Riding the trails

San Clemente Pier - Yup its really that nice

Mountain Biking

Found this online...figured it was worth sharing

Pissing Me Off

You know I am probably the person who gets angry the fastest out of anyone I know. However, on the same token I am also most likely the one that gets over things the quickest. I think that no matter how angry I get at a situation or set of circumstances its just not enough to make me mad for longer than, say a minute. Also I think that it has helped me a lot to actually just let things slide off. I remember when I was younger, i forgot who said this, but they said to be like a duck because everything just slides off their back. I agree with that. I think that when someone gets mad they are actually only letting other people control them. I think it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said that no one could make you feel what you did not let them. That in my opinion is a true statement It does not only go for people who make you mad but for people who make you happy as well. For those people who make you happy need you to let them in so they can have that positive influence on you. Anyways...that was my quick rant.

Humanity and the "self"

Sometimes there comes a time when you have to really reflect. I was thinking about a random movie quote, as I normally do. I thought about the Archangel Gabriel in the movie Constantine. The archangel told Constantine that the humanities best moments are in times of suffering. That is when we are most noble. I find that is an interesting topic of discussion. Normally I would argue that no, humans are best when they are suffering. I tend to think that Humans are best when they know themselves. However the discovery of self is often aided by cases of extreme suffering. The "self" are those things which are integral to what one really is. So in once sense yes bad brings out the best in people but really its always trying to come out. Just that when we face huge perils we tend to react in the best possible way in order to overcome them. Now obviously there are those exceptions to the general rule. For example the people looting New Orleans after Katrina. If there were no exceptions then we would live in a perfect world and last time I checked that is not the case. I do however think that humanity can benefit from other tragedies. For example, global warming which I know is a topic that can be debating for years, and it will be. However lets just for arguments sake say its true....I will not give my opinion on this one (wink)...then the future is what we are worried about. We are not panicking for nothing, we are worried about the future of our species. And this worry which is not imminent is causing us to do great things. For example cars, more efficient and less polluting methods of travel are being developed. i read a story today that Sony made a battery that is run by sugar. Yes sugar. This battery harnessed a natural process of breaking down sugar and was strong enough to run an MP3 player. A few weeks ago i read about new technology being developed involving wireless electricity. Yeah that was my idea at happy hour a few years back, but someone got up and actually did it. The general idea was that electricity was transmitted via radio waves. i mean all of these advances mean two things. People are going to get filthy rich, but the second is that the future does have the potential to be less destructive to nature than it is being now. I don't know how I got on this tangent but OK. roll wit it. I think that technology will either kill us or make us better. We are either going to come up with ridiculous ways of killing each other or we are going to discover that "self" that unites us to the other. Those others that even though we may never meet them, we are preparing the world for them. I know and I trust that Humanity will be able to use technology to better lives and bring out the best in all of us without have to face a catastrophe or some disaster. Remember 9/11? I do, i was completely oblivious to what was going on. I went to 8 am history class and as i walked in my teacher was crying and she turned on the news. At the time I did not know it was the news, but anyways we saw live the second tower get hit. The image almost surreal was replayed in my mind over and over and over. All I could think was, who influenced such evil and why did no one do anything to stop it. The will to stop that evil is a grassroots effort that begins with all of us, I think. I know that it is easy to say that because i personally did not have family or friends in the towers, but as an American I know how it felt to lose confidence in Humanity. I also know how many people united under one cause to rally for the families and the country. I wish that global warming, the death penalty, or the end of nuclear warheads would be such a cause. I wish that without having to suffer humanity could see the issues and really come together, become one, one "self."

Freedom

I promised myself that I would never attempt to write about a subject that I did not know a lot about. I figured, the way to express oneself is to talk about what you know and not about what you don't. Pretty simple stuff. However I have recently encountered a feeling that I usually don't have, freedom. Yeah I know what the immediate thought is, what the heck are you talking about. I saw the following:

