Liberty Bell

“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.”
–Theodore Roosevelt

Voting has always been a source for debate. Should women be allowed to vote? Should people of different race be allowed to vote? Both of those have been answered ‘yes’.

AMENDMENT XV
Passed by Congress February 26, 1869. Ratified February 3, 1870.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

AMENDMENT XIX
Passed by Congress June 4, 1919. Ratified August 18, 1920.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

And in 1971, Amendment XXVI ruled that:

The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

A recent article from the Guardien, “We can have sex, so why can’t we vote?”, explores the British voting age. Currently the British voting age is 18 - same as in America. While teens under 18 (in Britian) are old enough “to have sex, get married and join the armed forces with their parents’ consent, work and - crucially - pay taxes” they are unable to vote. Many adults believe teens are too immature or irrationaly minded to vote.

In 2003, teens led a protest in London’s Parliament Square. They were organized:

“These young people had organized themselves, leafleting at school gates, recruiting via email networks and cultivating the attentions of the media. Their understanding of how the news worked and their alertness to propaganda was impressive. These children were sceptical, but not cynical, and well informed about why they were there.”

Near the end of the article, the author mentioned:

“For a country that often appears to pride itself on how much it worries about its younger generation, we are remarkably bad at listening to what it has to say.”

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Unfortunately, I don’t have time to present my opinion right now . Hopefully I will be able to soon .

As explained at Choir Geek I’m preparing for a piano competition taking place this Saturday. Due to the extra practice time, recitals, adjudications… I’ve not been able to spend as much time blogging. Hopefully actual posts written by me will appear after 7:00, Saturday evening.

Until then, expect quotes. You might even get quotes with pictures.

Recommended blogs to read:

ACYU: Articles by conservative teens. It’s newly formed and highly recommended.
Hello Iraq: Probably familiar to many of you - it’s a great blog.

“As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemily unchanged. And it is in such a twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of darkness.”

William O. Douglas

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
by Emma Lazarus

Dear Terrorists,

I am a Navy Aviator. I was born and raised in a small town in New England. I come from a family of five. I was raised in a middle class home and taught my values by my mother and father.

My dad worked a series of jobs in finance and my mom took care of us kids. We were not an overly religious family but attended church most Sundays. It was a nice small Episcopal Church. I have a brother and sister and I am the youngest in my family. I was the first in many generations to attend college.

I have flown Naval aircraft for 16 years. For me the flying was never a lifelong dream or a “calling,” it just happened. I needed a job and I liked the challenge. I continue to do it today because I feel it is important to give back to a nation which has given so much to me. I do it because, although I will never be rich, my family will be comfortable.

I do it because many of my friends have left for the airlines and someone has to do it.

My government has spent millions to train me to fly these multi-million dollar aircraft. I make about 70,000 dollars a year and after 20 years will be offered a pension.

I like baseball but think the players make too much money. I am in awe of firemen and policemen and what they do each day for my community, and like teachers, they just don’t get paid enough.

I respect my elders and always use sir or ma’am when addressing a stranger. I’m not sure about kids these days but I think that’s normal for every generation.

I voted for George Bush because I like him. I think I made a pretty good choice.

I tell you all this because when I come for you, I want you to know me. I won’t be hiding behind a woman or a child. I won’t be disguised or pretending to be something I am not. I will be in a U.S. issue flight suit. I will be wearing standard US issue flight gear, and I will be flying a navy aircraft clearly marked as a US warplane. I wish we could meet up close in a small room where I could wrap my hands around your throat and slowly squeeze the life out of you, but unfortunately, you’re hiding in a hole in the ground, so we will have to do this a different way.

I want you to know also that I am very good at what I do. I can put a 2,000 lb weapon through a window from 10,000 feet up. I generally only fly at night, so you may want to start sleeping during the day. I am not eager to die for my country but I am willing to sacrifice my life to protect it from animals like you.

I will do everything in my power to ensure no civilians are hurt as I take aim at you.

My countrymen are a forgiving bunch. Many are already forgetting what you did on Sept 11th. But I will not forget, and my President will not forget.

I am coming. I hope you know me a little bit better, see you soon…sleep tight.

Signed,

A U.S. Navy Pilot

[Original Author Unknown]

At the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics of 2002, a collaboration between the French and Russian judges sparked the controversy that put the skating world in an uproar. As many as six Olympic figure skating judges may have been contacted by a reputed Russian mobster charged with fixing two events at Salt Lake City. Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov was accused of scheming to get a French judge to vote for the Russian pairs team, and a Russian judge to vote in turn for the French ice dancing team, according to a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court. Both teams won their events.

