Abolition of Capital Punishment in IL

I do support the death penalty, but after studying and research I have learned that it is not always fair in practice.  I wish that reforms could be made to keep the death penalty, but the justice system is so intricate that it would be very difficult. In Illinois, the concern is whether justice is being upheld with capital punishment. After re-evaluating several times, Governor Ryan believed that abolishing the death penalty would benefit the state and help uphold justice in the court. The execution of innocent people was reaching new heights and the sentences were becoming disproportionate.

I believe the driving force in the abolition of the death penalty was that the execution of innocent people was becoming an enormous flaw in the nation, even in Illinois. Steve Mill pointed out that each time a death row inmate was exonerated, the police and prosecution insisted that it was a rare occurrence. However, the facts show that these wrongful convictions weren't just isolated incidents. Michigan State University and the Death Penalty Information center shared that for every seven people executed, one is innocent and still executed. This is unbelievable! This shows that the flaw in the justice system is too large to fix with reforms. And until the flaw is fixed, innocent lives would be taken away. Northwestern professors and students were able to prove with DNA testing that seventeen death row inmates were innocent. The fact that the justice system didn't catch their mistake and Northwestern did is disturbing. People outside of the case and state courts were able to prove seventeen peoples' innocence. Governor Ryan was appalled and asked for explanations, but no one was able to give him any. The lives of innocent persons in Illinois has been threatened by the justice system, therefore I do support Governor Ryan's choice in abolishing the death penalty.

Further supporting the abolishment of capital punishment is the proportionality and distribution of it. There are many outside factors that show that the system is flawed. First, multiple sources have hared that a person is more likely to recieve the death penalty if the victim is white. Race still permeates through the justice system today, which is not professional or fair.  Governor Ryan also shared how there are geographical disparities within Illinois; "you are five times more likely to get a death sentence for first degree murder in the rural area of Illinois than you are in Cook County." Proportionality is an important problem in the system. Aside from geographical proportionality, there is disproportional sentences. For example, there may be two cases with the same circumstances and one person might get forty years in prison in one county, while the other is sentenced to death in another county. Also, Illinois has had cases of co-defendants that are equally or even more culpable and are sentenced to a term of years, while another that is less culpable defendant is put on death row. This situation was evident in the Juan Garza case that I presented to the class. Manuel Flores was found guilty for murdering two persons, while the court only had proof of one murder by Garza. Flores was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Garza was put to death. Why? The court had evidence that Flores killed two people, and that Garza killed one. Here, along with many other cases, the death penalty is not applied justly or evenly. To prevent further cases like that of Garza's Governor Ryan made a good decision in abolishing the death penalty.

I guess all states should follow Governor Ryan's decision to save lives and uphold justice within the nation. He stated, "Our capital system is haunted by the demon of error - error in determining guilt, and error in determining who among the guilty deserves to die. Because of all of these reasons today I am commuting the sentences of all death row inmates." He couldn't have put it any better. The error is too big for it to be fixed. Yet, there are always those that believe Governor Ryan made a mistake because it deters crime, gives closure to families, and is a fair punishment. All of these arguments are wrong. According to the American Civil Liberties Union 2011,  a survey showed that the death penalty was ranked lowest nationally among all ways to reduce violent crime. The death penalty in a way also just provides families with revenge. Capital punishment can be seen as the most premeditated of murders. I completely support Governor Ryan's decision regarding the death penalty, for lives will be saved and justice will be renewed.

Marquette Visit

This past week I finished all my applications. It was the best feeling. It felt as if a huge load was lifted off my shoulders, I felt stress free. I felt so accomplished and confident. As a reward, I visited Marquette University for the second time. My first time I attended a campus tour and presentation, but this time was more for fun. I shadowed my best friend and stayed over two nights. It felt like I was truly a college student.

Friday morning I attended all of Molly's classes: theology, biology, chemistry lecture and lab. I was glad to have come this day because chemistry and biology are my favorite subjects. I loved the small class size and felt like a true student at Marquette. I took notes, answered questions with Molly on her clicker and even was able to participate in a lab. Knowing that I easily survived these classes reassured me that I will do fine in college, no matter where I decide to attend. The fact that I understood what was going on in classes, sometimes even more than the actual students, scared off all my fears of college. My older friends and cousins made college seem so hard, like it was impossible. But getting this experience only readied me for the college experience. I am not saying her classes weren't challenging, but they weren't super easy. I found Marquette to be a great fit for me. Can't wait to see other colleges up close.

Not only did the classes seem right, but the Marquette environment felt perfect. Everyone was so friendly and offered me a helping hand. Molly's friends became my friends quickly and were sad to hear that Marquette wasn't my top choice. However, the more time I spent at Marquette, the more I loved it. I was even able to attend the first Marquette basketball game of the season. I loved the school spirit and the intensity. Everything seemed perfect. If  I do choose Marquette, I know that I will succeed and have an amazing four years!

Thank you to my best friend Molly and her friends for making me love Marquette so much!

Reflection on the Debate

Public speaking never was a problem for me until recently. At a young age, I was able to easily recite poems by heart and memorize many lines in a short period. I also have a freaky good memory with numbers. I know so many peoples' cell and home phone numbers by heart that I don't even need my phone contacts. Even presenting information to a classroom. I was always a natural. However, the past few years I feel as if this hasn't been the case. I don't get stage fright, but I'm not as good as I used to be. I'm not as good as memorizing and thinking on the spot anymore, especially relating to school topics.

Going into the debate I personally did not feel ready. I needed one more day to review the case in order to feel more comfortable. By doing so,  I would be more fluid and in control when speaking. Yet, this was not the case. I do not have any complaints with my presentation because I believe Danny and I did a great job for pulling it together in a short amount of time. Hearing Danny speak amazed me though. He was so confident and natural. It was as if he can talk for hours without an once of nervousness. This intimidated me in a way because he was so good. I hope to become better at public speaking, especially in front of a class. Hopefully my job as a teacher's aid will help me improve these skills. I hope to learn to naturally speak in front of people.