Book Review: Conspiracy

I wanted to share a very interesting and often jaw dropping book that I read recently. I am not aware of how many other people read this book since the subject is highly controversial. The book: Michael Jackson: Conspiracy by Aphrodite Jones can make any close minded individual open their eyes. Now, Michael Jackson does not make this book controversial. What made this book controversial was the fact that a journalist admitted that the media forced people to think Michael Jackson was guilty from the very beginning.
Jones, who was one of many journalists to cover the trial, takes the reader right inside the courtroom during Jackson’s child molestation trial and details testimony of important witnesses. Jones writes about important aspects of the case that the media fails to mention or just plain does not want to report. Why? Because it was too positive towards Jackson. The media had him convicted from the start of the trial. As a matter of fact, Jones admitted she was one of those reporters in the beginning to think Jackson was guilty, but then realized he was the victim, not the criminal.
Jones also gives the reader an insight into Jackson’s demeanor everyday during the trial. According to the book, no matter how much physical pain Jackson was in at times, he always made an effort to smile and wave to his fans outside the courthouse.
Here are just some of the major points in the book that point to Jackson’s innocence:
Ø Jackson’s accuser Gavin (will only use the first name) and his brother Star’s testimony contradicts one another. Star claimed he witnessed Jackson touching his brother inappropriately, but what he allegedly saw was different from what Gavin said happened to him. The boys also presented an attitude on the stand and did not seem to gain sympathy from the jury despite the fact that Gavin was a cancer survivor. Also, according to the book, Gavin was very unemotional when describing what Jackson allegedly did to him. An important thing both boys revealed was that they admitted lying under oath in the JC Penny lawsuit brought by their mother years earlier. A pattern of behavior perhaps?
Ø Both boys and even their older sister claimed that Jackson gave them alcohol on several occasions, but staff at his Neverland Ranch said both boys seemed intoxicated without Jackson even being on the property. Not only that, but according to witnesses, both Gavin and Star were trouble makers and out of control at Jackson’s ranch when he was not around. The trouble they caused included defacing property and Gavin driving a van on the property without anyone’s permission. I was shocked to read (certainly did not hear about it during the trial) that Gavin’s brother put a knife to one of Jackson’s housekeepers. Even on plane rides with Jackson and his staff they were rude by throwing food at people while Jackson’s own young children were well-behaved.
Ø Then there was the pornography issue where the boys said Jackson had showed them adult magazines. Many adult magazines (heterosexual magazines) were found at Jackson’s home, but I thought it actually made him look like a normal man for a change. The main issue was the fingerprints where both Jackson’s and Gavin’s fingerprints were on a magazine. However, the prosecution admitted that fingerprints were not tested until after the grand jury proceedings where Gavin testified at, so it was possible that Gavin touched the magazine during his testimony. Talk about sloppy police work. Besides that, Jackson claimed he caught the boys looking at his magazines, and the boys admitted that they found the magazines while going through his belongings.
Ø The accuser and his family went to lawyer Larry Feldman before they went to the police to report the abuse. This was significant because Feldman was the same lawyer who represented Jackson’s 1993 accuser and was able to get the boy a large sum of money from Jackson. Jackson’s lawyer always insisted that Gavin and his family also wanted a large sum of money. If your child was molested, wouldn’t you go the police first instead of a civil lawyer?
Ø Actor and comedian George Lopez testified at the trial. He met Gavin after the young boy was diagnosed with cancer and he wanted to help him. However, he said on the witness stand that he cut all ties with the family when Gavin’s dad kept getting angry and asking Lopez for money. According to the book, after listening to George Lopez’s testimony, Jackson seemed to be thinking about why no one warned him about this family.
Ø Probably the most damaging witness to the prosecution’s case was the accuser’s own mother, Janet. She was the most inappropriate witness on the stand who rudely pointed fingers at the jury and asked them not to judge her. One of the charges against Jackson was conspiracy. The accuser’s family claimed Jackson and his associates held them hostage at Neverland, which seemed so laughable. Why? Well why Miss Janet was being held “captive” she was buying beauty products and getting full body waxes paid for by Jackson. However, she managed to “escape” Neverland 3 times, but kept going back. Oh how tough it is to be a hostage at Neverland ranch! According to this book, the conspiracy charge made prosecutor Tom Sneddon seem desperate to nail Jackson on something. Of all their witnesses, the prosecution could not connect Jackson to the conspiracy charge.
Ø This family seemed to have a pattern of making abuse allegations. Besides the JC Penney case where Gavin’s mother cried abuse against the security guards at the store and got her children to lie under oath for her, I was shocked to learn by reading this book that Gavin made abuse claims towards his own mother in the 1990’s. Plus, Gavin’s sister accused her father of sexual abuse.
Ø Chris Tucker was another famous actor who testified in the trial. He met Jackson through Gavin since they were both helping the young cancer victim. Tucker told the jury that Gavin would ask him for money and ask him to do a lot of things for him because he was not feeling well. He said Gavin would always have a sad look on his face when asking for favors. Tucker said he warned Jackson about the family and told him to be careful.
Ø In my opinion, the biggest aspect that made this case look very weak was the timeline of the alleged molestation. The prosecution tried to make the jury believe that Gavin was molested by Jackson right after the Martin Bashir documentary aired. It’s the same documentary that purposely put Jackson in a negative light, and it featured Gavin and Jackson holding hands while being interviewed. Following the airing of the documentary and the negative reaction it received, especially the part where they were holding hands and talking about sharing a bed with each other, Jackson was once again in the center of controversary. So, then he decided to molest the boy??? This makes no sense at all. The whole world was already talking about Jackson and the boy seen in the documentary and people wanted him investigated for child abuse, so this really does not seem logical to me. Any genius could figure out that this timeline made zero sense.

