Fast Food Nation...The Truth About Beef

If we think that how we are killing cows is humane and clean, we are sadly mistaken. The people that work in these slaughter houses do disgusting things to the cows. "I see: a man reach inside cattle and pull out their kidneys with his bare hands, then drop the kidneys down a metal chute, over and over again, as each animal passes by him; a stainless steel rack of tongues; Whizzards peeling meat off decapitated heads, picking them almost as clean as the white skulls painted by Georgia O'Keeffe. We wade through blood that's ankle deep and that pours down drains into huge vats below us. As we approach the start of the line, for the first time I hear the steady pop, pop, pop of live animals being stunned. Now the cattle suspended above me look just like the cattle I've seen on ranches for years, but these ones are upside down swinging on hooks. For a moment, the sight seems unreal; there are so many of them, a herd of them, lifeless. And then I see a few hind legs still kicking, a final reflex action, and the reality comes hard and clear." (171 Fast Food Nation). The way we treat cows is unacceptable. Cows deserve to be treated nicer if people are going to kill them. It's mass extermination and that's wrong. Would we kill millions of people in this way? I hope not, so why should we kill cows this way?! A cow is living...it's a life we can't just take the life of anything and treat it this way. I would like to take the head person of each fast food corporation, give them a gun, put them eye to eye with a cow and see if they can kill an innocent cow. Personally I couldn't, so I don't think that they could either.

Fast Food Nation: Chaper 6 On The Range....Go West, Young Man

I was reading in my book Fast Food Nation when I came across the name Horace Greeley. I'm sitting in my room thinking I know that name. He's a newspaper guy, but how do I know him? Than I see the quote "Go West, Young Man." Than it hits me, Newsies! I know that guy from Newsies. I learned something from a movie...woah there!
This book is not about Newspaper men or Newsies (as much as I wish it was), it's about the food Americans eat and how un-healthy we are. This past chapter has been about meat, I have to say that I really have come to despise people. People treat cows horribly, they just destroy them. I can't even believe that people would be that mean. Cows have feelings too and they are just like people. They have families and they have friends, cows are cute and we shouldn't kill them by the thousands just so we can get fat on hamburgers. People say that they do it for money, but the ranchers don't make much money at all. "Ranchers currently face a host of economic problems: rising land prices, stagnant beef prices, oversupplies of cattle, increased shipments of live cattle from Canada and Mexico, development oressures, inheritance taxes, health scares about beef." (136). I think that people shouldn't kill animals just because they want to eat beef, it's not even healthy when it's in a hamburger! If people are going to kill cows than they can kill them humanely. From reading this book I think that people should not be aloud to kill animals just so that they can eat a hamburger at McDonalds. That's crazy! People should like cows more and care about them more. Fast Food companies don't pay anyone well and they are causing damage to the United States.

L.O.V.E...small Word BIG Consequences

My English class is reading Hamlet (well we just finished) and we came across a scene where Hamlet is talking to Ophelia. The line Hamlet says is, "I loved you once." I'm reading this and I'm thinking awww that's sweet, but than I read on and Hamlet says, "I never loved you!" WHAT?!?! Excuse me Hamlet did you really just pull the classic jerk move?! It's amazing that men were acting like that in the 1600s, the time when Knights in shining armor were around. Girls always get really upset when men say things like that, but then we go and watch sappy romantic movies that always end happy. It makes you feel worse because you are sitting there wondering why your life isn't a movie and why you can't fall in love and be happy. Boys just won't understand, even sometimes in movies they don't understand. In Newsies, Jack and Sarah are on a rooftop and Jack says, "This is one strike leader who is going to be very happy when it's all over. Than I can get out of here and go to Santa Fe. I mean, there's nothting for me to stay for, is there?" I'm watching this and I'm yelling "Yes! Stay for her she's right there!" He doesn't get it till the end when he almost leaves, but comes back because of her.
Someday I hope men understand that they can't say things like "love" unless they mean it. (Just a rant/opinion that needed to be said)

