Technology-the Future of Terrorism Essay Example for Free

Technology-the Future of Terrorism Essay From the extensive evolution of computers to the introduction and mass popularity of the Internet. From bombs to missiles, from bases to shuttles. The world of technology is seemingly endless. In modern times computers and the Internet possess tremendous power and have a wide range of capabilities for better or for worse. Terrorism is for the worse and yet unfortunately, the evolution of technology has advanced the means to commit acts of terrorism, both actual terrorism but also cyber terrorism. T hink about the seemingly endless depth of technology, the complex features that go into making a bomb mechanism, you can only come to the solid conclusion that yes, technology has had a worldwide effect on the act of terrorism. There are two ways in which you can view this obvious revelation into the grim world of terrorism. You can look at it with the first way as mentioned, that terrorism has unlocked doors for terrorists to use to their advantage; new hi-tech gadgets being illegally manufactured to their advantage on a daily basis, the Internet being seemingly insecure enough to meet fellow terrorists, hack into government files and plot all forms of terrorist attempts. It seems as though technology advances, the resources for terrorism flourish. The second way however contradicts the first in a sense; as technology improves and gives the terrorists new means to attack, with that comes new means to defend against them. High tech security measures such as CCTV cameras, infrared and heat sensors and seemingly space-age computer techniques make defending, foiling and preventing terrorist attacks much more easy than in the grim past. Ever since the New York bombings on September 11, 2001, not only America, but the entire world has been on the edge of their seats in fear, just waiting for an all out terrorist attack to throw the entire population of human-kind into disbelief and awe, followed by the beginning of world war 3. Bombs have been in existence for decades, gun power has been in existence for decades, does this count as technology? In a sense, yes, but it has been since the revelation of the power of the Internet that terrorism has reached its all time high. With the capabilities of hacking into important Government systems, terrorists have the power to view and take advantage of every week point available to a specific country. With the wounds exposed, the terrorists attack. Is there really any way to sense when an attack is coming? Ever since the 9/11 bombings in New York and the 7/7 bombings in London, many people automatically wrongly associate those of the Muslim faith to be terrorists. The war on terrorism has inadvertently invoked a new era of race issues and prejudice; inadvertently one may think, but could this be what the terrorists wanted? There is no question that technology has changed terrorism in both of the aforementioned ways, for better and for worse. As technology continues to advance, terrorists will continue to find new means of attacking, just as the government will find new means of defending against them. It is just one big cycle that keeps advancing as time goes by. Technology has the power to change the future of terrorism. It has the power to advance it and it has the power to destroy it. It is simply a question of which one will prevail first, which is in its entirety, a very scary thought. 2-Terrorism has existed for centuries and continues to be a very real threat in modern times. The techniques to carry out an act of terrorism may have changed, but the fundamentals of why terrorists decide to carry out a terrorist act have not. Cyber terrorism is a newer technique terrorists utilize to inflict their acts of violence, fear and intimidation on their targeted victims. While it may have changed the dynamics of how terrorism is carried out, the underlying factors are much the same. The purpose of terrorism is to inflict terror through acts such as force, violence or destruction. Historically this has been carried out through bombs, hostage taking, assassinations, hi-jackings and weapons of mass destruction attacks. Throughout history many different kinds of weapons or intimidation have been used to invoke terror towards others. Technology is the latest tool employed to meet this destructive objective. Cyber terrorism is the newest approach and it is one which has high potential to bring about devastating results much like the kinds of preceding violent attacks, but on a grander scale. Todays politically motivated attacks are launched with the intention to cause weighty harm, and cyber attacks certainly have high potential to trigger severe injury, economical damage and even death. Many nations across the globe rely upon their technical infrastructures. What better way to terrorize people than to attack the very foundation their society is built upon and relies on to survive? Many nations take the act of cyber terrorism seriously because it threatens the very core and existence of their society. Technology does not change the act of terrorism per se because the same ntents which have always been present when a radical commits an act of terror are there. Their goal is often to cause bodily and financial harm. Terrorism is an act primarily fueled by hatred and intolerance for those who are different. With the advent of technology terrorists have found another weapon they can utilize to cause widespread damage. It is in this respect that technology has changed terrorism. While technological advances have not necessarily changed the intents for terrorism, theyve certainly impacted what radicals are capable of and this is where terrorism has changed. What it has done is provide the terrorists with another method to commit an act of terror and reach a larger number of victims. It also provides terrorists with an opportunity to pinpoint specifictargets without ever having to set foot on the soil of the region they are attacking. -google earth Cyber terrorism is a very real concern and security issue in todays world. The U. S. government has cyber attacks listed right up there with nuclear, chemical and biological threats. Although while cyber terrorism may not be a weapon of mass destruction, it is a weapon of disruption which is also harmful (Linda Volonino, Principles and Practice of Information Security). Can you imagine if an entire banking, emergency service, power plant, telecommunications, military or government infrastructure fell victim to a successful cyber terrorist attack? This could bring down the heart of an economy or government. Even if one target of this list was cyber attacked it would cause mass chaos or in some cases worse if it resulted in injury or death. While the motivators of terrorism remain the same, when terrorists use technology as a weapon it has strong potential to be a very dangerous one which can result in mass destruction. The problem with technology is that it never stands still. What is new today is out of date within a year and while many see this is progress, it produces difficulties when we apply it to something like terrorism. And its usually the counter-terrorists who are playing second fiddle to the terrorists responding to their advances and uses of new technology. It shows that while