Church Protests at Military Funerals

“Father Wages Court Battle Against Funeral Protests.” Asbury Park Press. 13 April 2010: A13. Print.

This article is about a man named Albert Snyder who is suing the Westboro Baptist Church. Snyder’s son, Marine Lance CPL. Matthew A. Snyder, was killed four years ago in a Humvee accident in Iraq. Pastor Fred Phelps oversees the Westboro Baptist Church which consists of seventy to eighty members, most of which are his children or grandchildren. Members of the church consider themselves prophets and believe that the deaths of military soldiers are God’s way of punishing the United States for tolerating homosexuality. The church protests outside of military funerals with signs that read, “Thank God for Dead Soldiers”, or “You’re Going to Hell”. Hundreds of families, including the Snyder’s, have been affected by the protests; however, Snyder is the first person to sue the church in hopes to stop future protests. Snyder is arguing that the protesting at funerals is unconstitutional because it disrupts private assemblies and basically “attacks” people at their most vulnerable state. Snyder’s lawsuit accuses the church or invading his privacy and intentionally inflicting emotional distress. In October of 2007, the federal court in Baltimore awarded Snyder $10.9 million dollars in damages; however, later on a judge lowered the award to 5 million. In September of 2009 the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the verdict because it was believed that Westboro’s protests were protected by the Constitution. Not only was Snyder’s verdict reversed, he was ordered to pay $16,510 for Westboro’s court costs. Last month, the Supreme Court decided to review the case, and a new case is being argued in the fall.

I was absolutely disgusted after I read this article. I can’t believe that the members of the church think that it is ok to protest outside of military funerals. These soldiers are risking their lives fighting for our country and our freedom (the same freedom that gives these people the right to protest) and this is the thanks that they get. It is hard to lose a loved one, especially in war, and these people should have no right to interfere with the families while they are mourning their loss. The church is doing this because they believe that it is punishment from God for tolerating homosexuality. Matthew Snyder wasn’t even gay and they protested at his funeral. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but to voice your opinion in this manner is immoral. It is incidents like these that give Christians a bad name. What they are doing is so disrespectful and inappropriate and I cannot believe that they are getting away with it. If these people are loving and devoted Christians, why are they targeting people at funerals? Many members of the church are children and young adults and I feel bad that they are following in the footsteps of the idiotic elders. I just can’t believe that this is happening and I hope that I never see anything like this in the paper again.

Hazing Incident Hearing

Serrano, Ken. "Sorority Hazing Charges Reduced". Asbury Park Press. 13 April 2010: A10. Print.

Six female students in the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority at Rutgers University were charged in January with aggravated hazing. The six women were charged with aggravated hazing after sorority pledges reported abusive paddling. The six women (all between the ages of 20 and 22) were scheduled to appear in New Brunswick Municipal Court on May 10th 2010. At the May 10th hearing, the charges for all the students were reduced from aggravated hazing to hazing. If the charges had not been reduced the girl could have faced up to eighteen months in prison if convicted of aggravated hazing. The Assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor stated that serious bodily injury would have to occur in order to prove a charge of aggravated hazing. The paddling caused the girls simple bodily injuries which was not severe enough to charge the girls with aggravated hazing. One victim was brought to the hospital for treatment; however, she only suffered from minor injuries. The May 10th hearing only reduced the charges. All of the women are still awaiting sentencing. Although the girls are facing criminal charges, Rutgers University is not taking any disciplinary action.

I think that hazing is becoming a serious problem that need to be addressed and taken more seriously by everyone. Hazing is common in sororities and fraternities; however, kids today are being hazed in high school and even middle school. High school hazing has increased (especially in clubs and sports teams), and many kids are being bullied by other peers in middle and elementary schools. Hazing is commonly used as a way of initiation, but kids today are taking things way too far and are targeting individuals for no reason. I have seen several hazing articles in the newspaper over the last year and it is unbelievable what these kids are doing to each other. Children are inflicting pain on each other and saying degrading things for no reason. Victims of hazing and bullying can be seriously affected by the abuse of others. School officials need to have harsher punishments for individuals that participate in hazing and bullying. With this case, I think that Rutgers should take disciplinary action in order to avoid something else happening in the future. Children have a lot to deal with already; being made fun of or hurt for no reason is only going to cause unnecessary problems.

