24. June 2010 by student.

Why is same-sex marriage such a controversial issue in the United States?
In the 21st century we as a society have witnessed science and technology that seems to be infinitely changing. As if there is truly no limit! Our society boasts of equality and equal opportunity. We have become practical in our thinking, for science has taught us to do so. Yet for a society that prides themselves on being superior in intellect, technology and equality we still discriminate against gay people and their right to marriage. Same-sex marriage is a big issue in the United States, some are against it some are for it. There are negative and positive reasons why society thinks it should be legal or illegal. The only thing that matters in a marriage is love. Marriage is a commitment between two people that love each other and want to share the rest of their life with you. It shouldn’t matter if the couple is two women or two men. So why not allow same-sex marriages?

There are two kinds of marriages, civil and religious marriages. Throughout the century marriage has changed in many ways. Robinson states, “In the early part of the 19th century, marriage was a legally sanctified contract of mutual support between two consenting non-Afro-American adults of opposite gender” (2). As the years past by the laws for marriage became more lenient. They finally allowed different race couples to marry. In 200, Vermont allowed same-sex civil unions granting them the same rights heterosexual couples have. But for these unions to be recognized in other states homosexuals would have to fight just like the others had to fight centuries ago. Not all states allow civil unions. The meaning of marriage is not the same as it was centuries ago. People now don’t follow those gracious words “till death do us part”. Couples now move in together first and see how it goes before they consider marriage. Many women are now single moms with being married. The divorce rate is higher than it has ever been. By allowing same-sex marriage it doesn’t change anything in opposite-sex marriage. Robinson states, “The rights to marry the person that you love, have made a commitment to and wish to live with for the rest of your life is a foundational human right” (2). So if marriage is not as sacred as it was before, why deny same-sex couples the right to marry. It doesn’t change the meaning of marriage or our view to society. Society shouldn’t be determining what two people can or can’t do when no one else is hurt in the process. Robinson states, “The status of same-sex marriage across the U.S. as of 2003-NOV-19 is shown below” (1).

There are many rights same-sex couples will acquire if same-sex marriage is legalized. Same-sex couples want the same rights that heterosexual couples have. There are over 100 legal rights for married couples. If an emergency, such as a health crisis occurs between a gay couple, they have no say so in any of the healthcare decisions of their partner. Same-sex couples have no legal right no matter how long they have been together just simply because they don’t have a civil union. Benefits are one reason why same-sex couples want to have marriage legalized. While same-sex couples can protect themselves by creating wills and powers of attorneys, this monetary benefit does not come close to the advantages a couple receives from being married.. Demian states, some of the benefits same-sex couples could receive if married:
• Automatic Assumption of Spouse’s Pension
• Automatic Inheritance
• Automatic Housing Lease Transfer
• Bereavement Leave (offered by some employers)
• Burial Determination
• Child Custody
• Joint Parenting
And the list keeps going. Who wouldn’t want all those benefits? Same-sex couples just want to be considered equal and marriage would help them achieve some of that equal ness.

Same-sex marriage would decrease Sexually Transmitted Diseases because homosexuals would be interested in long-term relationships and be committed to one person. Same-sex marriage would make same-sex couples settle down and commit to one person. Sexually transmitted diseases are higher in gay men than lesbians. Making same-sex marriage legal will help them stay in a committed relationship and give up that type of lifestyle. The STD rate is high among the gay community. The U.S. by not legalizing same-sex marriage is not helping the gay community at all.

A big issue in same-sex marriages is children. Where do the children fall in all this? This is where People opposing same-sex marriage think same-sex couples will make bad parents. They think that in a marriage parents should be a man and a woman. Not same sex adults.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 2 Comments »

24. June 2010 by Mr. Andoscia.

All blogs and comments have been graded to this point.  No more blogs or comments will be accepted. Thanks for a great Summer A. Have a great summer.

