Response to "Understanding Citizenship..." and "The Dumbest Generation..."

I agree with Diane Cameron, who says that the average graduate sees going to schol as just an investment into the future, but not as an insight into the knowledge that can be gained. I agree that this message is often a whisper in a world that demands success for comfortable survival.

It is sad that our generation might be considered the dumbest generation because we may be smart at how to think, but not in our factual knowledge. "Since the tests measure not knowledge but pure thinking capacity...then...ignorance of facts...reflects not dumbness but choice." This sounds like the tests might need to be reformed to show how much we know about history. Yes, I believe those who don't know about history are doomed to repeat it. I think that this generation is more able to bypass the actual information, being so smart as to not learn it but get full credit in classrooms by mindnumbing worksheets and other boring ways of retaining knowledge. As the generation's mind needs a greater stimulus, a more proactive approach to learning must be enacted.

1984: Last section

In the final analysis, how accurate was Orwell in his vision of the future? In what ways does our contemporary society compare to his idea of society in 1984? Are there examples in which he was correct? What is most opposite? Do you see a potential for aspects of Orwell's "vision" to come true?

Orwell's vision, although extreme at times, talks of a future that doesn't seem too far off after certain changes in the way our country deals with things. Domestic spying is a big concern, as it allows the government to access things without having a reason, and without notifying the person first. Of course, an eventual notification is required, but what good does that do when you are being taken away for something that you have just been informed of? It seems that we don't have a form of three minutes of hate and also that we aren't being brainwashed, but there is always an underlying form of it, and with the media dictating much of what we see (in the goings on around us), the infrastructure of their information could easily be tampered with, creating a decrepit system. This could happen as the government vies for more power and it is slowly given to it. This could be controlled by the close monitor of it, and looking into what it is asking. Also, that they ask their citizens first instead of taking actions: pretty soon, the government will be a person's whole family, including their overprotective parents and their big brother.

Does Domestic Spying Help the United States?

Domestic spying is overall, a death trap for all those who value freedom. Since the president has the power to command wiretaps without a court order, a heightened "Executive Power" is on the rise. As long as he can get a court order within three days of the actual wiretap, he is in the clear. This is a total breach of security, because, as Krauthammer explains that people weren't told because of dangerous sources finding out, it still supports the fact that people weren't told of what was going on. As Barr goes on to say, "Tomorrow, it may be your phone calls or e-mails that will be swept up into our electronic infrastructure and secretly kept in a growing file attached to your name." If we had more trust in our government, this would be no problem, because we would believe that they had our best interests at heart. But, with different debated conspiracies, Americans' can never be too watchful over the government: a mustang fighting under the reins of the people.

North Korea Packet

I agree with David Kang. First off, the "Axis of Evil" speech was one of the worst things that could have been made. It gave the United States a halo for pointing it out and the middle eastern countries mentioned a slap on the wrist both to their ego and their meaning within the world. Kang doesn't deny that North Korea is dangerous, but he is simply looking for a way to "ameliorate" or make better the current situation. He says, "A North Korea that feels threatened and perceives the U.S. administration to be actively atempting to increase pressure on it is unlikely to trust the United States." When looking back on our history, the Munich analogy can be compared in this case in the fact that this might be considered appeasing our enemies, but when millions of innocent lives are at stake if extreme violence breaks out, diplomacy might work a little better. Of course, we need a new leader to make any of these changes happen, as the President's attempt at tying up loose ends has just ended up in a giant knot.

Thin Gruel

This article hits upon a very controversial topic in the literary world: is sensorship ok? I believe there is a difference between textbooks and novels, and school districts must carefully monitor that fine line. Textbooks are supposed to be filled with truth and be as unbiased as possible. Novels, on the other hand, can be biased because they are the thoughts of the author and a student should be introduced to different opinions. The five pieces that most astonished me (that were banned) were Brave New world, Great Gatsby, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the Scarlet letter and the Harry Potter series. To limit someone's creativity by not allowing their works is horrible, and it narrows the mindsets of those who are limited.

The Silly Old Lady story especially struck me funny...this is probably because I can imagine myself as this old eccentric old lady, and to be banned to reserve a pristine figure of an older woman is politically incorrect. Not all people are the same...I'm sure many kids might have a grandmother that is a bit "kooky" and it isn't all that uncommon. Of course, banning the story of the blind mountain climber might hit an ultimate peak (no pun intended) because the whole purpose of a children's story is to show the difficulties of the main character and what they do to overcome it.

1984

Winston lives in a world of learned response...nobody is allowed to write, everyone is afraid they are being watched every moment of their lives, and people can get arrested by the "Thought Police". Even worse, the Ministry of Truth deletes any information that may make them look bad, virtually deleting the existence of a person or major event in the time frame of a couple of minutes...so far, this book is intriguing because of what these people face...

Candidates: Healthcare

Obama says that all Americans will be covered by healthcare and will pay a smaller premium.
Clinton says that no American will be turned down by existing healthcare rejections (or having a disease before applying) and working families will have a certain percent of their incomes that is set in stone for being the maximum amount owed to healthcare expenses. John McCain proposes that each individual be given a $2500 tax credit, or $5000 for a family. This seems like a lot, but if someone gets into a big accident, that won't even make a dent in it. Ralph Nader says that it should be "single payer national healthcare" but the site didn't elaborate on it.