Sunday, October 28, 2007

Desperate Civil Liberties

Tonight on Desperate Housewives, an important issue concerning civil liberties cropped up again on Wisteria Lane. Two new neighbors moved in and put up a horrendous, loud fountain in front of their house and the neighbors all had a problem with it. After a town meeting, the citizens of Wisteria Lane decided to limit their civil liberties and make the neighbors dismantle the fountain and get rid of it (they refused). As a part of this new regime, the counsel insisted that anything that disrupted the flow of the neighborhood had to be destroyed. In this manner, anyone that had a problem with their neighbors' property could report it, such as an old tree that blocked sunlight from a garden and a treehouse that had vivid colors, and it would need to be removed. Luckly, the 'dictator' finally changed her mind after the realization that she had no friends (and some of the neighbors dug up some blackmail on her).

Is it legal for them to be able to dictate what is and isn't allowed?
Wouldn't that be a violation of freedom of speech?

Sunday, October 14, 2007

The Game of Life (Well, Not Quite...)

One of my favorite games of all times is Monopoly. It might be because I always win when I play against my father (who's business is in real estate), but I also like how, to win, you start with nothing and can eventually make an empire where you can benefit greatly. When you play and get monopolies along a whole side of the board, you pretty much control the game (like Pepsi and McDonalds), while the other players hope to avoid your space and land on chance or community chest or even free parking (small Mom & Pop stores).

While it might be fun to completely dominate the world-wide market, there is a hefty price to pay for the economy that surrounds them. If most of the revenue of this country only goes to Disney, Coke, Pepsi, McDonald's, Kellogg, etc, then soon (if not already) they will be able to completely sensor our lives. Disney can tell ABC what news they will be able to broadcast, Coke and Pepsi will be able to set the only flavors of soda that the consumer can drink, and even Kellogg and other food companies will be able to choose the only options of ingredients you can eat. And if some small company decided to 'rebel' and challenge these big companies, then the companies will either buy them out or silence them in some other way.

So, it may be fun to make money off of hotels on Boardwalk Avenue or Marvin Gardens, but on a larger scale, there could be dire consequences.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Torture is Not Only a War Offense

In class we were talking about whitewashing and the consequences of doing so. There are horrifying stories of torture during all wars in history, including the war in Iraq. But before thinking about all the atrocities that are faced away from America, it is necessary to understand what is happening here, in our backyards.


Today on Cnn.com, there was an article entitled "Prosecutor: Captive boy endured torture", being so relevent to our discussions, I decided to investigate. The article was all about this man who was to serve about 30 life sentances in prison for the kidnap, sexual assault, and torture of two boys. The first, Shawn, was kidnapped in 2002, when he was 11, and the other, Ben, was kidnapped on January 8. Four days later, the boys were rescued, but horrors will infect them forever. Childrens' minds can be manipulated very easily. These boys had access to the internet and to phones, but something the kidnapper did or said "persuaded" them to remain in the dark.
Shawn Hornbeck:
Above- 11 Years Old
Below- 16 Years Old
This should be a priority on America's list- not only protecting our children, but teaching them that reaching out to the police or their families in these types of crisis is a must in survival.



If you want to check out the article, the website is: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/10/09/boysfound.devlin.ap/index.html


Also, are these boys candidates for the memory loss drug? All this being done at such a young age, would it be better for their future if they forgot (or if the emotion was taken out) of these memories?