Republican Debate

The technology of our society today has made it possible for all the people of this country to get a better idea of who each presidential candidate is and what they stand for. I was watching the Republican debate on television a couple nights ago and was pleasantly surprised to enjoy it as much as I did. The event was sponsored by CNN and youtube and the setup was very high-tech and fun to watch. Through youtube people sent in videos expressing their questions and concerns. What better way to get to know the candidates and their political positions than to ask yourself! I thought this was a very good way to connect to the people and it made it more entertaining to watch. In the past, people would have to listen on the radio to catch a live presidential debate, and if they missed it too bad. Now we have all sorts of ways to learn about our presidential candidates and get to know them as people before the election. Perhaps most importantly, by making a traditional event lilke a political debate more modern with youtube videos, it gets the younger generation more involved with the campaigning and with the election.


<<http://mashable.com/2007/08/13/republican-youtube-cnn-debate/>>

Gap Violates Labour Laws

In May of 2004, it was brought to the public's attention that the popular clothing line, Gap, had admittingly been found violating child labor laws in other countries. "Contracts were terminated with 42 plants in China, another 42 in south-east Asia, 31 on the Indian subcontinent and nine in Europe" (The Guardian). What's even more disturbing than the story itself is the fact that this incident somehow managed to stay mostly under raps. I briefly heard about it, but I don't think this situation got nearly the repurcussions it should have. The company obviously was forced to cutt off all ties with factories that were abusing child labor laws. It seems like not too many people are concerned with these violations because people think that child labor don't really concern us in the U.S. Unfortunately, they do concern us. By allowing our clothing lines to support this, we are in a sense supporting it as well. Gap should not have only ended their business with these plants, but they should have been severely penalized as well. It makes me wonder how many other companies have done the same thing and not been caught. It's too bad that child labor still exists but the reality is... it does! So we need to identify it and put an end to it. No company should get away with it that easily.

<<http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2004/may/13/7>>

Romney

If church and state really should be completely separate, then the beliefs of the president should be his private life and his private life only. But when it comes down to it, is that really possible? To completely separate church and state? Looking back to the Constitution, it is clear that the foundation of this country is based on Christian beliefs and morals. However, our Constitution is also based on liberty and freedom and included in those freedoms is the freedom of religion. Is our country being old-fashioned and even hypocrytical if we say that we respect everyone's religious views, and yet a perfectly qualified individual may have no chance to presidency because of his religious practices? "Liberals tend to argue that all theological beliefs, including Mormonism, are fundamentally private and dangerously coercive as the basis of public policy. Some religious conservatives are concerned that this particular theology is too eccentric to be welcomed at the White House" (Washington Post's Michael Gerson). We must also take into consideration the fact that many politicians are not quite the religious saints they seem to be while campaigning. Would the citizens in this country prefer a fake Christian or an honest Mormon? I'm curious to see how next year's election reveals this matter.

<<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202024.html>>

Prison Issues

An issue that is often overlooked by society today is the overcrowding of jails and prisons in America. Overcrowding is the result of several different factors including low budget, poor design, and sometimes an increase in crime in a particular area may be a factor as well. An overcrowded prison has many effects on the inmates-- mentally, physically and emotionally. For example, studies show that individuals in crowded prsions are prone to anti-social behavior. They also often develop the absence of personal control and idleness. Space is limited to only was is absolutley necessary to keep the inmates alive. Direct resources are all they get. There are few opportunities for the inmates to participate in self-improving activities and rehabilitation programs. Library books, washrooms, kitchens, lounging and recreation is extremely limited to each inmate. The confined space and lack of activities in a jail cell takes a toll on the human brain. Also, crowding creates added stress and fear. This can lead to aggression and violence among the inmates. Sexual frustration is common also and can be taken out on other inmates, even of the same sex. This results in more aggression, competition, less cooperation and more social withdrawal. This can also spread illness and STD's. As you can gather, inmates serving time in prison do not leave better people, instead they build up resentment and anger towards society. That is why studies have proven that most individuals who serve prison time will most likely serve time again.

<<http://www.johnhoward.ab.ca/PUB/C42.htm>>

Same Sex Marriages

Marriage is a sacred bond between two people who love each other. As “people” being the operative word, who's to judge same sex marriages? Marragie is a human right and a personal choice based on feelings of love and happiness. Does being homosexual change those feelings and make them any less “real”? Gay couples that love each other, have passions for each other just like a male/female couples do; some maybe even moreso than heterosexual couples. Take Britney Spears for example. She gets drunk in Vegas one night and decides to get married. Then she gets it annulled the very next day. If you ask me, that's not showing a whole lot of respect to the sanctity of marriage. Those are the marragies, if any, that should be judged. And instead homosexual couples who actually do care about one another are discriminated by our society. It is not up to us to judge other peoples' feelings about each other. Judgment day should be left to God, and God only. In my opinion there are many larger issues than trying to keep loving couples apart. "Each individual's journey through life is unique. Some will make this journey alone, others in loving relationships - maybe in marriage or other forms of commitment. We need to ponder our own choices and try to understand the choices of others. Love has many shapes and colors and is not finite. It can not be measured or defined in terms of sexual orientation." From the Statement of Affirmation and Reconciliation

