Two political posts in one day?

I begin my post with a paraphrased excerpt from a conversation with a co-worker, Phil:

Phil: What did you think of the State of the Union?

Me: I could only watch the first 10 minutes or so, all I heard was "terror, terror, terror, freedom, freedom, freedom, blah, blah, blah"

Phil: I just think he is so detached from reality.

Me: It's not that I'm anti-freedom, I just think he's retarded.

That being said... I don't actually think that Dubya is retarded, but I agree with Phil that he is extremely detached from reality. I just can't grasp how what he says actually makes any sense to our nation or how during those 10 minutes I watched he managed to not utter one single point, but rather just a conglomeration of words related to "terror" and "freedom".

And the one thing that specifically infuriated me during the portion of his speech that I watched was when he talked about how the terrorists could only use "fear" against us. It maddened me because fear has quite blatantly been our technique into legitimizing this war and take away personal freedoms through legislation.

I found this link that was sent to me humorous and very poignant, Republicans beware because you'll like this about as much as my views on politics and the war: Decoding the State of the Union

Update 2/2/06 9:30 am: I just read Jim Wallis' take on the address and though I don't always agree with Wallis, he seems dead on here.

Might Makes Right

I have a post coming on a book I just finished, but not today (good book called Marley and Me by John Grogan). Today, I just want eveyone to read and think about these lyrics, because they have been ringing in my ears lately. However, I'd like to briefly make a few short notes beforehand. First, due to the fact that I was confused when reading over my previous posts, I now plan on using correct capitalization and grammar, unless I post any poetry and such. Second, this post was originally going to have additional thoughts based on the lyrics to this song, but I decided that the lyrics speak for themselves. Feel encouraged to comment and dialogue.

"Might Makes Right"
by Camper Van Beethoven

I'm crawling through the brush, we're teched up to the hilt
Compared to us these poor guys should be wearing shorts and kilts
I've got a living breathing shadow crossed up in my scope
My partner gives the signal, pull the trigger, then there's smoke

Might makes right
Yeah might makes right
I guess that God is on our side and makes us mighty
Yeah might makes right
Yeah might makes right
They say that God is on our side I don't believe them

They want us from the villages, they want us from the towns
Who could really blame them, shit blows up when we're around
We fly above their houses with our Huey double-props
We scare the crap out of their kids, their mothers and their pops

hell no uh-lee-toe...

i'd like to first apologize for not having written in here in an awfully long time. i have been consumed in writing for crap filter, the blog-style pop culutre commentary site for which i serve as music editor (clicking that link will bring you to my author page that has everything i have published on the site).

i plan on posting some stuff very soon, notably on some books i have been reading and an article a friend of mine is passing my way. encourage me to write by letting em know that people actually read this thing and maybe i can motivate my sorry behind to get a few things up soon. and please shoot over to crap filter with the link above and read and comment on things i've worked on.

thanks, as always.

quick note

sorry, i mistakenly disabled comments for my last few posts. fixed! please comment away folks.

kinda-sorta lethal injection

ok, so it was indeed a lethal injection, and stanley williams, the co-founder of the crips, did indeed die. but this article indicates that he wasn't pronounced dead until 34 minutes after the injection and that there were complications in getting the injection into williams. most people probably think nothing of this, but it really bothers me because i thought lethal injection was the "humane" way for the government to kill its prisoners. didn't we eliminate other form of capital punishment because they could be considered cruel and unusual punishment? and if lethal injection is the best way to put someone to death, why does it take over a half an hour. my guess is that it may appear more humane to the on-looker, but it certainly doesn't feel quick and painless.

every time i read about someone being put to death (albeit not very often, because many states have stopped using the death penalty altogether) it brings the whole capital punishment debate to the forefront of my mind. since the sixth grade, i have been against the death penalty. i was in an academically-gifted program called ACE (academic curriculum enrichment) where we has to choose a side on a specific topic and have a mock debate. i researched the topic in our library and on the computer (at school, because we had no internet at home yet). at that point, i decided i was against the death penalty. though, i already knew i didn't like the idea of killing people, it was a decision i made because of the numbers and facts surrounding the death penalty. it statistically has never been a deterrent to murder, it is not cost effective, and at the time, in nj alone, approximately 25 cases (23 exactly, i think), had evidence appear that may have proven people innocent after their execution. that being said, i still feel this way and think that every time i read more info and articles regarding the topic, my position is solidified.

tell me how it can be right for a government to kill someone. from a functional point of view (i personally am somewhat of a functionalist when it comes to law), it doesn't matter what it right and wrong, but rather it matters what works and is good for society. i am not sure at all that capital punishment has ever adequately served its purpose in history. i have never seen one example that it can deter crime, more specifically murder. serial killers make a point to get caught in states where they will be put to death quickly and efficiently. ted bundy got caught on purpose in florida, so that he would be put to death for his crimes. true, the man would never be able to kill again, but killing him didn't accomplish anything other than taking his life. did murder rates go down? did people think twice about murdering someone because of the imminence of the death penalty?

then, you look at someone like williams. he was convicted of 3 or 4 murders, which he claims to be innocent on. but that isn't to say that he states he never killed anyone. he was a violent criminal who started one of the most infamous and dangerous gangs in american (perhaps, world) history. but in prison he became an anti-gang activist and made a difference in how people view and work with gangs. he shed light on gang mentality and discouraged youth from joining. this is quite an accomplishment. then, we put him to death, silencing a now-positive voice, that could have made much more difference than another body in the morgue.

what do you think? is the death penalty administered fairly? if reformed, could it be more effective? is it simply outdated and useless? what would better penalties be? am i way off base in saying that the death penalty is immoral and ineffective? tell me what you think.