Op-Ed Page
6th period: Megan, Breysi, Juan & Jorge
Editorials
“AFFLUENZA” TEEN HAS NO CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS ACTIONS
On June 15, 2013 Ethan Couch was arrested for killing four people and injuring two in a drunk driving accident. Couch was given 10 years probation and he has to attend rehab, but he was given no jail time. What if your daughter or son got hit by a drunk driver and that driver wasn't punished? Wouldn't you want more punishment to Couch than what the judge gave him? Couch should get greater punishment, he is old enough to take responsibility for his actions.
It was said by an expert witness,” Couch never faced any serious consequences for his actions before, and shouldn't now.” His lawyers said that he was suffering from “affluenza”, a condition caused when a child or privileged background suffers no consequences for repeated bad behavior. Psychologist Dick Miller said,” It is not recognized as a medical condition in any formal sense, we use to call these people “spoiled brats.”
There comes a point in life where people, even teenagers, are supposed to face some type of consequence for their actions no matter what they did. The only punishment Couch was given was to face 10 years probation and go to a rehab in Texas that his parents have to pay for. It is not going to teach him a lesson because every problem he’s faced in the past, he had no consequences and the same thing is going to happen again.
There should be more punishment to Couch and no one is fully satisfied with the judge’s ruling. If it was one of your family members that was killed in the crash, you’d want the driver to face many consequences. Life isn't fair, but neither is taking someone’s life and no one being punished for it.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/05/us/texas-affluenza-teen/index.html?iref=allsearch 2/12/14
FACEBOOK WEBSITE BACKFIRES ON STUDENTS
The photos posted on Facebook by high school athletes in Minnesota backfire on them. Athletes at a party were seen in the pictures holding red cups and the administrators swore they were drinking. The punishment on the students was an act of injustice because even if they were drinking at the party, don’t you think it’s the parents responsibility to look after their children and not the administrators?
Students at Minnesota High School walked out of school to protest the punishment made by the administrators after seeing pictures on Facebook of the students “drinking”. Other students said that they knew classmates who were banned from their sports teams for five weeks. School officials stated,” 42 students were interviewed and 13 faced discipline over the pictures.”
Although the students signed a code of conduct saying they shouldn't be involved in drinking alcohol or doing drugs, it is the parents responsibility to punish their children and not the administrators. It was said that the students were drinking out of red plastic cups, but the administrators didn't know what was in the cups. Laurent noted, “It was impossible to see what was inside the cups, so administrators couldn't prove that students were drinking.” It seems like these students are under control in concentration camps, what is this Natzi Germany?
The photos shouldn't be posted on Facebook because it is one of the largest communication sites on the web however, administrators shouldn't have looked through the students profiles because the pictures weren't taking place on school grounds.
This situation was unjustified. Even if the students posted pictures on Facebook at a party, there was no proof that they were drinking and they shouldn't have been punished if it wasn't happening on school grounds.
Children Watch As Giraffe Gets Slaughtered
At the Copenhagen Zoo a healthy giraffe was killed in front of a crowd which included children. They said they did it because they were trying to be educational and to avoid inbreeding. The giraffe didn't have any problems, he was perfectly fine. After he got killed they threw his remains to the zoo’s big cats. The giraffe was killed in a zoo that is supposed to care and love for the animals not kill and especially in front of paying customers. They pay to see the animals not to see them get killed.
The giraffe was shot while he was eating his favorite snack rye bread. This giraffe was just 18 months old. The zoo shouldn't even have an excuse, there should be no excuse for the murder of an innocent animal. This is something unbelievable coming from a zoo. This is not right if they did this once they can do it again and again. Now there is nothing you can’t expect from zoo’s.
The kids who were there and saw it with their own eyes will never want to come back to a zoo. It can also scar them for life-not just the kids but the parents as well. Something should really be done to the zoo and they need to take the animals somewhere where they can be safe. Whoever was responsible for the killing of the animal and for throwing his remains to another animal for them to eat should be punished. Everyone who was involved should.
DEATH UPON MUSIC
Music is life! Would you die for music? A man fired 9 times at 17 year-old Jordan Davis and was found dead 7 hours later over an argument about loud music at a local gas station. This man should be behind bars because there is no reason why he should have told that teenager to lower his music.
Michael Dunn states he saw a gun and was scared for his life and shot several times but no shots were fired against him. He stated he attempted to call 911 but phone records have no record of an attempted call. He escalated the situation by approaching the teenagers and by not walking away.
This man should not be in public with any other people. He had not right to shoot several times at vehicle that was driving away from the scene walking away from the problem. Michael Dunn should have walked away from the situation instead of approaching it and escalating it. Why would Michael even need a weapon to spend some quality time.
Michael should not be let free into the society because there's so many people that love listening to music at their preference. Wouldn't it be nice to listen to music in your vehicle anywhere you go without being worried of getting shot at. If they do not press charges on him he would most likely run into someone else that listens to loud music in their car.
Some people do not like music but that is no reason to shot them several times just because they did not want to stop listening to music. People get scared all the time and when someone is scared they tend to react quickly without thinking when it comes to problem solving. Someone that can't handle himself out in the real world should not be out in public.
Dunn should not be let free because he murder a teenager for listening to music in public. He has no evidence regarding whether or not teenager had a weapon, and there is no evidence. People listen to music all the time and they should be able too in peace not worrying if they're going to get shot or bothered. He should be put away from society and charged for murder.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/11/justice/florida-loud-music-trial/
"Affluenza" Teen Has No Consequences For His Actions
Children Watch As Giraffe Gets Slaughtered
Letter To The Editors
To the Editor:
In regards to Mrs. Galbraith's editorial, “AFFLUENZIA” TEEN HAS NO CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS ACTIONS” (February 12, 2014), I am surprised that no jail time was given to Couch. There is 4 people dead now and 10 years of probation and rehab is not enough. Galbraith stated that “There comes a point in life where people, even teenagers, are supposed to face some type of consequence for their actions no matter what they did.” I agree that everyone has to face consequences and what the judge sentenced him was not a good punishment.
Galbraith also says, “It is not going to teach him a lesson because every problem he’s faced in the past, he had no consequences and the same thing is going to happen again.” This is right because Couch is never going to learn and he is just going to keep doing things like this if he doesn't face hard punishment.
Breysi Villanueva
February 14, 2014
To the Editor:
In regards to Mrs. Villanueva’s editorial,” Children watch as giraffe gets slaughtered” (February 12, 2014), I am appalled that such a terrible thing would happen to animals.
Villanueva stated that, “The giraffe was killed in a zoo that is supposed to care and love for the animals not kill and especially in front of paying customers.” I agree that the customers shouldn't have to ever see one of the zoo animals getting murdered, especially if more than half of those customers were little kids.
Villanueva also says, ”The zoo shouldn't even have an excuse, there should be no excuse for the murder of an innocent animal.” The 18 month old giraffe was going on with his day eating his favorite snack when he was shot in the head. This is wrong on all occasions because there’s never an excuse to kill an animal, no matter what the situation has come down to.
Megan Galbraith
February 13, 2014