Dangers of the War on Terrorism
The President of the United State has used the phrases “War on Poverty”, “War on Drugs”, War on Illiteracy”, and the “War on Hunger,” when describing the problems Americans are facing. The term ‘war’ is used metaphorically to signify our willingness to devote vast resources, and immense amounts of time to a specified problem. No one seems to have a problem with these phrases as they do not signify our determination to die for the cause.
The Civil War, World War II, and even the Vietnam War or Conflict designates our determination to give the lives of soldiers and spill the blood of the enemy to maintain our freedom. These “real” wars are fought under different set of rules, governing everything from Presidential Powers to civil rights of our citizens. Everyone gets concerned and has an opinion when the term ‘war’ is used in this manner.
“War on Terrorism” would first seem to be used in the metaphorical sense to define our determination to stop terrorism, but out efforts and definitions have made this a “real” war. We have paid with the lives of many soldiers and continue to pay with blood daily. There does not appear to be an end. The use of the word war in the case of terrorism creates numerous dangers.
It is not my intention to end the “War on Terrorism”, or even end the use of the phrase. I believe everyone should be aware of the potential problems and concerns brought about by the War. The “War on Terrorism”, does not have a limit of enemies, a location, or a way to end. Many people are ready to sacrifice their personal freedoms in an act of patriotism to help us win the war. These concerns are the greatest potential for danger with this war.
In a speech to Congress...
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...how the U.S. government got wind of his alleged offer to supply military information to the terrorists. Maybe we as Americans are being robbed of our individual liberties and freedoms by the auspices of national security. Instances of such are beginning to take place more often. American citizens are being arrested on alleged information. “We’ve passed a new antiterrorism law which gives our law enforcement officers the necessary tools to track terrorists before they harm Americans. A new terrorism task force is tightening immigration control to make sure no one enters or stays in our country who would harm us.” How is this possible without breeching the individual freedoms of American citizens. Do you really want to live in a society where your every move is analyzed and your actions monitored? America is heading down that path of Big Brother, is it worth it?
While other soldiers were buried after they fell in battle on the ground the gunner in the turret was instead washed out with a hose. “When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.” vividly puts the idea in the reader’s face that there was no dignity or honor in his death. The irony in the poem is that the gunner was fighting for a grand cause in a massively important conflict yet the man died in a horrible and repulsive way. Ultimately The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner was a poem more about reflection and thought than about answers. It sought to cope with tragedy by talking about it rather than rationalizing
The effect of the repetition of the sentence “America is a gun” throughout this poem emphasizes the speaker's point of view of what image best represents America. It stresses that America is best represented with a violent and threatening object. Guns are detrimental weapons. Therefore, calling a country “a gun” is an insult. Thus, the repetition of the sentence “America is a gun” plays an essential role in conveying the author’s theme that the default of the united states is the lack of regulation of firearms.
"We are told by his biographers, and apologists, that he hated slavery with a passion. But since he participated fully in the plantation slavery system, buying and selling slaves on occasion, and because he could not bring himself to free his own slaves, who often numbered upward of 200-250 on his plantations, one has to either question the verity of this passion or speculate that it was merely the abstract idea of slavery that he hated." (Smedley 189) Thomas Jefferson was always aware of the fact that slavery would soon one day be abolished but he made no efforts during his lifetime to accelerate the process. Jefferson was a wealthy plantation owner and politician that would speak out about slavery on a regular basis but would still employ slaves for his own use.
Scourging the countryside for this evening’s meal or simply keeping wary of impending danger, one often felt naked without a trustworthy gun at their side. A firearm often made one feel invincible, for the power of a bullet could protect the weakest and cowardly from even the strongest and fiercest of animals and people. In it’s use it proved to be an action that spoke louder than words, many a quarrel has been put to rest through this instrument, whose music is often not one of good cheer.
Clearly, he had distinctly different thoughts on slavery, or so it would seem. in order to support his aristocratic lifestyle, he needed slaves to perform a variety of actions in and around the Monticello plantation. These actions of owning slaves seemed to have conflicted with what he told the public, though perhaps he was simply trying to please the mental image people of the North had of him by telling them he thought slavery should be removed from society. Many in the North half of America viewed slavery as wrong and inappropriate, while many in South half believed slavery was a necessity to the economic success of America. Deciphering what Jefferson truly believed about slavery can be difficult due to the fact that he owned slaves throughout his life. People sometimes wonder whether he was trying to please the populous, or if he honestly thought slavery was wrong and needed to be
Jefferson’s agricultural viewpoint was vastly different from Hamilton’s manufacturing perspective. Though they both envisioned a great and prosperous nation, they had contrasting opinions on how this should occur. Hamilton, a Federalist, believed the rich and powerful should be the central government for all people, as they knew better how to foster and protect the em...
