Happiness

In any world and in all cultures we all strive to achieve happiness. We may go about it in may different ways but the goal is always the same: to be happy with our selves and our lives. It's the government's job to pass laws that help in the pursuit of happiness but unfortunately this is not an easy task as everyone has a different version of happiness. This does not stop us from making them try. If there was one policy that I would pass in the island of Aipotu in an attempt to help people be happier it would be to allow for more government sponsered (not run though) social entertainment opportunites. By this I mean the govenment would pay for things like city parks, amument parks, picnics, and conserts, and so on and so forth. It would attempt to include options for everyone and if a person thought an event should be sponserd the could petition the government. These events would be acesiable to all through free public transportation and free or insanely cheap admissions. This would allow people to interact and for m strong connections with those around them as well as forming a sense of kinship with their neighbors and country men. Helpful to the people as well as the government. Now there are many many other ways for a government to help raise the happiness of its people but I believe this is a good way to do something for everyone. Plus it just sounds fun.

Happiness

To think of only one thing to make our society happier is really hard for me because a million things come to mind. But if I had to just pick one I guess I would look at what kind of people seem to be the happiest and I think the happiest people are childern. If only adults could just take a step back and slow down their busy lives they would be alot happier. I think the root of this problem is that people are usually raised to believe that they are supposed to always be busy and they have to go to college full time and then work full time to pay for it all and then they usually end up unhappy at a boring job because they make more money at that job. I wish there wasnt so much pressure to make lots of money. Then maybe people can get a job that they actually enjoy doing even if they dont make alot of money. I think this kind of thinking should be taught in schools. Quotes like "do what makes you happy" and "money is the root of all evil" were said for a reason. I think that if more money was given to schools and teachers were paid more then more people might actually want to teach and the teachers might try harder to help there students succeed. Then that would make the students happier. Also I think there should be more available grants for students so more people can go to school and not have to work full time and they can have a little more time for themselves and I guarantee they would get better grades and enjoy school. Again if people can just have sometime to slow down and have free time to do what they want and use their imaginations, be social and go OUTSIDE once in a while like their children do then they would be happy. Adults need to take advice from children.

My policy

my policy would be to remove hormonal contraceptives as a birth control. The reason i would do this is because these types of medication while very effective birth controls maybe having adverse social results. These medications trick the body into thinking it is already pregnant so any fertilized eggs are rejected.This great for birth control but it can also influence woman's behavior. For example when a woman is looking for a mate one of the criteria she is subconsciously checking is if he has a varied immune system from hers so any children would receive protection from both.However when pregnant woman prefer to be around people with similar immune systems such as family or even friends. my suggestion is that these woman are selecting partners who are incompatible mates because of subconscious signals that are or aren't present because their bodies believe they are pregnant.

Happiness

If I could only choose one thing to change about our society in a way that increases our happiness as a whole, I would start with the accountability of parents and their ability to raise smart healthy and "happy" children. After finishing the video we watched in class, I gained a better understanding of how much your relationship with your parents affects your life. Building a strong foundation with your child is the most crucial role any parent can fulfill. The way we interect and converse with our parents gives us our perspective on how to deal with the outside world and others around us. Too many parents today are ill-equipped and unsure about how to raise their children. The worse reality for our children would be watching them struggle at reaching the same opportunities as the next, when it could be prevented by caring for them in the correct and natural way. What I would suggest is that our government finds funds in whatever department necessary to help reach out to parents and children so that our country would have a brighter future and a more comfortable feeling when the new generation comes into power. Happiness is asocciated with money and reputation but most importantly with the bonds we make with our peers and parents. Finding a way to help them grow into successful people would be one of the smartest investments our country has ever made. The youth is our future and we should make sure that we can teach as many as we can to solve the problems of tomorrow. This would in turn create happiness for everyone who follows, financially and socially.

Aipoia Search and seizure policy

AIPOTA SEARCH AND SEIZURE LAW
The nation of Aipota Search and Seizure Policy is the same as here in the United States as guaranteed in our 4th Amendment. It shall include The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Included in this policy is an accountability factor directed at law enforcement officers for misconduct. Law enforcement is to be held accountable to a jury which consists of 12 Jurors, 6 are peers and 6 are civilian. Conviction will come at 2/3 majority. The only circumstance for unlawfully breaking the 4th Amendment is if there is an immediate threat to life.

BIRTH OF A NATION
Greetings from “AIPOTU”

First of all our Countries name is AIPOTU… And our motto is… Live and let Live!

