Blog Post #7

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/17/world/asia/philippines-typhoon-haiyan/index.html?c=homepage-t&page=2

This article discusses America's response to the plight of the people in the Philippines affected by the typhoon Haiyan. We have sent over 9,000 of our troops to the Philippines to distribute food, water, and first aid to the Filipinos. Britain has also sent lots of support to the Philippines, including their ship The HMS Daring, which distributed first aid and clean water to survivors. Although other countries have been quick to help the Filipino's plight, their own government has been criticized for not quickly responding after the typhoon.

This relates to AP GOPO because it deals with foreign relations and how our government responds to crises in other countries. The US is showing itself to be compassionate and capable by giving aid to this struggling country. This article also demonstrates that governments need to be strong enough to be able to cope with a potential disaster like this. If the Philippine government had possessed some sort of disaster plan, maybe they could have been more prepared to handle some of these problems. Then again, maybe not- this was such a huge catastrophe that it may have been impossible to bounce back and start running things again.

I think this is a really sad crisis and I'm glad America is able to give help to this country. I think this is a better use for our military than attacking Syria.

Blog Post #6

My Article


This article is about a New Jersey shooter who opened fire on a mall on Monday, November 4th and then killed himself. The gunman, Richard Shoop, fired six bullets at random and did not kill anyone. After, he hid in a back room and shot himself. Mall shoppers, though uninjured, were terrified; many didn't leave the mall until early on Tuesday morning. The shooter has had a history with drug and alcohol abuse. He left a vague suicide note that referenced that the "end" was coming soon. Now we know what he meant by "end."

I went on Cnn.com to find an article for my blog this week and I just couldn't believe that I saw yet ANOTHER story about a shooting. It seems ridiculous to me that shootings keep happening and nothing is being done about them. I know this incident wasn't as serious as other recent events like the Aurora and Colorado shootings, but it's still a sign that the issue of gun control needs to be addressed. Though no one but the shooter was physically harmed in this incident, there's no telling what mental and emotional scars this incident left on the shoppers caught in this.

This relates to AP Gov. because gun control is a controversial issue that Americans are heavily debating now. Shootings have been happening more and more frequently in America. Hopefully Congress will take notice and realize that restrictions need to be passed in order for our society to be safer.