Political Issues as Discussed in Various Articles

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Political Issues as Discussed in Various Articles

Article 1: Should Democrats Gun for a Shutdown? by Jill Lawrence

Summary

This explores on matters related to the Democrat government spending, and the gun control laws. The Republicans are exerting pressure on the government with the intention of bringing it to the brink of default. The main issue being discussed in the article is the bipartisan law, which makes provisions for the government to get funding for various projects in various governmental departments. The Republicans seek to repeal the environmental and financial regulations, strongly protest, and oppose the federal funds that have been channeled towards Planned Parenthood and gut the Affordable Care Act. It also aims to disrupt the efforts and process to accepting the Syrian refugees into the country. The main issues plaguing the county include the gun control laws. The Republican seeks to stall all the government funds until issues such as background checks when purchasing guns are done. The government should not get any funds until they ensure that citizens who require psychiatric help and attention are taken care of. Such are the fundamental issues the article talks about. Here is the link to the article, http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2015/12/01/should-democrats-shut-down-government-over-guns-after-colorado-shooting?int=935d08

Discussion

This particular article is quite revealing of some of the fundamental issues the government should be dealing with. It is not a matter of political affiliations, but the Republicans, who also serve as the government watchdogs, are making important points that the Democrats should consider for the common good. The major political concept covered in the article is the power and role of the opposition. Government opposition serves the purpose of ensuring the government is performing its functions as required, and highlights any discrepancies and irregularities observed. For example, in the article, the author discusses the Republicans intentions of freezing government funds until certain issues such are gun control laws and the Affordable Care Act are addressed. By exerting pressure on the government, necessary action is taken and changes are made. The opposition is a strong force, which should not be ignored in any situation.

Article 2: ‘Love’ and Disbelief Follow Donald Trump Meeting With Black Leaders by Michael Barbaro and John Corrales

Summary

The article focuses on Donald Trump’s meeting with black ministers recently. Donald Trump is the Republican 2016 Presidential Candidate, who has been accused of bigotry and making racist remarks about the minorities in the United States. The article discusses the minister’s reactions to the invitation to the talks. Trump maintains that about a group of 100 ministers agreed to join him for the talks, and that they loved him. In addition to this, Trump believes that he stands a great chance to win the elections with the backing of the black people. However, the larger public continues accusing Trump of bigotry and racial insensitivity. Here is the link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/01/us/politics/love-and-disbelief-followdonald-trump-meeting-with-black-leaders.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Discussion

Racial discrimination is a concept that has been a topic of discussion for centuries. It has been used as a tool in politics for controlling the masses. This particular article reveals the underlying issue in the United States politics. Donald Trump seems to be projecting the implementation of very stringent diplomatic approaches towards dealing with the immigrants and the minority populations. In politics, this seems to be a very retrogressive approach, as in the contemporary world, racism is treated as one of the greatest evils one can commit. Evidently, in the article, the church ministers are appalled by his past actions, largely because he is racially insensitive. When running for a public office, specifically the Presidential seat, it is important for the candidate to be sensitive especially in matters related to race. This article is a clear depiction of the repercussions such a candidate faces when their policies are not in line with the common beliefs in the society. Additionally, the article is also enlightening on issues that are affecting the minority population, as it is evident that they are fighting for inclusion in the society, based on their reactions to the invitation to the Trump talks.

Article 3: As He Departs Paris, Obama Defends His Islamic State Strategy in Syria by Steven Mufson, Juliet Eilperin, and Greg Jaffe

Summary

The article focuses on Obama’s speech in Paris earlier this week during the climate talks. It reports that Obama addressed the war on Syrian terrorists. He claims that the Unites States is bent on combining military air power in order to destroy the Islamic state. Additionally, the United States government is exerting diplomatic pressure on the country in order to push out the President, Bashar al-Assad. The article also reports that Obama claimed that Russia is fighting the moderate fighters instead of the main terrorists form Syria. He urges Russian President Vladimir Putin to alter their strategy in combating the Syrian terrorists in order to cut on the source of terrorists for the group. In addition to this, he also addressed the Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado Springs, where he said his government would reinforce gun control laws in order to end these gun death incidents. Here is the link to the article:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/12/01/obama-on-paris-climate-talks-im-convinced-were-going-to-get-big-things-done-here/?tid=pm_politics_pop_b

