Choose Your Own Adventure

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 evergy 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 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 Tuesday, October 8th, 2013. I'm looking forward to a great quarter!

Your Thoughts and Feedback Are Appreciated!

Well another quarter has come and gone!  I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and hearing your opinions in class!  When we started together, most of you hated politics, and now you are ready to go out and change the world!  I wish all of you blessings and success in the future.  Please stay in touch and feel free to visit and post on the blog whenever you like.

So for our last blog post, I would like to get your thoughts and feedback on the class.  "What did you like or dislike about the class?  What could I do to make it better?"  Answers are due no later than Sunday, September 15th, 2013.  After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter.  To those of you who are graduating, congratulations on all your hard work and achievements!  For everyone else, I hope you enjoy the break!  Signing off for the last time....(okay maybe not the last time, but it sounded good)

Bombs Over Syria?

Recently, we discussed the enumerated powers of the President in class.  We went over how Presidents are supposed to get Congressional approval before committing troops to battle, however since Vietnam, Presidents have failed to do so.  Which is why I was all the more interested to learn this past week that President Obama is indeed getting Congressional approval before launching a potential missile strike against Syria.

At issue in the escalating conflict between the United States and Syria is the use of chemical weapons.  The United States is accusing the Assad regime of using sarin nerve gas to kill its own people.  According to the U.S., in a most recent attack, 1,429 people were killed, including 400 children.

Supporters of a military strike say we can’t allow rogue regimes to kill innocent civilians, regardless of where they live.  As the largest and most powerful military in the world, the United States has a responsibility to ensure other countries are not using chemical and biological weapons, especially against civilians. France has come out in support of a U.S. military strike, although they may be one of the few countries to do so.

The United Nations Security Council and Great Britain do not support U.S. intervention.  In addition, protests all around the country have already started against what many feel will just amount to another conflict that drains the U.S. economy, and make enemies of another Middle Eastern country.  Indeed, while traveling over the weekend for the holiday, I saw protesters hanging signs over the overpasses on I-65 protesting any military action against Syria.

So my question to you this week is, “Do you think the United States should launch a missile strike against Syria?  Do you think the United States should always get involved when other countries commit these types of atrocities against innocent civilians?”  Answers are due no later than Sunday, September 8^th, 2013