Anchor Babies

     In my critical thinking class we had to participate in a debate with a fellow classmate.  My partner and I chose anchor babies.  Before this selection I have never heard of the term so I knew I was in for a treat.  For those of you who are in the same position that I was previously in an anchor baby is a baby who was born in the United States by an illegal immigrant.  Since the baby is born in the U.S. they automatically become a citizen.  As they grow older some use their citizenship to their advantage and put in a request that their family joins them in the U.S. That is where the term "anchor" comes in, they pull in more immigrants into the country the legal way.  Unsurprisingly, that causes a big fuss in the U.S. 
     In a Time magazine article one of the House of Representatives introduced a bill to exclude anchor babies from the 14th amendment which states : 

SECTION 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

SECTION 2.

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state.

SECTION 3.

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

SECTION 4.

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

SECTION 5.

The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

   Excluding anchor babies from the 14th amendment is basically trying to prevent their citizenship if they were born here.  It is also said that they should not gain the same type of benefits that a U.S. citizen has. In another article from CNN they stress that the legal children of these immigrants have access to public and social services that our society provides.  They feel as if we are rewarding these immigrants by granting their child citizenship even though they have broken the law and illegally entered our country.  

     I am at a complete understanding as to where all of these legislators are coming from.  It is a touchy situation for many people, but it is also an important one.  But everything is simple.  If you were born here you are a citizen, it has been a common law from the beginning of the American nation.  Even if we were to alter the 14th amendment so that anchor babies would not become legal, a whole new group of problems will arise.  There will be arguments that fetuses are people under the 14th amendment which will cause even more abortion and speech issues.

    As far as anchor babies receiving benefits as an U.S. citizen, they are entitled to it.  There are plenty of immigrants out there working and paying taxes and not receiving anything back.  The children are just getting what their parents deserve.  
Honestly, a lot of congressmen and senators are realizing the increase of Latinos.  They know that once these children gain the right to vote they will be able to vote their oppressors out of office. 

    

Black in America

    I really really really tried not to focus on race throughout my blog.  I am not saying that it is not a big factor when it comes the justice system, I just did not want it to be my main focus.  Unfortunately, it is something that cannot be avoided.  Most of the scenarios that I came across dealt with African Americans.
     AWashington Times article displays some statistics about the minorities in prison throughout the last couple of years.  It is said that sentencing has become "more certain and predictable".  It has also been reported that the "gap between sentences for blacks and whites widened".
    A Final Call articles titles itself, America's New Slavery: Black Men in Prison. The title itself sums it all up without any explanation.  The majority of  inmates today are Black and Latino.  There are even people who buy finance on the prison stock market.  Money is being made by keeping people enslaved.  It is said that the "majority of prison costs support guard unions and pay enormous base and overtime salaries of prison guards and other staff."
    Overall, we are not dealing with a fair justice system.  There are way to many discrepancies that take place in our system.  The bigger question is how do we fix them?

Six and in Handcuffs

   On April 13th the unbelievable happened.  A six year old girl who goes by the name Salecia Johnson was arrested at school.  According to school officials Salecia had a temper tantrum in class so the police were called.  Out of all the things to do, such as calling her parents, the police were called.
    Little Salecia was not only handcuffed but she was charged with battery.  She was in police custody for a hour before her parents found out anything. Although her charges were dropped, Salecia still has an arrest record.  
    Her mother is stressing due to the fact that the whole situation has traumatized her daughter. She has started a petition demanding that the arrest record is removed from her daughters name.  The petition also requires that the elementary school should stop involving police in school discipline.
    To sign the petition please visit : http://www.change.org/petitions/justice-in-the-handcuffing-and-arrest-of-6-year-old-salecia-johnson#
    Personally, if this was my child I would be furious.  I can understand arresting a teenager for misconduct, but a child under the age of 10? That is ridiculous.

