Free

Free Speech Essay In 1996 at Bonneville High school in Ogden, Utah a young foreign exchange student from Poland sat with her friend eating lunch. As she gazed upward she could see into the window of one of the history classes. To her horror, visible to the entire student body was displayed a Nazi flag. The flag was being displayed as part of a class on World War II and was displayed next to a Japanese flag, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia to highlight certain aspects of that time period. After asking for the flag to be removed without avail, the student, Marta Daszkiewicz, wrote a letter to the local newspapers editorial section. In which she wrote â€Å"The swastika still evoked fears because the neo-Nazi movement is still alive in Germany. If you have Polish license plates, you can get beat up by neo-Nazis when you go into Germany, (Daszkiewicz, personal communication, February 15, 2012) A local newspaper at the time reported: [Karen] Miner said she was surprised to hear that Daszkiewicz, whose grandfather was killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau, felt the Nazi flag had no place on her classroom wall. â€Å"My father was one of the first Americans to go in D-Day, Miner said, adding that he helped liberate Paris and later some of the concentration camps where Nazis killed millions of Jews and members of other ethnic groups they deemed to be inferior.† (Associated Press 1996) At the school, teachers took sides, and because she was miles away from her parents and other means of support the young student felt ostracized. She felt like she had come to the land of the free and when she decided to speak her mind, she was shot down. (Daszkiewicz, personal communication, February 15, 2012) Karen Miner, the teacher, also felt her own freedoms had been brought under fire, and although she had been supported by her school and local school board, she certainly was not promoting Na zi ideology. (Associated Press 1996) What the student and the teacher had experienced here was a classic clash over when and if our freedom of speech should be censored. In either position; it is hard to know how we should respond. This was a balancing act with the teacher on one side representing the government, her students, and herself and the student on the other representing the individual. Both sides would probably describe their own freedom of expression to be the one that was threatened. And both have a reasonable claim to have their rights  being protected. In the United States of America, the right to freedom of speech has been held as one of this country’s highest values, as nationally recognized by the Constitution of the United States of America. Censorship of speech is a controversial subject matter, and will probably always be debated in the U.S. as long as this country exists. Balancing individual expression against the public’s welfare and safety is one of the most significant challenges of government. The passage and enforcement of unbalanced laws lead to suppression then revolt and an eventual disintegration of that society. Visual Aide The great balancing act is that even within the first amendment itself, there are often conflicts between the specific rights. And often Freedom of Speech is paired against not only the other rights within the 1st amendment, and also against the government’s role to protect the nation. Supreme court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, I think that we should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe and believe to be fraught with death, unless they so imminently threaten immediate interference with the lawful and pressing purposes of the law that an immediate check is required to save the country. (Holmes, Abrams v. United States, 1919). Justice Holmes did not believe free speech should never be limited however. â€Å"The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic. [] The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent† (Holmes, Schenck v. United States, 1919) When speech is limited even for the reasons stated by Justice Holmes and Mr. Cohen, consequences can arise that are so disagreeable that they outweigh the original intent. On January 18th, 2012, only short time ago, a massive internet protest ensued. Some of the largest and most used internet sites went dark for 24 hours, including Wikipedia and Reddit, to bring attention to the movement against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), two acts designed to protect owners of copyrights from the  possibility of intellectual robbery. Wikipedia, Google, and many others stated that while they understood the need to stop piracy of intellectual property, these bills went too far and began to censor ideas and knowledge. (Pepitone, 2012) It is only through this type of public discourse that the protections of speech and expression remain intact. On September 11th, 2001, one of the worst attacks in the history of the United States was perpetrated on our own soil. This act has lead to countless, laws and actions by the United States government. Among these is a very controversial act, known as the patriot act. This act has been argued by some to sacrifice our privileges of privacy and other rights for a little more security. Yet many believed our freedom of speech remained untouched. â€Å"Unlike World War I, for example, people were free to express their opposition to the â€Å"war on terror† without fear of being sentenced to ten years in prison†¦ In at least one significant area speech and association de emed to provide â€Å"material support† to terrorist groups our First Amendment rights are considerably less robust in the wake of 9/11 than they were before. Professor David Cole, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center explained â€Å"The â€Å"material support† law gives the executive the power to designate as a â€Å"foreign terrorist organization† any group that is foreign, has used or threatened to use a weapon against person or property, and whose activities undermine our â€Å"national defense, foreign relations, or economic interests.