Le Provocateur

I've debated with myself for months now on whether or not I should write this article. I'm still not entirely sure that I want to, but it's Saturday, and I have nothing else on my mind, so I guess I'm reluctantly going with this. In the simplest way put, I don't think that the school newspaper gets a lot of respect.

Had we known each other in the fifth grade I would have told you about Gabriella Vacaldo. Gabriella was my Italian cousin and a star gymnast. She was the best in her class at pottery and she had long curly brown hair. Her parents gave her a cell phone at the mere age of 12 so she could call me anytime.

Whenever I told someone I was going to Camden, New Jersey over winter break on a SEND trip, I got the same responses: "Why are you going to the murder capital of our country?" and "You won't find anything in Camden except drugs and poverty." While the effects of drugs and poverty are evident all over the streets of Camden, there is much more to this city.

Not only do these people disrespect women, whom they label as "creatures," get into brawls over the most idiotic comments, wear bedazzled shirts and complain about having to work for two hours on a beach boardwalk in return for prime location of free room and board on the shore, but the cast of "The Jersey Shore" also captivates my television set every Thursday night.

The United States cannot be destroyed by foreign enemies, it can only be destroyed from within, weakened by internal forces to the point where it is no longer a player on the world stage. A recent Supreme Court decision may have just paved the way for the destruction of American and Democratic principles that may very well lead to the slow decline of the American republic itself.

The 2010 Senior Week is a joke. It's going to cost around $400 if you plan to have a good time. The entire idea is fiscally irresponsible. And yet, every one is still going to participate. Today is the last day you can put down a minimum of $100 to reserve your spot for the events during Senior Week.

So here we are at last. Welcome to 2010, seniors! A little scary, isn't it? When did this happen? Last time I checked we were at orientation, receiving our Assumption e-mail addresses and setting up a Facebook account for the first time. Graduating (excuse me, I know the "G word" isn't very popular) wasn't comprehensible to us; it was the last thing on our minds.

I've gone to the gym every day since we got back from break and have been sticking to the lettuce and 100 calorie pack diet I put myself on. I also stopped swearing and have been less offensive in general. My credit card is no longer my go-to for instant gratification and I've started this new fangled thing called "budgeting.