Queers :: essays research papers

In this age of liberation and relative morality it is no surprise that homosexuals have tried very hard to gain ground in the way of civil rights. Homosexuals say they want equal rights, and they want homosexual-marriages to be legalized. However, what they are asking for is not reasonable. They are humans; and therefore they already have the same rights as every other human living in America. What homosexuals want are special privileges and the acceptance of homosexuality as a natural alternative lifestyle, second, marriage is already clearly defined, and third because homosexuals already have the same rights, they want special privileges, and since homosexuality is not an innate quality they don’t deserve them. People who have been misinformed about what the homosexual agenda is think that homosexual marriage is natural and that it should be legalized. I however, am opposed to this because homosexuality is not a natural alternative lifestyle. First let’s define homose xuality. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, homosexuality is â€Å"having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex.† Men and women are obviously biologically different. â€Å"People of the same sex having intercourse goes against what is biologically natural† (Baird 114). Part of the homosexual agenda is to make people believe that homosexuals are the same as heterosexuals when it comes to engaging in sexual behavior. This is absolutely not true. In Michelangelo Signorile’s book Cassel’s Rawlings 2 Queer Companion, a dictionary of lesbian and gay life and culture, he describes some of the sexual activities that homosexuals practice. These includes â€Å"fisting, when one partner shoves his whole hand up the anus of the other partner† (Signorile 96). In the essay Homosexual Rights: What’s Wrong, written by Brad Hayton and John Eldrege, they stated that â€Å"The U.S. taxpayer-funded Mapplethorpe photos. . . portraying typi cal homosexual behavior: fisting, urinating into anothers mouth, and andomasochism. The average homosexual has 10-106 different partners per year--300-500 in a life time† (Hayton 2). How can this be compared to heterosexual intercourse? How is this natural? It isn’t; this type of sexual behavior- even if it were practiced by heterosexuals- cannot be considered natural, in fact there are many states that have anti-sodomy laws though not enforced. As part of their agenda homosexuals not only want these things to be accepted and protected by the government, they also want them to be taught in public school as part of the sex education curriculum.

