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My Views On Security And Protection In Our Society

So. . . what I think about society and all of these problems that we have we need to fix them. The whole thing about security being taken on to more measures about terrorists is dumb. People need to show identity information to prove that they are who they are for certain things like at airports and jobs is way too much. I know and understand people need to protect things like that but if you know that your not on that then whats the point. Security is like everywhere you go but if it helps and protects us then im for it. Also I feel like some people who do get stopped and questioned for who they are and if they a terrorist because of they way they may look and act upon is embarrassing especially if its publicly! Like if you look like your from the middle east then your considered a terrorist. That's a complete stereotype. But yeah those are my views on the whole thing with security and protection.

Boston Massacre Review

Well from what I learned about the Boston Massacre in class lately was that Captain Preston and his soldiers came to the square because civillians were complaining and rioting about the taxes, debts needed to be paid, and people were owing money to others, etc. People were getting hurt because of this. Tar and feathers was used to scare others and were used on people speaking out. A good amount of people died during the massacre including a former black slave Crispus Attucks. The seven soldiers and Preston were all tried in court and they all ended up being not guilty. There were several witnesses in this crime but they all were saying same , but different views on what happened. People speculated over Preston's location in the massacre and witnesses say that he was in front of the army or in the back but no one was sure. Im glad I wasn't born back then, things seemed violent and chaotic.

 

Belief in Witchcraft

Although the things where done to the people who were accused of being witches are absolutely horrible, the accusers may have legitimately believed that the people they were accusing where witches. This is a articleabout a rather modern day witch-hunt that is happening in africa, although the things being done to the accused "witches" are absolutely horrible and wrong the people doing these things and the people accusing actually believe they are right.

The accuser has had family members killed in ways that would not normally be considered very harmful but possibly the extreme surprise of the deaths of family have caused these people to go and accuse others people of being witches to try and get some sort of a answer. People who believe that there is higher then the actual world are also more likely to go to witches, which has been going on here.

Seaperation of Mayor and Church

Is it right to try to make a pastor give up his church because he wants to be Senator of Chicago. Well State Senator James T Meek  feels like he shouldn't have to give up his massive South Side church and be Mayor of Chicago.  Even though there are people that feel like he shouldn't have a church a be a Mayor of Chicago because they feel like he will combined the two and he would put his church needs before his senator needs. He argues that he is manging his church and is a state senator at the same time and nobody has a problem with that so what is the difference. But despite the people that will not vote for Senator Meeks he already has a strong lead for the race for Mayor With 22,000 parishioners and 25,000 signatures already gathered. I think that Senator Meeks should be able to run for Mayor of Chicago and not give up his church. I feel this way because although some people feel like there should be a seaperation of Mayor and Church I feel like if he his already a State Senator then what is the difference. But don't let my arguement affect you, read the article your self.

Snyder v Phelps

The supreme court has been hearing a case pertaining to the 1st Amendment right the case is Snyder v Phelps.  Snyder a Marine Corp Lance Corporal was killed in Iraq in 2006.  When it came time to have the funeral which is a private and very serious event members of the Westbro Baptist Church protested at the church of his funeral with signs that read "Thank God for Dead Soldiers", "Fag Troops" and many other. 

The court has a very tough decision to make because they can not take away the free speech of somebody even if it is very hurtful and just down right wrong.  They do express sympathy to the family of the fallen troop but it is a tough decision to make.  Who knows when they could come to a just decision.

For the full story here is the link.

Salzburg Witch Trials

In the years of 1675-1690, a unique witch hunt accrued where the hunt for an accused witch led to the deaths of many people. In the year 1675, a women by the name of Barbara Kollerin was arrested in Salzburg Austria for theft and sorcery. During her trial, she confessed that her son, Paul Jacob Kolle was involved in witch-craft. After her execution, the authorities began to search for Kolle who became known as the Jackl. As the police unsuccessfully searched for the Jackl, they presumed he was dead until they found a 12 year old handicap boy by the name of Feldner Bettlerbub Dionysos. Dionysos claimed that the Jackl was teaching kids and teens in the slums how to preform black magic. After Dionysos's confession, officials arrested many beggars and other young poor people from the slums. Many of the arrested teens told the authorities that the Jackl could turn invisible and could prevent crops from growing. Many people began to fear him and the police started to refuse to pursue Kolle in fear of being killed by his witchcraft. However, poor teens were still being arrested for being followers of the Jackl. Many gang members were targeted by the police for performing witch craft. By 1690, 139 people were either hung, decapitated, or burned alive. Although many were hunted and killed, the Jackl was never found.

The Real Price to Living in a Ordered Country

What's the deal with airlines these days? We have to go through metal detectors and some of us even , having to be bodily searched.  Well those of minority usually races do. Let me extrapolate on this idea a little bit more.

Minorities hvae been descriminated against for years.  Through decades of hardship, the US citizens might have tried to overcome this problem.  But there are still some exceptions.  When it comes to the protection of other people, freedom takes a back seat to order. 

For example, which is used a lot but its very true, a muslim or person of Arabic descent walks in through an airport, heads will turn.  "Oh he has a suitcase. Its a bomb!", comes to people's minds.  The security stops him and takes him to a back room.  they give him a fullbody search and searches his luggage.  They find nothing but clothes and personal items.  They let him go. 

This may seem like a "routine" check, but its only because of his skin color they stopped and searched him.  After 9/11, people of the Middle East have been discrimnatted against because of the fear of the government and other US citizens.  It isnt fair at all. 

