Ranger In Park 2 Trailer 3

Park Ranger 2 Trailer #3 from Patrick McClanahan on Vimeo.

Burden of the past

"Fidel Castro was obsessed with how history would judge him. " This sentence struck a cord in me. Changing, admiting you are wrong is unbelievly hard if your whole life is based on holding on what you claimed was truth. It takes more than courage. It takes true satin's nobility. Not many Christian preachers or believers gave up their faith when they found out that earth is round, they just tried their best to find a work around, like keep fighting longer war with science and progress. As so many other Communists, Castro spent his whole life fighting for creating a new world that is better than the existing one. That is the only and sole purpose and accomplishment of his life. He was a revolutionary. And admitting it's wrong, basically is taking away the whole purpose and value of his life. Fame and record in history is the only things that matter. But if some one gives what all his life about away, what is left in the record? Sounds selfish, but the reason why we intellectuals can easily talk about these, wrong or right, is because we have other purposes. Maybe computer science is our interest. Maybe it is a accomplishment for us to identify a better system, whether its capitalistic or communistic, doesn't matter. So sure we can easily talk about truth and judge. But it is not so easy to talk about what you do right? No one wants to admit their life's work is meaningless, and counter productive. Nobody is gonna talk others their jobs suck even sometimes they are.

I find it so similar to what China is right now. The leaders, the officials, they don't have any zeal or anything. They just kept repeating what was said, and even don't dare to quote Mao for those were way too radical. They are just waiting, that someone will let it go and open up. Because no one with his youth dedicated to the ideal would want to give it up. Betraying one's own youth is hard. They are just waiting, for the younger, for the ones that seek accomplishment not in the past, but in the future.

What lies ahead for Cuba?

I read the article “Cuba Lays Foundation for a New Leader” and I was astonished that there was just a first major change in leadership since 1959. It was the first time that someone apart from the Castro brothers has filled the second highest position in the Communist Party since Castro came into power and this step marked the possibility of a potential successor to Castro. The Castro brothers have been in charge for five decades and its no wonder all of these articles about what is going to happen to Cuba after Castro dies have been popping up in the news so recently. Everyone is wondering, what is going to happen to Cuba when the Castro brothers die? Everyone figured that Castro would choose a young Cuban to take his place and lead the country but instead he chose, Jose Ramon Machado who is 80 years old! If Castro wants to choose someone to take his position, why has he given it to someone a year older? I thought it was interesting that Castro acknowledged that his generation has not prepared younger leaders like they should have. He is to blame for this. If he wanted to have younger leaders to take his spot and carry on his ideas once he was gone then he should have given up some of his power. How are people supposed to know how to run and govern a country when he (Castro) has been in power for so long and does not let anyone but his brother help him? He limits people's rights and their ability to take action. He has prisoned people who have tried to go against him and his Communist ways and he has basically told the people in Cuba that it is his way or the highway.

Cuba's New LEADER?!

Cuba made the most significant change in its leadership structure and historical mediation since the 1959 revolution, "naming someone other than Castro brothers for the first time to fill the second highest position in the Communist Party....". Castro denied a future change in the Cuban governmental structure saying that "'The rebel army is the soul of the revolution'", there was also a hint by Castro saying that he may be selecting a new and much younger man to guide Cuba through the post-Castro era.

Next, Jose Ramon Machado was the man whom Castro had the most trust in, but being as the old age of 80- the memories of Castro fighting along side with him may be useless in making him Castro's successor. The likelihood is that Machado will be a tusted lieutenant to choose a now ruler and also develop the new/same structure that this successor will govern under.

Post Cuba

The article that i read for the homework assignment covered the topic of Castro, and how his lasting effect will be hard for other political figures to eradicate from the Cuban Society. Much of Castros regime was focused on gaining the influence of people to help advocate his plans he wanted to install in Cuba. Now that he is on his death bed many people are wondering who is going to replace him and if it is his brother will he be able to have a more powerful hold than his older brother. I enjoyed reading this because i felt like it took an um bias opinion on the subject and did a good job explaining all angles. Also its hard for Cuba to get rid of the Anti American view that Castro strongly promoted, this makes it hard for them to come out of the era of darkness which is Castro.

Cuba's Future

After reading the New York Times article about the future of Cuba after Castro's regime, I had several insights. Castro will die soon, as all people do. However, it remains unclear how Cuba will continue as a result of his passing. Will the government reform? Will his constituents demand change? The answer is most likely not. This is because he has created a lasting effect on many facets of the Cuban government which are essentially irreversible. Cuba's only remaining viable trading and government partner is China. China is another communist country but has its own distinct way of running its government and economy. If Cuba can strike a balance such as China has, by maintaining a communist government in the arena of a capitalist-esque economy, then perhaps there is a future for Cuba. I believe that in order for Cuba to avoid governmental and economic collapse, there needs to be a reform in its relations with the United States.

For a Post-Castro Cuba, Castro Lite

There seems to be a lot of speculation surrounding the fate and future of Cuba and what direction the country is going to go when/as a new leader comes into power. Raul Castro, who is 75 years old, is the one who has the power to change the fate of Cuba, but according to this article change will be hard to come by. There are not many choices for Cuba right now, but one of the ones that is talked about is turning to China as a model. There is a lot of discussion about how a new leader is going to make changes in Cuba, but also be able to keep Castro's ideals in mind. Despite the failures of Castro's regime and rule over Cuba, many people take pride in Castro and his anti-American views, so any discussion of a possible cooperation between the US and Cuba is not likely. This leaves few options for Cuba.