Still no freedom

      Imagine yourself being released from jail after a period of 20 years.  The first thing that comes to mind is where to go?  Will people remember you?  Does everything still work the same?  With all these questions rummaging through your mind, you know first things first, you need to find a job.
      Interview number one does not go so well, you are nervous, you are just getting back out there, no worries.  Interviews number two through four are satisfactory, but number six is perfect.  Perfect job, perfect benefits, and you fit the qualifications perfectly. Uh-oh there goes that background check and your prison record pops up! One problem you were found innocent. Why is this falsified record still appearing?
      Kerry Cook spent twenty two years of his life on death row for a murder that he did not commit.  He was accused of the death and rape of a 21 year old woman.  After four trials he was found innocent in 1999, yet he is still listed as a murderer in the state of Texas.  It is now the year of 2012, mathematically speaking Mr.Cook was released 13 years ago.  He is still suffering.  He is unable to get a job or sign leases.  He suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after being raped in prison. It is like he never left prison.
       I came across a National News article that mentioned three men with similar stories to Kerrys'.  What I found interesting is that there is an Innocence project that compensates you monetarily for the time you spent in prison.  For example, Mr.Taylor, a man who suffered in prison even though he was innocent,"can collect the maximum amount allowed under North Carolina law, $750,000, for his 17 years in prison." Although this is in consideration of those who suffered, it still does not fix things.  No amount of money can remove the post traumatic stress that Kerry is experiencing. I am not discrediting the program but it is not even in full effect.  There are 23 states who do not offer compensation.
       Yes, they help you get on your feet and even at times provide job training, but what happens when you get to that job?  If hired, you are stereotyped, treated awkwardly by your co-workers.  If not hired, you are still stereotyped, no one wants to hire a felon.
       According to www.innocenceproject.org, in 2007  "The Texas Senate Committee on Criminal Justice approved bills that would significantly improve the state's justice system. The bills, introduced by Senator Rodney Ellis (the chairman of the Innocence Project Board of Directors), would create an innocence commission, improve eyewitness identification procedures and increase compensation for the wrongly convicted."

      All that is wonderful, there is still no mention of clearing their record.  I understand that after criminals are released they are still listed as a felon, as they should be.  But it is not fair for someone to suffer for something they did not do.  The majority of Kerry's life was already taken away, the least that can be done is provide him with a fresh slate.

Stand your ground law only protects Zimmerman

   These past couple of days I have came across some people who are baffled that George Zimmerman has been released on bail.  As you know he claimed self-defense in the Trayvon Martin case, he is now awaiting his second trial. After witnessing this case for the past two years I wondered how many other people got away with this "stand-your-ground" law.
    Marissa Alexander, a victim of domestic violence, claimed self-defense fighting for her life from her abusive husband.  She is facing up to 25 years in prison for three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with no intent to harm, but the sentencing will not take place until April 30th.  Contrary to the Trayvon Martin case no one in this situation ended up dead.  Marissa simply shot a firearm towards the ceiling to scare her husband from attacking her.
    The blogs and websites that I have read all display a public letter written from Marissa herself. The letter explains the circumstances the day the situation happened and why she feels she deserves justice.
     Based off of what I read I personally believe that Marissa has the right to demand her freedom.  The gun that she used was registered and she had a permit.  After escaping from the grip of her husband she was able to get to the garage (where she retrieved her gun) but was not able to get out due to problems with the garage door.
    Assuming that her husband left out of the front door with his two sons she decided to slip out to the kitchen and slide through the back door. Once they crossed paths in the kitchen he viewed the gun and said "Bitch I'll kill you". In terror Marissa shot the gun in the air leaving her husband to flee with his two sons.  He called the police claiming that Marissa shot at him and his two sons. She was arrested in 2010 and has been in jail ever since.
      The thing is her husband has a history of domestic violence towards multiple women.  He has even admitted that he tried to attack her.  However, the judge on her trial did not believe that firing a gun was the right solution to self-defense. He claims that she could have exited to safety through a window or door instead of crossing paths with her husband.
     As a person fearing for your life you act on basic instincts.  Marissa did not have time to sit there and concoct a plan on exiting the house.  She had to react before she was attacked once again.
     It is funny how she was instantly taken to jail for releasing a bullet that was not even directed towards a person but it took forever for Zimmerman to be arrested for actually putting a bullet through someone. Now he is free, once again, waiting for a trial that may not even happen until next year.
     If there are confessions and proof that Marissa was attacked why isn't she free? The stand-your-ground law must not work for the minorities in Florida.

