Pipeline Commentary

In this blog I found, there is an article called, "The pipeline." Seapanda states that they think it is wrong that this pipeline going through the US is a bad thing and I completely agree. 

When I first heard about this happening, it really made me upset that people really think it's okay to come through preserved land and just take it away. Seapanda said that there are two issues and one being the land actually belongs to somebody and the other being the actual problem that the land could no longer be able to sustain life. I actually think there is just one more issue that might come along with this and it's the moral issue of it all. Does the government really think that it's okay to do this and if they are able to do this, what else can they think they get away with? You give the government an inch and they're going to take a mile. The pipeline issue here in America shouldn't have ever started and I think that it should just be dropped. I just hope that the natives keep trying to push them away. I liked reading this article and I agree with them 100%! 

We Need a Prison System Change - And NOW

Ever since we were little, we've always been told not to do anything bad because that could land us in jail. "Don't break the law so you don't have to eat prison food and accidentally drop some soap." But why are we so afraid to go to jail and why do these things happen in jail? I think it's because of how our prison system is ran and how much is going wrong with it. What I mean by this is simple; would you believe me if I told you that there is a place where the top criminal in the country is actually only serving 21 years? Meanwhile, here in the United States, there are people serving 21 years just for marijuana - but that's a whole other story.
I watched a documentary called, "Where to Invade Next," and it may be a comedic documentary, but it is in fact very real. It talks about different parts of the world and how they are currently doing better than us in different aspects of politics, eduction, health, and even how we treat our criminals. It talked about how Norway's prison system is focused on repairing the person that caused the harm rather than punishing him/her. They have the lowest recidivism, prisoners who return back to prison, rates in the world - only at 20%!. Meanwhile, US is at 76.6%. Obviously, they're doing something right and better than us. They treat their prisoners like people and not like animals. In the article, "Why Norway's prison system is so successful", they say, "If we treat people like animals when they are in prison they are likely to behave like animals. Here we pay attention to you as human beings." Which means they don't have window bars or uniforms. And they do have a kitchen fully quipped with sharp objects; all while on a 75-acre open facility.
I think acknowledging this system would be a good way to start a change in our own prison system. It might take a while because change like this doesn't happen over night, but I hope one day we can work towards something like this. I believe this would be better for our country and for our people.

Trust Issues Commentary

In the post from Jennifer Torres called, Trust Issues, she makes a great argument about our competence as an american citizen and politics. I agree that it if we do try to gain knowledge about our community and politics then we could make way for some sort of change.
I didn't know about the term she used, filter bubbles. She explained she was surprised when she learned about it and so was I honestly. When I found that out, I could only think about how corrupt our government is becoming and how crazy it seems that they have the ability to do such a thing. It's not right and knowing that other citizens like myself don't know about it, then I think that tells you something. If more people know about things like this, then imagine how angry someone might get. And how many more riots we would have.
I believe that this post was very well thought through and gave me new insight that I did not know about. I hope to keep learning like about this and also take the advice from Torres and try to be more politically involved so that maybe there can be a difference in the United States.

Flag desecration

Burning the flag is the most disrespectful thing that we, as Americans can possibly do.
There is a term that is called, "Flag desecration." By Wikipedia definition that means, "a various sets of acts that intentionally destroy, damage, or mutilate a flag in publics." There are ways to go about owning a flag and having ownership in it and that is why we have flag protocols.

People might argue that it shouldn't be illegal because of the first amendment that states freedom of speech. However, I can't help but think about the significance of the flag and what it actually means. Why would anyone want to burn a flag that means we have independence and freedom? Why would anyone want to burn the flag that so many have sacrificed their lives for? There are so many ways that people could protest instead of burning, tearing, ripping our sacred flag. You wouldn't burn something like our constitution or our entire White House. Yeah it's just a piece of fabric, but there is just as much significance in it as our constitution or The White House.

