Coping

              It has been two days since I found out. And in those two days I have learned a lot, cried a lot, and slept. A lot. I have felt heartbreak I don't think I have ever felt and never want to feel again. I have broken down over literal spilled milk, missing socks, and bad puns. I have felt a connection with a group of people I hardly know because we feel the same pain, and I have been angry. Very, very angry. I have written in my journal multiple times a day. The first day I asked God, "how DARE you take away someone who had so much left to live? How DARE you take away someone who I wasn't ready to say goodbye to? How could you let someone come into my life and make me feel so happy and be the sister I wanted and the friend I needed and then just take them away? How DARE you?" I've gone through the it should have been me's and the breakdowns in the shower and every time I see someone mention her on facebook or I read about it on a news website or I hear someone talking about her it all begins again. Because I am not ready to let go of Carissa. No one is. She was a bright light in our lives. She was headstrong, argumentative, and sometimes downright annoying but that girl knew how to put a smile on your face, and exactly what to say to make anyone feel better. She had this beautiful smile. She hated her smile, but it was gorgeous. She had dreams. She had plans for the future. She was full of life, and love, and she was such a wonderful human being. And that is how I'll always remember her.
      And that is one of the things that is helping me through all this. Is that I have all these wonderful memories with Carissa. Like, the first night we met. Adam introduced me to her. She came over and we just - started talking. We walked up to Motel Nicholas where she used to live with her mother, and made smoothies, then we went back down to my house and just sat in my room doing random stuff and playing games on her little pink laptop. Carissa loved that little pink laptop. It hardly worked and always had some virus or another but it was her baby. At the end of the night, which was about two or three in the morning she looked up at me and said "dude, you're awesome" and we were friends after that. And we continued to hang out, going running, which was actually us walking very slowly from her house to mine and talking about cute boys, going to the spot and watching the sun rise and set, driving to Spokane and going shopping, doing cheer together, playing wii together, and so much more, for five years. And sure, we fought. Over some pretty stupid stuff, too. But we were always friends at the end of it. And one day Carissa declared us sisters. And I never even tried to think of anything different to define our relationship because it was true. I loved her like a sister and I would have done anything for her.

Mariah T. And Stefanie Z-M got these tattoos. 

        I have been racking my brains trying to think of some way to pay tribute to my sister. And I can't think of  anything. Nothing will ever be as great as the memories I have with her. And I know that all she would ever care about is that I get up off the ground and stop crying. Because when she used to see me cry, she would get this super worried expression on her face. I didn't cry, I was supposed to dry her tears. She hated to see me cry because then it meant that something was very, very wrong. And I feel like she is up in Heaven giving me that same worried expression and tapping me on the shoulder with her manicured nails saying "it's all right, Lex". She was so easy to talk to about everything that was going on. We could go back and forth for hours, just talking about all our troubles in life and never ever feel bored. We could even sit in silence and it was still the best time, because we were just comfortable around each other. Carissa was the girl you weren't afraid to cry in front of or talk to because she probably would tell you something equally as bad or cry with you. She gave amazing hugs.

     Carissa was loved by almost everyone she came in contact with. And the ones that she loved hardest and the most are feeling the loss down to their very soul. I know because I'm one of them. I am just a girl who lost her friend. I cannot imagine what it is like to be Rebecca, or Adam, parents who have not lost one child, but two, or Shandara, who has lost both of her older siblings now, or any of the other members of Carissa's family. But just now that I am hurting for all of you as well. I am sorry that this had to happen to Carissa, I am sorry she was taken away from her family. I am so very sorry that such a beautiful being was taken from this Earth. 

Rest in Peace, Carissa. We all miss you. 

Without You

Carissa Lynn Amundson is my sister. And today I found out that she is dead. I refuse to talk about her as if just because she's no longer with me my connection to her is broken, because that's not true. Carissa will always be my sister. She will always be my best friend, and no matter what she will always be in my heart.

You don't just go through things with someone and then stop saying they're your sister or best friend because they leave. You just have to learn that some people can't be with you all the time, you know?

I have so many great memories with Carissa. She was my friend since the day we met. Within hours of meeting, we had our first sleepover and our first summer as friends was nothing short of magical. We spent most of our nights playing fugitive, or out at "the spot" watching the sunset and waking up when it rose. We screamed the lyrics to Cashinova's Spaceship in the car on the way to cheer practice and made up goofy dances while walking around town. The first time I took an overnight trip without my grandmother, it was Carissa. We went school shopping.

