Free Speech Blog

Last Blog

2008-05-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

So this is my last blog...
I really liked doing this blog thing because it gave me a chance to say what I had to say about what we talked about in class. I am not really a person who likes to talk and make comments in class so this let me express myself.
I missed the rest of the presentations because I was in Humboldt for a week in a half for softball playoffs. We didn't do as well as I wished but we did make it there and I have heard that we are the best team that has come through CSUMB.
Good luck to everyone.

Back in my Town

2008-05-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today an old friend from high school called me out of the blue. She told me some news about an old friend of the family. This girl who still lives in Sacramento where I am from was just arrested for murder and attempted car jacking. Now this girl and her family were very close to my family when I grew up. We played softball together and our sisters played softball together. Her dad used to coach us. Last I heard about her was she was still living in Sacramento and I heard she wasn't doing well but I didn't think she was doing that bad. Her and another man, both 22, were trying to take the car which their drug dealer was in and ended up shooting him.
When I heard this my mouth just dropped to the floor. What is this world coming to? Her parents were the nicest people and I just don't get it. Why didn't she try and do something with her life rather than staying in Sac and ending up in jail?

shark attack

2008-05-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

My mom called me the other day and was telling about this shark attack that happened in San Diego. There was this 60 year old man training for a triathlon and the shark bit off both legs. I think it is crazy, those shark attacks. It is really scary to think it could happen anywhere so close to shore. It actually happened in Solana Beach right where I used to live. It makes me not want to go out in the water. There was the shark attack about a year ago here in Monterey too. Mother nature is a crazy thing.

Presentation

2008-04-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

My group went tonight to presetn and I was unable to present because I am in Humbolt for softball playoffs. But I wanted to talk about my part of the project. I found a CSUMB student who was caught downloading songs off of limewire. She recieved an email from the school saying the recording company would press charges if she continued to download music. Attached was a letter from the attorney of the recording company threatening to sue if she continued to download the music. Also attached was a list of some of the songs she downloaded. I think it is violating her privacy by them being able to tell what songs exactly she downloaded. I know it is illegal but is this a little extreme since she is a college student?

Corporation and Employee Free Speech

2008-04-28T19:06:00.001-07:00

Today the first seminar group went, and their project was on corporate speech vs. employee speech. The examples that they used were very meaningful and made their project. The one where the gas station owner spoke out against the Shell station that they work for, I thought was so sad that in a way he died in vein because he starved himself and was fighting so hard for what he believed in. Why does protesting have to come to that? When they asked if Shell had the right to do what they did, I had to agree. It is their company and he was bad mouthing their product on their property, even though you want to believe he had the right to do so but they had the right to also fight back.

The News

2008-04-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

I think the news is something that is your own personal preference. It is hard to trust people and with the news you need to trust that source that they will bring you the truth with no bias. But most of the time that is hard to come by with today's news. I personally don't watch as much news as I should. I usually hear about important things from my mom and then look it up if it sounds interesting. Watching the video on fox news about it being so biased, made me realize that just because they are a big broadcast news program doesn't mean it is the right one. But it makes me think, what is a good fair news program?

Hate Crimes

2008-04-03T21:58:00.001-07:00

In class we watched a movie about a town in Montana dealing with these issues of hate. I think it is just plain weird that a town today deals with these kinds of problems. Like the man who owned the radio station was ridiculous. He was encouraging his listeners to go out and fight these activists who are going against what they want. When the people refused to go to the businesses that are supporting the radio station, their lives were threatened. This is unfair because one side is getting to express their opinion but when others are fighting for theirs they are threatened. One family had to go as far as to move their family away, they shouldn't have to do that. If they want to raise their family in this town they should be able to, but they are so racists against anyone who isn't white. It was just surprising to me that this is happening in this day and age.

Obscene

2008-03-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

In class we watched the movie about the gallery that was deciding whether or not to show the pictures. I think art is art and it is all in how you interpret it. I think art should be looked at with an open mind and if you can't keep an open mind don't buy and don't look at it. I think the town that it happened in was full of politics and that over powered the act of putting art out there. It may be viewed as obscene or pornographic but it is all in if you want to look at it that way. I think that should be freedom of speech and expression and if that artist wanted to express those images that is his right.

