The War on Drones

What ones seemed as science fiction technology, has drastically become part of our every day lives. We all carry what once took up a whole room in our pockets, and with a touch of a screen have complete access to the Internet. All these amazing advancements in technology have continued to develop and began to be applied in every aspects of life, and now they have taken over the aviation world. The US government has drastically adapted this technology of using drones, thanks to this development they have been able to carry out air strikes on the enemy, with out having to put troops in harms way, and for a fraction of the cost. Like anything else in combat there are many difficulties, from civilian casualties to the possibility of foreign militaries stealing the technology, has brought a lot of skepticism to their use. Although these outcomes are unavoidable, the use of these drones save American lives, make our troops job easier and have a lower price, what must done is rethink our strategies, and minimize the casualties.

It’s very hard to justify the deaths of civilian casualties, in order to kill any terrorist regardless of their rank. Therefor the US government must stop putting their efforts into covering, or justifying these deaths and instead focus on how these deaths can be minimize, and if possible eliminated. An other reason why these deaths need to be eliminated, is the negative impact they have on the families of these casualties, for every civilian killed, we are making a family extremely devastated, and easily could result in one of the family members wishing for revenge, and reaching out to the Taliban or any other terrorist group. The next issue that needs to be address is to prevent foreign powers, from getting their hands on this equipment as it occurred in Iran. As simple as it is for the US government to use these drones in foreign countries, it would be as easy for terrorist to carry out attacks in the US if they are to get their hands on this technology.

Combat is never easy, and always complicated. As long as armed conflicts are carried out between people, innocent people will always be victims. The drone technology has brought a lot of positives to the war on terrorism, but it has come at a heavy price, the US is losing the fight to win the hearts and minds of these foreign people. For these reasons it is paramount new strategies are used in regards to drone strikes, not using them would be unrealistic and would cost a lot more US casualties.

The War for the Holy Land

Since the Declaration of the Establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the Israeli and Arabic population have been in a power struggle in the regions know as Gaza and the West Bank. Bordering Egypt and Jordan and between the Mediterranean and Dead Sea, this area has been at the forefront of conversations in regards to the Middle East. The conflict between the two groups involves several elements of discussion.

                 

First, the two groups fail to mutually recognize/respect each other, which are obvious reasons for tension. In addition to that, borderlines have reinforced the hostility especially with opposing settlements within them. A human necessity, better yet for all life, is control over water sources that exist in the region which are constantly being disputed. Finally, add to that the holy city of Jerusalem, which sits right in the middle of these two opposing groups. Combining all this together makes for a messy situation, which has cost the lives of not only military personnel, but many civilian casualties. This conflict is something that has remained in the news over the years and continues into present times. Peace talks between the two groups have done little to actually stomp out the issues at hand. While solutions are not easy, there may be a way that the two groups can come to an understanding.

The first issue raised was the lack of mutual recognition and respect coming from each side of the fence. From the way it seems each side is claiming entitlement based their own ideals. Religion is something that is alive and well in this area of the world. Research shows that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are what make up the bulk of the main population in an area that is considered sacred to each of them. It is because of this fact that the people are unable to come to an understanding because each group believes that they are correct in their beliefs while others are have it wrong. It is too bold to state that each person that believes in something is not able to accept other’s beliefs, but much of the conflict occurs with the extremists that have zero tolerance.

A good idea would be to avoid peace treaties that involve religious talks altogether and look that the entire population as a whole rather than separate. In this type of situation, the governing body would be able to equalize rights amongst everyone rather than making them specific to each affiliation. Granted, the struggle with extremists is not ousted so easily as history as shown. Even if the general population were to come to an understanding, those who choose to incite violence on the opposing group would still attempt to do so. In response to that, intervention may be necessary by the UN perhaps to neutralize these threats. But as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have shown, the solution is much more complicated once the idea leaves the paper.

The Eradication of Polio

Following the end of the Second World War, horrifying violations of human rights carried out by the Nazis were brought to light. Learning of such cruel and inhuman actions towards Jews and others, the UN General Assembly swore to protect every human’s natural rights. Subsequently, the UN implemented The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document stated that all humans are created equal, therefor have certain rights such as liberty, right to marry, own property, and freedom of religion. The document also demanded that every individual should have the ability to receive medical care, and now this has become one of the major challenges of the 21^st century.

