College Life

St. Martin's has turned out to be a great decision for me in some ways, I'm doing well in my classes, becoming more independent, and gained more responsibility and self-awareness. There are quite a few things I haven't liked about St. Martin's also. Unfortunately, I was placed with a roommate who didn't enjoy my company to say the least and ultimately ratted me out to the school for violating school policies. Other than being arrested for having less than a gram of marijuana and being kicked out of my room, this semester has gone pretty well. I think I finally found out what I want to major in and more importantly what I wan't to do with my degree. Computer science has always been an interest of mine and now I finally have had the opportunity to learn more in depth from a professor. Although programming isn't my interest within the CS department, I've gained a greater understanding towards how computers function and the fundamental concepts in creating programs. I decided to come to St. Martin's two weeks prior to the first day of class knowing that I would transfer after this year to somewhere more fitting. That's still my plan and I am more than ever right now eager to leave. I don't understand how I could get in so much trouble for having marijuana. I was fully compliant with everyone involved yet I'm still stuck with all these sanctions by the school and even the law enforcement. It would be different in my mind if I was dealing marijuana or even had a large quantity but the fact that I had less than a gram and told them that I used it off campus; it had no deviation in the school's decisions. I just think its unfair that people can be caught drinking up to three times before any real actions are taken but since I smoke I must be punished like a criminal. St. Martin's needs to broaden there awareness when in comes to drugs because I think my situation is a classic example of the stupidity and misconceptions people still have. I was given the same sanctions from the school that a drug dealer was given for his first violation even though I smoked by myself, off campus, and with practically nothing on me. I have no respect for the people involved in what happened especially my ex-roommate who decided to tell the RA's before ever even having a discussion with me about my "problem". Everyone kept asking me if I have problems. What's that supposed to mean? Doesn't everybody have problems? Because I smoke to relief the stress of this shitty environment I now call home I should have the cops called on me? So should I just drink when I'm stressed then? At least i know that I wouldn't be arrested or put on probation by the school if i did that. So to sum it all up, I think it's obvious that this hasn't been the greatest experience for me. I know there are better ways of dealing with stress but i also know what I happened to me wasn't fair. I don't have a problem with drugs its a problem with stress, mainly because I'm somewhere I don't want to be; which is a very bad feeling to have. I came here to further my education, not to cause any trouble (which I still don't believe that I have), and thats what I plan on doing for the rest of my stay here.

Discipline Bridge

I lack discipline in more the one area in my life but I think the most obvious one right now is my education. Going to school has always been difficult for me, not that I struggled academically, but just the whole concept of waking up every morning like a machine and being dragged to school by my mother bothered me. Its discipline that I have lacked from a very young age and thats why I think I still lack it today, its carried with me. I love sports and activities. I don't like hours of homework. I love video games. I'm a procrastinator. It's a combination of things that I lack when it comes to school, yet even being aware of these problems, I still have no motivation to do better. If someone asked me why I would have no explanation, but I do know this. Even though I hate spending 20 hours a week in a classroom and 10 in the library I have an appreciation for it. I appreciate knowledge. If more people were able to get a higher education I think our world could be a lot different and a lot smarter.

Reactions to November 4

Election day was something new and exciting for me. It was the first election that I was involved in and the first election was able to vote so watching television that night was not just exiting it was powerful because I truely felt that I was a part of what was happening. When they announced that Obama won, there was an overwhelming sense of relief and a lot of emotion for me. Before the election I didn't really know how much of an impact it was going to have on me personally but once I saw eveyone around the world celebrating this election, like the people in Kenya, Australia, France, and England I knew the whole world was watching. It made me proud to be an American because I felt that this was democracy at its finest. We showed the world the power of a democracy. We didn't vote Obama because of the color of his skin, we voted because we thought he would be the best President for our struggling nation, but the fact that we could overcome the long battle of racism and sexism, to not only elect a black president but also have no women on the ballots was quite an accomplishment.

VOTE OBAMA!

