Newscorp bro

British government officials care about justice, or their citizens more the America does. There is no way news networks in America are going to be held to the same standard simply because the American government utilizes the news networks to control the masses. There are some people who listen to the news and believe everything they hear, and there are some that don't. Even if you don't swear by the news if you hear something enough times you'll begin to agree; its exactly like the article that was discussed in class about the man with the megaphone. I am not completely condemning the American government, or legal system, but they are definitely flawed. If American news corporations had to face this level of accountability then maybe people who condemn news programs (particularly television) would be more inclined to give them a second chance.

Rupert Murdoch is a very successful man, but with so much success comes arrogance I didn't know existed. I didn't know much about Rupert before writing this blog so I did a bit of research, and this Aussie-American has quite the list of accomplishments. He is ranked the 13th most powerful man in the world, and the 117th wealthiest man in the world. When you look at those accomplishments, and account for his age it's unfathomable for this man to have a single humble bone in his body. In my few years of experience there are few undeniable facts I have learned. With age comes a lot wisdom, and about ten times more arrogance towards the youth; this is surely one of those lessons. So a man of 80 with his kind of accomplishments is going to think very little of everyone. I assert that Rupert Murdoch won't be giving up his position on top of his own mount Olympus until he bites the dust.

Peer Critique

Kareem's blog on failed states hits many strong points on both the American side, as well as the foreign side of the war on terror. The situation these failed states are in are described in detail giving the reader a definite, and good understanding of their situation. He points out that the problem is with how we handle the situation and offers an appropriate solution. He mentions the American agenda which is a nice touch because it shows why the course of action has been taken while it may seem unorthodox or ineffective to a poorly informed individual without understanding the agenda. Kareem talks about the opportunities that many people in the world are not privileged enough to have; then those same people are criticized for not having the drive or resolve to do things they aspire to do. Kareem says "Helping other countries through aid is just not an American ideal, whether it be monetary, education or nutritional." which I find a little vague and allows the reader to infer or assume too much. He then discusses America's love for war and the "tough guy" image which is completely accurate. Patriots in particular are head over heels for those ideals, and when our government frames war reports glorifying our army it creates a strong sense of pride for patriotic citizens. Kareem also uses a historical example to further strengthen his argument and transitions his criticism of violence to a need for compassion and cooperation at the expense of a little pride. The picture Kareem chose compliments his argument very well, because it shows a group of people in a war-torn country surrounding a man that seems to be dying and are not really phased by this travesty.

Overall I am impressed with Kareem's blog and agree with it on virtually all points. There was only one short coming I could find which as I stated earlier was how vague of one of his sentences were.

Government

If I were to change something in our culture the way in which our government serves its people would be fixed. The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." yet this is not how our government currently operates. The government has many responsibilities, but first and foremost is it's responsibility to the citizens of the United States of America. We can not hope to help others if we cannot first help ourselves. I strongly support helping war torn countries, impoverished countries etc. but before our government continues doing these things it must address the myriad of ailments our country currently faces.

The homelessness in our nation is completely unacceptable. We are one of the most successful nations in the world, yet we have four-hundred thousand homeless people with only just above half in some kind of shelter. During my 1 month trip to England I saw one person who you might consider homeless. I asked my relatives why there were so few homeless people in England, and they informed me that the British government will house you, and give you a adequate sum of money bi-weekly to help you get back on you feet. The part that threw my for a loop was that there was no time restriction for how long you could stay in that particular position. Not only do they keep you housed and fed, but they also help you get back to work so that you can support yourself. So why can't one of the wealthiest and surely the strongest nation in the world provide something close to that level of assistance to its citizens. That doesn't sound like a government that serves the people to me.

The second most upsetting part of our government is their emphasis on education. The only way to advance is to educate your citizens. Eventually our doctors, CEOs, and political leaders will grow old, retire, and unavoidable pass away. When that happens what state will our uneducated nation be left in? There is a very apparent problem in wealth distribution in the world, but a particularly bad one in our nation. You can clearly see the correlation between level of education and success and socio-economic standing. Being a student myself can see small changes that would greatly increase the way our education system is ran. In England you can begin to choose a focus in secondary school (equivalent to late middle school and early high school) and by 16 you are in college (not the same as our college) where you completely focus an area of your choice. Upon completing college you can choose to further your education and go to university (this is equivalent to our college). Their system is superior ours in essentially every aspect. So our government needs to focus more on education.

Drugs are bad mmkay.

Most people do think of drugs very cut and dry, but in all honesty anyone with half a brain can tell that there is a lot more to most drugs than getting high. All the terms we currently use in modern society have negative connotations. Why can't getting high just mean the act of ingesting a particular drug? It adds a negative stereotype to whoever is utilizing this particular drug, and that stereotype can range from bad to worse. People associate marijuana with lazy, unambitious people and similar scenarios for other drugs. I am not supporting using just any drug, because certain drugs are more than most people can handle. Marijuana is a drug most people can handle where as heroine is not.


Certain drugs have been extensively studied and have been proven to be virtually harmless yet are illegal, and there are many prescription drugs that can be detrimental to your health when used just above the recommended dose. So why does the government encourage the use of potentially lethal drugs, and criminalize drugs that are naturally growing plants of the earth? We're scared of global warming and what not, but the world is aprox. four billion years old and has gone through ice ages and extinctions time and time again, but still it survives. I think a planet that has experience which we cannot begin to comprehend can do no wrong. There are an unreal number of incarcerated individuals due to drug charges. Many of the people in jail for drug charges are arrested at a young age and treated as if they fully understood the magnitude of their transgressions. On second thought maybe our court system is overestimating the magnitude of the situation. Personally I would encourage people to experience life to the fullest, and this does involve breaking laws; these laws should not be there in the first place, mind you. The moral of the story is that drugs aren't all bad, and allow you to fully understand the world which we inhabit.

Apocalypse Soon?

The Georgia Guidestones are definitely intended to be used as a post-apocalyptic instructions for any people who may have survived such an event. many christians reject the monument because they don't understand or ignore the state the world is in which we have had a huge negative part to play as a species. Would you blame the earth if it wanted to get rid of every trace of human civilization? All we do is rape pillage and burn things historically speaking. More modern humans like ourselves would rather pollute the atmosphere, and disrupt the natural order of things. These stones say "Be not a cancer on the earth - Leave room for nature - Leave room for nature". When you really think about it we are worse than cancer for the earth, we are more like a corrosive acid at the rate we're going. We must leave room for nature, because nature is what sustains every living thing on this planet. Personally I am a vegetarian and stick to fruits, vegetables, and other products derived from them, but even if you eat meat this applies to you. That chicken you love so much also depends on nature, and when nature can no longer support life then life shall end. More realistically nature will be fine, but we won't because the planet has had catastrophes in the past; look at it today. The earth is the most beautiful planet in the solar system filled with vibrant life and beautiful scenery.

Years ago people were said to be witches if they did anything that offended the church, and the test to prove whether or not they were in fact a witch was to see if they would drown when thrown into a lake. We now teach people how to swim, and encourage it. The church has been wrong, and done wrong in the past so why do so many people continue to blinded follow such a hypocritical group? If we like the lives we live and wish for our children to come to enjoy the same happiness, then rather than bashing progressive ideas saying its the work of the devil, or its the new world order we should encourage moving towards a brighter future that we can all agree on. Currently our governing system globally and nationally is not up to par. Atlanta is a large hub for human trafficking and the global powers are not fighting it. Casey Anthony was found not guilty for the murder of her own daughter when she was clearly guilty. So maybe it is time for a change. Time to wake up folks.