SWA #16: Two Annotations about the NDAA

Hoar, Joseph P., and Charles C. Krulak. "Guantanamo Forever?" New York Times 13 Dec. 2011: A35(L). Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

                        In his article, “Guantanamo Forever?” Hoar urges President Barack Obama to veto the National Defense Authorization Act that was about to be passed by Congress at the time. Hoard points to this law as giving Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda a victory as this would feed the fear that they created in the legislation of a law that takes away one’s constitutional freedoms. Hoar also points to the fact that military action is not the correct manner in which to approach the situation by saying that civilian courts have actually been much more successful in convicting terrorists than have military commissions.

"Compromise of Values." San Francisco Chronicle 8 Jan. 2012: E10. Gale U.S. History     In Context. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.

                        The author criticizes President Barack Obama for compromising his values in the article “Compromise of Values”. After previously saying that he was going to undoubtedly going to veto the bill, Obama signed the bill into law after passing Congress. Although Obama has stated that he will not enforce this law, he still has it available to him. The author mentions that his signing of the law             demonstrates that Obama is asking Americans to trust him as opposed to the rule of law. The author then finally states that the essential principles of the nation should not be compromised in order to pass a national defense law.

SWA #15: Research of My Three Issues

United States and Iran Relations and the Potential for War

I found it to be decently easy to find general information about our situation with Iran right now. This included finding a lot of information about Iran’s current state of nuclear proliferation, the conditions and effects of our current sanctions on our nation, as well as past events where the two nations have quarreled. I mostly found information by searching the two nations names with keywords such as “sanctions” or “relations” to find my information. Right now I feel as if this topic is my third choice.

Property Rights and the Government’s Right to Intrusion

I tried to search for a few topics relating to government intrusion on private property, however the topic that was most easy to find was government bans on smoking in restaurants and private businesses. Therefore, I mostly researched on this issue; I actually found a good number of sources that seemed to be opinionated on both sides that speak for or against these smoking laws. I tried to look at this issue on a more local level by looking up information about these laws in South Carolina, however there was not much information on it. Right now I put this topic as my second choice.

Due Process vs. National Safety

All of my research on this topic revolved around the National Defense Authorization Act, an act that allows the United States to detain American citizens, without a trial, for an inconclusive amount of time if they’re suspected of being a terrorist. I focused primarily on this issue for it has been very recently in the news and there are people who are very opinionated about it on both sides. I had a pretty easy time finding opinionated sources on both sides of the issue while researching. This topic is definitely my first choice right now. 

SWA #13: Three Controversial Topics

            One issue that I would like to explore is the United States’ belligerent nature with Iran, who may be able to create a nuclear weapon in the near future. This is a controversial issue in that Iran may be the next nation that the United States may get involved with militarily. Therefore there are people highly fearful of going to war with the nation and other who are more motivated to take action militarily. I personally am very against any military action that we may impose on Iran as I believe the United States cannot afford another war and that another war will only further antagonize the United States to other nations. I personally would like to research the other side of the argument as well as my side some more. I have done enough to develop a basic opinion on the issue, but not enough to have a full understanding of it.

            Another issue I would like to explore is property rights and the government’s right to intrude on a person’s rights. This situation is controversial, as governments have begun to enforce more rules on what a person can and cannot due in their own private business, such as allowing people to smoke. Therefore there are people who are in support of a person’s right to choose what they allow on their own private property and those who believe laws need to be enforced in the best interests of the people. I personally am someone who is very in favor of property rights and if someone does not like the certain conditions that a business enforces, they have the right to not go there. I want to research this topic even further because this seems to a be something that is currently occurring in many places in the United States and I would like the research what new laws are trying to be enforced and the reasoning for those laws.

            My last issue that I would like to explore is due process in the United States legal system. This topic is controversial because the United States Constitution guarentees everyone the right to a fair trial, however the government was signed acts such as the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), that suspends an American citizen’s right to due process if they are a suspected. I personally am a firm believer in the Constitution and believe that everyone has the right to a fair trial in the United States. I believe that this is a good topic to discuss as it has recently come up in news more with President Obama’s passing of the NDAA.

SWA #12: A Healthy Constitution

Waters, Alice. “A Healthy Constitution.” The Carolina Reader. Southlake, TX:      Fountainhead Press, 2012. 327-328. Print.

Waters’ article gives alternative reasons in support of implementing healthy in support of implementing healthy foods in public schools. Waters gives the example of a school in Appleton, Wisconsin for troubled youth and the progress they made in terms of discipline after implementing a healthy menu. Waters also makes the case that allowing students to be involved in the preparation of their own food through an “edible education” program teaches them democratic values. By working to pick their own food and cooking it, students are learning the principles of responsibility, sharing and independence.

            One way that food can be used to teach values that are central by democracy is by letting them prepare their own food. By preparing their own food, students become more independent. In a truly free democratic society, one must be independent and work to provide sustenance for themselves in their family. Food can also be used to demonstrate the capitalistic nature of most democratic economies. Students have to exchange and work with other students with different jobs in the food process in order to make the finished product. This is much like the product cycle in business where a product goes from cultivation to it’s final assembly.