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

It made me reflect about what I do that had caused me to not be free. I always had a feeling that I was either doing something wrong or acting in some way that I should not. Which a lot of the time is true. For those of you who know me, you know that I act pretty stupidly sometimes, not gonna lie. But, there are a lot of cases where I felt that I was doing the right thing, just not in the right way. Better yet, I was doing something with the best intentions, however the action or the via I chose would always or typically end up achieving the opposite result. For example...I thought that telling a best friend how you feel on the spot would be the best way to act. I figured the person knows you and understands that sometimes, especially in my case, the first thought in your mind is not the most developed thought. However they, being your best friend, would understand and be able to empathize with your plight. I was wrong. I learned that the first thing out my mouth is often times the exact opposite of what I actually mean. Its a concept that is meant to relay an feeling and not the complete thought I wanted. It does not actually mean what is stated. Better way to put it, i put my foot in my mouth. Sure enough I am going to pay for it and will continue to. However, back to freedom. I feel that I am free. How does knowing that you consistently put your foot in your mouth have anything to do with freedom. It does. I am taking responsibility for what I say. I know this may seem revolutionary given the state of our country where you have people saying one thing then changing their views right away. The way that I think about things is that when you say "i put my foot in my mouth" you are actually excusing your actions and separating them from you. You alienate yourself from what you said so that you did not mean it and hence are not taking responsibility for what was said. I now feel free because I accept responsibility for what I said, and even though I did not mean it I know that it caused harm and that I am an idiot for just running my mouth before I could actually put the whole thought together. I accept that it is my fault and no one else; that makes me free. I am free to think about what I am going to say before I say it because like the quote implies we do dread freedom since when free we must be responsible for what we say and do. I know that I cannot make up for lost time or that I cannot make up for all of the hurtful things I may have said because of my pathetic attempts to alienate myself from stupid statements. Believe me I have said stupid things trying to "fix" retarded statements, which either worked kind of, or were ignored because my best friend was kind enough to give me the benefit of the doubt. I have even been called a "Mexican president". Any of you familiar with Mexican political parties knows that is not a nice thing to say. In Mexico there is a a general consensus that the president is a liar and simply misleads to get into power then when they become president, rob the country, make some money then split. Yes so as you can see not very nice. I don't talk to this person anymore. Which sucks but that's just the way it has to be. Like Johnny Cash said "I don't like it, but i guess things happen that way." There were a lot of other issues that caused it to be that way. But I have learned something and I think that they would be happy that I have, honestly. As i had stated before I try to keep this blog as impersonal or alien as I can because i feel that adding names or situations will simply show my perspective which is always in my favor, of course. So the other issues I will leave as such. But I can thank them a lot for giving me the benefit of the doubt for so long. I think that it is going to make me a better person and hopefully help out with law school, j/k. Nah but honestly I think that the most valuable thing that I am going to take away (that i can share) is freedom. the freedom to be responsible and even though it sucks, fess up and never say I put my foot in my mouth, excuse what i said and clear it up right there. So there are no issues, no situations and no problems. So I hope that anyone reading this would really think about that expression, "put your foot in your mouth." I think its just a way of using language to separate ourselves from stupid statement without having to admit that we are wrong. Is that a life worth living? I will leave you with this thought:

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

Been a While

Its been a minute since i have written anything. In the last few weeks i have learned a lot of humility. Not because i got my ass kicked or anything, which is what i know a few people out there would love. but i was taught humility by a test called the LSAT. Its a tough cookie to crack and I have gained a whole lot of respect for those who perform well on it. Anyways
I went to Mexico this month. I was on vacation in Michoacan, Mexico from the 14Th to the 22ND. It was great. I got to see a lot of the places that I had mentioned in my philosophy paper of Senior year. It was very refreshing to know history of the place before i actually saw it. i took some pictures which are available on my website. I visited Morelia, Patzcuaro, Janitzio and a few other places. I think that I enjoyed this vacation so much because I totally felt like a tourist. I went to many of the places that i had read about and it was exciting to see history in everyday life. There was history everywhere. At one point while walking in the center square of Morelia our attention was drawn to a marble square that seemed out of place. This marble square marked the spot where a revolutionary hero was shot by a firing squad. It was amazing to see that it was just there. Nothing separating anyone from it. It was a good time. I also very much enjoyed the food. I miss it already. I tried odd foods and normal ones as well, just to see a different interpretation of it.
Lately I have also been playing a lot of chess. I remember when I was younger, not that I am old or anything, I wanted to be a grandmaster. I loved chess so much it was crazy. Now as I reminisce about the things that I used to love I remember why I liked it so much. I think I always saw chess as the great equalizer. There are 32 pieces and 64 square, each opponent exactly the same. No one has an unfair advantage, no one can be blamed for mistakes except yourself. I just think that the game a sort of mystic to it. I don't know why. But I have been playing a lot of it lately.
So now you know, I am a nerd...what am I going to do. Also I am now going to become a grease monkey. yup thats right, I have a 62 VW that i am going to be working on so that will be a lot of fun I think

