Journal 4-2 : Countdown to Senior Year!

  Hey everybody, and welcome back to the final edition of Krazy Thoughts by Kit. It's been a good long year with some good, and very long, entries, but it ends tonight. Though I'm happy that it's almost summertime, I'm actually going to miss writing these journals. They've been a great outlet for me to talk about my views on everything we discuss in Ethics class. It's sort of like a diary.. except it gets graded :3. Anyway, in Ethics class we've been watching and discussing a documentary called Sound and Fury. It follows the story of  two brothers, one deaf and one hearing, and it follows their families struggles involving living in the deaf community and the hearing community. The film follows the Artinian family's decisions regarding whether or not to implant their children with Cochlear implants. However, before I dive into this, I have to answer my own question! Last week's question was: 

1) Is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever going to be resolved?

    Honestly, I can't accurately answer this question because I'm not involved in it. This conflict is as old as time, with these two groups constantly going back and forth, fighting to gain some land that both groups say belongs to them. On one hand, the Israeli's gained their land because of what they experienced in the Holocaust, and the UN said that the Jews deserved it after all they went through. However, in order to give the Jews this land, they had to kick out all the Palestinians already living there. So, all the Palestinians had to move out, and millions of them still live in refugee camps after being displaced from their homes. Therefore, one can see the resentment that the Palestinian's have towards the Israeli's. Both sides are right in their own ways, and until these groups can learn to compromise, this conflict won't resolve, peacefully at least. 

Soundless Mayhem

      Let's get to the good part now! Lately, as previously stated, we've been watching this documentary in Ethics class called Sound and Fury. This film analyzes  the Artinian family, which is composed of both deaf and hearing people. One brother is deaf, and the other is hearing, and the deaf brother's entire family is deaf whereas the hearing brother has twin boys, one being deaf and one hearing. It follows these families dilemmas while struggling with living in both the deaf community and the hearing world. As the film progresses, you can really see how this is a multi-level argument. It involves so many levels and so many issues ranging from acceptance to deaf culture. Honestly, I really loved this documentary because it's about something that most people don't think about on a regular basis. Nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks " wow I wonder how Cochlear implants affect the deaf people?". It's something that average people don't think about, yet it's really interesting. I really enjoyed it and it's a thought-provoking documentary. 

To be deaf or not to be deaf

   Peter and Nina do make a valid argument regarding deaf culture. They had wanted their daughter, Heather, to not have a Cochlear implant, well at least Peter didn't want her to have one, Nina was actually for her getting the implant. Yet, in the end ( at least we thought so), her parents told her that they don't want her to get the implant. Her parents said that they didn't want her to get the implant because she was already a part of " deaf culture", and that she should be like her parents. I mean, is it really that wrong for parents to want their kids to be like them? It's perfectly understandable, but then there's another level to the argument: as the grandparents of Heather argue, don't you always want the best for your kids? That's what Chris and Mari use to defend their argument for having Peter implanted with the Cochlear implant. Both of them are hearing, and Peter's brother is hearing as well, so they wanted what was best, in their eyes, for their child. Their decision to have their child implanted creates a massive uproar with Chris's brother Peter,  because he believes that it's wrong for Peter ( yeah I know it's confusing ) to be taken out of the deaf community. Dad Peter believes that the Cochlear implant takes away a deaf person's identity. I mean, I can certainly understand why Chris and Mari wanted to implant their child, but I think it was somewhat wrong of the family to be so mad about Chris getting his kid the implant. It's not their decision and they should really let Chris and Mari decide what's best for their kids. 

What We Learned. 

