Assignment 2: Jury Comic & Short Essay

What is the point of having juries when our justice system is not democracy?

We are often told that when we reach adulthood, one of the best experiences in life is to be part of a jury. However, I think the opposite because our jury system is flawed.

The juror’s responsibility is to decide whether or not the person is guilty of the offense s/he has been charged, based on the facts of the case. Before the actual court begins, the jurors were chosen in a system called voir dire, where jurors were questioned on their background and their thoughts on the justice system. This system may seem fair on the outside but, not in the inside because the lawyers pick and choose the candidates that will give them the result they want.

In Civics class, we had a field trip to the court and witnessed what the jurors experiences. In both the process of voir dire and the actual court, most people were white including the jurors, judges, and officers. With the majority of the jurors being one type of ethnic, this creates inequality and prejudice towards the defendants. Again, jurors represent the voice of community and peers but there is really no use of them when the lawyers and judges are the puppet masters of the court, choosing them in a certain system. Overall, this system is not democratized even though our country believes in democracy.

Not only is there a problem within the jury but also within the treatment of the criminals after their sentence. A correctional officer from the court gave the first impression of not being interested in his job even though he was given some sort of power. He said that they are not responsible for anything that happens in prison because the ration between prisoners and officers are 10 to 1. That excuse is not acceptable because they should also be responsible for rehabilitating and protecting prisoners who acknowledges what they have done wrong. Thus, we are not acting just.

 

Assignment 1: Advocacy Project Analysis

Was our movement a success?
I think that our movement was a success because we broke up the process of a social movement step by step. We asked several people on what their views on sex-ed were and how would they want to improve the lessons taught. Then, as a group we came up with goals and improved lessons with the least amount of conflict. Lastly, we set up a meeting with the people with higher power in our school and the proposal was successfully accepted.

What did you learn that you could apply to future social activism?
In order for a movement to be successful, the plan has to be broken up into several steps and organized really well. To persuade people to join the movement we had to include their opinions because they are part of the voice of making a change too. People can’t “jump the gun” and expect a good result. Everything takes patience in order to be perfect.

Spring Break HW

I have previously talked to Ms.Weller about her experience in jury duty and she said it was horrible. Many didn’t have the interest being there. There were people from different backgrounds and there were areas where the process could’ve improved. It took too long for jurors to get their question answered from the judge so she thinks that there should be a transcript of what happened during court, that way jurors clarified their questions themselves. Also, there is always a problem of bias and this is usually a hard area to improve.

Coming from a student intern, Jordan do not feel that the law is fair or will ever be fair. He said, “We cannot separate our emotions about the case from the actual processing. Therefore, in terms of the courts I have been to, that use jurors, I can see the separation between emotion [Jurors] and law [Judge] but courts like the Supreme Court have to decide amongst themselves, which makes them blind to their own outside judgments that does not pertain to the law.” Bias comes from many social problems and it is upsetting to see how the courts act.

Since the cases can last a long time and jurors can be bias on certain parts of the cases, the best thing for jurors to do is to make judgments based on following the laws and used evidence provided. Ironically, the ignorance of the jurors is what makes the process of the court fair because it forces them to go by the books. When people understand the books, they understand that certain nuances can change the case, and those nuances could have been influenced by their emotions.

HW 8 – Building sense of connection

I notice that both the supporter and the ones being helped have a sense of feeling valued when sharing thank you letters, giving sweet gestures, or volunteering. But I wasn’t really sure if supporting a good cause on the internet would help each other feel connected and significant. When I read my thank you letters and volunteer for others, the people respond with some sort of appreciation such as a big smile on their face. Those smiles came from the heart and it gets pretty contagious.

However, when I supported a good cause like PETA on the internet, I wasn’t sure how the organization would feel having an extra like. Some may say that every little thumbs up counts and the notifications on the side bars can make something little into something big, but I don’t think the people from organizations would keep count when not much people could find the page and give support after a long amount or period.

 

HW 6 – Individual field trip to a polling place

A local voter said, “I was a little bit nervous because I’m not sure whether my vote would make a difference. One of the assistants told me to fill the ballot out like the SATs.” She was from Texas but she supports Obama so she was glad that she came to NY to vote because her vote would matter more here than in Texas, a red state.

HW 5- Blog Comments From & For Other People

Posts on other Partner’s blogs:

Christine:

I think that your blog post could have looked a little bit more organized. You should list your points before adding any evidence. You should separate your ideas into different paragraphs. When you start a new idea, do not begin with words like “furthermore” and “additionally” because it is not related. When you wrote, “Women have the rights to decide whether or not they should have a baby or not”, rights should be singular. You should also delete the “or not” part in the end because you repeated yourself.

