Frontline Facts and Questions

Facts:

1. President Bush was ready to spend any amount of money to fund the war.
2. The United States wanted to fight a secret war.
3. The CIA started setting up the secret war on 9/11.
4. The CIA studied Al Qaeda more than any other defense or intelligence agency.
5.Greystone was a new way of fighting a war, that didn't apply to any previous military strategy.
6. The CIA went into Afghanistan first and fought through the shadows with the help of locals.
7. This was the largest covert operation since the Cold War.
8. More than a dozen countries were involved in the secret war.
9.Some terrorists were hidden and tortured in a system of prisons operated by the CIA.
10. The Defense Department started do missions that resembled the CIA's operations.

Questions:

1. Will the government stop monitoring phone calls and emails?
2. How does the government keep the hidden security buildings safe and from being discovered?
3. Would a National Intelligence Director be able to effectively monitor every intelligence agency?
4. Why are there so many turnovers with the office of the DNI?
5. Will top secret America ever return to being overt?
6. What countries are involved in the secret war?
7. What made us consider attacking Iraq before the idea of weapons of mass destruction?
8. How do other countries feel about the War on Terror?
9. Will the American public ever know the full extent of the secret war and what the government is involved in?
10. Is the increase of security making our nation truly safe or overly paranoid?

Interview Analysis

I interview one of my friends, Chris, and I asked him questions that concerned how the founding fathers would of liked our current government role and questions that involved the use and significance of the Constitution.  I first asked him if he thought that the founding fathers would like the way we interpreted the Constitution and he responded that they would be satisfied because he feels that they made the document purposely vague so that future generation can come up with solutions on their own. I then went on to ask questions about the workings and possible policies of the government and he felt that the government was not working to the best of his capacity, he feels that the "polarization" between the Republicans and the Democrats has crippled the government to a state of pure ineffectiveness and that the two parties should compromise more with each other to reach a conclusion to a problem. Once he shared how he felt about the politics of the government I asked if he thought that the checks and balances system works when Congress is able to agree to a bill and he responded with yes, he felt that every act made by a government branch was carefully scrutinized and observed by the remaining two. In conclusion Chris felt that parts of the Constitution needed to be clarified and that political parties needed to put aside differences and learn how to compromise with each other, but he also felt that the checks and balances system the founding fathers created works well among the different branches of the government. 

A people's history of the United States Analysis

The article states that the founding fathers although believed by many to be wise and just men with the intention of creating a form of government that represents the people were actually motivated by hidden agendas.  It states that the true reason the founding fathers created a strong, centralized government was to keep the wealth in the hands of the wealthy and the property holders. Also it states that one of the motives in creating a strong government was to protect American businesses by placing tariffs on business trade and foreign merchandise.  The article also noted that the lines "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" which appeared in the Declaration of Independence was changed in the Constitution to "life, liberty, and property" historians have said that this is evidence that the members of the convention were intent on keeping the wealthy class distinct from the poor.  One of the historians also says that certain parts of the Constitution are flexible and other sections are not, the example they give is how John Adams' administration created the sedition act which prevented people from talking bad against the government this appears to be in violation of the first amendment whereas the amendment about taxing was enforced by military might during the Whiskey Rebellion, this historian is saying that the government chooses which amendments should be enforced. 

1. Didn't Washington lead troops against the Whiskey Rebellion and not Hamilton?

2. Why did some founding fathers who held property refuse to ratify the Constitution if it was apparently made to protect the wealthy? 

political cartoon and questions

1. Do you think that a middle class can survive in today's economy?

2. In your opinion was there a visible middle class before the economic troubles?

3. Will a a big distinction between rich and poor and no middle class cause more problems economically and politically?

Chapter 1 reading questions

Do you think Aristotle would still believe his theory on politics if he saw how modern day politics and elections worked?

Why do you think Americans love the ideas of government and not the process of it?

In regards to the amount of compromising that takes place in politics do you think it is the same amount the founding fathers wanted for our system?

Why do you think our immigration system changed from the ways it was carried out on Ellis Island back in the 19th and 20th centuries to today's?

Do you believe that immigration goes through cycles and that this is a time where it is more restricted?

How should the government crack down on immigrants who stay longer than their visas will allow?

Do you think President Bush's plan for illegal Mexicans would have worked if it wasn't put on hold?

Do you think immigration is a pressing problem?

Do you think its okay for the INS to fingerprint and photograph males from certain parts of the world?

Do you think that America would ever shut down its boarders completely from certain nationalities?

Do you think that the census should ask about a person's race of heritage?

How do you think the census should have counted the 2000 census data?

Why do you think the census asks about a person's race?

How would you revise the census?

Do you think it's right for the NAACP to be worrying about the decrease of the count of African Americans?

How do you think the census bureau should deal with interracial families?

Do you think the census should include a space for an Arab American race?

Do you think that the race choices is an outdated system that was only in place to tell the difference between the free population and the slave population?

Why do you think the census changed so much between 1920- 1950?

When do you think white females were lumped together with white men?

responses to politcal issues

Matt T.

I agree with you on many of your ideas, in my opinion the economy should be the main issue of the day and if history has taught us anything it’s that even a popular president can be voted out of office in the economy is in shambles by the end of their first term.  Although, you said that military spending hurts in many ways it helps the economy because the military regulates that military equipment has to be made the United States and this creates jobs for many average Americans and this in turn helps stimulate the economy and brings down the unemployment rate.  Also you said that we should reduce our dependence on oil fuel, which I also believe in, but if we do that the corporations will be sent into a state of panic and they will start laying off workers to save money, so how could we possibly at this time reduce our dependency on oil?  Also with helping in Darfur, which I agree we should help them, but as you said about NATO we are not the only country in the world that is possible in helping others, other countries as well should be helping, the weight of this should not entirely rest on our shoulders.

Ben N.

I agree that the consumer market would go down, but I'm not quite sure what you mean about self-reliance, there are some things in my opinion that can only be bought through a store and cannot be manufactured at home. Is this what you meant by self-reliance that the family will create what they need?  Also in regards to gun control it’s my opinion that most guns are obtained by criminals illegally, I believe that it should be harder to obtain guns, but not by the legal way the government should carefully monitor any possible black markets that would sell guns.

Important Political Issues

I have always found the history of American politics as an interesting and amazing process, but I must admit that I don't know as much about current issues as I would like to.  However, in my opinion the two most important issues that our government faces are the economy and the War on Terror. 
 The economy is one of the most important issues because its state dictates how Americans run their daily lives, and its state also greatly decides how many jobs are made available to the public. The economy goes through cycles and we have caught it at one of its many down slopes, but in my opinion with certain government legislature we can quicken its recovery.  It took many government programs and World War II to get America out of the Great Depression, but with the current recession we are in we should employ different strategies to get us out of the financial slump.  The economy is important to me because soon I will in the work force and if the situation doesn't improve then it will be a lot harder to find a good job. 
The War on Terror in my opinion is the second most important issue within the government because the nation's security is a high priority and without a feeling of calm the government can expect some dissatisfaction within the general public. The War on Terror is important to me because I have relatives that fought in the war and they believe, a long with me that we are helping the current situation and improving the security of the nation.