The New Leader of the Communist Regime... or Simply a Pawn

In the article entitled "Cuba lays a foundation for a new leader", it discusses the changes that have been made by the Castro Regime, including moving a man known as José Machado to second in command, a coveted position previously held by Fidel's brother Rafael. Many have questioned whether or not Castro is training Machado to ascend to his vacated seat when he dies. However, I find this sincerely doubtful for numerous reasons. The first being that Machado is as old as Castro is, perhaps a little younger. They had fought in the mountains together during the revolution, making them from the same period of thought. The article also mentions that Castro is bringing in a new congress to take over, but I believe that this is simply a show. The fact is that once Castro dies, his regime will die with him despite what some people say. People in Cuba are not allowed to speak freely or leave the country without permission. No one can manage a regime just like Castro, and I believe that he knows that as well. It is for this reason that early in Fidel's rise, he originally carried out everything himself, traveling to every part of the country to ensure that the job was done to his specifications. However, he still has yet to bring up a new generation into the regime for fear that they will even be more progressive than he. I believe that once Fidel dies, a revolution will take place just like that of the one that happened throughout Northern Africa in search of a new system of government. The US will seize this opportunity, befriend the protesters and help gain a democratic society once again in Cuba. At least this is what the US hopes will happen. But to answer the original question no, I don't think that Machado is the heir to Castro's empire, and that he will choose someone much younger, but he must do it soon before time runs out.

You Say Bay of Pigs, I Say...

This article discusses the difference in viewpoints about the same event: The Bay of Pigs/Playa Giron. The fiftieth anniversary of this event is approaching soon when this article is written. Playa Giron is a beach where the fighting took place which is what Monica describes. A discussion of the use of words is then written in the article. She explains that calling Fidel Castro "Fidel," is different from calling him "Castro." She then states that the two should not mix- and neither will the terms of The Bay of Pigs and Playa Giron ever mix. Although the parade is approaching, the article makes it sound like the people aren't as enthused as they should be. She states that the real issues in Cuba lie in the liberal economic policies- which are the main focus of conversation, not the parade. I found this article to be very interesting because I never really thought about the controversies that exist about historical aspects of Cuba.

Playa Girón...I mean Bay of Pigs

In the Article the author speaks about how there are two very different ways to look at what we call the Bay of Pigs. In America we call it the Bay of Pigs and in our view Patriots, with support from the CIA tried to liberate Cuba at a place called Bay of Pigs and it was a failure. Heres what it looks like from a Cuban point of view, Mercenaries under orders from the CIA attacked Cuba at a place called Playa Girón and holding them off was a success. What I got from this article is that no matter what the event is in history, there are always two different sides to the story. In this case they are so different to the point where one views it as a failure, where the other views it as a success. On Sunday the 50th anniversary will be held in Cuba and there is to be a huge parade celebrating this. I have not heard of any remembrance in the United States, and honestly if you ask a random person what Sunday was they would probably just give you the date. Once again, showing the two completely different sides to the same event.

...Playa Giron!

In Lizabel Monica's article "You say Bay of Pigs, I say...", she talks about the many contradictions of Cuban history staring with Fidel Castro and the revolutionaries. The article takes place as the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs is right around the corner. She talks about how in Cuba, the Bay of Pigs is called the Battle of Playa Giron after the beach where the main fighting took place. She talks about how people love to "contaminate" words and fill them with "extraverbal connotations". She gives Fidel Castro as an example saying that if one were to say Fidel it would not be the same as if one said Castro. Fidel seems like a close friend where Castro seems like a "distant enemy". She concludes that this parade is just a cover up or distraction from what the people are really thinking and talking about which is the more liberal economic policies that Raul Castro introduced last year. I think that this is an interesting article because I had never even thought of the contradictions in Cuban history or even comparing Fidel to Castro, but it seems so true. The world can only sit back and watch as Fidel, or Castro, slowly passes into history and see what will become of Cuba

A Post-Castro Cuba, new beginning?

With the approaching death of Fidel Castro and his brother Raul not to far behind, many are wondering what is to become of Cuba. Who will their allies be? Who will be in control? Is this a new beginning for the relationship between the United States and Cuba? "Most of the 11 million Cubans on the island today were born after Mr. Castro came to power and have known only his Communism", even though many inhabitants lack basic necessities, they continue to glorify Fidel Castro because that is all they have experienced and what they have been exposed to.
All around Cuba Castro's picture is put on display, from televisions, to billboards, and newspapers. Because of this mass media and similar communist beliefs, Raul hopes to seek help from China. "Despite the brutal repressions of Mao's rule, most Chinese continue to admire him...China's ability to honor Mao, even as it tears down the economy he set in place, could provide a model for China". The Cuban people see that changes need to be made with the upcoming death of their leader, but they are clueless as how to go about these changes. One possibility proposed is to accept some sort of cooperation with the United States, but the majority of Cuba is brought together by their dislike of US policies and presidents.
Reading this article made me understand the ambiguity in the Cuban government right now. But to truly help the country as a whole, they need to stop wondering if Fidel will approve of their goals towards the future, and focus more on a freer economy with a better life for those who have been living poor and powerless.

What is that called again?

