Juvenile Justice #7

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/whenkidsgetlife/etc/cron.html

This article called “When kids get life” takes a look into the history of juveniles being sent into correctional facilities. From what I see, it seems as though Colorado just lowers the age limit for juveniles being sent away every time there is an issue. There should definitely be an age where juveniles are considered adults. This age is 18. Adults should be treated like adults when the time is right. Until then, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. However, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights seems to agree with me. Juveniles should be subject to rehabilitation only. Children are not a lost cause. There are some people that are dangerous and on the streets. However, children can be formed. Anybody who is an authority figure can shape the mind of a young person. Even the most violent youth can be changed. 

A Long Way Gone Final Post

This book almost made me cry, and at the same time it almost made me want to throw it into a wall. I hate loose ends, especially in a powerful memoir such as this one. We don’t know what happens! We end with a story that relates to his life in the war. However, we really don’t know what happened to Beah. We know he made it into America because of the credits. I want to know how! The end of the book shows that he escapes, but there are so many other things that I want to know. How did he get on a plane? Where did he get the money to get on a plane? What did he do after he arrived in the New Country?  There are so many loose ends. Also, what happened to his family? Earlier in the novel he states that he never talked to his brother ever again. This made me curious. He said it as though he has spoken to other members of his family. He has an extremely strong message and I really want him to either write another book or somehow tell people the other stories that he had. He was in a war! There is no way that he doesn’t have enough material for ten books. I want to hear more because I know he has more. I want to hear details. I feel like I have been cut off. However, the messages that he does write about seem to touch my heart in interesting ways. It really shows what it means to be human. I rarely feel emotionally connected to other people. This book raised some questions about society and charity and what is a cause that we need to help. This was demonstrated by the story that he told at the end. “There was a hunter who went into the bush to kill a monkey…. Just when he was about to pull the trigger, the monkey spoke: ‘If you shoot me your mother will die, and if you don’t, your father will die.’” What is left to do in that situation? There are so many good charities but what is the right one?

This book is definitely something that everyone should read. I highly recommend it. It can speak to anyone. I really have nothing left to say about that. The emotions are so tough, one must experience it for themselves.

-Igor

A Long Way Gone #5

This part of the novel was both the most frustrating and the most emotional. Beah reconnects with an uncle that lives in the city. He has never actually met this uncle but he has heard many stories. His life almost seems as though it is back to normal. Beah ends up interviewing with a youth agency that flies him out to New York! His dreams are coming true and he sees snow for the first time. He shares his stories with the people of the United Nations. He states, “I have been rehabilitated now, so don’t be afraid of me. I am not a soldier anymore; I am a child” (Beah 199). This is a really powerful scene. He doesn’t want to leave. However, just like the rest of the novel, as soon as that seems to happen things seem to get worse. The government in Sierra Leon is overthrown by a combination of the army and the rebels. There is a man who says he is president and the city is in trouble. Luckily for Beah, he lives on the outskirts of the city where little of the fighting takes place. Almost as soon as he is situated his small village runs out of food and his uncle becomes ill. It is almost difficult to imagine. He cannot find food and he is even tempted to join the army again. This would, once again, put Beah in a situation of death. He decides to escape.

His emotions are what really drive the book. It played with my emotions and how I feel about charity. I always hear about stories and causes to donate, but I never do.  We need more panels like the one Beah went, to really make issues like this one clear. He is taken everything from him and we do not know what that feels like. I think that is why people are reluctant to donate. They cannot feel the same thing. It is hard to put yourself in the shoes of these soldiers. That is why I think Invisible Children are doing the right thing by bringing former child soldiers to the United States. They can really spread the issue through experience.

A Long Way Gone #4

In this part of the novel, Ishmael is sent to a rehabilitation center. This part of the novel is almost similar to the book that I read for last semester, A Million Little Pieces. The themse are the same but they are recovering from different things. Ishmael desperately needs to talk to someone about his problems so that they could properly address his symptoms. Beah finds comfort in a girl who works in the medical area. Beah is still hardened from the war and he has a hard time opening up to people. In his mind, his squad is his family. They find ways for Beah to behave. They calm him down with music and they let him talk. This is when Beah makes the most progress. He is given the opportunity to perform for his center. Performing dances and hip hop songs has been part of Beah’s childhood forever. He really turns his life around. He found ways to keep himself busy. “Memorizing lyrics left me little time to think about what had happened in the war” (Beah 163). He is still haunted by the war, but he now remembers his family and what they meant to him. The rehabilition center looks for much of his family in the city.

