politics
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Trumping the Race Card
Racial inequality has plagued our nation so long that even in today’s relatively enlightened culture we find various forms of prejudice and discrimination. In a predominantly white nation, the darker ones skin tone, the more likely you are to suffer from racial inequality. This separation creates less opportunity for social advancements such as political influence,…
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G-8 is Enough
The G-8 was created out of the eight richest countries in the world in order to fight poverty in Africa. Poverty affects more people throughout the world than all of the citizens represented by their leaders in the G-8 conference. But poverty happens even in these countries, including the United States. It is not a…
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Red Oil Scare
China has made an unsolicited offer to acquire one of the largest United States-based oil company, which would essentially double its oil and gas output (2). The organization that is making the offer, the Chinese National Offshore Oil Company, is a state-run organization of the Chinese government. Because of the cultural differences between the capitalist…
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Terrorism at Home, Even When Abroad
The recent terrorist attacks in London remind us that people are still willing to use the most extreme measures to make their voices heard. It seems now that more people condemn terrorism than ever before, and yet it continues even in one of the world’s safest nations. It is a difficult task to overcome terrorism,…
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The Orwellian Bush Doctrine
I keep saying it, but no one believes me. I swear the Bush administration has 1984 on their required reading lists, at least for those with real influence. Bush’s speeches, his thoughts, his motivations…they’re right out of the Big Brother world. Anyone know of any other (perhaps better) examples of these? This was just what…
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There’s a Difference between Thinking and Doing
A family member recently sent out a family email and it got our discussion juices flowing again. My problem with the email was that it portrayed liberally-minded people as foolish and weak. If you really believe that, then this email is definitely for you. Someone said that (most, if not all) liberals ACTUALLY believe that…
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Lawless, Godless Heathens!
I had a couple family members make (what I believe) are huge mistakes by assuming that without religion one cannot have law. They acted like the only place people learn rules is from religious entities. I wonder if they realized that most of the rules they’re talking about were taught to them by society, and…
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America: The Rich, Fat Uncle
A good friend and I were discussing Thanksgiving and I started to think about how it must look to other countries for us to have a holiday where we stuff ourselves full of food and roll around on the couch watching football. You know, I can’t believe Americans even publicize Thanksgiving. It should be like…
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You’ll Never Convince Them
During all of these religious and political discussions, I keep hearing from people who try to tell me to lay off because it seems like I’m trying to talk someone into something. I keep hearing people say, “You’re never going to convince them.” I wish people would stop telling me that for one simple reason:…
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Americans Can Be Too Egocentric
When the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a farm in Pennsylvania were attacked, most Americans saw it as an attack on America itself. Sure, it all happened on American soil and killed many Americans, but the truth is that it wasn’t a direct attack on America alone. People tend to forget that the buildings…
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Iraq Teaches Us to Think Long-Term
One of the things that bother me about some people is their refusal to look at things in the long-term, or the Grand Scheme of Things. I’ve observed that many conservatives fall into this category, and I believe this is due to a predilection to maintain tradition. This can be a good thing, but it…
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Eldery Drivers (and my 15 seconds of fame)
I just got my 15 seconds of fame! Earlier today I was watching CNN Headline News and I heard about the old man in California that ran through a crowded market. Then they asked, “Should the elderly be required to take yearly driving tests?” I couldn’t help but reply. Well, about an hour later I…
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Saddamn, What a Moron
President Bush, in reference to Saddam Hussein, recently said, “It would be foolhardy to wait for him to attack us before we acted.” Besides that quote being fundamentally flawed (which I won’t get into for fear of being accused of “acting intellectual”), let’s just assume that Saddam is the evil son-of-a-goat that we keep hearing…
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Trinity
In a time before Ground Zero meant something else, After our cousins Einstein, Teller, and Oppenheimer, In an empty desert guarded by squat mountains, Humanity took its first step into another age With the detonation of a bomb named Trinity. We viewed the Opening from miles away, As creatures with fragile bodies must do. Even…
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KTXT: Lubbock’s Only Propaganda Alternative
I grew up in this area, so I was around when KTXT became “Lubbock’s only alternative.” And, I’m old enough to remember the “this is your brain on drugs” commercials on TV. I agree that there are bad drugs out there that can harm people, but I also believe there are good drugs that can…
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Teaching Science from a Christian Perspective
My girlfriend’s younger brother is doing homeschool this semester, and we just happened to stop by and see his textbooks. At first, I thought nothing of it, but then I actually read the thing. This book, supposedly a learning tool, does its best to defame science as a working tool to understanding our universe. I…
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Git Yer Guns Up!
A strange ritual occurs in our stands every home game. When someone on the field fails to get up after the play, the crowd suddenly demands silence and hands in the air. The problem here is the hypocritical nature of it all. I realize this is to show respect for the downed player, but since…
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Honk If You Hate Noise Pollution
I am not sure who you are to complain to about these things, but I thought I would start here. I attend Texas Tech University, and I really enjoy having the opportunity to walk to class among the manicured landscape, relaxing fountains, attractive architecture and (fairly) diverse population, especially now that it is springtime. The…
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Attack on America: My First Reaction
About an hour ago Kari woke me up talking about planes and hijacking or something. She was so serious that I hopped immediately out of bed and we flipped on the television. Slowly it occurred to me how serious this really was. I saw the tower of the World Trade Center smoking like an oil…
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My Stance on Cloning
Whether you like it or not, human cloning is on it’s way. In fact, it is so much on it’s way that it is quite possible that at the time of this writing, a human being may now be growing up as a direct result of being cloned. These ethical implications and moral questions are…