Also, when you said: Obama said, “he believes a woman’s health care choices are personal decisions, best made with her doctor—without interference from politicians”. If he said it, shouldn’t the quote say ‘I believe’? I became doubtful that he actually said this himself.

President Obama says, I will cut taxes – for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class”.

Where is the initial punctuation mark at the beginning of the quote?

At the end you should double check whether or not the economy has improved when Obama was in office. Lastly, ” therefore, II’m a bit skeptical ” delete the extra ‘I’. I suggest that you should copy and paste your writing on word document to check your mistakes before you post it up on the blog.

Overall, I really like your points because that’s what I agree with too.

Sydney:
Here I have very little to work with, so bear with me. I think that first you have to use evidence to foundation your points before moving on to editing. But overall, you points are very specific and you have great writing skills.

Jaclyn:

I like how you compared Mitt Romney and Obama but I’m a little confused about your points. To clarify, are your points abortion and taxes? If it is just 2 points, maybe you should add a little bit more points.
I also liked how you pointed out that you are skeptical about Obama’s success but you need to support with quotes and maybe add one of Obama’s goals that you think he is not going to be able to achieve (in my opinion.)

Comments:

Protege: This paper has stated a clear thesis and the arguments. The arguments are clearly proven by the evidence. And your opinions are persuasive and strongly support your thesis.
Gleason:

Hi Amy,You choose some very important issues to analyze. I think they are good ones to help you choose a candidate to vote for.

I think it might have been helpful to explain what both candidates say about each issue. Then you could talk about the similarities and differences between the candidates on that issue. Looking at each candidates website for the same issue could help.

I’m confused by your analysis of the Romney quote in the second paragraph. Do you agree with Romney that everyone should be treated at the emergency room even if they can’t afford coverage? What does Obama say about treating everyone who shows up in the emergency room? Does Obama believe we should let people who aren’t insured bleed to death at the hospital door?

In the last paragraph you said that Obama favored lowering taxes for the rich, but your evidence doesn’t support that claim. It seems he is asking the rich to pay more. Usually Democrats favor raising taxes on the wealthy, while Republicans believe that lowering taxes on the wealthy will allow rich people to hire more employees at their businesses.

Christine:

You did a great job on stating your points.
I would advise you to include some similarities and differences between Obama and Romney and to clarify your position as a democrat.

“That would be Barack Obama because I agree on more topics than Mitt Romney”
– You should start the paragraph with a better sentence. (For example, in my opinion…)
– I am confused about the word “topics” being mentioned in the paragraph. Do you mean their goals?

“One issue that I’m skeptical about is Obama’s tax system. He favors in lowering the rich’s taxes”
In this paragraph, you changed your position as a democrat to a republican. Where is your source proving that Obama said he favors in lowering the rich’s taxes?

Jaclyn:

You obviously care a lot about who gets elected because there are various issues you chose to talk about, I agree that you should use evidence to show what both candidates have stated on the matters but I think that you should get it not from their websites because it’s not as truthful as it is deceiving, the sites will mostly give information to make them look good but its more important to get a quote of something they’ve said on television because they are on the spot sharing their perspectives and personally i think you can trust that more than getting it from a site that is made to make them look good and might leave crucial things you wanna hear out. for instance romney’s site would probably bar you from being able to track how many time mitt has contradicted himself. i think that there is a very passionate and sophisticates voice to this so great job! one thing i thought you might want to do is use shorter straight to the point quotes or talk more around it because the quote is the meat but i feel i hear more of the quote than i do of your own voice and i wanna hear more of that because though evidence is important your perspective is the JUICY part. i liked this it actually cleared up a few things for me such as obama’s tax system, and how he plans to get our men out of Afghanistan.

Sydney:

You did a great job of addressing those issues that are pertinent to the national political discourse. However, the discussion on quotes was not quite clear and concise. Also pay attention to the credibility of your sources.

Responses to Comments Received :

Protege: Thank you for your first comment. I didn’t mention enough requirements for the comments but next time you can give me more harsh comments so I can improve my writing.

Gleason: Thank you for you comment, I really appreciate it. I agree that I should explain what both candidates say about each issue and compare and contrast them.For the last paragraph, I also agree that the quote doesn’t support the claim. I should find another quote or another issue that I am skeptical.

Christine: Same thing with how I replied to Gleason, I agree that I should include similarities and differences between Mitt Romney and Obama, I should look up for another quote that supports Obama favor in lowering rich’s taxes. Lastly, when I said “topics” I did meant their goals.

Jaclyn:

Thanks for recommending  other reliable sites other than sticking with one site. I agree that I have lack of analysis; I should understand the meaning more before finishing up the blog post.

Sydney:

I agree that my quote analysis aren’t really clear. I think the sources was pretty reliable because USA Today linked some of the candidates’ quotes from White House, etc.

