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Another extra credit option
Please take the 26-question American presidential selector quiz at the link below.www.selectsmart.com/president/2008.html Then, post your top three candidates who are still viable (not the ideal *1). Finally, provide your opinion about these results. Do they surprise you, or not? Did you learn anything? If so, what, specifically?
You may post this or email to me, as one has already....
You may post this or email to me, as one has already....
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15 comments:
Journal #3
pp. 82-83
When Peacekeepers Prey Instead Of Protect
The UN is seeking more women officers. In Congo, UN a large number of peacekeepers have bought sex from young girls, often younger than 18, for payments ranging from two eggs to five dollars. Between January 2004 and November 2006, 319 personnel worldwide were investigated for sexual misconduct. A number of those investigated were sent home and a few dismissed for this misconduct. The abuse, along with children that were conceived due to the abuse, has been covered up for a long period of time. Secretary –General Kofi Annan enacted a “zero-tolerance” policy against these offenses in March 2005, with a mandatory training course for all peacekeeping candidates to address the issues. As part of the solution, the UN is sending women instead of men on certain missions. The first all female police unit was sent to Liberia recently, where peacekeepers had been accused of trading food for sex with teenagers. There have been no cases of misconduct with women officers. The presence of women should raise awareness that something is being done about the current situation with the abuse. Women being involved in this movement, says to society that women can perform the same jobs as men. The UN is trying to employ women to serve positions such as civilian managers, foot soldiers, and high-ranking officers. It has to be really difficult for people to embrace help when the help that they have been given has abused and molested their women and children. It starts to become an issue of whom they can trust and when do they submit to get the help that they need. It is bad when peacekeepers take advantage of the situation that a young woman is in and use their instability against them. No one should have to give up their bodies for a man (peacekeeper) to provide them with the services that they were sent there to do anyway. It’s sad that people have to take a risk of being abused for their cry for help. I applaud the efforts of the current policies and procedures to put a stop to these tragic events. I believe that women will make a difference in the way people have been treated and bring the trust back into the efforts.
Susan Jones
Blog 3
Foreign Affairs Bully?
During the nineteen eighties the Americans supported Islamists in their fight against the Soviet Union. The United States has strong ties with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. During the postwar of the twentieth century, the States were considered as anti-colonial power, because they liberated countries from Japan. Great Britain was the object of resentment for its colonial administration of Muslim territory. All are segments of ongoing drama between good and evil.
Should Congress try to block President Bush's ability to send addition troops to Iraq? According to Sen. Edward Kennedy there should be a limit to how many troops President Bush can send to Iraq. Sen. Kennedy states "For too long, the adminiistration was allowed to operate secrecy." As we hear on the news, President Bush has been accused of eavesdropping on people's telephone calls, reading their mail, and also reviewing their financial records. Despite both the American people and the military generals speaking out against the escalating war in Iraq, President Bush continues to send more and more troops to fight another countries civil war.
However, Sen. Johnny Isakson believes that there should be no limit to how many troops President Bush can over to Iraq. Sen. Isakson states "The president has laid out a clear and precise plan that absolutely requires the cooperation and support of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi millitary." However, the void of security forces has created mixed messages because the lack of security can lead to increasing terrorism activies.
As a country that is suppose to operate under a system of checks and balances I beleive that Congress should block President Bush's ability to send additional troops to Iraq. Without a system of checks and balances, the government will become corrupt which can ultimately lead to a dictatorship. Many Americans feel that President Bush is trying to become a dictator by ignoring these systems of checks and balances that this country is founded on.
Lovely Jackson
Blog 3 I decided to do my blog on Depression because I feel like it affects our children,our families and our nation
Depression: How it Affects people and Their Families.
