Crisis in Iraq

As I mentioned in a previous post, several weeks ago President Obama authorized airstrikes against ISIS – an al-Qaeda offshoot that has been on a terrorist campaign throughout Syria and Iraq.  ISIS has been carrying out mass executions, placing heads on fence posts and imposing harsh religious restrictions all in an effort to gain an Islamic state governed by a religious figurehead.  You may have recently seen the public online broadcast of the beheading of American journalist James Foley.  Seriously horrible stuff – and it gets even worse.  Consider these numbers as reported by the Huffington Post:

• 1,922 – The number of people killed in Iraq in June, making it the deadliest month since May of 2007.  A majority were civilian.
• 30,000 – 50,000 – The number of militants now fighting with ISIS.
• $2 billion – The approximate value of ISIS cash and assets after looting hundreds of millions of dollars from Iraqi banks.
• 0 – the number of openly practicing Christians thought to be left in Mosul after ISIS made Christianity punishable by death.

Now I’m not one to condone violence, by us or by them.  While I support our troops and the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country, I’ve never thought the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were going to end terrorism.  I’m not sure what the answer is, but I generally believe that violence just results in more violence. That being said, the nightly news is starting to sounds more like a recap of a Games of Thrones episode, and I know something must be done.

So, my question to you this week is, “How should the United States handle the ISIS crisis in Iraq?  Would you support military action, including sending more troops?  Does the U.S. have a responsibility to end the violence?”  You must answer all questions to earn full credit. Answers are due no later than Wednesday, September 3^rd.  Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend! 

They Say It's Your Birthday!

It's my birthday too!  Those of you who know me, know I'm a big believer in giving back.  I hope to leave the world a little better than I found it.  Last year on my birthday, I had just returned from my mission trip in Nicaragua.  While I was there, working to get people access to clean water became an important issue for me.  So for my birthday, my friends all donated to build a well in Africa and give hundreds of people in the local village clean water.

Yesterday, I was nominated by my sister to take the ALS ice bucket challenge.  You've probably seen this challenge, which has gone viral in recent weeks and already raised over $12 million for ALS research.  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. It's basically like being buried alive - your muscles stop working, but your brain stays fully functional. ALS is terminal and there is no cure.

My grandmother had ALS.  It is a horrible, awful disease that no one should have to go through.  So, I have gladly accepted my sister's challenge.  I will be completing my ice bucket challenge tonight in class. There is no better way I could think of than to end my birthday by honoring my grandmother and the thousands of other people suffering from this disease. 

So, in light of it being my birthday, I will go easy on you this week.  I would like to know, "What causes do you support?  What issue is important to you and why?"  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, August 27th, 2014.  If you would like to donate or learn more about ALS, you can go here: www.alsa.org   Also - stay tuned to the blog as I will be posting a video of me accepting my ice bucket challenge later this week!

Oh Captain, My Captain!

Shortly after I posted last week’s blog, President Obama authorized air strikes against ISIS militants in Iraq.  I planned on blogging about it this week, and in fact had even written the post.  Then I heard about the unfortunate passing of Robin Williams.  I know the situation in Iraq is important.   In no way do I intend this post to indicate its insignificance. But I’ve blogged many times about terrorism, and the passing of Williams hit too close to home.

Mr. Keating, Williams’ character from the movie Dead Poets Society is my teaching idol.  When I first started teaching, I didn’t know what methods worked and what didn’t work.  I knew I loved political science, but I wasn’t sure I could teach it.  I just knew that I wanted to inspire students to be different – to care about the world around them – to question everything - to march to the beat of their own drum and make their own way in the world. In short, I wanted to be Mr. Keating.  The movie also made me take notice of Robin Williams as an actor, and I continued to love his work.

So I would’ve been sad regardless upon hearing about his death, but news of his suicide made me that much more.  Depression goes way back in my family – my great-grandfather committed suicide during the Great Depression.  My father has been diagnosed as bipolar, which for me meant growing up in a turbulent and sometimes violent household.  During college I went through my own serious bout with depression, which could’ve taken my life.  So I understand how someone so talented, who brought joy and laughter to so many, could feel so dark and isolated that he saw only one way out.  It just breaks my heart.

Which is why, in memory of Robin Williams, I am sharing my story and dedicating this post to him. Depression isn’t shameful.  It doesn’t mean you’re weak.  We must start having open and frank conversations about an illness that affects millions of people. The same day I sat down to write this post, I received the September issue of Glamour in the mail which contained an article on the psychiatric bed shortage in America (Hillary Clinton was also on the cover - #winwin). According to the article, psychiatric bed space is even lower than it was it 1850!  The number of beds available on average is 12.4 per 100,000 people, when experts recommend there should be at least 50.So my question to you this week is, “Why do you think depression and mental illness carry such a stigma in this country? What should be done to ensure quality mental health care in America?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, August 20^th, 2014.

If you, or anyone you know is facing depression or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies, call 1-800-273-TALK to be connected to a skilled, trained counselor 24/7. 

 

Does It Matter If You're Black or White?

This quarter I have a student doing their final project in part on the racial disparity in our prison system.  It’s an interesting topic, and I’m looking forward to hearing his presentation.  Last week, I happened to come across a short article, which graphically depicted the differences in drug use and arrests between African Americans and Caucasians.  You can check out the graphs here: http://www.upworthy.com/black-and-white-people-use-drugs-at-a-similar-rate-thats-why-the-last-2-graphs-are-so-shocking?c=ufb1

In doing my research for this post, I found the following additional statistics that made it even clearer that something is really wrong with our current justice system. From different penalties for certain drugs, to harsher sentences for certain people, it’s apparent that the racial disparity is real and only getting worse. Consider the following:

·      African Americans are six times more likely to be arrested than Caucasians.

·      1 in 3 African American males can expect to be arrested at some point in their lifetime.

·      Five times as many Caucasians use drugs compared to African Americans, yet African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses 10 times more often.

·      African Americans and Hispanics were 58% of the prison system in 2008, but only 25 % of the U.S. population.

·      African Americans serve almost as much time in prison (58.7 months) for non-violent drug offenses than Caucasians serve (61.7 months) for violent offenses.

So my question to you this week is, “What do you think causes such a disparity?  Are police, prosecutors and judges all racists?  What can be done to change the system?”  You must answers all three questions for full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, August 13^th, 2014