The UN with combined efforts with other world agencies, have had great advances in improving life in many 3^rd world countries. Furthermore they have elevated health opportunities in these countries, as it was seen when due to collaboration of agencies and countries, successfully eradicating chickenpox, and have since then sought out to have the same success with polio. As of 1988 there a reported 125 countries were battling with polio, paralyzing or killing 350,000 people per year. However due to great work by these organizations, excluding for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria polio has been eliminated in the rest of the world.

The efforts to vaccinate the people in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been hindered by series of attacks carried out by the Taliban, they incorrectly claim that this immunization is a plot to sterilize their people, and have gone to violent measures to stop the immunizations from being given by the organizations. Furthermore negative propaganda by the Taliban has become extremely influential in these areas, due to the fact majority of these people are very illiterate and believe the allegations spread by the Taliban.

World health has become one of the top challenges of the 21^st century, thanks to tremendous advancements in the medical field; the task is far becoming more manageable. Many will argue that America spends too much in foreign aid, but the reality is these countries are in unimaginable conditions, we all live in the same world and deserve the same living standards, these countries due to violence, and oppressing governments have been held back, therefor it is our duty to assist as much as we can. As we have seen with the eradication of smallpox, a great outcome is possible thanks to collaboration of these organizations. Furthermore although these UN organizations continue to deal with complications, there is high assurance the same can be achieved against polio and diseases alike.

Guns in America

      There are roughly 270 million civilian firearms in America, this is a number that might seem shocking to a lot of citizens, statistics like these are commonly thrown around in order to install fear, but what about the 200,000 times a year women use gun to defend against sexual abuse, or the 89% drop in Georgia after in house mandatory gun law was passed, these are rarely shared. This biased sharing of news and information is as dangerous as individuals who carry out mass shootings, or bomb public areas. If the America simply educated their citizens on the reality of weapons, these horrible disasters could be prevented, or quickly be stopped.

         As anti-gun advocates will tell you firearms are responsible for almost a million violent crimes yearly, also that an estimated 40,000 Americans die each year due to guns. They will use these statistics to install fear and turn the masses against weapon ownership, as well as stricter gun laws. Although these statistics are true, they must be put into perspective, for example alcohol is related to a shocking 75,000 deaths per year, yet there is only one restriction to acquiring it. Furthermore, statistics representing positive gun facts, such as that firearms are used 80 times more yearly to protect lives, rather than to take lives are never shared. Which continues to add to the biased sharing of information, regarding gun use and ownership.

         The reality regarding guns is that stronger restrictions, wont due anything except harm and harass law-abiding citizens. In states, which endorse concealed weapon laws, crimes are drastically reduced. Attempting to take weapons away from citizens will not reduce mass shootings, these individuals will continue to illegally acquire weapons and carry out their plans. The media and society needs to educate instead of continuing this biased coverage, if we arm and educate more citizens we will reduce crime, mass shootings are simply to difficult to prevent from happening, but in all recent scenarios if one citizen would have been armed, casualties would have been drastically lower.  

References

Guns in America | Facts and statistics about firearms in the USA. 2014. Guns in America | Facts and statistics about firearms in the USA. [online] Available at: http://americangunfacts.com [Accessed: 6 Apr 2014].

Hematite.com. 2014. Taking On Gun Control - The Anti-Gun Statistics. [online] Available at: http://hematite.com/dragon/antigunstat.html [Accessed: 6 Apr 2014].

msnbc.com. 2005. Alcohol linked to 75,000 U.S. deaths a year. [online] Available at: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6089353/ns/health-addictions/t/alcohol-linked-us-deaths-year/#.U0Hh_16GsTs [Accessed: 6 Apr 2014].

Boston Strong

As long as I remember marathon Monday has been a cheerful beautiful day in my life. Those memories of sitting on my fathers shoulders so I could see the runners, all the way to the age of 18 when I ran in the Boston Marathon a few months before leaving to boot camp. This historical event has given me some of my most cherished memories. After finishing my four years of service, I was beyond ecstatic to once again continue the tradition of attending this celebratory day.

