Two Things

First, I must say that I had a great round today. I am no longer stressed about debate, because I kinda rediscovered the fact that debate is fun! Ok, so I am a little stressed, but not nearly as much. It was great to just pop in there and give a 2A for a case I had never heard before, and I didn't do terribly either. I've missed debating with Chris too. (and of course, the car ride in which we criticised Mrs. Yerzy's driving and talked about wine tasting a lot) Hmmm... yes, refreshing is a good word I think. Debating because I can and I love it. So my goal for the next tournament is to do just that regardless of win/loss. Have fun, and try to change the mind of someone, and show them what really went on in Kosovo, and how we need to change.


Second: Calvin you are amazing. (if you haven't watched this video yet, watch it... it's even better in real life)

The Sprint

I've sorted through my binders, through my word documents, through my brain.
Looked over the hours, weeks... years, that I have put into this.
Stared into the distance and become lost in thought.
Begun prepping against my own team mates.
Dreaded dreams coming true.

One more week to go before the final tournament of the year. I'm ready for the debate, but I'm not ready for the rest of it.

Quotation of the Day (well of yesterday)

While riding her bike in circles around me as I take pictures of the moon and we discuss the nature of planets, what of the little girls in our neighborhood said: "Scientists are wrong, Pluto is a planet!" Among other statements such as: "If it's not a planet... Pluto should be destroyed!" She made me smile.

If you were to read your own obituary...

My first reaction to the headline of the Modesto Bee "Virginia Tech Massacre: Deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. History" was to ponder the hundreds of thousands who have died in Iraq, Afghanistan, or as The New York State Special Commission on Attica wrote, "With the exception of Indian massacres in the late 19th century, the State Police assault which ended the four-day prison uprising was the bloodiest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War."

Apparently this is the largest massacre that can't be attributed to the government, though it will be attributed to our lack of laws. According to Reuters:

"Media commentators in Europe were quick to blame permissive U.S. gun laws for the massacre. Italy's leftist Il Manifesto newspaper said the shooting was "as American as apple pie". France's Le Monde newspaper said such episodes frequently disfigured the "American dream". "It would be vain to hope that even so destructive a crime as this will cool the American ardour for guns," Britain's Independent newspaper said in a commentary. Howard, a close U.S. ally over Iraq and Afghanistan, was a leading voice suggesting Washington should tighten its gun controls. Australia banned almost all types of semi-automatic weapons after a mass shooting in Tasmania in 1996. "We showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country," Howard told reporters."


These statements from Reuters unfortunately echo the common theme throughout most national and international news sources. My opinions follow closer to that of the Free Market News Network.

I read the article on this only minutes after watching Against the Wall, a drama based off of the Attica Prison riots in 1971. Maybe that is part of it, but all of the reporting on this issue makes me sick, not because of the actions that this young man took, but because of how our media is treating it.

Back

Well, we are all back from Texas. It was a beautiful amazing trip. It was definitely different than other out of state tournaments. Fast, emotional roller coaster, and a bit dissapointing. But on the whole, it was beyond a learning experience. All those people who went to Texas with us... yeah, they are all amazing. It was beyond incredibly amazing.

And I found this for those interested.