Posted in Mr. Andoscia | No Comments »

24. June 2010 by student.

Malawi is a democratic nation in southern African, with its own laws and rules. In December 2009, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, two male citizens from Malawi, publicly celebrated their engagement. This was in spite of the fact that, in Malawi, homosexuality is a crime punished by law and carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. According to that law, Tiwonge and Steven were arrested, tried, and found guilty of “gross indecency and unnatural acts.” They were sentenced to 14 years of harsh labor. The population in Malawi thought these two men only got what they deserved and 14 years wasn’t even good enough. The international community, on the other hand, expressed great concerns and disappointment over the verdict which they viewed as a grave violation of basic human rights.

A meeting was held between the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of Malawi. At the closure of their meeting, the President announced that these two gay men were pardoned and ordered their immediate release with no conditions. The President added “these boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws…I have done this on humanitarian grounds but does not mean that I support this.” It is clear that the President released these two men under pressure from the international community even though he still believes that homosexuality is a crime.

I completely respect that different nations have different laws, and rules, and I really do respect that fact. When it comes down to sexual preferences I cannot understand or respect anyone who opposes homosexuality for any reason. I believe in working together to build a stronger and better society setting aside race, sexuality, religion, sex ect. We are all human and we all feel things, we see things, we have different opinions, we are very different yet we are very alike. I find it hard to justify anyone that neglects homosexuality, I feel that is really not in our hand to choose a person’s sexual preferences, it would be like choosing their character what to wear, what to say, and what to feel. If we want to make this world a better place to live in, we have to begin by being open minded, by working as a team, and by being non-judgmental. We all live on Earth!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

24. June 2010 by student.

Imagine being in a bar with a few of your good friends. Everyone is drinking and having a good time. Your are going to leave and go home, but you friends won’t let you because they know the dangers of driving after having a few drinks. Instead they ca ll a cab to give you a ride home. You would be extremely lucky to have such smart friends. Drunk driving is a very serious problem in our society today, but it is becomming socially unacceptable causing the numbers of alcohol related traffic fatalites t o decline considerably.

Drunk driving can be very deadly. Yet many people drive while under the influence everyday. Drivers who are drunk are blamed for the loss of as many as twentyfive thousand lives in highway crashes each year and hundreds of thousands of severe injurys.

It is thought that drunk drivers have a long history of doing this and many prior arrests. In addition, most of those killed are just innocent victims whose behavior did not contibute to their deaths. These last two statements are both false. On aver age a drunk driver that kills has never been involved in a alcohol related accident before and have no proir convictions for drunk driving. The part about the people killed are just innocent bistanders is overaggerated also. Most of the drunk drivers v ictims are the drivers themselves, their often passengers, and the drunken pedestrains and cyclists. Despite this drunk driving is still very dangerous. It is the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in America today. In fact it is said that ab out 40 % of the population will be involved in a alcohol related crash during their life. Drunk driving is especially dangerous to young people, who seem to be more involved than others. Drunk driving is the number one cause of death among young people, accounting for 20% of all deaths from ages 15 to 20. Drunk driving is such a hard thing to overcome though. In our society alcolol is overwhelmingly accepted as a facilitator of sociable interaction, and the great majority of adults drink. But steps a re being taken and the numbers of deaths are declining.

Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have been decreasing lately. As a proportion of all traffic fatalities it has been decreased since 1982. In fact since 1982 the number of alcohol releated traffic fatalities has decreased 30%, from 25,165 to 17,699, w hile alcohol-related traffic fatalitites, as a proportion of all traffic fatalities, decreased from 57% to 45%. This is a great achievment when you consider that the number of miles traveled has increased 40% since then. For the past 14 years the numbe r of alcohol-related traffic fatalities have been dropping steadily. With the help of a growing number of support groups and tougher pentalites the numbers should drop even more in the next few years to come.