technology can have its uses, it also has many weaknesses. The computer is extremely useful to modern life and our fight against terrorism, but is also useful to the terrorist in carrying out their everyday work. In short, technology has changed terrorism dramatically and will continue to do so, like a stone gathering snow as it rolls down a hill. Technology has opened up opportunities for both sides but it also means that neither can win but the war between them can only become more violent, more deadly and more extreme. Technology has changed Terrorism because it has allowed terror networks to communicate with other terrorists and media networks around the world. Alqeada promotes videos recruiting susceptible to disaffected Muslims who disagree with the US policies in and around Muslim countries. The Internet is an unlimited vast resource which can advance humanity when used for good purposes but with limited laws regarding the Internet because of the ever changing technologies, it is difficult to make laws to keep up with the growing technology. Terror groups exploit this and use websites for propaganda purposes, recruitment of Arabs and Muslims to radical extremism. Terror groups are using the Internet to funnel money from charity groups in the US and Europe to finance their terror organizations by collecting charitable donations from mosques and other religious institutions. The US is constantly monitoring suspected organizations affiliated with radical groups and keep an eye on the banking transactions sent abroad. Video games which help many control and develop skills in shooting, driving air planes, and driving cars. The FBI monitors merchants which sell video technology to Afghanistan and Pakistan because any technology which can be used to teach or advance technical skills are restricted. Recently, the Obama and the McCain campaigns were hacked into by a foreign government trying to know their policies in advance. the US has to develop a system to protect themselves from the Chinese government and hackers which constantly launch cyber attacks against many other countries besides the US. The Chinese are notorious for stealing information and technologies from other governments. Since 9/11 Terrorists have been trying to reach the US and launch a large scale attack against the US and its allies. Security has tighten in airports, intelligence agencies have infiltrated these terror cells in the US and abroad and have stopped many planned attacks such as the NYC Lincoln tunnel attack. Many of these terror networks have lost their ability to organize an attack such as that of 9/11. The US government has a cyber anti terror network in the Pentagon and in many key government agencies protecting from the many cyber attacks that are launched against these agencies on a daily basis. Terrorist groups which have the inability to harm Americans on US soil may launch a cyber attack that could cripple Wall Street, destroy our infrastructure by hacking into electric plants, airports, transportation systems and banking industry. The Us still has outdated technologies regarding electric company grids which have not been updated into modern systems, it was rumored that last year when the entire East Coast lost electricity that it was a cyber attack the electric companies denied this rumor and said it was just to much usage and the system could not carry load. America has to develop technologies to counter cyber attacks and even use the foreign nations hacking against them by sending back a virus or worm that could destroy their system to discourage future cyber attacks. The Us should develop laws and catch up with the ever changing technologies regarding money laundering and funneling of illegal money to Terror organizations using US and European banks, there should be a coalition between major banks around the world to catch this activity and cut out all their money because without money the terrorists cant buy weapons and recruit people actively. TV reports throughout the world about the technology tools probably used by the terrorists in their effort to execute their hideous attack against the USA are sensational. Firstly, their communications must have been encoded to a point that intelligence services all over the world did not have the slightest idea that a criminal act of so grand a scale was on the way to be executed. We have heard from extravagant tools that can hide messages within the photographic images’ dots (stenography), satellite mobiles that encode communication and so on. All these TECHSare existent as well as widespread-even the mobiles we, simple citizens use nowadays encode our conversation, still in a relatively simple way, so that absolute security is not offered. The issue immediately raised is how and why such technologies have been released in the market, since the fact that they are to be used by bloodthirsty terrorists to assassinate thousands of people, is certain. The question of dangerous technology is a fair, yet a simplistic one. The first issue one has to think about is that once a technology is born, there is no way for it to be restricted on a long-term basis. It is knowledge, and knowledge cannot be stopped with wire fences. Even in the event of technology diffusion being restricted by law, its possession by criminals cannot be prevented, and that constitutes another problem. They are in possession of the means and of the financial support to acquire it:. The second question that has to be raised is, â€Å"to what extent should we accept â€Å"dangerous† technology ban? Should that be Cryptography? Should that be Flight Simulation Programs? (let us not forget that it is quite possible that the terrorists had been trained as to how to approach their targets using the Microsoft Flight Simulator program, one amongst the most common programs in the world. ) Technology and Terrorism: a brief Scenario Technology is double bladed sword and is to be handled with due care. It can be utilized for the welfare of the society as discussed earlier. Misuse of the same will definitely damage and destruct the society like anything. The scientists and researchers of the whole world are trying their best to explore newer technology for the benefit of the society. But their dreams have been shattered and certain anti social elements have misused the modern technology in terrorism Modern technology has added great terrors and horrors to terrorism. Modern technology has also been characterized as a negative response to globalization. The terrorists are using and trying to use every possible technological resource to fulfill their evil targets. They are utilizing the knowledge of various engineering disciplines which mainly includes Computes I. T. Electronics and Telecommunications, Ammunition Engineering, Bio technology, space engineering, Chemical science and other core branches of engineering too. Technology: A tool misused by terrorists. Terrorists are employing various communication devices for easy, faster and optimized communications. It is observed that they are mainly taking the help of cell phones, radio audio signals, micro chips (a data handling device) and other advanced electronics and telecommunication devices. It is proved that they are widely using Laptops and Internet services and software to plan, develop and fund terrorist activities.

