- The new thing about the type of war described in P. Williams’s essay is that it seems to have no end or ethical boundaries. The war on terror brought new non-ethical tools for the government to use, such as secret surveillance of citizens and their computers, as well as ethnic profiling. The war on terror was different in just how much of an impact it had on shaping how citizens were treated for the next 20+ years. For 24 years, citizens went through metal detectors in airports without their shoes because of the unknown threat the war on terror posed.
- A way it violates the Bill of Rights is with the First Amendment and freedom of speech. The idea that someone can be persecuted just for what they said on a private phone call for expressing themselves goes against everything the First Amendment stands for. The wiretaps for the war on terror were geared toward specific people who were profiled due to their ethnic background, more so because of what they had proved to have done.
- The “Sneak and Peek” warrant violates the Fourth Amendment of Unreasonable Search and Seizure. If an officer of the law has a warrant, they are supposed to search a home or office when someone is there. They are not supposed to sneak in and possibly leave evidence or frame the suspect they are searching the home of. With this ability, there is no telling how many people have been wrongly convicted due to being framed just so that the system can seem as if it is working and making progress.
Discussion 9.1 – Rego Nurse
- The “Lemon test” is essentially a smell test for how much something doesn’t smell right with regard to the “Establishment Clause”. There are a few positions and how the “Lemon test” relates to the clause.
- The first being that all laws “must not lead to excessive entanglement with religion”. Meaning that no laws can so closely follow a religion that it can in anyway be confused for it.
- The next one supports the previous in that policing “the boundary between government and religion” should be easily understood by the average citizen.
- Lastly, that no law should
- Yes, the burning of the U.S. flag is protected under the First Amendment and seen as a form of symbolic speech, as stated in the text. In 1989, Gregory Lee Johnson was convicted of burning a U.S. flag. Though five years later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that conviction and deemed it unconstitutional. They stated that the act of burning the flag was protected under the First Amendment. To this day, Congress will routinely attempt to pass laws regarding the protection of the U.S. flag, and every time the Supreme Court strikes it down.
- When someone says “I’m taking the Fifth,” they mean that they will not make themselves available to self-incrimination through their own words. They plan to stay silent and let the burden of proof of guilt fall on the police or the prosecuting attorney.
Discussion 7.1 Rego Nurse
- A difference between a Confederation, a Unitary System, and a Federation is that a Federation is the only system of government where the people have a major role to play. In a Confederation, the National Government works for the States. In a Unitary System, it is reversed, and the States work for the National Government. Unlike either a Confederation or a Unitary System, in a Federation, both the States and the National Government work for the benefit of the people.
- For the Division of Powers to work, both parties must answer to one another and be responsible for helping the other in some way. An example of this is states paying taxes to the Federal Government to help fund the military and other programs that support government operations. This is symbiotic in nature; while the States help the government run, the government funds things like infrastructure for the states. This is how bridges and interstate highways are funded and maintained.
- Through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government shapes the actions of state and local governments somewhat to their detriment. In the case of the safety and medical mandates by the Federal Government, there was a lack of strict guidelines that, in hindsight, could have prevented many more lives from being lost due to the spread of the virus.
Self-Assessment 6.2 Rego Nurse
- The word disenfranchised means that a person’s worth has either been called into question or revoked entirely.
- The disenfranchised were anyone who was not a while male that were able to vote.
- Common areas that these people had in their lives were that they were not able to speak for or represent themselves in times that mattered, like voting.
- The social group that falls into this is today would be called the working/labor group.
- The “real” property holders fell into were the farmers that owned the land that they tilled.
- When the change of moving towards paper, the people who now own physical assets. This is in regards to the fact that you can actually see the dirt.
Self Assessment 6.1 Rego Nurse
- To be able to vote, a person had to be a property-owning (wealthy) White male.
- Most people belonged to the labor or working class of that time.
- Madison’s goal in writing Federalist No. 10 was to prevent true power from being transferred to the people. In doing so, he made sure that the power to create change in this country stayed with those of affluent means.
