April 11, 2008
FOUR FOR FRIDAY
Q1 - Moving: If you were forced to leave your home for a location at least 500 miles away for one year, where would you choose to go? Keep in mind that your job would be secure and your financial situation would the same as it is now (mysteriously, your job would follow, and of course, if you're married or have kids or animals, they'd be able to come with you and you'd all live at the same standard as you do now).
Q2 - Recycling: An all-time high of 56% of the paper consumed in the United States in 2007 was recovered for recycling, according to the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), setting an all-time high and achieving an industry goal five years ahead of schedule. In announcing this news earlier this week, AF&PA also set a new goal of 60% recovery by 2012. Do you recycle paper? If so, what percentage would you say goes into a recycling bin?
Q3 - Crime: The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced last week that 63-year-old Louis McGuinn, a/k/a "Lowell Craig McGuinn," was sentenced to one year of probation and one hundred hours of community service for wearing service medals and badges--including the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, and multiple Purple Heart medals--that he did not earn or have authorization to wear. McGuinn, who was discharged from the Army in 1968 as a private, falsely held himself out as a Lieutenant Colonel. In imposing the sentence, the Judge stated that he took account of the "likely damage the defendant caused to the prestige" of individuals that had legitimately earned the medals, and specifically imposed community service to try to "redress damage to the community because of the defendant's misconduct." Do you think it should be illegal for someone to wear armed service medals and badges they did not earn, and in this case, do you feel the punishment fit the crime?
Q4 - Friends: If you could have prevented one thing from happening between yourself and a family member or a friend, what would that one thing have been?
Posted by Mikal at April 11, 2008 1:25 PM
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q1: hong kong
q2: I recycle as much paper as I can. I'd guess 70% of the paper I use gets in a recycle bin. Though the janitors that clean our office think the blue bins are just garbage. I've had to add a "NOT GARBAGE" label to my recycle bin. It stopped getting dumped on a nightly basis after that.
q3: Sorry it was too long a question for me to get through.
q4: hmm...nothing too bad from recent memory. I'll have to get back to you on that one.
Q1 I would go to Boston. I have always wanted to live there and my wife would love it.
Q2 I recycle about 30% of the paper I use. It would be more, but a lot of stuff I print out is sensitive and must be shredded.
Q3 I don't really think it should be illegal to wear a medal or badge they didn't earn. If they use it to deceive or take advantage that could be a crime, but just wearing it shouldn't be a crime. I don't think the punishment fit the crime. If it were a crime, they should put him on the front lines until he does something worthy of a purple heart.
Q4 I would have not participated in the office pranks on James Cordova. Not! I still laugh about that.
1- Florida. Chris is there and it's warm. Woo
2- Well I try to recycle my papers at work, but I'm pretty sure the cleaning people just empty the can I put them in, even though it's blue and has the recycle logo.
3-Shesh, I don't know! I think what that guy did is really disrespectful and he could use some community service.
4-Hmmm, I don't think I would have prevented anything. I've never been a really dramatic person so I've never done anything that caused a scene or broke up a friendship.
PS- WOO for being the first to answer the Friday questions!!
1. Given all those circumstances, it's almost pointless. To me, a lot of value in going somewhere else for a year would be to live in a different culture where living like I do now would be impossible. I would love to visit a lot of places, but to pull one out of the hat, I think living in Paraguay, near Iguacu Falls.
2. I recycle at work, but with the amount of snail junk mail I trash at home, my total recycle to trash ratio is pretty bad, maybe 5%.
3. I think community service perfectly fits if you consider the crime to be "'likely damage the defendant caused to the prestige' of individuals that had legitimately earned the medals." On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with freedom of expression. I say if he didn't try to subvert military command or something akin to 'impersonating an officer' then there's no crime in what he did, regardless of how offensive it might be.
4. There's a million painful things that human nature makes me wish had never happened, but I'll take an optimists view and say that there's been too much personal growth as a result of those events to want to throw any of them away.
Q1 - Moving: I have already lived in Alaska for a summer and it was amazing. Since this sounds more like an adventure move for only a year, I would go foreign. Southeast Asia somewhere, Thailand, Polynesia or somewhere like that.
Q2 - Recycling: I was just thinking about this the other day. I don't recycle paper or anything for that matter, but I don't subscribe to the newspaper. But, I was thinking of how I can be more "green" lately and paperless credit card and bank statements is on my to-do list.
Q3 - Crime: No. People do it in movies all the time.
Q4 - Friends: I probably wouldn't have made out with a girl the my brother liked and had already made out with. He was so mad he punched his fist into the door of our apartment and put a huge dent in it (metal front door). Then he didn't talk to me for a week or so. We're over it now, but the make out definitely wasn't worth it!
1. Hawaii
2. Yes. No idea.
3. If its fraud, yes. If its a misunderstanding, maybe. I don't think there is a one-answer-fits-all-circumstances answer for this problem.
4. No idea. Maybe I should piss someone off so that I can answer affirmative to this question?
1. I would have to think about that. I would defiantly leave the country, maybe someplace in Europe.
2. I would like to say that I recycle more, but I defiantly do what I can. I grew up in a family that is very conservative about using more paper then necessary. I always had to ask for paper whenever I wanted to print anything off the family printer (pain in the ass...). And my dad doesn't believe in napkins or paper towels still.
3. First of all, it is silly that these issues even come up. Being a Lieutenant is obviously a hard earned and highly respected position. Community service sounds like a good punishment, although maybe counseling may fit the crime better...
4. I can't think of anything off the top of my head. But I do not believe in regrets; I think there is something to learn from every situation.
