War On Drugs

Growing up watching television, I saw my fair share of Cops shows.  The people who had their house raided or were pulled over tended to be minorities.  It wasn't until we watched the documentary in class that I realized the majority of drug users and dealers were white, but the media was showing minorities as the problem.  What other examples of racisim in the mainstream media?

The brain and how it creates conspiracy theories

I thought it would be interesting to share some psychology that could hint at why people believe in or create conspiracy theories, which I wasn't able to fit in my part of our wiki assignment.

A part of the brain called the amygdala has been connected to the processing of emotions, phobias, and in particular responses to fear. It "jump-starts" the rest of the brain to start analyzing its surroundings, in order to provide a suitable reason for why events are happening. Psychologists believe that it can explain why conspiracy theories exist, as the amygdala may be promoting the creation of these crazily detailed theories in order to explain tragic events such as 9/11.

Of course, are many other factors that can explain why conspiracy theories still exist in today's society, but this can provide one explanation.

Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/magazine/why-rational-people-buy-into-conspiracy-theories.html?_r=0
http://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/amygdala.htm

The Crucible : Connections to the McCarthy Era

In English class, we have been reading the play "The Crucible" written by Arthur Miller. It was written in the 50's and 60's, around the time of McCarthyism. The play itself is about the Salem Witch Trials, where hundreds were hung for being accused as witches. This really reminded me of how McCarthy accused other politicians and officials for being "soft on communism". This connection between the 17th  century and the 1950's was really cool for me to see. For those of you who have read the Crucible, what are some of the similarities between McCarthyism and the Salem Witch Trials?

9/11 to now: How we have changed

The decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped and reformed many facets of life in America. Some of these changes were temporary- an immediate response out of concern for our safety-whereas some proved to be more lasting transformations in American society. The American Lexicon, social or political terminology, was one of the major things that changed drastically in months and years after the attacks. Among the words and phrases that entered everyday language: Taliban, Ground Zero, Radicalism, Extremism, Anthrax, and the Axis of Evil. The usage of these terms dramatically increased and soon became a part of Americans' everyday lives. Not only was American terminology relatively affected, bringing in new words to be used in American culture, however, Air travel was distinctly one of these.

Perhaps the most immediate and obvious changes after the attacks took place in U.S. airports. Approximately two months after the attacks, congress federalized airport security by passing the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which created the Transportation Security Administration. Prior to 9/11, security had been handled by each airport, which outsourced to private security companies. The new TSA implemented procedures that included much more strict guidelines on passenger and luggage screening. Only ticketed passengers could go through security, and an ever changing array of machinery and procedures were introduced to scan for weapons and destructive items. As new threats were discovered after 9/11, including removing shoes and banning liquids. Airplanes themselves also underwent major overhauls: fortified cockpit doors were being generated, and first-class cabin curtains were dropped by airlines. Today, pilots can apply to be come a federal flight deck officer, allowing them to carry a loaded gun and act as a federal officer aboard the plane.

Despite the vast amount of airport and air travel security, today, some critics say some of the new measures are much too excessive and infringe on the rights of travelers, pointing to more invasive searches and examples of passengers being detained. Would you agree with the amount of change we have created in terms of security for our nation? Or would you agree with critics and say that it is too much? Is there a limit? Or do you think American security should not have any limits due to the effects of 9/11?

9/11 Conspiracy Theories

There are a lot of conspiracies on 9/11, but I found some that are interesting. The first one is that the government did it. This is basically what conspiracy theorist do, they question the government and blame them. They argue that there was no "stand down" order. What these Conspiracy Theorists don't understand it that a stand down order is an order from NORAD to scramble fighter jets. Because it was a hijacker situation and not a fighter jet, the order didn't happen until it was too late. Another is that the buildings didn't collapse, they were simply demolished. Another is the planes weren't planes at all, instead they were missiles. 

Post 9/11: Hate crime Trends-Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, and Jews in the U.S.

Anti Muslim

According to most recent reports released in May 2005 entitled anti muslim hate crimes rose by more than 50 percent between 2003-2004;while 93 anti muslim hate crimes were recorded in 2003, 141 hate crimes were recorded in 2004. The study proceeds to cite 1,552 cases of anti muslim occurrences including violence, discrimination, and even harassment. Approximately 225 of these cases involved religious discrimination, such as a city's opposition to a mosque. 196 cases involved discrimination in the workplace and 190 cases cited verbal harassment. The report hypothesizes that the increase in anti-Muslim sentiment can be attributed to websites and radio programs whose content propagates feelings of hate.