Treated like an 18 year old

                      Should children who have committed horrendous crimes be tried as an adult?

    
    Juvenile delinquents can be tried as adults in criminal court by being “transferred” to adult court from the juvenile justice system.  Upon transfer to adult court, juvenile defendants lose their legal status as minor children and become fully culpable for their behavior. If a child is convicted, they could be sentenced to juvenile detention until they reach the age of 18. Since the death penalty is a punishment for adults in some states, it does not apply to a child who was under the age of 16 when the crime occurred due to the case of Thompson v. Oklahoma. Today, over 2200 juveniles nationwide have been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.



There are five major ways that children can be prosecuted in adult court:
Judicial Waiver:
45 states allow juvenile court judges the discretion to have a youth's case tried in the adult criminal
court.
Direct File or "Prosecutorial Discretion":
15 states allow prosecutors the discretion to have a youth's case tried in the adult criminal court.
Mandatory Waiver:
15 states require juvenile court judges to automatically transfer a youth's case to adult criminal court
for certain offenses or because of the age or prior record of the offender.
Statutory Exclusion: 
29 states automatically require a youth's case to be tried in the adult court based on the age of the
youth, or the alleged crime, or both.
Age of Majority Statutes: 
Three states automatically prosecute 16 and 17 year olds as adults – Connecticut, New York, and
North Carolina.  Ten states automatically prosecute 17 year olds as adults – Georgia, Illinois,
Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas, and
Wisconsin.

A writer for the Time magazine article gives insight on both sides.
     The writer argues that children should not be sentenced as adults question whether a child is aware of their wrongdoings.  A child's prefrontal lobe is not fully developed until the age of 20. Children are unable to fully understand the consequences of their actions. 

  Those who argue that children should be tried as adults state believe children should be held responsible for their actions.  They believe that "light sentences don't teach kids the lesson they need to learn". It is also argued that children today are much more smarter at a younger age, therefore they understand violence and violent weapons.  If they know how to load and shoot a gun, they know what they are doing. 

     Those who argue that children should not be tried as adults believe that the juvenile system can help turn lives around.  A young person coming from the juvenile system will turn out way better than someone coming out of an adult facility. They feel that children also lack intelligence to even stand on trial. Most of the blame should be put on the parents of the children.  They should have not been able to obtain a deadly weapon in the first place.  The Time magazine writer also stresses that the system is full of racism. "Statistically, black juvenile offenders are far more likely to be transferred to adult courts... than their white peers who've committed comparable crimes."

In a Criminal Justice magazine article give great reasoning as to why they feel children should not be tried as adults.

     The writer of this article, Laurence Steinberg, makes it very clear on his beliefs that children should not be tried as adults.  A boy who pleaded guilty gave his understanding of what would happen if found guilty.  He simply stated, "It's like when you do something bad and your mother sends you to your room for the whole weekend."  It is a simple argument, children can commit the same crimes as adults but they cannot think like adults.  The law states that defendants in criminal cases must be "competent to stand trial".  Just like an mentally unstable person would not be able to stand trial neither should a person who has reached a developed mentality.
     The studies conducted show that many children do not understand the role of the jury and judge.  They do not know the difference between the prosecuting and defense attorneys.  And they do not understand their rights even when explained to them. Most children confess quickly thinking that there will be a reward for doing so.  
    He also obtained research that shows "60 percent of youths in the juvenile justice system, compared to 20 percent in the general population, have mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation."

