Gun Control Proposition

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/12/politics/guns-obama-people/index.html?hpt=po_t1

Earlier this week, the Senate voted to end the fillibuster on gun control laws and decided to act. In efforts to gain support, President Obama traveled throughout the country giving speeches in hopes to gain public opinion of gun laws. But has this really helped? After all the campaigning, the Senate agreed on a background check plan that was proposed, but has a lot of wiggle room in it. I mean, I guess it's progress, but at least make the proposition effective in the cause it's aiming to help, stopping guns. A weak law will help, but not as much as Americans have been looking for. As Obama said, "This is not about politics." I firmly agree with this statement. No matter what political party or ideals you associate yourself with, stricter gun laws is about keeping all of us safe. And honestly, gun laws cannot make the gun situation worse. Things can only get better with increased difficulty in purchasing guns. Change needs to be made in our society, and that cannot be disputed. Hopefully some positive changes will start to go into effect in the near future with the outcome of a safer society for all of us.

North Korean Threats

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/world/asia/north-korea-five-things/index.html?hpt=wo_t2

In the past week, North Korea has been making very serious threats against the United States and other nations. Their recent claims have included bombing the White House and Capitol building, attacking United States navy bases on the Pacific, and even renouncing their armistice between them and South Korea. In the past, North Korea has made many threats, but most were simply ignored. These recent ones, however, show some concern. They are much more violent and specific than previous threats. There has even been propaganda videos playing throughout North Korea showing these US buildings being bombed. This may be of some concern in the near future as North Korea gains more military and political power.

But of course, most of this isn't new to the United States. We receive threats all the time from Kim Jong Un and his military. The reality of the situation is that these are empty threats meant to intimidate. North Korea is simply trying to give themselves credibility as a major military power and threat. However,  North Korea has failed in testing their military equipment, and currently, they do not have the technology to act on their threats. However, as time progresses, North Korea will gain more knowledge and make more advances that could make these threats possible. But for now, all we can do is listen to these empty threats and watch to see what can be predicted about North Korea in the future. 

Obama vs the Congo Conflict

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/08/opinion/congo-obama-tampa/index.html?hpt=wo_t2

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the DRC, has been terrorized in last couple of years by rebel militia groups in the country. Millions of people have been displaced from their homes, and millions have lost their lives from invasions, wars. There has been countless violations against human rights and war crimes. And in the past, the world has simply turned it's shoulder. But in the last week, the United Nations has taken a stand. They claim that Rwanda has been supported the rebel group in the DRC, M23, militarily. President Kagame of Rwanda has denied any involvement, but there has been consequences. There are possible financial aid cuts from the United Nations to Rwanda, and relations have been strained.
The United States also took action on this issue. This week, the United States suspended its military aid to Rwanda. President Obama also made a phone call to Kagame, emphasizing the importance of ending Rwanda's support to rebel groups in the DRC.  I think this is a triumph for the United States, and that world as a whole. We should not be supporting a nation that gives aid to rebel groups that do such atrocious war crimes. Finally the world's eyes are being opened to the true horror of this situation, and cutting off aid to Rwanda may work to stop the atrocity. I am fully aware that this cannot be the only step taken by the United States to help the DRC, but this is a huge leap that hasn't been taken before. Hopefully our nation and the rest of the world can work to end the injustice being done in central Africa, and help people in desperate need.

Turkey Bombing

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/world/europe/turkey-explosion-terror-group/index.html?hpt=wo_c1

On Friday, the US Embassy located in Ankara, Turkey, was targeted by the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party. The suicide bomber detonated the bomb outside of the building, killing himself and the Turkish guard outside. The entrance to the building was destroyed. Many people see this attack as a revolt to the recent cooperation between the United States and Turkey over the current issues in Syria. Many troops have been deployed to Turkey in the past week to prevent any Syrian spill over from their civil war, which is most likely what caused the attack.
There were two aims of the bombing: to embarrass the Turkish government, and also to demonstrate the group's hostility towards the recent American troops being sent to help. This rebel terrorist group is anti-Western government, and they see American aid as a threat. There is some question whether sending the troops has caused turmoil, but in all honesty, I think it was right of the United States to deploy them. I think that by sending troops to Turkey's aid, we strengthened our relationships with them which will help later relations in the future. Also, I think that our presence was and still is currently needed with the situation in Syria, and we will most likely stay as long as we're needed. I think this attack was a wake-up call, and shows that our actions do have consequences in whatever we as a nation decide to get involved in. 

