More Tax Cuts = More Economic Suffering for America

So much is currently happening in this country I hardly know where to begin.

I guess I could try to broach the Debt Deal... though I am completely aware that I do not understand all of the technicalities of the US economy I do not understand how taking money out of the economy will improve our situation. I was under the impression that the government was encouraging Americans to spend more and promote US businesses and employment opportunities in America. If we take money out of the economy are we not also rising unemployment rates?
Secondly, I sincerely do not understand why the wealthy are so resistant to a mere 6% tax increase. They are able to contribute more to their country, and if they were willing to pay a slightly higher income tax, I believe the nation could be in a different place. The wealthy are paying less than they have in a long time and important programs driving this nation are having their funding cut as a result of it. I don't believe this is a fair trade-off. It seems as if the country as a whole is going to suffer so a small percentage of the population can enjoy a tax break.

I am scared for the economic times to come. I am not upset with Obama, simply overwhelmed with the Tea Party's willingness to hold the White House to ransom.
If this first debt-ceiling request was granted, how long will more spending cuts be made?

I found The Atlantic's 'Five Ways the Debt Crisis Changed America' simply frightening.

Sexual Objectification in Advertising

For my final paper, I wrote about the objectification of women over the course of America's history. When looking through modern advertisements I was blown away by how often women are exploited in ads. Here are some shocking examples of advertisements all from one organization alone, PeTA, the largest animal rights organization in the world. It obviously will go to great (and shamelessly sexist) lengths to send it's message. Here are some examples where women are sexually exploited or objectified (turned into sexual objects) in order to promote PeTA's message.

On PeTA's official website they explain  Why PeTA uses nudity in their campaigns.
Is the fact that PeTA must "rely on getting free "advertising" through media coverage" an excuse for their constant exploitation of women? Do their good intentions eliminate the harmful messages they are sending Americans?

Looking Back: Second Semester Blogging

I am absolutely shocked that this school year is literally days from being over and that I have been blogging for such a length of time. In less than 10 months I have recieved about 2,500 views from six continents (including Russia, Thailand, Argentina, Slovenia, South Korea and Australia).
Over the year, and semester, my posts have really covered a large range of topics. Some posts, such as Token Tiana and Donald Trump on Citizen Kane were directly inspired by class discussions while others were events/ideas I was personally passionate about or that were prevalent in the news.
I now see possible blog topics nearly everywhere. I have about 20 drafts sitting in a folder in my Blogger account. Most of these were never completed because I have a tendency to start writing a new post without completing the previous one in fear I'd forget what I was going to write about. But the posts I actually manage to publish follow a formula I've been using all year long.
In my last Meta-post I commented on the fact that each of my blogs have three main parts 1. an image 2. a link to an article or website and 3. the actual blog, usually containing a question I have regarding the topic of the post.  This past semester I experimented with inserting YouTube clips and using personal experiences in my posts. I feel like I've grown a lot as a blogger over the course of this year and it has been an extremely rewarding experience!

*** It was extremely difficult for me to choose a post to be graded for this quarter but have chosen "There's always been a little green behind the Red, White and Blue..." as my post to be graded. (Please excuse the weird formating/discoloration that I've been having trouble with)

Quadroon and Octaroon

Race has been a huge theme throughout American Studies. Even though strides seem to have been made toward equalizing races, race is still used as an identifier for many official and federal documents. For example, we are asked to identify our race when taking the ACT and when applying to colleges. However, it is becoming more and more difficult to find people of solely one race. (Hence the 'Melting Pot' of the USA). One article, titled "Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above" can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/us/30mixed.html- this article speaks directly to how racial identification is becoming more difficult as our nation matures and more Americans are trans-racial. Mixed races have additionally been recognized since the 2000 census, in which one could report being multiple races. The author of this article, Susan Saulny reports, "Optimists say the blending of the races is a step toward transcending race." If this is true, there are high hopes for racial equality in America.

However, the different multiracial identities may be a new way to distinguish yourself as well. This article and class led me to wonder whether race will ever cease to matter. Some people choose to proudly identify themselves as black, Indian, Asian, Asian-Hispanic, Asian-black, Quadroon, mulatto or even just plain white. Others would like simply to be identified by their traits and achievements. Is it possible to be considered simply "American?"

A Day to Remember

For some Memorial Day is simply a day off school or work, in reality it is so much more. It is a day to stop, think, pray for and remember all of the brave military personnel who gave their lives while serving in the US military.
Each and every one of us has been effected by war veterans, and America would truly not be the country it is without their service. It is important we share our memories of these heroes, particularly on a day like Memorial day.
One heartbreaking story here.

Yesterday, May 28, 2011, Chicago celebrated Memorial Day with an annual parade to be thankful that we live in a country where freedom, justice and democracy are proudly defended.
A ceremony took place early in the morning, when the names of Illinoisans who have in active duty this past year (23 in total) were read.  Odierno, commander in chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command was the Grand Marshal of this years parade and joined in commemoration of fallen soldiers, as well as their family members saying,  "Today, as we honor the memory of your family members, who sacrificed so much, we also honor and thank you.”
So this Memorial Day, before enjoying the sunshine, burgers and brats, take the time to remember those who died in service of this country, and those whose lives will never be the same without them.
-Chicago Tribune coverage of the parade.

"There's always been a little green behind the Red, White and Blue...''

As I mentioned in my previous Ireland series of posts, Obama  planned, and now has visited Ireland in his tour of Europe. When I was visiting there, months in advance to his visit, many Irish were very excited for his visit, declaring he has Irish roots. He visited May 23rd and was welcomed with open arms. During his visit, Obama traced his roots and discovered that his grandfather's grandfather originated in Moneygall, Ireland. After enjoying a pint of Guinness there, Obama made his way to Dublin to give a speech.

His speech was very positive and focused on the American Dream- which we discussed in great depth today in class. He recognized that a large perecentage of Americans have Irish ancestry, which can be credited to the inspiration the American Dream provided for Irish (as well as other) immigrants to migrate to the US.  

For a visual recording of the speech go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngwyKsUg9Ms

Obama defined the American Dream in a variety of ways saying immigrants left "behind all they knew in hopes that something better lay over the horizon" they had, "...faith in America" which was seen as "a place where you could be prosperous, you could be free, to think, and talk, and worship as you pleased, a place where you could make it if you tried." I think his definition agrees with much of what we were saying in class. This dream extends beyond material wealth to social freedoms and ultimately happiness.

 

A summary article quotes Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, Edna Kenny. "Today, the 44th president comes home," he said "He doesn't just speak the American dream. He is the American dream."

The idea of one person representing the American Dream also relates to class discussions. Is it possible for Obama to represent the American Dream even though he grew up with wealth and did not follow the "rags to riches" trend we've highlighted in class?

P.S. If you listen to the whole speech, you'll even catch a pretty interesting Freddy D. reference!

The World is Over...Why is Everyone still Here?

Yes. We made it. We are alive...
Despite the Rapture becoming a relatively large topic of discussion this past week, the world remains pretty much as we know it (despite the news Arnold Schwarzenegger has fathered multiple love-children). Though there has been considerable hype about this event, a lot of people don't really know what it is. In fact, I heard someone call it the "Rupture" today.
Most people recognize the Rapture, May 21st, 2011- as the day the "world will end" or the day all non-Christians will die, or go to hell. Yep, admittedly some heavy stuff. All of this absurd ruckus began when Harold Camping, an admittedly adorable old man, decided to alert the world of the Rapture.
I'm just confused as to why anyone believe Camping such as one man, Steve, who believed Camping's 1994 doomsday prediction as well.

In his book "Time Has an End," Camping explains many questions I had about this day.
1. How did he determine the exact date? "The year 391 B.C. is the year when the Old Testament was finished, and 2,011 + 391 - 1 = 2,401, or 7 x 7 x 7 x 7"(Camping)
2. Why would God kill so many people? Camping says God will punish America and the rest of the world for Gay Pride and same-sex marriages.
3. Who will God save? It seems that Camping believed Jesus would descend to earth and select about 2 to 3% of the population to be raptured (yes, it is a verb as well) and the other 98% or so would be left on Earth to be crushed in an earthquake on October 21st.
For more Q&A: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/hottopics/detail?entry_id=89183#ixzz1NCaBmM00

All I can think of throughout any of this is that the media is desperate to grab onto this ridiculous claim. Or, that there were people out there willing to believe it.

To read more about Camping's reaction on the 22nd please go here, he seems legitimately confused: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/harold-camping-speaks-after-rapture-fails-to-begin-on-may-21/2011/05/23/AFxMIp9G_blog.html
For other believer's reactions: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/22/may-21-judgment-day-may-22_n_865298.html