Random Review of the Week: The Brass Verdict

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the first book in the Mickey Haller series, entitled The Lincoln Lawyer.  The series revolves around Mickey Haller, a defense attorney who acts very shady in order to protect his clients and get them the judgement that they want.  In the first book, his client was Louis Roulet, a Santa Monica playboy on trial for attempted murder only for Mickey to find out that true evil resides inside him.  For the next two weeks, I will be reviewing the next two books in this series, The Brass Verdict and The Reversal.

In The Brass Verdict, his main case is Walter Elliot.  The man is the CEO of a major Hollywood production studio, one who accused of double homicide of his wife and her lover.  Mickey inherits this case and many others from a friend of his, Jerry Vincent, who is murdered at the start of the book.  The cases are assigned to him by the Chief Judge of the California bar.

The pace of the book is much different compared to The Lincoln Lawyer, going through a much slower pace than the previous novel.  With the dual plotlines dove-tailing with each other, part of the story perceives itself as a mystery, with Mickey trying to use Cisco to investigate the murder of Jerry Vincent, while trying to prove his client as innocent when he once again has to figure out his lies.  The two plots complement each other quite nicely, leaving the reader on the edge of his seat the whole time.

The characters are written very well, including the newest additions to the cast.  The most prominent new character is Cisco, Mickey's new investigator on his cases.  The other major addition is a character from Connelly's other series, an LAPD Detective named Harry Bosch.  Harry takes on the case of Jerry Vincent's murder, trying to solve it while seemingly not caring about Mickey's safety.

Mickey once again is written magnificently, with his character developing rapidly throughout the book.  Continuing from the harrowing conclusion of The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey was recently addicted to prescription painkillers, and doing a stint in rehab after nearly harming his daughter.  His ex-wife, Maggie McPhearson, was with him at the time, but left him again as he almost endangered their daughter with his drug use.

There is a small problem with the novel.  That problem comes in a plot-twist through the middle of the story in The Water Grill.  I won't spoil the scene, but it seems to be somewhat of a rehash of scenes he has previously used.  The writing was on par, but at the same time, it was predictable.

All in all however, the book is a magnificient sequel, setting up events for Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch series' to continuously intertwine from here on out.  Allowing both characters interaction in each other's novels, it leads into the future of Connelly's stories, with 9 Dragons and The Reversal.

My Review:
4/5 Stars.

Operation Odyssey Dawn: The Fight to Free Libya

Moammar Gaddhafi has been the dictator of Libya since 1969.  Ever since his coup d'état against King Idris on September 1st, 1969, he has turned the country from the monarchy that it previously was to a police state, weakening the different systems around him to prevent another coup.  One of the things that have made his rule unique is that, to many people in the country, there have been many moments where there has been actual freedom.  But in actuality, he has been in the heart of control all along.  There have been plenty of attempted coups against him, but none of them have posed a significant threat to his control.

However, the recent events have seen coup after coup in the Middle Eastern territories, starting with Egypt.  But the difference in this conflict versus the rest is that this time, the United States has intervened.  Just days ago, Coalition war planes from the United States, Great Britain, and France have entered Libyan airspace and taken out military targets.  But the problem with these airstrikes is that right now, each of the members of the Coalition have different goals in the country.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has just recently said that the U.S. will not have a pre-eminent role in Post-Revolution Libya.  And some things do point to this happening.  Libya's revolution force is made up of both military and civilian fighters.  Along with the force, many of the citizen of Libya who haven't taken up arms want to see Gaddhafi removed from power.

However, the same can be said about the opposition that they're up against.  Many people who enjoyed the semblance of control they've had through Gaddhafi's rule are willing to fight for him.  At the same time, those same forces are very anti-US, supporting Gaddhafi's policy of funding terrorism.  For years, he has funded Radical-Islamic terrorism, including Al-Qaeda.  And because of this, I wouldn't be surprised personally if Al-Qaeda has sent forces that way already.  If they haven't been there already, they are most likely there now.

Because of this, I find it very hard to believe that the United States will not end up in a prominent position of Post-War Libya.  This conflict will last a lot longer than any leader of the Coalition will admit, considering the amount at stake for both sides.  France, Britain, and NATO have already committed numerous forces to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, along with the United States for Anti-Terrorism operations and to maintain stability in the countries.  Adding a third country into that list would begin to start making forces of France and Britain spread thin.

