Since it’s no longer a “new” year, it’s now called an “old year resolution”… right?

Hmm… Let’s go back in time, shall we?

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

“Happy New Year!!!”

“That… JUST… HAPPENED! That’s AWESOME!”

Happy New Year. That’s how it happened. A champagne/beer toast that went wrong. Plus… we missed the “official” new year by 8 minutes or so… but we couldn’t abandon the countdown. Hmm… maybe that was a sign for this year.

Fast forward to August and we find out that my new year’s goal has been buried under tons of work, plans, and competing priorities.

Expletive.

At the time, it seemed like the “perfect” new year’s resolution: “One goal at a time.”

It was simple, monosyllabic, contained only five words, almost poetic, beautiful and oh-so wise. I surprised myself with that one.

Looking back, I can see that I’ve accomplished alot- but there’s still so much more to do. The real question to ask is, of all the things that I was able to do these past eight months, how much of it wasn’t because I had to? Let’s think about it. If it’s “work”, it just has to be done. The water’s getting murky, isn’t it?

I need a giant whiteboard. That’s going to the top of the list.

Where are you at with your old year resolution?

I love this song. I have some pictures to go with it, but I haven’t had the time to dig through my hard drive yet. It brings a smile to my face every time I listen to it, and I can’t but help think about friends and family in my life.

‘Love you guys.

If you have a pic you want to share that this song brings to your heart, send it my way with a snippet of words and I’ll add it to this post.

“Collide”
Howie Day

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You’re barely waking
And I’m tangled up in you
Yeah

I’m open, you’re closed
Where I follow, you’ll go
I worry I won’t see your face
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find
You and I collide

I’m quiet you know
You make a first impression
I’ve found I’m scared to know I’m always on your mind

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find
You and I collide

Don’t stop here
I’ve lost my place
I’m close behind

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find
You and I collide

You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide

Diplomatic immunity is afforded to foreign diplomats and protect them from “lawsuit or prosecution under the host country’s laws” (Wikipedia).

Criminals, on the other hand, do not have diplomatic immunity but, nevertheless, their home country prefers to be deal with the accused in their own land rather than let the country where the crime was committed decide and carry out punishment. This includes murder. The New York Times recently published an article of such a case in Houston, Texas.

New York Times Article: Texas Executes Mexican Despite Objections

Regarding international law, the greatest conflict of interest with crime and punishment is that of state sovereignty- “the exclusive right to have control over an area of governance, people, or oneself” (Wikipedia). As you can see in this definition, it includes people. In this same definition, is “area of governance”. The two sometimes, and in this case, conflict.

Is it foolish to think, “eye for an eye”, or is there a larger debate to be had?

In a world where independent nation states are the norm and international cooperation is sought, the question of sovereignty can get messy.