Equality

Is it just an idea; can people really be considered equally? And I'm not talking about money or possessions here, I'm talking about how we treat people.

For example, if you were in prison, would you think that maybe you're in prison because you deserved to be there? And if you deserved to be in prison for breaking the law, do you really have the right to sue over whether or not your food preferences were honored? I think it's ridiculous that there's a lawsuit over what kind of food a prisoner received, despite how gross that food looks in the picture. And even more ridiculous that there were settlements payed over the same lawsuit.

Or ridiculous that people think they are above the rules just because they are a foreign minister? I'm not fond of Obama bowing to foreign powers, but at least I know that he is careful to follow foreign customs and rules. And if you're here visiting America, you can probably expect that we're going to check you like anyone else for contraband before boarding a flight. That's just life, or at least it is here. No ordinary person would've got off complaining about the search - look at how it worked out for them recently. And no ordinary person would've gotten a VIP lounge while waiting to be searched. That doesn't mean we like being searched, and I definitely know I hate being profiled, but that's how it works. How can you expect to represent the people if you want to be treated better than them?

On a happier note, this was a fun video about the wire walker that traveled the world and walked famous places. A fun 5 minutes.

Prison alternative

I saw this in the BBC news today and it got my wheels turning. A woman was arrested for "tweeting", which is apparently illegal in China. I can't get that excited about Twitter myself, but my comment today really has nothing to do with the illegality of Twitter in China. Rather, I was intrigued by the sentence for the woman of "re-education through labor". Why don't we do that? Why is it expected in the US that if you end up in jail for some crime you committed, you get to sit on your butt and serve your time happily compensated with food, if you so choose? I'm a strong proponent of people in prison having to work to pay for their keep. This would especially make a difference if we banned capital punishment and replaced it with more life sentences. Just some food for thought.

Maurice Clarett among other things

The state fair is starting, so you probably have to be wondering why Maurice Clarett stole my headline today? Mostly this is just because I plan on blogging about him first. For those of you who don't know who Clarett is, you probably ought to look at this wikipedia about him. Then for those of you who don't know, it was announced this week that he plans to return to OSU to pursue his bachelors' degree and doesn't want to interfere with the football team, etc. I highly doubt the press will leave him to those lofty voiced intentions. Anyhow, I did a little background reading on the guy and stumbled into this blog of his (or supposedly his) from while he was in prison. I actually believe it to be his but eh, what do I know. Regardless, it's interesting to see inside another person's mind, but even more so interesting if this is either a famous person or someone who is important to you. So I read it just in case it was real, and if you can get past the simplicity of many of the blogs, you might make it to page 2 before you're bored out of your mind. I'd have thought there was a lot more to think about in prison...

So the Ohio State Fair. Right now we stand at a bit less than par for the shows our family has been in. We aren't really natural sheep showmen and while my sister is by far the best, we all pale in comparison to a state or national stage. She made a good showing and proved she has a great ability for showing sheep. Me on the other hand, I'd rather stick to cattle showing any day of the year if only they weren't so expensive to keep around. Anywho, it was fun to watch the show yesterday, see people I don't see often and explain the show to two new faces we brought to this years' fair. Congratulations to Shellhouse for winning her category with a great performance and good luck to all of this years' competitors as they try to achieve their goals.