Campaign flattery

I, Will | Campaign for 2016
Originally uploaded by aShadow LLC

A quick political thought from the BoM: in Ether, chapter 8 verse 2 it states:

“And it came to pass that he [Jared, descendent of Jared] did flatter many people, because of his cunning words, until he had gained the half of the kingdom.”

That echoes our current political setup. And it came to pass that Obama did flatter many people, because of his cunning words, until he had gained the half of the kingdom. He gained only 52.9 percent. Barely half, yet enough to win the entire country.

Now, I am not railing on Obama here. McCain flattered people too. His words were just not as cunning as Obama so he lost. And their predecessors? Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan…so on? How did they win our kingdom? Was it through good works? Was it through heroic deeds? No. It was simple flattery. Oh, and don’t forget bribes (I’ll talk about bribes another time.) “Wherefore, by their fruits shall ye know them” (Matt 7:20).

“In our current political system, we often make our political choices based upon sound bites of carefully orchestrated, professionally tweaked video clips that may or may not be representative or the candidate’s life.” This is wrong. We should look at their entire life, personal, professional, political, and “not just the briefest and shallowest propaganda” (p117, Anderson).

In the Constitution of the United States, nowhere does it outline the current campaigning process for the election of a president. In the actual Constitution, nowhere does it mention parties of power. These things sprung up, as weeds among the flowers of the growing nation. What happened to looking at people’s works or their personal lives? What happened to judging and weighing their ‘fruits?’ Instead we listen to their promises and are told to believe them; believe their words though they are people whose personal character is questionable at best. And unfortunately the majority of America is gullible enough to - more than just listen - believe.

I fear it is time to wake up. I agree with Obama, it is time for Change, drastic change. It is time to weed our garden. Now. There are many more parallels with our nation and the Jaredites in the book of Ether…and we all know how the Jaredites ended.

A little Joke

Ok, I have a joke for you. This is dedicated to Craig and Lesley.

So there's this lawyer. He lives in a big mansion in a really expensive suburb. His toilet clogs up. He tries using the plunger. Doesn't do any good. So he calls a plumber. The plumber arrives, fixes the toilet, and writes up the bill. The lawyer takes one look at the bill and protests. "You've put down a charge of $250 for labor," the lawyer says. "But you spent less than half an hour doing that repair. You're charging more than $500 an hour! That's a lot more than I bill my clients and I'm a lawyer!"

The plumber nods sympathetically, "I used to be a lawyer too," he says.

It is funny because it is true. Plumbers can be oh-so expensive. I read this joke in the book, Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax.

New World Era

Citi Bank announced this week that the world will never be the same after what has happened these last few months with the world economy. What Was will never be again. It is a new era. Our government, in an effort to save a few companies, has buried us in a pit that we will never, I repeat, never, climb out of. Let's look at the current numbers. In 2000, the national debt was at $5.27 trillion. As of December 6, 2008, it stands at $10,660,959,208,399. It has doubled. I wrote it out so you can get a feel for how big it is.

On November 24, 2008, the news company Bloomberg stated: "The U.S. government is prepared to provide more than $7.7 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers..." and that "the unprecedented pledge of funds includes $3.2 trillion already tapped by financial institutions in the biggest response to an economic emergency since the New Deal of the 1930s" (Italics added). Since January, our government has already burned through $3.2 trillion. Where is that in the mainstream news?

From Glenn Beck:

"...since September[2008] $7.6 trillion is what you're on the hook for. You didn't approve it, I didn't approve it. Paulson did. Bernanke did. Unelected people. They approved $7.6 trillion in guarantees.

We haven't even begun to fight this battle. We are five minutes into a five-hour journey and we've already spent $7.6 trillion, and Paul says don't worry, we've got up to [$]10[trillion]? Oh, well, Pina Coladas for everybody."

Next year we are looking at a debt of at least $15.2 trillion. That is just under $50,000 for each man, woman, and child. What does that really mean? We have heard repeatedly that these companies, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Citigroup, are "Too big to fail." They made bad decisions and now we are absorbing their bad debt so they don't fall. What about our country's $15.2 trillion of bad debt? Who is going absorb that and save the US when it fails?

New era indeed.