Discussion

Terrorism is a product of globalization, which has become one of the greatest problems in the world. The Syrian terrorists have launched attacks on various parts of the world, with the most recent being the Paris attack. The main concept being discussed in the article is global terrorism and American democracy. President Obama clearly indicates that his government is in the middle of the war, as it is attempting to end the global terrorism. This can be considered an underlying attempt in spreading the American democracy as it is part of the American foreign policy. In addition to this, the article also highlights the issue of global unity in fighting terrorism. This is a sign of hope for the global community that there are at least powerful forces trying to combat terrorism.

Article 4: McCain Threatens Court Battle If Obama Bypasses Congress On Guantanamo by Austin Wright

Summary

This article talks about the Senate Armed Services Chairman, John McCain’s threat to Obama’s government. As a Republican, he is threatening a court battle is the President tries to go around the Congress in order to achieve his goal of closing down the Guantanamo detention camp. The government aims to move back the detainees back to the mainland, which would automatically mean that the prison has to be closed down. This decision has also been influenced by the outrage and uproar by the civil rights lobby groups, which assert that the detention of these prisoners of war without trials is an affront to the American belief and traditions. The Republicans maintain that should the President go around the Congress in order to close down the prison, then there will be strong repercussions such as a court case, which will be one of the largest political showdowns in American history. Here is the link to the article: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/guantanamo-gitmo-john-mccain-barack-obama-constitution-executive-orders-215779#ixzz3t5REJf00

Discussion

This article reveals the human rights issue in America. The Guantanamo prison was established by the Bush administration to serve a facility, which housed terrorist detainees. Most of them were members of the Taliban movement, and were detained, tortured and killed without nay proof or evidence of engaging in terrorist activities. The author gives a short account of the government’s intentions to close down the facility. President Obama is a Democrat, who believes in promoting human rights. The government believes that it will be acting in accordance with human rights requirements by closing down the prison. However, this has been met with opposition from the Republicans, who are threatening a court case if it goes ahead with the plans. This is typically the function of the opposition as discussed earlier in the previous article.

Article 5: Us to Tighten Visa Waiver Program after Paris Attacks

Summary

The article talks about United States government and its efforts to limit the number of people entering the country. Their visa waiver allows at least 20 million people from 38 countries to enter the United States without a visa for at least 90 days. However, the article reports that in the wake of global terrorism, perpetrated by Islamic militants, the government seeks to tighten the waiver program in order to control the movement of these Islamic people in and out of the country. Here is the link to the article: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34972383

Discussion

Once again, the article addresses the issue of global terrorism, and diplomatic efforts and measures taken to thwart any attempts on the United States. Though brief, the article directly addresses terrorism through the presentation of the recent developments from the department of immigration. Evidently, terrorism is one of the greatest global problems that the world is grappling with. The United States government has taken stringent measures domestically the amount of people coming into the country by reviewing the visa waivers they have granted the 39 countries.

Article 6: HRW calls for Prosecution of Us Officials Complicit in Torture by Jenifer Fenton

Summary

The article discusses the Human Rights Watch’s intentions to call the government to hold account and persecute those individuals who authorized the CIA torture which was inflicted on the prisoners after the 9/11 attacks. The organization maintains that there is an urgency and strong need for investigation into the matters, in order to look into the crimes committed during the persecution of the war prisoners. It claims that the Obama administration will be forever blamed for the continuation of this trend if he does not address this human rights issue. Additionally, the article explores the torture as a complete disregard of international and domestic law. Here is a link to the article: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/12/1/hrw-calls-for-prosecution-of-us-official-complicit-in-torture.html

Discussion

This article helps the reader to understand more about human rights, international law, and government impunity. The Bush Administration evidently fuelled high levels of impunity through various atrocious acts that grossly violate human rights. Recently, the HRW has expressed sharp interest in the persecution of those government individuals who perpetrated these crimes against humanity. The article reminds the reader that impunity is still rife in the government and measures should be taken in order to combat it.