Abusive Prisons

Youth offenders as do all offenders of the law do not deserve physical abuse. Youth offenders in the U.S are serving life sentences in federal adult prisons. The environment is very abusive some even had the thought of suicide cross their mind's. For example These forms of sentence (life sentences with out parole for children) should be ended.

These prisons should refrain form harming young offenders of the law. Allison Parker the director of the US program of human rights is one of the few that realize this and are trying to put a stop to it. Showing how severe prison conditions are. One prisoner said “I was all of 5’6”, 130 pounds and they sent me to PBSP [Pelican Bay State Prison]. I tried to kill myself because I couldn’t stand what the voices in my head was saying….‘You won't ever see your family again.’”These under-aged children deserve better. Although they broke the law they do not need to be ‘scared straight’. Once they are apprehended they should be taught to do right instead of forced to.  Several have also been reported to thinking of suicide. Such as one kid serving in PBSP. Hurting yourself is unthinkable. Why would you bring harm upon yourself? But when you want to commit suicide something is wrong. Because this only occurs when you are pushed to the limit and I cant even begin to image what happened to them in there. There are many people who are trying to fight for this cause and I think it is one that deserves it.

Security should not be allowed to abuse people like this. These 'kids' should be taken to correctional centers for people their own age. Not a jail for murdurers. It's phsycologically hurting the kids, most of them are having thoughts of suicide and just thinking of ways to get out. Although in some cases it works, it scares them straight but to teh degree that now they have no chance to go out and change once they're in it's basically over. But not only emotionaly but also educationaly. Now this is on their permenant record. As many universities they apply to they are denied because of this one slip up. It is scaring them and closing up so many windows, and honestly nobody deserves this. They just want to help now.

Many have also just gotten an urge to contribute to society. Now that their scared straight they want to help but they may very well never do so. “I would be ever grateful… for the chance to spend my life now for some good reason. I would go to the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan…or jump on the first manned mission to Mars…. [I]f the state were to offer me some opportunity to end my life doing some good, rather than a slow-wasting plague to the world, it would be a great mercy to me.”
– Troy L. (pseudonym), youth offender serving life without parole in Arkansas. If this boy got a chance for change who knows what would happen. All you need is a little spark to make something amazing and it often comes form the most unlikely places.

So I think that nobody should be treated as Troy L. for example. To me it is something worth fighting for. People are already doing so but I encourage other to give them the support they need.

I believe that everyone has the right to an equal education regardless of their disabilities. Because I know that no student is unteachable only the kind that doesn't want to learn. 20% of Americans have dyslexia. Dyslexia is a disability when the person has difficulty interpreting words and symbols and skills such as reading become extremely difficult. They are other obstacles put in the way of a teacher. Putting it out of the way wont make it better you have to face it and try to confront the problem. That is the way success. 


Sorts of disabilities like dyslexia and autism are putting students down and not that many care. Tackle them in small pieces and an answer will come. Similar to a building you have to have a strong foundation to create a skyscraper and it doesn't happen in an instant. It takes many months and late night real dedication and not only one person can build it this takes the entire crew. William Wissemann is one boy who suffers dyslexia a reading disorder. But that doesn't stop him. With many late nights he is over to overcome his disability. 

William takes this problem in small pieces. 'The Rubik’s cube taught me that to accomplish something big, it helps to break it down into small piece.' he says. Similar to the logical puzzle you have to take this in small pieces. Just because a student is not as capable of learning doesn't mean you don't teach him. Just takes that extra minute to help them out. Treat them as you want to be treated and how you want your kids to have a fair education in school. They have been mocked and teased for too long about their disabilities because they got unlucky who knows it could have been you. But William pushed that all aside and through dedication he is now going to be a graduate of Bard College and with a duel bachelor degree in computer science and photography.

Other reasons to help the ones with disabilities is because they are our future. We talk of flying cars and amazing technology but we will never achieve that if our greatest minds cant even read. With only ourselves to blame we cant point the finger that them because it was our ignorance that kept them from reaching their full potential. They have an equal right to education and even if they fall behind now who knows they might be they great minds of the future we have been looking for all along. 


Overall it takes dedication and heart to overcome these challenges. The minds of the future are bright but only if we teach them to be. Who knows the dyslexic boy you ignored in class could grow to be the greatest mind we have ever see. Just have to wait and find out.

Our Hidden Voice

By Bernice, Cindy, Yuichiro & Mohamed

These days wisdom
is disguised by uncertainty,
you know?
Opinions and speaking with strong
conviction and authority,
as opposed to the invisible determination
in our society.
To aggressively question and implore,
to challenge our tragic generation.
Personally chop down interrogative...ness,
to stop declaring
our so called whatevers.

The Trenches of Greed

Battle is sour and whatever the prize it can never make up for all the lost lives. WW1 & WW2 were caused by mans desire to be top dog. We are filled with greed we just want more and more, not stopping until there is nothing more to take turning this planet into a battlefield.One thing I believe in is humility. Just settle for what you have. Because out there millions don't have a fraction of it sometimes nothing at all. It will do us good to remember that.

I go to an international school and my parents are fairly wealthy so I don't know what it feels like, but I know it's not the greatest feeling. My parents feed me and provide the roof that I live under. Contrary to those on the battlefield as young as 12 given guns and asked to kill, for the benefit of their country but really for the government. It is a cruel way of getting to the top. All they want is economic power.

As seen in our history with both the World Wars nobody wins. The losses are much greater than the victories these are lives that have been thrown away. Eight million soldiers, including more than 50,000 Americans died. German's losses 1,700,000 killed and over 4,200,000 wounded. France had 1,300,000 deaths and over 4,200,000 wounded. In all approximately 16.5 million killed it was a war not to be forgotten.