 State Demographics 

 According to the CAIR report, nearly 80% of anti-Muslim crime was committed in only 10 states. 20% of crimes were committed in California. Incidents occurring in California in 2004 included the assault of a Portuguese man in San Diego who was mistaken for being of Middle Eastern descent. A group of white men yelled racial slurs at him and told him to "go back to Iraq." On December 30, 2004, also in California, a Muslim woman wearing a hijab was pushing her baby in a stroller when a man in a truck almost ran them over near a gas station. When the woman cried, "You almost killed my baby!," the man responded, "It wouldn't have been a big loss.

 Increase of Police Discrimination

One of the most salient increases from 2003 to 2004 is that of discrimination by police such as unwarranted arrests and searches which comprised a quarter of CAIR cases in 2004, whereas in 2003 comprised they only 7% of incidents. One example of unreasonable arrest occurred on June 10th, 2004 in Colorado where a Muslim family's house was raided by the IRS and armed FBI agents who drew their guns. The family was told that an IRS investigation was being conducted and the agents proceeded to ask them questions that randomly incorporated religion, suicide bombing, and personal opinions concerning war between the US and Iran.

 Hate Crime on Campuses

 Anti-Muslim hate crimes have been especially visible on the campuses of universities and colleges nationwide since 9/11. In the Spring of 2003, anti-Muslim rants were shouted towards student Christine Lo's dorm room at Yale. Lo had hung an upside-down American flag outside of her window to protest the war in Iraq. The ranting students also attempted to pry open her door with a plank of wood. Notes were left on Lo's door prompting Americans to kill muslims and releasing statements using threats that compromised Lo's intermediate family members simply because of race and religion.

With all of the information provided above that provides enough insight on how influencing and racially altering 9/11 was afterwards, what do you think? Would you agree or find yourself relating as to why these incidents happened? Or would you oppose them and keep an open mind despite the terrorist attacks? Do you think these incidents, racial slurs, and comments continue in today's modern society? Why or why not?

9/11: WTC Demolition Conspiracy

       World Trade Center controlled Demolition theories contend that the collapse of the World Trade Center was not solely caused by the airliner crash damage that occurred as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the resulting fire damage, but the explosives installed in the buildings in advance. Controlled demolition theories make up a major component of 9/11 conspiracy theories. Early advocates such as Physicist, Steven E. Jones, architect Richard Gage, software engineer Jim Hoffman, and theologian David Ray Griffin, argued that aircraft impacts and resulting fires could not have weakened the buildings sufficiently to initiate such a catastrophic collapse, and that the buildings would not have collapsed completely nor at the speeds that they did without additional energy involved to weaken their structures.
    Among these advocates is William Rodriguez, a janitor at the North Tower of the World Trade Center during 9/11 and was in the basement of the North Tower when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the building. Rodriguez claims that he heard an explosion at the WTC "just seconds before" the plane hit. He additionally adds by describing these explosions," coming from below the first sub-level while working in the basement. "The walls were cracking around me and I pulled a man to safety by the name of Felipe David" who was severely burned from the basement explosions.Rodriguez states how much impact this has had on his outtake of 9/11, convincing him to change his mind as he saw how the commission did it's work after 9/11 and how American media edited out his testimonies about hearing bombs in the buildings (while Spanish media did report his un-edited evidence.)  William Rodriguez is not the only one following the Demolition conspiracy. Another janitor who worked in one of the WTC buildings and equally helped save lives, adds to the theory by describing "explosions"in the lower basement" as well. Kenny Johannemann was working his shift and had encountered the same thing as Rodriguez,being interviewed on live TV on the morning of the attacks, footage that had gone viral and has been used on countless 9/11 truth documentaries. What seems to be suspicious is the fact that Johanneman later committed suicide on August 31st, 2008 after years of depression post 9/11.
The question is: Why? Why would a bomb in the basement be required to go off as the plane hit? What is the purpose behind this? If it was not aimed to demolish the building and yet increased the risk of detection, added more effort, careful timing, and yet would not achieve anything significant really..why would bombs be set off shortly before the plane crash? One source of evidence is good enough, but how about two? What do you think? Do you think what both these men witnessed has any significance to the truth of 9/11? Again, Why would there be explosives set off in the basement? The following links provides much more information and insight on Rodriguez and Johanneman,the American media, and what "truly" happened on 9/11 itself: http://www.911myths.com/html/william_rodriguez.html http://infowars.net/articles/September2008/050908Witness.htm

The Effects of Conspiracy

Negative
 Conspiracy theories can have negative effects on societies. Especially one like the US that is powered by the people. The general basis of most conspiracy theories are distrust in the government and the information provided by the government. If this idea were to spread widely among Americans the general distrust of the government could lead to a state of chaos in which the people of America are rebelling and ruining a great country. Not to mention psychologists have studied patients and linked a slight mental incapacity or even illness in extreme conspirators. Luckily not all people believe in these conspiracy's and do have faith in our government.

