HW 30: Iraq Body Count

I went to another citizenship symposium, it was called Iraq Body Count: Real People Fake Numbers. This was a speech given by an associate professor at Keene State College, Stephen J. Clark PhD. The speech was informative on whether the facts and information that we receive from the press is reliable or not when it comes to the war in Iraq. We are reading a book in class called Baghdad Burning, and it relates to the same idea. The author is filling us in on what is really happening in Iraq, so that we are not filled in with phony information. How do we as Americans know that what we hear and see is real or not?! He told us to "think deeply about what people inform us about this war, and take into serious consideration whether it is true or not." We also need to think about the impact that we are having on Iraq, on thing that really caught my attention is when he used the comparison of deaths monthly in Iraq to the comparison of deaths yearly in Washington, D.C. This means that the amount of people killed in D.C. in ONE YEAR is equivalent to the amount of people who die in ONE MONTH in Iraq. This is certainly devastating and very life altering for these people. Professor Clark said that us people need to fix this issue and help these people out, but by doing so we need to take some precautions and make sure that all of the information that we receive is valid and useful. America needs to come together as a nation and come to conclusion with this tragedy! We have more to worry about other than hurting our fellow citizens.

HW30: Citizenship and Responsibility

Today there was another presentation that was a part of the citizenship symposium week. A man named Tom Lantos came to speak about our nation and his life experiences, the name of his presentation was Citizenship and Responsibility. It started out with his daughter Katrina introducing him and telling the audience about a little of their background. She informed us that her father is and will be the only survivor of the Holocaust serving in congress. She mentioned that he had nothing when he came to America except for $5.00, and he wanted to make something of himself. In 1980, he ran for congress and then introduced his first act, which was to introduce legislation. Her speech came to an end and her father entered the stage. He started by telling us that he had just met the new French President yesterday, and was speaking with him. Furthermore, he spoke about how America's reputation appears to be horrific all over the world. He stated all of the negatives and positives from each side. It bothered him that historical politicians stated that all men are created equal, when they betrayed their own statement and owned private slaves. Tom said that they should have made the statement all men and women are created equal instead of just men. Since he came over here at the age of 19 with nothing to offer he wanted to make a positive difference to America. Something does need to be done about this, because the image of the U.S. globally is at an all time low. He wanted to portray a positive image of the U.S. and said "America did not teach men the idea of freedom, she taught them how to practice it". Leading examples of this are that the United States indeed has helped many of countries improve over the years. The U.S.A. saved Germany from Hitler and they also saved them from two generations of the Soviet Union, and the rate of Anti-American Germans is increasing rapidly. Countries like these ignore the fact that America has helped them, and overlook it as what is happening globally now.But, France's point of view is changing. Concretely in detail he said that Americans have helped them significantly and whenever he hears about an American soldier dying he feels like a member of his family is dying because of what they have done for them. The most interesting thing that I learned was that Europe or the U.S. have had the most infrastructure globally since the 1700's. People are glad that the U.S. is there to help whether they admit it or not (maybe not in Iraq). Especially Africa, because we have donated $15 billion to aids over there. Some people are starting to have more of a positive outlook on the U.S. and of course their are still millions of people who have the opposite of that!

HW30: "What Kind OF Democracy Do We Want?"

Today, I attended a presentation that was a part of the Keene State College Citizenship Symposium week. Three guest speakers came to preach about the problems that are occurring in our government. "What kind of Democracy do we want?", was the name of the presentation. Provost Emile Netzhammer started the event introducing and summarizing some events that are happening today. He mentioned that here in Keene, New Hampshire us citizens have the right to participation of the government by attending town meetings and different political events that are happening locally. He also discussed how people in the U.S. are lucky and are able to express themselves. As his speech ended he cam forward and announced the Mayor of Keene, Michael Blastos. Michael is reported to be Keene's longest serving mayor in Keene's history. He conversed mainly about the constitution and how it is a living document. He presented Keene State College with a proclamation containing his signature. Next, was the most significant speaker of the event Nancy Tobi. She is a New Hampshire resident, and is the founder of "Democracy for New Hampshire". She began speaking about how voting is a big part of our government and presented us with a power point "Citizen's Gone Wild: Taking Control Of Our Democracy". She provided a background of herself, she was raised in Lexington, MA (a.k.a. Birthplace of America). Introducing her PowerPoint she claimed "We are going to talk about a lot of dirty stuff, but once we get through the politics the sun will shine through". This meant that the politics are the causes of all of the crazy catastrophes that are happening today in society. The voting process became a big part of the speech, learning much new devastating information. 80% of national votes are counted by programmed computers, meaning that the votes are either getting altered or completely changed. This became very interesting to me and it made me think of what a mess society really is. She used much concrete detail in her speech, one including sunshine is the best disinfectant in the government. This was to be translated as, look positively at all situations that may arise.

HW31: Responding to Riverbend

As I continued reading Riverbend's book Baghdad Burning, I stumbled across something that caught my attention. Many horrific events were occurring in Baghdad, and that included malnutrition and diseases leading to unhealthy births. People were dying from diseases that could be cured with nothing but medication, but they were forbidden causing people to die. Babies being born were now experiencing major birth defects. She had claimed, "I remember seeing babies born with a single eye, 3 legs, or no face- a result of DU [ depleted uranium] poisoning" (Riverbend, 47). This was more of a result in 1991 when uranium weapons were being used to harm people. Depleted Uranium is highly radioactive, this is why it was causing so many birth defects. This substance contains heavy metals in which the compounds are harmful towards mammals, proven by many lab studies. The most common way that this is misled is in ammunition. Since this substance was released in large quantities, it affected people without even touching them. It was highly toxic in the air, causing it to be a major substance to be inhaled. With millions of people breathing in this toxic waste, it caused women to deliver the toxins to their fetus while impregnated. Seeming that Riverbend claimed to have seen this happen more than once, it must have been a large problem in Baghdad at the time.

