From what I've seen, Tam is already welcoming and accepting of students who are gay or bisexual. The GSA is a prime example of that. Giving students an environment where they will be accepted no matter what their sexuality would take away the fear and negative reactions that so often accompany coming out of the closet. I could easily see Tam students and staff being supportive and accepting if this and other things like it happened at Tam.

I'd say this article makes all kinds of valid points. Girls are not responsible for keeping boys from getting "distracted" by what they might be wearing. It's true that there are a lot of hormones flying around in high school, but girls are always singled out as the distracting ones. You don't hear guys getting criticized for being distracting to girls with the way they dress, yet it can happen just as easily as the other way around. The whole concept of a girl's outfit being distracting reminds me a lot of the idea that a girl who was raped provoked it because of what she was wearing.
This whole issue is part of a much more widespread, deep-seated problem about the social standards and expectations that women are subjected to in our society.

I think that this power the senior officers have is unfair, and obviously it is harmful to the people in the military. If a soldier is raped or sexually assaulted by one of their equals or superiors, they should be able to report it without having to fear for their career, and the perpetrator needs to be brought to court. In addition, a military that is so riddled with sexual assault incidents is going to be less effective as a result. This problem needs to be brought into the light if anything is to be done about it.

That line about some conservatives saying that the Scouts were violating their oath to be "morally straight" by taking this step really makes me angry. Anyone who believes that being gay is morally wrong is extremely misguided and needs to realize how immoral their belief is. That said, it's good news to hear that this step is being taken. It may be a small step, but small steps lead to larger steps; it's only a matter of time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/31/business/a-doctor-raises-questions-about-a-diabetes-drug.html?hp&_r=0
What is your opinion on Dr. Butler's findings? Do you think that those who oppose him and his findings have a hidden or unspoken agenda?

http://www.dailycal.org/2013/05/22/uc-patient-care-workers-strike-to-oppose-pension-changes-understaffing/

This article is about workers at various UC medical centers going on strike on account of understaffing and pension changes. I think it's interesting because it can be related to our school district's classified staff going on strike.

I was really shocked and outraged to hear about this kind of thing still happening in the U.S.. Growing up in a liberal bubble like Mill Valley, I wouldn't have dreamed about something like this happening now; but that just goes to show how ideals and viewpoints can be so different in separate parts of one country. It also goes to show how much work we have left to put in towards improving the way our society treats all kinds of people. I'm really glad to hear that the students have put their foot down and determined to make one inclusive prom. Even though it might seem like a small victory, it's those little changes that add up to making a real difference.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/08/thinspiration-blogs_n_1264459.html

This is a very serious topic; it exposes a particular aspect of a prevalent issue in society. I've heard of these kind of online communities and been freaked out by the idea of them, and reading this just makes me more aware of how serious it is.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/24/sunil-tripathi-body-found-providence-river_n_3146389.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

This story is one of many that revolves around the recent bombing in Boston. A body was pulled out of the river nearby the incident and initially identified as one of the bombing suspects, but turned out to be an initially missing college student. This is a case of getting it first rather than getting it right. Is there a moral issue here? Is there some way the news sources could have handled it better?

When comparing just the Bark article and the initial Tam article, I'd say that the Bark article is better in terms of details and of keeping informed on the subject as its process continued. But when I factor in the follow-up article that Tam included, I'd say that Tam did better. The first article came out quick, informing people more quickly about the subject; and then the follow-up article gave an update that provided more details and a more definite conclusion.

I'm pretty conflicted about this whole topic. One could argue that the level of reason in allowing teachers to bring guns to school depends on the state. The article mentioned how in South Dakota, kids grow up shooting BB guns and learning how to hunt, which suggests that they have a certain understanding and respect for guns.
The larger part of me fervently believes that letting teachers have guns in school is a bad idea and a step in the wrong direction. True, it could be a good defense, but there are plenty of things that could go wrong. You don't know how the teachers would use the guns (to what extent, with what attitude, etc), and as Jonah said, there's the possibility of students stealing the guns and raising hell with them. Nic also has a great point with his statement of this not being a "fight fire with fire" case. Guns are tools for violence; I don't see the logic in figuring that having more guns around will result in more safety and non-violence.