According to the article the parade that is (maybe has already occurred at this point) being created that will be a celebration of the Bay of Pigs. Not a celebration of killing so many people, but a celebration of Cuba being able to fight back. Cuba resisting the will of imperialist America. An intriguing thought, yet it seems like they are celebrating pre-maturely. Cuba has been unable to even come to an agreement about whether it was at a bay or a beach and all these other minor details. Of course the logical solution to this is presented by Adrian who says, “What we call Playa Girón is just one area within the Bay of Pigs,” Adrian points out, smiling, as if it’s that simple. “See? It doesn’t seem so difficult.” Such a simple could resolve this. Even though this solution has been given to finally solve this simple problem, the problem will persist because everyone wants to be credited with a true story, or more logically the just want fame. Regardless of this the parade will go on because it has to go on for the pride of Cuba.

bad-> no so bad

Fidel Castro outlasted 10 US presidents, almost all of whom tried in one way or another to "take him out" but ultimately failed..why??? I personally think it's because of his charismatic nature that incited the people to rally behind him and well also the fact the Soviets backed him.The most interesting thing about Castro was what seemd like his inability to know when enough is enough... such is the case of the Cuban missile crisis when he came to the ultimatum Cuba would get destroyed or Cuba would get destroyed for a reason. It's kind of hard for me to grasp fully that after the soviets lost the point where the could have missiles close to the US, after he had basically proposed a global thermal nuclear world war, why did they continue to support Cuba after they seemed to have lost their reason for being there and saw how boldly crazy Castro was. Did Castro's influence really run that deep that it overshadowed his disregard for "life".

Castro and His Youth

Oftentimes, when learning about, reading about, or watching a movie about, a huge historical figure whose name almost everyone in the world knows, the most interesting part of that person's life to me is his or her childhood. It was no different with the film about Fidel Castro that we just watched . It's always interesting, I think, to see if someone's youth mirrors at all what he or she did, or who he or she became in latter years. More often than not, the childhood does not fully reflect the adult years of people because no matter who they are, childhood generally remains a largely innocent time. There are elements of Fidel Castro's youth that do reflect who he was to become in later years, both in real life and in myth. There was an event in his childhood where Castro showed two different aspects of who he would become, both real and myth-based. As a child, after coming home from school once, his parents said they would not be able to send him back to the school he attended. Castro took exception to this and threatened that he would burn the house down if he was not allowed to go back to his school. He got what he wanted. This would happen in his later life as well, Castro would often get things he wanted, and was not averse to force or other such methods to get what he wanted. The other aspect of who he became that this speaks to was a myth-based one, propagated by the United States' opinion of Castro. Castro attained a status of being almost evil and his threat to his mother to burn the house down if he was not allowed to go back to the school he liked, is almost evil as well, or at least very dark and twisted especially when one considers that he was still quite young when he said it. His childhood was, interestingly enough, much more of a mirror into who he would become than is the case with most people.

Castro vs. the United States

             I found the film interesting to watch because I found myself very conflicted watching it. Castro was a very complicated man whose views shaped an entire country for four decades. Although Castro has been cast as a villan by the United States, and rightly so for a number of reasons including challenging our way of life, he also did many positive things for his country including giving education to every child in Cuba. The documentary on Castro helps depict the type of child he was and how he grew into the dictator that he was. I do not believe that Castro meant to be the benevolent dictator that he was, but he simply was doing what he thought was best for his country. I honestly believe that Castro simply put the United States as the scape goat for all of Cuba's problems because they were the epitome of democracy in the Western hemisphere.
             Another key fact that I found interesting that even once the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Castro is still running Cuba with an iron fist. Everyone thought that he would crumble, but he refused to yield. Even if the world despises Castro, he was truly a revolutionary figure, and man of the people. He was passionate to his country, and wanted what was best for it, and with this came socialism which was believed to help Cuba escape its state. Even though Castro is an old man now, and the US is waiting for him to die so we can befriend Cuba once again, I believe we need to acknowledge Castro's contributions to the 20th century. Without him, the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis would never have taken place.

Why Castro is Unique

When one asks "why Castro? and Why Cuba?" one must start the procedure to finding the solution at this dictator's childhood. Castro had an interesting childhood mainly because of the rampant violent outbursts that occurred throughout his early years. I found a particular recollection particularly interesting because it told of Castro threatening to set his own house and family on fire if he was not allowed to return to his private schooling. After this was revealed in the film, I realized that Castro's incredible willingness to using any means possible to achieve his goal was what made him as powerful as he was/is. When Bautista was in power, Castro's attempt to run for a political position was ended by the military power of Bautista. From this moment on Castro realized that violence was a very effective way of gaining support.

Next, while Bautista's regime was in power, Castro was able to gain support of the public masses by leading a rebellion against the military base. Cuba was the ideal place for Castro to take over because the people were desperate for a change.

Unfortunately, once Castro became the "advocate" for the people he began to abuse his power. Castro soon became the cruel dictator who oversaw every little decision being made in Cuba and making the people regret the decision to ever follow him.

Fidel Castro, why did you do that

Yet another typical Communist story, full of youth the guerrillas beat the powerful machine guns and won all the hearts. I have always seen Communists betrayed the Socialist principle of pursuing true democracy, and turned the system into something oppressive. But it is this film that made me look into this matter deeper, for Fidel very much like other 1st generation revolutionaries have that kind of devotion to do good, but yet all of them turned into "dictators". Why? Why can't there be a Washington in the Socialist world? For there are so many "Marxist"(or more actually Soviet modeled) revolutions. Then I realize democracy, elections are way more complicated than what I previously thought. That era, I think we can agree, the capitalism in its rudimentary form was pretty bad(As we see in China today). The laws were not mature, people were not as protected. There is no way to fight for rights with votes in a jungle. How can you possibly not vote for your boss who pay you the very little wage that barely keep you alive? The rich always win, for both parties are backed by the rich, the only difference might be issues of stance on race. That point what people wanted to overthrow is the whole system. How can this capitalism be the final destination of humanity? Obviously we can build something much better. One can argue that people are fooled, but by that time in poor countries, especially those under imperial influences found Marxism a very appealing option, for it is full of international equality and other things that give people hope and dignity. Instead of mild civil disobedient they wanted to completely abolish capitalism, and that might really be the majority of the people. So there, you won, and I want to ask how can you abolish capitalism and build a Marxist world(which is what people at that point wants). Or just simply, how can you build schools in the remote areas and made medical care free for everyone? That is what the majority wants, and they voted by blood. Market don't need remote farmers to be educated and be engineers, for the US company only want cheap labors, which is the selling point. So when your boss say no, you kind of hard to really win it with election. Fidel and the people was disappointed by the coup before the revolution and they fought so hard to get the power, so why would they just release they rich and let them win another election and hand over the victory? The core of the problem is, in this stage of development, once you have a election, the chances are, riches are gonna win, because they had the most power and can easily get most votes, which might not be a bad thing for sure but that was not what the people wanted. So no you can't really use money and put schools everywhere and hospital everywhere, in that stage the market won't allow. What they did, sadly, all the Communist eliminated the multi-party election, for they thought everyone could live under the same dream and in the same party everyone's voice will be heard, and that had the very tragic consequence which destroyed communism and the associated socialism with dictatorship and terror.