Been a While

Its been a minute since i have written anything. In the last few weeks i have learned a lot of humility. Not because i got my ass kicked or anything, which is what i know a few people out there would love. but i was taught humility by a test called the LSAT. Its a tough cookie to crack and I have gained a whole lot of respect for those who perform well on it. Anyways
I went to Mexico this month. I was on vacation in Michoacan, Mexico from the 14Th to the 22ND. It was great. I got to see a lot of the places that I had mentioned in my philosophy paper of Senior year. It was very refreshing to know history of the place before i actually saw it. i took some pictures which are available on my website. I visited Morelia, Patzcuaro, Janitzio and a few other places. I think that I enjoyed this vacation so much because I totally felt like a tourist. I went to many of the places that i had read about and it was exciting to see history in everyday life. There was history everywhere. At one point while walking in the center square of Morelia our attention was drawn to a marble square that seemed out of place. This marble square marked the spot where a revolutionary hero was shot by a firing squad. It was amazing to see that it was just there. Nothing separating anyone from it. It was a good time. I also very much enjoyed the food. I miss it already. I tried odd foods and normal ones as well, just to see a different interpretation of it.
Lately I have also been playing a lot of chess. I remember when I was younger, not that I am old or anything, I wanted to be a grandmaster. I loved chess so much it was crazy. Now as I reminisce about the things that I used to love I remember why I liked it so much. I think I always saw chess as the great equalizer. There are 32 pieces and 64 square, each opponent exactly the same. No one has an unfair advantage, no one can be blamed for mistakes except yourself. I just think that the game a sort of mystic to it. I don't know why. But I have been playing a lot of it lately.
So now you know, I am a nerd...what am I going to do. Also I am now going to become a grease monkey. yup thats right, I have a 62 VW that i am going to be working on so that will be a lot of fun I think

Thoughts on Moving

In the last week I have been going crazy trying to sort my life out. I am trying to find a place to move to that will offer career opportunities as well as provide a family friendly environment. However...to my surprise I am now under a deadline. The reason for the deadline I will not discuss hear, what I will go into a little bit is deadlines in general.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I a stickler for time. If its going to happen let me know when. I am not all about what but more the when, I think I have a crazy time obsession. Anyways. Deadlines are great in a work environment because they assure that business will continue to grow and that existing business will still generate more revenues. If I sell you something then simply not deliver it or not come through with the request I will be a POS (pardon my french) and will lose clients left and right. However, I think that a life decision such as moving should be something that requires a whole lot more care and attention to detail because it is not only going to be a physical relocation but also a mental one.

Anyone who moves...like in my case to another state is going to be faced with a lot of challenges. The primary challenges being a roof to sleep under and a job to pay the bills. Obviously you are not simply going to move just like that and leave whatever good things you already have. For example lets look at two things, the company and health insurance. No joke after watching Michael Moore's new documentary "Sicko" I am appalled at the level or lack there of in regards to health insurance. So if one plans to continue living in America some kind of coverage is needed. So whatever company you are with has to have some kind of health benefit to it, because paying for insurance out of pocket would be ludicrous not to mention impossible. So that's a worry, or at least something to think about. The next worry is a roof to sleep under.

Yeah you may think that just any old place will do, but will it. Do you want to move to the middle of now where and I do not want to move to a crime infested neighborhood either. So research about the area itself has to be done to determine whether the move is something feasible or not. Aside from this you have to chg your address, your accounts, etc, etc. In a month? highly unlikely if the move is to be a good one. If you want something done mediocre then a month is more than enough time. just things to think about

LSAT CLASS OBSERVATION

Today during my LSAT class i was talking to the guy who sites next to me. We were commenting on a girl who sits in the class but is terribly annoying. She has this confident annoyance that just seems to permeate everyone around her. She is constantly interrupting and inquiring into other peoples business. The question was posed that if her race was different would there be a difference in her disposition or general attitude. My immediate answer was yes. I think that race has a lot to do with what habits a young personality is permitted or allows itself to develop. Now i am not saying that the soul determining factor of your personality is you race. What i am stating is that it seems evident to me that personalities are deeply influenced by the individuals race. Because in the early stages of development your race is your safety net. The stereotype of what of who you should be is there and that is where one feels safe. thats why if you feel safe doing stupid things then you will continue to do stupid things until something in your life wither changed your perceived notion of yourself, or you understand that race did have something to do with the fact that you are annoying.