Advertising Highs

For those of you that don't know, I tinker around with advertising and PR. Below are a few ads I came across in the last couple of weeks. They make me smile.

Now, that is a good helmet.

Incredibly simple but effective ad.

Proud to be an American

I sat down this morning with a bowl of Fruity Cheerios and the Saturday paper and was greeted by the following stories:

Man killed in Wal-Mart stampede
"A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday when "out-of-control" shoppers desperate for bargains broke down the doors...other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man...at least four other people were taken to the hospital including a woman who was eight months pregnant."

When the police tried to make the people leave after the man's death and as the ambulances were showing up, "people were yelling, 'I've been on line since yesterday morning.' 'They kept shopping.'"

2 men shot to death in California toy store
"' I think the obvious question everyone has is who takes loaded weapons into a Toy's "R" Us?'"

As I finished my Fruity Cheerios and drank down the leftover sugary, purple colored milk, I asked myself, "Is this my America? Are we proud of ourselves?"

New American Rights

I have posted this verbatim from my buddy, Thomas Sowell. He has more authority than I, and says it better besides. My source for the text is here, and I originally read this published in Utah's Deseret News.

Take it away Mr. Sowell:

Among the many new "rights" being conjured out of thin air, a new one seems to be a "right" to win.

Americans have long had the right to put their candidates and their ideas to a vote. Now there seems to be a sense that your rights have been trampled on if you don't win.

Hillary Clinton's supporters were not merely disappointed, but outraged, when she lost the Democrats' nomination to Barack Obama. Some took it as a sign that, while racial barriers had come down, the "glass ceiling" holding down women was still in place.

Apparently, if you don't win, somebody has put up a barrier or a ceiling. The more obvious explanation of the nomination outcome was that Obama ran a better campaign than Hillary. There is no reason to doubt that she would have been the nominee if the votes in the primaries had come out her way.

As the election approached, pundits warned that, if Obama lost, there would be riots in the ghetto. We will never know. But since when does any candidate have a right to win any office, much less the White House?

The worst of all the reactions from people who act as if they have a right to win have come from gay activists in the wake of voter rejection of so-called "gay marriage," which is to say, redefining what marriage has meant for centuries.

Blacks and Mormons have been the main targets of the gay activists' anger. Seventy percent of blacks voted against gay marriage in California, so racial epithets were hurled at blacks in Los Angeles -- not in black neighborhoods, by the way.

Blacks who just happened to be driving through Westwood, near UCLA, were accosted in their cars and, in addition to being denounced, were warned, "You better watch your back."

Even blacks who were carrying signs in favor of gay marriage were denounced with racial epithets.

In Michigan, an evangelical church service was invaded and disrupted by gay activists, who also set off a fire alarm, because evangelicals had dared to exercise their right to express their opinions at the polls.

In Oakland, Calif., a mob gathered outside a Mormon temple in such numbers that officials shut down a nearby freeway exit for more than three hours.

In their midst was a San Francisco supervisor who said, "The Mormon church has had to rely on our tolerance in the past, to be able to express their beliefs." He added, "This is a huge mistake for them. It looks like they've forgotten some lessons."

Apparently Mormons don't have the same rights as other Americans, at least not if they don't vote the way gay activists want them to vote.

There was another gay activist mob gathered outside a Mormon temple in Orange County, California.

In the past, gay activists have disrupted Catholic services, and their "gay pride" parades in San Francisco have crudely mocked nuns.

While demanding tolerance from others, gay activists apparently feel no need to show any themselves.

How did we get to this kind of situation?

With all the various groups who act as if they have a right to win, we got to the present situation over the years, going back to the 1960s, where the idea started gaining acceptance that people who felt aggrieved don't have to follow the rules or even the law.

"No justice, no peace!" was a slogan that found resonance.

Like so many slogans, it sounds good if you don't stop and think -- and awful if you do.

Almost by definition, everybody thinks their cause is just. Does that mean that nobody has to obey the rules? That is called anarchy.

Nobody is in favor of anarchy. But some people want everybody else to obey the rules, while they don't have to.

What they want is not decisive, however. It is what other people are willing to tolerate that determines how far any group can go.

