Class Award Winners

Best Class Discussion
Caleb Reaves

Best Attendance
Ashley Carey
Max Kruse
Candace Shiver
Sam Watkins

Best Critical Thinker
Todd Chiang

Most Participation
Stacey Francois

Best Writer
Jennifer Buch

Best Blogger
Ashley Carey

Best Group Discussion Participant
Sam Watkins

Why is marijuana illegal?

On the occasion that today is April 20th, I would like to bring up the law that makes marijuana illegal today. In 1970, marijuana was listed as a schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substance Act. For the online documents of the Substance Control Act, click here. A main reason why the Drug Enforcement Administration considers marijuana unlawful to have is because it is thought of as a gateway drug. Regardless if there is even a such thing as a gateway drug, marijuana seems silly to me to be illegal. This relates to class because we breifly talked about The Prohibition movement and how organized crime rose due to people supplying an illegal demand. I feel the same thing is happening here with marijuana. By having marijuana illegal, we are raising organized crime.


Todd Chiang

POS 2001

Tuesday 7PM

Sarah Palin for homecoming queen!

When did we start electing prom kings and homecoming queens to public office? I think Sarah Palin is a homecoming queen. All the homecoming queen is concerned with is winning the election right? "Vote for me!" with a big smile and a wink, that's exactly what Sarah Palin does; smiles and winks. Oh and shes always got a folksy little saying for you too, "We love our Freedom!". Yeah we all love our freedom too Sarah, that's not that unique of an idea sweetie. And now that Sarah and her date have lost the homecoming election she, like any other graceful runner-up, is hell bent on making you think the other couple wants to take your guns and kill your children. Not the most graceful move Sarah. And just like the homecoming queen, even when she does win, she doesnt really want to do anything, she wants to look pretty and make money. Thats why she quit her job as Governor, because it required her do to something other than tweeting. But hey, she did sell a shit load of books. John Boehner (pronounced "bay-ner" for some reason) is a congressmen from Ohio and his tan rivals snookies'. No one in Ohio gets a tan like Boehners from the sun. Tanning? seriously Boehner? that's a prom king move. But i think Michele Bachmann takes home the crown, she makes the miss teen USA girl from South Carolina look like Ben Stien. She gets up on the floor of the House of Representatives, or in front of anyone who will put a camera in her face and just makes things up. Michele Bachmann voted against extending unemployment and her district has the highest foreclosure rate in the state. If she was truly there to serve her constituents then she would help bring relief to the struggling families who cant find jobs and cant afford to keep their homes, but instead shes trying to get on Fox news.

Michele Bachmann gets fact-checked by CBS
Bachmann's district has Minnesota's highest foreclosure rate

Max Kruse
POS2001
Tues. 7PM

For better or for worse?

As if the fight for same sex marriage hasn't been hard enough, now the issue of divorce has been brought to our attention. It seems a bit contradicting that as gay marriages are slowly becoming more accepted around the nation, now divorces are being demanded. But if they are being granted the same rights as a heterosexual marriage then divorce is an option that they should have access to. I personally don't believe in divorce but if someone is trapped in a relationship that can not be reconciled then I think that couple should have the ability to make their separation legal if that is their final decision. In Dallas, Texas a gay couple is being denied the right to file for divorce, stirring up quite a controversy. The couple was married in Massachusetts because the state of Texas does not allow same-sex marriage, they now refuse to allow a divorce in the state as well. I have always been a supporter of gay rights and although this case seems to be a bit backwards, I still support the couples cause.

Rachel Hoolahan
POS2001
Tuesday 7:00 PM

Kan. Man Who Flipped Off Cop Gets $5,000 From City

This is an odd case of civil rights in this article. " An Overland Park man who flashed an obscene gesture at an Olathe police officer after getting a ticket is getting rewarded for his behavior." The man filed a complaint after he was ticketed for flipping an officer off after being puled over. "The city of Olathe last week agreed that its insurance company would pay Schaper $4,000, with another $1,000 for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri. Olathe police also must train its officers that they are required to take such verbal abuse." Although i believe flipping someone off is wrong, its a free country and we are allowed reasonable free expression. I agree that officers should be able to handle verbal abuse as part of the job. This article made me think about the different levels of courts we discussed in class such as a small claims court. Do you all agree that the man should have been awarded?

