Violation of the First Amendment? Actually, not really.

Much of American society has been buzzing this week with the recent remarks made by Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson in a GQ interview regarding homosexuality, African-Americans and divorce among other hot-button issues. 

After the interview was released, A&E made the decision to place Robertson on suspension in response to comments that insulted, impacted and alienated a large portion of society. This decision caused an uproar among fans of the show, conservatives and Christians alike calling the move a violation of the first amendment and more. 

I saw the move called a persecution of Christians, unconstitutional,  and an attack on religion among other things. The thing is, everything can be perceived from two different sides. I know that there are a number of people who are very offended by the comments, even if they do not personally identify with any of the groups in the widespread condemnation. 

Another thing that I feel compelled to point out is that there are a fair amount of Christians who were offended by the comments and who do not see A&E's decision  as an attack on Christians at all, but as a move by a company to protect the rights of other people as well as defend their brand. 

But the thoughts and feelings of how certain groups reacted to the comments and the actions taken by A&E are not even the real conversations that society should be having right now. The conversations should really be centered around what the first amendment actually means and what it protects. 

People always use the first amendment as a blanket statement to claim protection for saying things that are out of line or in some cases, a violation of a contract. The first amendment was not designed to protect people against how society and private companies will react to or respond to what you say. The first amendment protects us from the persecution of the government in regards to free speech. 

The first amendment was designed to ensure that the government could not censor its people or tell them that they were not allowed to say certain things. 

So, was Robertson charged by the government for his comments? No. He was told by the company that he works for, the one that he gets a paycheck from, the one with whom he signed a legally binding contract with that his actions and words were not acceptable. A&E had every right to suspend Robertson. 

They did not do it to attack Christians or because they are bleeding heart liberals or any of the other strongly worded accusations that are being thrown around. They did it because they wanted to take a stand against what they think is wrong. They responded in a way that they thought was proportional to the backlash that one of their "stars" was going to receive. 

As mentioned in other columns and articles, and I am going to specifically quote here from one of LZ Granderson's columns for CNN.com in italics below, you simply cannot make comments like that and not expect violent backlash, especially in this day and age. 

"You can say some stupid stuff -- whether it's Paula Deen dropping the N-word, Alec Baldwin dropping the F-word, Jesse Jackson using a derogatory word for Jewish people as he talks about New York City -- or Bobby Knight infamously saying, "'I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.'' -- and the First Amendment will keep you from going to jail. But it is not a get-out-of-jail-free card in the eyes of society."

Our society has been turning towards a more accepting and open-minded collaboration of people. We are more forgiving, more tolerant and honestly, more humane. It is high time that people are told that they cannot hide under rules and laws that they assume will protect them from saying anything they want, no matter how hurtful or bigoted it may be. That just is not the way it works and it is time for people to start taking real responsibility for their actions. 

Giving Tuesday

If you have been on any form of social media today, you have likely noticed a few #givingtuesday’s popping up here and there.

This little know holiday was the brainchild of a New York nonprofit called 92nd Street Y that decided to launch a different kind of commercial holiday in response to consumer driven insanity of Black Friday followed by a weekend of frantic shopping the concludes with the ever growing Cyber Monday.

Giving Tuesday started as a grassroots movement last year to promote a holiday that was focused solely on giving back after the frantic shopping of the start-of-the-holidays madness that ensues right after Thanksgiving.

The movement is in its second year. After starting in 2012 with 2,500 partner organizations, this year about 10,000 groups participating in this movement of generosity.

Giving Tuesday is a movement, not an organization. Charities and other groups participate under the “Giving Tuesday” banner in a mission to remind people what the holiday season is really about.

Black Friday grabbed headline yet again this year as companies decided to open on
Thanksgiving evening, with some stores opening at 4 p.m. (That leaves hardly enough time to digest your turkey and sweet potatoes, let alone enjoy a nice slice of pumpkin pie with your family!).

After spending a full weekend of buying, buying, buying, even if it is for gifts and then turning around and ordering more things online on Monday, it is comforting to know that there is a growing movement in this country to focus on giving back.

This country is built on the machine of consumerism and capitalism, we have the ability to buy whatever we want whenever we want (and now we can get it even faster with this Amazon drone thing that Bezos has dreamed up). But is that always a good thing?

With Black Friday deals starting so early, we don’t even get time to finish going around the table saying what we are thankful for before Aunt Linda is dragging Tom and Mary out the door to go get that iPad she saw was on sale.

The holidays are about being thankful for what you have, for taking time to spend with your family, and for doing those silly traditions like breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve.