   I honestly cannot make a set decision on my opinion.  Some of the cases that I have come across are so crazy that I believe children should receive a life sentence.  There are others where I believe that the child was not aware of what they were doing therefore rehabilitation would be the perfect choice.

      However, I do not condone a child entering an adult prison at a young age if tried as an adult.  Anything can happen in there, for example, sexual abuse.  A solution to that would be keeping them in the juvenile system under rehabilitation until they reach the legal age, 18, and then be transferred to a prison to finish out their full sentence.
             After thoroughly thinking about it I thought that that would be stupid as well.  Say if a 12 year old was tried as an adult and received a life sentence.  He would spend his 6 years in the juvenile system and in rehab then transferred to prison. If he did not have psychological problems before he definitely will now.  He just spent 6 years trying to get his thoughts together and become mentally stable.  Being transferred will trigger a mental breakdown.  Not only will it not be something he is used to but it is a whole new environment.
           This subject takes a toll on many people, especially the parents of these young children.  A child's environment does have a lot to do with these circumstances, which is out of their control.  Their whole upbringing and train of thought is instilled by their parents, therefore should we blame the parents?
    To check out some active court cases regarding children go to http://www.justice4juveniles.com/.

R.I.P to the Death Penalty

    Sadly , we as human beings are not perfect.  We are filled with imperfections and flaws. The thing that worries me is that we put certain human beings on a pedestal as if they can do no wrong. The people who control our justice system are human beings right? What gives them the right to judge whether a person lives or not?
    There are numerous cases where the convicted have been found innocent 10-20 years later after the incident.  After you are released you are just thrown back into the world with no type of direction and countless years spent isolated from the world.
     What if this is the case with those sentenced to death? A person will be killed based on the "evidence" presented in court while the person who is truly guilty will be roaming around freely.  I am not saying that the justice system is not doing their job but one little aspect missed can revolve the whole direction of a case.  Like I said before no one is perfect.
      Today in the U.S. 34 of the 50 states still allow the death penalty.  Those states include :

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California 
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana 
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• South Dakota 
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wyoming

     I wonder how many imperfect government officials, politicians, lawyers, judges, and police officers reside in these states?

Life without Evidence

Did Howard Morgan deserve a 40-year sentence?

     On April 5th, 2012 sixty-three year old Howard Morgan was sentenced to 40 years in prison. On February 21, 2005, early morning, he was pulled over for driving in the wrong direction on a one way street and allegedly his tail lights were not on. In conclusion he was shot 28 times , 21 times in his back and 7 times in his chest .
      According to the four police officers who shot him, John Wrigley, Eric White, Timothy Finley and Nicolas Olsen, the incident occurred like this:
     They claimed Morgan pulled out his gun and began firing to resist arrest. Officer Finley spotted that Morgan had a gun and yelled "gun" to he remaining 3 officers.   It is said that Morgan shot 17 times and the officers had no choice but to shoot back.
       Facts that do not support this claim :

• Why would Howard Morgan fear being arrested if he was just driving on the wrong street and did not have lights on? At the most that it would just be a ticket, right?
• Being that Mr. Morgan was a cop, I am pretty sure he was aware of the consequences that would take place if shooting at another cop.
• Howard was just leaving his job and was minutes away from home. What would cause him to act in such a manner and decide to start shooting cops?
• There were 4 cops, Howard's basic instinct before shooting obviously knew he was not going to leave out of that situation alive. 
• The one and only eyewitness seen something totally different. Charice Rush claimed  she saw police snatch Morgan out of his car, push him to the ground, and shoot him. 

      Fortunately Howard Morgan lived to tell his side of the story, despite being shot 28 times. His version of the story had a different type of twist to it:

          Once he was pulled over he claims he was ordered out of the car and was searched.  During the search his holstered gun was spotted and a cop yelled "Gun" and from there on he was an open target. He explained that he had no time to produce his police identification.

