Abortion

Before I even read an article on either website, my first impression is that the National Right to Life website looks like a kid made it, where the NARAL pro choice America looks way more professionally made. On the pro choice America website, they would raise a problem and then have a their own solution to each problem. For example, one problem pro choice supporters had was that pro life supporters were spreading lies to people. Saying that abortions cause breast cancer. The websites solution? Don't let them spread lies, if you hear something bad about abortion "spread the facts". Although I understand what the website wants to do, I dont think their solutions to some of these problems will help in real life. I think it all boils down to what people believe. If they believe in an abortion then they will get one, if they have a strong opinion against abortion they simply wont get one. I don't think any of these websites will make a huge difference in a decision. Especially because I dont think the pro-life website is very user friendly. I had a much easier time looking through pro-choice website. To me the pro-life website was basically just dont get an abortion its bad for you, where the pro-choice website did give some good facts.
I believe that a parent should have the right to know if their minor is having an abortion. Just like a parent has to consent on every other thing in the kids life, I do not think this should be any different. With that, I do think that having a second opinion on the matter, especially a parents, there might be different decisions made. Once the daughter is over 18, I do not think they will need any consent considering they are an adult. As far as having the father of the baby's consent, I do not think that is necessary. One reason is because if a girl is going to get an abortion without their baby's father, most likely the other parent is out of the picture. Basically if the father is around, I think he will be apart of the decision. This is a more internal issue based on the what is going on in ones specific life. This should be delt with privatley, considering each family is in a different situation.
As I was looking at the Illinois laws on abortion, the NARAL pro-choice life website stated a lot of anti choice laws and told why they were unlawful, but they did not  even give a little detail and why they could be ok. This shows a lot of bias that the website is only trying to portray one thing, and not just give out the details on abortion in Illinois.

"I Don't Wish Nobody To Have A Life Mine" response #2

Continuing this book I was not disappointed with all the different stories in each of the chapters. One chapter I was particularly intrigued with was the one about addiction. The first line in the chapter was, "the only thing Jason wasn't addicted to was school"(67). He was addicted the the jail system. It seemed like he didnt want to leave because he was addicted to the life it gave him, and the thrills he got from the fights.When Jason was talking about the state prison he said, "Its alot better then this country club. They got way better food, more rec time, stronger weed, and tougher dudes to mess with" (75). Its like hes addicted to jail. He builds a high tollerence of the one prison he is at so he wants the stronger stuff. He wants to get beat up and hurt until he over doses on that prison. He has become strong enough to hold his own in this prison and that is not enough for him. He doesnt want to be strong and getting by. He wants to feel weak and be able to build himself from the bottom of the pyramid to the top. Jail was a drug to him. The fights and problems gave him a high that he was addicted to. When he was transported to state prison he "jumped around like they were taking him to the circus or somthing"(77). He was just going to use a stronger drug and build a resistence to that. What happens when he is the king of that jungle? When there is not a stronger drug to use?

"I Dont Wish Nobody To Have A Life Like Mine" response #1

Before I even started this book I was very intrigued by the idea of it. The idea of a man working in prison simply writing about all of the experiences he has had teacher the high schools in jail. As I started this book, I was not disappointed. I found my self in the position of not being able to put the book down because most of the stories are so interesting and would obviously only be found in a prison. There has never been a time that I have read about something similar to the stories in the book. the first thing that surprised me the most was how inmates can easily break the rules in prison. One rule that was broken was on someones 21st birthday cigarettes were passed around to him for celebration. When I think of Jail I would never think that stuff would get around. Another inmate made wine from scratch and shared it with the birthday boy as his gift. One thing I did realize is that things are not taken for granted in prison. The birthday boy was most excited when someone shared oreos with him. Something that seems so simple to me and would never be the making point of my birthday, is the biggest thing to an inmate in prison. Another thing that surprised me was how opened these boys were tot ell their stories. The birthday boy, Ray, told the author all about his life, about his drug addict of a mother and his short stays with many different foster families, he even mentioned the time he was raped. This boy was was living on the street a lot of his life. He was basically set up for prison based on how he was raised. When he was living on the streets he had to commit robberies to get by. The robberies were what landed him in prison. The most amazing thing about this boy is that he knows that his life was bad and he would rather live the way he does then anyone else. To quote the title of the book, he said, "I just hope God gets a light at the end of the tunnel for people like me, I don't wish nobody to have a life like mine" (26). I'm excited to continue reading this book because of all the interesting stories in here. All of them will be unique and most likely thing I could never imagine