So my conclusion is, you can't really jump over the stage of capitalism and go straight for socialism. Reforms have to come naturally and slowly. Without the material and productivity, a socialist society can not function. Productivity determines everything, as Marx said, and I thing there is some truth in it. All the oldest capitalistic countries and empires have become the most socialistic, for the have reached that stage naturally. When people had enough material, their ideology will change. They had the ability to pursue something higher, and could afford helping people and found it is beneficial to society as a whole. Capitalism have the tendency of creating monopolies, but with a stronger and stronger middle class, ordinary people won't allow it to happen anymore and won't let the monopolies take controls, so then a more, I guess I can call it, socialistic/democratic system will be created. How can you prevent monopoly? With laws. What do you get? A more socialistic system. The power will truly shift from wallets to ballot. So now we know, a unnatural abrupt change of the system without the back of the development in productivity(like in Soviet, majority was pleasant so how can you get a Socialistic country?) will lead to the elimination of election which is the only way to keep capitalism and imperialism out. The only way to achieve it might be walk through the whole capitalistic era. Simply I feel, this country in 20 years will be far more socialistic(or liberal if you like) than today, and today's US is way more socialistic than the US 50 years ago. All the Chinese will tell you that, US is more socialistic than China, you have more benefits and cares from states(some of you might hate it). Again, without the back of productivity, a system will fall back to its place, like China fall back into the brutal union of bureaucracy and capitalism, a jungle. So Fidel and all of the Communist revolution failed for the same reason. The method was wrong. But as stated, I believe a socialistic society and even a world is achievable. But crusading is never in our culture so whatever, we will naturally get there, unless you stop your development.

Fidel Castro: "Why Cuba, Why Castro?"

Fidel Castro's rise to power is very interesting and his determination and will to do what he sets his mind to (even at his own expense), ended up being both his curse and his key to success (in the terms of how he has managed to stay in power for over four decades). The film showed how Fidel was, and acted, as a child, and it talked about how he was willing to do anything to prove a point and get what he wanted (threatening to set his own house on fire and running his bike into a wall for five dollars). I can see how a strong and independent man with a strong sense of will and determinedness can win over the country of Cuba, but I was frustrated by the end of the movie because the "anything is possible" attitude that many people had at the time of the revolution and overtake of Batista's regime was so quickly turned into another harmful and destructive dictatorship. It is always interesting to think about the "whys?" and "what ifs?" when dealing with history, so naturally I found your comment very interesting on how Castro may not have been so radical if it had not been for his not having the chance to be elected by the people because of Batista's military takeover. Castro knew what it took to stand up for what he believes in and that is what has made him such a controversial and powerful person in the world.

Castro in Cuba

Fidel Castro was so successful in Cuba because he was a man of the people. When he over took the government he immediately went to work on helping people with social justice. He called for free education for those who could not afford it, and also free health care for everybody. He was a hit with the lower class, as well as the middle class, and gained support from the upper class as well. He then took over and made Cuba a socialist country. People all believed he was helping Cuba surface as a prominent country, but to outside countries against communism like the United States, he was an enemy. Slowly but surely his reign turned into a full blown dictatorship. I believe that people were not alarmed at this because it was a slow, gradual move from socialism, with not that much change. As long as he kept fighting for social justice, he would remain popular with the Cuban people. The reason he will go down in history as a great leader in Cuba, despite what the rest of the world thinks, is because the benefits he did provide like free education and health care were so progressive that it made him look great.

Fidel Castro

While watching the Fidel Castro video, I thought it was interesting to see how Castro was just as strong and determined when he was a child as he was as an adult. When he was younger, he and his brothers were expelled from school for being bad but Castro did not care. He told his mom that if he did not go to that school he would burn the house down. Why would you burn your house down? These actions as a boy are a direct reflection of what he did later in life when he told the Russians that he would put the whole country of Cuba at stake in order to affect the United States. Although this does not sounds like he was a man of the people, he was. He was liked by the majority of Cuba when he first began the revolution because he, like the other rebels and many other people in Cuba, did not like how the government was operating. He gained support from the people as he began to take over the old government. Once he was on top, he kept his power by limiting what was said in the newspapers and by detaining the people who spoke out against him. He also gained many fans because he stood up against the powerful United States and got away with it/lived. He was a man of the people as he worked to help the poor and focus on social justice.

Fidel Castro Movie

I found that the most interesting part of the film was describing the process of how Castro came to power. His speeches and opinions from the beginning when he was first speaking really showed why people followed him. He was very much liked by the people-, which was really interesting to watch. Some of the things he was saying that he wanted to accomplish (like helping the poor), were things that I would agree with. I didn’t think that I would ever agree to what Castro would ever say. The movie almost shone a new light on the issue. Even though we didn’t finish the movie, I feel like the new perspective on Castro was something to be shared. Although he did many things later on during his rule that we don’t see as right- he did start off well.

