I've Got The Golden Casket!

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple." -Willy Wonka

Oh, money! You can't take it with you, when you're gone... Or can you? Our consumer culture is out to prove that you can. That is, you can bury yourself in gold...  and text us all about it in the afterlife. hey yo, do u c dead ppl? lolz :)

Today, "a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin" was debuted at the Luxury And Yachts Verona 2010 trade fair. And let me tell you, it's such a steal at only $381,000! You know you want one! The King of Pop and the Godfather of Soul had 'em. (Although, the music legends only paid $25,000 for their golden caskets. However, their coffins didn't come with a cell phone! AND HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT A CELL PHONE WHEN YOU'RE DEAD?!)

I find this simply ridiculous! RIDICULOUS! With all the poverty in the world, how can anyone justify spending so much money on a casket? Think of all the charities that could benefit from $381,000! To spend that much money, on yourdeadself, you would have to think of yourdeadself as a god... or King Tut... or a Magi.

Tell me, how do you feel about this?

I'm Sorry, But Are You Serious?

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Terry Nichols has decided to go on a "hunger strike to protest unhealthy prison meals." Now, I am all for the fair treatment of prisoners. And I believe that prisons should not be a form a torture or punishment, but rather a form of rehabilitation. With that said, and before everyone gets all up in arms, I do recognize that not everyone can be rehabilitated. And based on Terry Nichols' crime and his beliefs, I doubt that he could be rehabilitated.
 
But here's what gets me about this article:

"Nichols contends he needs a better diet for medical and religious reasons. He contends that eating refined foods defiles God's holy temple, the human body."

Did your jaw just drop to the floor? Because my jaw sure did! Now, I'm not a religious person, but I respect that everyone has the freedom and choice to believe in and practice a religious faith. However, I do not respect people who get all super religious and talk up their religious convictions, but then choose to not live their lives according to those convictions. Mr. Nichols does not want to defile God's holy temple, the human body, by eating unhealthy foods... But he had no problem defiling the hundreds of bodies inside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building?! Health reasons, ok, I get that, but for religious reasons... No way.

Tell me, how do you feel about this?

What Ever Happened to Rehabilitation?

Did you know that in May of 2009, the U.S. correctional system recorded 2,574 people serving life without parole sentences in the United States, who were juveniles when convicted? True story.

Sarah Kruzan is one such person.

Question: This woman seems to have changed, so why shouldn't she be allowed another chance at life?

I first became aware of this issue after watching the Frontline episode "When Kids Get Life." It aired in 2007. It is 2009, and our system still has yet to correct this, despite the outcry to do so.

However, this may soon be changing. NPR reports that two cases are about to stir things up. Graham v. Florida and Sullivan v. Florida will be heard by the Supreme Court in November. The lawyers for Graham and Sullivan will be arguing that LWOP sentences given to juveniles violate the 8th Amendment, as they are not in conjunction with the CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS CLAUSE. The U.S. Supreme Court has "ruled that criminal sentences that are inhuman, outrageous, or shocking to the social conscience are cruel and unusual."

I do not believe that juveniles should be punished as adults. Studies have shown that the brain is not fully developed during adolescence. In fact, the human brain undergoes intense growth during the teenage years. In a series of MRI studies on 145 adolescents, Dr. Judith Rapoport discovered "a second wave of overproduction of gray matter, the thinking part of the brain—neurons and their branch-like extensions—just prior to puberty...the gray matter growth spurt just prior to puberty predominates in the frontal lobe, the seat of "executive functions"—planning, impulse control and reasoning." The growth of gray matter also continues into the teenage years; "the teen's gray matter waxes and wanes in different functional brain areas at different times in development."

Harvard Magazine reports: "Research during the past 10 years, powered by technology such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, has revealed that young brains have both fast-growing synapses and sections that remain unconnected. This leaves teens easily influenced by their environment and more prone to impulsive behavior, even without the impact of souped-up hormones and any genetic or family predispositions."

