On Israel.

So, recently, a friend of mine reminded me that I have a blog, a blog that I haven't touched in a couple months. This led me to the decision to post something soon... and then, sure enough, another friend posted this picture to Facebook:

And I found inspiration.

So apparently, our President hasn't gone to Israel, and this is somehow a bad thing. To be completely frank... I could not care less. Israel has been an ally to America for, well. Forever. Ever since the nation was founded following World War II. They've often been seen as our only friend in the Middle East, a region rife with people who hate us and our way of life. Our two countries are supposed to be the best of friends. But what has that friendship done?

According to this report by the Congressional Research Service "the United States has provided Israel $115 billion in bilateral assistance" and that most of this has been "in the form of military assistance". We've provided the most funding to defend that strip of desert - and, to be honest, this is a good thing. Every nation has the right to sovereignty. Every nation has the right to choose its own fate. I'm hesitant to say that Israel especially deserves this, because I do not believe in exceptionalism - but let's face it. Israel is a Jewish nation, and there's that whole Holocaust thing. They faced their own extinction and survived. That makes them special.

But on that exact same topic of sovereignty - our alliance with Israel comes at the cost of Palestinian sovereignty. For those who haven't paid attention to history, before Israel, there was Palestine. The country was essentially seized and given to the Jews because of the Holocaust. Not a good move. Decades later, we're still facing the fallout from that decision in the form of:

• Ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine
• Arab nations seeing Western support go almost exclusively to Israel, leading them to think that...
• The West doesn't care about Palestine, and since the Arab community identifies more with them than the Jews, they make the rational conclusion that
• The West doesn't care about anything in the Middle East but Israel and the oil we keep buying from the region
• That last bit is the reason they "hate us" - not because of religion, not because of our way of life, because they think we hate them back.
• This hatred is what has spurred terrorist attacks from groups such as Al Qaeda.
• One attack in particular got us into two wars within the past decade, costing thousands of American lives and over one trillion dollars

So. The $115 billion we've sent them helped to kill thousands of our boys and cost us ten times more money while pissing off an entire region. Meanwhile, we've been trying to pressure Israel to work with Palestine for a peaceful resolution to their conflict, but Israel continues to build in areas where they have no right to build, they continue to displace Palestinians, they continue to thwart the peace process.

And no, Palestine isn't exactly innocent here, either. They've spawned some powerful terrorist groups as well. But in their defense, they saw the most powerful country in the world giving massive amounts of support to a nation that was built on the destruction of their own. What else are they gonna do? We've developed a track record of standing by Israel no matter what. They feel that our position is carved into stone and completely unwavering. If we won't budge, how are they supposed to get a fair deal in the peace process? Diplomacy feels like a lost cause to them, because diplomacy requires communication, and we're not listening.

But time goes on, and things change. The Obama administration has pushed back against Israel, getting them to the negotiating table multiple times. In the aftermath of the War on Terror, Afghanistan and Iraq are more amenable to America. They're still a mess, but they're a less uncooperative mess. The Arab Spring revolts have toppled dictatorships (mostly) without our intervention and we have a chance to secure new allies in the Middle East.

But we still support Israel. Israel and America are still BFF's. We're unwavering. We've carved it into stone. We're not interested in fixing our relationship with other nations. The only thing we care about is making sure nobody can hurt our friend. We don't care about their freedom, their economies, their human rights. We care about protecting Israel no matter the cost.

That is ALL the Middle East sees. That is all they WILL see until America makes a significant shift in its policy toward Israel. You want to get our relations with the Middle East back on track? Here's how to do it.

Cease military aid to Israel until they achieve peace with Palestine.

That sends the entire world a strong message. It says that America cares about sovereignty. It says that America's support is never guaranteed. It says that we will not tolerate those who receive our assistance yet continue to damage our reputation and put our lives at risk. It says that our support hinges on peace. It says that we want to resolve issues with a handshake, not a shootout.

I'm sure that if this spreads far enough on the Internets, I'll be called an anti-Semite for this suggestion. I disagree. I don't dislike Jews at all. I love 'em, they're great people. I mean, seriously, Jesus was a Jew. And hey, some of the stereotypes about them can be good - for a super skinny guy like me, Jewish mothers are AMAZING. So. Much. Food. Wow. Seriously, Judaism, you have some amazing food. Thank you for sharing.