The Fifth Child Essay Example for Free

The Fifth Child Essay The main characters in this novel are Harriet and David Lovatt. They met each other at an office Christimas party, where they see each other from across a room crowded with dancing, drinking people and recognize, as they study each other, that they are fundamentally quite similar. In 1960`s they decide to marry and invest everything they have into a rambling Victorian house. Both of them have ideals like fidelity,family life and a permanent house. Harriet and David Lovat are a conventional couple in 1960’s England. Their only oddity seems to be their desire for a large family, and when they produce four children in quick succession, they seem to be building the happy family they want. The Christian connotations of the names of the male children, Paul and Luke, are unmistakable, and this layer of meaning is reinforced by the way the entire family regularly assembles from far and wide to celebrate the great festivals of the religious year. Even they are happy with their four children, she gets pregnant again with the fifth child, but she has a strange feeling that this child is different from the others. She feels the unborn baby to be a savage thing, and baby Ben emerges like a beast of the Apocalypse, an anti-Christ. He started to move violently and too early inside Harriet. The birth is one month early and very difficult. After half a year he is able to walk without help, but it`s not only very strong, he is also extremly aggressive too. Over the next few years they are forced to recognize that „little† Ben is more like a monster, not a child and his violent behaviour produces some horrifying accidents. He often beats his brothers and sisters. „Harriet was wondering why she was always treated like a criminal. Ever since Ben was born it’s been like this, she thought. Now it seemed to her the truth, that everyone had silently condemned her. I have suffered a misfortune, she told herself; I haven’t committed a crime. †

Analysis of Taylorism Theories and Human Relations Theory

Analysis of Taylorism Theories and Human Relations Theory Question: Work itself is organised according to Taylorian principles, while personnel departments and academics have busied themselves with the selection, training, manipulation, pacification and adjustment of manpower to suit the work processes so organised. Taylorism dominates the world of production; the practitioners of human relations and industrial psychology are the maintenance crew for the human machinery. (Braverman, 1974: 87) This study tries to reveal the statement whether Taylorism theories tries to dictate the production world and the positions of Human Relations theory are just combined into the business operations, in order to just assist the worker output in a Taylorism manner. According to the text of (Taylor, 1914: 1-2; Holloway, 1991: 71-72), it shows that the two theories main objective focus on the method of increasing organisational output and it also extensively determine the production processes which is the objective area that will be focus in this study. Braverman makes a critical evaluation on the production processes of a capitalist environment. He stated that in a capitalist surrounding, the management tries to deteriorate the skilfulness of workers because the capitalist control and subject them to do repetitive routines of work. As this is being stated in the text of (Milloy, 2011: 92-95). The observations of Braverman have strong a linkage to those of Karl Marx, who through his theory of alienation, reached similar conclusions (Yuill, 2011: 104-107), as will be discussed extensively in the last section of this study. Reasons of confessing about the statement Based, on Milloy (2011: 92-95) notes, Bravermans stated that the statement of Taylorism dominates the production world was a conclusion of an examination which shows advanced position by Taylor, according to the availability of a highly popular capitalist management practices visible in most companies during the 70 century. Just like in the current business environment, firms were depending on system that link certain persons who undertook specific activity and were answerable to individuals of a higher level, in that order, until higher management level (Milloy, 2011: 94-97). To Braverman, these structure shows an evidence of Taylorism in the business operation. Moreover, various aim could be attempted to complement the workers society status value in the workplace, as the Human Relations theory supports, the main driver of business operation, according to Braverman and Taylor principles and also the statement. Taylor Principle Taylor principles theories main focus are on the scientific approaches towards the management of workers (Bruce Nyland, 2011: 391-393). During, the late 19th-century most factory manager, were eager in increasing the output level of labours (Weisbord, 2011: 169-171). The theorist recognised that, in order to enlarge the output level, burden of workers had to be broken into smaller units and authorise the task to the particular individuals, which this is known as the process called specialisation (Weisbord, 2011: 169-171). As Milloy (2011: 93-96) suggests, Taylor ground position is on the workers motive to perform these duties on a daily routine basis and to the satisfactory level of their need for money. Therefore, according to Taylorian principles, the compensation of workers should be based according to their productivity levels within the certain period of time (Weisbord, 2011: 170-173). A critical observation of Bravermans statement and the application of existing business world will certainly reveal that Taylor principles dictates the production world. Workers gain salary according to the working hours of worker in the workplace, earn bonuses and benefits depending on the productive level of workers and their performance (Kaplan Atkinson, 2015: 565-569). As Kaplan Atkinson (2015: 556-561) examine, modern management mainly involves the combination of small business procedure and then effectively provide duties to certain individuals and supervising the implementation procedure of these tasks, which then would linked to building up the whole company operation structures. These aspects indicates that Bravermans statement is true. Yet, as Gerhart Fang (2015: 493-496) suggested, in many organisations there is a separation between the output per units of workers and their salary levels. Furthermore, aspects such as gender pay gaps have further served to obscure the mechanism of linking productivity with rewards (Gerhart Fang, 2015: 497-501) and in most case s, the Taylor principles do not employ. Human Relations Human Relations theory holds the position which increase the worker output, firms should invest in the workers social well-being (Barkema et al., 2015: 463-466). Thus, according to the theory, workers should be allowed to have communications that are both official and causal. As opposed to the Taylorism principle, which identify capital as the operator for worker productivity, the theory emphasises that links with each other and the management are the creators of worker achievement and output (Bruce Nyland, 2011: 396-401). Also, the Human Relations theory focus on the fact when undertaking their business roles, workers are not independently rational, as forced by their motive to meet their economic needs, a position contribute by Taylor, but are depending on each other (Bruce Nyland, 2011: 396-401). Accordingly, Taylorism takes into account the fundamental strategies when relating workers objective with business goals, where it assumed that the desire can be related with the econom ic needs of the two (Weisbord, 2011: 169-171), the Human Relations principles identify that the relationship can only be create by building up social value of workers. The assessment of Bravermans statement is true in various ways. In the 21st century business world, Human Relations manner such as happy workplace, informal interactions with