Parents

The story of the small child dying because of pneumonia and an infection was very sad. I found it very strange that the parents said that it was against their religion to use medication to treat their son. I don't really think that these parents should have been charged as severely as they were but they also should not have kids if they refuse to use medication when someone is sick. I can understand why they want to have faith but when most people talk about having faith it is when they have tried almost everything medically and they just look to their faith to have someone pull through. This was a very strange situation and I have never heard of a religion that doesn't allow medication. The parents should be charged but I think manslaughter is a little severe.

Manslaughter

I think that this situation is very sad. The fact that the small child died merely of pneumonia and of an infection, which probably are both treatable illnesses is rather sad. But if it's against one's religon to accept and use medical treatment, I don't think it is fair to charge these parents with manslaughter, but as Brian said they should choose a different path next time. Furthermore, these parents thinking that faith could have saved their child was their decesion and the fact that it didn't work and they lost their child they should not endure further pain from the criminal charges they are faces.

Wow i think that's CRAZY! they did not intentionally mean to kill their baby... if they had done it themselves that would be different. The baby got sick thay can't help it. If its against their religion to use medication you can't make someone do something that goes against what they believe in. its not like they don't feel bad enough that their child is dead but now they have to go through all this! Its sad!

manslaughter

Wow. I can't believe the parents are being charged of manslaughter. Even if their actions are not respectable and wise, I think that charging them for murdering their child is going to the extremes. First of all, they were being faithful to their religion and doing what they were told. I'm not sure what kind of religion this is and what kind of church it is, but they are living in a primitive world and should be educated that the medical technology and work has improved so much that they should take advantage of what's out there to cure illnesses. The parents in that situation were doing what they thought would be the best for their daughter and they were proven wrong.

parents

Manslaughter is a very fitting charge in this situation. Even though they didn't know any better, they thought just pure faith could save their child from sickness, ignorance is not bliss in the eye of the law. I also feel bad for the parents though, because they have to deal with a lose of their child and criminal charges. They should be acquitted, in my opinion, due to their faith, but should seriously consider another path to follow.

PaReNtS

It was definatley the parents fault for letting their child die even if religion was apart of the reason. it is a shame that this church cannot realize that their members are dying even with their prayers. It seems to me like they should find a way to modernize theor beliefs and keep members safe, but also stay true to their core beliefs and ways. I dont think that the parents should have been charged for manslaughter and the other charges they had on them becuase those are too harsh. I do believe however they need to have some blame and punishment for what they have done. Its a shame that they are letting members die over and over again.

Parents... south park... cultural lag

I think it is the parent's fault though, because it was their negligence and stupidity that led to their innocent daughter's death. If that's not their fault, then what is? I understand that their faith played a role in this, but that doesn't excuse them of the tragedy they caused.

Cultural Lag is a big deal in our society, and we are confronted with it every day. South Park addresses this a lot too, and I think that show is so intelligent and clever, addressing issues by going right down to the core, symbolizing pop culture in a small town with fourth graders, many people would never be able to come up with that stuff. And they really do touch up on issues many people ignore or are not confronted with.

This church has a right to exist, but those parents should understand the world around them and how to take care of a child. If they can't take care of a child, they shouldn't have one and should be punished for killing one.

parents charged for murder

A recent new story brought up some conflicting issues that I wanted to talk about. In Oregon a couple are facing charges of second degree manslaughter and criminal mistreatment. Their fifteen month old daughter died from pneumonia and an infection. The parents refused to get thier daughter antibiotics because they thought that praying for her would cure her. They belong to a church that rejects medical care, and believes faith can heal a person. It was reported that 20 other children of parents that belonged to the church died from untreated illnesses. My own opinion is that the couple should not be charged with manslaughter becuase they never intentionally meant to kill thier daughter. They wanted her to survive and they loved her, but they believed that religion could save her instead of medical science. It is very unfortunate that people belonging to this church can't adapt to modern day practices and get the proper treatment for illnesses. I hope the church can realize that they need to teach their members to be more open minded, otherwise other children may die because faith did not heal them.

social norms

i also wanted to have a say in the whole norms thing because honestly the posters in our school really don't change my mind about the way I do things / and what I do to begin with. Just because 3 of of 5 people don't smoke won't even make me reconsider to quit smoking. It's what I do and want to do, it's my choice. We are taught to be ourselves and not be afraid to show the inner you so why change myself because of a poster? Another thing I think about is why we even have so many of those posters, it makes it seem to me like our school has drug problems or something when it doesn't. Our school is a good school with plenty of gifted students and with these posters it seems to me like we have too many drugs going around so we need to put up posters to stop that. In addition many students think the posters are wrong I actually do believe they are somewhat correct. The survey is anonymous, short and I really can't see a reason for marking wrong answers. However that is just my opinion.

i do agree with Chris in that South Park confronts the issues in America, sort of, but at times i think it tends to make things worse. I honestly don't watch South Park because i don't understand most of their humors and i also don't like how sometimes they use derogatory languages such as the N word and so on.
and about eliot spitzer, i really don't know what happened either. all i remember or heard was that he was caught in a sex ring? and that he resigned himself and yea. i'm not sure, but i still think that he would've resigned or would've been fired or something.

South Park

I find South park really funny. I was watching a few old episodes last night on On Demand. The one that i remember clearly is the one with Jesse Jackson. They were addressing the issue of racism in America and the use of the N word. They confront issues but in some cases they make it worst.

Eliot Spitzer

I was watching South Park and they were making fun of Eliot Spitzer, and I wondered about the scandal and what exactly happened. I know he was caught in a prostitution scandal, and he had one in particular tha the liked more than the rest. And then he resigned. What would have happened if he didn't? And how mad was America? Because I really wasn't too shocked or upset at Spitzer, maybe because he's not our governor. If Blagojevich was caught with his pants down maybe we'd be a lot angrier, but I am not really sure how to percieve this.

Maybe he would have made a really good governor? Or maybe this was an early sign that he wouldn't be? Anyone have anything more to add...

social norms

I would also have to say that I am clueless about the social norms of our school. I tend to hang around people who don't smoke much and stuff, but I have friends who do. It just seems that the numbers on the posters and stuff aren't accurate, however I guess I have to assume that the statistics are true.

Norms

I think that the posters are meant to give people a more accurate preception about how many people actualy do things that are considered wrong. I know that not everyone tells the truth on those surveys, and it records what people have done in the past thirty days which might make people who have drinking or smoked say they havnt just becuase they havn't done it recently. Overall, I don't think that the posters give a positive or encouraging message for kids not to drink or smoke. I believe that it is someone's own personal choice based off of thier morals and beliefs wheather they choose to drink or smoke. I don't think the posters really make people regret their choices, or feel like they are making the wrong ones.

Norms

But Ester's, I think it was Ester, her comment can go either way. We may percieve people as smokers or drinkers, and they aren't, but what also very well might happen is that we may assume a certain group of people don't smoke or drink, but they definitely could. Many students don't fit a certain label. They're kind of like, well, floaters. And nobody really knows what they do except for them. I was honest in my survey, and I don't see a reason why not to be. Mainly I just took it because I was too lazy too lie or practice civil disobedience.

I, honestly, do not care what percentage of our school drinks and smokes but administrators do, parents do. So let them ask us. It probably took ten minutes for me to fill out, and then I was done. I think that's all I have to say. It's spring break.

NORMS

I would have to disagree with ester (sorry i can't spell) i don't think the posters around school are correct i think it's more like half and half but that is my opinion on w hat i know and what i've heard. Either way i really dont know what the social norm of our school is. in fact i'm absalutly clueless. It would be interesting to know what it actually is though.

norms

if you ask me i think that the surveys and statistics of our school on whether or not teens our age smoke i drink, i would agree with them. i think lauren pointed out something good when she mentioned that it depends on the crowd you hang around with. Because if you do tend to hang out with a lot of those who smoke and drink you are going to think that most teens your age do that kind of stuff, but if you look at it from the perspectives of those who don't smoke, they probably don't think that a lot of teens actually do that stuff. I agree that some students/teens do drugs and drink alcohol but i really don't think that more than half the students in our school actually do them. i think we tend to perceive people in different lights. Some may look like drinkers or smokers so that's another reason we think a lot of people seem to do those kinds of activities.

social norms

so about the social norms survey...i know it really does depend on who you hang out, but still i dont know if all those posters are 100% accurate. like i think the one on smoking cigarettes is pretty accurate but the drinking one... ehh. and they never put any posters up about marijuana (or not that ive seen atleast) i wonder why? i always answer the surveys honestly, i mean why wouldnt you? it doesnt matter what you do, they cant trace who filled out which survey. also, did anyone else notice that they kinda changed it this year? i cant remember what it was like last year but i know like 2 years ago they asked alot more detailed questions... with alot more drugs like special k and stuff (that had to have been a joke) but still i think its weird that they changed it. you would think theyd keep the surveys consistant thru the years so they could compare them or something. i wonder who makes up the survey? cuz some of the questions i was like umm?

