Camp

Wow, I haven't written in a while. At least this time I have a good excuse. The last two weeks have been insane. On the 11th, I got up at five o' clock in the morning, my mom drove me to the airport at 5:30, we arrived around six, I walked through security at 6:30, and was on the plane by 7:00 AM. The plane took off right on time, I had a wonderful flight, and arrived at SeaTac at the projected time of 8:35. A couple of friends of mine, who happen to be the nurse and his wife of the camp I was going to, picked me up and drove me to Lacey. We met up with the rest of the Christiand and Missionary Alliance Camp (CAMA Camp) staff at Lacey Community Church, had a meeting about policy and rules and such, got our pictures taken for our IDs, and basically got to know each other.

Just driving through Washington, seeing the trees, it was awesome. More than that, I felt alive again. I hitched a ride with Darin, who was also drving Andrea and Malia. It wasn't too far from the church. We mostly talked about nothing. When we got to Millersylvania, where CAMA Camp is, we all got ready for the next day.

Tami and I had 7 girls in our cabin: Michelle, a small girl with a gigantic vocabulary; Molly, a girl from my old church, SPCC; Amy, an outgoing and take-charge kind of girl; Carli, the daughter of my old music pastor; Jackie, who accepted Christ at camp; Mariah, a shy, homesick girl; and Megan, the talkative one. They were all great. We only had one fight between two of them, and it was resolved with a simple apology.

I had an amazing time at camp. Bill, the music pastor from SPCC, was there to lead morning worship and staff devotions. Two of the children's pastors from SPCC were there, Harry to do chalk talks, and Duane is the camp director. Kelly from HomeLink was there to lead evening worship for the kids. There were so many people from SPCC there, it was so awesome to see everyone again.

I've been to CAMA Camp twice as a camper, once as a kitchen staff, and now as a CIT. I hope to go back next year as a counselor. CAMA Camp has always been a huge growing experience in my faith. And this time was no different. I thought about God every second of every day. I thought about being an example to these young kids at camp. I thought about shining God's light and about loving my girls. I thought about making good decisions quickly and keeping my kids safe. I thought about praising God and thanking him for such an opportunity as this. CAMA Camp was an amazing experience for me. And it will continue to be.

The schoolyear is fast upon us and I pray that as we go into our schools and classrooms, as we walk the halls and chat with our friends; I pray that as we sit in the cafeteria, as we answer questions in class, and as we write research papers and essays, that we would be mindful of our actions and thoughts. Think about what God would have you do. Think of every minute as an opportunity to be a light in a world that is fast decending into darkness. Be a light in this dark world. Be a sparkler among matches. Strive for exccellence in every area of your life. Put your priorities in order. Put God first. Keep your eyes on the goal. Let people see the difference between you and others. Be careful in what you say. Be cautious in what you do. Be strong in standing up for yourself, for others, and for God. Be persevering in reaching others. Be defiant in resisting Satan.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, stand firm.


Your sister in Christ,

Katy

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
-Philippians, 4:8

Books

Here's a list of books that I've read lately:

The Client, by John Grisham
The Runaway Jury, by John Grisham
Hart's Hope, by Orson Scott Card
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by W. Shakespeare
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

NOW READING:
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

NEXT ON THE LIST:
Hart's War, by John Katzenbach
Twelfth Night, by W. Shakespeare
As you Like it, by W. Shakespeare

I'll update this list every once in a while. Every month or six months or something. I just finish Huck Finn and Mice and Men, which I was reading as summer A.P. English work. Just to let you know, both are insanely good. Steinbeck is so great at creating characters. If you like his stuff, I'd also recommend The Pearl, because it's a great story; short, too-you can finish it in two sittings max. Mark Twain is incredibly funny. As you read Huck Finn, the plans and plots become so elaborate, so ridiculously convoluted, it's hilarious. Actually, the best part begins when Tom Sawyer shows up. Kind of ironic, considering it's a book about Huckleberry Finn.

Beauty

I've been thinking about beauty a lot lately. Here's what I've decided:

Beauty has nothing to do with perfection

Beauty is found in the extraordinary

Sometimes the extraordinary can be found in an ordinary shell.

Sometimes the ordinary masquerade as something extraordinary.

Everything and everyone has the potential to be beautiful, but that doesn't mean it is.

Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms.

Death does not change beauty.

School

Well, I'm going back to school on the 28th of August. I'm pretty nervous, because I'll be taking on a full load of seven classes, plus a few really difficult classes. Here's the classes I'm taking and my thoughts:

AP English II (or Honors English II):

I got into this class automatically, I didn't have to take a test, because I had an A in AP Eng. I. Advanced Placement English II is considered to be one of the more difficult classes to take as a sophomore. Summer work included reading Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Both were great books, I really enjoyed them, and I would recommend both for any avid reader. For Huck Finn I need to pick a quotation from each chapter and then explain why it represents what the chapter is about. The Mice and Men work is a bit more involved. I have to identify the symbolic images used in the story and explain them (both of which I am terrible at), and analyze the character development of the two main characters. I'm almost done with both assignments.
Teacher: Mrs. Dawson
Length: 2 semesters

