The Help #2

In the next couple of chapters I read, a lot happens in Mississippi. To start off with, one of Minny's good church friends’ grandsons, Robert, was beaten and blinded because he used a white restroom in town.  This sadly seemed all too real. Last year during U.S. History, I remember a story that was just like this one. A black man used a bathroom in a movie theater, which was reserved for whites only. Much like in Robert’s case, this man was brutally beaten.  Meanwhile in the book, Skeeter who has promised to write a piece on Maids asked Aibileen to help her out. After first refusing to help, Aibileen gives in. When Aibileen and Skeeter meet to start the book, both of them are afraid because of “integration violations.” An integration violation is something that prohibits whites from meeting with blacks behind closed doors because of fear of helping blacks in the civil rights movement. Aibileen and Skeeter decide to just have Aibileen write the book herself and send it to Skeeter when she is done. Like Skeeter thought, I did not think that Aibileen had the writing skills to write the book herself. Though, Aibileen tells Skeeter that she writes every night before going to sleep. At the same time this is going on, there are civil rights marches going on in Birmingham, as Martin Luther King is mentioned. Also, another thing we learned about last year is going on as well, this being the Jim Crow Laws. It is exciting to actually understand all that is going on in this book. Had I not taken U.S. History, I wouldn’t have understood much about the civil rights marches and how much a role Birmingham played in the civil rights movement. Also the Jim Crow Laws was also fun to read about. I remember having to do a paper on Jim Crow Laws and being pissed off about, but now I understand the reason to the madness which was U.S. History.

The Help #1

The Help by Kathryn Stockett, takes place in Mississippi, as the book opens in 1962. The narrator of the book is a 53 year old woman named Aibileen. She is a black woman who is a house main for a white family. Aibileen, whose son died when he was 24, takes care of a child name Mae Mobley. The 23 year old mother, Elisabeth does not love her daughter as much as Aibileen, and resents Aibileen working for her. Aibileen overhears one night that one of her good friends, Minny who is also a maid, has been stealing from her employers. As most people know, in this time period in a southern state like Mississippi, racism was still a big part of the culture. From the first couple of chapters I read, I can tell that racism will be a big part of this book. Skeeter a 22 year old graduate of Ole Miss has come home to her house, not seeing the maid that raised her. Skeeter’s mother has more interest in her daughter getting married than her graduating from college. Her mother believes that it is more important for a woman to get married than it is to go to college. This start of this book, in my opinion is not very slow. My prediction is that the three stories of Aibileen, Skeeter, and Minny will come together in the end whether there is a happy ending or not.

Abortion

I believe that the pro-choice side is winning the battle over abortion. The first thing I noticed when I went on to the pro-choice website was that they were calling people who were pro-life, anti-choice people. Both sides are fighting for every inch of ground. Something else I noticed about the pro-choice side of things was that it seems like their biggest tactic was trying to make the other side look bad instead of trying to make their side look good.

The first thing you read on their site is:
"Anti-choice people want to outlaw abortion, regardless of the woman's situation. They will stop at nothing to make it harder for women to access abortion. They even target the doctors who provide abortion care.
Anti-choice people use many of the following tactics to reach their goals:"

The arguments that the pro-choice website has I believe are better, due to the extremists that are on the pro-life side of things. It makes very little sense that people who are pro-life, have been killing people who help out with the pro-choice side of things. It is an oxymoron, that people who want life kill people who want people to have a choice.
I do believe that people should have a choice of whether or not they would like to have the baby. I may not respect the reason they decide not to, but for some people, they may not have the tools they need to raise a child. I do believe that children should have consent from their parents, because an abortion is a major procedure to undergo. It is very possible to have a complication during the procedure, and if the child happened to die, there would be a huge problem. The father should have full consent on whether or not his daughter should have an abortion. If a minor needs their parents consent for any other procedure, they should need it for an abortion.
Its good to know that Illinois is not crazy about abortions like they are in some southern states. I think Illinois does a good job for the most part in controlling abortions. There are not many hoops  you have to jump through, and it seems pretty direct. One rule  I agree with is the spousal consent. The law states that the patient must have spousal consent before a married woman may obtain abortion care.