This part of the novel had a lot of themes that related to the rehab process. The way that Beah found comfort in other people ultimately led to his fast recovery. He knew that he had to hang on to what little connections he had and use it to keep him strong. Just as James Frey had Lilly to look forward to, Ishmael Beah had Esther. He really began to himself recovering. This also has a lot to do with my topic of juvenile justice. It almost perfectly relates. This was a boy who was a crazy war criminal. He did things that even the worse teenagers in the country could not imagine. However, they were still able to get through to his mind and they found ways to relate. If one of the poorest countries in the world can rehabilitate juvenile war criminals than so can we.

Juvenile Justice #6

I was really interested by the little criminal presentation so I decided to look at the discussion board. Some of the comments gave me a lot of good insite about what the people of this country think about the juvenile justice system. Most people were outraged at the fact that some people though that a six year old child was able to stand trial in adult court. Others, however,  changed their mind after they realized that he had beat that baby. One women claimed that he was no longer a child when he beat that baby. Some people said that since he had commited an adult crime he was mature and capable of any punishment that was suitable. I was surprised that there was not a lot of research on the child. There needs to be more extensive tests on children with violent behaiviors like that. A reoccuring theme in this discussion was the maturity level of the child. I feel as though that the childs world was not broad enough to even understand what he did. Others seemed to understand. He was not fully capable of making decisions. This only furthurs my belief that children cannot be forced into adult centers. They just can’t handle it and I doubt it would do anything for them if they could.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/little/talk/

Juvenile Justice #5

On Frontline, I read a story about baby killers. This boy who was only six years old has already had a string of dangerous crimes. He had stolen a bike and had assulted a one montyh old infant. It seems as though this boy is the perfect example of why we need more rehabilitation centers in the United States. We need to help the children, like this boy, to help take control of their lives. He seems to be a fairly normal boy. I do not  think that it would cost a lot of money to set up rehabilitation centers across the country. It seems like a more presentable way to help the youth of the country. Adult jails aren’t going to make these children normal again. They need to have professional care and they need to be taught different ways. Some people will argue that these children are the lowest of the low and they don’t even deserve this care. Why should people pay their hard earned money to support these troubled teens? Supporting these teens mean supporting our country.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/little/interviews/

Juvenile Justice #4

Mr. Kramer sent me a comic that basically explained what to do in the event that you get pulled over by the police. It was almost so blunt that it was insulting. The comic seemed to be aimed towards teens from the ages of 15-18. It told us not to talk to the police without a lawyer and wait for your parents before you say anything stupid. Basically, it told teens to respect figures of authority and be nice to the people who arrest you. It aslo explained the guidlines and rules of what happens if you are guilty. They also seemed to make empty threats about how jail is a scary place. While I agree with this I don't think that we are sending the right message. We are telling kids how to cheat the system and what to do after they get in trouble. There should be rehabilitation centers that teach children how to handle their problems. There needs to be better systems that keep youths who are troubled out of trouble. There needs to be more centers that prevent juveniles in jail or juvenile centers.

A Long Way Gone #3

The book takes a serious turn here. Beah seemed to be escaping from the rebels his entire life. Everything changed. Beah was forced to fight against the rebels. He was finally given a place to stay and food every day. He became a child soldier. In this novel, the word child doesn’t seem to deceive me. I found out that Beah was capable of absolutely horrible acts. Just because he was a child does not mean that he did not perform adult duties. Beah described a war scene after one battle, “I was not afraid of these lifeless bodies. I despised them and kicked them to flip them.” (Beah 119) He became inhumane. He talked of “The idea of death didn’t cross my mind at all and killing had become as easy as drinking water” (Beah 122) He was worse than all of his companions and he became addicted to drugs. He did all sorts of drugs to ease the pains. He never did forget the pains that surrounded his childhood. He washed away his easiness to kill and his thoughts of his family by smoking marijuana and doing cocaine. It came to a point where Beah was getting out of control. This part ended with UNICEF forces taking Beah away. They told him they were taking him to a rehabilitation camp, but Beah had lost trust in all humans. He became violent at those who tried to search him and would not follow orders of anyone but his lieutenant.

Beah is an example of how a war can change a soldier. This isn’t even an organized war. They are doing drugs and changing the minds of what they think is good. Beah doesn’t even know what he is fighting for. This is dangerous. There needs to be some sort of cause. The thing about children being abducted seems to scare me because I do not see an incentive. What are the rebels trying to accomplish and why are they fighting. Also, what are the “good guys” going to do when they fight? There does not seem to be a possibility of defeating them because they recruit more people each time. There does not seem to be a way of this fighting to slow down. The country needs to do something more. There should not be children fighting dangerous rebels. They are being brainwashed and it doesn’t seem like the propaganda is helping to save lives or fight a cause.

