CISPA Cyber Security

Brooke Kennedy

American History

Carter Glass

3 May 2013

Bibliography:

"CISPA: Cybersecurity bill stumbles in Senate - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57581592/cispa-cybersecurity-bill-stumbles-in-senate/>.

Summary:

CISPA is the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act that is probably not going to get passed. If this did get passed the big companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter would all be accessible to the federal government without a warrant. Right now the only ways that the government can see what you are doing online is if they suspect you of a crime, then they get a warrant, then they have to request the data from each company. If CISPA passes they wont need anything to search your data. Right now you can adjust your privacy levels all on Facebook, Tumblr, Youtube, Google, twitter, Amazon, Flicker, Yahoo!, Ebay, and more. But with CISPA nothing will be completely private ever. The Senate has suggested that they will probably not pass this cyber security bill but create their own cyber security bill instead. The House of Representatives on April 18 but president Obama says he will not pass the bill if it comes to him.

Analysis:

I don't know enough about CISPA to say that I am 100% for or against it. I feel that it can be a very useful thing when it comes to criminals and catching them quicker such as in the situation of the Boston Bombings. However, the government managed to get one of the brothers alive and in custody within a few days without CISPA. Would they have been able to get him sooner and potentially saved a life or two in the process? Maybe. I think that in certain situations it is comforting to know that the government easily has full access to everything that a person has ever looked at on the Internet. I also think that if you have nothing to hide then the government having full access to all that you search on the Internet easily shouldn't be a problem. But on the other hand it is comforting to know that you have the freedom to search whatever you want without someone spying on you because of it.

Immigration

Brooke Kennedy
American History
Cater Glass
10 April 2013

Bibliography:
" Immigration reform in the U.S.: Why it's being debated, what it means and more | PennLive.com." Central PA Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - PennLive.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/04/immigration_reform_in_the_us_w.html

Summary:
Gorge Bush's plan for immigration failed. Then Obama never did anything his first term and is now making immigration a priority in his second term. The problem is that there is more than 11 million immigrants illegally in the U.S. and we don't know what to do with them. There are plans to tighten the border security, but that can only do so much. Immigrant represent 13% of our population with 40.4 million of them. Of the legal immigrant there are 11.7 million are from Mexico, 25% from South and East Asia, 9% from the Caribbean, 8% from Central America, 7% from South America, 4% the Middle East and the rest are from other places. The illegal immigrates are about 58% from Mexico and about 6% from El Salvador and the rest is unknown. California by far has the largest population of immigrants. Then there is New York, New Jersey, Florida, Nevada, Hawaii and Texas. Coming into the U.S. without permission is considered a misdemeanor criminal offense. If you re-enter after formally being removed from the country can be considered a felony. People that are applying for a reprieve must have been in the country before they turned 16 years old and be currently younger than 31 years old while also being a being a high school graduate or have served in the military. They also cannot have a serious criminal record or pose any threat to public safety or the national security.

The House is making a legislation that will offer three different paths for illegal immigrants to their legal status. Agricultural workers will qualify for this path to legal status because they contribute importantly to the economy. Their kids will also qualify because they were forced to move to the country and should not be punished for it.

Analysis:
In my opinion I don't see a huge problem with immigration. There definitely are situations where I wish there were not as many immigrants and that in some ways the laws should be more strict about them being here. Not that the laws should be more strict about becoming a citizen here but once they are a citizen that the laws should become more strict for them. But they are little things that do not apply to everyone. Such as knowing English and speaking it clearly that people can understand you. I have heard that that is an issue for many people with immigrants. If they live in our country they should know our language and be able to talk well enough for people to understand. Like I said, they are little issues that are not a huge deal but can be an annoyance for many people that live in America already.

Maryland Bands Death Penalty

Brooke Kennedy

American History

Carter Glass

5 April 2013

Bibliography:

"Maryland will be 18th state to ban death penalty." USA TODAY: Latest World and US News - USATODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/15/maryland-death-penalty/1989977/>.

"Jodi Arias Juror Dismissed for Talking About Trial - ABC News." ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013. <http://abcnews.go.com/US/jodi-arias-juror-dismissed-talking-trial/story?

id=18864045#.UWCx7RwYBnY>.

Summary:

The death penalty is currently legal in 32 states and in the past 5 years 5 states have gotten rid of the death penalty. Maryland is now one of the states considering abolishing it. There is also a poll that shows that about two-thirds of Americans are in favor of keeping the death penalty. The last inmate that was killed was in 2005 and only five other men have been executed in the past 37 years.