Though he is not the most trust worthy man you could listen to, I agree with what Governor Ryan says about the death penalty. He had a tough job in deciding on whether the death penalty should be legal in Illinois. Governor Ryan explains the toughest part in deciding on the future of the death penalty in Illinois, "But i must confess that the debate with myself has been the toughest concerning the death penalty i suppose the reason the death penalty has been the toughest is because it is so final - the only public policy that determines who lives and who dies." I couldn't agree more with Governor Ryan. Once the choice is made you cannot go back and change your mind. If proven guilty, that man or women is going to die barring the person being granted clemency. Like in the case of Gary Graham, there was no way to be sure that he had killed Bobby Lambert. All signs point to yes, but is it worth making that mistake? The death penalty is very final like Governor Ryan said, and if a man or women is proven innocent after they have been given the death penalty, that state would get tons of media attention that no state wants. Especially in Illinois's case, I do not believe the death penalty should be legal. There were 29 death row inmates in Illinois that were proven to be innocent. That is a huge number of people who were wrongfully convicted. I have a very interesting viewpoint, I do believe in the death penalty, but when there are 29 inmates who had been wrongfully convicted in just one state, there is no way that state should be allowed to execute people. To make things worse, a bunch of college students were the ones who found out these people were innocent. It makes me wonder how many other cases that Illinois has gotten wrong before these were uncovered. It also makes me wonder how many cases in a state like Texas, have been like the 29 in Illinois.

Deadline

It is a sad truth, but I do believe there is a reason for people of color and low-income to be sentenced to death more often than others. Racism is something that is always going to exist, and I'm not saying it is racism, but I think there are tons of people who are prejudice that factors into all of the statistics. People might think that these low income and people of color are more desperate to live than most so they may commit crimes to help themselves out. Many of these crimes may be murder. I'm not sure there is much that people can do to ensure a fairer justice system. How can you make people change their mind on who to accuse without being threatened? A jury with mixed races is the fairest thing you can do in these situations. The largest appeal to the death penalty is probably the notion of "an eye for an eye." I think most people who agree with the death penalty have thought about the question of, "If one of your friends or family members was killed, would you want the killer to keep living?" I believe most people would answer no to this question. Most people probably do not want the murderer to have three meals a day, clean sheets, and be able to watch cable television like they are able to when they are in prison. I know I would want the murderer to be killed. I like the idea of having a foolproof system for the usage of the death penalty. Maybe the only way someone can receive the death penalty is if there is either visual proof of the crime being committed or if they admit to committing the crime. I believe it should be harder to receive the death penalty because there are many who are falsely accused of a crime and die for nothing.

Death Penalty

Every person who is accused is told what they are being accused of. They then can be appointed a lawyer if they cannot afford one, so they can make their plea in the courtroom. Then, there is a hearing to determine whether or not there is enough evidence to prosecute the person accused. If there is enough evidence a hearing with a grand jury will take place. After, the prosecutor can announce if they seek the death penalty for the defendant. This subject is a tough one for me, because I do believe in the death penalty, but their are people who are executed that were in deed innocent. There will always be witnesses that may lie, or just flat out pick out the wrong person. I believe that lethal injection is the most humane way for someone to receive the death penalty. It seems like it would be the most painless for the person receiving the death penalty to die. Death by hanging, firing squad, and the electric chair seem more painful than lethal injection. Hanging often results in one breaking their neck, firing squad seems cruel and unusual, and the electric chair would be the most painful of them all.
I found it crazy how little women are executed. They are far less than men are. It seems like women are less likely to commit such a crime, but I also wonder if it has anything to do with them being a women. Maybe they receive special treatment. It's possible they can play the mother card, that they were the ones who raised their kids and their kids would be torn if they were to be killed. I believe that only crimes where a murder is involved deserve the death penalty. I think if a person can take the life of another person, then their life should be taken. I am a firm believer of "an eye for an eye." I don't believe Illinois has the death penalty anymore because of all that goes into it. The process take a very long time to figure out, and also their is never a guarantee that they get the correct person for the crime. It may not be worth killing the wrong person.

RIP Dan Wheldon

It was a wild weekend in sports, but it came with a price. Professional  IZOD IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon passed away in a 15 car crash during Sunday's Las Vegas Indy 300 race. People have recently been expressing their opinion on the matter saying that IndyCar has to do something to keep their drivers safe. Something I found interesting while researching the crash was what some drivers had said before the race. Driver Oriol Servia said, "We all had a bad feeling about this place, in particular just because of the high banking and how easy it was to go flat. We knew it could happen, but it's just really sad." This shows that the drivers know this sport is dangerous, but the make the choice to race. They do because they want to, not because they have to. I am indifferent in this situation. IZOD has some really tough days ahead of them. The drivers love their sport just like anyother professional does. They also understand the risks that come with being a professional driver. With cars moving at speeds of over 200 mile per hour, I'm not sure there is much anyone can do to protect these drivers. Really the safest thing for the IndyCar drivers to do is to move to the traditional NASCAR cars. The car that Dan Wheldon was driving is a car with an open cockpit, and open wheels. When a car is air born there is no way to control the car, and moving that fast death is almost a sure thing. These professionals drive because they love it, not for the money. They understand the risks and chose to race, so no is to blame in this situation. The sport can never be safe, the only thing IZOD can do is try to make it as safe as possible.

