U.S. Border Patrol Agents Spray Tear Gas at Migrants

On Sunday, as a group of migrants crossed into the U.S. at the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry between Tijuana and San Diego, U.S. Border Patrol agents fired tear gas in an attempt to dispel the group. President Trump defended the agents' actions, stating that "they had to use [it] because they were being rushed by some very tough people and they used tear gas."

"Here's the bottom line, nobody's coming into our country unless they come in legally," he added. Before U.S. agents used tear gas against the migrants, members of the migrant caravan planned a peaceful march to the border to demand asylum as Customs and Border Protection closed the port of entry. After being denied entry into the U.S., the situation escalated and some migrants began to throw projectiles at U.S. authorities in opposition. CBP used this as justification on Twitter: "Border Patrol agents deployed tear gas to dispel the group because of the risk to agents' safety." The Mexican Interior Ministry stated that migrants who attempted to "violently" and "illegally" cross the border would be deported.

By international and U.S. law, those who reach the U.S. border are allowed to petition for asylum. Thousands of asylum seekers wait days to weeks as "fewer than 100 asylum petitions per day are being processed at the San Ysidro entry point." Migrants protested to pressure U.S. officials into speeding up the process. How can the asylum process become more efficient? Children migrants as well as families that were not even near where the agents had used tear gas felt its effects. What proper methods could the U.S. Border Patrol agents have used to resist the projectiles thrown at them?

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/25/us/san-ysidro-port-of-entry-closed/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/25/670687806/u-s-agents-spray-tear-gas-at-migrants-briefly-close-tijuana-border-entry
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/26/671026271/trump-defends-use-of-tear-gas-at-the-border-mississippi-senate-heads-to-a-runoff

Significant Progress on Containment of California Wildfires

This Thanksgiving, Southern California residents certainly had something to be thankful for because on November 21st, California fire officials announced that the Woolsey Fire had been fully contained, after destroying more than 1,500 house structures and killing at least three people. Although rain had helped contain the wildfires, it also contributed to the threat of flooding and mudslides.

Residents of Northern California, and especially those within the Paradise community, have begun to find hope amidst the burnt remains of their homes, since the rain had helped contain the Camp Fire to up to 95 percent. There have been 84 confirmed deaths and more than 14,000 homes burnt down. Since the town of Paradise was the most greatly affected, many wonder if people will ever return to what is now a barren landscape. Disaster workers continue their search for human remains, but the rain [makes] the search for the human remains and the recovery effort more difficult because [it gets] really muddy and sloppy up there," according to Jim Mackensen of the US Forest Service.

Organizations helped to provide Thanksgiving meals to victims of the Camp Fire. Federal funds are expected to cover 75 percent of Paradise's recovery costs. Should the federal government find other ways to assist in the aftermath of this state tragedy, and if so, how? Is it fair that organizations, such as Red Cross, must take on the most responsibility in providing food and shelter to victims of the wildfires? Is it fair that victims without insurance are expected to create a crowdfunding page in order to finance the rebuilding of their homes?





https://www.npr.org/2018/11/22/670249463/with-one-california-fire-contained-survivors-find-rays-of-hope-amid-the-horror
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46300309
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46277108

Mexico and US Anticipate Migrant Caravan

Protestors have clashed in the Mexican city of Tijuana as both sides, pro-migrant and anti-migrant, fight to establish their support/opposition on the issue. The popular modern issue of immigration has been sparked recently with news of a migrant caravan of central Americans that are traveling from Mexico into the US. Both Mexico and the US have upgraded their border security to be heavier. The number of migrants is expected to rise to 10,000. The caravan has reportedly been stopped in Tijuana, right in front of the US-Mexico border. City officials in Tijuana are scrambling to try to provide for these immigrants who are simply searching for asylum. They have set up shelter, but it is barely enough for the growing number of migrants who wish to live on American soil. In response, quite expectedly, Donald Trump has threatened to arrest and not release anyone who tries to illegally enter the country. I personally believe that there should just be a simpler solution to becoming a citizen or getting a green card. If that were done then people wouldn't need to illegally immigrate to the states. And since president trump hold the US as the ultimate police of the world, perhaps he should try to help the countries that these immigrants are running away from.

