Mediated #4 Here we go again...

Off-duty St. Louis Cop Kills Man, Sparking Protest

Here we go again. Another white cop kills an 18-year-old black kid causing more protests. This case is quite different from Michael Brown's case since the officer was off-duty and he only fired at the black kid because the kid shot off three rounds at the officer first. Also the officer was off-duty, but still working as a security guard when it happened. When I first heard about this story on the radio this morning I automatically had that off-the-cuff knee jerk reaction. I automatically started to get angry that people were rioting the fact that this officer shot this 18-year-old adult in self defense. All the little news blip on the radio gave was that people in Missouri were rioting again because another cop shot a black kid. I wanted more information. As soon as I got home I went to my computer and looked it up. As it turns out I was right to feel the way I did.

This article came from MSN and was written by the Associated Press. I found it to be cogent... or maybe fallacious? I absolutely hate the title. I wish they would have said something like 'Off-duty Cop Kills man in Self-Defense', but that doesn't make it fallacious. An off-duty cop did kill a man, sparking a protest. However, I feel as though the title and the article itself was written to get people riled up; to make people feel those heated emotions no matter what side you agree with. In the article it gives information according to St. Louis Police Chief Col. Sam Dotson that the 18-year-old opened fire on the the 32-year-old police officer, who returned fire and killed the man. Dotson also said that the gun was recovered and ballistic evidence shows the teen fired three shots and tried to fire again, but his gun jammed.

Then further down in the article it tells us that people who describe themselves as relatives of the deceased told the St. Louis Post dispatch that the man was unarmed. This makes me question even more so the intent of the victim and his family when they say he wasn't armed, but the man's gun was recovered and they have ballistic evidence. It does however help the police officer's case. The thing that made me angry as I was reading this article is that the people protesting automatically jumped to the conclusion that this black kid did nothing wrong that would give reason for him to be shot by the officer, and that the officer must be a racist that wanted to kill this black teen. People all over need to realize that most of the time these police officers are just doing their jobs. They should get all the facts before they go out and protest. 

With all that being said, I'm going to say this article is in fact cogent even if it leaves questions unanswered. It tries to give both sides of the story with what little facts the press had to go off of at the time. I also have to say it is cogent because it is not an opinion piece and the reporter was giving facts. I may not agree with the way it was written or the title it was given, but it is a cogent article. 

Mediated #3

Obama and Holder Are Not Our Friends

This opinion article at Aljazeera America is written by David Cay Johnston. He is an investigative reporter who won a Pulitzter Prize while at The New York Times. He wrote this opinion piece on a speech given by Lowell Bergman who argues that journalism is under attack from corporate and government power. Johnston agrees and says that Bergman is right. Bergman spoke at the largest-ever gathering of investigative journalists in San Francisco the first week of July 2014. Johnston says it is a speech every American should know about.

“We thought that after the Bush-Ashcroft-Gonzales years that Barack Obama and Eric Holder were our
friends,” Bergman said. “They are not. While the president has said he supports whistle-blowers for their ‘courage and patriotism,’ his Justice Department is prosecuting more of them for allegedly talking to the press or ‘leaking’ than all the other presidents in the history of the United States.”

Bergman has a cogent argument with this statement. Why should journalist be afraid of reporting the truth when it is their job to do so? It is not so much that journalists are trying to keep the truth from the public, but rather they are afraid of the consequences that would follow for reporting the truth.

Bergman warned his audience, “We are on a collision course with the Justice Department and the White House. They advocate transparency and then they practice repression. Everything has to be approved by the White House — including leaks!"

Even though the title is misleading and fallacious, I believe his argument to be cogent. Johnston and Bergman are both experts in the field of journalism. They would know just as well as anybody else what is happening in the journalism world. Their reasoning is cogent. The argument is based on truths, and it would be hard to poke many holes in the argument when, as Johnston writes, two days after Bergman’s speech, the head of the NSA said in an hour-long interview with The New York Times that the damage caused by the Snowden revelations was, in fact, not such a big deal. Yet Obama’s campaign to tighten the lid, and keep you in the dark, continues.

Obama campaigned on the promise of ending the extreme secrecy of the Bush administration, yet he has been caught sweeping many things "under the rug". Where is the transparency that he promised us years ago?

