zAmerican Studies - Oak Park River Forest High School - Heidkamp & Schwartz 2004-2005

WOW!

Bill Ayers, our speaker yesterday in class, was amazing! I was so into everything that he talked about. I think that he was so amazing because he wasnt afraid to speak his mind, and stand up for what he believed in. He encouraged and challenged me to take advantage of opportunities that are in front of me. He also brought up many issues that I have never thought about in that way. We, as Americans, should stand up for our beliefs and not let others speak for us.

He is right! We do let the media and society mold what we say and what we think. We believe that we are thinking and acting individually. But in reality, our minds have been corrupted. I know that not everyone agrees with the war in Iraq. But you dont see anyone standing up and protesting that it is wrong!

I feel as though I should make more of an effort to change issues in our nation that really matter. And tying into my Junior Theme research paper, I think that gays and lesbians should be given the opportunity to marry, legally, in our nation. We say that we are an equal nation, but by excluding and not giving gays the human right of marriage is completely unfair, and not equal!

One of the earlier definitions of marriage was two people of the same race joining and uniting through marriage. Clearly America has changed their outlook upon that subject. And since that is such a similar issue to gay marriage, I feel that we have no right to keep that opportunity away from those who are different from us!

She Whisked Away

The brisk bullets flew through the dark night sky

Piecing the moon’s skin,

Bounties to find what has never been found before

While she whisked away through the unshielded water

She sits in the corner

The lights dim, for none can see unclaimed beauty

True beauty is seen through the melody of existence

This tells that all is great, but life itself is greater

The compass dial tells the direction

This way, and you shall receive greatness

Anxious swords sit in their stem

While stimulating eyes seize the open water front

Searching, while she whisked away through unshielded water

Their eyes were watching for what they could not see

Misleading she was not

What they have come to get, is what they have already received

Judgment is falsely blinded to expectations of higher standings

To actually receive what is great, expect nothing

If you expect nothing, you will receive everything

Damp bullets in the chambers of rusty barrels

The treasure’s existence was determined a lost cause

The lost belief in this greatness had their hearts sail for home

While she whisked away through the unshielded water

What is lost can be found

As one of them, dazed from disappointment

Dozed off, day dreaming, pictured the perfect place with the perfect people

The opening of the mind showed that all that he pictured, he already had

His salted tears dripped down his pleased face

Knowing that he found true beauty, starring out into the bright blue sea

While she whisked away through the unshielded water

Alternate Slam Poem

Children are the future.

Killin’ time in the unemployment line
The youth of the nation smokes another dime
Wastin’ away the days
In a dense purple haze
To destroy the country on Election day

The youth of the nation acts a fool
Dude that army recruiter says I don’t gotta go to school
Only 2 weeks a year
To die like a slaughterhouse steer

The new Vietnam wages in the Middle East
The Youth of the nation fight for an Oil –Hungry beast
The Children sit in classrooms of hate
Learning why god did not intend two men to mate
Black and White no longer
Separate
The Children of our world
Have other people to hate

Children are the future
Or so the people say
As long as they realize
Life will end some day

At the hands of terrorists of the elected kind
Who kill innocent people while the nation stands behind
The holocaust is over right?
There’s no more master plan
Of course now that you mention it
I just heard about the Sudan

The media is fabricated into decimating lies
Once again the president is stating
Why men cannot love guys

The children learn our wicked ways
From school yards and at home
Only a few good sum it up
With a liberal poem

If America continues the ways
In which we raise
The children of the future
Unless of course we change the hate
That comes along with nurture

Teach your children well
Said , Crosby, Stills and Nash
Just keep the children off the demons
Of crack cocaine and Hash

So if you believe that children are the future
Teach them right from wrong
Never hate a human being
For how they may belong

So if you want the future
To be a peacearama
Have your children punch the Chad
For Barrack Obama

Dream Street Traditions

Another walk down

Dream Street

Of broken windows and dusty pathways

People swinging from ropes

Singing sons in the gardens

Traditions passed on by boats of the white hooded glory

Chasing after the pick up

Follow the trail it left, it won’t be hard to find where it went

That’s what a normal tire track looks like, this sure is different

Never seen a trail of blood and brains

Mamma never thought that to fill her son’s coffin she’d have to scrape his body off the curb

Another parent burying her child

Another walk down

Dream Street

Pistol slinging, rope tying, whip snapping, boat guiding bastards

On horses or cars, foot or wagon, boat or train, time to take the black man home

Death now seems like a better home than the one they’re in

The son bitch tied those knots so good, you’d think he was a Boy Scout

Traditions, yep, taking a man from his home, from his land, from his life, from his family, taking a man’s strength, food, dignity, taking a man’s life

This seemed to traditional

Another person swinging from the ropes

Another parent burying her child

Another walk down

Dream Street

Songs sung in the fields, the garden, the forest, the house, the stage

Traditions unforgotten, music of the ages, through the ages, by the ages

Sorrow mystified by the passionate fury of the tongue twisting toons and tones, tapping toes and tooting horns, perpetuating the prime deliverance of power of voice, shouting unshamelessly, songs striving the hunger of listeners listening to the lenience of these angered Africans, slaves, blacks, and now Americans crying

Another human crying

Another person swinging from the ropes

Another person burying her child

Another walk down

Dream Street

Bye-bye to the traditions that been murdered off

Dragged down the street, gone,

Till someone might go down that same street and pick ‘em up

And bring them back down

Dream Street

Junior Theme Opinion

I am actually excited to start the Junior Theme. I think that it will be a great way to learn in detail about some of the current events that we face in society every day. My theme is Gay Marriage and should Gay Marriage be legallized.

