60) Running Too Fast

Alot of the discussions in my AP government class are often spontaneous. A group of well rounded students interested in politics have the capacity to go off on some glorious tangent. On top of that, they also have the remarkable capability to listen to each other with respect.

It's proof that the thirst for education and the truth is not dead. Even though everybody in that class would like to be elsewhere, it's an alluring atmosphere of clever jokes, valid points of argument, and never-ending rounds of discussion. It is in itself very representative of American government.

But there is a large difference between this group of students and the politicians in Washington D.C.

That difference is electronic competency.

This post made me laugh hysterically. In a way, it's sad to see the older generation try and catch up with current times. Some people are beautifully adept at it, streamlining their opinions using new fads of technology.

But in this case, a Senator trying to be discreet has no idea what he's doing. Spraying evil hate is difficult when people can trace it back to the origin. D.C. has changed.

But my lack of faith in our government is not the focus of this post.

More and more recently, I've come to believe that human innovation has outpaced it's own capacity to understand it as a whole.

To be fair, this is applicable to any idea or concept like war or weapons. It is arguable that humans in their thousand year history still haven't mastered the wheel.

Look at it this way: radio's been around for a century, and we're still using it today even though it's slowly dying. T.V.'s been around for more than half a century, and your grandfather remembers when their image was still black and white. Less than a decade ago, computers suddenly became available for personal use.

Our period of acclimation is growing shorter and shorter as innovations are coming faster and faster.

My point here is that we're struggling to understand the newest technologies that will fade away before we have sufficient knowledge to use them properly. It allows for carelessness. This is why people are blasting Facebook as a degenerate group that encourages stupidity and conformity. Failbook can attest to this.

Eventually we'll invent some new technology that can solve our problems. But before we're able to understand how to use it, the world is destroyed in some nuclear firestorm.

Perhaps that's the truth behind the 2012 apocalypse.

46) Independence Galore

I've been working on my summer assignments for AP Government, so might as well post my opinions on here:

A failing economy, an oil spill crises, and a seemingly never-ending war are just a few things the American people have to deal with on a daily basis. The anger and disappointment in the U.S. government’s quick resolution to these issues is growing more apparent by the day. There are so many discontent citizens willing to turn to new and radical ways to satisfy their understandable desires for change. This is why President Obama was elected. Everyone believed he could solve our problems on a tight schedule, and we reeled in disgust when his administration disproved the apparent myth that they could make us happy and content.

This is why it’s no surprise that the seemingly ageless rule of Democrats and Republicans of the past century is coming to a possible end. With the current situation worse than anybody could have ever predicted, people are tired of the endless debate and bipartisan horseplay present in the Senate. They demand results now, because for some Americans, lives are literally on the line. The tide is turning for Independent candidates to work in Washington, unrestrained by political assumptions and party stereotypes.

The new generation requires a change ready to match the magnitude of their problems. Hope rests behind people like Charlie Crist, Eliot Cutler, Tim Cahill, or Lincoln Chafee. Whether they’re running for Governor or the Senate seems irrelevant; as long as they gain a voice in the higher authority of the United States, that’s all that matters. Could whole states turn away from their political benefactors for the sake of change? Only time will tell.

Soon we shall see whether this trend can gain enough momentum to sustain itself past infancy. If the people demand it, then the current government shall truly be afraid of its constituents. My hopes lie in the possible prospect of an Independent president. This dream may be centuries away from reality in American history, but we must not forget that even our nation’s first president had certain dislike of bitter partisanship. This may all be the start of a new era in American politics.

42) Home of the Brave

Writing your congressman/senator or appearing at town hall meetings is a political exercise many young students go through to understand the American democratic process. It is the point of inspiration for many aspiring students that wish to succeed in government someday.

However, the public and the media often forget that these figureheads of government are still human. We hold these idols to a high expectation of leadership and heroism, destined to make change for the better.

We understand the high profile world that these representatives are embroiled in. We see stories of their sexual escapades, their sudden lapses of intelligence, or their public outbursts of politically incorrect statements.

The media that paints this image always exposes the drama that runs through their lives. Most recently, CBS scored a hit with their series The Good Wife, which explores a lawyer's tumultuous life after her husband's political career goes awry with infidelity.