Biology:

In my freshman year, I took Physical Science I, which is a one-semester class. Phy. Science I and II are the prerequisites for Biology. This is a class that I'm pretty worried about, considering that I have no idea what everyone else learned about in Phys. Sci. II. This class threatens to be more than challenging.
Possible teachers: Mr. Storm, Mrs. Pasquale
Length: 2 semesters

Art I:

At last, a class I'm actually looking forward to! Most student take Art I in their freshman year, but I took Basic Drawing instead. I'm glad I did, it was an awesome class, I learned a lot, and I was able to meet some new peoples. Back to Art I. While Basic Drawing was about drawing (gasp! what a surprise), Art I will encompass various techniques, principle of design, and color theory. Art I is a prerequisite for almost all other art classes.
Possible teachers: Mrs. Murphy, Mr. Anderson
Length: 2 semesters

Spanish I:

Spanish I is an introduction to the language. The class will involve writing, speaking, and listening. Spanish culture will also be incorporated into the curriculum. I'm not sure this class will be easy, but because of my history with Spanish-speaking, I think this will be a good class.
Teacher: Mrs. Godinez
Length: 2 semesters

Advanced Web Design:

I will be building and maintaining a site for a teacher, club, sport, or other school. Real world expreience is the idea. I'll get to use programs like Dreamweaver and Fireworks, and use other scripts besides HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language), such as JavaScript. I took Web Design I last year and really enjoyed it. I was given an award for my outstanding performance (which really means that I built a cool-looking website with 25-pages instead of the required 3 pages). I'm thinking about being a Teachers Assistant for Web I in a couple years.
Teacher: Mr. Espinola
Length: 2 semesters

Algebra 2:

Math. What else is there to say? Next year is Pre-cal, and my senior year, Calculus.
Possible Teachers: Mrs. Knight, others

Phys. Ed:

I didn't take it last year, so I'll be taking it this year, and then we'll fill out a log that says I did so many hours of P.E. so that I can get credit for last year. Believe me, three ski trips of skiing all day, everyday, is a lot of exercise.
Length: 2 semesters


Right now I'm taking an online health class from Brigham Young University, to get credit for that class. I'm going to try to find a driver's ed class somewhere too. The only available driver's ed class is from the college here in town, and it's an online class. My parent would really like me to get more experience behind the wheel, so they want me to try to find a class in Reno that I'd only have to go to once a week or something. Personally, I think they're grasping at straws, but whatever. So long as an online class will qualify for a discount on insurance, I'm fine with it. And that's about it.

With love from your intellectually superior blogger,

Katy ;)

Cars

This weekend, my town is having an car show. People from everywhere have brought their old cars. Half of them don't drive them, they actually tow their perfectly good cars on a trailer. We entered our '69 Impala, and that's been fun. Brad and Pete have had a really fun time with it, they get to show off their car and tell the story of our family heirloom.

My favorite, by default, is our Impala, but my second favorite, by choice, is the Ford Mustang Mach 1. Check it out:

This car may look familiar to a few of my readers, and that's because Byron has one just like it. Ever been inside that car? It's pretty sweet. Anyway, that's about all that's going on.

Your favorite blogger who's even cooler than the Mach 1,

Katy

Nightmares

I had a terrible nightmare last night. Around 8 or 9, I was sitting in my bed drawing, and I fell asleep. I woke up 3 hours later, hot and sweaty, dry-mouthed and breathing hard. It was this really creepy, freaky scary dream. I've never had this happen to me before. I was actually afraid to go back to sleep. I guess I was pretty shaken.

I got up and wrote down what it was about, and then I prayed. I read a little bit of Psalms. I turned a few pages, and there was this verse that said, "Lord, protect me from my enemies, who plot to take my life." It made me feel better to know that God was there, watching out for me. So I got my dog and had him sleep in my bed, and then I went back to sleep. I am happy to say that I had no more nightmares. There was a weird dream in which I was running around in a commando suit, but that's another story...

Your Dreamcatcher,

Katy

I was listening to Superchick's "We all Fall" on the Last one Picked album, and I could really appreciate what they were saying. Because I've fallen. I've turned away and come back. I've failed. But God still loves those of us who fail. We can fall, but it doesn't change how God feels about us. And that is so reassuring.

We all Fall

we all fall sometimes

we all let ourselves down

sometimes there's nothing left

but to live with what's been done

and know you're not the only one who falls

we all fail sometimes

we all let someone down

sometimes there's nothing left

but to promise to ourselves

that next time we won't be the one to fail

i want to tell you you can go on

that beginnings come from ends

i still believe in you and so does God

He's the one who still believes in those who fail

He's the one who still believes in us who fall

Fires

It's been a whole year since I moved to Winnemucca. I still don't like it. It's as brown and dry and hot as ever, but I don't resent it so much. I would never consider living here permanently, but I think the next three years will be okay. Everyone told me that Winnemucca was beautiful in summer, that it really bloomed, but I think they're confused, because it looks the same. Not as bleak as winter- there are leaves on the trees- but it's still flat and sagebrushy.

