Las Vegas

Walkin down the strip
the world feels exciting.
Women shake their hips
and are ever inviting.

This is the world's playground
any normal person would enjoy
Bells ring, constant sound
Most addictive vices employ

Why do I feel out of place
am I strange or weird?
So much sin in a single space
addiction and lust...feared.

Tryin to fit in, be normal
happiness becomes hidden
Inside knows this as abominable
realization comes all of a sudden.

I am not "normal" I am unique
fun is not free, sin brings a fee
These actions I must self-critique
Clearly, Vegas ain't the place for me.

Your Story

Who am I in your story?
Am I the bad guy or a hero?
Am I your everything or just a zero?
One you reject, the other you marry.

We're always the protagonist in our own worlds.
But on other planets we are simply minor.
Some roles are huge and others much finer.
We're actors men and women, boys and girls.

The possibilities are endless, we play different parts
Some fun, some boring, some happy, some sad
Some long, some short, others good, others bad
We can offer healing hugs or throw fiery darts

I've been the bad guy despite my best efforts
Circumstances require this from all actors
We play these parts because of many factors
Sometimes the bad guy is my last resort

Some actors are type cast, yet others expand
It's who you want to be that matters
Because of no control, we might leave one in tatters
Our chaotic chaos creates a plan

Improve your lot in life
Strive for some new parts
New experiences will give you heart
This plea is for all brother, sister, husband, wife

Never aim for the bad guy role
Never shy away from it either
Life gives parts simultaneous, there are no breathers
You will achieve the goal

So who am I in your story?
In my own I'm the good guy.
Yet, I do things and others ask Why?
Heavy loads I thought I could carry.

Ask yourselves who you are in another's story.
Do you play you or do you play another?
It's okay, nobody is never some other.
Who are you in my story?

Are we the same in each other's story?
If so that, for sure, is a true rarity.

Something Interesting

I just read an interesting article about the safest cities (pop. 500,000+). The safest big city in the country is New York City. This surprised me, mainly because the only interaction I have with NYC is through ficticious TV shows like Law & Order. Some other "safest cities" surprised me as well, namely: Los Angeles, San Diego, El Paso, Las Vegas, and Denver.

Some of the least safe cities also surprised me, these included Memphis, Milwaukee, and Detroit. Now I'm not surprised these cities are considered less safe (except for Memphis that is kind of perplexing). I'm more impressed in the differences between the most safe and the least safe cities. It seems LA and NYC get a lot of press for some of the crimes that are committed there, however they are the safest cities in the country.

Something else also hit me when I looked at these cities. Illegal Immigration. One of the biggest arguments against illegal immigration is that it causes crime rates to go up where it occurs. Well lets look at that list of "safest cities again. El Paso and San Diego are border towns, sort of a port of entry for many illegal immigrants. Yet these are two of the safest cities in the country. NYC and LA each have more than 3 million illegal immigrants each. In fact California in general has over a third of the illegal immigrant population. Yet it's cities are the safest.

On the other hand Detroit, Memphis, and Milwaukee...not exactly the hotspots of illegal immigrant territory are the least safe big cities in the country. I find it interesting that when we want to look for something negative we usually find it. I don't know what to think about illegal immigration, but I do try to keep an open mind. Hopefully everybody else can too.

Things that Piss me off

Here is something that absolutely infuriates me...Look at this link:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/03/031902/valedictorian-ordered-rewrite-speech/news-metro/

So basically this student who has a 4.5 GPA, and was chosen as class valedictorian, turned in the speech she had prepared. The speech was filled with inside jokes, was not offensive, light-heartedly poked fun at some cliques, and criticized school decisions. Her supervising teacher and principal vehemently rejected the speech calling it "appalling." She was ordered to re-write the speech, or else she would be replaced by another person as valedictorian.

(The links to these speeches are below)

This is the kind of thing that pisses me off. I hope that principal loses her job (when a reporter called to get her side of the story, she angrily hung up the phone). I hope the superintendent loses his job.

It's obvious what happened here. The adults don't understand the students. However the adults are acting more like children. They can't handle some light criticisms, so they bully the valedictorian into doing what they want her to do.

I hope Jem Lugo (the valedictorian) gives her original speech anyway. I hope she turns in a revised speech, but smuggles her original in under her gown. I hope she sticks it to the man. This story should be a much bigger deal. It's the freaking first ammendment!!! The freedom of speech. Since when do school districts and principals have more power than the federal government? Jem should sue the school district, or the government should step in before and allow her to give her speech. Send in the damn National Guard, like they did in segregation. I would like Jem to have a personal Guard escort while she delivers her speech, and another two Guardsmen standing on either side of the principal to watch her fume, while EVERYBODY enjoys the speech.

Why would a school crush creativity. Who cares if a portion of people who hear the message MIGHT get offended. Those people need to lighten up!!! Part of Jem's speech talks about never sacrificing personal values to conform to the status quo...well that's ironic because that is exactly what the school is forcing her to do.

What I wished would have happened is that Jem would have refused to change her speech and all the students banded together behind her and nobody else accepted the valedictorian position. I hope nobody goes to graduation...If they are there I hope people boo the totalitarian dictator with the title of principle. In fact, I hope the students boo during the entire ceremony.

Jem did not have any vulgar or profane words in her speech, she did not single out groups to pick on. She picked on everybody, teased certain people. If we create a society where teasing is unacceptable, then get me the hell out of here. I'll be the first one locked up.

Teasing keeps us humble and it also keeps our spirits up. When we stop poking fun at ourselves we stop having fun at all. I am the greatest source of entertainment I have solely because of the sheer amount of stupid things I do. If I couldn't laugh at myself, I would literally go crazy, I would have an unending amount of self-doubt because of all my failures. Why can't the principal and advising teachers think like a rational person?

I don't know if this kind of stuff riles you guys up as much as it does me, but I just get so furious. We live in AMERICA!!!! Land of the free, right? Well sometimes it doesn't feel that way.

Here are two more links you should look at:

Original speech:

http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2009/jun/03/rejected-jem-lugo-valedictorian-speech-springstead/

Revised speech:

http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2009/jun/03/revisedapproved-speech-jem-luko-valedictorian-spee/

Let me know what you guys think about this situation.