Invisable Children...Not Invisible Anymore

When I heard that our school picked Invisible Children as our School Chest charity I was really excited. I wanted to find a way to get involved. Although I had no time to get involved during School Chest I have found a way to get involved outside of school. Not many people know this, but I'm a dancer. Anything from Hip-Hop to Modern is my area of interest. I love the feeling of being on stage and preforming for people aside from singing, dancing is the next best way to be on a stage. I decided to help Invisible Children by doing what I love to do. I was at home after a dance show listening to music when it hit me, I should raise money and put on a show of my own. I started choreographing and playing guitar that night. I wanted to do something that would appeal to people, and most people I know really enjoy watching shows. I'll be selling tickets in about four-five weeks for two dollar is anyone wants to buy one and all of the money is going to Invisible Children. I just feel like teenagers have voices and we need to use them to do some good in the world because there is already so much bad. If everyone in this class came to the show and brought a friend or two we could raise a lot of money. These kids need help for everyone and I know that we can help them, we are all smart and giving. These kids don't live like you and I do, they don't even have a sense of security. It's up to us to help them. It's not okay that anyone be going through the things that they are. They are kids they shouldn't be dealing with war.

Please buy tickets from me and come see my show!! It's not for me, it's for the Invisible Children who need our help.

The World Better Know...and Understand!!

Recently Newsies (my favorite movie) went on Broadway. I know what you are thinking: "Andi, if it's your favorite movie, how can this be a bad thing?" but it is. Not only did they get rid of a major character, they changed who the lead is as a person. Jack Kelly is supposed to be a cowboy, and in love with Sarah Jacobs, but the Broadway people made him not a cowboy and in love with the newspaper lady, who in the movie is a man!!!! This is just wrong and I hate it! You can't make such huge changes.



the real Jack Kelly



                                



The fake Jack and the woman who is not Denton

Another thing that they did was change all of the song lyrics!! YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO NEWISES!!! It's not right. King of New York is one of the most beloved songs and they added two new lines that make me sick, "Let's get drunk, not on liquor fame works quicker when you're king of new york." and "Pulitzer and Delancys are peeing their pantsies." WHAT?!?!?! NO!!!! I have no idea about the first one other than they NEVER drink!! The second one should say "Pulitzer's crying, Weasel he's dying!" It just makes me mad! Newsies was good before they went and messed it up! Not to mention that the lead guy (Jack) looks like another character named Mush!!



Jack on Broadway




Mush from the movie


 I learned everything I ever needed to know form that movie.

All in all, the original is better and I HATE Broadway now!!

LONG LIVE THE NEWSEIS!!!!!

CRAP ON BROADWAY

MY ORIGINAL BOYS

If you want to hear true Newsies music go to the bottom of my blog the first 4 YouTube clips are from the movie...I will not put up the Broadway ones you have to search for those on your own. Please listen to them they are catchy and good.

