Mandatory Minimums Judge's Power

In the article "How Mandatory Are Mandatory Minimums? How Judges Can Avoid Imposing Mandatory Minimum Sentences" Nathan Greenblatt asserts how judges twist mandatory sentences to fit their own private agenda. Greenblatt starts by giving an overview of mandatory minimum sentencing and how they play in the role of actual sentencing and continues on to discuss a judge's, jury's, and prosecutor's power. This article was intended for any individual wanting to learn more about mandatory minimum sentencing and how it effects the court room.

Making the Crime Fit the Penalty Precis

In the article "Making the Crime Fit the Penalty: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion under Mandatory Minimum Sentencing" David Bjerk suggests that not enforcing the mandatory minimum sentencing effects the laws greatly. Bjerk continues in his article by saying that prosecutors use previous cases that received less harsh punishments in order to help there client receive a lesser sentence for there crime. This article was meant for anyone interested in learning how the prosecution uses the flexibility of mandatory minimum sentencing to their advantage. 

Sentencing Sex Crimes Rhetorical Precis

In the article "Sentencing Sex Crimes Against Children: an Empirical and Policy Analysis"(2000) Roger J. R. Levesque, J.D., Ph.D. discussed a study that included the sentencing outcomes of 387 sex crimes against children. Dr.Levesque asserted that these crimes are handled just like any other crime. He also looks at it from a political standpoint; in society's eyes these are some of the most heinous crimes and we (as the people) expect hard punishment, especially the victims' families. This study is for any audience wanting to learn about sex crimes against children and the author offers suggestions for further research.

Ch.13

In Chapter 13 of "Good Reasons Researching and Writing Effective Arguments" Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer state that there are four components to a proposal argument; identifying and defining the problem, stating a proposed solution, convincing readers that the proposed solution is fair and will work and demonstrating that the solution is feasible. The authors support these claims by giving examples and going into detail of each component. The authors say that this way will make it funner for the writers and will make them want to actually participate in writing. Both authors are enthusiastic about the topic and seem to want to help the students by providing them with these various steps. This chapter was directed for anyone wanting to become a better writer and also for teachers so that they can keep students more intrigued with writing. 

Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Brailey, Kevin., et al. "PTSD Symptoms, Life Events, and Unit Cohesion in U.S. Soldiers: Baseline  Findings from the Neurocognition Deployment Health Study." Journal of Traumatic Stress, Vol.   20, No. 4, (August 2007): 495–503. Web. 05 Feb. 2013

The authors of this article present their results of an experiment they conducted to reveal possible reasons soldiers are more susceptible to post traumatic stress disorder. The article will provide my paper with statistics on what can make soldiers have post traumatic stress disorder.

Glasch, Mike A. "Battling PTSD." (2007):1-5. Web. 05 Feb. 2013.

Mike Glasch explores the story of a soldier suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. This article provides my paper with a sentimental and more personal side to post traumatic stress disorder and furnishes the illness as a reality.

Satel, Sally "PTSD's Diagnostic Trap." Policy Review 165 (Feb/Mar 2011): 41-53. Web. 05 Feb. 2013

Sally Satel provided a clear definition and argument on the parameters of post traumatic stress disorder diagnosis and how it needs to be changed. This article will add to the argument of my paper because of the diagnosis needing to be altered in order to help our returning soldiers.

Harmon, S. C., et al. "Post Deployment Mental Health Screening: An Application of the Soldier Adaptation Model." Military Medicine, 177. (2012): 366-373. Web. Feb 05. 2013

The authors of this article argue that having soldiers undergo a mental health screening before they deploy to war zones will help minimize post traumatic stress disorder in returning soldiers and also raise warning flags for soldiers before they even undergo deployment and the stress that may occur overseas. This article supports my paper because it provides a possible solution to decrease post traumatic stress disorder.

