I'm Terrified That Terror Will Terrorize Me Until I'm Terrified Of Being Terrorless

My wish  for the new year is that the word "terror" be banned for ALL TIME.  I can't go anywhere without hearing or reading the word.  Everything is "terror".  Terror...terror...terror.  A child hits someone on the playground...terror.  Someone cuts in line at the grocery store...terror.  Late on your rent?  Terror.  Give me a BREAK.  Not every single thing that happens is terror.  Just like the fact that not everyone who attacks a pope is "mentally unstable", as the Vatican would have you believe.  Some people are just bad. Some are just plain old bastards.  I fear that soon everything will be labeled terror.  Once we start labeling any and every thing as terror then we can all be held without being charged as an "enemy combatant".  Is that what we really want?  It's sad to see the resurgence of this ridiculous blanket term in the media and beyond.  I'm sick and tired of "the world" trying to scare the shit out of me at every turn.  So the next time you see someone pull something out of his underwear on a flight, just beat his or her ASS, then sit back down and enjoy your peanuts.  There is NO need to be filled with terror all the time.

The bottom line:

There is nothing to fear but fear itself.

Why the Mexico Rehab Killings Should Matter to You...

I was stunned by the Associated Press report today that gunmen in Juarez Mexico stormed a drug rehab center and executed 17 people on Wednesday. What I found most disturbing is that I believe this event represents a profound shift in the drug conflict. The implications are frightening. La Familia, the major drug cartel in Mexico, has been at war with the state and local government for years. Killing police officers, federal agents, witnesses, citizens,and children who got in the way of their day-to-day operations. Today's killings however, indicate what I believe is a new message. "Don't even THINK about getting off drugs". Think about it. One of the ways Mexico is trying to fight this "war on drugs" is to make rehab available. Fewer Users = Diminished Demand. After the events that unfolded Wednesday, however, many will be scared to get the much needed help that rehabs offer. The cartel has in essence secured the demand for their product by lining up these poor souls against the walls of the rehab center and killing them. It's like a pimp beating the crap out of his "girl" to make sure she doesn't think about trying to leave or get help. It's the same basic idea...only much worse. With over 1,400 people killed in Juarez already this year, we may start to see an increase in these "rehab killings".

I believe everyone in the U.S. should be VERY concerned that this action opens the door for the same such events here at home. Granted, the likelihood of that happening inland is lower but it's not at all impossible. I think rehabs in border states have the most to lose from this new cartel method. Rehab is a powerful tool in the war against drugs but real lives are at risk. I have family in Juarez, a sister-in-law and two young nephews. I worry for them being in the middle of such an earth-shattering climate. I can only hope that one day the U.S. military will not be spread so thin and can start to help Mexico remove the cartel once and for all. I believe a high-level of U.S. involvement is the only way to effectively put an end to the Mexican drug problem which is threatening to spill onto our doorways any moment now.

At the end of the day, we need to make sure that as relatives and friends, we do our part to squeeze La Familia and other drug cartels by making sure our loved ones stay away from drugs. Don't be afraid to talk to your loved ones about drugs. Don't take for granted that "your kid" would never...could never... Don't kid yourself. Drug abuse and addiction happens at every level and social standing. From community and church leaders to suburbia to the ghetto and everywhere in between. Pay attention to the signs and don't take for granted that as of right now...things like the Rehab Killings don't happen here in the states. Execution style murders could be coming to a rehab near you. Stay involved. Stay Free!

What's Good for the Goose...

After reading about the 4 Uighurs from China who have been at the Guantanamo detention center for the last 7 years, I was left confused.


Here are some of the questions that I could not answer to save my life:

Why did the world’s most powerful government with nearly limitless resources only determine after SEVEN years that these four men were not a threat to the U.S. and innocent of any crime?

If we (the U.S.) put them in detention, why were we now trying to pawn them off on every other country but our own?

In the interest and spirit of "transparency", why are secret deals being brokered with tiny island governments to take in these former prisoners?

Why not make public our efforts to give these people a normal life again?

Doesn't the world need to see that we are capable of owning up to our mistakes and making things right?

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All I've heard about the closing of these types of detention centers is that we are closing them because they are wrong and a symbol of poor U.S. foreign policy and oppression. Now we are trying to piece their lives together secretly. Don't say it's for their safety. If that were the case we'd never know where they went. If the U.S. is footing the bill for their resettlement, I'd like to know the details. I'd like to know how my taxes are being spent for this. Don't get me wrong, I feel badly for those poor souls who have spent seven years locked away and labeled terrorists only to have the U.S. basically say "just kidding". We'd pay restitution for someone cleared by DNA evidence and released from prison after being wrongly convicted. I think it’s fair to help them. I believe it’s our responsibility.

I, for one, do not understand why we are placing them on tiny islands and not here in the U.S... If they are cleared of wrong-doing then what is the problem? In this country's vast Muslim population they could probably find some true anonymity. I don't see how they will ever have that being on an island with 500+ Muslims out of about 68,000 people.

This whole scenario leaves me with more questions than answers. I'd like real transparency. I want to know how we are making things right for these four and the others who have been cleared as well.

If these four people can be plucked from their countries, held without trials or charges, labeled enemy combatants or terrorists, then dropped on a remote island somewhere to fade into history; the same could happen to us.

Think about it for a minute...

Is that really so far fetched?

While the following quote was originally a reference to the sexes being treated equally, I think it has a deeper relevance for all…


“What's good for the goose is good for the gander”



Stay Free!