Actions Speak Louder than Words

Recently a Virgin Islands prosecutor has subpoenaed Exxon, an oil company, for documents regarding its climate change studies and how their products affect the environment. Exxon, has maid the claim that the subpoena is unconstitutional and it affects their first amendment rights. Exxon is protected under the first amendment because it falls under the corporate personhood right which means because the company is a corporation and is made up of people, it shall be treated like a person under the first amendment. Although that doesn't mean they are not held liable for abusing first amendment rights. The prosecutor from the virgin islands believes that Exxon persuaded its own investigators to falsely lead on the media and news how Exxon actually affects the climate where they work and how their products affect the environment. Along with these allegations, comes national attention regarding the issue how wealthy Exxon is. Exxon states that just because they are one of the most influential oil companies doesn't mean they shouldn't have a say in this matter, they then state that the public allows wealthy people all the time to inform the public, but why not companies? Exxon tells the Huffington Post that they are worried about the chilling affect these allegations will give the prosecutor and possible the federal government if this turns into a major issue. Exxon could even be slapped with a criminal charge of trying to defraud the united states government, because with its alleged false climate documents they could have applied for government funding regarding these studies to help pay the scientists who could of spoke on Exxon's behalf and not the Earth's.
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Chalk Talk

The University of Illinois has recently become under the spotlight for an incident regarding a message written on a sidewalk in front of a Hispanic education building. The message that was written in chalk said, "Build the Wall." Obviously the message was written in reference to presidential candidates speech where he said he would build a wall to keep the Mexicans out and in return the Mexicans would pay for it to keep out the drug runners, rapists and murderers, again this is all based off of Donald Trump's opinion and has no backing in any way. Due to the fact that this message was written in front of a Hispanic education building it is seemed as a hate crime towards the Hispanic people attending the University of Illinois. Following this incident, there was another message written in chalk on a sidewalk on campus that stated "They have to go back #Trump." The administration is fed up with these racist crimes on campus. They do not have proof a student wrote this but they belief it is very possible. The university blames these incidents on freedom of speech and the people that abuse that freedom given in the first amendment. The university doesn't want to suppress freedom of speech or their student’s opinions, but they say there are many other ways that they can voice their opinions that won’t offend numerous people through ignorant claims. The students have the resources and the class where they can have the appropriate times to be educated and then make claims about immigration reform.

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Hear No Evil, See No Evil

Unfortunately in the news lately all we see is social inequality. A very over looked demographic of people whose opinion and rights that are irrelevant are us students. Student at public and private universities around America are being suppressed by their universities or by the administrations of other schools. We have, as many rights as private school students as prisoners, is that fair? No, but that’s how the system works. In today's world social media is a strong influence over politics whether it’s the national debate or equality on college campuses. One campus for example has grasped the eye of the media is Boston College. A group of students have duct taped their mouths and wrote quotes on the duct tape and stood in the middle of campus to protest how they have a lack of say as students of a university. Members of the undergraduate SGA even brought their concerns of anti-diversity and inequality to town hall to grab the attention of local politicians to see if they could influence the Boston College Administration. Unfortunately they were brought into the administration offices for student conduct and not what they were fighting for. Even when media outlets ask to discuss the matter with the Boston College administration they are told they can only have interviews behind closed doors and they could only be 1 on 1. There is no reason why their cant be social equality on college campuses. Just because something is a private entity or institution doesn’t mean they should abide by certain constitutional rights or even social norms like equality.

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