WRAP IT UP....

1.--I thought that the assignment "The Holy Land" was a very interesting topic.  Even after reading and completing the course material for week 13, I chose to take another look at the provided material and what I had dug up myself on the issue.  I was fascinated at how long the "Holy" war went on for.  I was taken a back even more that the conflict between the two (Israelis and Palestinians) still has not come to a compromise with the land that they each share.  The assignment opened my eyes to the seriousness of the situation.  I didn't realize how small the piece of land set aside for the Jewish population was, or by how much they were outnumbered by Arabs.


2.-- I haven't been in college for a long time.  Its been almost been 18 years since I took a college level course and a lot has changed.  When I read the course syllabus back in September, I was a little nervous because I really didn't know what a blog was.  After some research I realized that it wasn't as bad  as I had originally thought.  I set up an account with Blogger and slowly began to learn how to navigate through the Blogosphere.  It is important to me that I learn how to express myself through blogs.  Knowing how to sign on to Blogger and use the Internet and social media to share my beliefs, opinions, and express myself is a tool that I now have in my toolbox.  I intend on using this tool as I move forward in school and life.

 
3.--The first thing that I learned about myself was that other educated, level headed people thought like me.  For the longest time, as a teenager and well into my twenties, I felt as if I was misunderstood.  Because I felt that way, I kept most of my opinions and beliefs to myself.  As this class moved from week to week, my confidence and self-esteem grew.  I realized, while answering the questions and reading other students replies in the discussion forum,  that my opinions and thoughts didn't sound so different or off base.  The second thing that I learned about myself while taking this class was that I wasn't so sure of my political identity anymore.  My stance on some political issues were changing.  For years I considered myself an Independent.  If I was to lean any way it would've been to the liberal side of things on certain issues.  But after reading the material on a few assignments and doing some of my own research,  I found that I was more of a conservative independent.


4.--I enjoyed this class.  I thought that every one of the topics were extremely interesting and always looked forward to the next assignment.  Although this reason may seem selfish of me, the only thing that I would change about this class would be that the assignments be due during the week.  Fridays would be a good due day.  I get the assignments on Tuesdays and because of other classes, I don't get to the material until the weekend.  I spend almost every weekend with my family (daughter) because we are busy all week.  And this time of year there's a ton of sports (football, hockey, and basketball) going on.  Again, I know that my reasons may come off petty and selfish, but thats the only thing that  I would change about this class if given the chance.

5.--I learned so much about whats going on in this ever-changing world that we live in.  The knowledge that I absorbed like a sponge from this class has already helped me in some of my current courses (Govt, Eng) that I'm taking this semester.  I also think that learning how to navigate Blogger will assist me in future courses that I take.


6.--I enjoyed writing about many of the topics this past semester.  My favorite assignment that we covered was on week 11, Crime and Punishment.  The Crime and Punishment assignment was the one topic that I felt the closest to.  I have a history with the prison systems and have experienced how barbaric and backwards it can be.  I have first-hand knowledge of what goes on behind the wall. The prison system in the United States is broken.  Whether its putting someone in prison for a non-violent crime or sentencing a murderer to death, something must be done.  There is too much of our (the taxpayer) money being wasted and it is only getting worse.

DRONES: A NECESSARY EVIL?

           A drone, also known as an "unmanned aerial vehicle" (UAV), is an aircraft without a pilot on board.  It can be remotely controlled from thousands of miles away.  Drones are used for a variety of reasons, but most notably for reconnaissance and unmanned aerial combat (UCAV--unmanned combat aerial vehicle).   They have been around since 1995 when the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator was used as part of a NATO intervention in Bosnia for reconnaissance.  After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Predator #3034 (fitted with Hellfire missiles) was deployed to Afghanistan where it carried out its first armed mission on October 7, 2001.  In 2007 General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (UCAV capable of carrying bigger payload) was introduced and is currently being used by the CIA and JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command).  Drones are primarily supposed to be used with military campaigns and in countries that harbor terrorists.  The U.S. military have used drones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and according to some reports Iran.  The precise number killed by drone strikes is not known.  The Council on Foreign Affairs estimates the total at 3,500 deaths in the 420 targeted attacks since the first strike in 2001.  There's no way to tell how many civilians were killed in the process.  Although most drone strikes are carried out secretly,  there are many that the public were made aware of through various news outlets.  Drones are a necessary tool for the U.S. military.  They have been proven to be useful and highly successful when it comes to targeting Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorist networks.                      

