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My article was about all the marches and protests in response to the Baltimore riots. All of the turmoil was caused by police brutality; more specifically the death of Freddie Gray who was killed by police violence. His death caused the riots in Baltimore, which has inspired all the protests in other cities about police brutality in their town.

I think it is important to work towards no police brutality, but it should be achieved in a different, less violent way. This is related to the course because the police force is a major part of the government that protects the country. It does this by promoting the idea of everybody following laws that were put in place to make our country safe.

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On Thursday Obama made the announcement that two hostages were killed during a counterterrorism action that was targeted at an al Qaeda operation. Of the two men that were killed, one of them was American. Weinstein was in Pakistan working to improve the lives of the Pakistani families. He was an innocent man who was only trying to help and then was taken hostage. According to Obama's speech, they were not aware that the hostages were there or else they would not have sent the drones.

 I think it is very unfortunate that innocent people were killed by the antiterrorism action, however I think we should continue to fight al Qaeda and ISIS. Our government needs to continue to protect the US from potential threats.

This relates to our course because it talks about national defense and the executive branch.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/us/american-women-world-rankings/index.html

America is often thought of as a place of equality for all, no matter what race, religion, or gender you are. Recently an "international Bill of rights" has been proposed guaranteeing an end to discrimination, a fight against violence, and equality for men and women. Almost all members of the United Nations have signed. All but seven; the United States is one of those seven. I think it is horrible that the U.S. did not sign the bill. Not signing that put us in the same group as Iran and other countries who are either undeveloped or are experiencing great turmoil in their country. I believe that women should receive fair pay in the workplace, be free of discrimination, not feel threatened, and be free from violence. I think that the U.S. should definitely sign the bill. It would be a great step for the U.S. and a great step for women!

My blog this week is about the bombing at the Boston Marathon two years ago. The verdict has finally been reached. Tsarnaev was found guilty of all 30 counts, 17 of which make him eligible for the death penalty. He is responsible for five deaths and almost 300 injuries. I feel that if he is truly guilty he deserves the death penalty. He killed innocent people and severely changed many lives because he was thought he was punishing Americans and sending a message to the holy warriors of radical Islam to rise up. I know people who were at the Boston Marathon that morning and left right before the bombing. These things seem like they would not happen to you until it affects someone you are close to. I think that he should be severely punished for hurting and killing innocent people.

This is related to ap gov because it talks about the judicial system/court system and it talks about the eighth amendment which states there can. Not be use of cruel or unusual punishment. Many argue that the death penalty is considered cruel or unusual.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/us/boston-marathon-bombing-trial/index.html

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The article I chose was about a group of black woman leaders and clergy. They were pushing for Senate to vote on a bill so they could finally confirm Loretta Lynch as the attorney general. Lynch becoming the attorney general is important to these women because, if she is confirmed, she will be the first African American female attorney general. The women marching on Capitol Hill are mad because her confirmation has been delayed for four months and will not be passed until an unrelated sex trafficking bill is passed. It has been hard for this bill to pass because it was previously nonpartisan but Republicans added on a part about anti-abortion that many Democrats did not agree with. Lynch is very qualified and many believe her confirmation to being the attorney general is being postponed for no good reason.

I think it is great that these women are trying to get what they want done in Congress. If they continue to push for Lynch's confirmation then they will one day be successful and we will have the first African-American female attorney general.

This is related to our course because it involves lobbying and the Senate.

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Although Conservatives/ Republicans have been very against Obamacare, numbers that have recently came out prove that the law is effective and is helping millions of Americans get health insurance. Conservatives say that the law is a government outreach and Republicans in Congress have vowed to repeal the law. Even though Conservatives continue to fight it, the law is supported by the Democrats in Congress and Obama can exercise his veto, so as long as Obama is in office the bill will most likely stay in use. According to numbers that came out on Monday, 16.4 million people have gained health coverage since the law was established five years ago.