Abortion in America...Which Side is Better

The website that I found was better was the pro-choice site, and I'm 100% pro-life. They had more facts and they had ways to prevent pregnancy. The pro-life website had facts too, but one of their links said, "Abortion: Some Medical Facts." If I was a person thinking about getting an abortion I would not just want some facts, but I'd want all of them. Another thing the website did was tell in detail about each procedure. No one really wants to hear about dead babies, but if someone really wants an abortion I don't think they would really read that stuff. I know I wouldn't. Sure you want to be educated in what's going to happen, but you don't want to be terrified. It seems to me that pro-choice may be winning as more people in America seem to figure out that abortions aren't going to go away. They will just go underground and be dangerous. When abortions aren't done in a clinic, the woman can have a much larger chance of dying. I think that my opinion has shifted toward pro-choice, because if a woman wants to get an abortion she should be able to. I don't think that people should stop her.
I think that a woman should not be talked out of having an abortion if she needs one. I'm pro-life because I'm adopted and my birth mom could have easily had an abortion, but she didn't. I don't think parents should know about if their daughter is getting an abortion or not. It's not the parents who are getting the abortion, it's the girl. Some things should be kept private from parents. They don't need to consent to it at all. It's not their right to, it's the woman's right. A father should be the last person to know, if he's going to know at all. Men and Women are different and Men don't understand why Women do things sometimes. A father wouldn't understand and it would cause family complications.
I think that Illinois is doing good in their pro-choice support. I know that in Illinois you don't have to be 18 years old to get an abortion without parental consent. I think that's good because let's be honest, teens are not going to tell their parents if they are sexually active or not. They don't want their parents to know, and parents don't need to know. Parents, most of the time, don't want to know if their child is sexually active. It's not even that, kids don't want their parents to know if they are sexually active or not. Just like we don't want to know about our parents sex lives, they shouldn't know about ours. It's the teens decision if they want an abortion or not, and they shouldn't have to tell their parents.
No a father should not be notified. It's not his choice it's the woman's. If he cared about it at all he would have told her he wanted a baby, or not gotten her pregnant. It's that simple.
I think that Illinois is doing a lot more to help women make their own decision than other states, so I think that there is nothing in Illinois that I would change because either way there are going to be people opposed to one side.

Hell On Wheels...Best New Show on AMC

Hell on Wheels is a new show a AMC that just aired last Sunday. I watched it because I heard them say something about Civil War (naturally), I fell in LOVE with this show. Set in the 1860s it centers on former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan (played by Anson Mount), whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad. It's also the story of a former salve, Elam, (played by Common) who is working on the Transcontinental Railroad, he befriends Cullen (sort of ). Basically, Cullen is going around killing people and Elam is trying to survive and avenge his friend, William, who the boss killed. Then there's Robert and Ruth. Robert is a map maker who is survaying the West for the Railroad company and the owner Thomas 'Doc' Durant. Thomas comes off as a bad guy, but I have a feeling he will turn out to be nothing but a rich coward. Robert and Ruth are cute, but Native Americans came to their camp and caused a riot. I will not say what happens, becasue I want you all to watch it!! Anyone who loves action, murder, and some other R rated things and language will love this show!!!!!!!

Cullen Bohannan

Abolishing The Death Penalty....Just or Not

The death penalty is a disgusting way to serve justice. I think that abolishing the death penalty in Illinois is a wonderful thing. It said in the article "Death Penalty Ends in Illinois", "In November 1998, the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University hosted 29 exonerated death row inmates at a conference, putting a human face to the death penalty's errors. Then, with Porter's case still in the spotlight, plus a series of stories in the Chicago Tribune later that year that illuminated deep frailties in the state's system of capital punishment, the debate over the death penalty was transformed.Suddenly, it was about accuracy. No longer were the mistakes anecdotal. The problems were systemic. Opposition to the death penalty began to win new supporters, people who looked at the issue pragmatically, not just morally, and were dismayed by the mistakes." If 29 people were set free from being wrongfully accused than why would the death penalty be good? Look at the facts people, I mean really, if people looked at the facts than we would have gotten rid of the death penalty a long time ago. In Governor Ryan's speech he says, "Today - three days before I end my term as governor, I stand before you to explain my frustrations and deep concerns about both the administration and the penalty of death. It is fitting that we are gathered here today at Northwestern University with the students, teachers, lawyers and investigators who first shed light on the sorrowful condition of Illinois' death penalty system." It was crazy/amazing that people at Northwestern University exposed the death penalty and no one saw anything before. The justice system in this country is just insane, it's not okay to not expose the corruption in the justice system.

College, The Pressure is ON...But How Do I Turn It Off??

