Too costly to kill: Pricing the U.S. death penalty

It is cheaper to give someone a life sentence than to put and keep them on death row. While most of us would do anything to get ahead in a long line, I'm sure this is one exception. In an attempt to make sure that an innocent person is not put to death, a person can remain on death row for an obscene amount of time. I applaud the effort.

The problem is this: We are in a recession. Each death penalty case can cost a state millions of dollars. Each. How many people could be employed with that type of money? If many states are reluctant to use it and it's wasting money that isn't really available, I don't see the harm in doing away with it. It seems like it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway if it's being used like a life sentence with a scary overtone.

Doesn't a life sentence without parole seem like its own death? I cannot speak for those unfortunate enough to have lost a loved one at the hands of another. I honestly cannot say if I would or wouldn't want to seek legal vengeance. I think it would be interesting to take a poll of those who have sought the death penalty for someone. I wonder if they still feel comfortable with the "eye for an eye" justice after some time has passed after the incident.

What can be done if they later feel remorse? Nothing. Here we have the possibility of adding guilt on top of mourning. Some may see this as the chance we take playing god. Regardless of moral reasoning, there are obviously ever-increasing reasons to do away with the death penalty.

 I even have a slogan: Save an inmate, save a job.

Serena Williams poses nude

By now we are all used to seeing Serena Williams flash a little thigh on and off the court. Take this little number for instance. Williams is obviously comfortable with her body. Those of us who aren't would never dream of wearing such a short dress. Honestly, those tennis outfits don't leave much to the imagination whether they're the skirt or the cat suit version.

Am I here to debate whether or not Serena Williams is a great tennis player? No. Am I here to bash her for the cover of ESPN's The Body Issue for which she posed  nude? No. (Some argue that she's wearing shorts, but it could debatably be a shadow.) My question: Is it really a big deal?

Much of my news comes from when I sign out of my email. That's where the most popular news stories are featured. Notice I said most popular, not most important. Serena Williams nude on the cover of a magazine! Is it really that big of a deal? I vote no. It wasn't until I did a little more digging that I found The Huffington Post write up and cover image. Serena Williams is only one of the cover options. There are six possible cover athletes.

Politics Daily offers the magazine's perspective. To be fair, it is usually best to hear the whole story before jumping to conclusions. This issue is supposed to celebrate various athletes who excel at what they do and the bodies that allow them to do it. Could a positive message actually come from all of this controversial nudity? Of course: Your body is your greatest weapon, your source of strength.

"The Body Issue" has done just that. It has brought up issues of the body. Has our culture become so sex obsessed and panicked (two things that never go well together) that we can no longer view a naked body and appreciate its attributes? Can we really look at an athlete's body and marvel and how s/he is able to use it in a masterful way within a particular sport?

For me, this issue brings up the old adage "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".  We can easily identify a beautiful pass or an awesome play in a game. So what's so hard about seeing the beauty of the body that did it?

Unlike some, I don't believe that Serena Williams has compromised herself or her morals by posing nude. As a Black woman, I believe that what she has done is all the more important. She is celebrating her body as a person of color, as a woman, and as an athlete. She is in the company of other great athletes in the issue. It's not like she is nude without purpose. It's not like she is the only one nude. If nothing else, Serena Williams has proven that her strength can shine on or off the court and with or without clothing. Now that's confidence.

Slain UConn football player's death classified as homicide

When this story first broke, it reminded me of a poem I read once in undergrad. Of course I couldn't remember its name, so I googled the part I did remember. The poem is A.E. Housman's "To an Athlete Dying Young". Everyone processes death differently. While some mourn profusely and are understandably somber, others turn it into a time of celebration. Housman's poem is of a celebratory nature. Though the athlete dies young, he will always be remembered for his glory days because of it. He will not share the fate of others who fade into mediocrity as they age. Jasper Howard will be remembered for his glory days.

Howard, twenty years old and an expecting father, was the University of Connecticut's cornerback. He died from a stab wound to the abdomen after a fight broke out at a student dance.  The altercation actually took place outside of the dance since students evacuated after the fire alarm was pulled. Though many were present, no witnesses have stepped forth.

Perhaps no one saw it happen. Maybe there was too much happening at once. There are lots of questions in this story but no concrete answers. If no one else deserves answers, Jasper's mother does. It would be unfair for this mother to be left with nothing but unanswered questions and the memory of her son.

