On Comments

Recently, a few comments have been published concerning the articles written. I want to make it clear to my readers that these comments are not in any way affiliated with the author's opinion. However, unless the comment contains profanity or other outrightly inappropriate material, I will allow it to be published. I do promise to warn my readers when a comment recommends an off the blog Web site. On the "Obama Supports Same-Sexers" the material on the recommended site does have some graphic content. Although all nudity is covered, the acts and positions are quite clear to any viewer. 

By Their Fruit You Will Recognize Them

Because I so despise journalists being biased in what is supposed to be straight news, I am going to tell you up front that in this article I am trying to be as unbiased as possible. However, I do not doubt that my personal inclinations and opinions will seep into this article. Last night, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lakefront, CA, interviewed both presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. 

Surprisingly enough, from a Christian point of view, their answers did not vary to great extremes. I mean to say that while their answers to the questions differed, they were not more or less acceptable as far as the typical Christian standard is concerned. The two points that did divert from general Christian beliefs were Barack Obama's stance on abortion and homosexuality. While he has made it clear that he does not personally believe in either, he also says he will take no stance against them. Viewing this in light of having a president for eight years who has opposed both but taken no successful action against either homosexuality or abortion, a Christian constituent might absorb this fault (if you will allow me to call it that; not for my sake, but for the majority of Christians) of Obama, in order to elect a president who is more agreeable in other areas. On the other hand, many Christians believe this to be completely unacceptable and will therefore, alienate all of Obama's other stances because, in their opinion, abortion overshadows all other issues. What most people do not hear, however, is that Obama and McCain's view on abortion is almost identical as far as action is concerned. Neither will make any federal law, and both desire to leave the decision in the hands of the states.

Still, putting these two issues aside, Obama and McCain were on fairly equal footing. Obama spoke of his faith personally, relating the times Jesus has helped him through hard times and reciting Scripture as a buttress for his domestic and foreign policies in aiding "the least of these." McCain recalled many stories of his war days, even relaying a story about a Vietnamese Christian guard who gave him slight relief from his torture.

Therefore, the method which I believe is best in choosing for whom to vote in the upcoming elections, from a evangelical viewpoint is to take into consideration Jesus' words in Matthew 7:20, "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." I am not saying one candidate is more "Christian" than the other. But I am saying that words are not enough. Look at their actions. Whose actions match their words. If it is Obama, then do not be afraid of scrutiny from your more conservative counterparts; vote for him. But if it is McCain, then do not shirk because you believe that America is run by liberals. Vote for him. Listen, learn, watch- then choose. No one can ask any more of you.

Childhood Dream Satisfying But Not Fairy Tale

For ten years, I have dreamed of going to a Yankees dream to see my favorite athlete Derek Jeter. Although it may not appear at first glance, Jeter and I have much in common. First of all, we were born on the same day. Secondly, we both play shortstop. Thirdly, we both bat second in the lineup. The first time I had the opportunity to see the Yankees was in fifth grade. My parents planned a night when we would go up to see them play the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, which is about five hours from my home in San Antonio. However, one of my elementary friends suddenly had to move because her dad was transferred out of the state. Looking back, I probably should have gone to the game since I think I spoke to her about one time after the day she left. But elementary school friendships always seem to be more important than they are, the childhood mind imagining that every friendship will last forever. As children rarely have a good concept of time or distance, I decided to go the going away party. That night my friends and I got all dressed up and went to eat at the Tower of Americas. That night, Derek Jeter hit a home run in the Rangers Ballpark. I don't recall completely, but I am quite certain they also won.

So eight years later, before I left for college. My parents planned a day to go see the Yankees play in Arlington. I had a fabulous time. The game was exciting, I had just receive a nice zoom lens for my camera, producing fabulous pictures as keepsakes; and my second favorite Yankee, Robinson Cano, hit a home run. The only bad thing about the evening was the heat. Starting at a hundred degrees, the temperature only went down about one degree each hour according to the ballpark thermometer. Bottom of the ninth, five to five, the Rangers are up to bat. After three hours already, I am ready to stay another three in extra innings if that is what it takes. However, Yankee pitching did not seem up to the job. It seems like a blur now, but somehow, the bases became loaded. Before I know what is happening, fireworks are going off in the stadium and Ranger's fans are in an uproar of cheers. Marlon Byrd just hit a grand slam to win it.