The Salt Lake judging scandal, the biggest in Olympics history, resulted in a duplicate set of gold medals being awarded to the Canadian team that finished second to the Russians.

Since then the scoring system has been changed to avoid further cheating. Instead of the old 6.0 system, values are assigned to every jump, spin, and footwork sequence, allows judges to add and subtract for execution. It also adopted a randomized selection of marks from a greater number of judges, whose identities are now undisclosed. In the past, the scores of all nine judges counted. Now, a computer chooses nine of 12 and drops the highest and lowest marks. Since only seven then count, it’s possible that skaters picked by a minority of the panel can end up on the award stand.

The new scoring has caused some confusion among skaters and the spectators. The difference between a 5.8 and a 6.0 was easily understood - but how do you compare 225.34 to 224.47?

The ISU isn’t trying to confuse. They are trying to avoid another scandal by radically changing the scoring system. But you have to wonder at a system that allows the results to be changed up until 24 hours after the event in case of a math mistake.

I’m pleased to say so far no scoring scandal has come up in this year’s Olympics. While Russia has three gold figure skating medals from these Games (men’s free skating, ice dancing, and pairs) they were won by skill.

“Beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword.”
— Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)
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Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton was an English author, playwright and politician. He is well known for the above quote as well the opening phrase, “It was a dark and stormy night.”

Other quotes of Sir Bulwer-Lytton are:

“One of the sublimest things in the world is plain truth.”
and
“When people have no other tyrant, their own public opinion becomes one.”
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America has been a free country for many years. Since the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), America has had a government chosen “for the people by the people.” America became a stable country. Now, America is one of the largest, and strongest, countries in the world.

While I was writing a previous post – “In the name of religion…” – I realized I was more upset at the way Americans were acting over the cartoon riots than upset at the ones who started them. I took out my anger at the Muslims, at religion. But I was mad at America: at Bill Clinton, at the MSM, even at Ted Kennedy and others unrelated to the cartoons.

I was mad at America for picking themselves apart. I still am.
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A wise man and a U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, said:

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. ”
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I realized the pen is mightier than the sword.

When 9/11 occured, Americans had to support each other. Afterwards, life went on, but one thing had changed: we had experienced one terrorist attack, and would not face another without being prepared. So you could argue that America is actually stronger now then it was before 9/11. The “sword” failed to defeat America.

But now the words of American citizens are taking up the task the terrorists left. Through the pen, America is destroying itself.

The pen is not just mightier than the sword - the pen is a lethal weapon that can destroy the greatest nations.
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“Gevoelig:” A Cartoon

The maker of “Gevoelig,” Joep Bertrams, is a Danish political-cartoon author. While I can’t tell heads from tails with Dutch, this cartoon is affective in any language.

“Gevoelig” means “sensitive.”

By now news of the Libya cartoon riot has reached the world across the internet. In the article linked, the writer mentions a quote by former president Bill Clinton.

I can tell you, most people in the United States deeply respect Islam … and most people in Europe do.

I generally respect all religions. I believe it is a human’s right to worship a god they choose, both publically and privately. But “in the name of religion” isn’t a valid excuse for your actions. And when innocent people are harmed “in the name of religion” I loose whatever respect I had for that religion.

No American, old enough to hear the news or see the pictures on TV and in the newspaper, will ever forget the tradegy of 9/11. They will not forget the victims - and they will not forget the killers. Most will not forget the words of the hijackers: “Allah is the greatest!” Nearly 3,000 people died that day - 3,000 people died in the name of religion. Because of a “holy war.”

Now the Muslims are rioting against Denmark for publishing cartoons depicting Muhammad. So far at least 29 people have been killed. Why should people be killed because of religion?

So Mr. Clinton will have to forgive me for disagreeing with him. I no longer respect Islam. And Mr. Clinton is going to recieve no support from me regarding the following statement:

…people in the United States have also condemned the publication and they are deeply concerned on it.

I am deeply concerned about the effects of the cartoons. I’m concerned for the lives of the Danish supporters. I’m concerned for the lives of the law enforcement and troops.

I’m deeply concerned at where the world is headed when the freedom of the press and free speech causes the death of innocent people.

Update: Cartoon Protests Leave 15 Dead in Nigeria