AJC.com > Talk of the town > Archives > 2007 > October
October 2007
Wilson case brings out teen sex issue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia Supreme Court’s decision to free Genarlow Wilson, who was sentenced to prison for having consensual oral sex with a 15 year old girl when he was 17, delighted many who felt an injustice was done.
But the decision also may concern some parents, who disapprove of any kind of sex for unmarried teens and support anything that discourages it. Some parents and others are concerned about the rise in syphillis cases among teens and the notion that oral sex isn’t really sex.
Putting Genarlow Wilson’s case aside, is there reason to be concerned about teen sex? Or is this the same argument that has been made by succeeding generations for decades, at least since Elvis Presley appeared on Ed Sullivan, that the youth of today is out of control?
Get well wishes for Archbishop Gregory
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Archbishop WIlton Gregory told his staff this weekend that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and will have surgery on Nov. 5.
The five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is 100 percent if caught early enough, according to the American Association for Cancer Research.
Gregory has been the spiritual leader of Catholics in north Georgia for the past three years, and has been an influential and widely recognized leader among U.S. bishops.
You may leave your thoughts and wishes for the archbishop here.
Ga. Supreme Court rules in favor of Genarlow Wilson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia Supreme Court Friday ordered Genarlow Wilson released from prison after ruling that his 10-year prison sentence for having consensual oral sex with a fellow teenager is cruel and unusual.
The state’s highest court reached the decision after a split 4-to-3 vote.
In a case drew international attention, Wilson, then 17, was convicted of aggravated child molestation following a 2003 New Year’s Eve party at a Douglas County hotel room where he was videotaped having oral sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Do you agree with the court’s decision? Should Wilson be freed or serve his full sentence?
How will this affect the careers of State Attorney Thurbert Baker and Douglas County District Attorney David McDade?
Ruckus over E. Coweta High newspaper
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Copies of Smoke Signals, the East Coweta High School newspaper , were impounded after student Justin Jones burlesqued Jonathon Swift’s 18th-century essay “A Modest Proposal” and managing editor Caitlyn VanOrden criticized the East Coweta Princess beauty pageant.
Jonathon Swift had lampooned complaints about the drag on the economy by poor Irish families. He wrote: “A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled.”
Justin titled his piece “Another modest proposal” and suggested that the euthanasia of low-IQ students could alleviate the world’s woes.
Principal Derek Pitts impounded 500 undistributed copies of Smoke Signals and told the staff that he wanted more positive and uplifting stories.
What’s your response?
How reliable is DNA testing?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Researchers from various universities around the country are questioning the reliability of DNA testing to determine ancestry.
In a report, “The Science and Business of Genetic Ancestry Testing,” in the Oct. 19 issue of Science, the researchers push for more public education about the process. Click to read the article.
The testing has been extremely popular in the African-American community. Several years ago, civil rights leader Andrew Young was tested and it was determined his maternal lineage came from Sierra Leone.
Have you had your DNA tested to determine ancestry? Are you comfortable with the results?
Did you have any surprises?
Feet of clay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kids look up to celebrities. It’s a fact of life. And sometimes celebrities let them down.
The rapper T.I. has been arrested for buying machine guns. Singer Britney Spears has been in meltdown mode for more than a year. Ex-Falcons QB Michael Vick pled guilty to dog fighting charges. Actress Lindsey Lohan is in and out of rehab.
It’s easy to be ugly toward these famous folks with personal failings; it’s practically become a national sport. What is tougher is figuring out how to talk to kids when their heroes let them down. That’s what we’d like to discuss here.
How do your kids react when their heroes fail them? How do you help your kids?
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Have you gotten too much online exposure?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week, Atlantan John Fitzgerald Page became an Internet sensation when a nasty e-mail he sent to a potential date on Match.com was posted on Gawker.com and ridiculed by readers and bloggers far and wide. Click here for the story. When you type his name in Google, the unflattering post is the second item to pop up. Unfortunately, in a time when “google” is a verb, information is out there and that’s where it stays. Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever googled your name and had something pop up that you wish you could take back?
Memories of the Million Man March
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Twelve years ago, Minister Louis Farrakhan organized the massive Million Man March on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Black men were asked to clean up their lives and help revitalize their communities.
Did you go to the march? What are your fondest memories? What is the legacy of the Million Man March? Do we need another one?
Get well wishes for Bobby Brown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
R&B singer and former Alpharetta resident Bobby Brown is recovering today from a mild heart attack, according to his Atlanta attorney.
He was admitted to the hospital Tuesday night and he’s due to be released later today.
Brown and Whitney Houston are in the process of finalizing their divorce after seperating last year. Their daughter attends high school here.
Many viewers wanted to send get-well wishes. Here are some.
Anti-gay editorial in Cobb high school paper
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today’s lesson: What is the role of a newspaper’s opinion page? A student journalist wrote an editorial in a Cobb County high school’s inaugural student publication characterizing homosexuals as victims of ‘reproductive error.’ It’s caused a storm of controversy among some students and faculty on the north central Cobb campus.
Kell High student Thomas Benjamin was arguing in his writing that gays should be denied the privilege of marrying.
This is a free speech nation. But, in the realm of responsible journalism, does it need a rebuttal? Does fairness count? Or does it matter?
Commenting on this blog has been discontinued.
Should WWII Nazi be deported?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The federal government wants to deport an 85-year-old Gwinnett County man accused of guarding people in concentration camps in Nazi Germany. Paul Henss admitted that he didn’t list his service in the SS when arriving in New York more than half a century ago. But, “I am not a war criminal”, he said in response to accusations by the federal government, which include training dogs to viciously attack escapees from such notorious concentration camps as Buchenwald and Dachau.
Do you accept the former SS member’s statement that “I didn’t know what they were doing with the people.” Should the government pursue this case?
