Gay Rights Group Launches Toilet Paper Campaign Against Florida Mayor

"We are encouraging people to mail either a roll or several sheets of toilet paper to the mayor at City Hall to help him to wipe his dirty mind clean," said Brian Winfield, spokesman for Equality Florida, a gay rights organization that helped start the toilet paper protest Friday. Gay activists in Floria start toilet paper protes because Floria mayor, Naugle mocked about gay's relation in public bathroom. Howerver, the mayor doesn't have got any toilet paper yet. He received a lot of e- mails. Last year, police had arrested men who had relation in beach bathroom at the Coral Ridge Mall. Naugle comments about gays was posted in July 4 article. He said, "the toilet could prevent "homosexual activity" that has occurred at other public restrooms, and plan to buy a $250,000 self-cleaning robotic toilet for beachgoers."

I do not care about the gay thing and do not care about they are having relationsip or not, but the having relation in the public place is misdemeaner. About that gay is not a problem. We should restrict that happens in public place. But gays are also human beings so they also have human rights, so it is wrong that Florida mayor mocked about them and made them feel bad. In this case the mayor made thoughtless comments.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288715,00.html

Child pleads the right to know medical history

Does a child have equal protection under the law? Do they have the right to know the medical history of both biological parents to help ensure a healthy lifestyle? An important case exercises these questions in which Minor J, a determined Michigan youth of 17 years, seeks the identity of his birth father in order to know his genetic medical history and any predispositions to diseases.
Michigan's full disclosure adoption law requires that the medical histories of birth parents accompany the adopted child on to his or her new life. However, through a technicality, Minor J's rights apply differently. Minor J’s “parents” got divorced in 1995. In 2004, Mr. J began to doubt that the boy was his biological child, a suspicion confirmed by two separate DNA tests. Minor J asked his mother for the identity of his father. She gave another name, but three months later another DNA test determined that this man, Mr. X, was also not the biological father. Minor J, represented pro bono by nationally known family law attorney Henry Baskin of Birmingham, has filed suit against his mother. The case is now before the Michigan Court of Appeals after a Macomb County circuit judge ruled that Minor J had no legal standing to bring the suit. Michigan law ruled that since Minor J is a legitimate child, as Mr. J and Diane J were married at the time of his conception and birth, he cannot ask the courts to name another man as his father. Child support payments are no longer an issue. But something more valuable is: information, which could help Minor J or his offspring practice preventive medicine and avoid future disease.

This case gives reasonable belief to Minor J, for filing suit against his mother however the ruling of the Michigan Court of Appeals stands by its initial state law. Being that Minor J is still currently under age and that Mr. J and Diane J were married at the time of his birth, he is not entitled to question the courts to name another man as his father. Age comes with maturity and acceptance, and with that ruling I personally feel that it is a healthy way to restrict his request until he is legally 18 years of age.

Highschool Students Going to Jail for Skipping School

In Washington, there is a bill named after Rebecca Hedman called Becca Bill. This bill was enforced in 1997 and this bill jails truant youths. For example, Tam is one of hundreds of King County students who have been jailed for missing school. A few months later, Tam missed another court date and got another warrant. He tried hiding from the police but he was caught at a friend's house a few weeks later. Even after all the court appearances and detentions , he keeps skipping school still. He does not understand what is the big deal about ditching school and why the government keeps trying to help this situation by arresting him and not dropping him out of school.
I agree with Tam that punishing students by arresting them would help students. I feel that there should be other not so big-of-a-deal punishments for students that keep on ditching school.

Gay Rights Group Launches Toilet Paper Campaign Against Florida Mayor

On Monday July 9, gay rights activists have launched a campaign against Fort Lauderdale mayor concerning his comments that tend to be insulting towards gays and lesbians. The uproar started after Mayor Naugle's comments in a July 4 article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about the city's plan to buy a $250,000 self-cleaning robotic toilet for beachgoers, which could be programmed with a time limit, after which the door would fly open.
In the article, Naugle was quoted as saying the toilet could prevent "homosexual activity" that has occurred at other public restrooms. "Sometimes public restrooms are used for sexual activity, most of it is men meeting men because it's same-sex people in the bathrooms," Naugle said. Gay rights activists in the state have launched a drive to engulf the mayor with toilet paper to mock his comments.

