Question of the Week #2: Discuss one political event you are interested in...

I've already touched on this a little...  there are two topics that mainly catch my attention: gay rights and abortion.


Gay Rights: As per my religion and culture, I don't really recognize gay marriage, and I don't think the government should either. HOWEVER, I do believe that homosexual couples deserve every privilege that heterosexual married couples have. I think "partnerships" should be recognized and be given the same benefits "marriages" have. Marriages should only be between a man and a woman, but there shouldn't be a law that prevents the union/partnership of a man and a man or woman and a woman.


Abortion: I think I've already made it pretty clear how I feel about abortion - I am as pro-life as you can get, unless the abortion is saving the life of the mother. However, someone asked what do I think should be done in the case of rape, incest, etc. My answer? I don't really know... its a tough question, and I understand that the woman may not want to keep the child... however, its not the fault of the baby, so why should it be punished?


These are two charged and controversial topics, and I enjoy following developments in them because they affect so many people, not only in our country, but throughout the world.

Occupy Wall Street Gains Momentum (Current Event #2)

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/politics/occupy-wall-street/index.html

For the past three weeks, irritated citizens have been taking matters into their own hands by protesting and standing in at Zucotti Park, NY, among other locations. Protestors claim to be “fighting for democracy and economic justice” and are protesting Wall Street and its “regulators’ purported role in expanding economic disparities.”

          Obama agrees and claims that we need “a strong, effective financial sector in order for [the US] to grow.” The protests are slowly gaining national attention as reports of police brutality begin to surface, and are shifting to other big cities in the US, such as Washington, DC; Jersey City, New Jersey; Austin, Texas; and Los Angeles, California.

           Wednesday night, the protests turned violent as police officers arrested 23 young citizens for “various offenses, including one facing charges of assaulting an officer.” These protests are showing how Americans are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the 1% wealthy elite who seemingly control US politics and business. Congress cannot resist the call for change for much longer before things get out of hand.

It will be very interesting to see how this all pans out. I am planning on attending the Occupy DC rally on Saturday ... I'm really excited! If anyone wants to come with, let me know :)

Oh, Sarah!

Have you guys seen this? Absolutely freakin' hilarious! For those of you who don't know.... this is NOT Sarkozy.

Watch Sarah Palin Get Pranked

This Is Why I've Avoided Politics

There is a very good reason I have stayed away from any politics (Republican/Democratic) debates in the past couple of years... I am so tired of people criticizing others for their viewpoints. Why does everything have to become a big argument? If I believe something is right or wrong, why can't you just let it be? Why do others feel the need to prove that their idea is better than mine?

I have my own ideas and my own opinions about things, and I'm tired of others implying that it makes me a bad person. I'm not forcing my viewpoints on anyone, so just let it be. Seriously.

My political science class can be so annoying sometimes - Graney simply asks a questions but it always turns into an argument about morals and right vs. wrong blah blah blah. I'm not advocating narrow mindedness, but I think we should just accept others' opinions as just as valid as ours. 

This is America, right? Aren't we all entitled to our own beliefs? Jeez. Lighten up people!

Do unborn babies have rights too?

Since I'm already procrastinating on doing calc homework I might as well tackle another issue.... does a woman have a right to kill a baby? Does that baby, after conception, even have any rights? 


We talked about this a little in Graney's class a couple weeks ago. Imagine this scenario.... a pregnant woman is walking down the street and is mugged and knocked to the ground. In the process, her baby is killed. Should the mugger be charged with murder??


I say yes. That mother *wanted* her child, which was taken from her, and so the mugger must be punished. So what if he didn't intend or mean to kill the baby? We don't base punishments on intent, because if we did everyone would get off scot-free.


However, can this same scenario be applied to abortion? A woman is essentially killing her child, which everyone should assume has a desire to live, and so she is no better than the mugger. Should abortion be punishable? I wish there was an easy answer to all these questions....


The issue of abortion is enough to make me want to cry. How anyone can think of hurting a child is beyond my imagination. I do understand that sometimes it is absolutely necessary, but being 16 and pregnant is not one of them. Critics of abortion claim that the fetus can feel and "responds violently to painful stimuli, needle puncture, and injection of cold & of hypertonic solutions." Giving a baby an deadly injection is no better than shooting someone in their sleep. 