    

         

                    Many human rights groups question the legality of drone strikes.  There are many protesting the use of drones in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and of course the United States.  Clergymen and leaders of faith claim that drone strikes are immoral and unethical.  After Sept. 11, most Americans supported the use of drones, but according to a poll conducted by YouGov this past March, 53% of Americans approved the use of drones to kill high-level terrorist suspects overseas.  The support and opinion of drone use is shifting.  There are movements being formed to pressure the Obama Administration to tell the truth about their drone programs, claiming that drone strikes kill mostly civilians.  They also claim that only low-level terrorists are being targeted and in actuality, are making America a less safer place.  The bombing from the drones are killing civilians, displacing families, ruining communities and giving them a reason to join the insurgency against America.  On top of the speculation that drone attacks are being deemed counter-intuitive, the cost to produce them is costing the American tax-payers billions of dollars.  The number of drones has increased forty-fold from 2002-2010.  The money spent producing drones has increased from $284 million in 2000, to $3.3 billion in 2010.  Americans opposing the drone programs think the billions spent on the drone programs would be better used to build better relationships with the countries that are being affected by the drone strikes.

          I understand that drone strikes are not an exact science, but what is?  Of all the attacks on terrorist cells and targets, most have been successful, but we usually only hear about it when a civilian is killed.  When an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) goes off, civilians are killed, along with U.S. soldiers.  How is that any different? The use of drones limits the military personnel that would be at risk on the battlefield.  Military historian John Keegan called drone warfare "the impersonalization of battle."  Studies have shown that disconnecting a person, especially by means of distance (physical or emotional) from a potential adversary makes targeting easier and abuses more likely.  I completely understand the anger and protest of an American civilian being targeted and killed.  But when that said American joins a foreign allegiance that kills American soldiers and is a threat to the U.S., i consider it fair and just punishment.  The people that question the legality of drone strikes have a legitimate point.  I believe that there should be guidelines that need to be followed, but I can deal with it if these drones will help keep the United States a safer place for me and my family.                                        

THE ENDLESS CONFLICT OF PALESTINE......

     War between Israel and Palestine have been going on since without any realistic resolutions to the conflict.  It's obvious that earlier decisions are not working.  If Israel and Palestine cannot come to a mutual resolution, I think that a third party must step in and lay down the framework of future in which both can co-exist.  Up until the 19th century the land where Palestine is located lived in peace.  In the 19th century Palestine was inhabited by a multicultural population (86% Muslim, 10% Christian, and 4% Jewish).  The late 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries was when the conflict between the Jews and Arabs began.  Both were eager to carve out a homeland for themselves.  After WWI and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire (1917) at the hands of the British,  the Balfour Declaration was born.  This supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and protected the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities.  The agreement between Chaim Weizmann (World Zionist Organization) and Faisal seemed at first to be a step in the right direction.  But following the Franco-Syrian war (1920), Amin al-Husseini, who was the head of the Palestine Arab national movement, declared the Jews sole enemy of Palestine.  Violence between the two continued until WWII.  In 1947 the United Nations, who took over the issue from the British, adopted Resolution 181(Future Government of Palestine).  This resolution would terminate the British Mandate (by August 1948) and implement a plan to partition Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state.  The Jews accepted this plan but the Arabs immediately rejected it.  On May 14, 1948, the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel was proclaimed.  Shortly after, the Arab countries declared war on the newly formed state of Israel beginning the Arab--Israeli War.  This war brought about the                        

1949 Armistice Agreements which established boundary lines between the two combatants.  Over the next 50 years things got worse between the two.  After years of military occupation, repression,  confiscation of land, the rise of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), and the Intifada (1987-1993), the Oslo Accords took place.  The Accords were the first direct, face-to-face agreement between Israel and the PLO where the future of the two parties would be agreed upon.  In 1995 the Accords suffered a major setback when Ytzhak Rabin (Israel Prime Minister and signer of Oslo Accords) was assassinated.  This war has been going on up until present day without any relief in sight.  After the Oslo Accords failed, a second Intifada (2000) broke out and intensified Israeli-Palestinian violence has been going on until present day.
         There are those that favor a "1-state solution".  With this solution either side must evict the other population so that they can re-establish their control over the entire territory.  The borders would be erased and put Israelis and Palestinians together. This would mean more fighting and violence.  Arabs would eventually outnumber the Jews and is a sure recipe for disaster.  There is also the Bi-National solution.  This would mean two major nationalities would compete against each other for political power.  This differs from a "1-state solution" because there would be no side facing expulsion or ethnic cleansing.  Israel wouldn't go for this because its politics and national identity would be compromised.