Carissa used to make fun of me because I was so smart. She called me a "certified nerd" but was the first one to stick up for me when people insulted my intelligence. We ran in different circles, but that didn't mean we stopped talking. She spent a lot of time at my house, she lived there for a long time, in fact. She always made me feel better when I was down, and I tried to do the same for her.

And she always called me on my birthday. Always.

Carissa came into my life and became my sister. She left this huge imprint on my heart.

I remember when her brother died and the way that she cried. It was the most heart breaking thing I have ever heard or seen. I didn't know how she felt until this morning when I got the call. But this time, I feel that I have no one to cling to.

When you go through as much as Carissa and I did together with someone and then they die, it is like losing a piece of your soul. I feel like my heart has a giant hole in it and I don't know how to fix that. I can only hope that this pain will get better with time.

I hope you can hear me, I remember it clearly

The day you slipped away

Was the day I found it wouldn't be the same.

10 Tips to a Fantastic Summer

First off, find a few good friends to enjoy your summer with. Being a loner is fine by me, I am an introvert by nature, but to really have the summer of your dreams, you'll need a few partners in crime. Once you have those partners in crime, follow the following steps to really do the summer right.

Step One: Graduate from high school. Congratulations to the class of 2013, you are all done with high school forever and therefore, your summers are now more awesome than those kids who HAVE to go back to school. Also, graduating is a big accomplishment for anybody, especially my sister, Alexa Marie Beckett-Gee who was the last one of our group to graduate. Congrats, Lex you've joined the ranks of your rapidly aging friends. Love you!!

Step Two: Learn a New Skill. This summer we took Shandara (we being my grandma and I) to Panda Express for the first time and taught her to eat with chopsticks. Have you ever seen an 11 year old try to eat with chopsticks? It's a bucket full of cute. Like, really freaking cute. Summer is the perfect time to learn a new skill because you have three months to practice it before you go and show off to your friends back at school what you can now do. What did I learn? How to do a front flip into a pool. Oh, and also how to carry three plates at one time without dropping anything. Waitress life is the best life, yo.

Step Three: Catch a sunset. Take pictures. Taking photos with your friends is fun. Taking photos of the sunset is really awesome. Doing both simultaneously is just plain magical. The photo of the summer for me is to the left. I love you two! See what I mean when I say you need friends to REALLY enjoy the summer? I mean, this photo with just me in it would be cute, but it would also be sad.

Step Four: Catch a show at the local theatre. Last summer I went and saw Rent and Les Miserables. Never will I forget them. This summer I went and watched many people that I know and love take part in OVOC's production of Spamalot. It was so funny! I mean, I love Monty Python and the Holy Grail, so there was really no way I wouldn't have liked this, unless they botched it horribly. And they did not. Afterwards, me and my wifey got married again and our child was present! Ah, inside jokes. Going to watch shows at the community theatre not only gives you a chance to discover the wonderful world of theatre but also a chance to support people who work really hard to do something they love for your enjoyment. And I can dig that.

Step Five: Grow a Mustache. One of the great things about going back to school is having the chance to show all of your friends the wonderful mustache you worked three months to achieve. I mean, how could would it be to have a handle bar mustache? I can say from experience, it's pretty freaking cool. People are jealous of your fabulous facial hair and ask for tips on growing it out. The snickers are purely out of jealousy, I'm sure. And in case you're wondering, yes, Shandara and I did indeed go out in public with those bad boys. AND WHY WOULDN'T WE?

Step Six: Pay it forward. If you've ever had anyone help you with anything ever, you should probably help someone with something. For instance, fundraising for Parker's Place, which is a camp for families who have lost a child to a terminal or chronic illness to be with other families and work through their grief and learn to adjust. This year was my second year of being Pocahontas at the Princess (& Pirate!) Party which raises money for Parker's Place. The party is a blast, it's a dream come true for the little girls involved and for the girls playing princesses we've wanted to be all of our lives. If there is a place for you to donate your time, take advantage of that. Giving back and paying it forward feels good. Trust me.