On top of all this, the other thing that we have to contend with is the growing amount of power that PMCs are gaining around the world.  One fact that Americans need to understand is that a good majority of the forces on the ground in Iraq are actually from Private Military Companies.  These companies make their living off of security and war around the world.  This is a direct result of President Clinton and him shrinking the United States military to levels that were well below standard for protection or assault on a nation at the time of 9/11.

So, to allow the Libyan people to fight by themselves or with just minimal French and British support would be a suicide blow to the country.  While removing Gaddhafi is a start, it's going to be a long and arduous process in order for the country to be truly stable.  No matter how many bombs our coalition drops, the country will not be truly secure for a very long time.

With that warning, we need to remember what has happened in Iraq since we entered.  Two weeks after the first missile strike in Baghdad and then invasion forces moved into the country, we got treated with President Bush landing in an F-16, walking over to a podium, and behind him was a long video with the words 'Mission Accomplished'.  However, days later, people learned that the mission was nowhere near accomplished, and we would be committing troops to Iraq for quite some time.

Now I look at today.  Today, we have General Petraeus saying that he will have our troops out of Afghanistan by 2015.  At the same time, the Political status of both countries has been coming under scrutiny in the past year from the United States.  The situation in Iraq is no different than it was when Saddam was hung.  On top of that, now we have airstrikes against military compounds in Libya by Coalition forces, and we have two sides that are fighting very hard in order to make sure that the future that they want is preserved. 

The fact is, no matter how you slice it, the U.S. will be forced to take control once again.  However, the only difference is that the other two countries will ask for our support.  If we say no, who knows where we end up tomorrow with their support in other conflicts.  If we say yes, how many more dollars will we have to contribute to a wars in other nations.  We're stuck in a tailspin with this conflict, with no way of getting what the people of the United States really want.

Do the Libyan people deserve help from a dictator that has done nothing but harm the country for years from behind the scenes?  Yes, without a doubt.  Do I disagree with that we shouldn't have a force in the country?  No, the United States is a superpower of economic and military might.  However, at the same time, we have problems here that we need to correct, along with two wars we're already fighting.  So even though I can't begin to describe what I would see as a solution, I am sure that the people who have been elected don't care what anyone is going to say but themselves.

Random Review of the Week: New York Pizza Depot

On 308 Perrin St. in Ypsilanti, MI, sits the New York Pizza Depot.  Located just minutes from the Eastern Michigan University campus, this pizza place sits right in the heart of the Ypsilanti college community.  The owner, a friendly man named Alex, started in the place in 2008 after 27 years in the restaurant business.  Starting from Greektown in Detroit in 1983, to supervising a Mediterranean Cuisine restaurant, he set his roots in this location.

Knowing how long the shop had been there, and given my frequent jaunts into this area of Ypsilanti, I was surprised that I had never heard of the shop.  However, one of my former colleagues from Domino's Pizza began working there as a driver, telling me that I had to check it out.  So, one night when I had to pick up a CD from him, I decided to check it out.

Immediately when I walked in, I found the room was spacious, with a generous amount of seating for the area.  With a variety of booth, window bar and single table seating arrangements, any type of group is able to enjoy eating comfortably.  The dining area is clean and open, with the pop cooler adequately stocked for any customer.  They also offer fountain drinks in case you feel that a 20oz or 2 liter isn't enough for you.

Alex, Eric, and Rich from New York Pizza Depot

The staff is courteous and friendly, and once you speak with them for only a few minutes, they're some of the friendliest people you will meet.  The drivers know what it takes to get a pizza to you with quality, hot and fresh right to your door.  The cooks know how to run their kitchen with efficiency, knowledge and care for the food they're preparing.  Every employee there knows that what the food they are selling is superior, and after tasting it, I agree wholeheartedly.

Cook Oliver making my order: 1 Baked Ziti Pizza, 1 Pesto Chicken Pizza, 1 Cinnamon Bread

One thing that the owner said to me during our initial interview was that he would rather know that the product he sells is excellent quality, made with fresh ingredients.  And after watching Oliver making my food, it showed.  As he was making it, Alex gave me a tour of their entire kitchen, from their walk-in cooler, to their two make-lines, and everything in between. 