Analysis:

Each case is different and has has different situations. For example, the man in Randolph in 2009 that kidnapped and killed his niece after he had been raping her for years. That man deserves to serve the death penalty, instead he will live his life in prison. There is something clearly wrong with that man. Killing him does not mean that we are correcting a wrong. It is not a matter of right and wrong. If a man or women has committed such a horrific crime, it is simple, they do not deserve to live. It can be however hard to distinguish what crimes are horrific enough to deserve the death penalty.

Gay Marriage

Brooke Kennedy
American History
Carter Glass
29 March 2013

Bibliography:
"Inside the Supreme Court: The Case for Marriage Equality and Oral Argument | American Foundation for Equal Rights."American Foundation for Equal Rights | . N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <http://www.afer.org/blog/inside-the-supreme-court-the-case-for-marriage-equality-and-oral-argument/>.

Summary:
The Supreme Court met on Tuesday, March 26th to open the arguments in v. Perry about proposition 8 in California. Two couple are representing DOMA Hollingsworth and arguing that Prop. 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Then on Wednesday, March 27th opened the arguments in United States v. Windsor about the "constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996", (DOMA)"the law that prevented the federal government from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples in states with marriage equality". Edie Windsor is an 83-year-old widow who was married to a woman and is being forced to pay $363,000 in estate taxes, a tax she wouldn't have to pay if she was married to a man. Her argument is that DOMA "violates her right to equal protection of the laws".

Analysis:
Why does the government say anything about marriage at all? It should not be a government discussion or decision. However, without the government getting involved, nothing would get done. The government needs to be involved to keep everything organized as much as possible. The woman that had to pay $363,000 should not have had that happen to her just because she was not married to a man. Personally I do no disagree with gay marriage. It does not affect me in any way, therefore I believe that there should be equal marriage rights for everyone.

North Korea

Brooke Kennedy
American History
Carter Glass
14 March 2013

Bibliography:

Choi, Jung-yoon. "North Korea cuts off hotline, says cease-fire annulled - latimes.com." Los Angeles Times - California, national and world news - latimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. 

<http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-north-korea-hotline-ceasefire-drills-20130311,0,4458378.story>.

"North Korea Says It Has Nullified 1953 Armistice - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. 

<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/world/asia/north-korea-says-it-has-nullified-1953-korean-war-armistice.html?_r=0>.

 Summary:

North Korea has recently cut a hotline that is between North and South Korea which has formally declared the war between North and South Korea to be over. Key Resolve was an 11 day drill which has been done yearly with over 13,000 American and South Korean troops. But then North Korea they were voiding it which ended the Korean War. Because there was no peace treaty signed after the Korean War they have technically been at war for many years. 

Analysis:
I understand that North Korea is a threat even if their threats have never really been acted upon. But because no one really knows much about North Korea no one can say that they are not a threat. But just because they are a threat that does not mean that it would be smart to attack them. Actually its the opposite. That would be the worst thing that the United States and South Korea could do at this point. Because we know so little about them we have no idea how they would react to us attacking their country. We don't know if their people would be happy or follow their leader. The risk of loosing a large amount of soldiers by starting a war with North Korea, is not a risk that the U.S. and South Korea should be willing to take. Yes, North Korea is a threat. But the only thing that the U.S. and South Korea can reasonably do right now is realize that they are a threat, which we have, and simply be prepared for anything. Because we don't know what they are capable of we don't know what could happen so we need to be prepared for anything. We can only wait for North Korea to make their move, then we react to their action.

Baby Cured from HIV

Brooke Kennedy
American History
Carter Glass
8 March 2013

Bibliography:

"Baby With H.I.V. Is Reported Cured - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World   News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/health/for-first-time-baby-cured-of-hiv-doctors-say.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Summary:

For the first time a baby has been cured from HIV. This could change how many kids live with the disease. The baby was born in Mississippi. After 30 hours the baby was treated with "antiretroviral drugs". If this works on other babies as well this could help to save many lives. This baby could be the "second well-documented case of a cure in the world". This also could spark the research of HIV to get more attention. The first person that was cured was a middle aged man named Timothy Brown. He had leukemia and the person who donated bone-marrow to transplant that person was "genetically resistant to HIV infection". The baby was born prematurely in the fall of 2010. The mother didn't know that she had HIV and hadn't gone to the doctor while she was pregnant. The baby was immediately drugged for the disease and continued to be drugged until the baby was 18 months old. Then the mother stopped bringing the baby to get the drugs. When the mother brought the baby back 5 months later the tests were negative for HIV.

Analysis:

There are many doctors that have been working on curing HIV/AIDS. And after this one report many people think that there is an actual cure for HIV/AIDS. Because they have "cured" one baby, that doesn't mean that this will work  for every baby born with HIV. Also this "cure" does not help adults that have HIV because the "cure" only stopped HIV from turning into AIDS which will cause death. Adults have already gotten to that point of the disease. This cure was important and scientists and doctors should be recognized for it but this is not a cure exactly for HIV/AIDS. 

