1. Resolved, that parental notification be required for a minor to have an abortion.
Teens are allowed to test for STDs without informing their parents, to buy birth control pills, to get an abortion without parent knowledge or consent, etc. How far should teen liberties go, and should the parents have any say over all this? As of April, 2005 thirty states have laws in place that requires teens to first notify or obtain permission from their parents before getting an abortion.
Pro:
§ "Parents must give consent before their child can have their ears pierced or a tattoo put on. In fact, in public schools and emergency rooms, parents must give consent before their child can be treated with so much as an aspirin. Most voters agree that it is outrageous to allow a child to undergo any surgical procedure, let alone an invasive, irreversible procedure such as an abortion, without parental notification." -Senatorial candidate John Pinkerton (D-CA)
§ The teen is still a minor, under the custody of the parent. The parent has the right to set up house rules, and know what their children is, with the law on their side.
§ If a teen experiences complications during an abortion, and has not told her parents about the abortion, she may not want to reveal such a fact. In this case, complications may go untreated and can become life threatening.
Con:
§ Legal abortion is far less risky than teen childbirth, but each day that a teen takes to muster up courage or whatever else before talking to their parents increases their risks.
§ Desperate teens are not always the most reasonable, and usually take drastic measure, the most common of which is running away from home, which is likely what will happen if they are forced to reveal to their parents that they are pregnant. Some might even seek illegal abortions, which was the leading cause of death among pregnant women during the period when abortion was illegal.
§ A pregnant teen who is only a few months away from her eighteenth birthday may decide to wait and just wear loose clothing until then. In this case, the few months she wastes will cost her dearly, as complications are more likely to arise, and for those who are concerned for the fetus, compelling a teen to wait before an abortion will only hurt the fetus, as they will have developed a functioning nervous system by then and will be able to experience pain.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_pare.htm
http://www.debatabase.org/details.asp?topicID=188
http://www.youdebate.com/DEBATES/ABORTION_PARENTAL_CONSENT.HTM
2. Resolved, that the United States pullout military forces from Iraq within one year.
Even before the war had ended, Americans and Iraqis alike have been urging pullout. Now, as the war has ended, calls for pullout are louder than ever. Some are urging the president to set out a plan, some are urging closer cooperation between the US and Iraq, and others want the US to pull out within one year. The question on that point is, is one year enough for complete pullout?
Pro:
§ Iraqi troops are being now can slowly begin to replace the American troops. If we start focusing n training the troops, and manage time efficiently, US should be able to pull out in one year.
§ As of 9/11/05, $200 billion have been spent on the war and I,885 lives have been lost. It is time to start patching up.
§ Iraqi Prime Minister wants US out in one year. US should show support and confidence in the new Iraqi government by respecting their wishes and pulling out.
Con:
§ Pulling out now suggests that the US listens to violence, not reason and encourages the terrorist attacks.
§ US does need to start pulling out troops, but 1 year is not enough time to prepare Iraq to stand completely on its own.
§ US went into Iraq and kicked up dust. Now it is responsible for settling the dust and cannot just leave Iraqis to choke.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4720083.stm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/23/content_3531504.htm
3. Resolved, that the three strikes law be repealed in California.
The three strikes law is most notably practiced in California. Most states now have versions of the three strikes laws. The first two strikes must be severe crime, either, “violent” or “serious” or both. The 3rd strike can be any small to large crime. After the 3rd strike, it’s a life in prison. Because of the unrestricted 3rd strike, cases have arisen where a committer of a “petty” crime, like stealing pizza or stealing batteries, is sentenced to a lifetime in prison.
Pro:
§ This law, in holding history against the defendant, violates Double Jeopardy clause, not to mention that life sentences because of “petty” crimes is “cruel or unusual punishment.”
§ This may cause a perverse incentive for a severe crime. For example, a person who has stolen a toothbrush may know that there was one witness, and since steeling the toothbrush causes a life in prison, and so does murder, the person may be incline to kill the witness.
§ Sentencing a person to a lifetime in prison for stealing pizza is, though good in intention, adverse to society’s basic common sense.
Con:
§ 3 strikes law has not only not put more people in prison, but has actually reduced prison population, which has made California safer and saved California millions of dollars.
§ The threat of a 3rd strike makes offenders think twice and desire a change in their lifestyles, as parole and probation officers have noticed.
§ Though the unrestricted 3rd strike is harsh at times, it shows a zero tolerance for crimes that benefits societies when viewed from a vantage.

