Random Stuff [14 Feb 2004|05:24pm] I just realized I haven't been in as much of a thinking mood as I usually am. Possibly it has to do with the fact that I've been sick. It just doesn't seem worth the energy right now. I'll come up with ideas but then they don't make any difference so I don't bother writing them down. It's not like I can really change anything anyway. Yes, at one point I can make a difference in some little kid's life. I can make a person happier. Big deal. It's not a cure for cancer, it's not world peace. It's just one kid. I want to do more than that. The average person can only affect so many people in their lifetime, it's pathetic. I want to be able to reach millions, to have some lasting impact. Idiots like Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears have a world wide audience that listens to their manufactured bull shit. People cry when they see them just because they can lip sing relatively well. Yet the people who really can have some impact, the AIDS researchers, the quantum physicists, no one pays attention to them. Teachers can barely live on the pay they get but Kobe Bryant makes millions just for throwing a ball through a hoop. When that happens is there really any point in trying anymore? It seems futile. may the road rise up to meet you...

New Layout [05 Feb 2004|09:06am] Brand new layout. Still Hanson. New Hanson. As in from their new promo pics. Very nice. I really must get photoshop though... may the road rise up to meet you...

Oh look, I have a new layout [16 Jan 2004|04:27pm] Yes, I know, everyone hates Hanson. I don't care. I enjoy the nostalgia listening to their music brings me. Middle school was about the happiest time I've had so far and I rather like being transported back then. I have to go through and re-convert the header image, my computer has been acting up and won't properly convert things to .jpg. Sometime next week I should get access to the campus photo editing computers so then I'll be set. Finally be able to make better graphics which will make me very happy. Expect a few million new layouts. 2 shamrocks | may the road rise up to meet you...

I'm Back [12 Jan 2004|01:01pm] [ mood | patriotic ] Yes, I have been gone for a while. Life's been a bit hectic. In any case, I was thinking recently about how it is no longer popular, or in some places even acceptable, to be patriotic. During WWI and WWII men and women were willing to sacrifice the style of life they were accustomed to in order to help their country. Men, young boys really, would sign up to give their lives on some foreign piece of land that they quite possibly had never heard of. Today the idea of dying for your country is almost looked down upon. We have gotten to the point where we have to consider the draft simply to have enough people to protect our borders. Women gave up their tea parties and pretty white gloves to work in factories building war planes. I will admit, in this day and age that isn't necessary, women can go to work anyway or they can join the service. How many of them actually do it to help their country? When the military men came back from war there were parades in their honor. Today we barely even notice that they were ever gone. What has happened to national pride? I grew up saying the Pledge of Alligence every morning before class started. This continued until I was in the 6th grade. From then on we no longer had to pledge but we were to stand quietly until the others had finished. In high school the school did not say the Pledge as a unit but there were certain instructors who made time for it. Specifically in the JROTC class. We would stand up and say the pledge while at attention at the beginning of every class. During sports events, we still stand for the National Anthem. In parades the military color guard often leads. Our high school graduations are begun by the National Anthem and occassionally a youth color guard. A few decades ago those things would automatically cause men to remove their caps and ladies to place their hands over their hearts, or at the very least, people would rise to their feet. Today I teach young kids basic Marine Corps values and I have to begin by teaching them what the National Anthem is. Where did we start losing our pride? No, the United States is not the automatic winner it used to be. From the Korean War until now we have had to struggle to protect our freedoms. And I will not say that every decision made has been a good one. On the contrary, we have made quite a few bad decisions. However, it will do no good to cry about them. This is a democratic country, our leaders are voted for, we have the right to change things as we see fit. There is a time and place for that, it is on the ballot. Before war is declared go out and voice your opinion. After the decision has been made support those who are fighting for your freedom. You don't have to agree with the cause or the president, but those troops didn't vote to go to war. You can bet that they didn't want to leave their families and friends to die in some country they've never been to. They're doing it because they want their kids and grandkids and everyone else to enjoy the freedom that they have. If you don't like the war you can vote for a new president in the next elections. 3 shamrocks | may the road rise up to meet you...

Pointless Meme [16 Dec 2003|12:37pm] [ mood | bored ] </td></tr> My LiveJournal 12 Days My True Love gave to me... 12 angel_of_drknsss a-spamming. 11 binkss a-chuckling. 10 salinitys a-squeezing. 9 deanforamericas a-hopping. 8 new_snopess a-calling. 7 officialgaimans a-singing. 6 mangofandangos a-smooching. 5 white slashdot_unbans. 4 hollering explodingdogrsss. 3 Belgian wilwheatons. 2 gerbil memepools. And a boingboing_net in a pineapple tree. Get gifts! Username: Another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern. may the road rise up to meet you...

