Today's Law Enforcement Image Problem

What comes to mind when you see men like these in police uniforms? One of pride, such like we had for the 9/11 responders in N.Y.C., of those officers who are there to "protect us and serve us"? Or is your reaction more one of fear...perhaps you might see them as "authority figures" who are "out to get us"? There is no doubt that today's police and our national intelligence departments such as Homeland Security, et al, are having an image problem. Can we trust them? Is there corruption? How can the police and our "spy" agencies improve their image? What can be done to stop police brutality or corruption? Nobody, including honest cops should want corruption in our police departments, so it should be a universal cause we can all agree upon. Mexico has a problem with dishonest cops taking bribes and actually working for the cartels, so we here in America are not immune to such corruption. Then of course politics comes into play in these things also. Any ideas how to change the criminal justice system to restore fairness and freedoms and justice to all and yet have law and order and protection at the same time? And what about warrentless searches and wiretapping? Is it necessary for our safety? Should we all want to be listened to and spied on 24 hours a day, seven days a week? What is wrong with that if you are an innocent person who has "nothing to hide"? Why would you not want to be spied upon and listened to if it meant the police would have more "powers" to "catch the bad guys"?

Who Would Jesus Bomb?

It would appear that these days the entity, person, or country that strikes first is no longer viewed as an 'aggressor', they are simply taking a defensive move called "pre-emptive strike". Can you make peace with war? Is that a contradiction? Does taking negotiations and/or peace talks "off the table" hurt or help the peace process? How many times have you heard someone say in reaction to something heard on the news, 'WE SHOULD JUST KILL 'EM ALL! BOMB THE HELL OUT OF THEM!'? Do you think Jesus would approve of this? What kind of advice would Jesus give to our political leaders to help solve global tensions? Might he say, "Love your neighbor?" What do you think about today's wars and war in the future? Too much? Not enough? Should the U.S. be more aggressive? Less aggressive? Is the U.S. seen by other countries as a bully? Any comments? Please tell us what you think below and you can even remain anonymous!

May-December Marriages: Do They Work?

So, if this young man hooks up with an older woman, perhaps your own mother, who some may call a 'cougar', who is about 20 years older than himself, do you think it is 'real' love? Or would you be tempted to think that he was into it for money? What about older men 20 years older than a younger woman? Same? Or Different? Please tell us your thoughts about this "Flaming Hot Topic" by commenting below, and remember, you can even remain anonymous!

Royalty In The Modern Age

Since you can't turn on your TV today without some sort of mention of the ROYAL WEDDING....here is today's flaming hot topic: Royalty in the Modern Age.
Today there are 39 curent royal families around the world, and 20 deposed royal families from the past. Of course the most famous and most celebrated royal family in the world is the British Royal Family.
The British Royal Family receives money from a number of sources both public and private. The BBC estimated the annual cost to the British Public of keeping the Royal Family to be £41.5M though this figure does not include the cost of security provided by the Police and the Army.^[1] The cost of the British Monarchy is five times more the cost of the Spanish Royal Household.^[2]
Forbes magazine estimated the Queen's net worth at around $450 million (US) in 2009.^[3]
There are 6 absolute monarchs and 3 shared power monarchs. ^[4]
Many more are constituent monarchs who hold little or no power. ^[5]
What do you think about the role of monarchy in the modern world? Do you think America should have a formal 'royal' family? Who would you crown King or Queen of America if you could choose someone? What would royalty do if they were American royalty? Do you think royalty and monarchy is a romantic notion and not realistic? Please comment below:

One Person's EXTREME Is Another's NORMAL

What may be normal, rational and mainstream to you, may be very radical, weird, or extreme to someone else. Who is to judge? Take these examples and see which of these are extreme or radical to you and which are normal and mainstream? How do you define EXTREME? How do you define RADICAL? How do you define NORMAL? How do you define MAINSTREAM?

The above photo was taken on a beach in Saudi Arabia. Most people there would probably find this very normal and mainstream, and not radical or extreme at all. However a Christian woman in the U.S.A. may find this kind of modesty extreme. Perhaps some may even find it offensive or oppressive to women's freedom. 

This above photo of a woman in a two piece bikini swimsuit on the beach may be mainstream and normal to Americans, but may be seen as extreme and radical to a conservative Muslim person, because it is very immodest and may invoke lust from men.

Now, this above photo, may seem very normal to an American lesbian woman, but may offend both the conservative Muslim person and many heterosexual people. In this case it may not be so much what they are wearing, but that they are two same-sex people showing affection in a public place.

And finally, above, we have a heterosexual couple showing affection on the beach, but in this case they are totally nude and very much immodest! This may offend people from Muslim, Christian and homosexual communities. So see how things can be extreme to one person and not to another? Tell us your thoughts, views and comments below:

Is It Macho Or Attractive For A Young Man To Be Smart?

Are smart young men "hot" to young women? Is high intelligence attractive on a man? We have all seen movie stereotypes of young men who are smart. They are often called "geeks" or "nerds" in those movies, and they are not the most "popular" kids in school. But what about real life? Does this movie stereotype carry over into real perceptions?

A recent article by the Associated Press: In A First, Women Surpass Men In Advanced Degrees. Could this be that there are simply more opportunities for women now? Or could it be that boys don't want to be seen as a nerd, geek, uncool or unmasculine so they purposely avoid getting good grades, to look more "cool"?

Here is an interesting thread about this: Is Being Intelligent Considered Uncool In America?

And in this wonderful article, Managing His Image: The Challenge Facing A Gifted Male, says that:
"Gifted males concerned with image issues may become academic underachievers if their adolescent culture does not value academic success. Many bright young men may do poorly in school, not simply because they aren't motivated to study, but because they are intent on maintaining their status in a peer group that regards academic achievement as uncool. Maintaining their image may require decisions that are detrimental to long term adjustment. Gifted males may be forced to mask their true identities to survive in a "macho teenage male culture".
The masculine mystique and value system comprise a set of beliefs that defines what our society regards as masculine. These values are learned early in childhood and may be based on rigid gender role beliefs. One feature of this masculine mystique is the belief that vulnerability, weakness and academic success in school are signs of femininity to be avoided at all costs.

If America wants to have smart kids, should the government and the media try harder to change the image of the smart young man? What do you think about this issue? Please leave your comments below:

Do Parents Allow Their Children To Be Exposed To "Mature" Content?

If I had a dollar from each parent who ever said, "My child is mature for his/her age," I would probably be a millionaire. Most parents tend to give their children a lot of credit when it comes to good looks, talent, intelligence, and general kindness. But is it wise to have children mature fast? Is it a good thing to have a mature child? Is it okay for young children to watch "South Park" (rated M for mature) and play "Grand Theft Auto" (rated M for mature) before the age of 17? What do you think? If you are a parent or grandparent, do you think it is okay? Do you think kids grow up too fast these days? Do you think exposure to violence at an early age makes children "de-sensitized"? Please comment below.

Culture War: Has Easter Become Too Commercial?

Has Easter become too secular and commercialized? Or has the Ēostre or "goddess of the dawn" festival become too Christian? Please leave your comments below.

Does Controversy Sell?

FOX News, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sarah Palin, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Jesse Ventura and many more seem to be very popular mostly because they talk about controversial issues that really get people riled up and hot under the collar. This new blog is going to test the theory that "CONTROVERSY SELLS" by posting the most controversial topics that can be found. You are encouraged to comment, but please keep it clean. NO PROFANITY. NO NAME CALLING, NO HATE ALLOWED. Let's debate the hottest topics under the sun, and have some fun! :) Let the flames begin!