the final blog...:(

I thought this was a great class! It was fun but informational at the same time. I feel like I learned a lot about law and I enjoyed the topics we went over. I thought they were a good choice of topics because they pertain to us directly for example when we learned about our first amendment rights and such. I like that there was a variety of assignments and that it wasn’t all repetitive. Blogs were a good ay to express your feelings that you didn’t have time to discuss in class and I like that we were able to get extra credit by commenting on other peoples blogs. The reading quizzes were fair because if you did the reading then you would do well on the quiz since they were main ideas rather than little details. I loved the Prison Town movie, it was really sad and it was informational. I like that it wasn’t a boring informational movie but an interesting one that also taught a lot so that it was easy to follow and understand. Another movie topic I would suggest is Shawshank Redemption. It is an intense movie but its amazing and gives a good sense of what Prison was like in the early to mid 20th century and probably still today.
My favorite thing we did in class was probably the “Joint Project.” I thought it was a lot of fun but also extremely interesting. The only way for it to work well though is if people take it seriously and I think that our class as well as Mrs. Herman’s 4th hour really took this project seriously and worked hard on it. The only bad thing is that we didn’t have enough time to ask all the questions people had wanted to ask so somehow if there was more time that would be even better. Some other things I liked were the note sheets, I like that you made specific note sheets where we can write definitions or fill in the blanks it just helps organization and makes notes easier to read and find. I also like that you gave us sufficient time for projects, including time to work in class. A lot of teachers do not give a fair amount of time for projects but I feel that I was not overly stressed about any projects given because I had enough time to work on them and make them complete rather than rushing all at the last minute.
I would defiantly consider studying law in college or having a future in law. I really enjoy the topic as a whole and feel that it is defiantly a possibility for a career path. I’m not sure exactly what specifically in law I would study or if I were to become a layer, what kind of lawyer I would want to be because I would not want to be a criminal lawyer for a number of reasons but I am not sure what other types of lawyers would be interesting. I just do not want a job that I am bored with, I love debating and arguing and feel that I am decent at it. I have been told by parents and many teachers that they could see me being a lawyer but I am not sure what I will end up pursuing. I will definitely take courses in college to see if I will further this passion.

the final blog...:(

I thought this was a great class! It was fun but informational at the same time. I feel like I learned a lot about law and I enjoyed the topics we went over. I thought they were a good choice of topics because they pertain to us directly for example when we learned about our first amendment rights and such. I like that there was a variety of assignments and that it wasn’t all repetitive. Blogs were a good ay to express your feelings that you didn’t have time to discuss in class and I like that we were able to get extra credit by commenting on other peoples blogs. The reading quizzes were fair because if you did the reading then you would do well on the quiz since they were main ideas rather than little details. I loved the Prison Town movie, it was really sad and it was informational. I like that it wasn’t a boring informational movie but an interesting one that also taught a lot so that it was easy to follow and understand. Another movie topic I would suggest is Shawshank Redemption. It is an intense movie but its amazing and gives a good sense of what Prison was like in the early to mid 20th century and probably still today.
My favorite thing we did in class was probably the “Joint Project.” I thought it was a lot of fun but also extremely interesting. The only way for it to work well though is if people take it seriously and I think that our class as well as Mrs. Herman’s 4th hour really took this project seriously and worked hard on it. The only bad thing is that we didn’t have enough time to ask all the questions people had wanted to ask so somehow if there was more time that would be even better. Some other things I liked were the note sheets, I like that you made specific note sheets where we can write definitions or fill in the blanks it just helps organization and makes notes easier to read and find. I also like that you gave us sufficient time for projects, including time to work in class. A lot of teachers do not give a fair amount of time for projects but I feel that I was not overly stressed about any projects given because I had enough time to work on them and make them complete rather than rushing all at the last minute.
I would defiantly consider studying law in college or having a future in law. I really enjoy the topic as a whole and feel that it is defiantly a possibility for a career path. I’m not sure exactly what specifically in law I would study or if I were to become a layer, what kind of lawyer I would want to be because I would not want to be a criminal lawyer for a number of reasons but I am not sure what other types of lawyers would be interesting. I just do not want a job that I am bored with, I love debating and arguing and feel that I am decent at it. I have been told by parents and many teachers that they could see me being a lawyer but I am not sure what I will end up pursuing. I will definitely take courses in college to see if I will further this passion.

privacy: "its complicated"

