"Secret America" Facts and Questions

Facts:

The government keeps everything on a need-to-know basis.

Coffer Black was leading the counter-terrorism unit.

The code for the raid of Afghanistan was Greystone.

The CIA lead the first covert war in Afghanistan.

The Taliban was defeated very quickly by the CIA.

The CIA had/has about 24 prisons in secret locations throughout the world.

Rumsfeld was not happy that the CIA was ahead of the army in Afghanistan.

JSOC could be used without the president being notified.

The NSA can now intercept any call, email, or text from anywhere in the United States.
Obama has used more drone attacks than ever before.

Questions:

Why was there no prior plan to invade Afghanistan?

How much technology does the government have?

Why is the budget being hidden such a big deal to some people?

Why do people still believe that the government should be more transparent, when the man who said he would make it that way now knows that it cannot?

Why do people assume money is being wasted?

When is the Homeland Security headquarters supposed to be completed?

How organized can such a large building be?

How much of communications is actually listened to by NSA employees?

How will all of this affect the 2012 election?

What dies the future hold for secret technolgy?

Interview

When I first heard about this interview, I immediately knew that I would be interviewing my uncle. He follow politics and government very closely, so I knew he could answer most any question. He believes that the founding fathers did a great job in writing the Constitution. He said, "If it was not written well, it would not have lasted this long." He also thinks that without government, this world would be chaos, which I think most people would agree with. Political issues he cares about are the environment, unemployment, and the dangers in the middle east, specifically Iran. He said the environment is important because the future of this planet needs to be sustainable, he also said that unemployment in the United States needs to be lowered. Iran is currently trying to make nuclear weapons, which is a huge threat to the United States. He believes that the American government has a few flaws, but in general it is set up well.

A People's History of the United States

The reading says that the Constitution was written by only wealthy people. The United States government is the same way today, if anyone wants a chance at being elected to be in congress, they need money. No candidates with a chance at winning an election is poor, because running a campaign is expensive. One quote I do like is, "Government officials are not neutral referees but participants." This is true for the founding fathers, they were thinking about how this would affect there lives, as well as all Americans. I still think the authors of the Constitution still have the support of the American people now, if they did not, they would not be called the founding fathers. The bonds that were paid by the government helped insure people that this is a stable government that can lead this country in the right direction. The reason why most bonds were owned by a few people is because those people bought all the bonds from the original owners. Some bond owners did not think they would ever receive money for them, so they sold the bonds to "investors" for a cheap price.

1. What would have happened if there was a more balanced group of writers for the Constitution?
2. Why was the Sedition act passed?
3. What does the author suggest be done to make the government not run by wealthy people?

Political Cartoon

Why is it important for Americans to vote?

Why should people who do not vote, not be able to get mad at who is elected?

Why is it important for Americans to follow politics?

Reading Questions

What would the founding fathers say about the political parties?
Why is there so many personal attacks in politics?
Why does the word politics have a negative connotation?
Why do people not like to follow government, since it affects them so much?
Why do well-off and poorer people not vote as much?
How do most southerners feel about the civil war now?
Do people in United States territories feel like they are part of the United States?
How can people not name their ancestry? I thought everyone knew that.
So, how accurate is the census when they give figures on ethnicites?
Has the United States government thought it did not have enough people voting?
When is there enough of being stubborn about an idea and having to come together to work to complete a goal?
What did the founding fathers see the country being like in 100 years after they wrote the Constitution?
Do we have to pass an exam on the Constitution?
How does the rest of the world feel about the Pledge of Allegiance?
Why don't all the states officially say English is the official language?
Is the law of speaking English in Iowa still a law?
Why does government exist?
How much money was spent on the 2010 census?
How can the census be changed to be more accurate?

Political Issues

     There are many political issues I care about. To highlight a few I think border control, the environment, and defense are some of the most important. The government makes decisions that affect daily life for every American, so the decisions made are extremely important.

     In 2009, there were 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States. These people not only do not pay an taxes, but they also receive some benefits from government sponsored programs, like Medicaid. The illegal immigrants will often work for less money than the tax-paying Americans living in the same towns. These jobs are being taken from American citizens by men and woman are in the country illegally, on American soil. If the border control is increased, the number of illegal immigrants will drop significantly. Making laws that give a police officer the right to ask for citizenship papers will also help the cause. Some say that gives the police officer a chance to abuse citizens who look Mexican, but asking for a piece is paper is not abuse. The only reason there would be any trouble is if the person was in fact an illegal immigrant, then appropriate actions would be taken.

     Another important political issue is the environment. I believe every business and company should have to recycle. However, I do support President Bush and President Clinton in not signing the Kyoto Protocol. The second and third largest economies in the world, China and India, had far less restrictions if they signed the Kyoto Protocol. This would make those two countries have a much easier time to pass the United States economically speaking. Also, I believe the government should put a lot of effort into finding alternative energy sources. This would help in many ways, the two most important are the United States would no longer have to depend on other countries for oil and the alternative energy sources would be much better for the environment. The environment is a very important part of the government to consider when making new laws and deciding what to spend money on.

     Defense is another extremely important political issue. Without defense, this country could lose a war against another powerful country in a short time. If the United States did not have powerful armed forces, other countries could shut off our oil supply. Some of the countries we get oil form, do not necessarily like the United States. Those countries know there is a good chance that if they turned off our oil supply, there could be a good chance of a war starting. If not a full war, the CIA would more than likely engage in stealth operations. Also, terrorist groups would have more attacks on the United States like those on September 11, 2001. It is not secret that Al-Qaeda hates America and would take any opportunity to hurt the country. To those who say that increased defense spending is not working, has there been another attack? The answer is no, there has not been another attack on United States since the increased security and defense spending. The National Security Agency has the right to see every email or phone call. This and the Patriot act have discovered many attacks, and more than likely some that the common people do not hear about due to classified documents. Defense the most important issue in politics.

     The government has many important issues to consider before making decisions. Some of the most important issues that I care about are border control, the environment, and defense.