http://www.threestrikes.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_strikes_law
4. Historical Debate: Resolved, that the United States was justified in its creation of Japanese internment camps.
Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 roused suspicions against Japanese Americans. Authorities feared sabotage. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 19, 1842. This allowed military commanders to designate “military areas… from which any or all persons may be excluded.” Concentration camps had begun. In 1945, the exclusion order was finally rescinded, but it was not until 1948 that the last internment camp was closed. The prudence of US internment camps is still widely debated today.
Pro:
§ At a time of crisis, it is better to be safe than sorry, and the government did what was most safe and logical at the time.
§ Although harsh, internment camps were a necessity to ease growing public terror during these bitter and desperate times of war, when people were often illogical.
§ There may have been a network of Japanese Americans spies feeding information to the Japanese military through encrypted messages, according to MAGIC by David Lowman.
Con:
§ .Internment camps violated American principles that citizens hold dear. Habeas corpus; life, liberty, and property without due process, etc…
§ US actions had caused Japanese Americans to lose property worth at least 4 to 5 billion dollars, in 1999 values.
§ Lieutenant Commander Kenneth reported in 1941 that “better than 90% of the Nisei [second generation Japanese] and 75% of the original immigrants were completely loyal to the United States.” In fact hundreds of Japanese Americans fought bravely for the US.

http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/japan_internment_camps.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_internment_in_the_United_States
5. Resolved, that the Kyoto protocol is beneficial to the United States.
The Kyoto Protocol is an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is an international treaty that swats at global warming. Countries that ratify the Kyoto Protocol must reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five more greenhouse gasses or engage in emissions trading. Already, 141 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The US has signed the Kyoto Protocol, but has not ratified it, and is therefore, still exempt from its restrictions.
Pro:
§ The US currently emits 20.1 tons per capita of CO2, compared to the 8.5 tons per capita of the EU and 2.3 tons of China, it’s not looking good. The Kyoto Protocol will force the US start to watching its carbon dioxide emission.
§ The Kyoto Protocol is effective. Already, China has reduced CO2 emissions by 17 % by switching to cleaner and more efficient energy sources, and restructuring its economy.
§ The US ratifying the Kyoto Protocol will set off a scientific effort to produce CO2 efficient methods and machinery, which nations that have ratified the Kyoto protocol are already developing. If the US does not ratify, scientists will have little incentive, and the US will fall technologically behind the other nations.
Con:
§ Even before the Kyoto Protocol, the US had passed by a 95-0 vote the Byrd-Hagle Resolution, which states that the Senate should not be signatory to any protocol that “would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States.” The Kyoto Protocol, though having very good intentions, may result in just what the Byrd-Hagel Resolution is attempting at preventing.
§ The Kyoto protocol is unfair in cutting an unreasonable amount of slack on developing nations.
§ Countries benefiting under the Kyoto Protocol tend to be small countries with little already developed factories and machinery. So building new CO2­ efficient machinery will not be as expensive as replacing all of the machinery that the US currently has.

http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/kyoto/kyotorpt.html

posted - 8:10 PM



He only has a lonesome wing, the other was given away
gifts for mortal necessities, his down, he plucked astray
one was to a forsaken lass, to redeem a shadowed path
together they wove a single thread into a crimson sash
A feather was bestowed upon a mother and her hope
he gave her son the words he needed, he gave her son the world
the rest, they were distributed betwixt the remainder of life
and planted into earth one day, blossomed the next night
In night sky, he flew in silence, beginning a desolate descent
the stars, they know, wretched he, wanted acknowledgement
forgot him in the mist of time, from him, they loyally withdrew
his life, it was a simple thing, filled with solitude
His palms are broken, friendless red, his heart—an eager craze
so others with his feathered gifts may reach the top someday
alas, the tattered single wing, it beats, as he begins to stand
a pain as deep as shattered bones, a lonely conquest dance