In my opinion, the law is a good thing. It makes health care much more accessible and affordable for everyone, especially minorities. According to the article, the Supreme Court will come out with a ruling in the summer about the most recent challenge of the law.

This is related to our course because we have, very recently, learned about checks and balances that the different branches of our government have on each other. The article talks about how members of the legislative branch are working to have the law appealed, but that the president has the threat of his veto.

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In Utah a bill has just been passed allowing fire squad to be a method of execution if there is a shortage of the lethal drugs that are used in most states that have the death penalty. The reasoning behind this bill, is that the lethal drugs sometimes do not work or work slower, causing the criminal more suffering. The supporters of the bill believe the lethal injection can cause long drawn-out deaths whereas the use of the fire squad would be more humane and quicker. This may not necessarily be true because the person could move or the shooter could miss the heart, which would result in a drawn out death by fire squad. Either way there are possibilities of long drawn out deaths.

I feel that the death penalty should only be used in extreme situations, and that in America it is used too much and should be a last resort only. Fire squad should not be an option in any case, in my opinion. In the article it stated opponents think that the fire squad should not be used because it was used in the Wild West days, and we should be moving forward and not use old ways, which I agree with.

This is related to the course because it involves federalism and the idea that capital punishment is decided by the state and not the same all across the country.

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Alabama recently stopped giving marriage licenses to same-sex couples, enraging thousands of members of the LGBT community and those who feel everyone should be allowed to get married, regardless of whether it is a same-sex marriage or a marriage between a man and a woman. In the article I chose, there are tweets by famous people, gay and straight, giving "the ring finger" to Alabama because of their anger towards the state's Supreme Court and their decision to halt gay marriage even after the ban was found unconstitutional.

In a country centered around freedom and liberty, it is hard to imagine that you are not allowed to marry someone you love just because you are the same gender. I believe gay marriage should be legalized all across the country, not just in Alabama.

The article is relevant to the course, because it shows a grass roots mobilization. It showcases all kinds of people coming together on social media and exerting pressure on the government to reevaluate their actions.

Delay in Healthcare

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The delay in healthcare for veterans is seriously affecting many veterans and their families. Many veterans have died or are suffering and dying because of late diagnosis or delay in care for things like colonoscopies and endoscopies. The long waiting lists prevent people from having an early diagnosis, which can be vital to saving the heroes of our nation's lives. The veterans have all risked their lives to protect us, so the least we could do is provide a reliable source of healthcare.

The Department of Veteran's Affairs is taking steps to better the VA healthcare centers, but it is already too late for many veterans. This relates to our class because later this year we will learn about the executive branch, which includes the Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Personally, I think that  the government should have stepped in a long time ago to shorten waiting lists, which would have saved countless lives. Even though they should have taken action earlier, it is good that the government took control of the messy situation and is trying to improve it.

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The article I chose is about Obama's executive order regarding immigration laws. Obama wants to shield illegal immigrants from deportation and to protect those who arrived in the United States as children. A federal judge from Texas has blocked Obama's executive action. The action is opposed by twenty-six states across the country. The program has been put on hold, but immigration activists and the Executive Branch are very confident the ruling will be appealed in a higher court to protect the five million immigrants at risk of deportation.

Obama issued the executive order because he feels it is not right to rip these immigrant families apart. He is not guaranteeing them citizenship, he is just giving immigrant families access to the opportunity to apply for citizenship. If you have been in America for five years, have children in America, register, pass a background check, and pay taxes then you can become a citizen. Personally, I think that this is a great way to help the immigrant families in America. It does not rip families apart, but it gives them an opportunity to live here. The author had many sources that felt the decision would be appealed so he probably thinks it will be appealed.

This is relevant to the course because how people feel about the executive action affects the public opinion which will in turn affect public policy.

