The Crisis in Libya: My Thoughts

Maybe it's just me, but this whole debacle that's going on in Libya should be none of our (the United States') business.

It's kind of a shame that this whole idea of "trying to help" has become a typically American idea. Did you ever stop to think that maybe Americans wouldn't be so reviled if we weren't all such opinionated gossip queens?

The moment something seems out of hand somewhere, all of a sudden American forces are there to help. Wouldn't it be easier (and billions of dollars cheaper) to just sit on the sidelines and watch? We're a country that has a debt about as big as the cosmos, and we're throwing wads of money at a situation that doesn't even impact us as a whole.

Sure, there's oil in Libya. Sure we need to prove that we're at the forefront of the world when it comes to "keeping the peace." But in truth, we just come away with more egg on our face because in turn, everyone looks at us as the hall monitor of the globe

And really, how popular was that guy?

It just seems like we're doing more harm than good at this point.

Domestically, we wonder why we're wasting money on a situation that will likely never work itself out. Even if the rebels in Libya do manage to completely overthrow Muammar Gadddafi and his troops, then what?

We'll have another country that's in utter disarray, that we'll probably end up supporting with billions of dollars that we don't have in the first place. Things are real bad with Gaddafi, but will they really be better with a rebel leader at the helm of the government?

That person inherits a country in hysteria and an impending retaliatory strike from Gaddafi and his supporters. And that's just scratching the surface of what's to come.

I know it's easy to sit here and try to solve these problems from a computer. And I'm aware that my thoughts are not indicative of many people out there. But there are a lot of people that probably agree with me, at least on some level.

I'm not trying to fix the problems, or even inspire change. I'm simply trying to say that this country is bleeding credibility and jumping into yet another mess is exactly what we do not need at this point.

Now We Take On A Real Tone

It dawns on me that I generally use this blog as a means of bitching or complaining about things that are annoying me. And lately, that fact is actually what is annoying me.

So from here on, this site will feature entries dedicated to current events of all types, but will still maintain the Haastile nature to which you the reader have become accustomed.

Whether or not you choose to continue to read it is your business. But hey, you might just learn something.

On Bad Judgement

I'm not even going to begin this post with a clever lead-in.

I'm going to say what I'm thinking, because it needs to be said.

How fucked up of a society are we that in this day and age, people with disabilities are still so incredibly discriminated against?

Ok, now that I've stepped down off of my soapbox, I'll explain that.

The basis of my anger today is a story out of the UK about a 12-year old girl (who happens to have Down Syndrome) not being allowed to fly as an unaccompanied minor on British Airways after a sales representative told her mother that they didn't allow children with the condition to fly with their company because "we've had problems in
the past."

The link to the original article can be found here.

The company is offering the family two return tickets as compensation. I say that that is not even scratching the surface of settling the
debt.

First of all, why are children with Down Syndrome, or any other disability, really that different from a normal child?

We've all been on that proverbial flight where a screaming child makes it the "flight from hell." Does it really make any difference if that child is handicapped?

The answer should be no.

Secondly, whatever ticket agent spoke to the girl's mother should be immediately terminated. The company maintains that it is not in fact company policy to prevent minors with Down Syndrome from travelling unaccompanied. This woman either was not properly trained, or let personal feelings take over.

Either way, a grievous error in judgement was made, and the company should take appropriate measures to ensure that it does not ever happen again, which they are doing in the form of a companywide disability awareness program and additional training for all customer service agents.

Random Musings:

I think that I've come to terms with the one thing that I do best. Quite frankly, I'm incredibly good at telling it like it is, and seeing things that most people would never notice.

Here is a short list of what I am talking about:

1. After seeing two Broadway shows this weekend, it has come to my attention that like, every actor on Earth has guest starred on some incarnation of Law and Order. It must be a rite of passage for up and coming actors.

2. People don't listen, No joke here, just factual information.

3. Old ladies come in only two varieties: bitches and angels. They're either the type that would run you over with their yacht-sized Buick, or the type that would offer you something from a candy dish. There is no in-between.

4. Swamp People is a brilliant television program. The fact that people who speak English need to be subtitled is mildly hysterical to me.

5. If you think that you can sing, you're probably wrong.

6. The Leprechaun series is one of the most underrated horror film franchises ever. No Lucky Charms here kids, just brutality and dark humor. In fact, that might be a new topic for me in the near future.

7. Being fashionable does not give you creative license to dress like a mental patient.

An Update

In the last week, I have:

-mourned the death of my grandfather. There will be a detailed account of this in the coming days.

-gained a new found respect for country music.

-bought a new hoodie. For most of you, this is nothing special. For me, it's a true process.

-tried to solve World Hunger. I failed.

-come to terms with my own mortality. Which was easier than I thought it would be.

-begun preparations for a new literary endeavor. More details to come.

On Going In A Different Direction

Recently I told you all about a short story that I penned that I was very proud of. In fact, I've come to the realization that out of all of the things that have ever come out of my brain, that story was my favorite.

Maybe not the most well written, or the most interesting, but my favorite nonetheless.

I've written in the past about my newfound love of short stories, and it dawned on me earlier today (as I was almost freezing to death, another entry for another day) that I might be better off entering into the world of short stories rather than a full fledged novel.

At this juncture, I find the idea of sitting down for a short period of time and just pouring myself into something visceral or heartfelt very alluring. And yes, I realize that those two feelings are entirely contradictory. Which is kind of my point.

It may never go anywhere. I may end up being the greatest short story writer of this generation. I don't know, I don't have a crystal ball.

And if I did, I would be constantly betting on horses. And I'd have the monetary means to simply publish my own rantings.

Ah, what a dream.

On Lost Feelings

One of the greatest joys that I have in life is when I'm cleaning, or going through old things and I come across things that I have written in the past.

I wrote a short story back in like, May and I was really proud of it at the time. I wrote it by hand (which is pretty rare these days), and then planned to dictate it into a Word document later that day, or whenever I had a spare second.

I guess days turned to weeks and weeks to months, and I lost track of it. Then last Sunday, I found the story in a series of crumpled-up pieces of paper in my CD rack.The subject and story don't really matter at this time, but the pleasure that I took in reading, rewriting and then dictating it into that Word document was really refreshing.

I remembered what it was like to be creative, if even for a few minutes. It's a feeling that I've been severely missing for some time now. Now if I can harness it into something great (or even something decent), I'll finally be in a place that I want to be in.