† (Cole, 2007) Cole further explains that the Supreme Court rulings of Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project uphold as constitutional the Bush and Obama administrations’ overly broad interpretation of that law and set dangerous precedents for speech rights in the future. The fear of further attacks by the enemies of the United States is not a reason to suppress our speech and expression. â€Å"Censorship,† according to Justice Holmes, â€Å"is an almost irresistible impulse when you know you are right† (Sunstein, p. 25). But letting the government swing toward suppression even in the face of adversity may at first help to protect a society but can eventually lead to much more complex and destructive problems. History has provided many examples of societies that used tactics to suppress ideas and expression. Examples of these groups are religions, governments, schools, and corporations. History has also shown  us that prolonged restriction of free speech leads to some sort of revolt. Known examples of revolts due to suppression are, the Lutheran and Calvinist Movements in Europe, the American Revolution, and Brown versus The Board of Education. (Heyman, 2010) A more modern, less dramatic, representation of the idea that censorship leads to revolt is known as â€Å"The Streisand Effect†. (Greenberg, 2007) The Phenomenon is named after singer Barbra Streisand and her failed attempt to suppress pictures of her home from being posted across the internet. In 2003 Kenneth Adelman posted aerial photos for an environmental survey. These photos included the singer’s Malibu beach house. Streisand responded to the pictures by suing Adelman. â€Å"Until the lawsuit, few people had spotted Streisands house, Adelman saysbut the lawsuit brought more than a million visitors to Adelmans Web site, he estimates. Streisands case was dismissed, and Adelmans photo was picked up by the Associated Press and reprinted in newspapers around the world.† (Greenberg, 2007) Yet based on history a suppressive government cannot sustain itself without making a switch to a more balanced approach to human rights, including free speech. In his book Did Plastic People of the Universe topple communism? Tom Stoppard shows the history of how suppression of Rock and Roll in Czechoslovakia eventually led to the 1989 Velvet Revolution. In 1976, after years of suppression by the Czechoslovakian Communist Party, The Plastic People of the Universe, a psychedelic rock and roll band were put on trial after attempting to stage a music festival that was not sanction by the government. (Stoppard, 2009) A diverse group of supporters, including playwrights, writers, professors and other Czech intellectuals, had attended the trial and gathered outside in the hallway. Among the supporters was avant-garde playwright Vaclav Havel who had met band members a week earlier and had been impressed with them. Havel left the trial feeling disgusted with the world and resolved to make a difference. (Stoppard, 2009) In the months that followed, these sympathizers gathered in solidarity with local hippies and rallied around the Plastic People. They dared to establish a human rights organization and released a statement of principles on  January 1, 1977, naming their organization after the charter, Charter 77. Havel said that the Plastics were defending lifes intrinsic desire to express itself freely, in its own authentic and sovereign way, which is as close to a perfect definition of both democracy and rock and roll as has ever been stated. Charter 77 evolved into a world-famous human rights petition that eventually landed Havel in jail, and was a precursor to the national revolution or â€Å"Velvet Revolution† that occurred 12 years later. (Stoppard, 2009) â€Å"The Velvet Revolution (Czech) or Gentle Revolution (Slovak) was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 to December 29, 1989. Dominated by student and other popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, it saw to the collapse of the partys control of the country, and the subsequent conversion from Czech Stalinism to capitalism.