Every single one of their ingredients is fresh in store, nothing coming from a can.  One of the things that really impressed me was their chicken wings.  After having worked at a pizza chain for a year, and looking at other restaurants, none of them actually breaded their wings in store.  All of their wings came in pre-breaded, pre-cooked, and were just warmed up in an oven.  In their second make line held a tub of raw chicken wings.  These things were absolutely monstrous.  Compared to the tiny wings I have seen at many other restaurants, these things were huge with plenty of meat on the bones.  Along with the raw wings game their own special breading, to which I wouldn't have been able to get the recipe from Alex if I had tried with our own government's torture techniques.

It was here I learned how they also prepped their dough, vegetables, meats, cheeses and sauces.  Their pizza, marinara and Alfredo sauces are all made from scratch, leading to a true homemade flavor that i particularly enjoyed.  Their cheese is a three cheese blend that is more expensive than the cheese that most chains use, shredded in store every morning.  Their dough is also made there every morning, with the vegetables prepped for their salads and pizzas as needed.  Nothing is cut and used until it is necessary, that way the toppings for pizzas, salads, pastas, and sandwiches stay as fresh as possible.  Their meats are also prepared fresh, cut, grilled and marinaded as necessary.

Second make line for salads and chicken

After all of the touring was finished, my order was finally complete.  Before I tell you what I ordered, let me explain one thing that is important to this.  I have always hated mushrooms.  For the last 23 years, I have absolutely despised the taste and texture of mushrooms.  However, after tasting their mushroom medley, I was blown away.  Now, learning this information, I ordered 3 items to get a taste of their menu, along with the one I had tasted the night before.  These three items were:

Cinnamon Bread.  Now, working at Domino's, I have had plenty of Cinnastix in my time.  And because of this, I decided I wanted to see how they were different at this store.

Baked Ziti pizza.  I chose this pizza because Baked Ziti is one of my favorite Italian dishes.  My mother first made it when I was about ten years old, and it has become one of my favorites ever since.  Learning that this was actually put onto a pizza made me curious to see how the two dishes were combined.

And lastly, I told Alex 'Surprise Me'.  So, he ordered for me the Pesto Chicken pizza.  With pesto sauce, chicken, mushrooms, and their blend of cheeses, this pizza was going against my usual tastes, and gave me an excellent chance to diversify what I ate.

The night before, I ordered their Italian salad without olives.  Although a salad is a standard fare, this salad definitely set itself apart in the fact that it was actually fresh.  As I learned the next night during the tour, the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers were cut right after I ordered.  The Italian dressing was very creamy and smooth, giving the salad a flavor that wasn't overpowering and complimented very well.  At the same time, you could taste the freshness of everything in it, and the salad was mouthwatering and delicious.

Next, the cinnamon bread.  Their universal bread size was 5x10, half of one of their small pizzas, but the bread was very light and fluffy.  Provided with it was a squeeze-tube of icing that allowed the diner to use it to their leisure.  After decorating the top a bit, the icing wasn't overpowering like with most dipping cups, but complimented the cinnamon flavor.  I set that down only to move on to the main course, definitely loving the cinnamon bread.

Then I moved to the Baked Ziti pizza.  After years of eating these two dishes on their own, the combination was splendid.  The pasta on the pizza was soft, but didn't disintegrate in your mouth, allowing you to chew and taste the pasta and ricotta cheeses.  The pizza was absolutely superb, and if their menu wasn't so large, I would be ordering that a lot.

Lastly, I had the Pesto Chicken pizza.  This pizza I will admit, I was the most afraid of.  Even after trying their mushrooms, I still had a stigma about them.  However, after trying this pizza, I am thoroughly a fan.  As I told Alex before I left, "That pizza made me enjoy mushrooms for the first time."  I stand by that statement now when I write this review as much as I did when I said it.  The Pesto Chicken pizza was excellent, another favorite of mine from this pizza parlor.

