Choose or Lose!

In our first blog post, many of you said you wanted to learn more about the candidates and the issues in the upcoming election.  We will be discussing this more in class, but for this week's blog post I would first like you to take a short quiz that will show you which candidate you are most likely to agree with based on your answers.  You can access the quiz here:
http://www.selectsmart.com/president/

After you take this quiz, tell me "Did you agree with the results?  Is that who you were planning to vote for?  What did you learn about your political views?"  Answers are due no later than Sunday, August 5th, 2012. Now back to the Olympics....gymnastics are on!

Out Of A Dark Night Comes A Brighter Day

It is will a heavy heart that I am blogging this week about another senseless tragedy that took place last weekend in Aurora, Colorado.  I’m sure by now you all have heard how suspected shooter, James Eagan Holmes, 24 walked into a midnight screening of the Dark Knight Rises, and open fire, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others. Holmes was dressed in armor similar to that worn by SWAT members, and at the time of this writing, there is no known motive for the shooting spree. Holmes did have his apartment extensively “booby trapped” and authorities had to use a robot on Saturday to disable the elaborate network of improvised explosive devices.

The shooting has focused the nation’s political dialogue on our country’s gun laws. Some have felt that we need stricter gun laws to prevent tragedies such as this from happening.  According to Senator Dianne Feinstein, “weapons of war don’t belong on our streets”. Colorado Governor, John Hickenlooper, expressed skepticism that tougher gun laws would’ve prevented the tragedy stating, “If there were no assault weapons available – this guy’s going to find something right?” Senator Ron Johnson agrees, “I don’t think society can keep sick, demented, individuals from obtaining any type of weapon to kill people.  Somebody who purposely wants to harm another individual is going to find a method to do so”.

I’ll be frank – I’m torn on this issue. I don’t come from a family that owns guns.  I don’t think I would want one in my home.  That being said, I strongly support the U.S. Constitution and the people’s right to bear arms. I just think there should be better background checks, waiting periods, etc.  I think the real problem here is a lack of mental healthcare in this country – which might be a whole other blog. I know I don’t have all the answers, but it’s clear to me that something must be done to stop, (or at least try and stop) this senseless violence.

So my question to you this week is, “How do you feel about our country’s gun laws?  Do you think they should be stricter? What should the government’s responsibility be, if anything, in preventing crimes like this in the future?”  Answers are due no later than Sunday, July 29^th.  My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone affected by senseless violence, especially the community of Aurora, Colorado.

Sometimes The Best Man For The Job, Isn't A Man.

The Summer Olympics begin next week! For those who know me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics. I love the artistry of the opening ceremonies. I get all caught up in the emotional stories of the athletes who have struggled so hard and overcome so many obstacles just to make their Olympic dreams come true. I watch sports I've never even heard of before (like curling) and I always, always cheer for the underdog.

The London Olympics made history last week when it was announced that for the first time in history, women athletes will be competing from every nation. Although Saudia Arabia still prohibits women from joining gyms and participating in public and organized sports, they are joining the countries of Qatar and Brunei, and sending women to the Olympic Games for the first time.  In addition, The United States will also be fielding more women than men – another first. Considering that in the 1984 games, women weren’t even allowed to run the marathon, and in the 1996 games 26 countries didn’t even send women athletes, we’ve come a long way.

I’ve never been that into playing sports – I’m way too uncoordinated.  That being said, I support anything that empowers women and gives them a voice.  The U.S. State Department recently created the US Council to Empower Women and Girls through sports.  Their mission is to engage both domestic and international audiences to promote sports as a means to empower women.  So my question to you this week is, “How do you think playing sports empowers women?”  Really think about it.  “What kinds of opportunities do women playing sports at an Olympic level have? What effect does that have on other women and young girls?”   If you’ve ever played sports before, I’d like to hear more about your experiences.  Answers are due no later than Sunday, July 22^nd, 2012

Choose Your Own Adventure

This week we started 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

Normally, our first blog post has something to do with the freedoms you value most and whether or not you are proud to call yourself an American. This quarter, I would like to start with something different. 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 Sunday, July 15th, 2012. I hope all of you had a wonderful summer break and a happy 4th of July!