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Francheska Taveras

Gun Control in America: Necessary or Redundant? Allana Duncan

Since the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School last year on December 14th which resulted in the death of 26 people, including 20 children, gun control has been a bubbling topic in both the media and politics.

Other stories of gun violence, particularly acts that were committed in public places such as schools, seemed to spark a national debate: should the government new implement laws, restricting the types of weapons sold to the public and should a background check be conducting before a person would be able to purchase a weapon?

Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords made an emotional speech for the Senate, pleading for stronger gun regulations. "Violence is a problem. Too many children are dying. Too many. We must do something..."

Gun violence is something that Giffords experienced for herself. In 2011, Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent outreach event, held in a supermarket parking lot in Arizona. Of the 18 people who were hurt, six died, including a nine-year-old girl. Giffords was shot in the head and since has been recovering from her injuries.

Since the incident, Giffords has become an activist for gun control.

USA Today reported that, "the Senate Judiciary Committee passed its first gun bill, setting up the first potential floor votes on the issue of gun violence in nearly a decade."

According to the article, the bill would "crack down on "straw purchasers" of weapons by making it a federal crime to buy a weapon and transfer it to someone barred from owning it."

USA Today also featured two articles, featured in the 'opinion' section, which gave conflicting views of the new Bill. One article explained that the new bill was necessary and fitting, saying that "since a shooter killed 26 children and adults in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, guns have been used to kill more than 2,500 people in the United States."

The other article argued that the new bill "sounds great on the surface,"arguing that instead of implementing new laws to combat gun trafficking, the old ones should just be enforce. The article further stated that the implementation of the new bill is because "Congress wants to be seen as "taking action"."

Jennifer Edwards, a student at Albright College gives her opinion on the controversial topic.

"I've been noticing more of it [media coverage on gun control] since the Sandy Hook incident. I see a lot people saying that you should have tighter restrictions on gun control, then I see people saying you shouldn't limit people's gun rights, or Second Amendment."

Edwards admits that her opinion falls "in the middle" of both views.

"I definitely think there should be tighter restrictions on purchasing guns, especially on what type you can get...but I know that it [buying guns] is in your Second Amendment rights and I don't think that should be violated."

Joshua Bey, a junior at Albright College regularly follows the gun control controversy by watching news stations such as CNN, MSNBC, and occasionally reading the New York Times.

Bey believes that the current gun laws implemented in the country are "good enough and just need to be enforced."

"There's no point in having new laws, if the old ones are not being enforced," Bey states.

When asked whether he believed that gun violence has been a bigger issue because of the media, Bey says, "I think gun control is a bigger issue because there are more laws than ever before that pertain to people's liberties."

"People now believe that they have the "right" to do anything," Bey states.

In lieu of the violent acts committed with firearms on schools, it has been reported that some states are training their teachers on how to protect themselves and their students against an attacker with weapons. It has also been reported that some schools are even considering arming their teachers and staff with weapons.

Bey says that he thinks it is too soon to begin training teachers and school staff on how to use firearms.

"I do believe that if there are more incidents where people do get shot at schools, then it will be a necessity."

Edwards states that she understands why it would be necessary to train teachers on how to use the guns. But admits that having a gun in class could be "extremely dangerous because a kid could get a hold of it [a gun].

Whatever side of the gun control debate that a person may find himself, both sides would agree that the safety of innocent civilians is the most important aspect on the controversy.

Nana Peprah, a junior at Albright College says that she just wants to feel safe. "It's not fair that I have to worry about my safety while on campus," Peprah states,

"I just want to feel safe."

Do You Mind the Gap?

Young girls see images of skinny, fit models and go to extreme measures to emulate their bodies.
Photo Courtesy of www.carbonated.tv

It only takes one day for someone to feel bad about themselves. That day comes every December with the telecast of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Many females flood Twitter tweeting about how perfect the models are, and wishfully thinking they could be that beautiful and in shape for one day.

Minding the gap is a phrase associated with the new craze, the “thigh gap”. The thigh gap is achieved when one stands with their feet together creating a space between their inner thighs. Teenage girls across the country are indulging in this new trend to help deal with their self-esteem issues. Girls are attempting the thigh gap to be like those Victoria Secret models and actresses they read about every day.

