hiya. Ok...ima cut rite 2 the chase cause theres lots to talk about: if ya want the quick version, lemme just say this entry is about 2 things basically: school and war. So kick back, relax and read or get out. :)
Ima just run through the week, starting w/
MONDAY It was carreer day at skool...the first time we've really done anything for it in high school. Each class from 1-3rd period was to have a guest talking about his/her job. Well, 1st period, our guest didnt show up, so we began a new thing in that class (AP english language). We are starting to read and act out the Crucible...interesting...especially this morning when Greg (playing Abigail) had to seduce McClain (playing John Proctor)...funny. NE wayz...our 2nd period guest was this REAL boring guy from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) who had a funny mustache. yup. Then 3rd period was an urban planner..that was actually interesting. but yeah..that was the highlight of the day. And now let me tie Monday in w/ topic #2: war. Monday night around 8pm, our President gets on the t.v. and basically gives Saddam Hussein an ultimatum: he has 48 hours to step down or face the consequences.

TUESDAY: skool itself was pretty uneventful...though there was BIG talk about the president's speech and war....just about everyone agreed that we were going to war...Saddam wasn't gonna leave. People were giving their input all day about the war...about Bush...about the speech.. Actually, i thought the speech was very good...a bit vague...but good. Getting back to the skool part of Tuesday...that night, i had to stay after skool and help out w/ registration. The Science and Tech students that will be freshmen next year (aka..the c/o 2007) were coming to skool to register for classes and stuff. So i stayed after w/ some friends from TAB and drill teams and stuff to help. I passed out packets of registration info to families as they came in and directed them to the cafeteria..that was funny. It was me and like 3 or 4 others doing this...and we were joking around alot. And then...some of the parents were being rude...snatching the packets and getting all ghetto and stuff...so instead of directing those pple to the cafeteria...we was like..."go down that hallway and make a left.." a left will take them outside into the courtyard. lol. But yeah...then when the presentation ended around 8pm, i went in and anwsered a few pples questions about filling out the forms and about choosing classes. it was fun...i like talking 2 pple. and we were all acting slow...lol.

WEDNESDAY: Skool was again pretty uneventful... I went home..and at 8:30 watched American Idol to see if my favorites would stay...Charles got the boot...darn...i liked him. i mean...he wasn't the best singer...i'd say like...the 4th worst left...but he was cool. Then i watched Bernie Mack (Chris Rock was on there..it was funny). Then, i caught a little ad for the 10pm news..so i decided to stay up for that...so...i was flipping channels to kill 30minutes...and found Star Search. But i barely saw 2 minutes of it when a news bulletin came up. All it showed was a live picture of Baghdad. The newscaster's voice was like "Air raid sirens have just gone off over Baghdad...we are not sure why at this time...it could be a false alarm...or something may be about to happen..we don't know...but sirens are going off.." then, from the t.v. i heard 2 or 3 shots...and the newscaster said that those shots were from anti-aircraft things (from Iraq), but they werent sure what they fired at. A few minutes passed, and nothing happened and the news person went on talking about the sirens...when all of a sudden...all these "booms" and explosions and stuff started on the screen...at first u could just hear all the noise....then there were little flashes in the sky...then the flashes grew bigger and the sounds louder.. and it continued for 3 minutes then stopped suddenly. i was like...oh...my...God.....was that us?? I was like...that couldn't have been us attacking Iraq...we haven't declared war yet!! But then, at 10:15pm, President Bush came on talking about how the attack was on a "target of opportunity" and then basically he declared war. That was a bit disturbing to me...i mean...for the past week or so...i had this feeling like...yep...we are goin 2 war. In fact, on this day in my history class...we spent nearly the whole period talking about Bush...Iraq...war...etc. But now it's happened.