...seriously, though. I'm not anti-Semitic. I'm pro-peace.

That being said, if we pull out entirely and someone invades Israel, we need to rush to Israel's defense. And I guarantee that if Israel is attacked, the UN will intervene. To be completely honest, what needs to happen is Jerusalem needs to be completely independent from Israel and Palestine. Like the Vatican. That's a primary point of contention in the debate, who gets what part of the Holy City... so if the two can't work it out, neither gets the city. This was the original UN plan from 1947, having Jerusalem be independent. It was a damn good idea.

You call this justice?

Click this for the article that inspired tonight's post.

I'm not going to argue about the specifics of the case in question in the article. I'm just not going to touch that. What I want to talk about is the idiocy involved in the judicial branch of our government.

If you'll bear with me for a moment, let's remind ourselves what exactly the branches of government are supposed to do. The legislative branch makes the laws. The executive branch enacts and enforces the laws. The judicial branch interprets the laws. There is a system of checks and balances in place to keep each branch from becoming too powerful. The President can veto legislation. Congress can override the veto with a supermajority. The courts can strike down a law as unconstitutional.

But why exactly is it set up like that? Why is one branch of government having "too much power" such a bad thing? We all seem to agree that almost nothing productive ever happens in Washington, and often it's due to partisan gridlock. If one branch had control, they would be able to do things much faster than if it took everyone working together. The problem is that we cannot trust one person or one group, one third of our government, to know what's best for us.

Remember what happened the last time we had a government ruled by a single person/group? The American Revolution happened. Because that group viewed us as inferior, as subjects, not as equals. They felt that our existence was solely for their benefit. They decided that their luxury was more important than our liberty. We refused to accept that - because it wasn't Britain that made America strong. It sure as hell wasn't Parliament. It was a group of people who came over here, people who faced uncertainty, hardship, suffering, and toil. It was people who longed for a new life, a life in which they would not have to sacrifice their own needs or desires for the sake of anyone else. It was people determined to live in freedom. And they realized that they were all in this together. They had to look out for each other, because nobody else was around (except the Natives but they were occasionally not too friendly) to watch their backs. The pioneers, the pilgrims, the settlers, the foundations of our nation were built upon a sense of equality among everyone - because everyone deserves to be equally free.

And no, I'm not going to discuss the issue of slavery in the New World here. We all agreed a long time ago... that was a mistake. Moving on.

The judicial system, people often feel, is there to punish those who break the law. But the way I see it, you have to look at the law itself. You have to understand why breaking the law is bad. Why is it illegal to drink and drive? Because you're much more likely to get in an accident? Almost. It's illegal because if you drive drunk, you are more likely to get in an accident with another human being. You are more likely to infringe upon another person's freedom to not have massive bills for vehicle repair or medical treatment. Most importantly, you are more likely to infringe upon another person's inalienable right to life.

The courts are not there to punish us. The courts are there to protect us. The courts are there to protect our freedom. They are the shield we use to defend ourselves against each other - and against our own government.

"We can't be outcome driven," said Anne Tompkins, the U.S. attorney in Charlotte. "We've got to make sure we follow the law, and people should want us to do that."

Anne... you're wrong. We must be outcome driven. And the outcome must be that liberty is protected. If these people are innocent, the government is infringing upon their liberty by keeping them behind bars. The appeals process in this country is absolutely horrific if dozens of people who, according to a federal court decision, are innocent can't even get hearings.

The reason the statue of Justice is blind is because she does not see our differences - she sees us all as equals, she recognizes that we are all entitled to the same freedoms. Justice is not blind devotion to the rule of law. Justice is liberty. The court is there to protect liberty, no matter the cost. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals sought to protect liberty with its decision. Anyone standing in the way of the implementation of that decision is guilty of dozens of counts of infringing on the freedom of an American citizen.

In memory of a great mind.

Ray Bradbury died yesterday. I am... speechless. Like, seriously, I've been working on this post for the past twenty-four hours because I am having trouble thinking of what to say. Because what can I say, what DO I say, what have I ever said, that he hasn't already said better?