- The Framers were afraid of a true democracy because that would mean that the power of those they thought were less than had the same level of authority as them. Being wealthy property owners made them think that they knew what was best for the people of that time. If power over decision making in the country went to the average man then opinions on what should be done to better it would be so scattered that nothing but harm would come to it.
- Some reasons why the slave trade was never abolished were that the people who profited from it were the ones who wrote the rules and the rights. Another being that anyone who was truly affected, be it in all the horrid ways we know today, did not have a say in any matter that involved them. Lastly, the men who owned these slaves were given more representation in the House of Representatives, which gave states with slaves more sway over what was passed in the House
Discussion Board 5.1 (Rego Nurse)
Labor and means of production:
- The means of labor are the products or services that enable the creation of something. An example of this could be Adobe Premiere. There are millions of creatives and companies using this software to make digital art.
- Labor is the individual’s commodity. It is something that they are selling to their employers for their salaries. The more a person can accomplish with the least amount of labor provided, the more expensive each hour of their time becomes
2. What makes something valuable is what can be done with that item. A motorcycle would be much more valuable than a bicycle because of what it can be used for. While a motorcycle can take you across the country, a bicycle will only get you so far within your own city.
3. The relationship between labor and value is that of value, stating the worth of the amount of labor a person can provide. The same can be applied to anything that allows you to get a job done.
4. The key difference between labor and labor power is that labor power is the most labor is what a person provides, and being that labor power is something that is privately owned, it is controlled by the company and not the individual.
5. Surplus value is the outsized worth an item or service has relative to the cost to create that good or service. A surplus value is created any time an item is purchased at Nike. While the shoes only cost a handful of dollars to create, those same shoes will be sold for a markup that is 10 fold of what it costs to make them.
Rego Nurse – Repressive vs Ideological
- A Repressive State Apparatus leans on the fears the public has if they step out of line. It’s meant to seem as if a punishment for not going with the flow of the rest of society. Examples of these, as stated in the provided video, are the police, courts, and prisons. These fixtures in the government are meant to scare and keep the populace in line.
- An Ideological State Apparatus gives the illusion of choice and that they are able to make a difference. An example of this could be choosing a political party over the other, or watching FOX News instead of CNN. There is just enough choice involved to make people feel as if a difference has been made.
- The difference between the Ideological and Repressive State Apparatus is that one gives false hope while the other instills fear. Repressive is a more militaristic way, making people scared of attempting true change. Ideological is giving people a false sense of hope that by having made certain choices, progress has been made.
- This Nike running commercial would be Ideological. It gives a sense of belonging, that those who don’t run don’t know what they are going through. In doing so, Nike has attempted to tell runners that others don’t know you like we do, so come to us and not them.
Rego – Ideologies and how they divide us
- Understanding Ideology
- Ideology is the set of beliefs a person holds that governs the decisions they make. They are the guidelines by which a group of people with the same ideology lives. Anyone who does not share the same values as them can be seen as automatically against them.
- An example of this could be that conservatives don’t believe that abortions should happen. While liberals believe that the decision should be the decision by a woman and her doctor.
- The beliefs that people live by are the guardrails to how they see themselves in the world. Conservatives believe that they work hard and have earned everything they have. They don’t believe that they have been given a handout in any regard. While liberals believe that there are many things that the government should be assisting with that they care not. Some of these things are universal healthcare, childcare, and free public colleges.
- From my understanding, the biggest divide in regards to conservatives and liberals is how they see the government and how much control or involvement it should or shouldn’t have in their daily lives. Liberals believe that there should be much more assistance and programs to help those in need, to subsidise the expenses that they cannot afford. This would be the complete opposite for conservatives who believe a person should do for themselves and should not have to rely on the government for help. They believe that their tax dollars should not be going toward the assistance of people who are “lazy” and won’t help themselves.
- A portion of Althusser’s definition of ideology can be understood as people want to feel like they belong. The feeling of belonging to a group of like-minded individuals strengthens the shared beliefs that they all have, regardless of whether they are right or wrong. This widens the gulf between them and the others who don’t think the same way.
