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.