SEPTEMBER 2, 1999 35, PER COPY News at Aglance America's Teens
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***************CAR-RT SO RT**C-027 24:l 01/31/00 R.I. JEWIS H HI STORICAL ASSOC. 13() Sess ions St Providence RI 029()6 - 3444 I I lll,,,,,l,ll,l,,11,,,,ll,,,,ll,,l,,l,l,,l,l,,l,,ll,ll,,, ,l,l,I Rhode S ................... ■ Rosh Hashanah 1 ------------.: H E RALD INSERT The Only English-Jewish Weekly in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts VOLUME LXIX, NUMBER 42 ELUL 21, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1999 35, PER COPY News At AGlance America's Teens • David Ingebretsen has won his suit seeking his Speak Out client's right to wear his Two-thirds of high school concerned citizens it is impor Star of David to school students recently surveyed say tant for us to listen to what stu despite objections by the their lives are at least somewhat dents are telling us about their local school board. The suit tough - yet three-fourths say lives and their aspirations," said was filed in the U.S. Dis "the future looks promising be U.S. Secretary of Education Ri trict Court in Biloxi, Mis cause I am pretty confident that chard W. Riley. "This survey sissippi. As reported ear things will work out for me." clearly shows us that today's lier by Israel Wire on Aug. These are among the major teens are not a generation to be 22, the board banned the findings of the fourth edition of discounted, but rather good star because local gangs The Shell Poll' m, an opinion sur young people with positive fu sometimes used it. vey conducted for Shell Oil tures whom we all must encour Ingebretsen, executive di Company by Peter D. Hart Re age and support to do well." rector of the Mississippi search Associates. Ninth High school juniors, African ACLU represented Ryan through 12th-graders' percep Arnericans, girls and students Chabad's Children of Chernobyl Green, the 15-year-old stu tions of the safety of America's from one-parent households are Greet 1,800th Child dent who was told he may schools; influence of parents, the likeliest to report experienc not wear the star. Follow In an emotion-packed welcome on the tarmac at Ben Gurion school officials and peers; out ing difficult times. And teens Airport, Chabad'sChildrenofChernobyl welcomed its 1,800th ing the filing of the suit, look on the future; and most who express what they think is the Harrison County child and 45th flight. More than 150 people, including dozens prevalent pressures provide most challenging or difficult of children who had arrived on previous flights, were on hand School Board announced prominent components of this about their lives mention pres it was reversing its earlier as the airplane was greeted with music, singing, and dancing. particular poll. Questions were sure much more than any other Yossie Raichik, director of the program, explained the sig decision and would per formulated in collaboration with challenge. mit the star. nificanceof the number 1800. "Eighteen is the numerical equiva the U.S. Department of Educa Perhaps surprising to many, lent of the Hebrew word Chai, which means life. This flight • Responding to harsh criti tion. the top two pressures concern cism by U.S. judicial offi represents 100 times Chai, and is a milestone for our program." "We are delighted to work academics, not sexual activity With this 45th flight, the project has now brought 1,814 cials, State Attorney Gen. with the U.S. Department of and drug use. When asked to Elyal<lm Rubinstein de Jewish children to Israel since its beginnings nine years ago. Education on an issue of such choose from a list of suggested Photo by Israel Sun fended the sentence and importance to our country," said sources of pressure, 44 percent the _Israeli judicial system Susan Borches, vice president of teens polled cite "the pres in the Samuel Sheinbein of Corporate Affairs for Shell sure to get good grades" and 32 murder case. U.S. citizen Oil Company. "And we are very percent cite "the pressure to get When given a list of problems ous problems with drugs and Sheinbein, 17, has agreed grateful to the more than 1,000 into college." Following those teens face, at least 65 percent of alcohol (43 percent), academics to a plea bargain in which teen-agers who told us, so can two issues are "the pressure to high school students report the (35 percent), family life (35 per he will enter a guilty plea didly, about their lives. Hope fit in socially" (29 percent), "the issues listed to be a small prob cent) and school violence (32 in the murder of U.S. teen fully, this information can fos pressure to use drugs or alco lem or no problem at all within percent). For African-American ager Alfredo Enrique Tello ter dialogue among all con hol" (19 percent) and "the pres their group of friends ( the one