HW 4 Presidential preferences 1 – given own political priorities, with some research and acknowledgement of complexity

The right presidential candidate for me would be someone who puts the issues of taxes, health-care, global warming, war in Afghanistan, issue of equality and the debt to China into consideration.

That would be Barack Obama because I agree on more topics than Mitt Romney. For instance, the issue of health-care. According to USA Today, Obama stated, “So if you can afford it, you should get health insurance just like you get car insurance. … Medical care is different from everything else. There’s nothing wrong with saying to people who can afford to get health insurance, you need to buy health insurance just like car insurance. You can’t wait and then go to the emergency room, because we can’t turn you away at the emergency room. And if you’re broke, then we’ll give you some help, but if you can afford it, you should buy it. That’s what the majority of courts have said.” High income people pay for their own health insurance and low income people are supported by the government. I second this because everybody needs health insurance but not everybody can afford it. By helping the low income citizens, everybody receive their needs.

Another issue is the environment. USA Today linked a quote from the White House website. It says: “President Obama signed an Executive Order on federal sustainability that directs federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, meet a number of energy, water and waste reduction targets, improve the efficiency of vehicle fleets, and leverage federal purchasing power to promote environmentally responsible products and technologies.” Just like me, Obama believes that climate change is a real problem; all citizens have responsibilities to find a way to reduce carbon emissions. He thinks that our government should invest money on projects to advance solar, wind or other alternative energy technologies.

Ever since Obama was president, he has been working on how to retrieve US troops from the war in Afghanistan and how to fill in the gap of debt between China and US. If he continues being president, there will be a day where the US troops are back on our land and the debt will decrease. According to USA Today, Obama stated, “These objectives would require many more years, many more dollars, and most importantly, many more American lives. Our goal is to destroy al-Qaeda, and we are on a path to do exactly that. Afghans want to assert their sovereignty and build a lasting peace. That requires a clear timeline to wind down the war.” It may take some time to retrieve all the troops back but the time is use to bring back peace between countries.

Lastly, I second Obama for legalizing gay marriage and the right for women to be able to choose for abortion. In an interview on ABC news, Obama said: “For me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married. Now, I have to tell you that part of my hesitation on this has also been I didn’t want to nationalize the issue. There’s a tendency when I weigh in to think suddenly it becomes political and it becomes polarized. And what you’re seeing is, I think, states working through this issue in fits and starts, all across the country. Different communities are arriving at different conclusions, at different times. And I think that’s a healthy process and a healthy debate. And I continue to believe that this is an issue that is gonna be worked out at the local level, because historically, this has not been a federal issue, what’s recognized as a marriage.” He lets the individual states to decide for themselves so it is not polarized and maybe there will be time where conclusions come together. Freedom to make decisions is the key. Similarly, Obama supports women’s right to choose abortion. “As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right.” Everyone have their own control over their own body. There shouldn’t be inequality for these types of cases.

One issue that I’m skeptical about is Obama’s tax system. He favors in lowering the rich’s taxes. Obama said, “That’s just the way the system is set up. In fact, one in four millionaires pays a lower tax rate than millions of hardworking middle-class households. … If you make more than $1 million every year, you should pay at least the same percentage of your income in taxes as middle-class families do. On the other hand, if you make less than $250,000 a year — like 98% of American families do — your taxes shouldn’t go up.” What he means is that rich paying low taxes are about equal to the amount lower classes’ are paying for their taxes. I disagree because the rich should pay around the same percentage of taxes as the poor. That way it can help the economy because there is more money for government funds.

Source:
http://www.usatoday.com/interactives/news/politics/candidate-match-game/

HW 3- Interview family member about politics

After interviewing my cousin, I was able to conclude her position in politics. My first question for her was, “What is your political orientation?” and she replied, “I don’t really like politics and I don’t like to involve myself with the political sphere since it is so complicated and frustrating, but if I had to link myself with ONE orientation I would be called a Liberal because I believe that all people should be treated and considered equally, I think liberal democracy is for the benefit of the people, I believe in the freedom of the press and speech, fair elections, and human and animal rights, and all people are free to exercise their religion, I am a Liberal because I strongly believe in freedom and equality for all people and also fairness.”

Another question that was brought up during the interview was, “Which issues do you feel deserve greatest attention now?” and she said, “I think too many high school kids are getting involved in a world of unhealthy substances and this is a huge issue because they are still developing and it impedes brain development. High school students who are influenced at a young age quite frankly might rely on certain substances to get through stressful adolescent situations or will end up thinking that drug and alcohol use is okay in general though the consumption and use is unnecessary, it affects their health, lives and the healthy people around them.” She also mentioned how adults abused the use of substances too and there should be a stop to this by making stricter laws against the use of alcohol and drugs. In this situation, the category is the government vs. the people who consider these actions. The principles are: pursuit of happiness, freedom, harm/safety, and purity. Some contradictions can be the fact that it damages our bodies and alcohol is legal for people at a certain age. The complexity of alcohol is that it is sold legally but if it causes trouble it is illegal. The cartoons to this are that if the use of drugs and alcohol is illegal, our society will collapse.

