Persuasive Speech (my last one) - Walk for your tatas!

According to Komen.org; did you know that 1 in 8 women in the US continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer?  It’s a devastating disease with physical, emotional, psychological and financial pain that can last a lifetime.  Without a cure, an estimated 5 million Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 1 million could die over the next 25 years.  More shocking, without a cure, an estimated 25 million women around the world will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 10 million could die over the next 25 years.

Today, I’d like to talk to you about a wonderful foundation fighting to strike down those frightening numbers I just went over with you.  Susan G. Komen for the Cure is paving the way to end breast cancer forever.  Throughout this talk I will tell you a little bit about the Susan G. Komen foundation, I will tell you about their work and how they’re changing lives including yours and also encourage you to get together a group of friends, raise some money and join them in the walk for the cure.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation was started by Nancy G. Brinker thirty years ago in 1982.  It was shortly before that that she was faced with devastating news; her older sister Susan G. Komen was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of thirty three. 

Nancy remembers Susan as “beautiful and kind and loving to everyone.  She was the star of her Illinois hometown, the high school homecoming queen and college beauty queen”.   One Tuesday afternoon Susan called Nancy with some scary news.  She went for her normal check up and he doctor had found a lump in her breast and it was not the usual cyst.  They did a biopsy, which is the surgical removal of tissue that is then reviewed under a microscope to see if any cancer cells might be present.  The results were in and Susan’s life would forever change – she had cancer and it was going to be a fight ahead to rid it.   Unfortunately after a long three-year battle enduring three rounds of radiation and chemotherapy along with nine daunting operations Susan lost and cancer won.   

Susan was always thinking about others even during the fight of her life.  She wanted to help others become knowledgeable about cancer but she lacked the strength during her own battle.  Susan wanted to make these types of doctors appointments more patient focused but she never got the chance to make the positive changes she’d dreamed about throughout.

It was after the initial heartache and completely devastating loss that Nancy mustered up the courage to take hold of Susan’s dream and give her voice that she could no longer project to make positive changes and impact future lives that might one day encounter such a evil and dreadful disease. 

In the last three decades Nancy is happy to report that they have “invested more in breast cancer research than any other organization – over $1.9 million to date.  She states that breast cancer death rates in the U.S. have fallen by more than 30% in 20 years.   Survival rates for women with early stage cancer are at 99% (up from 74% when they first started).  According to Cancer.org’s last medical review end of 2011, more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors are in the U.S.  This is the largest survival rate for a specific cancer and a living testament to the unbelievable will power to change society and improve science to save our lives.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has continued to educate the world about breast cancer and help transform how the world not only talks about cancer but how it’s treated as well.  Where you once may have felt alone and lost you can now find comfort amongst friends and other survivors ready to step in and fight the battle with you.  For the Cure has contributed to helping women get early detection by making sure women know what to look for and get regular mammograms.  They have raised amazing awareness - even the federal government devotes more than $900 million each year to breast cancer research, treatment and prevention.   For the Cure gives hope that you can fight and win the battle of breast cancer and they allow a safe place for survivors to gather and share stories to inspire others – people like you and I who might one day come to look cancer dead in the face.

After hearing everything I’ve discussed so far I know that you’re eager to know how you can contribute to this great cause and how you can impact the lives of others and make a real difference in your communities and across the nation.

For the Cure offers a variety of ways to make a difference but the biggest impact made comes from participating in the most successful charity event ever created; the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  The race allows you to celebrate fellow survivors and properly honor those you’ve lost in the devastating battle.  It’s also an event that raises cold hard cash needed to continue extensive research to further knowledge and treatment programs for patients. 

The Race for the Cure caters to all ages and you can walk, run, jog, cruise by stroller or wheelchair… and just because the color “pink” defines breast cancer in today’s society doesn’t mean it discriminates in the slightest – all men are welcomed with open arms; after all breast cancer also affects the male population.

