If you have been keeping up with news you know that Russia has been occupying Crimea against the will of many Western powers, US, GB, FR. However what many don't know is that Crimea was a gift by Nikita Khrushchev, previous leader of Russia, to Ukraine in 1954.
Map of Russian territory (Orange) and occupied Crimea (Red)
Now many are calling for Russia to evacuate Crimea, (however Ukraine claim both parties, in 1954, had agreed to a no takesies-backsies policy regarding Crimea). With Putin, current leader of Russia, refusing to back down in this case of military occupation many western countries responded by waging economic war. AKA. Putting sanctions on Russia and Russia putting sanctions on the west. This has since put great strain on Russia already slow economic state sending them into great economic peril. As a result Foods and other necessities have since skyrocketed in price. Putin, taking a lesson from history, is most likely using these sanctions to rally the Russian people to his side. It is still a waiting game because military intervention might spark war, but inactivity will set a dangerous precedent of compliance from the western powers.
In the State of the Union conference, President Obama stated huge current issues like ISIS, Ukraine, immigration and more. Yet social media has been focusing on another topic: the color of the president's suit! If you think this sounds ridiculous, then you're right. Rather than focusing on the more important, very serious issues which the U.S. and the world are facing, social media has been ridiculing Obama's choice of a tan suit. They reason this upset with the fact that his suit was too casual to have been worn while stating such serious issues. However, with the world in such crisis as this, the president's outfits should be the last thing on everyone's mind.
Questions:
Do you think this conflict about his suit was at all necessary?
Do you agree or disagree with the reasoning for this upset?
So I'm not sure whether I should make a new post or post this to the Student Forum section but eh. Last year in ECE History I used www.history.com to help me define my key terms and I just wanted to throw that out there because it's easier than searching the far reaches of the internet to find information that looks pretty sketchy this site is usually really good at explaining the term and even helps with the significance sometimes. I just used to help me find and define the first few terms on our list so it's still pretty helpful especially now that we're talking about things that happened in history.
This past Monday, Marco Rubio, Florida Senator and possible Republican presidential candidate, spoke out against Obama about immigration laws. In the past, Rubio had advocated for illegals to come here then get citizenship but now his mind has changed. He wrote a letter to President Obama stating his concern that allowing these illegal immigrants to get work permits while being here illegally will "close the door on any chance of making progress on immigration reform in the foreseeable future." The White House declined to comment on this letter. Rubio hopes to make a difference with this and bring it up to a national level by starting with a bill to improve border security.
I chose this event because it is an issue we have continuously seen on media and has become a bigger issue. Now that an official has spoken out against what President Obama is doing with immigration laws, it seems to spark people's confidence to also speak up about it.
My questions for you are: Should illegal immigrants be able to get a work permit without being a citizen? and Do you think Rubio made the right decision by speaking out against President Obama's plan? Rubio Warns Obama Against Executive Action on Immigration
On August 24 of this month, the British Embassy in Washington has apologized after tweeting a photo of the White House as a cake. Nothing out of the regular? Wrong. This photo would have been ok if it weren't for the fact that the White house had sparkles in it. The caption read "Only sparklers this time!". Many negative comments followed as many people were outrage that the burning of the White House was made into a joke. The British Embassy later wrote a tweet that stated they are sorry and they just wanted to commemorate their strong friendship with America now.
The Ebola crisis has been getting worse in Africa. It appears to have spread to another African country, Congo, with two known cases so far. There is also a quarantine line around the Liberian capitol, trapping 70,000 people inside. This was imposed after a treatment center was looted. The facility as found destroyed with all patients missing. The patients have all been safely found but it is not clear if they infected other civilians or not. The number of cases so far has now reached 2,200 and the death count is now 1,229. There are only 1 or 2 doctors per thousands of people, making the situation very difficult and unsafe. Both U.S. doctors have been released and now show no signs of the disease. It is unclear whether the experimental drug will be released to the people of these African nations yet.
