Undergraduate / TSA and Full-Body Scans - ApplyTexas Essay B - Issue of Importance [3]

I decided to ditch my previous topic of the same prompt. This is a complete rewrite on a different topic-- The TSA and their full body scans.

Choose an issue of importance to you-the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope-and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.

Airport security today is of utmost significance, brought along by the threat of terrorism and hijackings that have occurred in the past. Today, airport screenings have become a tedious and thorough process, involving the scanning of quite literally the whole body, head to toe. Body scanners and full body pat downs are becoming common, and the strict adherence to policy that can be otherwise reasoned with common sense is ridiculous.

These new policies and procedures for full body screening have brought along much protest and also support. When challenged, TSA administrator John Pistole defends the new policies by arguing that the terror threat is a greater concern, and that the new policies have become the new reality of flying. I disagree with this statement and I believe that the TSA has gone too far in mandating these kinds of scans.

Full body scanners use radiation back scatter or radio waves to generate an image of a body, even through clothing. This can be used to detect the presence of prohibited items on the passenger's body. While I agree that the full body scanners can locate dangerous or prohibited items, I also know that they generate nude images of people, which essentially makes every airport screening a strip search. And what about those pat downs? They do the same thing, right? If people aren't comfortable with being viewed in the nude, well then they can "opt-out" for a so-called "enhanced" pat down which consists of touching and groping, including the breast and genital areas. This "policy" only seems to discourage, discomfort, and embarrass all who pass.

The TSA states that this ensures the safety of all passengers, but at what cost? Passengers can no longer just walk through a metal detector, instead, they have to either be scanned to the nude or groped to near assault. Actions that are prohibited and warrant arrest are now available to be conducted by TSA workers on people who have never committed any crimes. Pilots are subjected to the same kind of thorough investigation of nude imaging or "enhanced" pat downs. I fail to comprehend the lack of common sense in this picture. The pilot is already flying the aircraft-he doesn't need anything prohibited to bring it down, making it senseless to even search them.

I understand that the hijackings of the September 11 incident and also the attempted Christmas bombings have brought about much urgency in improving air security. I also understand that the TSA have never caught any potential terrorists-ever. If the TSA thinks it is their job to change with the threat of security, it might make more sense for everyone to fly naked. After all, that IS basically how the TSA is screening passengers, right?

Air security should be a balance of freedom and safety. It should exist to keep us safe, while keeping our rights. It should not discourage or discomfort us. It should give us a feeling of peace, not of fright. The cause for safety should not have to come at the cost of freedom and rights.

Undergraduate / "effective ways of delivering my message" - ApplyTexas Essay B - Issue of Importance. [3]

I wasn't entirely sure what to write for this one... I don't have a "favorite" issue of importance.

After writing this one and receiving input from a few friends, I've considered rewriting it, but am not sure how. I considered even possibly changing the subject, to maybe something like airport security and the TSA.

Suggestions, please! Thanks.

Choose an issue of importance to you-the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope-and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.

Living in the United States, we are gifted with the privilege of the freedom of speech, a freedom that has been bought to us by the sacrifices of soldiers protecting the country. We take our ability to say anything on our mind for granted without fearing persecution, unlike other countries such as North Korea, China, or Sudan. We're able to protest against issues that we disagree with and share our beliefs, ideas, and thoughts with the people around us without violating the law.

I've always been taught since I was young not to say anything that would offend others. The words of my mouth were supposed to build people up and help them. "If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all" was something that rang in my mind often times during elementary school. In high school, we, as students, are held to certain expectations of respect in the way we behave and the way we speak.

However, I've often encountered people or organizations that seemingly take their freedom of speech for granted and do not consider the ill effects of their words on others when broadcasting their beliefs or ideas to the world. People will often spread false rumors and gossip about other people without considering any negative long term effects. They also try to insult others by putting down their beliefs and thoughts. Especially with the anonymity provided by mediums such as the Internet, people will say things they wouldn't otherwise say in-person without regard to the consequences that may result.

Westboro Baptist Church, of Topeka, Kansas, has very frequently come under fire for picketing the funerals of deceased soldiers with signs containing hateful words, such as, "God Hates Soldiers," or "God Hates Your Tears." Their signs also target many minority groups and other "unique" people. They are ignorant to the effects that they have on people who have lost loved ones while serving in the armed forces. In their lawsuits, they argue that they are protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. What's more, they take advantage of police protection during protests while shouting hateful attacks at pedestrians and other people passing by.

While neither I, nor anyone else, have fallen lower than the people of Westboro, I have been guilty of being unkind with my words. I have often said things that I looked back at as being disrespectful or unnecessary. I have realized that there are more effective ways of delivering my message. I believe that even though I can say what I want, I should control what I say so that it serves my best interests as well as those of others. I believe that even though we are given this right to freedom of speech, we should exercise it in moderation. Instead of expressing our thoughts in ways that will hurt or insult others, we should express our thoughts in ways that will convey what we believe while lifting others up.

Undergraduate / "A special biology teacher" - Essay A - "Someone who has made an impact..." [3]

Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.

Teachers-to some, they are boring and annoying. To others, they are people who enjoy giving mediocre grades. We deal with them for more than 15120 hours of our life, adding up to more than 600 days of non-stop interaction, lectures, and tests. However, this time that have to spend dealing with my teachers makes me realize the time they spend dealing with me as well as other students, and that makes them special. Even though we may dislike what they do or the grades they give us, they've taken out years of their life preparing their lesson plans, grading assignments, and answering students' questions.

Once such special teacher that I've had in my life was my 9th grade Biology teacher from Jasper High School, Mrs. Pat Kite. When I first came into class, she began yelling at people to sit in their seats. She proceeded to introduce her class and her rules, and then gave us a quiz. On the first day! We were to take notes on what would be a "highly scientific" video. A clip of "The Little Mermaid" began to play and everyone began to look at each other with confused looks. The teacher yelled out "TAKE NOTES!" and we were sure that she was insane. Being the naughty kid I used to be, I was sure that I wouldn't survive the class.

Over the first semester, many people dropped the class due to sheer fear of Mrs. Kite. However, I decided to stay in the class and see how I would fare. Although I, too, was scared of her, I began to enjoy the class as her teaching style began to grow on me. She pushed me to do well in class, take notes, and work diligently. Her strict instruction for lab procedure helped me learn to do things carefully with caution. Her reinforcement of academic integrity during tests helped me avoid the temptation to cheat. Most importantly, she has helped me be a better student.

Even though I did not have great interest in Biology and did not wish to pursue it in the future, I knew that Mrs. Kite was a special teacher to me. Her dedication to her job and her care for students like me served as a strong example for the way I should conduct myself. Today, Mrs. Kite has been reassigned to teach on-level Biology due to a disagreement over the Honors Biology curriculum. I learned that she insisted on keeping an integral part of the curriculum, but failed to convince the school officials. Having heard about this, I was disappointed, because I knew that she was the best Biology teacher in the school. However, I also realized her dedication to teaching Biology, no matter the level of the class. Even though that was only 9th grade and I've encountered more challenges later on in high school, I feel more prepared and dedicated to my work.

I think I may not be talking about myself enough in this one, or that it may be too general. Please read over it... Thanks.