Welcome to Thailand. We Just Want Democracy

The streets of Bangkok, Thailand have always been hectic and overwhelming. From the reckless drivers and oblivious bike riders to the constant honking of horns and loud chatter of locals this is not a peaceful place I recommend vacationing to unless you are seeking adventure! I thought New York was fast pace, but it is nothing compared to Bangkok. The chaos has reached an all time high as a group who refers to themselves as "Red Shirts" bombarded the street instilling fear in even the locals. This group of protesters are fighting the current Prime Minister and demanding an early election. Even if they have a valid point, the way of which they are choosing to go about this battle is only further hurting their economy. Hotels are forcing their guests to leave in fear of riots breaking out and invasions of the hotels. Military forces have been brought in to barricade the streets in attempt to prevent violent out breaks. Tourists are quickly vanishing as the street war continues to escalate. Having experience with the streets of Thailand in a fairly peaceful time, I can not imagine the terror that must be crawling through the city at this time.

Rachel Hoolahan
POS2001 T 7:00

The Cape Wind Controversy

Not in our backyard, err, ocean , is a phrase that is being hollered in Cap Cod, MA. Wind power, clean, essentially inexhaustible and can only be properly harnessed in a few locales around the United States is being fought against by residents of this community. A vast wind farm of energy generating turbines, miles offshore, most not visible by residents has been vigorously rebuffed for nine years by the residents because it would be unsightly for the area. As America, and the Earth for that matter stand at the precipice of finding new energy, every person, in every state should be willing to accept that change is inevitable and technology and scenery can exist. There will be a point in most of our lifetimes that the way we get energy won't be available, and there is no reason to wait until the brink of nothing to look towards other means of sustainable energy. The Cape's location is ideal, and the forecast for the wind farms production would be ample to power the entire community and beyond should the farm be allowed to begin. As we are residents in a beautiful state, surrounded by water we are inundated with accepting offshore oil rigs to tarnish our views, and not that of what is essentially giant propellers. The residents of this small, but very influential community, need to embrace the gift that wind energy will provide to them and not try to fight it tooth and nail in an effort to keep it away.

Link

Samuel Watkins

POS 2001

Tuesday 7PM

Illegal immigration act passed in Arizona

The state of Arizona, the most popular point of entry into the United States by illegal immigrants, now has greater police enforcement involvement to assist in the capture of illegals. In essence, the new bill makes it a misdemeanor to lack proper immigration paperwork; and if a police officer feels that there is reasonable cause they are compelled to check if a person is an illegal. In its previous iteration, the police could only ask about a persons immigration status if they were involved in a crime. To me, the move is logical, the police are given the opportunity to question a persons residency status, which can be simply produced by legal immigrants. In my opinion this gives the police an easier avenue to complete their jobs and thwart the stream of illegal immigrants migrating into the United States.

Link

Samuel Watkins

POS 2001

Tuesday 7PM

"The Godmother of the Civil Rights"

Imagine sitting with in reaching distance of Martin Luther King Jr. when he delivered his notorious speech "I have a dream". For Dorthy Height this was a reality, as she sat at those infamous steps gazing at the man who made history. Clearly this was no ordinary woman, Dorthy was a fearless leader during the Civil Rights Act and she made her voice loud and clear. The NYU graduate was ambitious as she fought for women's rights as well as other minorities at the time. She became the president of the National Council of Negro Women in 1957, later she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This courageous lady would march around Time Square fighting to bring an end to lynching. Dorthy Height passed away today at the age of 98, her heroic acts will never be forgotten, nor will her bright, vivacious hats she wore to nearly every event through out her life time. President Obama referred to her as "the godmother of the civil rights" when he gave a speech in her honor.

Rachel Hoolahan
POS2001 T 7:00 PM

Pirates hijack three Thai fishing vessels

Add another unfortunate event into the Somali Pirate escapades. Seventy-seven members of Thai fishing vessels were captured and their ships stolen by pirates. As time has worn on, the brazen acts of these pirates continues seemingly unabated. The constant threat to human life, shipping and commerce lines is continually interrupted. The United States put on trial a captured "pirate" last year and hoped to use his capture and trial as a deterrent to others that followed in his footsteps. Point in fact is, this has not worked. The United States is certainly not the world police, especially with our military forces stretched thin in the Middle East, but a multinational effort must be made by all nations that face the actions of these pirates to put an end to their deeds once and for all. No longer should these men feel that they can take what they like, when they like, practically free from most reprisals by other nations simply because a viable force has not be installed into the region. The efforts shipping companies, their suppliers and ultimately the consumers are being forced to pay to defend against these pirates is not a beneficial relationship. The goods that are being delivered through this route are being used every minute of every day and the ships that carry them should be unimpeded as they deliver them. Past efforts have not been enough, a sporadic show of force hasn't been enough to end the pirates actions and more drastic measures should be employed to end in their total demise.