We will establish a governing body based upon a Democracy. It will be a three branch Democracy …Judicial, Legislative and Executive. We decided to act as stewards or servants to and for the population. As for our Authority, we shall try to run our Society much the same way our current Society in the U.S. is run but with a few changes. We will limit terms of Service; add a free Health care plan, set up a capitalistic economy with no way to monopolize any industry. We will set up a trade network with other nations to achieve abundant resources. Each and every conflict will be dealt with on an individual basis to determine what proper course of action should be taken.

Capital punishment process

1.Investigation
2.Arrest
3.Prosecution
4.Indictment
5.Arraignment
6.Pretrial Detention
7.Plea Bargaining
8.Trial
9.Sentencing
10.Appeals
11.Punishment

Capital Punishment

Capital punishment also known as the death penalty is the infliction of death upon a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offence(wikipedia.org).The first known use of the death penalty occured in American colonies in Jamestown in 1608 for the crimes of robbery,rape,murder, and forgery of public securities (thefreedictionary.com).

purpose: restibution and deterence. The death penalty is used to give justice for the vicitms family (eye for an eye). Kind of away to show that the murder won't get away with what they have done. The death penalty is also used to deter people from commiting crimes deamed worthy of the dealth penalty.

A lot of people argue that the death penalty is inhumane. Some people argue that the inmates that undergo exucution suffer to much and its uncomfortable for them. Here is a Video on the drug they use during lethal injection and how the FDA really isn't stepping up to try and help out the inmates undergoing lethal injection, so six inmates sue the FDA. I find this video rediculous. Inmates sueing the FDA, they gave up their rights when they commited their crimes.

Capitail Punishment midterm

The very first recorded case of capital punishment was in 1608, in the colony of Jamestown, Virgina. Captain Gorge Kendall was hanged for being a Spanish spy. Since the capital punishment has had a long and colorful history filled with controversy. For instance, since 1976 the death sentence has only been giving for crimes directly connected to murder. Here are the Aggravating factors for the Death Sentence in California:
(1)The murder was especially heinous, atrocious, cruel, or depraved (or involved torture)
(2)The capital offense was committed during the commission of, attempt of, or escape from a specified felony (such as robbery, kidnapping, rape, sodomy, arson, oral copulation, train wrecking, carjacking, criminal gang activity, drug dealing, or aircraft piracy)
(3)The murder was committed from a motor vehicle or near a motor vehicle that transported the defendant
(4)The defendant committed or attempted to commit more than one murder at the same time
(5)The defendant killed the victim while lying in wait
(6) The murder was committed for pecuniary gain or pursuant to an agreement that the defendant would receive something of value
(7) The murder was committed to avoid or prevent arrest, to effect an escape, or to conceal the commission of a crime
(8) The defendant has been convicted of, or committed, a prior murder, a felony involving violence, or other serious felony
(9)The victim was a government employee, including peace officers, police officers, federal agents, firefighters, judges, jurors, defense attorneys, and prosecutors, in the course of his or her duties
(10)The victim was an elected or appointed official or former official of the federal government, or local or state government, and the killing intentionally prevented the victim’s official duties
(11)The murder was committed against a witness, a potential witness, or a family member of a witness in a criminal or civil proceeding to prevent the witness from appearing, or for revenge
(12)The victim was killed because of his or her race, color, religion, nationality, or country of origin
(13)The defendant committed treason

This link is for some of the case that led to Supreme Court cases pertaining to the Death Penalty.

Some famous cases where the defendant was given a death sentence in chronological order. I have listed date of execution, conviction, method of execution and a few interesting facts pertaining to the case.

July 7, 1865 Mary Surratt
Convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Method of execution: Hanging
Interesting Details:
· First woman to be executed by the US government.
· Many people believed the hanging was too severe a punishment.
· The jury filed for a stay of execution two minutes after Surratt died.

June 19, 1953 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Convicted of espionage and treason for selling top secret A-bomb plan s to the Russians.
Method of execution: Electric Chair
Interesting Details:
· Many people were convinced they were wrongly convicted.
· Ethel Rosenberg had to be electrocuted twice.
· This crime did not have a direct link to any murder.

January 24, 1989 Theodore Bundy
Convicted of the murder of Lisa Levy, 20, Margaret Brown, 21 and the assault of three other women that night. Convicted of the kidnap and murder of Kimberly Leach, 12.
Method of Execution: Electric Chair
Interesting Details:
· Suspected of killing over 100 women.
· Claimed to have killed at least 30 women.
· Was the reason the term “serial killer” was coined.
· Given 3 separate death sentences.