A Long Way Gone #2

The second part of this memoir was filled with emotion. Ishmael Beah started the chapter with an unexpected attack on a village that was hosting him while he was on the run towards safety and news of his family. Keep in mind that this boy was much younger than I am now and he was already making the decisions of life and death every day. Beah went on after the attack alone. The poor communication systems in Africa provided nothing for him. This is what the Invisible Children group is doing that, after reading this book, makes me realize is so important. Simple communication systems can reunite families and bring news of danger. A simple telephone tower could have provided Beah with information on how to get to safety and possible news of his family. However, he did not have this luxury. He found himself alone in the forest for days. Survival was difficult but Beah had made friends.

             Once again, I find this situation too similar to the Holocaust. People had no reason to survive other than the people around them. Beah had made friends with other runaway boys and used them as his means of survival. They truly kept each other alive. Without family, the boys were lost without authority. They found ways to keep the mood light.
            This part of the book ended with Beah receiving information that members of his village, Mattru Jong, were in a town that was nearby. He was overcome with joy. I still feel as though the luxury of a communication cables would have made this book nonexistent. People would know of the horrors that were coming and there would be no surprise attacks.
            It makes me feel like I take luxuries for granted. 911 is only three buttons away and it is easy to turn on the news and know of horror. Humans are an interesting race. There are the kinds that do both good and evil and they are the kind that can destroy each other. This is what is happening in Central Africa right now. We are the only people that can stop the suffering or the slaughters will continue. Something that may seem not important to us can be the difference of life and death to Beah.

Juvenile Justice #3

Nathaniel Abraham was the youngest person to be tried in adult court. He was eleven years old when he killed an 18 year old. This makes me question the adult system. I still don't know the requirements for being tried under adult court. I’m assuming that it is based on a judge’s discretion. How does a judge determine this? How can an eleven year old boy get tried in a system that deals with mass murderers who are already fully developed adults? There is no question that his mind is not yet developed. He can clearly be rehabilitated and once again become a fully functioning member of society.

Since the boy has pleaded guilty he has spent some time in jail. Since he has recently been let go, he is back in jail on drug charges at 22. From the looks of the pictures on the internet, jail has not been good for him. I also recently found out that there is a group that is very much for charging juvenile defenders with adult punishments. The group is called Adult Crime Adult Time. They think that if a kid is mature enough to play with guns then they can handle the consequences. I tend to agree. If someone is mature enough to commit an adult crime then they should face consequences. The degree of the consequences, I believe, should vary. The mind needs to mature. I believe that not everybody can be “corrected” with jail. However, young people are an exception. They can learn. They can fix the problems they had when they were young with the right care.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/nathaniel_abraham_killer_at_11.html

A Long Way Gone #1

Just to start, the picture on the cover of this book explains everything. From the little I know about the problems with child abduction in Africa, I can tell that the look on the boys face really shows the emotion that this book is going to offer. The first 44 pages of this book really show how normal life could have been. If you consider our distances apart, I see many similarities between myself and Ishmael, the author and narrator of the memoir. He listens to rap music and finds way to pass the time with his friends. However, apart from the similarities we share Ishmael talks about the horrors of the war from day one. He describes his first views of the war in a gruesome, detailed description of a man carrying his son. "The skin that hung down from their bodies still contained fresh blood" (Beah 13). There is no way I can feel for this. Seeing something like that, not in a movie, would almost instantly change your life on the spot. It would make it all real, and this really proves that it is real. This isn't fiction. What Ishmael is describing is the things that he has seen with his own eyes. His first image of the war was so gruesome and bloody. It only got worse. The second chapter was a terrible dream that would never be forgotten if it happened to anyone. he dreamed about being abducted and living through the horrors of war. What's worse is that the dream is not far off from reality. Beah sees child soldiers all the time and he knows that they are not less dangerous than adult soldiers. These child killers are among the most dangerous. He also talked about the methods of recruitment that he saw. He saw people with the rebel initials carved into their skin, a permanent scar. He held strong by staying with the family.

These abductions remind me a lot of the Holocaust. People are taken from their homes and placed in horrible conditions. While the killings may be on a smaller scale, this is still a mass killing of people. These children are living in fear of their life and almost all of them will never reconnect. We said never again to the Holocaust, but what did that mean. These people aren’t of European decent but they deserve the same treatment. We need to do more to stop mass killings around the world. I’m not even sure what the rebels are fighting for. They simply refer to themselves as “the good side”. I don’t even know if they know the cause.