When the majority of the people become like sheep, who will tolerate intolerance rather than make a fuss, then there is no limit to how far any group will go.

The Uphill Struggle

Praying the other night I asked the Lord to help me with my addictions, weaknesses, and sins. I pleaded with him, in essence, to open a doorway and let me pass through to the other side where all my sins can tempt me no more. Lord, remove from me all my shortcomings. This, for me, is a standard plea. Help me, for I know not how to beat the natural man.

But suddenly I saw the truth of what I was asking: Lord, take away my sins and weaknesses so that I don’t have to struggle any longer with trying to overcome them myself. Lord, I want to be strong and good and if you take away my problems, I will be.

But isn’t that a weakness? That is laziness rearing its ugly head. Yes. I am saying that my heart is in the right place but don’t want to develop the self-discipline to get my body and life there. I don’t want to have to suffer or sacrifice. It hurts and is tiring.

The Savior has never said he will remove all our issues simply by asking. We say please, He then not only opens the doorway to overcoming our sins and weaknesses, but clears and sweeps the path, turns on the friendly neon welcome sign, and caries us in so as to not tire our feet.

No. If he did so, how would that benefit us? How would be grow? He is not willing us to be saved in our laziness. We believe in faith and works. Faith: we already know the Savior is strong enough to take upon him all our sins. Works: we need to learn how we can avoid and resist our future sins. Salvation takes work. Salvation and victory over our sin is hard. There is no quick and easy way “for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction.” The Lord warns further, “narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” (Matt. 7.13-14). The easy way profiteth us nothing.

It is becoming clear. He will not save us by removing our problems, but He will make our burdens light. From the Book of Mormon, “yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease,” (Mosiah 24.15). He will lighten our loads, making them easy to bear. But bear them we must. The Savior will hold our hand and show us what to do, but we must do it. We must walk the path, we must clear the obstacles and debris, we must approach and open the door of the Lord’s Atonement. Otherwise our sins will always have power over us.

I just finished this book

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I found the story to be slow moving and dull. Khaled jumps years between chapters, though, and that held my attention. Every few chapters it was like a new world to discover.



That said, by the end I was fully enthralled with the story. I am terribly glad I did not give up and put it down before it all came to fruition. You see, this is not my normal genre of book. I was a little out of my element. But what a great read.


View all my reviews.

American Idol

I worked for American Idol this week. They held a whirlwind audition here in Salt Lake City. I was excited merely for the value of their name. I can now say, hey, I worked on the production crew of American Idol.

I don’t watch the show. I think it is boring and the fanaticism it receives is verging on, ironically, idolism. All most workers cared about on the production was whether or not Simon, Paula, and Randy were going to visit. Would we meet them? Well, I met Ryan Seacrest. He alone came to visit. We were lucky for that. He only comes when he has time and only visits a few of the tryout cities.

But like I said, I didn’t really care. I was more impressed and excited about meeting the producers of the show. For three days I got to work with the people who make American Idol. I mean really make it, and make more than $2 billion a season. They hire the crews, work the cameras, plan the tours, schedule the talent, seek the sponsors; everything. And they work insanely hard schedules. My shift was around fifteen hours a day. Theirs started before mine and ended long after mine. They are just ordinary people. They were nice, funny, tired.

Once again, whether you watch the show or not, love it or hate it—I heard plenty of both, there was something there I hadn’t expected. I had my suspicions about the shallow Hollywood production that seemed the epitome of capitalistic business and marketing driving out what art and purity there was left in the entertainment world. But as I walked the line of thousands of people waiting to enter, I found that something more. They played guitars and sang. They laughed with one another, complete strangers mere hours before. It was a party atmosphere. Everyone was accepted. If you were in line, you were now part of the American Idol family.

The motives of the top executives may be questionable. But the show really has created a movement on the public level. Democrat, Republican, black, white, Jew and Christian; it didn’t matter. The problems of the world drifted away; all that mattered was singing. And for three days I got to be a part of it.

Obama and the Media

In May I did a quick study of political coverage in all the main news sources I follow. I had a hunch. Everything I read or heard seemed to be about Obama or Clinton. Clinton has since dropped out.

