Human Rights at Guantánamo

In the Miami Herald an article titled, 'Guantanamo defense team angry over Khadr charges' reports:

Omar Khadr was taken into U.S. custody at the age of 15 and has been detained at Guantanamo since he was 16, in conditions equal to or worse than those given to convicted adult criminals, such as prolonged solitary confinement and repeated instances of torture. After nearly 5 years in such conditions, the government is now demanding his appearance before what can only amount to a kangaroo court. The fact that this Administration has seen fit to designate this youth for trial by military commission is abhorrent.

It was Benjamin Franklin who said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
In this case the liberty given up does not even gain any safety. How could this boy have posed a such a threat to national security that they put him in Guantanamo? Even if he was going to commit some terrorist act it would only be because his family, or those close to him that he trusted told him of the rightness of his action. When Khadr was arrested he was only 15. He is a minor. How can he be kept imprisoned for 6 years without a trial or even any substantial charges?

What if this was you or your 15 year old son? Would you not hate America even more than you already did? Our current international policy is not leading to safety. Its leading to more unrest, more anger, and more hatred of Americans around the globe.

As Americans we need to remember what we stand for. We need to remember people like Benjamin Franklin and Patrick Henry, "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!" Personal Freedoms, Human rights, and PEACE above all need to prevail for our country to continue.

My Middle School Teacher

This was written on the Vashon School districts webpage

VASHON ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT

David Foege

We are saddened today by the loss of David Foege, our beloved teacher, colleague and friend.

He very much loved his colleagues – students – friends – family and loved ones.

A public memorial is being planned for next week to honor his memory.

The McMurray Middle School Library will be open and staffed with support personnel for students, parents, staff and the community today, Saturday April 21 and Sunday April 22 from noon until 4:00pm.

I was further saddened to hear that Mr. Foege died by his own hand. When I was in his I classes I never knew a more happy-go-lucky guy. He was always funny and I enjoyed his classes. I learned a lot from him too. I never had him as a humanities teacher, which was his area of expertise, but he taught my health class along with Ms. Farcy. Ms Farcy was fighting a losing battle with cancer and Mr. Foege was there to help her.



One thing I will never forget about Mr. Foege happened Wednesday, February 28, 2001. He was teaching my health class on the day we had a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. His face was an expression of total shock, but Mr. Foege just told us to get under the desk and when the shaking stopped he lead us out of the building. He was calm and that helped us stay calm and safe.

Thank you Mr. Foege.

TIME: What Can Schools Do?

What Can Schools Do? | TIME

In the fall of 2005, some 17 months before Cho Seung-Hui went on his killing spree at Virginia Tech, his behavior was so disturbing that his creative-writing professor had him removed from her class. Later that semester, two female students complained separately about what one called his "annoying" advances, and after an acquaintance warned that Cho might be suicidal, he was detained for several hours, evaluated at a local mental-health facility and released. "Everyone who is hospitalized isn't going to be banned from campus," Dr. Christopher Flynn, head of Virginia Tech's counseling center, told TIME.

Here is some evidence to back my claim that Cho should have never been able to buy a gun. The gun seller probably did not have this information. If the seller did know this about Cho the guns would not have been sold. So why doesn't a background check reveal that he might have been suicidal? Why doesn't the background check include his hospitalization? Something needs to be done to keep guns away from people who want to harm themselves or others.

Gun Control, who should have a gun?

A person know as CLS wrote an article titled: When mass killers meet armed resistance. It is about how killers like the one at VT were stopped by other students, principles, or off-duty police officers. The article pointed out many incidences where a shooting spree was cut short and lives possibly were saved because another armed person was able to subdue the killer.

My stance on the issue is killers shouldn't be able to get a gun in the first place.

This was my reply to his article:
I don't think any of your evidence calls for less gun restrictions. If anything it calls for more. Who and why would anyone give/sell someone like the VT shooter a gun?

There needs to be much stricter requirements on who has access to a gun.

I'm not saying you or those heroic students teacher and police officers don't have a right to own a gun and protect yourself and possibly others around you.

As a matter of fact I believe that people who are competent, stable, and trustworthy have an obligation to carry a gun.

The stricter gun laws need not include people who genuinely desire to make the world safer. But this crazy person at VT and others like him SHOULD NOT EVER HAVE ACCESS TO A GUN.

Guns don't kill people, people do. Thats why certain people should not have a gun. Gun laws [or should i have said "people laws"] need to be stricter and need to be enforced. But the laws need not to stop a would be hero.

51 Blogs that deserve more credit for being great (part 1)

There are a lot of blogs out there. Many of them have great content and unique perspectives. Unfortunately many are under-read and under-appreciated. This is a list of all the blogs that I have found deserving more readers. (or at least more links, as thats what I'm using to judge readership)

The first 25 are blogs I have stumbled across and the last 26 are up for grabs. If you have a great blog that deserves more readers or know of one leave a comment and I'll add it to the list.

Here they are, not in any particular order or on any particular topic,

1. http://www.imagine-inspire.blogspot.com/
• This Blog is about philosophy, meditation, healing, creativity, manifestation and spiritual inspiration.
2. http://photographictips.blogspot.com/
• I love photography and this blog has some great tips!!
  