So, there are just some of the major points of Aphrodite Jones’ book. Everyone knows how the trial ended. I admit I had doubts about Jackson’s innocence during the trial. Here is a man who surrounds himself with children and says during interviews that he does not see a problem with a grown man sharing a bed with a child. I am not saying that is right. However, this book really opened my eyes on how the accuser’s family were gold diggers and took advantage of Jackson’s celebrity. Jones even points out that Jackson may be in fact too nice when it comes to helping others. People just end up taking advantage of his generosity. Plus, it is sickening to think that this family used their son’s illness to meet celebrities and eventually get their money.

I know that the majority of Americans think Jackson is guilty and got away with a crime not once, but twice. However, they are just being close minded without even knowing all the evidence that was presented in the case. After reading Jones’ book, I would agree that the jury was not star struck. They actually made the right decision. The accuser’s family gave the jury no reason to believe their story, and to send a man to prison for 20 years with so many holes in the case would have been wrong.
Here is a link to Aphrodite Jones’ very informative blog: http://michaeljacksonconspiracy.blogspot.com/

Video Killed the Radio Star...Uh, Maybe Not

Yet another boring MTV Video Music Awards took place Sunday night for the first time in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, this award show once filled with excitement and surprises have not been living up to its expectations in the last couple years. I have been watching the show ever since 1992 and I miss how it used to be.
I know that I am not the only one who feels this way because MTV tried something different this year in hopes of boosting their declining ratings. One of the main changes they made was having some of the performers put on a small concert in their hotel suites. The camera would go to these performers throughout the show. Another change was that there were no fans up front right by the main stage; it seems like the only audience members were the artists themselves. Plus, there was no host this year.
Needless to say, I did not particularly like the changes. The way that they had the audience set up (in round tables with drinks) just made it look like a typical award show to me, and the video music awards has never been a typical award show. That is why it used to be so fun to watch. Plus, they did not show some of the music artists’ performances all the way through. Of course, considering that they rarely show complete videos anymore, that change really was not that surprising. The concerts in the suites were weird. What is the point of having the artists perform in different places?
I guess MTV accomplished what they wanted to get done…their ratings increased from last year’s award show. However, I have a feeling that Britney Spears opening the show had something to do with the increase in ratings. People wanted to tune in to see how Britney would make a comeback. It was not exactly a comeback though, more like a career disaster. Spears’ performance was awful. Apparently, she did not rehearse that much because during her performance she forgot her dance steps and how to lip sync. When a singer forgets how to lip sync, then that is a pretty good indication that their career is down in the dumps. The expression on some of the audience member’s faces was priceless. They seemed to be saying, “What in the world is she doing?”
There were a couple of good performances though. Alicia Keys and Chris Brown were the highlights in my opinion. Brown did a Michael Jackson imitation of “Billie Jean” and Keys did a cover of George Michael’s hit song “Freedom.”
In my opinion, the award show just gave me another reason why the network has gone down hill. As I mentioned above, MTV rarely shows complete videos anymore. Even on Total Request Live they only show some of the videos on the countdown. For the majority of the day MTV airs reality shows. I think there are enough reality shows on television today, but to have them shown all day on a network that is geared towards music is ridiculous. In order to watch videos you have to tune into MTV Hits because MTV2 and VH1 do not show that much videos anymore either. Even singer Justin Timberlake mentioned this at the award show the other night by urging MTV to play more videos.
I really do not see that much of a point anymore in music artists making a video because they can have better promotion elsewhere. If I want to see a video that I have not seen in a long time then I will go to You Tube on the internet. An important fact: The first video that was ever aired on MTV back in 1981 was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. That title was very appropriate back then, but today it would not make much sense. For heavy rotations of their music, artists will have to count on radio for now.

