Students Death Raises Concerns about Weapons Essay -- Journalism Viol

Student's Death Raises Concerns about Weapons Brett Schweinberg, a 19-year-old Emerson student and Brookline resident, never imagined that a night intended for so much celebration in Boston could end so tragically. Schweinberg was one of an estimated 80,000 revelers who flooded the streets of Kenmore Square and the Fenway Park neighborhood in the early hours of Oct. 21, following the Boston Red Sox’s ALCS victory over the New York Yankees. â€Å"It was really a happy, fun, cheering crowd,† Schweinberg said. â€Å"It was a Mardi Gras parade with no route and no floats. It wasn’t a violent affair, and it certainly wasn’t a riot.† However, the vibrant atmosphere quickly dissipated when members of the BPD, some mounted on horseback and some armed with less-lethal FN-303 launchers, took action to quell and disperse the crowd. Schweinberg, who was watching the crowd from the beams of Fenway Park’s left field wall, sustained two injuries when he was hit with pellets from the compressed air rifle. Far worse for Schweinberg, however, was witnessing fellow Emerson student and journalism major, 21-year-old Victoria Snelgrove, suffer a fatal wound to the eye shortly thereafter. â€Å"She dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. She started bleeding profusely out of the face,† Schweinberg said. Several hours later, Snelgrove was pronounced dead at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her tragic death has cast a wave of criticism on the BPD’s decision to use one of the newest less-lethal technologies – a weapon the BPD had never used in a field situation– on a mostly college-aged crowd. The FN-303s were purchased by the BPD last summer for the specific purpose of controlling potential protests at the Democratic National Conven... ...joined together to form The Campaign to Ban Less-Lethal Weapons and circulate a petition with the goal of imparting a ban within the city. The petition states that: â€Å"First, these weapons must be re-classified as lethal. This is not only accurate, but it ensures that these weapons are used only in situations that would otherwise justify the use of lethal force.† Other conditions stated in the petition include independent testing for all weapons and additional training for law enforcement officials according to weapon manufacturer specifications. However, Terrill thinks there is little possibility that the FN-303 will be used by the BPD again. â€Å"In a city stung by one incident, regardless of what the science or research shows afterwards, city officials are usually very reluctant to use that weapon or permit a public policy where it would be used again.†

Commerce Clause & Health Care

The Commerce Clause was merely placed in our Constitution to ensure that states couldn’t establish laws or regulations that would hinder with trade and economic commerce, in result gave Congress the power â€Å"to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes. † To me, the Commerce Clause was once legitimate in the sense that the economic activity was mainly trade based and to prevent the intense rivalry among states, Congress needed to have the power to control interstate commerce to render conflicts. When creating and establishing the Commerce Clause I believe it could have been thought through and furthermore written in a more distinct and detailed way to accommodate the issues we have had. Because it wasn’t stated, U. S. Supreme Court ruled Congress to control intrastate commerce as long as the commerce significantly affects commerce involving more than one state, resulting from Gibbons v. Ogden. Sometimes I wonder if it’s realistic to think Congress will get to the point of controlling every aspect of our life, until something like the Affordable Care Act comes into consideration and keeps me questioning, what will be next. The Government’s argue is, under the Commerce Clause that Congress has the power to mandate the Affordable Care Act. Their philosophy is that Congress can demand people to buy health insurance, and if they refuse, then it would be affecting interstate commerce weakening the Act’s other developments. Their reasoning is that there are individuals who currently do not have medical insurance that are making a remarkable amount of visits to the doctor. In result, leaving hospitals reaching out to insurance companies to recover what they didn’t get paid for treating the non-insured. Consequently, insurance companies will start raising premiums higher and higher which will penalize those who already have insurance and those who reach out for insurance where premiums have raised to a point that it is unaffordable for the average citizen, then the problem will get worse. The argument against the Affordable Care Act is that it violates the Commerce clause regarding the fact that Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce and intrastate commerce as long as the conflict in commerce is among more than one state. Some states, like Virginia, have passed or are in consideration of declaring a law that the Affordable Care Act can’t be enforced in their States. In the article on the Reuter’s website it says, â€Å"State legislators in Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, and Wyoming have introduced bills that establish penalties, including fines and jail time, for any agent seeking to enforce the healthcare law within their states’ borders. Congress has the power to do most of which they feel capable of doing and if they can prove a good enough argument to the Supreme Court that inactivity affects interstate commerce then I think no matter what the States arguments are going to be shut down. Regarding tax, the Government argues that if their power under the commerce clause doesn’t support the mandate, then they will implement the power of Congress to tax. The mandate was Congress’s solution to those who decided they weren’t going to get health insura nce, preventing cost shifting. Cost shifting was their answer as to why they can force the individual mandate and it’s because the â€Å"failure to purchase insurance has a substantial and deleterious effect on interstate commerce. † The Government believes that health care at some point in life is unavoidable, whether it’s an emergency or through insurance, that’s why they have created the individual mandate penalty to refrain from premiums rising. The main argument against the mandated tax is that when lobbying for the bill, President Obama stated that there would not be a new tax involved with the individual mandate requiring coverage. But the penalty will be collected through tax filings and the Federal Government says that the fine is in their power to levy. From the Reuter’s article it says, â€Å"States say the U. S. Government does not have the authority to charge the fine and point to the discrepancy between Obama’s statements and the U. S. Government’s arguments. † Government regulation in business is everywhere, from advertising, employment and labor, privacy, environmental, and safety and health issues. The ultimate reason there are so many regulations is so that consumers are protected and it helps businesses to thrive at the same time. What is so interesting about the law is that we have a firm foundation, but the law will always be changing because with time there will come a new circumstance with no precedent that will cause a controversy like the Affordable Care Act itself. I just hope it doesn’t get to the point that the Government abuses its powers given to them by the framers who created our Constitution to resolve conflict, not create it.