3. http://movie13.blogspot.com/
• Solid Movie Reviews and news with pictures.
4. http://onlyredheadintaiwan.blogspot.com/
• An interesting worldview from a red head in Taiwan
5. http://irelandsfew.blogspot.com/
• commentary on news and politics from an Irish perspective.
6. http://diversiferences.blogspot.com/
• (I can't say it better,) Read about things you'd never have thought you didn't actually need to know about. It's perfectly normal if some things in life don't make the slightest bit of sense. (funny stuff)
7. http://delightfulyank.blogspot.com/
• Edgy news. Political liberal rantings.
  
8. http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/
• Ever wanted to know what's going on in Iceland?
9. http://www.liminaltruth.com/
• Progressive commentaries. (sadly appears to be no longer updated)
  
10. http://jramonrdz.blogspot.com/
• A unique photo blog. Many amazing pictures. Photos get progressively better each post
11. http://dougkauffman.blogspot.com/
• Interesting Video Blog or Vlog. Pop Culture news like American idol

So I only got through 11 today but I know there are more great undiscovered blogs out there. More are coming soon. Drop me a comment if you have or know of any good undiscovered or under-appreciated Blogs.

Mourning for those who were killed

Today the flag flies at half mast. We, as a nation, are in shock at the violence that has taken place. The flag hangs low in sorrow for the woman shot here at the UW as well as for the 30 reported victims at VT.

How long will it take for us to stop this violence? How many lives taken, how many families broken before we can end domestic violence?

Both incidences involved a male shooter distraught over his girlfriend. I believe that future acts of aggression can be stopped if we focus on education and teach the children about gender equality and non-violent problem solving.

At Least 30 Killed at Virginia Tech

The shooting started at the dormitories and the gunman then traveled to a classroom on the other side of Campus. He was able to reload his 9mm and his other hand gun several times. Before he was subdued, either killing himself or shot by police. According to News Radio 710 Kiro.



The apparent motive was a girlfriend.

What I want to know is how this shooter was able to walk from the dormitories to a classroom that was two hours away. Every student in the classroom was killed. Its hard to imagine the horror each student went through before they were executed.

Sex-Ed: Abstinance only?

Sex-education clash churns over grants - USATODAY.com

Abstinence only doesn't make sense to me. Marriage is a religious ceremony. In our country there is a law separating church and state. Some ones religious morals should not dictate what children are taught or not taught in public school. So why is it that children are taught to abstain from sex until a religious ceremony can take place?

Parents have the option to take their children out of class for sex-ed days, if they feel they can teach their child better they should. In school I was taught about abstinence and about contraception. Just like I was taught about Christianity and Buddhism and Atheism. Education is meant to be well rounded. Things should not be left out because someone judges them as unfit for themselves or their own children.

Education is not well rounded if things (like contraception) are left out. If things that are deemed morally just are the only things taught in school, who's 'moral yardstick' do we use?

Blog Censorship

BBC News: Bloggers' search for anonymity

"The Internet has given the individual unprecedented power to reach out to millions but some governments are cautious, even hostile, to giving their citizens free access to ideas they deem too democratic and dangerous."

I just came across this article and being a blogger I took note. I want to believe something like this only happens in places like China or Cuba, but I was struck with the realization that the US is involved in this same kind of censorship. If I were to write post about terrorism, or making a bomb I could possibly be in jeopardy of being detained!

Many people reading the BBC article might think as I did, "this doesn't happen in my country". Well sadly if the trend of sacrificing personal freedom for national security continues we will need to start practicing these same steps of anonymity to avoid arrest.

I will not end with any call to action but leave you to ponder these words,

"I was tortured," he said. "For one year and three months I was held in a cell measuring one metre by two. I didn't see the sun or sky for all that time."

Dear Smokers,

Dear Smokers,
I just wanted to let you know how I feel about your habit. I'm perfectly OK with your decision to 'enjoy' inhaling a stick of burning toxins. I do not want to take away any freedom you have over your own body. You have every right to treat your body how you want to. This is America you have your Freedom.

When gases such as, carbon monoxide, ammonia, dimethylnitrosamine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and acrolein, are released from an industrial factory they are usually released through a smokestack. The smokestack sends these gases higher into the atmosphere so they can dissipate without causing harm to the surrounding area.

It is strange to realize that each described gases here is also by-product of cigarette smoking. It is harmful to people to breathe in these gases. Now while a smoker has a right to indulge him/herself in harmful gases shouldn't a non-smoker have a right to not breathe these gases?

Isn't this a conundrum? We have two conflicting rights, the right to smoke and the right to not smoke. Well, as you may have guessed, I do have a solution. Like industries that emit harmful gases smokers also need a smokestack. A simple yet elegant and attractive snorkel. This snorkel would not be for breathing but for exhaling. The process is quite plain when a smoker takes a drag he or she then exhales through a snorkel that releases the gases harmlessly above the heads of every one else around.

Sources cited: Factsheet no:8