PAPER Topics

... punishment deters more than long prison terms do."(Cavanagh 4) Going ever farther, Bryan Stevenson, the executive director of the Montgomery based Equal Justice Initiative, has stated that "…people are increasingly realizing that the more we resort to killing as a legitimate response to our frustration and anger with violence, the more violent our society becomes…We could execute all three thousand people on death row, and most people would not feel any safer tomorrow."(Frame 51) In addition, with the growing humanitarianism of modern society, the number of inmates actually put to death is substantially lower than 50 years ago. This decline creates a situation in which the death penalty ...

... by behavior that undermines the nature of a moral community. The essential basis on which community is built requires each citizen to honor the rightful claims of others. The utter and deliberate denial of life and opportunity to others forfeits ones own claim to continued membership in the community, whose standards have been so flagrantly violated. The preservation of moral community demands that the shattering of the foundation of its existence must be taken with utmost seriousness. The preciousness of life in a moral community must be so highly honored that those who do not honor the life of others make null and void their own right to membership. Those who violate the personhood of oth ...

... The first group includes such major crimes as arson, assault, breach of the peace, burglary, kidnapping, larceny, murder, rape, and robbery. The second group includes crimes of a “rapidly growing urban society.” These crimes include violations of income tax laws, liquor control regulations, pure food and drug laws, and traffic laws. Crimes in the first group usually involve severe punishments while crimes in the second group are generally punished by fines, notices to follow the court's orders, or other relatively light penalties. Crimes are frequently classified according to their seriousness as felonies or misdemeanors. Generally, felonies are more serious than misdemeanors. ...

... amendment you have left these people angry, and with no way out. They will fight. Are the gun control advocates ready to take responsibility for the hundreds if not thousands of deaths that will occur? Since the law enforcement agencies already admit to thier lack of ability to diarm these people, are they going to order in federal troops? It is a question that people need take into consideration when they start their Crusade against the evils of firearms. Lets talk about a total gun ban. If that indeed came true, would the American society be safer? Truth is no. Besides the scary thought that only the Government would have guns, a ban would only work for those that follow the law. Crim ...

... it was not the intent or purpose of this Amendment to bestow unlimited rights upon the people. The question to ask today is, are the people responsible enough to have the unlimited rights that they seem to have under this Amendment. Clede states, "that does not mean that the government can constitutionally prohibit all weapons, but it probably means that the government can reasonably regulate and limit their use." I agree with Clede's point. The language of the Constitution is very vague. The second amendment states, " A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Never did the Constit ...

... for a Drug-Free America (54). For example, according to Karen Schoemer's report for Newsweek, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon and Jerry Garcia of Greatful Dead, all participated and abused heroin (54). Kurt Cobain took his own life with a shotgun, while battling his heroin addiction. Also, Shannon Hoon overdosed on cocaine while he had recently tried to kick his heroin habit. In addition, Jerry Garcia who had been a drug junkie for years died in a rehabilitation center while trying to come clean from drug use. However, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, David Gahan of Depeche Mood and actor Robert Downey, Jr. were all arrested for possession of heroin and othe ...

... first introduced to Europe in the 1850’s, but its use there was very rare until the last few years. has a fairly long history of use in Mexico and Latin America. It was first introduced into the United States around 1910 by Mexican laborers. During the Vietnam War many drugs were easily available to the soldiers in the war. Many of these men turned to to subside the misery of war. When they returned home, they continued the habit. Thus, in the 1960’s, became a symbol of rebellion for the so-called counterculture (Eve 24). In the 1960’s, ’s use among students and other young people began to increase. Jazz and rock musicians, also began smoking because they believed it inspired th ...

... and record of court appearances or of flight to avoid prosecution or failure to appear. A judge, when deciding if bail is to be granted, does not just flip a coin to decide. He or she looks at all aspects of the situation. It all rests in the judge's hands. When a judge looks at a person accused of a violent crime, such as murder, a few things are liable to pop into perspective. One would be to how violent and detrimental the accusations are. Any rational thinking person would realize that if arrested, they are in suspicion. Therefore, a state appointed judge is also going to realize that this person must be a threat, especially if accused of a violent crime. It does not vi ...

... in today's society that certain individuals are worth more than others. When the value of life is lessened under certain circumstances such as the life of a murderer, what is stopping others from creating their own circumstances for the value of one's life such as race, class, religion, and economics. Immanual Kant, a great philosopher of ethics, came up with the Categorical Imperative, which is a universal command or rule that states that society and individuals "must act in such a way that you can will that your actions become a universal law for all to follow" (Palmer 265). There must be some set of moral and ethical standards that even the government can not supersede, otherwise how ...

... however, much more detailed information about the drug is brought fourth. For example, the book associates use of ecstasy with the cultures of all kinds of illegal drugs. In my opinion, the ban should be lifted because the book does not just give the positive information about this drug. While the book does side towards the use of the drug, it does provide all kinds of interesting information and education including negative data about the drug. If information about drugs is kept in the dark, people will be tempted to seek information in potentially harmful ways. If information flows freely, however, people can usually be trusted to make smart choices. The latest twist to this otherwis ...