Society has downplayed the importance of depression awareness and looks down on people being treated for depression. But studies have proven that when a parent is depressed, it affects children in a very negative way. Depression can affect a person’s entire life, including their loved ones, therefore, if you have been depressed, or you know someone that has been depressed, do not be afraid to get help. Depression is a state of sadness or desperation that may last for two weeks or a longer period of time. Depression gives a person a feeling of hopelessness, lack of interest in life and lack of energy. (Shapinakis)
Children of depressed parents often experience symptoms of depression. Children of depressed parents visit the emergency room more often than other children and they also suffer emotionally. According to psychologist J. Bailey Molineux, “Children from homes in which one or both parents are chronically or seriously depressed are not raised in a happy atmosphere. They may gain the impression that life is sad. In addition, depressed parents are often unable to fully meet their children's emotional needs. Overwhelmed by their sadness, at times they may be unresponsive to their offspring. As a result, the children may grow up not feeling completely loved.”(Bailey Molineux )
When children are depressed they often have a lack of interest or contentment in others or most activities, they will feel exhaustion and loss of liveliness nearly every day, have a Bad temper; be irritable, and easily upset. According to clinical and medical psychologist Michael G Connor,” An estimated 1 out of 10 children have difficulty escaping the symptoms of depression for long periods of time. The rate of depression is markedly lower (1%) in children ages 1 to 6 years old. The rate is higher in older children ages 9 to 12 years (12%).” (Connor)
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that during their lifetime, 10%-25% of women and 5%-12% of men will become clinically depressed and that women are affected by depression almost twice as often as men. When adults are depressed they often show a lack of performance at work, they are very indecisive, and they have a lack of interest in daily activity. Depression can lead to significant weight loss because of lack of appetite. Depression can cause headaches, muscle aches and body aches. ("Nova Health Employee Assistance Program")
I myself have had problems dealing with depression. Someday you don’t want to get out of bed or even go outside.
World Faces Many Cross-Border Challenges
Pg. 6
Since September 11 happened in 2001 the world “seems a more menacing place than ever.” There are many challenges now facing the United States foreign policy. Some are Americans and Iraqis are dying daily in Iraq because of the war. Next, Iran is seeking nuclear weapons and threatening to plunge the Middle East into chaos. Then, Al Qaeda and its associated terrorist networks remain a potent threat while other terrorist groups are growing, such as Hezbollah. Riding high on rising oil prices, Russia, is seeking to reclaim its sphere of influence. North Korea is producing nuclear weapons and flexing its military muscle and South Korea is growing anti-American. China is building relations with the rest of Asia and Africa that excludes the Untied States. President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is fomenting a continent wide anti-US coalition in Latin America. Africa still has conflict, poverty, and disease. Global pandemics, like the avian flu could threaten millions across continents. The change in the climate could trigger security consequences ranging from natural disasters to fierce scramble for territory. The U.S. budget deficits could undermine American global leadership and increase the risks of international financial crises. In my opinion, President Bush has caused more bad then good with starting this war. The United States has lost many of its allies with this war. The US is going into more debt with keeping this war going. By the time this war finally ends the US will probably have no allies and no money. Many people say that this war if going to turn into an all out civil war or even a world war three. That’s not how to solve problems. The US has so many things that other countries and continents don’t have and The US troops are fighting a war that’s not worth their lives. Bush messed up and he’s putting the US at risk.
Journal 3
When Peacekeepers Prey Instead of Protect (Pg.82-83)
This article is mostly concentrating on how the United Nations is seeking more women officers for peacekeeping missions. The reason is because male peacekeeping soldiers are taking advantage of young women; buying sex, payment ranging from two eggs to $5. Between the months of January 2004 and November 2006 hundreds of peacekeeping personnel worldwide were investigated for sexual misconduct. To be more exact 144 military, 17 police, and 18 civilians were dismissed and sent home. Secretary-General Kofi Annan instituted a mandatory training course for all peacekeeping candidates to address the issues of sexual exploitation; in which he has ‘zero tolerance.’
The U.N. is aggressively trying to recruit more female peacekeepers, from civilian managers to foot soldiers to high-ranking officers to send more women instead of men on certain peacekeeping missions. With the presence of female troops the U.N. tries to raise the awareness of and respect for women in peacekeeping. Commander Seema Dhundia says that this ultimately reduces violence against women. There is also a great message that is being sent to society, that women can perform the same jobs that men have been performing for decades.