The Bad Girls of Hollywood

Apparently in Hollywood you can make as many mistakes as you want involving drugs and alcohol, including chasing someone at high speed while intoxicated and it will not give you barely anytime behind bars.
Lindsay Lohan agreed to a plea deal and was sentenced to just one day in jail, 10 days community service and a completion of a drug treatment program which if I’m not mistaken she tried completing several times without much success. I think that one day in jail is ridiculous. As mentioned in my previous blog, Lohan needs to spend a lot of time behind bars if she is going to receive a wake up call about turning her life around. One day in jail is not going to accomplish that. Lohan admitted in a statement that she was addicted to alcohol and drugs, which is just as shocking as Siegfried and Roy admitting that they are gay in a new book.
Well, Lohan will end up spending more time in jail than Nicole Richie who was released from jail after just 82 minutes. She was supposed to spend four days in jail for what else….driving under the influence of drugs. I do not know what could have been the problem. It is not like she could have complained about the food since she does not eat. Well, maybe she does now since she has to eat for two.
In other “screwed up out of her mind” celebrity diva news: Britney Spears is being investigated for child abuse of her two children…another shocking news item (rolls eyes). I hear that Spears might open the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards with a performance (I hope that this time she is not making out with Madonna like she did four years ago). I cannot see anything good coming out of this performance unless a miracle occurs. I heard a snippet of a new song by her and I have to say that I thought Spears never had a good singing voice, but this new song sounded horrible. If this is Spears’ idea of a comeback, well I think she will have more success in the courtroom during her custody battle, which is not saying that much.
Yet just another saga of the bad girls of Hollywood.

Lock Her Up and Throw Away the Key

Yet another young celebrity has broken the law and seems to have had a meltdown. Lindsay Lohan was arrested….again for drunken driving and possession of cocaine. And on top of that she was chasing her former personal assistant’s mother in the car. She did all this just a few weeks after completing rehab for alcoholism. It is sad, but I have to say that I do not feel sorry for her. She actually disgusts me.
Lohan does not seem to care about the fact that she has a serious problem and does not care about the dangerous actions that she takes. She also does not seem to be bothered by the fact that she could have killed someone while driving drunk and to make things worse, chasing someone at 100 miles per hour. Lohan is just another celebrity who thinks she can get away with whatever she wants.
Well, I hope that Lindsay Lohan does not get away with this and gets what she deserves. She deserves to do some hard time behind bars similar to Paris Hilton except that Lohan should be locked up much longer.
Putting Lohan behind bars for awhile would not be just a punishment in my opinion, but I think jail would do her some good. If spending some good time in jail does not turn Lohan around, then nothing will. Obviously rehab is not working. Although, I do not think she has ever spent a considerable amount of time in rehab either.
Lohan reminds me of Robert Downey Jr. back when he was arrested several times for his drug problem. Luckily, after several runs ins with the law he was able to kick his nasty habit before it was too late.
Hopefully, Lohan will be able to do the same…because quite frankly I’m tired of hearing about her.

