Land of Invisible Women

The thing that I find most disturbing is the lack of rights and respect for women in Yemen. The women, from a very young age, are treated like property and have very little rights. They are also have very little protection under the law, which is horrifying. Girls are married off very young because they are seen as burden. A girl as young 13 was married to a 30 year old man because "it was best for the family." The life of a Yemen teenager and my life, as a teenager in the USA, is drastically different. I have the freedom to speak my mind and have the same rights  a man my age. Also, my parents do not get to choose who I marry or when. And once I turn 18, I will be able to vote in general elections. I hope that sometime soon the women in Yemen can have the same rights as I have. 

Forgiveness

In the article "Forgiven" by Paul Tullis the concept of "restorative justice" is applied in the case of 19 year old Connor McBride who shot and killed his girlfriend Ann Grosmaire.  What do you think of this as an alternative to the traditional criminal justice system?  Is it realistic?  Is it more in keeping with Catholic Social teaching?  Explain your response.

After reading this article about the death of Ann Maire Grosmaire, and the alternative to the traditional sentence one would receive for this crime and I was moved. I can not imagine the grief that the Grosmaires feel but I find it really...admirable that they are so willing to forgive a man that hurt their family so much. I also like the idea of restorative justice because it offers another option for people who are willing to work for forgiveness  I do think that this idea is realistic because some people, though they do awful things, are not bad and need a second chance. Also it is an alternative to the death penalty, which is something that I am in favor for.  I believe that it does keep with Catholic Social because it enables people to think with compassion and look at situations from a different perspective. Restorative justice is a plan that I fully support and one that embodies Catholic Social teachings.   

Dead Man Walking

I really enjoyed this film. I've always been against the death penalty, and after watching this movie and am very sure about my stance. I understand that everything was dramatized because it was a Hollywood production, but even a "less dramatic" version of what happened would be awful. Despite the heightened drama, I thought the movie portrayed the events very accurately. I also liked how the story went from several different view points because I liked knowing what everyone was thinking. I got emotional towards the end of the film, when Matthew was talking to sister Helen at the end. I know that he killed the two young adults, but having to look at your looming death in the face is an awful feeling.

This movie shed light on one of the most controversial issues, in our time, with grace and respect. It sends a strong message about the dignity of human life and  made a stance about an evil that exists in the world today.

Roses in December

I do not think that the women's ministry in El Salvador was foolish by any means. Their goal was to help children who were hurting from all the turmoil throughout the country, not launch some political agenda. They were doing what they felt God was calling them to do, and I admire them for that. I think its great that they recognized their calling and followed it, no matter how dangerous it was.
I believe that governments and social structures can be changed. It often takes a large fore to do so, but it happens. I think that what happened to the sisters and Jean acted as a catalyst for change because the people knew them as good people who helped, and who were killed unjustly. This awful event has also created other service jobs and missions to continue helping  the people caught in the middle of all of this violence. It is because of these people, who are caught in the midst of war, that I believe that we need to continue to try and help whoever needs our help. I had a sister in grade school that used to say "One of the worst things you can do is walk by someone who needs your help," and I agree. Though it may hard, and dangerous, we have a responsibility to help those who are in need of our help.

I do not think that I will ever really understand what caused Jean to stay, besides her desire to help people. I do understand that she felt called to help the children, but I feel that there was something else that called her to stay there. I would like to say that I would have done the same thing as Jean, but I do not know because I've never been in that situation. I hope that I would stay because I would want to continue to help people and finish out what I said I would do.