<<http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_marr.htm>>

Religion in Schools

The controversial topic dealing with religion in public schools has been an ongoing on for many years now. Whether or not Bibles should be permitted in the classroom, whether praying is allowed or not allowed, if religious or anti-religious T-shirts should be acceptable, all those sorts of things. When prayer was outlawed in public classrooms a few years back, it compromised the rights found in the first amendment of the Constitution. Since this incident, state and school officials seem to have come to the consensus that the facts and practices of various religions may be taught just as any other subject. Teachers must keep this discussion strictly factual though to avoid any sort of preaching or testimonial. Religious gatherings and small groups are to be treated just as any other extracarricular activity so long as none of the school staff encourages or discourages the behavior. "Public schools can neither foster religion nor preclude it. Our public schools must treat religion with fairness and respect and vigorously protect religious expression as well as the freedom of conscience of all other students. In so doing our public schools reaffirm the First Amendment and enrich the lives of their students" says Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley.

<<http://www.adherents.com/misc/fed_guidelines.html>>

Politicians Using Religion

In one man's exploration to discover the correlation between church and state throughout various cultures and societies, he found a recurring theme in how religion is often brought into politics for the wrong reasons. This man traveled the world analyzing different cultures and traditions. It is not surprising that campaigning politicians around the globe were found using "local religious themes and symbols as sources of legitimacy." What was not expected in this study was the common trend of governmental regimes and their officials to try and keep a tight grip on religion. Religion is used to gain power, but one power has been secured, political figures often turn the tables and religion is pushed away, viewed as a constraint. <<http://www.crosscurrents.org/Demerath.htm>>

Iraq

The war in Iraq was obviously based on good intentions, however, President Bush has quickly become one of the most unpopular presidents of all times as a result of this war. I unfortuantely have a friend who's brother was killed in an accident in Iraq. I also know a current soldier fighting there now and so I am very sensitive to our troops and to this war. Most people think we need to get out of there as soon as possible, and others think it will just make things worse to not finish what we started. "Obama calls the Bush administration's Iraq policies "tragically misguided" and advocates a phased withdrawal of U.S. combat forces, to be completed by next March. Romney notes that there is "no guarantee" that the administration's current strategy will succeed but says that "the stakes are too high and the potential fallout too great to deny our military leaders and troops on the ground the resources and the time needed to give it an opportunity." I don't want to get too much into my personal beliefs and opinions on the matter, but I will say that no matter your position on the war, those soldiers who are away from their families right now fighting for this country deserve our utmost respect and our constant prayers. Our armed forces are the true heroes of this country, and they are putting their lives on the line for America and for each one of us.

<<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/30/AR2007053002302.html>>

R.I.P Cole Larsen http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.iraqwarheroes.com/photos16/cole_larsen01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.iraqwarheroes.com/larsenc.htm&h=225&w=150&sz=15&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=MFFfmESIFIY-xM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=72&prev=

Agnosticism

What is agnosticism? I have heard the word many times and I have a general idea of what it means, but I have found that there are many misconceptions that follow the term. The word agnosticism is separate from Atheism and is used primarily for one single issue: does a god or do any gods exist? Those who openly admit to not having any answers or any specific faith and who often believe the ability to have answers in this topic is impossible are labeled as agnostics. It's too bad that so many people make assumption about this label and about this belief because whether agnosticism is seen as a philosophy or just as a scapegoat, it is reasonable and deserves the same respect as others beliefs and faiths. So, back to the original question-- what is the actual definition of this belief? Some say that agnosticism provides an alternative to atheism, but those are often the same people who confine atheism to merely not believing in God and in a sense being "anti-God". As stated by researcher and journalist Austine Cline, "Strictly speaking, agnosticism is about knowledge, and knowledge is a related but separate issue from belief, the domain of theism and atheism" (http://atheism.about.com/).

<<http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutagnosticism/a/what.htm>>

More on the Death Penalty

In 1984, Earl Washington was found guilty in trial after admitting to the rape and murder of a woman from the state of Virginia. Washington was convicted and sentenced to death. It wasn't until sixteen years later that DNA tests were able to prove his innocence. Earl Washington was mentally retarded and police had convinced Earl Washington to make a statement admitting to the crime. Luckily, the evidence was found in time to keep Earl from being innocently killed by our country. It is cases like these that should make us think twice about the death penalty. What if the evidence had not been found in time, or not at all? Then America would have lost two innocent lives rather than one. It would be bad enough if this was the only case of this nature, but it most definitely is not, and many of the others did not end as well as this one. <<http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=176&scid=>>