students, in particular, violence in 1997. The attorney gen cerned citizens - and our chil sure to be sexually active" (13 exception being "drugs or alco in school is the single biggest eral explained that plea dren can benefit from such en percent). hol"). However, a significant , problem they identify (51 per bargains are part of the hanced dialogue." "Pressure" doesn' t necessar minority think their group of cent); high school students in judicial system,even more "As educators, parents and ily equal "problem," though. friends have fairly or very seri- (Continued on Page 15) soin the United States than in Israel. Officials also pointed out that the 24- year sentence represented a most serious punishment The First Amendment-A Protection of Free Speech against a minor in Israel by Kimberly Ann Orlandi government, particularly the But, the questions regarding a young girl. The senseless mur and in no way should be Herald Editor English government, manipu our First Amendment rights to der of young men and women looked upon as a light It is possibly our greatest of lated opinion by controlling the free speech arise when free at Columbine High School, and hand of the law. freedoms. It allows us to express press. When it came time to speech turns into hate speech most recently, the shooting of Rubinstein was critical of our discord over government, frame the Constitution in 1787 which may or may not turn into children at a Jewish community Montgomery County State allows us to speak our minds that was one of the sets of indi violent action, as in the recent center in California has caused Atty. Douglas Gansler for and voice our opinions on a vidual freedoms that was of Los Angeles and the April us to question what exactly is having divulged the de given subject. Further, it allows great significance to the younger shootings in Columbine. freespeechand who does it pro tails of the plea bargain the media to disseminate infor generation," said Eberle. Congress defines a hate crime tect? agreement planned for the mation to the masses ina timely, Today, our First Amendment as "a crime in which the defen "The language of the First Sept. 2 session of the Tel concise and accurate manner rights far outweigh our religious dant intentionally selects a vic Amendment is in very clear, Aviv District Court. Ac without fear of governmental freedoms. According to Eberle, tim, or in the case of a property absolute terms," said Eberle. " It cording to Rubinstein, the interference, censorship or ret the first civil right to be inter crime, the property that is the says "Congress shall make no court may still reject the ribution. Unfortunately, our preted bytheSupremeCourtwas object of the crime, because of laws," and in the famous inter plea bargain agreement. In greatest of freedoms is also the free speech in 1920, followed by the actual or perceived race, pretation by Justice Black, he addition, the state in one most taken advantage of religion in the 1940s and the right color, national origin, ethnicity, agreed with the original lan formed Maryland officials and abused. toprivacyin the 1950s. The build gender, disability, or sexual ori guage of the amendment. The of the impending deal re When our forefathers first ing blocks for this country are entation of any person." (Sec idea that people be able to say questing that details not drafted the Bill of Rights, and based upon democracy-where tion 280003(a) of the Violent what they want regardless of be released prior to it be specifically the First Amend the people are in charge and the Crime Control and Law Enforce how outrageous is something coming official. U.S. offi ment, what they had in rnin<l , government acts as their repre ment Act of 1994. [28 U.S.C. 944 that needs to be protected and cials were critical of the according to Roger Williams sentative. And since the people note.]) although the court has not abso plea bargain deal that Law School Professor Edward are in charge, the First Arnend Events of the last year h~ve lutely adopted Black's stance, should make the 17-year Eberle, who also specializes in ment allows them to talk openly, been terrifying and horrific, to £hey have adhered to it." old eligible forparolein16 Constitutional law, was to gear becriticaJ,askquestionsand form say the least, with regard to In a 1994 article written by years, after serving two the mea ning of the First Amend a politica l wi!J for the country. crimes of hate. A black man Eberle for the Wake Forest Law thirds of his sentence. ln ment towards government in That is the most fundamental of dragged behind the rear bumper Review, Eberle states that by addition, after six years in terference with regards to the freedoms and that's why,accord of a !Tuck bv two white men in "separating the content of jail, he may be granted press.