Saturday night there was a huge lightning storm. No rain, which, being a Washingtonian, is a little strange, but there was just these huge cracks of lightning everywhere. Sometimes it was just a flickering light in the looming clouds, and other times it was a white jagged rip in the sky. Since our house is up on a hill, we could see everything really well. Then, I spotted a flickering orange light down amongst the lights of Winnemucca. Smoke began to obscure the flames. The lighting had struck a spot in the sagebrush, and a fire had sprung up. Before our eyes, the fire spread lightning-fast (if you'll pardon the expression). Soon it engulfed a large area. We saw the fire trucks heading in the direction of the smoke as fast as they could. They reached it pretty quickly, and in a matter of minutes, the fire was gone. It was a pretty amazing sight. Scary, but amazing, because it demonstrated the power and ferocity of such a fire.

Your slightly pyro blogger,

Katy

Revolutionaries by Bethany Dillon

Many have traveled this road before

I see their tracks in the dirt

But maybe I don’t agree

With where they are leading

And who am I, just a youth

But why has that become the excuse

A monotone voice

In my head saying

Dreaming all the time

It’s so foolish

Your flood of empty words

Will drown you in ruin

So we listen

Should we listen?

They shake their heads

As they drive away in the bandwagon

Didn’t feel like hitching a ride

Oh, but I’ll be fine

Some nights it’s hard to be alone

I want some kind of kinship

But the finish line

It drives me on

When they say

Dreaming all the time

It’s so foolish

Your flood of empty words

Will drown you in ruin

So we listen

Should we listen?

Come with me

They’ll call us revolutionaries

Come with me

They’ll call us revolutionaries

Revolutionaries

Revolutionaries

Dreaming all the time

It’s not foolish

Your flood of life giving words

They will refresh, they will refresh

Dreaming all the time

It’s not foolish

Your flood of life giving words

They will refresh

Should we listen?

Revolutionaries.

This is Your Life

Switchfoot's song, "This is Your Life", is an excellent song. And it brings to light an important point that many people miss in life.

You only get one chance-are you who you want to be?

Take a look at yourself right now. Are you the person you thought you'd be 2, 5, 10 years ago? Every once in awhile, you've just got to sit down and take an honest look in the mirror. You only get one shotat life. You can't go back and try again. What will you do? Will you be famous, or infamous? Will you go down in history? If so, what for? Will people remember you name, or the things you accomplished?

Be bold. Speak out, and speak up. Don't you dare sit down and shut up just because somebody doesn't like what you're saying. Stand up. Be passionate about your beliefs. If you have an opportunity, talk with someone. Give out smiles. Be alive, be happy with yourself, and where you are right now.

This is your life. Are you who you want to be?

This is a pretty funny video on YouTube. If you like Jon Stewart, then check it out. If you've never heard of Jon Steart, this is a must-see. Very funny.

Click here to watch Jon Stewart's take on President Bush.

Your absolutely favorite blogger, who loves the Daily Show,

Katy

Hmmm...

Well, unfortunately, my pledge to blog at least once every other day isn't working out quite as I'd planned. I'll try to work on that, and blog more often. I wonder if anyone is even reading this anymore, seeing as how I've haven't been writing in a long time.

This blog is like a journal, except that I'm terrible at keeping one. It takes me so long to write something down, that I usually just say forget it. But I can type so much faster than I write, that I can say everything I want to say pretty efficiently. Plus, I can never lose this. Notebooks, journals, and diaries are easily lost or misplaced. It would be pretty difficult to do so with this internet journal. I'll be able to look back in ten years, and say, "wow, I've come a long way."

Restart

In the last few months I've come to realize that I'm on a downward slope heading unstoppably, at 120 mph, toward a train, which is going to slam into me, and I'm going to crash. Hard. I've tried to turn the situation around. I've tried to regain control of my life, but it just keeps spiraling downward, faster and faster. Until last week I thought that crashing was inevitable. That there wasn't anything I could do to stop it. The train was just going to keep coming.

But I've changed my mind. I've made some pretty bad choices in these last four months. I turned my back on God, because I thought He had abandoned me. I never left my belief in God, just my faith in him. I tried to find my own way in the world. But I just became more and more lost in the darkness. I couldn't find the path, and I was reduced to wandering around in circles, looking for the right way to go, waiting for that train. No more. I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself. I'm tired of being tired all the time. I'm tired of always having a poor self-image, and feeling worthless and alone every second of every day. I'm tired of being miserable. And I am so, so tired of being insecure and Godless.

Before I walked away, before I abandoned God, I felt secure and safe. I felt as though nothing could ever hurt me, and I didn't have to be afraid. This past year I've been increasingly stressed and insecure. There were days, far and few between to be sure, when I wasn't sure why I was still alive. Being dead inside, why wasn't my body dead as well? I've just been sitting on the train tracks, waiting to be hit. But now I realize that I'm not tied to the tracks, and I am capable of stepping off the tracks, and away from danger. The train is not inevitable. I felt trapped where I was, like I couldn't move, even if I had wanted to. I was too busy being miserable to realize that I'd given up trying to get away.