† (Radio Prague, 1997) The Constitution of the United States extends the rights of speech as part of the first amendment. However, within the same amendment the constitution also offers religion, press, and peaceable assembly. Within the same amendment the right can sometimes conflict with some or all of the other rights protected by the constitution. Balancing the rights of citizens with the demands of government is not a battle that will ever be won. Due to changes in the worlds ideas and cultures we must, as Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. suggested, be â€Å"Eternally Vigilant† (Holmes, Abrams v. United States, 1919) in protecting others free speech. Balancing individual expression against the general public’s safety is one of the most significant challenges of government. If we do not we must face the possibility of losing our own freedoms and may have to fight either through words or deeds to retain those rights. Bibliography: Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1995). The Collected Works of Justice Holmes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Radio Prague (1997) Radio Pragues History Online Virtual Exhibit!. http://archiv.radio.cz/history/history15.html Retrieved 2-16-2012 O’Brien, David M. (2010) Congress Shall Make No Law: The First Amendment, Unprotected Expression, and the Supreme Court. Lanham, Maryland: Bowman Littlefield Publishers, INC Heyman, Steven J. (2008) Free Speech and Human Dignity. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press Goldsmith, Edward (1971) Social disintegration: causes. London, England: Sphere Books Stoppard, Tom (2009) Did Plastic People of the Universe topple communism?. NY Times Online 12-19-2009. Retrieved 2-15-2012 Associated Press (1996) Polish Exchange Student Criticizes Nazi Display. Associated Press, Saturday, May 25 1996 http://www.deseretnews.com/article/491559/POLISH-EXCHANGE-STUDENT-CRITICIZES-NAZI-DISPLAY.html Greenberg, Andy (2007) The Streisand Effect. http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/10/streisand-digg-web-tech-cx_ag_0511streisand.html (2/15/2011) Norton, Rob (2008) Unintended Consequences. . The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. 2008. Library of Economics and Liberty. Retrieved February 18, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/UnintendedConsequences.html Pepitone, Julianne (2012) SOPA explained: What it is and why it matters. CNN Money Tech. Retrieved February 18, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/17/technology/sopa_explained/index.htm Finan, Christopher M. (2007) From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act. Boston, MA: Beacon Press Frontline (2006) The Memory of Tiananmen 1989. PBS Thomas, Andrew Peyton (2005) The People v. Harvard: Law How America’s Oldest Law School Turned Its Back on Free Speech. San Francisco, CA: Encounter Books Sunstein, C. (1993) Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech. NY: Free Press Cole, David (2011) Free Speech After 9/11: Why Advocating for Peace is Now a Crime. American Constitution Society. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from the World Wide Web: http://www.acslaw.org/acsblog/free-speech-after-911-why-advocating-for-peace-is-now-a-crime Kim, Jae-Young (2002) Sorting Out Deregulation: Protecting Free Speech and Internet Access in the United States, Germany, and Japan. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC Kristoff, Nicholas D. (1989) A Reassessment of How Many Died In the Military Crackdown in Beijing. The New York Times. 21 June 1989 Abrams, Floyd (2005) Speaking Freely: Trials of the First Amendment. New York, NY: Viking Nunziato, Dawn C. (2009) Virtual Freedom: Net Neutrality and Free Speech in the Internet Age. Stanford, CA: Stanford Law Books Bernstein, David E. (2003) You Can’t Say That! : The Growing Threat to Civil Liberties from Antidiscrimination Laws. Washington, DC: Cato Institute Cohen, Henry Legislative Attorney (2009) Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service 7-5700 Daszkiewicz, Marta (2012) Personal Interview conducted by online chat on February 15, 2012. Poland. [emailprotected]

Analysis of The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay -- Nathaniel Ha

Analysis of The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Although â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in the mid-1800s, its themes and ideas are still a part of society today. The 19th century was a time of change, just as this, the millennium, is a time of great change. Hawthorne’s ideas about science, beauty, and life still play a major part in our lives, despite many improvements. Even today, people try to play â€Å"God† and change things that nature has put in place. It’s human curiosity; how much can be changed, how many things can be perfected? The themes in this short story-- religion, gender, and science--were relevant in Hawthorne’s day, and still are many years later. The theme of religion is hidden in the desire to erase the birthmark. In trying to â€Å"perfect† Georgiana, Aylmer is testing God’s creation. He doesn’t believe that how God created Georgiana is perfect, and he is obsessive about making her his idea of perfection. Aminadab, Aylmer’ s servant, tries to tell his master to leave the birthmark alone. He tells Aylmer that if Georgiana were his wife, he wouldn’t worry about something so trivial. However, the scientific ideas on Aylmer’s mind won’t let him forget the birthmark. He believes he can remove it with the help of science. Even so, science has no part in creation, according to Hawthorne, and Georgiana’s death after the removal of the birthmark signifies that theory. Her death is Hawthorne’s way of showing that judgment and perfection are God’s duti...