Who was Ray Bradbury, to me? He was an idea. He was, in a sense, the idea of having ideas. Of thinking. Of free will. Of freedom. He wrote about these concepts in 1953, showing us a future in which thinking for ourselves would be unheard of. A future in which we are so enamored with our entertainment that we sacrifice thought itself to bask in the glorious glow of the screen. Think about that. He wrote that in 1953. It's 2012 now. How big is your TV? Mine is 42". And among many of the people I know, that's small. How long until entire walls are television screens? This is a future that I can definitely see happening.

Those on the left are all highly renowned scientists. The minds that pushed our civilization, our entire world, into the modern era. That one on the right is apparently famous for something and probably shitfaced. Is that the Jersey Shore chick? I dunno. But think about this. Take any of the greatest minds our world has seen. Philosophers. Theologians. Leaders. Writers. Put them on the left. If you're not aware of what makes their ideas important, if you don't know why their lives matter for humanity, but you know what's up with Little Miss Margarita over there, yeah, there might be a problem.

In Fahrenheit 451, nobody cares about ideas. They're too busy watching TV. Succumbing to the media. And the problem isn't actually with the media. It's with us.We submitted, we conform, we gave up freedom and independence. We gave up thought itself. We gave it up to such an extent that now firemen aren't people who put out fires, they're people who come to burn books. To destroy ideas.

"If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none"

That's what is happening here. A book is more than just that. A book is ideas. A book is thoughts. Any civilization that writes is, thus far, a civilization that still reaches out to us, even centuries after they've faded out of existence. Written language allows us to communicate complex ideas. Stories - books - allow us to give ideas context. They give us perspectives. They allow us into the minds of characters, to experience the world through a different set of eyes. They allow us to think beyond our own reality. But more importantly, they challenge us to question our own ideas. They challenge us to ask why. This is something that the world NEEDS. This is something that humanity needs. Because when we ask ourselves why, why we hold certain values dear, why society is the way it is, why we behave a certain why, why we do the things we do, we are very often unsatisfied by the answers.

"She didn't want to know how a thing was done, but why. That can be embarrassing. You ask Why to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy indeed, if you keep at it. The poor girl's better off dead."

Books inspire us to ask why because they draw attention to conflict. Whether it be between two people, a group, or entire nations, conflict is an essential part of a story - hell, there can be only one character and I guarantee that conflict exists within that person. Conflict implies a problem. A problem implies that there is a solution. A solution implies that things can be better. Books force us to ask questions in search of a better world. When we read books, we become discontent with the world as it is. The reason for this is that books bring the world to us.

"Most of us can't rush around, talk to everyone, know all the cities of the world, we haven't time, money or that many friends. The things you're looking for, Montag, are in the world, but the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine per cent of them is in a book."

Read a book. Learn about your world. Ask questions. Demand answers. As Bradbury once said, you don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. Fahrenheit 451 was never about burning books. It was about a society who gave them up. Don't let that happen to our world. Don't let Ray Bradbury's warning go unheeded.

I'd like to close this post with my favorite passage from Fahrenheit 451:

"There was a silly damn bird called a Phoenix back before Christ: every few hundred years he built a pyre and burned himself up. He must have been first cousin to Man. But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again. And it looks like we're doing the same thing, over and over, but we've got one damn thing the Phoenix never had. We know the damn silly thing we just did. We know all the damn silly things we've done for a thousand years, and as long as we know that and always have it around where we can see it, some day we'll stop making the goddam funeral pyres and jumping into the middle of them. We pick up a few more people that remember, every generation."

This doesn't surprise me one bit.

As anyone who has paid attention to the news recently is keenly aware, the economy is kind of a big deal right now. I will admit, I am VERY liberal on this topic, so be aware that I may be a bit biased on the topic of income inequality. But some things do not allow themselves to be subjected to bias. We call these things facts. Facts are indisputable. Facts speak for themselves. Facts make a point that cannot be denied. And the fact is, America is blissfully unaware of how unbalanced our own economy really is.

I'm not actually going to argue about income inequality or the Occupy movement or any of that. I think the numbers speak for themselves. And, as for the bottom portion of that graph - Ideal - I'm not even going to look at that. I don't want to talk about what the best numbers are. I want to talk about the vast difference between what we think is going on and what's actually happening. Because, if you ask me, that is where the true problem with America lies.

