The Final Blog

New Information....

   Before I enrolled in this class, I wasn't the biggest fan of politics at all. I had no desire to really care about any of the campaigns or policies for the 2012 elections because I didn't have the complete understanding of the different parties beliefs or policies. As most topics this semester concentrated on the elections, I began to learn completely what liberals and conservatives were and SuperPacs and all other political terms. I began to become political literate as time went on in the semester. Which was a very big accomplishment for me. Also, when we had 9/11 as a topic of discussion I learnt a lot more than I thought there was needed to be learned. I remember specifically learning about the Bush's relations with the Bin Laden family and how it was very sketchy how Bush Sr. was with a couple of the Bin Laden family watching 9/11 take place in front of them. That was one of the most shocking things to me that I wouldn't have learned outside this class.

New Skills......

  Every week in this class there was an assignment that included questions that brought up your own personal opinions and beliefs. This allowed me to elaborate more on what I believe in or what I feel about the topic at hand effectively. The blogs and discussions helped me to put my research in my writing in a persuasive manner and also increased my skills on using facts to elaborate my opinions on different topics. Also with the discussions of the 2012 elections and all the political terms that were mentioned, I was able to obtain the skill of being political literate.

   Am I a liberal or a conservative? Like I said earlier I learnt the difference between the two due to this class. In other words, due to this class I have identified myself as an independent. I do not agree with the conservative view of gun rights but neither do I agree with the liberal view of abortion.   Through the teachings of the different beliefs of both liberals and conservatives in this class I have now been able to identify myself as a strong independent. Its seen in the way 
I've answered questions in the discussion boards and in my blogs.

What would I change?......

   As a student in this class for the past four months, I wouldn't change anything because the blogs helped me improve on my writing by stating a simple thesis and using facts to back up my statement. the discussion boards helped me to effectively talk about my beliefs on a certain topic while understanding the different beliefs that other people had about them. Finally, the lectures were  long and explained in full and even included videos such as my favorite Jon Stewart and others which made the topics a lot more understandable and interesting. So, everything worked for me good job Prof. Jeglinski!


   During this semester, many topics were taught. From the SuperPacs to the The predator drones a lot of things were taught and discussed about. But the most crucial topic was 9/11. As we all know this was a huge turning point for America and the world. When this happened I was very young and as a grew up I didn't bother to know what happened  on that day completely. When this topic was one of the weeks topic of discussion, I learnt a lot more than i thought I would've. I learnt somewhat about how it was planned, who was involved and even how the Bush's relation with Bin Ladens may have a part to do with 9/11. There were so many facts that I learnt or observed about this critical point of our nations history which made it my favorite topic.

  In conclusion, next semester I am taking an english class that is going to include a lot of writing and discussions. So the skills I learnt from writing effectively in blogs to discussing on the discussion boards with others will definitely benefit me in that class I'm going to take.







   

The U.S predator drones

   Predator drones are unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that are usually controlled by the United States Air Force either to kill threatening targets or to simply watch their every move. The US currently has thousands of drones over foreign countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Somalia. The usage of drones  may be the best way in means of preserving lives but maybe not the most accurate and efficient way to annihilate enemy targets and this why.

   In the recent debates between Romney and Obama, the issue of drone attacks were supported by both Romney and Obama. Romney said in of the debates " I support that entirely  and feel the president was right to up the usage of that technology  and believe we should continue to use it..." take note that none of the candidates ever stressed on the amount of innocent civilian deaths from these attacks so why should they be continued? Romney believes that the president should continue this because enemy targets  pose a threat to the American nation.Drone attacks are Obama's key national security policies. According to CNN, Obama already authorized 283 strikes in Pakistan which is 6 times more than the number during Bush's eight year's in office. These constant attacks from Obama's drone strikes have killed 333 civilians in 2012. So why is this method still put to use?