The Huskies will wear Jasper Howard's initials on their helmets when they play West Virginia. Remembering and honoring are crucial steps in the healing process. May the family and the team find a sense of strength as they try to get through this tragedy.

Balloon Boy Hoax

I tried not to write about this event. Quite frankly, this story has taken me through too many emotional changes. I thought it comical that the nation was frantically watching a balloon float around. I was fearful when I found out a small child was in it. Honestly, that fear was clouded with confusion but that's neither here nor there. Then I thought to myself, this can't be really happening.

Lo and behold, it wasn't! I know we all go through that phase when we want our time in the limelight, but this is absurd. I wonder what actual newsworthy event was pushed aside for this balloon garbage. The parents could get felony charges. FELONY! That's not a misdemeanor. If felonies weren't a big deal, people wouldn't be forced to check whether or not they have one on job applications. Someone in this family obviously didn't have on their thinking cap.

Better yet, what were they thinking? You try to pull off a grand worldwide scheme but tell the secret to a child. How many children do you know that can keep a secret, especially a big one? I don't know who to be more irritated at, the parents or the media. Some of the media may have been in on the plan too. I'm sure the more reputable media outlets had nothing to do with this.

The CNN article gives a little more information explaining how authorities tried to uncover the hoax plot without tipping off the Heenes. It's all really a sad series of events. We all try to get the most out of life, but most of us try to do it honestly. What ever happened to honor and hard work? Do these values no longer exist? Maybe the Heene parents wanted life on a silver platter. I just hope they don't get silver cuffs instead.

Who uses their children as pawns? If their parents get sent to prison, then what? Even if the family might have a history of problems, the mass separation that can occur if the parents are imprisoned can't possibly help matters.

I feel sorry for the children involved in this whole mess. Your parents are typically people  you believe you can trust. If they put you in danger or don't consider your best interest, what should the consequences be?

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill fired from Fox News

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill was recently fired from Fox News. He is best known for being a liberal analyst on The O'Reilly Factor. What is a liberal analyst anyway? While there's no concrete reason being offered if he has been fired, it wouldn't be hard to come up with a sound reason: Incompetence.

Dr. Hill's own website states that his research interests are the intersections between youth culture, identity, and educational processes. Since these are his research interests, these are areas in which he has most likely done the most work. The man holds a doctorate, which is no small feat. Like medical doctors, nearly all Ph.D. programs require you to have a specialty. Would you go to a dermatologist stomach pains? No. You would go to the proper doctor who specializes in what you need help with. The same rules apply. I don't want to hear what Dr. Hill has to say if it is outside of his area of expertise. My opinion coincides with earlier remarks made by David Horowitz.

Do I have a Ph.D.? No. I do, however, have an M.A., so I know for a fact how serious Ph.D. students and professionals in possession of one take their field and their expertise. It makes no sense to venture so far out of your area of expertise regardless of your occupation. It would be logical to be viewed at your best at all times. To do anything contradictory would be an insult to the real experts of the field and the hard work and dedication you put into your own.

Perhaps Dr. Hill would still be employed if he had stuck with what he knew. Am I calling Dr. Hill incompetent? No. I'm saying that he may have been placed in a position of incompetence if he was routinely asked to comment upon subjects he had little to no dealings with. Maybe Fox News expected him to do more than he could with the title of liberal analyst.

Then again, this is all merely speculation since this story has yet to be confirmed by Fox or Hill. I guess we'll see what happens.

Interracial Louisiana Couple Denied Marriage

What would the world be like without  some good old fashioned Southern racism? Can you imagine going to the Justice of the Peace with your loved one and leaving without your peace of mind because he has refused to marry you? An isolated incident proves these issues may not be a thing of the past.

Louisiana JP Keith Bardwell is not a racist. Why? Because he said so. Instead, he is a concerned citizen who doesn't wish for any emotional hardships for the children that would result from an interracial union. The only thing that makes Bardwell's non-racist claims better are the piles of Black friends he has. Congratulations! You have no problem with your Black friends as long as they don't marry your White friends?  

I do not believe that this man's beliefs are representative of the state of Louisiana or the South. I think he has convinced himself that he knows what is best for a situation he views from the outside looking in. Sadly, in this case, he had the power to enforce it.

According to the Hufington Post, Bardwell's term doesn't expire until 2014. That's a long time. I wonder how many marriage licenses he could refuse to sign in that amount of time.

 While I too try not to be judgmental, have you seen this picture of Keith Bardwell? Surely a better picture could have been found! I'm all for justice being served, but even I think this picture is a little unjust.