The Stupidity of our Government and the War in Iraq

I read recently in the news that there are currently 4,000 American deaths in Bahgdad. Personally this war is completely unneccisary, and I find it hard to understand why American's free willingly sign up for the army or marines during this stupid pointless war. I just can't grasp the concept of war normally. I think our country and the government use this war as an excuse to show our power as a county for selfish reasons rather than for the right reason's. Being an American i support our troops fighting somone else's war.

NoRmS

I agree with Dani, that it would actually be interesting to find out what the social norm of our school is. I personally do not lie on them because whose going to know it was you and it takes a whole 5 minuets to complete correctly. I used to think that those signs of the percantages and ratios were a load of crap, but when i actualy think about it, i think that maybe there is some truth to them. I think it depend who you hang out with. Obviously if every weekend all you know is parties with alcohol and drugs you are going to think that the percentages are a lot higher than they really are. I'm not nieve or anything, i know a ton of people at our school drink and smoke, but if you really think about the other groups that may not or people you dont talk to or dont know, maybe they are the large percent accounting for all the people that don't smoke and drink. This is not to say they have never tried it, they just dont regularly do it or have done it in a long time. It would be interesting to really see how many people in our school do drink and do drugs on a regular basis. I think we would be surprised that the prcentages are a lot lower than we think.

social norms

i know that it was a while ago but i was just thinking about the social norms survey that we took. i was wondering what people thought about it and whether or not you answer honestly, because the administration seems to think that we don’t but I personally don’t see why people would lie. We don’t get in trouble for being honest and for the people who lie, it’s a stupid survey! i think it would be good to know what the "social norm" of our school really is.

Kid in car

i agree with garret. i have been left in the car to listen to music since i dont know how long. there have been many of times when i didnt want to go into a store with my mom cause i wanted to listen to music or sleep. i knew she wasnt going to be long and i knew i was going to be in danger. if i kept the doors locked in the car then i was going ot be safe so the mom leaving her child in the car with the door locked wasnt being a bad parrent she knew the kid was going to be safe. she wasnt going to be gone for long so whtas the big deal. she was being a good parent in letting the kid sleep in the car and i am glad that she didnt get in trouble for letting her child sleep. our society has become so messed up lately i dont now why people are so weird no a days.

Leacing Kids in Cars

Like most kids, i have been left in the car when my parents quickly stop at a store or something. This started when i was like 8 and when i was like 12 they started leaving the keys in so i could listen to music. I think that no matter what happens to other people. unless a parent forgets to leave their own kid in the car, they will just think, "it cant happen to me" and keep doing it. That is how i think because you need to be really irresponsible to leave your kids in the car for a long period of time and, when i have kids, if one of them dies because i left them in a car, i dont know if i could get over that.

kids in cars

about leaving kids in the car, like nikki said, my parents also would leave me and my sister in the car while they ran into a store for a couple minutes but it never crossed my mind that theyre bad parents. its something that everyone does at one time or another. if a parent leaves a child in the car it doesnt mean theyre being neglected, the parent is probably just trying to make things a little bit easier on themselves for a couple minutes. i think it would be a different story if like, it was 100 degrees outside, or something, where the child could potentially be in danger. but just being gone for a couple minutes? its a little ridiculous. yeah, i dont really know waht happened in the past decade, but for some reason every little mistake turns into a lawsuit. people have been doing things like this for years, but all of a sudden it turns into a crime? thats messed up.

Dennis Quaid

I have been watching on the news lately that the actor, Dennis Quaid, just had new born twins this past week. The delivery seemed normal and everything looked great untill one of the nurses made a huge mistake. The nurse gave his twins a high dosage of blood thinner to the newborn infants. This overdoes was 1000 times higher than the amount she should have given of the drug called, heparin. This mistake could have caused serious injury or even death to the twins and it has done that in instances in the future. After reading this news I couldn't believe a nurse would ever make that huge of a mistake. I mean if a nurse can make that big of a mistake to a rich and famous movie star, then it can happen to any average middle class couple as well. This scares me because both my siblings are having kids during this time and within the next decade we all will to. I can't imagine what would happen if I, or even someone close to me, had their newborn die over a stupid nurses mistake.

parent car incident

i agree with what everyone is saying. i too as a child was left in the car and still am for short periods of time when my dad or mom has to run into the store to grab something quickly. my dad has an automatic car started as well and when he would leave he would lock the doors, roll up the windows and start the car so we could listen to the radio or adjust the temperature without have the keys to the car with us. i do not believe the mother should have been arrested in especially if it was clear as day that she was doing no harm to the child by leaving the child in the car. it is a lot easier for a parent to run into a store and grab that one or two items check out and get back to the car without having to worry about their child running around the store. i think it is actually a lot safer to leave your child locked in the car for a small amount of time like this woman did instead of bringing them into the store. i got lost in a grocery store when i was a child and i know that was a lot more scarey and dangerous then being left in the car.

Sting Ray

So I was looking around online and found this article about this lady that died on wednesday in Florida. I guess a huge sting ray jumped out of the water onto the boat she was on and hit her with its barb. This resulted in her death which I just found was rather strange. Its just weird how all of sudden this lady was on vaction in Florida and out of no where a sting ray, that was huge, jumped on her boat and killed her. All in all , I just thought that was kinda of interesting and rather bizzare to hear about. Especially as most people go to Florida for spring break. 

Parents

When i was little my parents would leave me in the car all the time if they had to go into a store for a few minutes. Although it was scary, as long as it wasn't an extended period of time i was ok because my parents would assure me that the car door was locked. In this situation I think that becuase the mother was only gone for a short period of time, and the face that she locked the car doors that it shows she is not an irresponsible parent. I don't know her, but based off of the situation I'm sure she had no intention of putting her child in danger when she left the car. That situation alone is not a good one to determine wheather she is a good parent or bad parent. The mother didn't do anything that would indicate she was trying to treat or daughter in a harmful or unfair way. It was not a good choice to leave her alone, but I don't think it makes her a bad parent or deserves for her to be arrested.

car

when i first heard that story i found it extremely ricdicolous, being arrested because you are a few feet (naked eye visible) from the car, and you HAVE an EYE on the child, easily accesible to reaching the child, yet arrested for leaving the child alone for a few seconds (not to mention she had the childs best intrested in mind) and being arrested for it... thats just stupid. I think that the police was either being too strict, or a goody-good person, let me elaborate, he may have been feeling the obligation to arrest the parent, he made the assumptions (that were probably all negative) and did not even let the parent explain herself, thats a superiority-complex if i ever heard of one, i think thats just taking personal beliefs and mixing it in with the law. If you think about it logically the parent had every right to do what she did, unless it was apparent that the child is in danger. Making the excuse that something bad can happen within the second of leaving the child alone can be applicable to any situation. It can even be said that walking out of your door can have you prone to being exploded by a terriost attack.. now the likelyhood of that happening is very low, BUT IT CAN HAPPEN! Thats what i hear when they gave that excuse.

this was just a bogus case and it should have never happenned.

i think that it was bogus to get arrested for leaving a kid in the car unless it was like hot out or the kid was in there for hours or sometihng. but i know that when i was little i always wanted to saty alone in the car, and my mom let me stay and i dont think she ever deserved to be arrested. but then again i was like 7. if its an infant or a really little kid then i dont think its a good idea at all. kids that young shouldnt EVER be left alone. if a parent is being responsible and only going to be gone for like 15 mins and the child is old enough to handle being alone then i dont think its a big deal. but for those crak head parents who abandon babies in the swealtering heat for hours on end then i think we need to put an end to it. because thats child abuse.

Kids in Cars...

I agree with both sides. I think it is ridiculous that she got arrested for doing this, but i do not think that it is okay to leave your children in the car waiting for you. I've probably been left in the car many times not remembering it, but i do not think that it is the safest thing to do. yes, you might not have the choice of leaving your child at home or getting a babysitter when you have to run errands, but that shouldnt give the child the choice of whether or not he wants to go shopping. you dont have many choices when you're a child, and i think that they should be going everywhere you go. i agree with charis when she says that break-ins are so common. it is a scary thing...you run in the store and the next thing you know, your child is gone. i think it is dangerous becuase you dont know how long you are going to be in that store or wherever you are going. you may think you'll be in there for a certain amount of time, but then it takes longer, and then you leave your child sitting in the car, wondering where you are...maybe even getting scared to be alone. it's not a good idea to leave your kid in the car, because you never know who's watching also. I dont even think it's a different story when your child is sleeping. wake them up, they will always fall back asleep...having your child kidnapped should not be risked.

Kids in Cars

I agree with Danny on this one. I know that leaving your child in a car while you run in to pick something up is probably not the greatest thing you can do, But getting arrested for it is outragious. I know My mom and a lot of other parents have done the same thing and not been arested. This mother is now preparing to go on trial for misdemeanor charges of child endangerment. If she is convicted, she could be sentenced to a year in jail and fined $2,500. The crazy thing about this is that the mother only went like 10 yards away from her car to donate money to the Salvation army. I don't think something like this should be made into child endangerment. The child was sleeping in the back seat of a locked car and was safe the whole time.

kids left in cars...