But no more and never again. I'm going to try to turn 180 degrees. Back to God, and away from hopelessness. I have to remember to look up, to keep my eyes on the goal, on God. I want my self back. I want to be me again; and the me I know is happy and optimistic, friendly and caring, passionate about things she believes in. This is who I want to be. And I am determined, that with God's help, I can do it. If you're reading this, and you're a Christian, whether you know me or not, will please pray for me? I think I'm in for a hard ride, full of a lot of spiritual warfare. Satan had me right where he wanted, and he'll fight hard to keep me there. The trouble is, I'll have to sit back and let God do the fighting for me. Anyway, thanks for listening.

Your blogger who's fighting for her life (figuritively, of course),

Katy

House, M.D.

I don't know if any of you have ever seen the show, "House", but it's an awesome show. Incredibly hilarious. Hugh Laurie says the funniest things. Check it out

Just as addictive is the WB's "Smallville" Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, and Alison Mack make it all worthwhile. Good show -- watch it from the beginning though, because it gets complicated. Great fansite

Booklist

Here's a list of books that I've read lately:

The Man in the Iron Mask, by Alexander Dumas
Ender's Shadow, by Orson Scott Card
The Client, by John Grisham
The Runaway Jury, by John Grisham
Hart's Hope, by Orson Scott Card
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by W. Shakespeare


NOW READING:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

NEXT ON THE LIST:

Of Mice and men, by John Steinbeck

I'll continue to redo this list every once in awhile. I recommend all of these books, as they're amazing pieces of literature. Each of them is great for a different reason, though. The Man in the Iron Mask is a classic. Both of the John Grisham books are intriguing and they keep you guessing. Ender's Shadow is completely mind-blowing (read Ender's Game first, though), Hart's Hope is by Orson Scott Card, who is an amazing storyteller of science fiction and fantasy, and Romeo and Juliet is a great story, that, if you're intellectual and well-read already, you'll definitely enjoy.

9/11

Just in the last few months the full horror of the 9/11 tragedy has really hit me. I was 10 years old at the time, almost 11. Just before the event, I was in Texas, visiting my aunt and uncle. While I was there, I begged my parents to let me stay a few more days that planned, but they wouldn't let me. Two days after my flight back, four planes were hijacked. Two hit the World Trade Center, one flew into the Pentagon, and the other crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. I really didn't have any idea what was going on. My mom and dad gathered all of us kids in the living room and told us the jist of what had happened. They said that we might hear people talking about it, and that we didn't have to be scared. Not that I understood why I'd have reason to be. New York was a long way away, and I had no scale to measure the 2,986 dead. I didn't know about the bravery of the passengers of flight 93; I didn't know about the people who jumped to their deaths to escape the flames of the World Trade Center buildings; how could I know about the 9-11 calls, the frantic people trapped inside, who couldn't understand why no one came to save them; how could I know about the 400 firefighters who would die in the buildings' collapse? But it's hitting me now, and it makes me hurt inside.

This is a recorded 9-11 call from a woman named Melissa Doi. She was trapped in one of the World Trade Center buildings.

Melissa Doi: Oh my God, I'm on the 83rd floor! I’m on the 83rd floor!
9-11: Ma’am how ya doing?
MD: Is it… is it… are they going to be able to get somebody up here?
9-11: Well of course ma’am. We’re coming up for you.
MD: Well, There's no one here yet and the floor's completely engulfed. We are on the floor and we can't breathe and it's very, very, very hot.
9-11: I understand. You’ve got to be very, very careful… how they approach you, ok? Now you stay calm. How many people where you’re at right now?
MD: There’s like five people here with me. Everybody’s having trouble breathing, some people are worse.
9-11: Unconscious? Everybody awake? And its very hot there but there’s no fire there right?
MD: I can’t see because its too hot.
9-11: Very hot. No fire for now and no smoke right?
MD: Of course there’s smoke! There is smoke! I can’t breathe! I think there is fire because it’s very hot. It’s very hot everywhere on the floor.
9-11: I’m documenting what you’re saying ok? It’s very hot, you see no fire but you see smoke right?
MD: It’s very hot. I don’t see any air anymore. All I see is smoke. Please…
9-11: Listen. The call is in, I’m documenting…
MD: I'm going to die, aren't I?
9-11: No, no, no.
MD: I'm going to die.
9-11: Ma'am say your prayers.
MD: I’m going to die.
9-11: You have to think positive because you got to help each other off the floor.
MD: I’m going to die. I know I’m going to die.
9-11: Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. You’re doing a good job.
MD: Please God. No. It’s so hot. I’m burning up.
(9-11 operator talks on radio)
MD: Wait, wait, wait! We hear voices! Hello! Help!
9-11: Hello ma’am?
MD: Help!
9-11: Stay calm, stay calm. Just don’t move.
MD: Oh my God. Find out if there's anybody here on the 83rd floor.
9-11: Ma'am stay on the phone with me.
MD: Find out if there's anyone on the 83rd floor because we thought we heard somebody.
9-11: Ma'am I already notified the lieutenant, ok? I already notified the lieutenant that there’s five people on the 83rd floor right? Very hot and smoky so they won’t overlook you, ok dear?
MD: Can you... can you stay on the line with me please?
9-11: Yes ma’am.
MD: I feel like I'm dying… they’re here?
9-11: Are they inside with you yet, dear?
MD: No.
9-11: Ok, Stay calm.
MD: Can you find out where they are?
9-11: Ma’am, stay calm until they get inside.
(9-11 operator talks on radio and tape ends. At the end of her call, Melissa can be heard yelling, "Help! Help!")