After reading this article I was confused at first about facebook tracking what I do outside its website and on other websites and it said that a box pops up asking if its okay to share that information. But, I use facebook and this hasn’t ever happened to me. so I guess I don’t quite get what they are tracking and who they are sharing it with. I am assuming, from the article, that if you look on a movie website outside of facebook ten facebook uses that to give you adds about movies. I personally, do not see anything wrong with this. Also, the mini news feed is really not an invasion, while yes I admit it is a bit stalkerish, it is not really an invasion because if you choose not to share a story you can click to hide it so no one sees it. So, if people feel that facebook is an invasion of their privacy then they don’t have to use it. No one is making them use it so if they don’t like it then stop complaining and find something else to do. But, for those who do want to continue using and only have small problems with it that seem to be universal with all facebook users, as it appears to be in this article, should do just as they have started to do, make a group and show the facebook makers what they dislike and if enough people dislike these features then facebook is very open to changes. I do not think this is truly an intense invasion because it ASKS first if you care to share the information so it is a choice. If it isn’t a choice and you are not aware of this sharing of personal information then I agree that it appears to be an invasion. If people don’t want their “privacy” to be invaded then they should not put themselves in this situation by joining facebook because people can find out whose wall you’ve posted on or who tagged you in what pictures because that is how facebook has designed themselves. I think that privacy is less important for facebook then for myspace because myspace is a whole different story being all the rape cases and under aged sexual cases and stalking that come up way more frequently on myspace. Facebook I feel is safer and if that means I have to give up a little bit of privacy then so be it, id rather be safe and give up only a little then be at risk for crazy stalkers and sick people. So, those who don’t like it need to realize that it is not mandatory and if you really have that big of issues don’t use it, or if it is an issue all users have then take it to the head of facebook and they can do something about it because as it said in the article that facebook is very willing to change things if their users do not like them.

The Patriot Act

During the debate it was hard to get all of my opinions in so I feel this is a good chance to do that. First, I think that the patriot act is necessary to a point. It is clear that we need protection from terrorism and if this is a way of stopping them and saving lives then by all means it should be enacted. Since the attack of September 11th has shown us how crazy these extremists can be and how they want to kill Americans, we see how dangerous they are. If they accomplished killing that many Americans who knows what they can do if we lack in protecting ourselves. The patriot act can help stop these attacks before they even begin so that no one will get hurt. What I heard a lot in the debate that I found weird was that people kept saying it was “prejudice” to tap phone lines. First, this makes absolutely no sense because it is tapping EVERYONE’S phone lines not just on specific group of people, or as many people accused, the Islamic population. This is not unfair because it is happening to everyone and if the Muslim people specifically have a problem with it there is nothing we can do. Also, if Muslim people are getting upset about being checked more carefully, there is nothing we can do to prevent that because you have to give up some of your freedoms in order to truly be free and freedom is safety because without safety there is no need for freedom. For example, when I am at an airport and I am standing in line next to a Muslim man they are more likely going to check him then me because it is the Muslim extremists who are committing this terrorist attacks. This is just like in World War II when the Japanese were sent to internment camps because the government found that spies on Pearl Harbor had played into the attack and that without these spies it would not have been possible. So, because of this fear the government put the Japanese Americans in internment camps. Yes, this is unfair and harsh, but it is important to protect our safety. I am not saying that we should protect our safety at all costs because I defiantly do not think we should turn into a dictatorship if that would keep us safe, but that we can all allow subtle changes in order to better the country as a whole. So the patriot act can keep us safe in many situations, but it is important not to take this too far and not to use it for things that are not directly related to terrorism and mass destruction, it should not be used to stop drug trafficking or any other crime except mass destruction and terrorism.

Armenian Genocide or massacre?

Recently it has been up for discussion if the Armenian Genocide should be declared as genocide. There are many issues that arise when our government is discussing it. The problem is that if we declare it genocide we risk losing our ties with Turkey which are helping us in the war in Iraq. Turkey is a necessity to have as an ally and it is questioned whether it is worth declared the Genocide as a genocide and risk losing this crucial ties. In an ideal world we would be able to officially declare it genocide because it is the right moral thing to do. It is a tough subject because, while very different, if the country was questioning not declaring the holocaust a holocaust then I think a lot of Jews would be furious. However, the difference is that during the Armenian genocide they were able to hide the evidence so well that there is no flat proof of the event except for the people who were in it as opposed to the Nazi's during the holocaust who kept extremely good records of proof. but all that aside, we cannot afford to lose the friendship of Turkey because that is what Turkey has claimed would happen because they think it is a slap in the face to them and that it is being a bad ally to "betray" them in a sense. I wish that we could declare it genocide because it was a horrible horrible thing that I truly think was a genocide but it is too idealistic. It’s just such an awful tragedy that happened and it should be recognized. However, the timing is just completely off. It just makes me so angry that Turkey would deny something like this. I know that when people deny the holocaust it makes me furious so I can only imagine what the Armenians must be feeling right now but even worse in that the people who actually did this horrible genocide to them are the ones who are denying it and the sad part is, they are getting away with it. They are saying that it was NOT genocide because they were not trying to wipe out all the people of a specific race but that is exactly what they were trying to do by murdering thousands and thousands of Armenians. It’s not like they just murdered a bunch of random people, they murdered specifically Armenians. They say that they may have committed a massacre but it was most defiantly not genocide. How dare they deny these Armenians of the public conformation of their tortured struggles. America has no problem confessing to our mistake of slavery and has publicly apologized and sympathized will all those who were affected by it. While obviously this is different than genocide we are not afraid to apologize for our mistakes. While yes, I do feel for the Armenians who have to deal with not getting the recognition they deserve I feel that it is not the time for America to be taking risks that may cause even more trouble in Iraq then is already prevalent.