Link

Samuel Watkins

POS 2001

Tuesday 7PM

Supreme Court strikes down law banning dogfight videos

In a move sure to outrage animal rights groups, the United States Supreme Court struck down a Federal law that was enacted to prohibit the sale of videos highlighting dogfighting. The Justices concluded that the intent of the Statute was simply too broad. The scope of the Statute could include hunting videos where life and death are also on display; and that in its current state it would affect an audience far greater than what the original intentions of the Statue were. I agree with Justice Roberts. The spirit of the law is virtuous, to protect animals that have no say or voice, brought into a life of cruelty and death, however, the law since it was written over a decade ago, become too far reaching into accepted, "mainstream" videos that depict activities most would consider normal. Hopefully a new, specific law will be crafted so that the persecution of those who commit these heinous acts towards animals will not stop.

Link

Samuel Watkins

POS 2001

Tuesday 7PM

Ashes into Artwork?

There's a man who wants to take human ashes and turn them into artwork. He doesn't blend them in with the paint but brushes them onto the canvas. I think this is a pretty cool idea. What are you going to do with the ash remains of family members, put them in an urn and place them on the fireplace mantle? That to me is strange, I never understood why people lug around the remains of their relatives. However in a painting, people can admire it without knowing what it is.


Ashley Carey
POS 2001
Tuesday 7pm

$10 a Day

There's an unemployed man walking around the streets of Washington D.C. giving away $10 a day. A lesson he learned from his deceased mother, when you're going through tough times, that's when you need to give back the most. This man gives $10 a day to someone whom he feels needs it. Not necessarily someone who is homeless, but someone who may do great things with it, or maybe not. I think that this idea is amazing. A single man is changing the way we, or at least I, look at the world. I think he's trying to prove a point that even when you haven't got much, you can still give. It doesn't necessarily have to be money, it can be volunteering, or picking up some trash you see that everyone else walks around. It's really the little things that matter.


Ashley Carey
POS 2001
Tuesday 7pm

Dieting Leading to Health Risks?

In recent Italian studies of about 32,000 women and 15,000 men showed that a high carbohydrate diet lead to twice a risk of heart disease for women than men. These people are on diets, okay I understand that. However what I don't understand is cutting out some things and majorly increasing others. I feel like a good way to "diet" is exercise regularly and eat things in moderation. Obviously one can't binge on any one area of the food pyramid, it's just not going to end well. That's why the food pyramid is there, to show one how to get a well balanced diet, without concentrating too much on one area.


Ashley Carey
POS 2001
Tuesday 7pm

Sodium Cutbacks

It has recently come into question that there is too much sodium already put into the food that we consume by the manufacturers. The FDA hasn't agreed with or opposed to the cutback of sodium in the foods produced. I, myself, definitely prefer salty foods, I have never said that something was too salty. I feel like if the FDA regulates this then it will change the taste of the foods we purchase therefore causing us to add more salt to the product anyway. Most people don't use table salt as is, many think it isn't necessary because the food tastes fine just the way it is. How about we let the members of the FDA be the guinea pigs on this one while the rest of us continue as we are.


Ashley Carey
POS 2001
Tuesday 7pm

"Unschooling"

Unschooling, a new movement where children aren't in school, they are home doing whatever they please. The parents say, when they want to learn they will find the means to do so. Also the parents are taking the children out of public schools because they do not want them to be exposed to the bullying or the competitiveness. I think that a little of these things are healthy for a child to learn. Obviously I'm not okay with excessive amounts of either, however, it teaches a child to find something that they are good at or could maybe want to pursue in the future. These children that are "unschooled" aren't being prepared for the life outside of home, they live without rules, without structure, almost without parenting. I think that these children would be upset with their parents later on in life when they realize that they aren't prepared for college or the work world.


Ashley Carey
POS 2001
Tuesday 7pm

As the ash begins to settle

The volcanic eruption that took place in Iceland can be classified as not only a natural disaster but an economic crises. As the volcanic ash drifts through out the European sky, airlines are being shut down until conditions clear up. Millions of dollars have been lost in the past three days as flights are cancelled with no idea as to when they will be back on track. Impatient customers are getting restless as they are having to be put up in hotels provided by the air lines until further notice. I have experienced a similar set back, when the black-out of 2003 hit New York I was stuck on the runway with no idea as to what was happening. Waiting in suspense only makes the situation that much more miserable. But as the ash begins to settle a new issue arises; once the air planes are back in business, who will be attended to first? The travelers who have been stranded for nearly a week or the passengers who have arrived at the airport for their scheduled flights? Airlines are doing their best to accommodate all of their clients by arranging larger air crafts to take heavily populated routes, they are also scheduling more flights in order to get back on schedule. In some cases they are even calling for large carrier ships to travel over seas in order to transport passengers back home. How long will it take to straighten out this dilemma? It could be days, it could be weeks, but the economic aspect of it will take much longer to bounce back.