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In thousand we came to our fates; in thousands we shared the same destinies
We were hauled off as criminals; and treated like animals
There was no compassion for us, we had perfect lives before this
We went to everything and did everything others did; we dressed and looked like them
But it''s our religion that makes us different; we were hauled to this wasteland
And were forced to live our lives here; our only job here to do was die
We were mocked, teased, and criticized, day after day we lived our worthless lives
And tried to hold on to what we had left; we had no honor,
no self-confidence, and no possessions
At first we died one by one; then we fell by hundreds and thousands
The snake was devouring our religion and race whole, it was squeezing and tearing at us
And left us to die from starvation and disease; we had nothing left
The only thing we helpless held on to our lives
the destroyers were invincible and mightyWe were conquered and claimed by them;
and used as trophies on their blood-stained hands
For we were soon no more in this early hekk

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posted - 11:29 AM



the marching sea never stops
grating, heavy steps

surrounding are buildings
absorbing the screams
of protest
but all vocal chords were ripped out

Time can’t say when

grayness
is better than the sun
for blinding rays
only hinder
progress

Once
in
Ancient Present
there was the
Forbidden

Time can’t say when

A hypnotic whirlpool
reddesiresclearpurityblackcorruptiongarishgreedneonopulencepastelcompassionTechnicolorlife

Time can’t say when

the Forbidden
was swallowed by the marching sea
Time can show

Faint but persistent
Color
Lingering on sealed
Doors
in
defiance
hope

No one looks up; only heavy heads focusing on reliable sidewalks

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Winnie’s Journal of Serendipity and Things Like That But Not Exactly

4-23-05

Mood – apathetic, concerned with the subject “Myself”—I have much to say on this indefatigable matter

I hereby inscribe in my “Sanskrit” writing (so I am informed by despairing teachers and cries of “perfectly illegible” from those not oriented to deciphering code) on this cool late morning of April 2005, my first journal entry.

Note on a later date - This account, it must be admitted, is only one more on a longer string of failures to paint the canvas of my life, to immortalize what I have accomplished—in short, keeping a daily diary is something of a trial.

I will assuredly persist in this pretentious endeavor –my first admittance of honest intentions—unless I am taken violently ill, a disapproving rodent chews through these pages, or I forget.

And now for some spiteful comments which are (almost) wholly undeserved—friendship, untried and thus unformed, counts for nothing more than a doggedly tedious shadow play of mouth-sincerity and other such nonsense.

Relationships formed through habit have no stronger ties than convenient proximity and a mutual agreement to tolerate each other’s freaks and foibles.

They are, on the whole, without meaning.

Should I vanish off the face of the earth (I apologize for the cliché, it’s only that the depression does not allow for originality) no one would mourn my absence, only rejoice to occupy the considerable physical space I have left. IN the intangible world of hearts and minds, I will never have existed.

If such a thing can be, I am as dust scattered in empty space. I cannot collect myself, nor is there anything solid for me to cling to and thereby “precipitate,” to painfully call to mind a chemistry term associated with undesirable memories.

In closing I write this uniformed and unenlightened statement, which encapsulates man’s achievements for 2000 years and then pops the pill into a Supreme Being’s mouth for some relief to slight indigestion.

There is to ignorance a strength unmatched by anything to be found in half-knowledge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4-23-05

Cont. because the “verbal dysentery” of today will compensate for the sure mental constipation of tomorrow.

On youthful fledgling wings inadequate for the body mass it carries, I soar to the highest of delusional optimism, confident that I can equal any power on earth.

I then proceed to fall with alarming speed to glom and beyond, swiftly by passing reality in its temperate zone of “Middle Earth” for the oppressive caverns of depression below.

My sister and I laughed over a certain teacher’s tendency to overstep the boundaries of personal space. I remarked thoughtlessly that I too had fallen victim to that discomfiting proclivity, and had, not knowing what else to do, simply stood there “taking it”—my olfactory senses being reluctantly aroused as to the exact nature of the mouth freshener he did not use.

Humorous as the retelling unintentionally was (I concede, and “not very nice”, as I have worse faults pertaining to body odors) I soberly realize that “taking it” because I know hw to do nothing else is illustrative of my helpless approach to life and its challenges.

Doubtless I have a personality. Certainly an attitude (my mother can attest to my “fresher” moments) but I lack a definite character. As such it is subject to endless, impermanent shifting and shaping, an outflung mass of flotsam in the sea, loosely strung together with some sunk of he adhesive variety and compelled to a shape by the more forceful tides

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4-26-05

My spirits have lifted considerably, while inversely the results of my academic endeavors leave much to be desired. I will regret this writing, as it has a vindictive and unjust air. Nevertheless, I will proceed.