Everywhere you go, there's always someone who loves to expose the government and its puppets for what they really are: manipulative control freaks who are irreparably corrupted and ethically ignorant in the name of representation and control.

So when some students catch a congressman at a bad time and film him, there are bound to be interesting results:

(Alternate link if the above doesn't work for you)

It's a hot debate as to who's right or wrong here, even though it's obvious that the students can play the harassment card.

I call it a debate for several reasons:

1) The senator will issue a public apology and get away with it. There is a 0.0001% that he will resign as a result of this video.

2) The students will lose a harassment lawsuit against the congressman, should they choose to file one.

3) Public exposure to the video will be minimal at best.

My thoughts?

I've always been a fan of the theory that the American government is always decades behind the societal changes that occur in the United States and in the world. This is why it took so long to elect an African American president, or why the ethnic minorities in Congress are grossly unrepresentative of the public at large.

It allows this hypothesis to be drawn: The ruled and the rulers are separate entities that shall never coexist peacefully.

While Washington D.C. is steeped in centuries old tradition of cutthroat politics, the public is utilizing technology to share ideas on how they want things to be done.

It's the friction between the two halves of this America that make the system a miraculous display of continuous function for fear of anarchy.

As we delve into tougher times, more personal sacrifices are required to keep the American machine running. This requires the superhuman strength that we expect from the politicians that hit students on the streets. It's time for the media myths of leadership to take fruition.

All the while, the public can continue to lose themselves in watching another season of reality shows and Youtube memes, oblivious to the problems that they don't have to deal with. Leave it to the politicians, they say.

Who knows? Maybe America has earned its dishonorable death.

40) Politcal Clustersuck

I guess it comes as no surprise that most of the high level government positions in the United States are held by the rich, white, and old. This contrasts against the increasingly diverse America, proven by the current illegal immigration debate, and the unprecedented African American president.

Seeing that America is starting to come to terms with its own unique diversity, it's become more and more clear that an identity crisis has taken hold over the nation. An American societal reformation, so to speak. This manifests in different ways, from the race clashes in local city governments, to the bipartisan bickering of the Senate.

So every year, when elections roll around, I don't find it surprising that my own immigrant parents hate to look at the ballots.

Perhaps they've never been the political kind, or that they just don't care to read through the thick wad of papers explaining all the propositions and candidates' positions. And yet, I hear them complain daily at the dinner table about how the American government is ineffective, filled with liars and hypocrites.

So when I think about their contradictions, it's not just another case of where your parents go against their word. I can't quite pinpoint it.

Maybe they just don't want to vote because none of the candidates represent their ethnicity. Maybe their origin country has instilled a subconscious die hard hate of American democracy. It's probably a reason I'll never understand in my lifetime.

So when the annoying white ballots arrive in the mail, it's just another reminder of much my parents are passive about American politics. They heap it on their desk, letting it waste away in time. Of course, it soon becomes a chore of marking the lines, voting for some random candidate that's vaguely familiar due to them being the current incumbents, or because their names have popped up in some sponsored commercial that comes on during primetime.

I've seen them too, having an inkling of what these candidates represent, what political party they are a part off, and what they plan to do in office. No matter who or how someone gets elected, I try not to leap at a sense of false hope. I've become used to being disappointed by big shot political types that rarely gets anything lasting done. I follow politics pretty closely, and if I haven't heard of their achievements, they don't exist.

And maybe that's the reason my parents have so little faith in themselves and in the democratic system when they stare at the ballots on their desk, black pen in hand. They do it because they know they'll be disappointed by whoever comes on. They know nothing will change, and that their vote matters little.

And when I try to get them intrested in the issues, I can see the weariness in their eyes. I see the same old look that appears on the face of the booth people who sell tickets at a theater. I even feel a bit of pity for them.

Have I overemphasized how much my parents don't want to fill in ballots? Want to guess how these ballots are magically filled?

It comes as an unbelievable statement to people when I tell them that I vote in the elections. I'm obviously underage, making it an illegal and laughable endeavor. Then again, I'm not talking about high school elections. I'm taking about the real deal federal ones, the things your parents get in the mail.