Obama's campaign for President is built on the principle that democrats must "disagree without being disagreeable" and unit America during our nation's crisis on many fronts. He realized the importance for our government to overcom bipartisanship, to work across the aisle, and to produce effective results. The idea that someone would be able to unite political America and get the government to productively work on important issues might sound naive but Obama represents a new generation coming to the world stage. Understanding people's doubt of unification Obama stresses that Americans must embrace hope. Hope is an irrational belief, a faith in optimism, but hope is also a unifying emotion, one that resonates with people around the world. He has emphasized change from the beginning of his campaign, something that has progressively risen the spirits of the American people. The American people as a whole are depressed right now with how our government is reacting. WE are in two wars, an economic spiral and facing countless other challenges. By emphasizing that we should all believe in the possibility of a new type of politics, Obama has converted many people, including Republicans, to believe that he is the man for the job. Campaigning to replace Bush with a unifying leader, he has struck a chord across the country- as shown by polling, books, crowds, and even retail. In this crucial time in our history as a nation and as a global community, he has the potential to improve how Americans perceive politics, leading to more trust in government and solving some difficult problems that we face. SO VOTE OBAMA if you don't like how our government is being run because he will bring a new generation to the office and a change that we need. 

Last Presidential Debate

Senator McCain went on the offensive quickly, criticising Obama's proposal to raise taxes on Americans who make more than $250000 a year and saying it would hurt small business owners like Joe the plumber. Senator Obama said that his plan would cut taxes for 95% of Americans and raise them only on the most fortunate Americans, while on the flip side McCain proposes to give tax breaks to major oil companies. I think this fundemental difference is what has given Obama the lead in this election and he I think he proved that point in the final debate. Obama won the debate again for the final time and of the three debates I think Obama came across as the winner. Even though I wasn't alive during the Kennedy/ Nixon race this seems to be that race all over again, when it comes to the debates at least. Obama seemed composed at all times during the debate with confidence but at the same time very humbled. On the opposing side I think McCain let his emotions get to him too much. When Obama critized his campaign rally's you could see the anger in McCain's eyes. It's not good for a leader to show emotion like that. People want to see passion not anger and theres a difference. America is in need of a fresh start and new belief and I think Obama is going to bring that to our nation and to the global community as well.

Second Presidential Debate

Tonight's debate wasn't even close unlike the first debate at Ol' Miss. Sen. Obama clearly won this debate with ease particularly when he discussed about the economy and health care problems. When Tom Brokaw asked questions, Obama showed more compassion and looked more like a leader unlike Sen. McCain who was unstable. In debates I think weakness is shown most by those who attack the most because the greatest way of defense is offense when in comes to debating and I think McCain showed that. Sometimes he was too agressive (referring to Obama as "that one") or when he couldn't answer questions (on how he would ask Americans to sacrifice), or just his attemps to crack jokes which were just bad. McCain has one last chance to show America that he should be the next president tonight. I think this is going to be the most entertaining debate of the three to say the least because I think McCain is going to bring everything to the table. He's going to be aggressive as possible to make Obama look like a foolish candidate, but to his dismay its not going to work. One quality of Sen. Obama that stands out it my mind is his stage presence; he never seems to loose his cool under attack and he won't tonight either. That's the kind of president needed in office.

Vice Presidential Debate

Going into the vice presidential debate I think America was curious to how well Palin would present herself as vice president. Before debating Palin had only done around a handful of interviews; for a reason. Palin had shown difficulty to address questions and she didn't even seem like she knew what she was talking about. My primary example would be her interview with Katie Kurric. If that doesn't scare the hell out of people I don't know what does because that interview was a complete disaster and something that should be more recognized. How can somebody be running in a presidential election and only do something like three interviews? It's ridiculous. So to get back to the debate I think a lot of pressure was on Governor Palin and to my surprise I thought she held up her own. It was obvious she made some mistakes and neglected to answer some questions but she didn't do anything dramatic that will jeopardize the campaign which sadly was her goal. Nobody thought she had a chance of winning this debate and how could she of? Senator Biden is a experienced politician who has done countless debates and even more interviews. I think Biden won the actual debate when in comes to addressing the prompters questions and arguing Palin/McCains agenda but sadly that wasn't as important to the public as watching Palin try to hold her own. So in conclusion of the debate I think Biden won when looking at the content but Palin won as well solely on the fact that many thought she wouldn't be able to hold her ground as seem presentable. This brings up my final thought. It's a fact that America loves McCain and Palin because of their family values and traditional American persona, but why should we care? What does family values have to do with running a country or being locked up in Vietnam. I look at candidates and question who would be the best leader and president, someone who could lead our country, someone who was knowlegdable and creditable. Not someone whos a hockey mom that thinks that by being a middle class American she has an edge. People shouldn't care about that. People should care about what really matters, the qualities of a good president. 

