America Is Not So Safe

     Living in a free country you would like to believe that it is a safe place, right? Well, it is not. "After twin blasts shook Boston -- killing three and wounding more than 260 others -- investigators sprung into action looking for those responsible." On Monday, April 15, 2013 the Boston Marathon was attacked. It is a big event, the security should have been better. "Authorities now know the gunman used "an assault weapon" to "literally (shoot) an entrance into the building," Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said. When an elementary school is not as safe as possible, something is wrong. I understand a public event not being so safe because it is harder to keep things from happening, but not a building where tons of children are daily.
     The US has been attacked by people who live in the country and also outsiders. "On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States." After that, our homeland security got better. The TSA started paying more attention, but I still feel like more could be done. "There is a race war against whites. But our people - my white brothers and sisters - will stay committed to a non-violent resolution. That resolution must consist of solidarity in white communities around the world. The hatred for our children and their future is growing and is being fueled every single day. Stay firm in your convictions. Keep loving your heritage and keep witnessing to others that there is a better way than a war torn, violent, wicked, socialist, new world order. That way is the Christian way - law and order - love of family - love of nation. These are the principles of western Christian civilization. There is a war to destroy these things. Pray that our people see the error of their ways and regain a sense of loyalty. Repent America! Be faithful my fellow believers," says National Director of The Knights, Pastor Thomas Robb. The KKK is not as bad as it used to be, but it still exists. If we, as in America, really wanted to stop it, we could. We will not though, at least not while they do not pose a "real" threat. America could be a whole lot more safer if we would just care a little bit more. And not wait for tragedies to happen for us to change the way we do things.

 http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/01/justice/boston-marathon-timeline/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
 http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html
 http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks
 http://www.kkk.com/

Changing Lives And Protecting Students

     My school, Batesville High School, started a SADD Chapter to keep the students at our school safer due to a recent tragedy that had happened. "Founded as Studdents Against Driving Drunk in 1981 in Wayland, Massachusetts, SADD has grown to become the nation's leading peer-to-peer youth education and prevention organization with thousands of chapters in middle schools, high schools, and colleges." SADD is now known as Students Against Destructive Decisions thanks to SADD students themselves. They realized that it's not just alcohol that's available to students, but also drugs and other destructive decisions that could really hurt them. "SADD's unique approach involves young people delivering education and prevention messages to their peers through school- and communitywide activites and campaigns responsive to the needs of their particular locations." Prom is approaching fast for Batesville and I personally have talked to many of my friends about not doing anything that could potentially hurt them or others. Most SADD Chapters have SADD assemblies to teach the students about it who are about to head into middle school, high school, or college so that they know what it's about and how great it actually is.
     SADD members can help volunteer with so many things. "Membership into SADD is a commitment and a voluntary process. Members set the environment for other students to follow here on campus." The students are really the ones who do everything, the adviser just advises. If the students don't do much to help the club and their peers, then the peers aren't going to be interested in joining. "Service projects are one of the best ways to constructively engage youth; in fact, the rewards and experiences gained during a service project have the potential to leave a huge impact on not only those in need, but also those serving." The service act doesn't have to be much, it can just be a simple act of kindness. You'll feel so much better after helping someone and seeing how it changed them.

 http://sadd.org/sadd_serves.htm
 http://sadd.org/history.htm
 http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org353291.jsp

Chid Abuse Is Real

     It seems like I always read books or watch movies where some child is abused by a parent. Recently, I read A Child Called It by David Pelzer. David says, “My two brothers and I were blessed with the perfect parents. Our every whim was fulfilled with love and care.” David is referring to the very early years of his childhood, before his mother began to abuse him. Basically that explains that any parent could snap.  I also watched the movie Precious where Mary says, "Oh, so you're going to stand up there and look down at me like you're a woman? You don't know what real woman do! Real women sacrifice! (throws glass at Precious, which shatters at her feet) Now, laugh at that, fat bitch."
 She treats Precious like she is not a person. When children are physically and emotionally abused, that is usually how they are treated, if not worse.
     Sometimes, parents will hurt their children when something bad is happening to them as a way of letting it out. "Ever since I can remember I had never had the love or attention of my parents. My mom was more worried about looking pretty and making sure my dad wasn't cheating on her than her 3 daughters," says Tiffany. Tiffany's mother did not want to listen to her daughters about the sexual abuse the girls were going through due to their father. She brushed it off, often like most stories I hear, because she wanted to keep her marriage alive. I read an article that said, "It didn’t matter what I did, I would get in trouble for the slightest perceived offense. The problem was, you never knew what would be the offending action. No one gave you “the rules.” They were made up on the fly, by someone who was either drunk or in a psychotic episode. And they weren’t something you could learn by experience because they changed." It seems like every case is like that, where the kid never knows what to expect. The abuser just makes up what they want to do as they go, no matter how much they hurt the child.

