Giving Thanks!

Now, I have made it clear in class that Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. I don't like the way schools fictionalize a story that sounds good, while ignoring the sad facts about how we really treated Native Americans in this country. That being said, I have learned to treat Thanksgiving as a reminder of all the things I am thankful for.

This year, as always, I am thankful for my faith, my family and my friends. I am blessed to be surrounded by people who love me. I am also thankful that I am able to make a living doing two things I love.  This year, I'm especially thankful that I live in a country that allows me to freely express myself, even when I don't agree with my country's choices.

So, in honor of the holiday my question to you this week will be an easy one. "What are you thankful for this holiday season?" Answers are due no later than Wednesday, November 30th, 2016.  I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday full of good food, good friends and good conversation! Enjoy your break!

This Is My Fight Song

This is not the post I had planned for this week.  It’s not a post that’s been easy to write.  I try really hard to remain unbiased in my teaching.  I believe we need both sides, and that having diversity and a difference of opinions is what makes this country great.  Since the election, I’ve wondered if I can really remain unbiased.  I’ve wondered if I’m still qualified to teach this course – actually, I’ve wondered if my life of service has all been for nothing.  That maybe the world is just the ugly, hateful place that some people want us to believe it is. In short, I felt hopeless.  Over the past 48 hours I have experienced almost all the stages of grief - denial, anger, sadness, and finally, acceptance.

I haven’t heard enough of Donald Trump’s policy initiatives to know how I feel about them.  Perhaps he will surprise us all – perhaps not.  But I love my country enough to not want him to fail.  That will only hurt all of us.  What I have heard enough of from Donald is the vile, misogynistic, racist rhetoric that incites people to violence.  And in regards to that, I cannot and will not remain unbiased.  It is unacceptable to me, and I will call it out time and time again when I hear it from anyone, including my President.  I woke up this morning feeling that I will not remain silent – and I will continue my life of service with the same hope and optimism I’ve always had. That is what I am called to do by faith, and that is how I will heal. 

So this week, I would like to provide a safe, open forum for you to share your thoughts on the election.  All voices and viewpoints are welcome, but you cannot comment on someone else’s post.  This isn’t the time for heated debates.  This is the time to share how you felt and what this election has meant to you.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, November 16^th, 2016.

P.S.  Friday is Veteran’s Day! To all of those who have served on the armed forces, and to the military families who make sacrifices daily, so we can enjoy our freedoms – thank you!!  You are the real American Heroes!

Standing Rock

You may have recently seen your Facebook newsfeed filled with people who were “checking-in” at Standing Rock.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with what has been happening, people are “checking-in” to show support for the large-scale protest that has been protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).  The pipeline will transport 470,000 – 570,000 barrels of crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois, traveling through South Dakota and Iowa along the way.

Supporters say the pipeline will not only transport large amounts of oil, but it will do so much more efficiently and safer than transport by tricks or trains. 

Opponents of the pipeline, which include environmental activists and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, say a spill would contaminate the Tribe’s main source of drinking water which is located downstream.  Their fears are not unfounded, as the original route for the pipeline was rejected because it passed by Bismarck, the North Dakota capitol, and government officials feared a spill could contaminate their drinking water.  Additionally, the pipeline crosses through areas of cultural importance including sacred burial grounds and spiritual places of the Sioux Tribe, some of which have already been destroyed by the construction. This week, President Obama went on record saying he thought the pipeline could be re-routed to avoid Sioux land.

Since August, protesters have halted or slowed the construction of the pipeline.  As of this writing, the North Dakota capitol is on lock-down, and hundreds of protesters have been arrested, pepper sprayed, hit with rubber bullets, and attacked by police dogs.

In a few weeks, we will discuss the concept of “eminent domain,” in which the government can take your property, if they pay you for it and use for the public good.  So my question to you this week is, “Do you think pipeline is a good idea?  Do protesters have a right to interfere with the pipeline project?  Does the Sioux Tribe have a right to maintain their sacred lands?”  You must answer all questions for full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, November 9^th, 2016.  P.S.  Don’t forget to get out a vote!!  Let your voice be heard!   

Trick-Or-Treat-Or Not

Is anyone else excited that Halloween is this week? I love Halloween! It’s definitely one of my top three favorite holidays along with New Year’s Eve and the 4^th of July. There is nothing better as a kid, than running around in costume in the dark getting tons of candy. As an adult, I love getting dressed up and waiting to scare the children that come to my house.

