Blog #13

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/22/world/europe/ukraine-protests/index.html?c=homepage-t&page=1

This article states that the opposition leader in Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, has been released from prison. Her release may give Ukrainian citizens a figure to rally around in their protests against their current president, Victor Yanukovych. The article also explains that Ukraine's parliament voted unanimously yesterday to kick Yanukovych out of office. The day before, Yanukovych signed a peace deal with the opposition in order to end the violent protests of this week. The protests were a result of Ukranian citizens anger at Yanukovych for turning towards communist Russia and rejecting a trade deal with the European Union.

This relates to AP Gov because Ukrainian citizens are seeking a more fair and democratic system through these protests. Another reason they rebelled was because of Yanukovych's corruption and rejection of certain democratic principles. It's exciting to see a country succeed in overthrowing a corrupt government.

I'm really excited to see what Ukraine's next move is. I hope they make wise choices in these next few months, because these next months will be really important in creating a successful, democratic country. I'm glad their parliament was unanimous instead of divided in ejecting Yanukovych from office. 

Blog #12

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/08/politics/holder-same-sex-marriage-rights/index.html?c=homepage-t

This article states that gay couples have recently been given equal rights in federal matters such as bankruptcies, survivor benefits, and prison visits. Prior to now a couple who got married in a state that permitted gay marriage and then moved to a state that did not was not recognized as a married couple. This new law applies to thirty-four states where gay marriage is not legal.

This article applies to AP Gov because it deals with civil rights and equality. Though gay people do not have full equal rights, this new law is a step in the right direction. Hopefully this new law will create a domino effect of laws that help promote equality for all.

I think it's wonderful that gay couples now have some of the same rights that straight people do. I hope that they will soon get ALL of the same rights because the Constitution says that all men were created equal, and it seems that by denying them their rights that we are going against the Constitution. You can argue state's rights all you want, but the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution states that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, NOT state legislatures.

Blog #11

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/26/politics/obama-progressive-democrats/index.html?c=politics&page=2

This article discusses the possible pathways for the Democratic Party at the end of President Obama's presidency and the implications these choices each could have on the American people. On one hand the Democratic Party could stay with the centrist policies President Obama has (to a certain degree) endorsed. On the other hand, the party could embrace more progressive principles endorsed by those like Elizabeth Warren. This article outlined positives and negatives to both of these choices.

This article applies to AP Gov because it discusses the choices the Democratic Party has in moving forward from President Obama's leadership. The choices the party makes concerning the values they choose to endorse for the next few years could have serious implications for the party. The article stated that many Democratic voters have felt that President Obama didn't properly represent the party, so it will be interesting to see what kind of candidates the party chooses to support in these next few years. 

I'm definitely interested to see how the Democratic Party will choose to act in these next few years. I identify as progressive but I don't feel like the party/President always represent my political thoughts. I too feel frustrated sometimes when I look at President Obama's objectives prior to his Presidency and when I look at what he's accomplished. I don't think this is completely his fault; it doesn't help to have a hostile House, but I think there are some choices he could have made that would have been more beneficial to Americans.

Blog #9

My Article

This article discusses another school shooting that happened on Friday December 13th. A student of Arapahoe High School in Denver, Colorado who was a member of the debate and cross country team, Karl Pierson, came to school armed with a pump action shot gun, a machete, and three Molotov cocktails. He wanted to kill the librarian, who also ran the debate team. He shot a girl, critically wounding her, before taking his own life. He wasn't able to harm anyone else before killing himself because the deputy on campus ran to stop him, prompting him to kill himself. The librarian was not injured as he had left the campus in order to try to make the shooter leave the school.
This relates to AP Gov because it deals with the increase in school shootings and our country's problem with gun control. The problem with gun control is that some killers, such as this shooter, haven't been diagnosed with a mental illness so there's really no way to prevent them from buying a gun. School shootings in particular seem to be growing more and more common in our country, which is horrifying and so sad.
I think one way to help prevent these mass shootings is by having deputies on campus to help deal with problems as soon as they arise. The deputy at this school prevented Pierson from killing other students because Pierson knew that the deputy could make him face the consequences of this shooting. I know that our deputies at New Hanover help prevent and stop fights more efficiently than an untrained teacher could. I don't really know what our country could do to help with gun control. I believe in making it more difficult for regular civilians to buy certain types of guns, but I'm not sure that would really help prevent these kinds of horrible events from happening.

Blog #8

My Article

This article states that though our military killed Osama bin Laden and has been allowing drone strikes targeting al Qaeda leaders, terrorists have gained ground and the U.S. is no safer than it was two years ago. Unfortunately, these kinds of revelations come as no surprise considering that al Qaeda is becoming more decentralized and therefore, more dangerous. That means that al Qaeda now considers it okay to commit "smaller" acts of terror as well as larger acts such as 9/11.

This relates to AP Gov. because it discusses how our government handles foreign threats such as terrorism. It seems like those controversial drone strikes weren't worth the fight anyways, seeing as problem with terrorism has worsened. That isn't to say terrorism has worsened BECAUSE of them, but rather to say that our government shouldn't have used such a controversial measure since they didn't have much of an effect in stopping terrorism.

I think this article is pretty scary but realistic. It makes sense that al Qaeda is becoming more decentralized after bin Laden's death. However, I was a bit surprised to read that they were just as dangerous as before.  It's a bit disturbing to think about the "small" acts of terrorism they could commit, because it's probably easier for al Qaeda to bomb a bunch of cars than it is for them to pull off something on the scale of 9/11.

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.