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The article I chose was about Obama's recent proposal for an Authorization for Use of Military Force. The AUMF is in regards to the international terrorist threat, ISIS. The AUMF, if approved by Congress, will give Obama the ability to continue airstrikes against ISIS, but it will define and limit his powers. That is significant because it states in the letter that there would be no on the ground fighting, excluding special ops and rescue teams. It is also important because it ensures that the strikes will end in three years, so we know we will not get sucked into a long, tolling war. This AUMF will also kill off the 2002 AUMF, but not the 2001 AUMF, which is the piece of Legislation that has given Obama the authority to send strikes in against ISIS.

The article also mentions that getting this draft approved by Congress will be difficult. Most lawmakers think something should be done to stop ISIS, but they do not all agree on what that should be. Some think the draft limits the President too much, while others think the AUMF should be more specific and define what the President's jobs are. This is related to our course because soon we will learn about the roles of the Executive and Legislative Branches and their checks and balances on each other.

I believe that the author of the article and I agree that something needs to be done to prevent ISIS before it becomes a more pressing threat to Americans. I think it is great that the new AUMF has a time limit so that we do not get involved in another lengthy war that it is not necessary for us to be in. It is also good that it says we can not get directly involved in an on the ground war because right now, ISIS is not a major threat and it is not worth it to us to get involved in something we do not need to.

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Recently, there has been a lot of talk in the media about vaccinations; should they be required or not? In the article I chose, the author talked about Dr. Jack Wolfson and his strong stance against vaccinations, as he does not want to "poison" his "pure" children. Dr. Wolfson  and his many followers, believe that giving their children vaccines will only harm them and that it is "our children's right" to get these harmful diseases. He also referred to the Measles as benign, which is quite the opposite of the reality of the disease. Before the vaccine was made, the United States had up to 4 million cases per year, thousands of which were left with serious health issues and five hundred of them died. Since the vaccine has been made, many lives have been saved and there has been much more good than bad done by the vaccines. Wolfson has always believed that we should refrain from putting chemicals into our bodies at all costs. At his practice, he often will prescribe things like sleep and healthy relationships instead of medicine and antibiotics.

Personally, I think that vaccines should be required, because your kid is not the only one being affected by you not vaccinating your child. To quote another article I read, "I vaccinate my children not only because I care about them, but I care about your kids too." I believe the author of the article agrees with me, that it is not safe to put your kid and others at risk to get fatal diseases. There is a simple, easy, and free way to protect your child, so I think you should take advantage of it.

This is related to the course because it has many ties to public opinion, and whether the public believes in making vaccines mandatory or not. The topic I chose is also related to public policy, because the government has to make decisions on what to make the public policy in regards to the issue. Many politicians are arguing about whether it should be a freedom to not get vaccines, because you are not the only person affected when you choose to not get it.

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In Obama's most recent State of the Union address, he said he wanted Congress to give paid sick leave to more American workers. He justified this by saying, "It is simply the right thing to do." By justifying this morally versus practically, he appealed to more Americans. The article is centered around the idea that if politicians justify their decisions or actions with a moral reasoning, people will respond better than if you justify it with a practical reasoning.  The way politicians justify their decisions or actions could decide the public's opinion on them. If they justify it morally people think of them as a nicer, warmer person of good character and integrity, all attributes of a good leader. If they justify their actions on solely practical grounds, people will tend to think of them as a person with less moral character, and not as focused on the people.

This is relevant to the course because we have very recently talked about public opinion and how it affects our government. When the framers were putting together our government, they were not worried about the opinion's of the people, because the government was set up to keep order and achieve the goals set out in the Preamble. Politicians today are focused on public opinion because it decides whether or not they get reelected. Politicians try to appeal to the people more, which dictates most things they do, even how they present their ideas and how they justify them.

I believe that people are more likely to feel they are being represented well by a good leader if the leader is more relatable and down to earth. Americans want someone "like them" vouching for their wants and ideas. Politicians seem more like normal people when they justify decisions with moral reasons, because it shows they care about the people. It shows they care about the people getting jobs and not just trying to get unemployment numbers down.