Citizen Soldiers and Global Warriors
On Thursday, November 8, at the Keene State College Citizenship Symposium there was a speech entitled, “Citizen Soldiers and Global Warriors.” The speech was done by Scott Ritter who is a former UN weapons inspector and seemed to be a very knowledgeable man. His speech started off by taking the words of the title piece by piece and defining them. He started with “citizen soldiers.” Scott believed that to be a citizen soldier we must strive for what we believe in and full fill the elements listed to us in the constitution. He says we have failed to live up to the constitution and “we call ourselves citizens but we don't function as citizens.” during the coarse of the speech the obvious topic came up of the war in Iraq. Ritter was not afraid to admit that the war in Iraq is illegitimate and it is our fault as citizen soldiers at home. Next came the issue of what the U.S. Should do now and if we are to stay in Iraq or leave. Ritter said that the world has lost trust in Americans and we need to stop telling others how to live their lives. I believe he received the largest applause of the night when he stated, “ We are the problem not the solution, bring the troops home.”
Monday, November 12, 2007
HW30A: Keene State College Citizenship Symposium
Secret Daughter
Tuesday night at the Keene State College Citizenship Symposium there was a speaker by the name of June Cross. Cross is a teacher and a reporter who made a documentary called “Secret Daughter.” her presentation began with a quick introduction and description of her film, followed by a question and answer session. The documentary was about the issue of racism. Cross was a black women who grew up with a difficult life. Her mother was white and afraid of admitting that June was her daughter. She never actually new her black father as a child which made her life even more difficult. In the documentary she states how confused and frustrated she was with her mother by saying, “ when i was a child i spent hours in the mirror looking for her lightness in my face.” she had to find her own family that would appreciate her and make her feel loved and did with a colored family by the name of the Gregory's. It wasn't until she made the documentary that her mother was finally able to open up to her and explain what her own child hood was like and how she ended up with June's father. It's all a really depressing story but through her words and documentary, June has helped may individuals notice and make changes towards fixing the problem of racism.
Tuesday night at the Keene State College Citizenship Symposium there was a speaker by the name of June Cross. Cross is a teacher and a reporter who made a documentary called “Secret Daughter.” her presentation began with a quick introduction and description of her film, followed by a question and answer session. The documentary was about the issue of racism. Cross was a black women who grew up with a difficult life. Her mother was white and afraid of admitting that June was her daughter. She never actually new her black father as a child which made her life even more difficult. In the documentary she states how confused and frustrated she was with her mother by saying, “ when i was a child i spent hours in the mirror looking for her lightness in my face.” she had to find her own family that would appreciate her and make her feel loved and did with a colored family by the name of the Gregory's. It wasn't until she made the documentary that her mother was finally able to open up to her and explain what her own child hood was like and how she ended up with June's father. It's all a really depressing story but through her words and documentary, June has helped may individuals notice and make changes towards fixing the problem of racism.
Monday, November 5, 2007
HW31: The Water
Baghdad Burning
On page fifty of Baghdad Burning, Riverbend states that there was no running water for the entire day. At first i thought that water is everywhere and how easy it would be to survive a day without it in the first place. Th then researched the weather in Baghdad and found why it would be very difficult. There was a blog that stated temperatures in the shade can exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit, making it difficult to even breath. As a redhead myself, who is mildly allergic to the sun, i know i wouldn't last very long in this environment. It also explains why Riverbend feels bad for the American military because they just stand in the heat all day. There have been stories that the soldiers fry eggs on their tanks. “A wicked man once remarked that Iraqis do not have the fear of God in them because they already live in hell!!” (Khaleel, A Glimps of Iraq)
Khaleel, Abu. "A Glimpse of Iraq: Baghdad Summer Days." A Glimpse of Iraq. 15 Sep 2005. 5 Nov 2007 http://glimpseofiraq.blogspot.com/2005/09/baghdad-summer-days.html.
Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. New York: Feminist Press, 0.
On page fifty of Baghdad Burning, Riverbend states that there was no running water for the entire day. At first i thought that water is everywhere and how easy it would be to survive a day without it in the first place. Th then researched the weather in Baghdad and found why it would be very difficult. There was a blog that stated temperatures in the shade can exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit, making it difficult to even breath. As a redhead myself, who is mildly allergic to the sun, i know i wouldn't last very long in this environment. It also explains why Riverbend feels bad for the American military because they just stand in the heat all day. There have been stories that the soldiers fry eggs on their tanks. “A wicked man once remarked that Iraqis do not have the fear of God in them because they already live in hell!!” (Khaleel, A Glimps of Iraq)
Khaleel, Abu. "A Glimpse of Iraq: Baghdad Summer Days." A Glimpse of Iraq. 15 Sep 2005. 5 Nov 2007 http://glimpseofiraq.blogspot.com/2005/09/baghdad-summer-days.html.
Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. New York: Feminist Press, 0.
