In Philadelphia, police clash with supporters of Baltimore protests

 http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/30/us/nationwide-freddie-gray-protests/index.html

People everywhere are protesting police brutality. In Philadelphia hundreds of people gathered to help protest in front of city hall. Police and protesters started to come into contact soon after. Many say they want the equality of justice that they all deserve. The police were to have been reported to be pushing the people back and trying to intimidate them. Many other places in America are protesting the treatment from the police everywhere.

In my opinion, this is a good cause to stand for. People should not have to be afraid of being hurt or unequally treated by the very people who were supposed to protect them. I do, however believe that people shouldn't be getting hurt over this cause. I don't see the need for violence in this movement and any that has been done should cease.

This relates to our class because it deals with the government oppression or the belief of and people fighting against. It deals with people and equality and their rights being protected. 

Walter Scott Shot 



http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/09/us/south-carolina-police-shooting/


    Walter Scott was shot and killed by Michael Slager after Slager fled from the cop. A video was taken of Walter and Michael having a confrontation in a grassy lot. It starts with them in close quarters to each other and then something being thrown behind the two of them. Michael runs from the officer and then is shot at 8 times. Michael runs over and places handcuffs on him. Michael is facing charges for his actions.

    In my opinion, the officer is very much in the wrong and his actions are not justified. The circumstances did not call for such harsh reaction. Walter did not do anything that merited his death let alone having a gun drawn on him. He did not threaten the officer and was an undeserving of the events that unfolded.

   This relates to the class because an innocent man was murdered by a government official. He abused his power and committed an atrocity. We learned about peoples rights and how they are protected from the government.

   

 

 FBI investigating hanging death of African-American man in Mississippi

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/19/politics/african-american-man-found-hanging-in-mississippi/index.html 

 

    A black male was found hung from a tree this Thursday. There has not been a for sure identification but he is believed to be 54-year-old Otis Byrd. It is also unsure if it was a murder or suicide. He was found 500 yards from his house. He was found hung with bed sheets and had a skull cap on. His family was not allowed near the scene because the authorities were unsure of the indentity. 

    In my opinion, if this was a murder/hate crime, I think the events in Mississippi need to be handled quicker and that the authorities need to be more decisive as well as doing to more to help the people and the community. I also think that the family should be able to help identify the body because worst-case is that the body is actually Byrd and they identify him while saving the authorities time. 

    This relates to our class because it deals with authority and their effectiveness. Should all these agencies be involved in the events or should they place more effort into the subject. Meanwhile should more taxes be paid for said agencies is all under some controversy.  

 

  State, county police take over Ferguson protest security after shooting

  http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/12/us/ferguson-protests/index.html

     There were two police officers standing guard outside Ferguson police headquarters who were shot in cold blood in Ferguson, Missouri. State and county police took over protest security in the St. Louis suburb Thursday. Ferguson Police will remain responsible for routine policing services in the city. They are currently investigating multiple suspects in search for the assailant. Many of the protestors are saying that this was a random act of violence from a radical individual. The protestors say the believe in resolving their issues without violence. This also isn't the first time that the police have had to handle protest security. 

    In my opinion, I think that the police should be stepping in to try and put an end to the violence. Two officers, who were standing outside where they would feel safest, were shot. This kind of violence should be stopped and I think if the county and state police need to step in then so be it. These people should not feel free to cause this kind of damage and face no prosecution.  

    This relates to our class because of the government and police stepping in. There are times where we believe that it isn't okay for police and government to step in and then there are times like these where it is necessary. The power of assembly and petition is not being used correctly considering the violence so authorities stepping in seems appropriate.

 

Ohio fugitive nabbed after taunting authorities on Facebook

       21 year old Andrew Marcum responded to authorities after they posted pictures of him as the featured warrant of the week. The things he was accused of were included burglary, kidnapping, domestic violence and criminal endangering. His response to the post was "I ain't tripping half of them don't even know me,". His not only gave the authorities his name but also pictures of him and the tattoo spelling out his last name on his back. The authorities with "Andrew Marcum, if you could stop by the sheriff's office, that'd be great,". Sheriff Richard K. Jones then posted a picture of a jail cell that was apparently for Andrew. A day after Andrew's post, the authorities arrested him. The sheriff then posted mugshots of Andrew crying. 

      In my opinion I think it was fair use of social media that the authorities illustrated. Since Andrew posted on the authorities' post, he caused his own undoing and the arrest was fairly made. Even if he had not responded to their post, I think it would have been fair if they had used his account because he made it public. Searching through private records or messages is something I would have a differing opinion on however. The arrest was fair in my view and using social media was a fair way to do so.