He wrote many times that salve ownership was directly against one’s personal and God given freedoms and liberties. On the contrary, he owned slaves and quite a few at that. Naturally, people are quick to label Mr. Jefferson a hypocrite because of this. But once you look deeper into Jefferson’s situation and his life you see some complications he would quickly run into if he were to release his slaves. During his lifetime, Jefferson was in a lot of debt and his slaves were his property. So his slaves acted as collateral to his debt. If he was to release his slaves then he would have run into some pretty heavy financial problems. I think that Jefferson had a big realization about deserved freedom for all humans but by the time he realized all of this it was too late. He already had an established life and if were to give it all up because of his realizations he would have been ruining his own life. He knew that he couldn’t do that to himself or his family. I don’t think we can stamp hypocrisy onto Mr. Jefferson. His heart was in the right place I think he might have just been too scared to completely give up his life for his beliefs because he knew what the consequences would
Thomas Jefferson was at the center of American history for more than half a century. He was a man of many talents, he was the author of the Declaration of Independence, and he was the third President of the United States.
In this paper, I will attempt to make Gunn’s voice heard according to how I interpret the poem, and by doing so I hope to show how relevant this poem was to the decade it was written in, the 1980’s. I also will explore some other possibilities of how this may have related to or affected Gunn directly. In other words, what factors may have been responsible for his writing this poem.
Jefferson was born to a prominent family of Virginia tobacco growers. Plantation life is based largely around the work of slaves, so Jefferson was surrounded by them from the time of his birth in 1743 until the day he died. One of the harshest criticisms of Jefferson comes from the fact that, while he vehemently opposed slavery, was indeed a slave owner himself. As historian Douglas L. Wilson points out in his Atlantic
Ethics can be defined as "the conscious reflection on our moral beliefs with the aim of improving, extending or refining those beliefs in some way." (Dodds, Lecture 2) Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism are two theories that attempt to answer the ethical nature of human beings. This paper will attempt to explain how and why Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism differ as well as discuss why I believe Kant's theory provides a more plausible account of ethics.
In Dickinson’s “MyLife Had Stood—A Loaded Gun”, was viewed literally, thinking the poem was regarding a gun and its owner. After reading the poem over and over again the reader picks up on the emotions the writer portrays. Dickinson’s poetry carries deep emotion with her personal life and views. She uses the gun to speak out everything masculine: “Loaded Gun” (1) cruel not pleasant, “hunt the Doe” (6) kills not...
Macbeth shows how greed and ambition can bring down a person as well as others and how the changes of power occur because of loyalty and betrayal. Macbeth is the play’s main unhappy character. The play tells of Macbeth's greedy thirst for power is a dangerous trait.
“Here bullet” is a poem by Brian Turner in which the persona is struggling to coup with the situation in which he finds himself. In this poem the persona is able to establish the low point in which they have reached with lines such as “If a body is what you want, / Then here is bone and gristle and flesh.” (LL 1-2). This line establishes right from the onset of the poem that the persona is at wits in. The poem could leave a first time reader of it wondering how the persona reached this point. This point in which the persona is fantasying about death with lines like “Here is where I complete the word you bring/ Hissing through the air, here is where I moan” (LL 10-11).
The vigorous desire to achieve and willingly attain something holds the capability to greatly affect one's life. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth establishes the immense effect and influence of ambition. After gaining power over his country Scotland, the protagonist, Macbeth, experiences an internal downfall as he battles between his wants and moral judgement. He struggles to maintain stable relationships with others as his selfish desires and goals hurt those around him when achieved. In addition to clashing with himself and others, he is seen as a tyrant leader and is slowly turned against by Scotland's nation as well as England. Shakespeare's play Macbeth provides the reader with a clear understanding of ambition's corrupting power in Shakespeare's tragic character Macbeth, through his inner conflicts, struggle to maintain stable relationships with those surrounding him, and clash with society.