At what price Fame?

What never ceases to amaze me is the lengths that people will go to in order to be famous. Case in point is this brutal beating of a young 16 yr old cheerleader by some of her fellow classmates here in Florida. I'm sure you've read about it by now because it has been all over the planet in the last 72 hours. What amazes me is the fact that it now appears that the whole thing was set up in such a fashion so that the people doing the beating would get their "15 minutes of fame" once it was broadcast on the Internet. They apparently used multiple cameras in order to get multiple angles of the beating and all the while you have roughly 6 young kids that are in the process of committing a crime with no remorse. A few years ago some other teens went on a "destruction spree" and broke into a home that was empty so that they could destroy it and destroy it they did for hours. And yep, you guessed it, they videotaped the whole thing so that they could eventually post it online. In this modern day of the YouTube and MySpace generation few things are taboo. This generation thinks it's "cool" to act like idiots and then post it on the Internet for all to see. What they do is not really important just as long as someone sees them doing it. That's where the notoriety comes in. But can you really blame them? After all how long have we as adults been watching "reality" TV? It's not enough that we worry about OUR daily trials and tribulations we now have to watch OTHER people's lives as well. Have you seen some of these shows? Big Brother....really? How interesting can it be to watch people just live their daily lives day in and day out? It must be VERY interesting since so many are watching it. What about Real World, The Bachelor, Survivor, The Amazing Race or the Real Housewives of Orange County and the list goes on and on and on and on. Are we so bored with our own lives that we have to tune in to watch other people's lives as well? Now don't get me wrong, I in now way condone this stupidity and I think they should all be held accountable for their actions. However, the problem I see is this: no matter what the situation may be, once you bring in a camera the whole perspective changes. People begin to act differently, they "play" to the camera. Everyone wants to be famous and wants as many people as possible to know their names. The prospect of cashing in on that fame is the big draw. If there is a way for us to make money by just being ourselves then why not? It's not harming anyone is it? Well yes and that is my concern. How far will we push this before we push too far? Have you seen The Moment of Truth? The game show where you get to answer some VERY personal questions and then see if a lie detector agrees with your answer. The more you answer correct the more money you win. I have watched this only once and once was enough. I was amazed at how far some people would go just to be, you guessed it, famous. They would ruin their marriages, destroy friendships or family relationships all for the prospect of money and fame. At what point though do we start paying to watch people die? When does it become the Colosseum of Roman times and we start paying to watch the bloodsport unfold? Will we know when we have crossed that line? Have we crossed it already? As this trend continues I predict that the violence, cold-heartedness and outright criminal behavior will increase until something is done to regulate it. When does "free speech" cross the line and become criminal? Just because someone refers to it as art is it? There are quite a few unanswered questions as you can see and lately there haven't been any answers. So then let me put the question to you: What would you be willing to do for the chance to become famous?

Islam: The Gathering Storm

According to the Vatican Islam is now the largest world religion. Catholicism used to be with 17.4% of the world's population but now Islam can claim 19.2% of the world's population. Now as far as statistics go this is somewhat mundane. Why should I care you say? Well I'll tell you why. Islam is the ONLY religion on the planet that states that if someone REFUSES to be converted then they MUST be killed. That's right. There aren't any Islamic "missionaries" out there trying to better the world and bring people into a better understanding of who their god is...instead when Islam is spread it is done so with violence. That is the main reason why it is called: The Religion of the Sword. If you study it's beginnings you'll see that when Mohammad brought these "new" teachings to the Arabs at the time they rejected him as did the Jews and the Christians and he actually for a short period of time was in fear of his life because he was branded a heretic. Soon though he and his devoted followers, with the help of a benefactor, grew stronger and began to convert the peoples in Arabia by force. There was much blood spilt in the beginning of the establishment of Islam and that continues today. Now there are some"moderate" Muslims out there who just want to practice their faith and be left alone but there is a growing minority that craves power and confrontation and in the last 25 years they have launched a new attack on civilization. These are the radicals, the Wahabbists who follow the teachings of Syed Qtub (Wahabbism) and who plan to spread Islam by force and ultimately to rule the whole world. That is their goal. These Muslims have no affiliation with Muslims that are not part of the "jihad" and consider them to be legitimate targets as well. They have patience and are willing to wait for that time but the plans are being made and the soldiers are being trained. Think about this: Islam now controls most of the Middle East, most of SW Asia and is rapidly starting to gain a foothold in Europe through immigration. Once they outnumber the non-Muslims they will put their plan into motion. They are biding their time, waiting, watching, training, praying.....for the right time to strike. Make no mistake, there is a storm gathering in the horizon and it's moving quickly in this direction.