Some of the sources I tallied, for an idea, were BBC World News, CNN Politics, KSL, MSNBC, NPR, Washington Post, Yahoo, etc.

What I found was that since March 2007, Obama had cornered 30 percent of all political stories. John McCain had only 22 percent. That may not seem like much, but the difference over one year is quite large. It equates to more than 1000 stories about Obama than McCain. Counting Hillary, the Democratic party received 61 percent of the news. The Republicans, less than 39 percent.

Glenn Beck stated for CNN today, "According to the Tyndall Report, a service that monitors the three network news broadcasts, ABC, NBC, and CBS have spent a total of 114 of their national airtime minutes covering Obama since June. They've spent 48 minutes on his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain." So Obama is getting over double the airtime.

Who is the media's baby?

I find it odd, though, that the media has so happily fawned around Obama, the same media that attacks big business and complains frequently about an interfering federal government. The irony being that Obama is funded solely by big business and promises to give the federal government more control of our daily lives.

"He's [Obama] been on the cover of U.S. News and World Report, GQ, Rolling Stone, US Weekly (twice), Time and Newsweek (a combined 12 times) and will soon be on the cover of Men's Vogue for the second time. To be fair, Men's Vogue also did an in-depth story on John McCain but, strangely, a photo of McCain didn't make their cover.

"Why the disparity? According to Men's Vogue deputy editor Ned Martel, there's a simple explanation: Obama 'is what is called in the magazine world an "interest driver." ' Translation: Obama sells magazines."

Of course. It all comes down to ratings and money. The media, in general, doesn't care about Obama. He is simply their new cash cow and they are milking him for all he's worth. What bothers me is that by doing so, they are avoiding many other important issues. I know very little about McCain because what little I find in the media is a cowering shadow of the many news stories on Obama. I know when and how Obama exercises, I know his favorite drinks; all thanks to the in depth media coverage. But with McCain, I barely even know his entire platform. To find it, I have to actively search for it.

"We've become a country that continually chooses the sizzle over the steak. McCain may not get my vote, but he gets my admiration for at least offering some substance and new ideas when he speaks. Obama, meanwhile, is like the rock star who's realized that he can just scream unintelligible words into the microphone between songs, and the entire stadium will still scream. When your fans already love you, there's no reason to risk it by offering anything that might be controversial. Remember the Dixie Chicks?

"As candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain are ironically a lot like the way the media treats them: Obama is the glitzy magazine cover that screams for people to buy the issue, and McCain is the fact-filled article buried inside that makes you glad you did."

For the full article, see http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/23/beck.obama.media/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular

And did you know Ralph Nader is running for President? I didn't. I found that he received .3 percent of political news coverage. That is 36 stories in the last year to Obama's 4000. In these same news sources I found Jesus Christ in 222 stories, or 1.7 percent of the political news. So He is getting better coverage, and at this rate, I'd say has a better chance of becoming the next President than Ralph Nader.

Ralph, buddy, you've got to get your message out there better.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3827127

How I died

I moved slowly forward through the ferns. They grew dense and tall, a blanket suspended three feet above the ground. Their bright green leaves swayed alarmingly in the evening breeze. Below the leaves all light was blocked out. I knew in that eerie blackness anyone could be hiding. But where? Was I going to die?

The last of the sun’s light was falling away from the canyon mouth far behind me. Slivers of its fiery orange sliced through the canopy above me. The sudden bright light in the murk played havoc with my eyes. Unsure, I dropped down to a knee; my head at the level of the broad fern leaves. Quickly the last of the orange light faded.

To my right was a man I had never met. He was supposed to disappear and be forgotten in the dense brush while my squad made noise and attracted the attack. My squad, Craig Terry and young Alex Marcum, had elected me to be point. Craig had on sunglass ski goggles that, now without the sun, ruined his vision.

A brief explosion of gunfire rang out. It was over before I had even realized what was happening and that I should drop to the ground. The man to my right was dead. I scanned the bushes but saw nothing. Where had that come from? He had been pushing up to the field’s southern perimeter, which we needed so that no one could flank us. There was no time to hesitate, we that the high ground.

And I was point. It was my responsibility.

I swallowed slowly, and moved up the slope to the right, signaling Craig and Alex to stay parallel to me.

