Thursday, December 30, 2010
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Don't ask, don't tell is a policy that restricts the United States military from revealing the sexuality of closeted homosexual or bisexual service members. Many people believe that the acts of homosexuals and bisexuals would jeopardize the high standards of the military. This prohibits any homosexual or bisexual from speaking of personal relationships or anything dealing with homosexual or bisexual acts. The "don't ask" part of "don't ask, don't tell" means that a superior(s) cannot investigate a service member, even if there are hints that are shown about there life choice. A serviceman that is suspected of homosexuality or bisexuality cannot be harassed, because that would violate the policy.
Barack Obama wants to change "don't ask, don't tell". He feels that these men and women should be allowed to be open with their sexuality and serve their country faithfully. An amendment was passed to repeal certain sections of the law. On December 22 a stand-alone bill was signed into law by Barack Obama.
My opinion on this topic is that its fair to repeal "don't ask, don't tell". Gays and lesbians should have equal rights even though I don't agree with the actual choice of same sex relationships. They should be able to be in the military even though they are somewhat different, and I can also see why the "don't ask, don't tell" was created in the first place. The military should still have high standards of morale even though this law is changed. But overall I think it's a good idea. I also know many people will be against this change. I think the "don't ask, don't tell" situation could possibly connect to natural rights. There is no law that states that you cannot have a same sex partner, even though there are laws on same sex marriages. It connects to chapter 6 which speaks of gays and the choices of their relationships. These service members of the military have rights and they shouldn't have to hide their sexualities. That seems unfair. So the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is a breakthrough for many people.
www.wikipedia.com
Barack Obama wants to change "don't ask, don't tell". He feels that these men and women should be allowed to be open with their sexuality and serve their country faithfully. An amendment was passed to repeal certain sections of the law. On December 22 a stand-alone bill was signed into law by Barack Obama.
My opinion on this topic is that its fair to repeal "don't ask, don't tell". Gays and lesbians should have equal rights even though I don't agree with the actual choice of same sex relationships. They should be able to be in the military even though they are somewhat different, and I can also see why the "don't ask, don't tell" was created in the first place. The military should still have high standards of morale even though this law is changed. But overall I think it's a good idea. I also know many people will be against this change. I think the "don't ask, don't tell" situation could possibly connect to natural rights. There is no law that states that you cannot have a same sex partner, even though there are laws on same sex marriages. It connects to chapter 6 which speaks of gays and the choices of their relationships. These service members of the military have rights and they shouldn't have to hide their sexualities. That seems unfair. So the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is a breakthrough for many people.
www.wikipedia.com
A Third Party System?
Title of Article: What would it take to be come a three-party nation?
Anderson Cooper really breaks down the history of the Democratic and Republican parties. There has always been two main political parties. The Democratic party really began in 1828, and the Republican party began in 1854. From 1792 to 1824 there was a Democratic-Republican party which was different. Over time there has been major political parties like: Federalists, Whigs, and the Bull Moose party( Teddy Roosevelt's Party). Anderson asks, "What would happen if the Tea Parties and the Conservatives formed a third party?". Anderson believes that if this was to truly happen the party to get hurt and suffer would be the Republican party. This party( Tea/Conservative) would succeed if only the Republicans would loose the mid-elections. But the turn out was that the Republicans won the mid-elections. So this third party may never happen.
For my opinion, I say that this would be really hard to picture happening. It all depends on the Republican outcomes, whether they stay in control or fall. It just seems unlikely to happen. This connects back to class because we are going over the term "third party".(Chapter 9) It's the opposite of a two party system. Another party that is large and dominant is added to the equation. Over history, third party candidates are less likely to win in an election.
Information came from cnn.com
Anderson Cooper really breaks down the history of the Democratic and Republican parties. There has always been two main political parties. The Democratic party really began in 1828, and the Republican party began in 1854. From 1792 to 1824 there was a Democratic-Republican party which was different. Over time there has been major political parties like: Federalists, Whigs, and the Bull Moose party( Teddy Roosevelt's Party). Anderson asks, "What would happen if the Tea Parties and the Conservatives formed a third party?". Anderson believes that if this was to truly happen the party to get hurt and suffer would be the Republican party. This party( Tea/Conservative) would succeed if only the Republicans would loose the mid-elections. But the turn out was that the Republicans won the mid-elections. So this third party may never happen.
For my opinion, I say that this would be really hard to picture happening. It all depends on the Republican outcomes, whether they stay in control or fall. It just seems unlikely to happen. This connects back to class because we are going over the term "third party".(Chapter 9) It's the opposite of a two party system. Another party that is large and dominant is added to the equation. Over history, third party candidates are less likely to win in an election.
Information came from cnn.com
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