http://www.hiddenhurt.co.uk/tiffany_child_abuse_and_domestic_violence_story.html
http://www.childabusestories.org/articles/my-first-step-of-healing-child-abuse
http://www.novelguide.com/Childcalledit/toptenquotes.html
http://www.allsubs.org/search-movie-quotes/precious/

Taking A Stand On Bullying

     It seems like there is a lot more bullying going on in schools and on the internet than there used to be. When I was a child, I did not have to worry about getting picked on when I went to school, now most children do. Samuel B. says, "To This Day Project is a project based on a spoken word poem written by Shane Koyczan called “To This Day”, to further explore the profound and lasting impact that bullying can have on an individual." A group of artists decided to take a stand against teen bullying. They put a bunch of twenty second segments to demonstrate what a community of caring individuals are capable of when they come together. "2 out of 3 teens are verbally or physically harassed every year," says dosomething.org. I do not understand why people feel the need to bully. Why would you want to harm someone who has done nothing to you? I wish bullies would realize that some of their victims end up taking their own lives because of the bullying.
     There are tons of antibullying websites and programs. "International STAND UP to Bullying Day is a special event in which people across the world who have signed a special “pledge shirt” join together in wearing them to: Send a loud, non-confrontational message of resistance to bullies, identify themselves to victims as a source of support willing to help raw attention to the effects of bullying, and stimulate passive bystanders into action." This day is quickly spreading across the world whereas it used to be only in the USA. Each participant wears the shirt all day. "160,000 students stay home from school every day for fear of bullying." -National Association of School Psychologists. That number is way too high, no one should have to be scared about being picked on. Bullying is everywhere but there is no need for it to happen. All we have to do is come together and treat everyone with the respect they deserve.



http://sourcefednews.com/artists-take-a-stand-against-teen-bullying/
http://www.standupday.com/08/participants/index.php?target=pages&page_id=intro
http://stand4change.org/
http://www.dosomething.org/issues/bullying?gclid=CNua0o2R0rUCFQWxnQodCFwA8w

Do You Talk To Strangers On The Internet?

     Parents should constantly be monitoring their child's internet use-age. "Some 71% of parents stop supervising Internet use by their children after the age of 14, yet 72% of all Internet-related missing children cases involve children who are 15 years of age or older." Parents are not a cautious as they should be because they do not understand how dangerous the internet actually is for children. Children do not get that it is never a good idea to give anyone your personal information over the internet, even when the parents have told them multiple times not to. "Supervise your children on the Internet just as you would monitor what movies and TV shows they watch and the places they go with their friends." Parents care so much about the TV shows and movies their children watch, why do they not care about their child's internet activity? Is it because they just do not think about it? Giving out personal information over the internet is just the same as getting in the car with a stranger, in my opinion.
     Recently, I watched the movie "Megan Is Missing," which really opened my eyes. "Online predators can pretend to be anyone. They target one-in-every-ten teenagers through social networks, mobile apps and gaming systems." Megan from "Megan Is Missing" is based on a true person, she was one of those teenagers. Teenagers and children can be so naïve when it comes to talking to people they do not know. "Young victims are just a click away and what begins as an online relationship, can quickly move offline. 16-year-old Brooke thought she found her first love online, but instead what she found was a very dangerous man posing to be a 16-year-old." Brooke Sabatino thought she met a sixteen year old boy online but he turned out to be twenty-one, she was only thirteen. You don not need to talk to strangers online, and definitely do not need to get involved in a relationship with them.


http://www.sdcda.org/preventing/protecting-children-online/facts-for-parents.html

http://www.katiecouric.com/on-the-show/2012/10/10/online-predators/

Breaking Habits

     Have you ever tried quitting a habit like smoking, eating unhealthy, or waking up at a certain time? Old habits, good and bad, are hard to break. No matter how hard we try to change our behaviors, it is the old ways that tend to win out over time, especially in situations where we are rushed, stressed, or overworked.

     Bad habits are extremely hard to change when you are under stress. My mom has tried to quit smoking since before I was born. She does good for awhile, then some sort of stress gets her. She is always worried about money, her job, and her children. My sister has tried to stop eating unhealthy for years. She has some health problems and eating unhealthy makes them worse. Junk food always tempts her when she is under stress from work. Stress plays a big role in habit breaking.

     Good habits are also sometimes hard to change. Experts from the CDC say, "60% of U.S. women who have had a total hysterectomy and no longer have a cervix are still getting the tests." The women who were so used to getting the pap test are still getting it. It was a good habit but is no longer needed for them. Once you make your goals a priority, it is hard to do something else. I tried to set aside my goals and focus on something else for awhile. I am a junior so I still have some time before college but I have not been able to stop focusing on college since freshmen year. Another goal is my career, I keep trying to put that off since I am not even in college yet, but I cannot.

     As you can see, good and bad habits are hard to quit. It is like they are stuck with you forever. But sometimes, you just have to learn to let go of them. Even if that means forcing yourself for awhile. Eventually, you will quit it.


Source: "Women getting unneeded Paps post-hysterectomy, CDC says" Foxnews.com