Powerful Gun, Who Should Obtain Them?

A recent article on MSNBC News about an extremelly powerful gun, the .50-caliber rifle created by Ronnie Barrett (founder of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc.), posed some issues involving who should be able to obtain the gun and its uses. "It weighs about 30 pounds and can hit targets up to 2,000 yards away with armor-piercing bullets." Currently the gun is provided to both the military and citizens who may use them for hunting or other uses. A lot of people, including Tom Diaz, "a senior policy analyst with the Washington-based Violence Policy Center," argue that providing these guns to citizens can be a threat and makes them available to terrorists who would be capable of even bringing down an airplane with the gun. Anybody of the age 18 and older has the ability of obtaining such a powerful gun by simply passing a background check. Money and profit of course plays a big role in this rather easy access to the rifle. Selling the guns to citizens is important even though most of the profit comes from the U.S. military, which spent about $8 million dollars on Barrett's firearms last year, since "military and police orders can fluctuate year to year":

"It's like, what does a 55-year-old man do with a Corvette? You drive it around
and enjoy it," said Barrett, 51, whose customers include doctors, lawyers, movie
makers and actors. "I know all the current actors who are Barrett rifle
shooters, some Academy Award-winning people. But they don't publicize it. They
love to play with them and have fun. Shooting is very fun."

That is if you're not the one being shot at...

Looking back in history to the foundation of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc., ever since the 1980's the company has been providing the military with weapons. The United States has used the .50-caliber rifle since the 1991 Gulf War and is currently using it in the War in Iraq.
"For years some state and federal lawmakers have sought to limit or ban the gun's sale, as California did this year." The gun is quite powerful, but extremely easy to be obtained it is quite ridiculous. According to a 1999 research it was found that the guns are easily provided to civilians through markets with mild restrictions, making them more easily obtained than handguns. The gun's sale has to be limited, even if it is the major profict of Barret's industry. Maybe he should look for a part-time job which doesn't ivolve making or selling powerful guns to 18 year old or older civilians.

I've been slacking, please forgive me Sir Jason Raia.

I read a horribly disturbing story about a man slaying his family in The New York Times today. A 20 year old man in Myakka City, Florida was arrested Sunday for the slayings of his parents, younger brother and elderly grandmother. All of their bodies were found bludgeoned to death in their family home. Richard Edgar Henderson Jr. admitted to detectives that he had beaten his family to death with a pipe on Thanksgiving evening. His motives for these brutal killings are not clear at this time. Henderson is being charged with four counts of murder and is being jailed without a bond.

This story reminded me of a well-known rhyme that went a little something like, "Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one." Lizzie Borden was a New England woman who was tried for the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother in the late 19th century. On August 4, 1892, Lizzie "discovered" the dead bodies of her parents in their Fall River, MA. household. She was put on trial for the murders, during which she claimed her innocence. Lizzie fainted and won much sympathy from the all-male jury, who acquitted her on June 20, 1893. Although she was acquitted, many historians agree that Lizzie was guilty due to incriminating evidence, such as a bloody dress she burnt three days after the murder, and the fact that she didn't get along with her parents very well.

After reading about both of these topics, I have come to the conclusion that people need to learn to reconcile with their family members reasonably. Future advice for those who get in arguments with their family - Take them out for a nice steak [or salad if you are a vegetarian] dinner rather than taking their LIVES. Talk it over, keep your cool. Put the axe/blunt object down.

The bed bugs are back

Bed bugs are known mostly for their role in a nursery rhyme. But, there could be bed bugs lurking around your house or in your car. Bed bugs are not found in just hot-sheet motels anymore. They have been found recently in hospital maternity wards, private schools, and even a plastic surgeon's waiting room. Infestations have been reported periodically across the United States over the past few years. These reports have especially been in New York City. The owner of Pest Away Exterminating, Jeffrey Eisenberg, said, 'It's becoming an epidemic'.

This bed bug epidemic resembles a time period in the 1960s. This was when stink bugs (Hemipteras) invaded the United States from Mexico. The bugs were particularly destructive in the southern part of the United States. The more than 67,500 known species of stink bugs attacked grasses and plants such as: cabbage, broccoli, turnip, horseradish, potato, beet, bean, grape, squash, sunflower, ragweed, and citrus foliage.

