Claire Zimmerman: Mental Disability Execution Debate

The death sentence is perhaps the most controversial topic discussed in our time. Over all, whether you believe in the power of execution or not, it is universally agreed upon that the mentally disabled should not be executed. Depending on the mental disability, they do not have a complete grasp over what they are doing. In Florida, there is a man, Freddie Lee Hall, who is on death row and is planned to be executed soon. I am not sure if this is a nationwide law, but in Florida they cannot execute anyone with an IQ below 70, because they fall under the category of mentally disabled. Hall has an IQ ranging from the 60's to the 70's, though it is said it mostly falls within the low 70's. Apparently multiple psychologists have stated that Hall is indeed mentally disabled, yet the state plans to continue with the execution.

I personally do not agree with this sentence. Yes, his IQ may vary. However, if it is even sometimes in the 60's range he should not be executed. Even in the 70's that is an very low IQ. The article did not state what he did, so I can only assume he is a murderer.  If his IQ was in the 60's, that is the range of mental disability. I know from personal matters how mentally handicapped people function, and often they are not capable of understanding rights and wrongs the way the "normal" person does. (I put normal in quotations because the mentally handicapped are not abnormal, strange, or anything of the sort: they just function differently, and what is wrong with that?) If this man has an IQ that low, he should be getting help and treatment, not the death penalty. The death penalty should only be a last resort measure. I mean very last resort, like Hitler. A man even on the verge of disability should not be sentenced to the worst punishment. That does not mean whatever he did was right: he should pay for what he did. But is death the only way to deal with this? People say that he will just take up more tax dollars, but it is archaic to just get rid of someone who has been named disabled by multiple psychologists for the sake of saving a few dollars. He should be getting help to understand fully that what he did was wrong.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/national/supreme-court-hears-debate-executing-mentally-disa/nd4ZN/

Getting Drunk and Boys Sam Smathers 4th

“The Dark Power of Fraternities”

By: Catlin Flanagan from The Atlantic

Commentary by: Sam Smathers 4th

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/03/the-dark-power-of-fraternities/357580/

            In short, this article talks of the intrinsic dangers of being in a fraternity. The author uses various anecdotes to give proof to her point of fraternities being dangerous such as a girl falling out of a third story window and landing on concrete because she was hooking up with a guy and turned over and fell through a window. She also talks about how there are numerous problems with drunken boys making bad choices like raping girls and exploding stuff and starting fires. Her endpoint is that fraternities are not a great idea because the cons outweigh the pros.

            My brother is in a fraternity. He is a smart guy. He is a cool guy. I like my brother. His friends are in fraternities across the nation, they are all good guys. People are going to be dumb and they are going to be dumber when they are drunk. Teenagers love to get drunk and do stupid stuff. It has to do with the chemical imbalance in our brains that makes us thirst for danger and thrills, it has to do with raging hormones, and not having parents guarding us. It has to do with wanting to indulge in everything and have a great time. You could take away fraternities, but that wouldn’t stop the parties, that wouldn’t stop the deaths. Teenagers doing dumb stuff is an intrinsic value of being a teenager if we aren’t moving at a million miles an hour it feels like we are standing still. Our parties appear to be chaos and events full of lurid horrible events, but they are just a release of being controlled for four years by helicopter parents. College kids just got released from the jail of their homes, and adults expect us not to get drunk, not to do “scandalous things”, not to try various illegal recreational activities? Don’t blame the organizations for the deaths of kids, don’t blame the drugs or the alcohol, blame the people, because if that guy that raped the girl wasn’t in a fraternity he would of done the same thing. People make choices, and arguably they are influenced by outside opinion, but for someone to do something as horrible as rape or as dumb as sticking a rocket in their butt, they would have to have had a whole lot of psychological damage to do something like that before even joining a fraternity. Putting thousands of teenagers in a small space with minimal supervision is a recipe for at least a little disaster, in some ways fraternities actually help control the disasters because at least you know where to look for chaos. And when you look at the numbers the amount of kids that go to college and come out unscathed compared to kids that die due to party related accidents is a ridiculously small amount. Fraternities create chaos in a small area at a predetermined time with predetermined events, and if a person shows up to a frat party they are responsible for what happens to them because they are the person who walked into the doors. Fraternities are a part of college life and their members are teenage boys not criminals.

McKenzie Hartmann - Increase in Colorado Birth Defects - 4th Period

Washington has been experiences a severe spike in birth defects of new born babies.  The incredibly rare disease, anencephaly: a tragic birth defect in which infants are missing parts of their brain or skulls, has been found in .00084% of infants in the area.  While this may seem like a slight impact, its significance lies in the fact that this number is four times the national average and has been steadily rising in recent years.  The first to notice the epidemic was an experienced nurse, Sara Barron, who saw an increase in the cases of the abnormal disease in her rural hospital.  She began questioning friends in other areas at other hospitals who confirmed her suspicions of a rate increase.  She brought the issue to the State Department of Health by filing a official report, but is less than satisfied with their instigation thus far.  The state has yet to question mothers affected by the tragedy, claiming it is a sensitive issue and they wish to avoid offending or forcing bad memories to resurface.  Additionally, researchers say they can gain all the information they need from medical records.  The mothers, however, have said they are willing to cooperate in any way possible to prevent another family from experiencing their unfortunate fate.  Furthermore, outside sources have said the current means of research is by no means thorough, as medical records only reveal past illness, medications and address, but reveal little about daily habits of the mothers.  Many, including nurse Barron, are becoming increasingly upset ad demanding concrete results and a serious investigation.