This is a tribute to those who died in the September 11 attacks; to the courageous efforts of those aboard Flight 93; and to those who are bravely carrying on after the meaningless death of their loved ones.

The Higher Standard

Here's something I don't believe in: boyfriends. Let me ask you something. What's the point? I mean, it's not like you're evil or something if you have guy friends, I do. But why do you need a boyfriend? The truth is, you don't.
An adult friend of mine believes that she needs a man to complete her. That without a male someone in her life, everything will collapse. She is almost helpless without this guy figure. She has to get a new one if the old one leaves, or she leaves him, or something happens and they split. That's not right. Not right at all. God didn't make us that way. We're built to want companionship, to desire a partner of the opposite sex, but that partner is supposed to stay with you for life, not just till next week, or month, or year.
God wired us to search Him out. He wants us to be happy, he gave us free will. But I promise you, happiness doesn't come from physical love. People have a lot of ideas about what love is, and most of them are a lie. Society tells us to get a boyfriend, to dress a certain way, to speak, act, and walk in certain ways. But here's the catch: Society never actually says anything to your face.
It's whispered in your ear, and gobbled up through your eyes. No one has ever actually told me, "get a boyfriend," but the urge to be like everyone else is so strong. We must resist this thing that has been titled, "society". Dating is for those mature enough for marriage, not just anyone wanting to practice kissing.
In Romans 2:2 it says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We have been set free, we don't have to conform anymore. You don't have to give in to the silent visual messages being poured into your brain. Resist. Don't be a candle under a basket. Let your light shine. Spread God's Truth.
Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It's within. I'm not going to have a fist fight with myself, but there is always an internal battle going on. I have to constantly remind myself that I can't hold myself to this dark world's standards. I am held to something much higher.
1 John 2:16 "For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world." God knows us, okay? He made us, he understands how our minds work, and He gave us His Word to guide us. The cravings of sin are not for us. We are held to a higher standard. We cannot be distracted by lust. We are held to a higher standard. Do not give in to pride. We are held to a higher standard.
1 Corinthians 3:3 - "You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?" We are not, under any circumstances, "mere men." The Holy Spirit is in us. We shouldn't be worldly, we shouldn't be conformists, we don't need to put on a performance for society.
When I see girls fighting over a guy, I am disappointed. When I see a couple kissing, etcetera, I'm saddened. Sure, it feels great. Yeah, he says nice things to you, about you, but what are you giving yourself away for? Can you truthfully see yourself living the rest of your life with your boyfriend right now? Do you think he sees it the same way you do? Just think about that for a minute.
What is the use of having a boyfriend, and giving your heart away, only to have it painfully ripped to shreds and thrown back in your face? I've seen girls go through a breakup. My friends have gone through breakups, and it's just not fair. They are in so much pain. Inside, they hurt, they ache, and they don't understand why he was so cruel, to have wounded them so deeply. After having seen the pain in so many friends' eyes, I just don't understand the point. There's definitely a lure. As humans, our brains are wired to start to notice those of the opposite sex right now, it's the way we are. But that doesn't mean we have to give in.
We are held to a higher standard, ladies and gentlemen, God's. It really is okay to not have a boyfriend. It is okay to be different. It is okay to not look or dress or act or walk or talk like everyone else. If your are such a person, someone who is different, then I applaud you, I look up to you.





P.S. I am not attempting to look down on those who have a boyfriend. My message is that you don't have to have one. You don't have to become part of the wallpaper, part of the weave, part of the grain, part of the pattern.

Prepare to be Disappointed

NEWSFLASH! Please pay close attention to what I'm about to say. The Da Vinci Code isn't a conspiracy to get people to lose faith in God. It isn't a true story. Dan Brown (the author) is not evil. There is no government conspiracy to get everyone to read the book, see the movie, and then preach the Gnostic gospels to everyone they see. END OF NEWSFLASH
Look. It's a fiction novel. It isn't real. And that's the apparently very hard-to-see fact, because no one gets it. Everyone wants to take The Da Vinci Code so seriously, when in fact, it was written just as seriously as Rowling writes the Harry Potter series. (Some people think kids take Harry Potter seriously too, but gimme a break people.)
Look. Dan Brown is just another author trying to make a living. We can't pretend to know him- or judge him- by what we read in his books. Just because he writes about a huge cover-up conspiracy in the Catholic church, doesn't mean that he actually thinks it's real. Do you think Rowling actually believes that broomsticks fly, or that houselves clean her clothes? Get real and get a life.
The evidence against what the Da Vinci code says is so strong, that it would convince even the the most devoted. The problem is that we're all ignorant of this evidence. And because of this sad, sad truth, we're powerless to help other ignorants escape their fate of sad, sad ignorance. Ahem. Excuse me, if I'm speaking strongly about this, and I've offended you. Have I made you think yet? Because that's my intent.