Vocab:

Christopher Dorner's Manifesto

Brooke Kennedy

Carter Glass

American History

22 February 2013

Christopher Dorner's Manifesto

Bibliography:
"Dorner Manifesto FULL TEXT." Scribd. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. <http://www.scribd.com/doc/124401603/Dorner-Manifesto-FULL-TEXT>.

Summary:
Christopher Dorner has killed a total of four people, two of which were police officers, and wounded three officers. Dorner then explains many examples of racism in the LAPD. He talks a lot about ethics and explains how the system is corrupt and that it has betrayed him. He points out that the officer who was on the Rodney King video tape is now a Captain for the LAPD. He talks about the people who are "destroying the foundation of courage" by being a bystander. He says they are just as guilty to let it happen. "The only thing that changes policy and garners attention is death".

Analysis:
What he explains in his manifesto in the big picture makes sense. People can't just say he killed a bunch of people, therefore he is crazy, or psycho. There is logic behind what he has done. The question is, was it morally right to do what he did, to go to that extreme. According to him that is the only thing he could do to get our attention about our system. Which it most certainly did; it got our entire nations attention. In the beginning when the news was first released everyone just thought he was a psycho killer after the cops in LA, because that is what the system wanted us to believe. But when his manifesto was released and people could see the real reasons why he killed so many people realized that he wasn't crazy he had logical explanations for what he was doing. Does that make it morally right though? To kill four people just to get the message across is extreme, but possibly necessary. The issue that he was trying to take care of is still a problem. There is racism in our system and something needs to happen about that. What Christopher Dorner did was not morally right in my opinion but whats done is done and he has brought up an important issue that needs to be taken care of. The system is far from perfect, but this is a huge issue that should not be happening in our system.

Vocab:
Ethics- a set of moral principles, esp. ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct
Morals- concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character

American Drones

Brooke Kennedy
Carter Glass
American History
15 February 2013

American Drones

Bibliography:
"Rise of Drones in U.S. Spurs Efforts to Limit Uses - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/technology/rise-of-drones-in-us-spurs-efforts-to-limit-uses.html>.

Summary:
Drones are used for many things because they are cheeper then the cost of helicopters. They are able to spot criminals on the run, find lost hikers, and so on. The main problem that people have with the drones is the "fear of government surveillance". Charlottesville, Virginia. is the first city in the country to ban the use of drones. The policemen are not allowed to use any of the information that they get from the drones. But they are allowed to use it for search and rescue. A bill has been introduced to Congress that would ban drones from "targeted surveillance" of people and property without a warrant.
Analysis:
I understand that people are concerned about their privacy, without government surveillance. But I also think that drones are an extremely useful and logical technology for police officers to have the ability to use drones. They should be able to use any of the information that they get from the drones. They should be able to track the criminals that are on the run with drones. For instances just like the man in California last week who was killing people and police were having a hard time tracking him, they should have used the drones to their advantage and possibly would have been able to save more lives.
Vocab:
Drones- A remote-controlled pilotless aircraft or missile

Physician-assisted suicide

Brooke Kennedy
Carter Glass
American History; B block
8 February 2013

Bibliography

      "Physician-assisted suicide push underway in six states | WJLA.com." ABC 7 News - Washington     D.C., Maryland & Virginia News | WJLA.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. <http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/02/physician-assisted-suicide-push-underway-in-six-states-84993.html>.

Summary

Physician-assisted suicide is when a physician provides the necessary medication for a person to kill themselves. Massachusetts tried to pass a law that allowed physician-assisted suicide but it did not get passed. Other states that are thinking about passing this law are Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Kansas, and Hawaii. But there are also bills that are similar to this law that are being considered in New Hampshire, New York, Arizona, and Montana.

Analysis

I can understand both sides of this issue. I understand that if a person is suffering and has been suffering for some time that they should be able to die when they want to in a peaceful and painless way. If it is their own choice and they know all of the information about it then I think that it is fair. I also understand that it is a hard issue because that would mean that we would allow people to kill themselves, and giving them a peaceful way to do it. That makes it seem like it is a right thing to do and a promising option for some people.

Vocabulary

Assisted-suicide: the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, effected by the taking of lethal drugs provided by a doctor for this purpose.

North Korea Threat

Brooke Kennedy

Carter Glass
American History; B block
1 February 2013

Bibliography:

"North Korea Issues Blunt New Threat to U.S. - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

Summary:
North Korea has threatened that they are not targeting the U.S. and that it would be a new level of a nuclear test. This threat is apparently different because it is more specific than most which could mean that their nuclear and missile plans have improved significantly and successfully.

