Freedom of Speech or Freedom to Bury Your Son?

Last week the Supreme Court dealt with the case of Albert Snyder, whose son is a fallen Marine that died while serving his, and our, country. The funeral was interrupted by a band of picketers from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, who used this fallen Marine's funeral as a way to tell everyone how they felt. The picketers bearing signs reading "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "Fags Doom the Nation" ruined Snyder's one chance to bury his son. There were young children holding signs at this hero's funeral.

Pastor Fred W. Phelps Sr., the churches leader, and his extreme fundamentalist followers strongly believe that because America is becoming so tolerant and accepting of homosexuality that God is killing our soldiers who are over in the Middle East fighting. They protest here to show America, because they claim funerals get the most media attention that this is what happens when we are accepting to homosexual acts. How can it be legal and even right for a group of people to do this at a marine's funeral?

Imagine not only losing your son, who has yet to live a full and happy life, and having to bury him, but also having protesters picjeting outside his funeral thanking God for his death and expressing through profane language. Originally Snyder had won this case but it was appealed because of issues presented that it violates the First Amendment. The First Amendment states that we as citizens have the right to free speech, where we can protest our ideas and opinions freely without persecution. This applies to even harmful words and seemingly crazy acts to prove a point.

Is there a line that shouldn't be crossed by protesters? A line of privacy and sympathy, like what is needed in a funeral setting. Which matters more in this instant, the freedom of speech or a fathers only chance to bury his son who lost his life protecting the very rights and country that are now protecting the protesters? Burying a child is unnatural and unexpected for any parent, whouldn't this be respected and have sympathy shown for this family. Where should the lines be drawn? What matters more in this instance? What should the Supreme Court do in this instance?

Mosque Proposal Near Ground Zero

September 11, 2001 is a day all Americans will
remember for the rest of their lives. 19 Al-Qaeda members hijacked four commercial airplanes and crashed into the Pentagon, the Twin Towers and a rural field in Pennsylvania. There were 2,752 deaths; 343 firefighters, 60 police officers, and countless civilians. This day is considered by many to be the most tragic day in American history. It will be written
into history books, engraved on memorial sites and in
our hearts forver.

Nearly ten years later this incident is still fresh in our
minds as there is a proposal to build a mosque and Islamic Center just blocks from ground zero. We are a country that accepts everyone no matter what nationality, religion, race, gender, or sexual orientation. So why is it such a controversy that American Islamics want to build a mosque right next to ground zero? It is a matter of principle that most people do not want the mosque. Building a mosque next to where Muslim terrorists killed nearly three thousand Americans is just a sign of disrespect.

This debate has caused quite a stir in the media and from people all over the United States. Mayor Bloomberg has supported the project saying, "Anybody who wants to build a house of worship in this city, we'd love to do it." However, Ted Sjurseth, a founder of America's 9/11 Foundation has said that the mosque plan is "a stick in the eye".

Families of the victims of the 9/11 attack have spoken out against the building of this center on the grounds that it is insensitive and disrespectful. Parents and relatives of people who perished because of the attacks say that the whole mosque debate is just reopening old wounds. The victims of the catastrophic event should be shown more respect, and the mosque plans should be made somewhere else.

Retired New York Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Riche's son was killed on 9/11. He is not opposed to the mosque but he does not think it should be built so close to ground zero. There are still one thousand bodies that have not been found and they are still finding pieces of victims. He does not think its appropriate to be building a fifteen story mosque with an indoor pool this close to hallowed ground.

President Obama defended the building of the mosque a mere 600 feet from ground zero because people have the right to practice religion where ever they want in the United States. However, Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene has said "Freedom of religion might provide the right to build the mosque in the shadow of ground zero, but common sense and respect for those who lost their lives and loved ones gives sensible reason to build the mosque someplace else".



Even though it may be within the Islamic's rights to build a mosque at that location, is it really necessary? Is this a proper way to honor the dead? Do you agree or disagree with the building of the mosque?

Links:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38698500/
http://abcnews.go.com/US/ground-mosque-faces-obstacle/story?id=10738961

Abortion: Is it worth the risk?

