My american studies blog

Censroship NOT Progression

2009-06-01T11:10:00.003-05:00

Does censoring Americans freedom of speech allow the government to hide certain plans from the public? Maybe but it is certainly stopping America from progressing. The government continues to censor people’s voices. This censorship allows the government to limit the type and amount of information the public can obtain. This is what happened in both the Civil and Cold wars, when the government stopped the Presses right to publish what they wanted to publish. This allows the government to do what it likes without opposition, like when Colin Powell did not tell the truth to United Nations. If there were to be no freedom of speech, then there would be no checks and balances. If the reason the government says that they are suspending freedom of speech is to keep us safe, then look no further then what Benjamin Franklin said "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security"

How Do You People Read?

2009-05-28T11:05:00.003-05:00

When people are bringing up quotes in class, I do not know how they found them? When I read a book I only seem to pick up on the big picture and never seem to pick up on the themes in the book. For instance, I never picked up on the certain colors or the eye references while I was reading The Great Gatsby. The first time I picked up on it was in class when Mr O'Connor tells us about them. I do not know whether it is that I read too fast or am not careful enough? But either way I am not denying that they are there.

Flags of Our Heroes

2009-05-10T22:04:00.003-05:00

This picture has a totally different meaning than any other flag because it shows the ultimate sacrifice for your country. It also shows the ultimate respect for the flag. In fact it used to not be allowed for the media to take pictures of flag draped coffins until Barack Obama recently allowed it.

Introduction

2009-04-24T09:28:00.000-05:00

"In mercenaries dastard is most dangerous; in auxiliaries, valour. The wise prince, therefore, has always avoided these arms and turned to his own" Machiavelli said in The Prince. (62) Yet the United States has not heeded this advice, and instead has increasingly turned to private military contracts to take over military jobs. The United States says they use private military contracts because the size of the military has shrunk, it is economically efficient, and the contractors are trained in special areas.

What to write about

2009-04-05T21:00:00.003-05:00

While I was reading the articles for my junior theme, I got to thinking how and what type of information I was going to use for my paper. When answering the question: Why does the U.S. privatizing the military? I was wondering if I should talk about the pros ad cons of each side. Also, if I should write about the history of private armies that does not pertain to the United States. I was also wondering if I should look for someone to interview who has a hand in the military or private military, or whether I should ask some one who wrote about the subject.

Racism Is Over

2009-03-11T14:09:00.003-05:00

While we were talking about the letter to the New Trier School Board Jillian said something to the effect of the school board should have banned Huck Finn no matter the race of the person writing the letter. This got me thinking about how ever since Barack Obama became a major candidate for president everyone thinks that since we have an African-American running for president racism is over. This is just simply not the case. For one, he has gotten many letters himself threatening his life from racist people. Also, to believe that one African-American person can change the image of an African-American is preposterous. It certainly helps there image but it does not change instantly. This myth of progress, which Obama has so nicely tapped into, has made people believe that we have slowly but surely overcome racism, and now everyone is equal. Clearly we need to rethink this because not everyone is equal, men and women are not equal Black, Hispanic, White, Asian, no one is equal.

What Projectors Are Projecting?

2009-03-05T11:27:00.004-06:00

While we were talking about the things that our school puts up. That's when it hit me, I was looking right at it. The projection screens say something about our school to. They say New Trier is a progressive school, with technology that will help foster our students education. It also says that we are better because most schools in the country do not even have any projectors.

Dark Knight Cobwoy

2009-02-22T21:31:00.006-06:00

While I was reading the log post about cowboy presidents and later saw the Oscars, I got to thinking about how that Cowboy image shows up in the movie. At the end of the movie the Joker says something to the effect of if you do not want to play my game leave the city. This is like the image of former President Bush the cowboy telling Saddam to leave Iraq within 48 hours. I think that this image attributed to the movie being so popular because the American public can not get enough of that image of the wild wild west.

NFL and Pedigree

2009-02-08T21:03:00.004-06:00

When I was watching the Pro bowl today, I saw a commercial for the dog product pedigree. It talked about how people should adopt dog from shelters. All I could think about was how the NFL is angling to make themselves look good. Especially before Michael Vick is released and probably reinstated into the league. Which will cause a uproar from animal rights activists. I think the NFL is just watching out for themselves as a business, and will point to this when they reinstate Vick. Just as people say they are not racist because they have African-American friends; the NFL will say that they are helping the cause because they have a sponsorship with Pedigree

Don't Ask Don't Tell

2008-12-14T21:22:00.002-06:00

Colin Powell asked President elect Barack Obama to review the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. It is a policy about gay people in the military. Colin Powell says the policy is outdated. Finally a person willing to admit how horrible this policy is. The gay/lesbian people should be able to serve openly, as it is there constitutional right. The only problem? He asked for it to be reviewed not repealed. I thought that we could move past all the differences. Whether it be gay, or straight, Caucasian or African American, but apparently we are not quite there yet. We are getting closer, but not there yet.

