Blog #10 - Alabama City Embraces HB2

Recently, North Carolina passed HB2, a law that states that transgender people must use the bathroom assigned to their biological sex. Reactions have varied throughout the nation. One of the most profound replies to the bill being passed is famous musicians cancelling concerts in North Carolina in protest. Other than this, a city called Oxford in Alabama has taken action and modeled the Tar heel state. They issued an ordinance stating, “single sex public facilities are places of increased vulnerability and present the potential for crimes against individuals utilizing those facilities which may include, but not limited to, voyeurism, exhibitionism, molestation and assault and battery.” The Oxford City Council passed this ordinance right after Target announced they would let transgender employees and customers use the bathrooms they feel comfortable with. Alabama wanted to be heard and they achieved just that. This law isn't lenient, either. Violating it could cause 6 months in jail or a whopping $500 fine. Outraged at these new rules, the Human Rights Campaign spoke out saying, "This anti-transgender law is unprecedented in its establishment of criminal penalties for violations of the law, and raises a myriad of privacy and legal concerns, including questions about how the law will be enforced." Despite varying opinions, HB2 is making its mark on America.

In my opinion, I think HB2 is just another restraint put on transgender people. A law made by people who don't know the struggles of being transgender can only lead to controversy in the name of misrepresentation. Who is going to speak up for transgenders in places like the deep south? No one. Personally, I think this bill is uncannily similar to disputes over abortion rights. Both sides have valid points, but ultimately, abortion and which bathroom to use are decisions of women and transgenders only. Why should we rely on congressmen and women to choose the fates of a demographic that is so vastly underrepresented in politics?

This relates to class because we recently talked about state rights. The 10th amendment speaks about state rights and federalism. Also, we talked about how a bill is created. First, a bill is drafted and a congressman or woman introduces it. Next, it is referred to committee (where most bills die) and it is marked up. Then, a date is set for the bill to be talked about in front of the house. Finally, both houses have to pass the bill and the President either vetoes or signs it.

Blog #9 - Obama Tries to Reconcile With Saudi Arabia

At a meeting in Riyadh with King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, President Obama tried to smooth over some rough patches that have risen over the past few years with the two countries. It isn't a secret that there has been some tension recently due to terrorist attacks, war, and many other dilemmas concerning both countries' well beings. White House officials tried to subdue the public and stress that progress was made between the two leaders, but former Saudi Intelligence Chief Prince Turki Al-Faisal said there needs to be a "re-calibration of our relationship with America." He also spoke about Saudi Arabia's reliance on America stating, "how far we can go with our dependence on America, how much can we rely on steadfastness from American leadership, what is it that makes for our joint benefits to come together, these are all things that need to be re-calibrated." America and Saudi Arabia have been allies for a long time (since 1933 to be exact), and it seems that their relationship isn't ending any time soon. Some compare the two countries to an unhappy marriage; they may not like each other at the moment, but ultimately it is beneficial for them to stay together. Conflicts are to be expected when you pair an ultraconservative monarchy like Saudi Arabia with a trail-blazing fireball like America. Divorce is not in sight for these lovers quite yet.

In my opinion, dealing with superpowers like Saudi Arabia is a slippery slope. Considering some American's hostility towards the middle eastern country, I'm surprised we're still allies at all. To me, our relationship resembles that of an excited dog (America) that keeps leaving messes everywhere and a patient mother (Saudi Arabia) that has a high tolerance for mistakes. With the recent turmoil in countries surrounding Saudi Arabia, agitations have just been exacerbated. Hopefully, all the fuss will die down and both countries can be at peace with one another.

This relates to class because we are learning about the roles of the President. In this case, President Obama is exercising his powers as the Chief Diplomat. Some of the powers that encompass being Chief Diplomat are appointing ambassadors, conducting international negotiations, establishing foreign policy, serving as a national spokesperson, and traveling abroad.

Blog #8 - The Fight for a Second Glance: Women's Rights

While President Obama spoke at the newly designated Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument on Capitol Hill, he mentioned the great fight for women's rights over time. "I want young girls and boys to come here 10, 20, a hundred years from now and know that women fought for equality; it was not just given to them," he said. It isn't a secret to anyone that women are outnumbered in significant places such as congress and almost any other political position. What President Obama mentioned at this opening was just a sliver of the tragedy and oppression that women have had to fight throughout history. The leader of our country didn't skim over this issue, though. He stated that soon, the gender barrier in the White House would be broken, and children would be surprised that there wasn't a female in office for this long. Vice President Joe Biden also spoke out about the shortage of females in politics saying, "This country's ready for a woman. There's no problem. We're going to be able to elect a woman in this country."