We see examples now with war Libya standing up for it's right's because of a leader to engulfed in power to see the suffering of his own people. If only he had looked at what he had and what they needed, none of this would have happened.

Over the years greed has gotten the better of us and it consumes it's prey so they loose connection with reality. But that's not how it should be, just keep in mind the rest of the world and be happy for your fortunes because it could have been you out there.

The Wonder Of Knowledge

'Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive: easy to govern but impossible to enslave.' ~ Peter Brougham 1778-1868

Henry Peter Brougham 1st baron of Brougham an Vaux. A British parliamentarian who reached the office of Lord Chancellor in the UK. Starting his career as a lawyer in Scotland the writer of several political articles and views. In 1808 he began his political career in the UK and became a big part of the attempt to end the slave trade and later on in 1828 founded the University college London. Knowing that we need to be educated to take care of ourselves.

If we create a new society, the one characteristic the society needs if nothing else is education. I want this because I know that educated people can take care of themselves. They can get jobs and feed their families. These people will be Eco-friendly and be fully aware of the world around them, so they can take responsibility and maintain a safe and peaceful community.

This community will be filled with knowledge and knowledge is power. The power to shape our lives and the world around us. It is the light that shine the path to success and happiness, but without it you are lost and left to cower from the dark in fear. The intellects of this community will be problem solvers that will make smart decisions and lead us into the world beyond.

Education is everything it can lead us to new depths and help us climb the highest mountains with education. Leading us to the library of life.

Image: http://freelanceswitch.com

Information: http://histclo.com/bio/b/br/ind-brough.html

This I Believe

As a twelve year old boy I have seen my share of identities and I know that beliefs differ from situation to situation. My belief is in justice and fairness,that you are equal to another and that before the law you are the same. That the court shall not act differently upon others depending on their appearance or on beliefs.

The idea of justice comes up in our everyday lives. Some may believe in equality, others don’t. To me I believe in this because sometimes in the eyes of others, race and class deteriorate our chance in court. "We constantly speak of human beings in ways which implicitly deny their humanity - in words which reduce them to being mere representatives of a class, mere symbolic representations of some principle... Most people would hesitate to torture or kill a human being like themselves. But when that human being is spoken of as though he were not a human being, but as the representative of some wicked principle, we lose our scruples." - Aldous Huxley, speech delivered at the Albert Hall, London, 1936.
Speaking of people as if they are not human is just as Hitler did- he made the Jews look like non humans, different from us, with propaganda posters, and cruel advertisements. Emphasizing the idea of ‘different’ and ‘the enemy’ almost to a point that made them look nonhuman so at that time we loose all sympathy and we can let ourselves make those difficult decisions.

What idea that I grasp onto and keep close is that justice is the single greatest act of man today. Having a justice system links back to the middle ages when king Henry ll created judges and put everything under the state, or when the nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta saying that everybody was equal before the law. But that idea of justice differs from area to area, person to person. Some people think the law has the right to strip us of our possessions without a word.

I once had a teacher in second grade that I got in trouble with, also with me was her son. We got in trouble because the teacher heard a loud noise in the hall. She took us in and at the time she was the prosecutor, judge & jury. Despite that I was put against her son she looked across that and knew I was innocent. That’s when the light shined on me. I realized that in front of her I was his equal. I had the same chance as he did. The law had seen me through regardless of who I was.

The day we stop believing in law is the day we lose all order and respect towards other people. The law makes everybody equal and says that nobody can be convicted without just cause. I have faith in the idea that we all deserve a chance and that our race or religions shouldn’t influence how we are viewed. I believe in justice.

Kristallnacht

http://www.pzg.biz/poster_clever_fox.htm - The picture to the right shows a Jewish man and woman that are fat, rich and the enemy while you see an innocent german boy in the corner this is what Hitler said and showed images of so that it seemed like he was getting rid of all their trouble and and atrocious group of people.

1938 November 9th-10th Crystal night. Nazis take their first physical offence towards the jewish people. Nicknamed Kristallnacht because nacht is night and kristal is crystal referring to the amount of broken glass lying in the ground, in fact in such large numbers that it looked like large peaces of crystal. On the 10th the second day of the attack Goebell a Nazi with substantial power ordered for the end of the attack. No charges were pressed towards anyone of the Nazi gangs yet the Jewish people were fined 3 billion marks for the damage done to their own homes, synagogs and businesses. With a small estimate of 30,000 jews taken to concentration camps 100 killed, 275 synagogs, 75 businesses and 1000 homes destroyed it was surly a brutal attack. Some fled while they could to anyplace that would take them in others weren't so lucky. But why so many participated was all going to rely on what type of information Hitler would feed the public therefore propaganda. They would illustrate all the Jewish people as fat, greedy crooked noses and sinister looks. Not the type of character you would like. Feeding the public more images like this some soon believed it.

Hitler, Adolf - " If you tell people a lie enough times they will believe it."

This was a turning point both the Nazis and the Jews knew that after this it was never going to blow of and peace was not an option. My reactions are how could people let it escalate to this level. Countries say what was happening yet they didn't attempt to stop it, merely because they thought it was to much trouble and it wasn't their problem. Some Germans didn't participate but fled, why? Because they would be viewed as if they were in the "plot" that the Jews came up with to destroy Germany. I say they could have stopped it at the very begining, I speak such brave words yet I know I would have just sat there and let it happen. I would like to think that I could have stood up and been brave but that's very unlikely. I know what's right but I just watch out of fear not because I am on the Nazi side but it would ruin my life and end my existence. But would you stand up? Honestly if you were it that position barely a handful of us would.

Martin Luther King Jr - "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it." As bystanders we are all guilty . We should try to be the hero but not all of us can.