Starting within the next couple days I'm going to start a series of articles on my opinions, thoughts and ruminations on the first 10 amendments to the Constitution - better known as the Bill of Rights.
I'm going to explore the history of each and attempt to discover why the founders of this nation thought them all so important, as well as how they apply to you and me today. It's been a long ride, this great country of ours, and the political, technological and social landscapes have changed dramatically over these many years. When the First Amendment was drafted, there was no television, radio or widespread print media. When the Second Amendment was devised there were no semi-automatic firearms, machine guns or even modern smokeless powder for that matter.
Time has had quite an effect on this country and her people, but the freedoms set forth by the Bill of Rights are still just as relevant today as they were well over 200 years ago. So check back every now and then for my articles on our most precious freedoms, starting with one of the most important: our Freedom of Speech, Religion and Assembly.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Harassment of the most heinous form
Do you remember the name Lori Drew? You should; she was a big deal a couple years ago. Here's a recap if you don't remember, or you can skip a couple paragraphs to today's story. She created a fake Myspace account making herself look like a boy who was interested in a girl named Megan Meier. Well she twisted that situation until she basically crushed 13-year-old Megan when the "boy" started dissing her. Megan committed suicide shortly after.
We're talking about a 49-year-old woman who conjured up this ruse which caused a 13-year-old girl to take her own life. 13 years old. I want you to think about that. We're looking at a 7th or 8th grader maybe; a girl who felt she didn't have many friends and was put in a situation where she thought someone was genuinely interested in her. Than poof, no more interest, just disrespect. From a woman old enough to be her mother.
Well, my friends, it's happened again. This time the culprit is one Elizabeth Thrasher. At 40 years old she becomes the first person arrested under newly-enacted "cyber-bullying" laws in Missouri. At 40 years old she posted pictures of a 17-year-old girl, along with her e-mail address and phone number, claiming that she was looking for sexual rendezvous. The reason? Get this: revenge on her ex-husbands new girlfriend.
Allegedly, the girl is the daughter of Thrasher's ex-husband's new girlfriend. Thrasher and the new girlfriend have apparently had several disagreements, so it would seem that her actions were for revenge of some sort. So let me spell this out: a 40-year-old woman posted a 17-year-old girl's personal pictures and contact information on Craigslist soliciting sex, in order to get back at her ex-husband's new girlfriend.
This girl then found herself receiving unwanted emails and voice messages with sexual advances. Some insulted her. According to a Fox News article, she was even threatened with rape.
A 40-year-old woman soliciting unwanted sex on behalf of a minor to get back at someone in a catfight. Absolutely absurd. She's lucky the consequences of her actions weren't so drastic as in the Meier case. She should be absolutely ashamed of herself. It's immature, stupid, and morally reprehensible for a middle-aged woman to take out frustrations against her rival's daughter to begin with, but to do it in such a heinous manner is nigh-unforgivable. She faces up to four years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.
I doubt you'll ever read this, but this message is for you Elizabeth Thrasher. You're one sick human being and you need to take a long hard look at how low you've stooped to pull a foolish stunt like this. Grow up, get a life and have fun in prison.
For anyone out there who's even thought of trying anything like this; put yourself in the shoes of a 17-year-old girl suddenly receiving unwanted sexual advances and harassment from middle-aged perverts. Think about how frightened and sickened you'd be, think about what your friends would think if they saw that listing. Think about trying to explain to your friends, parents, teachers, your boyfriend that it wasn't really you. According to a Fox News article, she was even threatened with rape. This is the kind of thing that could ravage someone's life for years to come.
So if you're out there and thinking about harassing someone like this, or in any way for that matter - don't. Don't be that guy. Lori Drew and Elizabeth Thrasher got their kicks harassing teenage girls, one to the point that she committed suicide. A 13-year-old girl with 3/4 of her life still ahead of her, gone in a flash. A 17-year-old girl harassed ad horrified by perverted old men. Kids caught up in situations they weren't even a part of. Victims of feuds between adults; adults who should know better than to be so stupid.
Harassing others may make you feel powerful, but no one else thinks so. Everyone else thinks you're weak and foolish because you couldn't solve your own problems without stooping to the level of bullying someone who couldn't defend themselves. Just don't do it. There's no excuse, there's no taking back the abuse that a 17-year-old girl took, and there's no bringing Megan Meier back to life.