Searcy, Cristina P., et al. "Pharmacological Prevenion of Combat-Related PTSD: A Literature Review."  Military Medicine Vol 177 (2012): 649-54. Web. 05 Feb. 2013

The authors of this article support involving a pharmacological aspect into the prevention and/or treatment of post traumatic stress disorder in the military by including studies and facts they gathered throughout their research. This article will provide my paper with another alternative solution to fix/prevent post traumatic stress disorder in our returning military personnel.

Postdeployment Mental Health Screening

In the article "Postdeployment Mental Health Screening: An Application of the Soldier Adaptation Model" (20120 various authors suggest the idea of mental health screenings before soldiers are deployed to areas of war. The authors generated research and results and showed them through the text. They provided the audience with a rough version of the screening and helped them understand the importance of having a test like this down. This article was intended for individuals in the health field, especially those with a focus on treatment of PTSD.

REFERENCE

Harmon, S. C., et al. "Postdeployment Mental Health Screening: An Application of the Soldier Adaptation Model." Military Medicine, 177. (2012): 366-373. Web. Feb 05. 2013

http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=32f8eae3-58c1-46ef-8218-9768ba6f37b8%40sessionmgr104&vid=2&hid=124

PTSD Symptoms Study

In the article "PTSD Symptoms, Life Events, and Unit Cohesion in U.S. Soldiers: Baseline Findings From the Neurocognition Deployment Health Study" (2007) Kevin Brailey and numerous other authors interpret the information they gathered from the Neurocognnition Deployment Health Study. The authors' support their claims of the effectors of PTSD through the graphs and information they provide the reader. The article starts with background information and then includes the study itself including the participants, methods, and data collected. This article was intended for anyone wanting to know what can make soldiers more 
susceptible to PTSD.



REFERENCE

Brailey, Kevin., et al. "PTSD Symptoms, Life Events, and Unit Cohesion in U.S. Soldiers: Baseline Findings From the Neurocognition Deployment Health Study" Journal of Traumatic Stress, Vol. 20, No. 4, (August 2007): 495–503. Web. 05 Feb. 2013


http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=07111314-45c5-4ce2-8029-60796585727f%40sessionmgr110&vid=2&hid=124

PTSD's Diagnostic Trap

Sally Satel, a psychiatrist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, comprised her article "PTSD's Diagnostic Trap" (2011) of definitions, information, and evidence that provided the reader with a full comprehension of PTSD and how it affects our military personnel, even after serving. Satel's article starts off with the plain definition of PTSD and leads to how to deal with the situation both medically and financially. Satel discusses how some cases of PTSD are misdiagnosed because some medical professionals are using "outdated" parameters for the diagnosis. Using historical facts Satel shows the reader how the diagnosis of PTSD has developed over the years and how labeling a soldier as "disabled" slows down the healing process even more. Satel's article was intended for an adult audience including those who suffer from PTSD, medical professionals involved with the field, and military personnel.

REFERENCE

Satel, Sally "PTSD's Diagnostic Trap" Policy Review 165 (Feb/Mar 2011): 41-53. Web. 05 Feb. 2013 

http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=57859c41-6a20-465b-8014-96877ec606e2%40sessionmgr104&vid=2&hid=124

Pharmacology-PTSD

The various authors of the article "Pharmacological Prevenion of Combat-Related PTSD: A Literature Review" (2012) assert the possibility of using pharmacological information to prevent PTSD in the military. The article is comprised of the authors' review of many different articles and include some of their own information. The information included studies and facts that supported the authors' point of involving a pharmacological aspect into the prevention and/or treatment of PTSD. Their intended audience was projected for PTSD victims, health professionals, the military, and basically anyone wanting to learn more about PTSD and the future of it.



