Winter Break is Almsot Here!!!

Tis the season of traveling, and I can't think of a more fun way to start a vacation then being all but strip searched in front of hundreds of people at the airport.

Anival Valadez's, The Search Allure, is a very well written blog that informs the reader about some of the new protocol that TSA is trying to enforce.  I think that Anival is correct in saying that we as a nation gave the TSA all this power because we were scared and wanted to feel safe and now it's just going too far. 

It has been almost ten years since the attack on America and while there have been some incidents in some airports, it's been nothing like 9/11 because of the protocol that TSA had in place. If that has been working why do they feel like it needs to change now, especially if its taking away what very little privacy we have left at the airport.

Cruel and Unusual

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S Constitution prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments. The Supreme Court ruled that the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause applies to the states as well. 

I find it very interesting that even with this constitutional amendment prisons in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, have no air conditioning in them.  In Texas alone there are one hundred and twelve prisons and only nineteen of them are air conditioned and are only used for inmates that are sick and mentally ill.

I chose to write about this because my feelings about it are so conflicted. 

My first feeling is what a horrible way to spend any amount of time.  These people are already paying for whatever it is they did and while they don't deserve to be treated like royalty they certainly don't deserve to risk dying of heat stroke every day of the summer.

The other thought I have is these men and women who are having to deal with the summer heat in prison did this to themselves.  Why should my tax dollars go to helping these criminals lead a comfortable sentence for whatever it is they did.

I'll also point out that the there are men and women working in these prisons that don't deserve to have to work in a sauna all summer long. 

An article published in 2009 from the Houston Chronicle titled, Texas Inmates Forced to Sweat It Out, made me realize that  I don't need to feel bad about the prisons not having air conditioning.  State Senator John Whitmire said that this is "part of the reality of going to prison" and I feel like I agree with that.

Your Right To Vote

In late October Ms. Mckinley posted a blog titled, Don't Take the Right to Vote Lightly, about the citizens of Washington D.C. not being able to vote or have anyone represent them in Congress.

I like the idea behind the blog. I agree that everyone should have the right to vote but also feel like the citizens of DC are choosing to live there.  They too have known that living there means they can't vote and moved within those city limits anyway.

Besides a few grammatical errors, I feel like Ms. Mckinley chose an interesting topic and did a nice job presenting the reader with information about why citizens of Washington DC can't vote.

Going Green

Going Green seems to be the most popular way to provide energy and save the planet at the same time.  The present administration has a recovery package which includes commitments for an energy efficient future.  Many leading mobile operators and manufactures are committing an industry standard for a universal charger for all new mobile phones.  The U.S. Cabinet is planning a multibillion dollar package to meet Obama’s goal of doubling renewable energy production in the following three years according to the Washington Post.  In Ohio, the legislature has passed a bill requiring over 12% of Ohio’s energy to be from renewable sources such as solar and wind.  Neighborhood America announced that early results reveal over 50% of voters identify that Green initiatives are a priority concern.

With this legislation taking place in our country I feel we will be more assertive to pass the laws and mandates which will require us to take a more active role in going green in this country and possibly the world.  Many things that are good take time to build momentum and time to allow everyone to see and experience the benefits of change.  Going green will not only save the planet but it can also save our personal pocketbooks and wallets along the way.  I am afraid if we do not pull together and go green together as nation and as a people we will suffer in the future more than we realize.  I am hopeful with the legislation in progress we will see green all around us.  Even if seeing green has to begin in our wallets which are really close to home.  I am willing to start at home as well and in the voting booth.

Why They Hate Us

Glenn Greenwald is a lawyer, columnist, author, and blogger.  He started his blog, Unclaimed Territory, in 2005 and since then he has written two New York Times Bestsellers, How should a Patriot Act and A Tragic Legacy, and has become a contributing columnist and blogger for Salon.

On October 12, 2010 Glenn posted a blog, They hate us for our occupations, about suicide terrorism and what we can do to make it stop.  A study done in 2004 told us that terrorism is caused by America's direct intervention in the Muslim world. A  recent study proves that not only is that true but it especially applies to the armed forces occupying Iraq and Afghanistan.

Glenn's claim is that we need to remove our armed forces from foreign soil.  It is just aggravating them more to have us over there and interfering in their lives.  He uses a very sarcastic approach to say that obviously we are just making them more mad and the suicide terrorism hasn't stopped, so why don't we change something.  He pulls excerpts from an article by Laura Rozen talking about the recent research done by Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago.  Pape's research shows a six year study of suicide terrorist attacks around the world and it concludes that foreign military presence triggers suicide bombings,  
"We have lots of evidence now that when you put the foreign military presence in, it triggers suicide terrorism campaigns, ... and that when the foreign forces leave, it takes away almost 100% of the terrorist campaign," Pape said in an interview last week on his findings.

Glenn's audience is people who would classify themselves as liberal and want military troops to come home.  He does a great job of using sources to validate his opinion that the military occupation of foreign country is hindering not helping.

Gays in the Military

USA Today sets up their editorial section so that two sides of any given argument are heard.  Their Editorial Board is comprised of a variety of people who have differing ideologies and are from varied demographics. 

In an editorial published in September of 2010, Our view on gays in the military: “Don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal is only a matter of time, the members of the Editorial Board expressed their opinion on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” debate.

The article opens simply stating that it was a “setback” that the senate did not vote to debate the issue.  Immediately, the reader senses what side the editorial is taking, and it’s not in an “in your face” way.   The editorial is stating that it is only a matter of time before this policy is repealed.  This policy went into place seventeen years ago during President Clinton’s first term and since then, attitudes about homosexuals serving openly in the military have changed drastically.  It shouldn’t even be an argument anymore because it is not reasonable to let willing and qualified Americans not serve in the military because of their sexual orientation.   The article is supported by telling the reader the results of a research poll conducted by Gallup which showed 70% of the surveyed people favor allowing homosexuals to openly serve in the military. 

 The article did a very convincing job illuminating the reasons for allowing anyone to serve their country based on qualifications not sexual orientation. The Editorial Board used statistics and data that were very reader friendly and demonstrated how opinions can change over time.  The article was clear and concise; it clarified the Board's position and, without being too complex, allowed the reader to comprehend the information with ease.  This article is directed toward those that support the military's need to have able bodied people serving in the armed forces regardless of sexual orientation.

How the Stimulus Is Changing America

TIME magazine published an article in late August, How the Stimulus is Changing America, and it discusses where the Recovery Act money went and how it's still being used today.  This article immediately piqued my interest because its something I've wondered about for a long time.
The article says how the stimulus package was of course put into place to help create jobs but also how it had long term goals of saving our environment and transforming healthcare and education.  It talks about about how the Recovery Act was really doing more than any other plan in place to target our energy usage and how it is targeting change in our nation long-term. Change can't be made overnight, and while it is hard that there are so many people jobless right now this stimulus package did supply a lot of people with work and is making a change, just not as quickly as the public would like.