Step Seven: Get stranded somewhere. Once upon a time I went on a shopping trip to Wenatchee with my three best friends. On the way back Nadia's car started acting up and we ended up having to stop in Chelan and have her parents pick us up. In the hour that it took them to get there from Omak we created many a memory. First we were rocking out to dance music on this veranda thing next to the water and gathered a crowd that watched us from afar. Then we took the dance party on the road and started dancing down the street. There was also a chicken suit, a large bug and a spontaneous Hill sighting at Safeway. Getting stranded isn't awful if you're with the right people in the right place. I can only hope my next time getting stranded turns out as good as this last time.

Step Eight: Shamelessly rock out to your summer time guilty pleasure songs. It's okay, your hairbrush and bedroom walls won't tell anyone. Unless your friend takes a picture of it. Then you're dead meat. Just kidding. Who am I to judge if you suddenly fall in love with We Won't Stop by Miley Cyrus? I can't judge you because ever since Best Song Ever (1D) came out I've been dancing all night to the best song ever and I am not ashamed. At all. And you can't make me. Someone has to enjoy the song besides me. And when you all start singing along to Come and Get It in the car with your friends, then maybe you won't be so embarrassed for still liking Selena Gomez.

Step Nine: Catch a summer storm. If you're not insane, you'll hope for a thunderstorm or something. Not a tornado like Omak got yesterday (8/29/13). Summer storms are amazing, I mean, the way that lightening illuminates everything around it for miles, and the sound rain makes hitting the window and the way the Earth smells when its gone...the whole experience is worth taking part in. I have spent five or six evenings this summer on my patio watching the storms, sitting quietly, in awe of Mother Nature. The tornado was a different story. I was actually at work and we were running around frantically trying to make sure we wouldn't get flooded or lose power. However, I survived a scene straight out of The Wizard of Oz, so there is that.

Step Ten: Go back to school, you hooligan!! If you've recently graduated, its off to college or trade school, whatever you've decided to do to make your life your own. The summer is over, you've had your fun, you've weathered many a sunburn and come out with a hopefully even tan and now its time to go back to sitting in class, but this time its classes you choose for something you hopefully love.

Here's to the best summer ever, ladies. I love you!!

Alexis Olmstead is a part time waitress/hostess/Pocahontas. In her spare time she randomly raps the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme and procrastinates cleaning. Alexis really loves summer time, but prefers fall because she has fifteen sweaters that need to be worn.

Everything You Know is Wrong: Romeo and Juliet Edition

Not that Anne Hathaway, idiot.

Let me explain to you a thing about "Romeo and Juliet" (affectionately referred to as RomJule throughout this post), the one play that is universally known as being a Shakespeare creation. Kind of. First off, Romeo and Juliet is indeed a tragedy. That is how Shakespeare classified the work. Shakespeare also wrote it for the Duchess of Cambridge "his true love" because he wasn't able to divorce his wife, Anne Hathaway, to get with her. So, just as a side note to my friends who have read Romeo and Juliet, imagine Shakespeare as Romeo. Blech. Shakespeare's answer to his love for the Duchess was a play in which a 13 year old and a 15 year old fall in love, cause general mayhem, and then, because Romeo is too stupid to check for a damn pulse, die.

Now even though the concept of everyone important ending up dead is a pretty easy one to grasp, people still seem to mess up when referencing the play in accordance to well - everything. But mostly their love life. What I really hate is when girls claim they are "looking for my Romeo" or say "he's the Romeo to my Juliet". Really? Really. Would you get married behind your parents back to a boy you have only known for 24 hours? Let's not forget the whole "let's profess our undying love for each other" scene happened the same night that they met at a party Romeo got ejected from, because like the little ass that he was, he showed up at a Capulet party with all of his Montague buddies. Anyways, after marrying this random guy off the street, would you participate in a fake suicide plan to be with him but then later commit suicide because of his idiocy? Would you kill yourself after three days because you love him so much? If not, you two are DEFINITELY not comparable to RomJule.

And since we're on the topic of the professing love scene - also known as the famous "balcony scene" let's talk about the fact that a disturbingly large amount of people think that the phrase "wherefore art thou

Hello, my name is Zac E-I mean Romeo and I'm your stalker.

Romeo" means "where are you, Romeo". First of all, no. It does not. Juliet is actually asking why he has to be named Romeo, and furthermore, why he has to be a Montague, which makes sense because their families are feuding, and "where are you" doesn't fit in the context of the rest of the line, or the scene. Juliet, not knowing that Romeo is sitting in her garden like the little creeper he is, is lamenting over his last name being Montague, and how many problems that could cause, because as seen in the beginning of the play, these two families hate each other so much that they basically riot against each other and almost get banished from Verona. And why would Juliet be seeking Romeo out? I mean honestly? I sit on my balcony and muse about hot guys all the time, but I don't expect them to magically show up, because that would be weird. Asking where Romeo is would imply that Juliet expected him to show up, and she did not. Romeo is just a creeper, and also not who everyone thinks he is.

