The Leak of Classified Military Information

          Bradley Manning, the GI responsible for leaking classified military documents, recently admitted to making a noose during his imprisonment in Kuwait, according to an expository article by Ben Nuckols and David Dishneau. In the article, Manning is quoted telling the jury that he “certainly made a noose, the sheet noose in particular”. After he was arrested in Kuwait, he felt the lowest he had ever felt, which is what provoked him to make the noose. Bradley said that he did not feel like hurting himself after he left Kuwait, but he was still treated as a suicide risk for eight days,and then upgraded to the prevention of injury status after he transferred to the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va. Nuckols and Dishneau explained that Manning's lawyers are now fighting to get all charges dropped against him for “illegal punishment” that lasted “past the time he was having suicidal thoughts”. The military defends that they were trying to protect Manning by taking his clothing and shackling him when he was outside of his cell. If he was capable of making a noose out of a sheet, he could just as easily make a noose out of his clothing.

          Like the leaks from Manning, the book No Easy Day, an account of the raid on Osama Bin Laden, tells classified information that contradicts the Obama administration's account, if the information provided by the author under the pseudonym Mark Owen is true. The article the New York Times ran about the book describes that Osama was “shot in the head when he peered out of his bedroom”, while the Obama administration told that the shot in the stairwell missed, and Bin Laden was not shot until they reached his bedroom. It should not make a difference to anyone whether he was shot in his room or looking out, but because of the administration's supposed lie, people feel scandalized. While the book and the leaks of information are severely different in many ways, some Americans' reactions are very similar. The military's actions are always with the purpose of protecting America and its citizens, and the citizens must remember that fact despite the leaked documents. 

Preventing a Tragedy

          A Missouri man planned to go on a killing spree at the premiere of Breaking Dawn Part 2 at his local theater in Bolivar, MO, as an article by Larry McShane explained. The homicidal Blaec Lammers purchased two assault riffles in preparation for his plot. Lammers, being treated for a mental illness, bought the two guns legally. The fact that he could get the guns so easily while having a mental illness is making some Americans begin to question if mentally ill citizens should be able to buy guns without any precautions taken for their safety. Lammers eventually decided to change the location of his murder spree to Walmart, where he could “break the glass where ammunition is being stored” after he shot his supply of 400 bullets. His mother,  thwarted his plans, an act of bravery, by telling the police when she discovered his purchases. Blaec had never shot a gun before, raising the suspicions of his mother.

          The plan of Blaec Lammers is horrifically similar to the tragedy of the Aurora, Colorado shooting during the Dark Knight Rises, the finale of the Batman trilogy. James Holmes killed 12 people and injured 58 more this summer. He also has a mental illness. James Holmes had no reason to kill the people he killed, and had no right to do what he did. Lammers had bought weapons similar to those Holmes used to attack the theater with. His mother saved a great number of people by speaking up against her son. She did the right thing. As America continues to face tragedies like this, the citizens must learn to embrace their bravery.

Shake It Out

           In Florence & the Machine's song “Shake It Out”, Florence Welch describes how regrets from the past are always at the back of one's mind, and affect the way a person thinks and makes decisions in the present. A person's past can be a burden, but a person learns from their mistakes and regrets.

In the first verse, Florence speaks of how “regrets collect like old friends,” and how they “relive your darkest moments.” That is true for many people. Thinking of regrets tends to bring up a whole cluster of regretful moments, not just one. Florence also talks about how she'd “like to keep some things to myself.” That is usually true about one who feels they have made mistakes in their life. If they see something they have done as a mistake, they usually think of it as a flaw they have in their judgment, and something they could be judged for by others.

          In the second verse, Florence compares her past to a horse that she is always dragging around behind her. This is a good comparison. A person's past is always in the back of their mind, affecting how they perceive things and how they make decisions. Things people have done to them in their past can lead them to be distrustful of others. However, past mistakes can also lead a person to become wiser, and give them better perspective about the choices they have, and the right decisions to make.

          Florence then tells how she is “gonna bury that horse in the ground.” Many people would like to bury their past. If the past was forgotten, people would feel as if nothing could hold them back from doing the things they wish. But eventually, a person would make mistake after mistake, without even realizing what they are doing is not the right thing. If a person did not have their past mistakes to learn from, they would not realize they needed to learn from the things they do.

          In the chorus, she sings “It's hard to dance with a devil on your back, so shake him off.” She is comparing our past to the “devil on your back.” In some circumstances, it is okay to shake the past off. It can be good to shake some things off and act without thinking of the past sometimes. But the past is always part of a person. No matter how much a person tries to forget mistakes and painful memories, the past can never truly be erased. 

http://www.metrolyrics.com/shake-it-out-lyrics-florence-and-the-machine.html

An Education

  Recently in a Pakistani town, a teenage girl was shot in the head and neck by the Taliban. Her name is Malala Yousufzai, and she was targeted because she supports education for girls. Education is something Americans take for granted, while others are willing to die for the right to an education.

