"The Declaration Of Independence" Soapst Discussion

As every American citizen knows, the Declaration Of Independence was the first document which gave our nation freedom. One of the best pieces of literature ever written, the Declaration of Independence discusses why the colonists needed independence, all the mistakes King George III made, and the rights that all human beings need to have. It was presented to the Second Continental Congress on July 4,1776, which until today we celebrate as the Fourth of July, or our Independence day. Thomas Jefferson being the main author of the piece, wrote it in such a way that it seems as if the colonists have all come together to write this one piece of literature which demands their independence and their inalienable rights. Example of one of the inalienable rights are "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness". Also, it was written in a way to give reason to all the colonists to fight for the Revolutionary cause, and to separate from England. The different tones used in this document appeal to the whole audience, which are King George III and the American Colonists. The demanding tone used in the beginning of the piece is for King George, the inspiring tone is for the colonists, and at the end, a conclusive tone is used to finish the piece. An example for the inspiring tone for the colonists is " We therefore the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the SUpreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of RIght ought to be Free and Independent States". In entirety, the subject of Independence is discussed, and used as a driving force for the colonists to fight.

Syrian Conflict: Getting Better, or Worse?

On August 25, 2012, the Los Angeles Times staff wrote a article called "In Syria, Islamic militants may complicate uprising". It discusses the conflict occurring in Syria, and talks about what type of outside aid is coming in for the rebels. The Syrian conflict began about six months ago, and from then on it has escalated to an uncontrollable state. The Rebel groups have grown and have become a serious problem for President Bashar Al Assad. A reason why the Rebel groups have become such a problem is because first, they have aid coming from the majority of people of Syria, and second they have foreign fighters coming in and helping them out. Such of these fighters are Chechens, Libyans, and Tunisians. Also, there has been influence of the Al Quada terrorist group in Syria, which fears many NATO leaders. In May, a car bombing killed 55 people in Damascus, and when confronted with the news, the Rebel groups of Syria denied that they had done that attack. This was the first time Al Quada was accused for an event that happened in Syria. A powerful, yet diverse rebel group in Syria, called Al Nusra Front, has many of these different type of races fighting for them, but still assure to the public that majority of their men are Syrian freedom fighters. Now the problem in all of this is that if more and more people keep coming to the aid of Syria, what, or who is going to control the vacuum of power in these rebel groups, and who is going to lead these rebel groups? In recent weeks, Al Nusra Front members beheaded and threw the body into the street of a man that was accused of raping and killing his wife. Without trial, without evidence, he was killed in such a manner and was beheaded in the public so everybody will take example of his death. Eventually, the public found out that it was not  a Syrian rebel that accused him of this crime, it was one of the foreign rebels in the Front. This was a second event in which foreigners, which are helping the rebels, did what was according to their plan, and not according to the Syrian Freedom Fighters plan. Also, because of all these outside influences, extremist Muslims are starting to come back into the region of Syria, and forcing women to wear hijabs and men to fast during religious days. To me, fasting during a time of war that is this important from the eyes of the rebels is not the greatest idea. The article also discusses that during those fasting days, many of the Syrian rebels, which are fighting because of revenge for their loss of their families, go out and fight on their own to seek that revenge for themselves. In a sense, the Syrian Freedom Fighting group is turning in all out anarchy, everyman for themselves, as long as they are opposing Bashar Al Assad's regime. This is very important for any person who has family or a background in the Middle East because most of our family members came from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt ect.

"Graduation" Soapst Discussion

Maya Angelou wrote the essay "Graduation". The occasion in this essay is her graduation in Stamps, Arkansas, during the year of 1940. She is graduation the eight grade. She is an African American woman, which affects the story greatly. The story is about how during her graduation, she felt she was going to be free when she graduates, but when the graduation plan went wrong, she started to lose hope on herself and the black community. But when the valedictorian of the class rallied the class together to sing the African American anthem, she gained her hope back and she started to write what she wanted the reader to remember and know about the African American community. Her purpose is to inform and to inspire the reader. She is trying to inform people outside of the African American community to learn about the troubles that the African Americans went through, and also to learn about all the great people they had and have. But her purpose to inspire is to the African American audience, which she wants all of them to learn about their history and never to give up in anything to do. She wants them to keep rising and show the true colors of the African American community to the world. The subject of this story is her graduation experience, and the whole story is revolving around her pre-graduation experience, her feelings during the graduation, and her message to the audience in the last paragraphs. In my opinion, the last paragraphs are the most important from the whole story because this is where her purpose shines and this is where she proves to the world that even an African American can write as well as she wrote.

Afghanistan Police Force

In the Los Angeles Times, David S. Cloud is discussing the plans Obama has for reinforcing Afghanistan's police force in the article called "U.S plans to beef up rural police forces in Afghanistan". During the armed conflicts in Iraq and AFghanistan, the united states have depended on heavily armed police forces to maintain control of areas in which were liberated by United States troops. The problem with having AFghan police controlling these liberated regions is that they can go against the US troops by joining the Taliban, or they are not going to be well armed. Marine General John Allen issued an order to increase the size of the police force from 16,000 to 30,000 officers, also arming them with AK-47s, and russian HMGs (Heavy Machine Guns). Now one problem has been solved which is arming the police. Now how do you control them from not going against their government or the United States? That is what the Pentagon is discussing at the moment, and they are forming together in making militas only for their own areas of control. Also another problem is putting all of this into system; it is  going to be very tough for both Afghan police officials and United States special forces. In recent years, tribe leaders of the liberated areas have lost the weapons and the men given to them to protect their villages, and in return the Taliban has gained from them .Now how can this affect us in the United States? If these villages and regions are not protected by the set police, the Taliban can gain control again, and the Afghanistan conflict can raise again forcing Obama to redeploy troops into the country. Obama has plans on removing all troops by 2014, and having the police lose all these liberated areas will become a huge road bump for this plan. If all things proceed according to plan, Afghanistan will be locked down and protected by trustworthy and well armed police officers.

My Favorite Book

My favorite book would most probably be The Usborne Introduction To The Second World War. This was the one of the only books that I have actually read on my own time, and it was by far the most interesting book I have ever read. It was very descriptive, describing each battle scene like I was watching a movie. I am very interested in war, especially World War 2, and this book was one of the main reasons why I began loving the history of war. This book explains all the technological advancements of each country, key battles and also battles that were important to the war, and descriptions on how each country's economy, war machine, and leadership worked. I understood the point of views of each country throughout the whole war, and I understood fully on how each one needed to work to win. It also explained post war agreements and treaties on dividing Germany, and it also explained the costs and benefits each country had to pay or gain. It also connects social, economical, and military efforts all together to present a massive effort to keep hope on our front lines, and to keep people working back home to support our troops. This book also sparked a huge interest in me for history, and after reading this book it became my best subject throughout school. Since childhood, I have always loved the army and throughout the years, reading books and studying online resources like this book, I have gained a HUGE interest in war, military strategy, and military history and technology. Basically, it was because of this book that my interests are like what they are today, and I am very happy that one of the books that I actually read on my own time had such a great impact on me.