WHAT?!? Did I just rock your world a little? Well hold on to your pants, kids, because I'm about to rock it some more. The majority of people like to think that Romeo is a hopeless romantic and harbors this unquenchable thirst for Juliet's love. To that I say no. Also, I say, read a book. In the beginning of the show Romeo is moping around because another Capulet, by the name of Rosaline, won't give him the time of day because hello, he's a Montague and also, she probably doesn't know he exists, considering Romeo has never actually seen Rosaline. In fact, he crashes the Capulet party to see Rosaline, but gets distracted by Juliet. Everyone wants a Romeo because they think he's this wonderfully romantic guy who will do anything for love, when in reality, he's incredibly needy, petulant, and not to mention an asshole.

But will anyone ever remember the asshole part? No. Why? Because of a.) ignorance and the lack of thorough examination when taught and b.) pop culture, such as TSwifty's song "Love Story" which has Romeo not only approaching Sir Capulet but asking for his daughter's hand in marriage (pretty ballsy for a 15 year old) and then asking Juliet to go pick out a white dress. Although, technically they have sex before they are married so maybe an off-white dress instead? Or she could wear a red one that they dye with the blood of the her cousin who Romeo killed in a pointless dispute. And then of course there is DiCaprio's portrayal of Romeo, which, while amazing, does very little justice to the original work and perpetuates the idea that Romeo is a hopeless romantic who loves Juliet and only Juliet when in reality he probably would have gotten over her in a few weeks once being with her proved too difficult, or someone prettier came along.

But of course that couldn't happen in Shakespeare's RomJule because RomJule is super cliche and the cliche doesn't take that direction, now does it? Now if you're shaking your head because you disagree with the fact that RomJule is cliche, then kudos. You're right. However, once upon a time in my AP English class, there was a boy who thought that not only was Shakespeare a piss poor writer, but also that RomJule was too cliche for his taste. Yes. An 18 year old high school senior criticized William Shakespeare. First of all child, Shakespeare was a fabulous writer whose work will live on for many more years to come. He had to have been a great writer because the staging of his shows were actually quite low in quality. Also, RomJule is not cliche, because RomJule basically created the whole "star-crossed lovers" trope. In fact the term "star-crossed lovers" comes from "Romeo and Juliet"!

And that theme of forbidden love is the reason that "Romeo and Juliet" continues to live on in ninth grade classrooms everywhere. Because ninth graders feel they can relate to that, and also, they are so used to it now, from reading series like Twilight that its good to know how that whole theme really got popular. If you've read Romeo and Juliet, kudos! If you understood it, have a gold freaking star and a license to quote it at will. But for the rest of you, for the love of all that is good and holy, please read "Romeo and Juliet" before you run around carelessly quoting it, because if I get another text message that asks "wherefore art thou?" I'm going to have an existential crisis.

Alexis Olmstead is an English Major and self proclaimed literature snob. For some reason unbeknownst to God or man her mother let her read RomJule in the third grade. She has read it six times since then, just to make sure she still understands it. Alexis lives with two cats, both of them hate listening to her ramble. That is why Alexis blogs. Everything You Know is Wrong is going to become a regular occurrence on "Alexis, Unwritten" so for more useless knowledge check back often. 

Woah.

I am 19 years old and have never experienced the death of a celebrity before. That is, until tonight. Tonight I learned that Cory Monteith, best known for his role as Finn on Glee was found dead in his hotel room from an apparent drug overdose, and honestly, I'm a little less than emotionally stable.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you all that he saved my life somehow or even made it better or any other stuff, because I would be lying and that's not fair. But I will tell you that Cory Monteith was only 31 years old and was a joy to see on screen, and apparently a joy to be with off screen as well. I have watched him grow as an actor and singer on Glee since season one, I have followed him on Twitter, and when he went into rehab, rejoiced with his co-stars about his brave decision.

I mean, its just really - surreal because as fans of television shows we immortalize these people, we don't imagine our shows without them and then suddenly bam. Something like this comes along and you realize that yes, death is a real thing and it touches even those we thought untouchable.

