Was there a second gunman?

Some people believe that there were two gunman involved in the assassination of JFK. Certain evidence shows it hard to believe that both bullets could have entered JFK's body in the direction that they did, from where Lee Harvey Oswald was perched inside the book depository. Even though science could not prove it, is it still possible that John F Kennedy's death went unsolved. Is there still a killer on the loose?


Krissy Kuch
AMH1041
T-Th 10:05

Scandals, Lies and Resignations...

For those of you who don't know, the watergate scandal was based on the break in committed by 5 men to obtain wire tapings stored in the watergate office complex. THe tapes in aquestion were recordings of secret conversations held between the president with his closest staff. Out of fear that information from these conversations would leak out, the Presidents cabinet hired 5 men to retain the recordings. After the trial, Congress gave President Nixon the choice of resigning or facing impeachment. Why would congress allow something as severe as a Presidential conspiracy go unpunished? Even after his resignation, should Nixon have been put on trial as just a US citizen?

Kayla J. Walker
AMH1041
TR

Recounting Votes Sucks

The presidential election of the year 2000 was a big mess. Thanks to our beautiful state of Florida, the presidential race was almost jeopardized. Many people believe that the recount was rigged by Jeb Bush, who was the Governor of Florida at the time, in order to benefit his brother. They have now started the system of early voting in Florida in order to avoid mishaps such as the 2000 recount. Do you think a program such as this will benefit the count in the present election?

Are the Pressures of the Presidency to Much?

Are the obligations of the Presidency too much for one man to handle? Many experts in the field of politics feel that our country should be run on a partys beliefs and not souly on the intentions of one man; in some ways, these people hold reason. Take, for example, both the Clinton and Roosevelt scandals. Both of these Presidents left legitmate impacts on the economy, so why did they decide to commit adultery? Was it the pressure that drove them to it?... or basic human instinct?

Kayla J. Walker
AMH1041
TR

Roles of Men in Parenting in American Society

I got fired up today thinking about this in my Sociology class. Early is the history of the United States, children were considered property of their fathers. Flash forward a few hundred years and we've seen a radical shift in the opposite direction. My parents are divorced, as are my wife's. We both were "awarded" in the custody of our mothers. In fact, according to www.childrensjustice.org, 37.9% of fathers do not have visitation rights.

Take a look at modern media. Many parenting magazines are overwhelmingly targeted towards women. Turn on your television, channels featuring parenting advice or parenting news also target women for their audience.

How did we get here? I am the father of a beautiful eight month old boy. Obviously, I am a student, while my wife works outside the home. That means a great deal of traditional parenting relies on me. I pick Jack up from daycare, take him home, feed him, play with him, read to him and sing to him. My wife, Christine, is also involved with Jackson but feeding him in the mornings and getting him ready for daycare. We do a pretty good job of splitting up our responsibilites so that neither of us is overwhelmed. We have a great life together.

But many families don't work out. In many cases, it is just assumed the child will end up with the mother. Is this because women are fundamentally better parents? I don't buy that argument. I believe fathers are just as capable to raise a child as mothers. We also know that men tend to make more money than women. So is the discrepancy in court awarded single mother households due to income or lifestyle? I don't think so.

I believe ultimately the discrepancy lies in the traditional norms that women are the ones responsible for raising children and that child custody hearings mirror that norm. Unfortunately, for the children involved it's a no win situation. Ultimately, it is my belief that children are best raised in a home with two loving parents, something that divorces rarely accommodate.

Jason Herbert
AMH 1041
TR 10:05

Elections

I know everybody have different point of views and they are going to vote the way they want. I just don't understand why people have to ridicule other people about the way they see things. Everyday there are a lot of people talking about the debates. Even when I go on my myspace page I see where there are a couple of people who are picking on people about the way they are planning to vote. I also see rude pictures other are putting on their pages about the people in the election, that I find very offensive. All I'm trying to say is I hope the outcome of this election don't start a whole lot of trouble. From the looks of things now, either way is goes, things aren't going to be pretty.


Annie Lawrence
AMH 1041
TR 10:05-11:20

My Favorite Americans

Okay, there's no way I could put together a list of great Americans and do enough justice to get them all on here. So consider this a small sampling of Americans and feel free to add your own.

Benjamin Franklin- I kinda have to start with at least one of the founding fathers, don't I? What didn't this man do? In addition to co-founding the greatest country on Earth, he was a scientist, author, politician, satirist, and inventor.

Abraham Lincoln- Of course I'm going there. Gotta give it up for a fellow Kentuckian. Many historians consider him to be the finest President in American history. We all know what he did and the price he paid.

Henry Ford- The man that founded a now floundering company was instrumental in building the production capacity of the United States. He is the father of the assemble line and, in a time when the economy was terrible shocked America by raising his workers' pay to five dollars per day, effectively doubling their pay.

Walt Disney- There's not a single person in this class that hasn't felt his effect. He truly wanted to create the "Happiest Place on Earth". I had the priviledge of working for the Disney Company several years ago- this isn't just a slogan. The man had a direct effect on making billions of children (and adults) happy. I long to take my son to Walt Disney World for the first time.

Ernest Hemingway- My favorite American author was much more than that. He was a journalist and avid sportsman as well. His novels and short stories are legendary, but I think he is best remembered as a "man's man". He traveled the globe hunting and fishing, romanced movie stars and was loved the world over.

John Wayne- Speaking of tough men, John Wayne was the quintessential man of his time. Or at the very least, the man many men wanted to be. The characters in the movies he played were the template of what American men were taught to be: tough, honest, noble, good with women, and rarely lost a fight. It's no coincidence that his final film, The Shootist, mirrors his life.

Jason Herbert
AMH 1041
10:05-11:20

Eras of U.S. History I Would Have Liked to Lived In

Every now and then I see a movie or picture or read an article about time in American history that draws my attention and fascinates me. I wonder what it would have been like to have lived there and what I missed out on. For some reason, I continuously come back to the same three eras in United States history:

1. Los Angeles, 1950s- What's not to love about the Golden Age of Hollywood? Los Angeles itself was still a growing city, luring people westward daily. This was the American Dream at its prime; we had just won the war and all was right in the world. I'm fascinated with the cut on the suits that men war and how women were really coming into their own. The music, jazz and swing, dominated the airwaves and I would have been able to see the birth of rock and roll. Think L.A. Confidential.

2. Utah and Colorado Territories, 1850s- Oh, how I would have loved to have seen the frontier! To be a mountain man as the United States expanded westward. To have survived without the conveniences and trappings of modern life. To hunt native wildlife before it was destroyed. To wake in the mornings and not breathe in smog filled air. It would have been a tough life, but it would have been a good life. Think Jeremiah Johnson.

3. Seattle, 1990- Something I barely missed out on. I cannot recall the amount of times I wish I were but six or seven years older and living in Washington around 1990. What an amazing cultural time! The music, grunge and alternative, the coffee, the SFW lifestyle. This is probably the era I regret most seeing, because I missed it by thismuch. Think Singles.

Jason Herbert
AMH 1041
TR 10:05-11:20