Identifying a problem “Drug trafficking” Essay Example for Free

Identifying a problem â€Å"Drug trafficking† Essay This paper studies two different opinions on the impact of drug trafficking laws. One school feels that current laws on drugs have been effective and efficient in containing drug use problem and should be retained. Others see the laws as unjustifiably harsh and skewed against certain groups in society. They argue that drugs should be legalized to help solve abuse problem. The first article gives an open assessment of the impact drug laws have had on drug use problem. The Successes And Failures Of George Bush’s War On Drugs (Check, Dan, 1995). Successive U. S presidents have delivered a plan to fight off drug abuse. President Bush campaign against drug trafficking was similar to that of Ronald Reagan before him. According to Check, their emphasis was on reduction of demand of drugs at home. This was a shift away from curtailing supply in foreign markets. The bush was campaign according to Dan Check targeted the offender rather than the problems. This plan emphasized the incarceration of offenders over rehabilitate and campaigns on avoidance of drug use. The administration boosted its drugs war kitty with the drug law enforcement getting the loin’s share. The penitentiary system also got a substantial amount leaving only a relatively small amount for rehabilitation and a version. Prevention would be carried out through the existing program called DARE. This program targeted school kids. States were bound by this plan and any diversion would attract financial sanctions. This plan has some positive results in that there was significant reduction in cocaine abuse. This effort was felt mainly in the middle class. Check partly attributes this to new realization by the middle class of the efforts of cocaine. The plan however failed in curbing drug use among the poor. According to Dan Check, drug abuse among the poor actually rose with the introduction of the plan. He adds that severe crack down of uses over burdened the prison system. It did not address the root cause of drug trafficking The Drug War on Civic Liberties (Dan Baum, 1992) According to Baum, the war on drugs is an infringement on one’s rights. The laws are unreasonably harsh and hysterical and hence should be done away with. New laws introduced follow the precedence set by the first drug laws. First drug laws on marijuana and cocaine were retrospective as they were made with a certain group of people in mind. The more recent drug legislation is also made with the black community in mind. This community is the biggest victim of drug law enforcement. These laws are racially motivated. There are more black youth in prison than any other group despite their minority status on drug grounds. They make easy targets of law enforcers. He feels that the drug laws have become petty and harsh to ‘offenders’. Mere possession of drugs even without the intent earns one a maximum sentence. First offenders are not given lighter sentences. Past drug offenses continue to haunt the offender as he or she is labeled as a threat to society and is closely monitored. However what is surprising is that, while the legislations theoretically target drug pusher, it is mainly those who are found in possession who are found in jail. According to Baum, the courts are skewed against offenders in drug cases. The drug laws ensure rather harsh judgments are dished out in federal courts, leaving the judges very small room to maneuver. They also give prosecutors the right to challenge the ‘light’ decisions, which is normally the prerogative of the accused. The cases are not heard in state courts but in federal courts. The penitentiary system does not aim at rehabilitation of drug offenders rather it is pre-occupied with punishment. Expenditure on rehabilitation program fades in comparison with expenditure on drug enforcements laws. Law enforcers unfairly target drug offenders because of the hefty bonuses they earn when they successfully present evidence that leads to conviction of the drug offender. They employ heavy surveillance of past offenders and carry out warrant less searches on a suspect’s property or cars. Baum feels that drug offenders do not enjoy civil right enjoyed by other defendants in courts of law. Their property can be attached along with legal fees of the defense attorney. They are also denied bail to keep the streets risk free. He adds that, the drug enforcement agencies evaluate their success on the basis of overblown value of seized drugs in the black market rather than level of emancipation of the people from drug dependency. The federal government has enhanced its budget on drug law enforcement with the sole aim of jailing offenders over prioritizes the war against drugs over other crucial areas such as environmental degradation. This campaign has bloated the prison system while the judicial system is overworked. More officers are employed to deal with the perceived threats of drug use. Most tax payers are content on increased government expenditure in the war against drugs. This, Baum points out, is as a result of the amount of public information that is available to the taxpayers. The media gives war on drugs a lot of coverage and puts much emphasis of drugs. This is in addition various public campaigns against drug use. Few people express a different opinion on the issue is due to victimization on anybody who speaks out on the injustices of the system by law enforcers. Baum urges that convictions of drug possession are conviction of a crime without a victim. He adds that it is wasting away of productive labor force in the young men held up in prison. Most of those serving time for drug possessions are responsible and peace loving individuals.

