republicans don't want college students to vote

-i read an opinion article from the new york times today that i just couldn't believe. yes it's an opinion article so take it with a grain of salt, but it still is true. i couldn't believe what i read. why would you want to introduce to young people that their government really doesn't like and doesn't want them to be part of the government. WOW.

Next fall, thousands of students on college campuses will attempt to register to vote and be turned away. Many republican state lawmakers are doing everything they can to prevent students from voting in the 2012 presidential election. Some have openly acknowledged doing so because students tend to be liberal. Seven states have already passed strict laws requiring a government-issued ID (like a driver’s license or a passport) to vote, which many students don’t have, and 27 other states are considering such measures. Many of those laws have been interpreted as prohibiting out-of-state driver’s licenses from being used for voting.

It’s all part of a widespread Republican effort to restrict the voting rights of demographic groups that tend to vote Democratic. Blacks, Hispanics, the poor and the young, who are more likely to support President Obama, are disproportionately represented in the 21 million people without government IDs. Republicans usually don’t want to acknowledge that their purpose is to turn away voters, especially when race is involved, so they invented an explanation, claiming that stricter ID laws are necessary to prevent voter fraud. In fact, there is almost no voter fraud in America to prevent.

William O’Brien, the speaker of the New Hampshire State House, told a Tea Party group earlier this year that students are “foolish” and tend to “vote their feelings” because they lack life experience. “Voting as a liberal,” he said, “that’s what kids do.” And that’s why, he said, he supported measures to prohibit students from voting from their college addresses and to end same-day registration. New Hampshire Republicans even tried to pass a bill that would have kept students who previously lived elsewhere from voting in the state; fortunately, the measure failed.

wisconsin has imposed requirements that invalidated the use of virtually all college ID cards in voter registration. Colleges are scrambling to change their cards to add signatures and expiration dates, but it’s not clear whether the state will let them

new abortion laws

i was reading a new york times article and they were pointing out different abortion laws in the states. and i just wanted to point out some of the new crazy laws. for those of you who don't know, i'm very pro choice. i'm not for abortions, but i'm for the choice of what to do to my own body. it's my choice not anyone elses.

In Alabama, they would require women to the ultrasound before they have an abortion and to have the screen face the woman while the doctor narrates the images, although the law states that it should not be “construed to prevent a pregnant woman from averting her eyes,” the bill reads. in alabama, doctors who do not follow the prescribed routines could face felony charges and could be sued by the potential father and grandparents. Dr. Pippa Abston, a pediatrician in Huntsville, objected to what she said were unnecessary roadblocks to a legal procedure. “As a physician I don’t like the idea that they are going to micromanage my medical practice,” she said. - i can't believe that they can make it so that the potential father/grandparents can sue the dr. that's just outrageous! who are they to say what should happen between the woman and that dr. and i would like to know how legislators know what's best for what the dr should talk about with their patient.

In Mississippi, a bill working its way through committee requires an ultrasound that provides an image of high quality, which cannot be achieved with abdominal procedures in the initial months of pregnancy. which means, a vaginal probe ultrasound would be required. The woman must be offered a chance to see the image and hear the fetal heartbeat. She cannot avoid hearing a description of the sonogram unless, among other things, she is a victim of sexual assault or incest or the fetus is medically compromised. - again i can't believe how they are going to regulate what the dr should say to the woman. and a vaginal probe ultrasound, is not a fun thing and should not be required. a normal abdominal ultrasound should be enough to get the information that the dr needs. and really, the dr should be the judge of what ultrasound he/she needs to have; NOT legistlation.