          Facts about this claim:

• Howard was a former Chicago police officer and at the time was a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad police man so he was authorized to carry the gun that he had.
• Howard was never tested for gun residue to prove that he shot at police officers, so is there something to hide?
• The one eye witness statement that supported Morgan's side of the story was said to be influenced by the state attorney who solicited the police report . 

        Nothing at all adds up in this case. Does this man really deserve to spend the rest of his life in prison?

KONY2012, bringing justice or leading a gimmick: part two

   As you recall I mentioned in a previous post that some people questioned whether or not the money they sent to the Invisible Children organization was actually going towards the cause.  Funny thing is I came across something else. It isn't recent but it is a video from 2010 when the organization received a grant in the total of one million dollars. You can watch the video here .
    It basically displays one of the executives of the organization joking about how he is going to keep $900,000 to himself while drinking a bottle of Vodka.  I understand being happy about the fact that you have gained the funds to support your cause and wanting to celebrate, however in this situation it was the wrong joke to say.  There are people willingly sending their hard earned money to help your cause and this just creates more doubt.  What if they did decide to pocket some of it? Just do research before you decide to send your money out!
     It was later reported that the Vodka bottle he was drinking out of was filled with water! -____-

Incarceration vs. Education

Incarceration

• America has the highest incarceration rate in the world
• 1 out of 100 adults are in prison
• The U.S. incarcerates 5 times the world average
• Once released from prison, 2 out of 3 are rearrested within a year
• In 1982 state prison budget was 9 billion
• In 2009 state prison budget exceeds 60 billion
• Crime rates in America have been dropping for the last 15 years, while budget spending has increased steadily
• The U.S. spends 6 times more money on prisons than education
• California in 2006 spent 8,000 dollars on one student in the Oakland School district
• California in 2006 spent 216,000 dollars on one juvenile inmate.
• Over the course of the last 20 years, the amount of money spent on prisons increased by 570%, while the money spent on education increased by only 33%
• Over 75% of inmates are illiterate at a 12th grade reading level
• Less than 20% of inmates have their high school diploma.

Education

• 48% of U.S. schools are reporting budget cuts around 10%
• 30% of U.S. schools are reporting budget cuts between 11% and 25%
• Due to extreme budget cuts students are being asked to bring in more school supplies then ever.  For example, in Moody, Alabama students are made to bring in toilet paper, paper towels, and liquid soap.
• Due to extreme budget cuts Hawaii will not have classes on Fridays
• In Arizona funding for a full-day kindergarten has been eliminated 
• In 2005 over 24,000 public schools did not meet the federal requirement for adequate yearly progress 
• In 2007 1,000 of California's 9,500 schools are labeled failures
• 68% of eighth graders cant read at their grade level and statistics say they will never catch up
• 1.2 million students drop out of high school each year

One question : WHY are we experiencing budget cuts ????

Source: https://sites.google.com/site/educationvsprisoninamerica/facts-about-america-s-prison-sytem

Iced Tea and Skittles

   The Trayvon Martin case has landed itself in the "most skeptical" category. Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old African American male who was visiting a relative in a gated community in Sanford, Florida.  On February 26,2012 the neighborhood watch captain of the gated community, George Zimmerman, placed a 911 call to report a "real suspicious guy" (you can listen here).
    Despite the police orders to not follow Trayvon , Zimmerman did so anyways. The only solid fact that we know is that Trayvon was shot and killed.  There are two different versions on how it got to that point.
    The facts are that a 28 year old man shot a 17 year old boy (who only had an iced tea, skittles, and his cell phone) and is still free. When police arrived at the scene Zimmerman plead self-defense and was not arrested because of Floridas stand-your-ground law which states: a person may use deadly force in self-defense when there is a reasonable belief of a threat, without an obligation to retreat first. According to the New York times, " The announcement of the federal investigation came after protests that the Sanford Police Department had mishandled the case.  In particular, the Sanford police chief, Bill Lee Jr., was heavily criticized, leading him to announce on March 22 that he would temporarily step down, saying that he had become a distraction to the investigation."
   The stand-your-ground law is understandable, that is their law. Unfortunately, there was no attempt in trying to identify the dead body but there was a toxicology held. The body was actually placed in the morgue for 3 days until a missing persons report was filed.
    There are many different versions of how this story played out.
The initial thought process that consumed everyone's head is that once Zimmerman ignored police orders to not follow the suspicious guy, Trayvon was aware he was being followed. Reports say he was on the phone with his girlfriend informing her of the circumstances and she told him to run. You can hear her story on ABC News here.  When Zimmerman reached him, Trayvon asked "Why are you following me?" Zimmerman replied with a "What are you doing here?"  The phone call was disconnected by that time.  There was also a 911 phone call placed by a nearby resident. In the background of her call you could hear someone screaming help repeatedly.  The screams stopped when a gunshot went off. You are able to listen to the screams here. When questioned about what happened Zimmerman just brushed the residents off and told them to call the police.