The day began, as it always had, with breakfast with friends. Then, like most young adults in Boston, it was followed by good drinks with my close friends and a great environment overall. Having been gone for the previous four years, I was determined to be at the finish line to cheer on the finishers crossing the famous line downtown. That day we eventually made our way to my friend’s parent’s house which happened to be a relatively close to the finish line.

We went up to the roof deck and continued to celebrate the day. It was at this moment when my heart stopped to the sound of a all too familiar noise. Having been around the military, I have heard my fair share of explosions. It is most definitely a noise that is hard to forget. Instant panic of family and friends who currently were at the finish line took over me. I immediately ran to the street and rapidly began making my way through the fleeing crowd towards the finish line. I eventually was stopped by police and the National Guard. They all refused to let me continue there, regardless of my pleas. After finally complying I began to call all who I knew were there, just to be disheartened by being unavailable to make a call due to the large amounts of people attempting to do the same.

Thankfully on this day, all close to me were unwounded by the two bombs set off on this tragic day, but the overwhelming helpless feeling I felt is something I will never be able to forget. It is hard to take much of a learning experience of this day. However, something that can absolutely be taken from this, are the actions taken by the country, and more specially the beautiful city of Boston.

From the heroic acts of those in the blast area, to the marathoners whom continue to run to nearby hospitals in order to donate blood. It fills me with hope and pride to be an American. Furthermore, the city of Boston’s efforts through organizations such as The One Fund is a remarkable example of what this city can accomplish in order to overcome a tragedy, and begin putting it back together. From this tragic day we were shown, once again, how strong we Americans are. It shows we can be knocked down, but we will again stand.

As Boston did, we together became strong through the support of each other. We volunteered, donated, and inspired each other to be better and stronger as individuals. The only mistake we could possibly make is to allow what happened in this day to fill us with fear and not partake in this upcoming marathon Monday. If we do this, the terrorist will have won. From this experience, I learned how vulnerable we truly are. I also learned we had become very complacent since 9/11, but most of all I have learned how beautiful and amazing the city of Boston is, and inspired by this city I will be standing on April 21, 2014once again at the finish line, until the last runner crosses that blue and yellow line.

The American World After 9/11

On the Morning of September 11^th, an al Qaeda group hijacked four commercial airplanes and carried out the deadliest terrorist attack in history on American soil. On this tragic day two airplanes were flown into the world trade center buildings, another into the pentagon with the third failing its attack on Washington and crashed in an open field in Pennsylvania. This day has will forever be a dark day in American history; furthermore these events launched us into the longest war in US history, as well as changing all aspects of American life. From a complete invasion of our privacy with the passing of the patriot act, to a constant fear of future unexpected terrorist attacks the government has the American people in anxiety and dependent on the government, which is right where they want them.

Since the attacks of 9/11 the government has significantly escaladed its level of security, some argue that such actions were an overreaction, but it absolutely was a necessity. From the forming of the Transportation Security Administration better known as the TSA, to the expansion of the National Security Agency (NSA) the government is now able to monitor at a larger scale, and has a better ability to prevent future terrorist attacks, as well as monitor possible terrorist and their connections. Additionally to advancements in such security measures, America has made tremendous strides on the war on terrorism, besides the claimed victory in Iraq, the US has killed Osama bin Laden and has been victorious in fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

It would be foolish to argue that we are not in some aspects safer than we were pre 9/11, but how much safer are we really and at what cost are we achieving this level of security? It has been estimated that annually the NSA has a budget of 10 billion dollars, which comes directly from taxpayers. This of course is an approximation, due to the fact that the NSA falls under a protected category of “black” programs and its actual spending and budged is top secret. Along with this ridiculous spending, Americans have lost almost all of their privacy, thanks to this patriot act which was passed on by the government as absolutely paramount to our security, the NSA now has the ability to tap every USA citizen as they wish, with out really getting a consent from the American people.