Well, when I first hear that a woman left her child in a car I find it upsetting. It is unsafe and dangerous to trust your child to be alone, especially when car break-ins are so common. On the other hand, my mother had left me in our car alone many times when I was a little kid. Having it happen to me does not make it right, it just makes me feel more sorry for the mother who got arrested for it because I would never want to see my mother arrested for a simple act of misjudgement. When I go to stores, mostly grocery, I always see kids waiting for their parents in the car. Even though it can be risky, it kind of makes sense. I mean, if a parent has to bring their child with them to the store because they can't leave them at home alone, the kid probably does not want to go shopping. It seems more convinient to let the kid wait in the car listening to music or something. But if people are going to start getting arrested for it now, I guess it isn't such a convinient idea.

New Topic

I decided to change the topic because when i read about this, it was really disturbing to me. a mother who left her child sleeping in a running car for no more than 5 minutes was arrested and had to go to court. they tried charging her with being a bad parent and all this crap. i have no idea why our society is like this now. a loving mother left her car and locked it with her child in it and got arrested for it. i remember a ton of times my mom has left me in a car sleeping cause i didnt want to wake up and go in a store with her and i dont think she is a bad parent. the mom was just being a good parent and not waking up her child cause the kid probably was tired and wanted his sleep. there has been many debate about this and if it is wrong or not for this women to have gotten released from jail and not convicted of anything. to me i dont htink she should have been in that situation because it is stupid, the door was locked and she wasnt gone that long. society has changed so much over the paste years and its crazy. what do you guys think about this women and her child?

guns

i think that while we all know the damage guns can do, many people feel that guns are a necessity to ensure their safety... therefore i dont think that we should take that feeling of safety away. personally i dont believe in guns, and i know that i never want to own one. but i just dont think its realistic to say that we should put a ban on all guns because again alot of people feel that they need them. its sad that so many people think that they need to protect themselves from another person but i guess theyre just trying to be practical. i do think thta people need to be more educated about the guns theyre buying though cuz im sure alot of the people that own hand guns and such for 'protection' have never fired one before. they may have fired a shot gun or rifle or something, but i think if you buy a gun, whatever kind it may be, you should know what youre doing if it ever came down to having to use it.

boom boom sticks

as we all know. Lindsey is the super conservative. So here goes my conservative rant. I am pro gun. Swimming pools kill more chilrdren than guns. I agree, guns in the hands of stupid people are not so good, but guns in the hands of educated and responsible people is quite alright. It is a proven fact people that states where you can carry unconcealed weapons have lower crime statistics. That is a fact. People need to realize that "BAD" PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS HAVE GUNS NO MATTER WHAT. So why take them out of the hands of lae abiding people. Also, if we get rid of guns, murders by knives and other weapons will just increase. Even though guns are dangerous, and should only belong in the hands of responsible citizens, without them we would be in even bigger trouble. Thank you for listening to my conservative rant = )

Guns

I agree with Esther. I don't think people will ever be able to make a decision about whether guns should be banned or not because there are good reasons to support each side. Personally, I don't think guns have done any good in America and I would like to see them banned because I feel they have been used to hurt people way more than they have been used to protect people. Gun violence has been a problem in this country for too long and needs to end. As far as the theory that people would want guns more if they were illegal, I don't think that this would be that much of a problem. Even if people do want them more, once guns are no longer sold it would be much harder for someone to get a hold of one. I am sure there would still be guns around, but there would be a lot less and that would lead to a lot less violence and shootings.

gun control

Jory made a real good comment about the whole car accident, bike rides, and fires. we can't stop them from happening but we can surely prevent gun violence. although i agree with him on that gun should be banned there's the side where if you take one thing away from someone, they'll want it more or have the urge to have it. to make what i just said clearer, if you tell one person that they can't do one thing then that'll make him/her want to do that thing more just because someone else told them they couldn't. Ok i don't know if that made it any more clearer but if you look at the sides both way, if we ban guns then it'll keep everyone a little safer but then theres is the issue of hunters owning their hunting guns and whatnot. if we keep the guns then things might get a little more violence. either way i feel like both sides would never come to an agreement and just be satisfied.

BANG BANG

i believe that if we take guns away completly it would increase violences with other random objects. Yet at the same time i do believe that guns can help out people who live in bad neighborhoods; than again if you live in a bad neighborhood, maybe you should move. Guns are easy to get and that causes even more of a problem. They should be harder to retrieve if not only available to certain groups like the military. Guns are bad but there is still knives, baseball bats, and even a broom sticks that can be used to kill or injure someone.

gun control

I find it funny that we are blogging about gun control right now because I just finished writing a 3 page paper for english banning guns in our country. I obviously wrote about all the bad things guns do and obviously included murders, which is what everyone else is talking about right now in the blogs. But I think the best part about my paper is when I talked about the opposing viewpoint of gun control. Making it legal to own guns. Guns are not the only weapon in our country. I found a stat saying we are 14 times more likely to die in a car crash, 5 times more likely to burn to death and 3 teams more likely to die in a bicycle accident! If we ban guns than should we ban cars, bikes and even fire? That is what I put in my paper and my answer was that cars didnt kill innocent people at columbine, bikes didnt shoot over 20 people at virginia tech, and fires didn't burn people to death at NIU. Guns were in the hands of all these crazy people and that was my response. If we take the guns out of the hands of those crazy people that did those crimes than all those kids would still be alive today. I know we can't stop car,bike,or fire accidents but we sure can stop gun shot firing from random angry people. Think about it.

Owning a Gun

I think that the original article that Leah was talking about with the woman who lived in the bad neighborhood is often the reason that so many people own guns and keep them in their homes. I think that if you live in a bad neighborhood, you are probably there because that is the only place where you can afford to live because if you had more money, you'd obviously live in the suburbs. While the second amendment, doesn't say that we have the right to own a gun for private use, some of these horrible areas that people live make it necessary to have a gun. I am not saying that every households on the south side of Chicago can have a gun, I am just saying that it might be necessary for some people to keep a gun. They could be living near a lot of drug dealers or gang members and since they don't want to be a part of that crime, they feel they need to protect their family against those types of people. I really hope that we can get past needing to own a gun in bad neighborhoods but I think that the crime rate will always be moderately high and more people will feel they need a gun to protect themselves. What is ironic is that the more crime there is, the more people buy guns to protect themselves, the more crime they create by owning a gun.

guns

I am in agreement with both Charis and Lauren. I dont understand why people would want to live in those areas, but then again, they may not necessarily have the choice. I think there are better options to protect yourself if you're in those kinds of conditions, if your neighbors are dangerous, like calling the police. I totally know what Lauren is talking about when she mentions about children playing with their parents' guns. Not even children but teenagers too. Thinking it's cool to play with a gun, those kids end up killed becuase they accidentally pulled the trigger or they didnt know that it was loaded. Although parents keep the guns hidden, you never know if your kids will find that hiding place or not. Yes, i agree that keeping a hand gun present in your home is a good way of protection, but there are many other ways to go about protecting yourself and others. Also like Lauren said, i dont think your goal would be to kill the intruder, but to intimidate. It's just not right.

Guns

I do think that guns can and do cause problems in the world today. But on the basis as guns being used for protection I think that it should be allowed. I mean if a person does end up living in a bad place and they are victims to crime around them they should be able to own something that is going to be worthwhile protection. If the problems they are be victims to are involving guns, there really isn't any other form of protection. It is sad that this is what it comes down to be safe in some communties in the country but that is just a reality we have to cope with. And if banning guns were to occur it might help out, but right now its just a matter of persecuting the criminals that use guns kill and hurt.

GuNs AgAin

Well in response to Charis i think that some people don't necessarily choose to live in those types of areas. I mean some people may have settled in and now that the community is bad would like to move but do not have the financial requirements to do so. I do however, still beieve that people should not be able to own a hand gun even for the case of protection. Yea, if an intruder was in my home and i wanted to protect myself i would want to shoot him in the legs or something, maybe not kil him/her, but some people would not think that way and would end up kiling peope. Also, if small children are in homes with hand guns somewhere about, who knows what can happen. There are stories of kids showing their friends mommy or daddy's gun and before you know it, theres issues. A world where everyone has to carry a hand gun in their house just to feel safe is disgusting. It may help in some situations but the overall effect would probably end up being more negative than positive.

guns for protection...

I guess that I understand why people want to own a hand gun in bad neighborhoods that pose a threat. What I don't understand is why people who are paranoid about gun violence choose to live in an area like that. I believe that owning a gun will only put you in an inconvinient situation. Of course, a hand gun for emergencies can save your life, but I wouldn't want to live in an area where I might have to worry about using it at any moment.

