Everyone has his own taste in music.  Personally, if it ain’t got a twang, it ain’t got a thang.  My Napster music list is 80% country music (and if you’re interested, the rest is 80’s classics).  Anyone who’s into country music knows all too well the influence John Rich has.  He’s a heavy hitter, for sure.  His latest slam into Wall Street only solidifies this.  It’s the video, though, that has people talking.  The song, “They’re Shuttin’ Detroit Down”, tells a powerful and painfully honest story about the current state of affairs, both on Wall Street (that seemingly has no concern about the jobs being lost, specifically within the automobile industry) and on every manufacturing line in this country.

This is the first video I’ve recorded on my brand new DVR.  If you haven’t seen it, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice and you should take five minutes to see it here.  Trust me, it’s time well spent.  Kris Kristofferson and Mickey Rourke star in the video and play two blue collar workers who aren’t biting their tongues when Kristofferson’s character is laid off after thirty-plus years.  The video progresses to its end when a phone call is received and they rush to his home to find law enforcement evicting him due to foreclosure.  There are clips of the recent

John Rich

hearings in Washington when the big three’s head honchos admitted, albeit hesitantly, to traveling via their private jets to the hearings.  This only adds to Rich’s message.

Rourke, in his usual aggressive ways, invites the boss to “come down those stairs” (the boss wisely doesn’t) to discuss the decision his employer’s made when he learns of Kristofferson’s character’s pink slip.  One thing’s for sure, whether you’re Republican or Democrat, blue collar or white collar, or even a lawyer, there’s simply no arguing this song’s message and the video’s power.

Watch the video and decide for yourself.  My guess is if you’re not already, you’re about to become a fan of country music, or at least, a fan of John Rich.

We knew at some point DNA would be collected during every arrest, just as fingerprints are.  There are currently twelve states that collect DNA anytime anyone’s arrested for any crime.  Washington is attempting to become one of those states and insists swabbing a cheek is no more invasive than collecting

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fingerprints.  The law currently allows for DNA to be collected only after a felony conviction and some misdemeanors and only after either a search warrant is obtained or permission from the accused.  The two bills now being considered include one that allows the DNA collection before one’s convicted but after formal charges are filed.  The other bill, of course, allows DNA samples be provided by suspects at the time of arrest. 

The ACLU says it’s unconstitutional and is preparing for a court battle.  Part of the controversy has to do with minors.  No one has to be notified nor will police have to wait until a juvenile’s parents or lawyers show up before demanding - and collecting - the sample. 

The plan is, provided either or both of these bills are passed, to send it to a national database via the FBI for comparison against any open cases.  If there are no matches, the sample should be destroyed.   That sounds reasonable, although it’s worth mentioning fingerprint cards aren’t destroyed and are kept on file indefinitely at police departments across the country.  Fingerprints identify or clear people every day.  It’s not considered an invasion on any level.  So is it equal footing?  Should there be a clause that demands destruction of DNA samples if they don’t send up red flags?

And what about the costs associated with these samples?  In Washington State, a single DNA test costs over $80.00 to process.  One graph shows two million dollars spent on DNA testing in only two years should either of these bills be passed.

Lawyers with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers say it’s unfair to demand these samples, that they reveal too much and should be considered an unreasonable search and seizure. 

Regardless of what happens, Washington, as well as most other states, is facing financial cutbacks and growing backlogs of samples waiting to be tested.

Now that the newest president of the United States has been decided, we can once again watch national news channels without those frustrating three-tier tickers dancing across the bottoms of our screens and the familiar red and blue banners with up to the minute projections of the latest polls. Still, last night proved to be less than the brouhaha we might have expected. And that’s not a bad thing.

You might be interested to learn some of the propositions and decisions citizens made on state levels. I didn’t realize there were so many controversial initiatives and the combinations of what passed and what didn’t pass make for an image of what might be best described as “fickle”. Chalk it up to human nature.

Arkansas residents voted to ban single people from becoming foster parents, as well as shooting down any hope for singles to adopt. Not sure about this one. With the national foster care system desperate for safe environments to place foster children, it seems as though the losers in this decision will be the little ones who are desperate for some kind of normalcy and the undivided attention kids need.

Remember my post a couple weeks ago regarding the couple who disagreed on the fate of several embryos since their divorce? Well, in Michigan, voters decided to allow donated embryos that wouldn’t be implanted to be made available for stem cell research, provided the owners or donors (depending on how you define “embryo”) allowed the release. The initiative, better known as Proposal 2, doesn’t affect the illegality of human cloning.

Speaking of previous posts, read here for a recent post on assisted suicide. In Washington state, voters have decided to become one of only two states that allow terminally ill people to seek physician assisted suicides with no legal repercussions. Those wishing to end their lives must be declared competent with the probability of only six months or less before they would succumb to their diseases.

California’s initiative on gay marriage was not approved, along with Arizona and Florida’s own initiatives not passing either. It’s been suggested any same sex marriages that were performed in the window of a few months that the Supreme Court made it legal in California will not be deemed unlawful.

Another California proposal that was rejected was one regarding prostitution. Those in San Francisco who wanted it legalized insisted it would have saved tax dollars that are now used to arrest prostitutes and their clients and the other costs associated with these arrests.

And yet another California bill was regarding abortions. Voters decided to not require a minor’s parents be notified prior to performing an abortion. This rejection also applies to a two day waiting period for minors.

In Colorado, voters decided human life didn’t begin at conception; thereby ensuring abortions will remain legal. Not only that, but there were concerns that if this bill passed, it might lead the way for solid arguments against certain birth control methods. Again, another post can be read here.

Whether we agree or vehemently disagree with those chosen to run the country the next four years or any state-level decisions made during yesterday’s elections, one thing is clear - the 2008 election is finally behind us. And now we look forward to holidays that, if your family is like mine, will include way too much food and way too little time spent with family. By the time the Thanksgiving turkey is carved, the past few days will be a distant memory as we anticipate the results of our choices.