2010 can go die in a fire

My goodness, I haven't seen such a bad year, and on so many different levels.

Now, this might look like I'm starting this year pissed off and unwilling to let things go. However, I'm looking forward to what 2011 has to offer and the potential it has in comparison to the completely shit-tacular year that was 2010.

Let me give you the rundown of why 2010 can go die in the aforementioned fire:

-I think that this first point may be fairly obvious if you're from Flint or the Flint area, but we had 486 fires in the city of Flint, not to mention the many lay-offs that occurred in both police and fire. It got to the point where other cities in Genesee county refused to honor the agreement that was set up between them which called for other departments dispatching firefighters to neighboring cities unless there was a firefighter down because there were so many fires.

-Relating to Flint, we have broken our own record for number of homicides, reaching 62 as of 12-13-10; the previous record being 61 in 1986. Sure, a larger police force doesn't decrease the crime rate, but it sure as hell gives the citizens of Flint the peace of mind that when they call the police, they will actually show up. Sometimes in a timely fashion. Well done, Flint. Pat yourself on the back. Oh wait, you're too busy trying to find a place to put a knife

-The BP oil spill that occurred in 2010 left the gulf coast in America tainted and ruined for who knows how many years to come, and BP has little to show for the spill and relief. Not to mention that for some reason or another, they were bringing in celebrities to brainstorm ideas as to how to plug the leak. Probably the most laughable instance of that is none other than James Cameron. I suppose that they figured that his ego would be more than enough to do the trick.

-In a word, Wikileaks. Similar to how the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 shattered our sense of physical security, the classified documents that were divulged on Julian Assange's website made us that much more reluctant and less trustworthy of both the internet, ourselves, and each other. I can recall seeing an e-mail in my Army mailbox telling me not to go to Wikileaks and that doing so was a breach of national security.

-There's a saying that a soldier's worst nightmare is being in a political situation. Gen. McChrystal not only proved this point, but took it a step further by not locking down his staff and being less than diplomatic in the infamous article known as "The Runaway General" towards the current administration's policies and America's allies. While not necessarily a negative portrayal of McChrystal, it showed a side of a high-ranking officer not usually seen by the civilian populace: the more rough around the edges soldier mentality.

-The earthquake in Haiti compounded the already hopeless squalor that was the current state and made it worse by destroying buildings, land, and the very lives of the people who lived there. The small island government is still reeling from the devastating quake that ravaged the land. It's usually common practice for journalists to not get involved in the surrounding events, but during Anderson Cooper's report from Haiti on his show, AC360, Cooper actually broke out of that impartiality to help a child who was hit by a rock to safety. Hat's off to you, Anderson. Journalists are people, too.

-The Jersey Shore. Need I say more?

-Student riots in England may be the prelude to the end of the European welfare states. As many English officials have pointed out, violent people (such as the group who torched the royal Rolls-Royce that contained the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla) are injecting themselves into the groups of peaceful protestors who are calling out the rise in tuition rates of higher education.

There are more reasons why 2010 will go down as one of the worst years of the decade, but this is just naming a few.

Especially Jersey Shore.

And that's my view.