Opposition Constructive Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research

In an NPR.org health blog Richard Harris reminds us that eighteen years ago, scientists in Scotland took the nuclear DNA from the cell of an adult sheep and put it into another sheep's egg cell that had been emptied of its own nucleus. The resulting egg was implanted in the womb of a third sheep, and the result was Dolly, the first clone of a mammal. Along with Dolly came an outcry of ethical and moral concern. Since Dolly, researchers have been using embryos and eggs from women to try and recreate the process.

Research should not be funded by taxpayers dollars because those taxpayers may not agree with stem cell research, and all of the moral and ethical questions that arise from it.  

It is true that stem cell research has come a long way from the use of embryos, and eggs of female donors, to the use of adult stem cells. Using adult stem cells is a technique, which produces "induced pluripotent stem cells," (iPS) it skips the step that requires a human egg cell. Some may say that adult stem cells are less fraught ethically. This is not true. I will tell you why embryonic stem cell research and adult stem cell research should not be funded.

Stem cells have proven to be beneficial with all the possibilities they hold to cure diseases, however, there are still many ethical concerns involving stem cell research. Stem Cell Research raises difficult questions such as: does life begin at fertilization, in the womb, or at birth? Is a human embryo equivalent to a human child?

Does a human embryo have any rights? Might the destruction of a single embryo be justified if it provides a cure for a countless number of patients?  And since embryonic stem cells can grow indefinitely in a dish and can, in theory, still grow into a human being, is the embryo really destroyed? This last question is the biggest concern because it can lead to scientist experimenting further with the embryos and doing whatever they please with it. There is no definite answer to these questions. They can't be proven only justified and generalized, so is it worth risking the life of a soul; of an innocent unborn baby to do stem cell research on embryos? David A. Prentice, founding member of Do No Harm- The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics said, "Destroying living human embryos for research violates the basic tenet of the healing arts: 'first do no harm.' It is ethically wrong to harm or destroy some human beings for the potential benefit of others." 

Some may agree that use of embryos and eggs is ethically and or morally wrong, but will ask what is unethical with using adult stem cells? There is one major issue that arises from using adult stem cell research. Adult stem cells are known as iPS cells. These cells have the potential to develop into a human embryo, in effect producing a clone of the donor. Human cloning could be next on the agenda of stem cell researchers and this is exactly the direction research is taking us. Paul Knoepfler at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine is excited about this advance from a medical point of view. But he says this does mean we could be getting closer to being able to go beyond cloned cell lines to cloning an entire human being. "I don't think that's coming anytime soon, but certainly this kind of technology could be abused by some kind of rogue scientist," Knoepfler said. 

Stem cell research is a slippery slope. Many nations have already put legislation in place that bans human cloning. At what point does stem cell research end? Who gets to decide when enough is enough? The potential of it is endless and no one really knows if the direction it is leading is good or bad. Do we really want to get so far into research that could be morally and ethically disastrous in the end? All it takes is a few rogue scientists to do whatever they please with stem cell research to have it go awry.  These ethical and moral concerns are why it should not be funded.

Prima Facie Outline

Stem Cell Research

Introduction:

In an NPR.org health blog Richard Harris reminds us that eighteen years ago, scientists in Scotland took the nuclear DNA from the cell of an adult sheep and put it into another sheep's egg cell that had been emptied of its own nucleus. The resulting egg was implanted in the womb of a third sheep, and the result was Dolly, the first clone of a mammal. Along with Dolly came an outcry of ethical and moral concern. Since Dolly, researchers have been using embryos and eggs from women to try and recreate the process.

I.  Research should not be funded by taxpayers dollars because those taxpayers may not agree with stem cell research, and all of the moral and ethical questions that arise from it.  Stem cell research has come a long way from the use of embryos, and eggs of female donors, to the use of adult stem cells. 

A. Using adult stem cells is a technique, which produces "induced pluripotent stem cells," (iPS) it skips the          step that requires a human egg cell.

1. Some may say that adult stem cells are less fraught ethically. This is not true.

2. I will tell you why embryonic stem cell research and adult stem cell research should not be funded.

II. It's true that stem cells have proven to be beneficial with all the possibilities they hold to cure diseases.

A. There are still many ethical concerns involving stem cell research

1. Stem Cell Research raises difficult questions:

a. Does life begin at fertilization, in the womb, or at birth?  

b. Is a human embryo equivalent to a human child?

c. Does a human embryo have any rights?

d. Might the destruction of a single embryo be justified if it provides a cure for a countless number of                 patients?

e. Since embryonic stem cells can grow indefinitely in a dish and can, in theory, still grow into a human being,     is the embryo really destroyed?

i. This last question is the biggest concern because it can lead to scientist experimenting further with the              embryos and doing whatever they please with it.

