Works Cited

Delaware Department of Labor. Delaware Career Compass. Wilmington: Delaware Career Resource Network, 2009

Environmental Engineers. Web. 30 Sept. 2009. .

War in Afghanistan

Do you think that the war in Afghanistan is a good idea? You probably haven't put yourself in the soldier's or soldier's families' shoes. At first, I will admit, I supported the war in Afghanistan, but once my Uncle Brian was deployed there, I began to question my views. Yes, it would create a safe haven for al-Qaida and other Islamofascist terrorist groups if we pulled out: with no exit strategy. One must think if it is worth it to risk thousands of American lives for the mere sake of putting off the Taliban temporarily. The best move right now would be to sign a peace treaty with the Taliban which states that we will withdraw under the conditions that they a)kick all terrorist groups out and b)In the event that they take over Pakistan, that they not start a nuclear war. This would allow for American lives to be out of harm's way while still keeping national security intact.

If you still support the war, imagine if you or a family member were bravely serving our country. If you are old enough and able-bodied, why aren't you on the frontlines. One will notice that even most people in the military don't join for "serving your country". If it wasn't for the G.I. bill, very, very few people would join the military. In fact, look at the statistics, 94% of military recruits come from either low-income or middle-income families. If politicians aren't willing to put their and their buddies' spoiled rich kids on the frontlines, they are hypocrites.

Should adolescents be treated as adults under the law?

The idea that adolescents should be treated as adults under the law is inane. The adolescent brain is not yet fully developed. The prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain which deals with judgment and danger, does not fully develop until one is eighteen. As a result, it would be unfair to treat teenagers under the law as adults when they do not have the same opportunity to be a good judge. It would be akin to treating insane people as sane under the law, even when they cannot understand the difference between right and wrong. Overall, it would not be a good idea.

Another caveat is that it would make teenagers second-class citizens. They would have no right to vote, no right to serve on a jury, no right to open a checking account, and no right to do virtually anything without parental consent (pick the school they want, go to another country, etc.). Despite this, they could still be prosecuted under the law beyond the absolutely necessary degree under laws in which they have no say in making. Put together, and this could be a potential violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

In addition to that, if teenagers were to be given the death penalty, it would be a blatant violation of the 8th Amendment and human rights. If we ever executed someone who was under eighteen or even for crimes which were committed when they were under eighteen, the United States would be denounced worldwide as an authoritarian, cruel human rights violator. That would make our long-time allies especially eager to help us out, right? Not only would it violate the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (which, aside from Somalia, which literally had no government at the time, the U.S. is the ONLY country in the world which did not sign it), but it would put us along with the only five countries would use the death penalty: Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Remember when Iranian teenagers were put to death for sodomy which they allegedly committed when they were thirteen and how there were even a few sanctions imposed on them. You think because we're the superpower, that means that can't happen to us? Think again. Also, can you see on Taliban recruitment posters "America executes Muslim teenagers who support our cause". Wouldn't that help us win this "War on Terror"?
Adolescents are not given the same rights as adults. It would be inherently unjust to give them the same responsibility as adults. With freedom comes responsibility, but with responsibility comes freedom.

School Prayer:Pushing Religious Propaganda in Our Public Schools

School prayer, in my opinion, is an egregious violation of the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment. It espouses the message that we are a Christian nation, and that non-religious people and people of other faiths do not deserve to be represented. The prayers, as well of our "moment of silence", which is codeword for "let's all pray now", just puts Christianity above other faiths. School prayer defies the basic principles of separation of church and state, because it favors one religion over another. David Souter, in a This would also make the statement "Cab Calloway School of the Arts does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504” untrue.
Another part of school prayer is the “moment of silence”. It is a “moment of prayer” (poorly) masquerading as a “moment of silence”. While I am silent during the moment of silence, I believe that it serves no other purpose than prayer. In Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet (1994), David Souter wrote with the majority that “Government should not prefer one religion over another, or religion to irreligion.” The moment of silence, has, as far as I can see, clearly does the latter, and it has no “secular purpose”. In Wallace v. Jaffree (1985), the Supreme Court found an Alabama law which provided for a “moment of silence” to be unconstitutional, although it did not find the moment itself to be unconstitutional.
School prayer violates two of the three criteria in the “Lemon Test”, which was a test to see whether or not a law violates the Establishment Clause by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971). A law must pass all three requirements to be considered constitutional. While school prayer does not create excessive government entanglement with religion, it has no secular purpose and it has the primary affect of advancing religion. Also, as far as I can see, there is no reason to have a “moment of silence” or to have organized prayer. There is absolutely no reason for it other than to rub it in the faces of non-religious people. In conclusion, school prayer is a bad idea because it violates the spirit of the Constitution.