Quick updates!

Sorry sorry sorry. I am a thesising senior and it has taken over my life. That being said, here are some quick news updates. (May be a little behind because I meant to post this a week ago).

2016 Presidential Elections

• On September 21st, Republican candidate Scott Walker (current governor of Wisconsin) announced that he was dropping out of the race, and urged his supporters not to vote for candidate Donald Trump.
• After the GOP debate on September 16th, Republican candidate Carly Fiorina skyrocketed to second place in the polls, after having previously been ranked in the bottom half of the candidates.

Pop Culture News

• At the 2015 Emmy Awards hosted on September 20th, Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) became the first person since 1993 to win an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Show and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Show for the same show.

Pope Francis

• Pope Francis has been traveling the world the past few months, and on September 22nd he arrived in Washington DC. He had previously spent four days touring Cuba’s religious shrines and revolutionary sites. While in the US he will host masses in DC, New York City, and Philadelphia- so be on the lookout for more news about the Pope!

Planned Parenthood

• On September 18th, the United States House of Representatives voted to strip federal funds from Planned Parenthood for one year. Though no actions have been taken yet, President Obama has vowed to veto the bill once it makes its way to his desk.

Mecca

• On September 24th, a stampede the Hajj season, which involves the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, killed over 700 people. This occurred just two weeks after a crane collapsed and killed about 100 people at another Islamic holy site in Mecca.

European Refugee Plan

• European countries have been facing a crisis of incoming refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, the issue being that their is neither space nor resources to accommodate these people. On September 22nd, the European Union approved a plan for the crisis which involves spreading the refugees throughout the union, requiring countries to reach quotas. The plan, unlike most plans passed by the EU, was not unanimous.   

Church Again?

I suck. I'm sorry. It's been a long time. I'm back at school and it's crazy and I'm a senior so it's super busy so I'm sorry.

I'm gonna jump to the point. Recently, students at Duke University have been refusing to read their assigned text, Alison Bechdel's Fun Home. I'm personally a fan of it since it won Best Musical at this summer's Tony's- but what's the fuss all about? The story surrounds a young girl and all the sturggles she faces growing up. Probably her biggest struggle is coming to terms with being a lesbian, but the story also deals with abuse, dysfunctional families, lack of emotion, and a lot of real issues. Students at religious universities are claiming that it 'compromises their religious beliefs' to read the book.

I went to Catholic school, and I go to church, but that doesn't mean I can't read a book without it hurting my religion. That's like saying if I'm on a diet and I look at a picture of cake, that I've ruined my diet. I'm not a conservative Christian. I don't believe that homosexuality is a sin, or sex before marriage is a sin, but I'm still religious. I certainly don't believe that religion should be in government or in schools. Duke is a Christian school, and is still assigning the book, so it's obviously okay with their administration, so I ask you- why are the students making such a fuss of it?

I wrote about this because I recently got assigned the book in class and I am really excited to read it, after which I will be able to say if I really think a fuss should be made over it (although I can already tell you the answer is no).

I want to suggest watching a recent video by Buzzfeed titled I'm a Christian, but I'm Not. The video features Christians explaining that they can be religious and be faithful, but still believe in equal rights and other things that Christians today seem to be against. I'd ask you if you think it's possible, but I know it is, because I'm in the position.

Children!

So I posted this on my Facebook which means it doesn't actually count as a blog post, but I've been super busy packing for school and haven't had time to do a legit post. Forgive me.

"I was 5 then, and was concerned it was a bad thing. Now I'm in a higher grade, I read more books and get more information about stuff. I feel different now."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwwg1Yt18vE

2 years ago this channel did "Kids React to Gay Marriage" where they interviewed kids about the topic; some were for it, some against. Flash forward 2 years and they did a second video after the US legalized gay marriage. I can't even explain how impressed I am with these kids. They know about history, and about civil rights, and are proud to support them. They aren't ignoring they issue, they are asking for the education- yes, they are asking to learn. Today, people all over the country still don't want to know or care, and are still fighting this issue, but here, even a six year old recognizes that hindering this right is "not making the world a better place." When I was this age I wasn't concerned about politics and I didn't have political stances. I'm so proud knowing that these kids are growing up in a world where they are knowledgeable about current events, and confident enough to share their opinions on them. I wish all kids could grow up being able to think for themselves, or having parents that told them they could have their own beliefs, rather than having them forced upon them.