English Journey Essay

Journeys lead to greater understanding. They can be physical, inner or imaginative and can allow one to gain self-awareness, discover their flaws and weaknesses as well as gain spiritual enlightenment. That journeys can lead to greater understanding can be seen in TS Eliot’s poem The Love Song, Philip Otto Rouge artwork Dawn, Harwood’s poem In the Park and Victor Kellesher’s book cover Ivory trail. Journeys lead to greater understanding. This can be seen in The Love Song†¦ where Prufrock gains self-awareness of his isolated and insignificant status. He experienced both a physical and imaginative journey. Prufrock is a man who is a mid aged man, single and a pessimist. He isolates himself and is afraid of making decisions, as he is worried that he would be making a fool and mockery of himself. Being a pessimist he always thinks negatively about how he lives. The inner journey, in which Prufrock takes the reader reveals the different sides of him, such as his lack of confidence and also his dissatisfaction in the way he lives his life. The imagination of Prufrock leads him to make notes about mermaids, referring them to the Greek myth and how they would sing and lure sailors to their death. In this line Prufrock shows an inferiority complex as he states that the mermaids would not sing to him, as he is not important enough. An invitation from Prufock to the reader to a unnamed destination establishes and initiates a physical journey ; through the physical journey he leads the reader to various places in the city where there are cheap hotels surrounded by lower-class restaurants. Due to the surrounding it leads Prufrock to think of the â€Å"overwhelming question†. In the first stanza a physical journey is evident. The departure time would be during evenings â€Å"When evening is spread out against the like a patient etherised upon a table†. Prufrock compares the sky to a patient through simile. The feeling of helplessness is brought out with the word â€Å"etherised†. As the poem goes on personification becomes evident in â€Å"Streets that follow like a tedious argument†, describing the streets they are walking on as very dull and long similar to a long argument between people. The contrast of the streets to an argument also reflects on the use of simile. Journeys lead to greater understanding. Philip Otto Rouge, who takes the viewer through an imaginative journey, can perceive this in the painting â€Å"Dawn†. The journey is of a religious one, as the lighting in the painting hints a form of the cross, and its innocence and purity of the journey. Also, while light can reflect the knowledge and realisation one gains when undertaking an imaginative journey, the light becomes a symbol of a journey of enlightenment. With a frameless blue sky at the top of the painting it implies that this imaginative journey has no set boundary therefore it is limitless and contains endless possibilities. It is what the individual’s eye and mind perceives it. The angels that are represented as children painted in white and somewhat transparent symbolising the purity and innocence of childhood. With the transparency of the angels suggesting that there is no impurity seen, as they are holy. The musical instruments, also suggest the possibility that this imaginative journey is of a harmonious one. With the women positioned in the centre of the painting, it also shows her relationship with earth and heaven as she is in between them both. Being positioned close to the centre of the cross indicates that she is holy. This woman can be seen portrayed as Eve who was made by God to live on earth and accompany Adam. She is can be conveyed as a symbol of fertility as she was the first woman and also took part in the start of the cycle of human life on earth. This links earth and heaven together as a journey. The small star at the top of the painting, which can be faintly seen, represents the hope and desire of purity that was once been lost due to the sins of Eve. Therefore, Dawn exhibits the greater understanding through the journeys as it is of a religious one that contains enlightenment, but it may not all be harmonious and pure as can be seen when looked further in depth. Journeys can lead to greater understanding, as journey can lead to another journey. Through a physical journey, the protagonist from In the Park experiences an inner journey, which allows her to reflect on motherhood. An inner journey can lead to the reflection of one’s identity, reminisce, unfulfilled potential, self-destruction and low self-esteem. The opening use of a monosyllabic sentence of her mundane life triggers her inner journey to self-reflection. With harsh words such as â€Å"tug† it resembles her being pulled down and â€Å"aimless patterns† represents her life having no direction or goal in which she can follow. The use of past tense in the word â€Å"loved† shows she is not experiencing joyful emotions now, but instead â€Å"-â€Å" the anxiousness or shock on her reflection in her current situation. too late† the enjambment forces her to go through an inner journey unwillingly. After meeting the person she has once loved and a superficial conversation starts, she begins to realise the difference between them. Being self-conscious of herself the phrase â€Å"but for the grace of God† has been inverted from a normal situation to a negative one. And â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬  emphasises the shock going through her head, acting as a harsh stimulus of her realisation to life. With the description of â€Å"flickering light† in line 9, symbolising the fading of hope to retain her past life. The superficial conversation about the children, which have taken over her life is in a hopeful tone as if it was a self-reassurance about her life. Though the last imagery given of her journey is her nursing her baby, a parody of Mother Mary holding baby Jesus. She is stripped of her identity and emotions in her inner journey as â€Å"They have eaten me alive†. Through her journey the protagonist in In the Park comes to greater understanding of her situation and position in life after going through her physical and inner journey.