No matter what angle anyone looks at it, the topic of abortion is one of the most arguable and controversial issues of social justice. Society today is split down the middle with some individuals who believe that abortion should be a common practice amongst women and some that have a totally different perspective on the matter. By definition, it is  "the termination of a woman's pregnancy through the process of removing a growing fetus from her uterus". Statistics show that 42,000,000 abortions take place around the world about every year. However, the staggering news is that only about half of them are done correctly without harming the pregnant mother and unborn fetus. With this in mind, some might say that abortion should be illegal since it is a very dangerous practice for everyone and everything involved. That it would be much easier to just have the child and then give it up for adoption so that he or she will have the chance to live a life. Some people consider abortion in a political standpoint, but it’s not about politics. Though there are certain circumstances that cannot be ignored with regards to abortion, the practice itself should be illegal due to probable negative consequences.

In the United States, the practice is very much a legal right for many women as an option of choice. However, it is through the power of the numbers that will tell the whole story from the United States Census Bureau. 75% of Americans who participated in a recent poll do not support the country's current policy of an "immediate abortion". 53% of the 75% say that the practice should only be utilized in certain circumstances (i.e. rape, but its only accounts for 2% of all resulting abortions) while 22% believe that abortion should not even be illegal all together. The most common reason why abortions are utilized according to statistics is because of unplanned pregnancies often times due to failure in birth-control methods such as pills and condoms. That is why the best method to prevent having a child or an abortion is abstinence according to leading experts and physicians.

There are alternatives to abortion though. Statistics reveal that 69% of mothers with unplanned pregnancies often want to be informed of alternatives of abortion before making the final decision. The most popular being adoption. If two individuals are not capable of taking care or raising a kid, it does not mean that the only method of dealing with this conundrum is killing an unborn fetus. A mother can choose to give birth to her child and allow the kid a chance to live a normal life through means of putting them up for adoption if she and the father are incapable of providing for him or her. 74% of parents of unplanned pregnancies said that having a child would interfere with schooling, work, or other responsibilities while 73% say that they cannot afford to have an infant in their lives. This way, adoption will allow the parents the freedom to pursue their personal aspirations and goals without the burden of child-care and financial worries. Having a child is agreeably a huge deal that consists of feeding him or her, helping them sleep, and especially the dreaded doctor visits. They will also allow two parents who want a child through adoption to have theirs. That way, the infant will be under proper care and protection that his or her original parents are not able to provide for them.

Abortions can result in physical and mental health problems for the mother and unborn child. For physical health, there are complications that include (but are not limited to) infertility for future planned pregnancies, breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and liver cancer. The most common health issues are the pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and the infections of the reproductive system of the mother. In some rare cases, abortions can cause future planned children to be born in the fallopian tube of the mom instead of the uterus and even variation in deliveries (meaning the planned child was born either too early or too late of the usual nine month period). Sometimes, death can occur to the mother as a result of an abortion on a very rare occasion. The most probable reason is if the physician is not correctly conducting the abortion with safety. In contrast to physical health, physiological health must be taken into account to. 50% of women who underwent abortions commonly experience moderately severe to very severe negative emotional reactions during months to even years after the procedure. Symptoms can include feelings of guilt, anxiety, depression, fear of disclosure, and even nightmares. Physiological effects on an extreme level of an abortion can result as increased alcohol/drug abuse, eating disorders, and even suicide.

As for me, I fall under the 53% of Americans that believe that abortion should only be utilized under certain circumstances (i.e. if abortion were to save the mother's life or if the unplanned pregnancy was the result of rape). What is your opinion/perspective on the stance? Do you support or refuse the concept of abortion completely? Or are you like me who takes the side of having abortion be utilized only in certain circumstances? What do you think?

Waste Not, Want Not

When you eat dinner at Sparky’s Place, how many plates of food do you grab? How much food on the plates do you throw out?

Each American throws out an average of a pound of food a day. That may not seem like a lot, but multiply that by about 300 million people, and then by 365 days a year. That equals over 100 billion pounds of food wasted each year. This excess of food waste drains natural resources, destroys the environment, and decomposes while 50 million Americans starve.

Each cookie you grab requires energy from natural resources in order to produce, process and package, and transport all of the supplies to make it. This process of food production and transport utilizes between 8 to 16 % of America ’s total energy consumption. Food waste however is accountable for 25% of the freshwater consumption and 4% of oil consumption. That is a lot of resources being thrown away at a time when we complain of depleting resources. Instead of drilling for oil in foreign countries we should be tapping into our landfills.