Cry Baby Paris

The pictures of Paris Hilton crying in back of the police car as she was sent back to jail were priceless.
I was one of the many people who thought it was ridiculous when Paris was released from jail after violating probation from a drunken driving arrest after only a few days. She was instead sentenced to house arrest for 40 days. What a punishment! Having to stay in a mansion for 40 days. I only live in a condo and I would love for someone to order me to stay in my place for that long. I think it is called celebrity justice.
After an outcry from the public, the judge ordered Paris back to jail which of course caused the waterworks to come.
Paris is getting what she deserved. She will probably still end up getting released from jail early for good behavior. At least she will be spending a good amount of time in jail instead of the comfort of her mansion. I am glad the judge did not buy Paris’ medical excuse as the reason for leaving jail. The real reason is that she is a spoiled brat who does not even have a real job and who thinks she can get away with everything. The only reason she is famous in the first place (besides her last name) is because of a certain x-rated video she made that surfaced on the internet.
If Martha Stewart can survive five months in prison, then why can’t Paris survive 20-40 days in jail? Maybe Paris can learn what it is like to not live like a rich brat that she is. I want to say that she will learn something from this experience….but who knows. First, she needs to learn to stop throwing a 5-year-old temper tantrum when she does not get her way. If not, then I will just continue to refer to her as “cry baby Paris.”

Marriage in the Catholic Church

I need to get something off my chest regarding the beliefs of the Catholic Church.
Now most recently my fiancé and I fulfilled our requirements in order for us to get married by the Catholic Church. I have to say that it was one of the most stressful/difficult times in our wedding planning. It is still stressful. It made me think about some aspects of the church that I do not agree with. For one, Natural Family Planning. Well, this type of planning is perfect for married couples who want 5-10 children.
Speaking of children, my fiancé and I are undecided about having children of our own, but still talk about the possibility. Well, our biggest mistake was saying this to the priest. Apparently, zero children equal an invalid marriage in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Plus, it seems like the church is still living in the 1950’s who want women barefoot and pregnant much of the time. Luckily, we emphasized to the priest that we are open to having children. However, that does not make us any less Catholic than the married couples who are “fruitful.” The reason why I went through this process in the first place is because I want God in my marriage. That is important.
This leads me to priests and marriage. I do not think that it is right for a priest to tell me it is my duty to have children when they are not allowed to marry nor have children of their own. Who do they go home to every night?
I feel that priests should be allowed to take a wife. Then they can really understand what marriage is all about and have someone in their life to share things with. Not only that, there would probably be less problems with priests who molest children. Sadly, that is the big joke with the Catholic Church nowadays.
The issue is not just with priests either. Why should marriage be restricted to only heterosexuals who are not priests? I have become more open minded these days about certain issues thanks to the mass media. Marriage should not be limited to certain groups of people. Heterosexuals, homosexuals, and priests: They all should be allowed to marry. My fiancé and I are getting married by a Deacon, and Deacons are allowed to marry. With the divorce rate high, the certain people who are allowed to marry apparently do not take marriage seriously anyway. Some people suggest that divorce is actually declining, but more and more couples decide to just live together instead of getting married. This really does not make sense to me. The group of people who do have the constitutional right and the opportunity to get married end up not going through with it at all. Hmmm…just something to ponder.
Now I do not know if priests will be allowed to marry in my lifetime, but I think that someday the rules will change.
I for one am happy that God will be a part of my marriage whether or not this union eventually brings children. One of the most important things to me right now is knowing that God will make for a stronger marriage…one that lasts forever.

What Is It Going To Take?

What is it going to take…yet another shooting?
Last week, the worst shooting in the United States occurred at Virginia Tech. College student, Seung-Hui Cho, went on a shooting rampage and killed 32 people including classmates and faculty. Cho then killed himself.
The Virginia Tech shooting took place just a few days before the eight year anniversary of the Columbine high school massacre in Colorado. In that school shooting two students killed 12 other students and a teacher before killing themselves.
It is not just Columbine though. Unfortunately, there have been a string of deadly school shootings for the past couple decades.
Before the Columbine shooting there was the Jonesboro school massacre in Arkansas where two middle school boys shot and killed four students and a teacher. The boys were just 13 and 11 years old. Can you believe that? So young and killing innocent people.
This next school shooting hits close to home. In 1989, five children were shot and killed while playing during recess at Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, CA. A disturbed man named Patrick Purdy not only killed these five children, but he also wounded 29 others. Purdy then decided to kill himself, which seems to be a pattern of school shootings. Purdy was using a semi-automatic rifle. This dark day is known as the Stockton Massacre. This also leads me to the topic of gun control.
In the wake of the Stockton Massacre, the state of California was the first to ban semi-automatic assault weapons known as the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Act.
It is 2007 now and several more school massacres later, I am here to say we need more strict laws on gun control. I understand that many people will not agree with me on this, especially conservatives, but I do not think it is a good idea for anyone to own a gun. And I cannot stress this enough: It is definitely not a good idea to own a gun if you have children. The Jonesboro school massacre I mentioned above proves this point. The guns the two boys shot the students with were stolen from one of the boy’s grandfather’s house. Point taken.
People who argue against this say it is good to own a gun for a self-defense situation. There are other ways to protect yourself instead of owning a gun. For example, I have pepper spray. Pepper spray does not kill, but gives me enough time to get help in case I am in danger. It just seems like guns always wind up in the hands of psychopaths who use them to murder other people. No self-defense involved.
Obviously, the gun laws we have now are not working. Something drastic needs to happen in order to reduce school violence. Unfortunately, I do not think school violence will ever be completely eliminated since that is just the crazy world we live in. However, with stricter laws violence can be reduced and lives can be saved. I will never know why it is so easy for sick/disturbed individuals to walk into a school with a gun.
What will it take for this madness to stop?