While the folks in Washington certainly don't help all that much, you need to remind yourself that someone voted for them. Someone had to vote for them. Everyone seems to agree that Congress is doing a horrible job - we've seen some of the lowest Congressional approval ratings ever quite recently - but we keep voting for the same kinds of people. We submit to the established traditions for picking our leaders, traditions that are now centuries old, we hold on to political parties despite the fact that they are no longer necessary.

Just let this sink in: you don't need the Republican party. You don't need the Democratic party. You don't need the Libertarian, Green, or whatever party. Parties are holding this country back.

There are plenty of people in this country, in every state, who could have done great things if elected. But they lost solely because of party affiliation. I have heard people say, "he's got some good ideas, and he makes a damn good point, but he's a Democrat. I can't vote for a Democrat." And it's no better in the other side of the fence. Democrats don't like voting for Republicans. And the Libertarians? Lots of people would vote for them, if anyone thought they had a chance.

But what is the point of the political party anymore? To assist with fundraising? No, I'll pass. Campaign finance reform is actually one of those things we desperately need, but so long as we keep voting for people who rely on the current system, we will never see it come to pass. Perhaps the party is there to help get a candidate's name out there. That makes sense. I mean, in the early 1800's you couldn't just fly out to a campaign rally five states away if you're running for President. You had to have a group of people working to get your name in people's minds. You needed a party to convince people to vote for you.

But we live in the twenty-first century. We have the technology to surpass this. I really hate to give the guy any sort of recognition, but Justin Bieber used the Internet and became a household name, somewhat by accident. You don't need a party to get support. You need a webcam and a good idea.

So why do we still do this? Why do we not acknowledge the true nature of our problems? Why do we cling to the outdated systems of the past? Why have we not fixed it yet? The true core of the issue - the real problem with America - is apathy.

Our society is tragically passive. We let information come to us rather than seek it out. This, I feel, is a consequence of mass media: the evening news, the radio, it all made keeping up with the happenings of the world... convenient. So rather than seek out the truth, we submitted to accepting that what the man in the picture box says is true. But with the Internet, we have an interesting conundrum - it is fully capable of going either way. Major news sites and feeds make it easy, convenient, to bring you the news, and will only serve to enslave us to what the media thinks is right. Because bias exists. Fox is biased. CNN is biased. MSNBC is biased. And even though I do trust them the most, we should be horrified that two of the biggest names in news are Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I am supremely grateful that they're actually pretty good at this, but we actually trust actors to keep us informed? Really?!

But if you have a bit of information, perhaps from one of those sources, and do a search for more on that topic, you take a more active role in informing yourself. You are more likely to get the whole story. You are more likely to understand all the facts. Facts that do not subject themselves to bias. Facts that cannot be denied.

Our nation's governing philosophy was founded upon an informed citizenry. If the leaders are corrupt, if they are abusing their power - hell, even if they're just not doing a good job, they can be voted out. But we cannot rely on passively absorbing our information to keep us aware of what our representatives are doing. We need to take an active role. We are the ones who vote. We can complain that Washington is the problem, and we'd be right, but it is absolutely imperative that we recognize the core of the problem. And right now, that problem is us.

The solution is a very simple idea, but it will not be easy. We need to seek out information. We need to devote time to it. We need to engage with it. We need to actively pursue the truth. Branch out with your news sources, read foreign newspapers online, and if an article truly sparks your interest, do some research on it. Click the links in the articles. Learn about who is saying what. Don't just trust statistics, find out where they came from - who did the study, who they polled, etc.

I don't care what your political stances are, just do some legwork. Put forth some effort. Show some gratitude that you have the right to vote. Show that you deserve that right. You have a guaranteed voice in how this country operates. Think about what that voice is saying.

...and I think that about does it for this rant. That's all, folks!

Inspired by a Window Seat.

So I'm on the road for work this week, which means I spent a good portion of Monday flying across the country. I had a window seat on this flight - unfortunately, my phone was dead, so I didn't get any pictures. The one posted here was taken by a coworker, who also had a window seat. We got lucky. I'll be sure to get a bunch on Friday, though, so fear not! Might be at night, but I really don't care. Anyway, most of the flight, I was staring out the window at the sky, at the clouds, at the earth below me, and I think I finally realized why it is that I love being in the air so damn much.