So, I ask, "With the information scientists have gathered, how can our judicial system continue to prosecute juveniles as adults?" Ok, ok, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Well, what about those kids who commit violent crimes? Who commit murder? Shouldn't they be charged as adults? If they're grown enough to fire a gun or wield a knife, then aren't they old enough to be punished for their crimes?" Well, I ask you - yes, YOU - to look back on your teenage years. Do you remember all the stupid and irrational things YOU said and did? Yeah, maybe you didn't get arrested... But then again, maybe you were just lucky enough not to get caught! And yeah, I'm sure you didn't kill anyone, but I'm also sure that you did a few things you would probably take back if you had the chance. The point is, no one is fully matured as a teenager, so why punish teenagers as if they were mature adults? Now, I'm not saying that these kids should just get a slap on the wrist. YES, they should face punishment. YES, they should be incarcerated. BUT for the rest of their lives?! What values and ideals do we hold as a society, if we are so quick to give up on these kids? Can we not help them grow into responsible and mature adults? And when people, like Sarah Kruzan, show that they have changed and matured and reflected on their lives and the decisions that they made, then why shouldn't they be given a second chance at life? (Especially when the people involved were abused mentally and/or physically as children, such as Sarah Kruzan and the various individuals featured in "When Kids Get Life!") And if you watched the video of Sarah Kruzan, can you honestly tell me that she doesn't live with guilt everyday? I can only imagine what it feels like to wake up every morning, knowing that you were responsible for taking another human being's life; knowing that you will spend the rest of your life in prison; knowing that you will die behind bars.

Tell me, how do you feel about this?

Tattoo Me Stupid

In April of 2009, a California man had his 7 year old son tattooed with a dog paw, a symbol for the Bulldogs, a Fresno street gang. The news was the talk of the town; it was covered by local media and eventually made national news. When the father finally was arrested in May, he faced a life sentence for aggravated mayhem. NPR reports that a judge has dropped the charge of aggravated mayhem, and instead, the father and the tattoo artist "will face the lesser charge of cruel and inhumane treatment of a child," and "with gang enhancements, they face seven years in prison."

Now, I don't know about you, but this information left me baffled! Who in their right mind would think that it's ok to tattoo a child?! I googled "father tattoos son," and believe it or not, this punk is not alone in his disturbing actions! A man in Georgia had his 3 year old tattooed. A woman in Texas had her two children and her little brother tattooed. All of this is disturbing, but the story of the California man is the most disturbing, in my eyes. One, he tattooed a GANG SYMBOL on his 7 year old son! A GANG SYMBOL! Two, his public defender had the audacity to compare what his client did to ear piercing and circumcision! NPR reported: "During questioning Monday of the boy's pediatrician, Nieto [the public defender] raised the issue of other painful and scaring procedures parents subject their children to, such as ear piercing and circumcision." WHAT?! Now, I take issue with parents piercing the ears of infants, but come on! Trying to compare that to the tattooing of a gang symbol on a child... Well, apparently this man is just as much out of his right mind as his client!

Tell me, how do you feel about this?

Our Tax Dollars Hard At Work?

So, the city passed out FREE T-shirts at the 2016 rally at the Daley Center. I can't help but wonder, "Who the hell paid for these 'free' T-shirts?" And the thought of all the money wasted on these T-shirts stirs more than my soul!


Tell me, how do you feel about this?

Speechless in Chicago

Unless you've been living under a rock, by now you've heard about the tragic death of yet another Chicago Public School student. A student was attacked outside Fenger high school. He was beaten to death with a two-by-four. The news has made national coverage, and a video of the attack is circulating around the web. Watching the video simply leaves you speechless. What can one even say to the parents of that child? What could CPS representatives possibly say in the wake of this horrific event?
The New York Times reports: Chicago school officials "are starting a new anti-violence plan this fall and plan to provide extra counseling and assistance to schools and students seen as most likely to be involved in violence, said Monique Bond, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Public Schools. Officials were focusing on 38 schools with the most problems, including Fenger."

As someone who desires to teach for CPS, this both saddens and scares me. How can children be expected to learn and grow when they face the fear of violence every day? And I can't help but ask, "Are CPS officials really going to act?" Have we not heard this line before? Violence in and around Chicago schools is nothing new, and the violence is increasing. And is this a job for CPS alone? The city needs to step in. Schools located in areas known for violence and gang activity need more support from the Chicago Police Department. And where is our Mayor? Instead of doing all he can to bring the Olympics to Chicago, I think he should be doing all he can to reduce the violence our children are facing!

Tell me, how do you feel about this?

Mother Should I Trust the Government?

The article "Lost To Lariam?" deeply upset me. And it did so not just because I have family in the military. It upset me because this knowledge furthers the notion that corporate greed is invading every aspect of our lives. Men and women are serving our country - often for a cause they no longer believe in - only to be given drugs that our government knows may lead to depression and suicide. I wonder how much money Roche lobbyists poured out? And I wonder how much of our tax dollars went to Roche in payment for Lariam?

Tell me, how do you feel about this?