Jason Collins

A couple days ago Jason Collins announced that he was gay. The reason this event is receiving so much media coverage is that he was the first male professional athlete to announce being gay. For the most part, the athletic world has been very supportive, as President Obama even called him to support him. Click here to read more about this event.

What is interesting to me is that it took such a long time for an athlete to come out. Although being gay has not been completely accepted amongst society, there have been large strides for this.  Many people are hopeful that this event will give more people hope in the future, and push for gay rights in society. But it seems like professional athletes have a long way to go considering Collins is the first ever athlete to come out. Why do you think that is?

Airline's Becoming Less Safe?

A policy change to air travel was supposed to be put into affect this week, as passengers were to be able to carry pocket knives onto planes. However, this policy has been delayed for an unknown time due to a reconsideration. Click here to read more on this controversy.

TSA argues that by allowing pocket knives onto planes, they could scan for more threatening weapons with more ease. Although a valid point, I do not think that should be the reason why we start allowing a weapon to be carried onto airplanes. Pocket knives can pose a threat to many lives on an airplane depending on the situation. It seems ridiculous to sacrifice our safety so that we can get through security lines quicker. The system that has been in place with TSA has been successful since 9/11, so I don't see a reason to change it now. What do you think? Should this policy pass?

Boston Marathon Explosions

Yesterday, two timed bombs went off near the finish line at the Boston Marathon. This tragic event has affected the country. More than 100 have been reported injured, and 3 people have died. Our country is still trying to comprehend this horrible attack, as it is the worst attack on U.S soil since 9/11. To read more on the bombing click here.

The bombs have been reported as being made of pressure cookers, put inside backpacks, which were placed near the finish line. For an event like a marathon, many people where backpacks around. Therefore, it would have been extremely difficult to catch the attackers before the attack (even though there were many police and dogs at the event). Do you think anything else could have been done to prevent this incident? Also, do you think our countries security for large events, such as sporting events or marathons, should be increased in general? If so, how? Please post thoughts below.

Steroids Amongst Athletes

Steroids have become a large issue in professional sports today. Steroids can give an athlete a large advantage over other athletes with minimal work. Therefore, all large sporting leagues create many penalties and fines for athletes using steroids. Despite this, it is predicted that 55-60% of all professional athletes still use these drugs (Dr. Lehman, US center for sports medicine). This percentage is only an estimate, given that not all athletes that use steroids are caught. In fact, one source predicts that over 95% of NFL players use steroids, as it is almost a requirement to succeed in professional football. Click here to read more on this issue.

Some people argue that steroids should be legal so that every athlete can be on a level playing field. That way, the 55-60% of athletes that use steroids wouldn't have an unfair advantage over the rest of the athletes. Personally, I think allowing steroid use would be a bad idea because it would change the nature of every professional sport in a way that would be less exciting. It is more exciting watching someone hit a homerun based off of talent rather than the drugs they put in their body. What do you think? Should the use of steroids be allowed in professional sports?

Safety At Home

Defense in the U.S is always a pressing issue in politics. In the past Obama has been more lenient in putting money into missile defense programs. That being said, recently 1 billion dollars was just invested into interceptors for missiles. Why? It's because of North Korea. North Korea has been testing missiles, and they recently sent a missile as far as the Philippines. This is about half the distance from North Korea to the United States.

Although it seems improbable that North Korea will develop a missile that can effectively reach America within the next few years, the threat still looms over our country. As long as this threat remains, I believe our government should do as much as possible to ensure our countries safety. If that means investing billions of dollars into defense systems, then that’s what it takes. What do you think should be done? Has Obama invested enough money into missile defense? Or should less money be invested into this program? Post below. (to read more on this topic click here)

Quick Decisions

In California, an elderly woman recently died at a nursing home. Although sad, this event would not have been news worthy if it weren't for the circumstances in which she died. After having a heart attack, the nearest nurse called 911. The operator told the nurse to begin CPR, which the nurse replied was against protocol, and therefore she couldn't. As a result, the elderly woman died. Click here to read more about the story. 


In my opinion, this nurse made a big mistake. Instead of following protocol, she should have followed our most important right as U.S citizens: the right to life. If she began CPR on the elderly woman, her life could have possibly been saved, and no one would have been angry towards the nurse for 'breaking protocol'. What do you think? Is it more important to follow the rules, or do what you think is best under pressure situations? Comment below.

Rodman, The Face of the U.S?

In communist N. Korea, Leader Kim Jong Un has made many threats against the U.S. Additionally, he has violated many basic human rights for people in N. Korea. This being said, he invited former NBA player, Dennis Rodman to go to N. Korea and talk with him. Kim Jong Un is a big basketball fan, and wanted the chance to talk to one of basketball's greatest players. Click here to read about Rodman's experience, and watch an interview with Rodman. 

After watching the interview with Rodman, I began to think whether it was beneficial or not to have him go and meet with Kim Jong Un. Rodman has many tattoos and piercing's (look above), and is not very educated. Additionally, he has had issues with alcohol, domestic violence, and interfering with cops.

For these reasons, I don't think it was in the best interest of The United States to have Rodman travel to North Korea, especially because relations are very tense (and serious) between the two countries. He went as a private citizen but to many in North Korea he may represent more.  What do you think? Was Rodman's trip to North Korea beneficial to the U.S?