Florida at center of Supreme Court ban on juvenile life sentences:Carol Marbin Miller

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/17/v-fullstory/1634373/florida-a-focus-of-a-ban-on-juvenile.html

The state of Florida has been the center of attention for the U.S. Supreme Court recently. The high court just banned "the sentencing of teenagers to life without parole for crimes other than murder" this past Monday (Miller). The decision to change the law was due to the court deciding that jailing a juvenile for life when they did not commit murder is cruel and unusual punishment. The Supreme Court and some others believe that the ruling is fair because some teens did not grow fully mature until they are adults therefore should not be punished with a sentence that is not proportionate with the intensity of the crime. The judicial system in Florida believes that some teenagers who commit crimes other than murder should still be put in jail for life. This is not very often that a state hands out a life sentence with no parole to a teenager who did not commit a crime. "Judges in only 10 states have ever imposed such a sentence---and in three states, only once" (Annino qtd. in Miller).

The author's opinion in the paper is effectively supported with data from Florida State University professors, attorney's opinions, and Supreme Court justices. The data from FSU shows how cruel punishment for non-homicidal crimes against teenagers were very prevalent compared to many other states. Information from attorneys show that even with their knowledge of the law, it was clear that some of the life sentences were not fair compared to the intensity of the crime. To show how the author's opinion was supported, Miller used quotes from Supreme Court justices that agreed with her opinion to ban life sentences handed to teenagers that committed a non-homicidal crime. With quotes from the Supreme Court backing the author's case, it is very clear that this article is persuasive and sends the message to the reader clearly.

This article angered me that young teenagers that did not have mature mindsets at such a young age were thrown in jail for such a long time for committing a crime less than murder. A young man named Joe Sullivan was convicted of rape at the age of 13 and was sentenced to life without parole! This is not a fair sentence to a boy who was in the middle of his adolescence and would not know the complete seriousness of raping another individual. This just isn't fair, at the age of 13 I still thought girls had "cooties" so tell me how this young boy knew exactly what he was doing to the individual and know the severe consequences. I think this issue was very interesting and quite controversial because not many people that have committed non-homicidal crimes at any age should be given a life sentence! The evidence that was jammed in the article only shows how strong and opinionated this case was, which makes it very interesting for readers.

Racism in America

This image is just what is wrong with Americans in the present and from the past! The Caucasian race in America has always been very close-minded and racist without ever giving anyone a shot to show what they can do. This picture of this white woman from the 1950s shows a woman counting out EVERY Japanese- American, and discriminating against ALL without even knowing them. The woman is labeling the neighborhood as a white man's neighborhood and she isn't even a man. This goes to show that she doesn't care if she's still being mistreated by the white men but as long as there aren't any Japanese people in the neighborhood, she is happy.

There are no two sides to this picture. There are many races that are also indirectly affected by this photo. Along with the Japanese fearing for their lives other races such as the African-American, Jewish, Chinese, etc are also terrified and offended by this crude photo. The white side of this photo believes it is good to scare the other people and automatically label them as bad people. While all the other races are offended and upset because it goes to show that even with the help of all these races in creating America the powerhouse of the world, these rude people still don't give them the respect these races deserve.

This photo is very effective in scaring off the Japanese as well as other races. The Japanese were scared to live in that neighborhood because of the threat of death or mistreatment by the other racist white people in the neighborhood. The other races were also terrified because it is obvious that the woman in the photo has no respect for any race other than the white race. It is also effective because in the bottom it helps show that racist people do racist acts to offend and scare others.

This photo crossed the line for labeling ALL Japanese people as terrorists and bad people. It is not fair to those innocent Japanese that just want to live a happy peaceful life and stay out of trouble. With racist white people like this woman, it is very hard to live a peaceful life and stay out of trouble with racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, that terrorize minorities all over the world. Many Japanese people helped America expand westward and helped establish new towns and cities to help America grow and prosper. That is why this photo is controversial and ignorant!