Man Gets 5 Year Sentance for Growing Marijuana

“Man Gets 5 Years for Growing Marijuana.” Asbury Park Press. 20 March 2010: A4. Print.

John Ray Wilson from Newark, New Jersey got convicted of second-degree manufacturing of marijuana and third-degree possession of psychedelic mushrooms and was sentenced on Friday March 19th, 2010. He was first arrested in 2008 after a National Guard pilot flew over his residence and noticed the plants growing in his backyard. The pilot notified the state police and Wilson was arrested after police found seventeen marijuana plants behind his home. Wilson suffers from multiple-sclerosis (MS) and claims that he was growing the marijuana for medical purposes. On January 14th, 2010, New Jersey’s governor Jon Corzine legalized marijuana for medical purposes. The law allows patients to purchase up to two ounces of marijuana a month from state-monitored facilities. Wilson has a criminal record that includes seven arrests prior to this charge. Wilson has gained the support of two state senators, they asked former governor Corzine to grant him a pardon. James Wronko who is Wilson’s attorney plans to appeal his five year prison sentence next week.

I think that the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is going to help a lot of people that actually need it. However, with this case I do think that Wilson should go to jail. The legalization of marijuana allows prescribed patients to purchase marijuana through state facilities. The law does not allow people to grow their own weed in their backyard. Also, Wilson was arrested for growing the marijuana in 2008, almost two year before the law was passed. I don’t think that he should have to do five year because the crime was not harmful and he didn’t get caught selling the marijuana to anyone. He also got caught with psychedelic mushrooms and those are not legal so he should do some time just for that. I know that he has MS and under the new law he could be prescribed medical marijuana. However, the article did not state that he had a prescription for marijuana, and if he didn’t it would be illegal for him to even smoke the drug. There are many people in jail today that have marijuana related charges, is it fair to let him get away with his crime just because he has MS? Wilson’s arrest happened a long time before the law was passed and the new law shouldn’t be able to get him out of trouble for what he did.

One of the Biggest Drug Heists in History

“Thieves Make Off With $75M Worth of Medication.” Asbury Park Press. 17 March 2010: A13. Print.

What is being described as one of the biggest pharmaceutical heists in history occurred just before Sunday morning of March 14th. Eli Lilly and Company is located in an industry park in Enfield, Connecticut. Authorities believe that the thieves scaled the exterior of the building, cut a hole in the roof, and then lowered themselves to the floor of the pharmaceutical warehouse. The thieves then disabled the alarms and spent at least an hour loading the drugs into their vehicle. The wholesale value of the drugs is estimated to be around seventy-five million dollars. The drugs that were stolen included anti-depressant medications Prozac and Cymbalta, and the anti-psychotic medication Zyprexa. Erik Gordon who is a business professor at the University of Michigan stated that the thieves stated that the thieves could easily get 29-25 million dollars for the stolen medication. Authorities believe that the thieves plan to sell the medication on the black market or overseas. Carl Sferrazza who is the Enfield Police Chief stated that the heist appeared to have several individuals involved, and described the incident as very well planned out and orchestrated operation. Authorities stated that there have been similar burglaries involving pharmaceutical warehouses; however, this heist was by far the biggest operation. The thieves are still at large, and the article did not state whether the police had any suspects.

I was shocked when I read this article; it seemed like something out of a movie. It surprises me to know that there are people in the world that would do this type of thing. I was even more surprised to read that the thieves didn’t get caught. With all the technology that is available today, there should be no reason why police shouldn’t catch the criminals. This article was interesting to me because the heist involved prescription medications. I am doing my second paper for this class about the abuse of prescription medications and how they are threatening to society. The abuse of prescription medications has become a nation-wide problem that needs to be addressed more seriously. Because of prescription medications, people all over the country are committing crimes like this; however, this was the biggest burglary that I have read about. How many more robberies/crimes need to occur before the government realizes that something needs to be done about the abuse and misuse of prescription medications?

McDonald's Lawsuite

“ A Nonfrivolous Suit.” New York Times. 09 March 2010: A16. Print.