My opinion personally is that I think that it should be legal. I mean, I don't agree with gay relationships all the way, but I don't think that they should be discriminated against. NO ONE is perfect and fits perfectly into our 'perfect American' lifestyle. I think that people should be able to marry whoever they want to, and love isn's something that should have rules and laws passed inside of love. Just like interatial marriages, I think that if those are legal, that the government should legallize gay marriage.

Well, that's all that I reall have to say. I hope that through this research I can learn about what others believe on this touchy subject, and strengthen my opinion on this subject as well. HAVE FUN WITH YOUR JUNIOR THEME!!!

My Flag My Blog

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IMPERIALISM WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
I will give up after a few days, and comment regularly, but this is fun for now.

If I had a Flag

I declare, that if nobody has posted a blog by April 20th, that I will gain official control of this site. And as I will officially be King Freder of the Critics and builders blog, I will have a flag to show my reign, SOOOOO!!!!! BLOG

Mum's the Power

I would like to use this blog for a bit of activism/advertising. As many of you may know or will soon know, the annual "Day of Silence" will be held at OPRF on April 13th. This is one of the largest, political and social reform events currently practiced within our campus. The "Day" is a silent protest of the abuse and mistreatment of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender people in and around America. The idea is to reflect the effects through out the school, when protesters/students remain silent for an entire day, mirroring the silence and violence inflicted on the GLBT americans in our school and abroad. I for one participated and was angered at the reactions toward the "Day" during my Freshmen year, I felt very alienated and isolated/open to the tauntings of our bigot population. Anyhow I will be participating this year to see if the world has gotten more tolerant after two years, and I hope to see a few of you alongside, as supporters or participants, FYI* THIS IS NOT STRICTLY FOR GLBT PEOPLE, you can be straight and still participate, I am, and many others are and participate simply to show solidarity for our school's most abused minority and for our friends/family. You can sign up at lunch on Friday April 8th and decide to participate and remain silent on the 13th or simply support the "Day" and speak out for those who are silent.
Thank You , and I hope to not hear from you next Wednesday.....Lil joke, but hey it's a great event to be a part of.

Juiced up

In the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated, their is a large article about steroids and how it has effects baseball, as well as players chances in the Hall of Fame.  Its been basically laid out that players like Mike McGuire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds wont be showing up on the ballot.  The rule that has been set for the hall of fame, Rule 5, says that voting shall be placed upon the players record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship etc.  Do you its fair that these players should be denied the hall of fame, strictly because they have juiced up?

The Great Gatsby

I have been told by multiple people that this book that we are reading in class is really good. I don't like judging the book before I have read more but I kind of disagree with these people. I think that the book pays way too much attention to the minute details and not to the interesting things that they could be focusing on. I also think that after four chapters I have learned almost nothing more about the characters then I did in the first chapter. It seems to be dragging on and not providing anything that will keep me interested in the book.

Hey Mr. President! Mind your Business.

Over the past few days, the news has centered on the story of Terry Schiavo. A woman in a vegitative state, Terry has been the center of a battle over her life. Her husband Michael has been fighting for years to have her taken off a feeding tube based in her DNR desires, but her parents wish to keep her on a tube and have gotten the federal courts and The US Congress involved. I have to say that this makes me outrageously angry. First of all I hate the ability of our government to torture this poor women against her wishes. I feel strongly that all people who are ill and have been for many years, deserve to die if they want to, and the refusal to listen to her closest advisor, her husband, is beyond reproach. The thing that makes me even more angry is the involvent of pres. Bush in this matter, not only is it not his business nor the American people's business, but he and other politicians are using her as a tool in the anti-abortion fight. He makes direct links between these two actions, which is completely infuriating. The worst part of all is the absence of Terry's voice in all this, on NPR a doctor whom witnessed her for a long period of time believed that uthinasia was the best idea and what she wanted, he expressed what most critics believed to be smiling, as a symptom of a mental and physical vegitative state, not revival.

Roids

In the news recently their have been many stories about the recent court apperances of Sammy Sosa, Curt Schilling, Mark McGuire, and Frank Thomas via satillatite. Each player was taken to court and asked questions and had to give a statement on the subject of steriods and how they are effecting Major League Baseball. Many of the players tried to avoid awnsering questons that delt with their personal use of steriods but some came straight out and said they have never used the juice like Curt Schilling and Frank Thomas. In the end do you think that the roid problem will effect these players chance in the hall of fame?

Mrs. Miller Light

I know women portrayed in the media is an old topic, but I was coming home from the city tonight on the Eisenhower and saw something that made me think about it again. It was this big billboard right before Cicero ave. It's for Miller light or bud or something and it has a woman on it with the beer in the back round. The thing that made me think was she was wearing a white tee and jeans. She wasn't portrayed as seductress or old maid or sex object, she just seemed to be chillin. She's a category in her own and I thought that was pretty cool.

Let em see me

I am born of a different home

It seems

Love cuts to the core

Life was perfect….

Holding hands just like on the screen

Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot

They tried but I wouldn’t let em

For in vain even monsters I defy

And they’ll all dance to the sound of my death

It’s better off this way

Cause now I’m free from the torment of sin

And the blood will eternally stain their soles

For I am born of a different home

I can walk the grassy fields

Eternal sunshine

While they are eaten alive

By the lust of them and their forefathers

Let em see me now