REFERENCE


Searcy, Cristina P., et al. "Pharmacological Prevenion of Combat-Related PTSD: A Literature Review" Military Medicine Vol 177 (2012): 649-54. Web. 05 Feb. 2013

http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=eda43228-4145-44d9-a70b-4ca5baa54956%40sessionmgr112&vid=2&hid=124

Battling PTSD

In Mike A. Glasch's, article "Battling PTSD" (2007) he incorporates a soldier's story with statistics gathered from research to create a heartfelt story. Glasch starts off his article with an interview between him and Spc Eric Goins, a soldier who is suffering from PTSD. The story includes how Spc. Goins found out he had PTSD, when he thought it occurred, and how he reached out for help. The heartfelt story encompassed the reader in emotion and gave them a sense of a relationship with the soldier and even any soldier going through the issues of PTSD. Glasch continues his article by providing the reader information about PTSD and what the government and health professionals are doing to help the individuals affected by it. Glasch also mentioned the difference between PTS and PTSD which I believe was crucial information to the reader. Glasch's use of words, his ability to tell the soldier's story, and the information he provided the reader comprised to article.

REFERENCE:

Glasch, Mike A. "Battling PTSD". (2007):1-5. Web. 05 Feb. 2013.

http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9c96d10c-3d12-4cb1-8992-35b66ab1e027%40sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=124

Questions for MWP#1

10 Things I Really Want To Know?

1.       What motivated Hitler?

2.       What is the most famous landmark in the world?

3.       What is the leading abused prescribed medication?

4.       Do aliens really exist?

5.       Should the highschool graduation requirments be highered?

6.       What if there is really a cure for cancer?

7.       Should major pharmaceutical companies have to donate to researchers?

8.       Why should illlict drugs remain illegal?

9.       Should the death penalty occur more often?

10.   What is the true meaning to live for God?
11. Should soldiers with PTSD be required to go through therapy?

Is it all really free?

In our world everyone prefers free over spending any amount of money. Our world is enveloped in technology which can be both beneficial and harmful to our future. Even Hollywood has dove into the possibilities on how technology will destroy our world from Irobot to Disney's lighthearted twist, Wall-E. Most adults from this century would be "lost" without their cell phones or iPads but just a century or two back the first phone was barely being invented. However technology also keeps us connected together by supplying us the news of the world from the Aurora shooting to who wore what dress on the red carpet this year for the virtuous Golden Globe Awards. Information is supplied to us through technology, unfortuantely technology is not free. The word "free" always has that special ring to it that grabs your attention. For example cell phone companies may offer you a "free" new iPhone 5 and in tiny script in the corner of the ad is says "with a 2 full year contract". On Google they offer search engines that allow individuals to explore the internet world for free which attracts many users which in turn attracts many sponsors due to the amount of publicity they will receive for "partnering" with Google to get their information out there. For information that is beneficial to the public and would expand our World's knowledge such as the news, articles, ect.. I believe it should be free. However, nothing is really free. The person who wrote that article or told that breaking story is needing some compensation for their hard work and effort to pay their bills, feed their families, enjoy their lives. So the real question is how can we come together to supply the public with information that is beneficial to the world for free? Aaron Swartz unfortunately died trying to do just this. Swartz broke the law but who did it really harm? Did the person that wrote an article 20 years ago that was on the database that he cracked starving just because he took his article and gave it to the general public? Probably not. Free information would greatly benefit any individual, not just me as a college student, but anybody. A doctor may be researching the cure for cancer and because an article that he needed cost too much he doesn't find the cure. I think the "open access wiki model" which includes everyone involved in the process not wanting money would greatly benefit learning experiences for everyone and open new doors for the technology age.

Rhetorical Precis, Aaron Swartz

In Kevin Poulsen’s article “Aaron Swartz, Coder and Activist, Dead at 26” (2013) he clearly agrees with Swartz’ colleagues and friends with whom blamed Swartz death on the government persecuting him. However Poulsen also shows his audience how Swartz was not only a voice but an activist by presenting the general public with free articles and information. Throughout his article Poulsen supports his respect for Swartz’s work by explaining what it was he did. Poulsen also addressed the fact that MIT and the government seemed to attack him and that led to his death. This article was intended for all individuals that use the internet. Due to Swartz’s work a college student may now be able to access the research that will help him write a paper. Poulsen’s purpose was to give some reasoning behind Swartz death and honoring him by explaining what he did for his generation and the future generations to come. Aaron Swartz’s death will not be in vein because he is honored every day by individuals who use the articles that he made public.