We're talking about a 49-year-old woman who conjured up this ruse which caused a 13-year-old girl to take her own life. 13 years old. I want you to think about that. We're looking at a 7th or 8th grader maybe; a girl who felt she didn't have many friends and was put in a situation where she thought someone was genuinely interested in her. Than poof, no more interest, just disrespect. From a woman old enough to be her mother.
Well, my friends, it's happened again. This time the culprit is one Elizabeth Thrasher. At 40 years old she becomes the first person arrested under newly-enacted "cyber-bullying" laws in Missouri. At 40 years old she posted pictures of a 17-year-old girl, along with her e-mail address and phone number, claiming that she was looking for sexual rendezvous. The reason? Get this: revenge on her ex-husbands new girlfriend.
Allegedly, the girl is the daughter of Thrasher's ex-husband's new girlfriend. Thrasher and the new girlfriend have apparently had several disagreements, so it would seem that her actions were for revenge of some sort. So let me spell this out: a 40-year-old woman posted a 17-year-old girl's personal pictures and contact information on Craigslist soliciting sex, in order to get back at her ex-husband's new girlfriend.
This girl then found herself receiving unwanted emails and voice messages with sexual advances. Some insulted her. According to a Fox News article, she was even threatened with rape.
A 40-year-old woman soliciting unwanted sex on behalf of a minor to get back at someone in a catfight. Absolutely absurd. She's lucky the consequences of her actions weren't so drastic as in the Meier case. She should be absolutely ashamed of herself. It's immature, stupid, and morally reprehensible for a middle-aged woman to take out frustrations against her rival's daughter to begin with, but to do it in such a heinous manner is nigh-unforgivable. She faces up to four years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.
I doubt you'll ever read this, but this message is for you Elizabeth Thrasher. You're one sick human being and you need to take a long hard look at how low you've stooped to pull a foolish stunt like this. Grow up, get a life and have fun in prison.
For anyone out there who's even thought of trying anything like this; put yourself in the shoes of a 17-year-old girl suddenly receiving unwanted sexual advances and harassment from middle-aged perverts. Think about how frightened and sickened you'd be, think about what your friends would think if they saw that listing. Think about trying to explain to your friends, parents, teachers, your boyfriend that it wasn't really you. According to a Fox News article, she was even threatened with rape. This is the kind of thing that could ravage someone's life for years to come.
So if you're out there and thinking about harassing someone like this, or in any way for that matter - don't. Don't be that guy. Lori Drew and Elizabeth Thrasher got their kicks harassing teenage girls, one to the point that she committed suicide. A 13-year-old girl with 3/4 of her life still ahead of her, gone in a flash. A 17-year-old girl harassed ad horrified by perverted old men. Kids caught up in situations they weren't even a part of. Victims of feuds between adults; adults who should know better than to be so stupid.
Harassing others may make you feel powerful, but no one else thinks so. Everyone else thinks you're weak and foolish because you couldn't solve your own problems without stooping to the level of bullying someone who couldn't defend themselves. Just don't do it. There's no excuse, there's no taking back the abuse that a 17-year-old girl took, and there's no bringing Megan Meier back to life.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Awaken, you who sleep.
I gaze at the horizon, stained crimson with the glow of a summer sunset, and hold on to hope. The hope that someday the people of this world will lift their eyes and set their gaze upon the future and all that we could be. The hope that we will step forth from the ashen remains of what we once were and begin life anew at the feet of our Maker, in the world he molded with mere words.
The time is now, my friends. Let us rise to our feet and cast off the sordid veil from our sleeping souls so that we may cast His light upon the world. Arise, O dreamer, and join in the ranks of the purified. We will let no stone cry out for us; nay, should any mountain stand in our way we shall cast it into the sea.
We are the children of the Most High, sanctified by the blood of the Son. Though we be but men, we carry with us the shining splendor of His grace and majesty. Our quest is to bring message of His forgiveness and hope that will wash away the pallid shroud of sin. No longer shall we be imprisoned by the desires of our flesh.
Come the day of reckoning we shall stand tall in the face of our adversaries with His truth as our mightiest weapon. We will not falter; nor will we let victory slip from our grasp. We are warriors sanctified by His sacrifice, and we shall not allow the sins of this mortal world to even slow our stride.
Awaken, you who sleep. The dawn of a new day is breaking, and He paints in the colors of the sunrise a portrait of glorious victory.
Update: It seems someone from the Christian Crew's artistic group ACE took it upon themselves to make a song to kind of go along with my writing. Available here. Thanks Vivi!
