Questions:
1. Why does the US have to work on the "dark side"?
2.Why is the CIA doing things in secret?
3.How were the CIA so successful in Afghanistan?
4.Why did the CIA make their own prisons?
5. How would the NSA know which phone call to tap in?
6.How did the NSA manage to spend so much money?
7.Why are all the secrets being told on the internet now?
8.Are the police effective in detecting terrorists with their new technology?
9.How much does Top Secret America spend?
10. How can someone join Top Secret America?
Facts:
1.President Bush signed a document for the CIA to go into Afghanistan.
2. CIA landed in Afghanistan on September 26, 2002.
3.CIA used harsh techniques to get information from captured terrorists, much like torture.
4.CIA was infront og the military.
5.Spring of 2003 the US attacked Iraq.
6.NSA used public buildings as secret bases.
7.Greystone still continued during President Obama's presidentcy.
8.Nearly 3000 innocent people died on September 11, 2001.
9.CIA bought 480 private companies to help with man power.
10.The White House approved the building of International prisons for the CIA.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Interview on Themes Unit 1
I decided to interview one of my buddies from marple, Paul Lee, to get a feel of what he knew about the government. So I asked him what the word government meant to him, surprisingly, he gave me a well-rounded response he said, "Government to me is an institution that is meant to protect people's rights while giving the majority of people what they want and what they need". This was a very close definition to the one we learned in class which surprised me because I would'nt have thought he would get so close to it. He must have a government class also. Next I decided to see if he knew any political issues and see which one's he cared about. He says he is most concerned with the debt crises. He says this is one of the key reasons that make the upcoming election so important, he says who ever is elected will have a different plan to solve the situation. The knowledge he has about our country stuns me. I thought he would be somewhere along my knowledge level because I barely know anything about the government and our country.
After that I decided to ask him what he thought about diversity in our country. He responded by saying, "Our diversity is what makes america unique and special. Without diversity, we are not different than any other country in the world". I agreed with him and didn't think he would give such a optimistic answer. Next I asked him if compromise was necessary in a government. He gave me a very quick answer saying that compromise is fundamental in government, its what makes democracy great and nothing would get accomplished without compromise. Then I asked him how government affected his daily life. He answered by saying without the government he would be able to function freely and securely like he does now, he says although there are rules and regulations he must abide to he says hes happy that the government protects him and gives him rights. After that I continued my interview with him and he gave me some great responses. My friend surprised me tonight with all of his smart answers and he acutally wanted more questions to answer which made me laugh. This interview showed me that some people acutally do know alot about the government I never thought he would be one of those people though.
After that I decided to ask him what he thought about diversity in our country. He responded by saying, "Our diversity is what makes america unique and special. Without diversity, we are not different than any other country in the world". I agreed with him and didn't think he would give such a optimistic answer. Next I asked him if compromise was necessary in a government. He gave me a very quick answer saying that compromise is fundamental in government, its what makes democracy great and nothing would get accomplished without compromise. Then I asked him how government affected his daily life. He answered by saying without the government he would be able to function freely and securely like he does now, he says although there are rules and regulations he must abide to he says hes happy that the government protects him and gives him rights. After that I continued my interview with him and he gave me some great responses. My friend surprised me tonight with all of his smart answers and he acutally wanted more questions to answer which made me laugh. This interview showed me that some people acutally do know alot about the government I never thought he would be one of those people though.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
A People's History of the United States
The packet starts off by saying how the rich control the government for their own intrests, but I believe it was for the benefit for everyone. If the constitution was just for the creators intrests then we wouldn't be the nation we are today. I liked how Jefferson said rebellion is good for the government. It shows that he does care for the government and the people. He says it shows the flaws that goverment has and helps them fix what they were doing wrong. I did not like how slaves, indentured servants, women, and men without property were not of intreset in the Constitution. I think everyone should have a say, and yet they were just excluded out. Slaves were counted part of the state, but had no say in what acutally went into the documents. I find the government to be contradicting to itself, the first amendment says we have the freedom of speech yet they made the Sedition Act. Is the government scared of a little bit of criticism? Overall the systme seems to be alive and well today. We are a great nation and we must not forget where it all stemmed from.
Questions:
Why does it have to be the "rich" people controling the government? Why not poor or normal people?
If rebellions never happened and everyone listened to the goverment, paying taxes etc..., what do you think our government would be like today?