Positive
We live in a country where questioning the government is not punishable and is often a good thing. Conspirators question the information presented to them, which is a good thing to do. If no one ever questioned anything the government did then they could get away with far too much. People who have challenged the government in the past have often lead to great break throughs that lead this country to a better place.

In conclusion questioning the government or general information provided to you is not a bad thing, but hopefully that does not lead to taking it to far into unrealistic claims and examinations.

Flash Back, The War on Drugs

     The War on Drugs was a good idea, but flawed. What happened was as the police cracked down on drugs and drug dealers, who were often males. Urban areas were typically short on male influences for children and created a social imbalance. While you might think that how could someone on drugs or that deals them be a positive influence on a child? The truth is not all drug users and dealers are bad people. The lack of role models in the urban cities created this pattern that often the young men turn to the things that got the previous generation of males in jail. Because the older generation was in jail they were not their to guide the younger ones away from crime. I think that taking drugs off the street is a good thing. That being said, holding the people arrested on drug charges for as long as they are is not. There should be some sort of system in place to punish those who broke the law for drugs but also to aid them and provide drug addiction care.

  To recap, The War on Drugs was a good idea, but did create societal imbalances that lead to unhealthy patterns. A system to punish and provide aid to drug users and dealers is a good idea and should be worked out.

Is Osama Bin Laden really dead?

     Is Osama Bin Laden really dead? Although many people believe that he is actually dead, many people are living in the conspiracy that he could be alive. 

     One conspiracy theory is there is lack of evidence. The U.S government had refused to provide any physical evidence to support the claim of Bin Laden's death. They say there is no physical evidence to actual proof of his death that has been offered to the public. There has been many Freedom of Information Acts filed that have requested for photographs, videos, or DNA test results to be released, but they didn't. Second conspiracy that was discussed was that he was killed in Tora Bora mountains but wasn't released because it encouraged them to continue their support for the war. 

      Many people have different opinions on the death of Bin Laden, whether he is dead or still alive. I think he's dead but then I read articles that make me believe he could still be alive.

      What do you think? Is Osama Bin Laden still alive? Or is he dead as many Americans believe he is?

- Claudia Gomez

Historical Events Prior to 9/11

     While researching historical events that could have motivated the attack, I've found lots of interesting facts that I do believe America could have seen the attack coming, even though it was nothing anything could have done to prevent it.
     The Muslim Extremist had attacked US several times which could have heated the situation with US and the Muslims. They car bombs as one of their method of terrorism. August 7 1998, they had planted them into two cars and blew up at the American Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, killing 224 people, including 12 American and wounding more than 5,000. (This car was bombed by the Muslim Extremists in Paris)

 

     At a airport administration in the U.S, the Federal Authorities have suspected terrorists, known to be part of Bin Laden's group, were receiving flight training at the building.  One of the convicted terrorist confessed that he was involved in crashing a plane into CIA headquarters. Reports were sending warning messages that "large numbers of Middle Eastern males" were receiving flight training and could possibly be terrorist attacks. 

In 1990. the first Iraq War and Persian Gulf War happened which led to uprisings in Iraq and the U.S. After 42 days of the attacks, firing both on air and on ground, George Washington declared a cease-fire on February 28,  but most Iraqi forces in Kuwait had surrendered or fled. This situation led to a second Gulf War, it has come to be known as the Iraq War, began in 2003.

   Although there are many more historical events that could have motivated the 9/11 attack, I believe these could have been an alert to many people because the acts that these people had done could have been a message but people refused to believe that there could have been an attack on American soil. The Muslims Extremist attack the US several times and killing hundreds of people should have been a warning to many people because they had injured Americans and could have probably injured more, as they did in 9/11 killing thousands of American people. The President should had done something to had prevented damaged but it wasn't too successful. I could be wrong in the way I interpreted these events or the way I'm putting them but these could been alerts to the Americans to know there was worse coming before they attacked the World Trade center.

