Holiday Season

I think that the Holiday season could use a lot more of religion and religious displays. Religion is, after all, the rout of the holiday season. Everyone is so afraid of offending others that they just avoid religion all together with a nice secular "Happy Holidays". But we live in a country of both freedom of religion and freedom of expression. So Americans should be encouraged to freely express their religion. I think that a stronger emphasis on religion during the holiday season could help our society to see what is really significant and insignificant during this season of hope and peace. Regardless of religious affiliation it's easy to see that the Holidays should really be a season of giving rather than a season of consumerism and stress.

Merry Christmas!

Political Cartoon Week 3

This cartoon was drawn by Joe Heller and published by The Green Bay Press-Gazette on December 3rd 2009.
This cartoon is drawing attention to the insignificance of the holiday season when compared to the current situation in the middle east. With the United States' new plan for the middle east, 30,000 men and women will soon be headed off to war. Obama's new plan has been hit with a lot of criticism because although he is down sizing in Iraq, he is ending significantly more troops to Afghanistan.
The cartoon is not as critical on Obama's policy as it is on the the mindset of Americans. We become so consumed by the holidays that we lose sight of what is really significant during this season of hope, the well being of our troops. Our society has pushed us to ignore issues as serious as the loss of our troops. American culture chooses to ignore the important concepts while dwelling on insignificant one. And as an American I strongly agree.

Health Care Reform

The health care bill has already passed trough the House is is currently being debated in the Senate. The more conservative Senate, where it is much easier for the Republican minority to stifle the will of the Democratic majority, has yet to pass its own version of a health care bill. Passing the bill in the Senate will prove to be a much more difficult task than passing a bill in the House.
The two bills are also very different. The House bill was more expansive and expensive, while the Senate bill would cost less and as a result cover less Americans. The two branches of Congress also differ in how the plan should be financed. The House bill would be financed through a combination of a tax surcharge on wealthy Americans and new spending constraints in Medicare and Medicaid. The Senate has not reached a clear decision on how their plan would be financed, but Many Senators oppose the tax on higher benefit programs. Abortion also promises to remain a major obstacle for both the House and the Senate. A late compromise with Catholic and other conservatives in the House led to the adoption of an amendment banning most abortion coverage from the public option.
I hope that the Health Care Bills are on their way to becoming realities. All Americans have the right to a healthy life, regardless of how much money the make.

Political Cartoon 2

This cartoon was drawn by Petar Pismestrovic of Australia. It was posted on politicalcartoons.com on December 5th 2009.
This cartoon is trying to emphasize the importance in the approaching United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held on December 7th, this coming Monday, in Copenhagen Denmark. The conference is being held to try and reach an international agreement about future actions and laws regarding the Environment and climate change. This is a very globally issue, but President Obama seems to be playing a large role in the conference. He has moved his date of arrival to the conference to the last day, December 18th, considered a crucial period when more leaders will be in attendance. It ids hoped that these world leaders can come to some form of an agreement on the current environmental situation and what needs to be done.
The cartoon also had a caption that said "The same destiny" implying that unless drastic changes can be made at the Copenhagen Conference, Polar bears my suffer the same fate as the woolly mammoth, extinction. I think that it is undebateable that the environment is in trouble. And unless world leaders like President Obama can step up to the plate, our world will continue down a dangerous path.

Principal's Qualities

I think that the most important quality in the new principal is the ability to connect to students, staff, and faculty. They must deal with all aspects of the school, not just one or two. Our principal also needs to have a great deal of patients. They must spend most of their time working with some of the worst people. As principal they need to genuinely care about our school and everyone involved with it, and that is a lot of people. I'm not sure that I have a lot of faith in the people choosing our new principal based on their most recent selection, but I hope they make the decision that is best for our school.

Political Cartoon Week 1

This cartoon was drawn by Rady Bish. It was published by The Pittsburgh Tribune. The cartoon is addressing economists who announced that the recession is over, when in reality not much has changed for the Marjory of the population. There are still may more jobless and homeless that in previous years. Regardless of what economists announce, the standards of living for many Americans needs to change. The stock market may dictate how some people see the economy, but it has yet to change what really matters, and that is the lives of many Americans struggling just to get by. I strongly agree with this cartoon. You cant determine how well a country is doing based on the stock market, the standard of living should come first.