Judith Stiehm, a professor of political science at Florida International University, was hired by the U.N. to write a pamphlet on the need for women in peacekeeping. She believes that the pamphlet was mainly for show and that it was never distributed. The pamphlet eventually became U.N. policy but it was not being implemented. She also stated that it sometimes depends on who leads the different missions that the sexual abuse goes unnoticed. She states that peacekeepers have an obligation to do better.
It is a shame how instead of helping vulnerable people we take advantage of them just because we think we can. This is an issue that is very touching because it involves women being abused. I believe that it is a good thing if we increase females in these types of peacekeeping missions because women that are being abused would feel safer.
Should congress try to block Pres. Bush’s ability to send additional troops to Iraq? P. 17
Eavesdropping on people’s telephone calls, reading mail and reviewing financial records, all without authorization? The president has made it clear that he intends to continue his plan to escalate the war. We cannot stand by and let the president send more of our loved ones into a civil war. Saddam Hussein is no more and the president should not be allowed to escalate our involvement unless congress grants its approval.
We are not going to be able to stop this war on our own. This is no longer our fight; we have gone over there and done what was asked of us as U.S citizens and now it is time to let our brothers and sisters come home. There has been too much blood shed over this issue. It is time to count our losses and bring home our own and not send more over there to sacrifice their lives.
Blog 3
Does the world community have a “responsibility to protect”? pg. 93
In my opinion, the world does have a responsibility to protect. They have the responsibility to protect the world against man made disasters as well as catastrophes. The book states that the responsibility to protect rests on common humanity and the impossibility of ignoring the cries of pain and distress of our fellow human beings. I feel as if it would be immoral to ignore a fellow human being no matter who they are if they are part of a law abiding world. The United Nations is in place so that we can form a united front across the world and if that were to be the case then we should all come together and try to protect all parts of the world. But there are still some people in this country that do not agree with that concept. For example, it is stated that the responsibility to protect lies primarily with the Governments of the countries concerned. International communities can provide support and assistance but they shouldn’t interfere with territorial integrity of the countries concerned. It is also stated that they shouldn’t enforce intervention by circumventing the governments of he countries concerned. The world would be a better place if everyone would learn to communicate a lot better and stop trying to do things underhandedly. If everyone would help each other then we would not have to worry about protection because we would be getting along. The world would be a better place and the responsibility to protect would not be needed for countries but for person to person.
Careful Training Creates Soldiers Who Torture
Pgs.150, Grey box
Global Issues
This section was about a Greek psychology professor who studied the military regime that came to power after overthrowing the Greek government in 1967. Before the fall in 1974, the dictators carefully trained to gather information and put an end to opposition through torture. Professor Mika Haritos-Fatouros interviewed former soldiers and reviewed the testimony of other former soldiers and their victims to better understand how these soldiers had become torturers.
During the interviews, the professor found that the pattern of sadistic behavior normally thought to be found in most torturers was not the case. She discovered that the torturers where pulled out of your average military group of personnel. She talked about a 33 year high school teacher with a family of three who was forced to torture prisoners while serving in the military. Not only was he torturing the prisoners, he ordered the other soldiers to do the same.
The army sought recruits who were young and physically healthy with average intelligence. These young soldiers underwent three months of intensive training which was intended to mentally and physically break them down. The training intensified as the soldiers were ordered to run or hop everywhere they went, which made them tired yet, they were still deprived of sleep. The mission was to program theses cadets to obey authority without question and to see their victim as less than human. These soldiers first participated in beatings to desensitize them to torture, followed by electric shocks and other abuse towards the victims.
Professor Haritos-Fatouros had concluded that the underlying goal was to make the torturers believe that they were not inflicting a savage and horrifying violation upon another human being. It was only later when one of the torturers realized that what he was doing was inhuman and that he had been brainwashed. Another torturer felt that it was his duty to torture prisoners and that he believed in what he was doing. The professor’s conclusion was that under the right conditions that we are all capable of becoming tortures.
I agree with Professor Haritos-Fatouros conclusion. I believe that every mind and body has a breaking point and once taken beyond that point, we are all capable of anything, including the torture of another human being.