Why Cuba? Why Castro?

As you watch the PBS documentary Fidel Castro, reflect on why his revolution in Cuba was successful while many similar movements elsewhere in Latin America failed.  Perhaps an answer to this question should include a discussion of Castro, himself.

Willacy

During the movie I was absolutely shocked by the cruelty and lack of humanity in the immigration crisis. The immigration situation is an extremely complicated issue that is hard to fix and hard to deal with since it is so controversial. But the answer is not to lock up illegal aliens and treat them as criminals. The Willacy Detention Center caught my attention the most, so I decided to do a little research about it. I found very little about the details of this institution since it has had such mixed reviews and problems of sexual abuse and racial hate towards the detainees.
One of the top results and most recent articles I found about Willacy was news from the office of public affairs about a former Willacy Detention Center Contract Security Officer pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a female detainee. Other articles highlight protests or riots against the officers at Willacy. There is no reason or justification for why the detainees should be treated with this hostility. They may be in our country illegally, but then either deport them back to their country or change the law to help them become legal. I think that it is wrong for people to be in our country illegally, but immigration laws are so strict and make it hard to become a citizen that people think they have no choice than to come here illegally.
The immigration crisis needs to become a higher priority to fix.

ICE LAWS and the Illegal Immigration Crisis

After our class viewed the informative frontline program yesterday, I was honestly shocked about what I saw in the video. The issues brought up are multi-dimmensional controversies that really do not have a clear solution; however, the solution that ICE has come up with by putting illegal immigrants in detention facilities is clearly not working out as far as being a viable solution for future years to come. In addition, I do not understand how such harsh and violent treatment can go practically unreported when there is such a great basis for testimonies by the prisoners. The aspect of the detention facilities that bothered me the most was the way the prisoner's problems were dealt with; one woman in particular was beaten and sexually abused by one or more of the guards at the detention facility, but when she went to a female guard to reveal her misfortune she was informed that she should not report it because then it would only get more difficult for her; the worst part of this story is that the woman was told by the guard that if she told anyone, her family would be killed.

Another issue that was highlighted by this video was the detention of illegal immigrants who either have a spouse of have children/dependents to look over. The issue is that these people are not U.S. citizens but the have families and even children who are; these people are being locked up in detention facilities for the most basic/minor offenses like a busted tail light and the people who they are being detained with are the sex-offenders, murderers and drug traffickers. We have to ask ourselves, are these people really a risk to U.S. citizens by taking care or their husbands, wives, and children? And if not, why are they being treated the same way as the murders, sex-offenders, and drug traffickers?

Illegal Immigration and ICE

The movie showed a point of view that is shared by much of the Democratic party, who also tried to enact the Dream Act last year which failed to pass. Although I agree that many of these detention centers should have better conditions, there is really no way of getting around the fact that the law is what it is. There is a process that immigrants go through to come to the United States, and it should be respected by those who come into our country. The fact is there are millions of illegal immigrants in our country who are taking free healthcare and education, and do not have to pay taxes to the government because they do not live here technically. My solution is if they change the law and the process of immigration, then we can have a discussion about what to do then. Yes, many illegals are in a bind, they have their reasons for coming here and there will be collateral damage when people get deported. But if the law isn't followed, it puts into question many other laws that are in place. Every law is there for a reason.

American immigration ---- $$$$ >Morals

Once again it is proven that the almighty dollar can be that magnet to throw off any moral compass, no matter how fine tuned it is. To reach the goal of 400k deportees per year ICE has cast a wide net the entraps not only the most dangerous of dangerous but the most compassionate and caring. Many of these compassionate and caring people are mothers and fathers who saw the US as a beacon of hope. They believed they would be able to restart their lives away from fear and violence in the "land of the free and the home of the brave". With the way ICE is operating, however, people who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time or commit the most minimal of offences are being detained and deported. The beacon of hope that millions see is slowing fading to black.

I feel that this is something that can not be overlooked and then justified by saying the pay grade needs to be met. I want to know how someone can justify taking a mother away from her 4 children at the most important stage of their development and then feed me we have to deport 400k illegals this year or else our budget gets cut.... many who are here are taking jobs that many american would be disgusted if offered and whats even more many of those same people have never commit a crime. But rules are rules they are to be deported if any contact is made with the law...... Fairness i think not

Once they are detained they are taken to facilities where they are treated no different that hardened criminals. I understand when it is said it is against the law to be an illegal immigrant but how can someone honestly be put in that type of facility, subject to mental and physical abuse, when 1. they have committed no major offences, which is supposed to be the main targets of ICE and 2. they have a family to take care of. I still don't see the fairness and the video really opened my eyes to this fact.

Illegal Immigration

The illegal immigration video provided its audience with evidence about how the tactics to stop illegal immigration have become more extreme in the last decade. ICE has to detain or deport 400,000 illegal immigrants each year and they evict these people if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. ICE officials said that if the 400,000 person goal is not reached, the ICE personnel pay checks will be affected. This is why they try and get anyone they can even if the illegal immigrant they are detaining had not done anything wrong. Some argue that these extreme measures should be taken because it is against the law to be an illegal immigrant but personally, I do not think men and women should be detained or deported if they have not committed any major crimes. I do understand the opposite view point however. The unemployment rate in the US is almost up to 10% and people believe that illegal immigrants are taking the job opportunities away from the American citizens. I think it is hard to say what should happen to the illegal immigrants because many come to the US to escape the horrors of their old countries and to start fresh so how can we say go back to your own country when many of them might go back and put their families and themselves in danger? These immigrants who are detained often go to facilities where they are faced with acts of violence from both other detainees but mostly by the guards in the detainee centers. Many of these detained illegal immigrants face countless acts of rape and physical and mental abuse. The United States is seen as a safe place and a place of opportunity. This safe, modernized and powerful America is the reason many people come here but is America really this fair and safe place? If it is, then why is it okay for the police and guards to take advantage of inmates and suffer no consequence?