Accepting Responsibility

Lethal injection is a cruel and unusual form of punishment. Unfortunately, the United States still employs the death penalty. Capital punishment has been abolished in 40 countries since 1990. In 2004, America, China, Iran, and Vietnam accounted for ninety-seven percent of executions worldwide. There are several objections to the death penalty, one, the killing of innocents, two, the discovery that the death penalty is not, in fact, a crime deterrent, and the abolition of such punishment does not harmfully influence the crime rate, and three, that lethal injection is a cruel and unusual punishment. The death sentence is unconstitutional, and it does not belong in a modern, “civilized” society like ours.
The first concern is the needless extinguishments of innocent lives. Police misconduct, unreliable witnesses, physical evidence, or confessions, and poor defense can all contribute to the incarceration and subsequent execution of innocent people. Amnesty International reveals that 123 death row inmates have been set free in the U.S. since 1973, “after evidence emerged of their innocence of the crimes for which they were sentenced to death.” In 2004, there were six releases, and at least three in 2005. On average, the U.S. schedules the execution of sixty-eight people every year; if approximately fourteen percent of those sixty-eight individuals are released, then one must question how many innocents have been executed without sufficient evidence their guilt. As long as we continue to execute individuals as punishment for their crimes, we will always run the risk of killing innocent men and women. Are we willing-should we be willing- to accept that responsibility?
Although many claim that the death penalty is an effective crime deterrent, this not true. The abolition of capital punishment has been shown to have no negative effects upon the crime rate. In fact, when Canada abolished their death penalty for murder, homicide rates in Canada went down forty-four percent in the twenty-seven years after the condemnation of the death penalty. The homicide rate fell from 3.09 per 100,000 population in 1975, the year before the ban, to 1.73 in 2003, the lowest rate in thirty years, according to Amnesty International. A study was conducted for the United Nations in 1988, and it was updated again in 2002. The study concluded, “The fact that the statistics continue to point in the same direction is persuasive evidence that countries need not fear sudden and serious changes in the curve of crime if they reduce their reliance upon the death penalty”. If the abolition of the death sentence can actually help reduce crime, then why has the United States not realized this and attempted to enforce a ban so as to curb our atrocious crime rate?
Lastly, evidence continues to surface leading to the conclusion that lethal injection can actually be a form of torture that is excruciatingly painful. Complications often arise that make the execution agonizingly slow and painful. If the drugs are not administered correctly, if a tube is kinked, or the straps too tight, or even if a vein large enough for the intravenous needle cannot be found, the execution can take longer than an hour and can end up being extremely brutal for the condemned. Inmates are assured that their executions will be swift and painless, are they being deceived? Tommie Smith’s 1996 Indiana lethal injection took a total of one hour and nine minutes. Small veins were the main cause of trouble. Sixteen minutes were spent sticking needles into Smith, attempting to find an adequate vein. A physician was called, a local anesthetic employed, and the doctor tried twice to apply the tube to Smith’s neck. After this failed, an angio-catheter was inserted into Smith’s foot. The drugs at last began to flow into Smith’s body forty-nine minutes after the first attempt to insert a needle. Twenty minutes later, Smith was pronounced dead.
Strange reactions to the drugs used in lethal injection have been observed. For example, the 1992 Oklahoma execution by lethal injection of Robyn Parks went terribly awry. After the drugs were administered, Parks’ jaw, neck, and abdomen muscles began to spasm for about forty-five seconds. Parks gasped and gagged violently before finally dying eleven minutes later. One reporter, who witnessed the execution, called it “ugly”, “scary”, and “disturbing”. Other executions match this description exactly; the same writhing, choking, and convulsions have been witnessed before. At last doctors have discovered the cause of this. The second of the three drugs used in lethal injection is pancuronium bromide. Pancuronium bromide is a chemical compound that works as a muscle relaxant. However, pancuronium bromide does not have sedative or analgesic effects, which means that it acts only as a paralytic agent, not to reduce pain of any kind.
Pancuronium bromide was banned by the American Veterinary Medical Association in animal euthanasia on the grounds that it was inhumane. Dogs, cats, and even reptiles that are being put to sleep are excused from this horror, and yet humans are subjected to the kind of pain even animals are spared. Pancuronium bromide is used in lethal injection to paralyze the body’s muscles while not affecting the brain or nerves, as well as to collapse the lungs. The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) states that, “the chemical pancuronium bromide, a commonly used lethal injection drug, could leave a wide-awake inmate unable to speak or cry out as he slowly suffocates.” Protestation of this drug is nothing new; Amnesty International has avidly worked to ban the drug and bring awareness about its effects, saying that it “may mask the condemned prisoner’s suffering during the execution” and lead witnesses to believe that inmates feel nothing, and therefore lethal injection is less brutal than other forms of the death penalty.
Side effects of the drugs easily explain death row inmate’s reactions. Pancuronium bromide causes the patient to experience a raised heart rate, extreme salivation, and respiratory depression. The results of pancuronium bromide account for the choking and gasping; the inmate begins to salivate excessively, but since his muscles have been paralyzed, he cannot swallow, and begins to choke. The prisoner’s collapsing lungs cause him to gasp for air. As the third drug enters the condemned’s system, he can actually feel his heart stop before he dies. All throughout the execution, the dying man cannot make any facial expression to display his agony. The DCIP asked Dr. Mark Heath of Columbia University what death row prisoners would experience if the first short-term anesthesia drug was not utilized correctly and the two remaining drugs, including pancuronium bromide, were administered. Dr. Heath replied, “It would basically deliver the maximum amount of amount of pain the veins can deliver, which is a lot.”
All of these examples point to the fact that lethal injection is a means of torture. If we cannot find a painless way to enforce the death penalty, then we must not use it. The whole point of lethal injection is that it is supposedly fast, safe, and gentle. However, executions gone wrong continue to illustrate the cruelty of lethal injection. Capital punishment ought to be outlawed on the grounds that it is unconstitutional because it violates the eight amendment. Life in prison is punishment enough, plus, the inmate has a chance to better himself. In prison, an inmate has the opportunity to receive a good education, perhaps for the first time; prisoners have a chance to redeem themselves by helping others. Although nothing can ever change what these men and women may have done, inmates may receive counseling, and have a chance to regain some of their self-esteem. Many prisoners will gain the respect of fellow inmates and even guards because of their penitent actions. People do change, hearts are softened, and even the most hardened killer may have something to offer to society.
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Freedom for Females

