Saturday, January 25, 2020

The Ethics Of Predator Drones Criminology Essay

The Ethics Of Predator Drones Criminology Essay Since its inception in 1995, the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator was initially intended for reconnaissance and forward observation roles, but the September 11 attacks changed that altogether. During February 4, 2002, the CIA deployed the first unmanned, armed Predator drone in an assassination attempt. The strike was to happen in the city of Khost, a province in Afghanistan. The target was Osama bin Laden, or at least someone who the CIA thought was him. Armed with a payload of Hellfire missiles, the drone attacked a group of would-be insurgents. Days later, local journalists and Afghan civilians reported that the dead men were civilians collecting scrap metal. What ensued thereafter was backlash from the public condemning its use. Using (UAVs) unmanned aerial vehicles to kill suspected terrorists marks a radical departure from the ways we have dealt with enemies before. Drones have unofficially become the weapon of choice for counter-terrorism. And over the coming decades, are expecte d to replace piloted aircraft. With the future of warfare pointing to the use of drones, legal and ethical issues surrounding their use must be explored. Since their deployment, armed combat drones have killed terror suspects as well as innocent civilians. The Ethics of Predator Drones Introduction From Davids slingshot, to the invention of bows and arrows, then guns, and missiles, major advances in military technology have revolved around the ability to kill from a distance. Just like a sniper able to shoot down an NVA commanding general from a mile away, the ability to shoot at your enemy from a greater distance than he can shoot back at you is one of the reasons why warfare continues to evolve. The MQ-1 predator drone is just a new tool in a new kind of war. A war waged in the 21st century, the height of technological advancement in weaponry. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were used by the US military as a test bed for their development of future weapons. The US military might is one of the greatest of the world. The US spends more money in defense than all of the other countries combined. The money spent is used in the hopes of lessening military casualties, and to help in accomplishing missions and tasks in a more effective way by using new technology. Their latest inventions include an assortment of robots that are capable of performing EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) and IED (Improvised Explosive Device) destruction missions. Some robots have even cross-trained to a more combat role. For example, the US military have deployed a robot called the Foster-Miller TALON. This robots mission ranges from reconnaissance to combat by employing a rifle mounted apparatus to its tracked chassis. Calibers from the M16, M249, M240 machine gun, .50 Barrett, and sometimes a six barreled 40mm grenade launcher have all been outfitt ed into its tracked chassis. These are just examples of the robots that are deployed on the ground. The most noticeable robot from this new generation of combat robots is the MQ-1 Predator drone. To this day, the Predator drone has flown more than 1 million flight hours. Combat Capabilites The CIA began experimenting with reconnaissance drones since the early 1980s. It was only in the early 1990s when they finally found a suitable prototype that could meet their intended mission needs. Before the production of the current MQ-1 Predator, most of the prototypes were so loud that their detection was inevitable. A chief designer from the Israeli Air Force immigrated to the US in the 1970s and started his own defense contractor business and called it General Atomics. The CIA secretly bought 5 drones from General Atomics and equipped with a more improved and quieter Rotax engine that is driven by a propeller. The Predator drone can fly a range of 770 miles and stay in the air for up to 40 hours, cruising at altitudes over 25,000 feet. Its top speed is 135 mph which is powered by a 115 horse powered Rotax engine. With a payload of 450 pounds, most of the equipment include: infrared tv cameras, and a ground-scanning Synthetic Aperature Radar. A variant was also produced to pro vide a more combat-centered role. This variant is armed with a pair of AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided, anti-armor missiles. Another variant called the MQ-9 Reaper is their latest incarnation of combat drones. The MQ-9 Reaper is much larger and also capable of autonomous flight operations. It is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-edurance missions. The Predator can be disassembled into 6 main components and loaded into a container which makes it rapidly deployable. Included in the Predator package is a 20ft satellite dish and other supported equipment. The satellite dish provides a link to communicate with the operators at a distant remote location. The ground station houses the multiple support staff from pilots to sensor operators. The remote link could be as far as 5000 miles away, which makes the predator a system rather than an aircraft. The advantage of using such a system is that it has all the advantages of a traditional reconnaissance sortie without ever exposing the pilot to a hostile environment. Combat Record Currently the US Air Force has