2. David A. Prentice, founding member of Do No Harm- The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics       said, "Destroying living human embryos for research violates the basic tenet of the healing arts: 'first do no     harm.' It is ethically wrong to harm or destroy some human beings for the potential benefit of others." 

3. There is no definite answers to these questions. They can't be proven only justified and generalized, so is it    worth risking the life of a soul; of an innocent unborn baby to do stem cell research on embryos?

B. What is unethical with using adult stem cells?

1. There is one major issue that arises from using adult stem cell research...

a. Adult stem cells are known as iPS cells. These cells have the potential to develop into a human embryo, in effect producing a clone of the donor. 

III. Human cloning could be next on the agenda of stem cell researchers and this is exactly the direction       research is taking us.

A. Paul Knoepfler at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine is excited about this advance          from a medical point of view. But he says this does mean we could be getting closer to being able to go        beyond cloned cell lines to cloning an entire human being. "I don't think that's coming anytime soon, but          certainly this kind of technology could be abused by some kind of rogue scientist," Knoepfler says.

Conclusion:

Stem cell research is a slippery slope. Many nations have already put legislation in place that bans human cloning. At what point does stem cell research end? Who gets to decide when enough is enough? The potential of it is endless and no one really knows if the direction it is leading is good or bad. Do we really want to get so far into research that could be morally and ethically disastrous in the end? All it takes is a few rogue scientists to do whatever they please with stem cell research to have it go awry.  These ethical and moral concerns are why it should not be funded.

   

     

Mediated #2

Parents Fearing Ebola Remove Children From School

This article I found through MSN and it came from the Fort Worth Star Telegram.  A letter was sent out to parents whose children attend L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary School, Tasby Middle School, Dan D. Rogers Elementary School, and Conrad High School with another elementary school being watched that connects to Tasby Middle School. Dallas Superintendent Mike Miles found out on Wednesday that five children that attend four of the schools came into contact with Thomas Eric Duncan.

Duncan is from Liberia visiting relatives and friends in the U.S. He was checked at the airport for any symptoms of Ebola, but since it can take up to three weeks for any symptoms to present themselves he was considered healthy to travel. He went to a Dallas hospital last Friday, September 26, two days after he had started experiencing the first sign of Ebola symptoms. Friday, he had a fever and severe abdominal pain. The hospital sent him home with antibiotics and pain medication instead of admitting him because "he was not exhibiting symptoms consistent with keeping him. If the person is not exhibiting the symptoms there would be know reason to keep them."  Duncan had just come from Liberia and had symptoms of the first signs of Ebola. I feel like the hospital made a huge mistake not admitting him on Friday. When Duncan went back to the hospital two days later on Sunday the 28th, the hospital then admitted him. 

That is two days more that the children of his girlfriend were exposed to him. The school district and Texas State officials are telling parents to send their kids to school because the "children exposed were not showing any symptoms and don't believe it could have been spread."  That is what the airport officials that let Duncan on the airplane to the U.S. had believed as well. And now we have the first case of Ebola in America. Symptoms of Ebola can begin to present themselves anywhere between 3-21 days of being exposed. Anybody traveling to America that is coming from one of the countries where the virus is most prevalent should not be allowed to travel until they have been observed for the full 21 days. Duncan came into contact with at least 12-18 people during the time he was presenting symptoms. If even one of those people is infected, then who knows how many more they will infect.

The article talks about how the gov't is going to control the disease, but I am not sure if that is possible now. When I read the title I thought 'a headline like that can't reassure anyone', and thought the article would take the stance that Americans should be worried about an Ebola outbreak, and the article would be fallacious. Then as I finished reading the entire article it turned out to be cogent. It told both sides of the story, was reasonable, and had relevant information. The author of the article didn't take either side of the scared parents or the State Officials. It only presented the facts and the author Bill Hanna didn't give his own opinion. Therefore, this article is cogent.

