Legislative Process in Arizona Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legislative Process in Arizona - Essay Example The first step is proposing the bill to legislation. If there are no objections on the bill, it will be sent to the appropriate committee. If there are objections on the bill, it's put on the Calendar and postponed to another date. The bill will also become available to the public on the next Congressional Record (Elllars). The days before committee meetings tend to generate greater public attention on the bill, resulting in an increase of lobbyist and interest groups. During this time period, bills will be subjected to the amendment process. (Gnant, 1999). If the bill makes it through the committee meaning, the process is still nowhere near complete. The Rules Committee must also approve that the bill is constitutional. All senators will come to discuss open bills during the caucus, but there is no formal voting. The Committee of the Whole can then decide to pass it on to be approved by the president (Gnant, 1999). There are so many processes to passing a bill into a law. It is because of these processes that make Arizona legislature so unique. From the time that a bill to proposed to become a law, public opinion can have great effects on the outcome. The legislation in Arizona give much more political power to the average individual. To exercise this power, citizens should be informed of current initiatives or legislative bills that are being considered. Anyone can access these bills through the Arizona Legislative website. One bill that is currently in process is SB 1108, which states, "The primary purpose of public education is the inculcation of the values of American citizenship." (Forde, 2008.) This bill would put restrictions on race-based organizations in public schools. Personally, I disagree with this bill and believe that it infringes on our right to express who we are. I believe that banning these types of organizations is a way to force students to assimilate. The idea of multiculturalism is dead in the United States as it is. This bill further illustrates our ethnocentricism, or "displaying the emotional attitude that regards one's own group or culture as superior and is contemptuous of other groups and cultures." (Jain, 1990). Banning race-based organizations would strengthen the belief that American culture should ride over anyone else's culture. Believing that an immigrant can and should completely throw out their old customs and culture is obviously ignorant and ethnocentric, but banning minorities from organizing with people they share an ethnic identity with is almost just as ignorant. For many students, the idea of assimilation is a challenging factor that plagues them for years. Having these types of organizations can help them to be more comfortable in American culture while also developing bonds with people they identify with. To ban r ace-based organizations is to force assimilation, and the law should not be passed. Clearly, the political process is a significant role in all our lives, whether we choose to participate or not. Luckily for the people of Arizona, the voice of the public can be heard far more clearly than many states. No matter where you live, however, you have the responsibility to stand up for what you believe in and take advantage of our democracy.

The Exorcist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Exorcist - Essay Example "Purposefully raw and profane, this novel still has the extraordinary ability to literally shock us into forgetting that it is 'just a story'. The Exorcist remains a truly unforgettable reading experience." - Stanley Wiater. The book tells the story of what happens when the actress finds her child behaving most peculiarly; after extensive medical examinations and visits to the psychiatrist, the mother decides that the child is possessed, and the child then begins talking in strange voices, shrieking and committing obscenities and violently abusing herself and any one who approaches her. The Exorcist explored areas and realms of fear in numerous different ways. The clash between good and evil was depicted incredibly emotionally and graphically in this novel, and the significantly obvious religious motives in the film caused incredibly controversy among most of the overall audience, while the Catholic Church in fact embraced the strength of the film's religious overtones. The perhaps most explored forms of fear which are depicted in fact take place between Regan and herself - Regan and Regan with the demon speaking from within her; such as when she speaks a language which both her mother and the priest claim, quite obviously, that she herself would never have known. At first the priest does not want to do an exorcism,... Both men come off as incredibly strong, faithful individuals, but when Priest Karras hears Regan tell him of his mother's death, he becomes incredibly frightened. He asks Regan's mother as he's leaving the house whether there was any way Regan could have known of his mother's death, to which she replied, "Not at all. Why'd you ask" "It's not important good night." Responded Karras. This shows how although Karras is obviously fearful, understanding and realizing for sure at this point that Regan is possessed, he does not want to put any further strain on the mother, and rather than telling her, he leaves and consoles in himself, understanding now what he has to do. The exorcism itself is incredibly lengthy, and unexplainably ruthless, putting Karras to most likely the greatest challenge and testament of his life. Each person in the novel is put through their own test of fears and strengths, although all end up with positive resolutions. There is certainly a significant validity to the exploration of such fears as these, and in regards to whether or not the novel 'goes too far'; basically depends on the reader's opinion. I believe that the novel does not go too far, but rather shows an occurrence in life - whether based on an actual event or not - which must be taken in great seriousness and understanding. The issue of faith, strength, and belief in a higher power are all explored heavily in this novel, and yet each exploration is truly helpful in its own way. When Karras reenters Regan's bedroom near the end of the novel, and sees Merrin's face down on her bed and realizes that he is dead, he loses control, grabbing Regan and throwing her to th e floor, shaking her and nearly strangling her in his fury. This is