Final Essay: Today's Civil Rights Movement

Modern Day Civil Rights Movement
History reports that our country has always targeted a minority group to make them unequal than everyone else. When the first Europeans settled in the east coast they targeted Indian Americans because they considered themselves better and because they did not want any competition. After that, it was the Africans turn; they were treated as less than human being, forced to serve as slaves. Then they followed with the Asians because of war with Asian countries at the time. You would think that as human beings we learn from the past and make progress in our ideas of how humans we treat each other. But no, we have the same problem today. The issue I am addressing in Immigration Laws, our larders are proposing bill to legalize illegal, and this would benefit many people of different ethnicities. However, since Hispanics are the majority, they are the main target today. Therefore, we must as a society learn from our mistakes and change our ideals of superiority to have a country with actually more freedom and justice for all.
People especially Hispanics immigrate to this country in search of a better financial opportunity because the one offered in their country is not good. Their main reason for making this huge decision is so that their kids more freedom to decide what they want to do with their lives. also of course so that they themselves can have more freedom. Is there anything wrong with that?
We live in a country that promotes freedom as being its number one priority. In grade school we are somewhat forced to recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” because we are trained to just recite it as robots would. The “Pledge of Allegiance” states that we are “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” This phrase shows our country as a hero because it is fair and just for everyone and it provides freedom. But these are just words made up by people who to fool everyone into believing a false image of our country.
Our country does not at all provide liberty and justice for all. We are divided into two groups, Democrats and Republicans. Democrats protect more the rights of middle and lower class, and that Republicans usually protect the rights of the wealthy. Thus, always leaving us with a president that is leaned more to one side than the other.
Our current president is George W. republican that I consider corrupt because he only passes and rejects bills to benefit the wealthy. As a result, he has not been supportive of a bill to aid millions of people who are mostly of middle or lower class by legalizing them in the country. Since the beginning of his term, immigration has been one of the escalating issues that are part of our society. His negative attitude toward the issue has stirred up a lot of commotion in support and against aid to legalized illegal immigrants.
Many people who are in support of a reform law have responded to this issue as Martin Luther King, Jr. responded to the civil rights movement, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a country where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (271). They ask themselves why they are being persecuted for trying to make a better for themselves and their family on the basis of their skin color and their origin. I agree with them that it is not fair that they have to give up their hopes and dreams because others consider their skin color and origin is wrong.
I along with millions of other demonstrators have marched down the streets like Martin Luther King, Jr. in hopes of influencing for a change. They do not deserved to be treated as less than they are, therefore we are doing something about it by demonstrating in the streets but with out any bloodshed and with respect to the country to show. All we do is demonstrate in the streets and shout what we think is right but in a respectful manner, because we also carry around the American flag to show that we value and appreciate this country how. Therefore why is it so hard for the country to give them something that is just.
The results of these actions have not been favorable to the Hispanic community. Government not in full agreement yet to pass a reform law and authorities have become very hostile to mainly the Hispanics in this country. The ICE police have been going around to Hispanic family homes and to deport them. However, the ICE police are nothing but nice, they go in the house and torture my people by beating, shoving them, and yelling at them. They treat Hispanics as criminals, when really all they are guilty of is trying to make a better life for themselves.
I saw on Univision news a case where the ICE police had gone to a house in search of Hispanics to deport. They were a group of men who were drinking and having a good time at their house. When they saw the ICE police storm into their house as if in search of a criminal they were confused because they did not know what was going on. The ICE police began to arrest them but they resisted because they did not know what was going on. There was a single man who would not comply so the ICE police beat him until he was unconscious. Then they just threw him in the van and took him to Mexico without proving any medical assistance. Luckily, he was rushed to the hospital in Mexico and his life was saved. But the results of the beating left him unable to walk and with many bruises and fracture in his body. The sad part of the whole story is that he is an American Citizen, and this frightens me because that means this can also happen to me.
We are all human beings. There are many sources like the “Pledge of Allegiance” and the “Declaration of Independence” that give this country an image of providing freedom, justice, and equality for all. But with events like the civil rights movements and the issued of a reform law today that image is shattered. The people who experience this live in fear and panic because they fear that they will come and get them. They are deprived of their freedom that this country proudly promotes. Therefore, we must shatter the idea of superiority and see each other as equals to have the life of “liberty and justice for all.” that this country promotes.

Works Cited

King Jt., M.L. (1963). 75 Readings across the curriculum, I Have A Dream (pp. 268-272). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Final Essay. (Don't Ask Questions.)

This Essay Was Written Poorly (But By Whom?)
Every day in our country, there are people who are given citations for traffic violations that have harmed no one. There are people convicted of “crimes” in which the “victims” attest they weren’t even harmed. There are people convicted of victimless crimes. At the same time, major government officials are robbing the rest of us in the world blind and covering up for it with other policies which hardly help us, or even blatantly lying about the actions they have taken in an effort to convince us that they were in our interest. Finally, on a daily basis, millions of people across our country accept these lies, and we become more and more an ignorant, self-centered, gullible, laughing stock of the world. On the rare occasion that the majority of us see through the lies, responsibility is shifted elsewhere. We say, “oh, well it’s someone else’s fault whom I’ve never heard of,” or the blame is shifted off of the person speaking and we accept that some mysterious government supercomputer which no one can control made the decision.

A couple weeks ago, I was going 60 in a 40 on a street where the other 3 cars traveling my direction must have been going 55. It was about 11 a.m. on a weekday, and there were no pedestrians. A police officer pulls out of a side street and proceeds to pull me over and give me a ticket. He tells me, “I know no one’s around, but slow down, alright?” Whatever happened to no harm, no foul? I didn’t hit anyone. In the mean time, our president George W. Bush wages a war on people, who, um, uh… control oil fields that he wants? He’s using our military to steal from and kill others so he and his buddies can make money.

After September 11th, 2001, our military closed two of three escape routes from southeastern Afghanistan where Osama Bin Laden was believed to be. He likely escaped out the third. Who’s to know what really happened when media coverage is limited due to political interests?

In March this year, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez stated, “Mistakes were made,” in an effort remove himself from the position of responsible party for the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys late last year. “Mistakes.” What kind of mistake is that? Whoever (certainly not Gonzalez) made these “mistakes” just accidentally hit the delete key in the U.S. Attorneys database? In a press conference on July 10th, George W. Bush looked to shift responsibility for our direction in Iraq saying, “I believe Congress ought to wait for General Petraeus to come back and give his assessment of the strategy that he's putting in place before they make any decisions. That's what the American people expect.” Bush also looks to show that he supports the American people in their desire to know what is really going on as well as attempting to change what most of us want to know, “what is the strategy in Iraq, “ from say, what we may have been thinking before, “why are we in Iraq.” In this way he keeps us concerned with lesser issues and also from questioning the war. In his essay, “Politics and the English Language, George Orwell says, “Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to wind.” (Orwell, 86) George Bush is saying, “We have a strategy, and it’s going to work, but if it doesn’t, then don’t blame me. We have a strategy, because this is something important to us that needs to be done.” Meanwhile, the question, “why?” has been further crammed in the back of our minds.