No Execution Date Set, Scott Peterson
Convicted of killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn child.
Method of Execution: Lethal injection
Interesting details:
· Huge controversy over the case.
· Almost as big as the OJ trial.

As of 2009 thre are 3,173 death-row inmates in the united states prison system

Midterm

There are many freedoms that the death penalty violates on all three levels of our legal system. First, the moral issue of capital punishment is very controversial to Americans across the United States. The death penalty is a very serious sentence and could cause some juries to hesitate and even stop the victim of being convicted because of it. The grey area of allowing the criminally accused to be charged for a sentence not as devastating but almost as powerful would help ease the jury into making the right decision. However, between sentences in this instance, the wrong choice could cause a killer to be acquitted. Asking approval to take someone’s life is one of the toughest decisions anyone could ask you for and many people do not want to be the bearer of that burden. And rightfully so. Then, after a victim is sentenced to death, a long line of appeals and court procedures follow, taking many years to carry out. This infringes on the right to a speedy trial, not for the sake of the convict but for the many untouched cases that have yet to be seen. A lot of money time and effort goes into this process, sometimes taking up to 20 plus years. Secondly, because of this grueling process, it costs between 2 to 5 times more to approve and carry out the death sentence then to keep the accused in jail for life. Taxpayers also suffer because they are the ones who forfeit more money to fund the entire process. Also, because death is such a sensitive topic, many natural reactions from sections of the media have been to sympathize with the convict instead of using them as an infamous icon, or a warning for the rest of the nation to steer away from. This deteriorates the message behind the penalties of the institution of imprisonment. The convict should not be ridiculed and subjected to cruel and unusual punishment but in the same respect, the media should not be able to express a reason of concern for him as well. The final solution of the death penalty does not sit well with various groups and if the actions of this arrangement betrays the purpose than we need to think of a way that can properly administer a punishment for the crime while still satisfying the skepticism of the public.

Good day to all. We are social Issues Blog team and we choose to do our presentation on the Issue of “Capitol Punishment” This topic is not only controversial in the United States but worldwide as well. . Laws have been dated as far back as 3,000 BC imposed by King Hammurabi and were probable characterized by Tradition, Rhetorical speech, social equality and impartiality. These Societal laws were put in place to help maintain a consistent level of security and deterrence. As a Society evolves so will the laws. As new laws emerge society will change with it . We will attempt to address Moral and Ethical points, the legal process, look at case studies, address some of the pro’s as well as the cons. Your final verdict must rest with you! To start lets define Morality: Latin…meaning - manner, character, proper behavior, is a sense of behavioral conduct that differentiates intentions, decisions and actions between those that are good (or right) and bad (or wrong). A moral code is a system of morality (for example, according to a particular philosophy, religion, culture, etc.) A moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code. Ethics: also known as moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality- that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong and vice, justice. Part of the controversial debate is over Capital Punishment is JUSTICE or REVENGE! I guess this must be answered by each of us, based upon our upbringing, personal believes, and experiences. I, as a younger man was more prone to say to a Capital Offender..Hang them … Hang them High!! If someone was to murder your child as opposed to mine, I might have two different views. As my experiences broadened so did my understanding, that we don’t live in a black or white World. The more mature I got, the more shades of gray were visible. Today I try to remain as non partial and open as I can. The Moral and or Ethical values in societies can be influenced threw Religious, Political Agendas, Economic factors, Ethnic postures.

By Shane Kelly
3.16.2011
3.16.2011

Midterm: Capital Punishment

Capital punishment is a very touchy subject for most people. There are many pros and cons to it; I’m going to talk about the pros. A lot of people worry about the fact that we could possibly be putting an “innocent person” to death, but the fact that it takes sometimes 20+ YEARS and MANY appeals are made through different courts, and different jurors all review the case and then if they all decide that this person deserves to be put to death then it seems highly unlikely that they are innocent. Another reason people have a hard time dealing with the death penalty is because people have a hard time dealing with death all together, it’s a huge and difficult decision, but the United States does NOT put nearly as many murderers to death as the murders do themselves. According to some statistics I found from 1998-2008 the United States put 775 murders to death and in that same time those murderers killed 1591 innocent people. (Not including people that those murders could have killed and got away with.) That means there are at least twice as many innocent victims than murders being put to death. So people may start to feel remorseful towards that murder but that murder was not remorseful to his/her victims. As for the costs of the death penalty it is true that it costs more per year to use the death penalty because of all the court dates and appeals, BUT to keep that murderer alive for sometimes 40 or 50 years (depending on their age) will ultimately be more expensive in the long run.



