#5 The Help

Finishing up the book i realized that Skeeter did not accomplish any of her goals by writing this book. Her original plan was to help the maids find their voice in Society. She ended up making the maids life worse because they got in trouble by the houses they worked for. I wish the book did not abruptly end because I would like to know what happened to the maids after and what is going on with the families. Overall this book was great and I would recommend it to anyone because it teaches a lesson of respect and how times have changed about race. I still can't believe how this occurred in the South in the 1960s it wasn't that long ago. I am going to be at Ole Miss next year and will still be experiencing a southern culture shock learning about the truth behind the South and all the history!

#4 The Help

Throughout this book I kept on thinking about how times have changed because the race line does not matter. In the 1960s people were unable to compare one another because race was a such an issue and people were being abused and shunned for the color of their skin. America has grown as a country, but I wish the growth would have pursued faster making better progress. In many countries around the world race still is an issues whites and blacks are looked at differently because of the history race has behind it. I am not saying history does not matter I am just trying to make it seem that race should not matter anymore because we are equals. As we have the first black president in America it is amazing to see how the country reacts and how the people of America show love or hate towards a black person. Having a black president hopefully has changed many peoples minds about race in America creating less hatred. In The Help Skeeter talks to many black people and does not have a problem with them, but she doesn't understand that they deserve better. She was raised a certain way so she has thought the same beliefs her whole life that they are less than her and they do certain things differently. Skeeter pursues her book and get an offer to move to New York and take it. She leaves the maids to continue their hardships instead of helping them prosper. Skeeter does not realize that what she is doing is wrong because she owes the maids a favor since they helped her making her book a big seller. Skeeter will never understand because the time area she grew up in and the household that raised her.

#3 The Help

Skeeter became a great attribute to get to know what the maids are feeling and how it is wrong to treat them with disrespect . Skeeter collected stories  from other maids to learn about the households they worked in. Since Skeeter lost her relationship with Constantine she was interested to find what happened to her and why they lost connection. Many of the mades she interviewed were not welcoming to Skeeter because she was an owner of a maid. They judged her for having one because it is a slap in the face towards them and they do not trust her. The help did not have the full trust with Skeeter because she was white and had a maid and the diffidence was clear that they were not suttle between each other. Trust began to grow once a young man stepped into the picture and then the maids decided to share their stories. there were 12 mades telling there life story with a young white women who once was an owner of a maid, it was risky.Each maid shared similarities between one another because they had to live in fear for most of their life since any day could be their last. One wrong move and they could be abused or left behind.  The dissidence between black and white was very strong and horrible.  

#2 The Help

Reading The Help gave me a new view on race because I was never able to learn the inside of how the maids feel. I highly recommend this book because I have learned so much about the environment of a housewife between a maid. The relationship is not only strange between the maids and housewives, but also between the children and maids. The maids are left at the house to do all the cleaning, cooking, and take care of the children. The maids are very close with the children and have a much stronger bond between one another. An example of this relationship is a child named Skeeter and Constantine the maid. Constantine began raising Skeeter when she was young and they became like mother and daughter the older and older Skeeter got. Skeeter went to college in the 1960s and then realized her relationship with Constantine was greater than the one with her mother. Skeeter wrote with Constantine more than her own mother, but once she was off after college she lost contact with her Constantine. Skeeter thought Constantine left and was starting to help a new family, but she wanted to know how she felt raising Skeeter. Skeeter put together a book of interviews from all the maids and began researching and realizing what the maids really thought of their work.Skeeter began to realize that her mother was not as important than Constantine, which has happened to many families. I think this is very upsetting because the value of a mother daughter relationship is extremely important, but maids are becoming the main care taker.

