The United States' House of Reps' speaker, speaks...

            The U.S House Speaker John Boehner, told our country that our nation's mounting debt is a moral threat to us which  is $14.1trillion debt. John Boehner remarks where apart of his speech he gave in Nashville at the National Religious Broadcasters annual convention. He is pushing towards a short-term plan that would cut $4 billion from the debt.The proposal would extend for two weeks the continuing resolution authorizing government funding, which expires at midnight Friday. Without a deal, the government will have to shut down Saturday for the first time in more than 15 years. Boehner said that the Republicans and the Democrats need to work together and figure out cut spending and rein in government instead of shutting it down. The Republican-led house already passed a spending messure that cuts $61billion from current levels for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30. However, Senate Democrats consider those cuts draconian and won't pass them.They want to negotiate a more targeted plan that allows for some new spending in key growth areas such as clean energy. Alot of the Republican say they will pass the two week extension to allow continuing negotiations without a shutdown. While other Democratics believe that the plan is "acceptable" but not preferred. Also the $4 billion in spending cuts would come from program terminations that President Barack Obama included in his proposed budget for fiscal year 2012, which begins October 1. It is to be said from a source that the $1.3 billion in cuts would come from eliminating six federal programs and $2.7 billion in savings would come from getting rid of earmarks in the continuing resolution that's currently keeping the government operating.

 I believe this has to do with the Office of Management and Budget which prepares national budget and is the largest office for it. This also has to also do with the Congress and the President dealing with check and balances. My opinion upon this news with the governement is that if the Congress cannot set a budget for the U.S then we will be in serious trouble and instead of trying to cut down our debt it will continue to grow and grow. I also believe that since John Boehner is the U.S House Speaker he should stand up and set a certain budget that is good enough for us to continue maken us a better and stronger country. What is your opinion upon the U.S House Speaker speaking upon the budget?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/27/us.spending.cuts/index.html

Teen Abduction

            In Salt Lake City, Utah, Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped by Brian David Mitchell. Brian had Elizabeth with a knife at her throat when he came into her room at night. Brian told Elizabeth that if she didn't want her and her family killed she would obey his orders. He took Elizabeth into the foothills behind her home, she had one request, she said to Brian, "If your gonna rape and kill me, do it near the trail so my remainings can be found."  Smart had to justify her case to a jury, which had to be difficult for her to explain the terrifying memories of that night where she was abducted. Brian told Elizabeth that he wanted her the first moment he saw her. He had BIG plans for Elizabeth, himself, and......his wife! Brian planned on having Elizabeth be involved with him and his wife in a celestial plural marriage. Brian was hired by Elizabeth's mother to fix a skylight and rake leaves. Elizabeth seen him around the house often but never spoke to him.    

            On June 5, 2002 Elizabeth woke up to the sound of a mans voice and a cold blade against her throat. When they left her house he had her waking on a trail which took 3-5 hours. When they got to their destination, she realized it was some campsite. At the campsite he announced Elizabeth as his wife, and raped her. She begged him to stop but he would not listen and she could not fight him off. She was just a helpless little girl. When she woke up the next day Brian told her that she was lucky and that  God had chosen her to be by his side as he prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth was now 23 and living in Paris, France. She spent Monday on the witness stand describing her nine months of captivity by Brian and his wife, Wanda Barzee. They raped Elizabeth daily and forced her to smoke, and drink hard liquor and wine. Mitchell was now 57, if convicted he will be facing charges of kidnapping and taking a minor across state lines for sex. He will face life in prison. Mitchell's attorney tried to say that he was insane at the time and not in control of his actions. Smart was found 9 months later walking down the street with Wanda and Mitchell in Sandy, Utah. Wanda Barzee, now 64 pleaded guilty in November 2009. She was sentenced 15 years in federal prison for kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor. As part of a plea agreement she cooperated in the State and Federal cases against her husband. 

Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Eileen Barzee

Elizabeth Smart: age 14 and 23

How do you feel about the unlawful and unjust situation that this poor young woman was forced to deal with???

 http://www.cnn.com/2012/CRIME/11/09/utah.elizabeth.smart.case

RACISM

        Racism exists practically in all countries, but in certain places and situations it is especially common. In those earlier days in the 20th century, the face of racism was largely black and white. Today, the face of racism has become multi-colored and multicultural. With the high increase of diverse populations entering and maintaining communities all over the country, racism has expanded to include antagonism between peoples of many cultures. The 21st Century has brought about many attempted changes in society. Affirmative action has been used as an attempt to ensure individuals are given equal opportunity for employment, housing, and other types of advancement. Television shows have changed format and characters to seek political correctness. Nevertheless, society cleverly and subtly maintains its separate views of the races.

      Dred Scott v. Sanford (1856)- When a slave petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for his freedom, the Court ruled against him--also ruling that the Bill of Rights didn't apply to African Americans. If it did, the majority ruling argued, then African Americans would be permitted "the full liberty of speech in public and in private," "to hold public meetings upon political affairs," and "to keep and carry arms wherever they went." In 1856, both the justices in the majority and the white aristocracy they represented found this idea too horrifying to contemplate. In 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment made it law.

  

5th Annual Race Against Racism 2011 

Its very nice of the people who actually do participate in this race. I am not sure how effective it is but its awfully kind. It cannot be useful if no one participates so i hope that the people in the area check it out. We should think of something like that for ALL areas to encourage one another and this a better place while getting to know people of all races (:

www.ywcayork.org/news-events/4th-annual-race-against-racism-2010-/

http://racism.alltop.com/

Voting

background history

PLEASE REGISTER TO VOTE AND USE YOUR VOTE!

Although we all have the right to vote, many people do not take advantage of this most basic democratic right. Your vote is the most direct way that you have of influencing the way your country and your local councils are run. People have fought long and hard for the right of everyone to be able to vote and for the equality of each persons vote. One person, one vote. #Its only right. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color."
court case 
Pitts v. Black-Plaintiffs challenged a New York State Election Law provision forbidding people living on the streets from registering to vote.  The District Court held that the New York City Board of Election’s application of the residency requirement disenfranchised an entire group of people, which is forbidden by the Equal Protection Clause.  The court found that a person’s “residence” is the place at the center of the individual’s life and the place where he/she presently intends to remain.

Should they lower the voting age to 16???

Yes points

• giving young people the right to vote would make them more engaged in society
• If they're old enough to join armed forces, they should be able to vote
• they work and pay taxes so they should have a "say so" just like the adults 

No points

• they are too immature to make such an important decision
• their parents can influence their decisions
• very little knowledge of politics

I think that 16 year olds SHOULD NOT be able to vote because there is too much responsibility in such a huge decision. There are many teens who are capable of handling that privilege but others will just abuse it...No need for unnecessary controversy

www.hart.gov.uk/index/your_council/democracy_elections/even_more_about_elections/history_of_voting.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act

Social Networking

Popular websites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, Blogspot, and Xanga make it easy to build a web of friends and acquaintances, and share with them your photos, whereabouts, contact information, and interests. But be thoughtful about what you post; don’t put your safety or your future at risk. Never forget: the words and images you post on the Internet may be available for years, and your profile may be viewed by future employers and school admissions officials, as well as identity thieves, spammers, and stalkers.

TEXAS COURT DISMISSES MYSPACE SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE

MySpace has won what may be the first of many lawsuits over its child-safety practices, with a Texas court dismissing charges against the social networking Web site in the case of a 13-year-old girl allegedly molested by a man she met there. Criminal charges against the 19-year-old accused assailant are still pending.

 

 "BULLIED TO DEATH"

Natasha MacBryde, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who committed suicide after a remorseless campaign of internet bullying.

But that was not all. The malice that had led to her death continued on the internet, causing more anguish to her distraught family.

A Facebook website set up in Natasha’s memory was invaded by a deluge of offensive comments, ranging from sick jokes about the manner of her death to spiteful remarks about her character. This form of cyber bullying is known as ‘trolling’. Sadly, Natasha MacBryde's case is not unique.