      This relates to the class because it has to do with internet privacy rights and the power of the police. Using the internet to make arrests has not been unheard of and is actually quite common. This is what happened in this case. Since Andrew's facebook was public, it was fair information for the authorities to use. 

 

 

Alaska Became the Newest State to Legalize Marijuana

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/24/us/alaska-marijuana/

        Alaska has become the third state to legalize marijuana in the United States. On Tuesday it was decided that weed was okay, but there is, of course, regulations to this law. These includes not being allowed to have more than one ounce of marijuana on them and cannot harvest more than four ounces in their home. You also cannot consume marijuana in public and cannot drive while intoxicated. The law has not quite been implemented so people cannot make a living of the plant just yet. 

        In my opinion, this was a good decision for the state of Alaska. The majority of the people in Alaska will be satisfied with the decision and the revenue will greatly increase. Jobs will open up and many taxes can be brought into the government through this. The laws that regulate the usage of the drug are very well placed and I believe there will be little to no drawbacks to the legalization. 

       This relates to our class because it deals with state and federal laws. Federal law does not allow the usage of marijuana but now three states allow it. The federal law can override these laws if they see fit. This also relates to our class because it deals with laws adapting with the changing times. New people and voters will decide the nations future.

 

Obama vows to abide by immigration court order

            A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration. The judge, Andrew Hanen, wishes to block the executive actions Obama took late last year to shield as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Obama believes that the interjection from the Texas judge will be overruled and that the immigrants will be granted the help he desires them to have. Even Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson disagrees with the Texas courts ruling. Hanen, the advocate for the injunction, believes that Obama is doing more than letting the immigrants a free pass but is also aiding them. However, many believe that this interjection is just a "bump" in the road and that the executive action will come to pass.

    In my opinion the judge should not have opposed the movement to help the illegal immigrants because not only does it seem to have been a useless action but it also is showing support to the idea of not helping those in need. Although I feel it's not fair to other people to have to pay for these people with their tax money I more strongly feel that we should help these people because they may need help with basic needs such as providing for their families. If this cause requires more taxes then I believe we should be willing to help these people for the small sacrafice. 

    This relates to our class because it deals with the issues of immigration and taxes. The issue is whether we should allow the illegal immigrants to stay without taxes resulting in us paying more for them but also allowing them to be able to provide for themselves and their families or to kick them out of our country because of the cost of taxes.  

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/17/politics/texas-obama-immigration-injunction/index.html 

 

Fame Model Hopes Her Cosby Allegation Spurs Others to Come Forward

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/12/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/beverly-johnson-cosby-allegations/index.html?hpt=hp_c5

This article is about the countless number of women who have come out and accused Bill Cosby of Sexual assault and rape since the 1980's. Many women in the industry are too ashamed to come out and say that he drugged and raped them, but it is common knowledge with the people in Hollywood. I don't know how many of these women were making it up for the fame, but the fact that it was common knowledge with so many people is truly horrible. There are so many people in this industry that care too much about their fame to tell the police about important things like this. If the first woman that this happened to told the police and got him arrested, then so many other women wouldn't have gone to his house and this wouldn't have happened to them. I'm relating this to our class and A.P. US gov by talking about women's rights. Rape is a very serious crime that is overlooked in Hollywood and these women deserve justice.

 Thursday 29, 2015

Father asks California school district to ban children who haven't been immunized

            Carl Krawitt's son, Rhett Krawitts, is recovering from leukemia and is 6 years old. His father fears the children who have measles and the spread of the disease in general. He doesn't want his child to be in the same school as kids who haven't been vaccinated. Rhett has little to no antibodies due to the cancer treatments and his father fears that if Rhett contracts the disease he wouldn't be able to fight the disease. Because of this fear he asked the school district to not allow children who haven't been vaccinated to no longer be allowed to attend the schools until they've been vaccinated. Many people have spoken up as well saying that the children who haven't been vaccinated have put their children's well being and even lives at risk. They believe that since schools are an easy way for germs and disease to spread through children they don't want children who are more likely to be infected or ill to be allowed to be near their kids by any means. He already assumes that, because of legal reasons, he will be denied his request but is still pushing for this appeal.

            This relates to our class because of the rights each individual and if our government should be involved in our parenting are both serious matters. The freedom of choice and government involvement are both issues that are of great importance. The decision of the district could very well impact other cases similar to that of the Krawitts. 

            I agree with Carl Krawitt and his uneasiness on the idea of his son around children who could likely be carrying a, in this case, life-threatening disease. Although the freedom to choose whether or not what is best for your child should be left up to the parent in most cases, if the decision will put lives and the health of others at risk then the decision should be left to the majority. I think that the school district should disallow the kids who are putting the other children at risk to come to the school.


Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/29/health/california-boy-vaccine-school/index.html