Juvenile Justice #2

Rather than try and form an opinion on the issue, today I decided to find more background information on the topic. I found out proposed alternatives that people think will better the the current system. I read in a time magazine article that some people think that tough systems should be put in place. Some people think places like boot camp and military training would benefit those who commit violent crimes. I feel like I can see this going the other way. If you teach children how to be violent and put them in a violent environment they aren't going to become functioning members of society. This seems to be another gray area. Another alternative that seems to be out there is the idea of a juvenile detention centers. This idea seems to integrate the teens back into society and show them, through a system of rewards, how to avoid criminal situations. However, the problem with this idea is that the teens have to come home eventually. This seems to be the problem. What happens when you "fix" someone of their problem by putting them in a remote setting? You're only going to send them back to the (probably) violent place that they came from. Statistics seem to show that Juveniles in the detention system recommit crimes about 50% of the time. This may seem minuscule compered to the 70% of recommitted crimes after adult trial, but it is still a large number. If we consider what we want the goal of juvenile justice to be, then we will realize that we want the teens to eventually become fully functioning members of society. We can't exile them from communities and expect them to fit right in. This is impossible. This is where my opinion comes into play. Putting major offenders in adult prisons and then expecting them to be better when they come out just doesn't make sense. It defeats the purpose of a "correctional facility". Jails are meant to punish, however, juveniles should be rehabilitated.

Juvenile Justice #1

While I'm just getting started on my topic of Juvenile Justice, I have not yet to put two and two together. I'm fairly positive that I believe that juveniles should have their own court however, I think my opinion may change. I know one thing for sure. Something about the way they are treated in adult court is not right. It's hard to take grasp to it. We never really know when the child's mind is fully developed and if they really can mature and, once more, become fully functioning members of society. This is definitely something to consider when looking at the crimes that they commit. There has to be an area of black and white. There has to be an age limit. The mind works in ways that we do not quite understand. This is why I think that there should be an age that they have to grasp. If a teenager commits a more violent crime than an older teenager, they should be tried under the same court. It's hard to imagine to say that a criminal can be tried in a different court based on exactly what age they are. This is where this system can have a lot of flaws. The question remains "How can we put these kids back into society"? If we were to look at an environment that put kids in jail and the statistics that show how they end up turning out, we would see varied results. This is a big issue. Why aren't there more studies? The best solution I read was a system in Denmark. Rather than have a violent criminal in a correctional facility, they would be in more of a controlled home environment. Every negative action would have a negative consequence and the same would hold for positive actions. This would slowly integrate the criminal into how society works. Rewarding young people for positive actions seems to be a decent way of getting out of the criminal mindset. They can see that there is more to live for. Positive reinforcement is my stand on the issue so far. I don't have enough research to say if they should be eventually transferred into adult facilities. It seems as though it can go either way. However, I think that this system would only work for the nonviolent. In this issue, there are a lot of grey areas. These are the areas that need more research.
-Igor

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/

Race In America Response

All the articles seem to be about depressing lives and things that African American suffer about. What they fail to mention are the amazing things that they have overcome and made possible for the human race. I think that people of different races in the United States seem to add so much to the culture and diversity of the United States. Tim Wise talked about the way he is never treated like a criminal when he goes places. He is making assumptions that black people are. The extreme cases are rare. A black person may be searched at a concert just like Arab people are subjected to searches at the airport. Does it mean that the country is racist? No. People who manage concert venues and airports probably have statistics on criminals. It is not fair to say that black people account for all crime or all Arab people are terrorists. People watch the news and see the extreme cases that always seem to catch everybody off guard. I understand that African \Americans are treated differently by police officers and security, but it is just the way things have come to be. These people are trying to make our lives safer. I know it is a stretch to compare myself to black Americans but I feel as though teenagers are subjected as well. Every time I go to a concert with my friends I think I am searched just as hard as the black people there. Of course these are stereotypes, but I understand them. It makes sense that a teenager would more likely have drugs. Why does everything have to be turned into a race issue. If you are a women, teenager, or a minority there is likely going to be a time in your life that are being discriminated against. I saw it just the other day. When I went to the meeting with congressman Robert Dold, teenagers had a lot of questions but he just shook them off. I would say a quarter of the people there were teenagers and almost everybody raised their hands. Only one person was called on. We are citizens who can vote too. Shouldn't are hand be just as important as a senior citizen? Hidden biases will always exists but this is not a question of race. People need to know when it is okay to be sensitive. For all you know that extra pat down at the airport may be a security measure. It is common knowledge when things are taken out of hand.
-Igor