Members of ISIS behead American journalist James Foley, 40, in evident counterattack for U.S. airstrikes against the group. Foley, who worked for GlobalPost, went missing in Syria in November 2012. ISIS releases a graphic video of his killing. After his death, the U.S. announces that troops had attempted to rescue him and other U.S. hostages in July, but they had been unable to locate him. ISIS says Steven Sotloff, another kidnapped American journalist, will be killed if the airstrikes continue. President Obama refers to ISIS as a "cancer." "The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people," he says. "We will be vigilant, and we will be relentless." The U.S. steps up its airstrikes against the militants following Foley's murder. While meantime Iraq cities are being attack by sunni militants who do not have any control over those cities. Al qaeda is back in Fallujah, and the Sunni muslims are determined to rule the other part of Iraq to spread Shariah law. Questions to think about: How long will Iraq will be in civil war? How much time will take to get rid of Al Qaeda again? What other kinds of actions do the Sunni Muslims plan to do?
I have seen that many of my classmates have been posting there
opinions on the recent beheading of American reporter James Foley and I
feel it is not necessary for me to discuss it again. However, what I
feel does need to be discussed is clearly the bigger issue of this topic
and that is the fact that ISIS is becoming stronger by the day even
though we have been authorizing airstrikes on ISIS locations all over
Iraq. Another issue at large is that ISIS is not just found in Iraq, but
they are also found in locations all over Syria which closely borders
Iraq. I feel that authorizing airstrikes on ISIS will only be making the
situation worse due to the fact it will surely make this terrorist
group more angry so they will have a reason to kill another American
that is held captive. The best way to go about putting an end to this
malicious group is to put troops on the ground, as much as it kills me
to say it. In this method we can assure that the ISIS is not killing
anymore American citizens and if not weaken, totally eliminate ISIS
forces. Link to clip on NBC.com
Questions to think about :
Do you believe America should put troops on the ground?
If not, what do u think is the most effective way to stop ISIS actions?
Earlier this week a 6.0 earthquake struck Northern California. There were no deaths but more than 200 people were treated for quake related injuries, out of those 17 were admitted and 1 is still is critical condition. After shocks are predicted to last for several weeks, the largest recorded one at this moment is a 3.6. The governor of California, Jerry Brown, declared a state of emergency due to the 6 major fires that erupted because of the quake. Many are without power and water as the city begins its repairs and could be that way for up to a full week. 70 commercial and non commercial buildings were red tagged and can not be entered due to safety risks, upward of 200 are yellow tagged meaning that owners can go in to clean up but are not advised to occupy them for an extended period of time. Napa City Manager, Mike Parness, made a statement saying that they have exhausted all of their local resources and need help from outside sources. Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom also reaches out in hopes to remind everyone that Napa is not just rich, wine country and that their are smaller, poorer people who will need help to recover.
I chose this article because I wanted to remind my classmates that not everything is a huge debate and that we are not just a nation of politics but a country of people. There are perfect strangers on the other side of the country in a state of crisis. Recovery costs are estimated to be around $1 billion. People are without homes or have to find a way to rebuild. We have obviously seen much worse but why should we ignore this just because we can compare it to other disasters and say its not that bad. To those who are living it, it's very bad.
Questions:
1. How would you handle this situation if you were the Governor, Lt. Governor, or even the Napa City Manager?
2. In what ways do you feel that this nation can work to help these people recover from this latest natural disaster?
A few days ago, President Obama ordered the military to fly planes over Syria for surveillance. Some planes had people flying them, some did not. Flying these planes was a big step in military involvement in Syria. Now, the Pentagon is thinking about targeting the militant ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) which is closer to the border, rather than targeting deep inside Syria. A few days after the planes were flown, Syria informed the U.S.A. that if planes were flown over their country again without notice, it would be considered an act of aggression. However, Syria did signal that they would be willing to work with our country in targeting the militants. President Obama has not yet decided to have military action in Syria, but if he does, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad will not know about the plans, because he would make it harder for Syria and the U.S.A. to work together. Brian Katulis, a national security expert, stated, "Any hint that our actions might further reinforce Assad's grip on power would make it hard to build that coalition."
