Daily Archives: June 10, 2012

Obama Slips, Republicans Quickly Latch on

June 10, 2012   Olga Hajishengallis   No comments

Photo Credit: abcnews.go.com

President Obama is currently under scrutiny for a comment he made regarding the economic situation during a White House news conference on Friday, June 8. In the meantime, Republicans have been exploiting the president’s rhetorical slip to their best advantage.

For months now, Democrats have been portraying affluent GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney as “out of touch” in regards to the economic situation of the country. But on Friday, it was Obama who seemed to fit the description when he proclaimed, “The private sector is doing fine.”

In an unexpected reversal of blame, Romney asked about the president, “Is he really that out of touch?”

Shortly after, Obama, in damage control mode, stated that “it is absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine.” He further added, “There are too many people out of work. The housing market is still weak, too many homes underwater and that’s precisely why I asked Congress to start taking some steps that can make a difference.”

On the other hand, Obama’s campaign has often referred to the fact that Massachusetts was 47th in job creation during Romney’s term as governor. Democrats have even argued that, if elected, Romney would implement policies that would have recessionary effects on the country.

With Obama’s gaffe, however, Romney now argues that the president lacks profound understanding of the economic situation. This comes after immense criticism that Obama’s administration has been unsuccessful in resolving the economic situation of the country.

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Sex Offenders and Facebook: Should We Allow It?

June 10, 2012   Joanelle Navarro   No comments

Photo Credit: www.internetsafetyforkidstoday.com

With Facebook planning to create a social media site safe for children under 13, the question of “Should sex offenders be allowed on Facebook?” comes up.

If hundreds of millions of children and people convicted of sex crimes are all online, the result could be a problem.  The anonymity and broad reach of social networking is obviously dangerous.

But luckily, many states have laws that ban registered sex offenders from using social networks.  Other laws also outlaw instant messaging services and such.  All across the country, the laws vary in severity and scope.

In New York, registered sex offenders have to report all of their internet accounts, which includes email, instant messaging, and social networking.  The information is then passed over to services, who can ban offenders at their own discretion.  The state also has a law that sex offenders convicted of a crime against a minor or one involving the internet cannot be on social networking sites at all.

In the United States, it’s become very difficult to have a Facebook if you’re on the sex offender registry.  But, social networking isn’t the only domain sex offenders are being banned from.  The next step seems to be game networks, like Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network.

It seems as if these decisions are the logical ones, since there’s an estimated  745,000 registered sex offenders nationwide.  But, there has now been a movement to challenge these state laws and the American Civil Liberties Union is stepping in to help.

One specific law the ACLU is challenging in one in Indiana, that states that if a registered sex offender knowingly accesses a social networking site or chat room that allows a person under 18 to use, their act is now a Class A misdemeanor.

The main reason the ACLU is fighting these laws is freedom of speech.  They’re arguing that social networking sites now dominate our forms of communication and is a part of everyday life in our society.  This side of the story is arguing that even registered sex offenders have the right to participate in online discussions.

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What are Bath Salts?

June 10, 2012   Joanelle Navarro   No comments

Photo Credit: www.datelinenews.org

Lately, the drug known as bath salts has been in the news, thanks to the “Miami Zombie” and other cases.  But what are bath salts?

Bath salts are a type of drug, made up of synthetic amphetamines and hallucinogens.  It’s also a catch-all name for a group of at least three synthetic drugs, which first showed up in 2008, first in Europe and Asia, then in the United States.  The chemicals found in the drug is often produced in India and China, then shopped to the United States, where they are mixed and distributed.  The most common places to find bath salts for sale are at head shops, gas stations, and online.

The main problem with bath salts, and was has most likely caused all these strange cases, is that there could really be anything in them.

“There’s absolutely zero idea of what they’re putting in these things.  If you’re a user and you’re trying it, you’re playing Russian roulette,” said Jeffrey Scott, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Bath salts are primarily marketed towards young adults as a legal high, and depending on the mix, the drug can provoke effects that are similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens.  This mix can provoke psychotic episodes.

So far, to fight against the growing popularity of the drug, the federal government banned three of the chemicals used in bath salts in October 2011.

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