Terrill Swift and Ferdinand the Bull

Yesterday, I had the priviledge of listening to Terrill Swift, who was exonerated from prison after about 17 years. He was originally convicted of murder and rape. Many things surprised me. The first thing I noticed was his poise, calmness, and lack of hatred. He'd been exonerated for only about a month, yet he communicated his story as if he'd been out of jail years ago.  I'll be honest with you, if I'd been in jail for 17 years, fighting everyday for my freedom, I would be a little ticked off when I get out. I kind of connected Terrill to Ferdinand the bull.  He was innocent, but in the wrong place at the wrong time. Terrill and Ferdinand were both set up. Terrill was wrongfully accused by another criminal, and Ferdinand sat on a bee, Without much of a fight, they were both taken to their own worst nightmares (a bull fighting arena for a bull and a jail for a human). They both fought for their freedom by sticking to who they are. Ferdinand just sat down next to the only flower in the whole arena, and Terrill wrote his way to freedom by pleading his case. They were both released back into the real world. Check out Ferdinand the bull's story here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGTVRbpAuRo.

Metting Terrill was my first time talking with an exonerated prisoner. I found his demeanor very interesting considering his past life. Terrill's experience has enlightened me to try and stop wrongful convictions, even if it's one step at a time.

Affirmative Action

Affirmative action was first created to create a more diverse environment. Although this still holds true, I believe that it has been taken way too far. I don't think affirmative action should be followed. Colleges and Universities should accept kids based on their academic, athletic, and leadership backgrounds, and not their ethnic backgrounds. If a school chooses it students that way, then it will be very tough for kids to call them racist, sexist, etc... Instead of having to meet quotas in terms of having a specific number of minorities, the school would be able to choose kids that would best fit their school. If this means less diversity, then so what? I don't disagree with schools trying to create a more diverse learning environment, but if it means taking spots away from more deserving kids, then it isn't right. It's different if 2 kids have the same grades, one's white and one's a minority, and a school wants to take the minority for more diversity. That's OK. But let's say there's an Asian kid and a Hispanic kid. The Asian kid has much better grades, but the school wants more Hispanic kids for diversity. So, the school takes the Hispanic kid...that's what creates problems. The best way to avoid those problems is to avoid the 'affirmative action' policies and choose kids based on what's important.
People may argue that having diversity creates a better learning environment. I'm a strong believer that everybody comes from different backgrounds and everybody has their own stories. Just because someone is from a different country or has a different skin color, doesn't mean they bring something extraordinarily different. I'm all for having diversity, but I don't think there's any need to force it.

If I Were A Poor Black Kid

If I were a poor black kid, I would...have no idea how to approach life because I've never been there.

I agree with both sides of the argument. I agree with Marks on the basis of there being opportunities to excel, however I disagree with how easy he seemed to make it. It is impossible for him to explain life of a poor black kid when he has never had the experience. Unfortunately, being a poor African American in America is a disadvantage. Being a kid from an almost all white middle to upper class suburban community, it's impossible for me to think of life as a poor African American. Many of the kids in my town have a warped view on pain, suffering, and racial inequality. Us white suburban kids live in a bubble that shields us from reality. It is this lack of knowledge of reality that deprives us from being able to connect with many circumstances that harm the outside world.