blah blah blahdibliblah

Its been a tough week for me. I have had to deal with random issues and a past that I am trying to run away from. Everyday I have had to deal with some issue I have gone out riding. I don't know what it is about dirt, two wheels, and a relentless sun that makes me feel better. I think it is a self dicipline notion. I never really thought about it too much but the fact that a rider goes out and beats himself up on a mountain, a trail or a steep incline is what I think makes cycling or bike riding if you will one of the most personal, and team sports around. I know there are a lot of sports that involve similar elements..but cycling I believe does something special. It reverses the natural order of things. Let me try to explain.

A machine is meant to aliviate humans in some way and to promote efficiency. The machine does something that helps the work be easier. When riding a bike, the fuel for the machine is the person. And as a rider you continuously push your limits to try and be able to find that point where no matter how round the wheel is, it just won't move. In the last week I have done a fair amount of riding on single track roads. I am by no means as efficient as I am on paved roads but thats not the point. I move through shrubs and rocks as a kid ina candy store. Its fun, just plain fun. I have been reluctant to use that word, becuase i always feel that i have to use the proper term or expression. But eh, whatevs.

Anyways after that rant, I had a nice week, worked really killed me though. I will never admit it but its difficult sometimes. Also this last week I had some LSAT classes which really are pushing me in a way I have not been pushed in since college. The games section of the LSAT may be my toughest. The arguments section I am practicing more often and i feel a lot better about it, but the games I have having difficulty with. I hope that the tips I learn in class will facilitate them because holy ish. Pardon my french.

You know there is something that annys me about relationships that I will never understand. Why are there stereotypes in relationships where both people are claiming to be independent and free of the qualms of a traditional society. For example, why should a man have to open a door for a lady if its the case that they are equals, can't she open her own door? Well the answer is no, of course she can't because a gentlemen always opens the door. So its in my opinion a contrastin concept. They want a chivalrous man who will do the whole couting deal, but then when shit hits the fan they do not step up to the plate and say what they want and stick to it. its confusing...anyways...side rants as usual. I am going to to try and come up on some tickets for the ely guerra concert at the HOB in anaheim, we'll see how that all goes down, but its going to be a while till that one.

Riding

Yesterday I went riding and i got to the riders drug. No i was not doping. It felt great i got to a point that most people know as "runners drug." Your body releases endorphins i think that make you feel awesome. You feel no pain and you feel that you can easily ride for miles. I finished the ride after 2.5 hours. I got home felt great. I took the long way. I rode down the coast from one end of San Clemente to the other. Then i took the hills to whip around the town. I was a nice ride. I did not keep track of the miles because it would have mentally put me out of the game. It was good...i actually tagged along another guy names David who showed me a single track route right in San Clemente off of Cristianitos. it was really fun. I think with more practice my skills can get up to par and i can fly through that thing. But i actually fell into some weeds. it hurt but i was a nice reminder to be careful and to be smart about my riding. Today i started the LSAT classes. They suck and i am so thankful that i never started them when i was still in school. First off knowing myself I would not have appreciated them and never studied. Secondly my test would have been more of an obligation than a desire. Anyways they are hard and i will be blogging on them more often. Also i will be video blogging soon. when that happens i will share that site...for now its just in the planning phase.