- Claudia Gomez

9/11 Conspiracies: Were the Phone Calls Fake or Real?

There were numerous phone calls from all four planes that were supposedly hijacked on 9/11. But were they real?
On flight 11, these phone calls and brief conversations were revealed:

• Madeline Sweeney's phone call: Flight attendant Sweeney placed a cell phone call to American Arilines flight services office, and reached her friend, services manager Michael Woodward, starting at 8:21 and talked for 25 minutes, until the plane crashed. Sweeney related many details such as wounds by victims of the hijackers to seat numbers of the hijackers. ³   There are conflicting reports on whether the call was recorded.
• Betty Ong's phone call: Flight attendant Betty Ong called Vanessa Minter at American Airlines reservations at 8:21, and talked for 23 minutes, until the plane crashed. Nydia Gonzalez also listened in from 8:27. The FBI refused to release a recording of the first 4-1/2 minutes of the conversation, but during the 9/11 Commission's January 27, 2004 hearing, the recording was played

On flight 93, over 30 phone calls were recorded. 

It seems nearly impossible, that nearly half these phone calls were made on cell phones. Cell phones do not have reception on an aircraft, unless it is flying very low, which was a possbility on Flight 93, which flew very low for the last 15 minutes of its flight into the Twin Tower. But the calls were often very cliche and cheesey, saying I love you, tell my kids bye etc. So were these calls faked, or are they actually real? More information on Flight 93's phone calls here: http://911research.wtc7.net/planes/analysis/phonecalls.html

Do You Agree With the Four Planes Crashed and HIjacked on 9/11?

Do you agree that four planes, United Airlines Flight 93, American Airlines Flight 77, American Airlines Flight 11, and United Airlines Flight 175 were all hijacked purposely and crashed into predesignated targets? 

These are the flight paths and the sequence of events shown above. Was every single plane a pre-planned attack on the United States, or were one or more of these crashes accidental?

Conspiracy Theories: 9/11 - Flight 77

Flight 77 is possibly the most compelling of all the plane crashes. Headed for LAX International airport from Dulles, it deviated from it's original scheduled path of travel at 8:54 AM, and 2 minutes later, the transponder was turned off completely. At 9:37 AM, the 757, with a 125 foot wingspan, crashed into the Pentagon. However, the hole was only 75 feet wide. Another strange fact about Flight 77's crash into the Pentagon-- no plane wreckage was found in the Pentagon, only nearby evidence and remnants were found. So you decide-- did Fligh 77 really happen or is this false? Fact or Fiction? http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a5659/debunking-911-myths-pentagon/

JFK Assassination Conspiracies

Currently we are working on the 9/11 conspiracy project, so I thought I would look up some conspiracy theories on President Kennedy's Assassination. One conspiracy is that Jacqueline Kennedy, his wife, planned it. Some people believe that if she did plan it that her motive would've been the whole Marilyn Monroe. Some people believe that the CIA played a role in the assassination of President Kennedy. They believe the motive would be that the CIA was upset with the changes going on in the agency after the Bay of Pigs invasion failed. Another conspiracy is that Vice President Lydon Johnson organized the assassination because he and Kennedy had different political and personal views. He planned his murder so he would not get re-elected. I could go on about different conspiracies, but I will leave this link if you would like to look at some more conspiracies. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/11/21/john-kennedy-conspiracy-theories-assasination/3661891/

 What is a conspiracy theory that you believe could be true or a really weird conspiracy theory that some people believe in?

Follow Up on Religion

Check it out...
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-us-religion-20150512-story.html#page=2

Tuesday May 5th Class

Yesterday in class we watched the final God in America episode which brought us up to religion in America in 2008. Through out the God in America videos we can see a constant push for or against religion and a push back in politics and social settings. Prayer in schools was a debate that went beyond the social boundaries and came to the attention of law. In this case an atheist family sued the school board for allotting time in school for prayer and won. Although it wasn't not over yet, there were still social conflicts that were created by having a different set of believes then those around you. The family received hate mail and the son was outcasted at school.
In conjuction with the civil rights movement there was a religious movement these struggles eventually lead more people to become more accepting of people who were "different" form themselves. Presidents like John F. Kennedy and Obama answered to people who questioned religion in politics. They did so in such a way to reassure the people that while religion or a persons belief set may lead them to make certain decisions, they would not force America into a certain religion. It really highlighted the way you can keep state and church separate but still have people who have a religion or none at all lead a country.
Overall religion has been a part of American culture and will continue to be for a long time so the best thing to do is educate yourself on it to gain a better understanding of others.