While our minds are clouded with lie upon lie and political actions taken by non-existent politicians, the gap between rich and poor increases, as does the gap between aware and unaware. Because citizens of the United States receive petty traffic tickets and criminal records for the use of marijuana, they are convinced that our government always promotes doing the right thing and does the right thing. If not, what are laws for? It’s a rhetorical question. Laws are in place for a good reason, right? Or are they in place to distract us from the real issues? Are we going to continue to assume there’s a good reason for everything, or will we learn to dig deeper and question authority? “Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.” (Orwell, 73) We need to become aware of our environment if we wish to change it. Then we must act.

Bibliography
Orwell, George. Politics and the English Language. Taken from, “75 Readings across the Curriculum”. McGraw-Hill, 2006.
Orwell, George. 1984. Penguin Group, 2003.


***Here's My Pre-Writing.

Randy Herskorn
EWRT1A
8/9/07
Final Exam

Every day in this country, there are people given traffic citations for violations that have hurt no one. There are people who are convicted of “crimes” in which the “victims” haven’t been harmed in anyway and will even attest to this. There are people who are convicted of victimless crimes. All the while government officials are robbing the rest of us in the world blind and covering up for it with other policies, which hardly benefit us at all, even hurt us. If they can’t do that, they try to shift blame away from themselves, and even go so far as to blame someone else, i.e. George Bush in a July 10 Press conference this year, “And I believe Congress ought to wait for General Petraeus to come back and give his assessment of the strategy that he's putting in place before they make any decisions. That's what the American people expect.” It’s not George W. Bush’s strategy, now that the vast majority of the American people he speaks of appear to just expect our troops to come home and the unjust, losing war effort in Iraq to be abandoned.

Now, I've got a Macroeconomics final to attend to. :(

Defending our freedom in the midst of a crisis

Tung Chin Lin
Professor Maxwell
EWRT 1A
August 9, 2007

Defending our freedom in the midst of a crisis

Our government has always been involved in injustice actions from the moment it was created. It has been kept in balance by our complex political structure and the media, but that is no longer the case now. Our media coverage is being more limited by the day, and it is now up to the people of America to keep this country free. However, the issue I am focusing on is the idea of how far the government can go in order to ensure the security of this nation. Our nation is currently in a war against terrorism. Under the USA Patriot Act, the government has requested that we turn over our civil liberties in exchange for the safety of this nation. This is not the first time our government has taken away our civil liberties under the reason of national security. Each time it has happened, the government abused the power. I believe that it is time we step up and take action against the Patriot Act because of its using terrorism as an excuse for violating our constitutional rights.
Beginning in 2001, several months after September 11, President George W. Bush signed a 352-page document titled the USA Patriot Act, which granted the federal government agencies such as CIA and FBI all necessary powers in need to counter the spread of terrorism worldwide. Government agencies can tap into your phone lines, email communication, bank records, and even library account without the supervision of a jury or any evidence that you have committed crime. Theses are clear violations of the third amendment which prevents unreasonable search and seizures of personal documents without a probably cause. Several recent incidents have shown that the government has been using these spying powers not to counter terrorism but instead to target drug traffickers, anti government organizations, and even homeless people. The law enforcement officials would obtain illegal evidence using spying privileges and then use them against these people in court. These were clearly not the reason why we gave up our freedoms to the government.
On top of this, thousands of immigrants were detained and denied the right to habeas corpus shortly after September 11, simply because they posed a threat to national security. This is another constitutional amendment violation, which grants people the right to a lawyer until proven guilty. We have all seen the cruel images of prison torture at sites like Abu Gharab and Guantanomo Bay. Immigrants are brought there and then painfully tortured and humiliated until they gave information. Some of these immigrants weren’t even guilty in the first place, and they ended up being deported in secret. No one knows their story besides their family.
One would think that with so much power granted to the government, terrorism activities would be much lower than before. However, recent attacks across the globe including the London subway bombing have shown otherwise. Is this the kind of power that our government should have? So, we ask ourselves if our government is seeking all these extra privileges under the name of fighting terrorism and terrorism is obviously not being stopped, then why are we still allowing them to take advantage of our rights? Some might argue that since there has been no attacks on America since September 11, that our government must be doing something right. But let me ask you this, has our government ever proven that they aren’t able to carry out the war against terrorism without our civil liberties? The answer is no, never has our government ever shown that our civil rights were needed to be taken away in order to fight terrorism at all.
History has shown that whenever our government gains extra privileges during times of national crisis, it is usually the recipe for disaster. During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans were stripped of their homes, properties and then sent into internment camps because of a fear that they might be spies for the enemy. In the Watergate Scandal, President Nixon used government spying privileges to spy on his political opponents. During the 1980s, FBI and CIA used the same spying privileges to monitor political and civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. When the American people found out about these a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) was set up to make sure that the government does not cross the line again. If government repeatedly government abuse of our civil rights have been shown in the past, then they are likely to occur again.
Our government is operating with more and more secrecy by the day. The only thing that is keeping them in check are the human civil rights groups such as the ACLU, and the media. The media itself is becoming less and less reliable by the day as the number of news sources decrease. Therefore, who is there to keep our government in check besides us? It is time for us to act now. Our government rarely target their political propaganda at us because they know teenagers rarely vote. However, it is time to prove them wrong.
Most teenagers of the 21st century do not have much regard for what is going on around the world. They feel that they lack the power and knowledge to make a difference in the world. When I was writing essay number 2 on how language has affected my ability to express myself, I thought to myself how can my ideas ever be as valuable as those of Richard Rodriguez or Gloria Anzaldua. However, then I realized that as a teenager I have personally made a difference in the past, for example I have already convinced a countless number of people to take a stand against the USA Patriot. Whether it is giving persuasive speech in public or merely talking privately with a friend, I have made a difference. Everyone has a power to make a difference especially teenagers like us. We have developed the ability to think about the legitimacy of the issues that are floating around. We have the fundamental knowledge to know what is right and wrong. It is time to put that power to the test.
If you believe as I do that the USA Patriot Act is taking away our privacy and legal rights illegally then I suggest you take action now. It’s very easy to participate in this issue in fact, recently Youtube has hosted the democratic candidate debate, and if you simply go on their website and listen to what the political candidates have to say about their stand on this issue than you are going to be a lot better off than someone who didn’t watch it. Off course, the biggest impact teenagers can make is to vote. In the upcoming presidential election, research into the candidates, and see what views they have and then choose the right candidate that will perform the duty. The USA Patriot Act was renewed in 2004, lets not let it happen again. Like Reverend Martin Luther King Jr said “there are two types of laws: There are just and there are unjust laws” (King). It is our responsibility as citizens of this nation to take a stand against unjust laws like the Patriot Act. It is clearly using terrorism as a excuse to take away our rights to privacy and legal justice. America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, we must be brave enough to hold onto our freedoms even during the most difficult situations.