#1 The Help

I read The help by Kathryn Stockett which is about racism that took place during the present area.It tells the story about the treatment of blacks and how they were discriminated for the color of their skin. Being a different race was brought up a lot between the housewives in that town because they did not know whether their colored maids should use the bathrooms that were in the house.Many made their "help"  use the bathroom outside in the back of the house as if they were animals. One of the helpers named Minny had attitude towards the woman she worked for. Minny was never treated with respect or even as a person who had a voice in the house she was only there for helping around the house. Minny told her story through the way she thought people acted towards her. It was interesting because Minny was uneducated and effected the book because the perspective was one I would never expect. As I was learning about Minny's thoughts and as I was able to understand the treatment of her employers I learned a lot about help in a household. Minny was looking for a job she was recommended to work for a lady who just moved in. Her name was Celia and she did not know the way that most women treated their maids in the town, since she had never had one. Minny arrives to Celia's and she is offered something to drink and to relax and sit down. Minny was in shock when she heard that because she was never treated with respect. I was in shock to read how disrespectful the relationship is between a maid and housewife. Minnny shows Celia how the other women in the town treat blacks.

Video of Torture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jUfK5i_lQs&feature=player_embedded

#6Prisoner with Mental Illness Lock in Solitary Filth in Private Jail

http://solitarywatch.com/2011/04/21/prisoner-with-mental-illness-lives-in-solitary-filth-in-private-jail/

Prisoners of solitary confinement are on strict lock down during the times they are in cell blocks and on warnings. Even though they are unable to do most activities and have communication with anyone they still need to be fed,showered, and  daily exercise/ sunlight. It is inhuman to have a human in a dark cell block for months on end even if the prisoner does not want to move. Being in solitary confinement does not mean they have the right to choose to sit in the cell block because if they were in a normal regulated prison cell they would still be forced to shower and not ignored. The guards began to ignore Frank Horton at a privately run Nashville jail where he was denied health care, no showering, exercise, or leave his cell for nine months.Frank had been convicted on drug charges and was arrested and hailed on a nonviolent parole violation. His papers showed a history of mental illness including probable schizophrenia. He was put in solitary confinement after a fight with his inmate after his inmate said Frank was "hearing voices" and thought people were "trying to kill him". After time in solitary confinement Frank refused to leave his cell and the guards did not mind it. The guards would, "...go to Frank’s door, look in on Frank, Fran, you all right?…But, you know, at that point, I think as long as Frank moved, they kept moving; as long as he was living and breathing in that cell, they kept moving." For 9 months Frank struggled with his mental state and could not remain stable. The guards were unable to give him the attention and care he needed. He was let to suffer until  CCA employee Patrick Perry blew the whistle on his employer by reporting Horton’s conditions to the Metro Nashville Health Department, records show. Perry, according to the documents, was fired the same day. It sad to know only one man was willing to stick up for Frank and to know when a human being is being tortured by a mental illness that is eating them alive. The fact the Perry was fired is horrible because what he did was the right thing. Franks family continues to fight for him and his mental illness.

#5 Report Documents Abuse in Pennsylvania Prison's Lockdown Unit

http://solitarywatch.com/2011/04/26/report-documents-abuse-in-pennsylvania-prisons-lockdown-unit/#comment-2027

Solitary Confinement is forced upon prisoners who have done wrong and have disobeyed orders while in prison. Solitary Confinement was meant for those who need a harsher punishment to behave while in prison. It was not meant for those who have made minor mistakes because Solitary Confinement is a horrifying place. If an inmate is told they will be put in solitary confinement  the prisoner can file a grievance which can over turn the solitary confinement order. Filing a grievance seems as if the prisoners have a chance to tell their side of the story but according to Department of Correction records, "97.89 percent of the 43,853 grievances filed by prisoners [in 2008] were rejected for various reasons." This data shows that most prisoners are not taken seriously and that the guards have complete control over every situation even if they are lying. The guards are able to threaten the prisoners when they have done something minor, but the truth of these situations will never come out because  filing a grievance means nothing in the prisons since the system will ignore the situation.Prisoners who file grievances, which is protesting their living conditions and filing complaints results in the guards retaliating. "The HRC report provides several examples, including withholding food, water, showers, and mattresses as well as forced cell extractions and the use of pepper spray and restraint chairs. It calls retaliation the lynchpin holding together the culture of terror in the solitary units at Huntingdon, as it involves the targeted application of violence and the deprivation of basic necessities with the deliberate intent of silencing protest, public exposure, and legal action." Prisoners should not be treated as if they are animals even if they have misbehaved. Guards do not have the rights to threton the prisoners after filing a grievance. The grievance should be read and taken in account for the conditions at the prion, but it does not seem to be happening instead the prisoners are being torture even more.