Civil Rights after the Civil Rights Movement

When the nation was informed of Martin Luther King's assassination, the African-Americans began rioting and setting their own cities on fire in anger, frustration and revenge of such an important civil rights leader. Although the black communities major leader was no longer leading them, they realized it was still important to fight for their rights and freedom. Soon after MLK's death, the Black Panther Party was formed to advocate for civil rights and change. However, there was a big difference between King's approaches and the Black Panther's. King focused on the white race and the black race coming together as one, to unify and become equal. The Black Panther Party's approach, however, was not focused on coming together with the Whites, but rather fighting for the ability to control their own destiny and have their own power. While African-Americans saw the Black Panther's as an incredible step towards change and power, the FBI and US government claimed them to be a major threat to America and its citizens. This is because the Panther's obtained rights to have their own guns to protect their people from police brutality. Eventually in the 70s, African-Americans rights were progressing - there were 21 black characters in television shows/films, creating something America has never seen before or ever thought possible. Soul Train, pretty much a TV show where African Americans just danced, became a popular TV show that promoted self-love and that "blacks are beautiful". Although we haven't finished the documentary, there has already been a major progression in equal rights for all and it will be interesting to watch the rest of the film to see how much has continued to change from the 60s until now.

Civil Rights Beyond the 1960's (Summary)

After the assassination of King, groups like the Black Panther Party, based in Oakland, began to rise. They brought a new movement they called Black Power; aimed at closing the racial and economic injustices left by the Civil Rights Movement. The Cultural Revolution that this movement started began a campaign called "Black is Beautiful" where African Americans could embrace their own natural beauty and culture instead of being consumed by the lack of positive imagery and examples for black Americans. This movement also ushered in an era where "blackness" became synonymous with how cool you were. Things like having an afro, listening to black music, and dancing in a "black" fashion was appropriated by whites. 21 prime-time TV shows now featured black protagonists. Despite this leap in positive social imagery for black Americans, the Civil Rights movement failed to bring economic independence to black communities. Because programs like Affirmative action, which rose a select few black families out of poverty, the poor blacks were becoming poorer. Left behind by the best and brightest of their neighborhoods, they were unemployed and unorganized, with no ability to pool their resources to help the struggling families in their community. This condition was only further perpetrated with Reagan's policies; both getting rid of Johnson's Great Society and beginning his war on drugs. Those that had turned to drug dealing to pay rent or feed their families had no business and nowhere to turn after losing the resources given to them by the Great Society's programs.

Affirmative Action

We learned a bit of Affirmative Action in class as we were learning of some positive and negative actions that affected Civil Rights. This idea/policy still exists today and is also still a debate. The idea was thought of to stop racism on disadvantaged groups, but some believed it to be reverse racism. For example, if a person needed a gardener and was going to give the job to either a Latino or a White person, because of this idea, they would give the job to the Latino. Then the White man would feel discriminated against because he was White. Do you think Affirmative Action is helping to stop racism or is it encouraging racism and discrimination against White people?

God in America

In post-World War II era, Billy Graham (a rising evangelist) tried to inspire and persuade American people to reconsider joining some sort of religion or faith. He described the competition between faith and patriotism (in the Cold War battle) as "godless communism". He basically preached that without religion, you were a communist. Even the Presidents at the time (Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon) believed that immersing oneself in religion was a big step to a better nation. Eisenhower urged Americans to go to church and stated, "Our form of government has no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don't care what it is." At a huge rally in New York's Madison Square Garden, Vice President Richard Nixon shared the platform with Graham and reassured the audience, "I'm sure we all realize that one of the most basic reasons for American progress in the past and for our strength today is that from the time of our foundation we have had a deep and abiding faith in God." Graham managed to influence so many Americans - a record number of people flocked to houses of worship. Due to Graham's outstanding influence and status, public schools established prayers and worship inside their classrooms. This eventually caused nonbelievers and religious minorities to appeal to the US Supreme Court to question how constitutional religious expression in public schools was. At this time, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr emerged as, what seemed to be, a modern-day prophet. He called upon the entire nation to honor both biblical scriptures/teachers and the founders' democratic ideals of equal justice.