Mock Trial Response

     In the trial of United States v. David Jones, I think that it could go either way. The facts support both sides, so it is hard to determine whether or not David Jones was guilty or not. I found it hard to believe that Susan Williams was raped, especially since she had been dating David for awhile and it took her a few days to even recognize that she was raped. However, at the same time, abuse happens all the time between couples so it is very possible that he could have raped her, even though they were dating at the time. "No" means no, and if Susan made it clear that she didn't want to have sex, then David should have been found guilty. I think that it would have been easier to have found David Jones guilty of this crime if he had stronger witnesses. The detective was pretty useless, since there was very little evidence besides the ripped shirt that Susan had been forced into having sex. In addition, the rape counselor did not seem to have his facts straight. It was hard to believe him, since a lot of the things he said contradicted one another. Given the facts and testimonies of the witnesses in this case, I found most of the evidence to point towards a non-guilty verdict. However, I also believe that this type of rape is fully possible. Men always need to be aware of respecting other women and not forcing them into doing anything they do not want, especially if it is one's girlfriend.
     In the second case regarding sexual harassment, I believe that all the facts strongly point to the fact that Elise Roberts was sexually harassed. She had to deal with inappropriate comments and actions that had sexual undertones directed towards her by her coworker. Most importantly, even when she asked him to stop and complained to her bosses, no one did anything about it. The harassment continued to come, and it even caused Elise to feel uncomfortable coming to work. I think that it would have been better to have moved Kevin Murphey to another office, rather than punishing Elise and moving her. Elise was the victim in this case, and she needed to be protected by having him be punished for his inappropriate actions. Also, Elise made it clear from the start that she did not condone this type of behavior. Therefore, Kevin Murphey was clearly wrong for continuing with his comments and actions. Sexual harassment in a working environment is a very serious issue, and Murphey and the firm should have been found guilty for letting it continue on for so long.
     In cases regarding both sexual harassment, as well as sexual assault, people must be aware that both are very serious crimes. People must be aware of others' feelings and respect them. I think that some people find sexual harassment to be sometimes funny or unimportant. While watching the trial with Elise Roberts, many boys in class would laugh at many of the comments that Kevin Murphey made towards Elise. Even though this was obviously a fake trial, I think that many people have that same mindset towards real life sexual harassment. What people, especially students, must realize is that sexual harassment is a crime and can seriously hurt a person mentally and emotionally. I don't think that there are any problems similar to these cases at DHS. Students here seem to be aware of others' feelings. I find our school to have a very safe environment, and I trust that if there was ever an incident regarding sexual harassment, the deans would get involved. Most importantly, we can prevent sexual assult and harassment by just being aware of other peoples' boundaries. We must respect others, just as we want to be treated, and I believe that this can help to put an end to these serious crimes.

What's Going On in the World? Egypt's Current Status.

    There has been a lot of news surrounding Egypt lately. Starting near the end of January, thousands of protesters took the streets of Egypt in order to protest poverty, unemployment, government corruption and more. They were protesting against President Hosni Mubarak, and the control  of the government. There was also the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the country's largest opposition movement. They asked for Mubarak to step down and allow for a more transitional government to take over. Over time, the protests began to grow out of hand and required Egypt's armed forces to get involved. The government went so far to even block all internet connections in the country. Protesters and journalists needed to find a way to get out information about what was happening in Egypt, since the country was preventing them from doing so. In February after many days of protests, Mubarak finally made the decision to step down, ending his 30 year reign. Since his resignation, the Egyptian military has taken control and many believe that Egypt is making a democratic transition.
    After watching a few videos on the protesters' reactions once President Mubarak stepped down, it is evident that the people of Egypt felt very strongly about changing the way the government ran. The most interesting article I read about Egypt was that this whole revolution began with the internet. People knew for the past years under Mubarak's rule that their country was going downhill, but fear kept them from doing anything about it. However, with the internet, people were able to see that they weren't the only ones who wanted freedom. They also used sites like Facebook and Twitter to organize protests. The government slowly began to lose its power, as the people of Egypt used the internet to ban together.
    I admire all of these people who are standing up for themselves and fighting for the freedom that they want. I think that almost everyone in the world hopes that Egypt will receive democracy. Right now, since Egypt's military is running the country, it is up to them to allow a democracy to take place. Despite the fact that Egypt still has to fight and work more towards getting what they want, I think that people can learn a lot from Egypt's revolution. It shows that people do have the power, and when we want something, we must fight for it. It's amazing that thousands of people living in Egypt organized protests all on their own and worked together to make the dictator step down. Seeing that this fight for freedom was successful, it shows other countries that they have the power to stand up for what they believe in, as well.