picture

I think this picture makes a good point. Animals were not born to be slaughtered. We are killing animals in an inhumane way. If cows were supposed to be slaughtered, they would be born as a cheeseburger. This cow in the picture was not made to be turned into a juicy steak or some other fattening, unhealthy food. It was born to live in the wild and raise its calves.

video

it takes a long time to load the video sometimes. be patient :)
here is the URL if all else fails: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85jzOv_Rygw

the pledge

Reciting the pledge also creates a sense of pride. Pride is not always a bad thing, of course. It can be good in some scenarios. However, in its extremities, pride can be harmful towards other cultures. For example, after WWI, Germany was in a state of turmoil. Germany was in a lot of debt from the war and had to take all of the fault for the war and its damages. Hitler tried to create unity by creating a sense of nationalism in Germany. This extreme sense of nationalism led to the Holocaust and the death of millions of "minorities" throughout Europe. Another example was during the Red Scare right here in the United States. We were so afraid of anybody that was different that we put them on trial for being communists. The main point I am trying to get across is that in many acutal events in the world throughout history, nationalism has led to extreme racism and the tragic deaths of many innocent people.

reciting the pledge

Reciting the pledge is definitely more of a habit that we form as a means to obey what we think is expected of us than it is a real promise to our country and all of the ideas that our country was built on. I think that it absolutely begins with the experiences that most people have in public schools. In nearly every school in America, it is customary to recite the pledge of allegiance every morning before beginning the class.Maybe if public schools did not force the daily recital of the pledge of allegiance onto us, we would not submit to the expectations to say the pledge like zombies. What I mean by that is that maybe it could a bit more like the separation of church and state. Children could be taught the pledge and what it means by their parents. The pledge should not necessarily go hand in hand with school. If parents were to teach (or not teach) their children the pledge, maybe the zombie-like behavior we have begun to exhibit would not be as it is. I think that the pledge should be more of an educated personal choice than something that we do as not to make any social faux pas.

reciting the pledge of allegiance

Reciting the pledge of allegiance has encouraged Americans to become zombies. We recite the pledge without really meaning it or necessarily understanding everything that the pledge includes. As children we are taught to say it every single morning in school without having the slightest idea what it might mean. If we are willing to just submit to any sort of pledge or oath or promise that we are "supposed" to, we may as well be zombies. We are mindless. There are a few ways that I think this could be fixed. I think that we should wait until we are fully educated about the country, its origins, and how we got where we are before reciting the pledge. Without knowing these things it is meaningless. So that means that either children will be educated about these topics sooner or that children will not be taught to say the pledge of allegiance until they are at the age that you are already taught about all of those things in school.

Captial Punishment

If you are religious, you are familiar with the ten commandments. The first and probably most important commandment is "thou shalt not kill." The commandment does not say "thou shalt not kill unless they killed someone first." Just like that old saying we all know says, "two wrongs do not make a right." Killing the criminal will not bring back the victim of the crime.
Not only that, but also, even if one innocent person is put to death, then we have committed murder in cold blood. Just in the past fifty years, over one hundred people that were put on death row were let out of prison because of DNA evidence that proved their innocence. But what about those that were already killed? It is too late.

Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment has always been a controversial topic throughout history. Many points can be made, both for and against it. Capital punishment seems like a cop-out, a way to avoid dealing with the criminals at hand. Which punishment do you think is more harsh in the long run; a quick means of death, a way out, really, or being confined to rotting in a jail cell for the rest of your life, contemplating your actions, living with yourself day after day? The ladder seems to be the obvious choice. The legal system is simply getting these murderers, kidnappers, rapists, and other criminals out of their hair. If you still aren't convinced, there are of course moral objectives. What right do we have to play God? None, of course. We are no better than these criminals if you are making decisions like who gets to live and who, in this case, dies. We have become murderers ourselves.