Rachel Hoolahan
POS2001 Tuesday 7:00 PM

PANTs HANG LOW, NOT IN NEW YORK THOUGH!!

New York senator pushing the "stop the sag" Campaign. Speculation is that the trend was started in prison which may in fact be true but the whole campaigning is a little bit absurd. I feel like this the trend has gotten a little out of hand especially when some folks practically are wearing shorts as knee braces, however as simple as this sounds its a hip hop culture that in my opinion could be revised a little, but never really taken away totally either. Is it not a constitutional right to wear what you want.

Zachary "ZIGG" Francis

POS 2001

Monday 11pm

Right to bare arms

There's no question as to the rise in agitation surrounding the political atmosphere. The article i read focused on the growing number of "fringe" groups that are arising out of the frustration of some Americans. There was a recent 2nd amendment rally in Washington. Citizens at this particular gathering believed that their right to bare arms would be taken away any time soon. There is a general sense of anger towards the Obama administration and the government in general. "We're in a war. The other side knows they are at war, because they started it," said Larry Pratt, president of the Gun Owners of America. "They are coming for our freedom, for our money, for our kids, for our property. They are coming for everything because they are a bunch of socialists."This particular fear over the 2nd amendment right made me think of what power actual states have which we discussed in class. I personally believe the right to bare arms should stay and i don't believe anything will be done to change that. I think people are just frustrated about legitimate concerns but their emotions are boiling over to create a climate of hate. Any group has the right to free speech and to gather in public. As long as people stay civil than i think we can look forward to enjoying many of the freedoms we have.

Pakistan Suicide Bomb Attack Kills 7

The terrorism acts in the middle east continue to claim many civilian lives. Suicide bombing is just one form of these attacks and it is effective at hurming mass groups of people. The bombers target was a police station where 7 people were fatally wounded and and injurying 26. Also recently, two suicide bombers, dressed in the fully clothed muslism outfit for women, bomb a camp for refugees killing 41 and injurying 60 more. I know I will never understand how anyone can want to blow themselves up in an attempt to kill other.

Thomas Milen
pos2001
7pm tues.

Rogue Kidney Brokers in The U.S. Sell Black Market Organs for Transplantation

In the US there is a price ceiling of zero on organs making the purcuse/sell of them illegal. However the demand for vital organs is extremely high which has created a blackmarket for human organs. Most common organ bought and sold is kidneys. The issues that is being incountered is that the weathly would buy organs from 3rd world countries. The smart people were having the transplant due in countries like India who dont care if you paid for the kidney or killed someone for it, which does happen. What is the resolution to this issue? Should we fear our organs are more valuable then our life?

Thomas Milen
pos2001
7pm tues.

Steelers: Ready to punish Roethlisberger now

Recently the case agaisnt Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been dropped. So it seems twice the judical system has ruled in his favor. However the NFL commissioner has decided that his repeated actions need to be punish. What will the extent of his punishment be?
What should be the punishment be for assulting a women in a public restroom? Its good to see that there is some disciplinary action taking place, but feel like maybe its not enough.

Thomas Milen
pos2001
7pm tues.

Cop Shoots Chicken

Cop Shoots Chicken...
In quick summary, a chicken escapes and the eight year veteran officer deems the bird a treat and puts it down. Parently the chicken isn't protected under any state game-commission laws. Thus there was no illegal act. Slight simpathy for the once owner of the chicken.

Thomas Milen
pos2001
tue. 7pm

Nuclear Policy

US Nuclear Policy
President Obama announed the vow that the US agrees not to use nuclear weapons against countries with out nuclear powers. In this vow it was stated that North Korea and Iran are excluded due to there non compliance with the United Nations. The Iranian government showed their anger with the claim that the US is threating them with nuclear weapons. However its quite clear we haven't decliared nuclearlier war on Iran. Even if we just went to war with them I'm confident the US wouldn't need to use nukes to be victorious.

Thomas Milen
pos2001
7pm Tues.

The flagship bill...

Hopefully most of you have seen that the Florida state legislation is working on a bill that would grant the University of Florida flagship status. This is not my attempt to hate on UF but should this bill pass all other state universities would be left in the dust. If UF gains flagship status they will receive preferential treatment when it comes to funding on a state and federal level. If the bill passes all other Florida universities will permanently be one, if not more, step behind UF. As TCC students most of us plan on attending universities at some point, if the legislation passes this bill UF will be placed on a pedestal and the other state universities will suffer.




Kerri Larson
POS2001-075366
Tuesday: 7-9:45 pm