Since the war on terrorism commenced in 2001, the US has spent a total of 1.492 trillion dollars, not only has it had little success with its mission, it has drastically been a factor to our developing debt. In addition to this financial problem, the war has had a greater cost that is unacceptable, with the death toll of 4,800 killed and 31,965 wounded in Iraq, with an additionally 2,229 killed with 18,675 wounded in Afghanistan, American families continue to struggle with struggles of war, while the government appears to have moved on to spying on its own citizens. Having sacrificed so much we should expect remarkable victories on the “war on terror” but as we have recently seen, much has been paid in vain. Having ended all military operations in Iraq and empowering its military and police to take control of the city, al-Qaeda forces have reclaimed the city of Fallujah, and have been carrying extremely violent attacks in Baghdad, which gives little credibility to the US in its actions in Iraq, and gives little hope for its future in Afghanistan.

The United States government might claim victory over the war on terrorism, but when taking into account the drastic cost it has had on the US economy and the sacrifice made by its people, there doesn’t seem much to celebrate over. Furthermore the American people has unwillingly lost its privacy, and have found themselves living under a microscope while paying for a war that not many support and all hope it soon comes to an end.

References  

Amadeo, K. 2014. What Are the Facts About the War on Terror Costs. [online] Available at: http://useconomy.about.com/od/usfederalbudget/f/War_on_Terror_Facts.htm [Accessed: 3 Mar 2014].

Sahadi, J. 2014. What the NSA costs taxpayers. [online] Available at: http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/07/news/economy/nsa-surveillance-cost/ [Accessed: 3 Mar 2014].

Statisticbrain.com. 2014. U.S. War Death Statistics | Statistic Brain. [online] Available at: http://www.statisticbrain.com/u-s-war-death-statistics/ [Accessed: 3 Mar 2014].

Washington Post. 2014. Al-Qaeda force captures Fallujah, site of bloodiest battle of Iraq war. [online] Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/al-qaeda-force-captures-fallujah-amid-rise-in-violence-in-iraq/2014/01/03/8abaeb2a-74aa-11e3-8def-a33011492df2_story.html [Accessed: 3 Mar 2014].

America, Sold to the Highest Bidder

We all like to believe our government is absolutely amongst the more successful in the world, this in theory also states we believe it is as free of corruption as possible. Sadly this is absolutely false, and thanks to wealth thirsty corporations and individuals, they have managed to make this corruption absolutely legal, thanks to Super PACs supported by the great Citizen’s United. Some credit is due to these group, they brilliantly convinced the Supreme Court into voting that Corporations are in fact people, therefor should have all equal rights such as freedom of speech. This allowed corporations to support whichever political candidate they choose, with no cap to their spending.

This in fact was a great win for corporate America; they could now with out having to disclose it, invest tremendous amounts of money into their candidates, therefor eventually having manipulating power over them once they had won their elections. The people who support corporate free speech, insist that this Super PACs are good for democracy, they argue candidates whom wouldn’t stand a chance against better supported candidates, would now have an equal chance of running against them. These supporters also see this as an opportunity, to further spread information to voters, both about their candidates as well as the wrong doings of others. In general these supporters believe that these corporations as being legal pronounced as people, should have the capability to support whichever political party or person as they please.

On the opposing side we have a more liberal view, this people believe that we have lost all control of the government with the approval of these Super PACs. The argument being supported that by allowing corporations to spend as much money as they wish; the common persons voice is crumpled by the voice of the corporations. Furthermore they argue, that because the motives of corporations are influenced by the desire of extreme profit, their values drastically are unlike those of the citizens.

In my personal view, I believe these Super PACs have opened the doors for what I label as legal corruption. It's to no surprise these corporations are spending ridiculous amounts of money in bashful advertising, so that they can get candidates elected who will approve and help their private agendas run undisrupted. They manipulate the media whom they most likely also run, into making us believe their candidates are what we need, and those who wouldn’t support them, are as bad as the devil. Then, the majority of America beliefs what they see and give away their votes to these candidates. Finally these candidates are victorious, sit behind a desk and write up legislations that in some cases, tremendously help the corporations, and in result hurt the citizens. I don’t know about you, but in my eyes this scam has corruption written all over it.