A link to my information site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium

Works Cited
"Depleted Uranium". Wikipedia. 4 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium

Riverbend. Baghdad Burning. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2005.

HW28: Open letter to Riverbend

Dear Riverbend,
I have been reading your book Baghdad Burning, being a U.S. citizen I will be able to compromise and converse about these issue with you. Often, a lot of the times in America the press does not reveal the whole truth about some of these issues that are happening in Iraq. If we were provided with more knowledge of these issues people would be more willing to partake in positive action of the war. The book and blogs that you have published is a great advantage for us Americans, because now we have first hand knowledge to base our thoughts on. The problems that you face in Iraq daily are very traumatic and devastating. Having to face so many deaths of those people who are very close to you is very saddening to me. The sympathy that I have for your country is unbearable, if there were only something that I could do to stop this terror from happening. This war has effected me tremendously, but I do not have to face the treacherous fears of not knowing if I will be safe in my own home or even going to the store. The fact that troops raid people's homes is awful, why would people do such a thing to these innocent people who are asking for nothing but peace. When you said that you don't hate Americans, I am in the same standing position for Iraqi's. I do not like the Iraqi's who harmed our country, and the same goes for you not liking the American Troops. I do not blame you for having some form of hatred to the people who tear your country and citizen's apart daily. This war has nothing left to prove, just to prove that it is going to cause more hatred amongst Iraq and the U.S. The only way to come at peace with all of this is for it to come to an end. I am terribly sorry for all of the treacherous moments that you have had from this, but with all hope it will come to an end.

Sincerely,
Renee

HW27: Baghdad Bibliography

Riverbend. Baghdad Burning. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2005.

This book Baghdad Burning who is female blogger who writes about her daily life and struggles that are happening. The book is based on these blogs that Riverbend (as she identifies herself) has written through her days in Iraq. This book is meant for people who truly care about what is going on in Iraq, and take in information from someone with personal experience. The book is not about bashing on the Americans, it is about coming at peace with very many different issues that are happening in society today. It is like a journal, she goes through it day by day and tells the world about issues that she and many other face. She translated the book into English just so Americans can see what these people have to face, and to consider ourselves lucky. We do not have to wake up worrying whether our children are going to make it home safely after school, or if we are going to get hit by a bomb in the middle of the night. She blogs so that people can relate to her with these issues and state their outlook on it. Blogs like these are viewed by people nationally in the U.S., one viewer being myself. In my A Blog Of One's Own class in college we are taught to create our own blogs, view others blogs, and read about the different blogging out there. This has tremendously impacted me, because I am writing a topic essay on racism and the blogosphere and this was an example that I used. When I looked at the cover of the book, I already knew that what I was about to read was going to be very impacting. The color scheme and pictures are very down lifting, and the introduction explains what you are about to encounter.

HW 25: Responding to Riverbend

In the introduction of Baghdad Burning, it explains the affect the the war is having to Iraqi people. Riverbend explicitly explains the terror that Iraq is going through, they were having enough problems before when the war wasn't going on but it is taking a toll on all of the citizens who live there. The Gulf War had already put their country behind in developing, and it has never recovered from all of that damage. Emphasising that " Food supplies were reduced, amd by the mid-1990's, one-third of the country's children under the age of five were malnourished" (Riverbend, xv), the country suffered from many deaths and the poverty rate increased. Many outbreaks of disease were exposed, due to poor health and healthcare. During the Gulf War the sewages were destroyed and it limited their water resources.The country had a downfall from there, but was in the process of rebuilding until another war approached in 2003. This demolished the country even more, and inevitably put the people at very dangerous risks. There is very limited education in Iraq now, and what there is to offer people are afraid to send their children. There is the fear that someone may kidnap them or kill them even. Before, women and men were beginning to accept eachother but now it has fallen apart. The invasion of the U.S. to Iraq is putting their country at serious risk for many things. Americans are demolishing them, and Iraq had an idea. They wanted to limit the damage that we are doing to them by having volunteers patrol their weapons and other dangerous substances. There were not enough people to volunteer and take part in this action, so they will have to do their best. The devostation that these people are going through is crutial. If Riverbend had never expressed her thoughts through writing, than us Americans would be left unknowledgable about the tragedies and experiences of an Iraqi's lifestyle right now.
My own memories of the US invasion will impact my life forever. Although it does not impact my everyday life of having to go outside of my home not knowing whether I will make it back alive or not, it has left many imprints in my mind and emotions. I know people who have gone into Iraq to fight for their country, and have not returned home. Many of my friends left for the marines, army, and national guard after graduating high school. It leaves me with the thoughts and wonders of why people must be put through such torture and hatred. The thought in mind of wondering whether I will see them again or not is very upsetting. For all of the hatred America has towards Iraq, I do not take part in any of it. I may have some form of hatred for the people who took part in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but the people of Iraq had no say in it. I feel as if the war in Iraq should come to an end, because all that it's causing is more hatred to innocent people.