New Policies :: essays research papers

Many public schools use flunking a student as a regular policy to keep up good quality education in their particular school. While faced with the possibility of being flunked, a student will, without a doubt study harder. But, if schools used policies like, a decreased class size, a mandatory dress code and shortened summer vacation time, students will receive an even better education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, let us examine the idea of a decreased class size. When the number of students is reduced from thirty to twenty students per teacher, there is more time for the teacher to spend with each student for more individualized help. With a smaller class size, more students will get to participate in classroom discussions and maybe even the students who feel intimidated by large class size will speak up when there are fewer students in the room. Also, when the number of students in class is decreased, the possibility of noisy, trouble making, distracting students goes down and there will be fewer interruptions during class time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, let us examine the mandatory dress code. This policy is a great idea because it would keep students focused on the tasks at hand instead of worrying about what others have worn to school or what they should wear to school themselves. Another good point about this policy is there would other students making it easier to pay attention in class wear less distracting clothing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, the last policy for examination is shortened summer vacation time. By shortening summer vacation time, students can be taught their lessons more indeptly without being rushed from one subject to the next subject. Giving them more time to spend on a particular subject than before. With shortened vacation time, students will have less time to forget what they have been taught and when they return to school, there is no need to spend precious class time reviewing what they might have forgotten.

The Special Education for the Visually Impaired

Special education has come a long way since the room down the hall with the crayon books and easy work. There was a time that special education students were placed together in a classroom, given easy work to do that would not challenge them and provided separate recesses and lunch periods so that they would not mingle with the regular education students. It was a stigma that nobody wanted for their child but it wasn't until the mid-1960's that it began to change. Beginning with Brown vs the school board lawsuit, stemming from a Black student who wanted to attend a predominately white school, the life of a special education student has transformed significantly. Today, special education students are protected from discrimination and segregation by federal and state laws. Students with special learning needs are educated in the least restrictive environment and school systems are ordered to accommodate their special needs so that the playing field will be level for their educational journey. Blind students are classified special education by the very nature of their disability. They are classified as such so that the federal education statutes with regards to special education can protect them from being segregated or shunned by the regular education system. Blind students have their inability to see in common, however, outside of that they are as individual and diverse as their sighted peers. There are federal guidelines in place regarding the education and interventions that pertain to blind students however. A student who is blind can present challenges when it comes to behavioral interventions because some of the tried and true methods are not applicable when it comes to a blind student. Making a student write an essay, write sentences or run laps is not feasible when the student needing the intervention is blind. While many behavioral interventions that apply to sighted students will in fact work with blind students it is important to have alternative plans in place for the behavior intervention of those who cannot see. When the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was passed, educators, parents and students began to hammer out plans and pathways to the fair treatment and education of those who had special needs. The students who were blind had previously been sent off to schools for the blind, where they only associated with other blind students, worked with blind geared materials and learned that they were blind in a sighted world. Today, blind students who want to attend regular public schools are not only encouraged to do so they are given the right by federal law to do so, and the school must take whatever steps are needed to allow that education(Anderson, 2004). The 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the resulting final federal regulations published in 1999 describe related services as an essential component of a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) for many students with disabilities(Anderson, 2004). † Those related services include everything from transportation to counseling services that will assist the special education student in their quest to receive a public education with their peers. Every special education student, including those who are blind is provided with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). This plan outlines the student's educational needs, the way those needs will be met and what accommodations will be provided by the school system in providing that education(Zabriskie, 2003). While the federal law protects all special education students there are areas of interest that are specifically geared to the education of blind students(Kozub, 2006). As part and parcel of an blind student's IEP it is important to consider the disability and remember its limitations when planning the student's curriculum, extra curricular activities and physical education abilities. Because a blind student is often at a disadvantage when it comes to physical activity in both during the routine school curriculum and the aspects of physical education the IEP team must consider alternatives to include these elements in the school day. In addition the IEP team must consider appropriate behavior interventions for the blind student that acts out due to frustration about not being able to participate as fully as their sighted peers. This frustration may be from the child's anger at his or her limitations or may be founded in messages being sent to that student by well meaning parents who are concerned about their child's physical development as well as educational development. â€Å"The need for heightened levels of fitness in order to navigate barriers found in both home and community settings is important for children and adults with visual impairments. This is a critical mobility issue for children given the need for independence in daily living activities that increases with age and becomes a necessity during adulthood. In addition, issues of mobility within the larger community are a concern later in adulthood if individuals who lack vision rely on public transportation (which may or may not be accessible depending on fitness levels needed to independently reach bus stops). In all, it is imperative that adequate levels of physical activity are encouraged in children and adolescents with visual impairments to facilitate independence into adulthood. The following study is an initial investigation using a family systems framework of activity levels in a select group of children and adolescents with visual impairments(Kozub, 2006). † These and other concerns raise a need for behavioral interventions that are specifically geared to meet the needs of blind students(Robinson, 2001). â€Å"School success may be minimal for students who have difficulties building social relationships and ultimately fail at developing social competence. As a result, social skills training is often provided to increase pro-social interaction. Despite evidence of the effectiveness of teaching appropriate social functioning, there is concern about generalization and maintenance of learned skills(Gilles, 2003). † Blind students are at a specific disadvantage in the regular classroom setting. They are unable to determine when the classroom is noisy when it is appropriate to speak out, when it is appropriate to remain quiet and how to gain the teacher's attention by finding her by sight then moving toward her(Bricker, 2004). It is situations such as these that create a problem when it comes to behavior for the blind student. Not only are inappropriate behaviors a risk when a student is frustrated by being blind, but there are every day behaviors that must be addressed for the blind student and the regular education student to blend into a classroom and create a positive and cohesive learning environment. A student who cannot see where the teacher is to gain his or her attention will often times yell out or shout out the teacher's name. This can not only be disruptive to the classroom from a educational standpoint, but it can also provide a foundation for mimic behavior from the sighted students(Prochaska, 2002). A classroom with 15-23 students all shouting out names of the teacher or others that are needed will quickly become an impossible learning environment. It is important to develop a behavioral intervention for such situations and implement that intervention with the blind student(Bricker, 2004). One intervention would be to provide the blind student with a bell, with which he could ring it once and then patiently wait for the teacher to either arrive at the desk or verbally let the student know he or she will be there momentarily. A blind student may become loud and disruptive when frustrated or angry. It is important for teachers to understand that the frustration may not be with any one person in particular but may in fact be about not being sighted the way the other students in the classroom are. It is important o have appropriate behavior interventions in place from the beginning so that the students who are blind can depend on the consistent response to certain behaviors. When a student acts out and become verbally loud and disruptive it can be disruptive for the entire classroom. Whereas a sighted student can be told to go to the hall or go to the principal the sending of a blind student is more complicated as they will require an aide to accompany them. If less drastic attempts to reduce the undesired behavior are not successful then an aide should be appointed to escort the student from the classroom, however, there should be mandated approaches built into the student's IEP for behavioral interventions before that point arrives. One step that can be taken in behavior intervention with a blind student is to have the student learn how to self direct the anger. If he or she is feeling frustrated it is important that the student have a place to vent that frustration so that it does not come out in inappropriate behaviors in the classroom. Allowing that student to be excused to talk to the guidance counselor about the current frustration is one behavior intervention that will allow the student to address the frustration while at the same time preserving the integrity of the classroom setting and the lessons being taught to the remaining students. Another approach to redirecting undesired behavior will be touch and sound. A blind student cannot read social cues from other students and teachers by the look on their face. It is important to help the student who is blind find ways to read social cues using the other senses. Teachers should instruct the seeing students in ways to use hearing and touch to convey cues to the students who are blind. In addition the students that are blind should be guided in listening to voice cues and other sounds that can clue them to the social attitudes and feelings of those around them. It is important that blind student intervention programs provide clear cut guidelines in helping the students redirect themselves and their behavior to more acceptable avenues. It is important for teachers and students to recognize the very real limitations that a blind student must face on a daily basis. The student who is educated in a regular education classroom is subjected to a well rounded experience, while at the same time must face frustrations that he or she would not have to deal with in a school for the blind. It is important that behavior interventions for the blind student take into consideration the disability and how that disability impacts the student not only from an educational standpoint, but also from a social and emotional standpoint as well. Behavior interventions should include guidance for future behaviors that will provide a foundation for the student to build on successful encounters with each passing year. The federal government mandates that accommodations be put in place but it is up to the individual school to design the accommodations that fit the individual blind student. Blind students are as diversified as sighted students and as such must have behavioral intervention plans in place that address their individual needs.

