Tonight's Lineup

Apparently tonight is one of the highly anticipated television nights in a long time. There has been a lot of hype regarding the ratings war that has been taking place this past week. With all 4 major networks showing their premium shows tonight going head to head during primetime, it will make for a busy night. So plan on staying home tonight (like a loser), camping out in front of the television (like a loser), and wasting your evening away (like a loser). You probably see where I am going with this…but you're wasting your time reading this, not me.

FOX will be showing another round of American Idol, which has been a ratings hit. CBS has Survivor, which has lost some of its buzz but still has a following. ABC will be showing Dancing with the Stars, which is in its final leg of the competition. And NBC has the finale of the women’s figure skating competition, which has been known to be the highlight of the Winter Olympics.

I, for one, used to be a television hog…revolving my life around the television anxiously awaiting another episode of some stupid drama or reality series. I mean, really, how pathetic was that? Why does television play such a big part in peoples’ daily lives? It’s all about the anticipation of what is going to happen on the show, then the excitement of watching it happen on the show, and then the discussion about what happened after the show. It’s sad really. My recommendation to you…I kicked the habit and so can you.

Tonight I plan to head out. You should too. Television is for losers.

Michael Morales

Last night, the state of California indefinitely postponed the execution of Michael Morales, who was sentenced to death for the 1981 rape and murder of 17-year-old Terri Winchell.

Lawyers for Morales claim that the typical three-drug (the first one renders the condemned unconscious and insensible to pain, the second one paralyzes the muscles, and the third one causes cardiac arrest) implementation constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment.” This coming from defense attorneys defending Morales, who raped, repeatedly stabbed, and smashed Terri Winchell’s head in with a hammer before leaving her for dead in a remote location.

Last week, a U.S. District Court Judge ordered the state to modify California’s execution procedures to ensure Morales did not suffer the “extreme” pain that some of the drugs could cause if he were still conscious. The judge planned to have physicians present at the prision to oversee the execution. But after two physicians refused to participate, the state could not find a medical professional to administer the injection. So the execution has been postponed until further notice.

OK let me see if I get this straight. An admitted rapist and murderer is hoping that the state and the judicial system will spear him from “cruel and unusual punishment”…? An act that he didn’t give to his victim when he brutually murdered her and left her for dead. And receiving this three-drug “shot” is just too much pain for Morales to handle? You have got to be kidding me! Morales should be thanking his lucky stars that California doesn’t practice other forms of capital punishment such as hangings, decapitations, or the electric chair! How must Terri Winchell have felt when she was probably pleading for her life while her death was upon her? What must her family have gone through when identifying her body and knowing the injustices that were committed on her? Do I believe in forgiveness for a heinious crime when committed by a sane mind? No. Do I believe in the dealth penalty? Yes. Do I believe in justice for victims and their respective families? Hell Yes. So the question and debate should not be about the death penalty or the intricacies of lethal injection, but how soon we can contact Dr. Kevorkian.

The Load of Crap that is Cindy Sheehan

Now where do I want to start? Why people are giving Cindy Sheehan the credit they have is beyond me. Her claim to fame at the Crawford ranch last year served as a symbol and reawakening to the American public about the mess in the Middle East, but that’s about it. And now, I hear, she may want to make a run for a senate seat. Are you kidding me? There are so many things wrong with her, the idea of her running for any type of political office, and anyone who would even consider voting for her.

I mean, really, think about it. Her platform is illusory and lacks any real substance. She believes this war in Iraq is unjust…ok. She wants to have the troops pulled out of the Middle East…that’s great. And she thinks President Bush is a bad president…wonderful. So she has been prancing around spreading her "word" everywhere. And the surprising thing? People are embracing her despite the gaping absence of common sense in her preachings.

Sheehan says the war in Iraq is unjust, yet she hasn’t explained her views on foreign policy. She says we must pull out of Iraq right now, but I have yet to hear her exit plan. She thinks President Bush isn’t capable of doing his job, and well, I also I question Sheehan’s own mental abilities and knowledge of politics. She has no concept of the outside world or any real grasp on other issues facing the American public. I have yet to hear anything out of her mouth that is even remotely intelligent and well thought out.

As for the issue in Iraq, of course there are problems and concerns. Whether people believed in this war or not, whether the war was justified or not, whether the United States Administration is to blame or not, is now a moot point. Because the United States is in Iraq now, it is ludicrous to even consider leaving the country in the hands of insurgents. And answer me this, are we to leave the Iraqi people to fend for themselves when most of them have no idea what it’s like to live in a free world? Since the United States removed their leader and rebels are vying for control of the country, don't we owe them, at least, a stable government, some sort of infrastructure, and the bare necessities required of daily life?

Cindy Sheehan has the right to demonstrate her opposition to the war. But don’t think for one second, that I believe her “solution” is even close to what is best for the United States and the rest of the world.

But that’s just me.