I think it is good that our country is working with Syria and possibly getting the military involved. This alliance against the IS may even prevent future disputes between the two countries, or end existing ones.
French Government Dissolves Today the French government resigned amid turmoil within its leadership and current troubles within the International Power. Although short, this article is important because it shows that even a major nation such as France can experience the problems that we only think can happen within smaller, less powerful countries. We seem to think that our nation is the greatest even though we also have many problems that others do. If such an event can happen to another major nation, what can our country become? My question to all of you is, Do you think this can happen to our country if we continue down the path we are, or do you think we can improve our nation to overcome our current political and economic issues?
People have already made posts describing the details of the raid and the beheading of James Foley, so I won't go into detail about the facts or specifics of the events. However, it's now coming up that there was almost a 30 day delay from when they wanted to do the raid to when Obama actually gave them the green light, according to a former lieutenant-colonel in US military intelligence. The question is why did he wait so long to give the go on a rescue attempt where they knew the hostages were being moved periodically and they could have been killed at any time? Of course the American soldiers were being put into danger, but if that was a big concern then why did they make the rescue attempt at all? It's also known that Obama played a relaxing 7 rounds of golf during this 30 day period. This doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it is worth mentioning.
My July post was also about Obama when he told Congress to "stop hatin' all the time" so it may seem like I'm focusing on him too much but he keeps saying or doing things that keep bringing up questions and concerns about the president of our country.
Although this is a rather small article I think it is very important because it branches off to something more. Recently a women soldier at Fort Lee army base shot herself in the head. This prompted a lockdown of the base but it was soon lifted and isolated. I think this situation shows how bad soldiers coming home from active duty are actually doing and the true brutality of war. This women's mental state must have been fragile and most likely unstable. If she shot herself when she was simply mad, there must be something wrong. What are your opinions; do you think that soldiers coming home from war are getting continuously worse with post dramatic stress disorder and what can we do to stop that or help further treat it? How is war really affecting people, and how much is the government possibly covering up? http://news.yahoo.com/active-shooter-reported-fort-lee-virginia-134136796.html
Originally, my first August current event option was the case on Michael Brown. However, I decided that it would be more interesting to put up an update of changes made from a past event. This event is the NSA Surveillance leak of 2013. Currently, Obama has made more updates and suggestions to this particular situation that I thought everyone would like to see. My question for you is, even with the changes, are you okay with this surveillance, why or why not? Link to NSA article
Last week Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted for abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant. Back in April, Travis County District Attorney, Rosemary Lehmberg, was pulled over for and eventually plead guilty to drunk driving. The thing is, the District Attorney just so happened to be a Democrat. Perry then asked Lehmberg to resign. He even publicly threatened to veto a bill that would cost her unit 7.5 million in funding. Lehmberg still refused to resign so Perry vetoed the bill and her unit had to lay off staff, and shrink overall operations. It also just so happens that Lehmberg's unit investigated cases of corruption and that some of the people that were under investigation may have ties to Perry. After all of this happened Perry was indicted for the charges mentioned above.
This is Perry's mugshot taken in Travis County
After all of this, Rick Perry has decided to take to the road and visit several states in preparation for what seems like a 2016 run for President.
Things to discuss:
How will this affect Perry's popularity?
Do you think he will be convicted of these charges?
How do you think this will affect his possible run in 2016?
The House of Representatives and the Senate have been going back and forth about a bill that will give the Department of Homeland Security $400 million for additional border security and $20 million to speed up the deportation process. There have been heated arguments in Congress saying that the Democrats are being "anti-Hispanic" and that this situation would violate the Constitution because the President can't pass laws. Now, the political parties are criticizing Obama for what he is saying and doing about this bill. Obama also has said that there is no more money left to spend and that if the bill passes through the Senate, he would veto it.