Comparing China s And India s Sexual History - 1161 Words

During the time, I learned about China s and India s sexual history I saw that they had many unique preparative on sex compared to todays. For example in India’s famous book Kamasutra which discussed the nature of love and how to make a good family and home. This makes is seemingly normal compared to the modern day. However the thing that makes Kamasutra so unique and different is was that they categorized men by their penis sizes and women by the size of their vagina. The Kamasutra also recommended women on sexual techniques on how to please their husbands, even though some were impossible to perform. At the end the Kamasutra proposed that sex should be very passionate and with animal noises. Since India main religion was Hinduism at†¦show more content†¦They even developed techniques to delay the process. However they also thought that the women’s yin would deplete, so it was important to have sex to prevent this. It was also important for men to experienc e the woman’s orgasm since that was the yin was at its peak and will help men maximize his contract with yin energy. The differences between these thoughts and from my perspective is extremely unique. Western society doesn’t really think that men semen runs out, nor do we teach techniques to guy on how to prolong intercourse as long as possible without ejaculation. We also really don’t have books that categorized people by their genitals. As I compared these ideas more and more, I got to see how different they are in western society. For instance considering that now sex isn’t seen as solely for procreation nor is it seen as something that makes it a responsibility to avoid karma and suffering. However I remember that America was not always like this, America was once heavily rooted into Christian morals and values. So as I read more and more, I learned about the sexual revolution of the 60’s. It was during the 60’s when the sex revolution began. The movement itself originated in San Francisco. I learned that during this time that the youth wanted to proclaim love and sex. I also learned about the two most important events that helped stage the sexual revelation. One of these events was the discovery of antibiotics was founded which led to