Hidden Bias

The tests showed that I had a moderate biased towards people of European descent. This doesn't really prove anything. I feel as though the test just calculates your reaction time for whatever your brain sees first. I really don't think that I have any biased. I think I judge all people based on what the way they present themselves. I don't judge by the color of peoples skins. I was fairly surprised by my results only because I thought my reaction time was equal for all of the pictures and words. I wonder how they actually calculate it. Also, I wonder if a racist would get a report that said he was severely biased. It's a very credible source so I'm assuming that a lot of research went into the actual project of creating this.
Something that surprised me about the FAQ was the question about the prejudices. I feel as though kids do not learn prejudices at the age of three. I think those are developed early in life but not that early. Also, the IAT tests seem to be legitimate. I don't think I'm bias but the IAT test say I am. It is a lot more complicated than I had originally thought. I was also interested in what causes discrimination. I was surprised to see movies and life or death situations. I figured that movies would try and stray away from discriminating. There are obviously clear affects of prejudices in our nations. I think the problem is diminishing and as the more prejudice people die off we continue to become a more integrated nations.

Invisible Children

It seems like the people making the film made a small joke about what they were doing. They were obviously doing the right thing but it doesn't seem as though they set off the dramatic, serious tone that they needed to. I really liked the story that they told and I thought that the cause was very important. I didn't really get the facts that I wanted to see. I wanted to know more about the actual abducted children, not just the reaction of the children who were worried about being abducted. I thought that their reaction was extremely important but I felt as though they didn't focus on the things that they needed to. My favorite scene of the documentary was probably the child crying about his lost brother. Not only was this the most powerful message in the whole documentary but it really summed up the the documentary and the feelings of the entire country. I don't think that other than donating money and spreading awareness there is nothing really anyone can do. The United States government can make a decision on whether or not they should think about going in to Uganda and helping the people. I think that what the film makers did was absolutely the best anyone can do. Unless you are a part of the government then you can't really make an immediate impact. The film makers did the most anybody can do by spreading the message. I really think that's the best that we can do.

Mock Trial Recap

I do not agree with the verdict of my trial. It seems like the jury was upset about the possible punishment. I wish that we had a chance to prove that the punishment was not what we were looking for. We just wanted him to be proven guilty. He was definitely guilty of rape. She had said no and made it clear. Also, they had sex with their clothes on. This is a clear indicator that the sex was rushed and forced upon the girl. She had even tried to leave the bed. David Jones would admit that she had said no and had tried to leave the bed. No matter how much someone leads you on, you still need to respect that they don't want to go past a certain point. Once you start to push them past this point, something is wrong. I think for the jury to reach the right outcome they needed to understand that we were debating guilt. He was obviously guilty but I do not think that he needed to to prison or even go to jail.

For the case concerning the sexual harassment I needed to hear more about credible sources proving that it was not sexual harassment. The group arguing that it wasn't sexual harassment never even mentioned that another agency had went in and investigated. I agree with the verdict. The comments made to the women were to vulgar to be ignored. After she had shown a clear discomfort there seemed to be enough evidence to prove him guilty. I wish the group had emphasized on what he had said. He said some pretty nasty stuff and I only heard it a few times.

None of these issues are problems at DHS. It seems like these things can only occur in a place that you have not been your entire life. People in high school have reputations that they do not want to ruin. You can't just go saying things to piss people off. People have known each other for up to ten years and in their minds they always have "what will my friends think". No matter how they try to deny it, the thought is always there. The culture at DHS is to be first class and that PDA is wrong. People are scolded and made fun of for holding hands in the hallway or hugging their girlfriend. I don't agree with this but if things were to escalate the students would definitely know the consequences.

What's going on in the world?

When I was doing my research on the current problems in Libya, everything was new to me. It seems as though everyone was obsessed with learning about what happens in Egypt. However, since the resigning of Mubarak, news on Egypt has calmed down. There is still violence there but it seems to be more or less under control. However, the violence in Libya is peaking and it doesn't seem like it will be slowing down anytime soon. It almost seems as thought the violence in Libya is worse. There seems to be a lot more guns to control the riots rather than nothing. I don't know whats better. Would I rather have my government leave an unsafe environment for me in the streets by not controlling the protests, or would I rather have them control it with violence, making it even more dangerous? In the New York times article, the author wrote about turmoil due to oil on the Libyan border. It seems as though a country can very easily take advantage of a country with a lot of internal problems. I think something like this happened in World War One. Someone had told Mexico to attack the United States so that the United States could not fight a war on two borders. It seems as though the internal conflict can be an external conflict and may even impact the business of Libya. Investors would be hesitant to invest in Libyan markets or due business with Libyan business. It seems like it's going to impact their country. If I were el- Qaddafi I would try and control the whole situations with less violence. It doesn't seem like things are going to escalate to the point where violence is going to be used. Also, keep all the other countries out of it. The New York Times talked about the United States and NATO coming in to help keep the peace. They also talked about no fly zones. This doesn't seem to make sense. How are they going to keep the peace by shooting down planes that aren't supposed to be there.
-Igor

