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=>>

Taking the Day Off

It seems in our country that Christianity is put on a pedestal. The best example of this is holidays and days off. Every Christian holiday is viewed as a national holiday and most people are permitted to take the day off from work. But with every other religion and its holidays this is not the case. Granted there would be a lot of days off of work if our nation celebrated every single beliefs system's holidays, but if not all the religions are respected and celebrated, should none be? Many argue again that this country was founded on Christian ideals. This excuse seems to be covering a lot of ground in my opinion. And yes, the majority of our country does claim to be some branch of Christianity or Catholicism. So that gives us reason to forget everyone else? As recent U.S. government poll expressed similar feelings saying, "Given that the laws of the USA decree that there is freedom of religion, why do we have Christian holidays (i.e., Easter and Christmas) observered by the schools, banks, government, post office, etc. but not any other religion's holidays, unless you count New Year's Day a religious holiday. Halloween may be pagan but no institution takes the day off" (SodaHead.com). Should offices and companies need to respect the beliefs of their workers and grant them the day off for the religion they practice and celebrate?

<<http://www.sodahead.com/poll/701/>>

Inconsistant?

With an upcoming presidential election right around the corner, candidates are presenting their positions on the same controversial matters that are always disputed. War in Iraq, abortion, death penalty, you know, those topics. Conservative Republicans usually take the usual stances-- no on abortion, yes on the death penalty, yes on pu- wait a minute. Does that sound a little funny to anyone else? No on abortion, but yes on the death penalty? Don't kill one person, but ya kill that other one...? Granted unborn children are innocent.... but in actuality, so are a shocking number of people on death row. Too many people who have been put to death for crimes they did not commit. I understand there are some crimes too sick for most of us to even imagine, but in my opinion, death is the easy way out for those people. If I did something awful enough to be on death row, I would rather die than sit alone and think about what I did everyday. Further, it is proven that it does not cost any more money to keep someone in prison than to execute them. I think a lot of people need to do more research on this topic. You may be surprised. <<http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/>>

Hate Crimes Against Muslim Americans

Since the attack on 9/11, the number of hate crimes against Muslim American citizens has dramatically increased. "Two polls found that almost half of the public has a negative perception of Islam and that one in four citizens holds “extreme’ anti-Muslim views" (Washington Post). Obviously these innocent people are not responsible for the pain and grief caused in the terrorist attacks, and it seems extremely naiive to resort to hate-crimes against our own people here in the states. "Complaints of discrimination, harassment and violence against Muslims jumped over 30 percent in 2005 from the previous year, according to a report released Sept. 18 by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim organization." Nearly 2,000 hate-crimes were reported in the year 2005, a sickening number that is by far the highest number since the CAIR organization began keeping track in 1995. The number of anti-Muslim hate-crimes has more than doubled in the last few years as a repurcussion of 9/11. The hate-crimes obviously need to be stopped, but I think equally important is getting the American public to understand and differentiate between American Islamic citizens and terrorists. There is obviously a huge difference and these people need to feel safe again in the United States, not threatened and unwelcomed.

<<http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=127fe2880e48951b564ac2f3e171242e>>

In the Name Of God

Life Site News published an article in 2006 of a high school valedictorian who was giving her speech at graduation when her microphone was abruptly cut off. The student was about to thank God. School officials, “who knew it was coming, cut off the microphone before they or anyone else could hear it” (www.LifeSiteNews.com). The controversy is whether the action taken by the school denied the student of her civil rights, or, because it was a school-sponsored event if they had the right and maybe even the duty to do so in order to avoid offending anyone. On one hand, an audience of diverse families and friends came to this graduation to celebrate academic achievements, not to hear about God. On the other hand, let’s take a look at the Grammy’s, the Oscar’s, and any other “big-time” award show. How many times have you heard actors and singers “thank God” for where they are in their lives? And think about how much bigger that audience is than the audience that attended the Foothill High 2006 graduation that day. Again in this article, the writer appears to take a slight bias. More quotes arguing why this act denied the valedictorian her right to freedom of speech suggest that the writer is also in opposition of the school’s cutting off the girl’s speech.

<http://www.lifesit.net/ldn/2006/jun/0602022.html%3E

AIDS in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is the most HIV and AIDS infected region on the map. About 22.5 million people are living with HIV and approximately 1.7 million additional peole were infected with HIV during the year 2007. The AIDS epidemic in Africa has taken the lives of about 1.6 million people. Eleven million children have been diagnosed with AIDS as well. Treatment for the infected is non-existant, therefore the death-toll in Africa is unfortunately rising. Africa contains more than 10% of the worlds population and it is important that greater efforts are taken to care for these people. AIDS is spreading throughout the continent like a wild fire. To make matters worse, the people of Africa have been shying away from the topic making it extremely difficult to create the first step in getting a handle on this disease-- awareness. Just now are the people becoming aware of the extent to which AIDS is overpowering the nation. The more Africans learn about the disease, the better they can protect themselves. Many people find it frustrating that while our president sees it fit to fight a war in Iraq to improve the Iraqi quality of life, so little is being done in Africa where hundreds and hundreds of people are dying every single day from this dominating disease.