Works Cited.
King Jr., Martin L. "Letter From Birmingham City Jail." 16 Apr. 1963.

What can we do to make a change?

After enduring six weeks of brain-wringing, critical thought-inducing, truth revealing English class, it is easy to feel at once empowered and powerless. We are armed with a clearer view of the world around us - we understand that there is a eternal custody battle for our thoughts, loyalties, and minds raging on between those who crave the money and power that comes from controlling our thoughts. But what should we do about it? What can we do about it? We can start by sharing what we know with others – by showing our friends how to see the things we couldn't, and teaching them how to think for themselves.

I, for one, find it impossible to read Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” without feeling a sense of guilt, or a need to do something to change the way things are. In his essay, Thoreau thoroughly describes our current situation:
There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who, esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say they know not what to do, and do nothing....They hesitate, and they regret, and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have it to regret (350).
Participating in half-hearted protests and waiting for someone else to take action is much easier, and safer, than being the one to make the first move. But what do we have to lose by showing our friends “The Persuaders” or watching “Merchants of Cool” with them? Our hard-earned reputation as a “cool kids”…a reputation that has been created for us and is controlled by the ones who view us as teenage consumer “targets?”

We live in America, the land of freedom and independence and morals of the highest standards. Er...maybe not. But for the most part, we are freer than many others out there. Unlike people in China, we don’t have to ask the government for permission to petition against its policies, and unlike Iraqis, we have the freedom to think how we want, read what we want, and write what we want. Blogging about the inconsistencies in our media, mailing the letters we wrote to representative Honda, sharing what we’ve learned with the people we care about or to those who will listen – simple acts that aren’t considered acts of civil disobedience in this country - these freedoms are ones we should take advantage of, because we can.

This “thinking for yourself” thing is like a muscle: it’s something that will atrophy and be rendered useless without exercise. Continuing to think for ourselves is the only fail-proof vaccine against thinking the thoughts of others. I don’t think any of us want to have our thoughts controlled by others, or be the mindless ballot-casting, money-dispensing suckers politicians and giant corporations see us as. Thinking about what we’ve learned and sharing this knowledge with others might not be the earth-shattering act of defiance we wanted to make, but it’s better than twiddling our thumbs at home, “...[waiting], well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that [we] may no longer have it to regret” (350).

Works Cited:

Thoreau, Henry D. “Civil Disobedience.” 75 Readings Across the Curriculum: an Anthology. Ed. Chris Anson. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 354–366.

Great minds...

hahaha, I can't believe so many of us chose this topic... or can I?!?! Well, see you guys at the protests, I guess!

-Kayte

---------------------------

The Battle For Love

I never much thought or cared about the idea of marriage until I fell in love. Now, when I think of it, it puts the widest smile on my face. When two people care for each other so much that they are willing to pledge themselves to one another for the rest of their lives, it is the most beautiful thing in the world, and it is certainly due cause for celebration. Love is the most beautiful, most important, most powerful thing in the world; It's the reason people cry at weddings. It's the reason people cry at funerals. All we ever are as human beings is summed up by looking at who we love, who loves us, and how much of our actions are based on love. The notion that some people don't deserve the legal right to such a wonderful tradition is appalling. Gay marriage is a matter of social injustice and equality no different from the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It is an issue that needs to be fought and a battle that must be won.

Opponents of gay marriage argue everything from merely wanting to keep the institution of marriage strictly limited to a bond between a man and a woman, to the notion of homosexuality itself is an abomination before god. However, in a world where dogs and cats can legally be married, the argument of a “sanctity of marriage” still existing, if indeed there ever was one, bears no weight. Straights who marry for money, security, out of obligation and/or any other reasons otherwise decidedly based on anything other than love, or in the complete absence of love, are doing the real disservice to the institution of marriage. Straights who divorce only to collect alimony, beat their wives and children, and commit adultery are the ones committing the abominations before their god. This is not to suggest that gays would be, or should have to promise to have perfect marriages themselves, but simply that they deserve the legal rights as any straight citizen.

Marriage may be considered a holy institution, but it is also a legal one. Marriage is a serious binding contract, and in a society where we claim to have a separation of church and state there ought to be no debate as to whether or not two citizens, who are of consenting age, should be allowed to join in civil union. Beyond that, it should be the sole business of they and their personal church as whether to call it also “holy matrimony.”

I have already voted for gay marriage initiatives and will continue to do so. I would march in protests, invest time and money, apply bumper stickers to my car … I would even hold off getting married myself until all my fellow human beings in love have the legal right to do so.

All that protests of gay marriage really boil down to is nothing more than hypocritical, childish arguments that homosexuality is queer, unnatural, deviant and “wrong.” These abysmal sentiments are hardly justifiable reasons to keep an entire culture oppressed. And, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. states, in his letter from Birmingham jail, “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever” (King 376).

Works cited

King, Martin Luther. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." 75 Readings Across The Curriculum.

Ed. Chris Anson. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 376.

Final

Alan Romero
EWRT 1A
August 9th, 2007
Final Essay

Please, for your sake, let me go to school!

Pedro woke up at 6am and quickly dressed up and had a cold cereal, with just enough time to catch the public bus at 6:30am. As he arrived to school, he reviewed the history homework assigned the previous day, and made necessary adjustments to his English essay. During lunch hour, he held student meetings to improve the environment of the neighboring areas of the school, and helped planned new recycling guidelines for his class. After school, Pedro headed to the local hospice and was always greeted by curiously shy but pleased smiles from the elderly. It was now 6pm when he came home and started working on the science project. Pedro had a 4.0 GPA, was an honors student with outstanding marks on the SAT test, and with plenty of extracurricular activities and a love for science and charity. Pedro, in other words, was an excellent candidate for attending university, but a tiny tick stood in his way, he was an illegal immigrant.

Pedro’s parents, “Juan y Claudia,” were born and raised in Sonora, Mexico, and they worked for most of their life in a plantation, which earned them less than $1 per hour. Juan y Claudia did not plan to have a baby on such conditions, but alas, it was born, and they firmly believed that Pedro should not grow up to work in a plantation. They saved money for five years and were able to play the Coyote (a person who smuggles people for a fee), but Claudia died while walking in the heat of the Arizona desert.

