Why I agree with Justice Toailoa on Changing your Child's DNA

Justice says, " In my opinion I don't think the parent has any right to determine the DNA for their child because not only is it morally wrong, but also genetically dangerous." I agree with this, and in my opinion I beeve that the risks of this procedure outwheigh the benefits. 


I think that one thing Justice could have added to her debate, was the very possable chance(s) of genetic mutation and other types of mental illnes. By changing or messing with the child's DNA before it is born could leeve to these genetic defects. I am going to use smoking as a example. When expecting mothers smoke while pregnant can cause birth defects, than imagine what tamporing with their DNA could do. 


Other than that, I felt that justice's opening statement was very well rounded. The only thing taht I would have changed was her evidence. I felt that there was no sources which was ok, but in order to make her agruments valid, sources are needed.

Quickwrite: Celies Relationship with God

Celie’s letters to God tell me one thing. She needed a coping mechanism. I think that these letters were her way of venting her problems. She had no one she could talk to, and she was going through a lot through out her entire life. I am not very far in the book yet, but I can already tell that she has not have an easy life. Her father has raped her multiple time, and she has to be the mother figure in the house to her siblings.She has that mother like responsibility, because she is the oldest child, and her mother died. Having her mother die is tragic enough. But on top of that she has to take care of her siblings, and is constantly abused by her father. Could you imagine life like that?

Many people keep things bottled up inside them, and more some people it is unhealthy. Many people go talk to therapists or counselors, but Celie did not have the money or recourses to do this. She could not talk to her mother because she was dead, and she could not talk to her father, because he was the one abusing her. God was like an outlet to her, and these letters are like her journal or diary. She dates them to God because that is her only outlet. 

For many religious people, they believe that talking to God will help. In other words, if you talk to God individually, he will answer your prayers. Maybe this is true and maybe not, but I think that she made the letters to God in hope that he would answer her prayers. I think that as I read on, she might loose faith in God because bad things keep happening to her. But maybe not. 

Debate: What messures should the U.S. take to prevent Terrorism?

The best way to crack down on preventing terrorism in the U.S. is by cracking down on Airport Security. Recently TSA has been physically searching people. Many people have complained that this is an outrage and a violation if the 4th Amendment. My response to this, is that making sure that a plane is not blown up is more important than personal space. Anthony Martin form the examiner disagrees with me.

"The overwhelming majority of citizens who fly are not suspects.  So why must all citizens be subjected to the groping, probing, and fondling hands of TSA officials when they have done absolutely nothing to justify such violations of personal privacy and dignity? In order to catch a few terrorists?"

How about this? Many people are upset about this violation of personal space, but if you die because your flight was blown up, your personal space suddenly becomes irrelevant. A perfect example of this happened to me personally just this passed October. My dad and I where flying to San Diego to see my Great Grandfather. My dad had taken a smaller sized carry on because we were just taking a one day trip. He did not check what was in the back before he started packing. It wasn't until we where already in San Diego, that my dad realized that TSA let him on the plane with a box cutter. My dad was totally unaware that  he had it with him, but that part of the story is irrelevant. the part that matters, is what if my dad was a terrorist (which he is not of course)? And what if one day TSA lets through a box cutter, but the next day they let on  a bomb, or equipment to make a bomb on board?

All I am saying, is that if the U.S. is making extreme efforts to stop and prevent terrorism, then the first step is with Airports. TSA needs to step up thier level of security to the next level. If people complain about violation of personal space and the 4th amendment, then they need to suck it up. No one is making you go to the airport and fly on a plane. Therefore, TSA has every right to do what is necessary to protect the people and make sure that each and every flight takes off and lands safely and successfully.

Response to Stan Anderson's Post

Stan responded to Vanessa's post, and I am responding to Stan's Post. In his post he says...


"Guys do have to work hard. They are the ones who have to work up the nerve to even go up to the girls that they like and have the guts to ask them out."


Vanessa and Stan are debating about if it is easier for a man to get a girlfriend, or a women to get a boyfriend. personally, I have to agree with Stan on this one. It is much harder for a man to get a girlfriend. Guys constantly have women on their minds (at least at this age), and getting one is not the easiest task in the world. There are many factors that you have to take into account. Building up the courage to ask them, trying to make sure that they like you before you ask them, and last but not least simply finding a girl that you like enough to go out with. Plus, based on what I have seen in the past, the chances of a guy saying yes is more probable. Meaning that more guys actually say yes when they are asked out than women. Women tend to be more picky about their guys than men. 


  

Does a Elite College = A Better Life?

Does going to an elite college mean that you will live a better life? NO! When we were first given this question in class, the first words that popped into my head where B.S. The thing that immediately makes this statement inaccurate, is the idea of a better life. What is a better life? What do you compare it too? How are the standards for a better life made, and by whom? Everyones idea of a good life are different. Someone might want to become a doctor who makes a lot of money and has a wife and three kids. But to others, that may not sound like a good life at all. Instead, someone may want to be a waitress their whole lives. Going to a elite college is not necessary to become a waitress, however to become a doctor you do (or most do). The whole question is irrelevant because everyone’s idea of a good or better life is different.

I am going to start with the article that I thought was the worst. What You Do vs. Where You Go, by Martha O’Connell. Here main point was that going to an elite college does not guarantee a better life, which I agree with. However, her examples where of celebrates or people who come from wealthy backgrounds, which did not prove anything. Martha said, “Steven Spielberg, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates dropped out of college, that Oprah Winfrey is an alumna of Tennessee State and that Ken Burns graduated from Hampshire College.” This example does not prove anything for various reasons. Bill Gates, did not need a degree to take the Mac operating system and put it on a PC. Again I am not disagreeing with her, but I am simply saying that her examples are very weak. 

I do like Access to Money and Power, by Anthony Carnevale. His main point was that colleges that charge less do not have as many resources for the students because they do not have enough money to afford them. On the other hand, elite colleges that charge more can afford more and sometimes better resources to their students. He says, “The high concentrations of affluent students at selective colleges get a lot more...” So I agree with him in a way because of the fact that yes students at elite colleges probably have better resources, therefore most likely making school easier. But once again I still believe that going to an elite college does not guarantee a better life. 

The thing that I hope people take from this. Is that you don’t have to be accepted to an elite college like UC Berkeley or Stanford. There is no doubt that it may help you get the job of your choice, but everyone has their own standard for a good life. No college can get that for you, only you can.

Free Post: MUSIC

Music is everything. I am a musician and live music. Play music, listen to it, and record/produce it. While I am writing this, I am currently blasting music in my room. I admit that it is a little distracting but I'm still getting things done. My dad is a part-time music producer, and it has rubbed off on me completely. Everyday when I come home, I get my homework done and then get on the computer and make music.

My dad has taught me how to use professional equipment and computer software to make music. It is totally a hobby, but the best thing about it is that I have a friend who shares the same interest. The coolest thing about that is that we share ideas and sometimes edit each others work. I don't want music to be my career, but I am not going to give it up later in life. To this day I am still taking lessons, because I never stop learning. How long I have been taking lessons is irrelevant, because I never stop learning.

Music club at ASTI is perfect for me because it gives me a way to socialize with my friends while doing what I love. I drum in music club, and yes drumming is my main instrument(s). After I get my degree in computer science and become a pilot in the Air Force (hopefully) I would be interested  to get my degree in music. Maybe at the same time as computer science, but that might become very overwhelming.