Which is why it really disturbs me that some public schools aren’t even allowed to celebrate Halloween anymore. According the Seattle Public School district, “costumes could offend or upset students who come from other cultures”. The pagan origins of modern Halloween can be found in the Celtic celebration of Samhain, or "End of Summer." The Celts believed that on this agricultural harvest festival the dead revisit the land of the living and communal fires were needed to ward off evil. Many feel that celebrating Halloween is somehow promoting paganism, witchcraft and the occult.

I’m not sure how dressing up as a comic book hero and knocking on doors for candy is related to paganism, but it did get me thinking. In a few weeks, we will be discussing our First Amendment rights, and the separation of church and state. Halloween isn’t the only holiday that schools have banned in the interest of not offending anyone. So my question to you this week is, “What do you think of school’s celebrating holidays? Should they celebrate all holidays, some holidays or none at all?” For an added twist, “What are your Halloween plans?” I’d love to hear what you’re dressing up as! Answers are due no later than Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016. Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Row Over Roe

I was shocked earlier this summer when I opened my latest issue of Glamour magazine to read an article on at-home abortions. You can read my thoughts and your fellow students’ comments here:  http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2016/08/diy-abortions.html  Then, after reading many of your responses last week, and watching last night’s Presidential debate, I realized abortion is more of an issue this election cycle than ever before. 

In the past 5 years, Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TARP) state laws have shut down 162 clinics, or prevented them from offering abortion services.  Here in Indiana, a federal judge recently suspended our new abortion law deeming it unconstitutional.  The Indiana law would’ve prohibited abortions on the basis of disability or race, and required abortion providers to bury or cremate fetal tissue.

The next President will certainly have the opportunity to appoint at least one, if not two or three justices to the Supreme Court of the United States.  In last night’s debate, the candidates were asked about their stance on abortion, and whether or not they would like to see the groundbreaking case Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal in this country, overturned. For his part, Trump, who has stated he is pro-life, said, “That'll happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court. It will go back to the states, and the states will then make a determination."  For her part, Clinton, who has a long pro-choice record stated, “Politicians have no business interfering with a woman’s personal health decisions.”

Abortion is a hard topic to come to terms with, at least for me.  I’d like to think if I were pregnant, my faith would prevent me from considering abortion, but I’m also realistic enough to know that if I were young, and scared, abortion would certainly be on my mind.  I think it’s just a sad situation all around, and I’m glad I don’t have the responsibility of legislating what is a personal and very emotional decision. 

Soon we’re going to discuss the right to privacy that most Americans feel they are entitled to.  As part of that discussion, we’ll look at some of the groundbreaking abortion legislation that has come out of the Courts over the years.  So, I’m interested in knowing what you think – “Do you think we should continue to place restrictions and limitations on when, where and how woman can obtain abortions?  Should Roe v. Wade be overturned? Please explain your answer.”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, October 26th, 2016.

Mudslinging

Like a lot of you, I’ve been feeling pretty disillusioned with the candidates this election cycle.  I know politics and campaigns can get pretty nasty, but this year has topped any year in recent history.  Between the vile, misogynistic and discriminatory language coming from the Trump campaign and the shadiness and dishonesty surrounding the Clinton campaign; even I have started to avoid discussions surrounding the candidates.  This week a decade old tape was released of Donald Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women.  WikiLeaks followed by releasing hacked emails in which Hillary Clinton seems to allude to the fact that she is misleading voters about her stances on some of the issues.

So my question to you this week is three-fold: First, I would like to know “Do you think these revelations about either candidate will make a difference in how people vote?”  Second, I would like you to take this quiz, which will ask you about your thoughts on certain topics, and then tell you which candidate most closely matches your own viewpoints.  It also allows you to tell it how important an issue is to you. You can access the quiz here:  https://www.isidewith.com/ Then tell me “Which candidate’s viewpoints did the quiz match you up with?  Did that surprise you, or were you already planning to vote for that person?” 

You must answer all three parts to earn full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, October 19, 2016. 

Choose Your Own Adventure!

I hope you all enjoyed a nice break.  It's always hard coming back to school after break. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and being surrounded by all the crazy, creative energy that is all of you. That being said, it's still hard to get back into the grind. So for our first blog post, I'll go easy on you.

This week we will start our study of the Constitution and the freedoms that make us uniquely American. You can order your own free copy of the United States Constitution from: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm

A good portion of this class will be spent discussing current events and political issues that affect our everyday lives. For this post, I would like you to tell me at least one issue that you are interested in studying. To help you out, you can look over the blog posts that we've had in the past several years to get an idea of the type of things we've covered. Many of the topics are pretty controversial and I do my best to not censor the information available to you.

So my question to you this week is, "What is one issue that you are interested in studying in this class?" Answers are due no later than Wednesday, October 12th, 2016. I'm looking forward to a great quarter!