To start off, I want to say something about the clouds. We see them all the time, but they're... so far away. Beyond our reach. Almost ethereal, immaterial in their inaccessibility. But from 35,000 feet, they take on a whole new life. Not only can you see the clouds, you can see the differences in elevation. You can see clouds gliding over each other, devouring each other, swarming around you, and at times, completely blinding you. Something about seeing a layer of puffy, cottony clouds down low, a sparsely populated yet thick and imposing level above that, and above all the thin, wispy clouds in the upper troposphere just makes me smile.

But the main thing is the earth. Most people say that everything looks small from a plane - I disagree. I cannot bring myself to shake the sense of scale. I realize that tiny speck of a building miles below is actually a large structure and just can't suspend that knowledge, even for a second. The thing is, though, while I still think of that as large, I see so much more from up there. I see the trees surrounding man's efforts. I see the mountains dwarfing the buildings. I see the canyons capable of swallowing the largest highways whole. I see all that and I am amazed.

This country has over 300 million people - mostly concentrated in a relative few small locations. And from up there in the clouds, man is insignificant. The grandeur of the Earth envelops every one of our meager accomplishments. We owe everything to this scenery, this bounteous landscape. Without the gifts it has bestowed upon us, we would not exist. The higher I ascend, the more connected I feel to the world below, the more I realize how dependent on it I truly am. While we have conquered every frontier this planet has to offer - from Antarctica to Siberia, from the depths of the oceans to the sky itself - land is our home. We cannot escape this. Ever.


I saw mountains with trees and mountains with snow. I saw rivers and canyons channeling water into areas made fertile by its grace. I saw farmlands and cities, their inhabitants entirely dependent on each other, but even more so on the land itself. And I saw desert. I saw vast stretches of barren desolation. I saw environments wholly hostile to habitation. I saw the true fortune our home can grant us, and I saw the emptiness we could so easily be subject to. This dichotomy, the duality of nature, gives me an unprecedented appreciation and sense of gratitude for how lucky we all truly are.

I want to be a pilot so I can see this every day. I want to fly so I can feel that sense of awe every day. I want to conquer the skies to feel that connection to the nurturing earth below every single day for the rest of my life. I want to spend my days in the sky so that I feel that respect and thankfulness during my nights on land. That's why I want to fly. Not for a paycheck. Not to join the storied ranks of aviators. I want to fly to keep myself grounded. Ironic? I certainly don't think so.

War on Women?

First, here is the article that inspired this post.

So as we're all aware, America has become incredibly obsessed with women. And not in the sleazy, pervy, "omg she's so hot i wanna tap that" kind of way. We're actively engaging in discussions about women's rights - almost a century after they gained the right to vote, and 50 years after the bra-burning days of our parents. It seems odd that there is still room for discussion in regards to women after all this time, but we're still going at it just as vigorously as we always have.

The current debates revolve around abortion and contraception. On one side, we have the ultra-conservative GOP demanding that the above be abolished. On the other, we have sane people. I honestly don't think that statement makes me biased - not saying that I am not biased, because I kinda am, but really, it strikes me as absolutely crazy that conservatives are taking these stances.

I know why they believe abortion should be banned. For their entire lives, they have been taught by Christianity that every life is sacred - with many going so far as to claim the Bible states that it is better for a man's seed to fall in the belly of a whore than on the ground. Trouble is, that's not even in the Bible. It's a reference to a story in Genesis, about a guy named Onan who, according to tradition, was supposed to impregnate his dead brother's wife so that she could raise children, as Onan's brother didn't get a chance to knock her up. Onan decided against this, and pulled out of the deal at the last second - literally. He had sexual relations with her, but knowing that the children would be viewed not as his, but as his brother's, withdrew and spilled his seed on the ground. God was unhappy with this and killed Onan.

Thing is - God didn't kill him for spilling his seed on the ground. The dude died for being a greedy asshole, having sex with this woman under false pretenses. She wanted to have a child, and he denied her the right to make that decision. As it stands, we are on almost the exact same topic. Except instead of women wanting babies and being denied, women today want to avoid having babies and are being denied the means to ensure that outcome.

The world has plenty of people in it - we recently passed 7 billion - and we are all putting quite a strain on our planet's limited resources. If not for contraception, there would be vastly larger numbers of kids in the foster care system, vastly larger numbers of people collecting welfare checks because they can't afford all these kids, vastly larger numbers of orphans, etc. Contraception helps to ensure we don't massively overpopulate the Earth, while still being able to enjoy sex.