Not to change the subject but i was on the CNN website and one of the latest new topic was something we have recently been talking a lot about it class... Banning gun control. There is this woman who owns a hand gun and where she lives they do not allow residents to possess hand guns at all. she has a problem with this because she has neighbors that are drug dealers and this is a city where violent crime rates are on a rise. She said that she feels protected having a hand gun. They also brought up the issue with Virgina tech. It was said that this is the governments way of preventing these types of things from happening again. In a case like this it seems like no matter what no one is happy. It seems like there is no fair solution where everyone can get their way.

padres

This is a super tough question. I would like to believe that these parents are good people and they made the decision they did for a good reason. We don't know how their homelife was, and what was really going on. I would like to believe that they made this decision in favor of the child. I can see where they are coming from. They want her to stay small...easier to take care of and she wouldn't be quite a big spectical. But then again, they could have been selfish in their decision also. I am all for mentally handicapped person's rights. I also give the parents huge props for having the child even though they knew she would be mentally handicapped. That takes courage. So I would like to believe there is much more to this story and that this decision was one in favor of the child.

parentals

Under the laws which govern our country, the parents have the right. Because, until you are 18, your parents basically own you and all of your assets. But, ethically speaking, I think these parents had zero right. Even though it's a baby, this type of thing needs to be thought of as; what would the child want, or what's in the best interest of the child? So, in short, by law they have 100% right, but in my opinion ethically they have none.

Parent's Rights

As everyone has been saying, it is definitely the parent's decisions I think that either choice could have had negetive and positive effects. I think that the only reason they wanted to keep the baby "young" was exactly why everyone has been saying, to make it easier to care for, and the fear of what would happen to the child when she got older. Im sure it was a difficult decision for the parents and they had thought long and hard about it, but in the long run, once again, it's truly what they believe is right for their family.

Parents' Decision

Like most of the people who have posted, I agree that what these parents did for their child was the right decision. The fact that this girl is mentally disabled means that she is no position to make her own decision. I could see if maybe it was only a physical disability, then she could make the decision because she was mentally OK but that is not the case. These parents have had this child for many years so they are the ones who are in the best position to make this decision. If it was a choice between having their daughter alive and mentally alert instead of having her die very young. These parents have obviously weighed their options and I think that they made the right choice because now their daughter has the chance to live and longer and better life. I am sure that this was a very difficult decision for these parents but the fact is that they decided what they thought was the right choice and I don't think anyone should question their decision because they are the only ones capable of making a decision as great as this one was.

I believe that no one should be making it their business. It was the parents choice since it was the parents child. It is very hard to take care of someone that has a mental capacity of a 6month old that is a grown woman. I am sure if some people were in their place they would do the same. I understand where people are coming from but its not their child they don't have to live with her and always take care of her. I know someone that has a cousin with cerebral palsy and he cant walk due to it. He is only about 8 or 9 but the parents have such a hard time with him because they have to carry him a lot and he is very heavy! Its hard for parents with children like that. The sad part about what these parents did is they will never get to see what their daughter looks like as a grown woman.

parents rights

I also think that the parents made the right choice. Their child was too young to make the decision on her own and like mentioned before it is very difficult to keep a mentally disabled child. I do believe as well that the parents were only doing what was best so they can continue to care as much as they can for their child. It does sound a little selfish and wrong also since they should have just let her grow like she was supposed to but then I again on the parents part I can understand that it would be difficult to make love and care for a grown woman but with a mental capacity of a six year old. So for the most part I think the parents made the choice they thought would keep their child healthy and loved.

parents' rights

I have to agree with Mary. I don't really think the child would have been able to make the decision on her own. In these situations, I think parents know what's best for their children and the child's parents had good intentions. I don't think they meant to make her have a miserable life or anything. It's what they felt was best for their child. I understand that some people would be shocked by the parents' actions, but they have to understand the situation the parents were in. They had to make a very difficult choice and they decided on the best one they felt was going to help their child.

Parent's rights

I am really torn whether what the parents did to the child was right or not. I can see that the parents may have had good intentions and tryed to make their kid's life easier and longer by having the operation, but I also see that they should not have interfered with their child's life and should just have let her grow up the same as any other person the way they were supposted to. I do think that the parents have the right to decide, however, because like everyone else was saying, the child was disabled and I don't think she would ever be able to make a decition like that and her parents would do what they think is right for her.

P's RiGhTs

I'm sure there were some good intensions going into the surgery, but I do not think it is justifiable for what they did. Part of me thinks also maybe the intensions were blurred a little and the parents thought they would be selfish and keep their child small and "cute" so it would be easier to love and care care for her becuase they know she will look semi "normal" as a baby. I think it is very wrong to take any role in changing somebody else and making them into someone they are not. If God made her that way then it was not meant to be changed and tampered with. I think it was a poor decision on the family's part and a selfish one really.

A Parent's Right

Typically I believe that it is an individuals choice to decide things that can change their life, but in this instance the girl did not have the mental capability to choose for herself. She couldn't even fully understand the consequences of the choice she might have made because of her disability. I think that because she didn't have the mental capabability to understand the situation she was in that it was up to the parents to decide what was best for her. I don't think that they meant to hurt her, or cause more problems by making the choice they did. I think they made the choice to have the operation only because they loved her, and thought they could care for her better if it was preformed. I think that because of their daughter's disability she will never be angry or hurt by their choice, but only love them because they care for her and raise her. They only did what is best, and either choice has negetive and positive effects.

Parents choice...

I believe that the parents of the girl had good intentions. They wanted to allow their daughter to live a longer life, rather than live with the fear of dieing at a young age. I also think that they had the right to decide on the operation, as they are her parents. Also, having the mental capacity of a 6 month old does not qualify the child to be fit to make that great of a decision. She may not mature properly, but she will live longer with parents who truly care for her.

Pillow Angel's, Do parents have the right?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/12/pillow.angel/index.html

This is a link to a cnn article. In short, its talking about how the parents of a disabled child (she had the mental capacity of a 6 month old) decided to ask doctors to do an operation in which they would prevent her from growing and stop her female anatomies to grow. The parents decision for doing this was because they believed that it would enhanced the quality of life for their child since she will be disabled and having her forever small would make it easier to "cuddle" and care for her. The child is now something like 4 foot 5 inches tall and 65 pounds. Their is a lot of controversy revolving around this issue, and even the doctor himself who conducted the operation committed suicide. Many people believe it was inhuman, and that the parents have no right to disable her child even more then she was. Now my main question is, did the parents have a right to decide something like that for their child? I somewhat believe that they do care for their child since they decided to keep a mentally retarded baby (which i would believe is extremely difficult), but i think if they decided to keep her, they shouldn't do a dangerous operation like that, i think its sort of playing a god-role, and really immoral...

prostitution

i agree with rita on this one. even though i do no think it would be legalized i don`t think we have a strong enough reason besides it being really against people`s morals to say it shouldn`t be. it would give our country a negative image which is the only strong reason i have against it. i agree with rita and the whole STD/AIDS situation. i think people that have sex with prostitutes are very careful around that kind of stuff especially the prostitutes themselves. just because that`s what they do to make money doesn`t mean they are completely scum and don`t care about getting STDs or getting pregnant. i think legalizing prostitution is a vert moral based debate and not everyone in the country will ever be fully pleased with the way things are. and honestly people still are prostitutes when it`s illegal, so does it really truly matter?

prostitution

i really dont think legalizing prostitution would do this country any good.. not only is there a serious enough problem with STDs, there are just so many ways that the business could be corrupted. like really.. who would volunteer themselves to be a prostitute unless they desperately needed to? and those people who are willing to take desperate measures for money are the kind of people who are likely to get taken advantage of. and like nate said... think of the psychological effects of prostitution, it totally desensitizes a person. prostitutes are viewed more as objects than people by those buying them...when was the last time 'buying' a human was viewed as acceptable?? maybe 200 years ago when there were SLAVES... we should be progressing, not moving backwards.

but... i dont think that the penalty for prostitution should be as high as it is right now. alot like minor drug posession, prostitution is a non-violent crime and the offender should not be treated like they are a hard-criminal. they should be educated on how theyre only hurting themselves, and then given time to find and hold down a real job, and let them see that there is a better way to live.

Legalizing prostitution?

This is a tough choice. Many statements below are very one sided, but take a look at the other side of the argument. Nothing is all black/white, just because prostitution is morally beneath most people, doesn't mean legalizing it would be the end of the world. I'm not saying I support legalizing it, but the below arguments aren't that strong against it.

Take a look at all sides- prostituion, in countries where it's legal, have not caused bigger problems then here in the states where its illegal. Amsterdam allows prostitution, but that doesn't make women want to become then when they get older any more than women who choose to do it here. "Mommy, I want to be a prostitue when I get older" is not something heard whether its legal or illegal. It's a choice, forced or voluntary. And women and men alike, will be prostitutes whether it's illegal or not. Prostitution is still very apparent in the states and its not even allowed here. Hello Elliot Spitzer. STD's is a weak argument, because almost always protection is used. You think business men want kids with prostitutes? They are more careful with prostititues than with anyone else.

I advice you to look at both sides. I wouldn't encourage the legalization, but I dont' have a strong reason why. Anyone really willing to look deeper into this controversy?

Prostitution

Even the thought of legalizing prostitution is crazy. Prostitution is not okay and legalizing it is encouraging more people to do it. If America said it was legal for someone to get a prostitute think of how many more people would be hiring prostitutes and think of how many more women (and men) would try to get a job as one thinking that they aren't doing anything wrong because our country says that it is okay. Also, think how dangerous this is. There is already a huge number of deseases and STDs in the world, prostitution would extremely increase that number and would risk more people's health.

