Everybody's Got Opinions

Public perception is kind of a weird thing. A lot of the time, what is true and what people think are true are not the same. And if you get some people who are crazy enough, they’ll occasionally try to fight for an issue that doesn’t really exist.

That’s what happened at a press conference held by Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del, when some idiot interrupted the conference and questioned why the congressman was ignoring a claim that President Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States. It’s on YouTube and I recommend you go check it out. It’s hilarious in a really sad way.

This woman — who the crowd seemed to support — actually believes that Obama doesn’t have a U.S. birth certificate and brought her own to help make her point. Either that or it was so authorities could identify her easier.

It seems like this perception is a layover from the election, when Obama’s heritage played a significant role in the campaign. For some reason, enough people are getting the impression he not only is descendent from Africa, but he was probably born there, too. Then, when people tell them to shut up, the “birthers” — which are strikingly similar to the Sep. 11 “truthers” — act like they’re being suppressed.
It’s not like people aren’t paying attention to your argument because they want to keep it quiet, they’re just ignoring it because it’s stupid and wrong.

I don’t know if it’s because he’s black — I hope to God it’s not — or if people just don’t like his politics, but the fact that this issue exists is baffling. Since he has a valid birth certificate, I think it’s safe to say they’re making this claim based on absolutely no evidence.

I’m going to count people like this as reason No. 65,275 why nothing ever gets done in this country.

When humans got together and created civilization, in theory they enacted laws in order to protect and better society.

Of course, the operative words of that phrase are “in theory.” Often a society will create obscure and draconian laws that seem to exist solely to make people miserable.

Enter Toledo, Ohio.

Like many other cities, Toledo is feeling the crunch of a budget crisis. In order to solve the problem, the city recently dug up an old law stating that people cannot park on non-paved surfaces — including their own driveway. Many residents recently woke up to find a $25 ticket waiting for them.

It should come as no surprise that complaints have been loud and frequent. However, the mayor is holding fast and is defending the citations.

What the mayor isn’t doing is explaining why the law exists or what good it does for the city. Until he can do so, the whole situation will continue to look as though a cash-starved city is exploiting its populace.
Hopefully the city will wise up and remember exactly why laws were created in the first place.

The latest and greatest in a long line of Apple technology ­is about to be released and will likely be the hit everyone is expecting it to be. A faster model of Apple’s iPhone will be on shelves June 19, and Steve Jobs’ company seems to be priming itself to be the next electronics juggernaut after everyone finally realized how bad Microsoft was.

Many people have speculated as to exactly why Apple has been able to gain such a large part of the personal computer market so quickly, but credit has been spread over many different areas. Marketing, originality and ease-of-use have played huge parts in developing the company, but that’s not the key to its success.

Jobs isn’t trying to grow a brand, he’s trying to grow an army.

I grew up in a small, suburban school district in the south of Michigan, and from an early age, I was bred to like Apple. When my school district decided to update the computers in all of its computer labs, Apple was the choice. At the time it was logical — they’re safe, don’t have many errors and are virtually idiot-proof. Really, it’s everything you’d want in a middle school computer.

Throughout the course of my educational career, I got to know Apple very well. Every time I had to write a paper, it was on a Macintosh. Every time a PowerPoint needed to be made, it was on a Mac. Every time I discreetly sent immature e-mails to other people in my computer class, it was on a Mac. For me and many other people in school systems like mine, getting work done became synonymous with Macintosh.

Then we went to college — and we bought Macs. No great marketing strategy, it’s just what we were used to by then. The simplicity of Apple’s products put them into schoolrooms all over the country. Now those years and years of practice with their products is what’s driving the company. We’re the minions of the new computer monopoly. And we can be called into action with a 30-second clip of a Feist song.

Many 19-year-olds in the state now have one more hurdle to cross on their way to legally drinking in Canada.

To enter back into the U.S., travelers will need to provide a passport, or an equivalent, along with the usual proof of citizenship to get through border security. Entering Canada is far simpler. Drivers can get into the Great White North — or South for Detroiters — with a driver’s license, a birth certificate and a smile.

This means that many forgetful Americans, which I consider myself to be one of, could end up stranded in Canada if they forget their passport at home. This probably won’t lead to any “The Terminal” style hijinks, only a dull wait while someone brings the passport across the border.

But while you have some time on your hands, let me give you some advice.

Stay.

Chances are, you’re better off just staying in Canada. Consider this as an opportunity to change your life for the better. The Canucks have universal health care, less violence, a better quality of life and a love affair with hockey. There are four reasons you should already be packing your suitcase.

Before every election, there’s always a group of people who say they’ll leave the country if their candidate doesn’t win. Well, now’s your chance. Canadians welcomed Americans dodging the Vietnam War, I’m sure they’ll welcome Americans dodging the economy.

Plus you’ll get to enjoy doing what the rest of the world already does — blame the U.S. for their problems.

As bad as it sounds, I’ve never really thought about the basic nature of Memorial Day. Like many others, I’ve always simply seen it as a day off work (or not, as the case is when you work at The State News).

Honestly, the closest I’ve really gotten to thinking about its true nature is when I veg out and get absorbed into the History Channel’s marathon of “Band of Brothers.”

It’s not even as if I’m that far separated from military life. My uncle was a commander in the Navy and my cousin is an Army ranger currently on deployment in Iraq. It’s just that, for whatever reason, my family has never really gone in for that whole “honoring the fallen heroes” part of the holiday.

However, reading the article about the Lansing parade in Tuesday’s paper just brought me a feeling of massive guilt. For those who missed it, it spoke about the dwindling crowds. This year’s was particularly bad.

For whatever reason, more and more people aren’t taking the time to thank those who have put their lives on the line. I can’t even truly judge those people, because I’m one of them.

Really, the worst part is that I’m not sure that this feeling of guilt will last throughout the year. I can almost say with certainty that I’ll be doing the same nothing next Memorial Day that I’ve done on all the others.

It could be that writing this blog about my guilt is a way to assuage it. Still, at least it’s a sign that I took at least a little time this year to think about the bigger issues. 

Maybe, just maybe, it’s the first step to a proper respect for the day and what it stands for.