"Well, What About Poland?"

What ABOUT Poland? It's POLAND, for Pete's sake!

But before I get to that, here's the slip-ups that Kerry made (that i noticed, anyways):

1. He said something about cornering bin Laden, then letting other countries try and capture him. A few minutes earlier, he had just criticized Bush for not letting other countries in on Iraq. Of course, this could have been easily clarified by Kerry in that bin Laden was OUR original target, therefore WE should capture him, just to be sure, but Bush never brought it up anyways, so yeah.

2. At one point, Kerry said that exercising the right to pre-emptive war should pass the "global test". Bush pointed this out, but didn't impact it enough. He could've talked more about how the safety of the American people must be valued above this global test, but he left it at one sentence.

And the great moments:

1. Bush pausing for what seemed to be several weeks as he tried to remember what he had just petitioned to be allowed to say.

2. Kerry saying that Bush "outsourced" the job of capturing bin Laden to Afghan warlords. Way to work in a domestic topic, Senator.

In the big picture, I'd say that Kerry did pretty well in this first debate. Foreign issues were supposed to be Bush's strong point, but Kerry showed decisively that he could have done much better in Iraq, and how Bush's policy on nuclear ("nukular") weapons contradicted itself (i.e. Iraq and North Korea).
Bush repeatedly mentioned inconsistency on Kerry's part, but he really didn't link it to questions, arguments, or topics well enough to make it relevant.
Kerry managed to take all of these attacks on his conviction and clearly state how in fact, Bush was the one sending mixed messages, not himself.
There were also some really stupid arguments made near the beginning of the debate, but they filtered out after a few questions.
End result: Kerry is really the better debater, and if this topic was supposed to be Bush's forte, I don't know if the domestic debate is going to even be television-appropriate.

And Poland, Mr. President, does not constitute a coalition.

What Is a Team?

The rest of this post is copied from ha's blog, and I can't agree more.

Last year, a group of unbelievably dedicated seniors took on the responsibility of managing and running an entire speech and debate team. They did a friggin' awesome job, and kept us together, didnt they? We learned, we conquered, we stayed together, we worked together, and we did it all with love.

But of course, those seniors graduated last year, and the whole team went into the hands of someone new (which was cool!).

Suddenly, it seemed as if everyone on the team had forgotten what they were in the first palce; a TEAM. People began doing exactly what the past seniors had constantly kept at bay, and prevented. Selfish goals were at hand now, people were backstabbing eachother, and nothing in the phrase "for the sake of team" seemed to ring a bell. We've all forgotten...and now, in a mere 6 weeks, we've managed to take down the very foundation of what yesterday's great leaders had tried to leave us.

Just a few weeks ago, a few enthusiastic debaters (myself included) had an argument with a few people over the definition of a team. It all boiled down to how a certain other club WASNT a true team, and how speech n debate functions better because we are. The message sent over and over was "a team is not just a group of individuals." The reason why the debate team was so strong last year was because we worked together like a family. And so we preached on about that for about another hour...

But then, just two weeks later, I find myself thinking, "We're turning ourselves INTO a group of individuals." And this...is not a team. What have we done to ourselves, guys?

Out of sheer frustration in an attempt to revive the soul of something lost, I've decided to post the following:

WHAT IS A TEAM?
A team is a group of individuals with a common goal never forgotten.
A team works together.
Team members will always listen to one another.
Team members always try to cheer up other team members when they're sad.
A team member will not let another team member fall, because...
The team falls to the level of its lowest member.
No one is neglected on a team.
Everyone shares equal responsibility on a team.
"We are an army of one."
A team member always shows respect for another team member.
"There is no 'I' in team."
A team will always support those in it.
Team members don't talk BAD about other team members.
Team members do NOT take advantage of other team members.
"UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL."
You are always part of this team.
The actions of one affect all on a team.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HATE ON A TEAM.
A team is always there for you.
Personal problems have no place on a team.
Selfishness has no place on a team.
A team believes in what it strives for.
A team leaves NO ONE behind.
A team understands what a team is.

Please try to remember, you guys. We've all grown to love this team. At least, I have. And I could never forgive myself knowing that I was a part of this team, and I was a part of allowing it to fall...

The Godfather

I need a bumper sticker (for my nonexistant car) that says:

How's My Conducting?
Call 281-555-8697

Maria just told me that the love theme from the Godfather has lyrics:

LOVE THEME FROM 'THE GODFATHER' (Speak Softly Love)
(N. Rota - L. Kusik • Famous Music Corporation/ASCAP 2:59)

Speak softly love
And hold me warm against your heart
I feel your words
The tender trembling moments start

We're in our world
Our very own
Sharing a love that only
Few have ever known

Wine colored days, warmed by the sun
Deep velvet nights, when we are one

Speak softly love
So no one hears us but the sky
The vows of love we make
Will live until we die

My life is yours
And all because
You came into my world with
Love so softly love

[Musical interlude]

Speak softly love
So no one hears us but the sky
The vows of love we make
Will live until we die

My life is yours
And all because
You came into my world with
Love so softly love

That's so awesome.

Bittersweet

Bittersweet. The juxtaposition of two opposites. An oxymoron, some might say, but I think I know what whoever coined that word was talking about.

It's intense longing with extreme pleasure.
It's doing something great but having to stop right before you get there.
It's being able to see something but not have it.
It's having an emotional connection but being barred from having anything more.
It's sitting right next to someone but not being able to hold their hand.
It's enjoying the moment, knowing that it'll be over far too soon.
It's fighting off tears of joy and sadness at the same time.

It's not knowing if you'd do it all over again if you had the choice.

Wow.

So I haven't posted on here in a LONG time. You know, I feel like a lot of blogs are going uncared for recently...I wonder if that's a phase or a permanent phasing out of blogs? I hope it's the former...blogs are an excellent way for us to feel even MORE wired to each other.
My TestMasters class is full of mutes. Seriously. They just don't talk.
Oh, and I was watching The Godfather (part I) today. It's an excellent movie; everyone should see it.
Get some sleep, people. The school year is just getting started.