Fear Rant

Today was an okay day. It had its ups and its downs. I actually received two messages today. One was that a dear friend of mine was doing OK and was no longer sick. The second message was that my goddaughter had fallen very ill a few days ago. I guess what happened was she fell and lost consciousness and stopped breathing, a parents nightmare of course. I went over to visit and she is doing great. She is awesome she kept trying to get me to dance with her. For any of you who know me, I am not a very good dancer, i try but its not something that flows naturally. But she was dancing around as a two year old would. It was a good time.
I also had a lot of things to think about today. I was pondering about relationships and what they actually are. I thought. Well a relationship is a connection, a vibe, a desire to be with someone else. But that is the nature of these and why do they drive everyone crazy. Honestly? I think it is the nature of man to always be social and hence the person you can be most "social" with would be your partner. Anyways that's just a side note because i have no idea where that one was going.
I do however want to write about "fear". I am scared of it. But not scared because of what fear is but scared of actually having it. I think that if you fear something you are inhibiting yourself from ever being able to overcome it. Hence you have to push yourself, which can be a good or a bad thing.
The distinction is what you push yourself into. If it is the case that your fear drives you to be reckless then you are not only scared but stupid. However the same applies if you never push yourself at all. You simply become a complacent individual who has never challenged themselves to something better. You know in the Bible there is the story of talents. The story summed is that there are a few people who God gives talents too. To one he gives ten, another five and a third two. (i am not sure of the number but this is a synopsis). Anyhow two of them double there gifts because they use them and gain others. However the one who only has two talents does not use them. He hides them so they stay intact. When God comes back and asks what this guy did with his gifts and finds out he did nothing and simply hid them in a hole God takes them away and gives them to the guys who worked with their gifts. Moral of the story, work with what you have. Not recklessly but not to conservatively so you become a productive individual not a pathetic person who does nothing.

In this thought during this week I went to a casting that a friend was invited too. She is gorgeous and has a great personality; I am sure will do great in the entertainment industry. I decided to join her on her journey and take the classes with her. I think I decided it not because i want to become an actor or anything, ha me an actor. I did it to support her and also to gain interpersonal skills. As most of you know, or anyone who called my voice mail in the last couple of weeks I am a pretty cold person. Not cold like I don't care, but instead cold like lets get to the point...last things first. Yeah i have gotten some negative feedback so I have since changed my voicemail. But honestly i was getting some annoying messages telling me to call back and not citing a reason. I mean come on..no. I am not going to call you back unless you can either establish a relationship to me and i know what its about or if you tell me what your reason for calling is...why the heck would i waste time calling someone back to be blindsided by an issue i was not prepared for, nah no thanks. Yeah anyhow... I am going to take acting classes. It should be fun and it something else to do. I figure the worst that can happen is I will at least learn to fake a smile when people are say something ignorant or stupid.

That really bothers me and i have never known why. I feel the need to correct people when they make a mistake. Now i recognize that it is wrong and that i should not be doing that because it causes uncomfortable and sometimes confrontational situations but come on! Why would you say something or state your opinion if you have no reasons for it. For example I had a discussion about illegal immigration the other day. This is a subject that interested me a lot. I tend to reserve my opinions because, no offense, there are very few people who can argue or discuss a subject without letting it get to them. I mean they will bust out these elaborate sayings and personal experiences and at the end feel hurt that you do not side with them or switch to their side. The beauty of a friendship is knowing that I can have the completely opposing view as someone and still be able to say..."let go grab a brew" after. its tough to have those friends. I have a few. They are good people and i value their opinions not because they sometimes oppose my own, but because they have reasons to back them up. Most people that I talk to just go with the crowd. Its Nietzsche's herd mentality. They just go with the crowd. Oh well if CNN said it or the BBC said it that's the truth. No, form your own opinions and quit piggy backing on others. The following quote is something to think about.

Kurt Vonnegut from Quotes of the Day

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."