over 190 MQ-1 Predators and over 25 MQ-9 Reapers in operation. Over 250 missiles have been fired in Iraq and Afghanistan alone since 2008. An estimated 70 Predators have been lost due to weather, equipment failure, operator error and an additional 4 have been shot down. With over 1 million flight hours, the Predator has maintained a 90 percent mission capable rate. With no US casualties related to operating a drone, this proves advantageous in combat operations. The Predator drone first took flight over the Balkans. It provided reconnaissance during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Then in 2000, the CIA and the Pentagon joined forces to locate Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. The first flights over Afghanistan were more of an observatory role which provided intelligence for the locations of suspected terrorists. It wasnt until the September 11 attacks that the US started to seriously consider arming the Predator with weapons for combat purposes. After successful testing of the newly armed Predators, the US found more missions for the Predator to perform and more are used today in multiple combat zones. With its newfound role as a combat drone, the US began to deploy the Predator on missions to Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, and other middle-eastern countries in which suspected terrorists are expected to be in hiding. During missions in Iraq, several Predator drones encountered Iraqi MiG-25s and participated in the first air to air combat between a drone and a piloted fighter aircraft. In fact, the US stripped multiple Predator drones of its sophisticated weapons and sensory systems and used them as decoys in the sky to entice Iraqi air defenses to expose themselves by firing. The most recent account of a Predator being used to kill high-profile terrorists was during an operation to apprehend deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Since then, several Predators have returned to Libya in support of the Benghazi attacks. Civilian Casualties Despite its combat effectiveness against suspected terrorists, reports suggest that far more civilians have been killed by US drone attacks than US officials have acknowledged. A new study by Stanford University and New York University contends that CIA targeted killings arent making America any safer and instead has turned the Countries that these drones have ravaged against the US. The study calls for the Obama administration to be more transparent and accountable for its actions, and to prove compliance with international law. One instance in dispute involving civilian casualties occurred during a drone attack on March 17, 2011. An estimated 42 people were killed during a Jirga, a meeting of elders. According to reports, most of those killed were civilians with only 4 known members of the Taliban in attendance. The disparity of civilian deaths to militant deaths calls to question the legal basis for targeted killings by drones and the criteria in which an authorized strike is recommended against armed men who fit the profile of militants. The study says that the drone attacks violate international law because the government has no proof that the targets are direct threats to the United States. The following graph displays the reported fatalities resulting from US drone strikes conducted in Pakistan. As you can see from the graph, fatalities have risen significantly since 2004. The dramatic rise in fatalities correlates to the frequency of use. Not only has President Obamas administration embraced the CIAs campaign of Predator drone strikes in Pakistan that began under President Bush in 2004. It has also continued an acceleration of the campaign that began in July 2008 during the last year of President Bushs tenure (Woodward 2010: 25). There is also evidence that the range of persons being targeted has expanded. In particular, it has been widely reported that late in the Bush administration, the CIA received permission to broaden the scope of targeting from an exclusive focus on high-value al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban targets to include low level fighters whose identities may not be known and that this broadened scope has gradually come to include the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) or Pakistani Taliban (Kilcullen, Exum, Fick and Humayun 2009: 18; Mayer 2009; Entous 2010). More and more pressure has been added by the international community to stop these drone attacks, but top US officials have defended its use. A top US counter-terrorism official cited the benefits of its uses. Such benefits include reduced danger to US pilots and limited US military involvement overseas. Legality There were reports from the Wall Street Journal that revealed the Bush Administrations and CIAs plan to set up hit squads to capture and kill Taliban and Al Qaeda militants around the world. The anger from the public grew even more when the Times reported that the CIA planned to carry out these hits by employing the controversial private contractor formerly known as Blackwater. Members from both the House and Senate intelligence committees claim that these plans were hidden from them and demanded a thorough investigation of the programs created to carry out those hits. Although the program was never fully operational, many legal experts contend that if they were, it would have violated President Gerald R. Fords 