I'm a little behind....

While browsing around the Washington Post homepage I came across an article that was featured in the Associated Press on November 15, 2005. The article entitled "GM Bankruptcy Fears Rising on Wall Street" brings attention to the speculation among GM investors that the company may be forced into bankruptcy. Some think the reason for this possible bankruptcy is the company's unwillingness to succumb to current conditions and manufacture smaller and more environmental friendly cars. The increasing demand for such cars would be a boon for their business. If the company decides to adapt to the current demand and escape bankruptcy thousands of jobs will be saved.

This article resembles the plight of the Ford Company during the mid-1920s. Henry Ford refused to update the model T. He also would not allow his cars to be bought on credit because he believed it was bad for the economy. These refusals to meet costmers' demands were causing Ford sales to go down. If the company went under it would cause the loss of many jobs. Fortunately, his more open-minded son Edsel took over the company and managed to avoid bankruptcy. He met the costumers' needs by changing the assembly into a new upgraded car called the model A. The model A had many mechanical upgrades. The company now also allowed cars to be bought on credit. In order to evade bankruptcy and save jobs GM will have to adapt their cars to the cotumers' needs just as the Ford Company did.

anti war or anti american?

The recent anti war protests in Colombus, Ga have lead to a very controversial question of what exactly these people are protesting. Recent speculation has lead the country to believe that protestors are not only anti-war, but anti-soldiers as well. The locals are calling for the close of a local army base and training camp, claming that either that, or the war had to go. Already, 40 graduates of the school have died in Iraq, devastating the town. Pro-military citizens in the area feel as though pulling out now would dishonor all of those who have lost their lives, over a cause that would be lost.

These protests are similar to those during the times of Vietnam. On April 9th, 1969, 300 Harvard University students began a riot. They threw out eight deans from an administration building and refused to leave. This was just the beginning in a series of memorable riots and protests. The "Days of Rage" protest in October of 1969, took place in Chicago. It consisted of 300 "Weathermen" armed with guns, knives, gas masks, baseball bats, and other weaponry. The angry mob marced into the streets of Chicago vandalizing everything in sight. When the battle with police was over, 7 were killed, and nearly 70 arrested, it is still unknonw how many were injured.

Though this is a bit of a drastic comparison, I consider it very relavent. Both wars are though of similarly, some consider the Iraq war unnecessary, and many considered Vietnam unncecssary as well. Both also were accused of protesting similar ideas of Anti was or Anti American troops. Though the recent protest never got out of control, if local and federal officals dont keep a tight reign, anything is possible.

I wish I could use my clever title

Should American troops evacuate from Iraq? Cheney says, no dice. Pennsylvania representative John Muthra, a veteran himself, said suggested that "The public turned against this war before I said it...The public is emotionally tied into finding a solution to this thing, and that's what I hope this administration is going to find out." Cheney however said, "It is a dangerous illusion to suppose that another retreat by the civilized world would satisfy the appetite of the terrorists and get them to leave us alone." He believes that America has to remain there in hopes that the democracy the US has set up remains strong in spite of terrorist who hope to destroy it.

The war in Vietnam could be seen a similar event, as it too had its controversy. By the time the war was drawing to a close, many politicians had already decided that it was time they gave up, including Senators James William Fulbright and Robert F. Kennedy. Of course, the reasons behind this one were different, and it was decided that they work on peace negotiations. Similar to the current situation though, there was a heated debate about the war to begin with. By the time those Senators were agreeing to vote to pull the troops out, people were already protesting the war, including The Moratorium, the largest one-day demonstration against the war. Nothing that spectacular has happened as of yet, but as Muthra said, the public was already against the the US involvement in Iraq to begin with, so if Congress chooses to side with Cheney, who's to say it won't happen? Just a crazy thought....

My clever title would have been "Dick doesn't want to pull out."

Gah mah jah, I got a lot more to do. You wait until the 4th, I'm gonna post hardcore, just you wait.

Are you my sister?