Personally, I think that the mayor has made a very dumb decision for giving such a comment to the press. Whatever people do in the restroon no matter if they're gay or not is really none of his business as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. Now gay people are just going to be insulted for what he said which was totally unnecessary. Honestly, it is pretty nasty for people in the same gender to have sex, especially men. However, we should keep these comments to ourselves and not to insult or make fun of any specific group. I also don't agree with the plan on automatic restroom doors. What if the person needs to take longer than the time limit to take care of his business? I don't think it's such a good idea to have toilets with a time limit.

Thousands of Children Sentenced to Life without Parole

There are at least 2,225 child offenders serving life without parole (LWOP) sentences in US prisons for crimes committed before they were age 18 and 2,213 are Americans. While many of the child offenders are now adults, 16% were between 13 and 15 years old at the time they committed their crimes. An estimated 59% were sentenced to life without parole for their first-ever criminal conviction. Forty-two states currently have laws allowing childThe Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by every country except the United States and Somalia, forbids this practice, and at least 132 countries have rejected the LWOP altogether. Thirteen other countries have laws permitting the child LWOP sentence, but there are only about 12 young offenders currently serving life sentences with no possibility of parole outside of America.ren to receive life without parole sentences.
I do not think that sentencing to life without parole for children is unfair. They did not have chance to make it up and they have a lot of days to live. I hope the judge could see possibilities in them. The judges should think to help children but not killing them like they don't care.

Judge Upholds Illinois School's Ban on 'Be Happy, Not Gay' Shirt

Two Neuqua Valley High School students who had been wearing shirts reading "Be happy, Not gay," are banned from wearing them the day after The Day of Silence. This is when people refrain from speaking in order to protest the discrimination against gay people. The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund is representing Heidi Zamecnik and Alexander Nuxollin a lawsuit that claims Zamecnik's rights were violated last year when she wasn't allowed to wear the shirt in school. They stated tha the girl's rights to free speech were violated.

This is a tough subject because although it is not right to violate peoples freedom of speech, what these kids did was far more serious. I am extremely against the discrimination of homosexuals and I don't believe people should be allowed to use their rights given in the constitution in harmful manners like that one. For this reason, I agree with the Judge's ruling completely.

Tennessee First State to Require Everyone to Show ID for Beer

Tennessee requires EVERYONE to bring an ID when going into a bar. Even those who are 50 or 80 years old have to show an id. Some liquor stores are using a license scanner that verifies your age. This can actually help police catch criminals that swipe their IDs. For example, a customer used a counterfeit bill and was eventually caught because he used the ID scanner which showed his address. This new law only lasts a year unless reinstated."But once people live with it for a month or two, it's going to go fine".

I understand to ask for ID if the person is or looks underage, but if it is clearly obvious, then I don't think it should be required. Clerks have to use common sense when it comes down to liquor and underage drinking. Storeowners should check IDs if they have any doubt in their minds. As a 66 year old comments, "It's the stupidest law I ever heard of," Wilson said. "You can see I'm over 21."

The Use of Dogs for Cell Extractions in U.S. Prisons

The use of dogs to threaten and attack prisoners to facilitate cell extractions has been a well-kept secret, even in the world of corrections. The dogs used for cell extractions typically are German Shepherds or Belgian Malinois—both large breeds of dog that usually weigh well over sixty pounds and stand over two feet high. When a handler and his dog enter a cell block in connection with a possible cell extraction, the dog barks loudly and continuously, jumping up against the cell door and scratching at the window. If the prisoner continues to resist, he knows the dog will be loosed on him. Some prisoners will wrap blankets, towels, and even toilet paper around their limbs to try to protect themselves from dog bites. When the guards open the cell door, the leashed dog enters the cell first. The dog is trained to bite whatever part of the prisoner it can grasp first.
I think that using a dog as a tool to make a person to obey is not right. The prisoners would rather get bitten by a person than a dog. Do they have to bitten by the dogs whenever they resist? The dogs would probably does not know what they are doing and I do not think that they are wrong. The people who use the dogs to take advantages for them are wrong.