What are some solutions to illegal immigration?
How should the caravan be provided for?
Did President Trump react the right way? If not, how should he have?




https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46256878
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/18/world/americas/mexico-tijuana-migrants-caravan.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYnV5lV2xOQ

Julian Assange charge raises fears about press freedom

Julian Assange charge raises fears about press freedom

An unidentified criminal charge against Julian Assange (WikiLeaks leader),

with a rumor of erasing press freedoms and effort in putting out his business.

Some stated that WikiLeaks played a crucial role in being a watchdog in the

journalism industry, and Yochai Benkler, professor testified at Ms. Manning’s

court martial stated that there was even evidence that Julian Assange

partnered with Russian intelligence agency to overthrow democracy, and the

evidence about the murder of Seth Rich, a democratic national committee

member, who provided all the information and was the source to WikiLeaks.

With the court deciding what crimes Julian Assange should be charged with,

it could mean holding legal proceedings against him due to the violation of

espionage act, and violating national security information. Julian Assange

had also stated that he did not know where the source came from for the

democratic emails for Ms. Manning’s court martial in 2013. However,

12 Russians were accused of “out the hack and release operation”, the timing

of the operation and release to increase the effects on the 2016 presidential election.

What crime should Julian Assange be charged for?

What actions will be taken place in the prosecution?

How does this affect press freedoms?

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/us/politics/julian-assange-indictment.html

https://newsok.com/article/feed/7240507/charging-assange-raises-press-freedoms-fears-but-key-facts-are-murky

The price of cool: a Teenager, a Juul and Nicotine Addiction

The price of cool: a Teenager, a Juul and Nicotine Addiction

This flashdrive like device helped longtime smokers quit smoking cigarettes,

however letting teenagers who has never smoked become addicted to

nicotine, taking at least three to four hits daily. The food and Drug administration

had restricted certain flavored e-cigarettes pods to customers under 18.

A teenager by the name of Matt (17), talks about his juul and nicotine addiction

and how it would interrupt his school and life events. With spending excessive

amounts on buying pods and juuls, being extremely dependent and rely on his

juul to make him calmer even if it gave him head rushes. The FDA will also hold

a public hearing addressing the problems about teenage nicotine addiction.

Juuls were purposely targeting younger teenage customers, and have officially

announced to stop marketing promotions and stop selling certain flavors except

tobacco, menthol and mint.

A juul pod contains an equal amount as a pack of cigarettes, benefitting smokers

who quit smoking to start the usage of juul and nicotine. However, since juuls are

majorly impacting teenagers, affecting their growth and brains that are still

developing. It can ruin and control their attention and learning and have

possibly long term effects. Certain popular flavors can also produce chemicals

that irritate airways and lungs, having an effect on heart and arteries.

Matt spent $100 to uber to a local store that sold juuls when he was out on

vacation without vaping for 2 days, spending mostly all his money on it. He

also stated that many of his athlete friends and him noticed that they would

get out of breath easily and only lowered their performance.

How did juul lure teenagers in the first place? How did it target teenagers

specifically?

Could the FDA have done more to address this issue or restrict juuls from

selling in stores?

Why are they only banning stores not to sell certain popular flavors? How is

that going to solve a addiction from teenagers?
sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/health/vaping-juul-teens-addiction-nicotine.html
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/1/17286638/juul-vaping-e-cigarette

To Build a Better Ballot and Other Inventions of Nicky Case

A bit late, but in the spirit of the midterms (and really AP Gov in general) I've found Nicky Case's simulations pretty fascinating.  "To Build a Better Ballot" (an exploration of different voting systems) is particularly relevant to this class, but "The Evolution of Trust" uses game theory to explore the difficulties of building trust in society and "Parable of the Polygons" examines segregation and bias using some very adorable squares and triangles.  I definitely think they're worth looking at if you've got spare time on your hands--they're entertaining, they're well-designed, and they're very insightful.

https://ncase.me/ballot/
https://ncase.itch.io/wbwwb
https://ncase.me/crowds/
https://ncase.me/trust/
https://ncase.me/polygons/

The Conflict On Florida's Recount

 The recount is on! After 18 years, Florida is once again the state to hold a close call on the election. Many republicans such as Donald Trump and Gov. Rick Scott are in fury against Florida's midterm recount. They claim the recount by being rigged, and in the end it would favor the Democrats. The Democrats in the other hand claim that a recount is to be made in order to count the ballots that were missed during the election day. Hence forth brings the conflict between both political sides.