Pedro’s illegal status prevents him from receiving federal aid to pay for tuition and collegial expenses, which now border close to $50,000 per school year. There’s no way that with his father’s income, he could pay at least one year of university, let alone all four, not including books and fees. Pedro is a model student, but why is he being forgotten in the eyes of the government?

It is time to tell Congress that undocumented students are not at fault for the decision that their parents made, and it is time to critically evaluate how detrimental it is not to aid them.

By not aiding undocumented students, we are losing some of the brightest and most compassionate minds in America. Pedro struggled at first to overcome the language difference, but his ambition for fitting in and, standing out at the same time, allowed him to excel in areas such as math and science. As he progressed through his schooling, English soon became his second favorite subject and he fervently read classics of literature such as Frankenstein, Of Mice and Men, Medea, Brave New World, etc. His academic interest was finally made public as he scored outstanding marks in the SAT. Despite his accomplishments, the Financial Aid office still denied him any assistance. What relevance does his individual performance have on our economy? It has been the individual motivation of a few who have built this country to what it is today: Carnegie’s steel industry, J.P. Morgan’s banks, Henry Ford’s automobiles, Bill Gate’s software, Vanderbilt’s railroads, etc. By preventing students like Pedro to attend a university, we are preventing great minds from developing, closing the doors to innovation, reneging the principles in which this country was built. In addition, we are implicitly telling Pedro that we do not care for his misfortunes.

I come here announcing that we should care, that Pedro’s misfortunes are our misfortunes, that we are eliminating any chance of a balanced society, where races and backgrounds of all kinds are evenly distributed in political offices, hospitals, even on our own workplaces. What would happen if we had a Congressional representative that came from a disadvantaged background? Or, how would it transform the health care industry if the people at the top truly understood and cared for the millions suffering from terrible diseases? Pedro’s frequent visits to the hospice suggests that he is exposed to a truer reality than many of the people “at the top,” particularly politicians. And we still think he is the misfortuned one.

I call unto you to realize that this situation is not situational; it is not confined to a specific remote area or should be deemed far away; rather, this situation speaks to the ever-present character of modern society. By letting kids like Pedro—or rather, forcing them to—be in a condition of helplessness, we are telling our own kids that segregation is ok if it is legally backed. This type of segregation is a lot subtler, and therefore a lot more permanent, because we think it shouldn’t concern us—“if it’s illegal, it’s illegal”—but I’ve already talked about the capitalistic values that we’d be conceding, as Pedro could have become a Carnegie or J.P. Morgan. But, the kind of character sacrifice that I am referring to is one morally based. ‘Turning a blind eye’ on the situation that the kids in our country are going through represents how the government willingly ignores the thousands of petitions for improvement, including petitions related to the war in Iraq, that it receives daily. If we ignore this issue, or procrastinate, are we taking the same approach that the government takes on us?

Therefore, we must take action if we wish things to change. Since this matter resides at the legislative level, it is with great intent that we should approach our Congressional leaders and demand that the undocumented students of today, do not pay for the mistakes that their parents committed. They are not criminals, but rather they have to bear the crimes that society deems they have done. Instead of calling them illegals, why don’t we call them by their first name? Pedro, Juan, Pablo, Lucas, Santiago, Filipe, Simon…they have a name and they have a story. It is our responsibility to communicate their stories with Congress, so I urge you to write a personal letter to your local, state, and federal representatives, not asking for their opinion, not asking for approval, but demanding change. I am not setting forth a threat, but know that "Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The urge for freedom will eventually come" (King, 1963). My words by themselves cannot solve anything, but I pray that they incite compassion and unearth love within you.

Abortion

Abortion has been a huge topic of controversy throughout the years. Women are using the rights and equality that have been granted to them as an advantage to make their own personal choices. When it comes to pregnancy, many women in our society today think that they have the right to do as they please with their own body. The question is, where do we draw the line? I firmly believe that abortion should be demolished because it is unethical, and it shouldn’t be an option because there are so many ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy. I also think that people should be able to take responsibility for their own actions.
Abortion is not only unethical; it crosses over to the land of inhumane. In one case, Michael Lancy, a respected photographer, was hired by USA Today newspaper to photograph a spina bifida corrective surgical procedure performed on a twenty-one week fetus in utero. This was the first case that this procedure had been performed on a fetus that young; previous surgical procedures performed on older fetuses were unsuccessful. Amazingly, as the procedure came to an end, the uterus, which was removed and placed between the mother’s thighs, began to shake from within and a tiny hand thrust out from the surgical opening. The doctor reached out to touch the fetus’s hand, and surprisingly, the tiny hand held firm as the doctor shook its fist. Lancy was in total awe as he photographed the phenomenon. The nurse standing beside him commented, “Oh, they do that all the time.” This incident is an excellent illustration of a fetus and its capabilities. Many negligent people say that abortion is okay because a fetus is technically not yet a baby, and it cannot feel pain. From the moment a fetus is two months old, it already has a heartbeat, and from this example, we can clearly see that a fetus too can explore its environment and test its senses of touch. There is a very huge possibility that fetuses can experience physical pain. As you may all know, the abortion suction procedure is a brutal and gruesome way to get rid of a fetus.
Abortion should not be an option because there are so many other ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy. I think that sex education and the use of contraceptives should be more funded and emphasized in our communities. I am a big supporter of sex education. Sex education plays a major role in helping young people make informed and safe decisions. It helps young people acquire important information and form healthy attitudes about their sexual identity. Parents are frightened when it comes to the topic of sex and don’t want to encourage the use of contraceptives because they think that it will promote sexual behavior. In actuality, these elements are essential in preventing risky and unsafe behavior. Young people are exposed to sex in the media on a daily basis, and without being sexually educated, they may act upon their sexual curiosities without knowing the consequences. They can acquire sexually transmitted diseases or become pregnant. I also think that a great way to prevent abortion is through media. Because media influences audiences’ decisions, they should incorporate more safe sex advertisements into mainstream television commercials as opposed to the provocative and sexy advertisements we’re exposed to every minute.
I believe that a person who thinks that they are mature enough to have sex should be mature enough to take on their responsibilities. I think that a person who is not taking birth control or using contraceptives, and knows that they are not yet ready to take care of shouldn’t be having sex in the first place. I acknowledge that women are entitled to their rights and should be able to enjoy sex freely, but they must do so responsibly to avoid unwanted pregnancy, which may lead to an unnecessary abortion. When I see women getting two or three abortions within a short time span, I get infuriated because what they’re doing crosses the border of immoral.
In Martin Luther King’s essay titled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he states, “Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” In response to this quote, I would like to say that abortion is unjust because it degrades the life of a potential child. Please help me fight against this injustice by speaking up vocally about birth control and contraceptives, and by sending the link of this website to your peers. --michaelclancy.com


Works Cited.
King Jr., Martin L. "Letter From Birmingham City Jail." 16 Apr. 1963.