Current Event Week 6

U.S. Combat Injuries Rise Sharply. The three month total in Afghanistan has surpassed 1,000. This accounts for one fourth of those injured in combat since the U.S. invasion in 2001. The pentagon Press Secretary, Morrell, acknowledged that the casualties in Afghanistan have surpassed Iraq surge proportions and noted that the violence in Afghanistan is directed more against the U.S."We're seeing similar types of injuries from Afghanistan that we saw in Iraq" said Lt. Col. Shelton Davis, chief of physical medicine at Walter Reed. The director of the Pentagon's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, Metz, told reporters that IEDs are now the "weapon of choice" for Taliban fighters. The bombs are so powerful, that they can take out the latest mine-resistant vehicles the Pentagon has to protect troops. Walter Reed's ward 57 provides proof of the devastating effectiveness of the bombs, with patients suffering amputations, spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries and fractures.

Lt. Dan Berschinski, 25, was serving as a platoon leader where the roads were laced with bombs and his unit had to operate without engineer support or mine-detection equipment. Berschinski managed to get hit by a road bomb and survive, only to stumble upon another bomb on the foot trails. "I immediately reached down -- up, really, since I was upside down -- for my legs. I could tell they were gone," Berschinski said in a written account provided by his family. Berschinski had is right leg and hip and his left leg above his knee amputated. Resting the stub of his right leg on his hospital bed one day last week, Harrison Ruzicka, 23, said he is eager for physical therapy. Ruzickaknows he faces a long recovery but said he was thankful to be alive after a bomb flipped his armored vehicle into a river.

Peace

I strongly believe that as a nation our first priority should be peace. Not just peace for Americans, but for all countries. The more I read about both the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan, the more I see how many troops and lives must be sacrificed to win either war. frankly when you look at the numbers it is staggering. And when even some of our strongest military advisers doubt our ability to win this war in a timely manor we continue to fight. I understand why these wars are important to the American people, but I think that our nation should promote peace, moving away from an era of warfare and towards an era of peace.

Virginia Governors Race

Based on what I have heard and read, I think that Bob McDonald will with the Gubernatorial race. Even though in recent elections, Virginia has been moving more and more democratic, The democratic candidate, Creigh Deeds, seems to have made a few vital mistakes. Many republicans blame the current situation on the Democrats is D.C. pushing some people against any democratic candidate. To try and compensate, Deeds tried not to ally himself with any Democrats in D.C. including President Obama. this could easily cost him the election. Obama won Virginia in the 2008 election, which was the first time in decades that Virginians went democratic. He is clearly popular in Virginia, which Deeds could have used to his advantage. But instead he pushed the other direction, a move that could cost him this November Gubernatorial election, leaving the Republican candidate, Bob McDonald, our new Governor.

Current Event Week 5

U.N. officials arrive in Iran to inspect new nuclear facility. On Sunday international officials from The Unites Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Iran to inspect a newly disclosed nuclear facility. The IAEA representatives are visiting to make sure the facility is being used for peaceful purposes. On Friday Iran said that it need more time to decide on signing a deal that help in ending the international showdown with its nuclear activity. It calls for low-enriched uranium produced in Iran to be sent out of the country for further enrichment and then returned for use in medical research and treatment. Iran informed the IAEA that they are considering the proposal in favorable light, but they need more time to respond. The IAEA states that "approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation," which seems hopeful for all.Tehran sent shock waves through the international community by revealing in a letter to the IAEA the existence of a second nuclear enrichment facility. After the inspection Iranian officials are expected to meet with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to further discuss Tehran's nuclear program. Iran leaders still maintain that their facilities are peaceful.

I am hopeful that Iran will sign the treaty. An era of peace in one of the most war stricken areas of the world could have a huge impact. I have no idea whether Iran will use its nuclear power for peace, bu I trust the IAEA to do its job in evaluating its legitimacy. I hope that Iran will maintain its peaceful intentions.