1976 executive order in which it bans American intelligence forces from engaging in assassinations. Although the targeted-killing program was never fully implemented, many consider the Predator program to be an extension of its intended creation. It so happens, that the Predator program also uses private contractors for maintaining the drones, equipping it with Hellfire missiles, and also flying it. There are currently 2 drone programs in which the US government runs. There is the military version, for which it is publicly acknowledged and operates in recognized war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The military version is considered to be an extension of conventional warfare. Then there is the CIAs version, which aims at killing suspected terrorists around the world, including in countries where US troops are not present. The latter is covert and not much information is provided to the public about how it chooses its targets, where the operations are conducted, or how many people have been thought to have been killed. The international community condemns these targeted killings and suggested that these attacks would encourage other countries to disregard long-established human rights standards. Some even suggested that these drone strikes may even constitute war crimes. Powerful countries such as China, Russia and other countries have publicly criticized the US drone attacks. The concern is mostly about the use of drones outside of recognized war zones and the secretive nature of such operations. Aside from the lawful use of drone attacks in which it is involved in armed conflict, some consider the secondary attacks on rescuers who are helping the injured after the initial drone attacks, those further attacks are suggested to be war crimes. Ethical Concerns One of the main concerns about using the Predator drone, despite its exemplary combat record, is that drones could lead us down the road to building fully autonomous weapons systems; machines that can make their own lethal decisions on the battlefield. Its hard to distinguish which weapon system is considered autonomous, so for the purpose of making a quick distinction, I will refer to any weapon that makes a decision to launch a lethal attack as fully autonomous. So, a heat-seeking Hellfire missile that follows a target would not be autonomous because a human entity made the decision to push the button to launch it, but a Predator drone programmed so as to make the decision for itself to fire on a specific target of its own accord would be. So as long as the human element is present for each particular lethal decision, it would not be considered autonomous. Many consider autonomous drones to be morally impermissible and are afraid that the move to make current drones autonomous is j ust around the corner. Another concern pertains to the drones decreased ability to discriminate combatants from noncombatants. The concern stems from the trust-worthiness of intelligence and also from the ability to discern different people from a video feed in which the operator is literally thousands of miles away from the battlefield. The examples given before in which the toll of civilian deaths were reported to be significantly larger than the combatant deaths attest to this concern. Some are worried that the use of drones leads to psychological conflicts for their operators. A drone operator would go home or to a PTA meeting after a hard days work of killing suspected terrorists from the comforts of his work desk. Some argue that this places unjust psychological burden on them and causes cognitive dissonance in the mindset of the warrior. An even greater concern is that drone operators would treat warfare as if it were a video game; as a result from the cognitive dissonance which will weaken a warriors will to fight. This could ultimately lead to mental problems or even PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) which would likely affect the operators decision-making on the battlefield. Another criticism is that drones create unjust asymmetry in combat. The objection follows: The use of technologically superior weapons such as drones by one force against another force that does not have the means to attain similar technology crosses an asymmetry threshold that makes the combat inherently ignoble. Its considered to be morally impermissible to pit two opposing sides against each other whose combat abilities differ greatly. Imagine pitting a lion against a dog. The same principle applies when you consider jus in bello (Laws of war). This position is usually held because in such circumstances one side literally does not take any life-or death risks whatsoever (or nearly so, since its warfighters are not even present in the primary theater of combat) whereas the opposing side carries all the risk of combat. (Stawser, 2010) A Moral Case for Drones There are many advocates for the continued use of drones. Some argue that the US is not only entitled but morally obliged to use drones. Considering all the advantages, there is really no downside to using them. Drones are merely an extension of a long historical trajectory of removing a warrior ever farther from his foe for the warriors better protection. (Strawser, 2010) Predator drones have been credited with the removal of top Al Qaeda and Taliban members, the most recent being Al Qaedas No. 3, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid. Stopping