Standing Behind Chris Brown

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/fashion/19brown.html?pagewanted=2&ref=style
Chris Brown has been under harsh public scrutiny after an incident back in February which resulted in sever injuries to his girlfriend, Rihanna. However, even though the incident portrayed what is termed "dating violence and abuse," many teenage girls are coming to Brown's defense and unwilling to understand the serious consequences his actions had.
The author of this article, Jan Hoffman, interviewed a wide group of teenage girls and got their opinions on the issue. Many girls idolize Brown, and therefore will not allow themselves to believe that he did anything wrong. This issue has become so publicized, and created much online drama between teens throughout the country, and the event has even been discussed on Oprah.
From the tone of this article, one can infer that the author believes what Brown did was wrong and that he should be reprimanded for his actions. I personally agree with that opinion. Even though I am a fan of Brown's music, his actions cannot be justified. It was morally wrong and showed that he is not the person I thought he was. Even though troubles in his past contributed to his acting out, he needs to publicly address the issue, accept the consequences of his actions, and get help. If Brown faces this ordeal head-on in the public eye, I think he will inspire many of his fans and send the message that dating violence is NOT acceptable. Hopefully, he can help others in similar situations.

Progress in Embryonic Stem Cell Research

On Monday March 9, 2009 President Obama lifted the strict limitations the Bush administration had placed on embryonic stem cell research, stating that his administration will, "make decisions based on facts, not ideology." For years, the issue of embryonic stem cell research has been a controversial divide within our country, but Obama is taking a step that will allow us to move forward in our research and progress in the scientific community.
Obama was very careful in addresssing this issue, as many people are morally opposed to it while others see it as the only opportunity to progress in science and learn more about diseases that can afflict people through life. Obama was successful in the fact that even though his views on this issue are very liberal and open, he still wants to respect the viewpoints of the more conservative citizens.
I think the author of this article, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, accurately represented both liberals and conservatives, as she was very objective and did not let her own personal biases affect her article. Stolberg quoted both people supporting Obama's decision and people against it, and the article presented Obama in a light which all citizens can respect.
Obama believes in human embryonic stem cell research, but only for essential scientific purposes, as he draws the line at human cloning, believing in has no part in our society, or any other society for that matter.
Obama passing legislation to support this issue represents a huge change from the previous policies put in place by the Bush administration; a change that many people have been waiting years to see.