Now, after detailing the food, the prices.  Yes, the prices are high, and Alex will admit to that.  However, after seeing and tasting what I did, I understand why.  This product is leaps and bounds superior to many places, and is the best pizza I have tasted in Michigan.  The cooks, Oliver and Abe know how to create all 78+ items on the menu with ease, and Alex stands behind what he said earlier, "That he would rather have a customer happy with a superior product".  I certainly left happy once I walked out of those doors.

Review:
5/5 Stars

Also, as of this review, New York Pizza Depot will be the receiving the Project Wavelight Standard of Excellence award.  This award is given to a product or business who's owner or creator goes above and beyond for their customers and fan base.

President Obama and the Impossible Corner

Ever since September 11th, 2001, this country has been shrouded in a conflict on two fronts.  On September 12th, 2001, President Bush declared our war on the terrorist regime known as the Taliban.  He sent our troops into Afghanistan with the intent of crippling the Taliban regime and taking down Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization.

U.S. Special Forces Operator in Afghanistan

In 2003, he invaded Iraq, under the guise that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.  He had a second argument that Saddam was aiding the terrorists in Afghanistan.  After a surprise missile attack into the heart of Baghdad, US forces went in, securing the country within two weeks and beginning a massive manhunt for the former leader as Saddam went on the run.

However, these two conflicts were fought about on the homeland.  Many people didn't want to meet the major violence of 9/11 with a massive military strike, but others did.  These same sparks flew when the Iraq war began, with people on both sides of the argument.  The war in Iraq in itself has caused major controversy, with scandals such as the Abu Ghiraib making major headlines.  But regardless of whether or not you agree with the politics of the wars themselves, many people have stood behind the troops that have served.

Now, when I post this article, I view both conflicts as an extremely complicated affair.  Ever since the begin of the Iraq war, political pundits on the left and right were afraid of these wars becoming the next Vietnam.  However, the problem with this logic comes from the fact that we aren't truly fighting a country.  When fighting a country, certain rules apply to both sides of the conflict.  These rules are simple:

1. Don't fire unless fired upon
2. Civilians are never to be used to shield yourself from fire
3. Civilians are to be protected at ALL costs
4. If civilians are present in the field of battle, you must keep civilian casualties to a minimum

If the United States were at war with an actual country, then these rules would not be a problem.  However, if you talk to any soldier who has seen combat in the current conflict, you'll find out that the other side isn't playing by these rules.  Every one of these rules has been broken by the other side time and time again.  And yes, I will admit, there have been violations by our side as well.  Generally however, U.S. soldiers are doing their best to try and prevent this from happening, but it's not an easy task to do.

At the same time, while many people here at home support our troops, many of our citizens protest them.  They target the families of dead soldiers, target military bases, saying that the troops are criminals, that they're evil, and this war shouldn't exist.  If I were a soldier, I would honestly be offended by those people, since it would be my sworn duty to protect.

However, with all the rules our soldiers follow, our esteemed President has decided that our soldiers need to have more rules placed upon them.  Designated as 'Protocol 1 Additional' of the Geneva Convention (Added in 1977), the protocol was rejected by President Reagan because of the nature of the Protocol, saying that the agreement was 'fundamentally and irreconcilably flawed.'

The major reason for this is because a portion of Protocol 1 Additional just restates the basic rules of war about civilians.  Rules that U.S. Soldiers are bound to follow without question.  However, many sections of the protocol state new rules.  After reading the entire protocol, many of the provisions go against a lot of the ways that the U.S. can gain intelligence on the ground, while others bar the armed forces from doing specific counter attacks when the situation calls for it.

For example, Article 56, Section 1 states:

"Works or installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dikes and nuclear electrical generating stations, shall not be made the object of attack, even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian population. Other military objectives located at or in the vicinity of these works or installations shall not be made the object of attack if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces from the works or installations and consequent severe losses among the civilian population."

This means that, say the insurgency manages to take an Oil Refinery or a Dam in Iraq, the United States is barred from taking it back for any reason if the location is near any civilians and their homes.  Evacuations would be necessary to even mount this kind of assault.  However, evacuations take time, allowing the forces inside the refinery to root themselves down further or put in more potentially fatal security measures.  The act of surprise in this instance wouldn't be able to work.