  

    Although, these drones do protect the citizens of America, they do take the life of innocent people in foreign countries. I think  that drones should only be used to watch and attack enemy targets in open lands where there are no civilians around because the death of these civilians will start up another war for America eventually. Also, more military personnel (as much i hate to say it) should be used to take down these enemies because they are much more accurate and much more aware of the civilians around them. One more point is that there should be less drones in the sky over foreign countries because if they are shot down, the technology could be used to build drones in foreign countries and that could possibly even bring a disaster to the American nation.

Work Cited

-http://www.thedaonline.com/opinion/obama-drone-policy-unethical-harming-u-s-perception-abroad-1.2959005#.UMYWwKn3A1g

-http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/drones

-http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/05/opinion/bergen-obama-drone/index.html

Nuclear Power in Iran

      The issue of Middle eastern countries producing Nuclear weapons or weapons of Mass destruction have been a serious problem for the past decade. Ever since the attacks of 9/11 that devastated the whole nation. The west has been very strict on foreign nations developing Nuclear power. Many of which are Iran. It has been discovered that Iran currently developing in their nuclear power but could it be for benefitting purposes? Does the West have the right to intervene with their development? Can Iran be trusted?  

    
   Due to the late liberation of many Middle Eastern countries, they are not as developed and stable as the western countries that have been independent for centuries. Currently these countries are working towards improving and developing themselves for the good of their people. Nuclear power is a major aspect in the development of a country due to its major role of providing jobs, power for academic needs etc. The majority of people in Iran are under 30 years old. Due to this very young population, new technology is being introduced which requires nuclear power in order to be used. Iran as a very young nation should have the right to develop Nuclear power in order to further their success as a nation. It wouldn't be fair for the people of Iran to continue to suffer and not develop themselves as a nation.

     The United States of America, other western countries, and the United Nations, shouldn't have the right to intervene the development of Nuclear power in Iran. Iran is now an independent country that needs the use of Nuclear power in order to develop itself as a nation. The young people of the nation need jobs as they continue to educate themselves and improve in technology. If western countries continue to deprive them of this right, they are only stirring up more conflict. Western nations should only have the right to intervene when they are 100% sure that the nuclear power is being used for weapons of Mass destruction. Until then, they just have to trust that the use of nuclear power is for benefit of the nation.

Gun Rights In America

      

    I know a lot of people know what a gun is but lets get a legit definition for what a gun is. A gun is any portable firearm, as a rifle, shotgun or revolver, a long barreled cannon having a relatively flat trajectory. A gun is classified as a deadly weapon that can easily take the life of anything with just one push of the trigger. Since the American government has given its civilians the right to wield such a weapon they have also been giving the power to determine between life or death for an individual. This law is known as the Second Amendment/ Bill Of Rights. Republicans believe that it is wrong for America to change this law while Democrats believe the exact opposite. Which side is right? Does it really matter? Even if they change this law, does it mean citizens will not be able to access guns illegally? Guns shouldn't even be able to be distributed at all talking of giving rights to them. 

Its a smart solution to violence reduction in society don't you think?

  Every individual has his or her hobbies, things that they absolutely love to do. As a country that grew up on hunting in order to get food, many people that hunt now a days are going to against the idea of eliminating gun rights. In a quick research I did, I found that there about 23 million to 43.7 million that are hunters. Even though that is very small portion of the American population, these are still people who are going to disagree with the eradication of the Second Amendment because hunting is something that they love to do. In the lecture for Week 8, it says that there are only 26% of Americans that support a total ban on gun rights. Is this because people feel that since everyone is wielding they should also do the same in order to feel safe? 

  In my opinion I think that gun rights should be completely eradicated without a question. I mean a lot of homicides would've been prevented if gun rights did not exist. For example, the shooting in Aurora, Colorado or maybe even the Trayvon Martin case and many other homicides committed by the use of guns could've been prevented.  In 2005 11,346 people were killed by gun violence. if these laws didn't exist those lives could've been spared.

   

                               The Energy Crisis 

The World, as we speak continues to grow in numerous aspects. As the world continues to grow, energy is needed to provide for the numerous daily activities that humans partake in globally. This large demand of energy has been brought up due to the large industrial development and population growth, which means that there is far less supply of energy than that of the actual demand. This brings about the energy crisis in society. The energy crisis began in about the 1970's when the peaking of oil production in major industrial nations ( United States, Canada, Germany etc.) took place.

