17 May 2010

Blockin' the Plate

This past Saturday, I got the opportunity to play softball with my friends' church team. It's a C-league team made up of people about my age that I usually go watch and hang out with, but due to a couple injuries, I was given the opportunity to fill in for a game.

Now, bear in mind that I haven't actually played softball or baseball in years. I've wanted to, but I had difficulty finding a team to join and with (in recent days) paying for a roster spot for myself. That said, I watch so much baseball on television or at the stadium that I feel pretty well-versed in how to play most positions and how to position myself on a variety of plays.

Normally, I would play shortstop or first base, given that those are my preferred positions. I try to shy away from the outfield because I have a weak right shoulder (my throwing arm) from an injury back in 10th grade. I can throw, but my shoulder tires very quickly and if I make certain throwing motions with a high degree of torque, I can strain it. For Saturday's game, however, I made my first ever start at catcher.

01 May 2010

The Problem of Being an Illegal Alien in Arizona

If you have ever been the victim of a break-in, you know how disheartening it is and how vulnerable it makes you feel. Someone comes to your house, smashes through your security - be that windows, doors, or alarm systems, and makes off with your stuff. If anyone's home, people can be hurt or even killed. But at the very least, some measure of harm is done to the tenants of that residence.

In discussing the immigration debate, it is very important to be as level-headed as possible. Emotions in a debate like this run very high, and it can be easy to assign blame to a person, a group, or even an entire race based on so-called facts and statistics. I have been reading as much news information and digesting various points of view over the past several days since Arizona Senate Bill 1070 was passed last week and signed into law so as to provide a clear perspective on the issue apart from allegations of fearmongering, racial profiling, unfairness to one class of people or another, and the strong emotions that flow through all of it.

Senate Bill 1070 says that officers of the Arizona law enforcement community may,