State of the Union

Obama started off by taking a moment of silence due to the tragedy in Tucson. Supposedly, becuase of the tragedy in Tucson, Obama wanted to integrate the senate and the house better. He didn't want a division between the parties. He said it himself. There should be no division between the republican and democratic party when there is a time of needed leadership. He then continued about how the Economy is getting better. I thought that the way he worded his sentences were very tricky. It seemed as though he was avoiding the truth. What it seemed like he was trying to say was that we are almost there, but not quite. This is something that the people of the United States need to know. When people tune in to watch their president speak they want to know what is happening with the country not a president twisting his words to make it seem like the state of the union is better than it actually is. When he was talking about the economy he mentioned something about businesses writing off investments. I think that this is a major step in progressing foreword and out of the recession. If business are afraid to invest then they cannot grow. What progression needs as fuel is the power to spend. Business's need to spend too. Now that business's have the opportunity to take the risk of investment without being penalized completely they can expand their company. Obama talked a lot about small businesses and how that is what America is all about. I completely agree, but the major businesses  and corporations also define our country. The big businesses play a major role in the success of our economy. From the little of economics that I know, I know that that the economy is based off of the workers and the productivity of those workers. This is what Obama talked about next. He talked about the changing of the "rules" and the way things used to be. The United States is no longer the powerhouse of new technology. Obama basically challenged the United States to step it up. He needs students to study harder and teachers to teach harder. He talked, just like every other president in the United States, about the future. If our country is based upon ideas and nobody thinks of new ideas than we wont have much of a country.
 I liked the way he talked about goals. It gives people a number, a figure, to refer to when thinking about what he said. Without this, his proposals may as well be empty threats. He proposed to stop giving to the oil companies and encourage the investment of cleaner energy and alternative cars that run on electricity.
He also talked about progression as a country in relation to the education and the infrastructure. Something that really mattered to me was the use of high speed rail. I'm going to college in Boston and I know that I will be making constant trips home. If I can save my family some money and make the world cleaner and get to my home faster, I do not see the benefits. A country is based off of its infrastructural. You can't spread ideas without having someone to talk to them about.
I don't stay on top of the war very much. I feel like the news constantly says the same thing. Troops are always being sent back home. I want to see numbers. Obama has been telling us that the troops will come back home in a couple months. Later, I just hear the same thing one more time. I'm not opposed to the troops being where they are but I feel like many empty promises are still being made when talking about sending them home. I think I will just need to see. Obama said July. Which July?

Oprah's interview with James Frey

Here is the link to Oprah's interview with James Frey
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprahs-Questions-for-James

A Million Little Pieces Final Blog Post

Frey had many messages throughout his book A Million Little Pieces. I thought the main message was belief. Frey was forced to believe in a bunch of steps to recovery and God. The entire process was extremely unpersonalized. Frey tried to find something to believe in and he still hasn't found anything. He believes in love and friendship and family. He uses the things he still believes in as leverage to overcome his addiction. He makes strong connections with the patients in the rehab facility and uses their presents as a deterrent from wanting to use drugs and alcohol. This books sends a message to anyone struggling with any addiction or anyone that needs hope or inspiration to any difficult task. This book gave me the mentality that "If James Frey can go through whatever he had to go through and still be successful than I can do one small task". Frey makes it seem as though he was thrown every curve ball possible and he only had a few things left. He was left with only his family and the urge to get better.
Anybody that has ever heard of this book knows a little bit about it. Oprah put it on her book club and got millions of people falling in love with Frey's tale of addiction. Then, the book's facts were researched. It was discovered that so many things are untrue about Frey's tale that it hardly makes the book credible. This book was published as a memoir meaning that the tale is told according to the facts as the author remembers them. Oprah destroyed Frey after she figured out that he lied to her and millions of other readers. I was taken aback. After having nearly finished the book, to discover that it is untrue! I was pissed. Some of the things that Frey lied about were so insignificant to the story. He may as well have published the book as a fiction story because I cannot trust anything that he says. He lied about the way Lilly died, about the amount of time that he spent in jail, and his "heroic" acts. The entire book portrays Frey as a bad ass. If his character actually existed (which I now know that it doesn't), he would be the action hero that didn't take anything from anyone. His character cannot be true and now I highly doubt anything he's written.
Regardless of what I have said above, Frey is a terrific author with a terrific tale and message. Without the lies, this tale still touched my heart and, even as a non fiction book, is a great read. It is truly inspirational and proves that anyone can overcome.