friends, are not noticeable as a vital practices (Barkema et al., 2015: 463-466). According to Donka, George Stefanos (2015: 69) they suggest that, these aspects that structure the main controversy of Human Relations theory are recognised as facilitators of current business procedures and operations, which as observed by Braverman, are based on Taylorism principles. Nevertheless, the pursuit of innovativeness, companys such as Google marked themselves by having fun workplace , highly flexible working hours and variety employee benefits , are tearing apart ranks with these approaches and have reconstruct their structures to principally focus on t he workers social well-being (Payton, 2015: 57-63), according with the Human Relation theory. Respectively, Taylor scientific management dominate the current business world, as time pass by businesses tries to become competitive, Human Relations principles are likely to be more significant, like in the case of Google. Karl Marx Karl Marx investigated the production procedure in his theory of alienation. Marx noted that capitalist management tends to deteriorate the workers skilfulness and the ability (Calhoun, 2012: 87-88) the three main reasons. First, Karl Marx claimed that during the workers delivered the products that had a high value, they were not appropriately compensated for their efforts, which could lead them to the feelings of uncontent (Calhoun, 2012: 87-88) and an unappreciation of their respective expertise (Shantz, Alfes Truss, 2014: 2531-2534). Second, the theorist also indicate the fact that capitalist management practice are considerable authority and control over workers, which limited their talents and abilities (Shantz, Alfes Truss, 2014: 2531-2534). Third, according to the research of Shantz, Alfes Truss (2014: 2531-2534) and Calhoun (2012: 87-88), Marx noted that capitalist management has a characteristic of continual and strict routines that transformed workers into tools of the p roduction process, rather a force that had the potential of having a positive impact on business activity . The examination of these positions and the comparison of the statement of Braverman will uncover that the both Marx and Braverman theory had similar observations. Taylorism supports a capitalist style of management, where workers are expected to be productive to their highest levels based on their pay, and the extensive breaking down of production processes and creation of routine-based roles (Bruce Nyland, 2011: 391-395). Therefore, as captured in Bravermans statement, Karl Marx, through the alienation theory, it seems that it have reached the position that capitalist management dominates the firm, which, essentially, is Taylorism. Yet, it can be argued that Karl Marx agreed with the Taylor principle of assuming that workers are motivated by the pay of salary. However, the inspiration behind Karl Marxs position on appropriate worker salary was the workers well-being, which a dvocates the Human Relations theory. Conclusion In conclusion, Bravermans quote that Taylor theory influence the production world and that the positions support by Human Relations are only employed to aid the existence of a highly organised business structure that are noticeable by strong Taylorian principles is true. Nowadays, businesses are characterised by the compensation systems that are mainly on the workers working duration and a strong important on the output within certain amount of periods, which is related with Taylor. Next, the well-being of workers should be consider rather than the productivity. This is because the well-being is perceived as a factor that improve workers performance within a highly organised system of a firm. On the contrary, the development of an innovative culture, companies such as Google have modernised their corporate structure on Human Relations principles, which this could indicate the future, the Human Relations principle could be replace by the business environment of Taylor. References Barkema, H. G., Chen, X. P., George, G., Luo, Y., Tsui, A. S. (2015). West meets East: New concepts and theories. Academy of Management Journal, 58(2), 460-479. Bruce, K., Nyland, C. (2011). Elton Mayo and the deification of human relations. Organization Studies, 32(3), 383-405. Calhoun, C. (2012). Classical sociological theory. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons. Donka, N., George, A., Stefanos, K. (2015). Sociology of Labour and Human Resource Management: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(3 S1), 69. Gerhart, B., Fang, M. (2015). Pay, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, performance, and creativity in the workplace: Revisiting long-held beliefs. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav., 2(1), 489-521. Hollway, W. (1991). Work psychology and organizational behaviour. London: Sage Publications Kaplan, R. S., Atkinson, A. A. (2015). Advanced management accounting. New Delhi: PHI Learning. Milloy, J. (2011). Bravermans New World? Assessing the Labour Process In Recent Scholarship. Left History, 15(2), 91-101. Payton, F. C. (2015). Workplace Design: The Millennials Are Not Coming-Theyre Here. Design Management Review, 26(1), 54-63. Shantz, A., Alfes, K., Truss, C. (2014). Alienation from work: Marxist ideologies and twenty-first-century practice. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(18), 2529-2550. Taylor, F. W. (1914). The principles of scientific management. New York: Harper. Weisbord, M. (2011). Taylor, McGregor and me. Journal of Management History, 17(2), 165-177. Yuill, C. (2011). Forgetting and remembering alienation theory. History of the Human Sciences, 24(2), 103-119. 1438 words

Teaching Philosophy :: Education Teachers Reflective Writing Essays

Teaching Philosophy Education is the means by which a student gains the tools for a successful future. Through education, a teacher is not only teaching facts, but also teaching life skills. Education teaches students discipline, responsibility, and many other life skills. As a teacher, I hope to instill these skills in my students. I also hope to help them develop as adolescents. Education should allow students to fully understand and discover themselves, in addition to giving them the ability to survive in the real world. Education involves respecting every student's race, sex, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and religion. Education should teach the students to think on their own, and to accept and embrace their individuality. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to teach. Through various tutoring experiences, I have really solidified that decision in my mind. I would really enjoy teaching in a middle school environment. I feel that the middle grades can really make or break a students’ enjoyment for mathematics. I hope to bring an enthusiasm and love for the subject, and spread that feeling to my students. As an educator, I hope to encourage students to do their best and have then accept nothing less. I believe that education is not just about the classroom, it is about knowing your students and encouraging them to grow as individuals. As a teacher, it is very important to build a relationship and understanding with your students. Education is not just about teaching facts, it is about developing a students knowledge about the subject and about themselves. I think it is important to challenge the students while maintaining their confidence. Through interactions with teachers and fellow students, a student will learn how to interact with others. Schools are a structured environment that will give students the groundwork to lead them into the work environment in their future. As a future math teacher, I understand that many students struggle with the subject of math. I don’t expect my students to love math, but I hope that through my teachings they will understand and appreciate the subject. Mathematical concepts are very prevalent in society and by teaching this, I will be instilling useful skills for the rest of their life.