There is scientific evidence that 18 days after conception a baby's own heart starts to beat. On or around day 22, the baby's heart beats with its own blood. Is that not enough to make him a real human being? How do you possibly justify killing a baby after hearing that?


All you pro choice people out there.....Have you ever heard of suction aspiration abortion? How about a D and C abortion? D and E? Probably not. Let me outline them for you...


Suction aspiration is performed between 6-12 weeks, and the baby is literally "vacuumed" or sucked out of the cervix, tearing its little body into pieces. 


In a D and C abortion the pathetic, excuse for a doctor who performs this goes in there with a knife, dismembers the baby, and then sucks the pieces of the body out.


In a D and E abortion, performed in the SECOND TRIMESTER (when the baby's pain sensing organs are fully developed) "forceps are inserted into the uterus to forcibly dismember the fetus. The skull is then crushed and removed. A suction aspiration is then introduced to remove any remaining fetal parts, the placenta and uterine lining."


I could go on and on about this. Does anyone else feel the pain I feel when I read this? Speak up. Let America know that we WILL NOT allow this genocide to continue.

Question of the Week #1: What political party do I align with?

This question has had me thinking for a couple of years. In class, I took a couple of ideology quizzes, but they confused me more than anything else. While I agree with lots of Democratic views, I wouldn't call myself a hardcore Democrat. I also like some Republican views, but I absolutely detest the candidates they put forth. 


Anyway, in the past, I always aligned myself with the Democrats, just like my parents. Now, while I'd rather not be called a Republican, I find myself agreeing more and more with their ideas. For example, I do not believe abortion should be legalized. The only circumstance under which a woman should be allowed to murder her own baby should be if her own life is in danger. There is no need to destroy someone's chance to live. I'm not trying to be controversial here, but I don't support gay marriage. I think the institute of marriage is sacred and should only be between a man and a woman (I'm not saying that their community doesn't deserve rights). Also, I have a more Conservative view point (most of the time):
-I have a good foundation in religion (not necessarily Christianity) and I think there should be a stronger sense of it in our day-to-day lives.
-I think morals are very important.
-I believe that we need stronger immigration laws and need to stop allowing more immigrants into America for the time being (Disclaimer....I AM NOT BEING RACIST). I absolutely cannot stand for allowing illegal immigrants too continue to mooch off of the government.
-I think English should be our national language and that everyone must learn it.


However, I do disagree with some Conservative Republican viewpoints:
-I think we should broaden our public welfare programs.
-I don't think government is too large/over-involved.
-I think we should tax the rich, help the poor.


In any case, be prepared for me to change my mind often on these issues. I'm still getting the hang of becoming more involved in American politics. I can't wait to vote in 2012!

Why I'm Disappointed In America (Current Event #1)

Don't get me wrong... I'm your average, run-of-the-mill, red-blooded American, but sometimes I just don't see eye-to-eye with the rest of the country. Specifically, I'm talking about people making fun of poor Chris Christie. It is SO SHALLOW to think that he would make any less of a president just because he is 300 pounds. Doesn't anyone think about how this may all affect him psychologically or emotionally? And I thought bullies matured after high school.....


Some of the worst jokes I heard went something like this:
"Forget Iraq, lets invade Ihop,"
"No vetos, more cheetos,"
"The solution to the budget crisis starts with supper,"
"The cabinet will now have a Secretary of Cake."


Did I mention that when you go to Google "Chris Christie," some of the most heinous suggestions come up? This is absolutely disgusting...
"Chris Christie fat bastard"
"Chris Christie fat slob"
"Chris Christie fat jokes"
"Chris Christie fat pig"
"Chris Christie fat photos"


I'm disappointed in you, America. The man said he doesn't want to run for president, so just leave him alone! As for Letterman, he has another thing comin'. Christie can lose weight, but unfortunately, you just can't fix stupid.


(Edit 9 pm: I don't mean to generalize.... This is not in any way supposed to be a representation of all Americans)