Nonetheless, this surplus of food being thrown into landfills does not do our environment much good. Besides the release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels used to produce an overabundance of food, methane is released into the atmosphere as the food decomposes in the landfills. Methane is a green house gas that is over 20 % more polluting than carbon dioxide and its primary source is landfills.

So besides the needless destruction of our environment, 50 million American’s do not have enough access to food on a daily basis. It makes absolutely no sense that we throw out 1/5th of our food, while one out of every six people in this country goes hungry. Why is so much edible food being thrown away, while our own neighbor’s stomachs are aching?

The reason for this incredible amount of waste is our culture’s need to live in excess. Americans tend to buy more than enough food for themselves so that they have a sense of security and complacency, and thus producers produce more and more to meet the demands of the markets. This overproduction does nothing but destroy our environment and taunt the impoverished.

What can we do about this issue? Individuals can purchase only what is necessary, plan meals according to their needs, save leftovers for subsequent meals, and give excess non-perishable food to shelter so that the producers do not need to make as much. Producers, retailers, restaurants and consumers can donate excess food and resources to those in need. Non-donatable food can also be recycled in a backyard compost pile. Taking these steps to reduce waste would save energy resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the impoverished and hungry within our own country. In other words, think before you grab that extra plate of food at Sparky’s

The Price of Beauty

Our generation's definition of "beauty" is distorted now because of the pressure from Hollywood and the media. Women tend to care more about their appearance and obsess over the idea of beauty more than men. Whether women are looking to impress or attract others, the pressure to be a size two and to look nearly flawless is not only draining, but also expensive. Women feel that tanning, purchasing cosmetics, and investing in plastic surgery achieves their superficial goal of what consists of beauty. Unfortunately, some of these drastic measures have more negative consequences and dangers than benefits.

A rising trend among young women is tanning. These women are unsatisfied with their fair skin, and desire a tanner appearance to attain their concept of beauty. Although a tan may look nice now, its long-term effects are very harmful. Research done by Cosmopolitan's Practice Safe Sun Campaign finds that indoor tanning before the age of thirty increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent. Knowing that tanning beds are carcinogenic, it does not make sense why people would spend money to be diagnosed with skin cancer later in life. Indoor tanning also leads to premature wrinkles, skin damage, broken blood vessels, and lines, which I personally would not consider beautiful.

Girls are beginning to wear makeup younger and younger. Women use cosmetics to highlight certain features and hide imperfections like blemishes. The cosmetic industry consistently grows because women will spare no expense at the cost of beauty. For example, some women spend 30 dollars on a tube of mascara from Sephora rather than 3 dollars on a similar product at CVS. The use of cosmetics heightens a woman's sense of insecurities, and some refuse to appear in public without applying makeup.

Plastic surgery is another way women attempt to perfect themselves. It is very common to see celebrities like Heidi Montag in magazines that recently went under the knife for implants, leposuction, and botox procedures. The average woman may feel the need to compete with such people, and receive similar procedures in order to impress others. Plastic surgery procedures are easily thousands of dollars and have many risks that are often overlooked. When researchers for Forbes looked into the risks of plastic surgery, they found that some surgeons do not have the proper certifications and accreditations. This means that if not researched properly, the procedure may not be legitimate. Other consequences include scarring, infections, temporary numbness, tissue and nerve damage, blood clots, and ultimately death.

Women: With these risk factors and dangers in mind, is the price of "beauty" really worth it? Do you feel pressured by the media along by other women to fit the criteria of what makes a woman beautiful and attractive? How far are you wiling to go to feel beautiful? Guys: How do you feel about women going out of their way to do these things? Are tans, flawless faces, and enhanced body parts really that desirable? If not, what do you consider true beauty?

Tragic Gay Teen Suicides

Suicide is often considered a result of deep psychological issues, or general depression; in short, most people view suicide as a personal act. What about when someone commits suicide because they can’t take the ridicule or oppression they feel on a daily basis? In my opinion, then, suicide is more a result of societal issues and social injustice. No one should feel hated or ridiculed to the point that they feel death is the only way out. Recently, however, many in the gay community have felt this way--Five gay teens across the country have committed suicide in the past three weeks alone.