Senate Tells Bush To End It

In a surprising yet hopeful move this week, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a bill that would force the end of the war in Iraq by a certain deadline. The Senate wants the troops home by March 31, 2008, while the House would like the troops home by September 2008. Of course what is no surprise is the fact that President Bush (actually drop the President, he does not deserve that title) says that he will veto the bills. Instead, Bush wants to waste more money to support this disastrous war without a deadline in mind.

I knew that something good would come out of the Democrats controlling Congress. The difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats want to do what the American people want, which is to end this lousy war sooner rather than later.

You know, I wonder how Bush sleeps at night? Does he feel guilty for costing the lives of so many American troops? No, he probably sleeps peacefully thinking about money and oil. I mean oil is the real reason why we are in Iraq. Then Bush probably thanks God everyday for the connections he has in the state of Florida. I hope he is proud of himself.

I understand that Bush will be stubborn and never allow a bill like this to pass, but I am glad that the Democrats in Congress are sending a very loud message to Bush: There will be a fight. And what a fight it will be. Get your boxing gloves ready Bush.

Driving Miss Daisy Part 2

Just a day after I posted my previous blog about the problem with elderly drivers, I came across an interesting news item. The news article was about elderly drivers and how intersections are the most dangerous for them. It also was about how these drivers cause more accidents because of their slower reactions and their eyesight not being as good as it used to be.
The article’s solution to the problem is to improve intersections to make it easier on the elderly drivers. This is an ok solution I guess. However, I still say once you reach a certain age you should be forced to re-take your driving test.
Improving intersections may be a small solution, but there are elderly people that should not be driving at all. For example, someone with Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease definitely should not be behind the wheel. That is too much of a risk. They need to have someone else drive them around. Not only is this a fact, but also from personal experience of knowing someone really close to me with the disease.
Hopefully, more people will see the importance and seriousness of this.

Driving Miss Daisy

I hope that this blog does not offend anyone, but something has to be said about the elderly people and their driving. I feel that once you reach a certain age it might not be a good idea to be out there on the road. Let’s face it, some things do not function well or work once you get older. One of them is eyesight or losing the ability to actually know where you are going and remembering the rules of the road.
Living in Arizona, there are many elderly people driving on the freeways and many of them should not be there. They drive way below the speed limit (although it is better than driving like a maniac) and cannot see very well to know where they are going.

Now I am not saying take their driver’s licenses away for good. After all, there are teenagers/young adults that are many times more of a danger on the road because of their aggressive driving. What I am saying, however, is to force senior citizens to re-take their driving test when they reach a certain age. Maybe ages 70-75, or even younger. This way their driving skills can be tested to see if it is safe for them to get behind the wheel.
The state of Arizona driver’s licenses lasts about 40 years. My license does not expire until the year 2045 where I will be in my sixties. Hopefully, the DMV will be smart enough to give me a new test and to check my eyesight.
The less danger on the road the better off we all are.

