Week 5

One thing that bothered me was the fact that Nassir may not be able to have access to legal counsel. As an American citizen we have the right to legal counsel which is a Constitutional right (the sixth amendment to be specific). I don't feel it is right to detain an American citizen based on suspicion of something. This man was coming back from vacation and he was detained as soon as he stepped off the airplane. He is being treated as if he is stepping into the country for the very first time and has a sign hanging around his neck saying he's here to blow the airport up. I understand that this is a matter of national security but the government is definitely taking this too far.

Week 5

This video angered me in that innocent muslims were getting arrested in this fictional scenario even though they had nothing to do with the crimes being committed. This is the problem of racial profiling, which I believe is very wrong. In order to arrest someone and take them away from their families police should have to have a good reason other than the fact that someone looks suspicious, or in this case like the "typical terrorist." If this were to actually happen in the United States it ashames me to admit this but I don't really think that some people would care that this was happening to innocent people.

The Balancing Act

The Balancing Act: Security and Liberty Post-9/11 video is about the relationship between security and personal freedom. The video brings up fictional scenarios were America has been attacked. The first scenario shows our grocery stores being targeted by terrorists. They poison our food in grocery stores and then people eat the food and die. It shows that the American government then targets all the muslims and sends a bunch of them away to prison, not allowing them to try and prove themselves innocent. These events cause a huge economic uproar. And it brings up, once again the subject of racism. Innocent muslims were sent away to prison, having to leave their families even though they had absolutely nothing to do with the situation. It is unnecessary and unruly. All the people in the video discuss their views on the subject. I agreed with one man when he says, "Is the United States a battle ground? Is this an act of war, or a crime? Do we apply the civil law to it, or do we bring in the President's war power?" This shows that it is such an unknown subject. I think that we, as the people of the United States, should already know what to do in situations like this, incase it ever were to really happen.

Week 4 Summary

Callie used some quotes from the Declaration of Sentiments which she interpreted to mean that women should not accept their old position in society. She said that the history of women's rights in the U.S has been a struggle and that she does not agree with the stereotype that women should stay home with the children and cook and clean.
Kristen agreed with Callie and said that even though women may have equal rights legally; they are still looked down upon on a daily basis. She related this to last weeks reading about equality within different races. Kristen enjoyed reading the Declaration of Sentiments because she said it described all that women deserve as equal citizens.
Adam enjoyed this reading as well and thought it made some great points. His favorite quote was: "that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". He said that when women were considered to be below men they were deprived of these given rights.

Week 4

Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions was a great thing to read. It made so many great points about women and their right to be treated equal. The first thing that stood out to me was actually the quote that Callie used in her blog. I have to disagree with Kacy when she says she hears people still to this day making comments about women belonging in the kitchen. I'm not sure if that has to do with us coming from different areas. When I do hear it its in a joking manner. One of my favorite lines from this was "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Our Creator gave us certain rights when he created us, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When women were held below men they were being deprived these rights that were given to us when we were created. We weren't created to be have one gender better than the other, we were created to be equal.

I completely agree with Callie when she says that women deserve all the same rights as men, and I'm not just saying that because I am a women. People to this day are still making comments to women such as "make me a sandwich" or "you belong in the kitchen." Even though it seems as we have overcome the problem of women being looked down upon, it's still happening on a daily basis. Just like last weeks blog about equality in races, there should also be equality in gender. We are all human beings, no matter what color our skin, hair, eyes, or gender we are. This means that we should all be treated equally. It seems as though if you were a strong, white, successful man back in the day, than you really had to fight for all of your rights. I really enjoyed reading the Declaration of Sentiments because it listed everything that women deserved. That we, as women, are just as smart and capable of thinking as men are. And that we, as women, are just as capable at voting as men are. To pretty much sum up the entire thing, it's saying that we all deserve the SAME EXACT rights as men do. Women are not below men. We are all equal!

Week 4

The Declaration of Setiments states that woman should be treated as equals just the same as men. It states "That the women of this country ought to be enlightened in regard to the laws under which they- live, that they may no longer publish their degradation, by declaring themselves satisfied with their present position, nor their ignorance, by asserting that they have all the rights they want." This is basically saying that women should not be okay with their old position in society. Women's rights have been a real struggle in society. People still say that women belong in the kitchen or at home with the kids. I believe that this is wrong and women deserve all the rights that men do.

Week 3 Summary

Erica likes how President Lyndon B. Johnson used the phrases "All men are created equal", "Government by consent of the governed", and "Give me liberty or give me death" in his speech. She said it reminded us that they were well known and that they were supposed to be true. She made a very good point by bringing up how President Johnson had said we had lost countless lives to ensure that America would be the place where there was equality for each and every citizen.
Kacy mentioned how President Johnson said this issue wasn't just a Negro problem, Southern Problem, or Northern problem but it was an American problem. She said that America was the first nation to be created with a purpose and that's how the Constitution was created and that's how it should remain.
Callie said we claim to know the laws of the Constitution, but we deny certain people of their rights. We are one nation, and every citizen of the United States, no matter their race or skin color, should be granted these rights.