Death Penalty Final Response

The day we started studying the death penatly I came home from school and had a conversation with my dad about my viewpoints on the issue. I remember telling him that the main reason I believed the death penalty was unjust was because it can and has killed innocent men in the past. In my opinion there are plenty of ways to go about punishment then to kill. I believe that life in prison is just as bad. The murderer has to live in one place for the rest of his life and think about the murder they commited. If the murderer dies then never have to think about what they did because, its simple; theyll be dead. It doesnt matter if one innocent man is dead, innocence is innocence, that person did not commit the crime. In Govener Ryans speech, he noted Northwestern University. He noted that they found proof that a man was innocent on death row. This man would have died if it wasnt for the efort put in my those law students. Not everyone man on death row is provided with an effort like that. If they were and ther was 100% proof that a man was guilty, it may be a little different, but for the most part, no everyone on death row has he resources to put so much effort into every case. Another thing we learned was the concept of retribution which I do not agree with. In the rebuttal to retribution it says, "We do not allow torturing the torturer or raping the rapist." This is something i aree with, the conceptof revenge is not the same as the concept of justice. Justice is what the victims family are seeking and killing another person is not gonna achieve justice just revenge. Its kind of like what we are talking about in English class as we are finishing reading Hamlet. The biggest thing question that came up is, "is the revenge worth the feeling of justice?" Will getting revenge on somebody by putting them to death really make a victims family feel that much better? In Govener Ryans speech he quoted Govener Brown, "Beyond its honor and incredibility, it has neither protected the innocent nor deterred the killers. Publicly sanctioned killing has cheapened human life and dignity without the redeeming grace which comes from justice metered out swiftly, evenly, humanely." To me the biggest part about this is that the death penalty doesnt make murderers stop and it doesnt stop the innocent from being killed. Illinois was commpletely just in taking away the death penatly and I hope it stays this way forever.

Response: Deadline

Race plays a huge role in capital cases. States and the law will claim that they are not racist, but in reality if there was some evidence against a black man, they will try their hardest to prove the black man guilty then if there were evidence against a white man. It seemed like most of the men who were later proven innocent after being sent to prison were black man. Especially in the walk for the wrongfully accused. In that walk most of the men we saw in the movie were black men. I believe that whether people want to admit it or not, there are still discriminations against race that should not be there. Black people are always being accused or questioned and it seems as though they are always the first person to be accused. This is a problem because it lets white people commit and get away with crimes. Lawyers and detectives seem to spend way too much time trying to convict an innocent black man then a guilty white man. Im not saying that all black man are innocent, some of them do commit crimes, just like some white people commit crimes also. All I am saying is that if black and white people were treated fairly, I believe that less innocent people would be in jail or be on death row. Based on the quote, “Growing up black in this state, you know, you really didn’t have a chance when it came to a crime. You know, they say that justice is blind, but justice really isn’t blind,” from the movie Deadline, it seems as though black men have to watch there back all the time. They have to make sure they arent wrongfully accused just because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Where a white man can just leave that situation and not have any problem. When blacks came to America they came as slaves. When white people came to America they came to get away from the troubles in the pther countries and to start a new life in America. Black people came as slaves and for the most part, they have yet to shake off that segragation and discrimination. Thats why they are inclined to be suspects of crimes because whites think they do everything wrong, and that all started from how they came to America.

I believe the death penalty is widely supported in this country because most people believe in, "an eye for an eye". The media always portrays the guilty as the worst possible person and it makes people believe that person should be sent to death. People also believe that everyone deserves revenge. If someone commited a crime they should get it right back. But does that really fix the problem? Or would that kill more people? Maybe it sounds good but is the answer just to kill more people, would that prevent more deaths. wouldnt it be more effective to let that person suffer in jail for the rest of their lives?

Death Penalty

The system makes it seem like only the guilty will be executed, but in the end it’s the jury’s decision. If the jury believes they have enough evidence then they will execute the person, so there is still room for error and it’s very possible for the innocent to be prosecuted. At the end of the trial the jury makes a decision on, "whether the defendant’s guilt on the charges has been proved beyond a reasonable doubt." It goes on to say that in some states a judge can veto or overturn the jury’s decision. This goes to show how easy and possible it is to convict the wrong person. The rights of the accused are supposed to be protected my "innocent until proven guilty" and the article repeats multiple times that only the guilty is prosecuted. There is also a lot of time and ways to prove innocence.