Final Essay

Making Change
Imagine that you’re in one of your classes and you start to feel your body ache, so you take some Advil and hope for the best. A few days later you’re home with what you think is the flu that’s been spreading around; you’ve already missed three consecutive days of class, so you decide to visit the doctor. After your checkup you seem to be getting worse, the prescription the doctor gave you doesn’t seem to be working. You’re body aches, especially your lower back, and you start to see blood in your urine. Freaking out, you rush to the emergency room where you wait for hours to be seen. Once you are seen and tests have been run, you find out that your kidneys are failing. Your only choice now is to get onto a transplant waiting list behind 70,000 people and go on dialysis while waiting your turn.
The truth is, only 17,000 of those 70,000 people will get kidney transplants this year, according to the American Kidney Fund. But, if it was legal for people to sell their kidneys many of the people who couldn’t get them before would be able to survive. The fact that over 80,000 people die from kidney failure each year is devastating. So, if you were dying and were willing to do or spend any amount of money to save your life wouldn’t you want to have the right to? Making the selling of human organs illegal is a violation of our rights, we should have the option to save ourselves instead of waiting on others to die in order for us to live. More people need to stand up for those who are on their death beds; no person should have to go through painful dialysis just to keep themselves alive. Letters should be written, the word should be spread; this law cannot be maintained because you or someone that you love could be the next victim.
The vision of this problem came to me after watching Law & Order SVU; there had been a “murder” and the victim’s organs had been removed. After some investigation the detectives came to the conclusion that the organs had been sold. A father had bought the kidney for his dying seven year old son, but because the police bombarded the hospital before the surgery had begun the kidney was confiscated. The organization that controlled the kidneys for transplants would not accept it because it had been bought and it was against their code of “ethics.” This little boy could have been saved, or the person next on the waiting list, but instead a perfectly good kidney was wasted because of this law. You may think that people would then be murdered to sell their organs; but people are murdered for money everyday, is that going to stop you from carrying a purse or wallet? The complications that are caused by illegal kidney removal surgeries would cause more death than the murders that would be caused by the legalization of selling kidneys.
So, it comes down to your own perspective on the topic, is it something that you should stand up for or not? Will this just give the rich more opportunities than the poor to live? This is just one of the obstacles that would need to be solved from legalizing the purchase of kidneys. But you must remember that standing up for what is right is the framework of how we should all be living our lives. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” “One may well ask, ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: there are just and there are unjust laws” (King 371). Unjust laws like this restraint on selling/purchasing kidneys should be fought. People are suffering and dying everyday when they could be saved.
How would you feel if you had no way out, knowing that you will die if your name doesn’t move up that waiting list soon? This is exactly how those people on the transplant waiting list are feeling. So, ask yourself, what would Martin Luther King Jr. do? He would stand up for what is right and do his best to make the needed changes. But, Dr. King is not available to solve this current problem, we are. We are the future and we have this opportunity to be heroes, to stand up for what we believe in, and to stand together to make change.

Works Cited

King Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham City Jail.” 75 Readings Across the Curriculum an Anthology. Ed. Chris Anson. New York: MicGraw-Hill Inc., 2008. 366-383.

The American Kidney Fund.

PS... you should google "kidneys for sale" there are some really interesting articles!!!!

Marriage Rights

Currently, it is illegal for gay and lesbian couples to be lawfully married. The majority of Americans disapprove of homosexual marriages because they have conservative views of marriage being only between a man and a woman. If all men are created equal, than everyone including gay and lesbian couples should have the right to marry. Marriage is a commitment for two individuals to live together as domestic partners and having legal recognition there are many benefits that follow. People have negative views on gay marriages, because of religious beliefs, but by law religion should be separate from the state. Everyone has the right to pursue happiness, and because this law on marriage is disregarding the gay community I refuse to legally marry until there is a change.
Gay marriage is not legalized today in the U.S., because there is oppression taking place on the gay community. The conservatives in our society wants to limit this minority from their rights, because it is a reminder to the gay community that they are a lesser than human than those of us who are heterosexuals. There are many benefits for society if everyone legally has the right to get married, because there will be more people making decisions that will make them happy and satisfied. If everyone is granted with this right, it does not make a negative impact on society but a positive one. While the majority of the people are heterosexuals, why should this group of people make decisions for the homosexuals? A preference in a person’s partner does not determine superiority or inferiority, it is their own personal choice that should not be judged. People who are against the rights for homosexuals are clearly close minded, because a marriage between a gay couple should not affect the quality of others’ life. There should be a change because clearly this minority’s best interest is not taken into consideration.
In Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, he explains how generally people have the tendency to follow the majority’s favor ,
“After all, the practical reason why, when the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted, and for a long period continue, to rule not because they are most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest”.
This is similar to what is going on with the legal action on gay marriages. For centuries marriage has been only conducted between a man and a woman, and although we live in a time now where we all understand that every individual is granted with equal human rights, the government enforcing this law still wants to keep control over this minority. I have read news articles on how people rally, protest, and march, but I do not understand why it is taking this country so long to legalize this entitlement. We cannot be stuck in our old ways, because by doing so we are not making a difference in our community. By standing up an voicing our opinion, we will make a difference. Thoreau wrote, “For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done for ever”. Meaning, a small act of rebellion at first will not make a significant difference, but it is a beginning on a possible impact on society.
Although I am too young to think about marriage, I do not see myself getting married when I have friends and neighbors who are not given the same freedom I have. Refusing marriage is a form of protesting, but in order to make a change it is also important to be active in protests and petitions. I have volunteered several times for GLAAD, which is a non-profit gay and lesbian organization and their purpose is to promote a better image on the gay community. They are actively involved in gaining rights and respect for the community and this is my start of trying to make a difference.
Gay couples should not settle with commitment ceremonies, they deserve the right to be legally together. There are many other countries that have already made a transition from the old ways, and our country should join in on the wagon. Everyone should set aside their homophobic views and face the fact that we are all created equal and deserve the same rights.