    There's really a lot you can take from this documentary because it has so many aspects to it. You can look at family decision-making, the ability for a child to make a decision on their own, and so many more. One thing you can pick up from this documentary is parents trying to decide what's best for their kids and sticking to it, and not letting other people tell you what to do. When it comes to your kids, it's your decision that matters, not your in-laws  and not your parents, but your decision. On the flip side of it, you can also take from the documentary that sometimes, you need to let kids make their own decisions. I mean when they're young, you think that you have to do everything for them, but you really don't. Sometimes you need to let them make their decisions, because they also get a say in what they want to do. And it's not really fair to make all their decisions for them. Honestly, you gotta let kids do their own thing! You can't control everything about them, no matter how hard you try, you can't make them do everything you want them to do. I mean sure, if it's something massive you should perhaps weigh in on it, but they deserve a say in it , too. I mean for crying out loud it's their life and they're the ones that have to live with the impact of those decisions. Therefore, maybe they should have a say in what the hell their life is going to be. Another thing you can take from this documentary would be the fact that you can exist in multiple aspects of life. Throughout the movie, Peter talks repeatedly about deaf culture and deaf identity, and it's not until the six years later film that he starts talking about how you can live in two worlds. You can fit into many different walks of life, and you don't have to stick to one group. You can follow your own path, hell you can make your own path. Life doesn't dictate what you're going to be and how life should happen: life's what you make it. This documentary is just something that's really inspirational in a way that it shows the ability to overcome and become what you truly see yourself as. It's about making your life what you want it to be. 

  Now, I'm going to answer a question asked by a fellow classmate, Steph Kiehl. Her question really spoke to me because there is by no means a definite answer to this question. Her question was " At what age do you decide to let your child make their own decision about a surgery such as this one?". Well, the answer depends on the situation. You can't gauge a child's ability to understand complex situations concerning their lives. There could be a five year old who completely understands the implications of their actions, or you could have a thirteen year old who doesn't know anything. It's all about maturity. People think that they have maturity all figured out and that they can say "oh and at such and such age they'll be such and such mature". No, you can't do that. Every child is different; therefore, this theory can not apply to all children. It's not fair to put all kids into a box saying that they can't understand what's happening. THEY CAN. Kids are smart, let them weigh in on what's happening to them. Therefore, give kids some credit, and let them do their own thing. 

It's the end of my blog and I know it

  Well hey everybody, I'm real sorry that this is my last journal entry. I'm kind of going to miss this, hey maybe I'll keep it up for the hell of it!.... Don't hold me to that because it probably won't happen. But hey, it's the thought that counts :). Anyway, I must say goodbye y'all because it's getting late and I still have some other stuff to do. It's been a great time being Krazy Kit, and I promise y'all, I'll always be Krazy!! So, goodnight, and thank y'all all for being with me through Junior Year. 

• Five Things We Learned This Week. (n.d.). Rukke. Retrieved May 23, 2013, from rukkle.com/entertainment/five-things-we-learned-this-week-3
• It ends tonight - desmotivaciones.es. (2012, November 3). Desmotivaciones.es - la primera y la mejor página de carteles. Retrieved May 23, 2013, from http://desmotivaciones.es/4542324/It-ends-tonight
• KEEP CALM AND JUNIOR ON - KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON Image Generator - brought to you by the Ministry of Information. (n.d.). KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON with the Keep Calm-o-matic. Retrieved May 24, 2013, from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-junior-on/
• KEEP CALM AND SURVIVE JUNIOR YEAR - KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON Image Generator - brought to you by the Ministry of Information. (n.d.). KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON with the Keep Calm-o-matic. Retrieved May 24, 2013, from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-survive-junior-year-2/
• KEEP CALM IT'S JUNIOR YEAR - KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON Image Generator - brought to you by the Ministry of Information. (n.d.). KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON with the Keep Calm-o-matic. Retrieved May 24, 2013, from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-it-s-junior-year/
• MerryHell: Decisions.... (n.d.). MerryHell. Retrieved May 23, 2013, from http://welometomerryhell.blogspot.com/2013/01/decisions.html
• Sager, J. (n.d.). The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict: A Complicated Issue – Part #1 | The Progressive Cynic. The Progressive Cynic | Modern American politics is filled with partisanship, legalized corruption and extremism. On this site you will find articles on a variety of subjects and points of view that are not normally portrayed in the corporate media–don’t . Retrieved May 23, 2013, from http://theprogressivecynic.com/2012/11/24/the-israelipalestinian-conflict-a-complicated-issue-part-1/
• Take Risks. Live Life.. (n.d.). Robin Sharma : Official Site : Leadership Development Training & Consulting. Retrieved May 24, 2013, from http://www.robinsharma.com/takeriskslivelife
• Yancey, B. (2012, May 29). Sound & Fury Festival announces full 2012 lineup - Alternative Press. Home - Alternative Press. Retrieved May 23, 2013, from http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/sound_fury_festival_announces_full_2012_lineup
• youhavethepowertocreateyourownhappiness.jpg Photo by searchq7 | Photobucket. (n.d.).Photo and image hosting, free photo galleries, photo editing. Retrieved May 24, 2013, from http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/searchq

Journal 4-1 : Waiting On The World To Change.

