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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
We The People Project
Check out this website I put together with information about the foundations of United States Government! On the site, I talk about the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and writing of the Constitution. There's lots of valuable information!
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Monday, February 25, 2013
Establish Justice - Learning
Over the years, riots have broke out all over the world in hopes of throwing out their own government. The recent outbreaks in Tunisia and Egypt caught the attention of people worldwide. On December 17, 2010, a 26 year old man (Mohamed
Bouazizi) committed suicide by burning himself to death after police knocked
over his cart and took the vegetables he was selling at a market because he did
not have a permit to do so. Tunisians began to communicate through Facebook
where the word spread and more people joined this mass of anger and soon after, the riots began. President Zine el-Abdine Ben Ali was a very paranoid
man who would not allow for any Tunisian to speak their minds and would commonly use
torture as punishment. The Tunisians had reached their breaking point
and they were not scared of the President anymore. There were so many protesters
that in January 2011, after about a month of continuous riots, President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali
resigned and left the country. The word spread like wildfire around the world and when Egypt heard the news, they started to get ideas. On June 6, 2010, a 28-year-old man named Khaled Said was beaten and killed by police. The people of Egypt (mostly young people) were mad about not having economic
opportunity and because of the such high unemployment rate. They thought they deserved more from their country like freedom, democracy, and human rights but President Hosni Mubarak could not and would not keep up with the Egyptians' demands. But
the cause of the riots was because primarily because of the police abuse. Following the killing of Said, A Google executive named Wael Ghonim set up an anonymous Facebook account to organize the riots. A picture of his dead body was also posted on
Facebook. On January 25, tens of thousands of Egyptians protested in Cairo and other big cities for an long 18 days. President Mubarak figured he needed to take action; and with the use of police force and thugs, he tried and failed. The protesters were still standing and were in control of Tahrir Square. President Mubarak’s next attempt to stop the
riots was a propaganda campaign to try and make it look like the protesters
were actually foreign agents. This tactic failed by DID manage to get some
protesters to go home which caused the protesting to calm down a bit. The man who set up the Facebook account was held
in isolation and blindfolded for 12 days. When he was released, he was
interviewed on the TV and emotionally spoke about what he had been through and
that he was determined to keep fighting until President Hosni Mubarak resigned. People heard what this man had to say and this
time, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians showed up in the streets to protest. Mubarak acknowledged the public but was stubborn
and unwilling to resign. He instead “temporarily turned his power over to Vice
President Oman Suleiman. In February, 2011, a day after speaking to the people,
the Vice President announced that Mubarak will step down and the military will
take control of the country. Egyptians heard the news and paraded in the
streets of Egypt.
Though we have not seen major riots appear in the United States in years, they have occurred and will stay in the history books for years to come. One of which is known as the Kent State Massacre. On April 30, 1970, President Nixon announced that he was sending American and South Vietnam troops to attack Cambodia against communism headquarters in South Vietnam. There was outrage across the country but on May 4, in Kent, Ohio at Kent State University, about 1500 students protested and ultimately, four were killed and 8 were injured. The other well-known riot that broke out was in Los Angeles, California with Rodney King. In 1992, he was driving down the freeway in LA when he passed California Highway Patrol and was caught speeding. The police put on their lights but because King was worried about getting in trouble with his probation for robbery, he led a high-speed chase which reached 115 mph. When King was finally stopped and taken out of his car, the police men thought he was resisting arrest so they used a TASER on him twice and when that didn’t stop him, police began to beat him. The beating was videotaped and publicized. People became angry looking at the beating as a racial offense and riots broke out on April 29, 1992. Only a few days went by and 53 people were dead while there was about $1 billion in damage from the protestors destroying property and lighting buildings on fire.
In the 18 years that I have been alive and living in West Des Moines, Iowa, I have never experienced any type of major traumatic event anywhere close to my home. The last time there was a real big event was September 11, 2001 and I was only 6 years old. I was too young to comprehend what had happened and to realize how close to home it really was. If something like these riots were to occur today anywhere close to my home, I would be in complete shock. It would be something I would never forget. But today, in the world we live in, I honestly could never image these riots ever taking place. In my opinion, and I may be wrong, but I feel the young adults in our society have changed from wanting to change the world, to just wanting to make their own life a great one. I don't feel like many college-aged kids are willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believe in anymore. Though there are the exceptions, for example: the men and women who join the military and also the occasional men and women who do and would give their lives up for their beliefs. But in the United States today, I feel young people don't have much of a reason to start any type of riot; and if they did, it would probably have something to do with foreign affairs. With that being said, I am sure there will be riots in the future and I am sure they will never stop until the human race comes to an end. What I do hope, is that the voices of the protesters are heard and compromised before violence becomes the solution.
Though we have not seen major riots appear in the United States in years, they have occurred and will stay in the history books for years to come. One of which is known as the Kent State Massacre. On April 30, 1970, President Nixon announced that he was sending American and South Vietnam troops to attack Cambodia against communism headquarters in South Vietnam. There was outrage across the country but on May 4, in Kent, Ohio at Kent State University, about 1500 students protested and ultimately, four were killed and 8 were injured. The other well-known riot that broke out was in Los Angeles, California with Rodney King. In 1992, he was driving down the freeway in LA when he passed California Highway Patrol and was caught speeding. The police put on their lights but because King was worried about getting in trouble with his probation for robbery, he led a high-speed chase which reached 115 mph. When King was finally stopped and taken out of his car, the police men thought he was resisting arrest so they used a TASER on him twice and when that didn’t stop him, police began to beat him. The beating was videotaped and publicized. People became angry looking at the beating as a racial offense and riots broke out on April 29, 1992. Only a few days went by and 53 people were dead while there was about $1 billion in damage from the protestors destroying property and lighting buildings on fire.
In the 18 years that I have been alive and living in West Des Moines, Iowa, I have never experienced any type of major traumatic event anywhere close to my home. The last time there was a real big event was September 11, 2001 and I was only 6 years old. I was too young to comprehend what had happened and to realize how close to home it really was. If something like these riots were to occur today anywhere close to my home, I would be in complete shock. It would be something I would never forget. But today, in the world we live in, I honestly could never image these riots ever taking place. In my opinion, and I may be wrong, but I feel the young adults in our society have changed from wanting to change the world, to just wanting to make their own life a great one. I don't feel like many college-aged kids are willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believe in anymore. Though there are the exceptions, for example: the men and women who join the military and also the occasional men and women who do and would give their lives up for their beliefs. But in the United States today, I feel young people don't have much of a reason to start any type of riot; and if they did, it would probably have something to do with foreign affairs. With that being said, I am sure there will be riots in the future and I am sure they will never stop until the human race comes to an end. What I do hope, is that the voices of the protesters are heard and compromised before violence becomes the solution.
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