I read an article in the New York Times today about sisters. They have different mothers, but the same father, donor 150. Today, there are hundreds of sperm banks across america. Women often use these banks as a last resort to have a child. This, however leaves many children fatherless. The two girls from the article met in a program called the Donor Sibling Registry. This is a web site designed to help children of the same donor meet each other. The two girls described in the article are planning on meeting each other over thanksgiving break.

This article made me wonder when the whole process of sperm banks began. In 1964, the first two sperm banks were built. There was one in iowa city and one in tokyo. This was a big deal seeing as how conservative most people were back then. Today, the popularity of sperm banks is growing every day.

"Yo dun no mi, I do wat I waaant!"

During my free period, I came across an article in the New York Times on a federal appeal judge by the name of Samuel A. Alito Jr. who is known for sticking up for religious freedom. President Bush’s nominee for Supreme Court, Alito, has voted in favor of having nativity scenes displayed alongside nonreligious symbols. Also, he has ruled against a school that wanted to prevent an evangelical church from sending home fliers with local elementary school children. Another religious restriction he has helped is letting Muslim police officers grow beards, which was against law enforcement rules, but suitable for religious practicing.

Throughout the article, it was mentioned that Alito is simply exercising the First Amendment. The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” The United States adopted this Amendment and nine others on December 15, 1791. The ten Amendments were called the Bill of Rights.

Romney And The Death Penalty

On November 15, the death penalty law submitted by Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, was rejected. Governor Romney had stated that his plan was foolproof and that there was no way any innocent person could be committed. He stated that capital punishment would be used in "very, very rare circumstances," like cases involving terrorism, serial killings or the deaths of police officers or other public servants. Critics said that no bill was really foolproof and that innocent people would, in fact, end up getting executed.


The history if the death penalty goes back to the eighteenth century B.C. It was first "protested" by William the Conqueror, in the eleventh century A.D.,when he said that people could only be hung if they had committed murder. The first recorded execution of a person in America happened in the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1608 to Captain George Kendall, Kendall was executed for being a spy for Spain. Since then capital punishment has often been debated about, many states have since abolished it in there vicinity. On November 2, 1982 voters amended the Massachusetts Constitution in which stating: No provision of the Constitution... Shall be construed as prohibiting the imposition of the punishment of death. Since then this issue has often been debated, in which this form of punishment has been instated and taken back on numerous occasions.

Remembering "Beatlemania"

On December 8, 1980, a celebrity was murdered by a twenty-five year-old-man named Mark David Chapman. Pop culture icon John Lennon was one of the four members of the British pop music sensation, the Beatles. Originally from Liverpool, England, Lennon was one of the many millions of people who have found a home in New York City. Although Lennon was aware of the millions of fan he had worldwide, he was unconscious of the intentions of one of his followers, Mark Chapman. In December of 1980, Chapman shot Lennon in front of his New York home across from Central Park. Tears were shed throughout the world as one of the most famous music celebrities in history lost his life to a man who claimed to have “invoke[d] the devil’s assistance” to have the opportunity to murder Lennon. Because Chapman pleaded guilty to the crime, a clear account was never given to the public explaining why Chapman did what he did. Later, however, the murderer would give a detailed explanation of the events that winter evening, stating his actions were “‘a white knight kind of thing --- a crusade.’” No matter what his intentions, Chapman received his desire for attention, while the world continues to mourn the loss of a true legend twenty-five years after the tragic event.

The Beatles were a worldwide cultural movement during the 1960s. The music group sparked a phenomenon, known as “Beatlemania” in countries all around the world. The “fab four” combined all music genres to create a unique style all their own, which to this day has yet to be matched. The Beatles consisted of John Lennon, vocals and rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney, vocals and bass guitar, George Harrison, vocals and lead guitar, and Ringo Starr on the drums. With more than eighteen records and two movies, the boys were ultimate celebrities for ten years, singing songs such as “Yellow Submarine” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”. More than thirty years after the group disbanded in 1970, the Beatles were named the most important entertainers of the twentieth century. Although the group has been dissolved for more than three decades, their success is undeniable and their influence throughout the world will never be forgotten.

Senators fight for a better law..