Free College Admissions Essays: Human Resources Management :: College Admissions Essays

Human Resources Management    I am applying for a course in the studying of human resources management because it is a subject that interests me greatly. The gobalization has provoked a serious crisis in the actual world economy giving human resources management an important role in finding a solution to this crisis. I believe that human beings are the principal players in any organization, they are flexible and the only ones who can mange the process of change that enterprises need to respond to this difficult times.    As a psychologist I believe I have much to offer in this area as a catalyst and a consultant for organizational change as it affects the members of the organization.. For successful change the employees need to be motivated, integrated and identified with the organization. Companies that are able to achieve will have a competitive advantage.    After my graduation I came to England to study English and I realised that this was a highly developed country in terms of business, economics and human resources management. Developing countries like Colombia can a learn a great many things from England and for this reason I think it will be a very good experience if I can study in UK university. As my references testify, I am a conscientious and serious student who would be of great benefit to your university.    I hope one day I will be able to join a large and dynamic company and follow a career in human resources management. I am sure that the successful future of any ambitious company lies here. I also hope to acquire a lot of experience in order to be able to manage my own business.

Dove and Hawk View of Iraq War Essay -- essays research papers fc

Hawk and Dove Views of the Iraq War On March 18, 2003 the United States invaded Iraq. (The Washington Post) The War with Iraq is a very divisive issue around the world. Turn on any news show and you will see a daily debate on the pros and cons of going to war. Because of the situations that have occurred between the United States and Iraq, very different views and perceptions have developed. Much debate on the justification of the United States for being in Iraq, let alone overthrowing its â€Å"government†, has been presented from both sides – the Hawks and the Doves. My perception sees it like this. There are basically two different views of this war, one view being that of a Hawk and the other view being that of a Dove. The ideology of the Hawk symbolizing strength, sternness, and the notion of seeing what it wants and taking it and the Dove which normally symbolizes peach, love, and harmony, to me seems to be a perfect fit for icons of these two views. Hawks idealistically are mostly republican/conservative in the political scheme of things. The United States and the world had a duty to disarm a rogue nation like Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a tyrant that had demonstrated a complete disregard for human life and needed to be brought to justice. The people of Iraq are an oppressed people, and the world has a duty to help these people. The oil reserves of the region are necessary to the world’s economy. The WORLD not just the United States. An element like Saddam and his regime threatens the oil reserves of the entire region. The practice of appeasement only fosters even bigger tyrants. Saddam had continuously reneged on promises made to disarm any weapons and follow UN resolutions made. The removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime would uphold previous UN resolutions and give the body some credibility. By removing Saddam from power, the world of the future is safer from terrorist attacks. Rush Limbaugh is a very famous journalist and radio personality. He is noted for his Republican/conservative, somewhat brass ways of bringing to light topics with such Debatable justifications. Limbaugh denounces those who are urging restraint against force on Baghdad. "Everybody and their uncle is begging us not to go into Iraq – the Europeans, the West Germans, the Saudis," Limbaugh said. "While everybody wants regime change, they don't have the guts to... ... to be one common denominator between these very different points of view and that is neither side of this issue has EVER stated that they wanted or strived for the goal of going to war. This is called the â€Å"human factor†. No matter which side of the fence you are on here neither side still believes in the morals of a nation and its people, know the differences between right and wrong and have a love for human life. The Hawk’s believe enough is enough and that the U.S. must stand up and end this madness of putting our country in harms way. The Dove’s believe this to but believe there is a better way of obtaining this goal and that is by peaceful talks and compromises coinciding with mutual agreement of the entire world. Whether a person is a Hawkish or Dovish, in the end it probably comes down to their values, their knowledge of the issues, their social upbringings, their politics, and maybe their religion or lack thereof. Works Cited Balz, Dan and Jim VandeHie. Dean Stands By His Objections to Iraq War. The Washington Post. 16 Dec 2003. . Kovacs, Joe. Rush Limbaugh: Blast Iraq on 9-11. World Net Daily. Aug 2002. .