Questions:
1) Do you think this bill is a good idea?
2) Is it the right thing for Obama to veto the bill if it reaches him?
3) If you were apart of Congress discussing this bill, what would you say about it?
4) What effects do you think this will have on the current immigration crisis?
I picked this article because it deals directly with constitutional rights and the interpretation of laws which is what our whole summer packet was basically about. Also, seeing that this could potentially be a touchy subject, it's challenging you to look at it from a law perspective. The United States Court of Appeals came to the conclusion that by Mississippi imposing a law that would end abortion in the state of Mississippi would be breaking its constitutional obligations. People against this ruling argue that abortion is still legal and that women could just travel to other states. Others are pointing out that no state is required to provide services within it's borders. The defenders of this case point out its unconstitutional origin and limits of reproductive rights are illegal. Similar cases have been popping up all around the South in states like Texas, Alabama, Utah and many more. Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/30/us/mississippi-abortion-clinic-federal-court-blocks-closing.html?_r=0 My questions for you are: Do you think the Federal Court made the right decision? Can you think of some key factors for the major outbreak of these cases occurring only in the South? Is the argument that women could travel valid enough to justify their reasoning?
Micheal Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was recently shot by a white police officer at least 6 times, including 2 in his head and 4 in his arm. Some witnesses said they saw "a scuffle between the officer and Brown" while several other witnesses said Brown raised his hands and wasn't attacking the officer. Many theories have been composed about Brown's case including CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter claiming," the shots were on the arms (and head) on the front. Does that mean his arms were up?" This current event is very controversial because it deals with race and police procedures.
American Journalist
James Foley was recently beheaded by terrorist group ISIS, after being held
captive in Syria. Foley was a freelancer
for GlobalPost and was reporting in Syria at the time of his capture. US troops were sent into Syria to infiltrate ISIS and obtain hostages. Unfortunately, they were unable to locate or save any. His captors originally requested a sum of 100
million euros for his release, and had also demanded money from Foley’s
family. After their requests were unable
to be met, the Islamic extremist group published a video of Foley being
beheaded. He was only 40 years old. I chose
this current event because it can help us realize just how horrible things are
in the Middle East right
now. It’s hard to imagine these things
happening without experiencing them firsthand but this incident makes everything
happening there seem a whole lot more real.
Obama has been calling ISIS a ‘cancer’ in recent responses to this
horrible killing. He has said that we’ll
continue to fight against this terrorism and replace it with “a sense of hope
and civility”. Personally, I think this is the wrong thing to do. If we do defeat ISIS and bring them down,
then what? There’s always going to be
another group coming up to replace them.
Many have even called them a credible replacement for Al Qaeda, which
shows there is no shortage of these sick people with the same beliefs and
desires. To me, it makes most sense to
get out of these places in the Middle East entirely. While it is possible we could eradicate this
problem entirely, it would be extremely difficult and doesn't seem like it
could happen anytime soon. If we remove
ourselves from these hostile areas we don’t have to risk the lives of our
citizens. I’m aware that our presence
there has helped many people but I don’t find it reasonable to keep risking
lives and spending all this money to put troops there if we’re dealing with a
conflict that seemingly has no end.
My question to you is do you agree with my opinion that we should get entirely out of the Middle East? Why, or why not?
Also, do you think there's a better way to deal with these terrorist groups?
