Under-Reported Issues . . . As We Have Found Them!
1. “A secretive appeals court
ruled that the US government has the right to use expanded powers to wiretap terrorism suspects, under a law adopted
after the Sept 11th attacks.”
This act, passed in October, was called the USA Patriot Act.
Basically, the government has been
given the authority to use electronic surveillance, wiretaps, searches, and can
sharing of information against individuals that are deemed “potential”
terrorists. The argument against this
ruling is that it violates the Fourth Amendment (protects against unreasonable
searches and seizures) and it could invariably be abused. The judges stated that though it is a close
call, the “surveillances it authorizes, are
reasonable”. And the crazy thing is, the
only way the amendment can be appealed, is if the government does the appealing… now that’s some fine print.
The article can be
viewed at:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=1762251
Laura Anderson
2. Recently I watched a video on
domestic violence against women, and
I believe that is one issue that is very under reported and overlooked.
As a social work major, I have learned that for women who suffer from domestice violence, the intervention they receive focuses
on how to deal with the family, or keeping the family together. They
don't do anything to help the women learn how to get out of the cycle of
abuse. I think that there should be an intervention plan made to help the
woman learn to live on their own. But I think this is an under reported
issue, also because cops won't do anything to protect them if the guy is their
husband they tend to leave the situation alone and don't enforce the guy leave
or stay away.
I found a website that talked
about the barriers when struggle with and why they can't and don't leave their
abusive husbands. It is http://www.ncadv.org/problem/barriers.htm
-Melissa VanAusdal
3. What Would Jesus Drive? I found this web-site kind of
humorous, http://www.msnbc.com/news/839041.asp?0dm=N26PN#BODY.
The whole rising gas prices has sort of fallen out of the news since
before. It seems we've settled for higher prices, well in the media
anyways. One thing that is sad about this article is that the author
begins to use choice words to make sure any reader would know, he is not a christian. This is poor
journalism in my opinion. Never the less, its a
topic that the media world has all but forgotten. It also proves that the
Lord drove a Plymouth, which I like because I am a
Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth fan.
-Aaron Austin
4.
Under-reported Issues in America: Krissy Hoffman
An
important issue in America
that I find to be important is the lack
of computers and technology that
many poor school systems have. Many
of these school systems do not have the funds or the types of programs they
need in order to establish a solid education through the use of
technology. The federal government has
made an attempt to resolve this issue, but it has not really gotten far. The web source that I found says, “Technology
is a tool that gives everyone an equal chance to learn.” The students that attend these
underprivileged schools are not even given the opportunity for a good
education. Much of the financing of schools is through the taxing system, such
as property taxes. However, poor
communities obviously cannot acquire a large amount of funds. Plus, the school systems have other finances
to deal with, such as textbooks and other equipment. I think this is a very serious problem,
because many are wondering why many kids are growing up without very decent
educations and a lack of knowledge of technology. There are other schools that have huge
budgets for technology. I understand
that the finances are mostly received from the community, but these poorer
communities need some sort of assistance from some other source. Something needs to be done early on, when
kids are getting their primary educations.
“Policy
Issues in Using Technology For Engaged Learning”
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/edtalk/policyis.htm
5. I feel that one of the most
unreported issues in America is stem
cell research. I knew that this was a new development that has been
taking place in our world but I had forgotten how important it was until last
Thursday when I came to class. These stem cells may be able to cure
Parkinson's Disease or Alzheimer's. It may also
give paralyzed people the ability to walk again. Without funding from the
government stem cell research can not happen. The controversy is that the
cells that can be used most efficiently come from aborted fetuses.
http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/scireport.htm
Stephanie Rush
6. These
are some web site about the problem that I feel should be discussed more.
People talk about eating disorders without realizing that overeating is the problem too. America gets bigger and bigger all the
time.
http://planet.wwu.edu/spring02/spring02_supersize.htm
http://www.raderprograms.com/googleindex.htm
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn010605.html
Galina Terbova
7.
The effective wildlife management tool
of trapping
Fur trapping is part of America’s
heritage and past, and is being threatened. Some states have outlawed this valuable
wildlife tool, and are suffering the consequences of over population, disease,
and animal nuisance. It is important to preserve this pastime for future
generations, as well as managing wildlife in the United
States. This issue is underreported mainly
because the public is not truthfully informed. Many animal activist groups have
a strong voice, with only partial truth, and that voice is broadcast.