And what about his family and friends? I mean, someone just lost a child. I cannot even begin to fathom what the Monteith family must be going through right now, they only heard the news an hour before the Vancouver Police Department announced his death on the air. Someone just lost a best friend, a brother, a beloved coworker, the night sky just lost a star.

Going on the internet doesn't make it better, either. A place where you can normally escape from sadness is now full of it. My Twitter feed is full of his co-stars heartbroken tweets, Mark Salling's being the worst of all, with just the word "no", and other celebrities sending their condolences. Tumblr is full of my fellow Gleeks posting their heartbroken notes about how cruel the world is, and begging others not to tweet or message anyone linked to Cory because they deserve to just be left alone.

This man was so young. Thirty one is so young. His last tweet was literally about Sharknado. He was about to go back to work on Glee next week. He didn't even look thirty one, which is how he managed to hold on to his role as a recent high school graduate. He was going back to college in the show, he had  a while left on Glee, he had so much longer left to live.

Cory Monteith didn't change my life. Cory Monteith didn't save me from anything, he didn't teach me anything, but as Finn on Glee, he made my life better. He was talented, he was hard working, he was hilarious, but he had demons, and unfortunately, not everyone comes out on top every time.

I am sad. I am so very, very sad.

Rest in peace, Cory Monteith.

My Love for Modern Family

As always I've arrived as a late member to a bandwagon, but recently I have developed a particular love for the abc series "Modern Family", a mockumentary style television show that presents the lives of members of an extended family in modern times.

While the show features nuclear families, which are becoming not so modern, there is a gay couple, Cameron and Mitchell and their adopted daughter Lily, who just might be my favorite character, and then there is Jay, who is on his second marriage to a younger woman who brings her son, Manny. The other family, Phil and Claire, are the most "normal" family of the bunch, having one man and one woman of the same age, but that's where the normality ends, as is true with most families. Jay is the father of Mitch and Claire, so as I said, they are all one extended family.

Each episode has excellent humour, writing, and the actors are all superb, even with the ridiculous story lines they are given, time after time. I'm not saying ridiculous is bad, either. I mean, how often do you get to see a man dressed in a costume from Cats sitting in a tree, protesting it's removal? But then there is something to learn in it all, whether it is the importance of loving your children even though they get kicked out of college, or the hardships of raising a child being worth it all, the end of every episode is one giant sigh of happiness, as you watch these characters grow. Honestly, at the end of every single episode I have happy tears in my eyes.

There are other things I admire about the show too. As I said before, the show features a gay couple and their adopted child. Because Modern Family is a comedy it would have been easy for the writers to make a mockery of Cameron and Mitchell, have them be overly flamboyant and live up to every homosexual stereotype in the book. However, they did not. Cameron and Mitchell are portrayed very realistically, as two normal people who happen to be attracted to be people of the same gender, and that is great. Because the gay best friend or the flamboyant gay man/couple trope is getting real old, real quick.

And the writing. The writing is great. The show is so...quotable! There are cute, heartfelt lines, but really this show is around to make people laugh, and the writers do an excellent job of ensuring that happens. In the last episode I watched, Haley stated that "Elle Woods won her case in Legally Blonde because she was true to herself and looked cute." to which her father replied, "This is about a serious issue, not an excellent movie". Or when Gloria, angrily says, "I'm not a hothead, I'm a Colombian. I'm excited, our entire country is covered in coffee beans!" The banter is witty, without being malicious, and the script does an excellent job of showing growth in characters across the seasons.

My point here would be to go watch Modern Family, because hopefully you'll love it as much as I do. If you're a fan of Parks & Rec or The Office, Modern Family employs the same single camera shooting style and the same mockumentary format, so it's a safe bet that you'll like this show as well. Till next time!

Alexis Olmstead has recently turned into a part time hostess and a full time cat lady/servant. If you don't believe her on the cat servant part, meet Rifka, the princess of the couch, also known as Alexis' master. For more random reviews, rants, and thoughts, check back every few days or so.

The World is Dumb

At what point will people on this planet stop for a moment and realize that hey, maybe they are doing something that really isn't good at all? Recently I posted a list of things that prove humanity isn't doomed, but today I'm not so sure, because if it isn't doomed, I think I wish it was.

Why? Why have I suddenly become so cynical and/or pessimistic? the 2016 Olympics, and the ignorance of people online. 

