Cracker Jack

Gun Control #2

2007-11-28T13:20:00.000-08:00

After hearing the debate on gun control I still feel the same way as I did before. Both groups discussed how the 2nd amendment is very hard to understand, and I agree with this. However, the only thing I think we need to change is who is acceptable to own a gun. I agreed with the other group when they said that many people buy guns and use them for harm on people. Just recently a really great football player passed away from gun shot wounds. He was sitting at home, when someone broke in and shot him. We don’t have a clue why they wanted to hurt him or who it was. Now I’m sure everyone has come to the conclusion that there is no way we can ever get rid of all the guns in the world. When it came up in the debate to get rid of all the guns, and someone said that’s not possible then that’s when another person in class said, stop selling ammunition. Now that might work, but I doubt it because I have a feeling that instead of using guns they will then turn to other weapons to still harm people. So that might be getting rid of the gun problem, but it’s not helping with the violence. We are still harming people. I think there should be a test that we should have to take to have better skills on how to handle a gun, and use it for protection or hunting. Its like when we had to take a test for a drivers license. If we didn’t study the material or take the test then we would be very out of control drivers. We see/hear about people using guns all the time, and might not see how bad it is. Parents have a big affect on their children. We need to pay closer attention to our parents and children; that way we can realize the dangerous things going on in our world, and we can protect the ones we love from it.

Gay Marriage #2

2007-11-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

After I was assigned to debate against gay marriage I didn’t know how I was going to do that, when I was totally for gay marriage. After hours of researching for my topic I had found some pretty good articles that I didn’t even know about. It was also hard getting information because most sources are opinion and not based on fact. Right now I can see both sides of why we should and shouldn’t have it. Before, all I saw was my own side, however I’m still for gay marriage. To me it is still up to that person on how they want to live even if it is a sin. It’s bad to do a lot of things, but those people still continue to do it anyway because its their choice. Denying them is a violation of religious freedom. “The First Amendment of the Constitution clearly states that a person's religious views or lack thereof must be protected. Marriage by the state is a secular activity; the government cannot start making laws just because a religion says they should.” To me I agree. They are human beings just like everyone else, and share things like responsibilities, and the type of commitment that is needed for a marriage just like we do. Everyone is going to live their life different, that’s what makes us a whole by having different things; if everything was the same it would be rather boring. If two people love each other then they should have the right to express their feelings for each other the same way a heterosexual would. Denying them of marriage is a form of minority discrimination. The rights of minorities, I think should be protected. It’s pretty much the reason why we have the Bill of Rights, anti-slavery, and equal protection amendments. Denying a homosexual couple to being married is the same as denying marriage to a Hispanic or black couple. It’s just not fair! I just don’t really approve of the people who are against it. I do see there point of views, but if only they could see the other side. Everyone has a right to their opinion and choice of lifestyle. So, I think we should just let everyone be and choose what they want. It’s the only way to have a better society, and everyone working together to come close.

Drug Abuse #2

2007-11-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

I still feel drug abuse is a big threat to our society. Drug legalization is on its way to manipulating the media. I think law enforcement needs to speak up more on this topic because if we continue to let this by pass us, then we will have more people using the dangerous and poisonous drugs that we are trying to control. Many studies have shown that the majority of crimes are drug related. Many families are torn apart from people who are drug abusers. “The victims of drug abuse range from those physically harmed by drug-induced crimes to taxpayers footing the bill for drug treatment. In other words, every citizen is a victim, either directly or indirectly.” Having drug related problems not only can screw up your families, but it can harm your health, family life, and the publics safety. One major drug that many people use is marijuana. Marijuana damages short-term memory, distorts perception, impairs judgment and complex motor skills, alters the heart rate, can lead to severe anxiety, and can cause paranoia and lethargy. Now why on earth would anyone want to harm themselves or hurt people in their family by using this drug? Many of these drugs are really expensive so people try and get their friends to become drug users also, so they can then sell them to their friends to defray their own costs. Drugs however are not that hard to get. Many young kids today who feel like they have so many problems in their life that the only thing they can turn to is drugs. Since some say these drugs are a good way to get away from stress. But it doesn’t make the pain go away it will still be there after your done. Kids who use and abuse these drugs die, drop out of school, grades drop, families become a wreck, and lots of violence. I think we need to legalize all these drugs because if not things are just going to keep growing and get a lot worse. We need to fix this by getting rid of these drugs and only have a certain way to provide it to the people who truly need them. If we did this I feel life and our environment would be a much better place. Since we will be keeping all the kids of the streets and of out jails from doing drugs. Instead, they will be in the class room getting the good education they need to have successful lives.