Couple forces girls to be prostitutes

Jorica Salinas Tep and her husband, Thanh Luong, are charged with forcing Tep's family members in prostitution. The couple took pictures of Tep's family members in lingerie and posted them on the Internet. The family members, who were a teenage girls, provided service to individuals for the exchange of money which was advertised on the website. The neighbors of the apartment complex claimed that they did noticed strange activity. Court documents showed evidence that Tep would take a man to the apartment and force the teenage girls to service him. The couple was charged $300 for every sex act.

By forcing the teenage girls to expose themselves, the couple violated the teenage girls' rights. This borders on slavery since the teenage girls had no choice but commit the immoral acts. This is a clear violation of the 13th amendment where slavery and "involuntary servitude...shall be unduly convicted." I believe the couple should have recieved a harsher punishment for exploting the teenage girls' bodies for quick cash. The girls are now scarred for life with embarassment and shame.

Man stoned to death in Iran

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-stone11jul11,1,2798859.story

For the first time in years, last week, the Iran allowed stoning someone to death for an adultery. Jafar Kiani commited adultery with Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, and both of them were sentence to daeth by stoning. Under Iran's Islamic Law, a person who commits adultery is punishable by stoning. A man is buried up to waist while a woman is buried up to neck. Then those carrying out the verdict throw stone at the verdict until they die. The international human rights group criticized this punishment as "cruel and barbaric."

I believe the stoning to death for an adultery is not right. One person doesn't deserve this much shame and punshment for an adultery. Although the Islamic law allows the stoning to death, I believe people who commit adultery shouldn't die by stoning, but he/she should have a right to be executed with less pain and less shame. Going back, whether the death penalty is reasonable for any crime should be questioned.

Banning a Late-term Abortion

The Supreme Court has just recently banned a kind of late-term abortion. This late-term abortion is rarely performed on many women because it is performed right before or during the second trimester. The problem with concern here, is the women's right to have a late-term abortion without considering a health exception. The controversy found with the courts is the right of a woman to have an abortion at anytime during her pregnancy, as well as having to consider "the health exception", which is intended to benefit the well-being of the pregnant woman. The problem in the courts is there seems to be an unconstitutionality of the abortion enactment from 2003. The government seems to be trying to hinder the right of a woman to have an abortion and this does not provide provisions which makes it unconstitutional.
In my opinion, I think that banning this law is ridiculous. People are not allowed to tell a woman if she can or cannot have her own baby. Bush's opinion and the cheif justices opinion is that they are forgetting any rights for each individual by the constitution is not to judge it as moral or immoral, but amoral. In the end, Someone having an abortion deos not effect the rest of the country, but their own morality.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/04/18/scotus.abortion/index.html

11th-hour plea for Georgia inmate's life

On Tuesday, Virginia Davis led human rights advocates to the building, which houses Georgia's Board of Pardon and Paroles. All she wants is for someone to listen to the true facts in her son's case before it's too late. This dates back to 1991 as a man named Troy Anthony Davis was convicted of the murder of a Savannah police officer. He is now scheduled to be executed next week. But many human rights activists are wanting Georgia officials to consider new evidence that might prove his innocence. This is because back at the trial, there was no physical evidence — the weapon used in the crime was never found — and the case rested on witnesses. But, the state appeals courts still have declined to hear his case."We are here because the death penalty is a runaway train," said Larry Cox, who is an executive director of Amnesty International USA and who is a supporter of Davis. "It renders a defendant virtually helpless in the face of such machinery as incompetent defense, prosecutorial misconduct, racial and class bias, and mishandled or ignored evidence."Davis' appeal lawyers also feel that the Savannah Police Department judged quickly at the day of the incident, and that Davis' trial counsel did not thoroughly investigate the state's evidence.

