Where have you been?

President Obama's State of the Union Address this week surprised a lot of Americans as discussed in the article "Obama: 'Tonight We Turn the Page'" (Link to article).  Beginning his speech, Obama started by saying that "the shadow of crisis has past, and the state of the union is strong."  He stated that new plans such as a tax on wealthy Americans is necessary to keep the economy growing, since our economy is growing significantly according to him.  He favors the middle-class and says "middle-class economics works."  Of course, he was met with opposing views from the Republican party, especially from Mitt Romney.  They see a "president in denial who hasn't learned anything from last year."  "He is more interested in politics rather than in leadership" (Romney).

Since I still have yet to watch the State of the Union, I cannot say how the president's speech was. From what I have read, I disagree with Obama.  The Union is not at its strongest point and we have a long way to go before we get there.  Our nation is still in crisis; civil rights activists and conflicts have damaged society and we cannot get any better if nobody steps up and helps, and I think Obama should have to do this to calm the black communities.  ISIS is also a scary thing that could impact our nation horribly in the near future.  So from what I have read, I disagree with Obama's 2015 State of the Union.

Rebellious Actions

The article "114th Congress Opens with Tea Party Rebellion, White House Fight" discusses the events of the kickoff of the new Congress (Link to article).  To start things off, John Boehner was elected for a third time to be Speaker of the House.  Surprisingly, there were 25 Republican members who opposed him, the most since "at least 1923."  In the Senate side, Mitch McConnell ascended to Majority Leader, and introduced a bill to approved the Keystone XL Pipeline.  Since this is the first time in the Obama era that the GOP has controlled Congress, Republicans are hoping they will be able to get things onto Obama's desk as to be either signed or vetoed.  The Pipeline was looking hopeful as it received some Democratic support, but it the president would not sign it as "it would bypass the State Department's ongoing evaluation of the project."

It's interesting to see what is going on in Congress as everyone gets situated.  I was quite surprised to see so many Republicans against Boehner.  Since I don't pay that much attention to the leaders' actions, I cannot take a specific stance on each situation.  I hope the Keystone Pipeline gets passed because it will give many Americans jobs and the possibility of a leak is significantly low.  As the 114th Congress continues, I am interested to see what will arise.

"Don't Do It Sally!"

On October 11th, a kindergarten girl was put on homicide and suicide watch for a reason that you won't want to believe.  In the article "Kindergartener Forced to Sign Anit-Suicide Contract After Pointing Crayon", a girl only identified as Elizabeth was placed on suicide and homicide watch after pointing a crayon at a fellow student saying, "Pew! Pew!"  She was then forced into signing a "safety contract" without her mother knowing.  The mother, Rebecca, did not agree with the policy.

I really don't know how to respond to this article.  The absurdity of the situation is so mind-blowing that I honestly can't believe how this could have happened.  Because of the actions that the teachers took, Elizabeth now knows what homicide and suicide is.  I think schools need to calm down on their security policies because all it is doing is scarring the kids for a long time.

ISIS isn't so Hospitable

The FBI has just warned the military that ISIS may attack the United States at home (link to article), and it's going to get ugly.  "FBI Warns Military of ISIS Threat" describes the situation at hand that could cause a lot of damage to the U.S.  The extremist group is looking for likeminded Americans who want to cause harm to homeland America.  The FBI is currently spotting and assessing individuals who may be connected to this contact and/or have the same intentions.  ISIS somehow has gotten a hold of some soldiers' addresses and personal information, which is deeply concerning to the FBI and intelligence.

This article scares me deeply.  I know that there are individuals in the U.S. who want to destroy our country, but this being so prevalent is frightening.  I'm glad that the FBI is already seeking these people who would try to possibly hurt our nation.  I hope that they find out how ISIS knows some of the soldiers' information because that is a breach in our national security.  With the increase of events, I will remain scared until it is resolved.

South Carolina Legalizes Gay Marriage

In the article "1st Gay Marriage Licenses Issused in South Carolina," Bruce Smith describes the situation that has evolved (Link to article).  Judge Irvin Condon issued six gay marriage lisences to couples within the first hour and a half the Charleston County Probate Court was open, and Colleen Condon and Nichols Bleckley exchanged vows.  South Carolina was not allowing the marriages to be legal until the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision for a different gay marriage case, but two counties had probate judges that allowed them to be done.

This event is reliant upon the Fourteenth Amendment because the U.S. has been "discriminitory" against gays.  Gay couples feel that they should be included in the equal protection clause, therefore their marriages should be legal.  I find this hard to accept.  I do not discriminate against gays, but I do not agree with gay marriages.  I don't think the marriages should be legal, but these couples feel otherwise.  This shows how the 14th amendment still affects our lives today.

Abortion and Pot: States Making Crucial Decisions

In the article "Voters pass wage hikes, legal pot; divide on Abortion," by Greg Toppo and Laura Mandaro, they describe the election intiatives that took place.  (Link to Article)
During the Senate elections this week,  voters on the ballot initiatives in 41 states were for the recreational use of marijuana and higher minimum wages.  In Florida, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed doctors to prescibe marijuana to those with chronic diseases for relief.  But Oregon passed an initiative that legalized the recreational use of marijuana, allowing citizens to possess 8 ounces of the drug and cultivate 4 plants.  In Colorado and North Dakota, voters rejected adding unborn babies to the list of criminal actions, fearing that it would lead a ban to legal abortion.  In Tennessee, however, there have been more restrictions added that will regulate and restrict abortion.

These results are somewhat concerning to me.  The increased use of marijuana is something I personally disagree with.  I feel that with more marijuana usage, pressure on other illicit drugs may possibly be lightened up, and our country will seriously falter.  The abortion issue in many states is also concerning.  As I take a Pro-Life stance, I feel that those states who are protecting the right to abortion do not realize what they are doing.  I am pleased with the amendment Tennessee passed, because they are headed in the right direction.

Rounds for Senate

In the article "GOP Pulling Cash form South Dakota Senate Race" (Link to Article), Manu Raju discusses how confident Republicans in Washington are withdrawing funds from the senate campaign in South Dakota.  Rounds has been the leader of the campaign ever since he "blasted Pressler and Weiland with hard-hitting ads."  Rounds initially resisted airing the ads, but resorted to them recently, and they took a tremendous effect on the largely conservative state.  The article does mention Weiland's concern of the attack on him and Pressler.  Weiland states the negativity of the ads are not good for anyone including Rounds.

This article shows the current campaigning methods candidates are using.  The republicans obviously feel that Rounds will win Senate for SD, and that is the reason behind their withdrawal of funds.  I agree with Weiland that the ad hominem against other candidates is honestly a bad representation of what he or she believes is okay.  Yes, I understand that in a close race, this may be one of the only options left, but the votes should not be based on a person's attack on another person just for the sake of it.  I am glad that Rounds did not take that option right away, and I am excited to see the outcome of this race!  Go Rounds!