I read Anti- Americanism pages 25-27. It stated that much of the world now sees the United States as the worlds bully, and home of the uncouth, debaucher, religious zealots and puffed up nationalist. Much of the United State criticism comes from countries we think of as allies. Many citizens in these country not only disagree with United States foreign policy but also with the way many of Americans live our lives. In 1999 a French farmer name Jose Bove led a protest that destroyed a McDonalds. Bove stated simply ”cooking is a culture and we can not let it be replaced with hamburgers”.
This is different than the weeks following September 11, 2001 when the world was stunned by the attacks on the world trade center. Many countries felt great sympathy for all Americas. But when we decaled war on terrorism the world took a different view of the United States as the superpower trying to push our way of life onto the rest of the world. The war in Iraq has brought even more anti-American sentiment because of President Bush’s policy to continue the occupation in Iraq. The war in Iraq has brought on more resentment than any act the United States has done in the last fifty years.
In someway I can agree to the rest of the world the United States is a young country we are like a teenager and we do not want to be told what we can and can not do. In many developed countries etiquette is still taught to its citizens but in the United States many of the citizens have no clue what the word etiquette means. This is what many people of the world build their opinion on when we travel or when they come to the United States. I work with many foreign exchange students in the summer, and many have worked in several different countries, stated that we are some of the rudest people as a whole. So I believe that the world’s opinion of us does not only come from the way our government handles foreign policy but also by the way the citizens of the United States conduct themselves while abroad and when they come in contact with visitors from other countries.
If we as a people do not change our attitudes about the way we treat others and voice our dislikes about the way our government is being run then the opinions of the world we stay the same or become even more seated in resentment.
Complex problem
Truman Petway
p. 241
The earth’s climate has alternated between hot and cold glacial and inter-glacial, for thousands of years. The scientists note that our climate is affected by many things they include: latitude, elevation and proximity to the ocean. And that it is often interrupt by anomalies as El Nino, the intermittent rise in sea temperatures in the eastern pacific. The scientists determine that the atmosphere had a buildup of carbon dioxide, therefore causing a sudden climate change.
The greenhouse effect is an increase of the temperature of the planet as radiant energy form sunlight that is trapped in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and other gases get trapped in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. A global warning was issued because humans were increasing the natural level of CO2 by burning fossil fuels. But nobody will know how the world’s climate will perform as the greenhouse gases increase. The scientists feel that severe weather events will acquire and cause melting polar ice and changing the sea level and currents. In 2007 the scientist predicted that greenhouse gas emissions will cause earth to warm 2 to 4.5 degrees Celsius. I think I learned a lot from this I didn’t realize how much population that is in the environment. I made me realize how much we do it every day I think we should come up with a affordable pollution free vehicle. I think the government should get on car companies, and push them for better vehicle. It says the United States emits 6.6 tons of carbon per year. I think everybody in society should participate in saving the earth.
Inuit Confront Hard Reality. Page 239
Melting Artic ice changing ancient ways.
The Inuit people lives in areas of the world under cold and harsh conditions. This area is referred to as the Arctic region. They have learned to adapt to these extreme and harsh climates. However, the Arctic Circle is slowly evaporating due to global warming. The Inuit people generated a petition to be discussed at many summits, but the committee failed to address the Inuit's concern on implementing procedures to save their land. This is unacceptable because the areas that are melting away is the livelihood of the Inuit people. They depend on the ice and the frigid temperature to fish, hunt, snowmobile; and better yet, to just plain survive. Despite the ongoing efforts in preserving the wildlife population, the Inuit people should not be overlooked. In the meantime, a radical step toward minimizing the detramental effect of global warming, the Inuit leaders filed an official legal petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights which charged the United States with violating their rights by not reducing emissions.
Rickey Clay
POL200
(pg17)
Should congress-try to block President Bush’s ability to send additional troops to Iraq?
In the argument of Congress vs. Bush--in regards to troop deployment to Iraq--this article shared the arguments of Sen. Edward Kennedy (who believes the block should be initiated) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (says no to blocking Bush’s deployment tactics).