ACLU

The Supreme Court upheld that it was constitutionally right to drug test student athletes at high school and middle school. I am on the fence on this issue. I do not think drug testing is a terrible thing, but I do believe it is an invasion of privacy. It would help keep students safer, but I think a fair amount of kids would want to quit so they do not have to take the drug test, whether it is because of the fact they do drugs or do not want to have their privacy invaded in such a way. I found it interesting when the court said, “We also reject respondents’ argument that the drug testing must presumptively be based upon an individualized reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing because such a testing regime would be less intrusive.” So it is less intrusive to test all student athletes then just the ones that people may have reasonable suspicion of. They also said that if they just tested students that are under suspicion, that it could end up that an unpopular group may be tested more often than another group.

The article about the young girl being strip searched is ridiculous, and not to mention the administrators were looking for ibuprofen. I cannot even imagine what that young girl went through. It would be one thing if it were drugs that the administrators were looking for, but ibuprofen? Come on! A young girl who happened to be an honor roll student, at a junior high should never have to experience anything even close to what this girl went through. As for the drug sniffing dogs, I don’t believe that is a terrible idea. If a student is dumb enough to bring drugs to school, that person should get caught. Of course, a dog might be wrong sometimes, but the school should make it as hard as possible to bring drugs into a learning environment.

Hitting

This weekend during a hockey tournament, I was informed that at the Pee Wee level, which is ages 11-12, kids are no longer allowed to hit each other. This is the first year of the new rule, and I do not understand why it has been changed. When I was 11 years old, I remember being so excited to be able to finally hit. Whether some people like it or not, it is a part of the sport of hockey. I disagree with the rule change, because at that age, I believe kids are less likely to get hurt from a check, than they are as they get older and stronger. At this age, kids can learn how to hit the correct way. When I started my Pee Wee year of hockey, all kids had to go through a clinic and learn how to give a hit, and take a hit. It is a huge part of the game, and as kids get older they certainly get more reckless. Teaching them at a younger age I believe is safer in the long run. Getting used to contact is good for younger kids, because as they get older, hits only get harder and harder. Not only does it toughen kids up, it teaches them about the game. Also, the kids who played their first year of Pee Wee last year, have to change their game. Going from being able to hit to not being able to hit I’m sure is very difficult. I disagree with USA Hockey’s decision to ban hitting for Pee Wee’s.

Speech Codes on Campus

After seeing those pictures, I had to wonder what those guys were thinking. Yeah, it's just a joke and they might not mean to offend people, but how could that not offend someone. I bet their parents were really happy and proud when they saw the pictures of their sons mocking different races, and getting in trouble with the school. The only thing that they accomplished was making their frat look horrible. Did they think that kids would want to join their frat if they have to dress up like slaves and wear black face? I'm sure they regret what they did, but there is no excuse for their actions. I think this behavior should be banned, but It doesn't seem realistic to be able to control this. Frats are always going to have parties, and chances are a couple of them will get out of hand. It would be extremely difficult for a campus to police this type of behavior.
I choose to look at Indiana University. I liked their speech code because it allows people their rights but it also restricts hateful and harassing speech. Indiana got a yellow rating which isn't the best, but I noticed that a ton of schools on FIRE have red ratings. I looked through schools in about 7 states, and did not see one green rating. So, Indiana is doing much better than most other schools. The main goal for a University's speech code it too make sure students feel comfortable, and are in an environment that they can learn in, and I believe that Indiana does a good job of this. I believe that Indiana would give the same punishment that Auburn gave to those students who took part in the party.

As we get closer and closer to college, speech codes get bigger and bigger. Schools all over the place are going to learn from mistakes made by students, so that they can try and assure that inappropriate behavior does not over run the school. It is good to have regulations, but as long as they do not limit someones right to free speech. Nothing is bigger than America, and everyone has to respect the first amendment rights, even if you don't agree with what is being said. People will always have different opinions, and people have to learn from others.

Man in the Red Bandanna

Throughout the last week or so Americans have been remembering those lost in the 9/11 attacks. In school and out of school I have heard new stories of people's experiences on the the attacks. One that I most recently saw was the story of a young man by the name of Welles Crowther. A truly amazing story The video I saw on ESPN talks about the kind of person Welles was, and what he did during the last hour of his life. Welles was a lacrosse player for Boston College, always wearing his lucky red bandanna. After graduating from Boston College, he took a job in New York. He worked for a company and was at the 104th floor of the World Trade Center. Welles was a junior fire fighter for the town he grew up in. When the plane struck his building, Welles, wearing a red bandanna, was the one who helped everyone escape down the stairs. After leading the first party of people, Welles yelled out that he was going to go back up and try to help anyone else that he could. As a women recalls what went on, a young man ran up from the stair case and running around helping others and putting out fires. The tower collapsed with Welles in it. It is estimated that he saved as many as 12 people in the building. This video is one of the greatest tributes I have ever seen. It's a story not many know, but after seeing it, it is one that I want everyone to know. The parents of Welles make the video hard to watch, especially towards the end. He risked his life to save others, then went back and gave his life saving more people. It is hard to know for certain, but I would like to think that I could be as courageous as Welles Crowther was.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6929979

