Currently Listening Very Best of By Robert Palmer Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor) see related

It seems to me like everybody is either getting married or engaged these days. Also, a lot of people I know have been in long realationships (over a year). Well, now I would like to share with you a relationship that I have been in for the past two years with that "special one" in my life. I bet you weren't even aware of it. February 25, 2006 was our two year anniversary. The "special one" is eleven years old now, and we first met in a parking lot in Kulpmont, PA two years ago. No, no, folks I am NOT a pedophile (which is what some of you are probably thinking about now). The "special one" I am talking about is not a woman (or a little girl), but a red 1995 Jeep Cherokee.

We first met in a used car parking lot two years ago. I was attracted by her rugged good looks and the promise of her taking me wherever I wanted to go. It wasn't exactly love at first sight, but over a short period of time I knew she wanted me, and I longed for her. So I handed the used car dealer a check for $3845, signed some papers, and I took her home with me. She has been with me ever since.

Like any other relationship, we've had our ups and downs, our thick and thins, our good times and bad times, but we're still together going strong. And like some other relationships, she knows how to keep my wallet light, and suck my bank account dry. Whether she needs to dine on gas or oil(which happens quite often), or needs something repaired (which happens quite often also), or needs a new part (which happens quite often also again), she knows how to keep me shelling out my hard earned dough on her.

So now you might be asking, "How did we celebrate our second year anniversary?" Well, here's the answer. I took her out for some fine dining on 87 unleaded fuel at a gas station, and I gave her a bath at a car wash (oh yeah).

So now I give a toast to my red 1995 Jeep Cherokee, and may we share two more glorious years together (I just hope she lasts at least another two years, because she's falling apart on me). Anyways, here's to us my dear.

Southeast Asia and the Middle East have been the centers of violent mobs and rioting the past week, over a Danish newspaper that printed a cartoon that Muslims deem offensive. One of the couple of cartoons features the prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban, among other things. Many Muslims consider it blasphemy just to depict Muhammad in any sort of way period. Then a couple other European newspapers reprinted the cartoons, which really started to heat things up. Muslims are throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at European Embassies, boycotting European goods, having violent riots, and sadly a few people have either died are have been murdered due to riots or the acts of individual angry Muslims.

I believe the cartoons were meant to be a spoof by pointing out that Islam is a religion of peace, yet there are Islamic extremists and radicals (not Islam as a whole) that use the name of Allah and Muhammad as a means to kill and destroy, and that there seems to be a presence of violence in some Muslims. They were trying to point out that Islam is suppose to be a religion of peace, yet there are many violent acts done.  Just in case you missed the whole irony of this situation, let me point it out blankly for you: European newspapers print cartoons that feature Muhammad as violent or as a terrorist, and the Muslim communities find it necessary to have violent and angry protests, kill people, and firebomb European Embassies. Rrriiiggghhhttt. Do you think those cartoons didn’t have at least a grain of truth to them?

However, this is does not pertain to all Muslims. Many Muslims have resorted to peacefully protesting, and writing letter and emails to different people. The truth is this is a matter of culture, not religion. Do we see any American Muslims bombing the European Embassies in Washington D.C.? Do we see American Muslims rioting and killing people? Of course not. I'm sure American Muslims are as equally offended by the cartoons as the Muslims in the Middle East, yet they are not resorting to violence.

It is important to point out that not all Muslims are violent or terrorists. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, many Americans developed a prejudice against Muslims. Yes, there are a certain few Muslims who are extremists and radicals, but this does not pertain to Muslims as a whole. We should not let the acts of a few people taint our view of an entire group of people as a whole.

