The Letter

So I wrote a draft of the letter to Obama today. If you want to read it, here it is:
Dear Mr. President,
My name is [...] and I am a seventeen-year-old constituent who will be able to vote in the next presidential election. I am writing in regard to the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. Approximately a year ago, you signed an executive order that you would close Guantanamo within a year. As you have acknowledged, this deadline has passed and Guantanamo Bay still isn’t closed.
I am requesting that you remain committed both to closing Guantanamo and to closing it properly through the judicial system. As I’m sure you are aware, the idea of infinite detention without a fair trial violates both due process and the very idea that our judicial system is based on- that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
Not only is Guantanamo a violation of American ideals, but it is also a danger to our national security. Our enemies are able to cite this as a reason to join the forces that wish to bring destruction to our country. This allows groups such as al Qaeda to point to us as a corrupt, bad nation rather than one with the high principles and ideals we take pride in.
Moreover, it is not enough to simply relocate prisoners or try them through military commissions- everyone deserves equal treatment under the law. By not trusting our federal court system to administer justice, we risk undermining its credibility. Any detainee who is not deemed fit to be released should be properly dealt with by our federal court system. If there is evidence that a detainee has broken the law, that detainee can be dealt with accordingly. If there is not, that detainee deserves to be returned to either her or his home country or the optimal country for that detainee.
I am requesting that you end the military commission system and commit to bringing the detainees through our federal courts. Furthermore, I would like it if you announced this plan publicly. I would greatly appreciate a response to:
[...]
Thank you so much for your time and the service that you do for our country.
Sincerely,
[...]

Soymilk

Remember my post about how I wanted to become a vegan? Well, I've slightly modified that proposal, but I still want to try. Basically, my goal will be to limit my consumption of animal products. But my ultimate goal is still the same. So, last weekend, I got some soymilk. And I've been drinking it. It's not too bad. I mean, I prefer my regular organic milk, but that's more from habit than anything I think. Soymilk is almost sweet. However, it's also slightly overpowering for me. Still, I've been determinedly drinking my soymilk. Everything's easier when my morals and passionate beliefs are involved. Now I just have to figure out what to eliminate/replace next. Maybe I'll see about vegan yogurt.