Women in the Military

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/24/us/military-women/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

A major event occurred this week in how our nation's military is run. Women will now be able to be in the front lines of battle. General Martin Dempsey signed a directive on Thursday, along with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, that will open up almost 200,000 posts on the front line. This is a major feat for the United States. We have been preaching for some time now that we need to make men and women equal in the workplace, and this is one way to get to that goal. I think it's ridiculous that women haven't been equal with men in the military up until this point. I mean, I know that there may be some concerns with this, but I think it had to be done.
Many people might be angry with this, or have worries and concerns. But honestly, I don't see anything wrong with it. There are certain requirements in order to fill positions on the front line, mainly physical, such as lifting a certain amount of weight. I think that these are necessary, because you have to be able to do certain things while on the front line. And if a woman can fulfill these requirements just as well as a man, than they deserve to serve along side each other. People in the military, whether man or woman, do it because they love our country and are fighting to protect it. So why has it been that only men can do close combat, when many women are willing to?  I do not think it's right to not provide certain opportunities to someone based on gender. I think that the opportunities we get should be decided on what we can do and if we can do the job right, male or female.

Sandy Hook Conspiracy Theories

The Sandy Hook shooting has been prevalent on every news station around the country for the past month. This event, the killing of over 25 people, 20 of those being children, has opened Americans eyes to the plethora of guns that are available, and how that has a major effect on everybody's safety. Many people argue that it's the holder of the gun, not the gun itself. But what if that holder was the American government? There have been many conspiracy theories hitting the news lately that claims that the government enacted the massacre in order to control guns. It is said that the government needed a sparking gun in order to start the control of firearms, and this was it. But do you honestly believe that the American government could be the controlling hand in the massacre of 20 children?
I think it's a crazy and irrational statement to make that the government is behind this all. I have watched the video over it, and their information seams faulty. It also seems as if they took bits and pieces of the whole event, and made it seem as if something wasn't right. I think what's dangerous about this video is that viewers might believe what they see. You can throw a little video together and shed something in the completely wrong light, and this is what happened. But would gun control really be a bad thing anyways? I don't see the need for an average citizen to have a semiautomatic weapon that can shoot many bullets a second. I'm aware that it's what the person does that causes violence, not the weapon, but you cannot take people out of the equation. It's impossible. So you must take guns out. In reality, there will never be a ban on firearms. There will only be steps to reduce violence, such as making it harder to get a weapon through things like background checks. But to say that the government had a hand in what started this "revolution" is absurd. It demeans the United States, and also the victims of the shooting. I think change is necessary, and making up theories and excuses in order to try and keep things the same is idiotic and childish.

http://theweek.com/article/index/239012/the-disturbing-rise-of-sandy-hook-conspiracy-theories

About Me

My name is John Barrett. I am a sophomore in high school that attends Creighton Preparatory School. I attended grade school at St. Robert Bellarmine for ten years. At Prep, I am on the service committee in the Campus Ministry Advisory Board (CMAB). I’m a member of the speech and debate team, and I also shoot trap. I also coach middle school speech at St. Robert’s. One thing that most people know about me is that I eat all the time. One look at me and you can tell that I love to. Chinese food is my absolute favorite. I know it sounds weird, but McDonald’s is probably my second home. I also play the piano, and have been for nine years, which is something people don’t know about me. Also, people don’t really know that I’m on the trap shooting team at Prep, and I try to keep that a secret. I’m not a hunter or anything like that, I just think competing is fun.