Thursday, November 17, 2011

Current Event

Natalie McKittrick

Article: 1

NC Times

Prince William's posting to Falklands defended 

http://www.nctimes.com/ap/entertainment/prince-william-s-posting-to-falklands-defended/article_6681a97d-3be5-5a25-907a-fda70a196e35.html

They would like to revoke Prince Williams ability to fight in the war at Falklands.

Upon Prince Williams department to the war at Falklands the British Government decided to defend the Prince from leaving. They beleive that it is a very dangerous feat that could kill one of ther heir to the throne. The war at Falklands is a raging battle that has benn going on for the past few years now.

This connects to the explotation and countries portion of the classes. Prince William is the Prince of Britan which used to be England which just so happened to be one of the many countries that had explores America. That is how it relates to the material that we are learning in classes.

As Price William has resently been I have also been restricted from my full potential due to the fact that times are changing and the world is not so "nice" anymore. For instance, I am not allowed to ride my bike or run to friends houses because "bad things" might happen. Although I have not been restricted by the British Government, but I have in fact been resricted by something very, very similar... parents...

My opinion on the topic would be to let him fight. I mean, come on! He is the prince! He does what he wants to! There are like hundreds of others lined up for the throne it is not like it will be a great loss, and at least it will be for his country and not of something dinky like old age.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Freedom of Speech Violation!

Natalie McKittrick

Article: 5

School police union slammed for edgy t-shirts

http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/school-police-union-slammed-for-edgy-t-shirts/article_7580f44d-f423-5985-b1a8-2c560ed5038c.html

Police might have disciplinary action places upon them for selling of offensive t-shirt

A police officers union in Northern California has angered a whole town because they began to sell offensive t-shirts. The shirt showed a child behind bars and read "U raise `em, we cage `em." The Twin Rivers Police Officers Association officials said that they had the idea in 2009 in order to raise money for fallen officers. Less than 30 shirts were sold and most at the price of $12 for their fellow union members. They are debating whether to pose disciplinary action upon them... but can they?

This connects to what we are learning in class in the Bill of Rights category. They would be violating the basic rights amendment. If they were to punish them for it they would be seizing their freedom of speech. In that category they can wear and say what they want. So therefore under the bill of rights they cannot punish them for this in anyway.

This connects to my life as a citizen. It connects because if I did not have the right to the freedom of speech I might not be able to wear some of the clothing that I have. I also greatly enjoy debates. Without the freedom of speech I might not be able to freely express my thoughts about the most interesting topics. Also some of the books that I greatly enjoy (Harry Potter and Septimus Heap come to mind) might not be published because of controversial content.

I have two opinions on the matter. My first is that they should not have posted it in the first place because it can be taken very offensively on many counts. For instance you might be insulting the mother, stating that she did not raise her child right. Also the T-shirt features a young boy, so that could also be quite offensive. My second is that they cannot proceed with disciplinary action on the topic and the Bill of Rights clearly states that.

Should Women Start to Carry Guns

Natalie McKittirck
Article: 5

South Carolina sheriff urges women to carry guns 

http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_ce3c6eae-3d6a-5d5a-9764-250a55f90eae.html

How women should begin carrying guns due to recent event.

Have you seen what has been happening lately? That is why South Carolina sheriff urges women to begin carrying guns. Women should carry them in order to protect themselves. He would suggest that they use a .45-caliber weapon and conceal it in a fanny pack while exercising. He recommends He also recommend that they should also exercise in group rather than by themselves. Overall he thinks that a gun is much more affective than mace.

This connects to what we are learning in class in the Bill of Rights category. It represents the second right, the right to own a gun. But, with rights comes responsibility. In this case it is using the gun effectively. Also you must purchase the gun in your name and get it certified.

Because I am a girl, it very much so connects to my life because I enjoy going on runs. You always have to be prepared. That is why I run in a familiar territory where I know many people and they are all within close range. I have also heard of and seen on the news things that have happened recently that would make this sheriff want to enforce this.

My opinion on the topic is yes they should. People can recover from mace and some have made themselves immune to it. Where as if they see you holding a gun and you fire it, it will scare them off for good. You do not necessarily have to fire it at them. You can fire it to the side and they will run. In some cases, even just the sight of the gun can make someone run.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Texas Shooting Burros

Natalie McKittrick

Article: 4

NC Times

Texas is shooting donkeys, stirring burro backlash

http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_b82c37d5-9777-558c-bc13-080bebbd1242.html

Texas is shooting their Burros

Texas is shooting their famous free-roaming burros. I have found that the Texas park rangers are deliberatly trying to wipeout hundreds of their free-roaming donkeys. They have killed 130 so far. Why? Because they beleive that the donkeys that wander over from Mexico simly don't belong. (How do the donkeys get over but the people don't?) Texas estimates that about 300 burros to be destuctive intruders. The mexican donkeys have been accused of hogging forage and lapping up precious water from the drought starved mountians. Where as the citizens who would like to save the burros have made one of the most popular petitions ever on www.change.com with more that 94,000 supporters.

This connects to the Bill of Rights in what we are studying. This connects to the first amendment's baisic rights. The right to petition. It also connects to the second right. The right to bear arms. It connects to the right to petition because they formed a petition on change.com and they were... well free to do it. It connects to the right to bear arms because they used a .308-caliber bolt-action rifle in order to kill them.

This connects to my life as a citizen as well. When I go to my house in Arizonia we often see the burros walking around in their packs or by themselfs. Once we even saw one five feet away from me that was a mother and her young. They are completely unable to defend themselves and put trust in others. I could not imagine killing one.