Health Care - It is a Right

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Betty Liang
EWRT 1A
August 9, 2007
Final in-class essay

Health Care - It is a Right

Good health is fundamental to human life. If one does not have fame or fortune, one may still have health as a foundation to build a life on. However, in this money-driven day and age, access to adequate health care seems more like a privilege rather than a right. Having worked at a county hospital before, I have seen the pain and hopelessness of the uninsured who desperately need aid but are denied time and again due to financial reasons. It is imperative that those who have the means to reach out to the less fortunate of our population do so, as moral and caring members of society. I propose that this country institute universal health care so that everyone will have a right to see the doctor without having to worry about the financial burden. I challenge those who are willing to support this cause to stop going to Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) to seek care and to write to those in power to advocate this change.
The sheer volume of uninsured people in this nation and the ineffective way in which our current health care system address this problem only creates a vicious cycle of hospitals shutting down and even more in need of urgent care. As of 2005, the number of uninsured people in American already exceeded 47 million, about 16 percent of our country’s population. Most of the people without health insurance live this way because they cannot afford to pay out of pocket, or they work at jobs that do not provide these types of benefits for their employees. Most HMOs such as Kaiser Permanente do not admit uninsured patients because the company will not be reimbursed for its medical services by any insurance group. Thus, these patients are left with untreated medical conditions which are only exacerbated by a lack of professional care. However, there is a way in the system in which our uninsured population may receive care. They go to emergency rooms of county hospitals. In these overcrowded and busy areas, uninsured patients can go and receive treatment, no questions asked. The result is that the county hospital absorbs all medical costs to treat these patients. In the past years, many county hospitals in Los Angeles have closed down due to seeing too many patients, and not receiving any pay back. With this last possible means for uninsured people to receive care gone, they are once again left to their own devices when it comes to seeking treatment for illnesses.
Emergency rooms closing down across the country clearly illustrates the problem the United States faces in dealing with the distribution of health care to the uninsured population. As we can witness in other areas of society, those in power will continually seek more power. In America, this power many times manifests itself in the form of money. Large corporations will not help those in need if there is nothing to gain from it. That is why it is up to us, America’s next generation of leaders to take a stand and fight for what is just and for what this nation stands for. It is hard for us, as a relatively privileged and closed-off group of people to understand the gravity of this issue. But can you imagine being the parent of a little girl who is being denied a CAT scan to check for a brain tumor, because your wages from working the graveyard shift as a janitor at a private university cannot pay for this crucial service? Imagine being the kindly nurse behind the reception desk at a hospital who has to tell a young man plagued by pneumonia that you cannot do anything for him today, maybe he should try somewhere else? This is not what living in the United States is about. Life will always be a struggle, but for people to have to struggle even to maintain health, the very element life is dependent on, is pathetic.
Universal health care is an idea that scares many, and if implemented would bring about change very slowly, as the entire medical system of this country must be revamped. With universal health care, every body would be granted at least some minimal standard of care. It becomes our moral duty to further our country in upholding “liberty and justice for all” by advocating positive change that will allow exactly that for all of its people. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison” (Thoreau 355). We cannot sit idly on the sidelines when people are in need of our support. By remaining inactive, we ultimately condemn those in need and even ourselves to living in a world that slips farther and farther away from what our forefathers envisioned. We cannot simply wait for change to occur. Remember, often times the changes that need to be made are under the influence of those with power and money whose interests may differ vastly from those who would benefit from the change. If we wait for these parties to take action, we may as well go to the grave still waiting.
We must collectively, as a group find strength to help the uninsured people of our world who are as deserving of health care as the rest of us are. Look for doctors with private practices who are open to caring for the uninsured and make them your place of choice for receiving care, rather than large corporations. This way, you not only directly support an individual with similar interests as yourself, you also make a strong statement to the greater community, that all health care providers should follow such an example. Change often occurs on a small scale first, so write to your local policy makers about what an injustice it is to deny people of their right to health care. With enough volume of letters, your voice will be heard and perhaps inspire others. We owe it to ourselves, those around us, and our future generations to take a stand and right any injustices that still exist in our world. Fighting for health care for all is something I am passionate about and will make a part of my future. I hope I have motivated some of you to at least think about this issue, if not act upon it as well.

References:
Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience.” 75 Reading Across the Curriculum. Chris Anson. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 345-366

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Final: Daily Problem

I could say that we live in a free, peaceful, and perfect world. Nevertheless, do we really live in a perfect world? What injustice do I have conviction? I personal think that racism is still a big problem today, rather its direct or indirect. I believe racism comes from hatred and power over one group to another. Even though people believe that racism has died down since the histories, but we could still see indirect racism in media, education, or from career.
Media has the biggest influence on modern society. We get news and information through media such as Internet, television, newspapers, or magazine. Advertisement has its power to persuade everyone to buy certain products. It could easily brainwash someone’s thought and idea. For example, first week of the class, we talked about the Tommy Hilfiger ad. When I saw the ad, all I could think of was a cute girl sitting down. However, when Maxwell stated that it could mean racism, I thought to myself, it could really portray as racism. Since we all know that Tommy is racist toward Asian, it brainwashes us to think that Tommy made this ad to show his racism thoughts. Maxwell stated that just because the girl was African American, and she was spreading her legs apart, it could also mean that she is “easy” girl. This shows how power of one group is showing racism indirectly.
I know you might think that this is ironic, because school is the place where they teach you to think on your own, and its suppose to help think “better” ideas. Teachers have one of the biggest influences on every student. How teachers act or say could influence person’s life. For example, when I was in high school, my favorite teacher of all times, P.E. teacher was racist. He was racist towards Hispanics. When we were running a mile, there was one Hispanic person; he was the fastest runner in our class. However, my teacher somewhat jokingly said, “you know why your so fast? Because you had to run away from border police!” it was funny at the moment, but I realized that what he said was just wrong.
Lastly, in our readings “how to tame a wild tongue” by Anzaldua, he stated “if you want to be American, speak ‘American” (Anzaldua). If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong.” This is a great example that proves and shows direct racism. For example, I know a co-worker, Gabriel, which he personally heard this from our manager at work. One day after work, Gabriel decided to buy me a beer. First thing that really disturbed me was when we were at Safeway buying beers. He only had a Mexican I.D. with him, and the cashier gave him hard time by saying that he needs a Californian I.D. or passport. Obviously, my co-worker did not have them and it took about ten minutes to convince the cashier that he was over 21 years old. Later on, we started drinking in a parking lot front of our work, and he told me that he was illegal immigrant to United States and he have been living in U.S. for about five years now. I remember one story he told me and I cannot forget this story. He was telling me a story about a new co-worker that could not speak English because he just came from Mexico. Since he could not speak English, Gabriel had to ask questions for the new worker. However, the manager told Gabriel, “If he wants to speak to me, tells him to come and speak to me. You do not have to speak for him. If he wants to work here, he has to speak English.” Manager also added, “it’s not my problem that he can’t speak English. If he doesn’t like it, tell him to go back to Mexico where he belongs.” This event shows clearly that racism is still around, and this has to stop.
In conclusion, my actual thoughts and actions of racism are still influenced in United States. It might not be showed directly, but we could clearly see indirect racism. My point is that racism is still around our daily life, and we have to stop this chamber before it becomes worldly problems. All I can say is, “problem is solved when we start seeing African American or Asian American president.”