budget part 2

Also dealing with the budget, I think that more programs should be cut rather then such a high tax hike. Taxes are going to make people in our state who are right above the poverty line fall under and cause a lot of problems to other people as well. Obviously no matter what someone will suffer financially, you cant just get money out of nowhere it has to come from someone. So instead of having such a high tax hike, which will cause even more problems more programs, should be cut, no schools though. I just find it funny that people say a tax hike is more sufficient and that cutting programs is so awful. But the question is sufficient to whom? Obviously not to the upper class being that they pay the most taxes of all. It’s just weird that the upper class has to pay the most yet they are fine financially it’s the poor that suffer. I’m not saying this isn’t right I just think its kind of ironic, and I understand there is no easy way because no matter what you do someone suffers and the lesser the group of people who suffer the better. That is the key.

the budget part 1

So obviously part of the reason that Michigan is in such a bad financial state is because the unemployment rate is so high. I think that a way to solve the problem of unemployment would be to make sure illegal immigrants are not coming to America and taking away jobs Americans could be having. Yes I have heard people defend the illegal immigrants by claiming, “they take the jobs no one wants” that is ridiculous! If you are below the poverty line, who are you to say “I don’t want that job” honestly it is a job and if you have no money you should not be sitting around doing nothing you should be trying to better your life by taking a job. Don’t just expect the government to give you money. It is your obligation to yourself and to your country to do all you can to better yourself because it is unfair and unjust to expect other people to pay for you. So if illegal immigration was dealt with more carefully and more jobs were opening up more Americans should get off their high horses and stop crying about being poor and actually try to better themselves. (I’m defiantly not saying all poor people, don’t get me wrong, I just mean a group of people living in poverty who do this, NOT ALL!) So illegal immigration should be dealt with seriously because it is affecting our country and the number of available jobs, however I think Americans needed to stop being so high minded. If you don’t have any money or a job, honestly who do you think you are to turn down a job! Who are you to say its not good enough? Don’t just expect to have all the wealthier people pay for you.

continued....

so i didnt realize how short that last one was, sorry. heres some more about the death penalty. It is ridiculous that our tax dollars should be going to pay for mass murderers and serious first degree murderers to be kept alive. it is cheaper, and more logical to use the death penalty since they wont be taking up any unnecessary space. While i understand it may seem harsh to claim money as more important then a person. but these are not average people they are murderers and should not be regarded the same as other people. I do not beleive there is hope to rehibilitate people who are mass murderers. Also i do not think it is an excuse to claim insanity in cases of extreme murder, if you kill someone they are dead just because you can go to a mental hospital and if you rehibiliate yourself that person you killed is still dead. you killed them and that is all there is to it, insane or not, i find it hard to beleive that anyone who kills people with premeditation is not mentally stable.

Inspired by the movie Shawshank Redemption

After seeing this movie a few weeks ago I have been contemplating Life Sentances. If people are sent to prison "for life" many of them actually are parolled and do not spend their entire lives in there. For example, someone who is sentance to life at the age of 18 in 1910 stays there for 60 years and is parolled in 1970, imagine what it would be like to be absent from society and the world for 60 years and to then try to re-enter society. During the time this person was in prision 2 Wars occured and the country socially changed enormously. In 1910 there were only a few cars that drove extemely slowly, whereas in the 70's they were bigger, faster, and common. So much change in the world can happen that it makes it so difficult for a man who was put in at 18 to then re enter the world in 1970, at 78. an old man re-entering the world, alone. All he knows is prision, he has lived almost his entire life being told when to do absolutly everything, when to eat, when to use the restroom, when to bathe. imagine after knowing nothing else being expected to survive. In the movie Shawshank redemption, when the elderly men are released they are lost and long to be back in prision, while it seems insane to a normal person like us that someone would wish or even "try" to go back to prision, it is all they know, it is there life and they dont know how to survive in the real world. The old men in the movie end up commiting suicide, before they are parolled however they try to do things to stay but they fail. Another way to prevent this, is the Death Pentalty. i strongly believe the death penalty should be practiced more. however, only for absolute first degree murder cases, and mass murderers especially.

Quote from the movie: (old man who was parolled wrote a letter to the guys back in prision): Brooks: [narrating] Dear fellas, I can't believe how fast things move on the outside. I saw an automobile once when I was a kid but now they're everywhere. The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry. The parole board got me into this halfway house called "The Brewer". And a job bagging groceries at the Foodway. It's hard work and I try to keep up but my hands hurt most of the time. I don't think the store manager likes me very much. Sometimes after work I go to the park and feed the birds. I keep thinking Jake might just show up and say hello. But he never does. I hope wherever he is he's okay and makin' new friends. I have trouble sleepin' at night. I have bad dreams like I'm falling. I wake up scared. Sometimes it takes me a while to remember where I am. Maybe I should get me a gun, an, an rob the Foodway so they'd send me home. I could shoot the manager while I was at it, sort of like a bonus. I guess I'm too old for that sort of nonsense anymore. I don't like it here. I'm tired of being afraid all the time. I've decided not to stay. I doubt they'll kick up any fuss. Not for an old crook like me.