#4

http://solitarywatch.com/2010/12/17/the-brutality-of-supermax-confinement/

#3 Cruel and usual:US solitary confinement

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/03/201137125936219469.html

The united States hold back from the public what really is happening in prisons. Many people believe that those who murder should be murdered, but from the conditions of the prisons living in a cold cell block is as torturous as being put to death. From all ages prisons are thrown into cell blocks with no communication or physical contact besides the times guards hold the arms of a prisoner as they walk. Many prisoners have not seen sunlight or have had fresh air in years. Illness occurs as the prisons stay in solitary confinement causing them to slowly die in a cell block. Many of the prisoners have been diagnosed with mental illnesses and are not treated correctly for them. From all ages prisoners are being treated as if they do not have a second chance or cannot turn the bad days into good days. I don't understand how a society wants to grow and prosper if we are still torturing prisoners as if we haven't grown since centuries ago.Steve Bright of the Southern Center for Human Rights told a story about a 15yr old boy who was "accused, but not yet tried or convicted, of murder - who stands to spend up to two years in isolation in a Tennessee county jail because his family is too poor to afford his bond, set at $500,000. Although he had previously attempted suicide and been treated for mental illness, JP has spent his time behind bars "with no physical contact from a member of his family and no schooling".  This is one of many situations in prisons with adolescents. Prisons should not be damaging children and torturing them causing mental illness in solitary confinement. These children are not given a second chance because there punishment is so severe.Solitary confinement should not be available to not only young adults, but grown men and women as well.

Torture in U.S. Prisons #2

http://www.lookingglassnews.org/viewstory.php?storyid=913

Torture in Prisons #1

Article :Torture in US Prisons - by Stephen Lendman
http://www.opednews.com/articles/2/Torture-in-US-Prisons-by-Stephen-Lendman-101114-273.html

Torture is expected from countries around the world because they do not have the just law system as America does. America is known for treating one another as equals, but in prison that is not the case. Throughout the years prisoners have been torture, harassed, and beaten. Some inmates have died from the brutal treatment in prisons. In March 2005 Deborah Davis reported on "America's Brutal Prisons"
 . She showed the horrors of the prisoners be tortured by shock cattle prods, burned by toxic chemicals,harmed by stun guns,beaten, stripped naked, and harassed throughout jail time. Their are several videos showing the prisons being brutally beaten by the guards and sexually harassed. The videos seen throughout America tell stories of the prison inmates being torture and some till death. It was said that the sounds are "unbearable" listening to the men scream in pain hoping someone would hear them. As the article describes a horrifying story,"In some tapes, sounds are as 'unbearable' as images, a Florida prison one showing an inmate lying on a hospital examination table, guards ordering him to get into a wheelchair. 'I can't, I can't,' he shouts. 'It hurts,' after which he's Tasered on both hips, screams, but still can't get into the wheelchair.Guards force him into it, bend his legs painfully, the man shrieking in agony. His lawyer said he's mentally impaired, has a back injury, can't walk, or bend his legs without intense pain. Yet guards try to make him stand and hold a walker. 'He falls on the floor, crying in agony.' He's Tasered again, lying there out of breath and energy, just moaning." (Torture in US Prisons)The stories from prisons all over the united states are endless. The hospital trips and death numbers keep growing. America is suppose to be a free country meaning free of judgement, harm, and religion. Torture is known in third world countries and underdeveloped areas around the world.America has lowered the standards of respect for one another giving America another reason for being behind countries that are prospering. Americans kicking other Americans in the head,tasering,inhaling chemicals,brutally beaten, and many other tortures way is sickening. We might as well be considered inhuman, underdeveloped, and barbarian. Americans who torture other Americans for a joke or entertainment should be put in prison a lot the side of those they tortured.