        The "2-state solution" makes the most sense.  This solution allows both Israelis and Palestinians to have their own independent states and rule their countries differently.  It's the only solution that makes sense and creates the most viable option to bring long term peace.  For the Palestinians, the "2-state solution" means a return to the pre-1967 borders when the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were free of settlers and military occupation.  For the Israelis, they would have a legit homeland and be able to have a national identity.  They would be free to practice their political and cultural views.  It would put an end to the pointless and endless fighting and violence.  

OBAMA + THE GOP == IN HOUSE CHAOS

After all was said and done on Wednesday (Nov. 5) morning when the elections were over, President Obama was scrambling about trying to get his ducks in a row.  The White House confirmed reports that the president was reaching out to Democratic and Republican lawmakers late Tuesday night.  The biggest and most obvious question that's on everyones mind is if the Republicans and Obama can put their differences aside and keep the government moving and pass some useful legislation.  The outcome of the elections Wednesday are sure to bring many changes to Capitol Hill.  The Republicans took control of the United States Senate.  They also now hold 246 seats in the House of Representatives and that's their largest majority in the House since the Truman Administration.  This election gives the Republicans control of both houses of congress for the first time since the 2006 elections.  The Democrats had a tough night and most think it is accredited to Obama’s doing.  Many Democrats are unhappy with President Obama.  Representative Steve Israel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told MSNBC that the Democrats had a “pretty ugly night”.  One of or possibly the biggest shock for the Democrats was that the Republicans won more governors’ races than expected(Illinois and Maryland).  Its pretty clear that it was a tough election night for President Obama and the Democrats.  President Obama called Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell(KY-R) on Wednesday to congratulate him on his parties victories.  McConnell is likely going to be named the majority leader come January when the Republicans take over the Senate.    

         Obama and McConnell have not seen eye to eye in the past.  Obama said that the two of them are willing to put any problems between them aside with the hope of working together to pass legislation on priorities that they both can agree on.  All this means is that McConnell will force the president to approve such legislation as the Keystone Pipeline.  Approving the pipeline is just the beginning.  Senator McConnell was quoted saying "We haven't had an energy bill in seven years, we need to embrace the energy revolution thats going on in our country, promote it."  Without a doubt that means more fracking, which has been proven unhealthy for us and our planet.  McConnell claimed that Obama launched a war on coal. Along with the pipeline  and fracking, McConnell plans to make coal competitive again.  Republicans also plan to gut Obamacare.  Ted Cruz(TX-R) was quoted on election night saying "We need to suspend Obamacare. We need to repeal it altogether because it is not working."  It took the better part of a year for the American middle/lower class to get their health insurance situated.  Now the GOP wants to tear Obamacare apart piece by piece.
           The Republicans ran up the score so bad on election night that the Democrats needed the "mercy" rule.  They have positioned themselves to control all levels of legislation for years to come, especially if new president in 2016 is a Republican.  Having a Republican run Senate and House has an upside too.  The GOP plans on revamping America's foreign policy.  The main focus should be disarming ISIS.  The Republicans and President Obama need to get together and set a plan in motion.
Senator John McCain(AZ-R), the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, claimed that he has already began discussing a new national-security agenda with Republicans Bob Corker and Richard Burr.  They are likely to be named the incoming chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. If these moves are a sign that the government is gonna use the military for what it's there for and put boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria to stop ISIS before something tragic happens on U.S. soil then it is the right move.  The Republicans, Democrats, and Obama have to get together and agree to put our nation's welfare first.  If the parties can't put forth a bi-partisan front and work together then America, our nation, will fail.                      

GUNS IN AMERICA : DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITH THEM, CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT THEM.......