I imagine all of us seniors are FREAKING out about college I know I am. I have been super stressed out and I really have no idea how I am going to be able to get unstressed. I do Yoga, I read, I write, I do everything to get myself unstressed, but nothing works. My boyfriend told me today, "Hey, you look really stressed." Everyone notices, it's so sad. I don't want to be stressed about college anymore, but I feel like it's now or never and I can only get one shot at getting into the college I want to go to. I'm freaking out about my major, Secondary Education with an emphasis in (American) History, and my minor, writing. What if some schools don't have it, than what do I major in, it's such a hard decision. It's bad enough trying to get through STUNTS and I'm freaking out about Musical because the auditions are in 2 weeks...than I worry again about college and I wonder if I'm good enough to get into college. TOO MUCH GOING ON!!! I wish I could stop time and get everything done that needs to be done!! Juniors say that Junior year is the hardest....ummm no! They should just wait until they have to apply for college they are going to be just as stressed as I am. I get about two hours of sleep a night because of this wonderful stress. Hopefully one day I can get rid of the stress.

Troops Coming Home...Finally!!

President Obama told the American citizens that the troops will be coming home by the holidays, not just for the holiday, but forever. When I heard this I was so excited, I have had mixed feelings about this war for a long time. I wanted to get terrorist, but I didn't like the idea of our men being killed so we could win. I understand that's the point of war, I understand war pretty well, but I don't like the idea of kids close in age to me dying. I had seen names on the Sunday morning show, This Week With Christiane Amanpour, of young men ages 19, 20, and older that have died. I'm 18 so to think of someone 19 dying in war is a scary thought. The only wars I really care think about happened before I was born. the Civil War 150 years ago, and WWII was 70 years ago (seems like a really long time for that one). I think that Americans have a romantic vision of war, thanks to movies and books. Yes, I have a romantic vision of war, but I also have learned facts about how many people died.
I really liked that Obama is going to bring the troops home. It's going to be a wonderful holiday gift for all of the families of the soldiers that are coming home. Some of them haven't seen their families in years. I know that it takes a tole on the families of the soldiers, they don't know if their loved one will be coming home in one piece or if they will be coming home in a casket draped with an American flag. For those that have children, it will be the best holiday in a long time. Those kids are going to be so overjoyed to see their mom/dad again. I can only imagin the looks on their faces when they see their mom/dad and know that they will be seeing them every day. It makes me wish I was their with them.
That's the real reason I like the troops coming home, I like the thought of them being home with their families, finally safe from harm.

Drug Testing...Testing Students Rights

In the Court cased of Acton and Earls, students felt that drug testing was and invasion of privacy and they said their 4th Amendment rights were being taken away. The Court stated in the Acton trial, "Taking into account all the factors we have considered above--the decreased expectation of privacy, the relative unobtrusiveness of the search, and the severity of the need met by the search--we conclude Veronia's Policy is reasonable and hence constitutional...." The Court in the Earls case stated, "Finally, we find that testing students who participate in extracurricular activities is a reasonably effective means of addressing the School District's legitimate concerns in preventing, deterring, and detecting drug use."
These cases say that students really don’t have a right to privacy. I mean students have some right, just not 100% of a right to privacy.
 I agree with the Court (yeah I know I'll get crap for saying it) only because I know firsthand what drugs do. I have 3 cousins who all do drugs and it's been hard on our family. Then I hear how kids in my school are doing drugs and it just angers me. I want them to know that it's bad and you can die from it, but I know they are going to do what they want anyway. If the students do take drugs they shouldn’t be able to participate in sports and clubs because they won’t be in a state of mind to do them. It’s not the schools problem, but if students are taking drugs than playing sports or doing activities it reflects poorly on the school. Drug testing should be aloud in schools 100%, it will help students more if they know that they are getting drug tested.

