S. still used the death penalty. The 13 states in which abolished the death penalty are of the following: Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Nebraska and New York has claimed that one method of execution violated their states' constitution. A criminal can be sentenced to death row by one main crime, murder. In Georgia, "murder, kidnapping with a ransom when the victim dies, aircraft hijacking, and treason" are all crimes punishable by the death penalty. Other states include more and less crimes, but the basis is murder. Call me old fashioned, but if you are able to take the life of another and it was not forced, the death penalty is just. Americans who disbelieve in the death penalty claim that is should be abolished because "people make mistakes, and killing someone is wrong, and two wrongs do not make a right." On the other hand, in which I strongly agree, killing with the intentions of killing, is not a mistake. "They deserve to die, and not sentencing to death will only give that person another chance to commit the same crime." Sarah Palin, a U.S. Politician and former Alaskan Governor quotes "We have a right to know that someone who rapes and murders a child or kills an innocent person in a drive-by shooting will never be able to do that again." Along with agreeing with Palin, I also agree with George W. Bush, Former U.S. President, that "the death penalty is not about revenge, but about saving other people's lives." The death penalty should not abolished. The punishment of it will keep some criminals in line and delete criminals who choose to still offend this law.