Heres the link.

Current Event Week 4

After the South Carolina Republican shouted "You Lie!" Joe Wilson has become a household name. He has since apologized and spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars on an aggressive marketing and fundraising operation. Wilson has collected nearly $2.7 million since his outburst. Those in charge of his 2010 campaign have made an effort to capitalize on his new publicity and support from republicans around the country. He has since spent $52 thousand on web design and online advertising, as well as $42 thousand to help boost his profile on Twitter and social networking sites. In the end Wilson's team has spent roughly $235,000 on fundraising and communication. Rob Miller, Wilson's opponent raised $1.7 million at the same time, but his campaign spent considerably less on fundraising and marketing efforts.

Regardless of what Wilson said, I think that this event highlights just how ridiculous campaign spending is. If these people really cared about the issues that they campaign for, why are they wasting millions that could go strait to solving these issues. Politicians seem like unnecessary middle men. In the end funds are being taken away from there original purpose. People should spend money on what they think is important, not on electing someone with the same values, its just ridiculous.

Here is the link.

The Biggest Issue Facing Virginia

I think the biggest issue facing the state of Virginia is jobs. With the economy in its current recession, many Virginia's are finding themselves jobless. The federal government has issued stimulus packages, but nothing has solved the problem yet in the state of Virginia. The Virginia job market is different than other parts of the country. Here in northern Virginia it is very different from the south. Most of our parents and friends have well paid jobs that are usually in demand, but in the south, where there are more people working for minimum wage and working less specialized jobs, many more citizens have fallen into unemployment. With out jobs many of these people and there families will fall into debt. This would continue to intensify these economic issues for the state of Virginia.

Presidential Report Card

As far as health care reform, I would give Obama a B. He seems to be making a clear effort for change, but I honestly don't know enough about the current health care system to tell how big of changes are needed. But he really needs to begin pushing his health care through congress, because it doesn't matter how good his ideas are if they are never put into action.

With the current economy, I'd give Obama a C. But I'm not so sure its fair to grade him on the state of the economy, because we live in a free economy, where the government does not have totally control over the economic situation. Obama has tried a couple of stimulus plans, but he has yet to make a big change in the current recession.

I would give Obama a C on the War in the middle east. I understand that we cant just pull the troops out of Iraq, but I think that Obama needs to make a bigger push towards getting our men and women out of there. He is currently debating how many troops to send into Afghanistan, its complicated and I don't know what he should be doing but I hope he can push for peace.

Curent Event Week 3

On Sunday, thousands of gay and lesbian rights activists marched along Pennsylvania Avenue. Many strait and gay people marched on the capital to remind President Obama of one of his many campaign promises that he has yet to take any action on. During Obama's campaign for presidency he said "I will end 'don't ask-don't tell,", which rallied a lot of support from the gay community. But with the economic recession and the war in the middle east, President Obama has yet to do any work on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military, which does not allow openly gay me or women in the military. Obama never put forth an agenda for ending this policy, but activists are hopeful that he wont go back on his promises to get closer to ensuring equality. As one protester said, "If somebody doesn't have equal rights, then none of us are free."

I think equally has always been an important aspect of our country. Some one's sexually orientation should not prevent them from serving our country, and in no way hinders their ability to preform military service. I think that this policy is dated and needs to be changed. I also think that its important for political figures to keep their campaign promises. I should hope that the person that we elect as our commander and chief is true to the American people. Granted Obama does has a lot on his plate, but I think that he should at least being to address this important issue.

Current Event Week 2

While running for office, President Obama promised to try to end the war in Iraq and said that the war in Afghanistan was a" war of necessity". And he has pulled many troops out of Iraq and placed many more in Afghanistan. But the Obama administration seems to have reached an impasse. Some of Obama's top advisers are warning of the possibility of failure, and think that 40,000 more men are necessary to win the war. The Obama administration is rethinking there strategy once again. But Obama's advisers are split over what to do. Vice-President Joe Biden is said to support bringing the troops home and fighting al Qaeda rather than the Taliban. But Republicans are hopping Obama will mantain his promise to win in Afghanistan.