Prostitution

Legalizing prostituiton is just a really bad idea. I mean like people said it would increase the ever so high rate of STD's in America. Not only that it would probably cause more STD's to generate and kill more people in the U.S. Furthermore, this is just one of things that is considered wrong, I mean paying for sex is just an ultimate low for anybody. Selling your body and just using it like its a public door knob where everybody gets a turn is just wrong on so many levels. Therefore, anybody that thought of this idea or supports this idea are probably not the smartest people on the planet. All in all, Legalizing prostitution is something that cannot happen and then I do not see ever happening.

Legalizing Prostitution

Who on the right mind is supporting the legalization of prostitution? Many prostitutes were kidnapped at a young age and forced into the sex slave business. Others have no motivation to do anything, but use there body as a means to make money. That's just nasty. Everyone has their talents and gotta be good at something.. something other than selling their body to a nasty man or woman. Also, if prostitution becomes legal, the American morals will be completely violated and destructed. When the idea that selling your body for money becomes legalized, then some little kids will turn to prostitution and other forms because they may have no incentive to do better things. I hope this idea of legalizing prostitution will go down the drain and the debate will be ended, otherwise America will be hurt in a very negative way.

ESCORTS!!

One thing first....MEN ARE PROSTITUTES TOO!! EVEN SOME OF THEM DRESS UP LIKE WOMEN!! It's kind of creppy when you see one walking on the street. Threre is a big difference between the cornor whores and proper prostitution. THe girls on the cornor are more than likely to have an STD or AID and are even possibly addicted to some sort of drug. Lady Escorts are the proper form of prostitution in america. Lady Escorts are the girls who are part of an actual organization or company. They are the girls that are the arm candy to many nast old men who get paid not just for sex but also for company and i don't know if they do have benifits or not but in Las Vegas there are some of these houses. (If you've ever seen CSI Las Vegas than you'd know what type of houses I'm talking about. Lady Heather) On the street it should be illegal but when it's off the street and run with the proper sense and management and is following all the rules than it should be fine. I mean ever needs to get some loving, even if they have to pay for it.

Legalizing Prostitution

Legalizing prostitution is an awful, hideous idea. I'm not sure how this is even a debate. I think people's lives get soooooo boring that they dream up some demented idea and then other people who also have boring lives, support their irrational idea--like legalizing prostitution.

Prostitution has severe phycological effects on humans--i mean selling your body for money has to be somewhat degrading. And, as Jory mentioned, leglzing prostitution would increase STD's and impact the high school drop out % in a big way.

I'm trying to think of a positive of legalizing prostitution, but i''m coming up empty. HA, Bob your post is funny.

Wheres Nevada?

Do i really need to say what my opinion is about prostitution? Ok! Look at Amsterdam! those women have health benefits, they are high on protection, large % of them are saving up to go to college! Think how we'd be if the U.S. was like that! In actuality there really clean! I DID A STUDY ON PORNOGRAPHY!!! trust me! Therese a lot more sicker things going on in America than prostitution! All the politicians trite them selves to those women on a daily basses! Bobby Kennedy was a sex adduce! he had a prostitute almost every night!
Has any one ever might a prostitute before? They've sunken to the all time low.... i really dowt that they are bad people if they agree to be with an ugly disgusting dude....if prostitution was legal there'd be a lot less rap! because all the sick freaks would get it out of there system! Yes it is illegal for a resin because the US is a prude version of Europe! They introduce drugs, alcohol, and sex to kids at a young age, and they dont have nowhere near as many problems as us!
Prostitution is called the oldest tradition for a resin! its ben around from the beginning, its still here, and it will always stay here might as well manage it and organize it! instead of it being a pool of disgusting unsafe rat-hole infestation by allies and cheep hotel-rooms! if some one wants to argue against me go ahead! please talk me into what ever dumb thing you have to say about something you clearly have no idea about!

Hookers

I'm sorry but I don't know why those people would ever want to legalize prostitution. Sure the people that were forced to do it would be freed or whatever but there is so many more bad things that would happen. The first thing I think of when I think about prostitution is diseases that are spread. STD's are becoming more and more popular these days even around here. I read in the paper that 1 in 4 teenage girls have an STD. That is way too high for teenage girls: 25%! If prostitution were legal than that number would surely increase and teenagers would be swimming in STD's. Speaking of teenagers, I think that if good looking girls had nothing going for them besides there looks; and prostitution was legal, what is stopping them from forgetting about school and resorting to that level? If that many high school girls have STD's then how many of those girls would end up being a prostitute? And I don't mean to bash on the girls during this whole blog, but if prostitution was legal then who knows, there may even be a dramatic increase in males selling themselves. The possibility of this law just freaks me out. I think it is illegal for a reason and if you want it to be legal then go to Nevada.

Women

I agree with megan that women are needed in our world but that so much that they are better than guys. both guys and girls both play an equal role in our society but the thing that women have is that without them there would be no more babies. the whole world needs women because men cannot reproduce with themselves. other than that i do not think that women are better than men because no one is better than another person. everyone brings something to the world and there is a reason for that person to be on the earth. it doesnt matter if they are a man or women, they are going to have to contribute to society in some way. in a way the men are better than women because men has accomplished so much more than a women has in all of history. men have also "ruled" america. if women are so much better than men they why havent we have a women president yet?

ILLEGAL or LEGALIZED

going back to what allison said about the whole prostitution being legalized. i think that prostitution should stay illegal because if you legalize it, i feel like those who are prostitutes and as horrible as it sounds, those who use little children for like a prositution 'business' or whatever, i think that if prositution is legal they'll continue to use little children and perhaps bring/lead even more children into that kind of business so in that sense i feel like legalizing it would also has its downfall. on that same note i recognize that prostitution of kids, adults and etc still happen around this world even though it is illegal and not right. i'm not so sure, i think this topic is a tough one to decide because whether they legalize it or illegalize it, prostitution will still go on.

...can't live without them

i definitely agree with what rita and rooney have been saying about women and men are different for a reason and we are both superior at certain things than the other sex. as mr. spoor said one day though, in reality of it, women are more valuable that men are when it comes down to our society to keep evolving and producing. without us boys, you would be useless. i know that it is very hard for you mean to realize that we are more important than you are because that`s how men are, but it`s okay, we know we are right and that`s all women ever want is to be correct, right men?

illegal or legalized?

so as i was listening to the radio, the topic of prostitution came up. It was interesting because they were looking for callers who thought that prostitution should be legalized. Many people agreed with this because one point that a person made was that it would give the opportunity for the girls who were being forced to do it to back away. Of course there were many other people who were all for it. but it kind of makes a good point that if it was legalized it would "free" those who felt forced to do it. I'm not sure where i stand on this topic. i guess i could say that i'm in the middle. what do you guys think about it??

the birds and the bees...

Rita is right, physically: men are superior to women. It is a fact that men in general are stronger, have more testosterone, etc. But, it is also true that, in my experience, women use there intelect better than males haha. It's like one rapper named Ryhmefest (who's from Chicago) said, " Women go out, they wildn' out, and they cheat too, just like guys... it's just they're better at it though." So really, men and women aren't as different as people think. But, also, men cannot live without women and vice versa, because I think we keep one another in check. For example, men can help women with things, and women can tell them when they're doing it wrong. Really though, what man wouldn't want women around anyways?

Can't live with 'em...

Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em...

A popular saying that rings true in more ways than one. Sure men are generally stronger or more physically prone, but where would men be if there were no women? And vice versa, women are stereotypically more emotional or open about how they feel, but where would they be with out men? Both genders have different strengths and weaknesses... and without the other there wouldn't be existence. Plain and simple.

When I hear boys argue that they are stronger than girls, I don't get offended. I'm sure there is a girl out there that is stronger than the given boy, but in general, I understand where he's coming from. It's a bit naive to say that boys and girls are completely equal, because like stated previously, they are very different. And they're obviously different for a reason. If they were completely equal in all aspects, there just would be a balance, no ying yang if you know what I'm saying.

I think we're like the way we are because really, that's how we're supposed to be. Men and women are superior in different ways. Amen to that!

Men and Women

Going off of what some other people said, I think that men and women are truly equal because they need one another. Not just for obvious reasons but because of their different strengths. For a long time, women were great domestically and men were great in business and in making a living for their family. But now that these things have changed, both genders have gotten much better in both areas. There are plenty of stay at home dads now and that was something that was unheard of in the past. Women and making a name for themselves in the business world and in other areas, something that was not as common ten years ago. Just look at Hilary Clinton and how she is the closest a woman has ever got to becoming President of the United States and that was something that even eight years ago we thought to be very unlikely. Men and women are more equal now than they have ever been and I think that it is great for our society because of how we function now that men and women do the same things.

MEN vs WOMEN

I agree with nicole in that women and men are both equal. It just depends on the person and the qualities they possess. I think that in general when it comes to thinking about one's feelings and tending to a person a women is more knowlegdeable and good at it. But when it comes to getting things done whether it be physical wise or business wise, men are more better or better experienced than a woman. But then again it all depends on the person and who they are, because I do know some men that are too lazy and selfish to help out others and I've also known some women who are also selfish but determined like a man would be, so I really think that it depends on the person. But stereotypically I will agree that for the most part, women tend to put more thought and care into things than a man will.