The numbers of accidents have been dropping for a number of reasons. The states have taken some effective measures such as immediate lecense suspension, lowering the blood alcohol concentration legal level from .01 to .08 for adults and for people under age 21 to .02. Other’s such as sobriety checkpoints, public education, community awareness, and media campaigns about the dangers of alcohol-impaired driving. In addition some strategies should be considered, such as those outlined during the Surgeon General’s Workshop on Drunk Driving and in the national plan for injury prevention and control. Such strategies include changing the social norm to make alcohol-impaired driving socially unacceptable, limiting alcohol avilability among underaged youth, a lcohol service training for those who sell and serve alcohol, early alcohol treatment and rehabilitation programs, offering alternative transprotation programs for those of the leagal drinking age, and increasing the perception of the risk for arrest for alcohol-impaired driving. States like California have raised the penalty for misdemeanor drunk driving offenses to a maxium $1000 fine and one year in jail. In July, a state law took effect requiring twice-convicted drunk drivers to equip their cars wit h a breath analysis device that prevents them from starting their engines if they have a blood-alcohol level higher than .02%. And after Jan. 1, people under the age of 21 caught driving with a bolld-alcohol level .01% or greater will immediatley lose th eir driver’s licenses for one year. In fact Ohio now allows officials to confiscate vehicles registered to drivers with at least four DUI convictions in a five-year period of those who twice allow their vehicles to be used by someone they know to be drun k or without a license. Currently the state istaking away those cars and putting them in a car crusher. Steps like these need to continue to be taken and hopefully the number of accidents will decrease.

It’s great to see problems like these decreasing. Drinking and driving is very dangerous. Many people have theri lives shattered and ruined because of a drunk driver. That is why this is becomming so socially unacceptalbe. People are finally starting to realize how dangerous this can really be. With the help of new laws and continued hard work the number of drinking and driving accidents should be very little in the future.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 2 Comments »

24. June 2010 by student.

In the United States the legality of prostitution is decided by each state. However, only one state has legal prostitution, Nevada. It is heavily regulated and there are only 26 brothels that operate in Nevada legally. Prostitution is an important part of society. It leads to social stability. It’s not something that society is proud of, but it is necessary. It can be compared to the sewage system of castles in the middle ages. No one admires them, or even really things about the fact that castles needed sewage systems, but without them the whole thing wouldn’t work. It is also a very large industry, generating about 14 billion dollars a year in the US. I can only imagine how many more billions it could generate if it were legal everywhere. And there is high demand for it. In 2004 a poll reported that 15 percent of all men have paid for sex and 30 percent of single men over age 30 have paid for sex.One of the most important benefits of legalizing it would be that prostitutes could be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. In New Jersey 57 percent of prostitutes tested positive for HIV. If prostitution was legalized these women would be taken out of the industry, and the whole thing would a lot safer. I believe in regulation, not banning of many things and I think this is a prime example.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

24. June 2010 by student.

I see very few reasons that marijuana should be illegal, while I see many reasons for it’s legalization. It has numerous health benefits including relief of muscle tension, stress, eating disorders and depression. It has been proven time and time again that it relieves pain, leading to the increase in the prescribing of marijuana by doctors for those who need it. Legalizing marijuana would also create millions of dollars in tax revenue. It is estimated that the marijuana industry is worth 36 billion dollars a year. If it was legalized, the market could grow in size and be taxed. The tax could then be spent on useful things like educating children. There are also things that are a lot more dangerous that are legal. For example, alcohol is very dangerous and addictive. It causes people to act violently and irrationally. Over 50 percent of rapists admit to drinking before committing their crimes. If something as bad as alcohol is legal, why cannot something as harmless as marijuana be legalized? I don’t understand the stigma that surrounds marijuana in American Society, though it may stem from the Reefer Madness days when marijuana was portrayed as a drug that led people to go crazy. I know of no concrete reasons for it to be illegal, other than that it is a “drug”.

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24. June 2010 by student.

The education system in Florida focuses too much on absence only sex education.  In 2006, the University of Florida conducted a survey of over 400 teachers around the state of Florida. The majority of them admitted to only teaching “abstinence-only until marriage” method of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies.  More than half of the sex educators also stated that they used “locally developed curriculum”. This means that there is no quality assurance.  There are also students that do not have access to sex education and aren’t required to take it. For generations it has been apparent that high school students participate in sexual activities, so it is absurd to try to teach for a situation that is unlikely to happen. In Florida there has been a 23 percent increase in cases of gonorrhea, Chlamydia and syphilis. Clearly the current approach is not working. I think that society, starting with the education system should overhaul how we look at sex. Students should be taught how to use condoms and other alternatives to remain STD and child free. Catchy slogans like “no glove no love” could be introduced to keep girls on their toes.  Condoms are the most effective ways of stopping the spread of STD’s and the government should spend some money on advocating it. Society’s attitude in general towards sex also needs modification. If sex were not portrayed as dirty and sinful I imagine that people would be more comfortable seeking guidance, and help

