Public School Forces Prayer on Children

In the article "Georgia public school teachers humiliate kids for not praying to ‘God our Father’: lawsuit" (link to article) it states that in the Emanuel County School System of Swainsboro, Georgia, a teacher forced children to either participate in prayer or leave the classroom. The Freedom From Religion foundation has recently filed a lawsuit against the school system in response to this. The students involved in this case had been teased by the other kids at school and had been made to feel like they were bad people because the teacher punished them for not praying. The basis for this lawsuit falls on the idea that forcing prayer on children is a direct violation of the freedom of religion that is found in the first amendment of the Constitution.

I think that it is horrible that children in a public school were made to feel bad about themselves because they didn't want to pray. I am surprised that this had been allowed to go on for so long considering that most public schools focus on banning all types of religious conversation and prayer in school rather than supporting it. I think that the Freedom From Religion foundation will most likely win this case because the evidence of the violation of the first amendment is extremely clear. The freedom of religion that is awarded to each citizen of the United States should prevent this type of thing from happening. Children should be allowed to pray in school if they want to, but teachers should never be allowed to force students to pray if they don't want to.

Hate Crime or Parking Dispute?

In the article, "3 students shot to death in apartment near UNC Chapel Hill" (Link to Article) it states that three students were recently shot and killed at an apartment building near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. All of the students were shot in the head. Because the three students were all Muslim, police are exploring the possibility that this was a hate crime. Another option for this crime could be a supposed "ongoing neighbor dispute over parking." The suspect, Craig Stephen Hicks, is in custody after he turned himself in on Tuesday night.

I think that what this man did was horrendous, especially if it truly was because of something as trivial as a parking dispute. I believe that this was a hate crime, though, due to all three of the victims being Muslim along with how the suspect had supposedly threatened the three students numerous times before the murders took place. Whether it was a hate crime or not, I think it is incredibly sad that this senseless act of violence took place. I am also sorry for all the students at the University of North Carolina who are mourning their fellow classmates and friends. I hope that the families of these victims get justice for their loved ones and that Hicks is charged for a hate crime rather than just murder.

Space Exploration is Expensive!

In the article, "NASA seeks $500M budget boost" (link to article) it states that NASA has released its new 2016 proposed budget request of $18.5 billion which is a $500 million increase from this year's budget. The proposal also asks Congress to increase the commercial spaceflight program funding by 50% ($800 million to $1.2 billion). If this funding is not approved, NASA might not be able to launch U.S. astronauts by 2017, like they have planned.

I think that continuing space exploration is a neccessity for the growth of the United States, but I'm not sure if there is enough money to fund all of NASA's projects. I'm not sure that Congress will pass NASA's budget request because of the significant increase in funds that are being asked for. I know that President Obama supports NASA and their upcoming projects, but I am not so sure that Congress will. Hopefully NASA will be able to launch their new exploration projects even if Congress does not approve of their new budget.