An American photojournalist, James Foley, was beheaded today by Islamic Militants in Iraq as an act of retaliation of the recent U.S. air strikes. James Foley went missing in November of 2012 in Syria and was not seen or heard of until the horrific YouTube video of the murder was released today. White House National Security has confirmed the authenticity of the video and that the man beheaded was in fact Foley. ISIS also is threatening that if the U.S. does not stop the air strikes, it plans to also murder another American journalist, Steven Sotloff. With this imposing threat of killing another American citizen comes a larger all-around threat to Americans, Christians, religious minorities, and Islamics over seas as well as Americans at home in the U.S. These horrific actions have further proved that the members of ISIS will stop at nothing to get what they want, which (although it may sound funny) is world domination. At this point, it is easy to see that "you can't negotiate with them, you can't bribe them, you can't contain them, we can only kill them", says KT McFarland in a Fox News interview. So now the question is where to go next with our actions. Continuing air strikes will lose more American lives, including Sotloff's. However, if we abide by their rules and discontinue air strikes we will only add more fuel to an already blazing fire.
Questions for Discussion:
-Should the U.S. stop air strikes to save Sotloff?
-Do you think that ISIS will become more powerful in the months to come if we do stop the air strikes? Why?
-Do you think there is any other way to stop ISIS besides killing?
-Do you consider ISIS as a threat to U.S. and the world if they become powerful enough?
Recently, there have been debates in whether Republicans will take control of the Senate in this year's senate elections. Each day it appears that a republican takeover of the Senate is more and more likely. Some polls on the other hand say that the odds of Republicans taking over the Senate aren't as high as some people would expect and that Democrats will still have a slight majority in the Senate. According to some, it will be a close call on whether Republicans will take control of the Senate. If Republicans do take control of the Senate, massive change in inedible. Obama may be thrown out of office, Obama care could be repealed and new laws could be made. However if there ends up being a tie for the amount of seats in the Senate, Joe Biden would split the tie and most likely vote on the democrat's side. This year's elections could decide the makeup of the US Senate and Congress itself. I am posting this event because I am personally curious about how my fellow classmates will react to these predictions and I am also curious about what they think will happen in this year's Senate elections and what the makeup of congress will be after the elections.
Here are some questions for debate: Will Republicans take control of the Senate in this year's Senate Elections? If Republicans don't take control of the Senate this year then what will the results be?
Recently, a police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, named Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri. The news of this murder has become a nationwide phenomenon, spreading all over social media, such as Twitter. Pictures, and videos are being shared all over the internet, raising awareness of this tragedy. Protests are happening all over the country but the police force continues to violently shut them down, using tear gas, and guns. Celebrities are visiting Ferguson and speaking to the protesters to show their support. Michael Brown's murder is becoming known across the world, and this is surely because of social media. Twitter, Facebook, Vine, etc have always been used for entertainment but now, it's informing the world of police brutality. Do you think social media is beneficial to this situation by quickly spreading this news, or is this just adding fuel to the fire?
Immigrants coming from Central America is a growing concern to many US citizens. People from the Mexico border have been migrating to the US for several years now. However, the numbers have slowly began to increase in the past year. 50, 000 children have arrived in the US in this year alone. They seem to be fleeing their home countries, due to their failed system of government sand unsafe territories, in attempt to build a brighter future. But with these increasing numbers of immigrants, more and more controversy is beginning across the country. As a new school year is ready to begin, several school teachers and concerned parents are speaking out to the government to give their opinions about newly enrolled immigrant students. Tweets and Facebook posts have been found with diverse arguments towards the topic. Some say we need to focus on our own children before we can go helping and providing for children in different countries. Some even suggest sending these children back due to the chance of new diseases being spread and more economic problems occurring in the US . The suggestions and options the US has for these family and children are endless, but the problem still remains unsolved.
1) Do you think the US is making the correct decision for allowing all these children to come tot the US?
2) Should the United States allow these children to stay here and be educated or send them back o their home countries?
3)What is one pro and con of allowing these children to stay?
Law officials are now trying to debate whether the $100 bill is even worth having around anymore. Since it has such high value, bank robbers and other criminals prefer to steal them since it is a lot less they need to transport to a different place and it does not take up as much space. Also, since about 80% of currency printed is $100 bills this makes it easier for counterfeits to be produced. Many printers can get away with making them since they are so abundant compared to any other dollar amount. The counterfeits are then brought to low key stores such as pharmacies, and car washes in order to be traded for real money. I chose this article because if the $100 bill was no longer printed it would greatly affect our economy and the value of the United States since our biggest amount of currency being produced no longer is.
This past Saturday during a 25-lap race in New York, racer
Kevin Ward Jr. gets hit by Tony Stewart on the 14th lap and spins
out. After being hit, he got out of his
car and began pointing in Stewart’s direction. Seconds later Ward is hit by
Stewart’s car and brought to a hospital where he died. I chose this because it
is not something you see very often in the news. Yes, there will be an accident
where a racer gets hurt or one where he dies but there are not many where he is
the one who gets physically hit by the car and dies. It makes you think whether
or not the other racer did it purposely or not.
Question:
Do you feel this investigation should go on as an on track
crash with or without criminal chargers? Why or why not?
Starbucks along with its CEO, Howard Schultz, make a statement that they do not want to fund Israel and don't want to have guns within their stores. Schultz states in an interview that he is asking customers to not bring guns within any Starbucks store, however, he also made it clear that this is not a ban and customers who bring guns within the stores will be served. Although this may sound a little extreme in the eyes of an American you have to remember that Starbucks in an international corporation and has stores in 12 different countries within the Middle East and North Africa including: Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. Although, all stores in Israel were shut down in 2003 for reasons that were supposedly unrelated to any political or religious conflict. It is common knowledge that gun violence is a popular threat in these areas of the world. I am choosing this current event because it is a conflict within a very popular, well-known chain within the US. My question to my classmates is whether or not Schultz has the right to tell these people they cannot bring weapons into his stores and also, do you feel that the people with the weapons have the right to carry them if only for the protection of themselves and those around them?
This article is about a college professor named Steven
Salaita who was offered a tenure position at the University of Illinois only to
later be informed he can no longer have the position. The reason Dr. Salaita
was no longer able to take the position is because of his anti-Israeli tweets.
The University of Illinois saw the tweets and decided to rescind the offer due
to Salaita’s political expressions. Salaita is the author of six books that
share his political beliefs, so the University was aware of Salaita’s
anti-Israeli views. Therefore these tweets should not have been a surprise. The
legal director for the Center of Constitutional Rights, Baher Azmy has been
working to show the University that what they did was unconstitutional and not
fair to Dr. Salaita. I chose to post this article because I think it is a
perfect example of how careful people need to be on social media. Also, this
article touches upon Salaita’s first amendment rights and whether or not the
University is violating his freedom of speech.
Questions for my classmates:
Does the University have justification to take back their
offer of the position because of Dr. Salaita’s tweets?
Do you think it is acceptable for people to publicly share
their political beliefs on social media?
Do you believe that the fact that Dr. Salaita’s views are
anti-Israeli affected the University’s decision in any
President Obama said that he authorized airstrikes on an a group of Islamic Militants in Iraq on Thursday. He also arranged airdrops of food and water to the Yazidis, a small religious group who left their homes to escape the militants, but who are trapped on a mountain by the militants. The U.S. will not, however, be putting troops in Iraq, added President Obama. President Obama also said that there would only be airstrikes if U.S. personnel were directly in danger from the Iraqi militants. John Kirby, spokesman for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, denied that there had been previous airstrikes on the Iraqi militants before these, although Kurdish sources reported strikes as early as Thursday. Christian Yazidis fled Mosul under threats of having to convert to Islam or die, but the militants seized the Mosul dam, which gives them the possibility to flood a big territory if needed. The militants a,re also trying to take control of the Haditha Dam which would give the militants the ability to control the water flow south of the Tigris and the Euphrates. The Peshmerga, who are fighting against the militants, have been pushed back by the militants to the Kurdish border which makes it difficult for the Kurds to focus their defense of other cities in Iraq. This story is just beginning with lots of room to grow into something that effects the whole world.