Where my friend had been shot there was a sort of trail. It ran along the edge of the playing zone, directly forward. There was no cover. I dropped to the ground, checked Craig and Alex, and began crawling forward. Over rocks and logs, I would go a foot and pause, looking for any movement. Finally I spotted it. Fifty feet ahead someone wearing camo shifted positions. It was a faint shadow of movement through the heavy brush and tree branches. I opened fire and nailed the guy.

I waited for a minute. Nothing else happened. Craig and Alex had not moved forward yet. Despite the lack of cover I climbed to a knee, then squatting, walked forward quickly a few feet seeking brush to hide behind. Sudden gunfire erupted right to my side. I hear several shots as they wined passed my head. Immediately I dropped to the ground. The thought, get as small and as low as possible, ran through my mind and I rolled onto my back, turned my head sideways so my nose wouldn’t stick up, and exhaled. The machine gun continued. Chink chink sounded as a few pellets hit my gun sitting on my chest. Amazingly none hit me. I realized, somehow, he could not get his line of fire low enough to hit me.

Relief washed over me. I was somehow still alive. I blindly aimed my M-4 and opened up. My gun sputtered off a few shots and then choked. What? I flipped between safety, semi, and auto frantically pulling the trigger. I got another shot or two off and then my gun went dead; of all the inconvenient times. I screamed “contact” over and over, willing Craig and Alex to save me. But I still could not see them and they had not engaged.

My enemy fired a few rounds. I saw several pass right over my head. Still he could not hit me.

I dropped my M-4 and pulled out my pistol. I fired again blindly to my side. I could see no one. I stopped. There was silence. I had no chance of hitting him and it was only a matter of time until he got the courage to move to a position where he could hit me. I was a sitting duck. I had to move.

As if in response I saw a man come running at me through the trees. He was eighty feet out and well protected. I yelled for cover fire. I lifted myself up a little and inched backwards as he shot at me. Simultaneously the enemy on my side opened fire. I dropped to the ground but my luck had run dry. In that terrible cross fire I was hit three times on my right hand and wrist, and several more across my face.

And so my life ended. Shortly thereafter our team was routed and we lost the match. Nuts.

Fear on the Cliff

Saturday morning Tom Powell and I went rock climbing. Tom led and anchored the route that included a huge overhang. I tied in and climbed up to right below the overhang without a problem. The overhang was around five feet. That is pretty serious. It takes incredible muscles just to hold your body to an overhang, let alone move along it and clamber over it. Think of not just holding on to the ceiling now above you, but pulling your body up against it, flat, so you can use your feet along the ceiling. You are fighting gravity and 168 pounds, in my case. The overhang didn’t cut straight across the cliff face; it was jagged so with a little traversing (climbing sideways instead of up) you could then climb into a little cove; in the sense that the five foot overhang was still above you, but also overhung you vertically to your left and right. In this little fold there was a good crack diagonally to your side. From here you could squeeze into this crack and use this thin area of the vertical overhang to get a hold and move yourself around and over. So you didn’t need the strength or skill to go upside down and fight gravity.

I put some chalk on my hands and went for it, deciding to just muscle my way up. I pushed off the wall and up into the crack using just my arms. I ended with my head and right shoulder pinned to the rock hanging above me. The crack was smaller than it had appeared and I was not going to fit so far in. My feet were dangling in the air and unable to touch stone. I would have to move to the edge of this little crack and then try and fit up through it. But to do that I needed my feet. So I frantically pulled my left leg up and clawed at the rock with my foot trying to find a tiny disturbance that I could catch my toe on and hold. I found one and was able to free my head and shoulder and shift my body out away from the cliff to where the crack was wider. I shifted my right handhold exactly as my left toe slipped off the overhang. My body jerked down but my hands held. I was now holding myself by my arms again.

This is when the fear hit. I was hanging out well from the wall. Tom was forty feet directly below me. I was sweating. The wind was gusting terribly and knocking me about. And I realized I had to pull myself up on this thin little corner of rock and slide out and around the overhang. I had no idea what was around the corner; where would I put my hands? I was going to fall. Fear. What if Tom didn’t catch me? What if the rope sawed free on the rock ledge and I dropped? What if I broke my sunglasses? Fear.

