Speaker of the House (of God)

http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2008/08/speaker-of-the.html

I found this piece during a search in my editing class (where else?). It revolves around some of the comments Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made during her recent appearance on "Meet the Press". It revolves around some statements she made about the debate between the pro-choicers and the pro-lifers. Some of the things she said rang true, such as the debate about when life begins (conception or otherwise), but other things mentioned, such as using theology to justify a pro-life position, came off the wrong way. There was some outcry and backlash.

To be honest, it took me a few reads for me to really grasp the concepts. The writing was not the most fluent, but once I read it a few times, it started to sink in. I'll give the author credit for writing a well-crafted article.

This is a tricky editorial to write, but I really do think the author did well with a sensitive subject. The issue is a very easy one for the media to choose to chastise a political candidate for their beliefs. Whatever one thinks about the issue of abortion, it is, in my opinion, wrong to bring religion into the political realm (I actually had a conversation with someone about this last weekend), and those who do should suffer the backlash. This editorial was careful though, and that is why it worked. It's words were chosen wisely.

My alter ego

This is a test post. Right now, I (hopefully) am not being graded yet, so I figure I may as well try out the new blog with some useless (or useful) information.

I created an alter ego when I was a freshman in college: Eric Q. Awesome. I don't know if the alter ego really has a different personality than I do, but I really, really liked the name.

The "Eric", of course, is my first name, so that was a given. The "Q", on the other hand, comes from the phrase "John Q. Public." I remember hearing Phil Hartman saying it in an interview, and I thought it was the funniest thing I have ever heard. To this day, I still laugh about it. So I guess the "Q" means I am for everyone (whether or not that is true is up for debate).

Then comes the "Awesome"...it really doesn't have any significance. I just liked the ring of it. Eric Q. Awesome. Now THAT is a name.

I started using the name when I worked at WZND at Illinois State University. I would only use it occasionally, and I think I thought it was so ridiculous, it would work as a DJ name. I didn't use it constantly, but I would occasionally, just to keep the listeners on their toes. I did a show as a sophomore called "The 80s Rewind," a radio show that played all 80s music, and I would often use the name when talking to my co-hosts. For some reason, it always made them laugh.

These days, I only pull out the name on special occasions. It really doesn't have any meaning, but I still like to tell people it is my "alter ego." Still, when people ask what the alter ego is like, I don't know what to say. Is it really that different? I really don't know...

Note: This relates to news because I talk about my experience with radio (I know that is stretching a little thin, but this was only a test).