I feel that Virginia's rights were violated. She should have the freedom of speech to prove her son innocent, yet the court officials are declining to hear this case. If he was found guilty with the stories of witnesses and no other great evidence, it is pathetic for the court to find him guilty. The witnesses can all be lying or they may have been pressured to what they did say by the police. The mother may also have evidence that clearly shows who the murderer was and that can show what exactly happened at the incident. If the court does not see her evidence, they are killing an innocent person and they are letting the true murderer on the loose. I chose this article because I had a response to this unreasonable execution that is being put to a man. If there was no clear evidence, why are they executing him?

Protecting E-mail

On June 18th, 2007, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals of the United States ruled that federal investigators may not seize personal e-mails even with court order. The 4th amendment of the U.S. Constitution which protects citizens from unreasonable search and seizures, supports the Stored Communications Act. The Stored Communications Act grants protection of e-mails even when the government decides to violate the policy. Wishing to keep the values and long traditions of the 4th amendment, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision gives protection to new technology which involve much private communication.

I believe that the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision was reasonable to secure the 4th amendment and our right of privacy, but in some circumstances, the Stored Communications Act must have its limits. If the government suspects any threats or insecurities that may endanger citizens of the United States, they should have the right to investigate conversations with a warrant. This way, we can avoid any possible terrorist attacks in the future, and provide a safer environment for ourselves.

6 Muslim Men Arrested at Airport for Praying, Entering the Airplane Individually, and Sitting Separately.

On June 28, 2007, 6 Muslim men were arrested from a US Airways flight because of a passenger's suspicion. These men prayed their daily prayer before boarding the plane separately and once on the plane, they sat separately. A passenger passed a concern note to the flight attendant and they were soon arrested. Witnesses also claimed that some of these men asked for seatbelt extensions even though the flight attendant had thought that they didn't need them (?!).

I personally do not have a strong one-sided opinion regarding airport security. On one hand, I do want the airports to be secure and safe from terrorists and violent attacks. On the other hand, I feel like the 'airport scare' has caused a plethora of false accusations towards people, especially of the Muslim and Islamic race after 9/11. It is unfair that these 6 men were stripped of their many rights: freedom to travel, right to privacy, freedom to... board a plane and not be accused of being a terrorist?? But the passenger who reported these men may have been very insecure and just wanted to protect the wellbeing of everyone on the plane. Is it better to be safe than sorry if it ultimately limits the freedoms and rights of innocent people? All I know is that those 6 men must have felt emotionally betrayed and hurt because people had judged them not by who they are but by the associations of their appearances.

Gay Rights Violated? Or are Relgions Protecting their RIghts?

Gay reparative therapy under scrutiny

NEW YORK (AP) — The American Psychological Association next week embarks on the first review of its 10-year-old policy on counseling homosexuals, a step that homosexual-rights activists hope will end with a denunciation of any attempt by therapists to change sexual orientation.

Such efforts — often called reparative therapy or conversion therapy — are denounced as futile and harmful by many homosexual-rights activists, but conservative and church groups defend the right to offer such treatment, and say people with their viewpoint have been excluded from the review panel.

A six-member task force set up by the APA holds its first meeting Tuesday.

I believe that Relgions have the rights to offer this treatment to those who want it but others shall not be forced to do this treatment if they do not wish to.

Court Strikes Down Handgun Law

On March 9, 2007, opponents of gun control had all mark this day as the first time a federal appeals court had turned down a gun law under the grounds of the Second Amendment. The U.S Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia had concluded in a 2-to-1 decision as the majority opinion stated, “The amendment does not protect the right of militiamen to keep and bear arms, but rather the right of the people”. While supporters of gun control criticized the ruling by saying it was, “judicial activism at its worst” the opponents merely stated that “the Second Amendment of the Constitution protects an inherent, individual right to bear arms”. What the court had done was strike down a ban that kept handguns at home and disassembled. However, the right to bear arms is a controversial topic and therefore the supporters of gun control will not go down without a struggle.