   Hello all my avid readers :) and welcome back to yet another installment of Krazy Thoughts By Kit. Boy oh boy has it been a crazy couple of weeks. Junior year is certainly crazy, but I'm sure I will survive somehow. I'm sure y'all don't want to listen to me complain about my school life so lets get to the really interesting stuff! For Ethics class, we viewed this documentary called Promises, a film that follows the lives of several children living in the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This conflict has consumed the Middle East and most of the world for years, and has greatly affected all aspects of society throughout the Middle East. However, before I can dive into this highly controversial topic, I HAVE to answer last weeks question! Last weeks question was:

1) Is it right to stand by and let people die when you know you can help?

  Honestly, it sort of depends on the situation. I mean, you should always help people whenever you can, but is it worth putting yourself in the line of fire and end up dying in the process? Selflessness can reach a certain degree where it is not worth dying over... wow does that sound bad? This sort of a question is a hard one to answer because there's not a definite answer. Plus, no matter what you say, the answer sounds kinda bad either way, so I'm going to leave it at that: it depends on the situation. 

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

    Well, lets get to the good part! As I said earlier, we have been watching this documentary in Ethics called Promises. For many years now, Palestinians and Israelis have been quarreling over something as old as time : land.  Following the Holocaust in World War II, the UN decided that the Jewish people needed their own space, and they decided that they would carve out a portion of the Middle East bordering the Mediterranean Sea; however, the UN sort of forgot that people were already living there. Basically, the UN kicked out millions of Palestinians from their homes and let the Jewish people move there, where they established their country called Israel. This led to an age of constant unrest and violence, which still occurs today. Religion has definitely played a role in this as well. Jews believe that this land is the holiest site in Judaism whereas Muslims find the land to be extremely holy to their religion as well. The problem is both sides believe that the land belongs to them, with both sides drawing blood in the name of their cause, and has greatly influenced the views and beliefs of future generations. Children growing up in this conflict is the basis for the documentary.

Getting Started At An Early Age

    The documentary focuses on a set group of children, either Palestinian or Israeli, that come from all walks of life, and how they view the conflict. You have some children who are very radical in their beliefs, and you have some who are more moderate about their views on the situation. It's very interesting to watch how they live within this battlefield of sorts. It's also scary to see how extreme some of the children are about their cause. I mean these kids are saying things like " I wanna kill an Arab" or " I wanna kill an Israeli". Crazy stuff right? That's coming from a 10 year old! Yet do you think that their governments care about the fact that they're turning the future leaders of their government into radically-thinking killers? Not really, because they're too busy trying to prove that their point is right. Well, it's going to be rather difficult for any country to get ahead when they're not looking at the future of their country: their children. Palestine and Israel, y'all need to get your acts together, because if you destroy yourselves, you can't win!

Lessons Learned, Hopefully

  So, what can we learn about this terrible conflict? Well, for starters, we must understand that what we do now can greatly affect future generations. By telling children that they  need to further their cause by any means, they're going to do that, and take it even farther than they need to. Israeli children have mandatory military service, and because of this, it keeps reciprocating this feeling that we have to keep the Arabs in check whereas Palestinian children become involved in Islamic extremist groups with intentions of spilling Israeli blood. These children are growing up in a hostile environment where they are having these intense feelings of hatred instilled in them at such a young age. It's not right. Also, we have to learn that we can freaking compromise! Why can't they just share the land? I know it sounds a little naive but still, can't we all just get along? Is it really that hard?? Apparently so. But do it for the children! They're growing up to believe that either all Arabs are evil or vice versa, and how in the world are we to function properly in this world if we're trying to off each other all the time?? We can't. Good Lord get it together people! The Middle East needs to understand that instilling your children into furthering this fight doesn't get you anywhere except with  more problems, and more dead bodies. 