Kennedy explains how Bush has already treaded on grounds outside of his jurisdiction; doing so untouched by congressional repercussions. From tapping phones and reading mail to international moves made in secrecy and defying the Geneva Conventions, Kennedy believes a leash on Bush’s actions is passed due. To the contrary of that, Iskason explains how Bush’s specific plans towards his campaign in Iraq have been detailed and made aware. He explains further how that same plan the President is working with requires not only help from the Iraqi people, but additional troops being sent over to Iraq.
Kennedy’s rebuttal to the President’s plans in Iraq, whether known or otherwise, is issue that his plans were misguided from the beginning. Making enemies out of friends, ignoring contrary and vital opinions, (NATO concerns for example), and the recklessness of his strategy; all issues to Kennedy feels is evidence of the needed block by Congress for the Iraq issue.
As someone who has been against the war from jump, I full heartedly agree with Kennedy. If that comes within the context of a bias or not, I can’t be sure. But I do know for certain that further deployment to a war--and a very dangerous war zone--which many Americans disagreed with, or at least had deep reservations with, is disrespectful in my eyes. It’s just a step short of implementing the draft all over again. Granted, additional troops may be needed for Bush to carry out HIS plan/strategies. The stronger point to me is that his plan is not working, is making too many heads turn and eyebrows raise, and is passed the point of risk-taking to further pursue.
1. Barack Obama (64%)
2. Hillary Clinton (61%)
3. Mike Gravel (44%)
Even though I have not really kept up with the campaign I am not surprised about the results. Mike Gravel was the candidate that had the opinions that I agreed with the most but since he left the race I haven’t researched the others. Barack Obama does seem to be the next closest to my beliefs. When he talks about issues like abortion, same sex marriage, and the war in Iraq, he is fair for these and other issues. Even though he may not completely agree with an issue, it seems as though he understands what citizens want and that times are changing and things need to change with the times. For example, he is not for gay marriage but he does support civil unions and gay equality. He does not completely shut out the gay rights issue and gives a chance for happiness for everyone. Unfortunately, the majority of citizens have already placed Hillary Clinton in a bad place just from what Bill has done. Also, I think they are harder on Hillary just because her husband was the president and she is a woman. Aside from the incidents that have happened I do believe that she would be my next pick if Barack Obama left the campaign. After researching all of the candidates that are still running, with these results is more than likely how I would vote.
Alicia Evans
Journal 3
Will Anti-Americanism wane After President Bush Leaves Office? Pg 43
In this two part article, two different people say two different things. The one who said yes was my Journal two. The author, who said no, Manjeet Kripalani, says the favorability rating of the U.S. in the eyes of the world has fallen steeply since the Iraq invasion, and continues to decline as the war wears on. This author says it will take years for America to redeem itself in the eyes of the world. “The perception of the U.S. is that of a power in descent, a nation spent in the ignominious and outmoded task of building an Empire.” The principles and positive force that US embodied have been dishonored since 2003, give then the fundamentalist vehemence with which they have been hunted. The author points out that isn’t the best choice in such a dynamic world. “Getting a global consensus on crises like Darfur, trade imbalances, terrorism, and the Middle East peace in world without the powerful moral authority of the U.S. will be more difficult.” He thinks it has created room for someone else to step in and take over. China and India are both developing countries, and most of today’s world looks more like them than the U.S.-dominated and developed countries. In this new world order, the U.S.’s stained representation really doesn’t matter. America is still an influential country, and these same increasing nations are interlocked with it economically and politically. China is in a taut economic hold with America. Japan is still sheltered by the U.S. Military and is its strongest staunchest ally in Asia. India, after years of antagonistic relations with the U.S., has turned no-nonsense. America’s popularity with India has been on the rise since 2001.
Many of these countries are upset with Americans for what they’ve done over the years, not just because of Bush. I believe it is because of the way everything has gone over the past few decades of war and the unwillingness to lend a hand to issues that America won’t even help for itself, like homelessness and starvation.
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