Freaky Friday came early this week...

Freaky Friday is my day to share and discuss news pieces I find interesting! There has been so much good news the last few days - with the TEA parties and Obama's travels - I decided my first Freaky Friday would come early this week...so, surprise!

You know online social media is getting out of control when this is the number 4 story on CNN's website:

Twitter race between Ashton Kutcher and CNN narrows

In other news...

Drug smugglers are becoming more creative
I have always said that drug smugglers are some of the most creative people out there! It's good that border control seems to be getting more creative in their searches, also.

Obama is backing Mexico's war on drugs
Did we expect him to oppose their war on drugs?

I think it's interesting that all of the news outlets like to point out how many people have been killed through gang/drug violence in the last two years in Mexico (the latest number I'm seeing is 8,000). Yes, it is sad that 8,000 people have lost their lives due to this non-sense, but if we're going to point out gang/drug homicide statistics, I think most Americans would be very unhappy to hear the numbers for the United States. Yes, we are a larger country, but nonetheless.

Also, most, if not all, of these 8,000 homicides have been on or near the border. It is a well-known fact that these gangs and drug smugglers are rivaling each other in order to make the big bucks, and that's how and why people are getting killed.

How do they make the big bucks? By successfully smuggling ridiculous amounts of marijuana and cocaine into the United States.

Why do they smuggle ridiculous amounts of drugs into the United States? Because the United States is where the demand is...it's sad, but it's true. If the United States didn't have such a high demand for the stuff, then the gangs would not be smuggling nearly as much into the country, which would lead to fewer gangs/less violence and fewer border control issues. Then, perhaps some, or most, of those 8,000 people wouldn't have been killed over the last two years!

TEA Parties
I typically enjoy reading BBC because it is unbiased like so many of the news outlets in the United States. However, I think they have their story partially incorrect on this one. It wasn't just 'Obama's opponents' rallying/protesting at TEA parties yesterday. It's my understanding that there were liberals, conservatives, democrats, republicans, libertarians and everyone in between at these events across the nation. In our town, there were even people there who have never even voted before because they were/are either too young or were not able to.

I have mixed feelings overall about the rallies, but no matter what your stance is on the issue-at-hand, you've got to give it to BBC for a well-worded, catchy opener to the article:

"Twenty-four hours of annual frustration and dread for law abiding citizens by the end of which they must send to the federal government either a completed tax form or a humble and carefully-phrased promise to do so in the very near future. There has always been a touch of drama to it [...] some big city post offices still stay open until midnight for tax payers who fancy an adrenaline-charged last-minute drive to meet the deadline. It has always been a day on which a degree of resentment against the government bubbles to the surface."

Gov. Rick Perry: Texas Could Secede, Leave Union
Governor Rick Perry attended three 'Tax Day Tea Parties' today...at his appearance in Austin, he gave a lengthy speech regarding the possibility of Texas splitting from the union...thoughts?

Obama's plan for an "overdue" high-speed rail in the U.S.
President Obama outlined his plan for an "overdue" high-speed rail that will stretch across the U.S., create jobs, and lower our dependence on oil. I have a few thoughts on this:

1) To say that a high-speed rail in the U.S. is overdue is an understatement - how long has Europe had a successful, awesome high-speed rail in place? A heck of a long time...it's time for us to climb on board!
2) It's going to create jobs and lower our dependence on oil - are there any negatives? I don't believe so.