Immigration Laws and ICE

In response to the video that we watched in class the other day, my main response is concern. This video, on the issues and controversial topics of illegal immigration and the deportation of those immigrants, brings up many hot button questions that do not necessarily have a clear cut answer to them. To put it out there, I will say that I believe that the only reason why there are so many illegal immigrants in the first place is because of how difficult we make it to come to the US legally. Many of these immigrants do not come here with a malicious intent, rather they come here with the purpose of providing for themselves and in many cases their family members because their home is dangerous. I do not see how we can punish people that are simply trying to create a better life for themselves, after all that is the image that America has made for itself regardless of whether or not that remains to be true. We must remember that we are a nation of immigrants ourselves. Secondly, similar to what we discussed in class today, I believe that immigrants (both illegal and legal) are in many ways essential to our economy because they make up the majority of workers in places like farming jobs and other lower pay but equally essential jobs in our economy. On the other hand, I do believe that illegal immigrants that have come here with a malicious intent and have committed a criminal offense should be deported, but even they should get access to a lawyer in court to hear out their case before they are forcibly removed because they could be wrongly accused. Also, the detention centers where people are held need to be severely reevaluated because we should not be allowing places to exist where beatings and acts of rape occur regularly and there is nothing that is done about it except for covering the tracks of the perpetrators. Whether we like it or not illegal immigrants have become a part of our society and community today and the current place of action is tearing people and families apart as we saw in the video. Another topic that was addressed in the video is that many of the children in these families were born here in the US which makes the current issue of illegal immigration even more controversial. I do not claim to have any answers to these hard and complex questions, but I do believe that the system in place at this point in time is not the most efficient or just way of going about things.

Illegal Immigration

The movie that we watched yesterday in class provided an interesting view on illegal immigration. It gave a different perspective than what is normally perceived by the media. My initial reaction to the film was that if you were an illegal alien in the country than you should be deported. After thinking about for a while, I came to the realization that as long as a person is contributing to society then they can stay. But if a person commits a crime and becomes a burden on society or just isnt helping to make the community better, then they need to be deported.

Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration is an issue that I believe seems to have an abnormal amount of focus, especially in the United States. While I strongly endorse and support the deportation of those convicted of serious crimes - sex criminals, murderers, gang members etc. - I cannot support deportation of someone who is working to improve his or her own life. The deportation of someone who is fleeing a dangerous situation, or searching for more opportunities, is something that I actually feel to be wrong. For a country that has all but become the face of personal liberty, and personal and professional opportunity, it seems backwards that those who wish to gain these things are mistreated. This is especially true when the pursuits of liberty and opportunity have no adverse effect on the society; why should these people be mistreated? This belief of mine is influenced by the fact that I believe many of these people do not become illegal immigrants out of desire, but rather necessity. Were the immigration process easier, I believe there would be far fewer illegal immigrants.

immigrants

The video that we watched in class proved to be quite provocative and resulted in a an argument which did not budge either way. What I think is clear, though, is that something has to change. In my opinion it is clear that whatever the law is it must be obeyed until something is changed, and if that means there are unhappy people so be it. The country should never appear weak under any circumstance and most importantly must remain efficient. To be efficient, a formulaic way to decide who can stay and who can not stay in America must be created.

What must change immediately is how the aliens or immigrants are being treated in the detention camps. This is a quick and easy fix that can be ensured by trusted government officials visiting these prisons and a simple email system where prisoners can email their grievances to members of the governed .The next change would be more expensive than the other one I just, however, it would reduce chances of prisoner abuse; the change will be an increase in the number of judges readily available for these cases. With these two changes that can be done relatively quickly it will ensure that treatment of immigrants will be better treated and the country will be able to reduce the time and money spent on immigrants.

The bigger problem than this though is whether or not the illegal immigrants should be deported regardless of whether or not they have done something wrong in their past. By coming to America illegally they have already done something illegal and therefore wrong. Illegal immigrants should always be deported unless they can show in court that they should be allowed to stay. America should not be open to all, it should open to those who are legally allowed.

Voodoo and how its portrayed

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/world/americas/20religion.html

The article in the New York Times speaks about the religion of Voodoo and how it has been altered in to a twisted display of a religion. It also talks about how people have used Voodoo and displayed it incorrectly whether that be in a film, or just using it as the term to mean fraudulent. I learned that Voodoo over time has been used in a negative manner and that it has been portrayed as an evil sinister type of black magic that is practiced like sorcery. But in reality it is a true religion that has values and beliefs like any other, it seems as if the media just doesn't respect that fact.

Same root, different people

I found the story about the relationship between Dominican Republic and Haiti extremely interesting. Both of the countries have almost identical racial make-up and deep African root. Yet the attitudes of the people in each country are so different. Dominican totally denied their black root, while Haiti is very proud of it. In the video it is mentioned that mainly it is due to the wars between the two countries, and the bitter relationships between the master and the workers. This strange out come immediately makes me think of Asia. People of China, Japan and Korea have been having this subtle, delicate mixed feeling about each other since I could percept and feel. As Japan invaded both of China and Korea, and the China participated in the Korea war which torn a country into two, scares of war bittered Asian's feeling towards each other. We are the countries that are the least likely to hate each other since our cultures are essentially the same, even the root of languages are more similar than that of European countries. But this blind hatred and misunderstanding goes on. From my point of view, language is a terrible barrier; preventing communication from taking place is very destructive. As I am studying here and we all speak English, I could talk to Koreans about the most sensitive issues freely and after all I do feel like I understand them and that strong bond between us.