Let me explain. 

The 2016 Olympics are set to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In preparation for the XXXI Summer Games, Brazil is building venues for all the events, parking lots, and generally prettying up their city so that when the world tunes in to watch all the events on television and when competitors show up from all over the world, Rio doesn't look like a complete hell hole. Too bad the site of the planned car parks was already an indigenous museum that doubled as home to 20 Aldeia Maracana families who been living in the building for seven years after the building was retired. On March 22 all the families and supporters of the group, who fought to stay in their home and preserve part of their history, were forcibly removed or arrested. Are the Olympics really so important that indigenous people need to have another part of their existence erased from the face of the planet? I mean, honestly, isn't there somewhere else to put a damn car park? Let's think about this. The Olympics literally do nothing to preserve anyone's history. It is neat to watch the best of the best from around the world compete, but it is not necessary to preserve the history of any one group of people. However, this museum, which the people living in wanted to restore and use a tourist attraction during the Olympics to showcase their traditional way of life, did indeed preserve a group's history. It showed where they came from, the struggles they faced and overcame as a people and now, now it is gone so that some 16 year old prodigy can win a gold medal. The trade off isn't worth it, Brazil. Hop in your Deloreans and go back in time to reverse this stupid action. 

Tumblr, if you haven't heard of it, you are so streets behind because its basically the future of social

networking sites if they would ever get a bloody instant messaging system going. Anyways. On tumblr, people will post anything they have heard and think is vaguely true that other people will then read and just accept as true without doing much research. Today I "learned" that in Greece they were rounding up trans* people into concentration camp type facilities, the Church of England was going to ban same-sex marriage, and that Russia was spreading anti-gay propaganda that made it dangerous to be a homosexual in that country.

Let me tell you what is ACTUALLY going on.

Greece is putting all of its illegal immigrants in one location, which could be defined as camps, but they come with food, water, beds, and various forms of entertainment. The purpose of these camps is for illegals to sort out their paperwork and become legal citizens or to get them back to their country of origin. The Church of England dropped its opposition to the passing of the same sex marriage bill after they were extremely outvoted in the House of Lords. So, that's wrong, and it has been wrong for about a month now. Russia recently passed a bill that outlawed anti-gay propaganda so that it would be safer to live as a homosexual in Russia. Dear readers, you can't believe everything you read on the internet, least of all when it comes from tumblr.

You also shouldn't pay any mind to the senate when it comes to women's issues because they are completely incapable of discussing anything when it comes to women's bodies and what should be done with them. Here's what should be done about women's bodies, senate, nothing. Let women do whatever they want with their own bodies, especially when the senate is currently a predominantly male group who will never have to deal with an unwanted pregnancy or birth control or worrying about whether or not they can get the morning after pill because they won't know whether its legal or not. Senate, stop making women stand for 13 hours without being allowed to use the bathroom, eat, lean on anything, sit down or use a back brace in order to strike down a debate directly related to our anatomy. Male readers, if you walked into a room full of women debating whether or not you should be allowed to masturbate into a sock or napkin or anything, really, because technically you're killing potential children, would you be upset? Yes, you would be. And why? Why would you be upset? Because none of those women have penises. My point being, no uterus, no opinion.

And then there is Supreme Court who did a really cool thing by defining DOMA as unconstitutional, but then went and struck down the key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which stated that nine specific states, mostly in the south, had to seek advance federal approval before changing voting laws. Obama has stated that he is very unhappy with his decision, as the first Black President, that means a lot. I honestly believe that the VRA probably helped a lot of the minorities who voted him into office have enough freedom, and confidence and general feelings of safety to vote for someone who wouldn't be so popular down in the southern states. I mean, this decision made such little sense that Justice Ruth Vader did a very rare and unusual thing and stated her disagreement from the bench, saying that Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy and America's commitment to justice had been "disserved by today's decision." And I can do nothing but agree. The VRA allowed for progress in racial equality in America, and until complete equality is achieved I believe that the Voting Rights Act is necessary.

While our planet continues to make leaps in bounds in certain areas, I find that usually these leaps and bounds are made by citizens who have no part or influence in our governing bodies. If the people who supposedly have "our best interests in mind" could maybe catch up to these outstanding individuals, I would be a happier human being with more faith in the future.

Alexis Olmstead is a part time armchair activist who believes very strongly in her opinion and will debate with you as long as you're respectful and intelligent