I have personally walked in the Race for the Cure and our team alone was able to raise over $5,000.00.  Doing the walk was one of the most rewarding moments of my life.  Pink shirts stretched as far as I could see and the day was nothing short of inspiring and utterly amazing.  It was such an emotional experience that I will cherish my entire life.  People shared their stories about victory, love and loss impacted my life and has taught me that you can’t take life for granted and you have to make the most of the people you love and hold dear to your heart because you never know when cancer might be knocking on your door.  The fight and determination of those who’ve survived such a devilish disease only gives you hope for you and also your loved ones that we’re getting to the end and will one day find the cure we so desperately seek now and yesterday.

I was especially touched walking in the hopes of finding a cure because both my grandmother and also my aunt are breast cancer survivors.  Without the knowledge and dedication to the cause they may not have had the chance to put up and fight and come out victorious.   Thinking back to my aunt battling cancer, I remember what a hard time it was for our family and one I hope no family has to go through.  I pray that one day my hope comes a reality not only for my future but also for yours and your children and theirs and so on.

Thinking about just the $5,000.00 my team was able to raise - imagine the magnitude of fund raising each race has the potential of raising… every little bit helps make a huge difference.  I’d like to ask you today to invest you heart into this cure.  I’d like to encourage you to get together a group of friends, co-workers and even people you don’t know. Set a goal and blow it out of the water to raise money for something that will touch 1 in 8 women for a lifetime to come.  Join me and walk for Susan G. Komen, for yourself, for you sister, for your mother, for your daughter, your grandmother, your neighbor, your best friend and someone you’ve never even met.  Walk so that no one has to suffer another loss to a disease like this.    

I’d like to end with a quote I found on ThinkSlogans.com by an unknown author, “Boobs: they could use your support”… so I say to you, get out there and walk and give them the push up support they deserve.

Sources:

Komen.org.  Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  2012.  11 June 2012.  http://ww5.komen.org/

Cancer.org.  American Cancer Society, Inc.  2012.  12 June 2012.  http://www.cancer.org/Research/CancerFactsFigures/BreastCancerFactsFigures/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures-2011-2012

ThinkSlogans.com.  Think Slogans.  2012.  12 June 2012.  http://www.thinkslogans.com/slogans/cancer-slogans/breast-cancer-slogans/

War Powers Act - quite a topic for someone who frankly has no interest :)

I have totally learned that assigned topics are some of the most exhausting speeches to prepare.  When you aren't interested or passionate about something it's very, very hard to get going.  But I guess that's the point of this whole process so here's what I plan to deliver tonight.  I'm not sure I fully understand The War Powers Act but I've done my best to inform an audience.  Hopefully they don't notice the speaker doesn't give a rats bum ;)

"The War Powers Act is legislation that has been largely ignored by Presidents in the last 40 years.  This has weakened the Presidency and the Congress to the detriment of the Checks and balances of our legislative process."  Throughout this speech I will discuss exactly what the War Powers Act is, why it was created and how it weakens the system when it’s not upheld.

First of all, the War Powers Resolution of 1973 is more commonly known as the War Powers Act.  As stated by ProPublica.org, the law was passed after the United States fought the Korean and Vietnam wars without actual declarations of the war. PearsonHighered.com a renowned source helping educators educate states that the Act was “passed by Congress over President Nixon’s veto to increase congressional control over the executive branch in the foreign policy matters, specifically in regard to military actions short of formally declaring war.  It also states, “Its central provision prohibited the President from engaging in military actions for more than sixty days, unless Congress voted approval.”  The President is also required to inform Congress within 2 days.

To better explain the balance of powers first I did some reading from The Law Library of Congress (loc.gov) it states that war powers of the federal government are divided amongst different branches – the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch.  The current President of the United States has the power as Commander and Chief of the United States armed forces (which includes the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines) while the Congress has the power to make the actual declaration of war and to financially support the armed forces.      

