No means NO

Rape is a horrific act that doesn’t always result in victory for the victims to see their attackers in prison. Although sexual assault has justice more so now than ever, there are still head-scratching loopholes that make me sick to my stomach. When searching for incidents in which these loopholes occur, I came across an article in The Guardian that shared a disturbing case that involved a victim of North Carolina’s law regarding sexual assault. The law states that: “In North Carolina, a person cannot withdraw consent for sex once intercourse is taking place. Because of a 1979 state supreme court ruling that has never been overturned, continuing to have sex with someone who consented then backed out isn’t considered to be rape.” Not only does this law make my jaw drop, it makes me realize that society in its entirety does not view the action of non-consensual penetration as a prison-worthy issue; today there are marches and protest against sexual assault, but what good does that do when cases such as this one are swept under the rug due to a sickening law?

            As seen on a Netflix documentary and stories on the internet, Universities even tend to turn their backs on victims when sexual assault takes place on their grounds. Awareness is the first step; repeated action until justice is the second. I believe that eventually, North Carolina will repeal this absurd law, and loopholes will no longer be an option. Attackers should not be allowed to walk freely; society needs to condemn the criminals rather than second guess the victims.

Blog 6

I completely agree with the perception that mynewblogthatiscool.blogspot.com wrote claiming that society has less value on human life, and the way you incorporated it within your blog supports your conclusion on the seriousness of mental health; the government definitely should focus on how one's mental health impacts events as traumatic as school shootings, and yet they still refuse to expose the stone cold truth of what mental illness really is and what it can really cause someone to do. 

Ohio Bill That Bans All Abortions

Recently Ohio passed a bill that would ban all abortions. Not only that, but the state of Ohio will go as far as pressing criminal charges against both abortion providers and the women that are seeking the procedure. One of the state representatives Ron Hood stated, “it would be up to prosecutors to decide whether to charge a woman or a doctor and what those charges would be. But they could be severe. Under the bill, an “unborn human” would be considered a person under state criminal homicide statutes.” This means that it is up to the prosecutor to decide whether or not to charge a woman with murder for ending her pregnancy; and in Ohio, being convicted of murder results in life in prison or even the death penalty.

In my personal opinion, I believe that Ohio’s call to action is absurd. Not only for the fact that I am pro-choice for many reasons, but simply the resulting punishment of this procedure is unconstitutional. Anti-abortion rallies have taken place for a period of time now with a goal similar to Ohio’s bill, but many citizens cannot seem to put their opinions aside to acknowledge a serious problem that will potentially take place if abortions were banned in all; that is that banning abortions will not stop women from getting them, which results in illegal and or dangerous circumstances to get the procedure done. It simply seems more rational for women to make their own choices with a safe form of health care rather than an unconstitutional action to take place.

On February 27, 2018, SmirkingChimp published an article titled, “I Am a Teacher, Not an Instrument of Violence.” This article illustrated by Camillo Mac Bica is written about gun violence in schools through the eyes of a teacher. Gun control is a hugely controversial topic since the Florida school shooting; many individuals have expressed their stance on if teachers should be allowed to carry on school property. Social media has focused its attention on this topic causing many online arguments between people and their opinions.

            Bica is a professor of philosophy at the school of Visual Arts in New York. His past of being a Marine Corps Officer, Vietnam Veteran, and coordinator for a Veterans Peace organization, makes him a strong candidate for speaking out about the “teachers having guns to protect!” dispute. Bica wrote, “I am a teacher. I will not carry a weapon in the classroom. I will sacrifice my life, if need be, as other teachers have done, on behalf of my students, but I will not kill.” In my personal opinion, I agree with Proffesor. Bica solely for the purpose of this line. I believe his intended audience is to those who are capable of getting out of social media arguments, that will receive some insight on an individual who has been through violence and still chooses not to act on it given any circumstances. His logic stems from his experience as well as his particular belief for a course of action if need be. With a harsh argument like this one, I believe Bica’s response to it was highly respectable. Simple yet meaningful, this article should be recognized by more people. 

On February 12, 2018, The Huffington Post published an article written by Jaclyn Friedman, titled “No, #MeToo Is Not Ruining Valentine’s Day.” This article refers to the nationwide movement of “#MeToo,” which serves the purpose of ending domestic violence, sexual harassment and assault. Friedman’s article is primarily targeted to those who have been harassed and to those who do not understand this movement in full. The fact that this has become such a large movement over a subject that many choose to avoid means that it should be viewed just as important as the woman’s march and the police brutality protests that scream for change that must be done. Friedman refers to her own attack to connect with those who have experienced it themselves, “he most profoundly chilling experience of my life was the night a guy I knew climbed into my bed when I was very drunk and decided, as I was slipping in and out of consciousness, to use my body for his own purposes.” By touching on her own experience, it creates a solid argument which then leads to the title of this article. The whole purpose of this write-up is to prove that the celebrated day of romance shouldn’t be any less celebrated now that people have spoken up about how important consensual physical encounter is. Freidman claims, “The only people for whom #MeToo is making the world less sexy are abusive men and their enablers. For the rest of us, it opens up a world of erotic possibility free of fear, shame, pain and trauma. If you think we’re ruining the fun with our insistence on consent and respect, it’s time to ask yourself whose “fun” you’re really defending.” Freidman’s article connects to the audience on a personal level that creates a logical argument that there are rules that should be followed in society before any sexual encounters are made.

On Monday, January 29, 2018, USA TODAY, published an article titled “Trump administration's idea for government-built 5G network met with loud resistance from U.S. telecoms.” a leaked memo from the telecom industry revealed that the United States administration was actually considering creating its own 5G network that will speed up internet connections for all internet users. Although this report was said to be an old one, the senior administrator official confirmed that the report was not a secret and that it is a goal. However, this goal can cause issues with Chinese tech companies that can potentially monitor Americans. This article is worth your attention because after reading the opinions of those who support this plan and the opinions of those who oppose it, it is very interesting to determine whether or not you are on board with this pricey yet convenient goal. In my opinion, I side with the opposing group primarily because expanding our digital network with thorough deliberation should not be a strong focus for our nation at this time.

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