The Car Industry - American Dream

The Car Industry - American Dream

This morning at work I had a great chat with some gentlemen who tend to come into the office for some coffee after morning mass. In the last few months I have come to really appreciate there insights and observations. They are usually three guys with different backgrounds and ages but who all have a very realist idealism. These guys are not fake, phony, or ignorant; they simply have well formed opinion but are ready and willing to listen to opposing opinions in order to more clearly shape there own. Today the topic was cars. I know most of the time when guys talk about cars it is to see which is the fastest, most beautiful or most extravagant item on four wheels. Today the topic was the car as a symbol of the American Dream. The mentioned brands, not my car because I drive a Nissan, were Oldsmobile, Buick, Ford, Cadillac and GM in general. These later brands in the 50s to the 80s were the ideal of what America wanted. They were large comfortable cars fully operational and completely reliable. Now when young America thinks of a vehicle we think of GM or "American" cars as unreliable or inferior to foreign goods. To my surprise one of the gentlemen stated that GM back in the 70s had developed and owned the patents to the first fully robotic assembly line which actually built the Chevy Vega. However because of the great amount of negative feedback from Detroit Unions the technology was handed over to a small firm at the time called Toyota; amazing. Our unions are great things and I am not against a union that services the needs of employees and employers to create better products. But if the Unions had allowed GM to use the robotic line I wonder how different the world would be today. I say world because up until a few months ago GM was the leader in sales but has recently fallen to #2 after, you guessed it, Toyota. Unions are great when they serve a purpose like protecting human dignity and workers rights, but to what level is a Union beneficial to the common good. Will unions eventually destroy the American Car? I doubt it. But have the negatively affected the "American Car", yes. I remember in the 80s and 90s my parents had a few of these American Cars. We had a Buick 1977, a Grand Marquis, and Oldsmobile. Heck I even remember the Buick being so huge that we had those sidewalk scrapper things because it was impossible to parallel park. I miss those days, not because gas was cheap and you could afford to drive that car, but because the American Dream was that; a big comfortable car the family could ride in. I miss that. Sometimes I think, wow I am going to get a caddie. But then I look at the pocketbook and the gas ticker is way to evil right now. I still remember the Buick had a read cloth interior and the belt buckles were the kind that just went around your waist with the GM stamped right on there. Nostalgia setting in. The American car of legend was a symbol of elegance, refinement and power. It seems like we are all happy now riding on gas saving tin cans. I doubt if America will ever revert back to that era when the family car was a family car and not a minivan. Not that minivans are bad. But honestly there was just something special about those old time cars. A mystique of what we’re all about. Good values, ideals and moving forward with home grown companies serving home grown children. What ever happened to that America? Now we are a media hub. All we see who our social elites being a group of idiots who no one looks up to. Of the wealthy people you know or admire who do you actually respect? For me it’s about 5% if that. It’s sad that the top crust of America is no longer a product of American Ideals but instead a product of American Consumerism. I will write about that next time. Thanks for reading the rant.

Tijuana Police Involved in Drug Traffic - No Way ?!

“The entire police force in the Mexican city of Tijuana is to be investigated on suspicion of being involved in drug trafficking and organised crime.” (http://www.bbc.com/). Even the title of this article is ridiculous to anyone who has ever visited the boarder city of Tijuana, Mexico. Upon entering the city you become instantly aware of the limits of the suspension your vehicle has. As you weave the maze of potholes, assorted house items such as sinks and homeless dogs you realize that you should be paying attention to the other maze weavers as well. Oh and by the way, you have California license plates, shiny sparkly white plates with blue letters; a bull’s eye for and “federal” that has not had lunch or needs a few extra dollars.

As the police officer comes to your window he asks for your license and proof of insurance. Why? I honestly have no idea. I personally think this guy has probably lived in the US and could not handle actually working for a living. This guy in the US no position of any sort of authority and refused to work to achieve one so he settles for harpooning California Plates out of traffic. So he prefers to simply rob others as they come to TJ for business of pleasure. He explains the gravity of your self preserving weaving and then lets you know that he is a nice guy. That he is willing to settle the debt right here and now; a favor that he will graciously extend to you because he is just that nice of a guy. However it has to be done on his terms. He will not openly take the money from you because that would be bribery and that’s not right. He instead will ask you in one of two ways. Grab the cash and wrap it tightly and then place it in his hand; or he will open his ticket book you act like you are signing the ticket…slip the bills inside and thank you have a nice day officer.

Now you mean to tell me this story which has happened to me and even predates my parents barely set off alarms in 2006? Of course drug trafficking is directly tied with law enforcement in Tijuana Mexico. Are you kidding me? I was at La Presa Rodriguez one day down by the water. I saw a home that looked over the lake that looked straight out of South Beach, FL or Newport Beach. It was something ridiculous. It was so lavish surrounded by such inferior houses I could not help but think, is that a hotel? Along the stroll along the side of the lake we saw a police officer painting a sign that had been vandalized by local thugs. I asked the police officer if the building in the distance was a hotel or if it was a home. He said that it was a home said to be of the Arellano family. It took him all of two seconds to respond. The drug dealer’s whereabouts are common knowledge for cops in Tijuana, why, because they had better stay away or they will be shot, killed, maimed, or murdered; simple as that.