So if somebody should ever ask whether I do the voting for my parents, I'll never tell.

Because I find that prospect laughable.

33) Convulsion's Smile

Listen as your enraged host rambles endlessly on the Mexican Drug War, Arizona's rambo immigration bill, President Obama's popularity in a tailspin proven with the don't ask don't tell policy speech interruption, violent political protests in Bangkok, Thailand: with accompanying video, and an ending message of hope.

30) The Spring Break Rant

This week, we discuss the imperialist ipad, troubles with Pope Benedict the 16th, hate on the American School System as described by John Taylor Gatto (again), and see the legitimate fears of people and American politics.

This one's a long one folks, so strap in and listen:

English Final: Analyzation

Blogger and the overall idea of blogging has changed little about me, even though teachers would claim it is beneficial to my writing skills. My problem is that I don't see whatever improvements I'm supposed to have made. My doubt into this matter is a result of my constant writer's block.

I'm not accustomed to "freedom" writing in school. I doubt many others are either. There are very few writing assignments where you have full flexibility in what you wish to express. This is most likely due to fears of what you can write about in school and get away with. People love to bend this thin line of school ethics whenever they can.

This year, when I decided to take creative writing and required English, one of my main objectives was to defeat my adversary, Mr. Writer's Block. Now I have two classes that force me to do what I am not used to: exercise creative freedom. The number of assignments I have with such flexibility is on the rise. Right now, I'm juggling between blog posts and a few fictional stories I intend to finish.

Such creative independence is daunting. I am not accustomed to freedom over my actions. Most of the time, somebody controls or influences what I wear and eat. In my previous schooling, over numerous assignments, I've always had direction that forced me to work with guidelines.

This lack of dependency now has forced me into an ocean of topics that I hesitate to choose from. It's not because there's so little to work with, but because there is far too much. I don't like jumping into the ocean of creativity without a lifesaver. I often drown.

This is why most of my blog posts are drawn from random moments of inspiration. These are often influenced by others, which I still consider to be guidelines from fake teachers. They indicate what I should write about. These moments are seemingly random, and there is a subconscious response that reminds me I have a post due as an assignment. Sometimes I write these ideas down, and then disregard them later because I deem them stupid or impractical. The one idea I do keep, I write about.

This brings me to my second problem. When I don't discover moments of inspirational clarity, my mind enters a narrow alley. I just want to get the work done and disregard my creative voice. Some may be able to pull ideas out of nowhere on the spot, but the assignments I work on have a deadline. Although it is to be expected, you can't control creativity. I can't pop up with writing ideas at any given moment. My lemon of a brain doesn't like to be squeezed as a last ditch effort to complete homework, especially not the night before it's due.

When I started weekly blogging with YOM, I was enthusiastic about the idea. My first post was a prelude to the great endeavors I would undertake. As time wore on, my idea pool became exhausted, and I began writing ideas without efficiency and thoughtful prose. By the time I got here, my writing style was lacking in terms of language diversity and purpose. I was writing because I had to, not because I wanted to. This still holds true today.

Part of it is that I do some of the blog posts at school, or that I'm simply repulsed with being forced to make ideas out of thin air. My distaste for blogging has grown into an untimely chore rather than an outlet for my spirit. I'm still struggling with writer's block on my blog, along with the overall construction of this entire self-analyzation. The evidence is in my old blog, Shattered Infinity. Writer's block forced me to kill it with extreme self loathing.

When I do write, my current blog follows a trend. I generally just write about media and politics. Everything else falls into the miscellaneous category.

Media is an easy choice for me, as it is for many others on their blogs, obviously because of the impact it has on our lives. My obsession comes with people's interactions with media, and exactly how trends work. More specifically, this goes into the booming video game industry I am so very fond of. This is reflective on the video gamer in me.

Politics is the second fail safe option. It's tempting to write about, but must be done carefully to avoid confusion and criticism, even though both are expected in the final result. I fear the outcome enough to shy away from it.

