the world grinds on

north korea will soon be taken off united states' terror list:
score 1 for the yanks, nil for kim jong-il

the US supreme court overturned a ban on handguns in washington d.c.:
score 1 for the gun-loving rednecks, nil for rest

how ironic then that while the united states has finally succeeded in getting one of the "axis of evil" to give up its nuclear program, it hasn't come to terms with the interpretation of its own constitution regarding the right to bear arms.


a lot of times, things happen that don't make any sense at all. and then there are other times that our prayers seem to be answered. i don't get the most heavily armed nation in the world and its obsessions with guns. on one hand they seem to advocate justice and equality for all throughout our civilized world while on the other hand propagating its ideals and expanding its interests by all means necessary, including violence.

and once in a while when the clear and present call to arms does come knocking in genuine situations such as the occurrence of some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity in recent history, the world's only superpower had repeatedly turned into the benevolent creature who rather pressed for passive diplomacy instead. the images of rwanda, darfur,burma... need i say more?

don't get me wrong, i'm not against america per se. but the headlines piss me off sometimes. it's the notion that in the land of the free, people can do as they please as long as they deem the acts justifiable. even with the explicit separation of powers, where the three estates of the executive, legislative and judiciary branches are designed to create checks and balances, events can be allowed occur that defy all common sense.

and so we're left with the fourth estate: the press. thank god that the freedom of press is still guranteed under the constitution. or... is it? in this day and age journalists seem to have a penchant for turning a blind eye (or at least a partially blind eye) to the moral compass that is supposed to guide them in reporting on the most pressing and relevent issues with the utmost integrity. ethics then have at times played second fiddle to fame, ratings and profits while newspapers reported on stories that would be guranteed to sell.

darwin might have come up with the theory of gentic evolution, but what he didn't forsee is the invisible but certain de-volution of morals. what will become of us in a million years? call me cynical, or a hypocrite or whatever you like. i'm just another brick in the wall of this ongoing de-volution.


+listening to: bombay vindaloo by dream theater