This article is about a man named Frank Sutton who is suing McDonald’s for two million dollars. Sutton filed his lawsuit after dining at a local McDonald’s in Virginia. He claims that he suffered severe injuries to his lip after biting into a fried chicken sandwich that contained a “hot pocket of grease.” The hot grease caused his lip to blister, and claimed that seven months later his lip was still not completely healed. When the incident occurred a McDonald’s employee stated, “This is what happens to sandwiches when they aren’t drained properly.” The Federal district court originally dismissed the claim because they believed the Mr. Sutton did not exercise proper care while handling his food. Last month the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia reinstated his lawsuit due to evidence of a violation of Virginia’s food safety laws. Mr. Sutton’s refurbishes and assembles outdoor amusement rides for a living, and claims that he had to decline certain jobs because he thought that it would make his lip condition work. He is suing for two million dollars to cover his medical bills, loss of wages, and pain and suffering.

I think that Mr. Sutton is suing for way too much money. I don’t see why he had to decline jobs because of his lip, that is just ridiculous. The medical bills could not have been that expensive because the article didn’t mention that he had to have surgery. Obviously if you burn yourself it is going to hurt, but people have accidents way worse than this and they don’t receive two million dollars for their pain and suffering. I do think that a suit is necessary because he shouldn’t have to pay for the medical bills because it wasn’t his fault. McDonald’s should have drained the chicken properly and I believe they are at fault. He should get some money for pain and suffering but two million is too much. There was no reason for him to miss work and I hope that the court does not grant him money for that. Americans are “sue happy” and if any little thing happens they want an insane amount of money. If the courts grant Mr. Sutton the two million dollars I would be shocked. That is a lot of money just for a lip injury and I really hope that he doesn’t get it.

10 Year Old Gets Divorced

Kristof, Nicholas. “Divorced by Puberty.” New York Times. 04 March 2010: A35. Print.

This article is about a young girl named Nujood Ali. Nujood lives in Yemen, a country where child brides are common and women have very little rights. Her family made her marry a delivery man who was in his thirties when she was only ten years old. Once they were married, Nujood was forced to drop out of school so she could take care of her new husband. Throughout the time that she was married, her husband beat her and forced her to have sex with him. Nujood decided that she wanted a divorce and went down to the courthouse to get one. Her case was publicly recognized and because of her story other underage girls decided to get divorces. Nujood is now considered and activist for women's rights and when she arrived in the U.S. she was named women of the year by Glamour magazine. At first Nujood was shunned by family but she now has a book being published titled, "I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced." She is now going to school and wants to become a lawyer. Because of the royalties from her book her family has forgiven her because she is considered the main "breadwinner" in the home.

I found this article very interesting and I really like discussing issues like this and getting other people's opinion. In many third world countries it is common for young girls to be forced into marriage by the parents. Some countries will arrange marriages for two children; however, young girls are also married to men that are decades older than them. Although this is a common practice and considered normal to people living in the country, I believe that young girls should not be married to older men. How can a middle-aged man be considered respectable to society if he has a wife that is not even a teenager? These girls are too young to understand the concept of marriage and the responsibilities that come along with it. Ever person should have the right to choose who they want to spend the rest of their life with. I am happy for Nujood and it is good to see that she is helping other people that are in the same situation. Hopefully practices like this will be banned in the future because children getting married against their will is just wrong.

Car Theif Killed

Schmidt, Michael and Schweber, Nate. "Queens Man Strangled Car Theif, Police Say." New York Times 01 March 2010: A22. Print.

This event took place last Saturday night in Queens, New York. The altercation between Daillard Paris and Yaosse Agbokou began when Paris caught Agbokou trying to steal his 2005 Nissan Altima. Paris pulled the theif from his vehicle, out him in a head lock and then began to hit Mr. Agbokou repeatedly. While Yaosse Agbokou was being arrested he became uncoscious. Police took Agbokou to the hospital and he was pronounced dead due to compression of the neck. Mr. Paris had recently sold the Nissan and the new owners were planning to pick up the car on Sunday. Paris is a former Marine whise parents are from Haiti. Mr. Paris was not arrested the night of the altercation, and authorities stated that there has not been any crimal charges filed at this point. However, authorities did say that the attorney's general office can still decide to file criminal charges in the future.