Other countries actually do agree with this and do have set laws for their citizens about what happens when they do burn the flag. For example, Italy has a desecration law that can put citizens in jail for up to 2 years. China, up to 3 years. Mexico, up to 4 years. And Turkey is a whopping eighteen years! I know they don't have a constitution like ours that states freedom of speech and also a supreme court that overlooks the constitution, but I'd have to agree with how those countries are doing it.

I don't believe as strongly as Trump to go as far as "jail time," but at least a nice fine if caught. It's not right that this should even be legal. Especially since we have protocols that are so sensitive that even if the flag touches the ground, it be retired.

Is America Getting More Racist?

This specific post, "How The Racist Backlash To Barack Obama Gave Us Donald Trump," by Daniel Marans was an eye opening blog to me. Marans is a Huffington Post blogger and has been for some years already. He specializes in the politics and economic policies. As a person who enjoyed having Obama as president, his title caught my attention and made me curious as to what he meant by it. I think that Marans did that on purpose just so he could catch the eye of someone like me.
This blog he wrote kind of reassured my belief of that unfortunately there are some Trump supporters that are in fact, racist. Marans's argument in this blog was the belief that maybe democratics caused the racial tension to go up in America by electing and re-electing former President Obama. By having Obama as president, many racist Americans, unfortunately, became more angry at the fact we had a President of color. The evidence he gives in this blog, is quite obvious. The turnout of voters between our last president and our current one differ in the more racial category. No more than 39 percent of whites voted for Obama. Marans also made an interesting statement that goes like, "The changes that made that victory possible scared many of the white voters who went on to vote for Trump." That quote can also be used as an opinionated evidence that supports his claim.
This blog really makes sense to me and I'm glad I was able to read it. I really think that this was Marans's way of putting "Trump supports are racist" very delicately and nicely. Now I know that not all of Trump's supporters are racist because I do believe the world is made up of good people, but in this world, I am preparing myself for when I might be the target of racial slurs just because of my skin color. Unfortunately, this is still an issue in the world and I don't see it getting any better.

We're screwed apparently

This opinion article by David Brooks, who has been an author for the New York Times's opinion page, is pretty clear about what he wants to get across. "This Century is Broken," is about how it's clear that the economic and political stance of America is really in a downward spiral and it somehow started sometime this century. There used to be times when jobs were rising and more people were getting paid for working. Brooks mentioned a lot of statistics comparing our 21st century to the 20th century. It's starting to look a lot like we aren't really doing a lot to help either. I believe when Brooks is really trying to start a movement to make things better and is speaking specifically to the 21st century millennials. Since we weren't born until 90's and 200's, it starts with us to try and get the statistics back to the standards were when it was a better time to be in America.
He makes valid points all the way through to keep his argument and makes me certaintly believe that this 21st century life isn't so great either. His last statement about Trump, "If Trump is not the answer, what is?" Is very interesting and makes a pretty good point. If Trump is supposed to change this all around, but doesn't look that way, who and what do we turn to?

No manches Trump

This article called, "Trump's Continuing War on His Own Credibility," by Steve Chapman is everything I want to say about how unpolitical he is, but more professional. This article goes on and talks about how he has single handedly showed America that he has no clear boundaries as president and is really making it hard to believe he needs to be in charge of this country. For example, after becoming president he was, "flabbergasted to learn he can't unilaterally do everything he wants." Chapman states also in his article that campaigning and governing the country are two totally different things that Trump does not get; at least not yet. Over the course of the rest of the article, Chapman then brings out his Twitter account and how it's making the courts much harder to support and give our president the latitude on matters. At the end of the article, it's said that maybe having Pence become president wouldn't be such a bad idea.

I believe this article is a great read. Not because I'm against Trump and what he's doing, but because it really tells us how his work is affecting the US Government and what they think of him. It's not that his policies are not in order either, but it's his lack of political intelligence. Maybe him being impeached and Pence coming in wouldn't be so bad. I'm all for having someone in the best interest of our country. After reading this article, you'll probably stand to agree that maybe that option would be the best interest of our country.