First Presidential Debate

Heading into this debate many thought that McCain would have the edge given that the event was originally focused solely on foreign policy and national security. However, the subject of the debate was changed to include the economy during this economic crisis. When both were given the opportunity to give their views on the bailout both didn't seem to answer the question directly, suggesting that neither are totally confident in the 700 billion bailout plan. I think its clear and polling would probably conclude that voters have more confidence in Obama than McCain when it comes to the economy but on the flip side voters prefer McCain over Obama when it comes to foreign policy. One thing that I found interesting about Friday's debate was the appearance of both candidates and how they composed themselves. Obama seemed more candidate like in my eyes because he answered every question asked with confidence and emphazising change; something that his campaign has relied on. On the opposing side, McCain seemed frustrated throughout the debate and failed to ever even look at his opposer, Obama which I was concerning because the debate was supposed to be more intimate than it actually turned out to be; candidates were supposed to respond directly back to one another. In conclusion I think it was an even debate but I would give Obama the edge solely for seeming for presidential-like.

Answer the damn question Senator! Tell me something that I can believe.

Foreign policy is a major issue that has risen higher than ever in the past eight years. As president what is your plan in aiding the global strategy to act against religious extremism and terrorism?

As of now we do not have an effective, global strategy with our allies against religious extremism and terrorism and spending more than a billion dollars each week and sacrificing American lives in Iraq is not making America or the world any safer. My first action as president would be implementing a plan to get our troops out of Iraq. Secondly I would refocus our military force in the direction of Afghanistan, where the true problem is and let HezBolah (probably misspelled that) know that we aren't going to let them succeed. Were also are going to do everything in our power to stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons using diplomacy first and only military action as a last resort. America needs show our power through example not example through power.

The Fun House Mirror!

Why do people feel especially disturbed when leaders distort the truth? How does it reflect on their leadership?

Leadership is a journey of discovery. It is the expression of a person at his or her best whose aim is to transform something for the better and to develop this potential in others. It is not a solitary pursuit but one that harnesses the energy of those around you. He has accepted the responsibility of being the facilitator and image to model. We put trust in our elected officials, especially if they were the ones we voted for. 

So the book asks why we feel especially disturbed? It can be answered simply, but the emotions can feel complex. If someone is accepting the responsibility as a leader they must be a role model that everyone congregates towards. It's a leaders' obligation to operate at their fullest capability and with honesty, its their responsibility because that's why they were appointed the position. People feel that they are capable of making the hard decisions and operate at the highest standard of judgement.So when they lie or distort the truth it reflects a bad image among the followers. They no longer have the ability to hold trust which is a key quality a leader must have. They hold them accountable for all their actions as if they were friends or family and they don't accept failure. Lying is failure. Distorting the truth is failure, and in our society failure by leadership is not accepted by any means. 

"Rossi pulls in big donors, too"

Seattle P.I- "Rossi pulls in big donors, too"

Although this article discusses only the fundraising of the Dino Rossi, I think theres and underlying message. Rossi has made an outright effort to seem like he's the "middle-class" governor who has sent a message saying that his primary resource of funding is from middle-class americans. This is a smart move on his part, if only it were true. The real facts show that Rossi has received major donations from lobbyists and oil companies, the people that have made him rich. This knocks at Rossi's credibility in my opinion because if you he's going to persuade the public by saying he's "the middle-class vote" he better mean it, and it's obvious that the facts don't support his persuasion. Of course, no politician is going to be able to fund a campaign solely on minor donations but the fact that he's trying to use that as a campaign mechanism is hard to believe. On another note, why should we elect a different governor when Gregoir are current governor is doing a good job?