 “Any margins under 0.5 percent trigger an automatic recount in the state.”

The Senate Race
 Recently Sen. Bill Nelson joins the League of Women voters for then to call out Gov. Rick Scott to rescue himself from overseeing the Florida midterm recount. Even so they have filed a federal lawsuit that would require Gov. Rick Scott to stay out of the picture during the recount. In one of his recent videos, Nelson indirectly claims that Rick Scott is to be seen as a "dictator" that would torment people's decisions when it came to the midterm election: “[Rick Scott] should remove himself from any role in the recount process so the people can have the confidence in the integrity of the election.”
 On the very same day the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign, and many more, "filed yet another lawsuit in Broward County court seeking to count vote-by-mail ballots that were cast before the deadline, but not received until after the deadline for unspecified problems with mail service."
The Governor Race
Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum has accepted his loss an decided to give an early-morning concession speech the day after the election night. Throughout the speech he has given the public the hope that he will continue fighting for what he believes is right. After hearing the recount being put in action, he then decided to rescind his concession. By this very action, he is telling the public that there is still a chance to come "glorious." Making one of the reasons that many democratic protestors have risen.

Links:
The Washington Post
 Politico
CBS Evening News

Florida Restores Voting Rights to Felons

Wilfredo Lee/AP

This past week, Florida voters passed an amendment that can restore the right to vote to over a million citizens guilty of any felony with the exception of murder or sexual offenses. These individuals now have the ability to participate in the government again after serving their sentences or probationary periods. The previous policy made applying for restoration of civil rights an extremely difficult and lengthy process that not many could complete.

About 64% of Florida voters voted in favor of this amendment to grant ex-felons the right vote, not only increasing the potential size of the Florida electorate, but also leaving just two states, Iowa and Kentucky, left with voting bans on felons. Statistics show that the additional voters will add to Democratic power in the state due to an ex-felon's likely support of the Democratic party. Despite this notion, support for the amendment came from both the Democratic and the Republican parties as the people of Florida made clear their desire for every citizen to have the ability to vote.

The 2018 mid-terms have made significant changes to the U.S. government, such as restoring voting rights in Florida or securing a Democratic control over the House of Representatives. This amendment is a huge step forward for representation of citizens in Florida, and on a larger scale, the United States, as Florida has historically been an important swing state in presidential elections. How could changes such as this one in Florida affect any legislation or policies in the future?

Links:
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/07/665031366/over-a-million-florida-ex-felons-win-right-to-vote-with-amendment-4
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-florida-amendment-4-restores-more-than-a-right-to-vote
https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2018/11/09/why-the-restoration-of-felons-voting-rights-in-florida-is-a-big-deal
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/11/florida-just-passed-the-largest-expansion-of-voting-rights-in-decades/

Trump Addresses California's Deadly Wildfires

Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

This past Saturday, President Trump tweeted his opinion on the numerous wildfires devastating California families and property owners. While the President produced a series of tweets on the issue, one in particular stands out due to his statement, "Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!"

The northern California Camp Fire's current toll has taken 29 lives and affected thousands. Trump's belief that forest management is at fault only addressed a small part of the complex issue. Governor Jerry Brown later commented on Trump's tweet, pointing out the contribution of climate change to an especially hot, dry, and lengthy fire season.

In addition to responses from politicians, Trumps tweets generated backlash from celebrities such as Katy Perry or Leonardo DiCaprio and many citizens affected by the fires. I would agree with many responses to his tweets in that supporting firefighters and those affected should be the first priority. Trump's threat to remove funding from an emergency situation arguably ignores the complexity of possible causes of the fires, such as the current climate or overgrowth of vegetation. The President used the situation to highlight his policy position which many saw as inappropriate. While Trump did tweet sympathetic responses among his opinionated ones, he approached the topic with finger-pointing and blame. What do you think? What role do politics have in remedying emergency situations?