Trayvon Martin's lawyers

    On the flip side Zimmerman's family and lawyer said that is not what took place.  It is said that those cries for help on the tape were actually Zimmerman's. His lawyer said Trayvon managed to get on top of Zimmerman and was brutally beating him.Please note that it is said that Trayvon Martin weighed 140 pounds and George Zimmerman weighs 250.  His lawyer said that Zimmerman suffered from a broken nose and a gash on the back of his neck and shooting Trayvon was his only option.  Yet there has been another video released showing Zimmerman at the police station with NO BLOOD PRESENT. check it out here
   Many people are making this a racial thing.  A White/Hispanic man sees a Black boy with a hoodie on so he must be up to no good.  Zimmerman's father counter argued with that claiming that George and his wife mentored two Black children for free so there is no way possible that he is racist. Trayvon's records were even brought up saying that he was suspended from school because of marijuana.  What does that have to do with him getting shot?  http://www.huffingtonpost.com  quotes President Obama, who says, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon."
     Whether it was racial or not George Zimmerman belongs in prison, lets hope justice comes up to par.

Why Justice: Troy Davis

     The Troy Davis case was a case that really opened my eyes to the justice system. In 1991 Troy Anthony Davis was convicted for the murder of an off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail.  He was sentenced to death.
     There has been no DNA evidence linking Davis to the crime.  Although there were nine different witnesses who placed Davis at the scene of the crime seven of them recanted their statements, many claiming police intimidation.  One of the witnesses was originally a suspect and several people claimed that he bragged about killing MacPhail.  There was only one witness who remained consistent with their story.  The crazy thing is that the murder weapon that Davis allegedly used was never found. 
     Davis was scheduled to die September 21, 201. Throughout the twenty years he spent in prison Davis still claimed his innocence.  He tried to get granted clemency and even offered to take a lie detector test but the board denied it still sticking to the set date for his execution.
     I still remember September 21,2011.  I seen over a thousand people protesting in front of the Georgia prison in order to stop the execution.  He was set to be killed at 7 pm that night but it was postponed. 
    It was postponed because the Supreme Court reviewed his petition.  After deliberating for two hours they denied it and his execution was back on.  Everything at this moment was filmed live on television so you can tell that a lot of protesters were discouraged because it was as if all their hard work did nothing. There were petitions signed with over a million signatures, celebrities and big organizations involved, everything that they could possibly do was done but nothing worked.  The execution began at 10:53. His last words consisted of: 

" Well first of all I'd like to address the MacPhail family. I'd like to let you all know, despite the situation -- I know all of you are still convinced that I'm the person that killed your father, your son and your brother, but I am innocent. The incident that happened that night was not my fault. I did not have a gun that night. I did not shoot your family member.  But I am so sorry for your loss. I really am -- sincerely.  All I can ask is that each of you look deeper into this case, so that you really will finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends that you all continue to pray, that you all continue to forgive. Continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on all of your souls. God bless you all."