Now I am not saying that we should stop buying gifts or toss the tree out with the trash, I am simply saying that we should take equal time to think about all of the blessings we have and maybe take a few seconds today to donate to an organization close to our hearts.

And just to prove that I am not just saying all of this, I decided to make a donation to the Humane Society of the United States because I know how much my pets mean to me and I don’t know how people can treat them the way they do. And if you don’t believe me, here is a screen shot of my donation.

So take time to participate in Giving Tuesday and remember all you have to be thankful for during this holiday season. 

Rubber Ducky You're the One

Well, I stand corrected. The world of sports has again infiltrated my life and I have no choice but to write about it.

If you have been connected to media in anyway in the past few days, you have undoubtedly heard that the Akron Aeros have officially changed their name to the RubberDucks.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Akron RubberDucks.

Akron's Double-A team unveiled their new logo and name on Oct. 29, 2013 through milb.com and the news quickly exploded on social media and many fans and locals questioned whether or not the news was serious. I had the same question and upon investigation found that yes, my beloved Orbit had been ditched for a jetpack-lacking duck of all things.

But in the administration's defense, the rational behind the change makes sense when Akron's history is taken into account. The two main goals of the new name and design are celebrating the working-class tenacity of Akron and promoting the family-friendly environment that the team is committed to.

If you don't know anything about the wonderful city that I am proud to call home, it was once home to some of the largest tire and rubber companies in the United States of America including Goodrich, General Tire, Firestone and Goodyear. This made Akron the Rubber Capitol of the World from the 1900s to the 1990s.

Although only the latter remains headquartered there and the boom created some very wicked pollution, it gave the city a population of hardworking and dedicated individuals that deserve to be celebrated as a major part of the foundation of Akron.

Therefore, the tip of the hat that the name change gave to these people was very well intentioned and I applaud the team for promoting the roots of their city. The only part that just does not make sense is the "ducks" part.

The owner of the RubberDucks (I can't even type that without smirking a little), Ken Babby, explained that one of the goals was to create a logo that emphasized that people could come and have fun as well as forget life's problems.

While this little, yellow ducky may give off that vibe, it still does not change the fact that Akron just essentially became the laughing stock of the Eastern league. I mean, how are we supposed to cheer for the Rubber Ducks? Are we supposed to quack? I think I'll pass.

All joking aside, I have to say, the new logo is pretty badass and if there is one thing us Akronites are very good at it is being quirky. We are going to be able to fully embrace this new RubberDucks thing and I hope that the administration was clued into that and took advantage of our good sense of humor.

I will say that if the players want to be taken seriously with this new name, they need to up there game a little. I am thinking that we need to at least make it to the playoffs next year (RubberDucks Dynasty anyone?). All my love to friends from Erie, but if the SeaWolves can do it, the RubberDucks sure as hell can.

I want to assure my hometown team that the name change will not affect my devotion and dedication to you in the least bit and I know that my fellow Akronites probably feel the same way. It is going to take me a while to get over losing Orbit, but I think I'll be okay.

So here's to a great 2014 season! Go RubberDucks!

Information for this article was taken from: You're the one: Akron RubberDucks

That does happen here: A case for better sexual education at JCU

*This is an OP/ED piece that was written for Her Campus JCU*

The hookup culture has become a widely discussed topic in universities across the nation and it has revived conversations about sexual education and the importance of students knowing exactly what they are getting into when engaging in hookups.

We all had the basic “birds and the bees” talk from our parents in fourth or fifth grade, but how much do we actually know about staying safe as far as sexual activities go?

In my opinion, not enough.

I have been amazed at some of the misconceptions I have encountered during my two and a half years at college. What I learned was that, a lot of the time, sexual education stops after the “Where do babies come from?” conversation.

My concern is how universities are going to be able to accurately discuss the hookup culture and all it entails without also taking the necessary steps to promote sexual education. I feel we have reached the point where the “that doesn’t happen here” theory is falling flat.

Students are becoming more and more open about sex and they want to learn about it. College newspapers all over the country like The Daily Texan at the University of Texas and The Hoya at Georgetown University have started to tackle questions about sex that everyone seems to have, but no one wants to talk about.

The initiative these college newspapers have taken has been greeted with both commendation and condemnation, but they are simply filling the education gap that is so glaringly evident at their universities. These student journalists are at the front of the push for more open conversation about sexual health because they see the lack of dialogue about this important topic.

What is troubling is that the same education gap exists at John Carroll University. While I understand and respect the Catholic ideals that are being promoted in regards to premarital sex and “promiscuous” behavior, I do think that if topics like hookups are going to be discussed at the University, it is important to take the next step and start the conversation about sexual education.