Effectively, Protocol 1 Additional ties the hands of a soldier behind his back even farther.  It backs them into an impossible corner, putting them in the potential position of either:

A. Safely reaching and securing the objective
B. Making the environment almost completely civilian free and safe for all non-military personnel, but allow the enemy force better time to prepare.

As a soldier, this choice is already tough enough, especially given the climate in the region.  Enemy combatants do not have uniforms, set ages, follow any code.  An attack could come from a 60 year old with a bomb strapped to his chest, or a 13 year old who can barely hold an AK-47.  Where do you define the difference between combatant and civilian at this point?  And where does our government?

At the same time, we're in a country that is so heavily based in religion.  The enemies that we're fighting use their religion as the reason in which they fight.  Using that religion as shield isn't beyond them.  Using a Mosque as a staging area for attacks has been seen before, especially in the media.  While it has painted an unfair light on the Muslim religion, the extremist insurgency who is fighting doesn't care what we see at home, because every effort they're using is demoralizing us back at home.

At this point, President Obama has lost all of my respect and then some.  Even though I am a conservative person, I watched Obama's campaign with interest.  I didn't like idea of McCain as candidate.  Quite honestly he wasn't really a candidate at all in my opinion.  His campaign was weak, his ideals were middle of the road, and a lot of what he was saying was the same as Obama.  Obama just put it out there more.

At the start of his Presidency, Obama declared that he would have U.S. fighting forces out of Afghanistan by 2015, and had General Petraeus back him on this front.  However, with signing this Protocol into practice, he most likely has effectively killed this plan.  This, combined with the nightmare of the health care bill, and the refusal to step in around the globe when rebel forces are literally begging for it, as well as his ill response to the Japan tsunami that happened recently, I can no longer respect him as a person or the office of the Presidency while he holds it.

In my opinion, he is on a speedy conquest to build his own legacy since his first term in office is going as smoothly as taking a drive on the moon at 70 miles per hour.  Honestly, i am appalled at some of the things he is doing, and I cannot wait for them to stop.

However, I urge this to you all.  Support our troops.  If you see a soldier, whether they be retired or still active, give them a smile and a nod.  Even thank them for their sacrifice.  The person you're looking at may not have been injured or killed, but they sacrificed time away from their family and friends, they put their lives on the line, they stood on the front lines that our politicians have deemed necessary to fight for.  You may not agree that we need to be there, but they went into a recruiting office, they signed up to do what they thought was right.  The thing that you have to understand, is that what they thought was right was making sure that you slept comfortably in your bed that night, while they held an M4 out the window of a flimsy humvee, hoping that the most exciting thing that would happen is that they would walk back through their barracks gates.  Remember, they are only employees that can't willingly quit their job.

Sources:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2011-03-17-column17_ST1_N.htm
http://deoxy.org/wc/wc-proto.htm
http://pakistanisforpeace.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/u-s-strategy-in-afghanistan-may-involve-greater-use-of-special-operations-forces/
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/image/id/38061/
http://www.upi.com/enl-win/ed09cfb2eea210837469804a2ff38fde/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/465089161/

Random Review of the Week: Denny's Barber Shop

The city of Belleville, Michigan is a small suburb of Detroit, located on the west side, close to Ann Arbor.  The city has grown in large numbers since the start of Sub-prime mortgages, as well as in the number of businesses because of the Super Bowl back in 2004.  In the downtown area, the city looks very retro, with buildings that look like they are straight out of the 60s and 70s, and businesses that look like they're being run out of a person's home rather than an actual business location.

One of these businesses is Denny's Barber Shop and Salon, located right on main street in Belleville.  Being around since at least 2005, Denny's Barber Shop and Salon is one of the more highly trafficked business in the downtown area.  Regardless of how small the suburb actually is, there is a reason it is so highly trafficked, and that is the people in it.

The shop only employs about 5-6 people, but that's all the place needs.  If you need some work done, you don't sit around waiting around like in most barber shops.  The professionals here will get you into a chair within 15 to 20 minutes.  There is never an employee sitting when someone needs to get their hair cut.  The staff is always courteous, and as long as you treat them with respect, they won't be afraid to show you the same.  And, as a general rule, never anger someone who is holding a razor blade, they're still dangerous.