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

24. June 2010 by student.

A thirteen year old boy, Raymond Hosier, was suspended last month for wearing his rosary beads to school. Furthermore, he is not the first student to be punished for this. A fourteen year old student in Haverstraw was suspended in February for the same offense and in late 2008 a student in Dallas was told to stop wearing her rosary. The schools all contend that the wearing of a rosary is associated with gang activity and is strictly prohibited in the dress code banning gang-related clothing. However, it is also a devotional item of the Catholic faith that assists in worship practices. In the case of Raymond Hosier, a lawsuit is pending which asks the court to declare the dress code unconstitutional and will hopefully determine that the suspension violated his civil rights including the right to free speech and religion. The boy wears the rosary in memory of his deceased younger brother who was killed after being hit by a car in 2005. He says the rosary beads make him feel safe and should be free to wear them when and where he wants to. I completely disagree with those school policies; I feel that this lawsuit could have been avoided by simply investigating with the student his reasons for wearing the rosary beads. While it is important to police to protect students from the potential gang activity on a school campus, schools should be more open minded. I understand that their main goal is to keep their school safe, and provide students with a learning environment. However, many people, including myself, wear a crucifix around their neck. Does that make me a gang member? No. It makes me a follower of my faith. I feel that as long as the student is not being disruptive of the learning environment, the rosary should not be a banned item. Catholicism is one of the largest faiths in our country and it is not fair to automatically assume that the wearing of a rosary is associated with gang activity.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

24. June 2010 by student.

Why is it that drugs are such an important part of our everyday functioning to some?  Some smoke marijuana to start off the day.  Some use prescribed drugs that are probably not needed.  Some take illegal drugs to function.  There is an older lady in her 70’s that was taking over 32 prescribed pills a day.  She had to change doctors and is now only taking 2 prescribed pills a day.  I have a brother who’s been in prison (in 1999) for transporting drugs from one state to the next.  Transporting is what he feels he needs to do.  Well, I don’t think he has learned his lesson because he is now in prison again for drugs.  Prison for two years is a lot.  I have a sister-in-law who does illegal drugs and the State of Florida has taken her kids (for the 3^rd time now).  She is trying to get her children back.  But what the State of Florida doesn’t know is that she relapses.  Actually, the State of Florida does know she has relapsed but have not caught her in the act (as in drug testing).  There is so much help out there for her but for some reason she is in denial.  She is doing counseling only because it is court mandatory.  She is supposed to get her children back through court in August 2010.  She is a very loving, caring and cheerful person when not on drugs.  So as family, we know when she is on the drug.  It’s like two different people.  I feel for the children, but what do I do. 

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 3 Comments »

24. June 2010 by student.

Our society has focused on major drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol. They have set them as their main priorities, but have never stopped to think that maybe that should not be their main concern at this moment? It was discovered  that one in every five high school students have taken prescription drugs such as OxyCodone , Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin and Xanax without a prescription. Twelfth graders had the highest likelihood of prescription drug abuse at 26 percent. Following the twelfth graders were white students that were reported at 23 percent drug abuse. The 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey had never looked at prescription drug abuse before. This is starting to quickly spread throughout the United States, and it scares me to think that this is actually a lot worse. Doctors are prescribing large amounts of these prescriptions, for simple car accidents, and most of the time it really is not necessary. I have a family member that goes to a public school in Naples and he said it seems like everyone takes prescription pills. It is very disturbing because they mix them, and crush them, or smoke them to get higher. I feel that one of the best solutions to this problem may be to enforce stricter laws on how much a person is prescribed, and who is prescribed prescription narcotics so that it is harder for kids to get a hold of them. It is not just movie stars dying from these drugs but it is also kids. If we continue to ignore this crisis our society is going to begin to find this normal, doctors are going to begin accepting money for these prescriptions, and this will impact the life’s of many.

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