THURSDAY: The war is on...that was the big news of the day....and we had a test in Adkins...but war passes the test by a bit in importance. :) I've never had as many intellectual conversations as i did on this day. Almost every period, we got into some big conversation about the war...how we felt about it...whether it was right or not...whether we supported it or not..all that stuff. In architectural drafting, the teacher tried to hook up a t.v. to see what was new...but it was real fuzzy...we could see that something was on fire tho. Also today, the skool gave out an emergency plan, just in case of an attack in the area. Basically we will be on lockdown. (officially..it is called "shelter-in-place.") It is basically just that if we were attacked chemically, biologically, etc...we would get locked in the building. People in temporaries or in the tech buildings would be moved to the main building. All doors and windows would be locked and sealed; and all heating, air conditioning and ventelation would be shut off. Parents and other pple would not be allowed to pick students up. No one can enter the building, so one can leave it; until the signal that everything is safe is given. So...even if someone's mother is banging on the front door to let her in....they'd leave her out there where she'd probably drop dead (if its a chemical attack). yup. pretty...bad. but hey...they can't put the skool in danger! tho...i hope nothing happens...1)..i dont wanna stay overnight or anything w/ these pple! and 2)...if something happened i kno the skool would be in chaos...it would get to crazy and crowded..uh-uh. not me...

FRIDAY: today was a slow day...didn't do much at all. The war is still a big issue but i think the initial shock of the war is wearing off a bit...now we all are just looking for updates. The "We're all gonna DIE!" shouts have settled down...and fewer pple are singing "Bombs Over Baghdad." i'd say thats a good sign. :) Though emotions are still pretty high...the thought of an attack on us is scary...and things are getting messed up..field trips cancelled...more securit everywhere...etc. I'd hate to be a senior this year...everythings been so screwed up this year...with the war now...and all the snow MD has gotten this year...and the whole sniper episode earlier this year that basically stopped life...yup. strange year.

So..... thats the week. What are my thoughts about the war?? hmm....tough question. In the beginning...i really didnt care for President Bush..i dunno...he seemed sorta like a war freak. I also consider myself more of a Democrat (tho i cant vote just yet...) and i think he's sorta doing this for his father. But then i look at the other side....Saddam Hussein. He needs to come out of power. He terrorizes his own people...he just seems so crazy...and i dont think he can be trusted. I sort of hold him as the "Hitler of the 21st century" (this is the 21st century..rite??). I mean...look at Hitler...he hurt his own people..he was basically a dictator..and he nearly wiped out the Jews! If someone had stepped in..things could have turned out better. As i see it...we (America) are stepping in now...so nothing like the Holocaust happens again. Saddam does have weapons (i believe) and if he doesn't disarm...hes a threat. And as a threat...he needs to go. I don't really tie him with Bin Laden...like some pple are doing...but i do think he has a few terrorist links. So actually..i back the President in this war and i agree that we had to go in and fight. I support our troops and pray for them, and hope everything goes easy for them.
I just hope other countries understand that Saddam is a threat. We aren't doing this for oil...and we aren't doing this to be imperialistic. (ooh...big word..lol) Hopefully, innocent people, like the Iraqis wont get hurt...i kno its nearly impossible to keep them all safe...but i hope most of them aren't in danger.
I also hope America isnt attacked. Up until the other day, i was like...they'd never get us...but now i dunno. I think Saddam will use up everything he can before he is captured or killed. And u kno...where i am...not good. First off, Baltimore...Maryland's biggest city..not to mention the diversity...Inner Harbor..etc...isn't far away. And we are right near D.C...heck...our skool is just outside of Southeast! Then...my house is practically right across from Andrew's Air Force Base..im like...daym..thats too close. So location-wise...im screwed. And terrorists are a big fear...the possibility of them attacking is probably higher than that of Iraq attacking. And then...where the hell did North Korea go? They popped up in the news a bit ago...before we went to war..talking about how N. Korea has missles and nuclear weapons and stuff...more stuff than Iraq does. And North Korea HATES US!! I've heard that their government AND their people hate America...at least we have SOME support in Iraq! Im like..hold up...shouldn't we have gone after North Korea first??? And thats a big fear in my mind. Cause..they have the technology and the hate to get America...and now is the best time to attack. We are distracted w/ Iraq...it seems like the president is trying to do one thing at a time. If N. Korea attacked now...we are too busy w/ Iraq. We would have to then divert some of our forces/weapons/etc. to N. Korea...and then we'd be fighting 2 different wars at once. Or...what if N. Korea gives Iraq their nuclear weapons for Iraq to use them on us??
Just one question....WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE AMERICA??? I thought other countries wanted to be like us?? i mean..i know others see us as arrogant and too powerful and snobby...and i guess that looks true to them...but why do they hate us?? We're the land of the free!! Of diversity!! Of choices! Of opportunity!! We're a democracy!! why why why are we so hated??