Huffington Post: The Hunger Blogs: A Secret World of Teenage 'Thinspiration'

In every generation, there is a body fad that consumes culture, peaks and then becomes non-existent. For Baby Boomers it was looking like Twiggy. In the 90s it was attaining the “heroin-chic” look inspired by Kate Moss, and the early 2000s saw a spike in plastic surgery such as breast augmentation and rhinoplasty (nose job).

“I don’t understand why girls have this obsession with their body. It’s (touching thighs) there for a reason,” says Allison Horhn, a high school senior in Delaware. “It’s only an issue to those who are insecure.”

For years, females have been plagued with issues of anorexia, bulimia and body dismorphia. According to the Journal of Counseling and Development, “anorexia is more common in girls by 10 to one,” while the National Eating DisorderAssociation reports approximately 30 million people will be diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Nowadays, mainstream media is the driving machine behind this issue. Social media sites have users that promote these harmful behaviors by re-blogging photos on Tumblr or following Cara Delvigne’s (British fashion model) thigh gap on Twitter. “Young women are inclined to judge their bodies harshly, particularly when they compare their bodies to those of emaciated models in magazines and to celebrities who they admire who are often rail thin,” says Barbara Greenburg, a clinical psychologist and Huffington Post blogger.

Girls in high school are feeling the pressure of having the perfect body that is believed to be attractive to the population. In an interview with Good Morning America, Emily Rozansky, president of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) at her high school chapter, told GMA’s Juju Chang that many girls view the thigh gap as the ideal body shape.

Although many girls want to lose weight, most guys don’t even notice the space between their legs. Getting rid of their inner thighs has become a solution for some to deal with their insecurities and to feel more attractive. Horhn knew of the issue, but never heard it referenced as the thigh gap. Even after discussing it with her friends, they don’t like the idea of seeing through someone’s legs.

Albright College has procedures in place to help students conquer their issues. The Gable Health and Counseling Center offers free and confidential counseling services directly on the college’s campus. Students can make daily appointments from Monday through Friday to talk with licensed professionals

The thigh gap doesn’t affect everyone, but Greenburg offers some tips if you notice changes in your children and friends. It is hard to predict whether or not this trend will pick up steam or fall flat; however, social media is trying to do its part to promote healthy, positive messages. Pinterest and Instagram have taken action against users encouraging unhealthy images and dietary habits. In early 2012, the New York Daily News reported on Tumblr changing its policy by banning users from posting images that support the “thinspiration” movement with Pinterest and Instagram, respectively, following suit. 

Don't Forget about North Korea

google images-Leader  Kim-Jung-un

With the recent Boston Marathon bombing tragedy the North Korean threats have moved to second place.  However, as a country we are still dealing with the North Korean threats and nothing has been settled yet, but it seems as if things are quietly diminishing. 

The Conservative Papers blog-missle test

This all started back in February when North Korea decided to conduct a third nuclear test leading the United Nations Security Council to propose tougher sanctions against the country.  “I didn’t really take it too seriously at first just because I know the history of North Korea with nuclear weapons and specifically, threats to the United States” said junior criminology major Mark Capetola.  As a result of these proposed sanctions North Korea became very direct and threatening with the potential use of nuclear weapons towards South Korea, the U.S. and other Asian neighbors such as Japan.

 In March, New York Times writer Choe Sang-Hun reported that the South Korean military released a statement regarding the North’s threats saying “If North Korea attempts a provocation that threatens the lives and security of our people, our military will forcefully and decisively strike not only th
e origin of provocation and its supporting forces but also its command leadership.” Senior political science major, and a current intern for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Shane Catts, says that we should take North Korea seriously, but isn’t too worried about the U.S.  “Now what also makes me not as worried is knowing that yea, they might be able to make one strike on the U.S. but it would be a regime ending response by the U.S. and U.N.  It would totally decimate the country.  They don’t have the military capacity like the U.S. does so there is no way they could fight against the world,” said Catts. 