Death Penalty...Dying to Know About It

The Court takes steps to protect the rights of the accused by letting them have a trial in which a jury decides if they are guilty or not. In the trial they can make and opening statement, present their case, and give a closing statement. This gives them opportunity to be found innocent. They can use witnesses who could tell if the person was at the crime scene or not. The person accused can also motion for a new trial if they truly know they are innocent. They can appeal to the state's highest court, or to the Supreme Court. There is a pardon board who can pardon, or set free, someone who was wrongly accused of a crime. This doesn't happen all the time, sometimes people are guilty and they have to pay for their crimes. Those who are found guilty are sometimes executed by the state. I think that the system has its flaws just like anything, but it has come a long way from when it started. In the early years of the country, one person had to say you were innocent and you could be put to death, like in the Salem Witch Trials, women were burned alive because one person accused them of being a witch. Then as the country started to evolve we decided a trial by jury was a better way to convict people. This went on well until the Civil War when President Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus, the right a person has to a trial by jury. This was helpful to the war because so many trials were taking place when people would be captured that it wasn't helping the war end sooner. Now people have a right to a trial by jury and I believe that if enough evidence is presented than a jury will find someone innocent or guilty, if not enough evidence is presented they will hopefully say that there was not enough evidence to prove the person innocent of guilty, but that's in a perfect world.

I believe that lethal injection is the most humane way to execute a prisoner. I feel this way because the person looks as if they have gone to sleep, they don't thrash around and they don't try to stop from dying which is painful enough, they just look peaceful and they don't look in pain. I think the gas chamber should be considered "cruel and unusual" because prisoners try to hold their breath to stop from dying, and they are told to breath in deeply so they can die faster. That's just not okay, to have to tell someone they have to die faster than normal. It just seems creepy to die from gas. To me its as if this way of killing someone was taken from a dark twisted mind and that only a psychopath would kill someone this way. It's not a peaceful way to die, you're thrashing and kicking around struggling for air to enter your lungs, but all that enters is gas, it just shakes you to your core.

Women are not typically on death row, the state with the most women on death row is California. They have 721 people on death row, 16 of them are women. A lot of the Midwest sates don't have the death penalty. Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota don't have the death penalty. It was interesting to think that Midwest states don't use the death penalty.

It costs too much money to kill people, taxpayers in California had to pay more than $250 million every time someone dies. I don't think that the people who wrote the information like the death penalty, and they convinced me not to like it. Most Americans don't like the death penalty. Illinois abolished it because 20 people were set free because they were falsely accused of a crime they didn't do. More white people have been killed than any other race 42%, blacks follow behind with 42%. I think that killing people is bad and it creeped me out that 11 people were executed in gas chambers. I don't care what people have done, I don't think killing them does anything because they have no respect for human life, so they wouldn't value their own life. If people kill those who have killed than they are just as bas as the murder.

Jake Owen..."Barefoot, Blue Jean, Night /Keith Urban..."You'll Think of Me."

This past Friday, October 14th, 2011, I had the opportunity to go to see Jake Owen and Keith Urban live!! =D It was AMAZING!!! Jake Owen opened the concert and me and my friend, Emily Blok, were dressed up like country people, waiting to hear Jake's song "Barefoot, Blue-Jean, Night". I'm a HUGE country fan so this was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I had listened to sooo many Jake Owen and Keith Urban songs before the concert so I knew every word. Emily and I had seats in the back, but we were in the middle so we could see everything that was going on. Jake sang his five songs and then there was a break. I was really jittery because I wanted to get to Keith Urban's part of the concert already. When he finally came on it was AMAZING!! He sang all of my favorite songs: "Long Hot Summer", "Making Memories of Us", "Sweet Thang", "Love Somebody Like You", "Kiss a Girl", "Stupid Boy", "Put You in a Song", "Days Go By", "Without You", "You'll Think of Me", and my all time favorite, "Tonight I Wanna Cry". After we thought he was done Keith brought Jake back on stage and they sang together. I have to admit I cried when Keith sang "Tonight I Wanna Cry" it's about a break up and how much it hurts. I can really relate to that song and "You'll Think of Me" which is again about a break up, but it shows how to move on from someone who you're not meant to be with. It was awesome to see how close of friends Jake Owen and Keith Urban are, they acted like teenage boys on stage together.