Links:
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/12/666951838/megafires-more-frequent-because-of-climate-change-and-forest-management
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/the-california-fires-and-the-threat-of-climate-change.html
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/11/politics/california-wildfires-trump-tweets/index.html
https://www.vox.com/2018/8/7/17661096/california-wildfires-2018-camp-woolsey-climate-change

The Conflict of the "Birther" Conspiracy Theory

Former First Lady Michelle Obama recently released her autobiography titled Becoming in which she talks "about her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a mother." One of the things that caught many people's eye was her personal opinion and response towards Trump's belief in the "birther" conspiracy.

“What if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to Washington? What if that person went looking for our girls? Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family’s safety at risk. And for this I’d never forgive him.”

The "birther" conspiracy is the belief that former president Barack Obama was born in Kenya not in the US. President Trump started to make these claims in 2011, shortly before the 2012 election. At one point, Trump claimed that he had seen Obama's birth certificate. He even went far as insisting that the president should reveal his birth certificate: "if he wasn’t born in this country, which is a real possibility ... then he has pulled one of the great cons in the history of politics.”(Donald Trump) Trump's accusations are clearly false since he has contradicted himself many times, and cannot find a right answer. Which then can lead to the explanation on why he has decided to stop talking about the "birther" conspiracy.

The conspiracy has been brought up by more and more conspiracy theorists over time. It was first brought up by American journalist Andy Martin in 2004, not Hillary Clinton as the president claims. During Trump's presidential campaign in 2016, he decided to stop mentioning his beliefs on the conspiracy. Throughout his campaign, many reporters questioned on his role in promoting the "racially charge[d] smear" in which then he responded by saying, "'I don't talk about it because if I talk about that, your whole thing will be about that,"' he told reporters last week. "'So I don't talk about it."'

As a result Michelle Obama was angered "because she felt he was putting her family at risk."  As a wife she has done the right thing to do, and that is to protect and support her one and only husband.

Links:
CNN    CNBC  Independent
Politico  The Hill   Politico 2

Kanye's Exit on Politics

As many may know, famous rap singer Kanye West has decided to take a step away from politics. During the years of his political involvement, he was seen as a "hero" for the Republican Party. He was known for praising president Trump's "dragon energy" and ambition. His decision to leave the political scene left many people wondering about his motive.

On October 30th, Kanye posted a series of tweets that expressed his gratitude for his family and support for veterans, refugees, immigrants, and a change in gun laws. Shortly after, he posted a tweet announcing his decision to leave the political scene.

 One might wonder why Kanye expresses feeling as if he was being used to support ideas he did not believe in. Who was using him? Could he be be referring to the president, the media, or the Republican Party in general. It is also interesting when he mentions the idea of spreading messages he did not believe in. Although he did not specify what those ideas were, some ideas he was known to openly support in recent years include: the removal of 13th amendment and on how slavery should be a choice, and the overall participation in a African American conservative group known as Blexit.

Many claims were made on his decision for leaving the political world. Some claimed that he has left due to the "bullying" that he has received for supporting president Trump. Others may claim that it was his decrement of fame and support that he was getting throughout his career.

Before his announcement of exiting his involvement in politics. In an interview with TMZ Host, Harvey Lenin, Lenin was disturbed by the MAGA hat that Kanye West was wearing throughout. Later on, Lenin questions Kanye's support for Donald Trump in which then he responds, "Well first of all is pause I'm American. I support and give my ideas and support and brilliance to whoever ends up in office. That's my stance as an American. I support our president. Bottom line! ... mentioning the hat this represents y'all can't bully me." I personally agree with his statement, as a citizen of this country we must respect the president no matter who they are, but that does not necessarily mean we must agree with them. Kanye has had many interviews with many talk shows hosts in which he explains and gives many reasons on why he stills supports president Donald J Trump.

In my personal opinion, I believe he has left because of all the drama that was being centered around him. Until the point that it had stressed him too much that he had made a decision to put a stop on it.

What are your thoughts on this matter?
What do you believe his reason was behind this decision?
Do you believe he will return or once and for all or leave his publicity on politics ?

