Anonymity?

On pinion's blog "The Cost of Anonymity" I made a comment saying "I also agree with Pinion on here too. Having privacy is pretty much the one of the free things in life nowadays, and people tend to have their sense of freedom threatened as to being online. Also think about today where children ages four and up are getting Facebook? With every generation electronic devices increase and is replacing all the small things that we do in life. Writing reviews online for yelp? Saying something wrong could be used against you when applying for a career. Everything you post on Facebook is locked down FOREVER even if deleted, so when young kids go on Facebook not thinking about the consequences, there is a possibility that it can be used against them later on when applying for big major colleges. It’s true that they are only trying to prevent crimes, but is going all the way that necessary? Because I don’t think you need to record what my little brother has to say about new Legos or whatever it is that seven-year-old boys talk about." his blog said "News of the NSA's numerous exploits have reached every corner of the globe by now, and it is very evident that the United States' reach is indeed global and all inclusive. So far is seems as if no one is being spared scrutiny under this new regime of data collection and information overload. Politically inclined nationals, buzz-word toting house wives, big business leaders and anyone else who over the course of a few years googled the wrong series of letters. It matters little when we are told "limited information is being gathered" or even "you have nothing to be afraid of if you have nothing to hide". The fact of the matter is, that our rights to privacy are slowly but surely being chipped away at. What is the next step? How much longer before the very act of attempting to stay anonymous online in turn makes you a target in the eyes of our very government? I have a sick, inkling feeling in the pit of my stomach that a few years down the road, maybe 10, maybe 20, that going into "incognito mode" or using a proxy server to surf the web will be the same as admission of guilt in the eyes of the NSA. "What is he doing? Why doesn't he want people to know?". Moreover, while I personally have nothing to hide, I find it very distressing to know that regardless of my activity online and on the phone, information on me is being collected. And not just collected, but stored, mined, queried, cross matched and verified all before being cataloged. It is certainly not comforting to know that despite having never committed a crime, I already have a record. Who is to say that information collected on me cannot be used against me at a later date? Who is to say that this very blog post, as innocent as it may be (I just want my A in this class), will not be held against me years from now. "He conspired against the security of our great nation" they may say, while I stand, accused, in front of all the world to see. What are the alternatives? A dystopian future where identities are more closely guarded than anything else? And how long before your attempts at keeping your private affairs private in fact draw the attention and gaze of the ever vigilant Agency?"

Pope Francis called for renewal of the Roman Catholic Church

According to The Huffington Post, Pope Francis 'Evangelii Gaudium' calls for renewal of roman Catholic Church, attacks 'Idolatry Of Money'. Pope Francis wants to stop poverty by making the wealthy Catholics spread their wealth. I do admire Pope Francis and the changes that he has set for in his plan. It is wonderful to see that he is not a believer in Capitalism that has gone over board. The inequality today is not a progressive ideology but one that believes that the wealth of the world belongs to those that own it and control it. The Catholic Religion was once one of the richest Religions in the world. Its control of Catholic members was absolute. In its wake, we have seen terrible behavior by many of its priests and disgrace has caught up with its decisions to try to cover it up. The true lesson learned has been that controlling decisions that affect others in a negative way is wrong. Just as Capitalism has benefited those with wealth and power, while destroying the middle class. The Middle class is not needed anymore as production and a purchase of goods has spread all over the world. It takes investment and wealth to move up the ladder of life and dreams. Taking those two means away has slowly left the middle class sliding down a slippery slope. It is not just the poor anymore that need help.

Pro Abortion Law

In Steven Tran's blog New Texas Abortion Law I made a comment agreeing with him saying "I agree with Steven Tran on how he feels about the abortion law being passed. A chid's life is precious even if its still unborn. I once believed in abortion as the "okay doing" but now that I think about it, you should kill a child because of YOUR mistakes. People say "I was at a party, got drunk, and then got pregnant!" I believe that is total bullshit. If these girls can't control their liquor and their LEGS closed then don't go out and make stupid decisions at all. Rape might be a different story, but there is always another way around abortion like giving your baby up for adoption instead of taking her/his life away. How would you feel if one day your parents had the say in if they want you dead or alive this very second? Life is too precious to be taking it away." Steven Tran's blog said "Abortion is a big issue because for years it had been said that abortion should not be legal. Many people feel aborting an unwanted child, or killing an unwanted child should be against the law. In the New York times,  “A Bad Reversal on the Texas Abortion Law,” by The Editorial Board inform us about how last Thursday, the court allowed Texas to enforce the new abortion laws. The law that passes states that a third of the states 36-licensed abortion clinic have stopped providing abortions, and that includes Austin. Citizens are trying to get an appeal and protest because of the abortion law being passed. I agree with the law being passed because I don’t believe in Abortion. I don’t believe in sacrificing another human being because you’re too young or it was an accident, it doesn’t matter if it’s still in a bag, or have legs and arms. Whoever doesn’t believe the new law has no heart. I was reading about how a federal district judge quite correctly rejected the provision as unconstitutional, finding that the admitting privileges rule serves no medical purpose and “places a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion.” The judge issued an injunction blocking the provision, and the state appealed that ruling immediately. The judges did a right thing for closing down the clinics, but they need to leave some up just incase of whoever had a miscarriage or etc., but I feel like no one should appeal  or try to turn over the ruling about abortion."