It is completely absurd to tell women that they may be allowed into the military, but only to be carrier pigeons and secretaries. However it’s downright shameful to tell a woman that if she wants to defend her country, she’ll have to do so by maintaining a low position with low pay. Some would use the term “unfair”, which would then be countered with the old “life isn’t fair” cliché. Maybe life isn’t fair, but hasn’t America tried its best to make life for everyone more equal pertaining to race, religion, and gender, more “fair”? We have freedom of speech, of religion, the freedom to say whatever we want about the government. We have the right to a fair trial, the right to a lawyer, the right to justice. How hypocritical to say that women must be restricted in the military.
It is most often men who make the argument that women are not at all fit for military service. Why? There are dozens of excuses, only a few of which I will mention, including, “women are too weak”, “too emotional”, “women are too irresponsible and will only end up getting pregnant”, and even, “women aren’t meant for war, they don’t have that killer instinct”. If a woman is fully qualified and able to do the job, then she could do just as well or even better than many men if given the chance. Of my family of six, I am the only one to hold a pro-women opinion on this subject. One of my brothers made the excuse, “Women just can’t be in the military.” I aim to use this paper to defend my position and speak out about a disgraceful injustice
Firstly, strength is no longer the concern. There are now an abundance of jobs that don’t require super-human strength. Just as piloting a jet for the Air Force doesn’t require one to be able to climb hand-over-hand up a 25-foot rope, taking over control of an airport so that military planes can land doesn’t involve the navigation of an obstacle course. Women, under the Constitution ought to be allowed to perform the same duties as men. It is true that the average woman doesn’t have as much upper body strength as a man, but that doesn’t mean that her job will be affected because she can’t bench 150 pounds as easily as a Navy SEAL. Complaints that women are incapable of throwing a grenade, or that their bones are weaker, are both feeble excuses. Anyone can be taught to throw a baseball or a grenade; there isn’t any distinction, gender-wise. As to women’s bones being weaker, Johns Hopkins University bone specialist, Thomas Beck commented in an article in Journal of Women’s Health that, "Relative to the demands put on them, they [women’s bones] may be stronger than men." According to a paper by reporter, Randy Dotinga, these are findings from 1994 when Congress ordered $40 million spent on biomedical research on women in the military. Colonel Karl Friedl, who is in charge of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine “examined the results of more than 130 studies” Dotinga says that “the findings, reported in the Journal of Women’s Health don’t change the fact that women, on the whole, are smaller and less powerful than men. Still, they suggest that ‘human physiology is more consisten than would be suggested by the social ebellishments.” The key phrase there is “social embellishments”; the debate that women are weaker than men has been blown way out of proportion by the sexist society we live in. America needs to come to terms with the truth-women are just as intelligent, just as able as men are, and it should be our choice, the women’s, not the men’s, as to whether or not we should be allowed complete military freedom.
The claim that female training differs from men’s is true, but still is an invalid point. The GAO (General Accounting Office) reported that, "There is a widespread perception that the existence of lower physical fitness standards for women amounts to a "double standard." However, the physical fitness program is actually intended only to maintain the general fitness and health of military members and fitness testing is not aimed at assessing the ability to perform specific missions or military jobs. Consequently, Department of Defense officials and experts agree that it is appropriate to adjust the standards for physiological differences among service members by age and gender." In short, physical fitness courses are designed to be age and gender specific only to keep soldiers in relatively good shape, not to evaluate their value to the military.If a woman is able to pass the required physical and psychological courses and completes the necessary training, I see no reason why she should not be allowed to fight with respect equal to the men.
Secondly, although it is generally agreed that women are more emotionally charged than men, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be able to fight in ground combat. If a woman were allowed military freedom, and entered the military knowing full well that she was likely to be killing people, I’d theorize that such a woman would be more emotionally composed than others. Women have been proving themselves to be able soldiers throughout history, but the U.S. has chosen not to acknowledge this. In other countries around the world, women take part in combat roles and are a great asset to their militaries. North Vietnam and Israel are both great examples of this principle, the Vietnam War was the only war that America lost, and take a look at Israel’s record; they’ve never lost a war, ever. Apparently, these two remarkably different countries have no problem allowing women into their militaries and permitting them to hold combat positions.