"But wait, Jesus! Sex is for making babies, not for pleasure!" BULLSHIT. While our bodies are structured in such a way that sex can lead to babies, it usually doesn't. How many people do you know who are, or were at one time, "trying to have a baby"? How long were they trying? If sex was just for making babies, one would think that after a few million years of evolution, the process would be perfected and every sexual encounter would end with conception. But it doesn't. Some couples go years before getting pregnant - some never get there. But they're all shagging, hopeful for a bundle of joy.

So while sex is required for making babies, there's a lot more biology involved in sex than that. We've got tons of nerves down there that make sex feel really good. And there's endorphins released during the act, moving the pleasure beyond the realm of the physical and into joyous emotions. To paraphrase the Bloodhound Gang, we ain't nothing but mammals, so we want to do it (sometimes like they do on the Discovery Channel). It's instinct. Contraception allows us to embrace our animalistic nature without as much concern over the repercussions.

And I don't know about you, but the last time I was thinking about the repercussions while banging, it kinda ruined it: "Oh baby, oh baby, OH SHIT WHAT IF WE HAVE A BABY DAMMIT I CANT HANDLE THAT KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY RIGHT NOW AND I DONT KNOW IF I EVEN LIKE THIS PERSON ALL THAT MUCH AND WE CANT AFFORD A KID OH MAN THIS IS SO AWFUL AND awwwwwwww there goes the moment"

Additionally, certain methods of contraception serve a second, perhaps even more important purpose: preventing the spread of diseases, many of which are incurable. If you ever find yourself being harassed by an ultra-conservative while you're purchasing condoms, ask them why they want you to get herpes. They often don't even think about the disease aspect, because the life of a child that hasn't even become a fertilized egg yet has so completely dominated their minds.

As for abortion... this is the touchier of the two subjects. If I were to get a girl pregnant, I would not want to abort that baby. If the mother's life was at risk, I would walk away from the decision entirely and leave it up to her - even if I know full well that she'll decide to abort, my conscience feels cleaner if someone else decides. But the decision to abort or not has to be made by someone - the question is, who should that someone be? The pro-life camp would have you believe the decision should be in the hands of the government. In reality, they want to decide for you. They want to make that decision before it even applies to you. They want to make sure that if you get pregnant, you will have a baby.

The trouble with this stance is that in the standard model of having a kid, two consenting adults decide that they will engage in sexual intercourse so that they might conceive, carry the child to term, successfully give birth to a beautiful little baby, and help each other to raise that child into an adult. All the decisions are made by the prospective parents. Strangers have no input in the standard model, so why should they be allowed to weigh in on accidental pregnancies?

But enough about decisions and choices and all that. Let's take a closer look at abortion and what it does:

WHAT ABORTION DOES (according to pro-lifers)

1. Kills a baby.
   

WHAT ABORTION DOES (according to the rest of us)

1. Saves the lives of women so that they might later get pregnant again under better circumstances so that they can not only have a child, but partake in the raising of said child
2. Terminates horrific, permanent, live reminders of sexual assault and rape
3. Prevents a child from being born into a home in which said child is not wanted

Granted, I'm biased, but that's still a 3 to 1 majority. In the second list, effects 1 and 2 are actually quite rare - I cannot express how grateful I am for that. The fact that medicine has advanced so far that many complicated pregnancies end well is comforting, and the facts that rape doesn't happen more often and that rape doesn't always lead to pregnancy (remember, sex isn't all about babies!) is a... well, it's not good, because people still get raped and that's awful, but hey, it could be worse.

Conservatives want you to believe that a child has the best chance at a good life when that child is raised in a loving home by its biological mother and father. If the mother dies, the child is fucked. If the father is a rapist, he's certainly not going to be around, and the child is fucked. If the parents didn't want to have a child in the first place, the child is fucked.

Honestly, I feel that yes, a child does do better when raised by two loving parents. But those parents don't have to be its biological parents. They don't have to be one man, one woman. They don't have to be married. They don't have to live together. They just have to love each other and the child. They have to have a genuine concern for the well-being of all three individuals involved. When love is present, everyone benefits from it. Everyone works harder to make everyone else happy.

