Friday, May 11, 2012

Last word......

1.  This class helped me become more aware of the world around me.  I used to read only news that pertained to criminal activity that took place only in the US.  Now I read other articles that show what goes on in other parts of the world and how America is involved.  I have noticed that we are involved in a lot of foreign affairs and it makes me wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.  I also learned from writing these blogs that you really have to look at both sides of the story.  I formed my opinion and stuck with it but the opposing view always made me think about my choice a lot harder.

2. The new skills that I have learned from this class are to always look at the opposing view.  Everyone has an opinion and it is only fair to look at both sides.  If we make judge things too quickly then we will surely lose out on something.  We can make ourselves look like fools from not getting all the facts and forming an opinion too fast.  It also doesn’t hurt to ask questions, this way you can become more rounded. 

3.  I learned that I have a lot to say when it came to these articles.  Currently I don’t vote, but am highly opinionated.  I never paid too much attention to politics and what’s in the news.  My husband is the complete opposite of me and found the articles I had to write about very interesting.  He helped me to become more interested and to have conversations about more important things.  Now we can discuss a lot of different topics and share our opinions to each other.  My performance as a student has always been pretty much focused.  I tend to dedicate myself to my assignments and stress the importance of getting good grades.

4. The only thing that made this class a little difficult was getting my assignments turned in on time.  It is hard enough working 40 hours a week and then having to have an assignment due on a Friday.  I had no time to catch my breath sometimes and expecting my first child didn’t make it any easier.  I wish that the assignments were due on Sunday only because when you work mon-fri it’s nice to come home and forget everything and then wake up fresh on Saturday and then start the homework. 

5.  The skill that I got from this class was the ability to look at the opposing side.  It is hard to take into consideration what someone else has to say once you form an opinion.  I will open my mind a little wider before I give my final answer.

6.  My favorite topic to write about hands down was the death penalty.  I work at a bank and everyone knows the dangers that can come with that.  In between customers I was always looking at the mass most wanted or America’s most wanted websites.  There are so many criminals out that and I feel that some of them get off too easy.  We have so much improved technology that it should be impossible to make a mistake, and yet we have so many unsolved cases and families torn apart becuase of unanswered questions.  Why should criminals have the right to live when their victims had to suffer? We are granting them a longer life and taking away from people in need.  All the money that gets put into housing a criminal could help a poor struggling family. 

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Syria


Syria is a country currently with no stability.  Wars are constantly breaking out in the street and innocent people are dying.  People are starving and children are being forced to take sides when they aren’t even old enough to form an opinion.  How has this country become this volatile??  I think that this all started because of three major factors.  The first one being is the presidential regime.  Here we have a country that is supposed to be of a republic nature but instead Hafid al-Assad decided to remain president for a long time without the Syrian people “choosing” him as a leader.  After he passed away the presidency automatically defaulted to his son without a fair election, which has created more of a presidential monarchy than a republic.  The second major factor is the revolution that occurred in the Arab world between Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.  These countries put an end to the brutal regimes of long presidency.  This created a major effect on Syria, who wanted to create the same atmosphere.  The third major factor deals with the social, economic, and political problems that they face today.  The population is struggling as they fight daily for food and peace and a better life.
Russia and China are among the countries that disagree with this revolution.  They have been stopping any decisions the UN makes to help the revolution because they have the right to veto.  These countries have major strategic benefits to abort the revolution because they support the presidential regime.   Russia, one of President Bashar al-Assad's strongest allies despite international condemnation of the government's violent crackdown on the country's uprising, has repeatedly blocked the United Nations Security Council's attempts to halt the violence, accusing the U.S. and its allies of trying to start another war.  “The United States is outraged that this council has utterly failed to address an urgent moral challenge and a growing threat to regional peace and security,” said Susan Rice ambassador to the United Nations.  France’s U.N. ambassador, Gerard Araud, vowed that this “veto will not stop us” from pressing for Syria to end a crackdown that has killed nearly 3,000 people. 

The question that has remained unanswered is whether or not the West and the UN should step in or if we should just let Syria solve their own problems.  I think that the West and the UN should step in because of all the innocent people that are dying.  The only thing we need to be careful of is that we don’t recreate a situation like when we interfered in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The US needs to be more cautious and diplomatic because Syria is more complicated from the support of Russia and China to the Syrian President.  This could create an international conflict between the super powers, which could lead to WWIII.  Any decision of interference must be considered carefully between the US and UN in order to help Syria and not hurt it.  The best thing we could do in the meantime is help the citizens of Syria by providing them food and medical assistance until a decision can be made from the aiding countries. 

Facts: