Breast-Feeding: Just Do It! :: Breast-Feeding Essays

Breast-Feeding: Just Do It! Who is to say that breast-feeding is the best for your baby. For years, breast-feeding tactics have been used as the best way to feed your infant. There was never any debate as to how you should feed your child, until a few years ago when artificial baby formulas were made. Now, researches have set out to figure out which way is the best for your baby. Studies upon studies have been done in search of the answer. Finally it was proven that breast-feeding, the natural way, was superior over artificial formulas. Breast-feeding is the all-natural process in which young infants get the nutritional intake that they need to survive, grow, and develop. Researchers have established that breast milk is perfectly suited to nourish infants and protect them from illness. Breast fed infants have lower rates of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies (Williams). Human mothers produce many nutrients that cannot be found in formulas. The female body was made by Mother Nature to ensure the survival of mankind. "There are 4,000 species of mammals, and they all make different milk. Human milk is made for human infants and it meets all their specific nutrient needs," said Ruth Lawrence, M.D.,professor of pediatrics and obstetrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, N.Y., and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics(Williams,p.1). Breast milk is one of the few substances that is completely sterile. It is made from inside the body and no environmental factors play a role in this process(Correa,1999). From the beginning of nursing, the infant receives and important body element called colostrum(Maher,1998). The word colostrum was derived from the bacteria know as Colostridium difficile. This microbe produces a toxin that bind to walls of the body causing diarrhea or swelling of the colon. Immunoglobulins, found in colostrum, coat the exterior walls and resist the binding of the microbes(Travis,322). Colostrum also stimulates substances in the body to promote gut maturation, facilitate digestion, and stimulate passage of meconium. Colostrum is extremely concentrated with the proteins that make up immunoglobulins and secretory IgA. IgA is the maternal-specific immunogobulins that are needed for protection against environmental antigens. These substances produced by the human breast can easily be absorbed by the human infant. Complete development of the brain and nerve tissue rely on these substances(Maher,1998).

Last Sacrifice Chapter Sixteen

CONSIDERING SYDNEY DESTROYED dead bodies on a regular basis, it was kind of surprising that she was so shocked by our post-fight appearances. Maybe dead Strigoi were just objects to her. Dimitri and I were real live people, and we were a mess. â€Å"I hope you guys don't stain the car,' she said, once the bodies were disposed of and we were on our way. I think it was her best attempt at a joke, in an effort to cover up her discomfort over our torn and bloody clothes. â€Å"Are we going to Paris?' I asked, turning to look back at Dimitri. â€Å"Paris?' asked Sydney, startled. â€Å"Not yet,' said Dimitri, leaning his head back against the seat. He was back to looking like a controlled guardian. All signs of his earlier breakdown were gone, and I had no intention of giving away what had happened before we'd fetched Sydney. So small †¦ yet so monumental. And very private. For now, he mostly looked tired. â€Å"We should wait until daytime. We had to go for Donovan now, but if Sonya's got a house, she's probably there all the time. Safer for us in daylight.' â€Å"How do you know he wasn't lying?' asked Sydney. She was driving with no real destination, merely getting us out of the neighborhood as fast as possible and before people reported screams and the sounds of fighting. I thought back to the terror on Donovan's face and shivered. â€Å"I don't think he was lying.' Sydney didn't ask any more questions, except about which direction she should drive. Dimitri suggested we find another hotel so that we could clean up and get some rest before tomorrow's task. Fortunately, Lexington had a much broader selection of hotels than our last town. We didn't go for luxury, but the large, modern-looking place we chose was part of a chain, clean and stylish. Sydney checked us in and then led us inside through a side door, so as not to startle any guests who might be up in the middle of the night. We got one room with two double beds. No one commented on it, but I think we all shared a need to stay together after our earlier Strigoi encounter. Dimitri was much more of a mess than me, thanks to his mutilation of Donovan, so I sent him to shower first. â€Å"You did great,' I told Sydney as we waited. I sat on the floor (which was much cleaner than the last room's) so that I wouldn't wreck the beds. â€Å"That was really brave of you.' She crooked me a smile. â€Å"Typical. You get beat up and nearly killed, but I'm the one you're praising?' â€Å"Hey, I do this all the time. Going in there alone like you did †¦ well, it was pretty hardcore. And I'm not that beat up.' I was brushing off my injuries, just as Dimitri would. Sydney, eyeing me, knew it too. My legs were scraped more than I'd realized, the skin torn and bleeding from where I'd fallen on the cement. One of my ankles was complaining over the roof-jump, and I had a number of cuts and bruises scattered over the rest of me. I had no clue where most had come from. Sydney shook her head. â€Å"How you guys don't catch gangrene more often is beyond me.' We both knew why, though. It was part of the natural resistance I'd been born with as a dhampir, getting the best of both races' traits. Moroi were actually pretty healthy too, though they sometimes caught diseases unique to their race. Victor was an example. He had a chronic disease and had once forced Lissa to heal him. Her magic had restored him to full health at the time, but the illness was slowly creeping back. I showered after Dimitri finished, and then Sydney forced her first aid kit on both of us. When we were bandaged and disinfected to her satisfaction, she got out her laptop and pulled up a map of Paris, Kentucky. The three of us huddled around the screen. â€Å"Lots of creeks and rivers,' she mused, scrolling around. â€Å"Not much in the way of lakes.' I pointed. â€Å"Do you think that's it?' It was a tiny body of water, marked APPLEWOOD POND. â€Å"Maybe. Ah, there's another pond. That could be a suspect too or–oh! Right here?' She tapped the screen on another body of water, a bit bigger than the ponds: MARTIN LAKE. Dimitri sat back and ran a hand over his eyes as he yawned. â€Å"That looks like the most likely option. If not, I don't think it'll take long to drive around the other ones.' â€Å"That's your plan?' asked Sydney. â€Å"Just drive around and look for a blue house?' I exchanged glances with Dimitri and shrugged. Sydney might be showing her bravery on this trip, but I knew her idea of â€Å"a plan' was a little different from ours. Hers were structured, well-thought out, and had a clear purpose. Also, details. â€Å"It's more solid than most of our plans,' I said at last. The sun was going to be up in another hour or so. I was restless to go after Sonya, but Dimitri insisted sleep until midday. He took one bed, and Sydney and I shared the other. I didn't really think I needed the rest he claimed, but my body disagreed. I fell asleep almost instantly. And like always lately, I eventually was pulled into a spirit dream. I hoped it was Adrian, coming to finish our last conversation. Instead, the conservatory materialized around me, complete with harp and cushioned furniture. I sighed and faced the Brothers Dashkov. â€Å"Great,' I said. â€Å"Another conference call. I have really got to start blocking your number.' Victor gave me a small bow. â€Å"Always a pleasure, Rose.' Robert merely stared off into space again. Nice to know some things never changed. â€Å"What do you want?' I demanded. â€Å"You know what we want. We're here to help you help Vasilisa.' I didn't believe that for an instant. Victor had some scheme in mind, but my hope was to capture him before he could do any further damage. He studied me expectantly. â€Å"Have you found the other Dragomir yet?' I stared incredulously. â€Å"It's only been a day!' I almost had to redo my math on that one. It felt more like ten years. Nope. Only a day since I'd last spoken to Victor. â€Å"And?' Victor asked. â€Å"And, how good do you think we are?' He considered. â€Å"Pretty good.' â€Å"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but it's not as easy as it seems. And actually †¦ considering what a cover-up this has all been, it really doesn't seem easy at all.' â€Å"But you have found something?' Victor pressed. I didn't answer. An eager gleam lit his eyes, and he took a step forward. I promptly took one back. â€Å"You have found something.' â€Å"Maybe.' Again, I had the same indecision as before. Did Victor, with all his scheming and manipulating, know something that could help us? Last time, he'd given me nothing, but now we had more information. What had he said? If we found a thread, he could unravel it? â€Å"Rose.' Victor was speaking to me like I was a child, as he often did to Robert. It made me scowl. â€Å"I told you before: It doesn't matter if you trust me or my intentions. For now, we're both interested in the same short-term goal. Don't let future worries ruin your chance here.' It was funny, but that was similar to the principle I'd operated on for most of my life. Live in the now. Jump right in and worry about the consequences later. Now, I hesitated and tried to think things over before making a decision. At last, I chose to take the risk, again hoping Victor might be able to help. â€Å"We think the mother †¦ the mother of Lissa's brother or sister †¦ is related to Sonya Karp.' Victor's eyebrows rose. â€Å"You know who that is?' â€Å"Of course. She turned Strigoi–allegedly because she went insane. But we both know it was a little more complicated than that.' I nodded reluctantly. â€Å"She was a spirit user. No one knew.' Robert's head whipped around so fast that I nearly jumped. â€Å"Whos a spirit user?' â€Å"Former spirit user,' said Victor, instantly switching to soothing mode. â€Å"She became a Strigoi to get away from it.' The sharp focus Robert had directed toward the two of us melted into soft dreaminess once more. â€Å"Yes †¦ always a lure to that †¦ kill to live, live to kill. Immortality and freedom from these chains, but oh, what a loss †¦' They were crazy ramblings, but they had an eerie similarity to some of the things Adrian said sometimes. I didn't like that at all. Trying to pretend Robert wasn't in the room, I turned back to Victor. â€Å"Do you know anything about her? Who she's related to?' He shook his head. â€Å"She has a large family.' I threw up my hands in exasperation. â€Å"Could you be any more useless? You keep acting like you know so much, but you're just telling us what we've already found out! You aren't helping!' â€Å"Help comes in many forms, Rose. Have you found Sonya?' â€Å"Yes.' I reconsidered. â€Å"Well, not quite. We know where she is. We're going to see her tomorrow and question her.' The look on Victor's face spoke legions about how ridiculous he thought that was. â€Å"And I'm sure she'll be eager to help.' I shrugged. â€Å"Dimitri's pretty persuasive.' â€Å"So I've heard,' said Victor. â€Å"But Sonya Karp isn't an impressionable teenager.' I sized up a punch but worried Robert might have his force field up again. Victor appeared oblivious to my anger. â€Å"Tell me where you are. We'll come to you.' Once more, a dilemma. I didn't think there was much the brothers could do. But this might present an opportunity to recapture him. Besides, if we had him in person, maybe he'd stop interrupting my dreams. â€Å"We're in Kentucky,' I said at last. â€Å"Paris, Kentucky.' I gave him what other info we had