Torture

Is it justifiable to put suspected terrorists under great physical duress?

Charles Krauthammer believes that the lives saved by the information extracted from terrorists justifies the use of torture to obtain that information. On the other side, Andrew Sullivan argues against the necessity and effectiveness of torture. I agree with Sullivan that it is not justifiable to put suspected terrorists under great physical duress. In Sullivan's article "The Abolition of Torture," he speaks out against politicians like George W. Bush who endorsed torture because of a "military necessity." According to Sullivan, torture is "cruel, human, and degrading," not something that the U.S. should be a part of if it claims to want peace and justice in the world. Torture is not only morally wrong, but also goes against the basic principles of freedom that the United States was founded on. It takes away people's self liberty. Another argument against torture is that it yields highly unreliable information. People being tortured are willing to say anything just to make the torture stop, even lies.
We need to stick to our principles and stop the torture. If we don't, how will American prisoners of war be treated in the future. We are being hypocrites and going against the fundamental principles America was founded on.

Dead Teen Walking

The article "Dead Teen Walking" and the novel White Fang both give evidence that environment and society have a huge impact on our actions. In "Dead Teen Walking," a study was described which found that most minors on death row had a very rough childhood and were in minority groups. "But in addition to the racial imbalance of the death row population that Hawkins cites, experts say juvenile offenders on death row are often the victims of recent, horrible child abuse." White Fang is beaten and abused, and he is turned into a killer. "They were his environment, these men, and they were molding the clay of him into a more ferocious thing than had been intended by Nature."
Another similarity between "Dead Teen Walking" and White Fang is the fallible and sometimes unjust judicial system in America. In "Dead Teen Walking," Shareef Cousin claims that he is innocent and in fact, has some witnesses that support his story. He says that he has been unfairly condemned. In White Fang, an escaped convict who had been convicted by Judge Scott, attempts to murder him. This convict was unfairly convicted, revealing the imperfect nature of the judicial system. This convict is now bent on revenge because he has been pushed too far.
I strongly disagree with teens being put on death row. First of all, judges and juries can make mistakes, and once a person is dead, they can never be given their life back. Secondly, most of the teens sentenced to death are minorities. This suggests that their is strong prejudice towards blacks and Latinos, and it is unfair that they are not given as many "second chances" as white teens are given. Lastly, many of the teens that have committed horrible crimes, were brutally abused as children and have suffered many physical and psychological damages. Since they are so young, there is hope that, with help, they could overcome their problems and lead productive lives. Everyone deserves that chance. White Fang definitely supported my view of capital punishment being wrong. It showed how society can shape criminals and that the judicial system isn't perfect. Nobody should have the right to take away another person's life, even a hardened criminal's.

What Makes Us Moral

The article "What Makes Us Moral" by Jeffrey Kruger, described many different studies and theories about human morality. It was a very interesting article. It said that humans have a natural instinct of morality from the time they are born. We have to be taught how to apply it by others though. The article also compared human behavior to the actions of animals. The ways animals act, and the ways people act are often very similar. For example, both empathize, and both shun as a form of punishment against unacceptable behavior. The article also described experiments involving moral issues and the human brain. Certain areas of the brain become stimulated when faced with tough moral questions. One of the main reasons, according to the article, that humans stray from morality is that they have a tribal instinct where they will help others within their group, but they do not empathize with others. The article was very informative and gave many different theories for what makes us moral.

Where I Was on September 11th

September 11, 2001 started out like any other typical day. I woke, got ready, went to school. I remember my 5th grade teacher coming into the room and telling us that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. My best friend and I looked at each other with wide eyes, but at the time we thought it was some kind of strange accident. I had never even heard of the World Trade Center before. During lunch, everybody was talking about the news. I heard from some other kids that a plane had also crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. There were rumors of war and terrorists, but it was all really confusing. When my mom picked me up after school, she asked me if I had heard the terrible news. For the rest of the day we had our eyes glued to the TV, watching the horrible scenes play over and over again. I remember being afraid a plane would hit close to home or would kill my cousin who lived in Washington D.C. It was the first time I had really paid attention to the news and national and world events, and it has impacted the rest of my life ever since.