My family and I hurry out of the stadium in an attempt to beat the crowds. As I walk out, decked with a Yankees cap and shirt, I feel like a sore thumb sticking out in the crowd, waiting to be picked on. Another Yankee fan, of which there were quite a few for it being an away game, come up to me. "It's okay Yankees!" he says, giving my his fist to bump. My face cheers a bit...but not for long. "Go home Yankees!" I hear a Ranger's fan yell. I wish to get out as quickly as possible. I know that tomorrow brings another chance for my team, as this was only the first game in the four game series, but it didn't matter then. I would not be there the next night. 

As it turned out, the Yankees lost the next night too, only to come and win the last two games in the series. Despite the horrible ending, I did enjoy my night watching the Yankees. Even being in the same stadium with Derek Jeter and others of the like was thrilling. When I look back on pictures, I do not think I will remember much of the grand slam or the malicious calls of Ranger's fans. Instead, I will remember what my role model athletes inspired me to do throughout my own sports career, and the joy of knowing that dreams can be accomplished. Dreams are not fairy tales. They may not turn out exactly as you want, and that line about "them being even better" is only for the movies. But that does not mean that you cannot still fulfill your dreams, and enjoy them all the while. I hope to see another Yankees game sometime, and maybe it will turn out a little better. But either way, I think I loved every minute of that game as best I could. The thing that is better about my life than a fairy tale is that the end of my dream coming true is not the end at all. New dreams arise, which to me is much more exciting than happily ever after.

A Plea for Haiti

After years of turmoil, Haiti has finally established Michele Pierre-Louis as the new prime minister. However, I have to question whether or not this will make any difference in the manner in which Haiti is run. For the past thirteen years, Prime Minister Pierre-Louis has been the Executive Director for a George Soros organization called the Knowledge and Freedom Foundation. President Rene Preval nominated her as his third nominee for prime minister, after his first two nominations were not approved. I hope that through her work in education, Pierre-Louis can understand what Haitians truly need. If I could send her a letter, this is what it would be.

(Pictured above: Children wait after school at a home of the school master who provides a meal of rice and beans with one piece of chicken to a group of about thirty children each day whose families do not have enough money to feed them. For some children, the school master says, this will be their only meal that day.)

Dear Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis,
Please take some time to hear my plea for the children of Haiti.
Each day they pray that someone so kind, would hear their voice and take the time, to give them one meal that day.
They pack their bag and head to school in hopes that one day they will pass the test that sends them to the university and onto a better life.
All this they do on one meal a day, made of rice and beans and one piece of meat- that is, if they are lucky.
2/3 of the population sit in unemployment, looking and hoping to find something that will bring them a dollar a day to feed their family.
On the distant shores at Labadee sit tourists with pocket fulls of money, wanting to spend it on an exotic adventure. Behind that beach sits a world in poverty.
Tourism at the citadelle and shops at Labadee could cure this country of its poverty, but officials sit with their arm raised like a pompous police- "Stop! This is our country."
Please, see the people with the hope in their eyes- it fades like the waning moon. Please, see the children with the empty stomachs-they need a little more food.
Please, see the mother, trying to nurse her now AIDs infected child. Please, see the people who are willing to help, if only for a little while.
Please see the people of Haiti, once strong in their fight to be free. Please, be the hero they need; not for me, but for the people of Haiti.

(Right: Horseback riding up the trail to the Citadelle La Ferriere is one of the potentially popular tourist attractions for travelers. Unfortunately, due to political unrest tourism in Haiti has all but vanished.)

Recognizing Biased Media

The other day, I opened up the morning paper, which for me is the San Antonio Express News, as I do most mornings to read the front section. I mostly enjoy reading about the world news, but I also peruse over the political news, especially with the presidential elections coming up this fall. However, the other day, I was slightly disturbed by what I saw when I turned the pages of the paper over to find two pictures, one of Barack Obama and one of John McCain. Recently, the Express has begun each day to put in a picture of each of these men, recording what they did the previous day. 

One this particular day, the picture of Obama was typical. Having been sojourning across the world, speaking with various international leaders, Obama was pictured sitting with General Petraeus in a solemn manner, most likely discussing the policies and progress in Iraq. This seemed completely harmless, but the stark difference between this picture and the one of McCain is what I found to be so disturbing. The picture of McCain showed him riding in a golf cart with Bush Sn. On the cart, the sign read, "Hands off," indicating that it was not public property. The message was loud and clear. Surely, McCain had done many other things that day, including giving at least one speech. Surely the Express had another picture that would have sufficed. Yet they decided to publish a picture of McCain with Bush Sn. and a sign that read "hands off," both of which alienate him from the American public. Now I am certainly not a supporter of McCain, and this not because I am a hard core conservative either. Although I do not consider myself an Obama supporter either, I do tend to lean to taking his side on most issues. Still, when the media is so blatantly biased, something is wrong. 