Celebrity Breakdowns

There is nothing better for a celebrity to make headlines than to have a breakdown in front of everyone.
There are a number of celebrities through the years who have had breakdowns or some people like to call meltdowns. Most recently: Britney Spears. When she drove her car with her baby boy in her lap, I just thought that she needed to take several parenting classes. I already mentioned her lack of undergarments in a previous blog. Now that Britney has decided that she wants to look like Sinead O’Connor minus the good singing voice, I know that there is seriously something wrong there. Luckily, Britney is in rehab receiving help. No word on if she will flee for the third time.
Other celebrity breakdowns include great singers like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Who can forget Whitney’s interview with Diane Sawyer about four years ago? Before the interview Whitney had always denied drug abuse despite her odd behavior that said otherwise. She disgustingly looked like a skeleton at a Michael Jackson tribute concert in 2001. Then she delivered that famous line to Sawyer when asked if she ever used crack: “Crack is whack.” Yeah, so was Whitney. It was pretty obvious to me that she was even on something during that interview, but not crack of course.
Mariah Carey decided to do a striptease during her breakdown. She shocked audience members and host Carson Daly when she started stripping on the MTV show Total Request Live in 2001. It was not long after that when Mariah eventually was hospitalized claiming exhaustion. This came during a summer of disappointments for Mariah, including her movie “Glitter.”
We may not want to admit it, but we are glued to the television or newspapers when celebrities have these breakdowns. Why? Because it proves that celebrities do not have the charmed life despite the fame and the money. These stars in reality do not have a better life than us average folks. Celebrities actually have it more difficult because their life is not private. People dream of being a star for a day. However, I am sure famous people dream of being average for one day. It just proves that fame and fortune are not everything; they in fact a lot of times make things worse.
Now Mariah Carey was able to make a comeback. It is too soon to tell whether Britney or Whitney will make comebacks. I would not rush if I were them. They should stay away from the spotlight and live life normally for awhile. Well, at least as normal as possible.

Sweet Revenge for the Chicks

The Grammy awards aired last night. They have been getting more boring as usual, but I was happy with some of the winners, most notably the Dixie Chicks.
I mentioned this country trio in my previous blog regarding President Bush and the war. Four years ago when the war in Iraq was about to start, the Dixie Chicks created controversy when they said they were ashamed that Bush was from the same place that they were from, Texas. After that comment their record sales dropped and they were not heard on country radio stations anymore.
I thought it was unfair the way they were treated. I am glad that the Dixie Chicks made that comment. Apparently, freedom of speech means squat to conservatives. As a writer, freedom of speech means everything to me. The Dixie Chicks only said what many people were probably thinking at the time. They just happened to be the only musicians who had the guts to say something about the embarrassment of our President. Of course, it was alright for country singer Toby Keith to bash the Dixie Chicks for their comment because he supported Bush and the war. He was probably smoking too many joints with Willie Nelson at the time because I think it is outrageous that anyone can support Bush and the war, especially now. Obviously, here are two musicians that take different sides when it comes to the war in Iraq, nothing wrong with that. But there is something wrong when one side of the argument is protested against, not the other. How is that fair?
Last night at the Grammys, the Dixie Chicks finally received their revenge. They swept the award show by winning all five of their Grammy nominations, including album of the year and record of the year for their post-Bush comment anthem “Not Ready to Make Nice.” After four years of this war dragging on, people seem to have gotten over their comment and realize they were right four years ago.
Although, I hear that most country radio stations still will not play the Dixie Chicks, and are even more upset because the group won five Grammy awards. The conservative country stations can do whatever they want, but the majority of the people know that the Dixie Chicks have always been treated unfairly the past four years. Country radio stations may not forgive or be “ready to make nice” with the Dixie Chicks, but they cannot do anything about those shiny new Grammys they will be taking back home to Texas.

Enough Is Enough

I do not know if anyone caught George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address the other night. I admit that I had better things to do. And honestly, after a couple of minutes of listening to Bush speak (or at least try to speak) I get bored. Unless, he is really making a fool of himself then I just laugh.

I do know that one of topics he spoke on was the war in Iraq. First of all, I never quite understood why we were over there in the first place or for so long. We captured/executed Saddam finally. I think that the biggest reason why this war needs to be over is that the people in Iraq are not the ones who knocked down the Twin Towers.

Bush says he will not end the war in Iraq. Instead, he will do the exact opposite. He is sending more troops to Iraq. Is our President stupid? Well, yes. Instead of focusing on the important issues like the economy, gas prices, unemployment...need I say more? Bush is obsessed with Iraq for some reason. The problem is that he got in too deep and he knows it. He cannot pull out now, what else will he do or talk about his remaining two years in office?

All I know is that the next two years better go by fast because Bush needs to be out of office for our country’s own good.

Despite causing a lot of controversy with their statement, the Dixie Chicks were very right a couple years ago when they said they were ashamed of the President. I am ashamed too. I think that enough is enough.