We discussed what political issues that most affected her own experience in life and she answered, “All my life I’ve loved the outdoors, trees, lakes, and nature, and I think things like textbooks and worksheets are a waste of tree and there is no point in killing trees the way that we do when we could recycle more and we have technology and can do everything digitally and spare the environment. I think that in schools and nationwide we need to conserve paper to save the environment and save ourselves, the trees in the world provide oxygen, it can help balance out the amount of pollution is the level of manufacturing of paper were to get cut down as well, and the number of trees were to increase. The amount of trees not only increases the level of oxygen and nature and wildlife, but perspective. The Cities would not dominate the Earth, and the Earth’s initial beauty would slowly come back.” The category is the people who support eco-green vs. the people who could care less about the environment. The principle is the fact that it damages the Earth. The cartoon to this is that if trees are not cut down in certain parts of land, the economy will collapse because people can’t build business.    

We ended the discussion with the last question, “What goals do you find most inspiring?” and she said, “I find the women’s rights movement most inspiring, it seemed so impossible but pulled through which is why I look at it as an amazing accomplishment. I think by the end I could sense how empowered, gratified, and amazing all those women must of felt when after the long struggle they had won the right to vote, they had gotten equality(not in all aspects but that were so much closer now that they could vote). This movement inspires me because of the motivation behind it, their vision and strives for equality, and how they got it because some movement are put in motion and carried out incoherently and end without success. But this movement was led by great female minds that picked the lock just right in order to obtain what they truly wanted.” The categories are liberals and men who want power to themselves in general. Some principles can be equality and morality. A contradiction can be the fact that men are equal. The cartoons of this are: if women get equal rights as men, we get equality, if women’s rights are legalized, our society will collapse with other groups like Gay/Lesbian wanting equal rights too.   

HW 2- Manifestos

One of the political values that I hold is equality for all people no matter what gender, what race and what sexual orientation people are in, ‘We the People’ should have equal rights because we are all human beings.

1. Men and women with the same employment status should have the same income
There is no reason for opposite sex to have less of something that the other sex have. Why should women have lower income when they work for the same hours and same positions with men? Women can start having more job opportunities and the people in charge of the companies should address that they are paid with the same amount as men who are in the same job positions.
2. Low income families who works hard should receive more benefits to meet up to at least a middle class status (i.e. employment, education, health, housing)
Middle class and high class people should not be the only ones who deserve all benefits. We can start by making the rich pay more percentage in taxes. The money will be used for school fundings, health fundings, charity, etc.
3. People of all races should receive the same benefits (i.e. employment, education, health, housing)
Whites should not be the only one who benefits from having great job opportunities, better education, better health and better housing.
4. There should be an end to police brutality and murder
There have been many cases of police officers taking advantage of their job status to hurt others.
5. Rights should be allowed in the gay/lesbian community just like the straight community
There is no reason for people with different sexual orientations to benefit in society differently. People should put themselves in another’s shoes to understand that it is not fair for one to benefit more than the other in general.

We should accomplish these goals by protesting, and broadcast the issues through social media. The amount of people who raise awareness makes a diference.

HW 1 – Initial Political Thoughts

My most strongly-felt political commitments/beliefs/practices are Women’s Rights, Gay/Lesbian Rights, and Equal Interracial Rights because equal rights should revolve around everybody. It doesn’t matter what race, what gender, and what sexuality you are in, we are all human. Together we are a whole. I think I got my politics from teachers. I think that teachers got their politics from their previous studies and or experiences.

I think that dealing with unwanted animals is an important political issue that most people think isn’t really political. This isn’t really seen as a big thing for politicians or at least I believe it doesn’t seem like a big issue to them. I believe that this is a big issue because many unwanted animals are being abused and left to survive on their own. This activity is inhumane that I believe this should be addressed in actual politics, they should enforce some stricter laws to prevent the worse from happening. But personally, I would live in a private live because nobody seems to care.

An important political issue to raise with the chancellor of all NYC public schools would be that all soon- to- be seniors of high school should not have summer homework other than summer reading because at this time kids need to spend more time planning for college. They need to prep themselves for SATs/ ACTs/SATIIs, search and visit colleges of their interest, write college essays, and apply for scholarships. They are so busy that they won’t have time to do other work. Since their summer isn’t considered a summer, they shouldn’t be pressured even more with other workloads.