Links:

The NY Times

Washington Post 

Time
The Guardian

Kanye's Interview with Harvey Lenin

EVERYTHING ON THE LINE IN MIDTERMS

These midterms have been more partisan than ever with Democrats and Republicans both pitching in to get in as many voters in the polls as possible. Many seats in Congress and governor races are up for grabs as everyone will look to who will control Congress and the swing states to determine the future of our nation. Former President Obama has even been campaigning around the country to vote no matter where you are. Democrats and Republicans have deployed different strategies to rally their voter base and gain more support.

Republicans have been using fear and have been accused of violating voting laws in order to gain an advantage. They, along with Trump, have used immigration as a primary policy to target when rallying their voter base for the midterms. They have been using the migrant caravan currently in Mexico and border security as top issues to concentrate on, stroking fear in Americans’ hearts of a possible immigrant “invasion.” Moreover, the Republicans have been accused of violating voting laws, such as the ones in Georgia where failures in governor candidate Kemp’s cybersecurity in his online registration system have been exposed when accusing the Democrats of the same thing.

The Democrats have been mainly been trying to unseat many of the Republicans that are in the majority of the House by rallying their voter base to turn up and vote. Many of the Democrats are either immigrants or young, and tend to lean left, as the Democrats have launched an aggressive campaign against the Republicans. They have been criticizing Trump on being too harsh with border security, and too complacent in our foreign policy especially with Russia. The Democrats have been desperate in gaining control of the House, as the government has been increasingly divided.

In my opinion, I believe that both parties have been using lucrative practices to gain political clout in order to gain more seats in the House. Both parties can be found trying to rally up their voter base through bashing their opponent or proposing more extreme policy ideas.

What are ways the Republicans and Democrats can have had more successfully run their campaigns?

What were your predictions for midterms and how has it changed your expectations?

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/on-eve-of-midterm-elections-democrats-republicans-make-their-final-pitch/2018/11/05/ac84d86c-e0ff-11e8-b759-3d88a5ce9e19_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.658bc83deae7

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/04/politics/georgia-voter-registration-hacking-attempt-investigation/index.html

https://www.npr.org/2018/10/11/656455226/-everything-is-at-stake-for-democrats-in-next-month-s-midterm-elections

Trade and immigration have never been so popular in America

Trump's Trade War: Not Just With China

In recent months, President Trump continues to place tariffs and engage in a trade war with China. However, these protectionist policies are not the result of a popular movement or belief. In a recent poll conducted by Gallup, 74% stated that growing business and trade ties with other countries was somewhat good or very good. In another poll conducted by Gallup, 70% said that trade was an opportunity for economic growth, illustrating that the President's economic policies are not in line with the belief of a majority of Americans.

Although President Trump's tariffs have been largely reported as a trade war between China, Canada and Europe have suffered the worst losses. Examining Trump's tariffs, $12 billion in Canadian exports have been targeted, $8 billion in European exports while the tariffs only target $3.5 billion of China's.

I do not believe that President Trump's actions towards our neighbors and allies are a smart or diplomatic decision. Not only is Trump engaging with a trade war with China, but he has damaged trade relations with some of our most important allies. Canada is the US' second largest trade partner and the largest market for US exports, while Mexico is our third largest trade partner. Trump's tariffs against them will force them to respond in kind which will only harm more Americans. However, most alarming is the rhetoric and language Trump and his administration has used against our allies such as the president's trade advisor Peter Navarro saying that "there is a special place in hell" for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The United States' position in global affairs has weakened and will continue to weaken if attack our allies and burn important relationships established over the years. 


https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2018/10/15/trade-and-immigration-have-never-been-so-popular-in-america

https://www.vox.com/world/2018/5/31/17413172/trump-tariff-steel-aluminum-eu-canada-mexico

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/5/17653632/trump-tariffs-trade-war-steel\

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/06/12/the-west-will-die-so-that-trump-can-win/

Mexico City receives first wave from migrant caravan

A few weeks ago, a caravan has been travelling from Honduras towards Mexico until they reach the United States where they hope to be granted asylum. Many migrants claim they are fleeing violence and persecution from gangs back home. Moreover, many residents Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala have been experiencing violence and poverty mostly at the hands of gangs who work off drug or extortion money. These nations have relatively poor infrastructure when combating these gangs and would need time in reducing the crime rates.