The one thing that makes this shop different from a Great Clips or a Fantastic Sam's is the atmosphere.  Inside, it's like bringing you back to a time when the barber shop was the cornerstone of the community.  It was the place where you could come and discuss anything, from sports to scandal, no topic is off limits.  A person could walk in at noon and leave at six, completely enlightened about the things going on around them with numerous, different experiences about life.  The fact is, that this shop brings back the idea of community, and the fact that something as simple as a haircut can change a way a person feels about themselves (Yes, I did just quote Barbershop).  If there is enough people in the place to support conversation, you better believe that you can and will have one.

At the same time, the employees know what they're doing, and I have rarely seen them make any mistakes, if any at all.  They know their craft better than anyone in the area, and you can always guarantee leaving with a smile about the work you've had done.  I've gone their plenty of times, and never once regretted going there.  If you are in the area, and in the need of a haircut, a shave, style, you name it, come to this shop.  You'll come in happy, and you'll leave even happier.

Review:
5/5 Stars.

Airline Safety: Turning Vegetables into Minerals

Yes, this post is about Airline safety of today, not how to turn vegetables into minerals.  The title comes from a joke told to me by friend (Who probably heard it somewhere, but I don't remember) that says, "People say that air travel is the safest way to travel, but I disagree.  If you crash in a car, you can become a vegetable.  If you crash in a plane, you're a mineral." As funny as that was, now I have to say that given recent events, I don't feel so safe flying in an airplane.

Terrorism aside, the FAA has made moves recently to remove certain safety features from airplanes.  One of those features involves a significant lost of cabin pressure when a hole is discovered in the aircraft fuselage.  When a puncture in the fuselage occurs, oxygen masks will drop, allowing passengers to still have breathable air in the cabin, including lavatories, until they can get to an altitude in which air is sustainable.  However, this does involve that air is sucked out of the aircraft, and people will have to react quickly in order to not suffocate.

However, the FAA has ruled that it is a safety risk for people who are in the lavatories to have use to an air generator for sustainable oxygen.  In a quote from the website for Detroit's NBC affiliate station, WDIV:

"If you have a rapid decompression and you're in the bathroom, there's a good chance you won't survive it, and the rest of the airplane will," the airline industry source said.

Now, yes, this is a small feature that I am complaining about, but at the same time, that is not necessarily true.  Airline lavatories are very small, confined spaces, with possibly only one door for storage inside.  They're designed for maximum use in a confined space for safety while using them.  Unlike in the cabin's passenger sections, the lavatory is relatively safe in terms of bouncing around.  The exit door to the lavatory might not be the strongest, but you are able to stay relatively well positioned inside the room.

So, to remove the oxygen mask and generator from the lavatory seems like a major waste of time.  Some might say that "it's only one life lost, what is the cost of only one life vs. many on the plane?"  But I can only respond that all life is priceless, young or old.  At the same time, looking at the size of most of these lavatories, how hard could it be to survive if the person inside had oxygen to support themselves.

At the same time, the article mentions that flight attendants are trained to assist people during a rapid loss of cabin pressure.  However, moving during this time is extremely unsafe, since their would be a vacuum occurring inside the cabin.  Small objects have the potential to fly, as well as potentially sucking humans out of the plane if the hole was large enough.  At the same time, pilots have to make radical altitude changes in order to find breathable air and pressurize the cabin, which gives a person inside the lavatory only 5 or 6 minutes to survive before suffocation.

Now, besides removing safety features on airplanes, recently we've had a small breakdown in airport security.  At New York City's JFK Airport, a 30 year old man managed to get through airport security lines with a stolen ticket and passport.  Now, before I cry foul here, let me put it into small perspective.  Since September 11th, there have been 6 terrorist attempts involving airlines in the United States.  A couple of them have come dreadfully close to completion.  But heroism from law enforcement officials, airline crews and passengers have saved lives.

The last time I was on an airplane, going through an airport felt like it was as close as I wanted to get to going through a prison lock-down.  Getting my ticket at check-in was fine, but the minute people got up to the metal detector, the TSA screeners were on them like white on rice.  Driver's Licenses were triple checked against tickets, people were sent multiple times through metal detectors, I would be afraid to try and pass anything that didn't go through their regulations.