about the blue house. â€Å"We'll be there tomorrow,' Victor said. â€Å"Then where are you now–‘ And just like last time, Robert ended the dream abruptly, leaving me hanging. What had I gotten myself into with them? Before I could consider it, I was immediately taken to another spirit dream. Good Lord. It really was deja vu. Everyone wanted to talk to me in my sleep. Fortunately, like last time, my second visit was from Adrian. This one was in the ballroom where the Council had met. There were no chairs or people, and my steps echoed on the hard wood floor. The room that seemed so grand and powerful when in use now had a lonely, ominous feel. Adrian stood near one of the tall, arched windows, giving me one of his roguish smiles when I hugged him. Compared to how dirty and bloody everything was in the real world, he seemed pristine and perfect. â€Å"You did it.' I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. â€Å"You got them to nominate Lissa.' After our last dream visit, when I'd realized there might be some merit to Victor's suggestion, I'd had to work hard to convince Adrian that the nomination idea was a good one– particularly since I hadn't been sure myself. â€Å"Yeah, getting that group on board was easy.' He seemed to like my admiration, but his face grew grimmer as he pondered my words. â€Å"She's not happy about it, though. Boy, she let us have it afterward.' â€Å"I saw it. You're right that she doesn't like it–but it was more than that. It was spirit- darkness. I took some of it away, but yeah †¦ it was bad.' I remembered how taking her anger had caused it to flare up briefly in me. Spirit didn't hit me as hard as it did her– but that was only temporary. Eventually, if I pulled enough over the years, it would take over. I caught hold of Adrian's hand and gave him as pleading a look as I could manage. â€Å"You've got to look after her. I'll do what I can, but you know as well as I do how stress and worry can agitate spirit. I'm afraid it'll come back like it used to. I wish I could be there to take care of her. Please–help her.' He tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear, concern in his deep green eyes. At first, I thought his worry was just for Lissa. â€Å"I will,' he said. â€Å"I'll do what I can. But Rose †¦ will it happen to me? Is that what I'll become? Like her and the others?' Adrian had never shown the extreme side effects Lissa had, largely because he didn't use as much spirit and because he did so much self-medicating with alcohol. I didn't know how long that would last, though. From what I'd seen, there were only a few things to delay the insanity: self-discipline, antidepressants, and bonding to someone shadow-kissed. Adrian didn't seem interested in any of those options. It was weird, but in this moment of vulnerability, I was reminded of what had just happened with Dimitri. Both of these men, so strong and confident in their ways, yet each needing me for support. You're the strong one, Rose, a voice whispered inside my head. Adrian gazed off. â€Å"Sometimes †¦ sometimes I can believe the insanity is all imagined, you know? I've never felt it like the others †¦ like Lissa or old Vlad. But once in a while †¦' he paused. â€Å"I don't know. I feel so close, Rose. So close to the edge. Like if I allow myself one small misstep, I'll plunge away and never come back. It's like I'll lose myself.' I'd heard him say stuff like this before, when he'd go off on some weird tangent that only half made sense. It was the closest he ever came to showing that spirit might be messing with his mind too. I'd never realized he was aware of these moments or what they could mean. He looked back down at me. â€Å"When I drink †¦ I don't worry about it. I don't worry about going crazy. But then I think †¦ maybe I already I am. Maybe I am, but no one can tell the difference when I'm drunk.' â€Å"You're not crazy,' I said fiercely, pulling him to me. I loved his warmth and the way he felt against my skin. â€Å"You'll be okay. You're strong.' He pressed his cheek to my forehead. â€Å"I don't know,' he said. â€Å"I think you're my strength.' It was a sweet and romantic statement, but something about it bothered me. â€Å"That's not quite right,' I said, wondering how I could put my feelings into words. I knew you could help someone else in a relationship. You could strengthen them and support them. But you couldn't actually do everything for them. You couldn't solve all their problems. â€Å"You have to find it within your–‘ The hotel room's alarm clock blared and broke me from the dream, leaving me frustrated both because I missed Adrian and hadn't been able to say all I wanted to. Well, there was nothing I could do for him now. I could only hope he'd manage on his own. Sydney and I were both sluggish and squinty-eyed. It made sense that she'd be exhausted, since her whole sleeping schedule–when she actually got sleep–had been thrown off. Me? My fatigue was mental. So many people, I thought. So many people needed me †¦ but it was so hard to help all of them. Naturally, Dimitri was up and ready to go. He'd woken before us. Last night's breakdown might as well have never happened. It turned out he'd been dying for coffee and had patiently waited for us, not wanting to leave us sleeping and undefended. I shooed him off, and twenty minutes later, he returned with coffee and a box of donuts. He also had purchased an industrial-strength chain at a hardware store across the street â€Å"for when we find Sonya,' which made me uneasy. By then Sydney and I were ready to go, and I decided to hold off on my questions. I wasn't crazy about wearing shorts again, not with my legs in this condition, but I was too eager to get to Sonya to insist we stop at a mall. I did, however, decide it was time to get my companions up to speed. â€Å"So,' I began casually, â€Å"Victor Dashkov might be joining us soon.' It was to Sydney's credit that she didn't drive off the road. â€Å"What? That guy who escaped?' I could see in Dimitri's eyes that he was just as shocked, but he kept cool and under control, like always. â€Å"Why,' he began slowly, â€Å"is Victor Dashkov joining us?' â€Å"Well, it's kind of a funny story †¦' And with that intro, I gave them as brief yet thorough a recap as I could, starting with the background on Robert Doru and ending with the brothers' recent dream visits. I glossed over Victor's â€Å"mysterious' escape a few weeks ago, but something told me that Dimitri, in that uncanny way we had of guessing each other's thoughts, was probably putting the pieces together. Both Lissa and I had told Dimitri we'd gone through a lot to learn how to restore him, but we'd never explained the full story–especially the part about breaking out Victor so that he could help us find his brother. â€Å"Look, whether he can help or not, this is our chance to catch him,' I added hastily. â€Å"That's a good thing, right?' â€Å"Its an issue we'll deal with †¦ later.' I recognized the tone in Dimitri's voice. He'd used it a lot at St. Vladimir's. It usually meant there was a private talk in my future, where I'd be grilled for more details. Kentucky turned out to be pretty beautiful as we drove out to Paris. The land was rolling and green as we got out of the city, and it was easy to imagine wanting to live in a little house out here. I wondered idly if that had been Sonya's motivation and then caught myself. I'd just told Dimitri that Strigoi saw no beauty. Was I wrong? Would gorgeous scenery matter to her? I found my answer when our GPS led us to Martin Lake. There were only a few houses scattered around it, and among those, only one was blue. Stopping a fair distance away from the house, Sydney parked the car off to the side of the road as much as she could. It was narrow, the shoulders covered in trees and high grass. We all got out of the car and walked a little ways, still keeping our distance. â€Å"Well. It's a blue house,' declared Sydney pragmatically. â€Å"But is it hers? I don't see a mailbox or anything.' I looked closer at the yard. Rose bushes, full of pink and red blossoms, grew in front of the porch. Baskets thick with white flowers I didn't know the names of hung from the roof, and blue morning glories climbed up a trellis. Around the house, I could just barely make out a wood fence. A vine with orange, trumpet-shaped flowers crawled over it. Then, an image flickered into my mind, gone as quickly as it had come. Ms. Karp watering pots of flowers in her classroom, flowers that seemed to grow impossibly fast and tall. As a teenager more interested in dodging homework, I hadn't thought much about them. It was only later, after watching Lissa make plants grow and bloom during spirit experiments, that I understood what had been happening in Ms. Karp's classroom. And now, even deprived of spirit and possessed by evil, Sonya Karp was still tending her flowers. â€Å"Yeah,' I said. â€Å"This is her house.' Dimitri approached the front porch, studying every detail. I started to follow but held back. â€Å"What are you doing?' I kept my voice low. â€Å"She might see you.' He returned to my side. â€Å"Those are black-out curtains. They aren't letting in any light, so she isn't going to see anything. It also means she likely spends her time on the house's main floor, rather than a basement.' I could easily follow his line of thinking. â€Å"That's good news for us.' When I'd been captured by Strigoi last year, my friends and I had been held in a basement. Not only was it convenient for Strigoi wanting to avoid the sun, it also meant fewer escape and entry options. It was easy for Strigoi to trap prey in a basement. The more doors and windows we had, the better. â€Å"I'll scout the other side,' he said, starting for the backyard. I hurried up to him and caught him by the arm. â€Å"Let me. I'll sense any Strigoi–not that she's going outside, but, well, just in case.' He hesitated, and I grew irate, thinking he didn't believe me capable. Then, he said, â€Å"Okay. Be careful.' I realized he was just worried about me. I moved as smoothly and quietly as I could around the house, soon discovering the wooden fence was going to create difficulty in seeing the backyard. I feared climbing over might alert Sonya to my presence and pondered what to do. My solution came in the form of a large rock lying near the fence's edge. I dragged the stone over and stood on top. It wasn't enough to let me look completely over, but I was able to easily put my hands on top of the fence and hoist myself up for a peek with minimal noise. It was like looking into the Garden of Eden. The flowers in the front had merely been the warm-up act. More roses, magnolia and apple trees, irises, and a billion other flowers I didn't recognize. Sonya's backyard was a paradise of lush color. I scoped out what I needed to and hurried back to Dimitri. Sydney still stood by the car. â€Å"A patio door and two windows,' I reported. â€Å"All curtained. There's also a wooden deck chair, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow.' â€Å"Any pitchforks?' â€Å"Unfortunately, no, but there's a big-ass rock sitting outside the fence. It'd be hard to get it into the yard, though. We're better off using it to help us climb over. No gate in the fence. She's made a fortress.' He nodded in understanding, and without any conversation, I knew what to do. We got the chain from the car and entrusted it to Sydney. We told her to wait for us outside–with the strict instructions to leave if we weren't back in thirty minutes. I hated to say that kind of thing–and Sydney's face indicated she didn't like hearing it–but it was inevitable. If we hadn't subdued Sonya in that amount of time, we weren't going to subdue her at all–or leave alive. If we did manage to overtake her, we'd give some signal for Sydney to come in with the chain. Sydney's amber-brown eyes were filled with anxiety as she watched us head back around the house. I nearly teased her for caring about evil creatures of the night but stopped myself just in time. She might loathe every other dhampir and Moroi in the world, but somewhere along the way, she'd come to like Dimitri and me. That wasn't something to mock. Dimitri stood on the rock and surveyed the yard. He murmured a few last-minute instructions to me before taking my hands and boosting me up over the fence. His height went a long way to make the maneuver as easy and quiet–though not silent–as possible. He followed me shortly thereafter, landing beside me with a small thud. After that, we sprang forward with no delay. If Sonya had heard us, then there was no point in wasting time. We needed every advantage we could get. Dimitri grabbed the shovel and swung it hard into the glass–once, twice. The first strike was about the height of my head, the second lower. The glass fractured more with each impact. Right on the heels of the second hit, I pushed forward and shoved the wheelbarrow into the door. Lifting it and throwing it against the glass would have been a lot cooler, but it was too unwieldy to raise very high. When the wheelbarrow struck the already weakened glass, the cracked areas broke and crumbled altogether, creating a hole big enough for both of us to get through. We both had to duck–especially Dimitri. A simultaneous attack through both sides of the house would have been ideal, but it wasn't like Sonya could run out the front door. Nausea had started to creep over me as soon as we were near the patio, and the sensation hit full force as we entered a living room. I ignored my stomach in the way I'd perfected and braced myself for what was to come. We'd broken in pretty quickly but not quickly enough to truly get the jump on Strigoi reflexes. Sonya Karp was right there, ready for us, doing all she could to avoid the sunlight spilling into the living room. When I'd first seen Dimitri as a Strigoi, I'd been so shocked that I'd frozen up. It had allowed him to capture me, so I'd mentally braced myself this time, knowing I'd feel the same shock when I saw my former teacher as a Strigoi. And it was shocking. Just like with him, so many of Sonya's features were the same as before: the auburn hair and high cheek bones †¦ but her beauty was twisted by all the other terrible conditions: chalky skin, red eyes, and the expression of cruelty that all Strigoi seemed to wear. If she recognized us, she gave no sign and lunged toward Dimitri with a snarl. It was a common Strigoi tactic to take out the bigger threat first, and it annoyed me that they always believed that was Dimitri. He'd shoved his stake in his belt in order to carry the shovel inside with him. The shovel wouldn't kill a Strigoi, but with enough strength and momentum, it would definitely keep Sonya at arm's length. He struck her with it in the shoulder after her first attempt, and while she didn't fall over, she definitely waited before trying another attack. They circled each other, like wolves readying for a battle, as she sized up her odds. One charge, and her greater strength would push him down, shovel or not. All of this took place in a matter of seconds, and Sonya's calculations had left me out of the equation. I made my own charge, slamming into her other side, but she saw me coming out of the corner of her eye and responded instantly, throwing me down while never taking her eyes off Dimitri. I wished I had the shovel and could hit her in the back from a safe distance. All I carried was my stake, and I had to be careful with it since it could kill her. I did a quick scan of her eerily normal living room and couldn't see any other potential weapons. She feinted, and Dimitri went for it. He just barely corrected himself as she leapt forward to take advantage of the situation. She thrust him against the wall, pinning him there and knocking the shovel from his grasp. He struggled against her, trying to break free as her hands found his throat. If I tried to pull her off, my strength combined with Dimitri's would probably free him. I wanted this over as quickly as possible, however, and decided to make a power play. I ran toward her, stake in hand, and plunged it through her right shoulder blade, hoping I was nowhere near her heart. The charmed silver, so agonizing to Strigoi skin, made her scream. Frantic, she shoved me away with force that was astonishing even for a Strigoi. I fell backward, stumbling, and whacked my head against a coffee table. My vision dimmed slightly, but instinct and adrenaline drove me back to my feet. My attack gave Dimitri the split second he needed. He knocked Sonya to the ground and grabbed my stake, pushing it against her throat. She screamed and flailed, and I moved forward to help him, knowing how hard it was to pin a Strigoi. â€Å"Get Sydney †¦' he grunted. â€Å"The chain †¦' I moved as quickly as I could, stars and shadows dancing in front of me. I unlocked the front door and kicked it open as a signal, then ran back to Dimitri. Sonya was making good progress in fighting him off. I dropped to my knees, working with Dimitri to keep her restrained. He had that battle lust in his eyes again, a look that said he wanted to destroy her right here and now. But there was something else, too. Something that made me think he had more control, that my words in the alley had actually had an impact. Still, I uttered a warning. â€Å"We need her †¦ remember we need her.' He gave me a slight nod, just as Sydney showed up lugging the chain. She stared at the scene wide-eyed, pausing only a moment before hurrying over to us. We'll make a warrior of her yet, I thought. Dimitri and I moved to our next task. We'd already spotted the best place to bind Sonya: a heavy, reclining armchair in the corner. Lifting her–which was dangerous since she was still thrashing wildly–we thrust her into the chair. Then, keeping the stake at her neck, Dimitri attempted to hold her down while I grabbed hold of the chain. There was no time to think of a precise system. I just started wrapping it, first around her legs and then as best as I could around her torso, trying to lock her arms against her. Dimitri had bought a lot of chain, thankfully, and I hurriedly wrapped it around the chair in a crazy manner, doing everything I could to keep her down. When I finally ran out of chain, Sonya was pretty well locked into place. Was it something she could break out of? Absolutely. But with a silver stake against her? Not so easy. With both in place †¦ well, we had her trapped for now. It was the best we could do. Dimitri and I exchanged brief, weary looks. I felt dizzy but fought through it, knowing our task was far from over. â€Å"Time for questioning,' I said grimly.

