Community Service

Their are three issues in this world that bother me considerably. The first would be a military problem dealing with the way soldiers are treated, the way recruiters go about recruiting, and how badly organized the army really is. The second would be all the business and people trying to make a buck dishonestly by taking advantage of people and ripping them off (this includes high interest rates). The final would be about George Bush, the war, and its effect on this countries economy.

Out of those three issues I will talk to you about the last one, since it is the most major and impersonal issue. George Bush is a moron and a master of sugar-coat speaking. I apologize for slandering the good President of the U.S. but this President I supported in the beginning has proven to be a very bull-headed and stubborn. I'm sure the government pulled some stunts in getting the public pro-war in the beginning, but things like 9/11 aren't even on anyones minds anymore. That was more than 5 years ago and what one man and his followers did to our country led to us invading a country having little to do with Osama Bin Laden, who didn't even run to Iraq in the first place mind you. What I find funny is that most of the rumors going around claimed Bin Laden to be in Pakistan. Do you find it funny that we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, but left Pakistan alone? It sounds like the Iraq war should be renamed the Bush Family Crusade. After all was it not George Bush's father who started the Gulf War? Could George Bush be looking to finish what his father started?

Now people are begging Bush to withdraw the troops, but he says if we do all our progress will be lost. The Iraqi people would be better off without us there anyways. First of all the majority of them don't even want us their in the first place. Second, we have a pretty good foothold on the country right now, but the only way the country will ever hold together is if we spend the rest of forever there, because the Iraqi people do not have the structure or man-power to keep themselves from falling into the hands of the Taliban. Isn't it ironic how we go into a country looking for one man and end up in the middle of a country's civil war? The Iraqi religion, government, and fate is not up to us and it's ridiculous that we put ourselves in the middle of their conflict. It is my belief that the people of the United States are considered mindless puppets of the government and that they are keeping some very large dark secrets from us. For instance, if terrorists were so concerned with the downfall of the U.S. then why have their been very few attacks on the U.S. in our own country? Sure their have been attacks in Iraq on a terrorist level, but aren't there supposed to be attacks in a civil war? You could say that the reason we haven't had attacks is because of our high security level and alertness, but that has absolutely no factor on terrorists attacking the U.S. If a terrorist wanted to blow up a bunch of people in the U.S. he would move here like any foreigner, find a packed place like a mall or any gathering, and blow himself and everyone else to smithereens. And another thing, what ever happened to all the nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that Iraq supposedly had? Why did we never find them? Could it be that they possibly don't exist? A final example of one of the reasons we shouldn't be in Iraq is how much our country has spent on the war. 2 trillion dollars will have been spent on the war by the time it is over. Bush says that we have put to much into the war to turn back now, but that's his own fault. If the war drags on a lot longer costs will just keep climbing, and that is killing our economy back here in the United States. Oil prices have doubled since the start of the war. The war is the obvious cause for this price gouging, which is another thing I find funny considering we have been stealing Iraq's oil. Did you know that George Bush also owns a very large majority of oil facilities and product in Texas? Interestingly a quick way for Mr. President to get rich quick. I supported the war for a very long time, even when the majority of the U.S. did not, but even a war-monger like myself is sick of this pointless war and see through all the sugar-coated talking of George Bush.

Al Jazeera English News Report:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D035485E-40E4-47CD-A758-D26784FD782A.htm

Internet Magazine Report: The $2-Trillion War
http://harvardmagazine.com/2006/05/the-2-trillion-war.html

Coping with Change

The biggest change I've gone through in the past year would probably be my transition back into the civilian world from the army. I just got out of the army in august so I've had some time to adapt to my surroundings, but the hardest change for me when I first got back home was a few different small things. For instance I had to teach myself how to sleep in past 4:30 a.m., I had to learn how to enjoy my meals instead of engulfing them, and I had to learn how to relax and just enjoy myself. I know those aren't really bad things and it's a good thing to be responsible and up to speed like that, but as a civilian there really isn't much point to being able to do those things. I mean honestly who goes to work at 4:30 a.m.? I wake up at 6:30 a.m. now to go to school and that feels like sleeping in. Also after time wears on all of that stuff takes its toll on you and for a while my stress levels were very high so the change was definitely vital. It's been a while since high school, but I know college is different in the fact that I have much more time to do stuff since I have 2 days of school that go until 12:25 and 2 days that go until 2:25. The school work isn't really all that hard in college, but the teachers definitely don't sympathize as much. Also I'm not used to going from building to building for different classes, and the 30 minute breaks are kind of nice in between periods. I usually just go with the flow so I can't think of a time I've really initiated change. I was also thrown into college quickly so didn't really have time to let it dawn on me that I was actually going back to school. I had planned on going to Tabor and backed out last minute so that I could go to Butler. I ended up enrolling the day class started, so I've been to busy to really think about it. The army is giving me $2,000 a month for a year while I go to school, so I really haven't been worried financially. The biggest thing to cause anxiety was trying to catch up with all my classes. Right now I'm just booked between doing school work, spending time with the family, and keeping a healthy relationship with my girlfriend. Plus I am probably going to get a job soon, so I may get a little stressed in the future. Also I wrecked my 2002 Mittsubishi Eclipse and just bought a $300 1993 Chevy Lumina with 150,000 miles on it, so I do worry a little bit about breaking down on my way to school sometimes. I believe your attitude and the things you do have an effect on each other. If you have a good attitude you will be successful and enjoy what you do, but if you have a bad attitude you will hate what you do and have a higher chance of failing. However, it is also true that if something happens that is bad, it can change your attitude that way, and vice-versa with something good.

Introduction

My name is Jerry Kelsey and I'm 19 years old. I grew up in Marquette, KS and went to school at Smoky Valley. Sports I played there included football, wrestling, track, and powerlifted. After high school I joined the army and spent time in Texas and Georgia. Now I live in Marion and I'm attending Butler.