Labeled the Women’s Right to Know Act in pennsylvania, the bill is opposed by the Pennsylvania Medical Society and other medical groups. But it has been approved by a House committee and its sponsors hope for passage this year. - i find this interesting that the dr community is against the bill but the House committee has approved it. again who are they to say what should happen in the dr's office. i think the dr should be the one to worry about that.

michigan jobs

i was reading an article in the new york times about the primary voting for the republican canadites and they gave a statistic regarding michicgan's job loss that i thought i would share. yesterday voters were polled to see how many people had lost their jobs in their household in the last 3 years. ''About 3 in 10 Michigan voters said someone in their household had lost a job in the last three years, according to surveys of voters conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool of television networks and The Associated Press.'' i couldn't believe that statistic. that's a lot of people losing jobs. and it's very recently.

creative writing essay

a friend of mine sent me an article from ABC news stating how a student wrote a sexually suggestive journal entry about his teacher for a creative writing class and was then suspended from school for it. the student had written many different journal entries with a sexual tendency but was never in trouble with his teacher and got A's on the assignments. the student stated that he asked the teacher on multiple occasions if there were topical restrictions on the journals, and on every occasion -- often in front of other students -- was told no. when the student turned in the journal with the entry about the teacher, the teacher initiated a university review of his conduct, which led to a meeting with a dean, and instructions to stay away from the teachers class for awhile, until she could cool down - for the teacher felt threatened by his writing. but when the student eventually returned to class, he was escorted out of the room by university police, he said, and asked not to return pending a university judicial hearing. after the campus hearing, the university found the student guilty of intimidation. Another charge, for sexual harassment, was dropped. the student was suspended for three semesters, banned from stepping foot on campus and required to seek out psychological counseling before he could be eligible to re enroll. the student has appealed the punishment; the university's response is pending.

so the teacher felt threatened by the writing of the student but yet told the student that anything goes. so the question is which is right? of course if someone does not feel safe, they should be able to get away from the situation and not made to endure it. of course though, the teacher had an idea of what the student wrote for he had other sexually suggestive writings that he had turned it. did she not feel threatened before when she read his writings? was the writing about her specifically aggressive? again, if she feels uncomfortable or threatened she should not have to endure it.

the student has the right to write anything he wants with no issues. especially since the teacher said that anything goes. he had asked multiple times in front of people, not just one on one. and for the school to REQUIRE the student to have psychological help before he can come back to school is not their place. you cannot make anyone do that. not unless they are a danger to themselves or others. just because someone writes something doesn't mean they are going to act on it or that they are dangerous. as you know i'm a huge first amendment rights person, and feel he has the right to write anything he wants. again, escpically since the teacher confirmed that anything goes. so for the school to kick him out and require help before he can come back; is completly uncalled for.

get a ticket, get picked up

today is my 26th birthday. happy birthday to me. 
a friend of mine sent the story below to me and i just had to share it.

A Chicago police officer allegedly turned a $132 speeding ticket into a pick-up opportunity when he later tracked down the female driver and asked her out, saying the least he could do for the money he cost her was to treat her to dinner, according to a lawsuit the woman filed in federal court.

Evagelina Paredes filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago, accusing police officer Chris Collins of violating her privacy, according to the Associated Press. She alleges that after she was ticketed on Oct. 22, Collins searched for her address in the motor-vehicle database and left a handwritten note on the windshield of her car, which was parked outside her apartment in the Chicago suburb of Stickney, asking her out on a date.

In the note, a copy of which appeared was included in the court documents and was obtained by the Associated Press, the 27-year-old police officer tried to woo the female driver with humor and a seemingly heartfelt plea.

"It's Chris … that ugly bald Stickney cop who gave you that ticket. … I know this may seem crazy and you're probably right, but truth is I have not stopped thinking about you since. I don't expect a girl as attractive as you to … even go for a guy like me, but I'm taking a shot anyways."

"I did cost you $132 - least I can do is buy you dinner," the note reportedly read.

The scenario is not that far off from the "meet-cutes" of Hollywood romantic comedies. In the 2011 hit "Bridesmaids," Kirsten Wiig's character starts a relationship with the traffic cop who let her out of a ticket for a broken taillight.

Arguably, it's a lot less "cute" when it happens in real-life.

Paredes claims that the note caused her to "suffer great fear and anxiety." In the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified payments in damages, saccording to the Associated Press, she alleges that Collins used his position as a police officer to "manipulate" her into going out with him. Collins declined to comment to the Associated Press

penn state scandal part 2

a friend of mine gave me this article to read and all should read it. it includes the grand jury report. before you say anything else regarding the issues, read the grand juries finding. here's the article. here's the grand jury report.