In Class Writing Assignment: Ichiro Suzuki

1.Through his solid play for the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki demonstrated that someone does not have to belong to what is considered the "norm" in order to be successful and those that are considered different may be as good as the common standard.

2. The article is effective in demonstrating racial and ethnic fears and stereotypes in sports. The author shows that with baseball being the United State's "national pastime", it is something that is considered pure in its current state. Therefore, one who comes from a different cultural background and plays the game in an unfamiliar manner may pose a threat to those who are proponents of the sport's purity. Stereotypes are thus created to make the person and question seem as if they will not be able to do something because of their background. This was the case of baseball pundits doubting that Ichiro would be a successful hitter against "superior" American players.

3. In his article, Jay Caspian Kang demonstrates how players such as Ichiro Suzuki have made major strides towards creating more diversity in the sport. Kang states that despite negative assumptions from baseball pundits prior to his arrival in the United States, Ichiro has proven these pundits wrong through his continued success on the field. Kang's words form the idea that there is a sense of purity to the United States' version of the sport, therefore the success of anyone who is different may destroy that purity. However, for all of those who displayed disdain for players such as Ichiro, there are those who are not even associated with the particular ethnic group that embraces the player all in the same.

III. There were some things that I searched to get a better understanding of the essay. I found an encyclopedia article that explained to me who James Baldwin was, which gave me a better understanding for what he was writing about in the passage used by Kang. I also searched "Asian American" and "sports" to see how involved Asian American children are involved in sports activities. The article I found explained to me that people have created the perception that Asian American children strive in the fields of math and science, thus creating a self-perception in many Asian American children, which causes them to take part in more academically centered extracurriculars as opposed to more athletically centered extracurriculars.

SWA #17: Two More Annotated Sources

Edgar, Timothy and Rosenzweig, Paul. “Pro/Con: Is the Government Misusing the USA Patriot Act?” CQ Researcher. Oct. 2003. Web. 12 Mar. 2012

                        This article gives both sides of the civil liberties issues that arose from the United States’ adoption of the Patriot Act following September 11^th. Edgar represents the side that believes that the United States government is misusing the powers given to them by the Patriot Act. Edgar points to the fact that many detainees were incarcerated with no communication for months at a time before they were finally freed. Rosenzweig represents the side that the United States is acting well within their own given power through the Patriot Act. Rosenzweig argues that the government watches greatly for potential abuse in the system as well as stating that there is a time when some liberties have to be sacrificed in the name of security.

Hill, Miriam. “Does Law Clarify Rights of Detention? Yes. No. Maybe.” The Philadelphia Inquirer 6 Mar. 2012, City-C ed. LexisNexis. Web. 12 Mar. 2012

                        Hill takes a relatively neutral approach in her analysis of the National Defense Authorization Act. Hill speaks greatly about the “gray areas” in the document that concern civil rights proponents. Hill also speaks about President Obama’s claim that he will never use the law while in office, although he signed the bill in law. Many saw this as President Obama further clarifying that there is a significant gray area of the document that may need revision. Hill also brings up that Obama’s administration has proven their stance on American citizens tied to terrorism through the CIA’s killing of Anwar Al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, who were both American citizens with ties to Al-Qaeda. 

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.