In my opinion, women are overlooked much too often. We are just as capable as any man at accomplishing tasks that are just as challenging. It does surprise me, though, that here hasn't been a woman in the White House yet. While this generation isn't perfect, I'd like to think that the thought of a female president is something that is far from taboo in today's society. But, I can't look at the political world through rose colored lenses. While I happen to support Bernie Sanders, I think seeing Hillary Clinton in office would be nothing short of monumental. It might give women everywhere the motivation to take on whatever path they choose in life, no matter what their male peers are telling them. 

This relates to class because we are talking about congress. Issues such as women's rights usually produce an attitudinal view in congressmen and women. An attitudinal view is when a member's ideology determines his/her vote. Also, Hillary Clinton is the former Speaker of the House, which is the position directly under the Vice President. The Speaker of the House leads the House of Representatives and is 3rd in line to the presidency. 

Blog #7 - Kesha's Plea for Help Continues

In 2014, famous singer Kesha filed a lawsuit against her producer, Lukasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke), for sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. The case is still going on. In February of 2016, it was decided in the Manhattan state Supreme Court that Kesha could not be released from her contract with Sony music, which meant that she would still have to deal with her rapist if she wanted to keep her career. Justice Shirley Werner Kornreich states that Kesha has "failed to plead that any of the alleged discrimination occurred in New York State or City," and that the court has no power over the claims. It was also noted that Kesha's claims failed to prove that Gottwald's actions were hate crimes. Despite all of these roadblocks, Kesha has filed an appeal in hopes of changing the court's mind. While Gottwald has tried to persecute Kesha in the New York Superior Court for defamation and breach of contract, the California Court has sided with the singer and persuaded her to file counterclaims alleging sexual harassment, gender-based violation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

While I cannot relate personally to Kesha in this instance, I think this issue is extremely important. Rape culture and sexism have blinded the elites of today's society and therefore caused unwarranted harm and distress to victims. The fact that the court system is not trying harder to aid Kesha in this time of sorrow is an unfortunate reflection of the disregard to rape victims and women's rights in modern American society. When I think of Kesha's situation, I think of the monsters I was scared of when I was younger. Whether they lived under my bed, or resided in my closet, I was scared to death of having to face them. Imagine having to go to work everyday with those monsters. Think of the fear and anxiety that ordeal would cause. That is exactly what I think Kesha is going through at this time. Unfortunately, sexual harassment cases are extremely hard to prove and, furthermore, to win. I can only hope that Kesha will rise above this nightmare and come out even stronger.

This issue relates to class because we are talking about the judiciary and civil rights. Sexual harassment is prohibited by the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but there are almost no federal laws concerning sexual harassment and the ones that do exist are "vague and inconsistent." In this case, Kesha is the plaintiff and Lucasz Gottwald is the defendant. If the case continues, it might even become a class action suit which is a case brought by someone to help him or her and all others who are similarly situated.

Blog #6 - Terrorism: A Numbing Epidemic

In modern society, hearing about the heartless killings happening all around the world is not an uncommon occurrence. Unfortunately, we've grown accustomed to these acts of terrorism and hatred. Although it is undeniable that there is a deep desire for a global community that can and will support their neighbors, that doesn't mean we have achieved that community. It seems brutal, but it is becoming more and more obvious that we only care about those near to us. For example, on November 13, 2015, Paris was attacked and 130 people were sadly killed. America and many other first world countries leapt to France's side almost instantly. This, of course, is very kind and generous. But, what many people don't know, is there has been at least 6 attacks in Turkey since the summer of 2015. The attacks in Ankara, Turkey, have been some of the most devastating, yet hardly anyone has shown any sympathy or tried to reach out a hand to those suffering across the globe. 