Men and Women

I think that both men and women have strengths and weakness, but work great together becuase their differences allow them to approach things in multiple ways. Men are more stratigic, and can problem solve without focusing on emotions or worrying about the right way to get it done. Women consider all aspects of the proplem at hand and also take into account how they feel about it, or about how others might feel about the topic. I am being general, but there are always exceptions. Women sometimes think more into things, where men sometimes only see concrete details or what is on the surface. I find that they can balance eachother out becuase there is benefits to each way of looking at things. When it comes to courage I don't feel that gender has alot of do with it. I think that if it comes to having confidence in your own physical strength men most likely have an advantage because they are typically stronger. But when it comes to having mental strength and courage it really depends on the person and if they have overcome previous obstacles in their lives. Also it depends on how a person reacts to stress. Some feel imobilized, where some instinctively react to try and get rid of stress.

men vs. women

Yeah, I have to agree with many people that of course men and women are very different. They think differently and in many situations, men and women would do things differently. I think that women like to think things through more while men wouldn't think too much about it and get to the point. I also saw a glimpse of the special on t.v. that Dani watched last night. When it comes to bravery, there are big differences there too. Someone may be brave physically and take daunting tasks, whereas someone may be brave by stepping up for someone.

men vs women

Men and women are equal in my view. Women are good in the domestic fields but they are also proving themselves in the business world. Men have been a the key factor in civilizations for all oftime. They fight, build and insure order in the world. But they are equal because each gender needs each other. Without one or the other's skills, the world wouldbe a harder place.

Heck yes WOMEN!!

I think that women are definitely braver than men are because we actually use our brains and strategy to get through an obstacle while men use their big muscles cause they are oh so strong! You solve problems with wit not with violence. To me it also seems that there are more female theopist than there are male ones. I think it's because women are better at taking a stand and being more understanding.

men vs. women

For some reason I think that men are the more dominant gender. First of all when you look back to the old times men were always doing the dangerous stuff like hunting and building homes while the women were cared for by them since they were taking care of the young and giving birth to new life. I do believe however that men become weak when it comes to women like they can control a man and drive him nuts but he will obey her because she gives birth to his baby. Women are taken care of by men while the women do daily chores in return. Although women are strong to, I don't see hem being strong like men are for example I don't see a woman as the president having the whole army salute to her. Like in movies such as Independance Day, all problems are solutions are told to "Mr.President", because he is the one that makes the decision and I just don't see a woman having that sort of power. I feel that we have a power of love and care and that's just a way of explaining how I feel about this.

men v. women

I don't think that you can just categorize all men by saying that they won't stop and help a person and a woman will. I agree with the fact that most woman no matter who they are will stop to help someone. I think women have a natural mother instinct in them and they are more protective then men. But I don't agree with the fact that lauren thinks that most men won't stop and help someone. I think that it is more of who that man is. More younger boys may not stop as often as an older man because it is a fact that girls mature faster than boys and it is a very mature thing to stop and help someone. What I'm trying to say is that a mature man will stop because he has grown into more of a father figure and he is mature enough to realize that this person needs help. Not just lauren but I'm sure other girls have witness young men think that it is not cool or something to stop and help someone but that is just because that boy has not matured as fast as they have yet. I would find it suprising if a man would not help and I think that the girls need to realize that these boys they see not helping are just not yet mature. They don't represent all guys and they don't represent who they will become in the future when that boy matures.

MeN Vs. WoMeN

This is actually something that does not really surprise me. Not to say that most men are cruel and heartless but i think it has something to do with that maternal instinct dani mentioned. Guys are all tough on the outside when it comes to fighting and proving themselves, but it does nothing for their reputation to stop and make sure someone is okay or needs any help. Again, not saying all guys are like this, but most don't have that thought process of stopping to help. A women is more likely to understand sensitivity and needs of other people. I think it is really interesting how studies confirm that women actually are more likely to stop then men. It has to be some way that they think or funcion becuase women are not the only ones who care.

Men and Women

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Man vs. Women

I agree with Lindsey on the fact that both men and women are brave and it depends on the character of the person themself. But I do think that women have the maternal instincts to help others because women become mothers and have the responsibility to take of their children. Furthermore, that shows that women in that aspect are much braverer than men. But Men are seen to be braverer than a man because they deal with more agressive things. All in all, men and women are brave in their own different ways.

men vs. women

I think both men and women are very different, but I think it is an individual basis when it comes to bravery. I think bravery is character based and not based on physical differences. Both women and men join the army, that'b brave. Both women and men battle with cancer, that's bravery for sure.

I am in woman's studies and i have learned a lot about how different men and woman are. Its actually really interesting. We watched a video of these studies scientists were doing to show how men think with a different side of their brain then women and one study showed how this little 10 year old girl was just sitting on the street corner all alone and no man stopped to help her but one and that's only cause he was with a woman. Almost every woman stopped though to see if she was OK and where her mom was and if she needed help. Some even stayed with her.

Women braver than men???

so this morning i was watching the news and i saw a clip of some actors pretending to get into domestic disputes in public places and they video taped peoples reactions. in most situations it was the women who stood their ground or atteptemted to break things up while the majority of men just walked by. i thought this was interesting because people think of men as being the brave ones or the ones to protect people but i wasnt really shocked about this because i think that most women do have a maternal instinct or some need to make sure others are okay. i just thought that it put a different perspective on things and the roles of men and women in our society.

Political Platform

I really enjoyed the activity we did. I learn much better through hands on activities and I agree with Rita when she says that this was better than a test. I think that there is actually a chance that I might retain some of this. But I do wish that we had had more time to do it. I wouldn't have mind it if we had continued on with the activity this week. I think that being second semester seniors many of us don't really take much of an interest in this whole "learning" thing anymore and I wish that we did more activities like this in school.

Politics activity

I agree that the Politics activity was interesting, in a fun way. I also agree that we needed more time to ask questions. I was only able to ask two questions because I was not quite sure if my questions would make sense. Rita did a great job keeping the discussions going though. And dressing up wasn't so bad.

Politics Activity

I did not mind dressing up either and i thought that the activity was really fun. However, i think that we should have had more time for people to ask questions and propose amendments because we needed 4 questions/2 questions and 1 amenment. The time we were given was not long enough and a lot of people were denied asking questions when they needed them to get a good grade. Other than that it was fun and i enjoyed working on it with my group.

Politics Activity

I thought the activity was awesome. Also, the dressing up wasn't really that bad for me. I actually enjoyed looking nice for once, it was a nice change of pace. The discussion was great too, everyone was really participating and we actually talked about some legit issues in our nation; as we near the next presidential election. In addition, it's good that everyone was able to be cool, and no one really took any amendments personally. Good work everybody!

Political Platform

I really enjoyed this project. I liked how we each had roles and writing the biography was pretty fun. We were able to easily be divided into groups and I enjoyed working with my group. When I first saw that we had to do this project, I wasn't really looking forward to it but it was a good time. I really enjoyed the actual convention when we went over the planks and I thought that many people made good amendments and I think all the parts of our platform came out well. I really liked the plank on crime and I think that they did a good job with the gun control laws and their views on jails and the death penalty. I thought the project went very well overall and I am looking forward to seeing the final platform. The only part I didn't like was having to dress formally because that was a hassle for the rest of the day but I understand why we needed to be formal.

PlAtFoRm

I liked the activity as well.I think it was helpful to understand what goes into creating a platform and how it all comes together.It was fun being able to make comments or amendments to the planks and help each other out with creating planks we all agree on. I also think that more time would have been helpful, but it was manageable, and if there was more time I would probably procrastinate anyways so this way I got it done. This was a better way of learning rather than sitting in class and getting lectured. It would be soooo boring had we talked about it and just watched PowerPoint's on it. This way,we got to hands on experience how much effort and time can go into making a platform.

I also enjoyed this activity! it was unclear to me how it was supposed to work the first few days but then once i understood it i liked it. i am a very hands on learner and i have to see exactly how it is done for me to fully get it. I think we could not have had a better chair person then Rita. She was very professional.

BADDA BANG!!

I liked this activity as well i just wish we had more time to do it. The government can be pretty harsh but it was kind of fun doing it. I think that we should have been able to be in groups that our characters were becuase it would have made more sense. To me at least. It was interesting to see what everyone had to say about each plank and what they would add or take out. It is also interesting to see how someone who is republican act the total opposite. It was kind of funny too with how chris wants to make the great wall of America. I agree with this project, just wish we had more time to do it and that dressing up was optional not manditory.

platform

i really liked this activity that we did. It definitely helped me understand the goverment and how things are done. Rita don't worry you did an awesome job as the chair person. With our whole class actually acting and pretending we are delegates, it made it more clear how a platform is done. I actually liked the idea of dressing up for our parts as well. Even though I was only a delegate it was awesome how we can add or change things in someone's platform. I thought that just because there were so many delegates that we didn't matter but after the experience I feel like we were the ones that mattered most since we questioned and made amendments while arguing what fits best. I was really a cool activity.

platform

Ooh, I hope I did okay with being the chairperson. But I had a really good time, sorry to anyone I offended (Katyln (cant spell your name) or Bobby or whoever). But I think simulations like this really work more than tests. I feel like what we did was important, and we're actually going to apply the knowledge we obtained in real life. I am going to skim through the party platform before I vote in November, and I don't think I knew one existed like that before this. I think it was a very rewarding experience, something worth talking about on monday. That way, we can also waste time.