          Gun control/rights in the United States of America is a controversial problem.  A poll conducted by Economists/YouGov in 2014 shows that 39% of American households own guns, which holds a five percent increase over the number of gun owning households in 2012.  Even though some states laws on guns are similar as others, each state has its own unique laws.  It's like there's 50 small different countries within 1 big country with their own laws.  For this reason, understanding gun laws in the U.S. is a very difficult situation.  All states in the U.S. fall under the United States Constitution.  The 2nd Amendment in the Constitution gives the citizens the right to keep and bear arms.  Every state may have its own laws regarding gun control/rights, but they are also regulated by the United States Federal Government (Bureau of AlForbes reported that "the U.S. is the most violent core economy in terms of gun related deaths.  It is also the leader in gun violence at school campuses."    As with any hot button issue in America,  politics play an important role in remedying the problem, or making it worse.  Although I have strong feelings toward the lack of gun control in this country, I also believe that law-abiding citizens should be able to protect themselves and their family when and if the situation calls for such action.
cohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives).  In 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that individuals can own a gun for personal use.  It seems like it is only getting easier for someone to have guns out in a public place.  Guns and gun laws is a serious problem in the U.S.  Kenneth Rapoza of

          My beliefs on guns and gun control/rights encounter opposition on both sides of the political arena.  Liberals believe that individuals do not need guns for protection because it is the role of local and federal government agencies ( law enforcement and military).  Adolf Hitler said "to conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens."  It is widely believed that ultra-liberals want gun rights taken away so they will be a step closer to having a police state.  In a perfect world that would work, but we clearly do not live in a perfect world.  They harp on the fact that the 2nd Amendment does not give you the right to bear arms, but in fact allows the state to keep a militia (National Guard).  Liberals think guns kill people.  Guns kill children.  Conservatives think that there are too many gun laws.  They do not want a ban or limit on semi-automatic weapons, nor a limit to the amount of bullets that clips and cartridges hold. In 2004, President George Bush and the Republicans allowed the original assault weapons law (Bill Clinton,1994) to expire.   Most conservatives or "extreme conservatives" have no problem with assault weapons.
          Guns are extremely dangerous, but guns do not kill people, people kill people!  I've had a first hand account of just how dangerous guns can be when they are in the wrong hands.  Having said that, I believe that it's our constitutional right to own and carry firearms.  But in order to have that right,  and not have the 2nd Amendment infringed upon, Boston University performed a complex study on gun violence and gun ownership in America.  The study confirmed that widespread gun ownership in America has fueled gun violence.  Whether we are talking about massacres such as: VTech(Apr. 16, 2007), Columbine(Apr. 20, 1999), Sandy Hook(Dec. 14, 2012) or solitary shootings like Trayvon Martin(Feb 26, 2012) and Michael Brown(Aug. 9, 2014).  There clearly is and always has been a serious problem with guns and gun violence in America.   The only way to fix or at least slow down the problem is to reform and strictly enforce gun control/rights with laws that will make people think twice before acting.  I fear that no matter how strict the laws and severe the punishment, gun violence in America isn't going anywhere.  It's an imperfect solution in an imperfect world.

there must be a complete overhaul of the current laws that congress has in place.  The current laws are followed poorly, so before we make new laws, the government needs to enforce the current ones. The U.S. government has to make it harder for the average, private citizen to purchase a gun or ammunition.  I think it starts with background checks. Presently, you can buy a gun at a gun show without having a background check performed.  We need a law that mandates strict background checks and waiting periods for all gun purchases, regardless of if its bought at a store or gun show.  I agree that assault rifles and auto-matic weapons are dangerous.  Weapons like that should be reserved for the military.  But whether it's a handgun or an assault rifle, both can kill you just as easy as the other.  With that being said, if private citizens are going to be able to own and keep assault weapons in their homes, they should be heavily regulated by strict laws.  The amount of guns in American households is steadily increasing(2012-- 34%,  2014--39%).  The amount of gun violence in America is also increasing each year.  In 2012, Professor Michael Siegel and two coauthors from