 President Obama believes that we cant just drill our way to lower gas prices and neither does he believe that will be a quick solution to our energy needs. His side (the Democrats), believe in developing America's natural resources and encouraging fuel efficiency so that we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil in the future. This I believe is the smarter way to handle the energy crisis while the Republicans are for more oil and gas drilling, more coal mining, more development of natural gas technologies and a speedier approval process for nuclear power.

    The world is constantly being polluted with harmful gases and chemicals. These harmful substances will only cause greater harm for the human population such as global warming. How much longer will it take for the government to realize that all these oil producing companies and factories give off harmful gases into the atmosphere that causes the earth to warm up? How much longer will our natural or energy resources be there if they keep being used in this manner? 

  

    The Democratic plan to this energy crisis is in my own opinion the way best way to handle it. Investing in Clean energy and green energy reduces  the amount of usage of our natural resources . Therefore, less harmful gases and substances are being given off into the atmosphere. A clean energy economy for the United States is also better off because not only does it reduce the amount of natural resources used, but more jobs are created. Natural gas production under Obama has been at an all time high and could support 600,000 new jobs. Also, since Obama took office electricity generated from clean energy sources such as wind and solar energy sources has doubled and his investments in Clean energy and energy efficiency have supported about a quarter million jobs. Clean Energy is the solution to our energy crisis and for our economy.

9/11 and The Aftermath

  On September 11 2001, the United States Of America faced one of the most catastrophic events. On this day, the nation was at war with an unfamiliar force to americans better yet known as Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda assembled 19 of their members to carry out the deadly attacks that have been planned for years on America.  These 19 members distributed into four different groups and hijacked four US commercial planes. Two of these planes were hijacked from  Boston Logan Airport (Flight 11 and 175) and both were crashed into both the twin towers in NYC while flight 77 landed in the Pentagon in Washington DC and flight 93 landed into a vacant field in Pennsylvania. These acts of terrorism left the country absolutely devastated and the government surely knew the country was at war with Al-Qaeda.

  What happened on 9/11?  Did the US over react to 9/11 or did it do everything right to keep us safe? Who is winning the war on terror? Are we safer today? These are all good questions that deal with the aspect of terrorism. Basically, I have my own opinions or should i say answers to these questions. I believe that there won't be any disagreements because I'm only going to state facts to these questions.

  The American government did a lot of things that were necessary to ensure the well-being and safety of its fellow citizens and also did things that weren't called for. Although it invades the privacy of Americans,creating the Patriotic Act  was a positive act of safety for American citizens because the government and Intelligence Agencies can now acts of terrorism throughout the country. People disagree with this act but what's more important their privacy or lives? The war on terror is almost impossible to defeat. It's funny because this class was talking about last week whether it is possible to destroy and completely get rid of Wikileaks. The answer was no. This is exactly like trying to defeat Al- Qaeda. If i was to say who was winning the war, I would simply say no one is winning even though we killed Osama. But the threat is still there and is still taking place as we speak.

Although winning the war is nearly impossible, I do believe that Americans are safer. The TSA are in full effect everyday which makes it harder to bring major threats to our local and international airports. Our Intelligence Agencies have cracked down on numerous terrorists attacks or plans. Since 2001, no major attack has taken place in the American society, such as the terrorist plan to disarm a bomb in Detroit but the attack was not carried forth due to the increased protection from our National Agencies.

  

Action Interview

Chukwuka Ezewuzie, a hardworking lawyer originally from Nigeria just like myself. He came to this country with a full scholarship to Boston University    Although he may be blind, he is very intelligent and an expert on discussing about the many different political views which made him impeccable for this interview.His political identity is by far influenced or shaped by his religious beliefs because he grew up his whole life as a christian and has always been  in support of politicians who base their agendas     or campaigns on the christian beliefs. He also believes that politicians who do so are the right ones for this country because this country was brought up and established on the christian beliefs.