Malala has been an activist for the right of education for years. She started writing a blog for the BBC network when she was just a seventh grader. In her blog she writes about her life in Swat Valley, and living under the Taliban rule. She also writes about the ban the Taliban put on girls going to school, while the boys were still allowed to go, and her views on it. She began to do interviews on print and on television, and is a chairperson of the District Child Assembly Swat. Malala even won Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize. The Taliban took her education away from her, and she wanted to share that with as many people she could.

Malala is a very brave girl who fought for the right to an education. Education is something that Americans are required to have, and something they don't think twice about. In fact, most teenagers in America only complain about school. To them, school is the last place they ever want to be. But to people in countries where school isn't an option to most, all they want is the chance to go to school. Many Americans waste their education, never paying attention or doing their work, and dropping out. The ones who do good in school get the chance to go to college, furthering their ability to do well in life. Most never realize how blessed they were to have the chance at an education.  

A Girl Worth Fighting For

          Everyone knows the plot of a Disney Princess movie. Girl meets boy, then girl falls in love with boy, and boy and girl live happily ever after once the villain has been defeated. One particular Disney movie has always fit into the “one of these things is not like the other” category. That movie would be Mulan.

          Mulan is the story of a brave Chinese girl living in the Han Dynasty. When the Huns invade China, the emperor commands that a man from each family must join the Chinese Military. Mulan's father is an elderly warrior, and the only man in the family. Seeing that her father will surely die if he goes to war, Mulan takes matters into her own hands and leaves her family in the middle of the night to pose as a young man to take the place of her father, despite knowing that if she is caught she will be killed. After a rough start at the military training camp where she is, Mulan eventually flourishes into a skilled warrior along with her other soldiers. As she trains under the instruction of Captain Li Shang, she begins to to fall in love with him. The group is ambushed by the Huns, and Mulan gets stabbed. Her secret of being a woman is discovered as they treat her wound. Since Mulan saved Li Shang, he spares her life, but leaves her in the snowy mountains where they thought they defeated the Huns. Mulan watches the Huns reassemble out of the snow, and rushes to the city where the emperor lives, and where the Huns plan to attack. In the end, Mulan saves all of China by fighting the Hun leader, and is rewarded greatly.

          Mulan is unlike any other Disney character because she isn't just a princess who falls in love with the handsome prince. Mulan has courage, strength, and bravery not seen in any other character. Mulan is a character that is a great role model for young girls, and a character that should inspire not just girls, but everyone, to always follow their heart. Mulan is selfless in that she'd rather risk her own life than that of someone else. Mulan never second guesses her decisions, because every time she believes she is doing the right thing. Through her courage, strength, and bravery, Mulan proves that she is a “Girl Worth Fighting For.” 

Secrets Should Stay Secrets..?

Thousands of people are uploading videos of their deepest secrets to Youtube, a trend that they say “makes them stronger.” While the experience is freeing to them, it might not be the best way to deal with all of their problems. People on the Internet are cruel and like to hurt and tear others down with what they say. The cruel people are drawn to the “Secrets” videos like a shark is drawn to blood, and attack just as a shark does. 

The people who upload these videos are not seeking attention. There is usually a greater purpose to their videos. Kait, for example, shares the story of her mother's suicide. As the video goes on, she encourages anybody who is having suicidal thoughts, or knows someone who is, to get help, She says, “Get help for me, for my mom.” Kait had to deal with mean people saying she was just wanting attention after posting her video. Ben Breedlove, a teen with an adorable smile, shares his struggle with the heart disease HCM. He has cheated death multiple times, and shares about what each experience was like, how he had a pacemaker put in at the age of 14, and how he has never been able to play sports with his friends. He teaches everyone to love life and be proud of themselves and all that they have accomplished.

While they all say that posting those videos was good for them, it might not be good for others. A person might think that posting their deepest issues will fix them, but that isn't a good way to think of it. That person has to be prepared for the world having access to it, for the mean people and what they will say, and for the affect it might have in the future.

Bio-Poem

Peighton

funny, nice, smart, and positive

Related to Teri Taylor (mommy)

Lover of Mexican food, reading, and Jesus

Who feels Pandora should allow more than five skips, Jenna Marbles should get her own TV show, and the Olympics should be every year

Who needs Mexican food, books, and Jesus

Who fears never making a difference in someone's life, 

dying alone, and never leaving Batesville

Who gives advice, love, and opinions

Who would like to see the world, a female president, and a shooting star

Resident of a small town in the South

Taylor