Unintentional pregnancies are sometimes viewed as miracles or signs - and sometimes that works out pretty well in the end. But just because it works for some does not mean it will work for all. The sheer fact that some unintentional pregnancies result in a child being raised by a single parent who views that child as an accident, a mistake, that it can result in a child being raised without knowing unconditional love, should be enough to scare us away from forcing anyone to give birth.

But that's what the pro-life movement wants. They want to force you to have that baby. They want to force you into responsibility, even if you're clearly not ready. They want you to set aside everything you may have wanted for yourself and raise that child. They want you to risk losing your own chance at happiness because of (on average) five minutes of bad decision-making. They want to punish you for being, as Rush Limbaugh would say, a slut.

This is an inherently anti-American view - if you are forced into setting aside your own hopes and dreams to care for a child, you no longer have the right to the pursuit of happiness, a right enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. While not technically a legal document, the Declaration was used as a justification for revolution against England. Colonial Americans were denied the right to determine the course of their own lives, they were denied the liberty to which they were entitled from birth, they were denied the right to find their own path to happiness. People become happy in different ways. Sometimes, having a child makes a person happy. But, and this is directed at all the parents out there who imply to their single, childless friends that kid = happy, it doesn't work like that for everyone. Seriously, you're trying to force someone else to follow your own path to happiness, and in the process, you're attempting to prevent them from pursuing happiness through their own means. And while I'm on this topic, stop assuming that my cat is like a son to me! It's fucking annoying! Almost as annoying as the cat is! Yeah, I love the little shit, but he's more a friend than a kid to me. Why does everything always have to be about kids with you?!

Err... time to get back on topic and wrap this post up. It's gone on long enough.

The American justice system relies on the idea that people learn from mistakes. This is an inherently American view. We believe in second chances. We believe that people can be rehabilitated. That people can change. Abortion should be a learning opportunity, a chance to recover from a mistake and take steps to avoid repeating it. And I'd bet good money that most people are more careful after an abortion - they have sex less often, they use protection, they're less casual about it, because they know firsthand what happens if they are careless. Denying abortion is denying people the opportunity to learn and denying them justice.

Contraception should be freely available, and abortion should be allowed. We can't stop people from having sex, but we can stop lives from being ruined by a single mistake.

Let There Be Light.

Good evening, everyone. My name's Jesus, and tonight, I'd like to talk to you about this blog and what I plan to do with it over the next undetermined amount of time. But more than that, I'd like to give you some insight into who I am, so you have an idea where these posts are coming from.

Obviously, I'm not the real Jesus of Nazareth. I'm a 26-year old man who got a nickname due to some really awesome hair. But I'd like to think he and I would get along pretty well. We share the same core values - love and respect. We are prone to get angry, truly outraged - but only at the lack of concern people tend to have for one another. And as I look at the events unfolding in our world, I see ample need for more people like Jesus. Powerful voices speaking out for peace and love. And I believe I have the ability to be such a voice.

To say that this world has problems would be an extraordinary understatement. Economic collapse, international hostility, class warfare, poverty, starvation, tyranny, terror... Sometimes I wonder how I can even smile, knowing how much pain there is in this world. But in the midst of all this darkness, there is a constant, undying light shining through.

Hope.

Hope that we can fix this broken world. Hope that we can save the environment. Hope that we can feed everyone. Hope that we can work together. Hope that we can cure diseases. Hope that we can guarantee the liberty of every human being. Hope that we can make this planet we call home a better place - for everyone.

Because I believe we can do better. Humanity has come so far over the past several thousand years - for that matter, we've come an incredibly long way over just the past hundred. I truly believe we have the knowledge and resources available to us to fix the problems that plague our species.

To that end, I am starting this blog to voice my opinions. I spend a lot of time reading articles about current events, and I have recently come to the realization that I am pretty good at articulating my feelings on these subjects. As such, I shall continue to scour the Internet for inspiration and share my views here.

DISCLAIMER: No, I'm not gonna shove Christianity down your throat. I may make references here and there, as it's the religion I am most familiar with and let's face it religions are a great moral compass when taken in moderation. Please consult your doctor before taking Religion. If you experience enlightenment, joy, gratitude, or compassion, just sit back and enjoy it.