Response to Daniel’s Blog

Handgun should be outlawed
http://dancgov.blogspot.com/2007/11/stage-7.html

I disagree handguns should be outlawed. However, I do agree they are too easy to purchase and need stricter regulations. Even if you outlaw handguns and have everyone turn in their handgun, the only people who will turn them in are the "right" people. I think when someone purchases a gun they might need to go through an 8 hour course on proper handling, maintenance, storage, and recognizing when they might be used for harming others. Don’t think handguns are the only guns people can conceal. People can conceal a rifle just as easily as a handgun. When I was in high school, a policeman came and had like 15 weapons hidden all over his body. You would never have known there were any weapons on his person, but he had two rifles in his baggy jeans. I think all guns should be regulated more, but I really do not think it is going to matter. The "wrong" people who want a gun will get a gun, just look at the weapons they have that are illegal. The government is starting to give harsher punishments for crimes committed with guns. I think this is a very small step, but one just the same. We will just have to wait and see what SCOTUS decides.

What Happened to Christmas?

Christmas has always stood for a time of giving gifts and spending time with those you care about such as friends and family. Christmas is supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year. I feel there is a dark cloud hanging over Christmas. I remember growing up at Christmas time you could bring gifts to school, sing Christmas carols, and say “Merry Christmas” and “Ho Ho Ho”. What happened to freedom of speech? I feel as if I don’t have that freedom anymore. The government has stopped public (government funded) organizations from saying “Merry Christmas” and instead saying “Happy Holiday”, because it can be considered offensive. Many businesses followed in the same steps because they did not want to receive bad publicity. What does it really matter how a person wishes someone a “Merry Christmas”? I do not understand how people can take “Merry Christmas” offensively, it does not hurt anyone and it is not associated with anything bad or wrong. I believe it is wrong to have to worry about if you are being “politically correct” about a holiday or if by wishing someone a “Merry Christmas” it will offend them. Another place under attack is the school system. There is currently a petition going before the Supreme Court due to public school policies allowing recognition of Ramadan, Hanukkah, but not a Christian holiday. Some schools have banned the colors of red and green for parties and asked parents not to bring Christmas decorated desserts and food to school for the children. I do not understand how a Christmas tree cookie is going to harm anyone, except for worrying about a cavity or two. Holiday parties with the colors of green and red are not harmful to anyone. These are just happy colors associated with a certain time of year. I could understand banning the colors if they were associated with a gang or something else bad, but not because they are “Christmassy”. I feel as an American citizen I should be allowed to practice and say what I want during the holidays. When did saying “Ho Ho Ho” become bad? These words at Christmas time have been around since the 1800’s. They were originally described by Clement Clarke in what is now known as “The Night before Christmas”. Since his poem in 1823 Santa’s laugh has always been a jolly “Ho Ho Ho”. It is our society which have taken those jolly words and turned them into a bad association. There is a difference in one “Ho” and many “Ho Ho Ho’s”. I have never heard a person dressed as Santa Claus or anyone else ever use one “Ho” when wishing a “Merry Christmas”. I think if we keep going on with this type of behavior as Americans we will lose our history of a wonderful time of year. Our history of giving, being selfless, and kind. It is shown in studies people are nicer to strangers at Christmas than any other time of the year.

Response to Back Seat Government

"Cruel and unusual argument"

There is much to be said about our justice system. The one problem I can see with "three drug cocktail" is there is no way to tell if it is working properly. I do not think those people saying it is against the 8th Amendment should be able to place lethal injection into that category. I personally do not see anything cruel or unusual about the way lethal injection is preformed. I do have to agree, if there is any problem with the lethal injection system it should be looked at by whom performed and attached it to the inmate. If it is being done incorrectly, then, yes it should be fixed and the issue corrected. I do not believe there is a problem with lethal injection or the way it is administered to the inmate. I think this is another way to keep inmates from being brought to the death penalty. I believe in the death penalty and what it stands for. We already have over crowding the jail, because people don’t care what they do to others. Most people who get the death penalty are there because they killed someone else. Why is it okay for them to commit murder in a cruel and unusual manner, but not okay for them to die by other means, than old age.


https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1600045202695740056&postID=4625804880085300928

Spanish in America

There are many controversies over Hispanic illegal immigration. I think there is a problem in America with illegal immigrants. While there are certain benefits associated with them, I think the bad out weights the good. I do not have a problem with people moving from another country to America. If people what to move here they need to go about it through the proper channels. Why do we have to pay taxes for illegal immigrants to go to school, medical, and any other types of services? If they want these services they should have to pay taxes as well. Most politicians agree there is a big problem with illegal immigrants. However, politicians say there needs to be something done to stop or control the problem, but instead they make it easier for them by making sure everything in English is also in Spanish. I am not just talking about a job application or menu, but government documents. In order to become a citizen you must pass the citizen test, yet they give it in Spanish! If someone is trying to become a citizen from Russia the test in not given in Russian, Spanish and English only. How can we fix a problem when we cater to it? Another example is our drivers test. This test is also given in Spanish. How can we expect our roads to be safe when the people driving on them cannot even read the signs? I am glad most have pictures on them.

People want to know how we can control or fix the problem. The answer came from a Texas town of Irving, round them up. If caught driving without proper documentation take them to jail. Have you ever driven, or been by Home Depot or Lowes in the morning? There are Hispanic people standing there waiting for someone to pick them up for the day. Why not arrest them for loitering? Load their information into a national database, and deport the illegal immigrants. I have no problem with a legal citizen looking for work, at least they are not begging on the corner. I feel something has to be done and building a fence is not going to work. We need to tighten our rules and regulations. We need to make sure those who want to be in America can read and understand English. We should not have our government documents printed in any other language except for English. I also think there should be harsher punishment for people who hire illegal immigrants, such as jail time and hundreds of thousands of dollars. We need to stop saying there is a problem and start fixing it.