Illinois Proud History of Governors

2008-12-09T11:13:00.003-06:00

Today marks another governor who has been arrested, the other being Governor Ryan who is currently in jail. I do not understand why our Governors feel the need to disobey the law. Blagojevich took advantage of Obama becoming president and wanted to make some money off of it. I mean it is not like he gets money for being the Governor. In the report from the FBI is says Blagojevich wanted an appointment to the Obama cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services." how could you believe that you could get appointed without having this found out. If he was appointed and this came out imagine what it would do to Obama. Bottom line Blagojevich is narcissistic, and deserves to be in jail. Not just that, but Illinois deserves an honest Governor.

People deserve a second chance, but how about a third or fourth?

2008-11-30T17:04:00.004-06:00

Have you heard about Plaxico Burress. He was at a night club and carrying a gun, when it went off and shot himself in the leg. This is not the first time he has done something like this. He has skipped practices and faked injuries. But this brings up a larger problem. Shouldn't athletes know how to act profesionally when they are being paid millions of dollars? All you have to do is get up go to practice or a game and go home you don't need to go clubbing at 2 A.M or have a boat party. Just take advantage of the oppurtunity you have been given.

The Free Falling Car industry

2008-11-22T21:49:00.004-06:00

I was appalled when I heard that the car company executives who went to congress on private jets. How could you go to congress asking for money when you spent 20K just to get there. How could you expect for them to give hand outs when you could have spent under $1000 to get to capital hill by flying commercial. I also saw that congress agreed with me because they wanted to see what they would do with the money before they would give it to them, novel idea, don't you think. Then of course the executives had to make up their excuses saying they had to be at meetings, or that it was common place for the executives to fly private jets. But, when your company is about to go bankrupt you would think that a person would cut back on these luxurious expenses. Maybe the executives will rethink there travel methods, but then again probably not.

Closing one door to open another.

2008-11-16T21:05:00.003-06:00

As I was reading the sun times this morning I came across Barack Obama's thank you letter. In the letter he talks about the experiences he had, and how he will remember theses stories and he will think about them while making his decisions. Also, just as many other presidents say we can get through this with "the service and sacrifice of Americans across the nation."I think this goes against the stories he heard throughout the VFW halls and should try to limit sacrifice of Americans as we have already endures far too many loses. Also, I thought it was interesting he mentioned Abraham Licoln because in Neil Steinberg's article in the same newspaper he talked about the mans mistakes. But, this is just my twocents

Drunk Driving

2008-11-09T21:08:00.004-06:00

While I was sitting in Church today and people were asking for peoples prayers for their loved ones. This one lady stood up and said that her nephew had been killed by his drunk grandfather in a car accident. Which got me thinking: how can we stop people from driving drunk? My thought is that we should install breathalyzers in cars and the car will not start unless it is under the legal limit. I believe that if these measures were to have been in effect this child would not have died. I am wondering people's solutions to this problem. (above is a photo from the accident if you want to read the article click on this link

Ricky Williams almost as good as Josh Hamilton

2008-11-02T16:35:00.003-06:00

As I was watching the Miami Dolphins play against the Denver Broncos in an NFL game, I started to think about the redemptive story of Ricky Williams. Coming out of college he was the top running back. But, after a couple of seasons he retired from the NFL and got into drugs. A couple of years later, he tried to get back into the league but was denied because of a failed drug test. He later entered into a rehabilitation center and just last year he was finally reinstated into the league. This year he is making an impact on the team and in the community. He is now speaking to kids in the community about drugs, and his story. Also, earlier this year when the team had a week of he said that he thought about smoking Marijuana but decided against it. I thought this was another step forward on his way up because he realizes that he has a problem and dealt with it. This is one of a million of the stories but is magnified by his status which is a good thing.

James Bond Good for the World Bad For Our Children?

2008-10-19T16:33:00.007-05:00

A little boys dream: to be James Bond. With the new James Bond Movie set to release, it got me thinking how when I was little I wanted to be James Bond. But also, it made me think that I would have been invincible if I were in the military. Obviously you grow up and realize that you are not invincible. Still, it seems that the Bond movies still send out a false reality about war. For one, have you ever seen Bond scared about going in to a battle? No, of course not it would take away from the movies, but maybe kids see this and think oh look how easy it is to kill someone, or, look he is not afraid of war then I could go to war and it will not be scary. Do not get me wrong the movies are very entertaining, but I would not let my kid see James Bond until he understood this movie is not a reality. I think that the filmmakers should understand this and maybe add a little bit of reality to the film series. Do you agree? I am interested to hears some responses.