I think that there should be certain age required for a person to make an account for any of these social networking sites. The people that own these accounts should be mature enough to handle them. Of coarse they can be very useful but also very dangerous at the same time

http://www.schoolbullyingcouncil.com/tag/suicide-stories-due-to-social-networking-sites/

www.cmswire.com/news/topic/social+networking

Prostitution

        Prostitution is commonly known as the one of the oldest "professions" known to man. The background and history of prostitution is long with shifting attitudes towards the profession throughout all recorded history. Political and social attitudes towards sexuality, women, and infectious disease shaped societies responses to prostitution. Laws on prostitution are almost as old as the profession itself.  Even in young civilizations, like the United States, social and political attitudes towards prostitution have gone through dramatic changes. In the United States, prostitution has always been illegal but it has gone through periods of tolerance and intolerance over the last 230 some odd years of American independence.

        The White Slave Traffic Act of June 25, 1910, applies to any case in which a woman is transported in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution or concubinage; pecuniary. This act is highly active throughout the CAMINETTI VS. UNITED STATES court case 

 CHILD PROSTITUTION IN CAMBODIA FLOURISHES

An appalling number of girls are being sold into prostitution in Cambodia. These girls are not adults, but children. Some are as young as an appalling five or six years old. One child, hoping to earn money for her family, received a job at a café. After being given the job, it did not take long for the girl to find out that she was going to be a prostitute. Not only that, the place she was working was not a café at all, it was a brothel, or a house of prostitution. Understandably, she did not want to be a prostitute, but if she had refused, she would have been beaten by her employer. Families who are poor and struggling to survive engage their children in prostitution because, sadly enough, it pays off. Surprisingly, tourists, American and otherwise, are to blame for the success of prostitution in Cambodia!

         I think that is a very sad thing that people are being forced into this form of employment, especially children. This profession should not be as successful as it has become, not only in Cambodia but world wide. Once these women have joined this path, whether it was forced upon them or a last resort for survival, it seems that there is no way out. For the safety of themselves and the people that they interact with, prostitution SHOULD NOT be legal! ):

 

http://soc202events.blogspot.com/2010/10/prostitution-ukraines-unstoppable.html

http://soc202events.blogspot.com/2007/09/child-prostitution-in-cambodia.html

CHILD PORNOGRAGHY

Child pornography refers to images or films (also known as child abuse images) and in some cases writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child; as such, child pornography is a record of child sexual abuse. Abuse of the child occurs during the sexual acts which are recorded in the production of child pornography, and several professors of psychology state that memories of the abuse are maintained as long as visual records exist, are accessed, and are "exploited perversely." Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry and among the fastest growing criminal segments on the Internet. Producers of child pornography try to avoid prosecution by distributing their material across national borders, though this issue is increasingly being addressed with regular arrests of suspects from a number of countries occurring over the last few years. 
  
Court case
Michael Williams was convicted in federal district court of promoting child pornography. The PROTECT Act proscribes the pandering of "any material or purported material in a manner that reflects the belief, or that is intended to cause another to believe" that the material is illegal child pornography. The Act represents Congress's attempt to outlaw sexually explicit images of children - including both images of real children and computer-generated images of realistic virtual children. 

Current event

Although the British seem to do it better, we copy it just as well and in this case, a little too well. With the latest Brit TV series, 'Skins,' making it across the pond and landing on MTV, Americans are getting more than an eyeful of gratuitous teenage sexuality in all of its glory. But American teens better TiVo the first two episodes before network execs force producers to tone down the heavy petting and nudity. The show has been labeled by some, including The New York Times , as a flagrant display of child pornography. Featuring scenes that simulate masturbation, sex and drug use, it sounds like just another day at the 'Jersey Shore.' But MTV's other scandal-saturated reality shows all feature actors/reality stars who are at least 18 years old. 'Skins' boasts a bevy of fresh-faced actors, some as young as 15.

Is skins considered child pornography???

 

I do not believe that skins is actually child porn because although there are some explicit scenes, they are not as vulgar as porn is portrayed to be. For teens my age, this may be considered appropriate, maybe not but that should be a choice made by our parents not the state. There is no nudity so i don't think it is necessary to stop the show or take away the reality of the show...