A California reverend was arrested last year for reading the Bible out loud in front of a DMV building. The charge was that he was intimidating the public (those waiting to get inside the DMV) by making them listen to God's word. The case has now become part of public concern because of the media and that the case is now in trial.
Reverend Mark Mackey of the conservative Christian church, Calvary Chapel Hemet, said all he was doing was using his First Amendment right of freedom of speech in a public place. He went on to say, “You can talk about anything you want, but you can’t talk about the Bible.”
The reason he was arrested, was that he was forcing and intimidating those waiting to get inside of the not yet opened DMV, said constitutional attorney Dan Conaway. He went on by saying that he was creating an intimidating situation for those just wanting to renew their driver's license.
However, what has this great nation come to that now our First Amendment laws are being violated more and more with regards to freedom of speech. This right is protected and should be respected by law enforcement. The DMV was not even open for business yet so they had no right to arrest him in the first place. If Mackey would have been preaching or ranting about anything else, most likely nothing would have happened to him. But since he was speaking about God and the Bible, he was treated as a criminal and arrested for his beliefs. I hope this wakes up the people of America and for them to start fighting for the rights that this country was born on and stop letting those rights slowly slip away.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Human Hotspots Acceptable?
A marketing program aimed at both bettering the 4g Wi-Fi service in Austin, TX, along with helping out the homeless at the same time went into effect this past weekend. It is one of the most unethical things ever done to humans and should be stopped.
What happened was that a global marketing agency, BBH, gave about 13 people Wi-Fi devices as well as t-shirts stating their name and that they were 4g hotspots. Each homeless person was paid $20 upfront and then $50 for every six hours of promotion. It has brought many controversial issues among different organizations including several human rights organizations. The term most used by these organizations is "exploitive." This marketing company has taken human beings and turned them into electronics.
I absolutely agree that this is beyond the morals and values that this country was built on. These humans, homeless or not, should not be treated in the way that this company is treating them. Although they are being paid for their time and promotion, it is unethical. If homeless people are being turned into electronic devices, then what is next? Human computer chips?
What happened was that a global marketing agency, BBH, gave about 13 people Wi-Fi devices as well as t-shirts stating their name and that they were 4g hotspots. Each homeless person was paid $20 upfront and then $50 for every six hours of promotion. It has brought many controversial issues among different organizations including several human rights organizations. The term most used by these organizations is "exploitive." This marketing company has taken human beings and turned them into electronics.
I absolutely agree that this is beyond the morals and values that this country was built on. These humans, homeless or not, should not be treated in the way that this company is treating them. Although they are being paid for their time and promotion, it is unethical. If homeless people are being turned into electronic devices, then what is next? Human computer chips?
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Political Junk Text Messaging Scandal
In the recent election it seems that Americans are connected in every way possible through the media and social networking sites. But when is it too much?
Republican voters living in Michigan have been swindled in buying political junk test messages on their phones. The ones receiving these messages start off with a short message attacking another candidate. The voters then are given a number to text to get more details on the situation. Without even telling the voters, every time one texts the number that they are given, they end up getting charged for each individual text message. At 10 to 25 cents per message it might not seem like a lot, but the messages are too long to send in one message so multiple ones are being sent. Some of these voters have been charged substantial amounts.
In my opinion I think that the government should step in and do something about it. As of now, it is protected under the First Amendment of free speech. However, since the voters are not being notified of the costs of these messages, it is also like deceptive advertising. Who would have thought that after all of the laws the United States and the government run SEC have put into place that government officials would be breaking these advertising laws?
Republican voters living in Michigan have been swindled in buying political junk test messages on their phones. The ones receiving these messages start off with a short message attacking another candidate. The voters then are given a number to text to get more details on the situation. Without even telling the voters, every time one texts the number that they are given, they end up getting charged for each individual text message. At 10 to 25 cents per message it might not seem like a lot, but the messages are too long to send in one message so multiple ones are being sent. Some of these voters have been charged substantial amounts.
In my opinion I think that the government should step in and do something about it. As of now, it is protected under the First Amendment of free speech. However, since the voters are not being notified of the costs of these messages, it is also like deceptive advertising. Who would have thought that after all of the laws the United States and the government run SEC have put into place that government officials would be breaking these advertising laws?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Social Media Ethics
Here recently, two girls living in Gainesville, Florida, put a racist video on YouTube where they expressed their opinions on different races. Within the day of the posting, the girls were sent multiple death threats and were expelled from school. These girls are just another example of how to be smart on social media sites.
In today's hyper-connected society, one cannot just express their First Amendment rights by putting them on social media sites. It is not the same as just saying something out loud to friends. When someone posts expressions on the internet, the expressions go out to the entire world. It may seem funny to the person doing it and to those who share similar opinions, but one must remember that those who don't share the same opinions see the postings as well.
I think we all need a lesson on what we should and should not be publishing on the internet. You never know who will see what you post and you never know how that posting can affect you.
In today's hyper-connected society, one cannot just express their First Amendment rights by putting them on social media sites. It is not the same as just saying something out loud to friends. When someone posts expressions on the internet, the expressions go out to the entire world. It may seem funny to the person doing it and to those who share similar opinions, but one must remember that those who don't share the same opinions see the postings as well.
I think we all need a lesson on what we should and should not be publishing on the internet. You never know who will see what you post and you never know how that posting can affect you.
2011 NFL Lockout Ended for Greater Good
The NFL lockout of 2011 began on March 21 and stopped on July 25. This lockout was over a collective bargaining agreement between the NFLPA (players' union) and the owners of the 32 teams. Both sides wanted different things with regards to salary caps, insurance, length of season, free agent issues, and minim salaries and contracts. In the end the players got most of what they wanted with regards to the above mentioned issues.
The lockout was did not just involve the players and the coaches, it also involved the fans. The fans are what drive sales for this industry and without them there would be no profit to be made. With knowing that losing the fans would mean losing the profits, it meant that the lockout had to be ended. It was for the greatest good for the greatest number of people (the players and the fans). This refers to the theory of the "utilitarianism" which is defined as the greatest good must be done for the greatest number of people that can be affected. Although the owners were truly the only ones somewhat upset about the new agreement, they at least got a season to make profits.
The lockout was did not just involve the players and the coaches, it also involved the fans. The fans are what drive sales for this industry and without them there would be no profit to be made. With knowing that losing the fans would mean losing the profits, it meant that the lockout had to be ended. It was for the greatest good for the greatest number of people (the players and the fans). This refers to the theory of the "utilitarianism" which is defined as the greatest good must be done for the greatest number of people that can be affected. Although the owners were truly the only ones somewhat upset about the new agreement, they at least got a season to make profits.
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