            The main link that Waters makes between healthy meals and learning is the improved attitude that students have as a result. The first example is the case with the students at high school in Appleton, Wisconsin for students with discipline problems. Once healthier meals were implemented the discipline of the students improved dramatically. As a result the students began to make better decisions and in turn, perform better in school. Waters other example is that of the students who worked to help produce their own school food. As a result of making their own food, the students took greater responsibility towards everything in their life. One can also assume that one aspect that these students will take greater responsibility for is their schoolwork.

            I found that there are specific requirements that all schools in South Carolina have to follow for the food that they serve. For instance, all schools in South Carolina cannot serve soft drinks during the school day, cannot serve a food item greater than 30% calories from fat or 10% calories from saturated fat, and that low-fat milk, water and 100% fruit juice must be available to all students. I could not find much about schools in South Carolina having edible education programs. The most that I could find is that there is an elementary school in Columbia, Leaphart Elementary School, which has a school garden.

SWA #11 Main Point in Paragraph Form

            One of the major complaints presented in Oswalt’s essay is that certain materials ingrained in “nerd culture” have become too readily available. Unlike in Oswalt’s childhood, where the subjects of his otakus were scarcer, technology was opened the doorway to many new mediums of entertainment. On the internet, people now have the ability to download another John Woo movies in minutes, when Oswalt and others had to wait months for a new one to be bootlegged. People also have the technological capabilities to edit and make their own creations. People are able to take aspects from other forms of entertainment and create new products, thus giving a person more to digest. The ability of people to edit materials also takes away the longing for something to be better, which was experienced a great deal during Oswalt’s adolescence. Certain idiosyncrasies, which may have made something unique, can be fixed very quickly as a result of new materials. The large quantities of material available also keep a person from focusing strongly on a select few materials. While growing up, Oswalt and his friends had a large amount of time to digest a certain material while waiting for the next edition to come out. Now, people will move on to a new subject after focusing on one subject for a brief amount of time. Oswalt also describes his friends as having a specific otaku that they focused a great deal on and they would be the person with the expertise on that topic. However, the necessity of such people is gone as anyone can go on the Internet and discover the newest fad in music, movies, television, etc. 

SWA #10 Essay #2 Outline

Title: Nerd Culture and its Gradual Demise

Thesis: Although, the materials previously considered strictly “nerd culture” are now more available and accepted, these changes in perception have given people weak otakus of these subjects. Oswalt uses the concept of otakus to demonstrate his affection for his adolescence.

1.     Aspects of “Nerd Culture” have become too readily available

a.     Technology allows people to obtain large quantities of “Nerd Culture” in a short period of time

                                                        i.     People are able to watch a large quantity of movies, read a number or books, and listen to a lot of music over the Internet.

                                                      ii.     People are able to edit and make their own versions of past creations, thus giving more creations to digest.

                                                     iii.     The increased availability hurts a person’s longing for something better.

b.     People do not focus as strongly on a single subject as a result

                                                        i.     In Oswalt’s adolescence, everyone had a strong otaku on certain topic and digested it more thoroughly.

                                                      ii.     People were not able to get new materials quickly in Oswalt’s adolescence, leading people to take more time to digest it.

                                                     iii.     The mass of materials currently leads people only to take one or two quick looks at the material.

2.     The aspects of nerd culture are becoming two readily accepted in societies.

a.     Liking certain materials does not possess a certain stigma anymore and is even considered “cool” in many situations.

                                                        i.     Because there was a certain stigma behind liking some materials in Oswalt’s adolescence, a person had to have a certain devotion to the topic.

                                                      ii.     Since the stigma has disappeared many people are seen embracing these same materials, without having the same form of devotion.

                                                     iii.     The concept of being a geek and its culture has become cool in itself in some circles, “geek-sheik” and “hipsters”.

b.     Having an otaku is not something that is limited to “nerds” anymore.

                                                        i.     People that are not considered “nerds” have equal obsessions over things such as reality TV shows.

                                                      ii.     The Onion’s A.V. Club has short mappings of certain otakus that anyone can read.

3.     Oswalt romanticizes the idea of otakus and the era in which he grew up.

a.     Oswalt uses the concept of strong otakus to show his affection for his childhood.

                                                        i.     He speaks of being a geek in a positive manner by mentioning that he had a circle of friends who all had similar interests.

                                                      ii.     Oswalt portrays the era as being one of great individuality as his friends all had a certain thing that they knew most about.

                                                     iii.     Oswalt desires for his children to be able to share certain materials with their friends that not everyone is aware of.

b.     Oswalt uses weak otakus to show his discontent for pop culture in its current form.

                                                        i.     When Oswalt speaks of weaking otakus and people who have adopted “geek culture” he uses negative words such as “douchebags” and “sated consumers”.

                                                      ii.     Oswalt also views the adapting of certain “nerd materials” towards more people as ruining their artistic integrity.

                                                     iii.     Oswalt is also pessimistic in his belief that anything interesting shared between friends will eventually lose it secrecy.

Conclusion: The process currently going on is not one that is going to change. The advances in technology are a force that will always allow information to reach more people in a shorter timespan. As a result, people will be exposed to and more accepting of certain materials, further lowering the segregation amongst those with certain the interest. Although, the current era is producing weaker otakus when compared to that of Oswalt’s era, the current era is also creating a wider range of otakus in a single person as a result of such exposure. Much like other adults who romanticize, Oswalt’s fond memories of adolescence lead him to believe the era he grew up in is superior the one currently going on.