Know the governor of Tijuana a member of the PRI party, Jorge Hank Rhon, according to the BBC article felt pressure from the local business who threatened to move away if the situation with the Baja California cartel did not improve. So what does he do? Well as we know he cannot get burned or take the heat himself because he is probably on the payroll. No I am not making a formal accusation but come on. He dishes it to the federal government to do an investigation. The investigation is going to take some time to begin and it’s the opposing party so he will be free of guilt regardless of what happens. “In the words of Tijuana's mayor, Jorge Hank Rhon, everyone from the policeman on the street to the state superintendent will be the subject of this extraordinary investigation.” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5415018.stm) He left someone out of this statement? Can you guess who it is? Biggest boarder with the biggest consumer of drugs in the world and no one ever gets caught and until now you figure out that the local “law” enforcement may be involved?

I am willing to bet they are going to hang a few dirty low level cops and that fat cats are going to get away, as usual. Another interesting point is that this investigation is begun after the US Senate agrees to a wall to be built along the US-Mexico boarder. Does Baja California need to protect its legitimate sources of income at this point? I think so. The US is placing a lot of attention in the coming elections the immigration issue. The US seeks to protect its boarders and republicans will have to show results and/ or some indications that there is a lot of danger there so we get scared into voting for them again. Democrats are going to have to show that they are not scared to tackle the big issues like drug trafficking and homeland security. So with all of that attention and a state that is run by the drug dealers its not surprising the mayor of Baja California tapped out and requested fed help. So if the Mexican government cannot produce results and business move away as they threatened too…US-Mexico relations will be damaged to the economic point that the next race for president of Mexico will be an ace in the hole…not bad huh? Dam politicians.

Mexican American Wall

“The US Senate has overwhelmingly endorsed the building of a fence along part of the border with Mexico, in an effort to curb illegal immigration.

The bill was approved by a vote of 80-19 - with leading Democrats such as Hillary Clinton joining the Republican majority that had proposed the measure.” (www.bbc.com)

There are a lot of topics that I am not clear on a side. Not because I do not have a firm grip on what they are but rather because of all of the possibilities and contingencies that they drag with them. The issue of elongating the fence between Mexico and US is one of those issues. In a lot of ways I see the proposition as a good thing, a tool to deter possible terrorists a method of deterring individuals to cross into a place from which they may never return; on the same token I wish there was another way, I wish the Berlin Wall of the Americas was not real, but it is.

First of all I am going to state my point in regards to why the elongation of a fence is a good measure. There is political pressure to create the illusion of safety for Americans. We as Americans do not want our children living in fear of a possible attack. The US/Mexico boarder has historically been a hot zone for human trafficking and well as drug trafficking. As many of you know recently the Mexican government caught one of the most notorious drug dealers in the world Javier Arellano Felix ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4800285.stm ) of the coats of Baja California; one of the heads of the Arellano Felix Organization which is considered by many to be the top importer of cocaine and marijuana into the US. Threats such as drug trafficking added to the terrorism threat arising from Al Qaeda sleeper cells and well as the common knowledge that hundreds of illegal immigrants any of which could be associated with these larger more deadly organizations slip into the US unnoticed is cause for alarm.

A second reason in favor of a wall is the safety of the individuals crossing. The boarder between US and Mexico is one of the most heavily guarded in the world. And there are threats on either side, both the Agents out in the field as well as to the individuals and families seeking a better future in the land of opportunity. Now you may ask how is a wall keeping them safe? It is keeping them safe in the sense that they are no longer going to attempt to cross in that area and hence by limiting the area that they can cross the Immigration Patrols can more safely apprehend them in areas where there is no wall present. This however is a double edge sword. Now on this same topic…where are they building the wall? I know it’s not in the wilderness of the near Chihuahuan Desert nor the Sonoran Desert. So where are immigrants going to go? If you guessed through the desert you are right.

A few years ago I was in “La Casa del Imigrante” in Tijuana, MX with a group from school and we asked the director if people crossed through to the US via Tijuana. He said that not as much anymore because of the wall that was built in the mid nineties. He said that the majority of people he took in where people who had been deported out of the US. So all of the people have been moving east, away from the California – Mexico boarder and crossing often times unprepared through some of the roughest terrain in North America. Now if we take a moment to put ourselves in the shoes of the immigrants the wall is bad. The wall is going to cause two main things; creativity and death.

