Rarely do my schizoid liberal/conservative tendencies get see-sawed up and down with merely one glance at the headlines at cnn.com

Conservative:

Headline (they've changed it since): Police taser sixth grader.
(It has since been amended to add that he was attacking a girl.)

My reaction: Why didn't they include the information that this was a 200 pound boy beating up a girl. That the boy did not obey the police orders to stop?

See, if the police give you a lawful order, obey it or prepare to be maced, tasered or shot. The police are the front line of our civilization. This democracy we have is nothing but an accepted ideal that we will all behave in certain ways and follow the laws we have put in place to safeguard our pursuits of life, liberty and happiness. Law breakers are directly challenging this ideal and the police have the poorly paid job to deal with them. To protect us. Let's stop painting them as the bad guys all the time. (Yes, I know, some of them have been abusive and racist. So have teachers and nurses and doctors and sales clerks and lawyers and business owners - remember nothing is all or nothing)

Liberal:

Headline: SeaWorld Whale Has History of Attacks

Okay. Here is the thing. The trainer chose to be there, performing for the crowds. The whale did not. Period. If you chose to work with wild animals, be prepared to accept responsibiility for putting yourself in harm's way when they act like wild animals. If a wild animal has attacked before, don't use it in performances anymore. When man takes an animal and domesticates it or imprisons it outside its natural habitat, then man is responsible for the proper care and treatment of that animal. And that includes recognizing its limitations.


Thor sez: Freeze you vile miscreant!
Loki sez: I didn't do nothing. It's my cousin's nip. No, I don't know his name or where he lives. But it's his nip. I ain't never seen that nip before in my life.