However I’ve forgotten a certain “time of the month”. What about women’s monthly menstrual period, don’t women’s hormone levels skyrocket during this time, causing moodiness and emotional outbursts? Of course this is a monthly occurrence, but it is also true that women athletes have a tendency to eventually stop having these menstrual periods. The termination of a woman’s period does not hurt her physically or sexually at all whatsoever. Women military combatants are athletes and if they were allowed in combat roles, the constant activity would result in the cessation of this inconvenience.
Thirdly, the claim that “women just aren’t responsible enough for the military, and will only end up getting themselves pregnant” is one of the most ridiculous arguments I’ve ever heard. First of all, it’s needless to say that there aren’t too many virgin births these days; it takes two to make a baby. So that places irresponsibility on the male as well as female. A popular debate is to claim that pregnancies cause the military lose money and time. This is a lie. According to Linda Bird Franck, author of Ground Zero, almost twice as much time is lost because of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, than pregnancies. Continue reading her report and you will find that “the average cost of the early returns for men was $7,174, while the average cost for women due to pregnancy was $2,045. Among medical evacuations, AIDS and substance abuse accounted for up to 8 percent, pregnancy for barely one percent.” This tells me that women are not any more irresponsible than men, and again, this argument must be discarded.
Why not create gender-segregated camps, aircraft carriers, and submarines? The men and women would be separated; there would be no sexual harassment, no pregnancies, and better unification of the battalions. The close quarters on aircraft carriers and submarines are one of the major concerns of integrating women into the system, but on a ship of all women or all men, the tight living space would not be a problem.
Lastly, there remains the preposterous idea that women simply aren’t made for war. It is a “guy thing”, a macho thing, this killing business, and men take naturally to shooting people. However, women don’t. Think about it, that’s a good thing. The woman holding a gun would be more likely to keep a cool head, more likely to be cautious, and therefore certainly less likely to endanger her fellow soldiers. Perhaps in some branches of the military, being aggressive is encouraged and even sought after, but just because females aren’t violent does not mean that they can’t get the job done better than men. The natural response for a male, if offended or angered, is to strike out and use force to get his way. Women are more likely to respond with non-violent action. Killer instinct is not necessary in the Armed Forces. It is foolish to let reckless, irresponsible men into the military simply because they have an “instinct” that tells them to squish bugs and shoot people. Personally, if I were in the military, the person I would want watching my back would be a calm and collected woman rather than a trigger-happy male.
The military needs more soldiers right now because of the Iraq War, and neither cost nor strength nor women’s supposed irresponsibility is the issue. I am hearing more and more about our military being stretched thin across the globe. Look at the WASPs, Women Air Force Service Pilots, of World War II. Women were needed in that time of war to transport planes. Now women are needed to take their place in the front ranks. It is unreasonable to tell us that we can’t protect our country, or that it is men, not women, who are meant for war.
The same “they aren’t meant for war” claim was used to keep Blacks out of the military. In the Civil War, Blacks were allowed to fight, during which, they proved themselves to be proficient soldiers. It is now an undeniable fact that African Americans are just as intelligent and able to be military combatants as white Americans. Race isn’t an issue, why is gender? Female frontline combatants are inevitable, so accept it now or accept it later, but eventually women will be allowed full military freedom. Why put this off any longer? Make the necessary changes, and let’s get on with our lives.
Prejudice based on gender, whether domestically or militarily, is outrageous. Women should not be restricted in the military simply because they are females. This is wrong and inexcusable, the situation in which women now find themselves isn’t just unfair, but it is a form of injustice that must be righted. Besides, the issue is no longer about gender or brawn or anything remotely close, it is about the competency of the women who have chosen to enter the military and have proven themselves; it’s about brains and intellectual capability. When I hear men talking about how weak women are, how incapable of warfare, it makes my blood boil. One of my brothers told me, “Women should be thankful that they don’t have to go into combat.” He has never seen combat, he is not enlisted, and he doesn’t plan to be, and yet he speaks as though he had been there. I’ve never been to war, I’m not hoping to be in the military, but I want to fight for what every woman deserves, an equal chance. Every woman has the right to a combat position with the same amount of freedom and respect as men. A woman is capable of being a qualified Special Operative, a valuable infantryman, an intelligent commander, and an able seaman aboard an aircraft carrier or submarine, if only given the chance.