Written Essay

Hope Solo and US Soccer VS Ray Rice and the NFL

There has been a trend recently of NFL players being accused of domestic violence, most recent was Ray Rice. The NFL has held Rice accountable for his disgraceful actions towards his wife when he knocked her unconscious in an elevator after an argument. Originally, the NFL only suspended Rice for two games. Then a video of the altercation was given to the NFL to view and once they saw video evidence of the assault a harsher punishment of being suspended indefinitely from the NFL was given. While some may say his punishment is too harsh, others will call it a slap on the wrist. By giving Rice this harsher punishment the NFL is using him as an example to other players on what will happen if they have the same kind of behavior. It shows that the NFL is ready to make changes and stand against domestic abuse violations. US Soccer should take note of how the NFL is using Ray Rice as an example and punish Hope Solo accordingly for her actions of domestic violence against her sister and nephew.

 
On June 21st Hope Solo was in an altercation with her half sister and nephew at her sister's house. Solo showed up intoxicated, looking for a ride to the airport. After several insults were thrown back and forth between Solo and her nephew, her nephew asked her to leave the home. When Solo refused to leave, her nephew threw out one last insult at Solo before she charged and punched her seventeen year old nephew. Solo then punched her sister who was trying to intervene. According to the arrest affidavit, in an effort to stop Solo from assaulting his mother the nephew broke a broomstick over Solo's head. When the broomstick didn't stop Solo, her nephew then got a broken BB gun, pointed it at Solo and told her to leave.

An unidentified man who is a neighbor of Hope Solo's sister, called 911 and cops showed up before Solo left the house. According to the 911 call obtained by TMZ the caller said, "Hope Solo is going psychotic... she's f***ing beating people up. We need help!” When police arrived they found Solo's nephew bleeding from one ear, his jaw, and a reddened nose. Her Sister’s jaw was swelling. Officers found no apparent injuries on Solo and she refused to let them search her for injuries. Solo denied hitting or assaulting anyone. She pleaded not guilty when domestic violence charges were filed against her. The 911 call is evidence enough to show she was at least partly to blame for the altercation.

 
US Soccer has not punished or reprimanded Solo in any way. In fact, they have been praising her hard work and success in recent weeks after the charges were filed. The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) sent out an email to numerous media outlets with the subject line, Goalkeeper Hope Solo On Verge of Breaking USWNT All-time Shutout Record. Attached was a full page of statistics and facts from Solo’s fourteen year international career. Solo was even given the team captain’s arm-band when the US team played against Mexico. USA Today sports writer Christine Brennan wrote, "This is not the time for US Soccer to be celebrating Hope Solo and her achievements. It is a time for Solo to be dealing with her personal and legal issues far away from the soccer field." Brennan wrote the USWNT in disgust asking why Solo was being celebrated. The spokesperson for USWNT responded by saying, ‘Solo had an opportunity to set a significant record that speaks of her hard work and dedication with the National Team. While considering all factors involved, we believe we should recognize that in the proper way’. Yes, it does speak volumes about Hope Solo as a soccer player, but what is this statement saying about the US Soccer Team that is very well known around the world? The fact that US Soccer is supporting Solo in her actions is telling the world that they are condoning domestic violence. There are millions of little girls in the United States and around the world that admire and look up to Hope Solo as a role model. These girls need to know that Solo’s actions are not okay. 

 
For those that think Ray Rice got a slap on the wrist, he still got a lot more punishment than Hope Solo has seen. If Rice had not have knocked his girlfriend at the time, now wife, unconscious in an elevator then Hope Solo’s domestic violence case would still be in the shadows and never would have fully come to light. The NFL took action and has removed several players from their rosters because of domestic abuse. The NFL has set a standard, and used players such as Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Jonathan Dwyer and Greg Hardy as examples of what punishment will be for this kind of behavior, and what is expected of their players. They found the courage to act regardless of the negative impact it could have on the NFL. If the NFL had tried to hide these domestic abuse cases, the truth would have eventually been found out, making things worse for the NFL, which is now what is happening to the US Women’s Soccer team. 

The USWNT is an organization that has been used to empower and inspire women for the last two decades. Some may say that Hope Solo is innocent until proven guilty, but US Soccer needs to find the courage to punish Solo before the outcome of her upcoming trial scheduled for November 4. Christine Brennan wrote, it is a privilege, not a right, to represent the United States on the international sports stage. The US Soccer Team needs to follow the standard set by the NFL and revoke Solo’s privilege to play for the USWNT until she seeks help and the matter is resolved.