these influential terrorist leaders proved to be valuable in stopping large scale terrorists plots aimed at destroying or even devastating US cities and their allies. Conclusion Its only a matter of time when drones will rule the sky. Not only are drones being used in the combat zone, assassination plots, or just surveillance, there are plans in the future for them to roam in the sky of our own US cities. Plans to make drones an extension of law enforcement are inevitable. Before that happens, we have to be responsible citizens and look deep into the ethical problems that they provide and not be blinded by its technological superiority. As the drone attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere have demonstrated, we now have the ultimate in push button warfare. There is always an advantage to having military superiority over your enemies. However, I think its important that we not fall into the trap of thinking that just because our slingshot has a greater range than the other guys, we are morally justified in using it in every case. Military superiority brings with it a moral responsibility not to use the superior weapons we possess merely because we possess them.  (Vincent, 2009)

Friday, January 17, 2020

Second Shift

A Woman’s Work Is Never Done Traditionally men worked and brought home the bacon while women stayed home and took care of the children and the home. This changed when the new liberated independent women became driven towards acquiring a career, caring for the children and balancing domestic work. Thus women started to complain about being exhausted from working, multi-tasking, and solely taking care of the house-hold, while their husbands worked and bring forth a paycheck and think that is efficient enough and his job is pretty much done. ’I definitely concur with The Second Shift because this essay most women can really relate to, including me. It filters the contribution of what the husband brings to the house-hold versus the woman. It makes me ponder about why our husbands are letting us become husbands†. The author, Ariel Hochschild demonstrates keen examples and stated factual research from her findings on the percentages of husbands that said they should hel p out around the house and the ones that actually did, and furious Wives who not only had to work an eight hour shift; but also took care of the house-hold duties and tended to the children.From the author’s eight year research she concluded that failed marriages were not due to alcohol, physical and or mental abuse, infidelity, or financial problems, but due to the lack of domestic assistance from the husband. Men say that they want a woman to build with but why is she building alone while he frolics in the sun. If wives work a nine to five just like their husbands then the husband should be just as domesticated as his wife. Times have changed and women are not succumbing to the position of home maker anymore. Now a day’s women are solid with a take charge personality; which most men are fancy of.But even the most resilient woman can crumble after a hard day of work and then to come home to a husband watching sports while she has to cook, clean, tend to the kids, groc ery shopping, schools visits, do the laundry, maintain doctor’s appointment and still have a whooping sexual appetite at the end of the night is just out right preposterous. Every house-hold, family, and situation is different; therefore if both partners work then both partners should come to a mutual understanding based on each other’s schedule and split the domestic work evenly.A wife working is of great assistance to her husband financially, so like the old saying goes I scratch your back and you scratch mine. The husbands pay bills in the home and guess what, so goes the wife. They both occupy the same house, so why is the wife doing all the domestic work by herself? By all means the husband should help out in the house a lot more, but let us take a walk down the American road for a second to decipher what could possibly help this problem.If America were concerned with the hindrance that the broken home poses on its citizens the government would offer a helping han d to families, As far as funding programs to offer low costing or free child care, offer family assistance to families that make a little bit above the poverty margin, offer in home cleaning for families with more than one child or any assistance that could alleviate the stress on the woman financially, mentally and physically; While bringing the family structure together and keeping it that way.Who would turn this proposal down if it were given? This help would lead to wives spending more quality time with the kids and the husband. Families could do what they should do; enjoy and spend time together with mom not worrying about what elbow grease is ahead of her. A non-frazzled woman equals a euphoric home. Switzerland government offers a system very close to this, even in England and Canada health care is free, and these countries are not as rich and advanced as America. â€Å"In my opinion America will only help out if you are literally a bum on the street†.If families make more than the marginal poverty line annually then forget about it. America could take a lesson or two from these countries. This sociological and economical methodology could move society on a whole towards a better functionality. Hence