Dear Teddy and Curtis

Hey Teddy and Curtis. So, yesterday, we were talking about Obama, and how he won't have much of anything to say at the State of the Union address, largely because he hasn't done much of anything yet. Guantanamo bay was brought up, which I learned was still open for business. Apparently, the home countries of these international terrorists weren't keen on welcoming them back. Teddy suggested that we just shoot them.

This is when I pitched my amazing reality TV show idea, where said terrorists would spend a month living with the big wigs and important people in the White House. At the end of the series, the White House officials would decide if they still wanted to execute them, after spending so much time with them. They would, of course, refuse to lay a hand on their new foreign friends, and everone would be ecstatic and throw a party, and rainbows would appear in the sky and bask them in their glory, all the while spreading the message of love and coexistence to all the viewers at home. Ratings would be off the charts.

For some reason, you guys didn't immediately fall in love with my idea. Curtis, you called me a liberal. Teddy, you still wanted to shoot them.

It was about this time that I started thinking. I smiled and laughed and continued conversation, but a seed was planted in the massive pulsating vortex that is my subconscious. What would be a good way to explain this? Oh yeah- it was like a duck on a pond. On the surface(my face), everything seemed calm; on the inside(my brain), the water was churning. See what I did there?

So I'm liberal for not wanting these guys to be executed. Not trying to call you guys out or anything, but I couldn't disagree more. I can understand why you guys think this way. These people are responsible for killing tens, maybe hundreds of peoples. We imprisoned them to keep them away from anyone else. But why waste time trying to punish and rehabilitate people who've been so ingrained with their murderous mindset that they would most likely never change? Save them the suffering, and just get rid of them. Or maybe they deserve it. I don't know.

There's this song called "My Enemies Are Men Like Me" by Derek Webb. He sings in the chorus "how can I kill the ones I'm supposed to love? My enemies are men like me". He also makes the comparison that trying to spread peace by war was like "telling someone murder's wrong / then showing them by way of execution". The song is probably referring to when Jesus said "Love your enemies, and pray for those that persecute you." Matthew 5:44. Or even the commandment God gave saying "Love your neighbors as yourself." Leviticus 19:18. So either way you see the Guantanamo Bay detainees, enemies or neighbors, we've been commanded to love them.

Is it liberal to be against death? Especially the deaths of those that have yet to know and be saved by the God that loves all of his creation? Is this politics, or is it above something so petty and shallow?
                                                                                                                                 
This is what I think! Please don't get angry at me. We can talk about this. In real life this time. Only I won't be as deep and eloquent as the Joseph you see before you now.
Just kidding, I'm never eloquent.

P.S. Why am I so screwed for my AP Bio final? Oh yeah. Because I decided to write this instead of study. Is it bad that I don't regret that decision at all?