An Interesting Read

I am going to post the entire article at the end of this blog, but some key portions raise a few quality questions.

Basically, the article is about Berea College. Berea is interesting in that it only recruits student's from low income families and charges them nothing to attend school. The food they eat is grown on campus, the furniture is made in various courses and each student is required to work a 10 hour-a-week job. The majority of the student's expenses, however, are paid for with the college's massive endowment of $1.1 billion.

Most universities have large endowments, although many are no where near the size of Berea's. It does raise an interesting question though: As the economy hits the shitter, are we doing enough to help students pay for their educations?

Here at the University of Florida we're having programs, as well as jobs, cut left and right. Tuition rates are steadily rising, funding is being cut yet UF sits on top of $1.2 billion -- a number that will probably continue to rise.

Obviously, I don't think it would be a good idea for every institution of higher learning to adopt the Berea model, but maybe we could do more. I mean that is a hell of a lot of money just sitting there. Are we waiting for a rainy day to crack the massive piggy bank? It would seem this is some sort of a rainy day. Maybe we need to look more closely at the piggy bank.

Here's the article. Give it a gander.

Executions Are Soo Back In Florida

No matter where you stand on the death penalty issue, the fact of the matter is Florida is set to end an 18-month hiatus from the lethal injection game on Tuesday.

The year and a half reprieve was due to a botched execution in February of last year. Angel Diaz was seen wincing in pain as a second lethal cocktail was needed to stop his heart. An investigation showed the IV needle had been pushed all the way through his vein. This case was pointed to, by those against the death penalty, as an example of why there is no perfect and humane way of ending a human's life.

Convicted murderer and rapist, Mark David Schwab, is set for execution for 6 p.m. In 1991 Schwab raped and murdered an 11-year-old girl.

It's amazing to me how concerned we are with the comfort of those set for execution. I mean I'm not really into the death penalty in general; I think a life in prison is probably enough for just about any crime, but it seems ridiculous to me that we decide we have the right as a society to choose to end someone's life, and then we turn around and act like we're really concerned with their solace at the end of the day.

It just seems disingenuous, and I for one would be a little put off by all the posturing if it were me who was condemned.

Gun Owners May Rest Easy This Day

Now, I certainly would not have ever thought I would have back-to-back posts about The Supreme Court, but damn it, the justices are doing big things.

Today, our nation's highest court made a historic ruling in favor of our 2nd Amendment rights. For the first time ever, The Supreme Court ruled that our right to bear arms is a personal right, and not tied into any service in a state militia like many anti-gun people have tried to argue.

The ruling struck down the strictest gun conrol law in the country. In Washington, D.C. it was unlawful for a person to own a handgun and if they owned a shotgun or rifle in their home it had to be unloaded and disassembled.

Now, I wouldn't consider myself a gun enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination; I do not own a gun , have never been hunting and have only fired guns on a few brief occasions, but I do think this ruling is a good thing.

People who want to do harm to others will always be able to get their hands on firearms, no matter how strict our gun laws may be. And even if the statistics show that having a gun probably won't help you avert harm from yourself or your family during a crime, a person should be allowed to take comfort in the idea that they could potentially defend themselves in the event that disaster strikes.

In general, I am against limiting the rights of individuals in almost every situation possible. Obviously however, in the event that someone commits a felony, or is deemed mentally ill, they lose their privledge to own a weapon.

The Supreme Court Coming With Some Weak-Tot Action

The Supreme Court ruled today that we can no longer, as Americans, execute child rapists.

Now, I'm not a 100% behind the death penalty in general, but for the love of God, if we are going to have it available why not use it on the real creeps.

In my opinion rape is as despicable as taking someone's life because, in effect, that's what you're doing.

I can't imagine how terrible it would be to have a child violated and abused that way, but I imagine it would make even the most level-headed of people blood-thirsty.

I guess there is some solace to be had in the fact that rapists kind of have the script flipped on them in jail. It is my understanding they become quite the soup dejoure inside the slam.

Barack Is Ass-Reaming John McCain

A new Newsweek nationwide-poll shows that Barack Obama has opened up an outrageous 15 point lead over John McCain.

This is in sharp contrast to the 46-46 tie that was reported after a similar Newsweek poll done in May.

It seems the times really are a changin'. With Barack all set to begin campaigning actively with Hildabeast, the GOP could truly be in trouble. McCain is boring, old and just about every other physical embodiment of the Republican Party.

It's still very early, but we could be looking at a Reagan-Walter Mondale style landslide come November.

If Republicans can hang their hats on anything, it's that John Kerry had a six point lead at the same time in 2004. Even more drastic than that, in May of 1988 Michael Dukakis enjoyed a staggering 54-38 lead over George H.W. Bush, and we all know how that turned out.


I think the trend runs much deeper than this poll or even this election. The country is sick of Republicans, for better or worse. Although I'd love to have a beer with Dubya (and maybe even include him in my posse') he's an idiot. In a job where you need to speak well, Bush fails miserably; he sounds like an inbred and he reflects an ignorant American picture.


As it stands now, 55 percent of Americans call themselves Democrats; 36 percent say they're Republicans.


Come November I think we have our first non-white president and a Democrat in the White House. If we don't, the Democratic party needs to take a serious look at what they're doing -- back to back losses to a moron with some of the lowest approval ratings in American history, followed by another loss to a stereotypically old, stodgy, Republican man. Unacceptable if you're a Democrat.


If nothing else, the following months are going to be quite interesting. And as an American, you've got to be interested, involved and in-tune to everything that's going on around you.

Rapist's Sketch Revised

This is the revised face of evil. The Haile Rape sketch has been overhauled based on new recollections by the victim of the brutal attack.

The suspect is still at large and, unfortunately, it appears no real developments have been made in the case.

While the new sketch is a little less Teletubby-esque, don't let the features fool you, this man is dangerous and on the loose. Hopefully this case will get some resolution soon.

"The SouthWest Florida Coyote Invasion Continues"

Apparently, ladies and gentleman, us Floridians are experiencing a coyote invasion. Just ask Sal Santalucia, the 69-year-old Estero man, who was locked in to an "about 7minute" death match with a coyote in order to save his Miniature Schnauzer's life.

Mr. Santalucia wielded a five foot pipe during the altercation causing the cowardly coyote to flee the scene.

Be on the look-out people. The "invasion" has already yielded three small doggy deaths and has sent two humans to the hospital for rabies shots.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080617/NEWS/548052473/1105/NEWS&title=Man_beats_coyote_in_latest_attack

RIP Tim Russert

For those of you who haven't heard, "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert passed away yesterday, at the age of 58, of a heart attack.

Russert was known for his humanity, slant-less analysis and ability to bring energy and personability to anything he covered. Tim Russert holds a special place in my heart as a fan of the Buffalo Bills. He was a product of a south-Buffalo neighborhood and was an unabashedly proud Buffalonion -- a distinction hard to find amongst almost anyone of note in the public eye. He defended the city and it's proud history and was beloved by nearly every Western New Yorker -- no matter what party they affiliated with.

Much like when that damn Stingray barb cut Steve Irwin's life short a couple years ago, Russert's death yesterday shook me to the core.

Here is a video about the Bills that features Tim Russert; it kind of defines the way I, and many others, feel about the area and culture it represents.