Legal Implications of National Security and the threats at our Border - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2753 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2018/12/26 Category Politics Essay Type Research paper Level High school Tags: Government Essay Military Essay United States Essay Did you like this example? Introduction Guantanamo Bay is a water body located in Cuba. It is familiarly known as regarding a military base in the Naval Base. It usually said to be a detention facility geographical located in Oriente province which is in southeastern part of Cuba. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Legal Implications of National Security and the threats at our Border" essay for you Create order It is approximated to be 400 miles away from Miami in Florida. It is a United States prison that holds detainees from other nations that threaten peoples security so as to ensure there is peace amongst the people of different nations. Whenever countries border each other, it is of great importance to maintain peace and security within the borders. Subsequently this makes traveling safer and comfortable from one place to another. Maintenance of border security also ensures that movement of sensitive goods like weapons anddrugs is strictly restricted to authorized persons or organizations only. Both internal and external security promotes economic growth and stability, free movement of people across the borders as well as maintaining a nations autonomy. The United States have worked responsibly to protect its borders from any dangers since its borders several countries form instance Mexico, DHS and Canada. This has been through all technological means and the use of its personnel. The government through former president Barrack Obama set plans to have the Guantanamo Bay closed for security purposes. It has been targeted for closure by several parties. Since 2008 former President, Barrack Obama had set his plan to have it closed. His administration had set a plan to transfer some detainees to different countries and others to another facility in the U.S.A. immigration laws in the federal government bestows the responsibility of maintaining a safe and secure environment upon the government with assistance of the various states. Therefore federal government should ensure that its citizens are protected in their community within and even outside their land. (Yin, 2011) This paper therefore seeks to investigate whether the Guantanamo Bay should be closed. The president has the powers to decide what they think best to be implemented as far as national security is concerned. The continued opening of the Guantanamo Bay prison is of much importance to the people since that every threat to their security is keenly checked. Nevertheless this adversely tarnishes the public image of the United States hence creating more enemies for it. This research paper will outweigh both the pros and cons of closing the facility based on arguments by different parties. Normally a prison should be a rehabilitation place where wrong doers are punished to correct the behaviors and become better people in the future. By the time when this announcement of the closure was made by the president, most people in the Congress and lawmakers disputed this plan and strongly disagreed with the president. In addition, a poll was conducted where among the Americans who were surveyed, 56 percent opposed the closing of the prison in Guantanamo Bay. Over the years several people have argued whether the prison at Guantanamo Bay should be shut down or not. For instance, General John Kelly said that it should not be closed simply because the detainees show a lot of power since they provoke and splash dirt on the guards. They still remain to be bad guys having not changed at all which is evident in the way they assault their guards. Constitutionally, one should be prosecuted for assault to any individual. Background Any restriction made by a government concerning its boundary with other countries is always based on prevention of illegal inflow or outflow of people or/and goods through land, water or air means. This therefore permits the legal travels for people to attend to lawful operations like commerce. This is a responsibility given to any government since its a way of exercising its powers. It was for this reason why U.S decided to restrict this movement by closure o the detention facility. It has been witnessed of international organizations disrupting various nations` security through illegal activities like drug trafficking and terrorism attacks all over the world. At first when Obama introduced his bid in his campaign, it seemed to have a very strong political force. It was endorsed by several politicians mainly by his opponents, Hillary Clinton and McCain of the Republican. Following his passion to uphold humanity, former president Obama said that he was against the activities of tortu re that the detainees were subjected to. (McNeal, 2011) In the United States which is used for detainment of war prisoners was made by president Obama among other persons. This was highly opposed by many including citizens who saw that their lives would be endangered. The prisoners are attained from the Afghanistan invasion and the Terror war back in 2002. Most