HW28: an open letter to Riverbend
Dear Riverbend,
as an American i just wanted to say how thankful i am that you are able to share your thoughts, feelings, opinions, and stories with us. From your blog, as you have already stated, we are able to learn a different point of view as well as stories we wont find on Fox News or CNN. The American media makes us believe we are helping the Iraqis and from your writing we find that this is not happening and you in fact state that you feel unsafe. Your posts, mostly for Americans, do seem a bit harsh but when considering what our government has done you have a right to be harsh. I understand where you are coming from in many situations such as feeling unsafe, then nine-member rotating presidency, as well as the presence of the American military. Hopefully many other Americans can understand this as well. Again, i would like to thank you for your thoughts ans hope that things take a turn for the better.
as an American i just wanted to say how thankful i am that you are able to share your thoughts, feelings, opinions, and stories with us. From your blog, as you have already stated, we are able to learn a different point of view as well as stories we wont find on Fox News or CNN. The American media makes us believe we are helping the Iraqis and from your writing we find that this is not happening and you in fact state that you feel unsafe. Your posts, mostly for Americans, do seem a bit harsh but when considering what our government has done you have a right to be harsh. I understand where you are coming from in many situations such as feeling unsafe, then nine-member rotating presidency, as well as the presence of the American military. Hopefully many other Americans can understand this as well. Again, i would like to thank you for your thoughts ans hope that things take a turn for the better.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
HW27: Baghdad Burning Annotated Bibliography
Baghdad Burning. New York: Feminist P, 2005.
Baghdad Burning is a great book for our Blog class. It is written by a women whose nave is unknown as she describes herself by using the name of Riverbend. All we know about Riverbend is that she's an Iraqi women who is 24 years old and she survived the war. Through her blog she brings us into her heart as she goes through the struggles in her daily life. Its great because we can learn a lot about what its like to be an Iraqi and how they might view what has happened with the war in Iraq. By doing this our class can learn what has already been happening and what is to come for Iraqi women in terms of their rights and freedoms. Riverbends writing challenges us, as Americans, to step outside of our cultural ways and replace them with her view of what we have den to Baghdad.
Baghdad Burning is a great book for our Blog class. It is written by a women whose nave is unknown as she describes herself by using the name of Riverbend. All we know about Riverbend is that she's an Iraqi women who is 24 years old and she survived the war. Through her blog she brings us into her heart as she goes through the struggles in her daily life. Its great because we can learn a lot about what its like to be an Iraqi and how they might view what has happened with the war in Iraq. By doing this our class can learn what has already been happening and what is to come for Iraqi women in terms of their rights and freedoms. Riverbends writing challenges us, as Americans, to step outside of our cultural ways and replace them with her view of what we have den to Baghdad.
Monday, October 29, 2007
HW 25: Foreword/Introduction
Baghdad Burning
The Foreword states that the book brings as close a possible to the war in Iraq. “close means right inside the heart and mind of a young Baghdadi women as she lives through the war” (Riverbend Vii). She writes of humanity in her blog that even shows sympathy for the invading troops as they suffer from the hot sun day after day. Included is also a fair amount of politics. The introduction states how lucky we are to have this blog thanks to the fact that Riverbend writes in excellent English. Iraq has experienced some devastating wars in the past such as the Gulf War where several thousands of soldiers and civilians were killed. The war also created disease that killed thousands of more people. Wars here were usually fought over oil because it is a natural resource that most countries lack in supply. The introduction then goes on to talk about her views of the war in 2003. At the time of the war i still considered myself as being to young to understand. From the talk of my family and friends around me as well as various news reports it seemed as if war may have been our only option. Now that it has occurred many regret the decision and it appears to me that our country hasn't received much good out of the attack.
The Foreword states that the book brings as close a possible to the war in Iraq. “close means right inside the heart and mind of a young Baghdadi women as she lives through the war” (Riverbend Vii). She writes of humanity in her blog that even shows sympathy for the invading troops as they suffer from the hot sun day after day. Included is also a fair amount of politics. The introduction states how lucky we are to have this blog thanks to the fact that Riverbend writes in excellent English. Iraq has experienced some devastating wars in the past such as the Gulf War where several thousands of soldiers and civilians were killed. The war also created disease that killed thousands of more people. Wars here were usually fought over oil because it is a natural resource that most countries lack in supply. The introduction then goes on to talk about her views of the war in 2003. At the time of the war i still considered myself as being to young to understand. From the talk of my family and friends around me as well as various news reports it seemed as if war may have been our only option. Now that it has occurred many regret the decision and it appears to me that our country hasn't received much good out of the attack.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
HW24: CH 5 & 6
A Room of my Own
In the eyes of Virginia Woolf we have come a long way in history today. She makes this obvious as she states, “there are almost as many books written by women as by men” (Woolf 79). This shows huge improvements from the beginning of the book, suggesting that maybe her hypothesis of women and a room of their own was correct. I have a room of my own that i never really thought about until now. Its a place where i can go to be alone and think to myself. Though the world outside my room can be loud and obnoxious, my room is always quiet and peaceful. Virginia says “there is truth in what you say” (Woolf 112). my room is where the truth to everything i know is allowed to come out whether it be thoughts, feelings, or secrets. Its my own space to rid of all disturbances so i can concentrate on accomplishing my goals in life.
In the eyes of Virginia Woolf we have come a long way in history today. She makes this obvious as she states, “there are almost as many books written by women as by men” (Woolf 79). This shows huge improvements from the beginning of the book, suggesting that maybe her hypothesis of women and a room of their own was correct. I have a room of my own that i never really thought about until now. Its a place where i can go to be alone and think to myself. Though the world outside my room can be loud and obnoxious, my room is always quiet and peaceful. Virginia says “there is truth in what you say” (Woolf 112). my room is where the truth to everything i know is allowed to come out whether it be thoughts, feelings, or secrets. Its my own space to rid of all disturbances so i can concentrate on accomplishing my goals in life.
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