If anyone is reading this right now, they may ask why I am spouting about this issue on the Internet instead of writing a letter to the editor. I could write a letter to the editor, but I do not feel that one mistake deserves a letter of reprimand. However, if this bias continues to occur, I will certainly take more direct action. For now, I simply desire to educate the readers as to what biased media is, so they may recognize it when it occurs, rather than being duped into believing everything journalists say or do. As a journalist myself, I can confidently say that it is not our goal to deceive. Rather, our goal is to bring truth to the public. However, even we fall prey to our own biased and may not realize this bias until someone else brings it to light. So do not be so harsh on journalists, but be aware that we do make mistakes. So please recognize our bias and bring this bias to light so that we can better reveal the truth.

The Melting Pot or the Divided Country

Lately, I have heard more talk and signs of prejudice than I have in many years. Perhaps this is because I did not recognize the inuendoes when I was younger, but I now realize just how injurous and ignorant these comments can be. Being from Texas, I often hear people make derogatory remarks about Hispanics, but I have realized that this talk is not limited to any one group of people. In just over a month, I will be heading off to college, ready to begin an new part of my life. Because I am going out of state, I will know only one person when I arrive in the fall. However, instead of this being a challenge, I see it as an exciting opportunity. I have the ability to meet an extremely diverse array of people, different from anyone I have ever met before. When I see people of different cultures, I want to meet them and see how their background has shaped them into who they are today.
The other night, some friends and I went to Starbucks. Outside, a group of young Asians were playing some sort of card game as they spoke in a language neither of which I would probably ever be able to learn or understand. However, I was completely intrigued. I watched the way they interacted. They were intense in their game, but laughed and enjoyed each other's company at the same time. Unfortunately, my friends did not see their lifestyle in the same light as I did. They did not make any particularly degrading remarks; they did not have to. I could tell by the way they looked down on them, scared, disturbed, and confused by their actions and mannerisms. My friends made it clear that they desired to move as far away from them as possible. I was distraught. Here was an opportunity to learn about someone else; why they lived like they did and how it was to be an immigrant in America. After all, my brother currently rooms with an Asian student (even though he grew up in America, he does have some family connections abroad), and my brother has learned a great deal about other cultures through him.
Someone on National Public Radio (NPR) today mentioned that the US is no longer a melting pot. I had always been particularly fond of this term because it described how so many people could congregate and still get along. However, I began to think that this term was just an idealists' dream. Instead, we have become a divided nation, each ethnic group its own segregated people. I hope that soon, we can again become a true melting pot, learning from each other's differences, embracing our similarities. It takes one little step at a time. Be inquisitive, not derogatory. Be open-minded, not set in your own ways. In this way, we can become a united nation, rather than one divided because of its diversity.

Something is Wrong With Law Enforcement

     Although saying that there are problems with law enforcement in my city may appear to be a huge understatement to some people, it is, nevertheless, true. Last night, a few of my friends and I went to a local neighborhood park in to enjoy the cool night air. As we were swinging, we suddenly saw police lights flashing. A police had pulled a car over for speeding. After a few exchanging words of how sorry we felt for the "victim," we saw the car drive off. Subsequently, the policeman also pulled away, only to turn back and return to the spot where he was hiding, watching for other lawbreakers. 

     This scene may seem completely mundane for some, but I must explain a little further. The neighborhood road where the police was idling has a rather low speed limit considering the speed at which a car could safely drive. The speed limit, I believe, is about 30 mph, whereas, at night with no one on the streets, it would be perfectly safe to drive 45 to 50 mph, if the police were absent. In fact, I must admit, I myself have sped on this road multiple times. However, on this particular night, the police were on the hunt, stalking their prey, attempting to fill their hungry stomachs (aka ticket quotas). Not five minutes after the police re-parked, he pulled out, turned on his lights, and pulled over his next victim. If this was not bad enough, soon, another police drives down the street and pulls into the hiding spot where the other police had been previously. Only a few minutes later, while the first police is still handing out his ticket, the other police pulls over another car driving the other direction. 

     Maybe it is just me, but I can't help but think that there are better things that these policemen could be doing on a weeknight than pulling over car after car in a middle-class neighborhood. These headlines, which appeared that night and the next day, make me wonder where our policemen truly are during violent incidences: "Man shot in face in East-side complex" and "Boy riding on hood of mother's car critically injured in fall." I know the police cannot be everywhere all the time, but maybe they should pick their battles more wisely. So where were the policemen when the article about the man who was shot was being written and published? They were pulling over middle-class neighborhood residents for going ten miles over the speed limit. So which offense is more serious? Shooting a man or speeding when you are the only car on the road? Apparently, the police think it is the latter.