I’ll tell you now,

It’s not very happy,

It’s filled with a lot of shit,

But it has to be told.

As I’m writing this,

My thoughts are jumping.

The stories you are about to read
Are in no specific order.

They wander with my thoughts.

Even this intro was written

After writing half the book.

I just wanted to warn you

That you’re going to be in

My head, where anything

Can pop up.

No warning,

No rhyme or reason,

Just random thought.

And this book may not be

For you, so I won’t get

Offended if you toss it.

Just don’t expect it

To be like anything

You’ve read before.

It’s raw and truthful,

And probably shitty,

But hey, it might help

You learn that

If I got through it

You definitely can!

Oh and also,

The names have been

Changed to protect

The innocent,

The accused,

And the assholes.

If you think you know

These people,

Feel free not to tell them

They’re in this book,

Oh, and enjoy

If this house could talk, boy let me tell you it wouldn’t be happy.

Every word you here would be muffled by the cries

Of a house that’s been sufferin for so long, too long. 

This house has seen so many tears from so many eyes.

Its heard so many words from so many mouths

That are never meant to leave ya mind.

This house would be tellin you that it knows more pain than anyone should.

It knows a girl who has been crying for so long she forgot how to smile.

It knows her daughter who feels so unwanted

That she doesn’t think shes even worthy of this house she calls home.

It knows the mother, the one who tries to feel like everything is ok

Who doesn’t let no one see her cry

Who is a young mother and a young grandmother

Who hides those pills in her room till the time she needs them

This house knows the man who owns it

The man who instills fear in every person that steps in that house

The man who has hurt so many with the words of his mouth and the sting of his hands

Then this house would tell you how scared it is.

It would tell you that it is so scared

That little girl

Just a baby just turned 5

Hardly knows the world.

No one wants her to be like that sister of hers

No one wants her to grow up in pain

But this house is so scared because it knows that this little girl needs her sister

This house knows that this little girl will one day have to know

Her sister aint even her real sister

This house would tell you that it can see

This little girl is gonna have to live without a dad and with a broken mother.

So let me tell you if this house could talk there would be so much pain

Global warmin wouldn’t mean nothin 

The flood of our tears, of your tears would flood the world on its own.

When that day comes that this house does talk

Don’t ever forget that it is broken and in pain

But this house has always been strong enough

Strong enough to protect a family who needs love that this unspoken house gives.

Emancipation was the bureaucratic task that Leeann and I selected. We researched how a minor can become emancipated in Pennsylvania through the court system. The minor must be at least 16 years of age. They must no longer live in their parent’s home, or be supported by their parents. They must provide solid evidence that they are in control of themselves, and that they are a responsible, independent individual. The paperwork isn’t exceedingly difficult, but it is tedious, and then there is the fact that you must actually go to court in order to get emancipated. One part of the process is that if you don’t have your parent’s permission to move out of their house you can be picked up as a runaway and be taken home to your parents, or be put into Child and Youth Services until your dependence or independence is determined by the courts. I feel that this should be changed because if you want to be independent from your parents for whatever reason you obviously don’t want to get their permission to leave you want to just be done with them. I feel that the systems are complicated because so many people are going to court for so many issues, some simplistic, and others complex, but there are so many issues in the system that the drawn out process gives the people in charge more time to get to your needs, and also it makes sure that all the details are sorted out before you even get in front of an authority. Before starting this project I knew the emancipation process, but after completing the project as a third party instead of a person involved in the emancipation I feel that I better understand the issues and processes involved in becoming emancipated, from both the perspective of the minor and the courts.

H.R.4684: National September 11 Memorial & Museum Commemorative Medal Act of 2010 

It has been almost 10 years since the tragic attack on the United States. September 11^th is still a day that weighs heavy on the hearts of Americans. In late February a bill was passed in the House of Representatives. This bill proposed that the Secretary of Treasury be required to make medals in commemoration for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. It also presented the idea of establishing the “National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center.”

On February 24, 2010 New York Representative Jerrold Nadler (D) proposed the idea and got over 300 co-sponsors, 314 to be exact. The bill was referred to the House Financial Services committee. After many edits and revisions the House passed the bill on July 20, 2010.  The bill was passed on a voice vote and no records were kept of who actually supported the bill.

From the House the Senate took possession of the bill and two days later on July 22^nd the Senate voted unanimously on the bill and it was passed on to President Obama for final approval.

A little over two weeks later on August 6^th Obama signed the bill and passed it into a law. This law was passed very quickly due to it’s significance to Americans as a whole. In this piece of legislation each medal that is sold under this Act will have a surcharge of $10, which will be donated to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center in order to keep the museum maintained and in operation.

Sources:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4684

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h4684/show