Two days are all that's left. Two days to make their mark. Two days to impress and win the hearts and minds of the American populace. Two days is not a lot of time, and in that time one candidate has a lot of ground to cover. This candidate is one that will fail to cover the ground that he needs to in time and because of that he will lose. Why won't he win? This candidate won't win because of who he is. He has flipped his views on every issue depending on the week and who he is speaking to. He has a very successful history financially, but a history that is tainted with the loss of American jobs to foreign countries, simply for the sake of profits. Most importantly however, he is apart of the 1% that America has rebelled against in the last couple of years. Mitt Romney will lose, and we will have four more years of Obama-nation.
The reason I would vote for Obama isn't because I'm a democrat. While I do have strong ties to their liberal ideas, I hate the idea of a party system in America. Nol, the reason I would vote for Obama is because of who Romney is and his history in politics. Never mind any of his policies that I don't agree with or the people that support him, look at his track record. Romney was CEO of Bain Capital, a company that doesn't produce anything, but owns enough controlling shares in almost everything to make a difference. Even ignoring his financial history, look at his political history. He was governor of Massachusetts and ran for the Republican primaries back in 2008. While yes he's done more, that's what I want to focus on. Romney lost to McCain back in 2008 and then wanted to be McCain's running mate. Mitt Romney then showed McCain 15 years (or 10 I forget, it was a considerable time though) of his tax returns. Well who did McCain pick? Sarah Palin. While yes McCain was trying to appeal to women with his choice for his vice president, one has to wonder what was in those returns that McCain couldn't have ruining his campaign. Now, shift your attention to the current race, and Massachusetts in particular. In Mitt's homestate, Obama is up 32% in the polls. While yes, Massachusetts is a very democratic state, look at the Senate race there. The Senate race, between a republican and a democrat is neck and neck. It is nearly a tie. What does that say about Romney and how he did there?
Now my favorite thing about Mitt and how he is driving his campaign into the ground, his pragmatism!! Romney flips his views so often that no one knows what his views will be next. First, he's for tax cuts for the rich, then he's not. Second he's pro-tea party with his 47% comments, then he's pro-middle class with his tax cuts to the middle class. Third, he was originally anti coal, then he's a coal man. I could go on for hours ranting about his pragmatism and how he changes as often as the days, but you'd be asleep before I was done.
The reason I would vote for Obama isn't allegiance or even similar ideas (although that is a major plus), but it's because of who Mitt Romney is. I can't trust Romney. He changes like the seasons. If he just kept a concrete opinion, even one that I didn't agree with, then I could trust him at least. He's too pragmatic and sporadic. That's why I am Obama 2012.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
UNBROKEN
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption is a story of just that, a story of the remarkable abilities of American Soldiers fighting in the Japanese war theater. The book tells the tale of brave men who so selflessly threw themselves into the line of fire in defense of their liberty and in honor of those that died before them. One man in particular, however, rises above them through his sacrifice, determination, valor, and camaraderie towards his brothers in arms. Louie Zamperini is such a man. A young track star forced to run away from home at a young age, Zamperini finds himself with the skills and know-how to make it to the Olympic Games. But when the call of duty rings, he answers and is soon flown out to Japan to fight for his country. His campaign does not begin well, as he is quickly captured by Japanese soldiers and thrown into their torturous internment camps. Witnessing gruesome torture, horrific battles, while experiencing troubles in his faith, Louie and his fellow inmates partake in a daring escape in B-29 bombers. While the escape was successful, Louie must return to his prison towards the end of the war in order to set the rest of the prisoners free. During his return, Louie faces his former tormentors and recognizes that his faith teaches forgiveness, teaching him to come to peace with what they did to him.
This was truly an incredible story. The book showed the best and the worst that humanity has to offer in its most trying of times. Heroes such as Louie Zamperini remind us what it means to be loyal to our countries and what it means to be decent human beings. The Japanese guards, like Bird, remind us of the power of fear and what horrible things men can do when they succumb to it. Laura Hillenbrand sets a powerful story that connects her audience to such times. I could feel their fear and their desire to retain what shred of dignity they had left after being stripped of everything. I feel that I connected most with Zamperini's struggle to retain his faith in what he believes in and what he stands for. So often now-a-days not everything is black and white, and as such, the beliefs that guide us become more diluted as the grays thicken. Zamperini's struggle was one that everyone experiences and is one that everyone will find relief in knowing that even in the hardest of times, people can remain true to who they are.
A story like this one, a story of such power and magnitude, deserves recognition towards the author's ability not only to find a story like this one, but to convey the message in such a sensational way. Hillenbrand does such a marvelous job speaking through Zamperini to her audience of those curious about American history and American triumph to let them know the real story of World War II and the horrors our brave men and women experienced. While the book certainly takes a darker tone with hopeful undertones, Hillenbrand manages to stylise her writing very well with local diction of the soldiers and journal excerpts from Zamperini's own diary. For these reasons and those listed above I rate this book 10 dead japs out of 10 dead japs.
This was truly an incredible story. The book showed the best and the worst that humanity has to offer in its most trying of times. Heroes such as Louie Zamperini remind us what it means to be loyal to our countries and what it means to be decent human beings. The Japanese guards, like Bird, remind us of the power of fear and what horrible things men can do when they succumb to it. Laura Hillenbrand sets a powerful story that connects her audience to such times. I could feel their fear and their desire to retain what shred of dignity they had left after being stripped of everything. I feel that I connected most with Zamperini's struggle to retain his faith in what he believes in and what he stands for. So often now-a-days not everything is black and white, and as such, the beliefs that guide us become more diluted as the grays thicken. Zamperini's struggle was one that everyone experiences and is one that everyone will find relief in knowing that even in the hardest of times, people can remain true to who they are.