It's About Time

Steroid use in Major League Baseball has been an ongoing issue for sometime now. It has always been known that several major league baseball players have used steroids to enhance their performance on the baseball field. Many players have also denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs. However, reports say something different. It never used to be illegal to take steroids until 2002, so players have gone unpunished. That is until recently.

The 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame inductees were announced last week. Mark McGwire was not voted in, and he was not even close to being voted in. McGwire is one of the players that reportedly took performance-enhancing drugs during his career. When he went in front of Congress a couple years ago to discuss steroid use in baseball, he avoided the question about his own use. His response was, “I am not here to talk about the past.” Well, voters made it loud and clear that McGwire does not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame despite his 583 career home runs.
I agree with the voters. McGwire and every other player who took/takes steroids deserve to be punished. And in my opinion, not getting into the Hall of Fame is the worst kind of punishment. Voters are basically telling McGwire that all of his accomplishments do not mean anything if he cheated by taking performance-enhancing drugs.
I believe taking steroids is considered cheating, although many people will probably disagree with me. Let’s say McGwire never took steroids. Would he still have been as successful as a home run hitter? I am not saying he would have been less successful, but we will never know. It is sad to think that many players might have had very different careers if they did not take steroids. Unfortunately, we will never know how talented these players really are.

I also believe that these players set a bad example. They are telling people that it is ok to take steroids in order to be stronger and more successful in a sport.
The voters last week sent out a very loud message. I think it is a great message. Their message also tells me that it is unlikely McGwire will ever be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Disgraced player Barry Bonds does not have much chance either after he retires.

I hope this also can be a lesson to some players that the fans do not and will not forget.

After all these years, it looks like steroid use/cheating has finally caught up to these professional athletes. These players have been getting away with steroid use way too long and now the punishment is coming. All I can say is: It’s about time.

Rosie and Donald Both Need To Shut Up

Yet we have another celebrity feud that everyone is talking about these days. In the past month, comedian and co-host of The View, Rosie O’Donnell, and Donald Trump have been going at it in a war of words. The feud all started when O’Donnell disagreed with Trump’s decision to not say “you’re fired” to Miss USA Tara Conner who apparently has a drug and alcohol problem.

Since then, they have repeatedly attacked one another to the point where it is laughable. Trump and O’Donnell remind me of recess time in elementary school. A couple of immature children who have nothing better to do than insult each other. I think they have a contest on who can hurt each other the most. Or who can act more immature than the other.

Honestly, I think they both need to shut up because I do not care for either one of them. Why don’t they just both get in a boxing ring and go a couple more rounds? That ought to be fun to watch. And let’s face it. They are both right about each other. O’Donnell is a bully who used to be the “Queen of Nice,” but for some reason has turned into the exact opposite. Trump does have a bad combover who has a thing for young women. However, it has gotten to the point where it is obvious that both of them are just doing it for the headlines.

Well, Trump and O’Donnell, you two received the headlines, now please shut up.

American Justice System vs. Iraq Justice System

I am sure everyone has heard by now, former Iraq leader, Saddam Hussein has been executed for the crimes he committed over several decades. Hussein was sentenced to death in November after his conviction, and was executed on December 30. This leads me to the question: Why does it take so long for the American justice system to send a convicted criminal to the death penalty?
When criminals in our system are sentenced to death, by the time their appeals run out, 20 years or more have passed since their conviction. If justice is not going to be served right away, then why give a jury the option of punishing someone by death? The convicted criminals are rotting away in prison like they were given a life sentence anyways.
Look at Scott Peterson. He was convicted and sentenced to death for murdering his pregnant wife Laci. However, Peterson will probably not be put to death in another 20 years after his appeals are exhausted. Another example, Richard Allen Davis, kidnapped and murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas back in 1993. Davis was sentenced to death for the crime, but has yet to be executed. He sits alongside Peterson in San Quentin State Prison. Davis and Peterson both have no remorse for what they have done and deserve the ultimate punishment sooner rather than later.
Why is our justice system so slow? I understand that convicted criminals have the right to appeal their conviction, but justice finally being done several years after the crime is committed is ridiculous. Iraq did not waste time in executing Hussein, which is good. Hussein was a monster whose capture was actually long overdue in my opinion. He should have been captured back in 1991 during the Gulf War.
I think if we are going to take forever to execute someone who has been sentenced to die, then what is the point of the death penalty?