Sea Dragon Facts Diet, Habitat, Reproduction

The sea dragon, or seadragon, is a small fish found in shallow coastal waters of Tasmania and southern and western Australia. The animals resemble seahorses in terms of size and body shape, but feature small, leaf-like fins that camouflage them from predators. While seahorses can grip objects with their tails, sea dragon tails are not prehensile. Sea dragons awkwardly propel themselves with their transparent dorsal and pectoral fins, but mainly drift with current. Fast Facts: Sea Dragon Common Name: Sea dragon, seadragon (common/weedy, leafy, ruby)Scientific Names: Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, Phycodurus eques, Phyllopteryx dewyseaOther Names: Glauerts seadragon, Lucass seadragonDistinguishing Features: Small fish that resembles a sea horse with small leaf-like finsAverage Size: 20 to 24 cm (10 to 12 in)Diet: CarnivoreLifespan: 2 to 10 yearsHabitat: Southern and western coastal regions of AustraliaConservation Status: Least ConcernKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ActinopterygiiOrder: SyngnathiformesFamily: SyngnathidaeFun Fact: The leafy sea dragon is the marine emblem of South Australia, while the common sea dragon is the marine emblem of Victoria. Types of Sea Dragons There are two phyla and three species of sea dragons. Phylum Phyllopteryx Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (common sea dragon or weedy sea dragon): The common or weedy sea dragon occurs off the coast of Tasmania and in Australian waters ranging from the Eastern Indian Ocean to the South Western Pacific Ocean. These sea dragons have small leaf-like appendages on their fins and a few protective spines. The animals are reddish, with purple and red markings. Males are darker and narrower than females. Common sea dragons reach a length of 45 cm (18 in). They are found in reefs, seaweed, and seagrass.Phyllopteryx dewysea (ruby sea dragon): The ruby sea dragon was discovered in 2015. This species inhabits the coast of Western Australia. The ruby sea dragon resembles the common sea dragon in most respects, but it is red-colored. Scientists believe the coloration may help the animal camouflage itself in the deeper waters it inhabits, in which red hues are more readily absorbed. The common or weedy sea dragon features spines and fewer leafy appendages than the leafy sea dragon. Pere Soler, Getty Images Phylum Phycodurus Phycodurus eques (leafy sea dragon or Glauerts sea dragon): The leafy sea dragon has numerous leaf-like protrusions that camouflage it from predators. This species lives along the southern and western coasts of Australia. Leafy sea dragons change color to blend in with their environment. They grow to a length of 20 to 24 cm (8.0 to 9.5 in). Leafy protrusions and the ability to change color make the leafy sea dragon nearly invisible against its surroundings. Shin Okamoto, Getty Images Diet Sea dragon mouths lack teeth, yet these animals are carnivores. They use their snouts to suck up larval fish and small crustaceans, such as plankton, mysid shrimp, and amphipods. Presumably, numerous species would eat sea dragons, but their camouflage is sufficient to protect them from most attacks. Reproduction Except for mating, sea dragons are solitary animals. They reach sexual maturity by one to two years of age, at which time the males court females. A female produces up to 250 pink eggs. They are fertilized when she deposits them onto the males tail. The eggs attach to a region called the brood patch, which supplies eggs with oxygen until they hatch. As with seahorses, the male cares for the eggs until they hatch, which takes about 9 weeks. The male shakes and pumps his tail to aid hatching. Sea dragons become completely independent as soon as they hatch. Weedy sea dragon with eggs. Brandi Mueller/Stocktrek Images, Getty Images Conservation Status Both weedy and leafy sea dragons are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. There is insufficient data to evaluate the conservation status of the ruby sea dragon. Some sea dragons get washed up by storms. While fishing bycatch and aquarium collection do affect the species, these effects are not believed to greatly impact the species. The most significant threats are from pollution, habitat degradation, and habitat loss. Captivity and Breeding Efforts Like seahorses, sea dragons are difficult to keep in captivity. While its not illegal to own one, Australia prohibits their capture, only granting permits for research and conservation efforts. You can view these fascinating animals at most large aquariums and zoos. Researchers have successfully bred the common or weedy sea dragon. While Ocean Rider in Kona, Hawaii has gotten leafy sea dragons to mate and produce eggs, no leafy sea dragons have been born in captivity yet. Sources Branshaw-Carlson, Paula (2012). Seadragon husbandry in the new millennium: Lessons learned from the past will create a sustainable future (PDF). 2012 International Aquarium Congress 9–14 September 2012. Cape Town: 2012 International Aquarium Congress.Connolly, R. M. (September 2002). Patterns of movement and habitat use by leafy seadragons tracked ultrasonically. Journal of Fish Biology. 61 (3): 684–695. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb00904.xMartin-Smith, K. Vincent, A. (2006): Exploitation and trade of Australian seahorses, pipehorses, sea dragons and pipefishes (Family Syngnathidae). Oryx, 40: 141-151.Morrison, S. Storrie, A. (1999). Wonders of Western Waters: The Marine Life of South-Western Australia. CALM. p. 68. ISBN 0-7309-6894-4.Stiller, Josefin; Wilson, Nerida G.; Rouse, Greg W. (February 18, 2015). A spectacular new species of seadragon (Syngnathidae). Royal Society Open Science. The Royal Society. 2 (2): 140458. doi:10.1098/rsos.140458