Race in America

The issue of race has been a problem in America for centuries and continues to be an issue in the  current day. Many Americans act as they are oblivious to race discrimination even though many are witnesses,victims, or instigators. The article I read was "Trying not to raise racist kids." My first thoughts were why would someone purposely go out of their way not to? Isn't it taught in all homes that everyone is equal and skin doesn't matter. The bases of kids grow up on the simple rules to be nice to everyone and share, yet kids grow up learning to speak up and share their opinions. Raising a child to speak their voice involves adults watching their mouths. Being an adult with many children around their should not be inappropriate language, but it is difficult to pretend that all thoughts are politically correct. Adults having "hidden biases" need to help learn and grow with the child they are teaching to be open to the world.Parents need to openly talk about race and tell their kids that different races are all accepted and it is okay to talk about it. Not talking about race is worse for the child because they will only hear snippets of inappropriate and correct ways to talk about race giving them mixed messages. The next article I read was called "Behind the Scenes: Black and shopping in America." A black women tells her story about shopping with her friends dressed nicely, but were detained for suspicious of shoplifting. Police found no stolen merchandise with the women, yet the women did not receive an apology from the managers of the store of the police after being falsely accused of stealing. This is an obvious situation of discrimination and should not be tolerated. The fact that the police were not able to apologize or address the situation as it was is extremely troubling to me because police are supposed to defend and protect all those who are innocent. This event would have never happened to a white person because racism still exist today and the only way to stop it is if we address it. Black and whites need to exchange stories and speak up of incidences that they experience. Coming together and speaking out loud will help the problem of racism so it wont need to be a problem.

Mock Trial Recap and Response

In the first trial that was presented in the classroom I agreed with the juries decision because it was an exact case of sexual harassment. Elyse Roberts never had problems with her job because she was new at the office and was ready to work. Throughout the days at the office she was repeatedly harassed by her male coworker Kevin Murphy. Elyse's performance at work became a problem because she was unable to focus and keep control of the work loud. The distractions from Kevin affected her not only in the office, but outside too. She took off many sick days because she was feeling up to seeing Kevin's face and what he had to say to her. The office made her switch to a different bureau because she was unable to handle the work, but Elyse felt that this was a demotion even though there was no salary change. Kevin Murphy was a jokester in the office and was aware they he made fun of Elyse on multiple accounts. He knew it frustrated Elyse when he would make inappropriate comments and enjoyed her reactions when she would shut him down. The outcome would have been different if the defense mention sexual harassment and not just a case of demotion. 

In the second case, I agreed with the juries decision because I do not believe that this was a case of rape. Susan and David were in a relationship for many years on and off and they had sexual intercourse during  periods of their relationship. Susan admitted to enjoying David kissing her and touching her why else would she be dating someone if she did not love and care for someone. David was unable to read her mind confusing him because she was so hot and cold throughout the night. The jury was not involved in their relationship throughout the years , but I would believe that two people who are dating would talk and communicate with one another about sexual an physical acts. Susan was clearly jealous of David talking to other girls and this was the only way she could really get him back.I would like to have heard from the other side the facts and proof that she was raped she was two faced and needed to get her feelings and thoughts straight instead saying it was rape. Susan should have talked about her emotions and how she figured out she was raped and what her relationship with David is.

Connecting two this issues can be hard as of right now while in high school , but once I get into college and get a job I could experience situations like these. I believe I have learned a lot about what needs to be said and proof needs to be shown. In Deerfield High School many jokes are made throughout the days and some people get hurt, but no one usually stands up and says something Hopefully this will teach others to watch what they say because in the end it could come back to have major consequences.Every action has a consequence and every joke has truth.