The time is now, my friends. Let us rise to our feet and cast off the sordid veil from our sleeping souls so that we may cast His light upon the world. Arise, O dreamer, and join in the ranks of the purified. We will let no stone cry out for us; nay, should any mountain stand in our way we shall cast it into the sea.
We are the children of the Most High, sanctified by the blood of the Son. Though we be but men, we carry with us the shining splendor of His grace and majesty. Our quest is to bring message of His forgiveness and hope that will wash away the pallid shroud of sin. No longer shall we be imprisoned by the desires of our flesh.
Come the day of reckoning we shall stand tall in the face of our adversaries with His truth as our mightiest weapon. We will not falter; nor will we let victory slip from our grasp. We are warriors sanctified by His sacrifice, and we shall not allow the sins of this mortal world to even slow our stride.
Awaken, you who sleep. The dawn of a new day is breaking, and He paints in the colors of the sunrise a portrait of glorious victory.
Update: It seems someone from the Christian Crew's artistic group ACE took it upon themselves to make a song to kind of go along with my writing. Available here. Thanks Vivi!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Society's Priorities
Just once I'd like to see the mainstream media get their priorities straight. Yes, you can see it coming already, this one's going to be a rant people. It's the big news that everyone has been talking about for two weeks now: Michael Jackson died.
Big deal.
Granted, the man was a music legend and was known to contribute to quite a few charities, but he was also a very strange individual. Not only had he said on multiple occasions that he enjoyed sharing a bed with young teenage boys, he refused to give up the practice saying it was one of the most loving things you could do for a person. He had plastic surgeries that, pardon my being blunt, made him look like a walking freak-show. His career was pretty much over, and he had mountains of debt to pay off. He was 50 years old and died of either natural causes, or a drug overdose.
According to a Yahoo! News article, on July 6th ABC, CBS and NBC spent 20 times more time talking about Jackson than they did the 7 US soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan. They gave 20 times more attention to a creepy, self-possessed possible child molester who died than they did 7 American heroes who gave their lives to protect the people of that nation. Where are your priorities people?
It's not even just this one time; news about soldiers almost always takes a backseat to everything else and it drives me insane. The Jackson memorial service was a huge extravaganza with dozens of big-name celebrities. It aired on 19 networks and drew over 31 million viewers. Congress even held a moment of silence for him.
Where's the moment of silence for the soldiers? Does the fact that soldiers die more often than celebrities make their deaths any less meaningful? If the media is going to shower that much praise and respect upon a man with such obvious and appalling flaws while they practically pass soldiers off as statistics they had better start getting their priorities straight. I'm disgusted.
Readers, tell me who you think deserves the kind of memorial service Jackson got: a washed-up, self-absorbed child molester or an American hero who died to protect innocent lives?
My opinion in short: Michael Jackson died. Get over it and go thank a soldier.
Big deal.
Granted, the man was a music legend and was known to contribute to quite a few charities, but he was also a very strange individual. Not only had he said on multiple occasions that he enjoyed sharing a bed with young teenage boys, he refused to give up the practice saying it was one of the most loving things you could do for a person. He had plastic surgeries that, pardon my being blunt, made him look like a walking freak-show. His career was pretty much over, and he had mountains of debt to pay off. He was 50 years old and died of either natural causes, or a drug overdose.
According to a Yahoo! News article, on July 6th ABC, CBS and NBC spent 20 times more time talking about Jackson than they did the 7 US soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan. They gave 20 times more attention to a creepy, self-possessed possible child molester who died than they did 7 American heroes who gave their lives to protect the people of that nation. Where are your priorities people?
It's not even just this one time; news about soldiers almost always takes a backseat to everything else and it drives me insane. The Jackson memorial service was a huge extravaganza with dozens of big-name celebrities. It aired on 19 networks and drew over 31 million viewers. Congress even held a moment of silence for him.
Where's the moment of silence for the soldiers? Does the fact that soldiers die more often than celebrities make their deaths any less meaningful? If the media is going to shower that much praise and respect upon a man with such obvious and appalling flaws while they practically pass soldiers off as statistics they had better start getting their priorities straight. I'm disgusted.
Readers, tell me who you think deserves the kind of memorial service Jackson got: a washed-up, self-absorbed child molester or an American hero who died to protect innocent lives?
My opinion in short: Michael Jackson died. Get over it and go thank a soldier.
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