Rutgers University student Tyler Clemente committed suicide last Tuesday after his roommate posted a video online of Clemente engaging in homosexual acts. The same day in California, thirteen year old Seth Walsh died after being in a coma for nine days. He had hanged himself after being bullied about his sexuality. On Wednesday, openly gay Johnson and Wales University student Raymond Chase also hanged himself. In Houston, thirteen year old Asher Brown shot himself due to harassment at his middle school, and in Indiana, fifteen year old Billy Lucas hanged himself after being teased by classmates who assumed he was gay.

The loss of these teens has inspired celebrities such as Lance Bass and Ellen DeGeneres to speak out about the intolerance and bullying of gay teenagers. DeGeneres said, “There are messages everywhere that validate this kind of bullying and taunting, and we have to make it stop. We can’t let intolerance and ignorance take another kid’s life.”

In light of these recent suicides, I think it’s clear that bullying as a result of homophobia has an extremely detrimental, and in certain cases, deadly effect. Intolerance is a serious issue that needs to be addressed before more teenagers feel the need to resort to taking their own lives as an escape. We need to stop making people who are different feel inferior. Even what may seem to be harmless sayings, such as “That’s so gay” only further the idea that being gay is something negative. Abolishing sayings like this from daily conversation is one easy step we can take here on our own campus. What else can we do on our small scale to make a difference and what needs to be done on a larger scale to teach acceptance and reduce needless deaths?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B-hVWQnjjM

http://abcnews.go.com/US/gay-teen-suicide-sparks-debate/story?id=11788128

Mean Girls = Criminals?

Bullying is an issue that every school deals with, from preschool to seniors in highschool. There are many different types of bullying, and although boys bullying can be dangerous, girl's tactics are more harmful and gangerous to their victims, giving bullying more of a reason to be viewed as a crime.

When boys fight, they get their anger out with a few swings of their fists, and the next day they are friends again. When it comes to girls though they hold grudges and know how to be nasty, in order to hurt the person that is making them upset. Girls bond by socializing, sharing secrets and spending hours talking about boys, fashion, and other interesets. Because girls bond differently than boys, who bond by engaging in sports and competitions, it makes sense why the two sexes would differ in bullying tactics.

Girls bully for a number of reasons, but some popular reasons are because of class, and ethnicity. In middle school, girls try to fit in and make new friends, so they usually move towards girls similar to themselves to become firends with. If an outsider tries to join in on their already established group, this person usually feels unwelcomed. For example, at my middle school there was a difference in groups between the Latin American girls and the Caucasian girls. The two groups never mixed, and at times had conflicts with one another.

Seeing girls bullying occur is a lot less noticable than boys. The University of Miami found that when girls bully, they use tactics sich as alienation, exclusions, and spreading of rumors to harass their victims, as well as getting other people to join in, so that the victim feels totally isolated from the social scene. This shows that girls like to have a sense of control over their vicitm, so that they feel superior among their peers. Also, when girls fight it tends to be in large groups against a single person. This is because girls like to do everything in large numbers, so when a fight breaks out, they pick and choose members to be on their side, and get them to join in on the bullying.

This can be a lot more dangerous than a simple fist fight that boys enagge in because being socially isolated can make girls feel insecure, who are a;ready naturally insecure as they try to fit in with the "popular crowd". Therefore, being shunned and made fun of can cause a girl to be emotionally damaged, and cause her to feel alone and that something is wrong with her, to have all these people making fun of her.

Bullied boys are four times more likely to be suicidal than the avergae boy, but bullues girls are eight times more likely, proving girs bullying is more harmfu. For this reason, schools should monitor bullying more closely and do their best to stop it.

Today, bullying is beginning to be viewed as a crime. Take for example fifteen year old Phoebe Prince who committed suicide after being bullied for months. Now, students, including an older boy whos he used to have a relationship with, are charged for bullying Phoebe so much that she turned to suicide. The question with this is: should the students be charged with bulling, or with the effect their bullying caused, which in Phoebe's case would be suicide? When violence occurs, law enforcemnt mise respond appropriately, therefore bullying can be viewed as a crime, and people should be punished. Also, once bullying becomes physical there is no doubt that it is a crime because then it is assault. Even if no physical damage is done, as seen in many bullying done by girls, any type of bullying is a crime because it is harassment and emotional damage is caused. Girls and boys should not be allowed to bully their peers to a point that is dangerous to their health, and therefore bullying should be taken more seriously, and viewed as a crime.