State of the Union Speech

After watching The State of the Union I realized that Obama is trying to the best he can by speaking about the facts and issues that America needs to solve and conquer. America is the audience and during The State of the Union those who were there and those who watching on their TVs felt a different atmosphere than usual. The parties who were usually separated by Democrat and republican were mixed among each other. The overall mood was changed into a joining of America making sure that in the end America is one. Obama created a speech that spoke of the actions that will be accomplished to make America a better place. He spoke of the future and how together we can grow stronger and move forward. Obama believes we can make America better, but it will take time. Obama did not talk about the job market in the United States, which is a main problem today. Many hard working people of the United State have been put out of work for months and are struggling to find ways to make the money they once had. Obama should have addressed this issue more because the people in America should come first. Another important topic, education was discussed for improvement. Today many school are failing to keep up with the curriculum bring the young adults and students in America behind from the rest of the world. Other countries are growing in education and are taking the lead in many big business and technology aspects. Education is the most important thing a person can have and the fact the Americans are falling behind brings the country behind. American’s have the right to learn and should take ahold of it.

What's Going on in the World?

In Wisconsin a big question that many people are wondering what will happen if the federal government shut down? Wisconsin has taken a stand to protest what they believe is fair and equal in their state. The state is torn between democrats, republicans, students, and workers. The citizens feel that their rights and opportunities are being taken away because the limited number of the once tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs are gone. The hard working citizens have been pressured to take the pay-cuts and work just as hard without the benefits they once had. Wisconsin is one of many suffering states going through a tight money spot because the lost of jobs and benefits and strong politics came from," ...A pioneer in supporting organized labor, had set of a debate that is spreading to other states over public worker, inions and budget woes." (Union Bonds in Wisconsin Begin to Fray) The protest has taken place in Madison the capital of Wisconsin where many students and workers disagree with the proposed cuts. Many of the workers have taken on longer shifts and harder days because the money is not coming in. Watching the video "Protesters Rally Again in Madison" shows how strongly the citizens feel about their state and their once loved jobs. Many of the workers and students feel they are being pushed around if this bill passes. The citizens will do whatever is takes to makes sure that what is decided is fair and equal for all. They feel strongly about what is going on because finally they have the chance to stop what has been happening in their state. Changes in Wisconsin have been seen as negative to the citizens and need something to change. On the other side of the argument, Democrats have felt they have been the targets through all of this because they have felt they have made decisions to better the state. The Democrats were so uncomfortable that they fled the state the day of the decision making. Someone or something needs to make the decisions that will better the state for the good of the people not just the government. America is about creating equality and that is what the citizens of Wisconsin are trying to do.

"Pledged" final thoughts

"Pledged" has been a lifebchanging book for me because I have wanted to be in a sorority. after reading this book I believe that some sororities are trying to do the best they can by being fair to one another. Other sororities have done the exact opposite by picking the week sisters out and singling each other. I am nervous that I will be one of the young girls not strong enough to stand up for myself and if someone speaks about me how will I handle it. "Pledged" should be recommended to be read by not on only future sororitiy girls,but parents who are sending their girls to college.Many people can learn from this book by not only talking about the faults of sororties, but the meaning of them too.Many traditions have been passed down ,which I think is very important and has a lot of meaning behind the actions of a sorority.I enjoyed this book because it taught me a lot about college life and what to expect and avoid.

"Pledged" #5

Alpha Rho is preparing for the Greek Olympics where all sororities and fraternities are gearing up to win the challenges, intoxicated of course.The girls are extremely excited to be apart of something so historic in the Greek culture. The winners of the Greek Olympics are know to be the wild and energetics girls , which all guys are considered interested in. Many perks come from winning the Greek Olympics, which to most people don't understand because Greek life is the only thing that  matters to these young men and women.Sabrina and the girls are preparing for the games by pre-gaming and warming up with mixed drinks. It is sad to see that this is what the girls look forward to instead of the education they are receiving and the tests they need to take. A frequent question that is asked is, ' How do these girls go out every night and keep up in school?' I can barely keep up with my school work now. The co- chair on a Tuseday night before midterms bought tickets for the sisters to go to the club, "come on, we're going to the club now!" (144) The girls were studying for midterms, but the peer pressure form the older girls caused most of the young girls struggling in school to go to the club. Sabrina did not budge because she knows how to stand her ground. I hope to be like Sabrina because she doesn't let anyone walk on her. Sororities can get out of hand, but you have to know yourself to control yourself.