Troy Davis was announced dead at 11:08 pm.
       The thing is even if this man was not innocent, is it right to kill someone for killing someone? That goes hand in hand with the saying " an eye for an eye will leave everybody blind". There were way to many loopholes in the evidence to give Georgia the right to take a life. There are numerous cases out there similar to this, all we can do is to keep shouting until our voices are heard.
     

Why Justice?

          Someone in class yesterday asked why I chose to do my blog on the justice system.  I was kind of appalled because I could not really answer that question.  I would not say I have a passion for justice, but more like a  deep interest.  Law and Order, Special Victims Unit to be specific, sparked that interest.  When I used to come across crime television shows I turned the channel without a second thought.  Honestly I only  began watching them because my older sister would, it was kind of a forced situation.  Each show I watched the more interested I became. 

          As a viewer of the show you are able to see the whole story and see the truth in what is really happening.  So when I saw episodes of innocent people being convicted or guilty people being let free i thought to myself, "wow, our justice system really sucks."  There are so many loops and ways around the law its crazy! For example, the movie Law Abiding Citizen.  I was just in awe and became very curious to find out more. 

         In addition to being intrigued by what I seen on television I was able to take a couple of field trips to the Compton courthouse in high school.  There we were able to have discussions with different judges about their experiences, we witnessed some murder cases, and we sat through a couple of boring things.  The thing is, I could kind of see myself in that environment, maybe not necessarily a lawyer but somewhere along those lines.  

         Besides the television shows and court visits what really gained my attention were the court cases that were being made public.  For example the Casey Anthony case.  Her verdict did not make any sense to me and for a moment I started to question my own intelligence.  Not to long after that case, there was a case that was very public that dealt with a man named Troy Davis.  His outcome did not sit very well with me.  So to answer my classmates question, I chose to focus around the justice system in order to increase my knowledge of what is going on around me as well as to inform others if they are not already aware. 

How far have women really come?

       As a college student you hear so much about life after graduation.  You worry about whether or not you will obtain a job, but most of all how you will pay off the student loans you owe.  This has crossed my mind numerous times and because I am the type of person who likes to be prepared for what my future upholds.  A solution that I came up with is to join either the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, etc. In my head my plan was ideal.  Serve my four years and then come out and let the government pay for me to earn my degree.  I would be gaining experience too! Everything seemed so perfect.

        Tonight I came across a video that struck a nerve. PFC Lavena Johnson was pronounced dead in July of 2005.  The military declared it as a suicide but according to a story published by David Zucchino in the LA Times,"There was no suicide note, no recovered bullet and no significant gunshot residue on her hands. But the Army cited fellow soldiers' reports that she was depressed and has spoken of killing herself."  What raised eyebrows is when her father requested a disc that contained close up photos of the body and other material regarding the autopsy and they denied him.  As a father he became suspicious and knew he had to look deeper into the situation.  Once he filed a Freedom of Information Act request it was released to him and what he found was horrible.  The LA Times says,

    "Johnson maintains that his daughter was raped and killed, and that her death scene was staged to make it appear as if she shot herself.  He accuses the Army of covering up for a killer or killers to conceal a soldier-on-soldier slaying, explaining that military personnel would have had unrestricted access to the area where his daughter died and therefore would not have attracted undue attention. If Lavena's death were investigated as a homicide, Johnson added, it would raise questions about base security and discourage women from enlisting." 

        With something like this occurring and with so much conflicting evidence you would think that this case would be jumped upon. But it wasn't.  According to militarycorruption.com, "An Army spokesperson, LTC Anne Edgecomb, arrogantly sniffed that the Johnson case "has been thoroughly investigated by the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and is considered CLOSED.""  How are we as women supposed to feel?  We go into the Army with the thought process that we are doing something good for our country and if anything we will be free from a horrific violence such as rape.  That is just the last place you would think that something like that would occur.  Where are we really safe? Obviously not under our government!