The perpetrator of the JFK incident, Ronald Wong, managed to actually steal a ticket from a passenger and get through security with it.  Without many details of the incident, I can't really say much on it.  But, I do know that people make mistakes, but a person with a job as important as a screener at the Transportation Security Authority need to be on constant alert.  Something as simple as a name being completely different with a different address need to be on alert.  Honestly, knowing that one person who may not be a threat to anyone can do this easily, makes me afraid for people who genuinely want to do harm.  Terrorism is a real thing, people, and it's all of our jobs to pay attention.

As an officer of the law, whether you're in security of an airport, or protecting our streets, it is your job to uphold standards.  It shouldn't matter how fast the line is moving as long as people are getting to their locations on-time and safe.  If a person is unable to fulfill that requirement, then they shouldn't be allowed to work in that position.

Now, as you finish this post, you're probably wondering, "Why is this post not as interesting?"  Honestly, i'm going to say, this week hasn't been so controversial.  A lot of the news this week has been updates.  While yes, there have been new murders, new rapes, new drug busts, there hasn't been a whole lot of controversy.  If I haven't written about it already, it's a topic I don't want to touch.  I'll admit to it.  But, if you read through this, thank you very much, and hopefully next week brings an article that has more emotion to it

Random Review of the Week: Death of a President

Back in 2006, there was a decent amount of controversy surrounding a movie called "Death of a President'.  The movie was written as a documentary that is being broadcast in 2008, showing the 2007 assassination of President George W. Bush after an economic conference in Chicago.  The movie is classified as a British 'high-concept' motion picture, designed to show us a 'what if?' scenario.

Some of the opening scenes were filmed in Downtown Chicago, a major one being the motorcade scene, in which protestors of the War in Iraq break the barricade line and sit down in front of the motorcade, preventing it from getting to its destination.  Other scenes were filmed on stage, such as the talking head interviews that documentaries usually have.

The major controversy of the picture, is that instead of just referring to the assassination of President Bush, the movie actually shows it.  Using footage of the President and use of CGI, the filmmakers actually were able to create the assassination of President Bush for the film.  The scene is somewhat disturbing and chaotic, but the imagery works well for the overall tone of the film.

One of the film's strengths is that even though it uses the documentary format, the movie still tells a story.  It has one major plot that branches into two, using the assassination as that fork that splits the stories into two.  However, even with the split, most of the characters who are narrating events for the view talk about both plots in conjunction with one another, both the investigation into the assassination, as well as President Cheney's wanting to head into Syria in response to the assassination.

Most of the actors have been rarely seen, having very few roles over the years, or having numerous roles as minor characters in television.  This allows the viewer to get more absorbed into the movie as they don't recognize major name actors in the parts of agents, lawyers, or wives that were affected tremendously by that day.  The acting is alright, each actor making their parts their own.

The film is decent, showing us what could've potentially happened.  The fallout of an event like this, especially in today's society, would be unlike any other.  Presidents have been assassinated in the past, usually by someone homegrown, and in recent history, their motives have become unclear.  However, this movie used the events at the current time.  The war in Iraq and the war on terror, the scandals in the prisons overseas, our standing with the world at the time, to orchestrate a simple film about what if something as massive as killing our president actually happened?'

The only problem that I have with the movie is that it is a little short.  The filmmakers could've used a little more time to elaborate on things.  Another small complaint is with the filmmaker's style.  Within the documentary style, they tried using come conventional techniques in order to ramp up tension.  When the story progresses to a potential war, speaking and editing speeds up, trying to put the viewer more on the edge of our seat.  Other than this, the movie is something that everyone should see at least once.

Review:
3.5/5 Stars

The Wisconsin Union Debate

From 2002 to 2006, I lived in a small town in Wisconsin called Somerset.  This town had roughly two-thousand people, and was located close to the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Somerset had one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school.  Academically, we were in the middle ground, not exceptional but not poor.  In terms of sports, we were in excellent shape, winning one state championship in 2002 as well as going to the championships again in 2004 and 2005.

