"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.

Death Penalty Information #3

The aspects of the stages in a capital case are designed to protect the rights of the accused can be in the pre-trail . First the evidence that is gathered must relate and to the criminal. The photographs of an individual who have committed crimes in the past are shown to an eyewitness and even though a criminal from the past might have no connection to the crime in process he can still become a suspect.There needs to be enough evidence to prosecute a criminal. Many times suspects do not have any involvement in the case , but because there pictures were shown by police as being criminals it seems that many eyewitnesses would point and pick a few. Having evidence in a case is most important , but what happens when there is not enough and accusations are made. Many people suffer by wrongful accusations which is why the system is insufficient to guarantee that only the guilty are convicted. I do not doubt that there are innocent people in jail today.


After reading all the methods of executions the most humane one was lethal Injection because the only pain that could be caused was the misplacement of the needle. The death occurs silently and when the person is unconscious is when they go into cardiac arrest. Yes I think that hanging and electrocution should be considered as cruel and unusual punishment because the reactions to how the body can go into a seizure like function is disturbing. The electrocution is literally cooking a person from inside out this method bothers me the most because it has a smell and a reaction. Hanging is was appropriate during 1890's and I wish I could say that we have advanced from that , but Delaware and Washington still have this as a method of use. There are so many rules and regulations that need to be followed for a hanging. Most likely the people who are preparing it will not have the exact measurements and orders. If the directions of the hanging are not followed then the criminal will feel pain and can go into a seizure like function.


From the first map that I saw which was Executions and death row inmates by state it classified the inmates sadly by what really matters to Americans. The key at the bottom is labeled by ethnicity,gender, and age. It was amazing to see how there is an over population of Asians and barely any of them are on death row! I feel that in many parts of China they are not as advanced they do not seek to violence and crime. Black and whites are mostly in death row or have been executed, which does not surprise me. The gender that is most common on death row and that has been executed in mostly males. Very few women have ever been on death row.Looking state by state the data shows that many states that have the death penalty using lethal injection.Many states have tried other methods of the death penalty such as hanging and electrocution.There are very few states that do not have the death penalty.In the southern states such as Mississippi they have a Choice between lethal injection or lethal gas if the inmate was sentenced before 7/1/84. In South Carolina and Virginia they have a Inmate choice of lethal injection or electrocution. Depending on the location of the state the death penalty varies in the method of dieing. In many states it varies on what race the criminal is and if they are male or female. Society has certain characteristics they classify a criminal and depending on the location it can vary. Justice can rarely be given to those who have a profile of a certain race,age, and gender. States can say they are equal and fair to all who walk into a Court room, but data doesn't lie.


My response is influenced more on how judgmental Americans truly are. The Court prosecutes people not only on the evidence , but what color skin they have and where they come from. Each state varies in how many Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics there are on death row.The death penalty is a waste of money and tax payers should not be putting their money into something that rarely happens and can drag on for many years. In 2009 the police chiefs also considered the death penalty the least efficient use of taxpayers’ money. Race was the first thing that I saw when deciding the death penalty for a person. Race has a such a strong influence on society even though America is supposed to be equal for everyone. The Courts still punish one another for being who they are. Whites and Blacks are the main race of death row inmates. Hispanics are very low in numbers and Asians barely exist in death row. The public took a poll in 2006 and found that overall support of the death penalty was 65% (down from 80% in 1994). The same poll revealed that when respondents are given the choice of life without parole as an alternate sentencing option, more choose life without parole 48% than the death penalty 47%. The point of view that the Death Penalty Information Center has is that the death penalty is unfair in many states. There is no right why to kill a person and the Courts have faults in them. I think a lot of this information makes people more aware of what they are paying for and how these inmates are being treated. It gives a lot of important facts that myself and others can think about every time another person is put on death row. I think that this is a very important website and should be shared with those who argue if the death penalty is just. Data does not lie it gives the truth ,which is what the Courts should be doing too.

Death Penalty

I do not believe in the death penalty because a human should not be able to take away someones life. If someone has killed what lesson is being taught by killing another person. Clifford Boggess killed two people and by killing him how is that punishing him. Boggess was born into a troubled house hold having a mother who was an addicted and him having an unstable living arrangement. Boggess witnessed as a young child physical and mental abuse. He was surrounded by conditions that were not suitable for a child. Being at a young age habits and characters form that have stayed with him throughout his adult years. I do believe people can change because as time goes on knowledge is gained. Life is about giving people chances and growing to be a better person we must accept those who put forth an effort to change a life. I do not believe Boggess has fully changed into a better person. He is immature when speaking to the interviewer by jumping around certain questions and not focusing on the main points. Boggess know what he did was wrong and can speak about it ,but it does not mean that he is fully understanding that he is mentally unstable.Boggess life as a Christian seems to have the main beliefs. The bible can only give so many guidelines and stories. To be a true Christian he needs to act the way Jesus would act. Jesus made mistakes , but he still knew when certain situations were truly discouraging. Throughout Boggess art the painting and drawings have changed as he has grown with the bible. He went from dark painting to a softer paintings. Boggess is not the same person as he once was , but that does not mean he is healed from his sins. The families that were affected by Boggess murders could feel closure by knowing this man is dead and is not able to harm anyone else. The feeling that Boggess is alive can haunt a family knowing that his mind is still wondering through his disgusting thoughts. Boggess can read, write, draw, and talk with others because he is alive which can be considered unfair to the victims' families. Justice will never be fully served because of another mans death. The death Penalty takes another life and doesnot bring one back.