Mattle

This is an article on the recall on the China made toys. The U.S. relies on China for about 80% of the toys sold here. Mattel has had to recall over 1 million toys made from China. The reasoning is because of lead paint and magnets. The lead paint contains more than .06% accessible to users. This has caused lead poisoning in children. The extent of this damage is not know as of yet. The problem with the magnets is when children swallow them. If they swallow more than one, they attach together causing intestinal perforation, infection or blockage, which can be fatal. Mattel is unsure if there will be more recalls in coming weeks. They, Mattel, are offering replacement products. Chinese officials did temporarily ban the toys’ manufacturer, Lee Der Industrial Co., from exporting their products. Lee Der Industrial Co., is the major producer of the “problem toys”. The main question is what needs to happen to enforce the laws already required here in the U.S.

While I think it is a great thing for Mattel to offer replacement product for those toys being recalled my concern lies with the fact that this is just being found out. Mattel is one of the most trusted names for toys. I grew up playing Mattel items. I do not understand how such a well known toy producer does not realize how powerful the magnets in their toys are or how much lead paint is being used. I think it is their job to test the toys before sending them out on the market. I would not think it was such a big deal, if had only been one type of toy or only a few hundred recalls, but over a million, that is reason to be concerned. If you have children or will be buying for any it is going to make it harder to purchase toys for them. When I walk down the toy isle all I think about is how this could have happened. I now have to check a website before buying a toy for a child to make sure it is safe.

Contractors Under U.S. Laws

A bill has been approved by a vote of 389 to 30 in the House of Representatives to make overseas contractors, supporting the mission of the Department of Defense, be subjected to Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. This allows American courts to prosecute crimes committed in a war zone overseas. The contractors in Iraq have been unaccountable to American military or civilian laws and outside the reach of Iraqi judicial system. Blackwater, a well-known security contractor, has had a few incidents which a contractor has not acted correctly in different situations. In September Blackwater contractors fired hazardously at civilians killing at least 20. There are also reports of them firing first, before being fired at. Another ex-Blackwater employee drunkenly shot and killed a bodyguard to Iraqi Vice President, Adel Abdul Mahdi. The only thing that happened to the employee was he was fired and fined. This new bill will require the FBI to investigate any allegation of wrongdoing by a contractor. There are currently around 180,000 contractors in Iraq and it would require the FBI to investigate all criminal accusations against any one of them. It is believed by approving this bill a loophole has been closed and Blackwater employees can no longer argue their work was unrelated to the war effort because the company had a contract to protect State Department diplomats around the world.

I feel this is a very important bill which was passed by the House of Representatives. I do not think contractors should get a get out of jail free card. There have been many military personnel who have been prosecuted for doing the same thing as contractors. Contractors, like the military, are supposed to be showing Iraqis how great a democracy can work for them. However, how can we tell them how great it works when they are seeing first hand that wrong-doers are not be prosecuted. I think we are at a crucial point in the war where we need all the support and help of the Iraqi government. I think it is very important for the Iraqi people to know that Americans doing the wrong thing to their people will be punished. We do not need to lose face with them. They need to know we care about what we are doing and we want them to build a strong government. If the people of Iraq do not know we are punishing those who do them wrong, how are they going to trust America?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/washington/05cong.html?ex=1349236800&en=bf9c617d52c894d2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Racism in the 21st Century

I found this article to be very interesting. It talks about racism in a small town and the justice system prosecuting the black teens severely. I do not agree totally with how people are handling the case, I do agree the prosecution of the teens were harsh. I do know there is still racism in America, but I do not think it is one sided. This is a town were it seems from what I read racism runs from both groups. The biggest problem is how the prosecutor handled the case of the 'Jena 6'. I do not believe he was fair in punishment. Especially since some white teens beat up another black teen and nothing happened to them.

In Jena, LA there are thousands of people gathered to protest the harsh prosecution of six black high school students being charged with beating a white classmate unconscious, Justin Barker. Jena, LA is a small town with a majority white population. Last September some white students put three nooses up in a tree called “the white tree” at Jena High School. The teenagers who placed the nooses in a tree were not expelled, as black parents thought they should be. Instead they were suspended for only three days, calling it a noose prank. The violence seemed to escalate from that point on. There was another incident involving black teenagers chasing after one of the white teenagers who attacked the black teenager at a party. The white teens were not charged with anything for attacking the black teen. The white teenager, who was being chased, pulled an unloaded shotgun on the black teens that were chasing him. The black teens took the shotgun away from him and were charged with theft. December 4, 2006 is when the assault on Justin Barker took place. They were charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and aggravated battery. The charges were later reduced to conspiracy and battery after the civil rights activists protested.

The district attorney, Reed Walters, denies the charges against the teens are racially motivated. He does not think the noose incident and brawl were related. He has not found any Louisiana law to prosecute the white teens who put the nooses in the tree, which eventually led to beating.

What lead to the rally was the initial charges of attempted murder. Many demonstrators think even the reduced charges were too heavy for a “school yard brawl”. Many people believe this rally is the beginning of the 21st century civil rights. Rev. Al Sharpton believes racism is not over and there are towns all across the country with racism.

The little town of Jenna, LA is dealing with the unwelcome guest of protesters. The white people of the town agree there has been trouble, but the protesters overlook the fact that the trouble makers are on both sides of the racial divide.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/20/AR2007092000259.html