"Pledged" #4

 So far  "Pledged" has been one of the most interesting books I have read. All the details and stories are true and the only things that has changed are the names. There are many references to other books about sororities and facts of different houses. Tradition is a main part of how a sorority is formed and behaves and these girls are trying to stay in the lines of tradition.Amy, Caitlin, Sabrina, and Vicki are surrounded by the pressures of other girls to be apart of sacred traditions such as drinking and drugs. Many young girls today feel the pressure to be everything there Big Sister wants them to be. Risking lives should not be tradition, " In a review of twelve hundred claims against fraternities between 1987 and 1995, an insurance company discovered that alcohol was involved in 90% of all claims, whether they be falls from roofs, sexual abuse, or automobile accidents."(139) Young men and women are being harmed and the risks are becoming greater because the law is not enforcing tradition to be illegal. The sisters of the house face struggles and challenges such as not going to a party can create hostility in the house hold and cause catty fights. The sorority sisters need to look out for one another instead of egging each other on.

"Pledged" #3

The sorority is getting ready to have there homecoming next week. This is a huge deal in the Greek Life community. Fraternities and Sororities have been getting ready for this week for the past month and preparing for festivities.Before homecoming week the Fraternities must serenade the sororities by doing a song and dance. They also bring gifts to each sister of the house they have serenaded. The reason why they are going out of there way to the sororities is to be chosen by them to go to the formal. The sisters of Alpha Rho have options they can choose from to decide what fraternity they want to go with. The President has to decide who they are going with,but the house is up in arms. The sisters of the house are debating between Omega Phi, Zeta Sigma,  and Delta Lambda.Fraternities sing vulgar songs to the sisters in the house and the more inappropriate the fraternity has a better chance even the girls sing songs back, "I wear my pink pajamas in the summer when it's hot, and I wear my flannel nightie in the winter when it's not, but sometimes in the spring time and sometimes in the fall I just into the covers with nothing on at all. Don't you wish that you could be there ,don't you wish that you could be there,Don't you wish that you could be there, In the spring time and the fall, With nothing on at all, I'm sure we'd have a ball, With nothing at all." ( 42) Singing this to a fraternity house I think would be embarrassing and insulting. I would never want to be treated how these young women and men sing like. Amy, Sabrina, Caitlin, and Vicki are ready for homecoming week and prepared for the insane memories that will be formed.

"Pledged" #2

Many of my family members have been in sororities and fraternities and throughout my years I have heard many stories of pranks and parties. "Pledged" begins telling the true stories of the young girls Caitlin,Vicki,Sabrina, and Amy. These girls all have different personalities and different views of the sorority they are in. Each have different backgrounds, yet are brought together by Greek letters. One of the main problems that is talked about in sororities is what great power girls have over one another. Sororities bring out the good and evil in each girl. Many young girls form eating disorders because they feel pressured by the other girls in the house and the representation they make. Eating disorders were so relevant that is was considered a game , "It was like a competition to see who could eat the least.At dinner they would say,'All I had today was an apple,'or ' I haven't had anything.' It was surreal."(29) Reading about these young girls feeling pressured not only by other young women that are supposed to guide them and help them are torturing them and the fraternities influencing habits that are dangerous too. This book keeps surprising me with more inside details of how life of a sorority girl truly is, yet through the bad times I still want to be one.