The R-word and Racist Native American Sports Team Logos Essay

Racial epithets have long existed and plagued our society, Native Americans throughout the country consider the R-word a racial, derogatory slur along the same lines of other hurtful, slanderous, and offensive ethnic insults including the N-word among African-Americans, the K-word for the Jewish and the W-word amongst Latinos. Above all, the portrayal of stereotypical Indian images is common in American popular culture (i.e. Jeep Cherokee, Land O’Lakes butter). Moreover, the use of Indian logos or mascots at both the professional and high school level in sports has become increasingly controversial. Thus, the removal of Native American mascots from sports teams is necessary to fight the injustice of the negative connotations and stereotypes that are typical in the depiction of Indians. Our society must become aware of how very racist the word â€Å"redskin† is and how very derogatory the portrayal of the Native American is in so many commercial and sporting events. Interestingly, Merriam-Webster’s definition defines â€Å"Redskin† as a very offensive slang used as a disparaging term for a Native American and should be avoided. The fact that many Americans are not aware of the definition of the term â€Å"redskin† or are blind to see into believing that this term means strong, brave, and courageous gives them a false sense of understanding to the true testament of the word â€Å"redskin† that is heavily misunderstood and overlooked in today’s society. First, by considering the term â€Å"Redskin† has for centuries been used to belittle and humiliate an entire people. The meaning originated in colonial times when traders and local government paid for skins. There was a certain price paid for various animal skins. On that list was the term â€Å"Red-skin,† which referred to bloody scalps of American Indians resulting from a Native American crossing the path of a bounty hunter. Most of the affected tribes were Penobscots, Passamaquoddy, Wampanoag, Mashpee Wampanoag and others along the New England coastal line. The reason they were paid for these scalps, the colonists were working to remove the American Indian presence and take over their land. Furthermore, the original name was a European one used to describe Algonquins who painted their face with bright red ocher and bloodroot, consequently making their  face red with war paint. In addition, red is the most common color used by Native Americans in painting their skin. According to Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians by Ronal P. Koch, â€Å"Red is generally accepted as being one of the colors most easily available to and most used by Indians for decorative and ceremonial purposes.† In recent developments, the Non-Disparagement of Native American Persons or Peoples in Trademark Registration Act of 2013 (H.R. 1278) introduced by U.S. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega of the Territory of American Samoa states that this bill would require cancellation of existing trademark registrations for trademarks using the term â€Å"redskin† in reference to Native Americans. It would also deny registration for new trademarks so using the term â€Å"redskin† would be deemed improper, the bill has begun to pick up steam and has garnered nation wide support through the backings of Native Americans and Non-Native American organizations in advocating an end to the use of the term â€Å"redskin† which constitutes a racial slur and is disparaging, derogatory, demeaning, and offensive to Native Americans. According to the United States House of Representative’s website, documented in a letter to Members of Congress, the National Congress of American Indians (NC AI) which is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving tribal governments and communities recently stated: This legislation will accomplish what Native American people, nations, and organizations have tried to do in the courts for almost twenty years – end the racist epithet that has served as the [name] of Washington’s pro football franchise for far too long. The Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism (TICAR) asserts that the â€Å"R-word† is â€Å"hurtful and injurious to our youth, as well as the entire Native American population.† Accordingly, the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) affirms: The term has never been acceptable in the Native community and causes harm to the collective self-esteem and status of American Indians in the larger society. . . What should be viewed as a national embarrassment has somehow turned into a  celebrated namesake for a national sport? Further, the American Indian Movement West (AIM-WEST) sustains that: Our organization supports the goal of ridding the sports world of the disparaging name of the Washington pro football franchise. There is no question that this is a racist term that causes harm and injury, whether or not it is intended to do so, and must not be tolerated in decent society. As well as, the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET) expresses: Overcoming the social challenges resulting from industry branding and media exposure has taken generations for other groups. Native communities are on a similar journey. In our work to protect and promote our sovereignty rights at all levels, existing stereotypes, bigotry, and racist views about our people often get in the way of progress. This legislation will assist Tribes in promoting an understanding of American Indian culture, positive images of Indian Country, the effects of historic trauma, and the modern-day successes and challenges Tribes face as we seek to improve the standard of living within our communities. In addition to the above organizations, there are 50 other organizations that have either pledged their support for this bill or rejected the use of the term ‘Redskin,’ among them are the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, the Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the National Indian Youth Council, the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the National Indian Education Association, the National American Indian House Council as well as a long laundry list of other notable organizations. Second, the stereotypical Indian images in American pop culture known as â€Å"Tribalism,† as Ruth Hopkins, a columnist for the Indian Country Today Media Network concedes â€Å"as a mainstream trend largely based on false, stereotypical notions of who indigenous people are has become a pop culture phenomenon.† Among those are celebutantes, pop princesses and hipster  wannabes have been wearing obtrusive, exaggerated war bonnets and headdresses, wearing â€Å"war paint,† and playing dress up in Native American â€Å"inspired† costumes in record numbers. She goes on to illustrate that the perpetuation of stereotypical images of Native peoples is unacceptable and discriminatory for a plethora of reasons. (Hopkins) Clearly, Non-natives who wear American Indian costumes are pretending to be someone of another race. Those who play â€Å"dress up† by wearing an American Indian costume, headdress or war bonnet are not only failing to acknowledge the existence of over 500 recognized Native nations, each separate and distinct from one another, they are making light of centuries of suffering, oppression and massacre endured by the indigenous people of this country. Enforcing racial stereotypes of Native peoples as savages in characterless feathers and fringe also perpetuates the myth that American Indians are not active members of modern society and casts them aside to make them feel further disrespected and unworthy as a depleted and lost society. (Hopkins) Actually, not all American Indian tribes include war bonnets or headdresses as part of their traditional insignia. Of those who do, headdresses and war bonnets were worn by men, and have nothing to do with fashion or the sexual objectification of women. Hopkins expresses that â€Å"each eagle feather contained in a war bonnet is individually earned, often bestowed upon the owner through ceremony, and represents a significant event or acknowledged act of bravery, leadership, or self-sacrifice.