My opinion on the subject would be that it is complestly unnessesary. Honestly are we going to start killing people next because there are to many, they are not naitive to this country, and because we are killing the ozone layer. No! Who do you think started the drought in the first place. Most likely us! killing defenceless animals because they simply don't belong is not a probable cause! Those donkeys also attract tourists to Texas because the Big Bend is inhabited by them! Also I would like to ask how the donkeys get accross the border and the people don't? Yeah thought so. We don't walk around shooting illegal imigrants because they are using up our resourses. No! We don't! So why should we kill a load of donkeys for it! We shouldn't!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

SeaWorld Enslaves Orcas?

Natalie McKittrick
Article: 3

NC Times

PETA accuses SeaWorld of enslaving orcas

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_3aa50631-64cd-58ec-953d-fc3b73b92e0f.html

SeaWorld Enslaving Orcas

Should animals have the same rights as humans? PETA has accused the popular amusement park of enslaving their orca whales. PETA believes that in this trial the animals should not be deprived of rights 5-8 like a speedy trial, excessive fines, public trial etc. They believe that under the definition of slave ( slaves - kidnapped from their homes, kept confined, denied everything that's natural to them and forced to perform tricks for SeaWorld's profit) that the animals should not be denied these rights and they should be released back into the wild because "They don't seem to adapt to captivity. I would say they're miserable." said Naomi Rose, the Humane Society's marine mammal biologist. Where as SeaWolrd believes that "I think they are in better conditions here than in the wild," said Jenny Raymond who was visiting from Switzerland.

This connects in many ways to what we are learning in class. We have learned about the Bill of Rights and all of the things that the rights 5-8 protects you from. We have also read many situations and had to write whether it applied to the situation and what right it protected. But, in those cases they always had applied to the people and their belongings. In this case they are trying to extend  those rights to making them apply to other animals as well.

This, (beleive it or not) connects to my life as well. I have been to see the Shamu shows as a child. The orcas preforming did not look in fact malnourished at all. They got love and attention from the trainers, not to mention treats. Also, it is all voulentary if they did not want to do the trick they did not have to. They just like the treats!

I do not beleive this is nessesary. The animals look happy and fine, and looking at the article PETA did not have much evidence. They just kind of reapeated the same things over and over again so that they got their points across. I do not think that SeaWorld should have captured one in the first place. But, the rest of them (the ones that were born there) that is there home, that is the only place they know, it would kill them to set them free at this point in their lifetime.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Asian Carp Invasion

Natalie McKittrick

Article: 2

NC Times

http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_974de34c-7eb8-5b99-8b8e-c10adbfd1c24.html

5 states take Asian carp case to Supreme Court
Asian carp in Great Lakes

Asian Carp are invading the Great Lakes and the waterways from Michigan to Chicago. This is a concern because they is damaging their reigions $7 billion fishing industry because they are eating all of the plankton which is ruining the lakes ecosystem. The states are suing the Army Corps and Chicago municipal water district for not regulating the waterways. So far Federal Courts have denied their request for gateways to keep the carp from entering the lakes. The court will not accept their appeal even though there is a really good chance that the unwanted carp will reach the lakes.

This connects to what we are studying in class because we are learning about the three branches and what our rights are. It also shows us in many ways how court cases are brought out. For instance in the court  case the petitioners tried many times in federal courts and were not generally happy with what the final decison was and are now waiting for a hearing with the Supreme Court. The petitoners must have consent from a higher court in order to get the gate closed to the waterways. Like them we had to speak with higher officials (Mrs. Hancock) in order to get our right to chew gum in class.

This case also connects to my life as a citizen. For instance the loss of this industry could cost our country $7,000,000,000 dollars that we cannot afford. That would make the economy in much worse shape than it already is (which is very hard to do). That could make more people homeless, jobless, and under alot of stress to support their evergrowing families. I also love the environment and watching an ecosystem that is in really good shape plummet that fast because some carp getting into a lake that would just be bad.

My opinion on the topic would be that they should close the gates. I have done some reasearch on the topic and the Asian Carp are big, and can get huge, and by huge I mean HUGE! It is also true that they eat the plankton. They are non-edible fish because they will eat practically anything that comes their way, (I have had personal experiance with this) and you do not know what that may be. It will also damage the ecosystem and make our world all the more less what it was like in the old days (When the ozone layer had no holes, houses were not concrete, and Asian Carp were in Asia.)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Pledge of Allegiances History

Natalie McKittrick

Article #1

"Home of Heros"

The Pledge of Alleigance

http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.html

The History of the Pledge

It all started 119 years ago when two me wrote a 22 word pledge. Little did the know that when they published it anonomusly in The Youth's Companion  that they had just made a revilation. After being revised three times over many... many years it is today recited every day by every kid in America!

The Pledge of Alleigance relates to what we are talking about in class. For instance it related to the Constitution. The Pledge relates to this because it has been many times in a long period of time. It also relates to the Bill of  Rights. It relates to this document because it states some of our many rights.

This connects to my life because as every student does we recite the pledge every day. For me it normally happens during advisoy. Exept for on thursdays when we have Coyote Community. Someone's voice comes in over the intercom and instructs us on what we need to do. Then, we all stand up, put our right hands over our hearts and then say the pledge.

My opinion on The Pledge of Alleigance is that it is done to frequently. Every so often it would be a privilage to be paitriotic and show respect to our country. Everyday is to much. For instance if there was like two days a year and we made a celibration of that day then I think that it might actually be kind of fun. But, doing it everyday is turning us into robots moreso than people.