But I took a breath and told myself ‘so what?’ I stopped my mind and said, ‘if any of that happened that would be bad. But none of those are very likely. I am not falling. Why fear what is not happening?’

I immediately analyzed my options to move upwards and started attempting them. As soon as I focused my mind on finding a foothold, then shifting my weight so I could lift my left hand over the edge and find a handhold, then getting my right arm over, then bringing my right foot up so it was no longer dangling in the wind, my fear completely vanished. I was left alone on the rock ledge. I felt the wind. I felt the hot sun on my neck. I felt the rock under me. And I moved forward and upward. I didn’t think about how amazingly I had just erased my fear but wasted no more time distractedly thinking about unlikely possibilities. I got to the top and came back down without another problem and it rocked. Pun intended.

A FrontRunner Review

This was written back in May when they had three days of free riding.

I rode FrontRunner today, the new commuter train running from Salt Lake City to Ogden. I figured, why not? I wanted to ride it just for fun and to see the Wasatch by train while it was free. Apparently everyone else had this same idea; the train was packed.

But I am getting ahead of myself. First I must describe the daunting Farmington station. I parked as close as I could and still had to ask directions to the station from fellow commuters in order not to get lost in the seemingly endless ocean of cars. That is awesome. If only they really could keep this many cars off the road daily. Then, looming far above me in the distance I spied what I thought was an observation platform letting people get a birds-eye view of trains as they passed. It turned out to be a crosswalk bridge. Before I could think of any jokes about its enormity, my train pulled in to the station. Ah, the unavoidable last second dash to the train.

I ran up the two plus stories of stairs and started across the crosswalk. This thing was enormous. I quickly realized I had no chance of crossing, descending, and catching my train. That was fine. The schedule said a train arrived every ten minutes.

The schedule lied.

Back on the ground I was forced to ask: why did they put the massive bridge riders are forced to summit to cross to the station completely opposite from the platform crosswalk at the very end of the station? The government’s way to tackle American obesity?

I walked and walked and walked. Finally I crossed. Perfect. It had been ten minutes. Just in time for the next train. Boy, to take the Frontrunner you really have to plan ahead.

I took a seat and waited. And I waited more. Then I read. Then I grew worried about just how much time this was taking.

A cry of joy rose from the crowd on the platform. The train was arriving. The train is beautiful and very nice on the inside too. Perhaps my admiration is a result of riding Italian trains with soot and graffiti covered windows. How long will Frontrunner last until it matches its Italian cousins?

The train was full. I found an open seat on the top floor (yippy!) and was awarded with a stunning view of the mountains, and of the freeway traffic zipping past us. On my return trip it was traffic on residential back streets passing us. Isn’t that only 25 mph?

I rode from Farmington to Ogden, a distance of roughly 20 miles as the train crawls, in an hour and a half. Round trip was over three hours. Not too impressive. But that will improve with time. The trains both direction are sharing one track and so continually stop to let the oncoming train pass. This seems like a bad idea, but hopefully UTA will quickly get the coordination and timing down so the long pauses in the middle of nowhere disappear. One passenger told me, “Well, this is to be expected.” Why is it expected? Can’t you have trains timed correctly or use separate tracks or is that expecting too much? I know that may double the cost of track, but here on the Wasatch front there are between three and four tracks now down side by side. The entire time I was on Frontrunner only one Union Pacific freight train passed on their two or three tracks. I can only assume UTA failed to negotiate successfully with Union Pacific for coordinated use of their lines. Maybe some research on this topic could be enlightening.

Once again, I have cause to compare to the wonderful Italian trains that don’t stop randomly, and are regularly on time. I know that is not fair. To truly compare the two systems, lets give UTA millions of dollars more, and another 20 years to get its feet established and head on straight.

But it is hard not to compare…

Ilegal Immigration and Xenophobia

This is a quick thought I had reading the May 17^th, 2008 Aljazeera news PCBC(politically correct bull crap):

“Spain’s deputy prime minister [Fernandez de la Vega] has criticized the detention of about 400 foreigners in Italy in a crackdown on street crime and illegal immigration, saying it encouraged racism and xenophobia” (ALjazeera.net, Saturday, May 17 2008)(Italics added).