9/11

The video that we have been watching in class has been tough to watch. At the time of the attacks I did not really understand what was going on, but now it really hits home. This is the best documentary I have ever seen. You really get a sense of what was going on that day. The fear that everyone had running up and down the streets of downtown New York. The bravery that all of the firefighters, police officers, and everyone else who responded to the call. All of those firefighters who were Tower 1 were absolutely crazy, and thank God for that. They helped a ton of people during a time of complete chaos. I could not be happier for that squad to have had all of their firefighters return home, but other squads were not a lucky. They were able to see their friends and family, when others rushed into the buildings and were never able to come out. The film really gives you a first hand look of what those people will do for us, which is very comforting.

I read about the rebirth of downtown New York 10 years after 9/11. It is good to hear the downtown Manhattan is finally almost back to where it was 10 years ago, but I don't think people will ever feel the same way they used to before the attacks. There will always be a damper on the part of town, but people already realize that. To me, it is worth $24 billion dollars to rebuild that area, because if that is what it takes to get peoples mind off of what happened there in 2001, it is worth it. We will never forget the people who lost their lives there, but we still have to live our lives. I'm sure it is hard for people to work near that environment, and rebuilding it should help. The rebirth is a good way to get peoples mind off of reliving that terrible day. The rebirth for downtown Manhattan is good for the rebirth of the United States of America.

Today was very sad to wake up and realize that it has been 10 years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The first thing i thought to myself when I woke up was how I couldn't believe it had been 10 years. It was weird to think about. When I was outside that morning, there were two planes that flew above me, and both times I looked up to the sky, something I rarely do. The attacks really get to you. It is hard to even think about how someone could fly a plane into a building full of Innocent people that they have never even met, for a cause that to many, doesn't make sense. It's hard to wrap your head around that concept. Though it is sad to say, but awful things like this happen just about everyday in other countries. Innocent people have their lives taken away, and many people in America don't even know it's going on. I love my country like no other, but I think it's a shame that we value American blood more than every other countries blood. Innocent lives are taken everyday, and on 9/11 it happened to be American blood. I will never forget those people that died in those terrorist attacks, and anyone else that has died and will die for America, and I thank everyone that protects this great nation. I am proud to be an American, and no one can ever take that away from me.

In the past few days we have been discussing the issue of free speech in a school environment. We have seen multiple cases of children who believe that their rights were violated by their school and facility. To a certain extent, high schoolers should have their freedom of speech. I believe some kids are going to abuse the freedom they are given, but most students will follow the rules. There are some things that I think are ridiculous, especially at DHS. I do not agree with kids not being able to wear clothes that promote alcohol. I think administrates have to realize we are not wearing these shirts to seem cool, it's just a shirt. The thing that is tough about students freedom of speech, is that people don't really know where to draw the line. Someone might get away with something one day, and the next day someone else doing the same thing could get in trouble. It is hard to judge how much freedom a student can have in school. In the case of Morris v. Fredrick I agree with the schools decision to suspend the student. "Bong hits for Jesus," is not an example of a students freedom of speech being revoked. He was trying to get a rise out of people in my opinion.

Last year, during the pep rally, a friend of mine who was a senior was wearing a black bandanna much like many of his fellow senior class mates. He got the bandanna in Mexico, and on the side of it was a little advertisement for Corona. He was on his way to the pep rally when a someone from the school told him to take it off. Of course he did not like the ruling, first of all because the advertisement was so small, and because he didn't even realize it was on there. I am on the side of the student in this case, because it was not like the kid was wearing a shirt that said, "YOU SHOULD DRINK BEER!" It was merely a black bandanna that had the name of one company on it, and a small advertisement that said sponsored by Corona. The bandanna certainly didn't hurt anyone, or cause a controversy until he was told to take it off. I think there are some situations much like the one I just explained, that people need to just calm down about and not make such a big deal.

First Post

As the school year begins I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. Waking up is the hardest part, but it is also kind of nice to get back to school. I am waiting for hockey to start, and getting really anxious. And thankfully we have a football season this year, because I don't know what I would have done with my time without fantasy football. Not to mention the NHL season is coming up too. The beginning of school is always nice, but I happen to like the end better. I'm getting pretty excited for the final year of high school. I know there are going to be some great times this school year, and I'm ready for the year to begin. However, I am not excited for the college picking part of this year. I have an alright idea of what I want to do school wise, but I don't want to have to make these decisions just yet. I have a good amount of time, so I don't have to start worrying that much, but I know it will eventually come.