Dear JoJo

So apparently our little conversation propelled the mechanization of your brain and the cogs began to slowly turn in the unfathomed swirl of thoughts that is your mind.

First, I'll address the topic that started the domino cascade of intellectual musings in your subconscious. I haven't always been an Obama fan myself. But I was optimistic that he could live up to his promises and change America for the better. One year from his arrival in the White House, the economy has shown little signs of life despite efforts such as "Cash For Clunkers", the date of withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan has been extended, and Guantanamo Bay has not been closed. Obviously, the issue of Guantanamo Bay takes a backseat to the welfare of the nation's economy and the recovery from a damaging recession. Even universal health care seems to be higher in priority than dealing with world-class criminals.

Of course, Obama still has three years left in his term. I believe that it is enough time to still live up to his campaign promises. But quite frankly, there are many Americans who are sorely disappointed.

Now with the debate at hand. I think you failed to realize that Teddy was joking about killing the criminals. At least, I think he was. Think about it logically. You can't kill anyone at anytime you feel like it. It takes years and years for people on death row to be sentenced. Obviously, Ted is enamored with the idea of bloodshed and violence, both of which are inherent in his personality.

As for myself, I do not believe that killing the terrorists will solve the problem of Guantanamo Bay. Of course, it'd be easy and simple to carry out. But only in theory. The controversy and the conflict that would arise is a risk that no one in the government will be willing to take. So let's just scratch the idea of killing anyone for now.

I also called you a liberal mostly because you supported Obama. No other reason.

So you had this brilliant idea about a reality show starring all of the world-class terrorists currently in prison. Sure, it would make a lot of money. No doubt about it. The media and American audience would certainly eat it up. But in the end, it would be about the money.

It's not very likely that any U.S. official would compromise in order to save a new terrorist friend. If the government made compromises, what kind of country would this be? It's not pragmatic. The law has to be enforced to protect people in the future.

This brings me to your next point. I admire that you know the the word of God so well and that you so readily love your enemies. It's not like Teddy and I aren't Christians and we don't believe in what the Bible says. If you thought any different than this, then you are very mistaken. We do love our enemies. Yes, it is extremely important to love those who persecute you. It is even more important to love those who are lost and fallen from God's path.

But I'm not sure this means that we can condone any sin. I believe in second chances. I believe that by accepting Jesus as your savior, you attain the gift of eternal life. Sure. I also believe that each criminal in Guantanamo Bay still has a chance to spend eternity with God. But does that mean we can let everyone in the world do what they want, thinking, "oh well. God will still accept me in the end."? Unfortunately, actions have consequences. To love someone doesn't always mean letting them get what they want. I'm sure every criminal would love to be exonerated and exempt from punishment. But they've got to learn their lesson. Maybe that's what it takes for them to realize that life without God sucks.

So in short, I don't think it's such a great idea to let these individuals off the hook by giving them television fame or online stardom. Maybe it would be better to let them serve their sentence. Maybe that will change them more effectively.

Basically, yes you are a liberal in my book, but mostly because you are an Obama fan and the term is used very loosely (with little to no seriousness)when I say it. No, I don't really think that we should kill the terrorists. I can't speak for Ted. The reality show would make lots of money (which would probably be the goal of the producers) and would not be as successful in amending the sentences of the criminals. Love is awesome, but that doesn't mean we just let them go.

I can't wait to see what Teddy writes.

Thanks for making me waste 30 minutes of study time.

Useless

There are just some moments when you feel so useless.

You can't do anything for anyone. You don't have any control or you don't know what to say.

What do I do in the moments where I feel useless? The feeling of being inadequate, unneeded, or simply not good enough is something that can weigh heavy on your mind and bother you like a pulsating cut on your hand. It isn't easy to shake it off and say to myself, "There's nothing I can do." Of course there is something I can do. But what if I don't know what to do? Do I have to find out what it is that's missing?

Sometimes the people around me are hurt or worried. What do they want me to say? I want them to feel better, but what if I say the wrong things or if I just don't know what to say at all. It's a horrible feeling. It's so hard to stand by and watch, knowing that you could have done something, but you were too unaware or ignorant to find out what it was.

What if they are telling me about their relationship problems? I don't know that much about that stuff. All I know how to say is, "Everything will work out." What if that's not what they want to hear? I don't have a solution. I don't have the answer, the panacea to all the problems in life. But I want to help. How do I do it?

What if they are worrying about school? I know what it's like to worry about grades, but everyone is different. Some people simply don't care. Others only care sometimes. Even more worry themselves into a bottomless pit of depression. People have different ways to cope with stress. Some people are confident that they can improve themselves or that if they fail, they are resilient enough to get back up. Others lack that self-confidence. How do I help them? What do I say to make them hopeful? What can I do to show them that although school is important, it's not the end of everything? It's especially hard when I care about them.

What if they have been emotionally hurt? Gossip or verbal abuse is painful and the pain stings, lingering to elicit even more tears. I don't have that much experience with this stuff. All the hurtful words. I don't really know what to tell them.

I wish that I could always know what to say. Life would be so easy. If I knew what to say at the right time all the time, I wouldn't even have to worry. There wouldn't be any feeling of uselessness. Not a trace.

Unfortunately, that will never happen. What do I do now? For now, I will try my best to be useful.

First Blog Post Ever

It's not like I've never blogged before.

I gave into the pressure and decided to escape the confinement and endless boredom that homework has choked around me. I've decided to be deep on this blog. Yes. Deep is good.

I guess the first thing to do on this blog is to introduce myself. Hi, my name is Curtis. I can't tell you anything else. Not that I believe anyone is capable of stalking me down and finding out where I live. I just feel like I am not interesting enough to go through the effort for. So all you know for now is my name. Curtis. Kind of plain. But how many Curtis's do you know? I wouldn't guess more than five at the most. Including celebrities. I like to say that my name is like strawberry-flavored water. It's plain like water. But it has a unique tangy and savory flavor. Not really.

I decided to call my blog "A New Speak". I just did a report on "1984" by George Orwell: basically the reason I chose the name. But it also resounds a little deeper than just plagiarizing a classic novel. In the book, Newspeak essentially replaced the conventional way of writing, making things simpler and more logical. I hope that this blog can redefine the way that other people view things. Maybe? Or it could be that I have an unhealthy obsession with establishing a totalitarian society.

So here's to a new blog. A new outlet for my bottled-up creativity (not really). A new source of inspiration. A new perspective. A New Speak.