A link for further insight:
http://www.nationaltrappers.com/Facts.html
David McMillen
8. It is getting harder to afford a home in America! This is what I feel is the most
under-reported issue in America. Owning a home is something that
I'm sure we would all like to be able to do in our lives, but as recent trends
show, it is becoming more and more difficult to afford newer homes. Lots
of people in the nation are having to turn to poor
living conditioin situations such as poor rentals or
apartments because of high taxes on housing, zoning policies, and the
types of homes being built are just not for the lower class
anymore. Back home in my Cleveland suburbs, I personally only see
homes that are very expensive and "upper-class" being built in
neighborhoods. These are large homes that do not seem to take into
account the average income of Americans. I believe we need newer homes
that are smaller such as those built decades ago. Trying to afford these
new homes can cause bad credit, unpaid loans, and even homelessness. I
believe the housing industry in America needs to pay more attention to the
reality of consumer's spending abilities, and less on the few choices they are
giving potential homeowners. Incomes have increased, but housing costs
have increased even more.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2002-05-20-housing-market.htm
Jon Lindow
9. I was
thinking about the issues to send you and I thought that the abuse of alcohol and illegal substances
would be an interesting one. This problem could be applied to almost any group
of people, but, as a student, I am really worried about my pals at BC.
Hope you
will have a good Thanksgiving,
Yevgeniy
10.
An under-reported issue is the effects of distractions
inside a car while driving. Distractions include, but are not limited to
cell phone use, eating, changing CDs, and smoking. This issue is important
because drivers not paying attention to the road put everyone at risk of an
accident. I believe this issue is under-reported because I have not heard/seen
any media give attention to it without digging for coverage.
http://bulktransporter.com/ar/transportation_distracted_driving_needs/
Tony
Boenker
11. I think the most under-reported issue in
America is overwork. We have become a workaholic
society, meaning too much time is spent on the job and the stress being put on
people. I think many of the problems that are so common, such as anger, health
problems, and neglected children, are directly related to overwork. Work is
very important, but when it becomes the center of one's life and destracts from things like family, then it is too much. We
see all these problems around us, but you never really here that maybe it is
due to our workaholic society.
Here is the link to the web site: http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/05/16/work.study/index.html
Brian Steiner
Supplemental Entries—Added 12/3/03, 11:30
a.m.
12. I nominate malnutrition
in the impoverished sector of American society for the most important
under-reported issue in America. Those close to or below the bread line are
prone to malnutrition due to the lack of funds for buying nutritious food, and
it is under reported because they are still getting food. It may be that the issue is believed resolved
if they have food, but it is
not. They need nutritious food.
Here is a link about the
issue:
http://www.kidscare.org/kidscare/fthpoverty.html
Jacob Goin
13.
Here are some websites for that extra credit thing for Issues. I decided to
find websites focusing on the rape of males, which doesn't get as much media
attention as the rape of females.
http://www.vix.com/men/abuse/abuse.html
http://www.callrape.com/malerape.html
Erin Renee Wahl
14. The CIA, CIA front companies, and the U.S.
Military are supporting
death killings in Mexico. Several officials in Mexico have been killed for
openly opposing the
government. The CIA has been covering up
the actions of
the Mexican government.
http://www.americanfreepress.net/Censored/15_02%20CIA%20Death%20Squad%20Continues.htm
Amy Parks
15. I think that America's Foreign Policy Relations
is frequently covered but just the positive aspects of it. The negative contribution such as funding rebel groups in countries in Africa that have led to several coups
in the continent are ignored. The failure of the US intervention in Somalia and Rwanda are covered partially but
the public just gets a glimpse of the whole picture. No one mentions the US troops in Saudi Arabia and their functions in that
region. The military training given by US institutions such as the School of
Americas (SOA)to Latin America soldiers and military
personnel who have assassinated political as well as religious leaders is
usually discovered after years of operations. In short, the media choose to avail
information to glorify the US rather than rebuke and
criticize some of the negative aspect of the government. The government is therefore protected from
criticism giving it the legitimacy to act in ways that would
otherwise not be legitimate if some
of its flaws were revealed. I have attached a webpage that gives more insight
to this issue below. The heading of the Paper is; The US Power Complex What's
New
http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/papers/02power/index.html
Mary Akuch
Riak
16. The issue that I think is an
important under-reported issue in America,
deals with environmental
racism. Companies buy land where
non-whites will
be living and then don't clean
up the land. Most companies figure that
these people will be too poor and
too uneducated to ever organize anything
against the company. The website I found is about a particular
case of what
could be environmental
racism. A neighborhood in Houston sued Chevron for a
lot of money a few years
back. Many people in the neighborhood
came down
with lupus, cancer, and many
different kinds of heart problems. The address
for this site is:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/july-dec97/racism_9-16.html
Sarah Parker