leaders have opposed the action of closing the prison claiming that the prisoners need to remain detained and it should be closed any time soon. On the on the contrary, others for instance CFR Adjunct Fellow John B. Bellinger III claims that the prison remains a stain on U.S. values and must be closed. He advocates for its closure thus backing up former president Barrack Obama. In addition, a former legal adviser to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, William Yeomans utters that the prison should not only be shut but also be converted into a base for Haitian relief and development. Even though president Obama pushed for this case, he did not make it to close the prison within his term despite the targets he had set within a year or two due to various reasons. One of the reasons was that Guantanamo was a very nice place to detain large numbers of Taliban and al-Qaeda members. This was found to be of great importance and also probable (Muhs et al, 2017). Analysis It was found that president Obama had an inner passion when he proposed to have the closure. He says, in the dark halls of Abu Ghraib and the detention cells of Guantnamo, we have compromised our most precious values,he was opposed to some inhumane activities done in the prison which included: vicious beatings, deprivation of sleep, detainments for longer periods, forceful and feedings. He therefore issued orders to have the facility closed, that was not the case. Several persons had different views about the issue. Following the progress of this issue to close the prison at Guantanamo bay, several people have found it worth of considering its problems. Since its problems have taken quite long, its running was bestowed upon the military that run it in a humane manner in line with legal standards governing world-wide. This research sought to know whether the Guantanamo Bay should be closed or not. It has been proved helpful to close Guantanamo since it will make U.S more secure. In 20 08 the presidential candidates had affirmed this proposal in order to reduce criminal activities. Obama argued that the prison has done nothing to remedy the situation and thus should be closed (Muhs et al, 2017). This follows a bombing attempt by a Nigerian student with aid of two released detainees from Guantanamo. The prison had earlier been affected politics leading to the release of criminals by not following a court order. Furthermore the Guantanamo was like a torture zone for the detainees. This is according to one of bombers who said that he was motivated by abuse the released detainees underwent in that prison as well as Bagram. Consequently the Nigerian student made a decision to attempt bombing in revenge for his colleagues from the stories he heard. This is still why former president Obama was against (Muhs et al, 2017). According to Senior Managing Attorney, Shayana Kadidal, it was absolutely unreasonable not to release detainees who were freed by the court or a task force. Therefore any calls to let Guantanamo open for more time was meaningless since America would not be safer. The Guantanamo By detention camp was instead to be converted into beacon of humanitarian compassion instead of being a symbol of lawless abuse of detainees in America. (William Yeomans, Fellow in Law and Government, Washington College of Law, American University; former Chief Counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senate Judiciary Committee) this was to be achieved by using it a base for development and relief for Haiti. Guantanamo was to be closed in order to restore the strength of America which was diminished by the state of the facility. It destroyed the state of American national security alongside tarnishing its reputation all over the world. Once people entered Guantanamo, their rights were violated until when law men intervened for them to be treated well. It was then when Obama recognized the need to stay away from this situation and restoring the strength of his nation by eliminating the damage already done in Guantanamo. According to him, closure of the prison would mean better outward image of America by other countries. Americans bid to close Guantanamo was not affected by the fact that Yemen was known for breeding of terrorists. Former president Obama did not hesitate to make the place a sign of hope and restoration (Muhs et al, 2017). It should be closed down because innocent people are being mistreated following their mistaken identity. For instance, Lawyer Omar Deghayes was detained for several years following a mistaken identity. He claims that those who arrested him thought he was Chechen rebel. Despite hunger strikes severally to call for outside world to clip in for his case to be heard, Omar served imprisonment for several years. He called for justice to be executed and those found guilty be imprisoned whereas the innocent be released (Van, 2011). Since the United States rejects torture unequivocally just as President Bush and Obama did, the facility cannot be maintained knowing its a place where torture occurs. Guantanamo has encouraged enmity between countries. It is a global network which publicly represents inhumane prisons thus creating new enemies each and every time. This is because the place has been more inhumane practicing interrogation issues and torture to the detainees. It is therefore advocated to close it down in order to promote social integration within nations in the whole world. At times the Guantanamo has estranged its allies due to the need to curb terrorism. However this has led to distrust of United States in the eyes of its friends. That is why Tony Blair, who was the British prime minister advocated for the place to be closed. Closure of Guantanamo would act as a signal of great change regarding the strategy on terrorism fight. After the terror attacks the United States vowed to ensure protection of its people from danger and any other subsequent attacks. Closing the Guantanamo Bay would