John Stuart Mill Essay examples - 1834 Words

Who is John Stuart Mill? John Stuart Mill was born on May 20, 1806, in London, England. He was mostly known for his radical views. For example, he preached sexual equality, divorce, universal suffrage, free speech, and proportional representation. He had many works of writings such as Principles of Political Economy, On Liberty, The Subjections of Women, and the Three Essays of Religion: Nature, the Utility of Religion, and Theism. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;John Mill was the eldest son of James Mill who was a philosopher, economist and a senior official in the East India Company. James educated John when he was young. His father taught him discipline, Greek at the age of three, history, languages, calculus, logic, political economy,†¦show more content†¦They eventually married in 1851, when her husband died. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;During John’s lifetime one of his most controversial works was On Liberty. It was an essay on the feelings he and his wife had, â€Å"that they lived in a society where bold and adventurous individuals were becoming all too rare.† (http://www.utilitarianism.com/jsmill.htm) Many critics believed that Mill was way ahead of his time not just in human rights, but in other many other ways. The Subjection of Women, which was considered crazy during his time, today is considered just another feminist approach. Many would compare this essay too Marry Wollstonecraft’s book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. He writes in this essay that men should treat women just as they would treat another man. Another of his famous works is his writing of System of Logic. In this work he describes his new idea of â€Å"the logic of consistency.† (http://www.utilitarianism.com/jsmill.htm) He thought that we could prove the conclusion we drew from evide nce. Principles of Political Economy, written in 1848, tried to show that economics was not just â€Å"dismal science.† He wanted to prove the difference between economics and what humans really valued in the economy. He eventually retired from the East India Company in 1858, which is when the British government took over. Elected Member of the Parliament for Westminster in 1865, he made severalShow MoreRelatedThe Mill By John Stuart Mill1537 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Stuart Mill was a famous philosopher and historian. Jeremy Bentham who advocated for utilitarianism just like Mill influenced much of Mill’s works. Mill’s works were also greatly influenced by Jeremy Bentham’s brother, Samuel and Mill’s father, James. Mill had many early works prior to his writings on utilitarianism. Mill discusses how to determine right and wrong, but this seems to be an ongoing conflict. Mill believes that in order to prove goodness you must have ethical morals lined up inRead More`` On Liberty `` By John Stuart Mill1458 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Stuart Mill was an English philosopher and a progressive in British politics during the 17th century. He lived during a time of political transformation in England caused by the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution brought social mobility to the middle and lower class, along with more political participation. With this newfound freedom, the people of England felt their liberties were being diminished because they had the ability to accomplish all the more but in some cases, couldRead More John Stuart Mills Essay564 Words   |  3 PagesJohn Stuart Mills John Stuart Mill was one of the most well regarded and widely renowned philosophers and economists in history. He was considered a philosophical genius by the age of 20, and was mainly taught only by his father. 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However, because of this, and hisRead MoreUtilitarianism, By John Stuart Mill1372 Words   |  6 Pagessupported philosophical argument that when boiled down to its most basic elements, can be described as creating â€Å"the greatest good for the greatest number† (122). Such was the sentiment of John Stuart Mill, one of act utilitarianism’s (also known as just utilitarianism) greatest pioneers, and promoters. Mills believed that his theory of always acting in a way that achieved the greatest net happiness was both superior to other philosophical theories and also more beneficial to the general public.Read MoreUtilitarianism, By John Stuart Mill1599 Words   |  7 PagesUtilitarianism is a doctrine in normative ethics that is outlined and defended by many philosophers, including the English philosopher John Stuart Mill as a standard to determine what are right and wrong actions. 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