'Our Moral Duty in Iraq' Response

I really liked this article because it states how the United States really needs to do something to end the war in Iraq for once and for all. It is obsurd how long this war has been going on and how many soliders we are losing due to combats. Because of the war, the United States faces many challenges. As the article states, the most important challange today in Iraq is to ensure that an unjust war does not lead to an unjust peace. The United States is so focused on making people like them that they do not realize what they are doing to the citizens here and in Iraq. Because the United States basically went in and destroyed the homes of so many civilians in Iraq, they are now responsible for cleaning up their own mess. The US needs to figure out a strategy that produces the least bad results for the Iraqi's, for other people in the Middle Easy and for the American soldiers. This has been such a difficult challenge because the Iraqi people do not want us there anymore, they want their homes back to the way they were and be done with it. It is taking so long for the United States government to figure out the best options to rebuild Iraq and this will continue to be a problem until it is solved and there is a peace between the Iraqi people and the American people.

'Battle Stories Bring Former Enemies Together' Response

After reading this article, I think that it is really cool how even though at first the tw groups struggled to get along, they discussed their experiences and were able to become together. In today's society with the current war, many foriegners are sterotyped by their skin color and their background. For many, it is not fair because they have no say in their country's decisions. Instead of automatically sterotyping them, they dicussed their experiences and realized they do have a lot in common and would be able to get along. I think that creating the Combatants for Peace group was a special way to allow people of different ethnic backgounds to meet and share their stories with one another. This can also relate to school-aged students because they are faced with many different cliques in their schools. Some girls may not be pretty enough or thin enough to fit in with one group just based on their appearances. It is important to remind students that you cannot judge a person by their skin, because you aren't allowing yourself to get to know them and who knows, they might even turn out to be your best friend.

'Crazy Love' Response

I think in this article, it dicusses too much of the 'fairy-tale' love that everyone wishes they had. Although divorces are common in today's society, it is not uncommon that marriages don't last either. I think it is important that couples who get married and start a family stay together especially when there are children involved. In some cases, it is better for them to seperate but they have to most importantly focus on the best for their children. I don't think there is a definition for true love because each couple is different. I think it is a good comparison in this article to real life situations that many individuals go through. Overall, I liked this article the best because it relates to my life in several ways and it was neat to see how the author summarized it into a way I never thought about.

"War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning" Response

This article stated many statements that are very true about war that we do not necessarily acknowledge as individuals. Many people see war as a bad thing, including myself. Brave individuals are fighting for our country as well as their lives because of someone's decision to attack. With the current economic status, soldiers are dying across seas which means there needs to be more willing to fight. Soon, there may have to be a draft again which is a very scary situation. Although many people think war is only a negative thing, there are some individuals who believe war can give people what they long for; it gives them a purpose and a reason for living. The dedicated soldiers put everything into fighting for the rest of our country's freedom and their entire life revolves around the armed forces because to them, it is their reason in life. For many people, war makes the world understandable becuase they are able to be noble and strong and defeat their enemies. The opposite side to that is that war promotes killers and innocent people get their lives taken away. The current war in Iraq has caused many controversial issues in our nation because after all this time, soldiers are still being sent over there and not returning. The goverment needs to do something to better protect their citizens and our rights and freedoms. War can be attractive in a way, yet very unattractive at the same time. In the past, the United States has been involved in several different wars killing many soldiers of our own. I think that something needs to be done about the amount of soldiers being killed because it is getting ridiculous. There needs to be a better way to help the countries we are battling against without killing many innocent people.

"An Inconvenient Truth, Introduction" Response

I think this essay is very effective because the author, Al Gore, doesn't direct it toward one specific audience. Since he is a Democrat, you would think he would only write to the Democratic audience, but he focuses on both the Democratic and Republican audiences. This essay contains many very true statements concerning the environment and the global warning scares. One of the major events that he discusses is Hurricane Katrina and the horrible aftermath it caused not only the citizens who lived there, but the entire nation also. An important fact that he mentions is that the government was warned that the leveys were going to break, but they didn't do anything to stop them for breaking. Their poor decisions caused a horrific disaster that many years later, is still not fixed. Another important statement that he makes is that procrastination is still the theif of time. This is so true and yet so many people don't realize it. This essay is very important for people to read because of how the world is in danger if things aren't changed, and the change begins with us.

"DNA Test Gives Students Ethnic Shocks" Response

This article brings up very interesting information that has shocked many students. I think that it is neat how we can find out our ethnic backgrounds from a simple DNA test, but I don't think that it should change someone. From reading this article, the students interviewed were judged differently because they were a light-skinned African American and not fully black. In today's society, we should not be caught up in race anymore. We can't judge someone by the color of their skin because that does not determine who they are. I think knowing your ethnic background is important, but it shouldn't change someone's opinion on another person. It is important to remember to not judge people by what they look like. Each individual has their own identity, their own background and it depends on how they were raised, not the color of their skin. Because of finding new information, although it can be surprising, does not change their identity. Each person has their own ethnic background which makes them unique and special for who they are and in today's society we need to remember.

"Your Gamete, Myself" Response

If when I am ready to have children, but was not able to, I don't know whether I would choose to adopt or using an egg donor. I think using an egg donor is great, but that is like having someone else's child. By either adopting or using an egg donor, I would not be able to have my own child which would be horrible. I think that the women who chose to use an egg donor should tell their child when they are old enough to understand. I think it is wrong to keep such an important part of their life away from them. The older women get, I still don't think it is right for them to use an egg donor to have children. Because they are older, they are not able to give the care and attention young children need which is not fair to them. I have mixed feelings about using an egg donor, depending on the situation. I think it is something great, that helps many families who are able to have children who have longed for them, if they complete the process in the right way. I also believe adoption is a great way to raise children too. They are able to live a healthy life in which they are truly cared for by people that love them, which they might have not been able to have from their birth parents. In conclusion, I don't think that having a child from an egg donor should be something that should be hidden. The children have every right to know and it could only help them.