Clinton Ends the Rumors

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/06/clinton-defends-rice-pushes-off-2016-speculation/?hpt=po_c2

In this article, Hilary Clinton comes to clear the air about a rumored beef with UN Ambassador Susan Rice and end the claims that she will be in the 2016 election. After the September 11th attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya that killed 4 Americans, many wondered if Rice was right for the job. Clinton stepped in to defend her successor stating that Rice is a capable leader and goes on to say that she will support the President in his choice of who is to follow her. Also, Clinton put an end to the rumors that claim she will be a candidate in the 2016 presidential election and that her husband is next in line to be the Ambassador to Ireland; however, her husband will be providing a helping hand to Obama but without the title of Ambassador. Clinton ends saying that she looks forward to a life that is simple and allows her to spend most of her time with her family and friends. 

Analytical Essay #2

Kennedy Ellis

Mr. Comer

Honors Government

December 3, 2012

Overrated Presidents: John F. Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson and Barack Obama

            In his famous novel Star- Spangled Men, Nathan Miller constructs a list of America’s worst presidents for reasons such as inability to govern and pure deceit. However, Miller targets Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy not for their inability to rule but for their overexposed popularities; their popularity as one of the founding fathers of America and America’s most dashing president are examined far more than their achievements as presidents. Likewise in today’s society, President Obama’s re-election for a second term is largely due to his stature of being America’s first black president instead of stemming from his achievements, or lack thereof, during his first presidency.

            Thomas Jefferson’s claim to fame as one of America’s best presidents is misguided. Americans are so quick to praise Jefferson for the Louisiana Purchase that they neglect to realize that his Embargo Act almost plunged America into her first depression. As the tensions between Great Britain and France reached a boiling point, America was dragged into the middle to claim a side. In an attempt to escape humiliation at the hands of Britain and France, Jefferson passed the Embargo Act of 1807, which closed American ports to trade. The act “practically wrecked the nation’s economy and plunged it into its first depression while having absolutely no effect upon its targets”(Miller 243). Not only did Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana worsen the economic debt by nearly twenty percent but also his Embargo Act almost plummeted America into its first economic depression. While Jefferson is praised for achieving far more than he actually did, Kennedy enjoys a reputation of also being one of America’s best presidents.

            The superfluous praise given to John F Kennedy is not deserved. While most people know Kennedy as the charming socialite with inspiring speeches of integration and change, they do not know him as the cold warrior obsessed with expanding an already expanded military. While the achievements of Kennedy such as the Peace Corps and the space program that painted America as a scientifically developed nation adds to his repertoire, his lack of fortitude is what ultimately led to his failures as a president. Trying to project an image of toughness, Kennedy “welcomed confrontation” in foreign affairs; in fact, he sent in CIA-trained Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and its Communist leader, Fidel Castro. However, on the day of the invasion, Kennedy got cold feet and withdrew the air support the CIA agents depended on. Kennedy not only did not kill the Communist leader but he also worsened the relationship with the Communists, causing them to build the Berlin Wall and install missiles in Cuba as a protection against a possible U.S. attack.

            Both Kennedy and Jefferson enjoy reputations that far exceed their actual achievements in office; Jefferson’s popularity as one of the Founding Fathers and Kennedy’s reputation as America’s sweetheart create a bias that makes America focus solely on why we love them instead of focusing on what they actually did. Like Kennedy and Jefferson, President Barack Obama enjoys a reputation far more than what his achievements show he deserves. In his first campaign in 2008, Obama was the voice of change; he spoke of equality among all races and he promised to lower the deficit left to us by President Bush. However, as his first-term came to an end, Obama did not keep his promises. The national deficit reached a record-high eighteen trillion and health care has been one of the hardest things for many people to obtain. Despite all of the failures in his first-term, Obama was still elected into a second- term. Although undeserving of a second term, Obama is re-elected largely because he is America’s black president. Jefferson and Kennedy are celebrated more so for their ideas and the direction they led America in after their presidencies; Obama on the other hand is celebrated for breaking through typical stereotypes for people of his race and changing the way minorities are viewed in today’s society. 

