Stop Animal Abuse, NOW.

I love animals! Here are some pictures of my animals!!




I feel the laws protecting animals are not adequate enough, thus I need to be a voice to the voiceless.

Parental Notification Law: An Absolute Must.

"Parents must give consent before their child can have their ears pierced or a tattoo put on. In fact, in public schools and emergency rooms, parents must give consent before their child can be treated with so much as an aspirin. Most voters agree that it is outrageous to allow a child to undergo any surgical procedure, let alone an invasive, irreversible procedure such as an abortion, without parental notification." -John Pinkerton, former Democratic senatorial candidate from California, during his 1998 campaign.

Arguing against abortion is a losing battle, but arguing for the Parental Notification law should be a absolute must(don't get it confused with the Parental consent laws, which state that a parent or guardian need to give consent in order to have an abortion). The parental notification law slightly differs between states, but basically it says, "That a parent or guardian needs to be notified by the abortion clinic prior to their love one receiving an abortion." The notification law of Nebraska (Nebraska is 1 of 11 states that currently have this law in place) is typical. The Abortion & Contraception Clinic of Nebraska's web site describes a pregnant minor's options under the law.
*The law applies if the woman has not reached her 18th birthday at the time of her clinic appointment. Nebraska law requires one of the following:
*A parent or court-appointed guardian may come to the clinic with the pregnant woman and sign a statement acknowledging that they have been notified of the abortion.
*A clinic doctor can inform a parent or court-appointed guardian by telephone.
*The clinic can send a written notification to the parent or guardian by certified mail (with return receipt requested and restricted delivery) at least 72 hours before the appointment.
*The woman may obtain a Judicial Waiver of Notification. She goes to the Juvenile Court Clerk's Office at her local county courthouse, or the courthouse in the clinic's county, or any adjacent county. The judge will meet privately with the woman; she can be accompanied by her lawyer, and may request that others be present. The judge can take up to one week to decide whether to grant the waiver. If the request is denied, the woman may theoretically appeal to the state Supreme Court. However, this might not be an option because of cost or time restraints.

There are two strong reasons why I feel this law needs to be present throughout the entire United States. (1) Little girls go out for the day and come back a different woman. The negative psychological effects are often worst than expected, and minors within the 12-16 age group are not mature enough to properly cope. (2) If this law is not carried out throughout all the states women will continue to travel to a nearby state which does not have a law requiring parental involvement. The statistics in Virginia and Texas support my argument. Baruch College at City University of New York conducted a study after these states implemented the notification laws and in both states they found a drop in abortion but the abortion rate in Virginia, which dropped about 20% during the first 5 months, was believed to be due to teens traveling to nearby Washington DC where they can freely obtain abortion, this correlation was drawn because the substantial increase in abortion numbers in Washington DC. In Texas the abortion rates for teens aged 15 to 17 fell 11 to 20%. No increase in surrounding states occurred because surrounding states have similar laws in place.

2012 Republican Candidates

I know, I know, it's early to start speculating about who the 2012 republican candidate will be in the presidential race against Barack Obama but here's a short rundown of possible candidates.

Sophia's Top 5:

5) Sarah Palin (seems like the most obvious candidate at this point but I feel she does not have what it takes to beat Obama, especially since the recent smear campaign.)
Strengths: Lots of support from major republicans which will translate into lots of money from the right. Palin is also very charismatic, an excellent speaker, has an interesting background which clearly demonstrates a conservative background and she is not afraid of a fight.

Weaknesses: Lack of experience which was over exaggerated in this previous election by leftist media outlets. Also by walking out of governor position her approval rating in Alaska largely slipped. Palin is a controversial republican candidate because she is very polarizing; many either hate or love her. Her final weakness (which is pretty pathetic considering we are in the year 2009) is that she is a female; men are still viewed as more dominant.



4) Ron Paul:
Strengths: He is more recognized among conservatives since his 2008 run but needs to continue gaining popularity. Paul also appeals to very conservative individuals (the older generation), and he has a strong background in financial issues and also foreign affairs.

Weaknesses: He needs to be better-know if he wants to get the GOP nomination. His lack of charisma inhibits him from doing so.



3) Mike Huckabee:
Strengths: He has tremendous charisma, and puts himself out there. Huckabee appeals to conservative democrats and is working hard to build faithful followers.

Weaknesses: He is not as well financed as some of the other candidates and may not be "conservative enough."



2) Newt Gingrich:
Strengths: Gingrich is very experienced and it a great speaker. Has very conservative ideals and he will be able to raise the money needed. Not afraid to voice his opinion, this is obvious with the election of Barack Obama. He is also a major supporter of troops and veterans.

Weaknesses: Very critical of Obama's policies, which attract conservatives but not democrats and liberals. His personal life is also a cause for concern, as many reports state that he is involved with a woman half his age.




1) Tim Pawlenty:
Strengths: He is the Governor of Minnesota, which is a key state in the electoral race. He has also greatly improved the education system and liberals flock to him because his efforts to go "green" with energy reform. His work on the Minnesota's budget is also praised.

Weaknesses: Not well known so raising money will be difficult.