New Year, New You

This year I want to lose weight and quit smoking (well, I don't smoke but it is the number 2 resolution every year). Seriously, I put some goals together, as we should, and I realized that I love making goals. I am a checklist person, I love making lists and checking off tasks are they are accomplished. My first task (related to my first goal) was to run today, and I did. Made it 2.5 miles and then my legs fell off. So then I crawled to my laptop to blog about it b/c I knew you all cared so much. My second task was to describe my recent road trip. We drove to Dallas, and stopped at the Creation Museum in Kentucky and Graceland in Memphis. The Creation Museum rocks, and if you get the chance, you should definitely check it out. Helps answer a great deal of questions for those out there who still think we came from monkeys. Memphis on the other hand, a dump. We decided on a trip through the ghetto and almost bought some investment real estate (it was for sale for $5). I did get a chance to stand on the grassy knoll and drive down the street where Kennedy was shot once we got to Dallas. I still get chills when I think about it.

I ponder...

So they may not let people live in Galveston anymore. How do you feel about that? Are we one more large hurricane from shutting down New Orleans as well? Isn't there a certain kind of risk that one takes when living below sea level near the ... sea? How about those 2,000 individuals who ignored evacuation orders when Ike was on the way and then had to be rescued? I am sure we all know Darwin's opinion of that. Is it the right opinion? I don't know. I am all for moving Mardi Gras to a higher elevation, I don't care for the water anyway. I prefer to watch it from a sandy shoreline while a smiling server brings me frozen umbrella drinks, though I am partial to Red Stripe.

Here's to the top shelf...

To Horn or Not to Horn, That is the Question

So if you have not heard about Joe Horn, a quick recap:

2 Thieves broke into his neighbor's home. Joe heard it, called 911 and went to investigate (carrying a shotgun). The thieves tried to escape and in the process ran toward Joe and onto his property. He ended up shooting the two thieves. According to Texas law, this was a justified shooting. End of story? Of course not, the two thieves were not white, Joe Horn is, and therefore this has become a racially motivated killing with just a touch of illegal immigration thrown in for good measure. It turns out the dead thieves were career criminals (burglary ring, drug dealers, etc), in the U.S. illegally and were in the middle of a crime that according to Texas law permits the use of deadly force as a result. Thankfully, a grand jury cleared Joe Horn last month. It's nice to see some of the higher-ups still have some common sense. Of course, now that race has become a factor in the event, there are civil rights groups foaming at the mouth. Quanell X (wow, that is quite a name) has decided to follow in the footsteps of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and is going to make a name (hopefully a better one) for himself standing up for the rights of Illegal immigrant cocaine dealer burglars. Now that's a cause worth fighting for. Good luck with that Mr. X (In the movies, here is where a sinister laugh would be inserted).

I know that stealing from someone is not supposed to be punishable by death, but it would seem that "3 hots and a cot" is not the deterrent it used to be. So let's make the punishments a bit harsher. Also, since Mr. Horn was within his rights according to the law, we should leave him alone. Whether your consider him a hero or a killer, you must agree that he is a law abiding citizen. Either protect him from extremist activists (like Quanell X), or change the law so you can't shoot people for stealing.

Your thoughts?