However, nothing truly happened in Wisconsin that was note-worthy.  That is, not until this recent battle for collective bargaining to keep the state afloat.  A great portion of the country is falling on hard times, and states are now trying to find new and innovative ways in order to make up what they've lost in order to reduce the debt that they have accrued since the recession began.

Wisconsin is trying to do this in a very controversial way.  The biggest point of contention is that they're removing collective bargaining from the ability of the workers and unions.  Effectively, this makes unions in the state absolutely useless for government employees.

Now, growing up in a family where the major breadwinner is in the auto industry, I have learned that unions have become a major facet in this country.  Through history class, I have learned how they fought for workers rights, breaking them free from the horrific and unsafe work conditions in the early 20th century.

Then unions have tried to form and expand to almost every job in the United States.  Teachers, Police Officers, Nurses, even Cashiers have unions now.  With this expansion, as well as the victory over conditions in the workplace, what the unions fought for began to change into a fight over compensation and what an employee deserves for their work.

Now when I say victory over conditions, I mean that within this current day and age that you already have organizations like OSHA working hard to maintain bearable or pleasant working conditions in accordance with what goes on.  It's impossible to do any job without OSHA regulations telling a worker what they're job allows them to do for safety reasons.

So, since the Unions are now only fighting for worker compensation and rights within the company, there is one question that no one is daring to ask:


When have/are the unions becoming too powerful?

The question is potentially answered by the actions of the United Auto Workers of America when, in 2008, the Union gave wage and benefit concessions back to Ford, Chrysler and GM to help the companies out and keep them running.  The union knew that unless the companies became more competitive to the foreign automakers in terms of both product and labor, then they would struggle to survive.

Now, since we've seen this in the private sector, why can't we see this same type of concession in the public one?  While the Wisconsin bill seems extreme, and it is.  By no means am I endorsing the fact that we should take away unions at all.  Unions have an important function in our society that most Americans don't usually get.  But why can't the unions give concessions back to the states?

The fact is, that the unions can't stop certain aspects of certain jobs from being hazardous.  But at the same time, the people who go into those jobs know an idea what they're getting in to.  A person going into the police force knows that the job is potentially dangerous.  A person going into teaching knows that the classroom might be rough to deal with at times.  Just like and auto worker knows what the conditions in the plant will be like that day.  But that doesn't mean that there are somethings they can't give up and still live comfortably.

PDF Version of the 2010 Wisconsin Budget

In the last fiscal year, according to my personal math (Not my strongest suit, feel free to comment and correct me on this.  The link above sends you to the PDF of last year's budget), the state of Wisconsin spent over 50% of their budget on their educational system.  6,500,000,000 dollars in funding to the schools in the state.  That's funding for lunches, faculty, programs, things of that nature.  That is a large piece of the financial pie of that state.

But a lot of funding goes into costly pension and retirement plans, into group health insurance and life insurance plans.  All of these concessions are union fought for and rightfully deserved by the people in it.  But the money they put into these plans currently is a pittance compared to what the state puts into it.  Currently, the average employee of the state puts in .2%-.8% of their weekly paycheck into these programs.  So, it they make 200 dollars a week, they put in roughly 40 cents to $1.60 a week.  Under this new law, they would be paying 11 dollars into the system.

Most workers put the same amount a week into social security, taxes, and other things, so why should government workers be exempt from that?  Obviously something has to change within the Wisconsin economy, and as controversial as this bill is, maybe it might the start in something much more compromising and beneficial to everyone in Wisconsin, if not the country

I say the country because at this point, bills of the same caliber are being brought to state congresses around the country, each with the same effect as this one.  Protesters have started to gather, and things are getting blown out of proportion in the current liberal media.  The one conservative media outlet we have in the country isn't helping either, using blatant scare tactics and lies in order to persuade what we do.  It's a practice that has been ongoing by both sides in the media, but now becoming more apparent.

So, as you read this, I only ask you to do one thing.  If you are living in a state where a bill of this nature is being introduced, actually read the bill.  Then read the budget for your state in the last fiscal year.  Yes, this year was a time of elections for state officials, and things have changed drastically, but see where the previous leadership succeeded, and where it failed.  Maybe we can learn a few things from this and figure out where we need to go from here.