Not to mention this 6 year old is a boy after my own heart, mentioning that he struggles not to get in family arguments over the matter.

I'd like to point out that no, this is not a partisan post. I am not saying I am for or against anything. I'm just expressing how proud I am that kids today are so informed. I created this blog for college students like me to have an easy way to catch up on current events, and yet there are 2nd graders who are putting in the effort to be in the know. It just makes me so happy. 

GOP Debate

As I am writing this, a debate amongst 10 GOP candidates is occurring live on television. I want to let everyone know because I think you should take some time to watch it. It will be readily available all over the internet.

These are ten people running for president in 2016, and as college students, or any other citizen, it's your duty to know what those people are saying, because you as an American citizen are lucky to live in a democracy that will allow you to vote in the upcoming election.

So that's it, I'm not going to give anything away, just take some time and tune in to the debate when you get the chance.

Helping People is Always a Good Thing

I know, twice in one week! What?! 

Today's topic is Planned Parenthood. If you didn't know, yesterday the Senate debated whether to defund Planned Parenthood. The Republican party is heavily against Planned Parenthood, mainly because of abortion's, and wants the government to stop funding it. Some issues with this are that Planned Parenthood does a lot more than provide abortions. They provide STD testing, health education, cancer screening, rape counseling, and family planning. Essentially, they provide solutions on both ends of the spectrum for people who are pregnant.

I'm not gonna hide it, I'm a democrat. I think funding Planned Parenthood is a good thing. Yes they provide abortions, but they also provide help to women who choose to keep the baby, and they provide a number of programs that keep people safe. I personally don't understand why you would want to get rid of that. I mean, I do, because the Congress doesn't want to make it seem like they favor abortion, but at the same time, this company takes care of people.

Sorry, this is supposed to be non-partisan, but hey, it's my blog so I can say what I want.

What do you think?

I'M SORRY

I'm sorry. I said I would post every day and that obviously hasn't happened cuz I suck. (In all honesty I've been away the past couple weeks.) Let's make it once a week. I don't want to make any promises.

So hopefully this is a topic you've all heard about. I want to talk about Cecil the Lion. If you haven't heard (then I'm glad you're reading this and learning something). So earlier this week, an American dentist killed a lion in Africa, which is illegal. First he and a group shot it with a crossbow and when that didn't work they did it with a gun. It wasn't long before the world found out what happened and went into uproar.

What you might not be aware of is the uproar over the responses to Cecil. Groups of minorities have been really upset that Cecil the Lion has gotten more attention. Specifically, I've seen a lot of anger from supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement that they feel Americans have gotten more upset about the death of a lion than the numbers of deaths of black Americans.

Ravyn Symone brought this up on the View, and said that she was upset by that response because she thinks that that's not fair to all the Americans that have stood up and spoken out about Black Lives Matter- that saying that undermines all the work they've done. At first I was like 'hell yeah Ravyn', because it's true. I do think it's not fair to say that people are not upset about Black Americans dying, because they are. But then I realized- Ravyn doesn't speak for the entire population, so I need to look at other perspectives. And you know what? Members of the black community do feel that people care more about a lion than about them, so even if it's not the case, that's the way they feel, which means America is doing something wrong.

Was killing Cecil horrible? Yes. But killing Americans is also horrible and should not be overlooked. So I encourage you to keep watching the news and reading online and keeping track of the horrible killings going on in America. Hopefully one day they'll stop.

Damn You Internet

Hey guys,

Sorry I was without internet for a week so I couldn't post. I did however notice that the Iran Deal has been all over the news lately, but before I write a post about it, I think maybe everyone should do some reading on it!

Wow, I sound like a teacher giving an assignment. Sorry.

Don't Be Fooled

I'm lucky to have a lot of politically educated friends. They are such an inspiration to me. Recently, a lot of them have been talking about a particular website, which I thought was a great idea for a post.

I really love this site. It's called "I Side With". So often, we make judgments about political candidates that have nothing to do with their policies. We say we won't vote for them for reasons that are unrelated to political stances. I was talking the other day about something Hillary Clinton said that I really liked, and my brother exclaimed "I'd never vote for her, she's crazy!" I asked him what makes her crazy and he had no answer. My brother doesn't know a thing about politicians. He just knows what my parents have told him, or what he's seen in the media. But that's not accurate.

