Journal 9

          I think it is a great idea to integrate women into the military, especially considering all of the progressive thought floating around about equal treatment across the work force.  To be honest, I didn't even know that woman weren't integrated into combat.  While this integration, in my opinion, is long overdue, implementing it is a different matter.  I think we touched on a lot of important points in class, and that in order to successfully integrate by 2016, the military will have to participate in progressive thought and avoid the political confusion that often accompanies these type of movements.
          In order to properly implement anything, it is important to recognize the obstacles to completing such a task.  One of the obvious difficulties for integrating woman into the military is that woman are different from men...period.  First, woman and men are physically different and not all are equal.  I believe the standards for testing physical strength should be unisex, but genuine in making sure soldiers are prepared for the field.  Another issue regarding the difference between woman and men is their housing and bathing facilities.  Men and women have different needs when it comes to their bodies, and it is important to recognize this and handle it properly.  Aside from logistical issues, there are also a lot of issues holding over from an era when woman weren't equals in the workforce.  Despite what anyone says, pay and respect will have to be addressed early on to eliminate them quickly.  A final issue that I think should not be overlooked is what parents of female soldiers and society in general thinks about it.  Unlike the other obstacles, this cannot be fought head on and must be borne until it recedes.  Overall, I think it is a great idea and that if the military takes note of the things mentioned above, it will be handled well and be successful.

Journal 8

          At first, I wasn't sure what to think of Ms. Chapin.  She seemed like a nice woman, but a lot of times musician/activists can  be a bit..."goofy."  However, as soon as I heard her first song, of which I don't remember the name, I knew she was at least a talented  musician and lyricist.  After hear her music, which was an excellent hook o her presentation, I was much more willing to hear what she had to say.  I've heard a lot of stuff about the hunger issue in America.  However, I had never known about the state of poor people who merely get by on synthetic foods that, in effect, keep them poor.  It is interesting how much the poor quality of mass produced foods affects the people who eat them.  I agree with her on the importance quality food an good nutrition and look forward to figuring out ways to eat better personally.  Another thing that she briefly spoke of was Sodexo.  While I haven' looked up anything about them yet, I am curious to see what they've done that makes them so bad.

          Because Jen is a musician, her activism ties very closely and is easy to include in her work.  For other people though, it may not be as easy to be an activist.  First, one has to find time to do it.  One also has to decide what "it" is.  In my opinion, one must have a true connection with what they are an advocate.  For me, at this stage in my life, something that I find to be extremely important is the education of music for children.  I think music is something special that any human can appreciate.  Despite the importance of learning music as a child, many school's cut music programs in order to be more cost effective.  Something that I can do is volunteer at youth organizations, offering lessons to children interested in music.

Journal 7

          No one should expect someone else to be a Good Samaritan (GS).  The entire idea of a GS is someone who unexpectedly and magnanimously aided someone without cause or request.  The classic example from the Bible involves a man near death being helped by another man for no reason.  The GS had no obligation to help the dying man, nor was he asked to do so.  If someone is obligated, for personal or political reasons, to help, their actions are not considered GS-ly.  For instance, a doctor helping a patient is not an example of someone being a GS.  Similarly, a doctor helping a stranger who is having a medical emergency is not an example of a GS.  That is because a good doctor is not only expected to help sick people in pretty much any instance, but there is also a level of personal obligation when working in healthcare.  Of course, that may not always be the case.
          It wasn't the case in the situation we discussed in class: a woman in a nursing home who died due to a nurse unwillingness to break, a perhaps little known, policy.  This situation is sad, but not illegal.  However, neither of these things matter when looking at the concept of a GS.  Obviously no one in the situation ended up being a GS.  However, who would have been if they'd done something.  Just as the nurse did nothing "wrong" by not acting, she would not have been a GS.  This is because she has a reason for acting in both manners.  For not acting, she has company policy backing her up.  For acting, she would have the moral code and personal obligation that members of the medical community have.  The only person who could have been a GS is a either an unrelated member of the housing or a random person off the street.  Ultimately, no one in the situation was a GS because they were following orders, rules, or obligations and not acting out of "the goodness of their hearts."