1. Sydney, Australia
2. I probably recycle about 70% of mine. I'm gonna miss taking my bags of shredded paper to the recycling bins at work though. That was so convenient.
3. I don't think that it should be illegal to wear medals and awards that you didn't earn. I can imagine someone wanting to wear them as a memorial to a deceased loved one. Someone who is wearing them in an effort to deceive others is a different issue though. It still shouldn't be illegal, but in those cases the person can and should be charged with other civil crimes, especially if it can be proven that the person gained from misrepresenting himself.
4. I would have not allowed my then-friend Doug to live with me for a month. Wow, did he ever play me.
1. South Carolina...somewhere
2. Yes, 45%
3. Yes
4. I wish I could have prevented the recent sudden death{9 Feb 2008} of my soul- mate/best-friend/God-Father to my youngest son. He was a young 55 years. I miss him everyday. The world is a lessor place because of his passing.
1. I'd like a shot in the arm after living in happy valley utah. Maybe LA or Tokyo, just to keep me on my toes.
2. Get about half my paper into the recycle bin. the other half is in ice cream containers and stuff that other food lives in. I would be pissed if I were working at the recycle center and see some nasty cheese encrusted pizza box coming down the pipe.
3. No that's lame man, so what he's a poser. There's bigger posers doing worse things than that, like those in the U.S. executive branch. If he wears those things around, then he's touched and is internally punished with his psychosis and social ineptitude. I'm tired of those who think pride is something to be highly admired. I think the biggest war heroes are the ones that usualy refuse to tout their endevours during war. The medal is not the action, to take so much stock in a piece of abstract symbolism is to loose site of the act itself.
4. Oh hmm kinda personal but I would say it would have to deal with my father, and not speaking for 15 years. I have a few ideas on what I should and shouldn't have done.
Q1 - Moving: Easy. San Diego. I've been threatening to move there since I was about 5 years old. Unfortunately, I'll probably never be able to afford it.
Q2 - Recycling: Mmm... maybe 30 percent? Almost all of it junk mail.
Q3 - Crime: OH MY GOSH! Are you sure you want me to answer this? Short answer: line him up and shoot him. Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh. I'd say the punishment fits.
Long answer: It doesn't sound like too many people have much of an idea what it takes to become a Lt. Col. (a heckuva lot more than it takes to become a mere Lt.) or earn the Distinguished Service Cross. A good chunk of people who have been awarded that medal don't walk around with it pinned to their chest bragging about it because it was awarded posthumously (and most who have been awarded the medal while still alive wouldn't ever tell you because they don't feel deserving of it). If you've done something to earn that medal, then you have probably gone above and beyond to selflessly put your own life at great risk -- and in many cases given your life -- to save others, all without hesitation or a second thought. I can guarantee you that this gentleman has benefited a great deal by pretending to have the incredible amounts of motivation, hard work, experience, and leadership skills required to become a Lt. Col. as well as the incredible amounts of respect a Distinguished Service Cross earner would receive. I know Marines who are alive today because somebody else purposely threw themselves on a grenade, giving up their life, in order to save everybody else's sorry butt. That guy didn't get a Navy Cross (the Marine equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross)... so you see, it takes something particularly special -- more than "just" dying to save others -- to earn that medal. That man who lied about earning the Distinguished Service Cross has spit on the grave of every soldier that has ever truly earned that medal. Imagine that man pissing on the grave of the person you have the most respect for. Imagine the person in the grave died so that you could live. Then you might understand why people get uptight about stuff like that.
*whew* okay, moving on...
Q4 - Friends: Waaaay too personal.
Q1: Key West
Q2: Yes, we recycle. I would estimate that 90% of our paper goes into the recycle bin. We have also stopped using paper plates for the most part.
Q3: Yes, it should be illegal just as it should be illegal to claim that you earned a diploma you didn't earn (is that illegal?) I think the 1-year probation is a little stiff, but the community service is a good idea.
Q4: Falling out of touch with an old college buddy. Of course, with a little effort, we might be able to fix this one.
1. I'd probably go to a city or state I've never lived before, one that I'm curious about and keep on my list of places to visit. Portland, OR and Portland, ME are on the top of my list at the moment.
2. I recylce all magazines and junk mail. I try and make sure it all goes into the recycling bin, but I'm sure I forget a few...I'd say I recycle about 75% of paper.
3. It's called fraud. He was impersonating a Lieutenant Colonel...so yeah, he should be punished in some way.
4. I would have prevented losing a friendship over a misunderstanding. If we could have discussed it and looked at it from each person's point of view, it would have made a difference and saved the friendship.
1. Shanghai. Some place less exotic but beautiful like San Diego would be a close second.
2. About 70% my paper is recycled. At home and school I'm really good. Unfortunately, I think the cleaning lady at work throws away all of the paper we collect in the recycling bin.
3. I think that wearing medals is 'perpetrating a fraud' and is worthy of a penalty. I think that the probation was a fair sentence.
4. I would have spoken up and not let a friend marry their now ex-husband.
Q1 - Moving: Australia, mainly because the land is wild and I would blend well with the crazy folk there.
Q2 - Recycling: Ummmm I would say 2% of the items I use go to proper bins. And I throw garbage in my green waste dump. I’m a menace.
Q3 - Crime: So NOW it’s illegal for someone to lie. What are they going to do with Hilary Clinton??? Does she need to give us hours of community service for defacing all women around the world? She wears their medals and accomplishments on her sleeve and then she “exits planes under sniper fire”. If this guy is punished then it should apply to all in authority.
Q4 - Friends: If you could have prevented one thing from happening between yourself and a family member or a friend, what would that one thing have been?
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