I find this so sad.  The circumstances warrant a thorough analysis and research to determine the cause of the increase in birth defects.  I don't understand why the state department isn't taking this more seriously, despite the vital need for answers and the growing demand of the public.  Considering the defects have largely been found in rural, farming communities, it is incredibly plausible the spike could be accredited to a certain pesticide or chemical in the crops.  However, without the proper research all of this is just speculation and there are no certain answers.  State authorities claim mothers shouldn't fear, but others feel this is a growing epidemic and mothers need to be extremely cautious of their surroundings and dietary habits.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/01/health/cohen-birth-defects/index.html?hpt=us_c2

beka canfield pd 5

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/us/troubles-at-womens-prison-test-alabama.html?_r=0


this news story is about conditions at  Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.
including 2 testimonies women whose sentences had been served or revoked, the story explains how the conditions at this women's prison are particularly horrifying. The guards at this prison often rape, beat, and harass the inmates- exchanging sex for necessities like toilet paper and new uniforms as well as for other items like drugs. This mistreatment has been going on for 18 years, without any legal implications whatsoever.


Everything about this story is devastating. It's terrible- that any prisoner would be treated like this is a disgrace. Also the prison was named after Julia Tutwiler, a woman who worked to IMPROVE life for inmates in Alabama, so that's ironic.

Carsin Ablon, 1st Period APUSH - Text of NATO's secretary-general's statement on Ukraine

An emergency NATO meeting was called NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen where Russia's involvement with the Ukrainian ongoing state of war and extreme protest. General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated that President Putting of Russia has threatened the sovereign nation and the UN alike. Russia's involvement with the Ukraine violates the UN principles and threatens the security of Europe. General Anders demands that Russia stops its military activities in order for Russia to not disturb the UN any further.

Seeing the rampaging riots in the Ukraine terrifies me. Russia's recent involvement in the warfare terrifies me even more as Russia remains a high tension military super power. Although it is much to early to begin fearing a larger scale war, Russia's violation with the UN is a serious and possibly threatening infraction. Hopefully, all pushes over sooner than later.

To read more, see: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/03/02/ukraine-crisis-rasmussen-text-idUKL6N0LZ0DT20140302

Carsin Ablon, 1st Period APUSH - Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct

Today, the West Africa black rhino, a species that has been endangered for centuries, has been declared extinct. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, the worlds largest conservation network, has been tracking the population of the rhinos as they have been on the decline due mostly to African poachers who de-horn the animals, sometimes killing them while leaving them defenseless. The announcement of the extinction has brought attention to the hunting permit for the rhino which was sold in dallas just a month ago. Although about 4000 rhinos still survive, the International Union for Conservation of Nature believes wild black rhinos will be entirely gone by 2016.

The cruelty in this article is overwhelming. On top of the poaching which contributes to an African and Asian black market, the hunting permit sold in Dallas has guaranteed that a wild species will nevertheless die out. I find it even more cruel that the lives of a rare and endangered species would be taken by rich Texans with a hobby. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, many Indian and African elephants will become extinct due to poaching as well. I do not know what kind of precautions can be taken, however I hope changes are made in order to preserve some of the worlds most beautiful animals.

To read more, see: http://science.time.com/2013/11/06/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/

Dead Mississippi man begins breathing in embalming room, coroner says Ilana Lemack

Mississippi man, Walter Williams, was declared dead Wednesday night. Coroner Dexter Howard received the call from Williams' hospice nurse, who told Howard that the 78-year-old had passed away. Howard and Byron Porter from Porter & Sons Funeral Home in Lexington drove to Williams' home to collect the body for funeral preparations. Howard checked Williams' pulse about 9 p.m. and pronounced him dead. The coroner completed his paperwork and placed Williams in a body bag, but on the way to the funeral home, the body bag moved. Once in the embalming room, the man who was supposedly dead began to kick his legs and breath. They immediately called an ambulance. Paramedics arrived and hooked Williams up to monitors. Sure enough, he had a heartbeat. The only reasonable explanation Howard could think of, Howard said, is that Williams' defibrillator, implanted beneath the skin on his chest, jump-started his heart after he was placed in the body bag.

Wow, this is some story. Is it a miracle? I don't know if i would agree with that. But i do know that it is a miracle that someone saw he was alive before it was too late. What if he was left alone during the time when he was breathing and no one saw. he could have actually died. i don't know how much longer this man will live, but wont that be a cool story for his kids/grandkids to tell people...

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/28/us/dead-man-comes-back-life/index.html?hpt=us_c2