A GLOBAL PROBLEM, BUT ITS OUR PROBLEM

          Scientists use the phrase global warming to describe the atypical increase in the Earths surface temperature since the start of the 20th century.  The Earth's climate is going through intense changes.  Global warming and climate change came from human contributions to the release of greenhouse gases. Emissions from transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, and other human activities are affecting the earth's atmosphere.  Humans produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane.  Its produced by burning fossil fuels while powering homes and factories, generating waste and cutting down trees.  Global warming will increase the temperature and cause heat waves and poor air quality.  The wildlife will suffer and animals could become extinct.  Just like with any other serious, important issue, the U.S. governments political parties disagree.  As you can see this is clearly a major problem.
          Politicians and economists didn't start taking global warming seriously since the 1990's.  For years conservatives didn't agree with what studies have shown.  They didn't think global warming was man-made.  Recent polls and present day republicans are singing a different tune--- sort of.  Although they that agree global warming is a reality, how much of it is the fault of human behavior is in question.  Conservatives reject the science behind global warming because they do not like the solutions.  They claim that the science is unreliab

le.  Some conservative
s say that even if they agreed to cut emissions, China and India wont. so whats the point.  President Obama unveiled tough new regulations on existing power plants that would significantly curb carbon emissions in the coming decade.  But conservatives said if would kill jobs, raise electricity costs and hurt the economy.  House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said "The President's plan would indeed cause a surge in electricity bills and also cause power plants to shut down and potentially put more than 220,000 people out of work.  This was proven to be false by an independent study.
          I'm an Independent.  I don't agree with the Republicans stance on global warming.  Although I disagree with Democrats on plenty of issues too, I think that the Obama Administration is doing a pretty good job addressing global warming and climate change.  Under Obama, the Department of Transportation issued new fuel-economy standards.  That hasn't been done in decades.  The EPA(The Environmental Protection Agency) began regulating carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.  In fact, carbon pollution is at the lowest level in nearly 20 years.  Being the proud father of an eight year old, i'm happy that President Obama has our nations kids future looking bright.  This Administration has put a solid outline together to accelerate the development of clean energy.  I would like to do my part and get involved with some of the programs that are offered.  If we are going to get a hold on global warming, we must work together because talking about the issues is only half of the solution.  

IS EBOLA COMING TO AMERICA

   If the United States doesn't come together and fight this Ebola crisis,  I fear it can turn into an epidemic.  Even though the U.S. is steering into the face of a killer,  the liberals and conservatives can't come together and come up with a bi-partisan solution.  It seems like every major issue that arises in this country,  that there needs to be two sides.  And the two sides(republican and democrat) always have a political agenda.  The Ebola virus is a severe and often fatal disease caused by infection with ine of the Ebola strains.  The virus causes fearsome symptoms which include: high fever, headaches, joint and muscle aches, sore throats, weakness, stomach pains, and loss of appetite.  As the disease gets worse it causes massive internal bleeding, as well as bleeding from the eyes, nose, and ears.  Some even vomit and cough up blood and have bloody diarrhea.  Symptoms may appear from 2-21 days after exposure.  According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) the Ebola outbreak started back in December of 2013 in Guinea, West Africa.  Researchers report a 2 years old boy was the first case.  Since then the virus spread throughout West Africa.  There have been over 7,000 cases and more than 3,400 deaths reported.  So far theres been 3 cases and 1 death reported in America.  Clearly this disease is a serious situation.
          Instead of trying to get this under control, both parties are exploiting Ebola to win the upcoming elections.  Republicans are bashing Obama for having no realistic strategy for stopping the crisis.  They are blaming the Obama administration for the CDC's spending funds on exercise(jazzercise), healthy diets, urban gardening, and massage therapy.  Some republicans believe Obama isn't doing enough to keep the United States' borders safe.  They want a no fly zone immediately put into effect and a ban on any West Africans from entering the country from any infected regions(Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea).  Democrats are trying to gain political power by claiming Republican--driven spending cuts have hurt the nations ability to fight the Ebola virus.  They argue that republicans voted to cut  the CDC's budget to fight and develop a vaccine for Ebola by over 300 million dollars in the past few years.  While blaming Obama, the republicans move backfired and opened up the GOP to the media and public scrutiny that they systematically whittled away vital funding for dozens of health programs since 2010.
          It's pretty obvious that using Ebola to get votes or at least take votes away from the other party is a viable strategy.  Both the liberals and conservatives are testing Ebola's political power.  Americans are paying attention and the politicians know it.  The only way we are going to avoid the same problems West Africa is having is to come together as bi-partisans. Both the democrats and republicans have to work as one, instead of two.  Everyone needs to put political agendas aside and focus on stopping Ebola.  Republicans and democrats came together to fight AIDS/HIV and the 9/11 tragedy.  If anything those two examples show that when this country is in trouble, a bi-partisan is the way to go.