Abstract This paper provides a history of the development of gun control in the United States starting with opinions of the founding fathers. It examines the causes of the gun control problem, mentioning certain cases that sparked the debate. The paper also looks at legal and social effects of the gun control - advantages and disadvantages. Recent developments and suggestions for how to change this reality are presented at the end of the paper.
From the Paper "The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution 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." The Founding Fathers included this in our Bill of Rights because they feared the Federal Government might coerce the population if the people did not have the means to defend themselves as a nation and as individuals. Many years later, we began placing restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms. The first restrictions concerned the manner in which citizens could carry arms. In 1850, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that the foundation did not grant the right to carry a concealed weapon although earlier court cases had ruled that the constitution did protect the right to carry concealed weapons. Shortly before the Civil War, some southern States passed legislation denying slaves and freed blacks the right to possess firearms."
Abstract The paper shows that bank interest rates have been steadily decreasing since the September 11th attack on America and that the attack caused the business failures of major corporations, such as World Com and Enron. It discusses that one of the areas that are going stronger then ever is the real estate industry and many homeowners are taking the option to refinance their homes. The paper shows that banks and financial institutions are not in favor of this procedure as a homeowner who refinances his house may lower his monthly payments several hundred dollars - banks are making significantly less money on the lowered monthly payments through refinances. The purpose of the essay is to discuss how the lowered interest rates are affecting the housing industry.
From the Paper "House sales are running a record high this year, according to Reaser, chief economist of Bank of America. The refinancing of mortgages is supporting a major portion of the economy that is surviving and thriving. At the present time, refinancing is showing no signs of slowing down; in fact it is steadily increasing. People are putting the extra money into home improvements and buying new cars, another low interest financing option."
Abstract This paper begins by defining abortion and outlining the methods of abortion. It then presents a discussion of the fetus, followed by the pro-choice argument. The writer's argument that abortion equals murder is then offered.
From the Paper "Over 1.3 million children were killed in America in 1997 alone and no one did anything about it. Over one million were killed last year and over one million will be killed this year. Between 1973 and 1997 more than 35 million killings of innocent children were performed, legally. Abortion has become very simple these days; it is almost as easy a putting on a pair of boots. The killing of innocent children is so prevalent that our culture has become desensitized, and we have accepted it as way of life. Abortion should not be a way of life, as it has become the sanctioned genocide of our own people. Pro-choice advocates cite the right for a woman to choose if she wants to have a baby. However, that choice ceased upon the union of the sperm and egg, a baby was formed, and that baby has the right to live. There are many methods available to avoid pregnancy and abortion is not one of those methods, it does not fall under the category of contraceptives. The act of abortion is an act of violence committed on the most defenseless of our society. A poll conducted by The Alan Guttmacher Institute found that the majority of women who had abortions feared that a child would interfere with responsibilities such as school, work or other responsibilities. Some said that they couldn't afford a child. This reveals that not only are abortions criminal but most of result because the mother is too selfish to promote the life she created."
Abstract The process of surrogate motherhood involves a third party carrying a child for a couple, a single woman, or persons involved in same sex relationships. This paper gives a personal opinion of why it is ethically wrong by examining literature both for and against surrogacy. It discusses such issues as bonding and separation and the key issue of breastfeeding, why surrogate mothers are not allowed to breastfeed.
From the Paper "Opponents of surrogacy argue that the surrogacy process creates a separation in the mind of the surrogate mother that she must have the child but not raise the child. Thus surrogacy creates a situation in which a child is created for the purpose of fulfilling the desires of the adoptive parents. The Humanist writes: "To sanction the use and treatment of human beings to the achievement of other goals instead of as ends in themselves is to accept an ethic with a tragic past and to establish a precedent with a dangerous future." (Pyton 2001)"
Abstract This paper discusses how use of a retinal scan is the latest in a series of new security measures to ensure a person's identity. It shows that by using a low level infrared light a picture can be taken of the retina of the eye. This infrared light then reflects back to the camera the distinctive patterns making up the corneal area of the individual's eye. The author evaluates how with the use of iris recognition to identify the pattern of the iris, security personnel are using a technique that is as unique to each individual as are fingerprints and how the accuracy and integrity of this method is by far the most accurate of its kind.