Many wish to pursue the American Dream and end their suffering when living in their home country. However, President Trump has been relentless in not letting the caravan come to the US that easily and has ordered military troops to the border. In addition, Trump has threatened to cut aid off from the Central American nations. Some have accused Trump may be trying to rally his voter base ahead of the midterm elections when he says he is sending these troops, but others have said it provides a more effective way of enforcing the law of the land.

The US needs to act fast as the caravan has already reached Mexico City and the group intends to walk the entire trek undeterred. The caravan has more than 5,000 people as many plan to seek asylum in the US for the violence that they are escaping.

In my opinion, President Trump is making a big mistake in forcing a mass deportation of Central American migrants and cutting off aid to their nations. He has stated that it is important to keep those seeking asylum out. I believe that Trump would just exacerbate the problem by cutting off aid and forcing more deportations as it will only come back to bite him, because more will probably come as a result of these policies.

Do you believe that President Trump is doing the right thing in enforcing the immigration laws or is he actually the wrong thing?

Is America solely responsible to what happens to the caravan? Or can it also be Mexico’s, Honduras’, El Salvador’s, or Guatemala’s?

sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46092995

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/migrant-caravan-sets-sight-on-getting-to-mexico-city/2018/11/04/d01408fe-e08f-11e8-ba30-a7ded04d8fac_story.html?utm_term=.4866a74b193b

Georgia candidate for Governor investigates Georgia Democrats for alleged hacking just days before midterms

Audra Melton for the New York Times

This weekend, the current Secretary of State of Georgia, Brian Kemp, who is running as the Republican candidate for State Governor in the 2018 midterm elections, launched an investigation into the Democratic party in Georgia on allegations of a failed hacking attempt on the state's voter registration system. In prior weeks, critics of Kemp have brought up a previous controversy surrounding accusations against him for minority voter suppression due to Georgia policy's strict refusal to process any registration applications that did not exactly match up with preexisting state data, causing thousands of applications to be rejected with minorities far more likely to be among them (The Economist). This process is overseen by Kemp himself as Secretary of State who after agreed to reform the state's system of registration.

Many believe that Kemp's current investigation into the failed hacking of the aforementioned registration system is a political stunt with the intention to damage his Democratic opponent's campaign in its final days. Seeing as the accusations currently have no apparent evidence and that Kemp is spearheading the investigation into the party of his current opponent, should Georgia voters be wary when making final election decisions?

As seen in elections throughout history, when campaigns such as this one are running so close, accusations have had the power to sway voters from one candidate or party to another. Many Georgia Democrats say the investigation is an abuse of Kemp's power as acting elections official for the state. In a state that has historically struggled with voting rights issues, registration has become a central topic in the election. It will be interesting to see both how Kemp's investigation turns out and how it will effect votes in this week's election.

Sources:
https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2018/10/22/georgia-and-the-right-to-vote
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/04/us/politics/georgia-elections-kemp-voters-hack.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/11/04/brian-kemps-office-orders-hacking-probe-georgia-democrats-eve-election-hes-competing/?utm_term=.6736112ce12f
https://www.balloon-juice.com/2018/11/04/brian-kemp-thinks-georgians-are-stupid/ 

Trump’s Request To The Pentagon, Rejected

Trump’s Request To The Pentagon, Rejected

A group of migrants are heading over towards the border and President Trump does not want to them to reach the US. Earlier he requested troops to be sent as crowd control for these migrants in order to discourage their passage.  He has continuously wanted to send the migrants back and to reinforce his stance on immigration in regards to the upcoming midterm elections. The Pentagon had concluded that this caravan was to be regulated by the state and local governments and that the federal government could not intervene. He stated that he would send the troops with live-fire weapons, he went on to compare shooting guns and throwing rocks as an equal offense. He stated that if the people started throwing rocks they would shoot warning shots. President Trump claims that this is an “invasion” of the US by having about 3000 Central Americans looking to improve their living conditions.