Kieth Urban in the plaid and Jake Owen in the white T-shirt

My goal for country concerts is to see my FAVORITE country singer...Luke Bryan. He sings my favorite country song that is also my pump up driving song, "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)". He is an amazing singer and an amazing song writer. I have the best idea for a sign to get me on stage at a Luke Bryan concert. A girl at the Keith Urban concert had a sign that said "Don't Put Me In a Song...Put Me On Stage!", and he did bring her on stage. For the Luke Bryan concert I'm making a sign that says, "Bring Me On Stage and Let This Country Girl Shake It For You!!" Hopefully he'll put me on stage and let me sing with him.

Luke Bryan

 I like him because of how he doesn't put himself first when he sings, he thinks of his fans and write what they like. He is also a big animal activist and he has a dog that he loves with all of his heart. I am a big animal acitvist too, and I love his dog, so Luke and I have a lot in common. I also play guitar and 6-string Banjo and I write country music, one day I want to play at Grand Ole Opry and become a country singer.

Luke and his furry best friend (they have the same smile)

Fast Food Nation...Bringing Facts at Lightning Speed

I have reached the third chapter of Fast Food Nation, and like it says on the cover, it is "The Dark Side of The All-American Meal." Fast food companies started off trying to sell food to adults and young adults, but as time went on they found out the real age to sell to were young kids. "According to the CME KidCom Ad Traction Study II, released at the 1999 Kids' Marketing Conference in San Antonio, Texas, the Taco Bell commercial featuring a taking Chihuahua were the most popular fast food ads. The kids in the survey also liked Pepsi and Nike commericals, but their favorite television ad was for Budweiser." (43). It was surprising that kids would even understand Budweiser commericals, but I can understand why they like them. I'm a big horse person, so the fact that Budweiser had commericals with horses probably appeals to little kids.
I was sitting in my room reading when i came across an interesting piece of information. Greenbrier High School in Evans, Georgia was taking part in "Coke in Education", they wanted to win a $500 prize from the Coke Company, all of the students wore red Coke shirts as part of the celebration. "A photographer was hoisted above the parking lot by a crane, ready to record the human C-O-K-E fro posterity. When the photographer started to take pictures, Mike Cameron- a Greenebrier Senior, standing amid the letter C- suddenly revealed a T-Shirt that said 'Pepsi'. His act of defiance soon received nation wide publicity, as did the fact that he was immediately suspended from school. The principal said Cameron could have been suspended for a week for the prank, but removed him from classes for just a day." (55). This quote remeinded me of the Students Rights cases we've learned about, and how students expressed their rights to Freedom of Speech and Expression and were punished for it. Cameron, in my opinon, didn't do anything wrong. He simply used his right to Freedom of Expression, and what he did wasn't causing any "clear and present danger". I believe the school was just upset because they may have lost the $500. I would have never guessed that this book would talk about Freedom of Speech and Expression.

Mike Cameron in his Pepsi Shirt

I'm really enjoying this book, I can see that McDonalds isn't as happy a place as everyone thinks. I don't think I'll be eating fast food anytime soon.

Fast Food Nation...A Super Sized Read!

I started reading Fast Food Nation by: Eric Schlosser (Looming Tower was too hard to get through) and I must say...I love it! It's hard to imagine that Americans have had such a large craving for fatty food. I'll admit that I have eaten fast food, but not in a while. I stay away from it for the fact that it really affects the way I dance and run. When I eat fast food I don't feel like doing anything, but sleeping which is a bad thing. I'm joining dace team in college and if I hadn't stopped eating fast food I wouldn't have the energy needed to dance. The book starts off in Anaheim, California with a young man named Carl N. Karcher who's life, as Schlosser describes, "...seems at once to be a tale by Horatio Alger,..." (for those who don't know, Horatio Alger was a famous dime novelist in the late 1800's early 1900's. His books have been the basis for movies like Newseis and musicals like Bowery Boys which played at the Marriott Theater in 2009). Carl, worked hard all of his life, dropping out of school after eight grade and moving to Anaheim, somehow made a name for himself by selling hot dogs out of carts on the street. It's strange to think that Americans wanted to eat food out of carts, but as the cities started to grow and people were on the move they wanted their food to be on the go too. Faster life style meant faster food, thus fast food was born. Carl was at the head of the speedy new food distribution.
That's pretty much what chapter one is about, I'll blog again after I'm done with chapter three. I've gotta say so far I'm giving this book a super sized thumbs up!

Class Colors Distracting From Homecomming Spirit?

There has been lots of controversy over class colors and Homecoming. DHS has had class colors for over 40 years, and now the school is thinking of getting rid of it. Freshmen color is white, Sophomore color is grey, Junior color is red, and the Seniors color is black. The big argument has been brought on by the Seniors hazing the Freshmen. Some people say that the colors single out one class (the Freshmen) and it makes them and easy target. The Seniors have waited four years to get to wear their class color, for us it's a symbol of power and leadership. I do believe that the colors don't unify the school, but it unifies the class. As a Freshman I didn't know a lot of people in my grade so having a class color day it was easy to pick out who people were in my class. At the pep rally we all came together and cheered as a class and it made me feel part of something bigger. As a Senior I know I'm not really friends with all of the people in my class, but at pep rally I fell like everyone is friends with everyone, because of something as simple as what grade you are in.
That's why I feel that class colors are a good thing in our school. The pep rally is for the classes, and the game is for the school as a whole.

College Speech Codes...Tell Us What You Really Think!

University of Oregon has quite a few speech codes they include, "Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity: Definitions Related to Discrimination, Student Conduct Code: Definitions, Student Conduct Code: Violations of Community Standards by Individual Students, and University of Oregon Bias Response Team." The speech codes really had to do with Student Conduct, I know when my dad was there the students were tear gassed because of a protest about the Vietnam War. U of O students wanted to speak their minds and become a part of society, so they decided to protest which was their rights as a US citizen. The police thought otherwise and stopped it. My dad told me that U of O students had a little bit of a problem accepting the African American students onto their campus. Some of the students, like my dad, had grown up out west and some in small towns were their weren't many African Americans. They were a bit surprised to see African Americans in college, but they didn't harm them in any way, it was more about learning to accept them.

The restrictions of Free Speech don't really impact me too much. I believe it's a good thing to have on a campus where you aren't being watched all the time by teachers like in High School. I think it's more protective of the student body to have a bit of a restriction on Free Speech. I wouldn't want to be harassed at a place where I should feel safe.

This doesn't change my mind at all. I still want to go to U of O even though I probably will stay closer to home. (Thanks Mom!!) I personally like the restrictions, but that's just a personal opinion.

I fully believe that the restrictions are legal. If they didn't need to be in place than they wouldn't be, and I don't believe that the University would want the restrictions to be illegal. That's not the kind of school they are, they don't just make restrictions to make them.

U of O would not tolerate the actions that I read about in the other articles. They were implying harm onto other people and the University would have punished those responsible. I would have been behind the Universtiy 100% because thoes types of actions are rude and could be dangerous to others. U of O wants their students to feel safe on the campus because it's their home for 4+ years and it's their job to make the students want to be their.

Become a DUCK!!

The Looming Tower: Good Book...We'll Find Out ;)

I started reading The Looming Tower by: Lawrence Wright. The first chapter was good, but I'm waiting for it to be fantastic. It's about Al-Qaeda and 9/11 (fitting because it's been 10 years). I just wasn't expecting all of the history. It starts off in the 50's. I didn't realize that Al-Qaeda members were in America in the 50's. Strange to think that they didn't try anything before 2001. I really hope this book gets more into what they were thinking when they planed 9/11 because I want to know what they were thinking because it makes no sense to me. I got the recommendation about this book from my dad and he hasn't lead me to a bad book...yet. I'm excited to keep everyone updated about what is going on in this book and how I am liking it as I get farther along.