† Much less, powerful, respected American Indian men with a history of valor who are leaders in their Tribal community specifically wear war bonnets. In other words, the only people who should be wearing war bonnets are chiefs or well respected warriors, such as Tatanka Iyotanka or Chief Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Lakota not these so-called reality stars such as Chloe Kardashian, or the pop star Ke$ha. It’s sad and pathetic that such an inconsiderate display would be similar to th e wearing of a war bonnet by someone who hasn’t earned it. (Hopkins) Because many people have such a limited knowledge of Indians, Native Americans are arguably, among the most misunderstood ethnic groups in the United States. Native Americans are also among the most isolated groups. What people know is limited by their sources of information and,  unfortunately, much of the information about Indians is derived from popular culture. Stereotyping is a poor substitute for getting to know individuals at a more intimate, meaningful level. By relying on stereotypes to describe Native Americans, whites come to believe that Indians are drunks, get free money from the government, and are made wealthy from casino revenue. Or they may believe that Indians are at one with nature, deeply religious, and wise in the ways of spirituality. Indeed, American mainstream media have always tended to distort Native American images. In a research conducted by Liu & Zhang on the representation of Native Americans in pop culture, â€Å"the film Dances with Wolves; the radio and TV Western, The Lone Ranger; and the novel, by Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans, are just a handful of TV shows ad movies that present negative or romanticized images of American Indians, either nasty or cruel, or subservient and short, but all disappearing.† For instance, the fabricated Indian images on TV and in the Hollywood films influence the identity formation of individual Native Americans. Consequently, Hollywood and TV have created simulated Indians and have played and replayed these images so many times that the Indian viewers take them as real. These romantic and stoic characters hardly speak in the films; nor do they get heard. Especially, Liu & Zhang point out the discrepancies that in Hollywood films and TV plays, Indians ar e paid to die, to fall off the horse, to confirm the â€Å"Vanishing Noble Savage† stereotype, so endings are important. Further propagating that these stereotypical images can be seen in the â€Å"westerns† movies and even in some cartoons such as Peter Pan. Moreover, other stereotypical images showed them with painted faces smoking peace pipes, dancing around a totem pole (at times with a captive tied to it), sending up smoke signals, wearing feathered head pieces, scalping the heads of their enemies and constantly chanting the word â€Å"um† promotes a damaging misconception and negative inferences towards Native Americans. With regards to discrimination, when the highly popular Twilight series received the Hollywood treatment, Taylor Lautner played the Native American character Jacob Black and his casting became steeped in controversy. As Dow points out that â€Å"Lautner’s presence seemed out of sync with Hollywood’s recent pro-Indian stance. Lautner claimed to have discovered his Indian  ancestry after being cast. Actions like this show film producers’ hesitance to hire an actor in spite of the character’s ethnicity. Rick Mora, an actor who resides in California, who plays a Native American in T wilight disagrees with the casting of Taylor: â€Å"There is plenty of Native talent in town (Hollywood) to play that role.† Furthermore, she yields that the movie could be â€Å"applauded for representing Natives as more than simply a dying race, instead appearing onscreen as people with their own unique personalities.† For some younger viewers this may be their first contact with Native American culture, so acknowledging Indians as Americans on screen was an achievement on the part of Hollywood. In addition, the summer release of X-men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and the highly popular character Silver Fox made her first onscreen appearance in the movie series. In the original comics, Silver Fox is described as a Native Canadian Black Foot. The character is to be played by Caucasian actress Lynn Collins, and the decision to cast a white actress has upset many fans of the comics. Hollywood producers have also decided to change her name to the more American-sounding Kayla Silverfox. Clearly, not only does Hollywood still find it difficult to include a Native American in a blockbuster, but also they e ven refuse to leave the traditional ethnic names intact. (Dow) Whereas names, images, and mascots that symbolize Native Americans are used extensively in the United States, particularly in sports and advertising. In sports there are the Washington Redskins football team, the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians baseball teams, and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team. Fans of the Atlanta Braves use the â€Å"tomahawk chop† accompanied by a chant to intimidate visiting teams, while the Cleveland Indians use the mascot Chief Wahoo and the University of Illinois uses the mascot Chief Illiniwek. As a result, Native Americans across the country have been protesting the use of their symbols and heritage in sports arenas for over a decade. Most particular in the realm of professional sports, these protests have not generated significant changes in attitudes and practices. As an illustration, Hatfield designates that logos used by the Washington football team and the Cleveland and Atlanta baseball teams are offensive for many reasons, as are the logos formerly used by Dartmouth College and the University of Illinois. (They are no longer used because the NCAA banned teams with racist names and ma scots from post-season play.) He implies that  these logos appropriate the identities of Native Americans, many of whose languages and cultures have been destroyed by Euro-Americans. They take sacred religious symbols from Native American cultures – eagle feathers, face paint, and peace pipes – belittle them, and exploit them for the commercial and entertainment purposes of Americans. And they perpetuate outdated, demeaning stereotypes of Native Americans that make it difficult for Native Americans to represent themselves as part of contemporary American society.  