How the media has ruined Halloween.

In my government class today my teacher asked the class what we were afraid of when trick-or-treating these days. When I was younger I remember that the biggest fear on trick-or-treating was the legendary razor blade in an apple. But now the biggest fear is a sex offender will abduct you while trick-or-treating. I find it interesting how the media has changed the under lying of fear on Halloween from death to sexual assault.

If you watch the news around Halloween time you see nothing but stories about what is being done about sex offenders during Halloween. Sex offenders are not allowed to give out candy or leave their porch lights on; for fear that the sex offender will abduct your children. It seems the media has found a new Freddy or Jason. But this villain is very real, according to the media, and is sitting at home just waiting for your child to ring the bell. I find this whole over hyping of the danger of sex offenders on Halloween ludicrous.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think sex offenders are dangerous. But they are not abducting children by the bus load on Halloween. The media, in my opinion, is no longer concerned with the idea of razor blades in apples, when they can play up the danger of sex offenders on Halloween. Ten years ago there wasn’t this outcry about the danger of sex offenders on Halloween. Do we honestly think they all just sprung up in the last ten years? To me it just seems like another tactic by the media to over hype a story and to try to feed on the fears of the American people.

In conclusion, sex abuse and sex offenders are what sell these days. From all the CSI special victims this and that, to news shows that set up potential child abusers, such as, “To catch a Predator”. America seems fascinated with sex offenders, and the media will continue to play upon this fascination. Maybe it is just me, but when I young I was more afraid of getting a razor in apple, then getting attacked by a sex offender. And maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

Giuliani the savor of New York

In the New York Times article, "Giuliani sells New York as the town he tamed" by Adam Nagourney, Nagourney shows that Giuliani is using his success as mayor of New York City as a springboard to his presidency. According to Nagourney, Giuliani is not using 9/11 as much for his campaign as of late. Instead, Giuliani is trying to show voters all the good he did for New York City before 9/11. New York had a horrible reputation in the early 1990's as a crime ridden town with no hope in site. Giuliani is hopeful voters will look at his whole resume instead of what he did during and after 9/11.

I think Giuliani is doing the right thing in trying to show he was an effective leader before and after 9/11. Giuliani is quoted, “I got elected and re-elected honestly not because the people of New York City agreed with my ideas,” “They didn’t. They agreed with my results. ” This statement shows that Giuliani was able to overcome a mostly liberal city and still get elected, by promising to get things done. As Giuliani stated, not everyone agreed with his ideas, but were pleased with his results.

In my opinion Giuliani is using his experience in a major city that dealt with drugs, welfare, murders, and prostitution to demonstrate he can handle the work load of a president. Giuliani helped New York recover from its horrible image of the early 1990s. Giuliani was also instrumental in his leadership after 9/11, which most Americans remember him as a shinning light in darkness.

In conclusion, the article is helpful in outlining Giuliani's experience as a public official. Not only after the tragic events of 9/11, but also as a mayor who was able to pull New York out of its image of a crime ridden city. A man who was able to come up with tough answers to tough questions. A man who every American can get behind, because he gets results.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/us/politics/15giuliani.html?pagewanted=2&ref=politics