Hispaniola: An Island Divided

After watching the second segment of the video, I was struck greatly. Hispaniola, a relatively small island, is culturally very divided. The people of the Dominican Republic cling to their Spanish and European roots, while the Haitians cling to their African roots. The truth is that the people of both countries are equally tied to both cultures. But why is their such a disparity? I believe this disparity exists due to the dichotomy between political formation. Haiti was founded by former slaves, who demanded a revolution. The Dominican Republic had a different formation, and had a dictator who believed in clinging to his European heritage. It made me think of the United States and Canada. The two countries are neighbors, but have their cultural differences. Some people in Canada, such as the people of Newfoundland, cling to their British founding and Heritage. People in the United States believe that they are purely American, and have a certain disregard for their ancestry.

Haitian Vodou

Haitian Vodou and Vodou has been something that is constantly frowned upon by multiple cultures. What amazes me is that even with all of history against it, vodou has found a nook in Haiti. It is now thriving and a major part of the culture in Haiti. A large amount of the population are able to say that they are a apart of this. This is a model of acceptance that all countries should look to try and copy. This acceptance is something that not all countries can relate to, and they should try to look to Haiti as an example.

"One Island, Two Worlds"

“One Island, Two Worlds”

Emily Vasiliou

Although the two countries of Haiti and the Dominical Republic are so close in proximity, there are many significant differences between the two countries. The video made me want to further research these differences, and see how the effect each of the countries. According to Time Magazine, the poverty levels between the two countries are significantly different. While the Dominical Republic is ranked 90^th out of 182 countries on the human development index, Haiti comes in 149^th. This affects the life expectancy in both countries. The average life expectancy in the Dominican Republic is 74 years, while Haiti’s is just 61 years.

But where do these differences come from?

Time states that the differences in these countries are directly related to the geography of the area. Mountains that cut across the island prevent rainfall in Haiti. The trade winds and rain blow in the favor of the Dominican Republic. This makes Haiti’s climate semiarid- which makes daily life more challenging. Haiti’s lack of resources and a much higher population density than the Dominican Republic makes it the poorest country in the western hemisphere. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1953959,00.html

The Truth Behind the Vodou Religion

Following the conclusion of the in-class movie, I sought out more information concerning the Haitian religion of Vodou. The religion was shown in the film as no different than ordinary religions and certainly having nothing to do with witchcraft or dark forces. The religion itself was a mixture of the beliefs of the peoples of West Africa, with Arawakian religious beliefs, and Roman Catholic Christianity. It was stated in this riveting film that the Vodou religion was created by West African slaves who were transported to the island during the 16th century; these slaved still sought to practice their traditional African religion, but were forced by their owners to convert to Roman Catholicism.

The view the general public has about the belief system behind the Vodou religion is very far from the reality. There is a negative connotation that has been unfairly attached to the religion; contemporary society views the religion as a cult of extremists who practice witchcraft and dangerous/violent sacrifices etc. However, in reality the Vodou practitioners believe in a supreme being of sorts named Bondye. In addition to Bondye, they also believe in a multitude of saints that are referred to as Loa. When the Vodou religion was created, the supreme being of the Christian faith was used to model their belief in a supreme being-Bondye-and the Saints of Christianity were used to be associated with the Loa. After researching this information I was glad to discover that the Haitian religion is now spreading on a global level-even into the U.S. This religion is so very crucial to Haitian nationalism because it allows the Haitian people to be in contact with the history of their nation and how the blending of cultures is something to be celebrated, instead of being looked down upon or ignored.

Different Perspectives, Different Countries, Same Race

             One of the topics discussed in the pbs documentary that really drew my attention was Haitians and Dominicans view each other and view their race. Santa Dominicans want to fit in with their white community and have forgotten their past, whereas Haitians are proud of their past and have special traditions and values to commemorate them. These two countries are just a river apart from one another, and yet Haitians are looked down upon by the Dominicans, and Dominicans refuse to refer to themselves as black. I believe this is important because of how these people learned about what being black truly means, and proves that the idea of race is all based on the idea of perception.

              In Santa Dominica, they were taught about the black race the same way that Americans were taught throughout the twentieth century about black culture. They are taught through caricatures and through characters like Sambo. Dominicans are also taught by what they see, which was fellow countrymen discriminating against Haitians, who referred to themselves as black. Therefore, the black community of Santa Dominica came up with names other than black to avoid the same fate, and to differentiate themselves from the Haitians.

              In Haiti, race to them is an entirely different story. Although many consider Haiti the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, its important to not think of them as simply a poor nation. They are rich in their culture, their heritage. Haitians, along with practicing Catholicism brought by colonization, they practice vodou, an ancient practice practiced for centuries. They teach the next generation the ways of their past, of life in Africa, and traditions such as drumming and vodou. Even in some points in history, there have been plots by the Dominicans to wipe out the Haitian vermin in their country, although it proved unsuccessful. Although one country is Spanish and the other is French, they both suffer from similar issues dealing with race and identity. Should it be expressed and passed down through the generations, like Haiti, or should we conform to those around us and deny where we came from, like Santa Dominica?

Haiti and the Dominican Republic Relations

In Black in Latin America we watched a segment about Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Despite the fact that they are neighbors with one another, they have shared a hostile relationship that dates back to 1844 when the Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti. The Dominicans spent the next 20 years trying to keep Haiti out of their country, but when the earthquake hit Haiti in 2010 the Dominican Republic was the first country to bring aid to the Haitians. I found that very interesting and wanted to learn more about it so I looked for an article and found one from CNN World about the recent relations between these two historically waring countries. There are still tensions that exist between the citizens of both countries, but relations are considered to be at a high point right now when you compare them to 20 or 30 years ago. I was surprised to find out about all of the aid that the Dominican Republic was planning on sending over to relieve Haiti of some of the bare essentials like, food, water, and mobile clinics. I find it hopeful that these two countries are at least trying to work cordially together, but I find it sad that it takes a catastrophe to bring these two countries together.