BBC News Asia-launch estimation

The latest threats from North Korea include U.S. territories such as Washington D.C. as well as states such as Colorado and Arkansas.  These threats seem alarming at first, but there is clear evidence that North Korea may not have the capability to accurately pinpoint its weapons to its desired locations.  According to a Huffington Post article, in a recent North Korean propaganda video Colorado Springs, CO was mentioned as a desired target, but the arrow used to show the missile traveling from North Korea to Colorado Springs happens to be located on top of Little Rock, AR.

North Korea has the weapon power to launch a missile capable of reaching the U.S. but many believe these threats are just another attempt to be recognized and sustain power, and so that leader Kim-Jong-un can get national attention in order to possibly help his starving, poor country.  Other people believe that it is all a big misunderstanding and that the parties involved are too stubborn to just civilly settle things. 

“I feel like we have a real disconnect in direct communication with North Korea, it’s a weird thing that I have an unsettled feeling about,” said Capetola.  For example, in a BBC Newsarticle released in March Professor John Delury of South Korean's Yonsei University said that if you look at past instances similar to this one or times where things have happened there have always been clear warning signs from the North.  He believes that the U.S. and South Korea misread the North’s intentions and misunderstand its capabilities, causing the U.S. and South Korea to be stuck in a North Korean quagmire. 
  
Remember, North Korea may not have the technology to accurately attack the U.S. but there are more than 28,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea which is the easiest target.  There are also another 40,000 U.S. troops in Japan and a large military base in Guam, both easy targets for a North Korean missile.  Not to mention, if Japan was affected by a launch the U.S. is obliged to help defend them due to the post-World War II security alliancebetween Washington and Tokyo. 

The latest threat that government officials and authorities were worried about was a possible missile launch on April 15 because North Korea celebrated Jong-un's grandfather's 101 birthday (Kim Il-sung's).  However, no launches or anything threatening has occurred.  Although nothing major has occurred in the past week or so the U.S. and South Korea are still on high alert.  “I think the rhetoric has been toned down thanks to the diplomatic efforts of John Kerry with China,” said Catts.  Cats did mention that even though nothing has happened as of late we still have to take North Korea seriously as a country because of their nuclear capability.  “They’re still trying to develop their nuclear program and they don’t seem scared to use it against the U.S. even though they know it would be a regime ending conflict,” said Catts. 

Social Media's Impact on Recent Rape Cases

             Recently, the Steubenville rape case has caused much debate regarding media coverage. Two high school football players from a small town in Ohio, Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, were found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl, while she was highly intoxicated. The ongoing case has been highly impacted by the use of social media. Many people have speculated that the rape would not have been reported had it not been for a video that was uploaded to a popular social media website. The peers of the victim and reporters from national media organizations have both affected the case by voicing opinions regarding the incident through multiple social media outlets. Social media posts of images, text messages, and especially a 12-minute video of the offenders discussing raping the victim played a large part in the prosecution’s case.
            Two teenage girls were placed in house arrest and ordered not to use any forms of social media after they were accused of threatening the victim via Twitter. According to NBC station WPXI, one of the threats posted on Twitter said, “You ripped my family apart. You made my cousin cry. So when I see you it’s going to be homicide.” 

            Social media is something people, especially students, encounter on a daily basis. With the rapid growth of social media use, there has also been a consistent growth in “cyber-bullying,” as seen in this case. However, this is not news to most high schools and college campuses, including here in Reading.

            Recently Facebook group pages have become increasingly popular among Albright College students. Two pages in particular are places where students can post anonymous confessions either of themselves, or of fellow students. While the rules of the Facebook page clearly state to not use specific names, this has not been the case to date.
            Social media outlets such as these can be detrimental to a person socially, but also emotionally. Recent cases have been emerging from the news of young rape victims committing suicide after feeling attacked through social media after their case has been publicized. Cyber bullying is a growing problem in our society, especially directed towards victims of violation, but what is being done to inform students and young people of these threats before they arise? Many of these instances of violations and cyber-bullying can be lowered if our society educates youth on this topic.