Cost Statics:

Cost of Life Without Parole: Cases
Equivalent To Death Penalty Cases
1. $34,200/year (1) for 50 years (2), at
a 2% (3) annual cost increase, plus
$75,000 (4) for trial & appeals = $3.01 million
2. Same, except 3% (3) = $4.04 million
3. Same, except 4% (3) = $5.53 million
Cost of Death Penalty Cases
$60,000/year (1) for 6 years (5), at
a 2% (3) annual cost increase, plus
$1.5 million (4) for trial & appeals = $1.88 million
Same, except 3% (3) = $1.89 million
Same, except 4% (3) = $1.91 million

why hate speech shouldn't be illegal

As humans we have all heard and said things that where cruel and often hurtful. How ever thankfully we live in a society where that is allow and sadly sometimes encouraged. Even in a democracy such as ours the people in power determine the laws, and because of these those people have the power to create laws that favor them(though this power is far more limited in a democracy then other forms of government). Free speech allows us to further limit this through the power of mural knowledge. By placing a limit on free speech, even in an attempt to save others harm, opens a doorway better left closed. It sets a precedent that there are limits to our speech and over time clever and morally questionable people will continue to silence our collective voices until we can longer object to their demands and selfish desires. The power of speech is great and in the wrong hands it can be devastating, which you can see here. However we should never silence those voices because in doing so we move closer to silencing our own.

Free Speech

I've always been a strong believer of the freedom of speech until I learned about the Westboro Baptist Church I guess I didn’t realize how far people would take their freedoms. Westboro Baptist Church (picture above) has an extreme view of freedom of speech these church people have been holding up these horrible signs at military funerals and upsetting their families. I don’t understand why they are attacking against the military so bad about gay people. One upset father commented on the fact that his son wasn’t even homosexual so he didn’t understand why they were protesting at his son’s funeral. Although on the other hand I am thankful to be able to express my opinion without repercussions. I feel that we should still have freedom of speech even though it can deeply hurt someone. It would be nice if freedom of speech could be limited. People need to learn how to respect one other and try to express your feelings in a way that doesn’t hurt other person especially in this case. I don’t think its right that these people can protest so close to these funerals they are not helping their case they are only hurting people and making people angry. We have enough negativity in the world. Let people grieve in peace! Below is a link to the Daily Show to see what John Stewart has to say on the matter:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-3-2011/tales-of-principled-behavior

As for John Galliano I think his comments ended up hurting himself more than anyone else. He ended up ruining his career and made a lot of people angry at him no one will want to work with him after this. Hopefully he has learned his lesson.

This is my picture that I couldnt figure out how to upload to my response on the sports blog to the westboro baptist church

Free Speech

Within the Bill of Rights, freedom of speech has been protected and can be exercised by any citizen of the United States of America. Despite the negative reputation that the U.S. has recieved for allowing publicly displayed signs such as "God hates fags" and "Thank God for dead soldiers" to be shown, it has ultimately strengthened the country becuase of its fair and umbiased outlook on either side of the controversies. In order for groups to speak openly about their views and opinions to further the fight for personal justice and peace, opposite arguements must be heard as well in order to accomodate everyone who is affected. This way, the foundation of equal rights will stay level, regardless of spoken opinions.

In response to the quote that was posted for homework #4, I beleive that the concise statement thats made, tells us alot about who we are as a culture and an individual. We are given all the tools to succeed as a whole and to disrupt as an individual but it is important to strive for the betterment of our race and direct our intellect and efforts towards contructive solutions. We have set up the institution of government to keep the purpetual idea of freedom ongoing in our lives and we can also add to our judgement through our own knowledge of right and wrong.

The Freedom of Speech

The issue of free speech is a very hot topic in current events today, with issues like the anti-gay demonstrations going on at military funerals and the recent anti-Semitic remarks made by John Galliano or the historic overthrow in Cairo. Speech is an amazing thing, it allows us to interact with the living things around us, allows us to express our wants and needs and feelings to one and other. Words can change the course of an event as easily as the wind changes the course of a kite. Free speech allows us to make history, to start wars or to stop them, to build governments or topple them. With out it amazing things like the historic overthrow in Egypt, or the birth of our own wonderful country would not be possible. Unfortunately however not all speech is helpful and productive speech. Terrible things are said everyday, awful things that are ugly and hurtful. And yet despite the hurt these words can cause, we as a country have absolutely no right to stop or restrict the expression that the freedom of speech allows, this is of course excluding the laws already in place to protect people from the excessive emotional abuse of some speech. We cannot however stop a person from expressing their opinions no matter how screwed up they might be. Doing so is just plain unconstitutional and would break the very foundation of this country. And if we do decide to start censoring speech who gets to decide what we are and are not allowed to say? The powerful that's who, and when you put a few people in charge of something so powerful a freedom as speech then, they will eventually abuse that power and use it to gain power over other things we consider our fundamental rights, until eventually we are living in a dictatorship. Think about this for a minute, all dictatorships from Hitler to al-Bashir have one thing in common: they all censor the masses allowing only the speech they speech they deem good. If we start to infringe upon that crucial freedom of speech we are starting down a very dark and scary path that will end nowhere good, no matter how good the intentions behind that first step. In my opinion that path leads to a place very reminiscent of Orwell's 1984.