To connect to content in class this reinforces the two government system of state government and the federal government. This decision to not send troops just shows how limited the power of the federal government at the president can be. Since this caravan is no threat to the US it doesn’t require the military to get fully involved. The system of federalism also has put chains on the president so he and the government can’t just do anything that they please.

In my opinion, I now have hope on our federal government because they can counter the blasphemous decisions that our president proposes. Also, there is no need for violence in to stop unarmed people who are looking to flee from a hostile life or just looking for a better living. The comments made recently by Trump will directly influence the midterm election and he hopes to get more support on his current stances.

https://www.vox.com/2018/11/3/18059218/troops-border-law-enforcement-pentagon-dhs-trump

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/02/politics/white-house-pentagon-troops-border/index.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6348149/The-Pentagon-rejected-requests-troops-perform-crowd-control-Mexico-border.html

Massacre At A Synagogue

Massacre At A Synagogue, 11 Dead

Robert Bowers, age 46, fired shots at the Tree Of Life Synagogue in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had a history of slandering the Jewish race on social media and during the attack, he yelled out abhorrent statements targeting the Jewish customs and community. Shots were fired at 10 AM and screams were heard and the cops were instantly called. 11 were dead and  6 were injured also, two police officers were injured and two SWAT team members were injured as well during their confrontation. At 9:49 Bowers posted one last ominous post claiming that he was going in and he couldn’t stand any longer to watch his people get slaughtered which is still unclear who his people are. He was armed with an AR- 15 and at least three handguns during is attacks. Bowers was charged with 29 criminal accounts after his attacks and many sources say he is to suffer the death penalty.

This connects to the government's inability to pass laws to better the security of our nation. The president and Congress refuse to pass laws because of interest groups such as the NRA which are a pro-gun organization that claim implementing a new law restricting gun use would violate the 2nd amendment.  Also, this points to the flaw in the government to be able to address issues such as shooting effectively and ignoring the current situation in which we live in. Overall, nothing has been done the past couple of years where there has not been a major change to the country and more should be done because there has not been any change to the status quo of our country.

In my opinion, if people claim that more laws for gun control would change something I feel like it will cause no change because thanks to the black market, people will be able to get these guns with no restrictions. So I feel that in order to make our nation safer the security should be increased at a greater amount in all places with federal aid or maybe to ban guns from the people once in for all. With all the recent events it looks like no one can be trusted with a firearm and therefore they should be taken away even if it spurs a lot of debate.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/11/03/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-shabat-service-vigils-tree-life/1871835002/

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/27/us/active-shooter-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c28q43x9qmzt/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting

Executive Order To Abuse The 14th Amendment

Executive Order To Abuse The 14th Amendment

During an interview, President Trump stated that he wanted to take away the citizenship of children from immigrant parents. This goes against the 14th amendment that states "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States." As the president, he is announcing the violation of the bill of rights and going against the constitution which cannot be changed or removed. Also, this executive order was to be officially passed it will immediately be challenged by the court for its removal. Many members of Congress and people of his own party have disagreed with this executive order primarily because it is in clear violation of the 14th amendment. In his interview he said “We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years, with all of those benefits,” during his interview and went on to compare the US to other countries and their citizenship policy.

This connects to the checks and balances topic we learned in class because currently, Trump is trying to abuse his power as president and having too much power in the executive branch. This would bring an unbalance to the current government system. and if this is passed and is not challenged it can give future presidents the tendency to enact such executive orders that violate the Bill of rights.

In my opinion, Trump is trying to gain more popularity by announcing one of his many blasphemous statements. Also, I think that with the upcoming midterm elections he is trying to get more control of immigration and trying to stick true to what he had said at the beginning of not wanting to grant immigrants citizenship rights.  Also if this passes this will be challenged and removed by the court which gives me hope because many people even in his own party disagree with his actions and many across the nation as well.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/us/politics/trump-birthright-citizenship.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-eyeing-executive-order-to-end-citizenship-for-children-of-noncitizens-born-on-us-soil/2018/10/30/66892050-dc29-11e8-b3f0-62607289efee_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.756ab795bd87

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/30/politics/donald-trump-ending-birthright-citizenship/index.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/10/30/trump-birthright-citizenship-executive-order/1816666002/