A Pondering...

I recently was having a debate with a friend about Prayer in Schools and it got me thinking. First off the debate obviously stems around the first amendment which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Opponents of allowing prayer use this to say that the Bill of Rights prohibits it. However, as I read it I draw the conclusion that it should be allowed. Just because prayer is allowed does not mean that the government is establishing a religion. As long as no religion is prevented from prayer, and no religion is preferred then there is no problem. In fact there are Supreme Court rulings to back this up. The latest of which was Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v Grumet 512 U.S. 687 (1994), where Justice David Souter, writing for the majority, concluded that "government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion". Then as far as the "free exercise thereof," to me that seems pretty straight forward, and it would seem that to me again the Supreme Court agreed. In Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990), the Supreme Court ruled, "permitting governmental actions that were neutral regarding religion." So I just can't see where the debate of violating the First Amendment comes from, they I got hit with a shocker.

I was told that I couldn't understand because I am not a college graduated, and apparently thus-forth not intelligent I suppose. Well ok, I can see that one, after all constitution lawyers and judges have to go to law school for years and 98% of congressmen are college grads. However, since the our government was formed "by the people, for the people," shouldn't the people be the judges? I say this because in 2007 only 27% of Americans held college degrees, which as I crunch the numbers, means that people like me are the majority. Shouldn't our laws be written so that the common man can understand them?

Facebook

So recently in my time of not really working I have been spending more time on Facebook. This social network site is a great way to find old friends and keep in touch, however it has a dark underbelly. Have you ever played any of these games that are on there? Sure they are simplistic and easy, but they are incredibly addictive. I started playing the Farmville one and can't stop. I am actually planning out my day so that I know what different type of vegetable I need to plant based off of when I will be home and able to pick it. I wish that I could say I was better than this but I can't stop! Not only the Farmville but also Mafia Wars. They got me hooked, and my room mates hooked as well. We came back from watching Inglorious Bastards and the four of us immediately busted out our laptops and began to play while watching Family Guy. This is what my generation has boiled down to, watching cartoons and playing games pretending to be somebody else. What a life it is though.

Rain

Growing up in the rain capital of the US, Washington, one is quick to dismiss the greatness of it. However, being a San Diego-ite now it is quick to forget because it never happens. Well today it did, and it was a pretty nice downpour. The rain really is a treat to the senses, as long as it is not a daily occurrence. I really can not remember the last time I was able to just sit and take it in. The sound of the drops falling on the roof, the trees, the bushes, what stands in it's way to reaching the ground. The smell that commences almost immediately after the first drops, and of course the sight of everything. From the color changes of the pavement, to the drops covering the tops of leaves and cars.

It seems that as we get older all we think about when it begins to rain is, "Man, I don't want to get wet." But in our younger years remember how excited you got when the water started to fall? Can you remember how much fun and excitement you had jumping and splashing through every puddle? It is funny how much we change as we "grow up" isn't it?

Technology

So it donned on me today that in this day and age there is no excuse for not keeping up with old friends. I am not really sure what got me thinking about it but I have met so many awesome people in my so far short but great life, that it is a shame that I don't keep in touch much. Especially being a computer person by trade you would think that I would take more advantage of it. So during the next unknown amount of months that I am not really doing anything to collect my paycheck, I am going to be reaching back out to my past.

Last night I began my reach-back by contacting two good buddies of mine that are deployed to Iraq. This seems like a fairly easy task since after all we do sit in front of a computer all day when we work. However Iraq is pretty much the opposite of the US as far as time wise. When it is day there it is night here. Luckily I had the night watch and was able to have some good conversations.

Next up I will be getting back in touch with some old high school friends of mine that I really haven't talked to in about 5 years. So wish me luck as I embark on this adventure down memory lane.