A Million Little Pieces Blog Post #5

The end of the book really shocked me. It finished with a dramatic scene where Lilly and Frey are caught hanging out by facility staff. The rules in the facility state that men and women cannot interact whatsoever. Frey and Lilly, although their meeting was accidental, have developed are strong positive bond. After their secret meetings are discovered, the facility staff tell Lilly that she can no longer see James. James is the only person Lilly has left in this world after recently finding out that her grandma had cancer. The instant she finds out about her love for Frey being forbidden she leaves the facility. After Frey finds out he goes after her. The same people who told Frey and Lilly that their relationship was forbidden end up helping Frey find Lilly. Frey goes to the nearest bus station and finds a crack dealer who directs him to wear Lilly went. He finds Lilly in a nearby crackhouse and she has been using drugs. The hardest part for Frey is to be physically near the drugs again. The burning desire to do drugs almost becomes unbearable for him. However, he keeps talking about how he loved Lilly more than drugs so he had to get her out and to safety. This is another message he is trying to send to anyone who is struggling with addiction: Find something that you love more. Frey said that Lilly gave him the strength to stay away from the drugs that were literally on him.
The end of the book tells what happens to everybody. Frey says that he has never relapsed and that he has created his own program. He is trying to say that no matter what you believe in, believe in something. Frey's method is unorthodox, but it gets him through the day. Also, the back of the book says that shortly after Lilly's grandmother died she hung herself in a special house that is like a rehab facility but allows patients to have day jobs. Lilly was sober until she died.  It is unbelievable to hear the story of someone like Frey. He would be the least likely person to stay clean, but a belief in himself kept him away from drugs.

A Million Little Pieces Blog Post #4

The first few pages of this section talk about the distorted views that the media and the public have on addiction. James Frey watches a show on TV about doctors in an Emergency Room trying to cure a patient who has overdosed and suffered with addiction. The show drags on about how easy it is for the women to get better and how the doctor and the women eventually fall in love and the women never has any relapses. James Frey thinks this is garbage. So do I. If society thinks that rehab is a walk in the park then they're wrong. This makes people think of the patients who relapse as weak. Media portraying addiction and alcoholism like it's nothing and like it's curable makes the whole thing seems easy. After reading this book it most certainly is not. Frey talks about what he would like to do to the people who made that show. He wants them to experience what it is like and he wants them to see if it was as easy as the show made it seem.
This section also talks a lot about Frey's feelings towards his family and how has family has helped him. Frey and his brother have always gotten along but the same is not the case with his parents. Everytime James Frey is near his parents he gets a feeling he calls "The Fury". It is extreme hate that causes him to think about drugs or drinking. His parents are loving and caring but for a strange reason he just hates them and for the longest time refused to see them. As he spends time with them in a family program against addiction and alcoholism Frey learns how to control "The Fury". His message is to find whatever way out. If something doesn't work for you then don't push it. People are forced to believe in AA and the Twelve Steps of the facility but since Frey doesn't buy it, he finds his own way.

A million Little Pieces Blog Post #3

In this part of the story James Frey reveals his past with someone that he loved. He told the story of his high school girlfriend who he adored to his new lover, Lilly. This seemed to be the chapter of memories and how they can either interfere with the rehab process or end it tremendously. Frey's best friend in rehab was a man named Leonard. When everyone was afraid of Leonard, James was not. This instantly created a mutual liking in the two men. Leonard was said to be a bad influence by the facility staff because he is known to be involved in organized crime. Frey doesn't listen to anybody's rules anyway. He develops a special relationship with Leonard and Leonard tells him the story of how he was brought up after a horrible deaths to both of his parents. Frey, still having both his parents, lost the only person in the world who he loved and this created a strong relationship between him and Leonard. After reading a little about James Frey on the internet, I discovered that Frey thinks of Leonard as the most inspirational man to him in his time of struggle. At times, Leonard was family and helped talked James through things.
James was also very against the idea of believing in a God. I'm not sure if I believe in God or not but I don't think the way James looks at it is right. He, like myself, believes in biology and the nature of evolution. What he doesn't explain is why he hates God so much. One would think that someone in a position similar to his in a facility like the one he is in would be forced to look at God. The program he is in makes the people turn to Jesus as their savior. I think this is a good method because it gives the patients something to believe in. If someone doesn't have belief then curing addiction is impossible.