Essay Outline

Hope Solo and U.S. Soccer vs. Ray Rice and the NFL

I. Introduction

     There has been a trend recently of NFL players being accused of domestic violence, specifically Ray Rice. The NFL has held Rice accountable for his actions. Some may say his punishment of being suspended indefinitely from the NFL is to harsh, while others may say it is a slap on the wrist. 

     A. Originally NFL only suspended Rice for two games

          1. Once they saw video evidence of abuse they gave a harsher punishment

          2. Used Rice as an example

     B. NFL has shown they are ready to make changes and take a stance on domestic abuse violations.

     C. US Soccer should take note of how the NFL is using Ray Rice as an example and punish Hope Solo             accordingly for her actions of domestic violence against her sister and nephew.

II. On June 21st Hope Solo was in an altercation with her half sister and nephew at her sister's house.

     A. Solo showed up intoxicated (the altercation)

          1. After several insults were thrown back and forth between Solo and her nephew, he told her to                         leave the home.

               a. When solo refused to leave, her nephew threw out one last insult at Solo before she charged                            and punched her seventeen year old nephew.

               b. Solo then punched her sister who was trying to intervene.

               c. According to the arrest affidavit,in an effort to stop Solo from assaulting his mother the nephew                      broke a broom stick over Solo's head. 

               d. When the broom stick didn't stop Solo, her nephew then got a broken BB gun, pointed it at                            Solo and told her to leave.

     

     B. Unidentified man who is a neighbor of Hope Solo's sister called 911 and cops showed up before Solo          left the house. (Evidence)

          

          1. According to the 911 call obtained by TMZ the caller said, "Hope Solo is going psychotic... she's                 f***ing beating people up. We need help!"

          2. When police arrived they found Solo's nephew bleeding from one ear, his jaw, and a                                     reddened nose.

               a. Sisters jaw was swelling

               b. Officers found no apparent injuries on Solo and she refused to let them search her for injuries.

          3. Solo denied hitting/assaulting anyone.

               a. She plead not guilty when domestic violence charges were filed against her.

          4. 911 tape as evidence

     C. US Soccer hasn't punished/reprimanded Solo in any way. In fact they have been praising her hard                work and success in recent weeks after the charges were filed.

          1. US WNT sent email with subject line, Goalkeeper Hope Solo on verge of breaking US WNT                       All-time shutout record.

          2. Page full of stats/facts from Solo's 14 year Int. career.

          3. Solo was given the captain's arm-band when the US team played against Mexico.

          4. USA Today sports writer Christine Brennan wrote, "This is not the time for US Soccer to be                         celebrating Hope Solo and her achievements. It is a time for Solo to be dealing with her personal                   and legal issues far away from the soccer field." 

               a. Brennan wrote the US Women's National team in disgust asking why Solo was being                                   celebrated. 

                    i. Spokesperson for US WNT responded by saying, Solo had an opportunity to set a                                     significant record that speaks of her hard work and dedication with the National Team. While                       considering all factors involved, we believe we should recognize that in the proper way.

               b. Yes, it does speak volumes about her as a soccer player, but what does it say about her as a                        person? What does it say about the US team that is supporting instead of reprimanding her?                          What does it say to all the little girls' that look up to Hope Solo as a soccer player and person?

     D. Some may argue innocent until proven guilty.

Transition sentence

III. Conclusion

     A. For those that think Ray Rice got a slap on the wrist, he still got a lot more punishment than Solo has            seen.

     B. If it weren't for Rice knocking his wife unconscious in an elevator then the Hope Solo domestic                    violence case would never have come to light. 

     C. NFL took action and has removed several players from their rosters because of domestic abuse.

               1. NFL has set a standard, used players such as Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Jonathan Dwyer and                   Greg Hardy as examples of what punishment will be and what is expected of their players. 

                    

                    a. Found the courage to act regardless of negative impact it could have on the NFL

     D. US WNT is an organization that has been used to empower and inspire women over the last two                  decades.

          

               1. US Soccer needs to find the courage to punish Solo before the outcome of the upcoming trial                       scheduled for Nov. 4.

               2. It is a privilege, not a right, to represent the United States on the international sports stage, said                     Brennan.

                    a. Hope Solo's privilege to play for US Soccer should be revoked until she seeks help.