Capital Punishment #2

2007-11-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

After I debated on capital punishment and in the debate I had to be against it as in getting rid of it. I’m not sure where I stand anymore on this topic. I can totally see both sides to this. As I said in my lost blog on this that if you do something violent to hurt another person the you deserve to be punished but maybe it doesn’t have to be the death penalty. There are so many people who are held on death row for decades which I didn’t know that. Another thing that surprised me was when I was researching was how much money it took to keep a prisoner alive. Keeping someone alive costs around $10,000 - $25,000 per year. Another big factor is race. One study shows, “African Americans constitute 12% of the U.S. population, they are 35% of those on death row; 9% are Native American, Latino or Asian. The most important factor in levying the death penalty, however, is the race of the victim.” Another thing that I knew was a big issue was where you live. I just didn’t know how bad it was. The studies have shown that states that have the death penalty don’t have lower crime rates. It also shows that states without capital punishment have no change in crime or murder rates. However I still feel like we need to keep capital punishment. I know that in the bible it says something like if someone strikes us we should turn the other cheek. That maybe the best thing and all but I think keeping capital punishment will give some kind of closure to the family’s. It wont bring anyone back but it will help some I think. Like I have said before I think executing a convict is showing us that justice is being served. People feel a lot safer knowing that a criminal is put behind bars and/or executed. We will never catch every criminal out there but It helps keep our streets some what safer. After debating I guess it didn’t really change my mind but it let me see how much goes on and what is wrong with the way things are going. So In the end I’m still going to stick with if you take someone’s life yours deserves to be taken also.

Performance-enhancing drugs #2

2007-10-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

After discussing performance-enhancing drugs in class I still feel the same way about them. I think the main reason why athletes chose to take these drugs is because the coaches put a great deal of pressure upon them. Certain sports will need you to gain more weight and be able to lift more then you could say a month ago. So the athletes then take these drugs to meet there coaches expectations. If people meet someone who used performance-enhancing drugs and they turned out ok, then they think they will too. That’s not always true though. There isn’t enough information out there about how dangerous using steroids really are. Plus the fact everyone’s body is different, everyone will probably have a different reaction to it. “A recent study showed that 60% increase in steroid use among high school athletes.” We need to cut back on the pressure that coaches have on these athletes. With this rate increasing fast we need to focus on the more important values, instead of who can exceed to the highest possible level. I still think that if you use these drugs to gain an advantage during a competitive sport, then it is still cheating. There have been many serious health risks related to performance-enhancing drugs. Why would anyone want to hurt themselves just so they can last longer in one race, or not be as tired. I just don’t think it’s worth it. I think everyone should just go out there and do their best to their ability. That way they can come out on top by saying they did the best the could. This is defiantly a serious issue and it shouldn’t be overlooked. I still think drug testing should be required. I also think that it should be required for everyone in professional sports too. I recently saw an article about how a track athlete used steroids in the Olympics. She is a 5 gold medalist. She first denied it, then came clean after they broke her down. If I had been one of the people who ran against her I would be upset. There is a chance that she might not of won and she wouldn’t be have to do any jail time. It says your suppose to get 5 years and she is only going to do two months is any time at all. That’s surely not fair. I bet you if it was someone not as important they would get all 5 years. But the bottom line is these drugs should be banned except for the people with medical problems who seriously need them

Gun Control

2007-09-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

On the subject of gun control I think that everyone should have the right to bear arms, but there should be closer tabs on who owns a gun. With a stronger enforcement towards gun control will help reduce gun violence. I also think that if you have been convicted of a felon before, and you are caught with a firearm, you should be arrested. That’s not being safe that’s just being dumb. I think its ok for certain people to own guns if they are protecting themselves or their family. It is also ok for people to own guns who go hunting, because that’s how some people provide food for their family during the winter. Going beyond my opinion on gun control, are my feelings about specific gun situations. For example, if I was to walk into a store and I were to see someone with a pistol in a holster on there side, it would probably make me really uncomfortable because I wouldn’t know what there intentions were. I don’t think that guns should be the blame for school shootings because guns don’t kill people, people kill people. The reason on why the media blames these guns for school shootings is because no one is willing to take responsibility for their actions, so they have to blame the object. The gun doesn’t pull the trigger itself, it’s the choice of the owner whether they want to pull it or not. There have been many situations where the parents didn’t realize that their children were having different types of problems because they pay little attention to their kids lives. Therefore the gun is not responsible for the kids actions, it’s the lack of responsibility from there parents.