Would the government be as powerful as it is today if it was run by poor people?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Political Cartoon
Questions:
How do you think the artist came up with a drawing like this? Do you agree with it or disagree with it?Do you think the second amendment is ineffective in our constitution or starting to become ineffective?
If you could, would you change the second amendment or keep it the same?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
20 Questions for the reading.
Why do politics only pursue their needs and intrests instead of the needs of other citizens?
Why do many of us not famaliarize ourselves with politics?
Is it only people from Arab and Muslim counties that get extensive background checks when they come to America?
Why was China not allowed to immigrate to America in 1882?
Why were the Japanese limited to move to Hawaiin islands and why was the "Gentleman's Agreement" made?
Why was immigration open to mainly European countries and not some of the Asian countries from the 1920s-1960's?
What was the Tiananmen Square messacre?
The text makes it sound like too much immigration is bad? Why is that? and it seems as though limits keep being applied to these other countries.
How were people deported were they forced on a flight that they had to pay or was it free?
Why does the upper and middle classes have more opportunities than poorer people? Doesn't everyone have potential?
Is having multiple ancestries bad?
Democracy embraces conflict and competition, why does it work so well with these too factors?
Why did the founders want people with common ancestry, language, and religion? Is a little bit of diversity that bad?
If government does not exist to provide rules and venues then why does it exist?
Why do many of us not famaliarize ourselves with politics?
Is it only people from Arab and Muslim counties that get extensive background checks when they come to America?
Why was China not allowed to immigrate to America in 1882?
Why were the Japanese limited to move to Hawaiin islands and why was the "Gentleman's Agreement" made?
Why was immigration open to mainly European countries and not some of the Asian countries from the 1920s-1960's?
What was the Tiananmen Square messacre?
The text makes it sound like too much immigration is bad? Why is that? and it seems as though limits keep being applied to these other countries.
How were people deported were they forced on a flight that they had to pay or was it free?
Why does the upper and middle classes have more opportunities than poorer people? Doesn't everyone have potential?
Is having multiple ancestries bad?
Democracy embraces conflict and competition, why does it work so well with these too factors?
Why did the founders want people with common ancestry, language, and religion? Is a little bit of diversity that bad?
If government does not exist to provide rules and venues then why does it exist?
Saturday, September 10, 2011
What are some political issues I care about and Why?
The U.S. Government helps keep order in America, but it is not a perfect system. They have many problems such as debt, unemployment, education, and etc. The problems that catch my attention are mainly healthcare and the national debt.
Healthcare costs have been rising up at over twice the general rate of inflation. This worries me because many people will not be able to afford healthcare. With a staggering 40 million uninsured in America, I worry about myself for the future. The system promises us quality, ''affordable'' health care. Yet why are so many uninsured if its so affordable? Healthcare is free in Canada, everyone is insured. I think and wonder, why can't healthcare be free in America? If healthcare was free in America, all the money we pay for healthcare could go to something else such as better education or feeding more homeless people. I think about the future and think, will I be able to afford healthcare for my family and I?
The national debt is another political issue I care about. I care about this because the U.S. owes so much money to so many different countries, I wonder if those countries will ever come after us? People say we can just print more money to pay off this debt, but wouldn't price values go up and the U.S. money value go down? I worry about this issue because I feel like the U.S. will reach a danger zone of ''debt'' and we will never be able to get out of this hole that we're stuck in.
Although the U.S. Government may seem like it has everything under control, it actually has many issues to resolve and find solutions for. The issues that I find important to resolve are healthcare and the national debt.
Healthcare costs have been rising up at over twice the general rate of inflation. This worries me because many people will not be able to afford healthcare. With a staggering 40 million uninsured in America, I worry about myself for the future. The system promises us quality, ''affordable'' health care. Yet why are so many uninsured if its so affordable? Healthcare is free in Canada, everyone is insured. I think and wonder, why can't healthcare be free in America? If healthcare was free in America, all the money we pay for healthcare could go to something else such as better education or feeding more homeless people. I think about the future and think, will I be able to afford healthcare for my family and I?
The national debt is another political issue I care about. I care about this because the U.S. owes so much money to so many different countries, I wonder if those countries will ever come after us? People say we can just print more money to pay off this debt, but wouldn't price values go up and the U.S. money value go down? I worry about this issue because I feel like the U.S. will reach a danger zone of ''debt'' and we will never be able to get out of this hole that we're stuck in.
Although the U.S. Government may seem like it has everything under control, it actually has many issues to resolve and find solutions for. The issues that I find important to resolve are healthcare and the national debt.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)