Disturbance in the Force

Two news stories from yesterday, plastered on the front page of the newspaper today, really hit close to home.

Idiot:
The commuter train wreck in CA. If you feel the urge to kill yourself, then do us all a favor and take care of it in the privacy of your own home. I used to be an angst-ridden teen and had contemplated suicide - I once had to keep myself from stepping on the gas and plowing into the speeding train going by in front of me. One of the more prevalent thoughts was to just jump out in front of a bus. But then I would think, How guilty would that bus-driver feel for the rest of his life? I couldn't do that to him. Obviously I'm still here and very glad that I am. But 11 more people aren't because of this dumb bastard who "changed his mind." I guess he'd seen too many movies and TV shows where the train just blows through the vehicle on the tracks and keeps on going... Hollywood should consider a little more reality and show that trains aren't necessarily glued to the tracks. Plus, derailment would make for an intense action sequence. I hope irony finds its way to Glendale and gives that guy the death sentence.

Idiocy:
Iraq. What a waste of time. What a waste of resources. What a waste of young American lives. What are we even doing over there? There are dictatorships and slavery and genocide prevalent all over the world. If people want freedom and democracy, they'll find a way to escape and make it over to America. My family did. My mother lost family members trying to escape the communist take-over in Laos and she spent time in a refugee camp after crossing the border into Thailand. But she found her way here and is making a good living for herself... that's what the USA should be about - not trying to spread our values and ideals to those who didn't ask for it. And now my cousin is shipping off to boot-camp in late February to join the Marines. I truly hope all this bullshit is over with before he gets stationed out there and gets hurt in a vehicular accident during a routine patrol.

I'm 26. My wife is a few years older than me, and she was so excited when she turned 30... she told me she never thought she'd make it that far. I didn't understand what she meant. How could I? I didn't lose a best friend until I was 22 - and a few more have gone since then. Now I know how she feels. Can I survive another 4 years and make it to my 30th birthday?

I'm sorry if I've brought the mood down a notch for anyone. Maybe I should have started a LiveJournal (or even better, a DeadJournal) for this posting. But with all of the natural disasters going on around the world, and all of the suicidal/homicidal idiots walking the streets... I hope everyone takes a moment to appreciate what they have (like the ability to play Poker with people around the world, and then write about it!); and maybe pick up the phone and call up an old friend just to say hi.