This article was interesting to me because I was suprised to read that Mr. Paris did not get in trouble for killing Mr. Agbokou. Although Agbokou was trying to steal Pari's car it doesn't mean that he should have to die. Since when has a car been more valuable than a human's life? Mr. Paris should face criminal charges for aggrevated assault, he should't get away with what he did just because Agbokou was trying to steal his car. Last time I checked commiting murder is worse than stealing. I believe that Mr. Paris could have stopped Agbokou from stealing his car without killing him. I don't think that Paris should face severe criminal charges because it is not his fault that someone decided to steal his vehicle; however, I don't think that his behaviors should be completely excused. I also think that authorities didn't question the case as much because Mr. Paris was an ex-marine. I think that things would have played out a lot differently if Mr. Paris was a regular citizen. Although Mr. Agbokou was commiting a crime by trying to steal a car, he shouldn't have to die for his mistake. This is why car insurance was invented! People make mistakes everyday, what gives other people the right to take justice into their own hands? A person should only commit murder as an act of self-defense. I believe that it is alright to kill a person if that person tries to kill you first. I never killed anyone that stole from me, what gives Mr. Paris the right to take another human beings life?

Animal Cruelty: Fifty-One Cows Killed!

Applebome, Peter. "The Morning the Milking Was Finished." New York Times 04 Feb. 2010: A21. Print.

On January 21st, 2010 Dan Pierson decided to take a small caliber rifle and shoot all of his fifty-one cows in the head just before killing himself by a shot to the chest. Pierson was a dairy farmer in the very small town of Copake, New York. Mr. Pierson worked extremely hard just to make a living. He handeled all fifty-one cows by himself and had a very tough work schedule. His machinery was breaking down and the bad economy was making it difficult for Pierson to keep his head above water. After last year, Pierson was unable to keep up with the financial demands of the farm. Because of the economy's falling prices and the farms rising costs Pierson was not making enough money and he couldn't take it anymore. He wrote a suicide note that told of his depression because of the financial and personal problems that he was facing. He did express the love that he had for his family in the note but he just couldnt take the stress anymore. Dan Pierson was found dead on January 21st, 2010 sitting in a chair at his home on Weed Mine Road in Columbia County, New York with a gun shot wound in his chest.

Animal rights have definatly increased over the last several decades, but some will argue tht animals are still being treated unfairly. Is it fair to assume that animals do not have thoughts or feelings just because they can't speak for themselves? It is sad that Dan Pierson decided to take his own life, but why did he have to kill all of his cows before killing himself? Pierson owned a dairy farm so the cows were being used for the milk and not their meat. There was no reason that they should have been killed. In the article other farmers stated that Pierson shot the cows because they needed to milked and with him gone there would be no one to do it. There are so many animal organizations that would have helped the cows, they didn't need to die. I think that what happened to those cows was terrible, and i hope i don't see any article like this in the paper again.

New York Times: "Mayor Says Teachers Must Take Smaller Raise in Next Contract or 2,500 Jobs Will Be Cut" Written by: David W. Chen (January 28th, 2010)

Mayor Bloomberg is planning to demand teachers in New York to agree to a smaller raise in the next contract. If teachers do not agree to a smaller raise, there will be 2,500 teaching jobs cut. Teachers must agree to a two percent raise for the first $70,000 in salary in order to avoid downsizing. However, Bloomberg stated that the 2,500 job cuts will occur through layoffs, attrition, and retirement. The budget will be five billion dollars smaller than last year, and teachers are not the only ones at risk of losing their jobs. Mayor Bloomberg plans to shrink the city's work force by 4,286 people. Of this amount 934 people are to be laid off and the others will leave through attrition.

Some people in the city believe that the pay cuts are unacceptable, and other people believe that they are neccessary in order to keep jobs. This topic really interested me because I plan to become a teacher in the future. Times are hard for everyone right now and if it was me, i would rather take a pay cut and keep my job. With teachers, under their contracts they get a raise every few years. This year teachers will only get a 2% raise, which is significantly lower. They will still be making more money than they did in the previous year, but they wont be making as much as they should be. Everyone is making sacrifices because of the economy, if taking a pay cuts will save 2,500 teaching jobs, why not do it?