this kind of help is like a domino effect in that it would not only help out families, but there will be an extensive percentage drop in divorces, mental illness, teen crimes, parent absence, child neglect and single mothers raising children.In essence, having a family and a beautiful home is a gift from god and should not be classified as the Second Shift; therefore the husbands should step up and assist their wives around the house daily so she does not have to feel this way. He too should have an idea of what it is like to arrive home from work and still have to work. He should have a very vivid idea of what it is like to work all day without any sleep prior to the night before, pick up each child from daycare, cook, clean, shopping and tend to th e kids etc. And let us see how he holds up.This domestic conflict between husbands and wives has been going on years now, and based on Ms. Hochscild’s studies from 1960s to the 1970s women worked fifteen more hours each week than men. Over a year women worked an extra month of twenty four hour days. Over a dozen years, it was an extra year of twenty four hour days. â€Å"Can you believe this? , Women working more hours than men†. Woman I have to credit you because you are so strong, for centuries you bore the struggles of society/mankind in your womb and now you have placed it on your backs.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Meaning Behind Seeing By Raymond Carver - 1767 Words

The Meaning Behind Seeing In the short story â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver, there is a very insightful message spoken about the true definitions between having sight and being able to see. The story focuses on three characters, and they each have emotions connected to one another, whether it be trust, jealousy or compassion. These characters include a blind man named Robert, the narrator who is unnamed in the story, and his wife who also does not receive a name for the story line. Each of these characters have been through a series of obstacles which are clearly stated in the short story. Some of the difficulties, however, need to be interpreted in-between the lines, such as the narrator’s alcoholism issues and marital problems with the narrator and his wife. Quite a few of the difficulties the characters come across in â€Å"Cathedral†, were based off of the painful life Carver lived. When Carver was asked if his life moments were inspiration for his collec tion of stories his answer was, â€Å"None of my stories really happened, of course†¦ but there’s always something, some element, something said to me or that I witnessed, that may be a starting place† (Caldwell n.pg. 17). From â€Å"Cathedral† the audience can become aware that â€Å"†¦Carver weaves into Cathedral a narrative of alcoholism, from addiction and alienation to bitter self-awareness and then, sometimes, a legitimate hope of recovery (Messer n.pg. 4).† This meaning, Carver wrote â€Å"Cathedral† to be a positive story about how aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral 1340 Words   |  6 PagesRaymond Carver’s characters were considered to be very much like him: â€Å"’on the edge: of poverty, alcoholic self-destruction, loneliness† (Mays 32). His short story â€Å"Cathedral† is about a young couple, who have a visitor coming to stay with them. This visitor, Robert, is the wifeâ⠂¬â„¢s friend, and he is blind. The narrator, the husband, has never met someone who is blind, was bothered by that. To him, being blind meant constantly needing help from others. His depiction of blindness was what he has seenRead MorePersuasive Essay804 Words   |  4 PagesPersuasive Essay In 1983, Raymond Carver introduced his short story â€Å"Cathedral† to the public. The first-person narrative takes place within the narrator’s home, where his wife is waiting upon the arrival of her blind friend Robert. The narrator, however, becomes more concerned about how Robert’s visit will affect him rather than enjoy the situation. Once Robert arrives, the narrator tries to understand the blind man, but he is unaware of what tasks Robert is capable of performing due to the narrator’sRead MoreThe History of Art at Iowa State University Essay776 Words   |  4 Pagesworks of public art (George Washington Carver). The foundation of the contemporary Art on Campus Collection and Program began during the Depression in the 1930s, when Iowa States President Hughes envisioned that, The arts would enrich and provide substantial intellectual exploration into our college curricula† (George Washington Carver). Who doesn’t love art? Every day you wake up and experience some sort of artwork; whether it’s a sculpture or just seeing something made so wonderful. WalkingRead MoreAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral1524 Words   |  7 PagesAs if someone has unlocked his prison cell to liberate him of his stereotypical point of view. The protagonist of Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† was an individual whose stagnant mind has blind him from truly seeing the aspects and characteristics of people around him. Before meeting his wife’s blind friend whose name is Robert, the protagonist perceives reality with a stereotypical mind-set shaped by misleading information from movies. Hence, he make judgement about other people without ever settingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Carver Essay1867 Words   |  8 Pageshas an author behind