Be that as it may, these logos reduce Native Americans to savages, to defeated enemies who have been â€Å"erased† from today’s world. Indian mascots objectify and commercialize Native Americans and their cultures. Cigar store Indians were used as advertisements to sell tobacco. Urban Outfitters used Navajo patterns to sell clothes, at least until lawyers representing the Navajo Nation filed suit against them and won an i njunction forcing them to stop. (Hatfield) Other nicknames of professional and college teams, such as Indians, Braves, Chiefs, and Seminoles may not in themselves be offensive. However, the portrayal of these words is often very demeaning. For example, the 1995 World Series, the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves, with Chief Wahoo as the mascot for the Cleveland team and the â€Å"tomahawk chop† exemplified by fans of the Atlanta team, portrayed Native Americans in an extremely degrading manner. Suzan Shown Harjo, Director of the Morning Star Institute, says that this portrayal of Native Americans is â€Å"racist, derogatory, demeaning, pejorative, offensive and ignorant at best.† On the other hand, Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, a visiting scholar in the Department of Education at Cameron University, has written extensively about the struggle of unlearning ‘Indian Stereotypes’ for both Native Americans and non-Native Americans as learned from the demeaning public portrayal of the American Indian through mascots, the movie, Pocahontas, and the â€Å"tomahawk chop.† Being that there are 62 high schools that use the name Redskins, the term has vanished from the collegiate landscape. Accordi ng to Capital News Service, â€Å"the last two colleges that used Redskins changed the name in the late 1990s. Miami University of Ohio changed from the Redskins to RedHawks in 1997 and the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm dropped the name in 1999. If the two universities had not changed their name by 2006, they would have been unable to play in the postseason under a NCAA policy adopted in 2005 that bans the use of Native American mascots by sports teams during its tournaments.† The postseason ban convinced colleges with mascots like Braves, Indians and Savages to become the Red Wolves, War Hawks, Mustangs or Savage Storm. In view of the fact, the CNS denotes that the policy made an exception for teams that have the consent of local Native American tribes like the Florida State University Seminoles. At the high school level, there is no single national sports organization like the NCAA to pressure schools to abandon Native American mascots. But officials in a growing number of states are taking similar steps as the NCAA to force schools to change. Wisconsin passed in 2010 the nation’s first state law banning public schools from using Native American names, mascots and logos. It left exceptions for schools that had the approval of local Native American tribes. In 2012, the Oregon State Board of Education issued a ruling banning all Native American team names, mascots and logos. Affected sc hools must comply by 2017 or risk losing state funding. Alternatively, according to Munson, â€Å"Indian† logos and nicknames create, support and maintain stereotypes of a race of people. She asserts that when one or many of society’s institutions support such cultural abuse, it constitutes institutional racism. Further, the logos, along with other societal abuses and stereotypes separate, marginalize, confuse, intimidate and harm Native American children. They create barriers to their learning throughout their school experience. Additionally, the logos teach non-Native American children that it’s all right to participate in culturally abusive behavior. Children spend a great deal of their time in school, and schools have a significant impact on their emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual development. As long as such logos remain, both Native American and non-Native American children are learning to tolerate racism in our school. Understanding the history of Native Americans is important to understanding why this is such a controversial topic. The Native American community for 50 years has worked to banish images and names like Chief Wahoo, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Braves. It is important to remind people of the cognizant use of the symbols’ resemblance to other historic, racist images of the past. She adds that Native Americans struggled to survive in harsh situations. The support of these mascots only  brings back memories of their ancestors and the suffering and pain they went through for their children and grandchildren. The debate is about more than sports teams and what they call themselves; it is about how Americans treat one another. It is about the respect that different ethnic groups have for those different than themselves in terms of history, physical characteristics, values, and most importantly, emotions. (Munson) In essence, I have came to the conclusion that the Washington Redskins were originally known as the Newark Tornadoes and then the Boston Braves. Most accounts can agree that team owner George Preston Marshall changed the franchise name from the Boston Braves to the Boston Redskins in 1933 to recognize then coach, William â€Å"Lone Star† Dietz. Dietz, who claimed half-German, half-Sioux background, embraced what he perceived to be a Native American heritage. So, since many Native Americans are outraged about the symbolization of Native Americans in sports and advertising, and since society would not tolerate equivalent symbols of other minorities, it is clear that Native Americans are discriminated against, regardless of how others may feel about the matter–and that their civil rights are violated by such racial discrimination. These are important reasons for eradicating the use of Native American names in sports, advertising, and elsewhere. Consequently, Native American organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) are making a strong push through legal action in a bid to force the Washington Redskins to change their name. Most notable of these cases are Pro Football vs. Harjo and Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc. that have made strong efforts in the fight against the discrimination of Native Americans. Works Cited Hatfield, Dolph L. â€Å"The Stereotyping of Native Americans.† The Humanist Sept. 2000: 43. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 July 2013. Washington, d.c.—members of congress urge snyder and the national football league to change the washington team’s name. (2013, May 28). Retrieved from http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/as00_faleomavaega/eniredskins.html Miller, Jackson B. â€Å"Indians, Braves, And Redskins: A Performative Struggle For Control Of An Image.† Quarterly Journal Of Speech 85.2 (1999): 188. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 July 2013. Soong, Kelyn. â€Å"The Other Redskins.† . Capital News Service. Web. 15 Jul 2013. . Koch, Ronald P. Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians. University of Oklahoma Press, 1977. Examination of the design and construction of Plains Indian formal †¦ www.minnesotahumanities.org/Teachers/3-04plains.htm Hopkins, Ruth. â€Å"Indian Country Today Media Network.†Tribalism as Pop Culture Phenomenon and the Perpetuation of Offensive American Indian Stereotypes. N.p., 19 Aug 2011. Web. 14 Jul 2013. . Liu, Kedong, and Hui Zhang. Self- and Counter-Representations of Native Americans: Stereotypical Images of and New Images by Native Americans in Popular Media. Harbin Institute of Technology, China, n.d. Web. 15 Jul 2013. . Dow, Madeline. â€Å"Race, Gender, and Mass Media Blog.†Native American Portrayal in Cinema. N.p., 06 Nov 2012. Web. 14 Jul. 2013. . Munson, Barabara. Common Themes and Questions About the Use of â€Å"Indian† Logos. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jul 2013. .