I'm never sure how I feel about our country fighting a war, and apperently the american public agrees, the support for the war has fallen to 39 percent. the death rates from this war on terror are already rediculus. I understand why we are in this war on terrorism, but I always feel that more violence can never solve the problem of violence. But in this situation its pretty obvious that diplomacy wont do much good. It'll be interesting to see how the war ends up playing out.

Issues That Interest Me

I'm actually interested in the economy. I know that with this current recession everyone is calling for change in our economic situation. There are a lot of ideas that have been proposed, but too me, they all seem the same. I think that its important for all Americans to fully understand the economy because it plays such a vital role in every ones' day to day lives. You'd think that we would want to be able to understand something very thoroughly before we invested all of our savings into it. As an adult with more money to invest, I know that I will need to at least vaguely understand what is going on. I really hope to gain a better understanding of not only how the current American economy works, but also how all of these potential economic solutions could affect the economy and its current recession.

Whoops

Oops! Sorry I posted the same thing twice.

Current Event Week 1

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/09/27/cuba.guantanamo.closure/index.html

U.S. Defence Secretary, Gates, says that closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, will take longer than they had planed. President Obama set an optimistic deadline for the closing of Guantanamo Bay of January 2010. As they extend the date, closing down the military prison remains a strong priority for the Obama administration.This current delay is blamed on legal complications, but every one remain optimistic about closing Guantanamo Bay. The delay does prove a blow to President Obama who signed an executive order during his first week in office setting the deadline. Republicans are still calling for the prison to remain open rather than transferring the detainees to U.S. soil. Since 2002, more than 550 prisoners have been transported to over 30 different countries.

I think that the closing of Guantanamo Bay is a good idea. In America, we grant everyone due proses and a fair trial, it doesn't make sense to treat our prisoners any differently. But I do understand why Republicans don't want these prisoners in U.S. prisons. I think they should just turn the military prison into a standard high security prison off of U.S. soil, but following U.S. law. But I'm sure there is some flaw within that.

Current Event Week 1

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/09/27/cuba.guantanamo.closure/index.html

U.S. Defence Secretary, Gates, says that closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, will take longer than they had planed. President Obama set an optimistic deadline for the closing of Guantanamo Bay of January 2010. As they extend the date, closing down the military prison remains a strong priority for the Obama administration.This current delay is blamed on legal complications, but every one remain optimistic about closing Guantanamo Bay. The delay does prove a blow to President Obama who signed an executive order during his first week in office setting the deadline. Republicans are still calling for the prison to remain open rather than transferring the detainees to U.S. soil. Since 2002, more than 550 prisoners have been transported to over 30 different countries.

I think that the closing of Guantanamo Bay is a good idea. In America, we grant everyone due proses and a fair trial, it doesn't make sense to treat our prisoners any differently. But I do understand why Republicans don't want these prisoners in U.S. prisons. I think they should just turn the military prison into a standard high security prison off of U.S. soil, but following U.S. law. But I'm sure there is some flaw within that.

Political Party

As far as political parties go, I really try to keep an open mind. But I usually find myself leaning liberal. I was raised I'm a house with values that strongly effect my political views. I was taught to always share and care for others, which is why I feel strongly about improving the health care system and other forms of political aid. I just doesn't make sense to me that some American families can live so excessively, leaving others unable to feed their children. To me it's very unchristian to let others suffer when you can help. I'm also anti-war. I just don't agree with that kind of human destruction for any reason what so ever.

I also agree with most liberal morals. Personally I'm pro-life, I would never have an abortion. But that is my decision. Politically I'm pro-choice. No one has the right to tell me what to do with my body. I also strongly support gay marriage. It doesn't hurt anyone if two men marry. I think too many people who oppose gay marriage are fulled by their personal religious beliefs, but live in a country with freedom of religion. The environment is also important to me. I think that we need to take care of what we are given.

I'm a bit of a pacifist. I think that I can do whats right for me and you can do whats right for you.

This is what I think, and I'm glad it's different than what you think!