People seeking to cross to the US are now forced to be more creative in there attempts; often times traveling in trunks of cars, in spare wheel compartments. A random story; I frequently visit Tijuana and one day after waiting in line for a few hours to cross over the boarder an agent asked me to open the hood of the truck I was driving. Are you kidding me? He had heard of cases of people switching v8 engines out of large trucks to smaller v6 or v4 engines in order to fit people under the hood, making horsepower a thing of the past. But seriously as humans we always attempt to break the rules, skew the system, and get an advantage. But is it worth a life?

Why consciously build a wall that will force people into situations that will cost their lives? Why not build a wall across the desert deter people towards more populated areas where at least they will be spotted if they get into trouble. I am an American and I like my safety but at what price? Is the point just so some representatives and senators can rest on their laurels and weather through the next elections? This wall idea is a patch that will not only cost tax dollars and ironically may even employ illegal immigrants to build it. Yes I want a “wall” no I do not want a wall. I want that protection of my family and my way of life but never at the cost of the other. That “other” whom I will never meet and never know is still my brother, my sister, my fellow human. A wall would help but a structure is nothing without the law and the options to assist it.

If we build a wall and not create some sort of temp-guest worker program or some laws that can assist individuals seeking a better future what kind of pathetic government do we have? Let’s patch the hole in the boat but not fix the engine. I support a “wall” with everything that includes both physical and legal. I want people to share in the opportunities we have in America through a legal means but also I want those who cannot go through a legal process because of other situations whether it be economic or personal to be able to have assistance and get help in doing things the “right” way. Will a wall help? Yes it will help voters decide who to pick; will it help you or me? No, you will be willfully taking the easy way out. You will be the pathetic one. Demand the government provide solutions, not patches, not excuses. We are all human and have human dignity…do not build a wall that can rob people of that, do not be ignorant because you know what is going to happen. Man has reached space do you honestly think just another wall will do the trick?

Reason, Benevolence and Free Will

In recent days I have been dwelling a lot on what makes man similar or in the image and likeness of God. Most of the time I come to two general conclusions. The first is that man is in the image and likeness of God because he has the use of reason. The use of reason is what helps man distinguish himself from the animal kingdom and it has served man to put him above the natural realm. The whole "I think, therefore I am" line of reasoning often times is the line that i follow. Becuase it makes sense. The reason argument is safest. It is safe because no one has been able to prove that other animals rationally think. Heck we have a hard enough time determining if other humans rationally think. Hence the whole criminal insanity or temporary insanity cause that so many criminals use. So when we say we are like God in that we can think and reason we are selfish in a sense because we are arguing something that only we can prove to ourselves and we never have to leave our comfort zone. What if dolphins or bears actually reason? Maybe not to the same level that humans do or else there would be more evidence in nature; but what if they did? We are all creatures of habit. What if our idea of reasoning or to reason is simply a blueprint as Plato would have it. It may be we just have more wires in there, not really more ability just more of whatever wires or connections in our brain that make us think we are thinking when in reality we are just following instructions. This line of questioning will obviously lead to questioning the universals. Which I do not have the desire to pursue at this time. However...

I take a step back and i think well maybe it is like the eastern philosophers have said. The reason humans are different is because we can be benevolent. The idea that we can give that which we need or that which we shouldn't for the benefit of another is a big thing. i know in recent days i have given things that should never be given. I have done things that should never be done. But the idea that doing something that you shouldn't for the benefit of another is a huge deal. The fact that you can. Animals we know will eat and then share, or the dominating male or female will eat first then the others. As humans we choose. Anyone ever heard of "women and children first"? Its that whole idea that the more defenseless of people should be taken care of first. In nature we see the opposite. I am not saying women are defenseless in any way. I know a lot of women who could wipe the floor with me but the point is that we as humans will seek to be benevolent.

But in recent days a third item has come to mind when considering the same question. That is that humans have free will. As humans we have the ability to chose what we want to do. We can come to grips with the world in any way that we want. The last few weeks have been very tough on me. I have thought a lot and done a lot in the name of benevolence, reason and free will. i have made choices that many would call foolish or stupid and others would call genius. But the combination of my choices has come down to a choosing itself. If I was only a rational being i would have chosen via reason and for myself or if i was choosing via benevolence i would be choosing in the best interest of another. In either case the ability to choose i think is what makes me most human and most like God.