Passions and Desire

My passions/desires:

• One of my goals for the near future is to play for Western Washington University's soccer team. Why? I have been a die hard soccer player my whole life but with some recent struggles in other areas of my life soccer has taken a rest. Im looking to start training again now that I have a lot of free time. 
• I want a good education. My goal is to become the best learner I can and take in as much as possible from my college education.
• I want to travel the world. I think traveling the world would be the most life changing experience a person could have; having the opportunity to visit so many other cultures and have a better understanding for the world we live in today.
• I want to get a job in the web design industry. Web design is one of my hidden passions that I wish to pursue as a career and I think it will give me opportunities to do other things that I desire as well.

Hillbillies and Guns

Washington Post- McCain Palin take the Fight Out West

To begin this blog entry, I would like to unveil something about myself. Before the race the the nominations of both parties I didn't have a care towards politics, I thought it was just a bunch of arguments without much resolution, but now I know better. Articles and news like this is what got me into politics. In this article written by the Washington Post, much is discussed about how Palin has changed voters and could ultimately change this election. How will she change this election one might ask? Well, by the looks of this article, she's going get gun activists to vote. To quote the governor of Montana "in Montana, we like our guns. We like big guns. We like little guns. We like shotguns. We like pistols. Most of us own two or three guns. Gun control is hitting what you shoot at."And when asked why Senator Obama couldn't win his state his shortly replied "guns". 

Its the beauty of elections. People from every background you think of have the ability to change elections, even the uneducated. It's the hard reality as well, because this election shouldn't be about guns it should have any levy. America is in a crisis on its home-front and abroad. And if idiots like the ones in Montana think that voting for McCain is the way to go because they like having "big guns" is scary. People need to understand the major issues that involve us all, as a country. We cannot be selfish it times like these because no matter who is elected, if we don't all start making changes to our country and our world more bad things are to come.

Governor Palin

Title- Palin's Budget Cuts Affect Teenage Mothers

URL-http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/palins-budget-cuts-affect-teenage-mothers/

Response-

After reading this article in the NY Times one could only question Governor Palin's budget cuts. Obviously not everyone is going to wait until they are married to have sex so by Palin stating that she wouldn't support sex-education in schools is absurd. I mean her own  daughter is pregnant! Not to attack her daughter and what she is going through, but  I think by Palin being so pro-life she has lost  respect and created controversy surrounding  John McCain's campaign.  People make a lot of choices in their lives good and bad, and to not provide sufficient money for Covenent House Alaska is terrible in my mind. Educating teens about sex is one of the most important things adults can do for children  because if they aren't educated well in the topic, it could lead to more unplanned pregnancies and things of that sort. So yes i think this article is bias because it's not promoting the governor in any way to the readers eye but what do you expect from the journalists. This is something very controversial that should be addressed and people should know as much possible about the candidates before election time. 

The DNC!

 President Clinton spoke today with passion and optimism at the third day of the Democratic National Convention. It had me interested from his opening statement until when he exited the stage to the tune of  "Beautiful Day" by U2. His ability to hold the stage was almost more convincing than the actual content of the his speech supporting Obama! Of the many topics and issues he covered i thought his most prominent point was when he said in short "power of example instead of example of power".  Our military is the most powerful in the world yes but to enforce it in places we don't belong, and not handling our actions in this world responsibly has made this nation angry. No American in this world wants to see another wounded soldier return from Iraq, and by Clinton emphasizing that in his speech I thought was pivotal. The audience felt the same way. His ability to enthuse the crowd while still discussing concerning issues was exciting to watch. Clinton brought enthusiasm to the convention and viewers which is something more Americans need.