it now how yo u interpret that’s up to you, but some authors have a completely different interpretation of their writing. Some authors hide deep meaning behind their writings that can be difficult to catch. Authors will use symbolism to tell a different story. A period of their life could affect the way they write and you can see that as a reader if you pick apart the story. Raymond Carver is a great example on how a period in his life affected his writing. Carver was going downRead MoreAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s The Yellow Wallpaper1624 Words   |  7 PagesRaymond Carver’s Cathedral tells the story of a husband whose wife’s blind friend comes to spend the night. The husband and the blind man spend quality time together by watching historical programs about cathedrals on television. Since the blind man cannot see the cathedrals that the program discusses, the husband attempts to describe them to him. The husband fails to describe the cathedral to the blind man in an affec tive manner. Throughout the story, the husband goes on a journey to understandingRead MoreThe Cathedral By Raymond Carver1758 Words   |  8 PagesIn almost every story there is a meaning, whether that meaning is obvious or not is up to the readers’ interpretations. In some stories, that meaning hides behind a character, how that person acts, thinks, or express themselves and how they change throughout resembling growth. In Raymond Carver’s â€Å"The Cathedral†, the unnamed husband narrators the tale of his wife’s old blind friend Robert coming to visit after not seeing each other for years. They had remained in contact through audiotapes, but theRead MorePlato s Allegory Of Cave1979 Words   |  8 PagesFirst and foremost, allegorical writing is a type of writing that has two sets of meanings, one which can be assumed as literal and the other one is allegorical. Although this piece was written long before my time, the underlying message it intends to c onvey is still relevant today. Our society is trapped in a cave. To begin with, the literal meaning is the content or subject matter, whereas, the allegorical meaning is one which can only be understood by developing a greater sense of understandingRead MoreEssay on Cathedral by Raymond Carver1290 Words   |  6 PagesThe story of Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, shows that you do not have to see someone or something in order to appreciate them for who or what they are. It is about a husband, the narrator, and his wife who live in a house. The wife, whose name they do not mention, has a very close friend who is blind. His name is Robert. Roberts wife dies, and comes to their house to spend a couple of days with the narrator and his wife. The narrator, whose name they do not mention as well, is always on edge becauseRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado, By Edgar Allan Poe1776 Words   |  8 PagesIn comparison, â€Å"Cathedral† exposes Christian principles shown in the beginning through the title and the symbolism behind the characters descriptio n. On the other hand, â€Å"El Tonto del Barrio† unveils the principles of Christianity via the theme of greed. Thus, all of the three short stories have a deeper meaning directed towards a religious audience that can capture the symbolism behind the story. As a writer of mysterious and gruesome tales, Edgar Allan Poe incorporated in his literature his understanding

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

The American General Election Cycle - 921 Words

With the American general election cycle in full swing, one of the fundamental issues in play is the role of government. What is the place of Government? What should elected officials be doing? Do they simply protect personal liberties, or do they also establish safeguards and guidelines for various economic activities? Ask any two people and you’ll likely receive two different answers, so nuanced and complex is the issue. Policy can give incentives to business to act a certain way both domestically and abroad. Tax incentives in one region may cause a corporate to relocate (this happened to one of my favorite guitar manufacturers recently, as they moved production from Canada to California!). A central bank’s tweak in monetary policy to shift the cost of lending could ultimately move interest rates for consumers looking to take out mortgages or automobile loans. As we witnessed in 2008, the housing market is of international concern and a large central bank wields enorm ous power. While we like to call the Western economy a â€Å"free market,† there exists a multitude of government policies that impact the freedoms and movements of the economy, for better or for worse. I will present two specific examples of government economic intervention for your consideration, one that has helps economic activity and another that hurts it. In the early 20th century, a heated Presidential race was underway between Taft, Wilson, and Roosevelt. An important issue in this particular election wasShow MoreRelatedNeed For Money Essay1188 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom watchdog organizations, as well as the American public. Many fear that the ability to raise and spend large amounts of money is abused, and put towards a more duplicitous effort of earning influence over votes from policy makers. The large price tag on elections deters substantial reform from taking place, and