I don't usually want new laws. In fact, I want to revoke most that exist that sacrifice freedom for the sake of "intended" order or results-based initiatives. But, I have been riled up after watching the film "After Innocence" that depicts the exoneration and life after decades in prison of several innocent men. Each of the men were wrongly tried, and imprisoned for 10-30 years. Then, with the evolution of technology and the laborious push for a retrial, DNA evidence proved them innocent. Often, mistaken eye-witness accounts and over-zealous prosecutors ignored the evidence in the hopes of seeking immediate justice. Decades later, these men are released, without apology, and without a dime to their name. We are one of the only countries in the world without a loser-pay law system. If someone brings a frivolous lawsuit against you, and you go to court and win hands-down, you're still responsible for your entire court costs and legal fees. Similarly, we have in this country a loser-pay legal system. We take your life for 20 years, and we were wrong. We don't owe you a dime. Think again.

I had a boss who used to rail against my generation for letting fine arts die. She used to try and pawn us off tickets for the local opera and ballet performances. I had less than no interest. Today, I have become mesmorized by "So, You Think You Can Dance", the television show. Modern dance is amazing to me. And my generation will keep it around. We're simply going to let the un-fine arts die.

#4. James Madison
Lyrics can be found on the YouTube page itself.

Recently, a graveyard was discovered to have been exhumed near Chicago, and the corpses discarded in order to sell more burial plots. I didn't have a huge reaction to it when I heard the news. But, some people seemed traumatized by it. The thought of their relative's bodies being unearthed seemed to really shake them. As a Christian, I believe in a future resurrection of the body. So, burial makes more sense than cremation, simply because of the belief that the body and the soul are connected, not because God could not resurrect a cremated person. But, as far as visiting cemeteries and stuff...it's just a body. The spirit is temporarily gone. And this incident made me curious if more Christians or non-Christians visit dead relatives in cemeteries? Poll time. Let's hear your results.

Last weekend my wife and I attended a wedding just south of Indianapolis. The ceremony began at 2:30 PM. Mapquest claimed a close to 4-hour drive, so we left a little before 10:30 AM. Check my math. We arrived just before 2:30 PM.....central time. Turns out some parts of Indiana are on Eastern Time. We missed the whole thing. My question is: would you have made the same mistake, and if you were in charge of the invites and you knew half the attendees were coming from Chicago, would you have included an EST notice on the invite? Note: We were not the only couple to arrive an hour "late", and many people told us that they would have done the same thing, but they were warned by some other attendees.

I learned of my friend's divorce on Facebook. I'm not sure what to make of that yet.

Those books I shouldn't have read
get caught in my head
come out as truth
'cause i see it in black and white
conscious thought say goodnight
clean slate
mind blank

middle of tragedy
fingers go wildly
pointing at anyone other than me
while nothing gets done
that needs to get done
until the tv's had its say

if we had time
we'd still be in combat mode
using our quotes from
our favorite ex-voices
we would have been friends
but that all depends
on if we were exactly the same

i want a new mind
i want to be able
to tell truth apart
from a libelous fable
that's told to me
so delicately
to make me guilty
i believe.

#3. Thomas Jefferson
Lyrics can be found on the YouTube page itself.

They're too happy. My wife and I were playing tennis this weekend next to a couple of 35-year olds. They were adorable. Being so sweet to each other. Constantly giggling. I went up to the net and asked my wife what she thought their relationship was. She instantly replied, "Oh, they're not married." I had thought the same thing, and for a while I felt bad about that. But, then I realized that the only difference between them and us is that we're comfortable around each other. There's no awkward tension. We still go out and have fun. Love spending time with each other. Laugh. There's just no pressure. But, it did make sad that nearly all relationships start like those giggling 30-somethings, and that less than half stay laughing.

To me, this is a somewhat valid defense. Let's say you get caught speeding, and they see you're on your cell-phone while drinking a soda. This fictional state had recently passed a law that increased the serverity of the violation depending on how many simultaneous infractions they could cite you with. Since you had three, that puts you in jail overnight. How are you supposed to know when new laws come out? Police officers don't even really understand the law that well. I feel like ignorance actually matters here.