According to TheNewYorkTimes.com, “under the act the President can only send combat troops into battle into areas where “imminent” hostilities are likely.  In my lifetime (the last twenty seven years) only one President has successfully abided by the act to the full extent.  Loc.gov states that “in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Congress did in fact pass what’s known as “Public Law 107-40 which authorized President George W. Bush to “use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism again the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.”

September 11, 2001 became the first time a joint resolution was agreed upon to “authorize for use of Military Force”.  By joint resolution this means the President ant the Congress both agreed that force was indeed necessary and just at that time.

The War Powers Act is legislation that has been largely ignored by Presidents in the last 40 years.  First, President Reagan in 1981 sent military into El Salvador and into a battle that went on for years – violating the timeframe of 60 days.  In 1999 President Clinton ignored the Act during the bombing campaign in Kosovo and more recently in 2011 when President Obama alone approved an attack on Libyan forces.  The recent attack included a mission to enter Osama Bin Laden’s bunker and kill him.  This drawn out mission cost more than 75 million dollars in US funding. 

The War Powers Act has remained a controversial topic for decades because President’s insist it’s unconstitutional, ill-conceived and ineffective.  According Arthur Schlesinger Jr., a well-known historian, the Act is somewhat a “toy handcuff”.  Obama (Senator at the time) quoted “The President does not have the power under the Constitution to authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”  This coming from the same man; now President, who downright ignored seeking congressional approval.  He claims going into Libya with heavily armed military officials wasn’t a war, it’s a piddling was, that we are leading from behind.

This continued disregard of this War Powers Act has weakened the Presidency and the Congress to the detriment of the Checks and balances of our legislative process.  The checks and balance system is in place so that one branch isn’t more powerful than the other.  It balances out not allowing the President to launch ill-advised military action that is unlawful.

With the country in utter chaos… high percentage rates of unemployment, housing market plummeting at rapid speed, more foreclosures and banks unable to recoup funds lost, economic crisis on Wall Street and the price of everything including gas, groceries and even entertainment going up – the last thing we need to do is fight a war that’s not even declared one.  We also need to be sure we’re just in our actions as our actions effect a country and the people fighting to protect it. 

Senator Rand Paul said it best when he quoted to CNN, “to me, it’s the most important debate we’ll ever have… If we’re going to send someone, your son or my son to war, it’s important that it be done properly, and it’s important that if there are constitutional restraints, we obey them”.

Basically the Constitution was created based on compromise from all parties; much like the creation of the War Powers Act.  It’s to the benefit of the entire nation to have both the Commander-in-Chief and the Congress are on the same page and the end result it justified and most importantly authorized by funding and military power together. 

Going forward I think it’s wise to abide the laws of our founding fathers just like every citizen has to in the United States.  When you do something illegal you get arrested and answer to the law.  At some point we all have to answer to someone and no one person, not even the President of the United States, should be able to possess “executive privilege” as once quoted by Richard Nixon during his presidency.  We definitely need to focus on abiding to the Constitution instead of side stepping policies that ultimately effect he lives of many fighting and people paying.  Action should be taken against those who don’t uphold their duties to abide by the Constitution and even the President should be held accountable for his actions.  Otherwise legislation will continue to be side stepped and an example will never bet set to uphold the foundation we were built upon.

I hope this speech has informed you because it sure opened a learning opportunity for me.  I have told you exactly what the War Powers Act is, why it was created and how it weakens the system when it’s not upheld.

Sources:

NYTimes.com.  The New York Times Company.  2012.  4 June 2012.  http://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/29/world/how-war-powers-act-works.html

ProPublica.org.  Pro Publica Inc. 2012. 4 June 2012. http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/what-exactly-is-the-war-powers-act-and-is-obama-really-violating-it

PearsonHighered.com.  Pearson Education. 2012. 4 June 2012. 

http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/dye4/medialib/docs/warpower.htm

Loc.gov.  The Law Library of Congress.  2012.  4 June 2012.  http://loc.gov/law/help/war-powers.php

Still can't shake the Laci Peterson case...