Outside Reading Assignment Blog #3

The third part of the book really focuses on the psychological stress that patients deal with in rehab. Roy, a patient who gave Frey problems in rehab, was released from the facility a few months before he had a major incident. One night he came back to the rehab facility a completely different person. He was claiming that he was man named Jack and he was destroying everything that he saw. He was diagnosed with a personality disorder and the stress was shown to be caused from the facility. Frey is trying to tell people to keep faith when dealing with rehab. Staying away from using is almost as important is staying mentally capable. This is why I think some people, including Roy, are incurable. This is a problem that the center that Frey was at has to deal with all the time. Frey also talks about what possibly led him to the traps of alcoholism and drug addiction. He finally opens out about a girl who he loved who was killed while he was in high school. She was killed when he dropped her off so she could go out with a star football player. The football player ended up drinking and trying to beat a train. The train ended up killing the only girl that Frey has ever loved. Frey was blamed for the whole thing because the town didn't want to blame the football player. Frey blames himself and hears her voice. She was the voice of reason to him and since she left Frey became a heavy user. Frey's message, once again, is to stay close to the ones you love and not overreact to the things that happen. Frey stresses the importance of having control of your own life. He is trying to convey that, so you don't end up like him, you stay true to the person that you are. Not a person that someone else wants you to be. He talks about how love really influenced his choices in drug addiction. Losing his virginity to a hooker and losing the only girl he ever loved started the spiral to addiction in Frey's life. he stresses the importance of not making these little mistakes that may end up leading to drug addictions.
-Igor

A Million Little Pieces Blog Post #2

In the next part of this book, Frey talks a lot about fueling his addiction with something else. Whether it is cigarettes, football, or food, Frey seems to find a way to "change" his addiction for the time being. This is a good coping strategy that Frey almost secretly portrays to the public in his book. Although sometimes done very graphically, Frey's message shows the value of the second opportunity. He was very fortunate to have a second opportunity, and he wants to display the message of using this opportunity well. What I don't understand in this part of the novel is why he is so bipolar towards his family. IN the first part of the novel he is very grateful to be with his family and he shows love for his brother and parents. However, it almost seems as though he goes against those very same values when he is talking to his mom in this chapter. This may be an affect of the rehab that affects what he really feels. In his thoughts one can tell his deep love for his family, however, when he is actually talking to his family it seems as though something is wrong and he is cursing his family. He says, "My Mother is crying because her Son is an Alcoholic and a drug Addict and a Criminal". This makes it seem like he hates them and doesn't want anything to do with them because of the easiness of his voice. However, he praises them in the early part of the book. Frey is saying to keep your family close in times of addiction because, in reality, they are all you have. Drugs and Alcohol can ruin a family, but your family will always be there to help and make sure things are going better. It may be easy to lose hope, but Frey's message is clear: keep the hope in order to stay alive.

A Million Little Pieces Blog Post #1

At first, when I picked up this book I thought it would be the memoirs of a man with struggles. This would be a typical book of the struggles of overcoming an addictions. Not only, does James Frey struggle with addictions but he also struggles with life. Addicts and Alcoholics have difficulty accepting that they are addicted. This is not the case with Frey. He knows he has a problem and he can't help it. He knows, from what he remembers, that his problem had reached extremes. This memoir seemed to be talking about the pain it takes to actually enter into rehab or admit the problem. Although in the beginning of this book, it didn't seem like Frey had a choice of whether or not to enter into rehab. He was found on a plane, blacked out, with no memory of where he was or where he was going. He didn't want to go to rehab but was forced by his parents. For a short period of time, he truly believed that he could get better in rehab. However, with his many insecurities he found out that it wasn't as easy as he thought. What this book has really showed me is that the start of rehab seems to be the worst. James Frey started out thinking of suicide almost everyday. He wanted to drugs and he couldn't. He thought that without drugs he was dead. That is what he said an alcoholic is without alcohol or an addict is without his or her addiction; they are dead. What he really showed me is important in the first moments of rehab, which can be useful to anyone struggling with any kind of addiction, is the power of finding loved ones willing to help you through difficult times. Frey reached out to his parents and his brother along with friends to help him through the first days of rehab. He is trying to make a testimony to anyone who struggles. This may be all of us.