free speech

I think that anyone has the right to say whatever they want hints "freedom of speech." So in Galliano's case, he shouldn't be villianized or criminalized. He is simply acting with in his right acoording to the law. But in my opinion he took it to far, and he makes himself look like an idiot. As a civilized society, i think we should only be concerned or do something about what is being said only if there are threats being made. If someone is being threatened then their should definately be a concern, but if there just rambling on and on about whatever they have a strong OPINION about then they are just exercising their rights.

image here

legal implications on abortion.

I don't think that abortion is right in any cituation. I consider it to be murder. Abortion is not a form of birth control. I don't care if your baby is one day old or 36 weeks. Some people say well i was raped, well give the baby up for adoption. Others say well I cant afford it. Then use a condom or birth control. Or here is an idea dont have sex. There is no excuse for abortion at all. And it really isnt good for a womans body to have an abortion anyays.

Abortion

my two pics for the week

Credo

Our topic of discussion this week was about our credo. together, we designed a piece of art and four words which we thought set the best foundation for our group. The first word was Responsibility. Responsibility reflects about an individuals habit to do work in an orderly manner. The second word, accountability, offers comfort and respect in knowing that our partner will come through on their assignments and support the group. Thirdly, integrity was added to remind everyone to stay focused on the topic at hand and to put all of our discussions into and objective manner. The last word, fun, was to show that we enjoy what we do and that we appreciate the activities of the world. My video is shown here

The big issue these days is same-sex marriage and the question is whether or not it is constitutional to deny it. In my humble opinion there is no question; of course it should be allowed. Take away all religious and personal opinions and just look at the legality of it. It is simply unconstitutional and un-American to deny a person such a simple freedom as marriage. It is discrimination in its purist and most disgusting form. It is no better than saying that people from different races cannot marry. As for the religious view points, I have this to say: What happened to the separation of church and state? But putting aside all personal beliefs, it simply should not be legal for the government to discriminate against an entire demographic like this. It scares me to think where this will lead, what discriminations will be allowed next? The U.S Constitution, the very foundation of our government, was based on one simple thing: "Majority rule, Minority Rights;" The governments basic and most fundamental job is to protect the minority against the majority and they have utterly failed to do so this time.

Costs of higer education

A college education has moved away from being a luxery item to beign a requirement for most employment in the US( with its heavily service based economy), but the price of attaining the every more curcial education continues to rise.

Between 2002-2003 the cost of tuition rose as much as 23% in some states and no lower then an estimated 5% in others(most rose about 6-10%). Tuition rates rose again in the 2006-2007 year raising as hig as 27% in some areas.

The reason that this continuing raise in cost is troubling is because majority of finacial aid recived by students is through loans, more then half for most students. Along with the fact that the amount of money gaduating students can make has not growen to reflect the increase, leaving the students in an ever increasing deficet.

Marriage should be between a man and a woman?

http://www.kansan.com/news/2011/mar/03/castle-marriage-should-be-between-man-and-woman/
I read an interesting article on a random website (Kansan.com link above) about gay marriage. It talked about the new federal law that president Obama signed on February 23rd. President Obama is the first president to finally "announce that his administration would no longer be supporting the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as only being between a man and a woman and allows states to reject same-sex marriages from other states." Personally I am so happy about this new federal law. This new federal law will support any state law that allows homosexuals to get married so now a homosexual may have to travel to get married but at least they can legally be married in any state. I am a believer of equality for all and absolute freedom. I don’t understand why people feel the need to judge one another and why people care so much about how other people are living their lives. Anyone can be judged and told they aren’t living their life "correctly." There are so many worse things in the world for people to worry about than worrying about gay people having the right to be married. There are a lot of married couples that shouldn’t be married why are they not judged? I am sure I will be judged for expressing my opinion but I guess that’s just part of life. I am proud of our president for being true to what he believes in even though it may cost him a few votes.