Bleeding heart

When I was 15 years old I told my dad I wanted to be a member of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). I wanted to stand up for and defend peoples' rights (I still do).

"You can't be a member of the ACLU," he stated, a little matter-of-fact.

"Why not?" I demanded, shocked and offended that my dad would tell me that I couldn't do something. Aren't parents supposed to tell you you can do anything?

He looked over at me and said, "I thought you said you wanted to be a doctor or a pharmacist. You have to be a lawyer to be a member of the ACLU."

"You have to be a lawyer? Oh."

And that was that. I think the reason we have so many dreams when we are children is because we have a tendency to keep our dreams to ourselves. The second we speak our dreams there are always people within earshot that are all too eager to give you a dose of reality. So I had to be a lawyer to be a member of the ACLU. Heck, it's not too late. I can still get my J.D. one day, right?

In my opinion I would probably be a good lawyer. I love research, love reading, and I love problem solving. As far as my ACLU aspirations go, it is currently limited to reading news stories and either being 1) outraged, or 2) ecstatic for the people affected.

I am so passionate about what I read that my kneejerk reaction is to blow up Facebook and spam all the poor people who are my friends with the newest link and my feelings about it. However, if I did that for every news story I had the urge to I think more people would hide me than probably already have.

So! I will do it here in my blog! One link that leads to many with the hope that my insatiable urge to spew my opinions and thoughts might be abated.

1) Arlington woman gets 16 years for DWI manslaughter
http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Prison-term--89175387.html

One might think that a DWI is a DWI, but for some reason I find myself reading every single DWI story that I come across.

I have some thoughts about maybe why I am so particularly interested in DWIs, but what I do know is that I am really concerned. It seems that we as a society do not take the risk of drinking and driving seriously. We speak of it flippantly and admit to it boastfully. As someone who has been affected by alcohol abuse in my family, I am one of those crazy people who feel that alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs out there.

Don't get me wrong, I do drink. I admit that I even drink too much sometimes. I have even driven while under the influence: once. And I will never forget how upset I was with myself afterward. When I was in undergrad at Univ. of Texas at Arlington, my roommate and I had been at a party with some of the people in her art classes. The party was a great one at first, we were having a great time mingling with some of those crazy, elitist artsy types.

As the night and alcohol wore on, more and more people started showing up. The party spilled out of the small apartment and it began to get incredibly loud as several conversations were competing. At one point it was too hot in the apartment, so I walked out. That was when I noticed some neighbors starting to come out of their apartments, some of them holding cordless phones.

I knew right away this party was about to get shutdown by the police, which would not have been good for my roommate and I for undisclosed reasons. At that point I made one of the worst decisions I've made in my life: I grabbed my friend and drove us back to our dorm. I wasn't wasted by any means, but I definitely wasn't good to drive.

I could have killed someone. I could have killed us. I could have crippled someone else, or us. That's just the reality of it. It was reckless and it was, and is, wrong.

Because of the strain our prison system is under, DWIs are often not penalized as strictly as they could be. I really enjoyed this story for two reasons: 1) she pleaded guilty, and 2) despite that fact, she was dealt a sentence close to the maximum of 20 years. But the truth is, that she could be anyone who chooses to drink and drive. It only takes a split second to not notice a red light and run it. It only takes a split second to kill someone and cripple another.

2)http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/25/congress.threats/index.html?hpt=T1
Health care reform anger takes a nasty, violent turn

So, assuming that this was indeed an intentional act: does the shooter realize that he/she shot at a congressman that didn't even vote for the bill? That opposed it and was trying to stop it?

"And we have to think of ourselves as, 'what kind of people are we?' " Leach said. "Are we one people working together with rival thoughts, or are we enemies within? And I think there's something that's been let loose in American politics that has to be thought about."

This quote rings very true to me. I am keenly aware that the majority of people do not know the issues. They only know what the political pundits on the television or radio are telling them to think.

I am afraid that the state of politics in this country is getting to the point where there will be no progress because of politics. Any step forward is a victory for "the other side" and is therefore undesirable.

Why does it always seem that the most ignorant have the loudest cries?

Anyway. Ben's home now.