Persecuted Christians? [09 Dec 2003|11:30am] I really don't understand the point some Christians are trying to make by claiming to be persecuted. We live in a highly Christianized society, it is not only the majority religion it is also a part of our government. If Christians are persectued then why do we have so many problems passing gay marriage laws? Why do some schools insist on having a "moment of silent prayer" when they are government funded? Why do people have to swear on the Bible when they are a witness in court? I don't see any Christian churches being tagged on or burned down out there. Yes, I realize that the moment of silent prayer has had some severe cases against it, the fact remains that some public schools have it. The swearing on the Bible bit can be changed to another secular option but people still assume that they are going to swear on the Bible. A truely secular country would not have such laws. There would be gay marriage for the reason that there is no secular reason to ban it. The only reason people believe it is wrong is because of religious morals. Personally, I see nothing wrong with being gay or bisexual, so long as another woman does not try to come onto me after I have made it clear that I am straight. That moment of prayer would be gone. I have no problems with a child deciding to take a moment to pray quietly when they feel like it. When I still believed in God I often did so myself, usually before a large exam. I simply do not want to be forced to sit still and be quiet so that other people can use my time to pray. I also do not want my future children to possibly feel strange because everyone else in class is praying but they are not. There is also the fact that this is ultimately Christian prayer. I cannot picture an instructor allowing a Wiccan child to go through an entire ceremony during this moment. The fact that we have the words "under god" and such things on our national currency and in our pledge are simply ridiculous. I am very much an atheist and while I don't find anything particularly offensive about this, I also do not believe it is appropriate. I have no problems saying the pledge during required ceremonies but I do refrain from stating the "under god" portion. The reason for this is obvious. "One nation, indivisible" sounds just as nice and gets the point across without offending anyone. What if the phrase was "One nation, under Buddha"? It is the same idea, only with a minority representation rather than a majority. As far as currency is concerned, "In God We Trust" is completely unacceptable. I don't trust God, I don't believe in it. Therefore I find it odd, although slightly amusing, that I pay my debts with a currency that affirms this so called belief of mine. If Christians are so persecuted, then why do so many changes need to be made to this country in order to make it truely separated from the Christian Church? 9 shamrocks | may the road rise up to meet you...

Random Idiot [03 Dec 2003|02:02pm] Idiocy on atheism I can't decide whether it would be more effective to ignore him or argue with him. Unfortunately, it's not exactly possible to do both. may the road rise up to meet you...

CALL TO ARMS! [02 Dec 2003|10:05am] Alright people, I'm bored. I need a debate issue. I don't care what it is as long as it's debatable. Serious, silly, something in between, I don't care. You can even pick a side for me to debate. I've done everything from ABBA vs. A*Teens to the different uses for a degree in Zionist Zoology so I'm open to ideas. PLEASE GIVE ME SOMETHING TO ARGUE! I like getting up on my little soapbox. 4 shamrocks | may the road rise up to meet you...

Bitch [18 Nov 2003|12:36pm] I'm not usually into LJ drama but this girl annoyed me. It's the first time I've actually given someone a rating above 5 and she's being hissy. I warned her that I happen to be rather bitchy about ROTC, it's part of who I am. Cadets are expected to behave in a certain manner in and out of uniform, it's part of the training. If she can't be bothered to capitalize things when she is so obviously putting herself out there as an example for other cadets then she hasn't lived up to her training. Possibly she is a NROTC or AFROTC or even just plain ROTC cadet. That would be somewhat less painful for me. But she is still representing the US Armed Forces whether she wants to or not. My old SMI would have never tolerated that sort of behavior and I refuse to tolerate it with my Young Marines now. People need to learn to live up to or exceed the standards set for them. 6 shamrocks | may the road rise up to meet you...

School as a microcosm of society?! [13 Nov 2003|04:26pm] What are people thinking? School is most definitely not a microcosm of society. If it were then we would all be ruled by the stupidest yet most attractive people in the world. Granted, some people believe that this is happening anyway. The point is that when people say that school reflects who we are as a society they are placing far too much faith in teenagers who seem to believe that gucci bags are all that is important in the world. I just left high school and I can tell you that it is very different from what real people face in the world today. Yes, schools do show how a specific area is doing on a socioeconomic level, however, they can not show how society as a whole is functioning. For instance, a large school in the middle of Central Los Angeles is going to reflect the unusually high poverty rates and abyssmally low literacy rates. Not due to anything the students are doing but because that school will have fewer services and supplies than a school in suburbian Campbell. This does not reflect society as a whole, however, because both the school in Campbell and the school in Los Angeles are part of society yet they have drastically different high school situations. Therefore we must come to the conclusion that high school is not a microcosm of society. may the road rise up to meet you...

navigation [ viewing | most recent entries ] [ go | earlier ]