On November 17, six Senators wrote a letter telling their fellow Senate members that if changes were not made to the Patriot Act than they would not vote to renew the law. This law was passed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, it is basically an antiterrorism law. The act has been the subject of furious debate over whether it strikes the right balance between national security and personal liberties. These Senators are listening to civil rights activists and Democrats that want to add onto the law more about what is alright for the FBI, and other organizations preventing terrorism, to do to stop it. Many of the protestors feel that their personal rights are not being considered enough.


Since the Patriot Act focused on antiterrorism I decided to look back into history to see what other steps America has made in the struggle for antiterrorism, and what I found was disturbing. Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, in the 1940s, America made a drastic decision, camps were made to hold all Japanese citizens within the United States. These camps were set up as a result of President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066. These relocation camps were intended to remove all Japanese from America's way so that there would be no threat of an inside threat to America. One of these camps, Manzanar, held 10,046 internees at its height. Many of these retainees lost everything they owned. It was until April, 1976, that the Executive Order 9066 was finally removed by President Ford.

Illegal Immigrants get "Crossing trainers" for Shoes

The BBC reports that artist Judy Werthein has designed a special boot sneaker to aide illegal immigrants coming from Mexico cross the American border. The terrain they cross is usually rocky and full of tarantulas and danger, and they usually cross at night to avoid being caught.

Werthein equipped the shoes, which are named Brincos after the Spanish word for "jump" and also the term for crossing the border, with items that usually are not found in shoes. She says,

"The shoe includes a compass, a flashlight because people cross at night, and
inside is included also some Tylenol painkillers because many people get injured
during crossing" .

The shoe also has a removeable insole that has a map of the most popular immigrant routes to America. Werthein was inspired to design the shoes because the immigrant's main vehicle are their feet. The shoes are ankle-high, and are green, red, black and yellow. On the heel is the Aztec eagle, and on the toes is the American eagle to symbolize the American dream. When Werthein passes the shoes out at shelters, she finds that they are some peoples' first pair of shoes ever.

Some say that Werthein's shoes are giving Mexicans incentive to illegally cross the border, but she disagrees. She claims she is just provoking an important discussion and that"The real incentive for illegal immigrants is Americans' demand for cheap labour."

Werthein's actions can be compared to conductors of the Underground Railroad. White abolitionists and freed slaves, such as Harriet Tubman, helped escaped slaves travel to safety without being caught by their former masters. This practise led to arrests or $4000 fines and was highly dangerous.

Gettysburg & Art

Check out this article from the NYTimes on the cyclorama at Gettysburg. It will give you a little of the history of what some believe is the most important battle of the Civil War. (Of course, I diagree.)

Who gives these kids guns?! Honestly!

A tragic school shooting in Jacksboro, Tennessee at Campbell County High School occurred yesterday according to The New York Times. According to authorities, A 15-year-old student shot and killed an assistant vice principal and critically wounded two other administrative figures. The shots rang out around 2 pm, and the school was put in lockdown until 3:30. The student shooter, identified as freshman Kenneth Bartley Jr., was taken into custody. None of the 1,400 students in the school were wounded or killed. Bartley's motives and reasons for the shooting are unknown at this time.

This tragedy reminded me of the Columbine shootings that occurred on April 20, 1999. A suburban high school in Jefferson County, Colorado, found itself under attack by two of its own. This shooting, however, was much more fatal than the one in Tennessee. At Columbine, two student gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killed 13 and wounded 21 before they turned the guns on themselves. Columbine could easily be considered the most devastating school shooting in U.S. history.

Recently, the California sunshine and beaches haven't been enough to attract the large cowds they once could. The amount of people moving to other parts of the country from California is increasing with the rising cost of housing in the state. The New York Times recently reported that the skyrocketing prices, among other reasons, have lead to a sharp increase in young families settling elsewhere. Californians are learning that for the same price, they can find bigger houses in better locations, than would buy a shanty house in a rough neighborhood in California.
This is similar to the Great Depression. At the time, rising prices and no jobs left few options for east coast residents. Many decided to pack up and move to California where it was rumored jobs were plentiful. The movement of people through the South-Western plains resulted in the Dust Bowl, an area of severe drought, through which thousands of migrant workers traveled. The opposite seems to be occuring in California. Rising house prices and a steady economy makes moving a good choice. The biggest difference between the two is that during the depression people were flocking to California, and today it seems they are traveling away.