Oh, and email me the platforms tomorrow afternoon (at the latest) or all hell will break loose, like previously mentioned.

Platform

I agree with Megan. This unit has been really helpful to me in learning more about politics which is really important with the upcoming election. I think that making the platform was a really good lesson and it made me apply the things I learned into something I can use. I think everyone did a great job in coming up with important ideas and it seemed like everyone got involved. I hope we do more things like this the rest of the year because it really helps the class understand things better and makes class more interesting.

ok

it was.... really different! this class just keep getting stranger and stranger!!! When we all got to go with are rolls and vote! its was! a pretty nit way of of showing how its actually don.....but am i the only one how felt like i was in a court-house.....aseptically when the pat came up! i suddenly had a very strong urge to act completely defensive! it must have been the sut i was wearing...
Wait can any one tell me whey it is people go into politics'?is it bc of power? money? benefits? egos? What?

switch back to planks

i think forming our own third party and making a platform for it was probably one of the coolest things we have done all year. even though the dressing up kind of sucked, i feel like for once i put what i learned into something purposeful instead of some dumb quiz or test. we got to test what we learn in a completely new way. i think these kind of activities show true comprehension of the material we have learned and also allows others who did not fully understand have a demo/brought to life, i feel like it makes the whole concept a lot easy to grasp. not only all the vocab but we are really discussing true problems and ways to solve them, but finding out where we truly stand in the world of politics. before this year i was clueless when it came to politics and now truly confident in signing up to vote for this election. the things we learned in this unit is going to last us a life time.

suicide bombs

It's extremely hard for me to accept suicide bombing and to imagine that someone would do that is terrible. However, I know that some cultures view suicide bombing as one of the highest honors that someone can achieve and they believe that it is for the good of other people. They feel that suicide bombing is good way to get rid of people they hate or revenge against their enemy because they are killing innocent people and they are doing this by sacificing themselves. I think hurting other people along with killing oneself is so wrong and it's sad that there are terrorists out there who are willing to do go that far.

suicide bombers

Reading about what others had to say about suicide bombers, i do agree that they do what they do because of their cultural background and religion. i do believe that since we were never raised in such a culture that brainwashes kids into thinking that it's an honor to sacrifice their lives for a cause such as suicide bombing, we see it as a morally wrong thing to do. i also agree with megan in that sometimes it is their religion that influences them to do something horrible as to sacrificing themselves and killing the lives of other innocent lives. and since we weren't raised in such a culture, we view incidents like suicide bombing, 9/11, and other incidents as simply wrong.

suicide bombers

sacrifice has been practiced by people since... the beginning of time, and although human sacrifices are terrible, it played a major role in some religions, and thankfully its not practiced as much anymore. but i dont know when it became encouraged in some cultures to not only sacrifice yourself, but others around you as well. i dont understand how people, no matter their race or religion, can think that by taking the lives of others, theyre serving god. they have to be brainwashed, how else could the seperation between right and wrong gotten so blurred? i was reading once that the 'martyrs' about to go through with their mission, have to be seperated from all contacts... so it doesnt influence them to change their minds. these people have been brainwashed into believing that to die and kill is what their purpose is. i think it's really sad, because i dunno, i believe that all people are born good, and its the world that corrupts them, and that is why those 'martyrs' have to be seperated, so they are only exposed to the corruption.

suicide bombing

i agree with charis on the fact that it seems unbelievable that people actually do that to themselves and sacrifice their own lives in order to make a statement or support what we believe. I do support dying for what you believe in but not like those who commit suicide bombing. it`s just like the 9/11 attacks. those people were sacrificing their own lives and others in order to make a statement that clearly caught everyone`s attention. i think you can make statements like that in different ways were killing yourself or others is not necessary.

Suicide Bombers

The reason that suicide bombing does not sound logical to us is because it is not a learned practice in our society. What we learn is what our elders teach us. We grew up realizing that killing is a horrible and inhumane act, whereas children in other countries may grow up being told that it is an honor to blow yourself up for your country. These suicide bombers ARE brainwashed. They only have one concept, and that is to destroy Americans at any cost, even the greatest cost, their lives. I am so glad that we do not have this mind-set in America, but it is sad to hear about suicide bomber attacks in the US, like the one in NY. I just hope that the next time there is about to be a bombing, it will be prevented, but suicide bombers are hard to suspect. I mean how can you tell if someone is about to blow themselves up?

SUICIDE BOMBERS

When it comes to suicide bombings, i just don't understand why someone on earth would kill themselves and the lives of many others. Like Justyna mentioned before that some suicide bombers kill themselves and do what they do because they were brianwashed, to seek the promises of paradise in their afterlife, or someone close to them was killed right in front of their eyes. Either reason, i still don't understand why they would want to commit suicide, and on top of that kill others while they're at it. i don't want to go on saying that what the suicide bombers are doing is just unbelieveable and not understandable, but what can be said of it all? If the reason they kill themselves and others in a public way is because of their commitment to a country or a cause or a religion, i don't think that by committing suicide and endangering others will accomplish anything or prove their point.

suicide bombers

I myself also do not understand how a person can actually decide to kill himself as well as others in the process. I know that in Iraq these bombers have been proiven to be more effective since it can pin point the exact target more accurately while also causing mass killings. The sad part about this however is they mostly use women and children bvecause they are less likely to be searched for the bombs. Hundreds of U.S. soldiers have already been killed by these bombers. However many suicide bombers are educated so what really drives the men to blow themselves up? Is it brainwashing? Is it promises of paradise in the afterlife? One idea I thought that might fit the answer is seeing a freidn or relative get killed by their own eyes. I believe this type of scene can change their train of thought to anger. But this is really my only solution otherwise I am confused.

Suicide Bombing

Suicide bombing is something that i just find to be quite ridiculous. I mean if you really are trying to prove a point for something and want something to happen what good is going to come from you killing yourself and many other people along with you. It just isn't logical to me. But I guess people have different ways of expressing themselves, and I guess killing themself to support their cause is wothwhile. Furthermore the thing about the person killing themself in New York City is just amazing to me, I actuall did not think that it happens in the U.S. All in all, the terroist aspect of suicide bombings is quite scary to me.

????

Oh man..... ok is there any one ho has the knowledge to educate me as to how? & Why? suicide bombers came to be!? I mean think of how much mental brain washing it takes to even get a person to shoot a gun! let al-own blow up a bomb with them selves strapped on to it!Like do they take them from birth and every day say "go blow yourself up when needed, go blow yourself up when needed, go blow yourself up when needed, go blow yourself up when needed," over and over every day of every second!

scenario

Pat- Hey Jonny man what do i have to do, to get on the Bosses good side?
Jonny-Uh well it depends? if you didn't fallow orders just cut off your hand!What exactly did you do?
Pat- Well at this point some questioning of my loyalty has came to place!!!!
Jonny-*gasp!* No?!!!O_O
Pat-yes.....
Jonny- AHh! dont worry bud! i know just the thing! All you have to do! Is just strap yourself to a bomb run in to a building and kill a hole bunch of people you dont know!That 'l do it!
Pat- THATS PERFECT OH MAN WHEY DIDENT I THINK OF THAT!!! ^^ Thanks Jonny i'll get started on that right now see you next week! Oh sorry no! uh..heaven thats right!
Jonny- uh how knows maybe i'll do it to next week! Score-Up some points too!

now is that how they word it out when things like this happen?

Sorry for the change

Sorry to change the topic, but i just saw something on the news that caught my attention. I saw that a man blew up himself, i believe in New York City in front of a recruiting office. They have a video watching the man ride his bike up and blow himself up. You think suiside bombers are all overseas but its true that they are here. If terrorist really wanted to scare attack supermarkets or places we use everyday. They might be starting to do that now.

I loved the convention today...fun stuff. Get ready for more Republican interjections from Lindsey tomorrow...haha. I think though that everyone did a really good job researching their platforms and it was cool how most people were really involved. I'm pumped for tomorrow. Goodnight everybody!!

Plank

i am really enjoying this plank discussion. it is helping us see how things are really run at these committees. i also think rita is doing a very job at being the head person. she is making discussion good and she seems like she could be a chairperson when shes older. i think its stupid that we had to dress up when we were even dressing up like our character but its not bad. i think this is one of the better activities we have done all year. it is making everyone active and everyone has to pay attention because we have to ask questions. i also find it interesting that people are actually trying to amend certain planks. it makes it very realistic and it makes this whole committee thing more undsertandable. i hope we do more activities liek this in the future, it makes learning a lot easier.