The policy of an “abstinence only” sexual health policy is slowly becoming ineffective. Students are more connected to information than ever and it would seem that all universities would want to ensure that students were getting the right information about their sexual health than false assumptions from a third party website.

Universities need to realize that students are going to engage in sexual activities whether they have the information or not and I think it is more important for colleges to promote sexual education than to turn a blind eye to something that is happening right in front of them.

This is not to say that JCU has not taken any steps to promote sexual health and education. JCU took a step in the right direction when they began offering HIV/AIDS tests in 1993 and again when they started to offer OB/GYN clinics to women where the exam included sexually transmitted infection screenings.

More recently, the current hookup culture series that started on campus at the beginning of October has opened up a conversation about what hookups mean to students, why we engage in them and what the consequences can be.

This series is the most progressive and public conversation about sexual health at the University to date and while I applaud JCU for organizing it, I do think that they next step is a discussion about safe sexual activity and a promotion of places students can go to get any information and resources they may want about sexual education. After all, information and resources about pregnancy are available, so why not information and resources about sexual health and protection?

I am in no way arguing for an total overturn of the Catholic teachings about sexual activity, I just want resources to be available for students who choose to engage in said activities. Not all of the students on campus are Catholic and even some of those who are, still hook-up with people and some even have sex.

I think it would be better for JCU to promote or at least provide information about healthy sexual relationships and precautions instead of pretending that it doesn’t happen here and in the spirit of educating the whole person, I think it is high time for the conversation to start.

            

To Sleep or Not to Sleep?

It is 11 p.m. the night before one of the biggest exams of my junior year, Dr. Kugler’s French Revolution midterm. I did the outline Sunday afternoon for the two questions I was assigned for the group collaboration on the eight possible essay questions she gave us a week ago, and I have not looked at the questions since then.

As if things could not get better, it was also deadline night for The Carroll News. I had told myself that I had to study Monday night because I knew that tonight was going to be shot productivity wise. But, as studying typically goes in college, I got distracted and never actually got around to putting any effort into my studying.

I was sitting at work that afternoon looking at my planner and realizing that it was finally going to happen. I was going to have to pull my first all-nighter of my college career. I heard the voices of all of my professors and my mother ringing in my ears telling me not to do it, that staying up all night to cram never did any good. But I had no choice, if I did not stay up and study all night, I was going to fail the midterm.

According to a study done by the Journal of Adolescent Health, 68% of the college students surveyed said that their sleep was adversely affected by school stress.  I was now going to become part of that statistic, much to my chagrin.

I did as much preparation as possible for the exam as I could during my already packed day. I even looked up “how to pull an effective all-nighter” on Google and found an article from Wake Forest University’s student newspaper, Old Black & Gold, that gave a breakdown of exactly what to do during each block of time. Their timeline started at 10 p.m., but I knew that I was not going to get started until 3:30 a.m. at best. So I slightly adapted their strategy to my time constraints.

After a very interesting deadline night that consisted of lots of productivity on the newspaper but no progress on my studying, I finally walked in the door of my home at 4 a.m. and proceeded to prepare for a night –well, morning– of studying.

All of the articles I had read said to avoid any kind of carbohydrates because they make you more tired and to try and steer clear of caffeine because it can sometimes hinder your productivity during the wee hours of the night and morning.

As difficult as it was, I walked past my coffee maker and went to the fridge to find the apple juice. I poured myself a large glass and sat down at my kitchen table trying to be as quiet as possible lest I wake my sleeping roommate. I dove into my studies and was surprisingly productive. After indulging in a Cottage Doubles of the strawberry variety and finishing the of the question outlines, I decided that I had earned an hour long nap.

It was 5:45 a.m. and I hopped into bed after setting my alarm for 7:45 a.m. (okay, so maybe I wanted a two hour nap, but I had been awake for almost 20 hours at that point.) I woke up to my alarm and dragged myself to the shower, hoping that it would wake me up as the article suggested and surprisingly worked.

I got myself dressed and ready, made a protein packed breakfast of sunnyside-up eggs and reviewed my outlines. I waked to class feeling a little bit like I was intoxicated, but that is a symptom of exhaustion, feeling drunk. I was kind of amazed that I did not walk into traffic or something like that.

I went into the exam feeling fairly confident and prepared. After Dr. Kugler handed out the exam and I looked over the questions, I realized that I miraculously knew all of the answers.

I finished the essay in 45 minutes and went about my day as normal. I took a three-hour nap...or tried to. (My housemates made so much noise that it was more like a series of pass outs than a nap.) But other than that, I was able to function fairly normally.