Italy’s Roberto Maroni, interior minister, insists that “the crackdown was on criminals, not foreigners.”

Spain’s DPM said the action exalts “violence, racism, and xenophobia.”

How does the police actually getting up off their rears, stepping outside of the cafes, and protecting people result in exalting violence? What kind of messed up place is Europe? That is a rhetorical question. Those of us who have lived in Europe know the contradictory laws and expectations the police and military have to put up with in the EU.

Now, what I am about to say may shock and anger some people, especially De la Vega of Spain. And it may class me as a racist xenophobe. But, most of the illegal immigrants that Italy is cracking down on, believe it or not, are not Italian. I know, I know. This may come as a shock. That is why I warned you. Illegal immigrants in Italy tend to be from, gosh, some other country. So I guess Italy is racist. How dare they round up criminals who happen to be foreigners? They should let them do whatever they feel like, why, because they are foreigners.

The BBC News brought up the point again in their Wednesday, May 28, 2008 article “Italy Condemned for ‘Racism Wave.’” Turns out Amnesty International “is extremely alarmed by what it calls a ‘climate of discrimination in Italy’”( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7423165.stm). The Italians this week have passed (finally) a new law giving Police the power to arrest and detain illegals and also more power to deport them (Finally!). Amnesty International is outraged that these new laws “target, above all, immigrants.” Above all? I am pretty sure these laws only target immigrants. As I already stated, to be an illegal immigrant in Italy, you have to be from some other country.

Italy cites the rising crime as the motivation for these new laws. As Maroni stated, the “crack down was on criminals” not just foreigners in general. The street crime is a delicate issue. I lived in Italy for two years, and have gone back and visited as well. I have seen a shooting, several robberies, a mugging, and been threatened at knife point. First off, can you start to see why Italy is concerned about street crime? When a foreign visitor, such as I, has had so many pleasant encounters in their otherwise beautiful country? Second, guess how many Italians were the perpetrators in these situations? You are right. Not even one. Each and every time I witnessed something ‘go down’ on the street it was perpetrated by a person from some other country. How do I know? Well, the perpetrators were the wrong color, height, build, and couldn’t speak Italian. That gives it away, don’t you think?

While Italians do mill around the streets even late at night, riot against the police every chance they get, and occasional kill people at soccer games, I have yet to meet one who isn’t friendly, if not a little sarcastic. And other than being asked for a cigarette, they have never tried to take anything from me or harm me.

I know, I know. This makes me a racist xenophobe. Sorry. I guess we should just let anybody and everybody in that wants, and leave them to do whatever they want. Whether they decide to get a job or to kill, steal, lie…They are foreigners. They don’t know better. And making them obey the laws of the country they have sneaked into isn’t fair when they aren’t even legal members of that country. Isn’t that what Amnesty International is saying?

Greetings

Hello everyone. Most of you are mildly aware of my blog Worlds of Written Words (www.writtenworlds.blogspot.com). I decided it was time to set up a non creative blog. Yes, this blog will not be creative in any way. For the cleverness and creativity you have come to expect from me please check out my other blog. Here you will find drastically cynical, irate, and sometimes outright dull comments about the world around me, a world we are all forced to live in. I am looking for an outlet for my nonfiction writing. This outlet will serve three primary purposes, but only two I care about. First: it will help keep you, my friends and family (and any strangers), up to date on my life and what I am thinking about my life. But the two purposes I care about are: Secondly, to keep me writing and to better my writing. Yes, this is the same purpose for my other blog. Thirdly, to lower my blood pressure by allowing me to get my anger out in writing. I am hoping that doing so will lower my likely-hood of road rage. You see, I am trying to make the world a better place.

So enjoy. Please, comment. Let this be a forum of sorts. We can discuss topics, share thoughts, laugh together and cry together. I will tell you now that I intend to invite other writers to join this blog and post their views and reactions to the world around them. These writers will be screened, tried, probed, and d by me vigorously before they are allowed to post. They will be friends whose insight I believe worthy. Family, this includes you. So let me know if you want to be part of the blog and occasionally react to something in your life.