        PFC Lavena Johnsons parents were not the only ones who encountered such a problem.  The LA times says, 

  "Of the 115 female service member deaths in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, 16 have been ruled suicides.Overall, 205 of the 4,868 military deaths in those wars through Jan. 31 were ruled suicides. The 128 reported Army suicides in 2008 were the most in one year since the Pentagon began keeping track of suicides in 1980."

I know one thing is for sure. This is definitely giving me second thoughts about what I want to do with my future! Check out the video I viewed below.

KONY2012, bringing justice or leading a gimmick?

          If you stay active on the popular social networks these days I am pretty sure you have came across the Stop Kony movement.  Joseph Kony is said to be in charge of the LRA, the Lord's Resistance Army, causing chaos in Uganda for the past twenty-eight years.  An organization called Invisible Children state that Kony has kidnapped 30,000 children forcing them to join his army along with other treacherous things such as killing their parents and participating in rape.  Some people are describing this Kony character as a modern day Hitler.  I know you are probably wondering why it is such a big fuss now if this has been going on for so long.  The Invisible Children organization says,

  "The LRA has not been active in Uganda since 2006, but they are    currently carrying out attacks in DR Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan.1,012 people have been murdered and 2,224 people abducted since 1 December 2009.45 people were abducted in February 2012."

         
  The Invisible Children organization claim they have known about this for a while now but our United States government does not want anything to do with it.  They composed a video of the steps they have been taking to get Kony and how they have been trying to get our government involved.  If you have not viewed the video you can see it here:  http://www.invisiblechildren.com/  .  Their whole goal is to gain awareness and "Make Kony famous".  Visiting the site you are also able to sign a pledge and order an action kit for thirty dollars.  The action kit consists of two bracelets and posters for the national awareness day which is April 20th 2012.
            There are so many skeptical things going on with this whole campaign.  When the video first aired it appealed to the emotions of a lot of people so there was a lot donations sent and a lot of kits ordered.  The money is said to be needed so that the Ugandan Army will have the right technology to find Kony.  That is where some criticism comes in.  People are curios as to why it is taking so much to find one man.  Reports have said that Invisible Children is one organization that refuses to have their organization funds audited.  It is also said that only 31% of the donations they are receiving are actually going towards the cause, the rest going towards traveling fees and the productions.

A survivor of Kony's brutal assault

          Personally I'm all in for the cause that they are going for but do I think our government is going to make it a main priority? NO! The thing about America is that as long as it is not beneficial to us we will not get involved. I read a blog written by Chris Blattman on his thoughts concerning the whole Kony situation.  He simply stated that,"Whats new and amazing is that, with the direction that coverage has taken, the average high school activist, donor and Congressman might just understand a little better what separates advocacy from badvocacy, and demand better in the future."  I definitely agree. I feel as if this whole movement displayed that the people of this country do have a voice and are able to get things done without being affiliated with the "superior power".  I hope this awareness can bring a solution to this epidemic because where you live definitely should not determine whether you live. 

Where is the money?

    As much hell as our economy has been going through, money is a very huge issue these days. Once I viewed this video "A Dreamer's Dream", I was in complete awe. I want to touch base on this video from 7:13 to 8:04.  
   Teachers and educators are being taken for granted. Our money is going to prisons rather than to the people who educate our up and coming generation? That is ridiculous.  Our government stresses that education is so "important" but fail to demonstrate that based on their actions. 
   If you skip and view the video at 7:46 it states "California spends $216,000 on each child in the juvenile justice system and only $8,000 on each child in Oakland public schools."  That is a $208,000 difference between those two different causes. 
    I went to the source of the video, www.justicepolicy.org, and found out even more interesting things. The website states that "In 2008, over 93,000 young people were incarcerated and states spend about $5.7 billion each year imprisoning youth, even though the majority are held for nonviolent offenses."
   What type of message is this sending to society? The children who mess up are worth more than those going down the right path? Are the people that we spend so much money to house in prisons even guilty?