Yesterday, President Obama announced his consent for as-needed airstrikes yesterday to be used to help combat Islamic State fighters' violence towards Christians, Yazidis, and Shiite Muslims with an ultimatum to "convert to Islam or die". Today, the first airstrikes have begun, with two fighter jets bombing artillery batteries of Sunni Islamic extremists outside Irbil with 500 pound laser guided bombs. Extremists recently took over the Mosul Dam, which is Iraq's largest dam, and could give them extreme leverage as it is a huge source of electricity and if destroyed can flood entire towns.
The targeted groups have been forced to seek refuge in the Kurdish region and in and around Irbil and on Mount Sinjar, where tens of thousands of refugees are now starving and dehydrated. US planes deposited food and water over the area in an effort to help these people, but already 40 children have died from lack of these necessities and the heat. Refugees still face the harsh reality of either staying in the mountains and starving or dehydrating to death, or going down and facing the extremist militants, who have beheaded people and placed their heads on their spikes to strike fear in the people. With 245 of our military personnel currently in Iraq, an immediate danger to US lives is also present.The Obama administration is already funneling weapons to Iraqi forces, and factories have been operating daily to produce them. However, two Republican senators, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, believe that the US should also be taking the fight to the Islamic State, saying, "It should include U.S. airstrikes against ISIS leaders, forces, and positions both in Iraq and Syria."
Obama says he does not want the US fighting another war in Iraq, but feels we must help the innocent in this situation, saying, "We have the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre, and I believe the United States cannot turn a blind eye."
I chose this event because I believe the sufferers of this situation need to be helped, and I think there will be conflicting opinions about this decision due to the involvement of the US. Personally, I think the airstrikes are a necessary evil,because the lives of not only our soldiers, but the people whose lives are at stake because they refuse to convert from their religion. I also chose this because freedom of religion is granted to us through our Constitution, yet in Iraq they have no freedom of religion, and I think that is something that needs to be worked on, because everyone should have a right to freely practice their religion without repercussions. Ultimately, it is a relevant issue that has many sides to it, and is a conflict that concerns more than just our country.
Websites
1. CNN Article on KTLA
2. The Wall Street Journal Article
3.NY Times Article Questions
1. Do you agree with President Obama's decision? If not, what else could have be done?
2. What are some negatives about his decision, and do you think the positives outweigh them?
3. Do you believe the US has a responsibility to become involved in conflicts such as these, especially when our own citizens are in potential danger?
A letter from the Inspectors General office was recently sent to Congress regarding transparency and lack of cooperation with investigations involving federal agencies. These agencies include: Department of Justice, Peace Corps, Chemical Safety Board, Environmental Protection Agency, and Hazard Investigation Board. The Peace Corps did not provide full access to records that involved sexual assaults against volunteers. The Justice Department is withholding documents in three different reviews. These are a few of the cases Inspectors General reported in there letter and there are also more disputes with Inspectors General in the different departments/ agencies. Without access to the information being withheld, the Inspectors Generals cannot fulfill there responsibilities.
My questions for my classmates:
1. Why do you think the Obama administration is delaying their investigation?
2. Are these governmental agencies trying to hide something? 3. Do you think the Obama administration is purposely attempting to interfer with these investigations?
Yesterday the first patient out of two Americans infected with Ebola, arrived in Atlanta, GA. This has been the first time that this very infectious and viral disease has been in contact with America. I chose this event because this is a very big mistake made by the government to allow this. Why should we bring an infectious disease, that we don't have a cure to, into our country for the first time ever? Even with new technology to prevent an outbreak, technology isn't always reliable and people make mistakes. Yes, this is the last and best chance for these two Americans to survive, however are we looking to try and save two lives or kill 1,000. Ironically, one of the Americans infected with Ebola was a doctor treating people with the disease. In my opinion, this is a rash decision that may back-fire in the government's face.
Do you think the government made the right decision?