Abortion

After viewing each website I have mixed feeling of both opinions. First the methods of abortion like partial birth I believe in inhumane and cruel. In a partial birth, the doctor inserts scissors into the back of the baby's skull and widens the wound while inserting suctions into the head sucking out the brain. Reading about this method is extremely disturbing and horrifying to know that this happens in America.The other way I am torn is how other Americans treat the doctors and nurses performing these surgeries. There job is to protect the women that are choosing the best option for their baby. The stories of harassment and cruelty towards doctors is ridiculous.This website wants people to know that there are ways to avoid this problem. They encourage those that are sexually active to use a condom and for the women to take birth-control. Many of the young women and men in America do not have the knowledge and access to birth-control, but when these websites are advertised and talked about more abortion would be less relevant in America.

Clearly every young women has thought about becoming pregnant once they are sexually active.It is always a possibility. Many young women will say they will act one way if they become pregnant, but a young girl cannot make that decision without it happening to them. Either way every women should be protected and aware of the situation. I do think that the parents of a 17 year old and younger should be aware if their daughter is having an abortion. The young women is still a young adult and is legally unable to make their own decisions. If anything were to happen to a young lady and the parents were not aware of the medical procedure being done the doctors have no right to perform on a young lady who is not an adult. The parents should be aware of what is going on with  their daughter, but should not have the final say because in the end it is the girls body and soon to be mom that has the choice.

I strongly believe that the mother of the unborn baby should have the choice to tell the father, but should not be required to. In many situations of abortion, the mother and father are unprepared to have a child. Abortions usually involve young couples without a stable job and home. Being so, there is no reason for the father should not give consent for the abortion because everything is unstable until that baby is born from the mother. The father does not have the stress of caring the baby for 9 months.The father has no stable opinion and should be decided by the mother if she wants to inform the father of the baby.

Illinois has a law that states " The provisions of any abortion procedure that falls within a broad definition a felony, unless necessary to preserve the life of a woman endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, and no other medical procedure will suffice.” This means that Illinois was going to make abortions illegal to be performed on women. How could this be possibly to those women who have been raped and victimized by men that they do not love. How can Americans want babies to suffer because the mothers are unable to feed and clothe them. This law will hopefully never be enforced in Illinois because I strongly disagree with it.The next law that is enforced by Illinois is that tax payers should not have to pay for situations they were not put in and beliefs they do not support. I believe that there should always be other options for women and that if they need a loan it should be available to them. One abortion does not add up to supporting a child.

Pledged # 1

When I first started reading "Pledged" I was extremely excited because I can't wait to go to college and join a soroity. I believe that Soroities and Fraternities are what makes colleges experiences more memorable. In the begining of the story it begins with the first day of a young hopeful girls on Bid Day at Southern Methodist University . It takes place in the month of August at State U , which is not are real school because the names and places have been changed for protection. The author Alexandra Robbins  describes the scene of the large room filled with hundreds of girls as overwhelming with emotion because in the next few minutes a young girls life will be changed forever by the Greek Letters and colors she represents.Alexandra follows four young girls for a whole year , which is amazing she is able to get this chance because these young girls are risking everything just to show the true life of a soroity girl and how hard and insane it truely is. Alexandra chose 4 girls that are well respected being 2 sophomores and two seniors, one being an officer. "Pledged" starts with the type of girls I expect to be in a soroity and the stories I thought I would hear. As it progresses there are drastic changes and events that I thought would be rumors.

Tucson shooting

 The Tucson shooting has been on the news constantly for the past 2 days. CNN has repeated the 911 calls of the witnesses and update the statuses of the victims that are injured. The shooter was a young man who had been removed from school because his uneasy personality and his threatening behavior. Jared Lee the killer had been notorious for his cold behaviors and was repeatedly punished for his actions. Many of his class mate and teachers weren't surprised that he was the one who was shooting. My question is how could someone like this not be put into a mental hospital from before. He had been in multiple situations where he should have been admitted to a hospital. When the Court case begins his lawyer will most likely suggest he needs to be put away in a hospital where he can become sane. When the Case begins I can't wait to know the verdict of this horrible tragedy.