In my opinion, terrorism is something that is looked over much too often. I hate to think that our sympathy is not deep enough to feel for those everywhere, not just those who are convenient to us. Not only this, but I have noticed a common accusation directed towards Muslims or anyone of middle-eastern decent. People seem to think that all Muslims are responsible for the awful things happening around the world. This thought is so prominent that a young refugee in Greece felt like the recent attacks in Brussels were his fault. He wrote a sign saying, "Sorry for Brussels," and it somehow ended up getting onto social media for all to see. The fact that young children especially have been exposed to such a hatred for their culture is absolutely absurd to me. Terrorism has no religion. We spend too much time pointing fingers at others and not dealing with the problem at hand. What about the victims in Turkey? How can we help them? We need to think about how we can aid those in Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria, Syria, Yemen, and all the other overlooked countries. 

This relates to class because we are talking about civil liberties and civil rights. Racial discrimination like this is exactly what the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created for. We also spoke about the Patriot Act which increased federal powers to investigate terrorist activities. This act was used a lot recently to search for terrorists and find out their plans. 

Blog #5 - Trump Dividing Republican Party?

As Super Tuesday rolls around, citizens of the U.S. brace themselves to see who could possibly be the nominees for each party. It has been predicted that Republican front runner Donald Trump will dominate the competition with ease. Although the businessman has had a fairly easy time winning over the hearts of most Americans, politicians are starting to show some discomfort in the idea of Trump becoming President. A New York Republican, Peter King, thought Trump could potentially bring new voters into the Republican party. But, after a slew of controversial comments, King said, “he's going to put a scar on the party that we're not going to recover from for a long time." Others are worried about the unity of the party being destroyed by Trump. Sen. John Cornyn, No. 2 head of the GOP, said, “I think he certainly is a controversial figure -- I think we need someone who can unify the party, as opposed to divide the party." Now that the idea of Donald Trump becoming President isn’t just a proposal anymore, politicians are getting brutal wake up calls.

It is surprising to me that the general election is no more than 9 months away. Apparently, this realization has hit a lot of other people pretty abruptly. Now, politicians are starting to think about the candidates as colleagues and not just peers. This will definitely affect their opinions and therefore the public’s opinions as well. I think we might see a little shift in the polls/primaries in the next few weeks. It is kind of scary to think that the next few primaries will almost certainly decide who our presidential nominees are. I cannot say whether or not these shifts will be significant but there will most likely be some sort of change in the majority opinion.

This relates to class because we are discussing the roles of media in politics. In this scenario, the news has been playing the “watchdog” and keeping an eye on the front runners of the race like Donald Trump. Since there has been noticeable tension between politicians as the election progresses, popular news channels have also been playing the “agenda setter” and have been influencing what people think about Donald Trump by labeling him as a divider.

Blog #4 - Conservative Actions PAC Dominates Super Tuesday Airwaves

Super Tuesday, a day on which 11 states hold primaries, leads to a war over recognition for campaign advertisers. This day could be referred to as the super bowl for presidential campaigns. Republican candidate Marco Rubio’s super PAC, Conservative Solutions PAC, has been making their dominant presence known over the past few weeks. Rubio’s group has most prominently made their mark in rival Ted Cruz’s home state, Texas, spending $1.5 million in advertisements. While Marco has made remarkable progress in the advertisement aspect, Cruz has yet to spend any money on the Super Tuesday states.

PACs have been a controversial topic ever since Citizens United v. FEC. There have been arguments that they are totally corrupt, while others protest that giving money is an unalienable right given to American citizens under the First Amendment. In my opinion, giving money to a cause or, in this case, campaign that you support is something that should be protected. Although I cannot wrap my head around the fact that it would be considered a part of freedom of speech, I still believe it is important that people should be able to express support to anything they want. My only problem is the significance of money in politics. Unfortunately, money is the driving force of all campaigns, presidential or not. This means that PACs are something that could very well sway elections. When large amounts of money are given by corporations, we completely disregard the most important factor of elections. Democracy. Now the average American citizen (someone who usually doesn’t have millions of dollars to donate) no longer has as big of a voice as our Founding Fathers would’ve liked.

This relates to class because we just finished discussing campaign financing and PACs. After 1972, when the Watergate scandal exposed illegal donations to candidates, the Federal Campaign Reform Law was made. This law limited personal donations to $1,000 (although this was later raised to $2,000 by the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act). It also created the FEC which was later a part of a supreme court case on regulating PAC spending (FEC argued that PACs were corrupt).