act as a symbol of being civilized with ability to use other security methods than a scared nation. This will reassure citizens and the outside world of its confidence to use the rule of law to protect what belongs to the United States (Boehm, 2012). It is also a violation of the Geneva Conventions. This is so because from the start it took legal stand that its captives were those who fell in the category of armed fighters from enemy nations but not war prisoners. Contrary, it has been found that other persons were against closure of the Guantanamo Bay. This is because, for instance according to Clifford D. May, al-Qaeda did not use Guantanamo as a tool for recruitment instead they had already recruited their group even before the Gitmo attacks. It was argued that the advantage of public diplomacy to be attained by shutting of Guantanamo Bay would be cancelled by destruction done on national security (Muhs et al, 2017). Similarly, no democratic nation would accept transfer of detainees into their land once the prison was closed. This therefore called Obama to accept that it was impossible to close Guantanamo Bay. Likewise the transfer of detainees to the U.S was also not interesting since they could be privileged to enjoy the same rights as per the constitution just like any other American citizen. Therefore closure of the facility would be unjust and an advantage to terrorists. In addition, it is costly to establish another facility to accommodate the detainees. This would mean a waste of the investment earlier made. As a result the congress would be a total mess of using American money inappropriately. The Guantanamo Bay closure would mean that terrorists would be freely roaming around in the whole nation thus endangering the lives and security of innocent citizens. People would be uncomfortable to walk around in amidst of insecure people. In addition no sovereign nations would freely permit the detainees to be transfer to their land. This would mean allowing a dangerous threat to their security. It has helped to convict terrorists who threaten not only national security but also that of other countries. Since these detainees have tortured and murdered innocent people, they are justified to suffer in this prison. It would be a complete violation of constitutional justice to close Guantanamo Bay. It has also served the entire world leave alone the United States of America. It was also found that the place serves to cut communication of the prisoners with others. Therefore its operation would help to which people have connections with terrorism and hence stop their operations. It is thus effective to keep the Guantanamo Bay open. The torture involved in the place has not been like beating people up though. Prisoners are often witnessed making concoctions of urine and other dirt to throw at their guards, and they are not touched. Similarly, what occurs in Guantanamo is not real torture (Muhs et al, 2017). Basically there has been use of psychology. By definition, Torture is pain equal to or greater than losing organs. Psychological torture doesnt involve pain. Therefore, this should not result to closing of the facility. Based on the research, it was found that president Obama was not able to close the Guantanamo Bay prison because; the congress prevented him from closing it. Due to his opponents influence while in office, Obama would not be able to achieve his desire until his reign expired. On the other hand, president trump has promised to retain the prison open in order to ensure the detainees suffer as intended. He vowed to introduce more severe punishment to them to compensate for innocent people who suffer in their hands. Conclusion In summary, there have been several arguments for and against the closure of Guantanamo Bay. The closure is beneficial in that it will continue to hold captive the murderers amongst other criminals who violated peoples rights, building up and restoring the image of the United States in the outside world, upholding and maintaining the investment funds in that facility, aid in remedying the violation of the Geneva conventions, ensure that prisoners are not abused or degraded, curb mistreating of innocent persons accused through mistaken identity by ensuring that proper handling and hearing of cases is implemented, ensuring that intelligence efforts are not undermined. On the contrary, Guantanamo should not be closed because, it will mean more insecurity resulting from the released detainees, a loss of investment in establishing this facility, and injustice done to the affected citizens, unfair treatment of citizens since everyone including the criminals will be able to enjoy their cons titutional rights and also there will be increased training and recruitment of other bad guys thus threatening the security of the entire world. Similarly, the detainees may end up revenging on their guards after they are freed and still on innocent persons. As it was reported after former president Barrack Obama demand the closure of the prison facility, most detainees mocked the guards. Therefore it would be most preferably if the Guantanamo Bay prison facility is not closed. This is so because the diplomatic advantage attained by the nation is outweighed by the damage done by the detainees on both national and international security. Every government should look for better ways to curb insecurity in their territory and even protect their borders. Recommendation Since it has been the desire of some leaders to close the Guantanamo Bay in order to restore the fallen American strength but it failed, I would recommend that it is most preferable to let the place remain open. For the benefit of the majority to enjoy their constitutional rights, captives should be subjected to imprisonment in order to change their ways and maintain peace. I also recommend other researchers in the future to view the specific damage the closure of Guantanamo Bay would bring to the U.S administration.