I want you to understand that I am in no way condoning all-nighters as an effective studying method. It is far smarter to break your studying up over a few nights and make sure that you are getting plenty of sleep so you are well rested and prepared come exam time.

But as a last resort and when your normal schedule does not allow you to study using that method, all-nighters can be an alternative if you are willing to take the correct steps to do them effectively as in avoiding carbs and caffeine, getting a nap or two in so your brain can process the information, taking an early morning shower, and eating a good breakfast.

As far as I go, I am not planning on pulling another all-nighter anytime soon. I felt terrible all day and it took me a week to feel normal again. But it was a good way to get my studying in for that one exam. Oh and just for the record, I did get an A on that exam also the highest grade in the class…but, don’t go by me, I am convinced that I had a guardian angel or something.

Believeland

This is definitely something I never thought I would be writing about...sports.

If you have been following that world of athletics in any capacity for the past month, you will have undoubtedly watched baseball teams fighting for playoff spots, football kicking into high gear and basketball settling into training.

And if you have been following sports in the Midwest, you have probably been just as shocked as I have been at the way baseball and football have been shaping up this year.

For instance, the Pittsburgh Pirates? The team that hasn't had a winning season in over 20 years? Yes, they are in the playoffs this year and are proving that they are finally ready for a comeback (especially considering the Steelers' very sad 0-4 record). But, as a Clevelander, the Pirates' sudden rise into the spotlight isn't exactly what caught my attention this fall.

When you say Cleveland, one of the first things people think about is the intense dedication that Cleveland sports fans have for their teams even through the management changes, betrayals (*cough* LeBron *cough cough*) and losing seasons.

This year was no exception to the rule by any means.

When the Indians' opening day hit in April, fans flocked to the ballpark in anticipation of sunny summer days, hot dogs and indulging in the American pastime. As the summer wore on, attendance started to dwindle and by September, fan attention and dedication was laughable, especially considering the Tribe was in a legitimate playoff run.

All judgement and fair-weather fan frustration aside, for obvious reasons, the stadium was filled as the Indians took on the Rays in the Wild Card game at Progressive Field last week. I cannot tell you how incredible it was to turn on the TV and be able to hear the Tribe fans cheering over the announcers. Even as the game wore on, and it became more and more evident that the game was going to be the extent of the Indians' playoff appearances, the fans never stopped cheering for their beloved Tribe.

As if the Indians having a playoff run wasn't enough, Clevelanders were treated to an extra surprise as the Browns turned what looked like what was going to be a disappointing season around right after the management's shocking decision to trade Trent Richardson.

As fans coped with and ranted about the loss, a hometown boy showed up and took the spotlight as he lead the team to two victories with a brief appearance in the rival game against the Bills.

Brian Hoyer seemed to come out of nowhere, but he quickly had fans asking "Richardson who?" as he dominated in the Browns game against both the Vikings and the Bengals.

Unfortunately, Hoyer was badly injured in the Browns' most recent game against the Bills, leading fans to wonder what the outcome of the game was going to be. After a very back and forth game with the Browns and Bills answering each other almost point for point, the Browns hit their stride and clinched the victory 37-24.

With the Indians having such a great season and charging through a 10 game victory sweep into the playoffs and the Browns appearing to rise up out of the ashes of a badly beaten down team, it is looking like Cleveland is finally getting that "next year" that we always talk about.

Even though the Tribe may have not made it far in their playoff run, they showed incredible promise and improvement. They gave us a taste of what the team could really look like next year, leading us to believe that our "next year" really is something that is going to happen for the Indians' 2014 season.

The Browns, with their new coaches and attitude, may have lost Richardson to a trade and Hoyer to a knee injury, but if they keep playing this way with this much determination, there is no telling what they could do this season.

Take heart Clevelanders, we really are the "Comeback City." The economy is growing, construction is booming, and the city is changing and becoming a center for entertainment, learning and culture once again. Our sports teams are winning and morale has never seemed higher. All it takes is the collective determination of  a passionate population to make Cleveland great again.

This is our time.

This is our year.

Let's do this.

Congress Closes Up Shop

Well, it happened. 

After months of fighting and stubbornness, the deadline for the spending bill came and went as Congress continued to bicker about the Affordable Care Act. 

As I sat in the newsroom of my university on Monday night, I kept glancing at the clock and checking Twitter and various news sources for updates as the time inched toward midnight. By 11 p.m., the situation seemed hopeless and a shutdown inevitable. 

My fellow editors and a Student Union member gathered around a computer screen at 11:55 p.m. and waited patiently for news of the shutdown. When Rep. Louise Slaughter was recognized and announced "The great government of the United States is now closed," we all cheered. 