I would side with the supporters of gun control, because it only takes one bullet to kill someone. One mistake, one accident, one slip-up can all lead up to death. Because this incident occurred before the Virginia Tech Massacre, I believe that people now further understand the importance of controlling these dangerous weapons. By closely controlling the bearing of arms may be consider a violation of rights, but I find a human life more important than a right.

Pizza Man Sentenced to Death for Serial Killings

In Los Angeles, an ex-pizza man was sentenced to death for the murders of ten women and a fetus. These murders have taken place through an 11 year span. In May, it was a jury that suggested the death penalty was to be used and Superior Court Judge William R. Pounders agreed to this idea. The ten women that were murdered were also reported to be prostitutes.

In my opinion, the man should have just been sentenced to life in prison. The court shouldn't have the right to take away a man's life. Hence in the Constitution, it is stated that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And also in the Bill of Rights, it states that everyone has to right to not get cruel and unusual punishment, and death does count as that.

Lawsuit: Farmworkers' Rights Violated

South Jersey city recently fined a farmworkers' group $1,500 for having an immigrant right rally. Now the constitutionality of this fine is being disputed as representatives of the farmworkers claim that the fine is a "user's tax on free speech [which] is unconstitutional". Additionally, the farmworkers claim that the "imposition of these fees will mean that only the wealthy will be afforded the right to speak out on issues".

I completely agree with the farmworkers in that the fine is unconstitutional. Amendment I of the Bill of Rights specifically states that the government cannot establish a law that can prohibit the "right of the people peaceably to assemble, and [their right] to petition the government for a redress of grievances ". And in my opinion, a fine or tax imposed upon a rally is a flagrant attempt to prohibit this right and therefore contradicts the constitution.

Bill Talen was arrested on harassment charges last week while reciting the First Amendment through a megaphone in Manhattan's Union SquareThe NYPD has aggressively policed the rides, arguing that they can interfere with traffic and threaten public safety. Advocates for Critical Mass have accused police of infringing on the riders' constitutional rights to free speech and free assembly.The video shows Talen preaching the "44 beautiful words of the First Amendment" to a visibly annoyed congregation of police commanders huddled a few feet away. At one point, an officer approaches and warns him that his sermon is breaking the law."What's the law?" Talen asks."Harassment," the officer answers.When Talen persists, another officer comes up behind him and slaps on handcuffs. When being put in a police van, the satirist shouts, "We have a right to peaceful assembly!"Talen was held overnight before being released without bail. A criminal complaint alleges he harassed police officers by approaching them and "repeatedly shouting at such officers through a non-electric bullhorn."

I think that the police had no reason to aresst bill because he did not violate anything. he had the right to peacefull assembly and free speech. Bill did not even harasse the police man.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/02/AR2007070201876.html?sub=new

Polygamist Claims His Rights Have Been Violated

A man from Utah named Gene Lee Cook is suing for his right to have many wives. Cook believes that his constitutional rights to privacy and intimate expression have been violated by the government. In the state of Utah, if a person is married it is actually a crime for them to live with another person whom he is not married to and be in a sexual relationship with them. He claims that what the Utah state legislature has done is changed the intimate sexual relationship into a crime. Some people believe that in order to obtain "eternal salvation" they must practice polygamy. For a hundred or more years, polygamists have been advocating their position for religious purposes.

I chose this article because I think polygamy is an interesting subject. I was surprised to learn that Utah considers it a crime to cheat on your spouse and I am curious what the punishments are for doing so. The reason why I don't believe polygamy is right is because I believe a relationship should be between two people because it is more meaningful. If a man has multiple wives he can play favorites and treat them differently. However, if a couple has a relationship they can get to know each other better and possibly find true love.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11945501/