Analysis:
Personally, I am not too worried about North Korea attacking my country. I could be wrong, and that could be from not knowing as much about North Korea as I maybe should. And I know that the last time that a tragedy happened in the U.S. to this extent we were warned but did not take the warning and threat as seriously as we should have. That is the only reason why I might be a little worried about North Korea and history repeating itself. But as far as the facts go about North Korea, nothing is saying that the U.S. should really be too worried about this threat in my opinion. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared; it just means that there is no reason to overestimate Korea and do something that is not necessary.

Vocab:
Denuclearization: remove nuclear weapons from.

Rape In India

Brooke Kennedy

Carter Glass

American History; B Block

11 January 2013

Rape In India

Bibliography:

"Inderpal Grewal: Protests Against Rape in India: Can the Myth of Male Protection Be Shaken?." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/inderpal-grewal/india-bus-rape_b_2368032.html>.

"India Rape Case: New Delhi Attack: The Victim's Story - WSJ.com." The Wall Street Journal - Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News & Video - Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2013. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323482504578227751166162988.html>.

"India's deadly gang rape: 6 troubling attempts to blame the victim - The Week." The Week Magazine: Political News and Cartoons, Current Events and Entertainment Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2013. <http://theweek.com/article/index/238542/indias-deadly-gang-rape-6-troubling-attempts-to-blame-the-victim>.

"Rape in India – who is to blame?: Voice of Russia." Voice of Russia. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2013. <http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_01_09/Rape-in-India-who-is-to-blame/>.

Summary:

A 23 year old woman medical student named Jyoti Singh Pandey got on to what she thought was a public bus in Delhi, India on December 16th 2012. She was accompanied by her male friend after seeing a movie around 9:30 p.m. The four men on the bus then locked the bus doors and assaulted the male with an iron rod then turned on the woman. They were then both left on the side of a highway, naked and bleeding. The country of India is in shock about the rape of this women and it has led to marches and many protests in the capital. Legally there is plenty of evidence for the men to be found guilty. Domestic violence and rape is not usually made public in India. The men in India have grown up thinking that this is an okay thing to do. Asaram Bapu said she should have begged to save her life and that the guilt is not one-sided. Botsa Satyanarayana, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president, said she should have "assessed the situation" even before she got on the bus in the first place. Banwari Lal Singhal is a member of the legislative assembly he says that girls should be banned from being able to wear skirts in schools and public. 

Analysis:
The problem here is much bigger than a single woman being brutally raped. The men very well deserve the most severe punishment possible and should be found guilty. Though that will not solve the problem that is bigger than them. This women is only one of many that have been treated like this and there is nothing that they could have done in the situation. It is not their fault by any means and these women aren't guilty for anything. Women anywhere should not have to be accompanied by a man just to feel safe. But the government should also be supporting them, not blaming them and saying they are just as guilty. The law has allowed men to think this is okay because they are rarely punished for it.

Vocab:

Mentality- often derogatory the characteristic attitude of mind or way of thinking of a person or group

Gun Control 4/1/13

Brooke Kennedy
Carter Glass
American History; B block
4 January 2013

Gun Control

Bibliography:

Chakraborty, Barnini. "Illinois Dems advance gun control bills, firearms group warns of 'no exemptions' | Fox News." Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2013. <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/02/illinois-dems-press-forward-with-gun-control-bills-firearms-group-warns-no/>.

"Two new gun control bills pass State Senate committee | abc7chicago.com." ABC Owned Television Stations. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2013. <http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8940209>.

Summary:

One solution to the problem is to ban all possession, sales, and transfers of any semiautomatic handguns or rifles. For the people that currently already own them could keep them but would have to register them. But as Todd Vandermyde, a lobbyist of the National Rifle Association, pointed out that that bill would be a violation of the Second Amendment. This need for stricter laws for gun control has come from recent school shootings. Antonio Munoz wants to put a ban on all of the weapons that are "designed for war". Manufacturers in Illinois have already said they would leave if these laws go into place. 

Analysis/Response:

I don't necessarily agree with these bans that might be put into place, but I do agree something needs to be done. I do not think that it would be fair to ban all possession, sales, and transfers of any semiautomatics and handguns. I do however think that certain laws should be made for certain people concerning gun laws. I do not think that anyone under 17 should be able to own a gun and have it registered in their name. Also any criminals or even getting a DUI should not be allowed to own any sort of gun, registered to their name ever. There needs to be more laws when it comes to gun control. But banning the majority of guns from everyone would not be a reasonable solution.

Vocab: 

Exemption- the process of freeing or state being free from an obligation or liability imposed on others

Magazines- a store for arms, ammunition, explosives, and provisions for use in military operations