Work Cited
Anzaldua “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” 75 Readings across the curriculum.
Ed. Emily Barrosse. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.

The Need for Change.

The Need For Change

Racism and discrimination are a part of our lives that have caused nothing but endless problems in our society. Living in America as a minority, I have been discriminated against many times because of my outer skin color and my culture. The pain that one suffers from racial discrimination is one of the worst mental pains one will experience and if racism does not come to an end, then the world will never be able to join as one and live in a peaceful society. Our world is one that is diverse with so many different nationalities and cultures but the problem occurs when people cannot come to an appreciation or at least an acceptance of a culture. Racism must come to an end immediately and it is only possible if we as people of this earth, rise up against the racist groups in our society and fight until racism is no more.
Almost every human being has experienced racism at some point in their lives. You may have been a direct victim of racism or a spectator of a person being criticized due to their race but either way, racism has affected people all over the world. I personally have been a victim of racism and the agony that comes from it is one that is unbearable. Words such as “chink” or “rice picker” are ones that have been thrown at me but those are just the minute forms of racism. The worst form of racism I have experienced is being excluded from a group due to the color of my skin.
I was just a young boy living in England when I first experienced racism first hand. I had never been exposed to the concept of racism and so was quite unaware at first of what was going on but soon it hit me. I was being bullied and made fun of because I looked different from the other children in the classroom. I looked around the classroom and found that everyone looked different from me except just one boy. I came to know this boy very well for he was my only friend in the classroom and we both realized that we were not “fit” to join the other classmates during play time. We looked different but that was it. That was what excluded us from the rest of the children and even at such a young age of 5, these British children found ways to humiliate us. During recess, toys would not be shared and some would even laugh at us making facial expressions to try and exaggerate the “Asian” look. The teachers would try to tell those children that not sharing the toys with us was wrong but never did they actually approach the children about racism. The teachers probably thought we were too young to be exposed to such content but I believe that racism should be a topic taught to children as soon as they are old enough to think for themselves.
There is never a positive outcome when dealing with racism. Racism offers no gain to society and therefore must be eliminated. The problem that lies with eliminating racism is that some people have lived their whole lives believing that racism is perfectly fine and that a certain race is obviously higher on the hierarchy compared to others. This thought was one of founding bases of the United States of America but is one that clearly should not be in our lives today. Our world has moved past those stages and in order for our world to move forward, racism must come to an end.
The problems we face with racism today are different from the ones that Martin Luther King experienced. King experienced discrimination such as not being allowed to go to certain public restaurants or sit in certain places and those are now things in the past. Today, we face problems with verbal and physical fights that break out due to the differences some people see in each other’s race and only cause cultures to constantly clash. Martin Luther King said in his letter to the clergymen, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” One incident with racism that occurs on one side of the country can encourage racism to break out in other parts of country which only leads to the spread of racism. Racism must be eliminated as a whole in order to have racism be eliminated, the people of the world must act and fight together.
One may say that racism is a form of freedom and a person has a right to be racist if they wish to be but freedom should not give people the power to bring negativity to the world. We must bring it to the attention of the leaders in our country that racism is an offense that should in all seriousness, be considered illegal. Racism should be a crime and the government needs to take action in order for this to take place. The government may not take this very seriously but if people rise up and are able to prove that racism really is a problem in our society. Until we, the people of this world, bring it to attention to the higher people in power, the world will remain full of hate and discrimination towards one another.
Protests and rallying are all great forms of fighting for a cause but in this case, these forms do not seem to have much effect for there have been endless rallies and protests whereon positive outcome is reached. Protests and rallies may just end up with more battles between the authorities and the people so therefore we must find another form of action. One that I believe has a great amount of strength is the use of the media we have available to us today. Making a statement through a television show, writing letters to the local mayors and senators, calling radio stations to have your voice be heard are all great ways of taking action. Physical fighting and marching on the streets only cause mayhem and is an ineffective way for our government to take notice. Writing and speaking out are ways that can really move the people in power and allow them to finally realize that making racism is a logical choice.
Looking at our world today, it seems that many people are affected by racism but not enough people care to take action against it. It is only a matter of time before the next generation of humans will be exposed to racism and therefore, racism must come to an end immediately. We must rise up and inform the people and the leaders of the world that racism should not be accepted at all in society and must be made illegal. There is no grey area for racism and any form of racism whether it be teasing or physically torturing, should not be allowed. The task of eliminating racism lies in the hands of us, the people, and it is up to us if we want to make a change in this world for the better.










Works Cited.
King Jr., Martin L. "Letter From Birmingham City Jail." 16 Apr. 1963.

Final-Corrupted Values

“The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it” (Thoreau 345). In full detail, Thoreau explains that government might be behind all concerning issues. I thought to myself, wow this is true especially in our society now. Most people need to take action and speak out before put down in society. There are many reasons the society today are publicly interrupted such as serious privacy protection and the freedom of choices.

In society, there are many protected rights such as cameras on the corner of the street, investigators who will try to retrieve many information from you, detectives, or even maybe in casino places. Whatever it is, the privacy is protected way too much for most people. For instance, as my family and I are enjoying our stay at the MGM grand hotel at Las Vegas Nevada, I felt very uncomfortable. Being 21 years old, I saw dome cameras in each slot machines. I felt that every move I take, I am being watched. One day, for fun, I decided to one of the slot machines. The security guards then rushed at me and took me to an isolated room. I didn’t know what exactly was going on until one of the security guards told me that I looked under-aged. Soon after I gave and told them my identity, they released me. Although, I was not under 21, I felt that my privacy has been invaded for the wrong purposes. This shows that privacy in society is handed way too seriously.

Another example, in which privacy is way too serious the time when I was at Longs Drugs. As I was shopping for a mothers day card, there were many mirrors slanted and embedded onto the wall. The mirrors were so detectable that you could see yourself almost a mile away. Although the mirrors were there to prevent someone from theft usage, I felt that my privacy was going down the drain. Each move I take, I felt that I was being watched in a mysterious way. Overall, this shows how one’s privacy is ultimately taken away.