So this weeks topic is either Storytelling or a Forensic speaking so I decided to give forensic speech a shot.  I'm not sure I've accomplished everything required which I've copied and pasted below but ya know what - I have finished this speech write up and must move on to the next fun filled assignment along the way.

Criteria: 

A forensic speech is one that seeks truth. It deals with material from the past and tries to determine, with the greatest accuracy the following; what happened, why it happened and what impact it has. Forensic speeches are found in courtrooms, boards of inquiry, airplane crash reviews, parents trying to determine which child started the fight and financial audits. Forensic speeches rely primarily on two factors: the presentation of evidence in a clear manner and linking the evidence to the central claim that is made.

My speech:

“The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children,” a quote by Elaine Heffner.  Laci Peterson never survived the birth of her son; she never got to feel labor pains or even push in the hospital room.  Laci wasn’t able to teach the art of living to her baby – she wasn’t even given the chance.  This is about a woman whose life was taken from her and a precious baby who never got to see the light of day.  I will tell you about Laci and her husband Scott, her famous case the made headlines for a year and also the outcome of the events that took place on December 24^th 2002.

Laci Denise Peterson was born May 4^th 1975 to Dennis and Sharon Rocha in Modesto, California.  “From the time Laci was a baby she woke each morning with a smile on her face…  Laci grew up to be energetic, imaginative, creating and busy,” describes Sharon Rocha, her mother in her memorial program.  Laci was a cheerleader throughout high school career and went on to attend California Polytechnic State University where she majored in horticulture in the hopes of one day opening her very own specialty plant shop.  It was there she met Scott Peterson whom she married on August 9^th 1997. 

Laci and Scott became pregnant in mid-2002.  Laci’s due date was to be February 10^th 2003 and the couple had planned to name their first son Conner Latham Peterson.

On December 24^th 2002 Laci was just shy of being eight months pregnant.  By her mother Sharon’s account “Laci was pregnant, and happy and healthy.  She was reliable, punctual and responsible… She didn’t wander off without telling someone.  She didn’t go missing.”  But everything changed on that day in December when Laci never showed up for dinner at her mother’s house.  Scott said that the last time he’d seen Laci was in the morning before he left for his fishing trip at the Berkeley Marina.  Neighbors could not recall seeing her out and about, her family hadn’t heard from her and it wasn’t like her not to say a word to anyone.  Her purse and cell phone sat in the kitchen and her Land Rover in the driveway.  Hospitals didn’t have record of her checking in – she had simply vanished.

What happened to this woman?

Massive search efforts immediately started as people looked high and low for pregnant Laci Peterson.  “This is completely out of character for her” said lead Detective Al Brocchini in a press conference with local media source the Modesto Bee.  The family offered a reward that increased all the way up to half a million dollars for any information leading to her safe return.  Posters and media attention hit America with a bang and before you knew it – everyone had heard of Laci Peterson and the missing pregnant woman in Modesto, California.  But with all the buzz and media frenzy still, nothing came and months passed and it began to look more like foul play and pretty quickly that became clear.   

Here are some proven facts about this case:

• While things appeared happy and healthy at home – Scott was a busy husband wining and dining another woman just outside of town.  He even told the other woman, known to America as Amber Frey that he was a windowed husband whose wife had died sometime ago.  Amber Frey, later aided as the main witness for the prosecution NOT the defense (on Scott’s side). 
• Scott went as far as denying having a girlfriend on the side after being asked by Laci’s family directly on several accounts. 
• Scott was never the typical grieving husband hunting for his pregnant wife.  He down right refused to talk to the media and only took a back seat in the search efforts happening regarding Laci and Conner. 
• Scott had taken out a life insurance policy on Laci for a quarter of a million dollars shortly after Laci became pregnant.  It was never confirmed if Laci even knew about the policy and her family didn’t appear to either.
• Scott never agreed to a polygraph test.  According to the ModBee.com a family member said that “if he’s innocent, fine, then take a lie detector test” but he never did.  They urged him over and over again to prove his innocence but he never seemed to be interested in clearing his name or staying out of the news in all the wrong ways.
• At the time the Peterson home was searched nothing appeared out of place but it was evident that the house had be cleaned recently and a mop and bucket was still laying out.
• Homemade cement anchors were found in Scott’s boat.  The strange part was that he had recently poured a certain number of anchors based on the potted templates still wet in the shed – however he could never account for where those extra anchors went. 
• When asked by Modesto Police what he was fishing for in the Marina that day – Scott could never come up with an answer.  Even the lures he purchased on December 20^th were still unopened in the tackle box he took fishing with him. 
• Laci and Conner did eventually turn up.  The washed up on the sands of San Francisco Bay – home of the Berkeley Marina and same place Scott claimed to have been fishing the day Laci was last said to be alive.  According to LaciPeterson.com “Police published photographs of Scott’s truck and boat and asked the public to help them corroborate Scott’s story.”  But no one could in fact confirm Scott’s boating trip that December day.

This case was not the typical slam dunk case with DNA evidence and a messy crime scene – but there was a body – actually there were two.  A young mother who never got to meet her baby boy.  There was a husband who by all accounts didn’t act right… didn’t look the profile but his actions fit it completely.  He never had answers.  He never seemed distraught at the loss of his wife and unborn son.  In all actuality, he seemed eager to sell everything they had as a couple and move on with his life.

Perhaps Scott could answer why cement anchors missing from his home.  The State believes the evidence shows that Scott used those anchors to hoist Laci’s body into the Bay the evening before she went “missing”.  After all, he was the last person to actually see her.  Did he want the insurance money to start a new life?  He had the motive, the time and the desire to start something new with someone new.  He had the resources and he thought he had the perfect story as a cover up.

However, Scott’s luck ran out.  After Laci and Conner’s body turned up he was arrested on April 18^th 2003.  In his car he had his brother’s fake ID, $15,000 in cash, camping equipment and pure motive to flee from the chaos he himself created.

Scott plead not guilty on two counts of capital murder.  The trial started in 2004 and the State brought everything they had including his actions, his possible motives and his lack of cooperation on top of the questionable evidence on his property that connected him to a thought through crime.  On November 12^th, 2004 a verdict was handed down – GUILTY on BOTH accounts and Scott would be taken to San Quiten State Prison to carry out a Death Row term for the killing of Laci & Conner Peterson.  There is no doubt in the eyes of those who worked the case that the right man is in fact where he should be and the family can rest easy that he will never be able to hurt anyone else – ever again. 

For us watching on the sidelines our hearts break for a mother who never got to hold her unborn child and for a life cut to short.  Scott Peterson did murder his pregnant wife and that will haunt him for the rest of his life.  I have laid out the facts and given you several motives on why his life was better without her.  By all accounts the right man is serving in the only place he can’t hurt anyone else.  Behind bars until death… right where he belongs. 

I’ll leave you with Sharon’s final echo at Laci memorial service on August 29^th 2003 taken from LaciPeterson.com.  “For those fortunate enough to have had Laci in their lives, she leaves behind a legacy of wonderful memories for her family and friends to cherish and hold very close to their hearts.”  

Sources:

LaciPeterson.com. Laci Peterson Family. 2008. 28 May 2012.  http://www.lacipeterson.com/index.html

FoxNews.com.  Fox News Network, LLC.  2012.  29 May 2012.  http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,84572,00.html

Rocha, Sharon.  For Laci: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Justice.  New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006.  Print.

Modbee.com.  The Modesto Bee & McClatchy Company.  2012.  29 May 2012.  http://www.modbee.com/peterson