Drug Abuse

2007-09-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

One of our biggest problems I think, is drug abuse. For the people who don’t know much on drug abuse, not only does it harm the ones using the drugs but it can lead to domestic violence, child abuse, and lots of crime. It is said that, “18 million Americans abuse or are addicted to alcohol. Tobacco causes 400,000 deaths each year, killing more people than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, suicides, and fires combined. And nearly half of all Americans say they know someone with a drug problem.” Being addicted to drugs is not good. It can tear families apart, can hurt you, marriages may fall apart, child abuse, and neglect can also be involved. Having a problem with alcohol or tobacco can harm your health, family life, and the publics safety. One of the things that makes me really mad is how the child abuse has increased over the years. Some of the reasons for this happening came from illicit drugs and alcohol abuse. It really hurts my feelings when I see so many kids end up in foster homes because their parents ended up being addicted to drugs, and maybe they were also a child abuser. I know back in high school that I knew where to get drugs from, now I don’t do drugs, but having kids getting started at such a young age is not good for our society. It makes the schools unsafe for the students and staff that go there. I’ve seen many of the students that drink and sell drugs, their grades drop down, they never come or are always late to class, they can be violent, and disruptive in their classes. All these things can lead to them dropping out of school, which in the end is very bad. I think every kid needs to be in a safe environment, so they can learn, grow, and get the good education that they need for what ever life hands them.

Performance-enhancing drugs

2007-09-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

My personal reflection on performance-enhancing drugs is that they not only do they need to stay banned from sports, they should only be given to people who absolutely need to take them. Some of these enhancing drugs are used to treat real medical problems. So unfortunately that’s why they are still around, otherwise I would say we shouldn’t make them anymore. There has been many evidence showing that these drugs can be associated with serious health risks. These serious risk include: suspension from the sport, all their records being erased, debilitating, and lots of medical problems. Performance-enhancing drugs changes your body in many different ways. It can increase your muscles or it can increase the bloods oxygen. Depends on what type you take and believe me there are many. Some athletes take these drugs as a way to gain edge during a competitive sport. Which is pretty much cheating. That’s just not fair what so ever and all your doing is hurting your body. One of the biggest enhancing drugs I think is used is steroids. People who want to gain a lot of muscle and make their body’s bigger would probably use this drug. If you inject or take a pill that is a enhancing drug then not only are you hurting your body, but your taken away the real work you do to get your body where you want it to be. So all the other athletes who are out there busting their butts to get a fraction closer you’re the one who cheated to get where you are. Some people who use these drugs might have a lot of records but for me to reach my goal I want to know that I truly worked as hard as I could to do my best, and you don’t get that feeling if you know you cheated. I do realize that ever sport is different and they each have their set of rules on performance-enhancing drugs. That’s why I think it is a good idea we have drug testing done. Even if some of the drugs are hard to find I still think it needs to be required.

Capital Punishment

2007-09-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

Do I approve of capital punishment or think it should be abolished? I’m sorry to say this but yes I approve of it. It did however take me awhile to be convinced that this was the right choice for me. But I think if u commit a crime that is serious enough to get you the death penalty then by all means you deserve it. That may sound a little harsh but it’s what I believe. I know some people who do commit serious crimes are young people. That shouldn’t matter though. You need to be responsible for what you do and accept your consequences. There is lots of countries who execute criminals very differently. I approve of lethal injection or the electric chair. Some states choose the way you die but I think it should up to the person who is convicted of the crime to pick how they want to die. I think the death penalty is very successful and is good at achieving its goals. Many people feel that if a criminal is executed it satisfies their needs and makes them think everything is going to be ok again. I also believe in this. I think executing a convict is showing us that justice is being served. People feel a lot safer knowing that a criminal is put behind bars and/or executed. I do in fact think that every state should have the death penalty because I think it makes a big difference in murder rates. Many people think that instead of getting capital punishment the criminal should receive life behind bars without parole. They think it’s less violent to the criminals. I don’t see how they can think that though! If u commit murder or something along the lines of that then you are in fact a criminal. You did something that was violent to another person so you deserve to be punished. I believe if you take someone’s life yours needs to be taken too.

Gay Marriages

2007-09-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

Do I think gay marriages should be allowed? The answer to that is yes! I think it is perfectly ok for people who are from the same sex to get married. It’s their right and choice to pick whoever they want to spend the rest of their life with. I don’t think the public or anyone else should get involved or in the way of that either. They are no different from anyone else. They share the same responsibilities, hopes, dreams, and commitments as any other marriages do. If two people love each other and they are from the same gender, then I say let them express how they feel and be happy like any other marriage would want to be. Everyone in this world is different. We each have different religious beliefs, ways of handling things, ideas, and were different on who we choose to love. Whether it’s the opposite sex or the same sex. Lots of people tend to say homosexuals came from gay families also. However, that is not true. I have friends who are gay and they have heterosexual parents and they love each other very much. Their parents treat them no different either, and that’s the way it should be. No one should ever be treated differently. I know many people don’t approve of same sex marriage, but I think if everyone could learn to accept it then the arguments would die down and everyone would be in peace, at least on the same sex marriage topics. The people who don’t approve of same sex marriage can be very cruel to homosexuals. If two people of the same sex express how they feel in public people flip out and say/do hurtful things. Why would anyone want to do that to another human being? We should just let everyone choose who they want to be with because that is their right. No one can take that away from them either. We will always be different in many ways. That’s what brings us closer together and form into one community.