Machiavellian Analysis Analytical Essay

Kennedy Ellis
Mr. Comer
Honors Government
December 1, 2012
A Machiavellian Analysis: Nixon and Carter
In The Prince, Machiavelli reveals the qualities a man must have in order to be a good leader; some of these qualities are the ability to keep an honest front despite deceitful actions and to rule the people with meanness but not cruelty. In Star-Spangled Men, Miller reveals that Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter fail on both counts; Nixon failed to keep an honest front when his participation in the Watergate scandal were revealed while Carter failed to rule the people with meanness, deciding to rule the people as equals and friends.
The Watergate scandal not only made Nixon one of the worst presidents of all time but it also created a rift of trust between America and her people. In The Prince, Machiavelli states numerous ways for a prince to be successful, including keeping a virtuous front. For “it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities…but it is very necessary to appear to have them”(Machiavelli 6). Nixon appeared to be a great president; he repaired America’s broken relationship with the Soviet Union following World War II. He and his security adviser, David Henry Kissinger launched Vietnamization, a plan to slowly extract American troops from Vietnam, and they traveled to China and the Soviet Union to smooth over their strained and broken relationships. Nixon was also a dedicated husband and father, only adding to his seemingly sparkling image. However, the Watergate scandal led Nixon down a path of hatred, a path Machiavelli advises to absolutely avoid. Although a prince “is very often forced to do evil” in order “to keep his state,” he must “avoid those things which will make him hated or contemptible” (ibid. 7, 10). In order to ensure his victory in the 1972 election, Nixon hired to Gordon Liddy and Howard Hunt, two former CIA agents, to his Committee to Re-Elect the President, otherwise known as CREEP. Nixon assigned CREEP to the Gemstone Plan, where they were to bug the offices of George McGovern and Lawrence F O’Brien because Nixon feared that they might have evidence that Nixon was receiving money from billionaire, Howard Hughes. The plans to bug McGovern and O’Brein’s phone lines both failed; however, McCord and four others went to Watergate to fix the bugs placed on O’Brien’s phone at Watergate. When a security guard found duct tape on the door, McCord and the four others were arrested and Nixon was subject to the blame. As more details on the scandal were revealed, Nixon began to look more and more guilty and when Nixon refused to hand over the videos the Supreme Court subpoenaed, there was not a doubt in anyone’s mind that Nixon was the mastermind behind the whole affair. The Watergate scandal made Nixon one of the hated presidents in America and his lack of concern only made the Nixon failed to keep Machiavelli’s one golden rule—avoid being despised at all times; however, Nixon was not the only president that failed to meet the requirements of Machiavelli’s successful prince.
Carter’s lack of a backbone and his constant need to please the American people distracted him from his actual duties as a president. In The Prince, Machiavelli declares that in order for a prince to be successful, he “ought to inspire fear in such a way that if he does not win love, he avoids hatred” (ibid. 4). On his road to the White House, Carter served as a member of the Georgia Senate and as the state’s governor. While working in Georgia, Carter was a hard-working and diligent man; he achieved his goal of re-organizing that state government despite opposition stemmed from his own tactical errors. However, when he focused his attention on winning the White House, he became overly consumed with winning the hearts of the American people. In fact,  in an attempt to make he and the people feel as equals at his inaugural address, “the fifty-two-year-old Georgian wore a business suit instead of formal dress”(Miller 36). Carter got so involved in his campaign that once he won the presidency, he had no clue what to do. Not only did Carter fail to instill fear in his people but also he failed to do any of the duties of a president.
Both Carter and Nixon failed to adhere to the rules of Machiavelli’s successful prince; while Nixon allowed his virtuous cover to be blown on account of his truly deceitful nature, Carter got so consumed with being loved by his people that he ended up being despised by them for his lack of agenda and goals for America.

Ana

Solution to the Fiscal Cliff?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/30/opinion/kleinbard-fiscal-cliff/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

In the article above, Edward D Kleinbard analyzes a possible solution to the approaching fiscal cliff. As the cliff approaches, high interest rates and a slowed down economy approach with it. Kleinbard believes that the government must build a ramp from our current taxing and spending policies to a more sustainable mix. We must first get rid of all the Bush tax cuts and other temporary tax discounts. Then we must remove the $1 trillion of new spending cuts that Congress committed to when the budget committee failed. This will allow all taxpayers, poor and rich, to get the benefit of the lower tax brackets on their income. While all this sounds fine and dandy, the question still remains will this actually help sustain the fiscal cliff?

Should Kids be offered medical marijuana?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/30/health/medical-marijuana-children-time/index.html?hpt=us_c2

In the article above, a seven year old girl named Mykayla Comstock was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic luekemia in July. Against the doctor's wishes, her mother has been giving Mykayla small caspules filled with cannabis oil. The oil must be working because she went into remission in August. The effect that marijuana has on children is yet to be discovered, but the real question is should kids  be denied the use of marijuana in order to help cure their illnesses just because they are kids?

Worst Movie Idea Ever

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/28/world/meast/egypt-anti-islam-film/index.html?hpt=ju_c2

In the article above, seven Coptic Egyptians were sentenced to death due to involvement in an anti-Islam film in California. The movie "Innocence of Muslims", Mohammed is portrayed as a womanizer, child molester, and ruthless killer. Islam becomes outraged once they catch wind of the scandal because they strictly forbid any blasphemy against Mohammed. The anger was so high that protesters in Cairo scaled the wall of the U.S. Embassy and tore down its flag and put a black flag in its place. The film also led to the death of three Americans and the U.S. ambassador in a Libyan protest. The Egyptian-American mind behind the film was sentenced to one-year in a federal prison because of his violation of his bank fraud in 2010. Let's just say the movie was a bad idea.

If Ireland had abortion rights like Roe v. Wade

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/26/opinion/frett-savita-abortion-rights/index.html?hpt=wo_t4

In the article above, a woman named Savita Halappanavar died last month after being denied an abortion. If Halappanavar would've been allowed the abortion, she would still be alive today. Author Latanya Mapp Frett reveals that almost 13% of women die because of maternal complications. Several countries, including Ireland do not allow women to get pregnancy and they are even considering not allowing abortions during the early stages of pregnancy. Hopefully, Ireland and other countries will look at this situation and think of the women they could be saving if they allowed abortions.