Mccain's New Campaign Tone

2008-10-13T21:34:00.003-05:00

As Mccain has fallen farther back in the polls while using his negative ads, he has been forced to look at his strategy. Because of this on Friday, Mccain was shooting down his supporters who were saying that Obama was unpatriotic and a terrorist sympathizer. He is trying to make himself look like the nice guy so if he is attacked by Obama he makes himself look like the victim. If this does not work then he might be done. But, if he begins to gain in the polls he will start taking the high road like Obama says he does.

Words of Politics

2008-10-05T16:25:00.003-05:00

Have you seen one of the latest Dan Seals for congress commercial? It starts by Mark Kirk, his opponent, saying that George Bush is a decisive President. Then Seals goes on to say everything that Bush has done wrong. But, Bush has been a decisive President because decisive means characterized by or displaying no or little hesitation; resolute; determined. This definition shows that Bush is decisive. He might have been decisive, and made rash decisions that hurt the country. But, that is what makes Bush decisive. He was decisive in entering the Iraq war because what he decided was final. He was also determined to go to Iraq as Mr. Bolos and Mr. O'Connor said in class " he had plans to go to Iraq when he first became President."

"Silver Star"

2008-09-26T09:02:00.005-05:00

A few days ago I was watching a show called The Unit. The show is about a special forces team that answers only to the president and the soldier's family. The episode I was watching was about an African-American soldier's father, who was in the military, receiving a silver star. This show got me thinking about the African-American soldiers, and the prejudice they faced. They thought that when they came back from the war they would receive praise from the American people. But even when they came back from the war, they did not get the same respect as the white soldiers. Also, they did not receive awards no matter how heroic there actions, and the military is just making up for it now. A movie about this coming out this weekend is "Miracle at Santa-Anna" so if you are interested in this topic go and see it.

Cange We Can Believe In?

2008-09-18T09:36:00.006-05:00

Vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden was interviewed be ABC on Wednesday. In the interview, he stated that "They believe in the change we want. They just don't know that we can accomplish it." I feel this statement is true, because if the American people did believe in the change Obama would be leading in the polls. The polls are not true, but, I doubt that they are skewed by more than 3%. Additionally, there is enough evidence that McCain has almost the same views as Bush (he voted the same as Bush 90% of the time). So, if people looked at how Obama has voted, then they would see the change he is talking about, and that it is backed through the voting. However, until Obama shows that McCain has voted the same as Bush, people will believe that McCain will bring change

Remembering September Eleventh

2008-09-11T11:01:00.009-05:00

September eleventh was an exciting day for me I was going to fly in a private plane out of Palwaukee airport with my Uncle Hank Krakowski. All I had to do was get up, eat breakfast, and get through the school day. That all changed when I walked in to my classroom, where my teacher told me that two planes had flown in to the two towers of the World Trade Center. After, he walked us outside to the blacktop where there is map painted on to it. He showed us where New York was, and reassured us that no planes would fly in to any building in Chicago. Once he said this I realized that my Dad was working downtown in the prudential building. Even though my teacher told us that no plane could fly in to a building I did not really believe it. But, I was relieved when they let us out of school early, and saw my Dad and brother waiting there for me to take me home. Then my Dad pulled me aside and told me that my uncle would not be taking me on the flight because he was very busy (as seen in the link from his name). My Mom works long days on Tuesday, so, My Dad, Brother, and I went to a mass for the people who died, or who were working at ground zero. When we got home we flipped on the TV to watch something after a long day, but all that was on was more coverage.

The Ultimate Redemption Story

2008-09-07T18:47:00.009-05:00

No one has the redemption story that Jesus does, however, Josh Hamilton is close. He grew up one of the top baseball prospects in the united states. He was then drafted number one overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999, and was a 3.96 million dollar signing bonus. But, in 2001 his mom got into a car crash, while he was in the passenger seat. He was 19 and had to be put on the disabled list. Him being put on the disabled list gave him free time he did not have before. This is where his downward descent began. He started hanging out with people who did drugs. As Josh Hamilton states "You might not do it at first, but eventually, if you keep hanging around long enough, you're going to start doing what they're doing." After this point, he failed four drug tests and did not show up for one. He was suspended in 2004, and was not reinstated by the MLB until 2006, when he showed that he had been sober for an extended period of time. He was picked in the 2006 rule five draft by the cubs, but traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he played in 2007. Then, during the 2007 off season, he was traded to the Texas Rangers. This year Josh Hamilton played in the all-star game and the Home Run Derby. In the derby at Yankee stadium he hit a record 28 home runs in one round. So far this year, he leads the MLB in Runs batted in (RBI) with 124 and has hit 31 home runs, with 18 games to go. Also, he is under consideration for the leagues most valuable player.
This is one of the most awe inspiring stories. Someone who dropped so far, yet still managed to pull himself out from the pits. Also, a common theme in the redemption stories is discovering your faith. Josh Hamilton is now as devout christian. This is a compelling story that people seem to be very attached to. This is due to the story being a perfect replica of the redemption story outline.