Now, before you start sneering at me and making snide comments about "You stupid, ignorant, self-centered, out of touch millennials," please listen to why we cheered. 

We have watched over and over again as our government has become more and more fractured. There is no room for compromise. Everyone stubbornly sticks to their own views and blocks out anyone who tries to challenge those views. The majority of my generation is sick and tried of a government that chooses to be blind and stubborn to the point of destroying the very thing they were elected to protect. It was time for something drastic to happen that would force the parties to work together in order to reopen the government. 

The ironic thing about the whole situation is that the very thing Congress was fighting about, the Affordable Care Act, opened registration to the American people at midnight right after the shutdown of the government was announced.

Republicans have been saying over and over that the American people do not want the Affordable Care Act and have used this as ammunition in their long winded arguments and ridiculous filibusters. But the website for registration into the program crashed because the servers could not handle the amount of people applying.

I am sensing a bit of a contradiction here... 

Reuters estimated that the page got more than 10 million views and that some people waited hours to fill out the short application, while others resolved to wait for a later date. 

President Obama responded to the technical issues saying, "We found out that there have been times this morning where the site has been running more slowly than it normally will. The reason is because more than one million people visited healthcare.gov before 7:00 in the morning."

To borrow the phrase from the very cleverly worded article about the shutdown by Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas of the Washington Post, the American people's most pressing concern seems to be the buggy Congress. 

So where do we go from here? 

It has been two days since the shutdown was announced and there seem to be no definitive answers. To make everything even more interesting, now everyone in Congress who was so concerned about the Affordable Care Act have pushed that battle to the side in favor of getting the government up and running again. 

How embarrassing for the American people that their government can not work together to run what is arguably the most powerful and affluent nation in the world. What does it say about our effectiveness as a nation when our lawmakers stubbornly hold to their partisan ideals and hold the government hostage? How are any members of Congress (Who are still getting paid might I remind you!!) going to be able to look into the eyes of the roughly 2 million Americans whose paychecks are being delayed and the 800,000 who may never see their hard earned wages and say with conviction that there was a real reason for Congress members' stubbornness and selfishness? 

There are going to be a lot of questions in the coming days and the actions of our government could change the face of the nation forever. So stay informed, stay updated and hold on to your hats. It's going to be a wild ride. 

Information for this piece was taken from Wonkbook: This is what the Republicans were afraid of and The nine most painful impacts of a government shutdown

Brinkmanship and a Fractured Congress

It seems like news of the government shutdown is everywhere. It is splash across the headlines of every major newspaper, it is the subject of televised debates on all of the major news networks from Cleveland's own Fox 8 to CNN and no one can walk into a coffee shop or restaurant without hearing things like "If those damn republicans would just stop fighting against the healthcare law" or "I wish those liberal nut jobs that make up the democratic party will just see the light already."

The threat of a government shutdown isn't a new thing. It happened in the 1990s and we have had threats of it happening again on and off for a while now. Anyone remember the sequester? Worrying about the government being able to fund their business is not a new thing to the American people, but that does not make it any less upsetting.

It does seem to be the easiest thing to pin the blame on one party or the other. Why not let the democrats take the heat for the whole mess?  Because why not let the republicans take the blame is an equally as valid question.

The bottom line here seems to be that one of the main reasons that the country has even gotten to this point is because no one can compromise anymore. I know I have not been around for that long, but even a twenty year old college student can see how fractured and broken our system is.

Ted Cruz has just proven how little practical work is actual done in Congress. His 21 hour filibuster against Obamacare included a reading of Dr. Suess' Green Eggs and Ham. Now forgive me if I am wrong, but last time I checked, children's books don't do anything to help Congress pass a budget or do anything for the American people.

As the Oct. 1 deadline approaches, we seem to be stuck in the same rut that we were in during the sequester. The republicans are still dead set on defunding Obamacare, the democrats are dead set on keeping Obamacare in place and the President has said that he is going to veto anything that defunds the healthcare law. So we are at an impasse.

When is our government going to put aside their own petty desires and act instead of stubbornly standing on one side or the other? Who is going to be the first to extend the proverbial olive branch and start to work towards a more unified government that works for the people?

It will never cease to trouble me that a system that was set to unify the people and make sure that everyone's voice is not only heard but respected is so broken.

We are slowly but steadily reaching the breaking point. Our government is eventually going to have to act and their decisions will decide the American people's faith in the system we hold so dearly. I only hope that someone is going to be able to convince everyone else that it is best to work toghter than constantly fight against each other.