dear [anonymous (24.10.228.83)], i see your opinions and view-points as very valid and understandable. and i feel for you - for your brother to be fighting somewhere so harsh and not being at home with you. and yes maybe my views were a bit rash as well and a bit over-hyped. but. my point is - is that as americans. as humans. as living/breathing/feeling creatures we should not rely on war to bring about peace. and honestly - although some of it may be misplaced hype and misunderstood fact - we - the american people - were lead into a war for all of the wrong reasons. as ive been following this from the very beginning we were first there to get back our pride due to 9/11 (which if anyone can possibly remember did not even involve suddam but a quite forgotten - long ago escaped rebel known as osama) and then it was WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION and then it was to liberate the people of iraq. i mean no offense...but what will we supposedly be fighting for next. and i do and will always believe that our government - our LEADERS - have and are using our faith and love and pride as a country to turn us into a fighting machine lead by lies and doctored fact. this does not mean i don't recognize your brothers need or feeling or wanting to help by the means of fighting - if anything i see him as brave, but i do see him as duped. i view our soldiers as brave souls fighting a mislead war and attempting to do the right thing for all of the wrong reasons. i believe america should stick to liberating america and leave other countries be. we are not GOD OR GODS in this world. we are not the end all to be all. and we have plenty of people here on our own land that need to be liberated and helped and fought for. and our president and his dear administration are bringing into reality the fiction that was and is 1984. if you don't think so...then there is no hope for you. to use religion is to use GOD against his so called creations. i'm by no means a religious person but i am beginning to see quite a nice strong link between WAR, AMERICA, GOD, CONSERVATIVE, LIBERAL, and so on and so forth in our present times...and it frightens me a bit to believe that thousands of years ago all of our ancestors ran to our new land in order to resist control of religion and freedom and rights...and now we are slowly being chained down again. i hope your brother returns home safe. i hope they all come home, but they won't and there is no one to blame anyone but our leaders. we need reform and revolution before it gets too out of hand. before its too late. i'm sorry i cannot see it any other way. things are changing. and not for the better. --------------------- now moving on from that depressing topic. i had a rather eventful day. i worked out a bit. i played some football. practiced some skateboarding - which i might add is completely almost impossible for someone so tall and improperly coordinated. i also talked to kyle again today. he was walking past my house while i was attempting my new TONY HAWK career. we spoke for a bit and he gave me some tips on boarding. i made a deal to teach him how to surf and play ski-ball extremely well if he promised to help me pass calc. this being a good person thing has been going alright i guess. i did catch myself making fun of some girl earlier - but i stopped and instead bought her a coke and we talked about the difference between vanilla bean and just plain vanilla ice cream. my little sister has a boyfriend. and has started her period. some thing i told her to never-ever-ever talk to me about again. my mother actually baked her a cake for this...i do not understand females...at all i've decided. i also think i have a crush on some geeky little girl across the street. i never noticed before but she has very sarcastic wit. i think i need a shower.