Sometimes it's all about perspective.

There are plenty of times that I get frustrated with this country. For all the boneheaded decisions our politicians make, for all the greed that big businesses practice, for all the idiotic things that private citizens do ... it makes me want to pull out my hair and scream.

And then, I read articles like this one.

The condemned inmate, his body torn apart by guard dogs, slumped unconscious as the three executioners fired. The bullets shattered his skull, splattering blood near other prisoners forced to watch.

His offense: trying to escape from the remote prison camp in North Korea.

Compared to this, life here is pretty damn good. I don't say this to excuse the wrongdoings that go on here, because they most definitely need to be pointed out, stopped, and those responsible held accountable. However, I do think it's important to note that despite our problems, we still hold a lot of promise and potential.