Not only most peoples privacy are handled way too serious, but freedom of choices also. As a child hanging out with friends, I remember when I was sitting in my front porch playing my toys. All of a sudden, my friend came over and ask if he could play with my toys, I told him in a nice way that I had to go inside to eat dinner. Then my friend said, “It’s a free country”. Apparently that phrase, “it’s a free country”, shocked me, I knew he was right. As I grew older and wiser, I knew that this country wasn’t free after all. For instance, when I obtained my license a little over a few years ago, I thought I would be hanging out with my friend all night and going from places to place, but my freedom was all locked up. The government is smart nowadays to have teenagers out in the streets late out at night but takes their freedom away from them. This shows how freedom is taken away in society.

Law enforcements are strict nowadays to many people. Although serving law enforcement is a great idea to the society, there are many under-aged teenagers who are being arrested. One fine night, my friend, James and a couple of his friends were at a school hanging out in his car. James and their friends just wanted to hang out and talk about memories and future careers. As James and his friends were talking about their future goals, they see this light flashing on and off continuously. Later did they knew, it was the police. Although James and his friends didn’t have any alcohol or dugs in his car, the police still went ahead and arrested of him and was all sent home. In addition, James was also fined for no reason. Overall, this explains how freedom is handed way too serious.

Whether you see many cameras or mirrors above you, you are being watched. As you obtain your license or hanging late out night, your rights are demolished. Whatever it is your privacy and freedom are ruining your life. As you can see, society plays a role to having an intolerable freedom of choice and a handled privacy. I believe that our laws are way too strict to abide. Although I am stilling abiding by the laws handed from the government, I will still be myself. Before any action is made, I will stop and think, “am I safe anymore?”.

Work Cited
Thoreau. “Meaning of a Word.” 75 Readings across the curriculum.


PS: It was a pleasure meeting you guys. This past 6 weeks of summer english was fun if it weren't for all of you guys. Thanks.

-Sherwin

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Consumer's Evil Empire - Final

Where we choose to shop is an integral part of daily life. Our shopping experiences lead us to favor and dislike certain brands and retailers. Today, we are seeing the expansion of major big box retailers; stores that sell a wide array of goods for every reach of daily life. The biggest of them all is Wal-Mart. Each Wal-Mart Supercenter is a concrete monstrosity selling food, electronic gadgets, personal (and animal) care and cleaning products, furniture, auto parts, even clothes. These stores really have become one-stop shopping centers. Many of us admire these places because they have revolutionized shopping. No longer do we need to drive around town picking up each item we need. Just head on down to Wal-Mart. Despite these positive features, one must realize that Wal-Mart and retailers like them are overpowering our nation. Their prices are so low that they drive competitors out of business, they compensate employees poorly and do not pay proper benefits, and most of all they are supporting our throwaway society. We need to see through the prices and realize that we are not saving in the end.

Wal-Mart has approximately 3,400 stores in the US, with an average store size of 165,000 square feet. In 2005, Wal-Mart recorded 312 billion dollars in sales from their more than 6,200 facilities across the globe (Wiki). These numbers indicate that Wal-Mart is a major factor in our retail world, and that they continue to expand become an unavoidable force. As each new Supercenter opens with claims of new jobs and a big positive impact on the local economy, we seldom realize the true effect of these stores. Each store does offer a great number of jobs, but they do not answer at what expense the jobs come. A new store is going to have a huge impact on the local economy, but the impact will not be as impressive as Wal-Mart claims. Each new store will put a handful of local retailers out of business, further increasing unemployment. These small retailers are unable to compete with the sheer scale of Wal-Mart. Buying in bulk always lowers prices, and buying bulk to stock over 6,000 stores means prices hit rock bottom. No mom-and-pop retailer can compete with these low prices, and thus forced out of business. Therefore, while Wal-Mart claims new jobs, the now unemployed workers of the town will fill many of these positions. Is that a positive effect on the community?

As these employees shift allegiance from their own businesses to Wal-Mart, they miss their onetime benefits most have come to enjoy. To avoid having to pay benefits, Wal-Mart creates schedules to limit the hours of their employees. Anything below 32 hours a week, they consider part-time, and as a part time employee, an employer is not required to pay benefits. Therefore, Wal-Mart knowingly creates thousands of part time positions to further neglect their employees and their towns.

You could imagine Wal-Mart as the elementary school bully going up against the small underdeveloped kid. The bully comes from a wealthy family and has no need for anything else, but that bully still has the desire to make others miserable. He is going to go out and punch every kid in the face to get his or her lunch money. He does not care where the kids come from, nor whether they have much or not; he knocks them out without discrimination. He is never punished because his parents are major contributors to the school, and if the administration were to punish him, their funding would fall and they would not be able to continue running their upstanding institution.

If we were to parallel this example to our country, we find it very true. Wal-Mart does have everything they need, but they continue to expand. They go after helpless towns that cannot fight, and when picked upon stand no chance. Our government is the administration; one that is afraid to act upon the corporation because the tax revenue the government gains from them is a major chunk of our budget. If the administration were to impose higher taxes on Wal-Mart, our administration would cease to exist by the next election because of the influence Wal-Mart and their leaders have in influencing our policy. So, what is the solution?

“’Why didn’t you give the new administration time to act?’ The only answer I can give to this inquiry is that the new administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one before it acts” (369). While Martin Luther King Jr. was referencing the administration to their opposition to change during the Civil Rights movement, we find ourselves in a similar, but much less violent position. We ask: how can we take down this giant? The solution is to stop feeding it. For many this is a difficult task because they themselves are on Wal-Mart's pay roll, and their reduced wages makes them dependent on the always-low prices. What we must realize is that while the prices are low, the impact Wal-Mart has had on our quality of life is huge. If we are able to hold off on the luxuries and scale back to save our income, we can overcome the claims of a Wal-Mart. For those of us with sufficient income, the answer is simple: Do not shop at Wal-Mart. If you would like to step your convictions a step further, you can boycott the many brands Wal-Mart carries. This may be a difficult stand, but if we are able to cut down their bottom line, they will see that there ways are not working. If we cut them down far enough, their influence on our politics will decrease because our revenue from their bottom line will not have as much of a profound effect on our bottom line. If we step away from their smiling yellow face, maybe we can then bring our own smiles back.

These boycotts start with regular people like you and I. If we can work together and change our shopping habits, we can change how we do business America. I myself have never purchased an item from Wal-Mart. I have visited a few of their stores on occasion, but that was for entertainment and to fulfill an assignment. I have seen how unhappy the shoppers and employees are, letting me know that no one is truly happy with what Wal-Mart has done. In any situation where you feel there is an injustice, you must revolt and rise up against your foe. Together we can make a difference.

Works Cited
“Wal-Mart” Wikipedia. 30 July 2007.
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King Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. 1963. Anson, Chris. 75 Readings Across the Curriculum An Anthology. Boston: Mc Graw Hill. 2008. 366-383.




Its been a fun six weeks. I'll see you all around.