Drug Benefits?

With unemployment rates at 6.3% In Texas, and more tax’s taken out of the working citizens paycheck I can speak on the behalf of all of us, we are tired of giving out handouts to the un-needed. Unemployment benefits come from an employer-paid program that provides temporary help for qualified workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. Of course one can’t predict if they are receiving a lay off and have to receive unemployment benefits to pay the bills. It is a nuisance to the working citizen to hear or witness someone collecting benefits and being a druggie. Texas lawmakers are considering a bill to require drug testing for people who receive these benefits. Is this ethical?

Absolutely it is. In todays society most companies perform background checks, pre-employment drug screening, and some require a credit check. If one is collecting Federal funds from the State, it should be a requirement to take a drug test and possibly random tests while receiving benefits. Of course it would cost the State additional funds to extract the tests, but it would narrow out the inconsiderate citizens that abuse the program. If one can’t pass a drug test on while receiving benefits, how are they supposed to pass pre-employment drug screening to obtain a job?

The Taxpayers pay for these programs and too many people are “riding for free” without any requirements. The key factor is the requirement that people receiving benefits are actively seeking employment and that job seeking is verifiable. It is very interesting to know that Liberals want to limit the ounces in my soda can, or how many bullets I can buy, but cannot admit to unemployment drug testing would be in their best interest. Hopefully Texas will pass the “drug testing” requirement for Government benefits, whether it is for a lay off or welfare. I mean 36% of your paycheck is due to taxes. If we have to pay them, lets make sure our money is not being given to the drug addicts.

Companies towards the LGBT communtiy

In the blog 8 Companies That Don’t Support Gay Rights, by Amanda Chatel, Chatel listed 8 companies from Chick-Fil-A to Boy Scouts of America that are anti-gay. The audience is towards the LGBT community and people who are supportive of gay rights. To name a few starting with Chick-Fil-A, in 2012 CEO Dan Cathy claims to be very anti gay which caused the LGBT members protested and boycott, but sales did not go down but up 12%. The founder of Domino's Pizza is still blamed for being anti-gay in 2011, but he sold his company in 1998 and is still being haunted with the press while not being affiliated at all with Domino’s. The founder of Urban Outfitters, Richard Haynes doesn't want to lose any customers for being anti-gay since he donated to anti-gay charities so he decided to make shirts that say “I Support Same Sex Marriage” to try to not tarnish Urban Outfitters image as a clothing brand. Boy Scouts of America as we knows are the boy scouts who sell cookies on the side for donation towards their organization were surprisingly anti-gay, “The Boy Scouts of America live by two major rules: believing in God and not being gay. To not adhere to either one, means there is no place for you in the organization.” Chatel. After having a debate with open-minded board members, Boy Scouts of America decided to let openly gay boys join as of January 1st, 2014. I do agree with Amanda Chatel that we do need to change and progress as we get into the future,  if you are friendly and believe in equality it would be easier for everyone especially sales and customers. So will every company later on be gay-friendly? The answers will be depending on how open-minded these companies are and if they are able to adjust to today’s culture in America.

Pope Francis On Sexual Ethics

In the article Sex, Doubt and the Pope of The New York Times, Liberal Catholics are appalled when Pope Francis made his general point by saying "when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person? . . . In life, God accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation. It is necessary to accompany them with mercy." Paragraph 1. Liberal catholics want to keep the  sacrament of matrimony and views on how abortion is an abomination, however Pope Francis doesn't see gay marriage and abortion as a big issue compared to what really is going on in today’s age. I agree that Pope Francis believes that the Liberal Catholics are so obsessed with gay marriage and abortion that we don't see what the big problem really is which is our view to the poor, the elderly, and those without any resources. Pope Francis is what Pope's should be in the modern era: Simple, faithful, honest, hard-working, full of the Holy Spirit and reaching out to all the downtrodden. I believe that there should be legalizing changes in gay marriage and birth control, but abortion on the other hand shouldn't be.

Gay blood donors

The Fox News published an article about gay blood donors, though overcoming and progressing in time with gay-rights, there is still that one problem that we can’t seem to get passed. The problem is the ongoing blood ban of gay and bisexual men. Even after testing gay men for diseases such as HIV and AIDS that came out negative, donations were all denied due to the fact that there is still a big stereotype on gay men. In Spain and Italy, gay and bisexual men who had their blood tested as safe are able to donate blood. Protesters try to prove a point that all men gay or straight in the US should also be able to donate blood who has had safe sex and negative HIV tests. Despite being denied for gay and bisexual men to donate blood, they will continue to fight until treated as equal. I believe the article is worth reading is because I myself am intrigued by the events that happen around the LGBT community and believe everyone has an equal right and chance for everything.