Not so GREAT and not that DEPRESSED?

An article in New York Times states that many California citizens are moving eastward, in search of cheaper living. In a survey of 2,500 Californians last year by the Public Policy Institute of California, a research about one third of residents under the age of thirty five said the cost of housing was making them consider moving to a less expensive area. Two-thirds of those people also said they were thinking of leaving the state. Last year a half million California citizens moved to other parts of the country.
This topic reminded me of the Great Depression. The Great Depression is the opposite of what is happening today in California. During the 1930s, the Great Depression many U.S. citizens moved west to California in search of jobs, which helped their financial state. Not everyone moved at first but slowly more and more people headed west in search of an easier life. The long journey to California was harsh and many people died along the way. Luckily, today’s traveling is much easier and won’t call for any casualties.

Bird Flu.

An article posted the other day in the New York Times, discussed the preporation in hand for the Bird Flu breakout. The Bush administration has called for $7.1 billion dollars in emergency spending money to stockpile and prepare for a possible outbreak in the U.S. Currently, the flu has been contracted by people in Asia, where more than 60 people have died from it. Also, 140 million birds have been killed worldwide to stop the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, a few birds have been found in Europe that contract the disease and it is feared that it will spread to the U.S. soon.

This epidemic is similar to the 1918, influenze outbreak in the U.S, where more than 600,000 Americans contracted the disease and died. It was rumored tat the disease began inthe U.S. at an army base, and quickly spread aruond the country and world. The disease was highly contagious and the victims died within the first two to four days of catching it. The virus had an avian origin

Charles Victor Thompson, a 35 year old death row inmate in Texas, made a break for it on Thursday after a a meeting with his attorney. He smuggled plain clothes into his cell after his trial hearing, where he was sentenced to death for the second time. His crime was shooting his ex-girlfriend and her friend in April of 1999. A hitlist of their families and some of the jurors of his case were on was found in his jail cell prior. Thompson was last seen wearing a dark blue shirt, khaki pants and white tennis shoes.

Wynona Donaghy, the mother Thompson's murdered ex-girlfriend, claims, ""He can make people believe he is the most innocent man in the world. He is a threat, not only to himself, but to anybody around him. I believe he'd come after anybody."

However, Thompson's attorney Terry Gaiser says not to worry.

"Mr. Thompson is a charming, articulate, well-spoken young man, and he's very intelligent.."

"He's the kind of guy that makes friends wherever he goes. All his life he's been described as being a charming fellow, so it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't make friends with the deputies."

"I don't believe that Charles is going to kill anybody again... He's dangerous, obviously, if placed in a desperate situation."

A murderer who is charming, articulate, and intelligent who's on death row, aye? Sounds like old Mr. Ted Bundy. Bundy tortured, mutilated, and killed 38 girls and women throughout Utah, Washington state, and Colorado. During his deadly escapades, he served as a suicide hotline volunteer, joined the Seattle Crime Prevention Council, and authored a booklet on rape prevention. When he was finally caught by police, he escaped them twice, until he finally ended up on death row for raping and killing some sorority memebers in Florida. He attempted to escape again, and would have made it if it were not for a random inspection that revealed he sawed through his cell bars. During his prison time, he tried to evade hsi death sentence by claiming he found religion and blaming his violent mind set on pornography. He was eventually executed by the electric chair.

Not worth it!!

Sometime soon the United States will announce the two thousandth death of the Iraq war. A recent poll revealed that more than half of Americans believe the war was not worth it. However, by historical standards the number of casualties of the war is substantially low. Compared to past wars very few have lost their lives. During the Vietnam War around 28% of the soldiers wounded lost their lifes as a result, this has been the case for only 11% of the wounded in this war.

"There's nothing magic about any given number of casualties, but what virtually any serious study of this shows is that Americans will tolerate casualties if they believe the conflict is needed, well managed, and there's a real purpose in continuing it,'' he says. "It seems obvious from public opinion polls that fewer and fewer Americans believe that."