This site asks you your stance on an array of issues, without saying which candidates hold which stances. I think it is so important to vote for who best supports the issues you find important, regardless of some crazy things you hear about the candidates in the media. Now do I think my brother will end up siding with Hillary? Probably not, and I'm not saying he should or shouldn't. I just want everyone to have the opportunity to learn who they favor in the most objective way possible. 

So to finish this short post. Educate yourselves. Learn about the issues and figure out who you support- not who other people tell you to support. 
Take the quiz! (And make sure to vote in 2016!)
isidewith.com

Cash Money

Hopefully you've heard about the movement to replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 dollar bill. Maybe some of you have heard about it, but don't know the details. Well I'm here to help!

First of all, there are no women on any of our paper money, which is a big reason why there is a movement to put one on there. But why Jackson? Let me tell you, this year I took 'Jacksonian America' - a three hour seminar, so I've got a lot to say. Don't worry, I'll keep it brief. Jackson is accredited with some big things, mainly the Bank of the US, and balancing the federal debt. However, what is frequently overlooked is Jackson's role in the genocide of thousands of native Americans. Before Jackson, the US government had designated specific lands to the Native Americans living in US territory. As president, Jackson decide to remove those Native Americans from the land that had been given them, and forced them to travel across the country to new, smaller land. This route is known as the Trail of Tears, where thousands of Native Americans died as a result of Jackson issuing the Indian Removal Act, which was issued because Jackson did not want the natives to assimilate into American culture.

Politicians tried to make Jackson see other options, but he was set on removal. Because of this, he is responsible for this historic genocide. Yes, it is considered genocide. So why remove Jackson? Well, why would honor someone responsible for so much bad, when we could honor one of the brilliant women in American history.

Another good reason is because the number 20 is a symbol for women's rights. 1920 was the year that women finally gained the right to vote- so the 20 dollar bill would be a perfect match.


...Also, Jackson opposed paper money, so isn't it a bit ironic that he's on a bill at all?

So, what do you guys think?

No Freedom til We're Equal

So I created this blog a couple months ago and then got so caught up in LSAT studying that I didn't get to post, but I'm free! (For now). But guess who else is free today?

Hopefully the story I've chosen to discuss today is something you already know about. A few years ago, the Supreme Court shot down DOMA- the Defense of Marriage Act, which said that the federal definition of marriage was that of a union between a man and a woman. By shooting it down, they made it possible for states to legalize gay marriage. However, this didn't mean they made it federally legal; it just wasn't illegal.

In the past few months, the court was reviewing a movement to make gay marriage federally legal. Until now, the states themselves reserved the right to each decide if they wanted to legalize it or not. Today, the Supreme Court declared gay marriage federally legal, meaning that gay couples can now get legally married in any of the 50 states.

(Fun fact, the first marriage after this was legalized was in Texas, of all states!)

So why is this important to know? The world is changing, and unfortunately for some people our age, we were raised in our parents shadows- taught to not be as open as the new world wants us to be. I know plenty of kids who are unaccepting simply because they were raised in that kind of atmosphere. Well today history was made, and you should all take a minute to appreciate what the world is coming to. America now, like many countries, has made a new step in equality- marriage equality. No longer can the states deny rights for married couples. I am grateful to be a part of a world that recognizes the need for equality among its citizens, and you should too. Hopefully, this will be a stepping stone down the road to creating equality for all- regardless of religion, race, or gender.

P.S. - I'm lucky to be a straight, white, upper-middle class person. I haven't faced a ton on of prejudice, except that of being a woman, and being a college student. I like having the ability to use my privilege to speak for those who can't speak for themselves- those of different gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, race, social class, etc. The gay marriage movement was supported by all of the gay community, but also by members of the straight community who spoke up for those different than them.

Intro, 101

I am a political science student, and over the past few years I've taken a number of courses that taught me one thing: to be a democratic citizen, you must be informed and involved. We are extremely lucky to live in a democracy, but if you aren't exercising that freedom, then you don't deserve it. Supreme Court Justices Breyer and Scalia, though disagreeing on most subjects, agreed in stating that a proper citizen of a democracy is one that is active in knowing what is going on in their society. 

I know it's hard. You're busy, you don't have easy access to the news. I get it. I really wanted to create something easy for college students. So I decided to start a blog where I could just every now and then mention something big in the news, briefly describe it, and explain why it's important to know.

Don't exercise hypocrisy within your democracy. Just open up the blog and read a paragraph or two. I promise it'll be a positive experience. Maybe you'll even become interested in something.