Should Woman Be Allowed To Be In Front Line Combat?

During the last two years of World War One (1917-1918) woman were allowed to serve in the military. 33,000 woman served as nurses and support staff and more than 400 died in the line of duty. They were not allowed in combat roles though. In 2013 the Sec. Defense under President Barack Obama changed the rules to allow woman in combat roles.

Some people think woman should be treated equally and be allowed in all areas of the military including direct combat. Other people think that woman can serve in the military but not on the front lines. Some of the countries that allow woman in combat are Australia, Zealand and the Philippines.

My option on the matter is that no matter what gender a person is they should be allowed to be in the military. I asked 9 other people in a non bias poll. Here are the results.


Sara    Yes
Mom   No
Ann    Yes
Joe     Yes
Michael    Yes
Abby   Yes
Dad    No
Me    Yes
Matt    No
Grandma   Yes

Should Burning of The American Flag Be Illegal or Not

The question of should you be able to burn the American flag has gone on for many years. Some states have passed laws to make it illegal to burn the flag. The federal government has also tried to outlaw the burning of the flag. There was a time that you couldn't use the flag on shirts, toys, advertisement etc. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the burning or desecration of the American flag is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

The people that it should be against the law see the flag as sacred and burning or desecrating of the flag is an action not speech.  Some members of Congress have tried to pass a Constitutional Amendment to protect the flag because feel that it is a symbol of are nations history and values. The law would never prevent people from "saying' anything about the flag they just not be able to disrespect it by burning.

The people that are against the law believe that the burning of the flag is a form of "expression". They believe that a "expression" is a form of speech which is protected by our Constitution. The Constitution protects all types of speech even if it is hurtful or mean.

The respectful way to dispose of a flag is with a specif ceremony and proper burning. This keeps the flag from being in the trash like it's trash. In my option to burn a flag in protest or to show you hate American is idiotic. There is no reason to burn a flag for protest. If you hate our country and you live in it, what's the point of staying in it than. I believe in "free speech" even if the speech is offensive.  I don't believe burning a flag is "speech" but it is an "action". A action is not protected by the First Amendment.

MLB Pace of Play Changes in 2015

These are the rule changes for the batters. Batters are going to have to stay in the box once they get there and be ready for pitchers to deliver a pitch shortly after entering the box. The batter must keep a least 1 foot in the batters box unless one of a group of exceptions occurs.

The pros of this rule change are that the length of  baseball games will be shorter and allow for faster game play. It will also keep the fans more involved in the game because the interaction between the pitcher and the batter will be faster and more exciting to watch. The cons of this rule change is that baseball is very deep in traditions and baseball purists do not like any changes to happen that will affect how a baseball game is played. Another con will be that batters step out of the box to regain there thoughts and concentrate on hitting the next pitch. By not allowing this to happen it may give an unfair advantage to the pitcher.

My opinion on this change is that I do not agree with it because it may give a unfair advantage to the pitcher and I believe that baseball rules should not affect the outcome of the game at all. Baseball games have always been a family outing that has never been concerned  about how long that you spend at a ball park. Baseball games are a fun and exciting environment and this change makes no sense in how it will improve  the game.

Why Common Core?

In 2010 Common Core standards were released by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The purpose of it was to have the same academic standard for education throughout the country. Before this the standards varied from state to state. They also wanted to make sure all students were academically ready for collage. The standards were also used to determined which schools would receive funding from President Obama's "Race to the Top" program. Each state decided to use the common core or not. So far 45 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core standards and testing.

The reason why people support Common Core is because the education system is long overdue for he overhaul. Also it's used for get students ready for college (as I said before) and the rapidly changing American job market and the high-tech information- based global economy. A few more reasons are to teach students how to problem solve, how to think critically. And it's designed as a tool to help students catch up with their counterparts in other countries. The reason why people don't support Common Core is because that the Federal Government is violating the states rights to set their school standards. People against Common Core think that the others know better what their school needs. Others believe Common Core is being use "to brain wash" students into a Liberal way of thinking. Some people say that Common Core does not have enough input from teachers and parents. Some people think there is too much pressure on a student and teachers to teach a test and not teach how each student needs to learn.

In my opinion Common Core is a waste of time. There isn't much a point to make a student be taught how to take a test than teaching students things they will have to know in the world. Some of the things in Common Core might teach some things that will have to be known for a job but I'm sure most jobs don't make you take a math test or read a story and fill in a bubble sheets to show what you learned in school. And from my own experience with the test it can make you very stressed over it.  And after that you don't get to see how good or bad you did which is idiotic in my opinion.