            When freshmen attend orientation before beginning their first year at Albright College, there is a portion of the orientation where the males and females are separated into two different rooms. The females are introduced to the dangers of sexual assault that could arise, especially since there is a higher risk of being violated during the first year of college. The girls watch skits of potential scenarios they could find themselves in, followed by an open discussion on the topic, where they are encouraged to ask questions. This serves as a good source of information for students, but some students feel as though further action should be taken to provide students with the resources they need.
             Allana Duncan, a junior, believes the college does not adequately inform students of the dangers that occur or campus, nor do they give enough information on how to stay safe. “Like most information here at the college, it is here if you look for it, but this is the type of information that students should be FORCED to know,” said Duncan.
             
                Duncan herself has taken advantage of these resources and has found them to be extremely helpful.

                The college offers R.A.D., or Rape Aggression Defense training, through the office of Public Safety. The college’s webpage says that Albright began offering the classes in 2001 and over 600 women. According to their website, “Sexual assault remains a significant problem on college campuses and is frequently under reported according to the U.S. Department of Justice. At least half of all sexual assault cases involve alcohol and the majority of them occur between people who know each other most often in a dating situation. “This program is designed to eliminate these risks and prepare young women on how to handle dangerous situations such as these.

                “By the end of the RAD course, I felt confident that I could defend myself in any dangerous situation, since we were taught different techniques on how to possess potentially dangerous situations. We also gained confidence and reassurance that we had the power to control what happens to us, not the attacker,” said Duncan in reference to the R.A.D. classes.

               Duncan also believes that schools should take action regarding social media and bullying. “It angers me that teachers are aware of the cyber pages that potentially bully students, yet have not done anything about it.”

               Colleges and high schools both need to prepare students for situations similar to this one, to diminish the number of occurrences similar to the instance in Steubenville, Ohio.

Marriage Equality: is it really that wrong?

Human Rights Campaign equal sign that many
switched their Facebook and Twitter
profiles to in support of
marriage equality.

Marriage equality has been a topic of discussion for some time now, and there is still no concrete answer. In 1996, President Obama stated that he was for civil unions. However he began to backtrack through the years, saying that this will not be passed anytime soon.

 After 16 years of not having a definite answer, during the election year of 2012, Obama stated that he thinks gay marriage should be legalized. This had some backlash, even within his group of advisers. Some people thought that he was just trying to get the LGTBQ community to vote for him, but this was a personal struggle for him to finally sit down and really think about what he stands for. Obama was the first president to be for the legalization of marriage equality. Many other politicians have spoken out in favor of marriage equality, mostly Democratic, and with some support from a few Republicans.

However, even with the President of the United States supporting it, the country is still in battle between whether to ban it, or to legalize it. Many southern states have gone the route of banning same sex marriage, and only nine states have legalized it (including the District of Columbia). There are 11 other states that recognize the civil union or domestic partnership, and of those, eight states ban getting married there either by law, Constitution, or both.

In Pennsylvania, as well as many other states for that matter, there are parts of the Commonwealth where it is legal to fire someone based on their sexual orientation. There are also no laws to protect a LGTBQ employee that is sexually harassed because of their sexual identity. They are no less human than a heterosexual, but with no protection or rights set, the members of the LGTBQ community are treated as subhuman.

Pennsylvania, as well as four other states, has a law that bans equality. One state has a ban because of the Constitution. Last, and definitely least, 24 states have a ban of marriage equality or civil unions because of the Constitution and law.

Data is from March 2013, and since then Rhode Island has
passed a marriage equality law (changing from blue to green), and
Colorado now allows Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships
(changing from grey to blue).

As a nation, marriage equality is banned by law. Out of 196 countries, 12 of them have legalized marriage equality, France being the latest to approve through the controversy. On April 26, Russia announced that it wants to amend adoption treaties they have with countries that allow same sex marriage. The country wants to make sure that only traditional families can adopt Russian children.

It is not the fact that the LGTBQ communities want to be married; they want the rights that heterosexual couples receive. Homosexual relationships cannot receive the health benefits, through work, that heterosexual marriages are able to have.