Ive personally expirienced this sometimes when i walk intno a store and get followed be cause of my skin color and they think i might steal something.  How should i feel that I'm being watched and someone that is white could be doing the same thing. 

It doesnt make sense how we have to be judged because minorities are given the stereotypes that appear in everyday media.  Should we really be sacraficing our fought for freedom because some people cant get over the color of thier neighbors skin?

 

Community vs Individual

Rosa Parks was an individual whom broke a law of the community for african americans rights. Rosa Parks got on the bus after work, and sat in the middle of the bus, when blacks were suppose to sit in the back of the bus. Then a white man got on the bus and wanted to sit where she was sitting. He told her to move, but she refused, then the bus driver told Rosa to move to the back of the bus where the other blacks sat and were suppose to sit at this time. She still sat there as if nobody was telling her to move. Then eventually the police came and they arrested her. It was a good thing she did this, somebody had to stand up for that right, and that somebody was Rosa Parks.

     

Order vs. Freedom Senate Race

In a race for a Senate seat to represent Alabama, Tim James made a controversial add in order vs. freedom. I must state in this post, it might have some statements you disagree with and will appear controversial, I do not mean it to be. In this add, James asks why the state drivers test is given in 12 languages. He claims that this is America, we speak english. But is it correct to give state tests in languages other than the national language?

 

 

I say no, because in America, English is the national language. If you want to live here, or live here already, you need to make an effort to understand the language the majority of America speaks. At the DMV, as we all know, it is hectic already. Making a state test in 12 languages, only complicates the matter. There should only be one language that the test is made of, english.

If you live in America, you will encounter people daily speaking english. If you are an immigrant, you have to take a test about America, so why not learn the language that America speaks. I am speaking for most of America in saying that, if you live hear, attempt to speak the language.

History Doesn't Always Repeat Itself

I don't think it is very possible. Even though, as people say, history repeats itself, I think that this is a situation that can be prevented again. If there were to be another one, it would be looked at as some sort of racism or intolerance type situation and it would cause a lot more problems since it has a lot to do with religion and everyone is entitled to their own views. Also considering the fact that the girls "afflicted" could have been faking, and there were previous conflicts that resulted in the witchcraft hysteria. Also, we have greater knowledge on the causes of abnormalities and we know that everyone is different. I think that overall we know more so that can help us explain a lot of things that were complete mysteries in the past.

Witchcraft hysteria...in present-day America?

Could we have another witchcraft hysteria in present-day America -- even if it's not exactly about witchcraft? Yes; we could have another hysteria, not necessarily about witchcraft, but about anything that causes a big commotion in our present day. It could be about bigger issues we have today; teen pregnancy, drugs in school, ect. These commotions are big in America just like witchcraft was in Salem at the Purtain's time. Even those these problems don't seem as big as witchcraft was, if it becomes worse, just like their problem did, we could have the same outcome.

  

Order vs. Freedom, Community vs. Individuals

The subject for this week's blog post is wide open -- as long as it is connected with the key questions of our unit.  Consider the following questions/topics:

1. In the news or popular culture of today, do you see the tension between order and freedom, community and individuals?  Consider political ads from various election campaigns heating up around the country (check out a whole much of ads on C-SPAN's politics page or consider this ad and this ad that try to use fears over the Islamic center in New York as a campaign issue).  Also, consider some of the most popular TV shows, movies and music that address those issues.

2. Who is the most interesting character in The Crucible so far?  Why are they so interesting?  What are their conflicts?  How do those conflicts reflect conflicts that every human must face?

3. What values of the Puritans still exist in our society today?  Do the tensions in their society still exist today?  Do we deal with more or less successfully than the Puritans did?

4. Could we have another witchcraft hysteria in present-day America -- even if it's not exactly about witchcraft?

He May Be A Communist

These sets of clips shot how Americans were so over whelmed with the Red Scare that the became to accuse people for being a communist just buy the way they acted or looked.  I also shows that you could even have family members in the Communist Party and not know about it.  Over this time America was in a state of shock because the didn't know who to trust.  This just shows the fear and the extreme ways that people back then tried to find out who was a communist.  These ways sometimes work but other times they just send the wrong people to jail. 

Curfew Laws

I honestly think that Oak Park does not need curfew laws because who is Oak Park to tell kids under 18 when they have to be at home. Oak Park is not our parents, the parents of the kids should tell when kids have to be at home and some kids there only choice is they have to come home at later hours. Everyone has a different life and do things differently. For me many of my friends can stay out past 12 o clock and to be out at that time is hard because we are allowed by our parents to be out at that time but trying not to get caught by the police is hard. Fortunately, I have friends that are 18 years old so i can be with them and not get in trouble but what about other kids that are not over 18?

Curfew Laws

The curfew laws in Oak Park and River Forest state that if you are under the age of 18 you can not legaly be out after 12pm on friday and saturday and after 11pm on sunday-thursday, both ending at 6am. I believe that these laws or curfew laws in oak park have no point. The time that a child has to be back at his home should be decided by his or her parents not the police. there are many circumstances in which a teenager may be actually forced to be out past these hours and these laws can get him or her in a lot of trouble for them, making it harder for him/her to find a job.

 There are times when a teen can be pulled over for being out past this time such as he went to c the 11:00pm show for a movie with some of his friends and it obviously gets out past 12:00pm and his parents are asleep so him or her has to either bike or walk home. they would get pulled over and could possibly get into trouble for something like this. In any case I believe that these laws in Oak Park and River Forest do not serve any good.