9/11- Ten Years Later

In class we watched 9/11 a documentary about the Fire fighters who were the first responders at the World Trade Center tower 1. It showed the pure confusion and fear everyone had. No one understood what was going on. A plane flew into a building?! Most of the people had a look of terror on their faces and many were crying. How could this happen in America?! The thing that had the biggest impact on me from watching the movie was the thud of the bodies that dropped from the building. Knowing that people had a choice to jump and they picked it over staying in the building was just heart wrenching.

I read the article The Real Meaning of 9/11. The paragraph that stood out to me was,
    "Imagine, for a moment, you are Marwan al-Shehhi, the lead hijacker of Flight 175. You see Christine Hanson among the passengers on the plane you had just hijacked -- a two-year-old child, seated on her father's lap -- and you fly the plane carrying this child into the South Tower of the World Trade Center anyway. Peter Hanson, Christine's father, was on the telephone with his own father, Lee, as the plane approached lower Manhattan. "I think they're going to try to crash this plane into a building," Peter told his father. "Don't worry, Dad. If it happens, it will be quick." Then, Peter said, "Oh, my God," and Lee Hanson watched on television as the plane flew into the tower."
In my mind I just didn't want to believe that people could be that evil, but knowing what I know about the Holocaust, I know that people can be evil. These people didn't take into account that there were people in the buildings or on the plane, all they thought about was pleasing their God. Tell me what kind of a God thinks killing other people is a good thing? If that's God than I don't want to believe in him, I can't believe in him.

9/11 to me is a sad moment in history. All of those people had families and lives a head of them. None of them thought that they would die. One story I heard was about a women who went to the World Trade for one day for a business meeting. She was killed as the tower collapsed. If she hadn't gone to the meeting she would be alive today. I remember on 9/11 getting ready for school. My neighbor called and I remember watching one of the towers get hit. My dad wasn't home because he was on a business meeting in South Carolina. My mom was scared and I didn't fully understand what was happening. All I understood was that bad people attacked our country because they hated America. I didn't understand why anyone could hate America, because I thought we were the best and strongest country in the world. Watching the towers today on the History Channel, I see that even the strongest countries can crumble. We didn't. 9/11 stalled us, but made us stronger. We had patriotism and we stood together. Everyone helped each other and we became a family nation. Every one cared for every one after the attacks. Our flag stood for the freedom of our country, no amount of bad people could take our freedom away from us.

9/11- We Will Never Forget

It's September 11th, so many thoughts are running through my head. I had to get up at 5am to go run the Chicago Half Marathon with my family. Rescue Engine 4 was at the race. 8 of it's crew members were first responders on Ground Zero, 0 came home. It was eerie to know that all of the members of this engine died, but the truck remained unharmed. To honor 9/11 everyone was asked to wear red white and blue at the race. Some people wore red white and blue, but others went all out.

We met a women before the race who was from New York. She told us that she didn't know anyone personally who was killed, but a women in her prayer group had a son who was a fire fighter who she hadn't talked to in years because he had married someone she didn't approve of. He died and the women felt bad that she couldn't forgive her son before he died.

My family ran the race and went to see the firetruck up close. We read the names of people that died from the truck. There was a different door on the truck from Rescue Engine 3. They found it alone at ground zero, the names of the men from that truck were on the door.



Door from Rescue 3



There is a picture of my family and I standing in front of the turck holding a flag. A man had a flag with him and I asked if I could borrow his flag for a picture and he said something that really stuck with me, "It's not my flag...it's the countries." 9/11 really brought Americans together to fight people who wanted to tear us appart.

God Bless the USA

Please go to TheRRP.org and check out their site it means alot to the men of Rescue 4 and if anyone could donate money that would also mean alot to them. (I'm not just talking to our Issues class I'm talking to anyone who reads this blog!!)