A Dose of Sanity, Please

Last night I had one of those dreams that single people (and those who may not be entirely satisfied in their current relationships) often have. The one where you meet someone and fall in love -- you know, that initial unstoppable excitement and euphoria that envelopes you during those first few days/weeks/(months?). It could be someone from real life, or just a made up lovely figment of your imagination, or some random person you passed in a hallway. But then you awake and reality is standing over the bed, laughing and dripping scalding hot coffee on your head.

Has anyone else noticed those ADS alarm system commercials where guys dressed in black kick down the front door while someone is home only to be "scared off" by the sound of the alarm? My problem with these ads is the false sense of logic they propose. For example, in one there is an attractive young woman walking on her treadmill while listening to her Ipod. The treadmill is set up in a well lit room in front of a bank of windows - which conveniently have a row of thick rose bushes on the outside. Next the camera reveals two sinister-looking fellows lurking in the bushes and gazing menacingly at the woman. They skulk their way through the landscaping and proceed to kick the front door down. Now I would think that if two guys who took the time to buy matching black outfits and toboggans knew that the house they were about to break into was not empty, then they must be a) highly motivated to break in, b) have alterior motives, c) are professional mob hitmen, or d) are on drugs or otherwise lacking in rational coherent thought. As such, in real life these men would likely not be scared off by a mere alarm. They would know that a certain response time exists before any help could possibly arrive. Neigbors or the potential presence of other people in the home is also of apparently no consequence. I'm sorry. But in reality, something bad is going to happen to this poor woman regardless of whether the alarm goes off or Scott from ADS is "there to help" on the other end of the line. If this woman really wants to be safe and protect herself while at home walking on her treadmill in skimpy outfits in front of huge bay windows, well then she should buy and learn how to properly use a firearm. Or adopt a couple of dogs and have them professionally trained to defend her and her home from invaders. Or marry a Navy SEAL.

Speaking of Navy SEALs and dogs......the other day I was listening to Glen Beck and he told the emotional story of former US Navy SEAL, Marcus Latrell (sp?). Marcus is a Medal of Honor recipient and has experienced things most of us could not survive physically, mentally, or emotionally. From what I could gather, he's a man in constant conflict and turmoil, struggling to find peace in his life. While recovering from wounds during a now-famous battle against the Taliban he was given a dog to help him through the process. As Beck described it, the dog has been more than a pet or friend to Marcus, the dog has been a lifeline and they have both taken care of each other. Then recently Marcus awoke one night to gunshots in his front yard. Outside he found a group of local thugs who had just shot his dog - for fun. Apparently these walking human cancers had been killing dogs in that county for months. Marcus somehow restrained himself and did not shoot them right there. They fled but he chased them down in his truck and held them at gunpoint until the authorities arrived. Still these soulless scumbags taunted Marcus and threatened his life. This story about sums up the world. These thugs will now be processed by an inept justice system - perhaps get off completely or maybe only do a few years and then be back out in the world actively serving as agents of evil, eating away at what good exists. In a rational world, individuals who serve no good - who only detract from the lives of others, would not be allowed to continue existing. You don't make a person healthy by leaving a cancer in their body. You cut it out. If you cannot see that some people in this world are soulless cancers then you are either blind, in denial, or asleep. WAKE UP!

Sigh....

Oh. How about this pirate business. Enough already! Send in a SEAL team and wipe them out! Apparently this morning the (American) captain had to resort to trying to escape by jumping overboard - only to be recaptured by the pirates. This is insane! America is not supposed to negotiate with terrorists (not much different from a pirate) or be overly concerned with making sure no harm comes to those who threaten our people. (I heard a report yesterday that our administration warned the American crew not to harm the pirates or they would be held accountable. If true - it's really mind-blowing. Just insane.) We have the technology, we have the skill, quit worry about policy and politics and the ways other countries might paint us as bad guys and do the right thing! Save the captain and then go find the pirate mothership and SINK it. Then send a squadron of F-18s to strafe their bases on land. This is why we get hung up in wars that take years to finish and crippling political debate --- we get wrapped up in worrying about politics instead of fighting bad guys.

Well, I've got a lot of work to do today, so I can't sit here pointing out the world's insanities any longer. I wish I could do something to help, but I'm no messiah.