weissblog

Came across an interesting article today. It seems that Deerfield High School in Chicago has a class called “Freshman Advisory,” in which ninth-graders are required to attend a panel discussion led by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network (side topic: how many people in the Gay-Straight Alliance Network are straight?). Now, this by itself is bad. It would be one thing if it was optional, but the fact that it was required infringes on the civil liberties of the students. But then, to make matters worse, “students were required to sign a confidentiality agreement saying they would not tell anyone about the discussions, including their parents.” Huh? I’m no expert on Illinois law, but where I’m from people under 18 can’t sign any sort of legal document without there being a parent’s signature along side the minor’s. And I’m sure the school knew this, which leads me to believe that the signing of this agreement was a scare tactic to try and keep the kids from telling their parents.

It’s amazing really. When it’s all said and done the best we can hope for is a slap on the wrists of those involved in violating the students and their parents rights. Had this been a mandatory meeting of a Christian group where the children were taught the 10 Commandments everyone would be fired by now. It’s sad… really, really sad. I just pray that none of the kids forced to attend this meeting buy into the lies that were undoubtedly told during this indoctrination session.

I was horrified earlier today when I stumbled upon an article about a man infected with TB being held on the jail ward of the Maricopa Medical Center without “TV, a radio, a cellphone, a shower or visitors.” Now, go read the article to get the full effect, then come back and read my rant.

Okay, I understand the whole quarantine part. But I don’t understand why they won’t let him have any modern comforts. A phone, radio, tv, computer, etc. can not spread TB. And if this room is built for situations such as this, why doesn’t it have a shower? Think about it. He’s been there for 8 months! With no shower? Honestly, from the way this fellow is being treated I’m not sure if they want him to die from the TB, sadness, or of unsanitary conditions.

And don’t start giving Sheriff Joe Arpaio flack about this. For one, I see no mention of him in the story at all. And secondly, as a former law enforcement officer I fully back Joe’s tent city idea and wish others would follow it. But even in Sheriff Joe’s tent city the convicted criminals still get showers and cable tv. Robert Daniels on the other hand, has not been tried on anything. There’s been no mention of a trial in the article. So here he is being treated worse than convicted criminals over something that isn’t even his fault! Did Robert mess up? Yeah, he did. But, and here’s the kicker, he didn’t just get up one morning and ask to be given TB. As far as the TB is concerned he’s the victim.

Now, for the part where the Sheriff’s Dept. did mess up, is when they took away the computer and phone that some nurses had given Robert. That’s just wrong. Here it was donated goods and they still wouldn’t let him have them. Because “It’s a jail ward” says Jack McIntyre, a sheriff’s spokesman. Well that’s just stupid. Again, a computer and a telephone are not going to enable Robert to spread TB. And don’t try saying that they were a security risk. The man is in an airtight locked room with an armed Deputy at the door.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about this all day and I really would like to do something to help this guy out. I’m not familiar with Arizona’s laws, but the article makes it seem that Randy Ellexson has the authority to make some changes. So here’s what I’m going to do and what I ask everyone that will to do. Call Mr. Ellexson’s office at 480.344.2006 and politely ask him to make Mr. Daniels’s life a bit easier. According to the article the man has a 50/50 chance of surviving this thing. Do we really want what may possibly be Robert’s last days to be spent like this? And, for those who will, please pray for Robert Daniels. Pray that he will live and that this part of his life won’t leave any lasting scars on him or his family.

Really though, this is the first time I’ve seen punishment and detention get confused in this way. It’s usually people who need to be punished just get detained. For once the system finally punishes someone and it turns out to be a guy who’s only suppose to be detained. Go figure.

I just read where “Turner Broadcasting System and Interference Inc. have agreed to pay $2 million to make amends for last Wednesday’s guerrilla marketing scheme that led to a bomb scare in Boston, the Massachusetts attorney general said Monday.”

For those who didn’t hear about it, Cartoon Network (owned by Turner) hired Interference, Inc. to do some advertising. Interference had some ‘light boards’ built that resemble a character off of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and then had the boards placed all over Boston. This resulted, supposedly, in a mass scare with people thinking they were bombs, evidently.

Let’s think about this. If you were a terrorist and were going to place bombs all over a city, would you really make them light up with a cartoon character? As a former police officer I must say this makes absolutely no sense to me. And while I’m sure Turner Broadcasting can easily afford their half of the fine, I honestly don’t think it’s reasonable. The only thing I feel could think of that Interference or Turner should be fined for would be for possibly violating local sign ordinances.

It should also be noted that the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston; New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and none of these cities listed them as suspicious devices. Maybe Interference should have conducted a random sampling of the Boston public’s IQ before placing the devices.

Saw this a few days back but haven’t had the time to post about it…

A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing “sexual services” at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year.

Relax, this isn’t from the USA. The above quote was taken from Telegraph.uk about a woman in Germany.

According to the article, under German law if you turn down a job referral from the unemployment office, you could lose your unemployment benfits. The USA has similar laws. However, every since Germany legalized prostitution in 2002 hoping that this would help to combat trafficking in women and cut links to organised crime, unemployed citizens have had to choose between their need for income and their moral beliefs.

I’ve often heard about how prostitution should be legalized nationwide here in the USA. But the people who say they’re for it rarely look at it from all the angles. Articles like this are yet another reason I’m personally against it.