A story like this one, a story of such power and magnitude, deserves recognition towards the author's ability not only to find a story like this one, but to convey the message in such a sensational way. Hillenbrand does such a marvelous job speaking through Zamperini to her audience of those curious about American history and American triumph to let them know the real story of World War II and the horrors our brave men and women experienced. While the book certainly takes a darker tone with hopeful undertones, Hillenbrand manages to stylise her writing very well with local diction of the soldiers and journal excerpts from Zamperini's own diary. For these reasons and those listed above I rate this book 10 dead japs out of 10 dead japs.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
My Favorite Book
I was never a huge book fan and to a large extent I still am not. The reason being is that I'm a modern man and reading is so archaic. While yes it can be wildly entertaining, it can also be quite boring. From what I've found, its usually more boring. I don't say that as someone who judges books by their cover either. I have read and read and read. While some books may cause some dropping in your eyes, some are quite terrific. Like my favorite book, The Lightning Thief, is a truly fantastic book and is the book that set my on a course to find good books like itself. The book was given to me by my aunt and uncle for my tenth or eleventh birthday. I initially was reluctant to even hold the book, let alone read it. Nonetheless, my mother made me read it because I received it as a present and she didn't want me to seem rude to my family, so I began reading. I began the book and within the first 20 pages I was hooked. I ended up pulling my first "all-nighter" and before morning I had completed the book and started my exploration of the printed world.
Staying up all that night really made a difference in my life, both in short and long term. In short term, I fell asleep in class the next day and woke up with kitty whiskers and "meow" sharpied into my face. Long term, I am now an avid reader of anything that will entertain me. I'll read anything from Lord of the Rings to The New York Times to comic books. My search for good literature has taught me a lot too. It has taught me that a book's cover makes an important first impression. It has taught me intricate diction and rhetoric that I use on a constant basis to progress the growth of my ego. It has taught me how to fall asleep fast with a boring book and how to stay awake longer with an invigorating one. Most importantly however, throughout my entire learning career I've learned that reading is still extremely paramount to today's world. I learned all this because of Rick Riordan.
The Lightening Thief is the story of Percy Jackson, a fatherless pre-teen who has troubles. He gets kicked out of school constantly and has had some weird experiences throughout his life. Over the course of a week, Percy discovers he is the son of Poseidon and must go on a perilous quest to recover Zeus's stolen lightening bolt. While this book was written for younger readers, I still find it extremely entertaining. The book is simplistic in its writing and easy to understand. Combining elements of humor, mystery, and danger, Riordan paints quite the picture. I would read anything he writes in that series, despite it being written for younger readers. Going into the book, I thought that it would be just another assigned book, similar to those books that school makes you read just to make sure their test scores keep rising. By the end, I wanted more. At that point I went to the nearest Borders and tore up the fantasy aisle. This book brought me to the conclusion that while entertaining, Spongebob is not the only source of entertainment in the world.
From this book I've entered a crap shoot. I'll go to my local Barnes & Noble and I'll end up leaving with 3 books. More times than not, 2 of those 3 I'll never want to read again. Then there's the one that I could read until the pages frayed into oblivion. Because of The Lightening Thief, I will now strive to read a book before going to see the movie (unless its Shakespeare and then I just quit). I've learned to love reading through this book, despite the high chance of boredom and monotony. Riordan and his works have truly given me so much.
Staying up all that night really made a difference in my life, both in short and long term. In short term, I fell asleep in class the next day and woke up with kitty whiskers and "meow" sharpied into my face. Long term, I am now an avid reader of anything that will entertain me. I'll read anything from Lord of the Rings to The New York Times to comic books. My search for good literature has taught me a lot too. It has taught me that a book's cover makes an important first impression. It has taught me intricate diction and rhetoric that I use on a constant basis to progress the growth of my ego. It has taught me how to fall asleep fast with a boring book and how to stay awake longer with an invigorating one. Most importantly however, throughout my entire learning career I've learned that reading is still extremely paramount to today's world. I learned all this because of Rick Riordan.
The Lightening Thief is the story of Percy Jackson, a fatherless pre-teen who has troubles. He gets kicked out of school constantly and has had some weird experiences throughout his life. Over the course of a week, Percy discovers he is the son of Poseidon and must go on a perilous quest to recover Zeus's stolen lightening bolt. While this book was written for younger readers, I still find it extremely entertaining. The book is simplistic in its writing and easy to understand. Combining elements of humor, mystery, and danger, Riordan paints quite the picture. I would read anything he writes in that series, despite it being written for younger readers. Going into the book, I thought that it would be just another assigned book, similar to those books that school makes you read just to make sure their test scores keep rising. By the end, I wanted more. At that point I went to the nearest Borders and tore up the fantasy aisle. This book brought me to the conclusion that while entertaining, Spongebob is not the only source of entertainment in the world.
From this book I've entered a crap shoot. I'll go to my local Barnes & Noble and I'll end up leaving with 3 books. More times than not, 2 of those 3 I'll never want to read again. Then there's the one that I could read until the pages frayed into oblivion. Because of The Lightening Thief, I will now strive to read a book before going to see the movie (unless its Shakespeare and then I just quit). I've learned to love reading through this book, despite the high chance of boredom and monotony. Riordan and his works have truly given me so much.
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