Barron V Baltimore

Among the original decisions handed down by the United States Supreme Court, some gave limitations to the power of the Federal government, others expanded upon the rights of the Federal government, and still others differentiated between the powers granted to the Federal government versus the powers granted to the individual states.It is among this final group that the decision in Barron v.  Baltimore belongs, as it was a decisive moment for the court to very clearly comment on the separation of regulations reserved for the states as well as the regulations more appropriately assigned the Federal government. Decided in 1833, the decision is far-reaching and continues to impact American law and society in the present day.Although the decision in Barron v. Baltimore impacts primarily the Fifth Amendment, the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment expands on both the interpretation of the Fifth Amendment as well as the holding in Barron v.Baltimore. The major player in this case, John Ba rron, was a wharf owner in the state of Maryland. Barron enjoyed a profitable enterprise utilizing the deepest waters on the coast of Baltimore, until activities by the city began to impact his business. In 1815, Barron alleged that the City of Baltimore â€Å"diverted the flow of streams while engaging in street construction†, creating â€Å"mounds of sand and earth near his wharf, making the water too shallow for most vessels†.(Wikipedia, 2007) Because it was the activities of the city of Baltimore that impacted his trade and not natural erosion, Barron felt legally wrong and brought suit against the city seeking damages for loss of business due to his ships not being able to flow freely into and out of his wharf due to decreased depth of water. The City of Baltimore disagreed with the allegations of John Barron, and instead stated in court that they were simply conducting the activities necessary to maintain their city as was their right.According to the first volum e of the American Law Encyclopedia, Baltimore, as a city, was modernizing in 1815, and their updates included â€Å"building embankments, grading roads, and paving streets†. (American Law Encyclopedia, 2007) Because those modernization activities included diverting small waterways, and because a series of natural rainstorms filled those diverted waterways with dirt, the flow of water led to the buildup of silt at the emptying location of the waterways, which was the wharf owned by John Barron.A local court, upon hearing the case, found that Barron had indeed been wronged by the City of Baltimore, and awarded damages in the amount of $4500, to compensate for business lost. The City of Baltimore was greatly displeased by this decision, in that it indicated that they had purposefully taken use of the land (water) owned by Barron and used without compensation, when, in fact, the filling of his wharf with silt was an unfortunate by product of modernization activities being conduct ed inland.Upon appeal, â€Å"a Maryland appellate court reversed† and thus the pendulum swung back to Barron to move the case forward. (American Law Encyclopedia, 2007) Barron did so by appealing to the United States Supreme Court, who heard the case on a writ of error. The decision handed down by the United States Supreme Court in the case of Barron v. Baltimore represented one of the first occasions of review for the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. According to the website entitled Common Sense Americanism, â€Å"the primary question before the Court was whether the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution could be made to apply to the states†. When written and ratified shortly after the Constitution was itself written and ratified, the Amendments were widely understood to apply to the Federal government and its actions and reach, as the actions and reach of the State governments were provided for by the Tenth Amendment as well as state legislation . However, in the case of Barron v. Baltimore, Barron sought to have the Fifth Amendment cross applied to have a local entity held accountable to the same standards.The portion of the Fifth Amendment so highly relevant to this case states â€Å"nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation†. (U. S. Const. , Amend. V) The decision by the local court clearly thought that by assigning compensation, the Fifth Amendment was thereby satisfied; the state court disagreed in stating that the Fifth Amendment did not apply. The United States Supreme Court held simply that â€Å"Barron had no claim against the state under the Bill of Rights because the Bill of Rights does not apply to the states†.(McBride, 2006) The rationale used by the court in coming to this blunt conclusion was explained by McBride, saying that the tenants of the Constitution applied only to the government the Constitution creates – that is, the Federal government. Becaus e state governments had been afforded the right to create individual state Constitutions, they need instead be held to the standards created within those documents. In a decision written by Chief Justice Marshall, the case is dismissed for want of jurisdiction, because the same limitations and responsibilities assigned the Federal Government are â€Å"not applicable to the legislation of the States†.(Barron v. Baltimore, 1833) The holding of Barron v. Baltimore remains applicable to the present day because of the precedent set in separating the responsibilities of the state and Federal governments. In McCulloch v. Maryland, the precedent set limited the ability of a state government to impose restrictions on the Federal government. In Gibbons v. Ogden, the precedent set limited the role played by state governments in interstate commerce, reserving those powers instead to the Federal government. But in Barron v.Baltimore, a decision written by the same Chief Justice as the two prior cases, the precedent seemed to differ, in that instead of imposing a Federal standard and Federal actions upon local communities, the Court instead distinguished between state and Federal powers and stated that the actions of a local entity could not be held to the same standards set for a Federal entity. Thirty-five years after the decision rendered in Barron v. Baltimore, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed.The first provision of this amendment very closely mimicked the Fifth Amendment, but notably leaving off the final wording regarding compensation for use of land. Whereas the Fifth Amendment states â€Å"no person shall†¦be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation†, the Fourteenth Amendment states â€Å"No State shall†¦deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any perso n within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws†. So while the holding in Barron v.Baltimore eventually influenced the creation of the Fourteenth Amendment, compensation for the use of land is notably left silent. Despite that, the long-lasting legacy of Barron v. Baltimore is that despite an initial holding of the inapplicability of Federal regulations on state or local entities, it lead to the laying of groundwork for currently followed precedents that the states are now held to similar standards as the Federal government, due to the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment. References Barron v. Baltimore. 32 U. S. 243 (1833). Barron v. Baltimore. (2007). American Law Encyclopedia, Vol 1.Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://law. jrank. org/pages/4681/Barron-v-Baltimore. html. Barron v. Baltimore. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 30, 2007, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Barron_v. _Baltimore. Common Sense Americanism. (2007). Barron v. City of Baltimore. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://www. csamerican. com/SC. asp? r=32+U. S. +243. McBride, A. (2006). The Supreme Court The First Hundred Years Landmark Cases Barron v. Baltimore. Retrieved March 30, 2007 from http://www. pbs. org/wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/landmark_barron. html. U. S. Const. , Amend. V. U. S. Const. , Amend. XIV.

I Am Proud For Honors - 1061 Words

They call me Anna Lina Bordner and I am 12 years of age. On November 30, 2003 at 11:27 pm, I was born. in Durango, Colorado. Since that time, I have grown and I have experienced tons, and lived through experiences that I am proud of, along with as events that I am not proud of. Throughout those 12 years I have experienced a large number of successes. For example, one of my best successes is qualifying for honors. In 6th grade I was not in honors, and I decided to be concentrated on my work so I can qualify for an honors class. I did this, because education is important to me and so is success. After that, I learned, an individual can not go anywhere in life unless a person jumps out of their comfort zone. Another success is that I have is I played basketball for a couple of years on a recreational team and I am now decent at it. If I try, and work on basketball, I can improve my skills. Wrapping up from my successes, I have loads of hobbies. The mountains are like my home, I love going outdoors. I am a mountain girl and I love hiking and camping. I am also serious about school and I consider it one of my hobbies. I prioritize school, and I am super passionate about reading and therefore, and I love diving into long, interesting books, and reading every night when I arrive home. Receiving fair grades makes me joyful, as well as knowing I tried my best. My final hobby that I love to hang out with all of my friends and family. I am a social person who has a great deal ofShow MoreRelatedIs The Constant Struggle Of Life?1662 Words   |  7 Pagestheir opportunities, I have realized, I don’ want to be that person that stays up all night thinking where I would be if I had only taken the risk. The path is never going to be easy, but the reward would be mesmerizing. Being in Honors English 1 has been an opportunity that not even my hard work can redeem my debt. 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