From the Paper "The technology of iris recognition was the brainstorm of Leonard Flom and Aran Safir. These two ophthalmologists working with the company IriScan in New Jersey first determined in the 1980's that "the iris's complex pattern of striations, freckles and fibrous structures offered a considerably more precise means of identification than the relatively simple loops and whorls of a fingerprint. The human iris has some 260 independent variables; fingerprints have roughly 35" (Economist, 1998, 80)."
Abstract The paper discusses how many people feel that Mexican immigration laws should be eliminated because much of the land in the U.S. was "stolen" from the Mexicans. Yet strict immigration laws and violation penalties apply to Mexicans, and those who come to the U.S. are often mistreated and taken advantage of. The paper discusses the history of the Mexican-American War and the social problems faced by immigrants and Americans today.
From the Paper "In the United States, the English-speaking founders of our nation largely killed off most native inhabitants, while the Spanish-speaking conquerors of Mexico merely defeated and enslaved them. The Native Americans of Latin America, despite the tragic loss of their own cultural traditions, at least survived as they were assimilated into the Hispanic culture. As a result, the Hispanic-American peoples not only represent the Spanish-European culture in America, but they are also the largest body of surviving Native Americans. The Latinos are the only surviving Native Americans."
Tags: Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Latin, America, mestizo, authorities, California
Abstract The ownership of guns by the public has been a topic of much needed debate for quite some time now. Various organizations and support groups have been in action for the pro or anti views on whether a citizen should be allowed to own and keep a gun at his person or his property. The paper discusses that many of the people who own guns do so for hunting, self-defense or for their collecting pleasure. But there have been numerous cases in which the use of the gun has resulted in the death of another person. The author of the paper argues in favor of tighter laws and regulations that would result in a limited number of people buying the guns and thus control the distribution of guns so that they do not fall into the wrong hands.
From the Paper "In addition, although we hear a great deal about the tens of thousands who die from gunshot wounds, we don't hear enough about the countless tens of thousands of others who are injured by gunshot wounds. Increasingly, hospital emergency rooms are getting better at treating gunshot wounds, which leads to less gunshot deaths. For this reason, looking at gunshot deaths alone is misleading, and only a small part of the picture. (Kleck) Residents of homes where a gun is present are 5 times more likely to experience a suicide rather than residents of homes without guns."
From the Paper "The issue to be discussed is whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to marry one another. The main reason why those in the gay community have called for the right to marry is usually not from a desire to be married as such but because of the desire for various social and economic benefits denied to gay people because they cannot marry. For some in the gay community, demands for gay marriage may in fact be a form of challenge to the "straight" community. For those who are truly serious about the issue, however, what is important is the attempt to secure for homosexual partners rights that are taken for granted by heterosexual married couples, such as the right to inheritance, to insurance benefits, for one partner to visit the other in a hospital, and so on. Society to date has deemed marriage to mean more than this and to have at least the..."
Abstract "In spite of a number of challenges, capital punishment has been affirmed by the Court and continues to be enforced. There is considerable public support for the death penalty, much of it related to a general trend toward demanding harsher penalties for criminals because of a fear of street crime and violence.
From the Paper "In spite of a number of challenges, capital punishment has been affirmed by the Court and continues to be enforced. There is considerable public support for the death penalty, much of it related to a general trend toward demanding harsher penalties for criminals because of a fear of street crime and violence. The death penalty is held out as a deterrent, and yet there is a relative balance in the evidence supporting and denying that effect. Though proponents and opponents of the death penalty may argue over such data as can be found on issues of this sort, a more basic question is simply whether capital punishment is the right sort of thing for an advanced society to use. If an automatic death penalty were instituted for all cases of first degree murder, this change would not be likely to have the effect that proponents of the death penalty might hope."
Abstract The paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the book "Bread Givers" by Yezierska. Specifically, it includes how the author changes her life, and really becomes American. The novel is an account of how the author goes through the process of immigration and absorption into American society and how she moves from being a new immigrant to a true American.
From the Paper "Born in Poland, Anzia Yezierska came to the United States in 1890, when she was about eight years old. She grew up in New York in a Jewish ghetto, and then later worked menial jobs in laundries and sweatshops. She was an unusual woman for her time, because she finished school and went on to college. She began to write about her experiences, and became a successful and celebrated author for a time. She wrote "Bread Givers" in 1925. While the book is a novel, there is at least a little piece of the author in every book she wrote, and this one is no exception. The struggles Sara experiences in leaving the ghetto and getting an education are surely some of those the author faced in trying to become a "real" American."