After reading the methods of death for the death penalty, I believe that if the actions induce extreme pain to the person it should be considered to be cruel and unusual punishment.  All of the methods could fall under the 8^th amendment in my opinion. Some of the methods like hanging, or putting the executed in the electric chair results in extreme pain, especially if the person does not die right away. I think it is very important that the executed die right away and experience little pain. Even though they did evoke pain on others by killing them, they are dying right now so there is no reason to make their eyes pop, and break their bones. Lethal injection is the best if it is done right. If it’s done by someone inexperienced they can insert the needle wrong and the person would not die right away. I believe the person should die right away and not be in any pain if they want the death penalty to be supported by the 8^th amendment.

I believed that the crimes listed in the capital muder in illinois should be resulted in the death penalty solely because they are horrible crimes. With that being said I dont think death penalty is the best option in any case. I believe life in prison would be more effective, for the person accused and for the family of the victom. If the person found guilty of the crime is sentenced to death, the victoms family had to live with the burden of also killing someone elses son or father. That to me does not seem worth it. It seems better to have that person suffer and die in jail their entire life. Also the death penatly is bad because a lot of innocent people are accused of crimes they did not do. For them to be sent to death is completely unconstitutional

Drug Testing in Public Schools

In both the Acton and Earl cases, the majority ruled that drug testing was not an invasion of privacy because the student being tested is in their own stall privately with the monitor standing outside of the stall listening for the sound of regular pee. Both of the cases said things along the lines of the fact that consequences will only be taken for the activity the student participates in. There will not be consequences taken academically or consequences with the law. In the Earl case it states, "Nor do the test results here lead to imposition of discipline or have any academic consequences." The school is strictly bases the drug test on whether a kid can be a part of an athletic team or a school activity. The Acton cases state, "The results of the tests are disclosed only to a limited class of school personnel who have a need to know; and they are not turned over to law enforcement authorities or used for any internal disciplinary function." The school is now trying to keep the students privacy in their best interest, but isn’t that a bit of a contradiction? they are working to give the student the maximum privacy they can have, but the schools locker rooms have no privacy, "no individual dressing rooms are provided; shower heads are lined up along a wall, unseparated by any sort of partition or curtain; not even all the toilet stalls have doors." Why aren’t the students complaining about this? This is just as much of an invasion of privacy. Other students, teachers, or coaches can see others undressed an exposed. To me the most provocative part of all of this is what student pick and choose to become upset or to fight about. The students already have to "submit to various physical examinations, and to be vaccinated against various diseases." To be on a sport team, athletes are okay with going to the doctor to make sure they are eligible, why can’t a drug test be a part of their eligibility? There are already steps they have to take to be a part of a team that "invade" their privacy just as much as taking a drug test.  

New Years?

Thursday there is no school because of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashana- the Jewish new year. I personally observe this holiday and go to temple thursday and friday. For me the holiday is two days not one, and because its two days I end up missing one day of school, this year ill be missing friday. I do appreciate the fact that we get thursday off of school, but to me its still a holiday and getting one day off of school doesnt make sence to me. The holiday is two days. Shouldnt that equal two days of of school? Now I understand that most people at our school do not observe both days, but what about the people that do. Its an improtant day to observe, and for me more important then going to school. Its hard for me to me miss school, but this is one day of the year thats important for me to observe and it doesnt make alot of sence to me that the school basically only "allows" one of the two days for us to observe.

Speech Codes

I was very disturbed by the pictures I saw of the fraternity guys dressing up like KKK members. These frats had a reputation for being inclusion, but they were going against half the people and being extremely disrespectful. It wasn’t a funny joke or a funny Halloween costume. Their Behavior should be banned or punished so they know it’s not okay to act that way. These students dress up as a racial group and disrespected other races. Outsiders could have seen them, and been scared of what those groups of people are known to stand for. It threatens how safe other people feel.

I believe speech codes are necessary to an extent. It’s important for students to understand what an appropriate and inappropriate action is. I choose to look at Indiana universities speech code. According to FIRE they are in the yellow rating for speech codes. I believe it’s very important to be able to say what you believe. It’s important for people to speak out about their opinions and not be worried about getting in trouble. But with that freedom, you need to be respectful. It’s important to be respectful of other people’s beliefs.  One thing I read on FIRE is that Indiana university recently gave a christen group on campus funding. Groups like those should be allowed because whether people like it or not, everyone comes from different religious backgrounds and people should be able to publicly show those. As long as they aren’t forcing religion on others or telling people their views are wrong.

Personally I think the website could be a bit bias. It seems like there is any small speech code in the university they are automatically a yellow rating. There are hardly green ratings. They made it seem like every university has so many problems which I do not believe is true.