Plank Discussions

Today was definitely very very interesting. I have to agree with Jory with the fact that I didn’t know everyone was going to be that involved with the discussions. Before we started this, I didn’t even see the point of this assignment, but it’s turning out to be quite interesting. It’s a very scary place being up there in the hot seat. Just some advice…make sure you guys are thinking of questions that people might ask you, because it’s very hard to satisfy them with your answers. I think it was really cool the way people were actually getting involved and trying to help change the planks for the groups that have gone so far. It is interesting to see the types of suggestions we have. The discussions got a little heated on some points, which I thought was pretty funny…BOB!!! I cant wait to see what the other planks have to say tomorrow! This is getting to be a real thrill already!

plank discussions

yeah i agree with jory, i think this activity is cool because we talk about major issues that real politicians are discussing today. also, like that were doing this rather than learning about politics from a slide show or something, i think hands on learning makes a bigger impact, and is alot more fun. i think its great that the majority is taking it pretty seriously, it really makes it more interesting. yeah it got a little bit heated at times today but im curious to see what tomorrow will bring, especially now because we are all a little more familiar with what is going on. im the spokesperson for education and im kinda nervous about going tomorrow, cuz like allison said, i know people are going to ask alot of questions (to get their full points) and i dont know how to prepare myself for all of them. but yeah, at first i wasnt too happy about the assignment, i think it was more that i didnt understand it, but now that were actually to the debate stuff, its pretty interesting.

Change of topic

I always seem to want to change the topic whenever I read the blog because I have already talked about what is on it. Right now I wanted to talk about our first day of presenting our Democratic planks. We went over the economy planks and nearly finished the crime planks and I am here to say that today was not what I expected. I never thought that this would be that intense and so active. I was thinking that people were just gunna read their papers and answer questions then sit back down. But that was far from what happened today. We had ammendments left and right, people having intense arguments and a lot of questioning. I liked how it has been going so far but I say that now before I present tommorrow. My group is doing the National security planks and I think it will be interesting to see what type of discussions and amendments will pop up with my topic. I enjoyed listening to all the action today and I am excited to be more apart of the action tommorrow. I think it was intense today but Mr. Spoor even sayed that it could be way more fun and way more intense. I am anxious to see what happens to me when I present and I hope this gets way more fun.

Obama, Clinton, or McCain....

I'm in the same boat as Rooney and Lauren -- more of a republican, but there's not one canidate i'm passionate about. McCain leans more towards a moderate than a conservative. This looks to be a democratic year anyway. I'm hoping Obama will knock out Hilary. It's sort of funny how most most men are against Hilary with a passion.

If Hilary teams up with Obama as vice president, it would be very hippicritical on her part considering the way she bashed Obama. I don't think the two mix. Although they would rack up a significant number of votes.

pOliTiCs

I think that there will also be a democratic president as Garrett predicted. I just seems like Clinton ad Obama are front runners. I am republican so it is hard to see this happening. I agree with Rooney they there is not a canidate that really sticks out in my mind as someone i would want to vote for. I dont think obama and clinton as a team would be very successful either. Like someone mentioned, they are against eachother and obviously have different viewpoints. I also think that sticking to front runners with strong competitive natures and the desire for the top position would work out becuase they will eventualy argue about something and it will be a mess concerning two strong personalities.

Nominations

I agree with Mindy in saying that McCain and Condeleeza would be a strong team but i do not think that he would be able to win because he does not appeal to as many people as Clinton and/or Obama do. McCain is a good candidate for the Republicans, which is shown because he totally killed the other candidates in delegates, however, when it comes down to it, it would be hard for him to beat Obama or Clinton. Obama appeals to the younger generation a lot more and Clinton appeals to the older people who liked Bill Clinton. I just think that we will have a democratic president from the election and i will be happy with that.

obama and clinton

Surely, if Obama and Clinton team up for the democratic side, then they are bound to win the election in November. If I remember correctly, wasn't there talk about how the McCain might run with Condoleeza Rice? That would be a pretty strong running mate and the Democratic side would need strong candidates to run against them. However, I'm not sure if Obama and Clinton would work out. I mean they are opponents now and seem to have different opinions. But on the other hand, I've always viewed that in politics, someone may be a best friend today and the next day, that same person can be the worst enemy.

Favre and Politics.

First, about Brett Favre is one of the last class acts in the NFL. He played through a lot, even when mourning his father's death. He's given a lot of memories to Bears and Packer fans alike, and I'll miss watchin him lose to the Bears on Sundays...

Second, no candidates really appeal to me, but I am more conservative, so I'm leaning more towards McCain. But, I know a "Dream Ticket" could be devastating to the Republican party. So I have to admit, in the back of my mind I'm really hoping that doesn't happen.

So since there aren't any great candidates, why don't we just elect Brett Favre since he's done with football? I mean he ran the Packers, so I guess he could run America...

Brett Favre

Iwould like to change the topic back to Brett Favre because we already blogged on the election like a million times. I think that the presidential election is pretty sweet and that the democratic nominees are pretty close in the running but I am sadden to hear about Brett Favre retiring. I am a big Bears fan as well but I do agree with Patrick on the fact that Brett was one of the greatest quarterbacks to play football. I think that his day has come and he does need to retire because I understand that a contact sport like football can get pretty overwhelming when your an old man. All in all, Brett Favre is a great football player and will be remembered for years to come.

President

I feel that Obama should be the president because of his beliefs, and also think that Hillary should not become the vice-presiden because they have opposing views on a lot of matters and have attacked each other big time in the election. I think that if Hillary becomes VP, all they will do is argue and not get anything really important done.

I was talking to some people at the place I volunteer at and the older people wanted Hillary to win but only because they did not like what Obama was doing, not because they liked Hillary. John McCain did not really come up, however, I agree with Jory in saying that he might be able to go under the radar and become president, only because nobody is even talking about him now. He is the republican representative for sure and all you hear about is the democrats on the news. I would vote democratically in this election and probably for years to come.

Vice president

Haha Allison I think what the news was trying to say was that the loser would become vice president. They would both be in office because if the United States votes Democratic then they would have the winner of the primaries become president and the loser would become vice president. In my opinion that is a great idea for the Democratic party to get somone in office for the first time in eight years. Many people think that the whole race for primary is going to be a battle between Clinton and Obama, which it is. Then people will follow this race day in and day out but the Democrates seem to be worried that McCain will then sneak into office under the radar. They think that if Obama voters see Clinton running then those people will vote Republican to keep Hillary out of office and block her. This probably would go the same if Obama won as well. The only way to stop that is to promote the 'two in one' deal and get both of them in office. Maybe Democratic voters will be satisfied with their candidate being vice president instead. Or maybe if they can't decide if they wan't a woman or a black man in office then they would be able to get both. Democrates are trying to put in a president no matter what it takes and it just might work.

Clinton & Obama "Dream Team"

Sorry to change the topic about Favre but I was reading this on MSN and I dont know if I was understanding this correctly. It was saying how people cannot decide between the two of them and "we might end up with both." What in the world does that mean? That we will end up with 2 presidents and they will have to work together? I don't think I'm understanding this correctly, but if I am, there is no possible way that this is going to work out.

Brett Favre

Even though I am an avid Bears fan, I have got to say that Brett Favre was probably the greatest quarterback that I have ever seen play. So of the plays that he made were unreal and he would never give up during a game because he knew he could lead his team back to victory. Some games that stick out are of course all the times he beat the Bears but also a Monday Night Football game probably three or four years back when he threw I think four touchdowns a day after his dad passed away. He didn't want to stop his streak of games started and it was even a feel-good moment for Bears fans to see him do so well after his father's passing. I think the reason that he finally hung it up was because he didn't get Randy Moss to come to Green Bay. He almost made it to the Super Bowl last year and I think that put even more strain on him and not getting a playmaker like Moss really told him that it was time to hang it up. With that said, I don't think that we have seen the last of Brett. I was talking with a friend and I said that if the Packers do horrible in 2008, we will see Favre return in 2009 for 'one final run.' I see him as a Roger Clemens-type player, a guy who says he is retired but then comes back a few times because he can still play and also because he misses the game. If this is the end of his career, I think he will go down as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.

FaVrE

I know it's unlikly for a girl to start this topic, but i thought it was interesting. Favre retired today and it is all over the news. I think it is important for him to get recognized for his efforts after 17 years of commitment to his profession. It was probably a good time for him to walk away becuase i cant even imagine how draining that might be mentally and physically on a person. I see our own high school football team work so hard to be committed and stay in shape, it must be 100 times harder when your a professional and looked up to by many. I think some people may be upset by his decision but they have to understand it was the right time for him and that is ultimatley what matters most. It was surprising at first, but after thinking about it, it probably was the best decision to retire if his heart and body just werent feeling it anymore. I just wanted to comment on what i thought about the news and i want to hear what other peopple think about it or why they think he might have made this decision.

Writers week

i didnt really like most of the people i saw but the one person i did liek was daphanie willis. i thought she was a very good singer and guitar player. i also think its really cool how she is a fremd graduate. i couldnt believe that she came from fremd cause i kind of knew who she was but i didnt expect her to become bigger and almost to signing a label. her songs were really good and i thought she related all of her songs to other people very well. i hope i could see her perform live at a concert. that would be really cool to see her open up for a famous band. i wish i was able to buy a cd when she came and im glad that she came back to fremd and perform in writers week. i know she liked that since she did it a lot when she was a student at fremd. i heard her when she was a senior and its nice to see how she has developed.