This is similar to the Vietnam War. The majority of the nation believed that the war was not worth it because of number of casualties. There were large scale organized anti war protests in Washington D.C. Many Americans believed that the conflict between Southern Vietnam and the communists should be left to the Southern Vietnamese, while others believed that communism must be eliminated at any cost. This is also a parallel to the Iraq war because some Americans believe that if Democracy is not established in Iraq then the country will plunge into civil war, and later fall under the control of a militant islamic regime. This may pose a later threat to the United States. This was a similar threat to what the nation was facing from communism in the 1960s.

Pet Luxury, More Like Madness.

It was recently posted in the New York Times an article describing a radio show especially made for pets, mainly dogs and cats since the name is DogCatRadio. DogCatRadio was founded by the president of the Marusa records, Adrian Martinez. On this show messages such as "... be kind to your mailman" are said to the 'listeners' by D.J. Jane Harris. Songs are also played, including "Who Let the Dogs Out" by the Baha Men (of course). Moreover, not only are these shows presented in English but also in Spanish (they believe that many dogs are bilingual). Mr. Martinez said that he would like to accomodate the "pet community" and that he started the show because his cat asked him to do so. Even though this does seem like madness, the radio show gets many listeners, an average of 8,000.

"That is not such a leap, since it is estimated that American pet owners
will spend $35.9 billion this year on everything from electric toothbrushes
for dogs to bird pedicures to self-flushing litter boxes for cats, according
to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association."

There are also many restaurants available for pets, most of which are called "Canine Cafes" or similar names that have been open for many years.

Mammograms?!

The National Cancer Institute has sponsored a study that has been able to provide evidence that mammograms have contributed to the drastic decline in the death toll from breast cancer. Before the study, many doctors would not support the claim that mammograms help prevent deaths from breast cancer. The lack of support from the professionals can be traced to the unclear benefits from the testing. Mammograms have not been officially confirmed as effect, however there have been numerous risks established by having the test, including treating indolent cancers. Despite these risks, doctors have announced the death toll from breast cancer has decreased by twenty-four percent from 1990 to 2000. Whether this decline has been because of new drugs or mammograms is uncertain, however the fifty percent increase of women over forty years of age receiving the test does seem to have a significant influence in the doctors' sudden review of opinion about mammograms.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been able to sponsor this and thousands of other studies for cancer since the National Cancer Act of 1971. President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act on December 23, 1971. The Act sparked the United States resources to fight cancer and gave the director of the NCI the authority to create new cancer centers and training programs, appoint advisory committees, expand the research plants throughout the United States, award contracts for research, conduct cancer control activities, and establish an international cancer research data bank with the approval of the National Cancer Advisory Board. The hope of the Act was to accelerate cancer research and use the research to reap effective treatments. Since the Cancer Act has been in place, the NCI has " produced an extraordinary record of scientific discovery and spawned a nationwide network of cancer centers" (see National Cancer Act website for quote).

Child Labor in the United States

On November 1, 2005 there was an article printed in the New York Times entitled Labor Dept. Is Rebuked Over Pact With Wal-Mart. Apparently labor investigators had a rather corrupt agreement with Wal-Mart Stores. The labor investigators would give the Wal-Mart store 15 days' notice before they would inspect its stores for child labor violations. The inspector general criticized the agreement by saying the inspectors made "significant concessions" to Wal-Mart without obtaining anything in return. They made this agreement in January after 85 child labor violations were found at Wal-Mart stores in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Arkansas. In exchange for this agreement the Wal-Mart stores basically just agreed to do what was reuired of them by law.

The height of child labor in the United States lasted from 1908-1912. During this time many children as old as twelve did not know how to read, write, or even recite the ABC's. Many of these children also devloped illnesses and diseases from the working conditions they were subjected to. Child Labor Laws were invented for a reason. This reason is to protect children and their future. If these laws are not followed the future of America and its citizens looks very grim. But even so, these laws are nothing unless there is someone to enforce them. This is why the labor investigators have a very important job to do and they must do it. The future of the United States could depend upon it.