Hypersensitive Holidays

In another news story published in November of 2005, the city of Boston officially changed the name of a giant spruce tree in Boston Common to a “holiday tree” rather than a “Christmas tree.” The modification created an uproar in the community and there was a great deal of controversy all based around the label of this tree. Some believed that the attempt to “secularize holiday displays” was an effort to reach a wider range of beliefs and their corresponding holiday celebrations (www.thecrimson.com). If changing the tree’s label addresses more holidays and reaches a greater audience, why not call it a holiday tree? But others thought the change was ridiculous and believed that things should be called what they are. Should we call a dreidel a “holiday dreidel” even though the icon is obviously associated with the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah? No. And therefore many believed that a “Christmas tree” should be called just that. In any case, the name change for the most part did not go over well in the community, and many people were not happy. Looking at the way in which this article was written, it seems as though the writer had a slight bias against the term “holiday tree” as well. The number of quotes in opposition of the “holiday tree” compared to the number of quotes in favor of the new title was seven to two. The article appears to be leaning towards calling a Christmas tree a Christmas tree.

<">http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=510132 >

Are We Ready?

With the presidential election right around the corner, many people are asking the question-- Is America ready for a female president? "When the first widely known woman candidate for president, Victoria Woodhull, declared her intention to run in 1870, the newspapers noted: 'She is rather in advance of her time. The public mind is not yet educated to the pitch of universal woman's rights.'" But that was over one hundred years ago. Is this even a matter of "being ready" at this point in time or is it just a matter of crossing that barrier and actually making it a reality. There are still areas in our modern time where sexism is present, and I can't say that I really understand why, but especially in this particular case, I think a woman president would be perfectly fine. There is nothing the president must do that a woman is not capable of. I would be a proud citizen of a country represented by a strong female leader. Many people don't feel the same way but I until I hear a good reason why a woman would not make a good president my views will remain the same.

<<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_54/ai_n18764295>>

Funding the War

"The Iraq war could eventually cost two trillion dollars," according to a new study co-authored by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes, "who previously presented the conservative estimate." Where is the money coming from? Well our pockets of course. 124 billion dollars of that money comes directly from the average American citizen. When should Bush draw the line? Or when should he have? Well I'm not sure there is any right answer for that, but I do know that he's not going to. President Bush continues to stand by his war until he leaves office, which is now right around the corner. But what about after he is out of office? What do the American people want the new president to do about it? Some politicians and even some citizens are saying that the United States looks weak by not completing the job they took on. However, it's far more important to most people right now to bring our men back into safety and not to sacrifice any more innocent lives then have alreasdy been consumed by this war, both American people and Iraqi people. I think this take priority over our nation looking "tough" and being "in control".



<<http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2007/tst032607.htm>>

Does My Vote Count?

Using the electoral college as a way of electing our president has always been a bit confusing to me. I'm not sure I understand how an electoral vote can override a popular vote, and why we would use this system. It is said that the two are usually in aggreement, but if that's the case, then why not just use a popular vote to elect the president? My next question is if my vote even matters. The state of California, if I remember correctly, tends to vote in favor of the Democratic party. So let's say I always vote for Republicans, is there any point to even voting? Government officials say yes. They assure that "the individual citizen's vote is important to the outcome of each State election". I hope that is the case. But if it's not, then I'm afraid quite a few American citizens may be misunderstood. I believe a lot of people don't vote for the very reason that they don't think their vote will make an impact as long as we use the Electoral College System.

<<http://thinkexist.com/quotes/like/one_of_the_most_meaningful_things_that-s_happened/339870/>>

Blood Diamonds

Women love diamonds. They can mean a lot of different things; love, committment, or it can just be a fashion trend. But to a child in any of several underdeveloped countries, a diamond means something completely different; a diamond means exhaustion, work, and ill-treatment. India has over 20,000 children working in diamond processing. India is said to be the worlds biggest diamond and gemstone cutting center in the world. The industry can thank their growth to the little children that slave away to find them. An example of a child's day of work may consist of polishing diamonds for up to 16 hours. These children suffer from damaged finger tips, blisters, malnutrition and Maleria, to name a few. Ever since the popular movie “Blood Diamond” was released in December of 2006, a public response has emerged. After seeing the movie, I look at diamonds in a whole different way. Although they are beautiful and valuable, each one tells the hidden story of a child in some country without food and care. The small gem is now a haunting symbol of the pain children endure every day to meet our materialistic needs. Diamonds are a luxury. And now, we can order them from countries who have a legitimate way of finding them.

<<http://www.stopblooddiamonds.org/web/soc142/team7/gross.jpg>>