9/11

The film we viewed in class about 9/11 was crazy. The people who made the video did not purposely make a video about 9/11. Thats why the footage in the video was absolutely insane and almost hard to watch and believe it was true. They had a plan to make a video about the New York city fire department, and the firefighters. Who would have thought that this is what they would have been the footage they got. on 9/11/11 my dad and I actaully watched the video we watched in class at home. this time at the end of the video it interviewed some of the firefighters thatwere on the video ten years later. One of the firefighters actually died from cancer, which doctors are thinking was caused by the fumes from the towers falling. At the time the firefighters were told that there was no danger in the fumes and it was ok not to wear a mask. now looking back there was a study that showed that people who took in those fumes had a life expectancy of ten years less. It crazy how much those firefighters put on the line and after watching this film I ahve sp much respect for what they did that day

One article I read was about places outside new york and how they were affected by 9/11. Long story short every place in america was greatly affected by the tragedy of that day. Security everywhere has changed, and honestly it makes me feel safer. Its a good feeling knowing that when we go to the airport there isnt a lot to worry about. Airport security is one thing that should have been there more so now that it is its a good thing. Being about 7 at the time, things for me dont feel much different. I dont remember what going to the airport was like, or what things felt like before september 11th. All I can say is I am thankful for the people that risked their lives that day, and now America will do anything to prevent going through that again,

Student Rights

If you were to walk down the halls of Deerfield High School, you might see students wearing drug related clothing or accessories, or you might hear F-bombs being thrown into an average students conversations. At Deerfield, we students get a lot of freedom to express our feelings or opinions, saying that, in my past years here there has never been a situation that could connect to John and Mary Beth Tinkers situation. If you ever heard of the Tinker v. Des Moines case in 1969 you'd know exactly what I am talking about. Those two students decided to wear armbands to protest the Vietnam War., and ended up being suspended for not taking them off. The question is did they have constitutional rights to wear those arm bands freely? Answer: Yes they did. The Supreme Court ruled that the schools policy was unconstitutional.

In my years at Deerfield I have never experienced problems related to free speech similar to that. The question that stands is, could I imagine that happening at Deerfield? Answer: no. Students at Deerfield, whether they believe so or not, have more rights than most schools. The question is, do those students abuse their rights as high school students? Yes there were times throughout my high school career where I thought things were unfair. Some of those times included, not being able to park at school until senior year, or not being able to leave this campus until 3:14 every day, free period or not. Yes at my school there are things I do always enjoy, but the freedom of the students is better than at most schools. Think about having closed hallways, were you have to have a pass in your hand every time you enter the hallway, or study hall instead of a free period, were you had to stay in a quiet room for a hour or more doing nothing but work. What if we had school uniforms, then we would have no freedom to choose what we wore every day.

There are times when teenagers take advantage of all the freedom we do get compared to other school in the area. They are always looking for bigger and better things, and they never stop to smell the coffee. They never stop to appreciate what they have. I am a victim of this also. There are times when I don't appreciate what I have, and I’m not going to lie, before righting this blog I never thought  much about the rights I have as a student, I too, took it for granted.

Students at Deerfield are able to freely express their political views. They are able to wear Obama shirts, or shirts against Obama. Maybe we have this freedom because of the tinker case, but for whatever reason, we do have these freedoms and we shouldn’t take them for granted.

One thing I can think of that is not allowed or that has gotten students in trouble in the past, is wearing clothing that promotes drugs or alcohol abuse. In the Morse v. Frederick case, Frederick did not have the constitutional right to make a sign about drug abuse at a school related event. Here at Deerfield that is probably something that would not be tolerated and should not be tolerated. There are lines that students should not want to or need to cross, and that is one of them. There is no reason to openly make comments like that. It’s important to be respectful of school grounds, so those types of shirts and comments are unnecessary.

Issues Here

My name is Shira Shaoul, this is my second blog, but my first post posting about myself. I am starting my senior year at Deerfield, and I honestly couldn't be more excited. With the excitement comes also comes alot of pressure. I am the youngest of 5 girls. To put that in other words I have 4 older sister. They all got into good colleges, two of them have good jobs, he other two are on their way to having succesful jobs, and I am siting here writing this blog with no idea what I want to do or studying in the next couple years. There is definitely unspoken pressure on me to figure out not only what college im going to head to, but also what im going to major in, and then eventualy what my job is going to be after college. Whether it is my grandma calling me a few times a week with different possible careers, or its my mom stressing me out about deadlines with applications. Even though all the pressure is sometimes hard to handle, I do understand that everyone means well, and therefor it does motivate me to get m applications done as fast as possible, and pick a major that I enjoy the most. College is the biggest thing on my plate right now, and I will report back here with updates  about where I go to college and maybe I'll even choose a major :)