Assignment 3: Constitution of the United States

                                                                                           Article l

                                                                                          Section X

                                                                                          Clause III

"No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.”

In this clause, the Constitution highlights the power denied to the States. Such limitations prohibits States from entering in any treaties with each other and other countries- this allowing the President of the United States to be solely responsible for managing all foreign affairs.  The States are not allowed to have their own armies or go into war with each other. Furthermore, they may not keep warships in times of peace and they may not engage in war unless it has been invaded or is in impending danger. This clause prohibits the United States from engaging in war unless its people are in danger also protecting foreign countries. I believe this clause was set forward by the Founding Fathers’ prediction of America's power. It protects states from each other and foreign countries from the power of the United States.

I chose this specific passage because as I read it my memory traveled back to September 11, 2001. During the early morning hours the public was not aware of the danger our country was facing. Even after the attacks there were moments of uncertainty and a lot of questions were in the air. The most important of them all..”Who would do this?.” Once the smoke cleared it was undeniably obvious that these attacks were executed by terrorists. I remember reading *many Americans were opposed to the war however it was a war we were forced into by terror groups who despise America and challenge its power. This clause allows America to declare war on its aggressors. Although the majority of Americans continue to oppose the war against Afghanistan, it is in the duties of the President to protect the country, as the constitution states, as it faces danger. America’s power spill entirely onto other countries and therefore should limited as this clause states. However, it is important to remember we must defend our country from the dangers of these terorrists who have expressed, time and time again, to have no mercy on our people.

 

*    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/30/63-percent-of-american-public-opposes-war-afghanistan_n_802765.html

Assignment 2: Trans-National America

Trans-National America

“We are all foreign-born or the descendants of foreign-born, and if distinctions are to be made between us, they should rightly be on some other ground than indigenousness. The early colonists came over with motives no less colonial than the later. They did not come to be assimilated in an American melting pot. They did not come to adopt the culture of the American Indian. They had not the smallest intention of 'giving themselves without reservation' to the new country. They came to get freedom to live as they wanted to. They came to escape from the stifling air and chaos of the old world; they came to make their fortune in a new land. They invented no new social framework. Rather they brought over bodily the old ways to which they had been accustomed.”

In this passage, Randolph S. Bourne explains that we are all foreign born or are progeny of foreign born- and there lies no difference between us whether we have lived in American all of our lives. He explains that early immigrants came with the same intentions as those after them- fortune and freedom; they came seeking what they could not find in their native country.

As an immigrant myself I find this passage to be important because a lot of people seem to ignore the reasons as to why people migrate to America. Many are unaware of the extreme challenges we face in our native countries: government corruption, unfair laws, violence, lack of basic resources such a light and clean water. In cases, we face such poverty that we stop going to school to help support the family. Consequently,  many are not able to find jobs that pay enough to cover bills and food. As a result of this struggle to survive in our country, we migrate to America- in search of a better future and better opportunities for us and our families. We do not come to America to disturb the peace of those who have lived here long before, nor to be ‘Americanized’. Our only desires is to provide for those we love, our family, and better educate ourselves in an effort to have a better future.  We all deserve the right to better opportunities, we are all entitled to have basic human rights.

Assignment 1: Americans Name its Government as its Number One Problem

Americans Name its Government as its Number One Problem

     “Americans continue to name the government as the most important U.S problem, a distinction it has had for the past four months. American’s mentions of the economy as the top problem dropped this month, leaving it tied with jobs for second place. Though issues such as terrorism, health care, race relations and immigration have emerged among the top problems of the government, the economy and the unemployment have been the dominant problems by Americans for more than a year.”

     The meaning of this short paragraph is quite clear; although concerned with terrorism, health care, race relations, the economy and unemployment, Americans consider the government to be the country’s biggest issue. It seems Americans are not happy with the way the government has been handling its affairs. This has been a recent change from previous months where the economy was considered to be the number one problem. The economy and unemployment are now occupying the second place. 

     The reason I chose this passage is because I completely agree with it, the government is America's biggest problem, as well as terrorism, race relations, economy and unemployment. The U.S. has been the target of numerous terrorist attacks before 9/11 and after. These attacks have caused many people to lose their lives; soldiers and civilians alike. It is a public threat the government has been dealing with for decades and in the past has proven somewhat successful in apprehending the individuals responsible for the attacks. However, it has become evident that each time the threat comes from a new group, the American government has difficulties in capturing or dismantling these groups. These wars on terrorism are costly to the country which in turn has had a negative effect on our economy. The problems Americans are most concerned about are part of ‘domino effect’, where one issue greatly impacts the other and the government’s response in dealing with these issues have not been very welcomed by the American people. 

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