Their spouse could be their next of kin, if they were to ever get into an accident, but they do not have the right to say whether or not the spouse should be put on life support or taken off, or make any other major decision. They are unable to make those kinds of decisions in the eyes of the law. That responsibility falls on the family, who could have disowned their child after they “came out,” this makes this hypothetical situation even worse.

It is not just a hypothetical situation, a very similar situation happened in real life story. Shane Crone and Tom Bridegroom were in a relationship for six years. They moved in together, started a business, adopted a dog, and traveled. They were basically living the “American dream.” This was until Bridegroom died after falling off the rooftop of an apartment building. 

Crone’s family supported his relationship, but Bridegroom’s family did not. They blamed Crone for making their son gay, and Bridegroom’s father even physically assaulted him. After the death of their son, Crone was forbidden to go to his wake and burial; he was even threatened that if he did show up, Bridegroom’s father and uncle would physically harm him. Crone was not allowed access to medical records; to the government he and Bridegroom were simply roommates.

This is not the only story out there. Crone is speaking out, even though it might be too late for him to have his “happily ever after,” he does not want anyone else to suffer the way he has.

This is a trailer for the documentary made about Crone's heartache after losing the love of his life and not really getting to say goodbye.

There are arguments that if marriage equality is passed for same sex marriages, then the government would have to approve several other kinds of marriage. People equate same sex marriage to a pedophilia, incestuous, or even polygamist relationship. The difference is that in a same sex marriage, there are two consenting adults who want to live their life like the traditional relationships. Although they cannot product offspring like a traditional family, they can adopt, giving children without a home a loving family, or go to a sperm donor, to increase the population (which has some people who are against it worried that the population will decrease because of this).

Just because a same sex couple has/adopts a child, does not mean that that child will turn out the same way as their parents. Homosexuality is not a choice, it is the way someone is born. Nobody has control over what color hair they have, or skin tone, but people try and change it.

Within Pennsylvania, there are groups that support the legalization of marriage equality, and do what they can to help those who do not have a voice to speak up about it. There are two groups that help fight for the equality rights in Berks County. Equality Pennsylvania is the only organization that advocates for equality rights in Harrisburg and across the state. Pennsylvania Diversity Network sets up events for the LGTBQ community and their supporters to have a fun, and safe, time.

It is not only adults who fight for equal rights. There was a fourth grader who wrote a letter, which went viral, in support of marriage equality. Children know right from wrong at an early age, so if this fourth grader can see that it should not matter who someone marries, why can’t most adults?

As for the Constitution deeming gay marriage illegal, there have be revisions to give people more rights, i.e. woman and African Americans. There is still some aspects that are not perfect to having equality, but how would marriage equality hurt. They will not try to change anyone’s orientation, they just want the respect and rights that everyone else receives.

Hopefully there will be realization that marriage equality is not wrong, and a wedding for a same sex couple could happen anywhere in the United States, which is associated with freedom.

Phyllis Siegel, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85, 

embrace after getting married after 23 years together in New York.

*The next part is my own opinion and I just felt the need to add it in.*

Why be something that could potentially have your life threatened for being different? Why would you not want to have the rights that are available to heterosexual couples, instead having to fight for something that might not happen in your lifetime?

I can understand being against it because that was the kind of environment that you were raised in, whether it religious or just considered taboo, but to forbid someone the same rights that the rest of the population receives is crazy to me.

People tend to fear change, or just fear of the unknown. If there was no change, I would not be able to vote, or even attend college for that matter. African Americans could still be owned and forced into slavery, much less have the right to.

It is unfair to try to take away someone’s right to live the life that they wish to live, without feeling like a subhuman. I also understand where religion is coming from as well, but nowhere in the Bible does it state that it is forbidden if a man wants to marry another man. In no way am I trying to offend religion, but if God, whoever your God is, created everyone equal and in His image, why would He hate those who are different?

People are different, and if we accept those differences, life would be so much easier for everyone. Instead of living with fear that someone will get beat up for loving who they love, or trying to prevent someone from having the same rights as those around you. It should stop. I will now step down from my soap box.

A. Terry