The bright side on writing about political affairs is that you can relate to everyone on a personal level, as many have a political opinion. Also, you choose who to write about without getting easily stuck. There are many influences to draw from. Barrack Obama is clearly one of the major characters that come to mind. Following my mission statement, I have an inner craving to urge readers of my blog to think more about politics. After all, the government controls many aspects of your life.

Other times, I speculate on combining the two. I often visit www.gamepolitics.com, where I can get inspiration on the two topics that inspire me to write. I've started many hybrids of game politics posts, but they've turned video game posts every time. I hate politics more than I love video games.

I'm dissatisfied with restricting myself to these topics. I want to break the trend, but alas, Mr. Writer's Block has his gun to my head.

If there is anything I learned in the past few months, it's that I should broaden my writing horizons. I'm trying to overcome my fear of writing without being stuck. I've started to save unfinished blog posts and rants instead of deleting them. Looking over them might give me inspiration, and tell me what I shouldn't do when it comes to writing in general.

First, writer's block killed Shattered Infinity. Now it's forced me into a ditch with my current blog YOM. I feel I need to gain some revenge against Mr. Block.

Third time's a charm.

9) The Wonders of Democracy.

With the United States in economic turmoil, everyone I know likes to question how we got here. They trace their steps back to when George Bush was first elected for president.

We can remember how close the 2000 and 2004 elections were. I personally remember the 2000 presidential election quite well. I was eating dinner with my family when the results were coming on. I saw how FOX news was reporting Bush the winner. When my parents changed the channel and I saw differing election results, my cousin audibly yelled: "What the ****?"

Watching episodes of The Young Turks (http://www.theyoungturks.com) brought me to thinking about how close that election was. How It MIGHT have gone the other way. So comes the controversy that gave me a blast from the past.

It was when I saw the video regarding FOX news's battle with the White House did I realize how big an issue this is. What a lot of people do not realize.

The news is important. You tune in every day or so to check the weather and the new developments around your community. But did you ever stop to wonder how much of it you actually believe? How much of it is true? Whether or not you question the validity of what you are hearing?

Cenk Uygur, Youtube spokesman for The Young Turks, was talking about the 2000 election between Gore and Bush. Because Bush's cousin told FOX news that Bush had won, FOX was the first network to publish results. This started a domino effect with the other networks. Nobody bothered to sit and wait for it to be completely over and official. They just cared about being the first to report it. They rest as they say, is history.

I'm not going to speculate on the what ifs this brings up. I accept the fact that George Bush became president. And as much as I disapproved with his polices and actions, I have no doubt that he and his administration had the best intentions.

What really scares me is the fact that a news network MIGHT have completely influenced the election of a president. How could such a thing happen?

Then again I might be paranoid. I'm pretty sure that I will never know most things about the U.S. government. The administration might be controlling the media, or the media might be controlling the government.

Either way, I honestly think there is something really wrong with the system.

6) When Guevara met McCarthy.

Anyone who has ever used the internet in the past few months will know what I am talking about when I speak of online advertising.

It comes up in many forms, including, but not limited to; popups, web banners, spam e-mail, etc. Most of the time it is just plain annoying. It is so common that you no longer recognize the main ones, especially if you see them over and over again on a website you visit often. Accidentally hover your mouse over one? Yeah I want to start shooting the computer too.

This brings me to my conceptual metaphor of "Capitalist Fascism". The main and chosen few who control all the wealth decide to form a party to oppress the people. They bombard them with propaganda, and other acts to prove their loyalty to the people and to demand the same in return. They control the one thing that can be used to manipulate people: Money.

The propaganda I use in this example is the online advertising. It is the rich CEOs demanding your loyalty and obedience to the their up and high class(or party) of wealthy individuals consumed with utter greed.

Can you blame them? Of course not. As everyone is in pursuit of survival and happiness, wealth just happens to be one of those things to nirvana. Everybody wants it, everybody needs it.

Truth is, in this economy, acts of generosity are extremely rare and valued. And if conditions might allow it, the path we tread may lead to Karl Marx's Communist Revolution. If I had said that forty years ago, I might be dead right about...now.

Then again, what do I know? I'm just another equality loving socialist who believes in an achievable utopia.

I'd like to thank Fate for the First Amendment.