Pornography

2008-03-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

Last class we talked about pornography and obscenity, I never really thought about pornography being a form of free speech but the things people were saying kind of made me think about it more. Someone in class said that pornography is wrong and unethical, but that is their opinion. I think pornography is a form of free speech, it is a way to make a living. It is an industry that is thriving more and more these days. If the consumers still want it and are buying it, then the people in the porn industry should keep making them and producing them. If people think it is obscene then they don't have to watch.
There are limits to it and laws that need to be enforced for the porn industry. Only adults should participate and only the willing should. It is not illegal to do so people should be able to express themselves however they feel.

violence

2008-03-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

When we were brainstorming in class for topic ideas for our projects, someone suggested doing something on the bumper stickers that say "stop the violence". When you read those bumper stickers does that really make an impact on your actions to stop violence? I think just saying that just says that. There needs to be more of an action to stop the violence. The stories we talked about in class were really sad and it is scary thinking that young kids can do such cruel hate crimes. One kid killed another one for being gay. When I was that age I don't think I really understood the concept of being gay was. I think we need to educate children on what lifestyles are to be more accepting to those different lifestyles.

In the Classroom

2008-03-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

Today in class we were talking about free speech and responsibility in the classroom. What really struck me was that people were saying it was ok for the teacher to have gone against what the school board had said. I think she should have gotten in trouble for how she did things. Just because it is the right or ethical thing to do, doesn't mean it is ok to break the rules. In the public schools there is curriculum and they need to follow those guidelines. Where do you draw the line to which teachers can break the rules and which can't?

Evolution

2008-02-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

In class this week we were talking about teaching evolution in schools, discussing the Scopes trial and the Dover trial. My opinion on the issue is that there are a few different theories on where we came from and we don't really know which one is the right. So why not teach all of the theories that have credibility and let the students decide what they want to believe. There is no reason Christians can't learn about evolution as well as creationism.
About the Dover trial, I think it is very cowardly for the creationist to try to get their book published just by switching the name. If people want to keep church out of the schools that is not the way to go about it.

Protesting

2008-02-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

In class this week we watched the video about the protesting in New York right around the time of the republican convention. When we were discussing it in class it was brought up that the police involved have no right to react and do what they were doing. I think they should have every right to stop things from happening using whatever means they need. They have to think of their safety as well. There is a mob of people and it has to be kind of scary for them to be out there telling people they can't do something. It can't be taken personal it is their job to keep everyone safe and where they need to be. It is what they are supposed to do, so people should let them do their jobs.

California

2008-02-14T20:44:00.001-08:00

I am playing in a tournament in Arizona this weekend for softball. We are playing teams from all over, like today we played a team from Missouri and a team from Texas. There are teams in this tournament from New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. You can tell that those girls are not from California, by the way they looked, talked and acted. For example after the game we normally just slap hands and the Missouri team actually shaked our hands. All of the teams from California just wore pants and socks but the out of state teams (not from California) had huge sliding pads over their pants.
It is so crazy thinking about how and where other people grew up. What if I was from or grew up in a place like Missouri or Texas or even New Mexico. I think I would be a completely different person. I would never be called a "California Girl". We are so different from most other states and I think it's a good thing we stand out. It is a whold different world out there and there is so much California has to offer. How did California get to be one of the most prodominate important states out there?

Steriods

2008-02-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

Roger Clemons is one of the professional baseball players being investigated by congress for using steriods. He plays for one of the most expensive baseball organizations, the New York Yankees. His trainer is saying that he injected Clemons with steriods, but Clemons is denying it. There are so many other professional athletes that are doing steriods but why is Clemon's case so high profile? I think he is being targeted because he played with the Yankees. Is doing steriods cheating? I don't necessarily think it is cheating because you still need to put in the effort to get better and you need the mental part of the game. It may be ethically wrong to do steriods for professional athletes because they are supposed to be role models and are being payed to play. I don't agree with taking steriods but the only reason Clemons is getting so much press with this is because he is denying it. There is someone saying they gave it to him. If he did do it he needs to tell the truth and just hope people will stand behind him and understand.

Murderers and their Followers

2008-01-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading the book "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi, and I was amazed of the how the murders happened and the journey that had taken place throughout the trial. Charles Manson and his "family" lived on a ranch and most of the girls living there were no older than 20 years old. Manson had planned murders that were carried out by three women and one man on two separate nights. When it came to the trial the females and Manson were tried together and convicted of first degree murder and they recieved the death penalty. When it came down to the sentencing, the girls made Manson out to be a saint and said he had nothing to do with it. They were willing to take the fall for him when they were the ones manipulated. Some of the other followers picketed outside and carved symbols on their foreheads to free Manson.
What I don't get about the whole "Manson Family" is how someone can have so much power that people would do anything for him? These girls killed for a man that would have threw them under the bus the first chance he got. I don't understand how these girls could be so vulnerable that they would do anything for him. The protesters outside the court house made Manson to be such a good person that other people started to believe he was innocent and started wearing shirts that said "Free Manson". The prosecution tried so hard to keep the jury isolated, but with all of the media it was hard to keep that isolation. I was very surprised to see that they found them guilty because the media could have persuaded them for a not guilty verdict. I think it is amazing to see how one person can be so influentual in someone's life to get them to kill.