the issue is likely to persist for many years unless major legislation is passed. Campaigns and Finance: The Need for Money Election cycles in the United States are among some of the longestRead MoreThe President Of The United States Essay1682 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout United States history, the American people voted for the President of the U.S. and for members of both chambers of Congress, and the 2016 election is not an exception. On November 9th, Donald J. Trump was declared to become the 45th President of the United States by attaining 306 electoral votes, which is clearly past the threshold of the required 270 electoral votes. However, after winning the popular vote in states Trump had won, some electors from those states have expressed their disappointmentRead MoreBarack Obama s Presidential Election Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesAfter a grueling long primary for both major parties, the Republican and Democratic Parties, Hillary Clinton emerged as the favorite-to-win the 2016 election, and several magazines stating before Election Day that Clinton had already won. On November 8th, Newswee k released â€Å"125,000 copies† of magazines with the title of â€Å"Madam President: Hillary Clinton’s historic journey to the White House† (Greenslade). During the Democratic Primaries, Hillary Clinton’s campaign had already decided on Tim KaineRead MoreBarack Obama s Presidential Election Essay1592 Words   |  7 PagesAfter a gruelling long primary for both major parties, the Republican and Democratic Parties, Hillary Clinton emerged as the favorite-to-win the 2016 election, and several magazines stating before Election Day that Clinton had already won. On November 8th, Newsweek released â€Å"125,000 copies† of magazines with the title of â€Å"Madam President: Hillary Clinton’s historic journey to the White House† (Greenslade). During the Democratic Primaries, Hillary Clinton’s campaign had already decided on Tim KaineRead MorePresidential Election Of United States1497 Words   |  6 Pages Name Due date Word count: 1596 Presidential Elections Introduction The presidential elections of United States of America take an indirect form where citizens of the U.S who are registered as voters in one of the states in U.S which are usually 50 states, or the District of Columbia, cast ballots for Electoral College members, referred to as electors. These electors then in turn cast direct votes known as electoral votes in their respective state capitals for president and vice president positionsRead MoreThe United States Election Process Essay1121 Words   |  5 Pages The United States Election Process With the 2016 presidential election on its way, with two of the most polarizing candidates ever. And one who shared that if he loses then the â€Å"System is rigged†. With Congressional approval rating at 17%, politics in the U.S appears rotten. Which is what the freackanomics episode I listened to, â€Å"10 ways to make politics less rotten† was about. But how may know how the U.S election cycle actually works? The process can be quite complicated and confusing at timesRead MoreWhy Is Voter Turnout Low in Us1087 Words   |  5 PagesStates Voter Turn-out so Low Question 4)   What are some explanations for why voter turnout is so low in the U.S. compared to other wealthy, literate and democratic countries? INTRODUCTION Voter turnout is the rate by which people vote in elections. The simplest way to calculate a given elections turnout rate is to compare the actual number of voters with the voting-age population. â€Å"Voter turnout in the United States is among the worlds’ lowest.† (E.S. 371) The graph below taken from an articleRead MorePolitical Analysis Of The First Congressional District Of Louisiana1280 Words   |  6 Pageseconomic interests follow that of many conservatives. In the 2016 General Election, Louisiana went to the current President, Donald Trump. In this district, the median income a year for people is $50,954. Also, the area of this district is 86.02% urban and 13.98% rural. This district is comprised of 48.9% males and 51.1% females. The race percentages in this district are as follows: 80.3% white, 12.7% Black, 1.9% Asian, and 1.2% Native American. So, the First Congressional District of Louisiana is a veryRead MoreDemocracy932 Words   |  4 Pagespolitical party [general groups of people with similar political views (Harrison, p. 194)], weeding out the lesser known candidates. This cycle causes the general population to lose political efficacy [citizen’s belief that they can change their government (Harrison, 6)] creates a general mentality that individuals and small organizations cannot change the government, and leads to an overall lack of interest and political knowledge. Statistics and research show that this is a cycle that repeats itselfRead MorePresident : How A President Should Wield Their Power1341 Wo rds   |  6 PagesHow a President Should Wield their Power Arguably the most powerful position in the world, the President holds unprecedented international influence, and in such a connected and constantly evolving world, subtle missteps carry great weight. With elections looming over the horizon for most in the Oval Office, the public’s perception of the Commander-in-Chief is critical. The presidents of the future should understand what power they possess and how to wield it. And albeit an oversimplification of