Haitian Vodou

Many people seek out religious freedom when they are looking for a country to live in. The United States was founded partially for religious freedom, so what happens when a culture has there religion ridiculed and taunted by countries in different parts of the world? In Haiti, one of the popular religions is Vodou. It is a mix between West African religious beliefs and Roman Catholic Christianity. Throughout the world, however, people associate Vodou or Voodoo to have a negative connotation and link it with black magic. When Africans were being subjugated and discriminated against, people would often say they were doing "black magic" by practicing this religion because it was so uncommon. Unfortunately that stigma of Voodoo being magic and not taken seriously as a religion still occurs today.To whoever is reading this response, post a reply as to how you would feel if your religion was viewed as dark magic and was not a "real" religion because it was different. For me, I would be very embarrassed at first and if I heard that stuff at a younger age I would probably start to believe it by the time I was older. If somebody started to say my religion was dark magic I would be offended and that would be the extent of my reaction. For Haitians, this is an everyday struggle for some people practicing Vodou.

Black in Latin America: Haiti

Through taking World History II, I had already known quite a lot about Toussaint L'Ouverture after doing a research paper on him. I know that the documentary has little to do with the man, but I wish they had spent more time talking about who he was and what he did considering he started the slave revolts and is a national hero. I think he should be talked about more in the U.S. as well because he was really the first black man in the new world who was able to unify and defeat the most powerful nation in the world at the time. On a different note, what actual made me pretty mad was the foreign interaction with Haiti. If the U.S. and French had accepted Haiti's legitimacy from the start of the revolution, would it still be the worst off country in the Western Hemisphere? Personally, I don't think so. Its crazy to think that a countries presence in another can have such long lasting affects, though corrupt leaders didn't help either. I believe before marching into countries or challenging their legitimacy, regardless of the political implications, our country needs to look at more long term effects our presence might have to really have Liberty and Justice for all

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"Black in Latin America"

While watching "Black in Latin America," I was surprised to see how war heroes are seen today. Many Latin American national heroes today, for example, those who led their nations through independence, have statues of themselves in their country of origin. These heroes are national icons and I thought it was interesting to see that some of the statues were made to look more white. These icons were carved out of white marble and given different facial characteristics to make them seem more European or American. I do not understand why these figures would need to look more white. The people should be proud of the culture and background their icons came from and be proud of what they accomplished.

Many people do try and hide their racial background and heritage however. Even though the majority of people in Latin America come from African decent, no one admits to it. In the "Black in Latin America" video, dolls of African women were shown and they are perceived in a negative way. This makes people think they should not be or admit to being African because there are so many negative stereotypes that go along with being African and having African heritage.

Black In Latin America: Haiti and the Dominican Republic - A Prime Minister Is Elected

After watching the most recent video segment of Black in Latin America, I was struck by the story of Haiti, and I went searching for something interesting to write about Haiti. I found a very interesting article on CNN about progress in Haiti that corresponded well with some of the ideas of progress we have been talking about in class. What follows is a summary of the article, which can be found here.

For a country that in recent years has had little to celebrate, there has been a recent event that stands as a bright spark in Haiti's modern history. After a debate lasting seven hours, Garry Conille was ratified as the Haitian prime minister by the Haitian senate. The two previous suggestions for prime minister of Haiti, made by President Michel Martelly, had been denied, and Martelly said that this ratification of a prime minister marked a step forward in the movement for change.

Conille is easily qualified for this position, as he is a former aide to Bill Clinton, and a United Nations development specialist. As someone who understands international relations very well, he will surely be able to help Haiti, a country that depends on the generosity of the international community. It won't be entirely easy, though, from here on out because Conille and Martelly now have to find someone with the financial mind to put into action, realistically in a financial sense, the developmental ideas that Conille will no doubt be bringing to the table. It's a good start, the ratification of the prime minster, and a step in the right direction, but the Haitian government needs to remember - I'll stretch this metaphor just a bit further - to keep on walking in the same direction while continuing to watch the path that it is on, and the path that it has taken so far.

Vodou in Haiti

When watching the segment of Black in Latin America this week, I was struck by the impact foreign countries had on the country of Haiti. Not only were their traditions and beliefs suppressed, but missionaries repeatedly came to the island to convert the Haitians back to the Christian religion previously forced on them. The film also highlighted the religion of Vodou, a religion created by African slaved who were brought to Haiti in the 16th century.
Vodou is a mix of Roman Catholicism and Arawakian religious beliefs. It was created because the Haitians still wanted to follow their own traditional African beliefs, but were forced to convert to the religion of their slavers. They merged the beliefs of their controllers with their original beliefs and practices of West Africa. The religion of Vodou highlights love and support within the family of the Vodou society, as well as generosity in giving to the community and the less fortunate.
Vodou, or some also know it as Voodoo, has negative connotations in our society because we think of human sacrifice and witchcraft. Even many Haitians regard Vodou as evil because of previous missionary influence and abusive practitioners. The combination of different beliefs is what makes Vodou unique and special to the country of Haiti. It allows the supporters to encompass the African, the Indian, and the European ancestors in a whole new and complete way.
Today, Vodou (or Voodoo) still exists. The recent earthquake in Haiti also led to a renewed sense of national identity and nationalism, especially when remembering their strong ties to the first black republic of the world .