Here's yet another example of how Muslims are handling the situation. Iran is retaliating by having a contest to see who can write the most offensive cartoon that ridicules the Holocaust, or just Jews in general. This is meant to point out the supposed hypocrisy and double standards of the West, because they believe the West would not dare to poke fun at Christianity, Judaism, or Israel. This of course, is a lie. Nothing is sacred in the West, not Jesus, not Buddha, not Muhammed or anyone else. I myself have seen and heard many things over the years that have offended me, yet I don't think it is necessary for me to riot, burn, and destroy. So now a Muslim website has posted a cartoon picturing Adolph Hitler in bed with Anne Frank. Another cartoon features Ariel Sharon cutting up Arabs with a swastika. Yet another features a Jewish rabbi as a cannibal. They have resorted to a tactic often used by six year olds: you call them a poophead, and they will call you a bigger poophead times infinity. I mean do they really expect people in Israel to start rioting over these cartoons?  It seems like Iran it just look for an excuse to mock and blame Jews for something. Offensive Muhammad cartoons?-It’s all the Jews fault! I'm not exactly sure how and why they dragged Jews into this messy situation. Then again, the leader of Iran did say that he wanted Israel wiped off the map.

Now was it right for a few publishers to print these cartoons? Probably not. I don't understand why they found it essential to offend all of the Muslims around the entire world. Just because you have the right to say something, doesn't mean that you should say it. There is a lot of power behind the words we say and write, and I don’t think those Danish cartoonists realized this until it was too late. The pen is mightier than the sword after all.

The worst part about this whole ordeal is how some Muslims are handling this situation. These people are really starting to deface Islam, and make a bad name for themselves. It sickens and saddens me to think that a couple of people have already died, just because of few cartoons. A few offensive CARTOONS have started all this mayhem, destruction, and killings. Don't these people see the damage that they are doing to the name of Islam?

I think that if I were Muslim, I would be more offended by Muslims extremists such as Osama bin Laden, Muslim extremists terrorists, suicide bombings, beheadings, kidnappings, and other violent and murderous acts done in the name of Allah, Muhammad, and the religion of Islam rather than a few silly cartoons. Maybe it’s just me, but I can't really comprehend or begin to understand the whole situation here.

 For a moment, let’s just think of a different kind of world where angry, violent mobs and strict laws forbid us to do anything that might even remotely be considered to be slightly offensive. I don't know about you, but I would rather live in a world where people can say and do things that might offend me, rather than living in a world where no such things would be allowed. A world without freedom of speech and expression is a world I don’t want to live in.

Someone once said (I can't remember for the life of me who it was) "I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death your right to say it." The sad thing is it just might come down to this. It would be sad and supid to think that World War III started over a bunch of silly cartoons.

Note: Some of the main points of this entry were taken from an opinion article I saw in the Sunday paper. The article is titled: Deep Cultural Gap is What Really Fuels Muslim Riots. It was written by the talented Leonard Pitts Jr. You can check this article out at http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060211/OPINION03/602110316/1071/OPINION

P.S.- I found some cartoons (GASP!) on the web that basically sum up the way I feel about this entire situation. Here they are:

P.S.S.- By all means, let me know what you think about the whole situation. That's the beauty of free speech folks!

Currently Listening Anthology By The Guess Who Undun see related

Thought of the Day

Isn't it funny how when people are young, they wish they were older? When people are kids, they wish to be older so they can do grown-up things like stay up late, watch R-rated movies, drive cars, have a job, have their own place to live and other things that grown-up people do. Then as people get older, they wish they were younger. As people get older,  they wish for the good ol' days when they were care-free, when they had less responsibilities, when they could run around for hours and stay up late and not be tired, the days of old when they're bodies didn't ache and hurt and sag so much as they did when they were younger. The good ol' days when they were invincible, or at least that's what they, and us all (including me) thought at one time.

I just think it's funny how our own perspectives on life change as time passes and we get older.

Wow, it's been a long time since I've written an entry for this site. So here you go.

I haven't even been out of high school 2 years yet, and it seems like such a long time ago. Time seems to fly by me nowadays. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. I remember when I was younger, the days seemed to drag on. I guess as we get older, time seems to pass by more quickly. Pretty soon I'll be turning 21 (Yes, I know that I am by no means an old fart). Before I know it, I will be out of college and hopefully starting a career. I guess we all just have to make due with what little time we have on this earth and make the most out of it. I just hope that whatever I end up doing in my lifetime, I can make some sort of positive difference in the world other people's lives.

-Trent