I would like to recount a moment of particularly tender mercy by a teacher who wrote on my admittedly low-scoring paper to the effect of “Winnie, why don’t you read what you assigned instead of that other book?”

Perhaps I cannot be forgiven for preferring the fascinating A Distant Mirror by Barbara W. Tuchman to the exceedingly unbearable Hemingway.

That personal feeling aside, I regardless would have strove mightily to plow through that literary field so liberally strewn with ordure and yet infertile of imagination…but I must not digress.

Certain pressing circumstances prevented me from doing work of any kind prior to the exam, a state of affairs which some would enjoy but I thoroughly deplored as a dedicated, responsible, and conscientious student should.

There has been no greater lie than my last statement, except for Cortes telling the Aztec Emperor that they should be the best of friends.

While I neither expect nor want understanding from teachers who could humanly know nothing of my plight, I would politely request that they refrain from comments of that nature in addition to the score on the paper.

Such personal remarks, I feel, are unworthy of an instructor sufficiently enlightened as to comprehend the limits of his knowledge, especially as regards the private lives of her students.

I failed. Very well. How and why I do is my business, and unless he has some electrifying opinion to offer, if he would kindly wait until he has full knowledge of the circumstances, I would be much obliged.

posted - 7:15 PM

An Immovable Lease

It was bright in the city that day. Fleecy white clouds drifted lazily above the tallest buildings, and below pebbles skirted in the street as rivulets of people trickled through.
I was content, even eager to enter this quiet scene, and with meager funds I was relieved to find a nice apartment. Three cats, scraping meat dried to cans, peered quizzically at me as I mounted the stairs of creaking wood. Inspecting my new abode from my balcony, I found few living creatures who strode the broken roads.
I was satisfied.
It was a lie, I knew, this serenity, but it was one I could live with. Deserted by its inhabitants, this city was a dwelling-place for the dead, a harvest of locust-eaten crops.
The city was falling about my ears. The paint flaked off in my hands, floors rumbled threateningly in my wake, and all I could see was a desolate wasteland with its pitiful survivors meandering aimlessly in dried arteries.
Soon, a drenching, desolate wasteland. For rain poured from a heaven that suddenly closed in menacing dark clouds, like steely vengeance, like relentless death, filling the old city’s veins with new poisonous fluids.
I was repeatedly pierced, but did not die. I had come here to lick my wounds, as they say, reassemble my broken parts in private. Here no one I knew could look at me, sneer at me, judge me, or help me.
A woman, with a face drooping with age, the living embodiment of my defeated surroundings, rented the place to me, and we agreed to be friends, meaning mutually tolerating of our defects; hers, being old and having no future, and mine, being young and having no past.
There were other, trivial differences, some abrading nerves beyond endurance until I believed one of us must go, I understandably succumbing to insanity, or she to a convenient heart attack.
But we were companions, for better or worse, with a need that was more powerful marriage vows and sexual urgency.
And all the while the rain fell, but the city endured. Yes, my haven of cracked mud, my paradise of drought and past disaster.
“Do you like it here?” the query was querulous and random, initiated to fill the silence.
“Am I enjoying my stay in Hell? No, not particularly.”
“Clearly you are a very young man who knows nothing of proper etiquette. The correct answer would have been—”
“That I love this elegant, spacious rooms?” I swept my arm in a derisive arc. “That I cherish the breathtaking view afforded by this gracious balcony? That I do not see—”
“All right, very well. No need to go off into some ranting monologue.”
I calmed. “Regretfully, the urge to be polite has never been strong in me. The virtues appear to have fled, leaving vice as consolation.”
“If you do not like it, you can leave, you know. There is nothing holding you here.”
“My wallet, devoid of anything save outdated general invitations to gentlemen clubs, says otherwise. Where can I go? How?”
The old woman fumbled in her faded skirts, her wrinkled brown fingers trembling like blind worms digging in the earth.
“My medication,” she mumbled. “I need—”
“I have it,” I said. “I am always here.”

posted - 6:59 PM

Revival of Writeway.Ink

The Right Way to Write!

LITERARY MAGAZINE at the end of the year

• Short stories
• Poems
• Plays
• Essays
• Research papers
• Quotes, Witticisms
• Excerpts
• Comic strips
• Author Profiles
• Opinion Articles
• Illustrations
• Etc (what you can put down on paper)

You DO NOT have to write specifically for Writeway. Past quality work is happily accepted.

posted - 10:34 AM