Core Values, Value Conflict and Citizens' Ambivalence...

This article was a lot more interesting and relevant in my eyes. It explores a telephone survey done in Florida on how people feel about homosexuals and their rights. Whether its numbers about what people think is wrong about being gay and how they would feel about their children being gay, there is a lot in this article about people's responses.

I continue to think about seeing the Sport, Sexuality and Culture conference at IC a couple weeks ago featuring John Amaechi. He spoke of how there has been progress, but not change. He talked about all the martyrs who have died because they were gay. He went on to say that enough people have died and still people have the same responses. His message was that people need to be aware and change their views. This article links the point of view question and how we really need to figure out how people feel, to attack accordingly for gay rights.

THis survey was both enlightening, full of stigma and disheartening at the same time. I was surprised at some statistics for what people really thought and confused with others. There were things that I thought would be higher like discomfort in having gay teachers or people being ashamed of their children for being gay. Then there were things that were really upsetting on how many people are just ignorant. This article really showed me how stupid some people are and that gay rights still needs prgression. I would have liked to see how my home state or other states would have reacted as well.

Experiences of Family Law Attorneys....

Although this article was kind of dry for me, I still got a couple of concepts from it that I found somewhat interesting. This article tackles family law issues from child relocations to attorney behaavior and including gender bias in the court system. Now these issues might seem intriguing, but the study and way the National COuncil on Family Relations framed their views were not "new, interesting and provocative." In all honesty the stats and numbers and graphs took away from the reading for me. This study was so small and full of discrepanices I wanted to stop reading. The captive audience was misleading as well.

One point I found interesting in this reading had to do with the lawyer behavior and influence section. I remembered watching cnn frontline about plea bargains and how much advantages the lawyers hold in court. They tell the plaintiff or defendant what to expect, how to think, react and what will come enxt. The lawyer is usually more important than any person or witness. THeir behavior towards the case and attitude about court features will directly relay right to their client. Just as the article says, thsi affects what deals and bargains will be made by the defendant. IF their lawyer advises them to take a money amount, settle or fight the battle usually the indivudal will listen. It has to do with how the court and power system is set up. The lawyers are repeat players and know the system, so not to listen in family court would be a mistake.

I can understand all the commotion over child relocation and the sensitive issue of divorce cases, due to the fact that its family. As Dr. Dre raps, "if you really wanna take it there we can, just remember that your fucking with a family man. i got a lot more to lose, remember that." What Dr. Dre realizes is that everyone becomes more serious and intent when family is involved. It triggers something in mothers, fathers and other fgamily members heads that they must protect.

As far as child relocation goes, i think that it deserves to be the kid's decision where to go. The study took random percentages of where the child would end up and with what parent, but that is irrelevant. As we realize, family law is even more difficult than normal law. Everyone has something at stake, even if they aren't involved in the case. Children become bystanders in court wars behind parents and it can get ugly.