   

     Seeing it through a child's eyes

   Of course, to understand what is actually happening, you have to see it through the eyes of those affected by this. Two children who had a profound effect on me was Sanabel and Faraj, two children growing up in the Palestinian Dehishe Refugee Camp. Both of these children were, and are, directly affected by the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Sanabel, at the beginning of the film, was talking about how she was extremely angry and frustrated at the Israelis for jailing her father. She didn't understand why her father had to be jailed, he was just fighting for the rights of Palestinian people who were forced off their land to accommodate the Jews. Sanabel felt that she wanted to join the fight and prolong the cause that Palestinians have the right to get their land back. At the beginning of the film, she is strongly pro- Palestinian and is strongly for a Palestinian state. At the end of the movie, she is willing to meet with Israelis and talk to them, but she is still very pro- Palestinian. In an interview she participated in, she said that she would become a suicide bomber because she felt that she needed to become involved. Then you meet Faraj, and this guy is extremelyyy in to not getting along with Israelis at the beginning of the film. I mean this guy is extremely against even talking to anybody that's not Palestinian or Muslim. He's so against interacting with people who are not like him and he doesn't like Israelis whatsoever. Yet by the end of the film, he is the most for going to meet these Israeli kids. He really wanted to meet these kids, and he enjoyed meeting them. By the end of the film, these two radicals became moderates, and even became friendly towards people who are supposed to be their enemies. It just shows that there is humanity in Israel, and that we can work together to forget the past and work towards the future. 

Let's Get Opinionated Shall We? 

    

  Now, lets answer somebody's question. This one comes from a guy named DeMarco Edmonds, another Leadership chap : 
How would you feel a conflict like this would be handled here, such as one race vs another race?
Well, the US has already had to handle a conflict such as this. In the 1960's, the US was experiencing heightened racial tensions because of the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans were standing up for the rights that they had been so long denied, and they were determined to get them through use of civil disobedience. By protesting through nonviolent means, they effectively gained amendments that they deserved for such a long time. Yet, it still took many years to gain the psychological mentality that we are all equal. Honestly, if something like this occurred in the US, I think it would be easier to solve because America is such a melting pot of different cultures that we're not absorbed into one specific mindset. We're able to appreciate different cultures easier because we don't have one defined set of beliefs. 

    Well, this journal was interesting :) And I really do need to go because, though I absolutely adore writing this journal, I actually do have stuff to do! But before I go, I will ask a question of y'all :) : 
1) Is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever going to be resolved?
      And, I gotta go y'all! Thank you for reading yet another edition of Krazy Thoughts by Kit, and have a great weekend and lets finish out junior year! :D Ok so bye y'all!

• Congress Is Driving Me Crazy With This Debt Ceiling Thing! | World's (Not So) Funniest Blog. (n.d.). World's (Not So) Funniest Blog | Just what the world needed, another blog. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from http://gesvol.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/congress-is-driving-me-crazy-with-this-debt-ceiling-thing/
• Kurtzman, D. (n.d.). Editorial Cartoons - Political Editorial Cartoon Gallery - Recent Editorial Cartoons. Political Humor - Jokes Satire and Political Cartoons. Retrieved May 9, 2013, from http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/tp/political-cartoons.02.htm
• Love: Endlessly Selfless and Powerfully Selfish | Change From Within. (2012, October 17). Change From Within | Musings by Jamie Utt. Retrieved May 9, 2013, from http://changefromwithin.org/2012/10/17/love-endlessly-selfless-and-powerfully-selfish/
• Parker, C. (2013, March 28). March 2013 -. Medical education blog for rural GP. Retrieved May 9, 2013, from http://broomedocs.com/2013/03/
• Reconciliation :: SS. Peter & Paul Church (Rocklin, CA). (n.d.). Welcome to SS. Peter & Paul Church :: SS. Peter & Paul Church (Rocklin, CA). Retrieved May 10, 2013, from http://www.sspeter-paul.net/index.cfm?load=page&page=190
• The Promises Film Project. (n.d.). The Promises Film Project. Retrieved May 9, 2013, from http://www.promisesproject.org/

   

Journal 3-3: It's Worth Dyin For.

    Hey Everybody! As I move into the final nine weeks of my junior year, I can't help but smile because that means it's almost summer :) yet at the same time, that also means I'm almost a senior.. yeah that's scary. To get my mind off how crazy and stressful my senior year will be, I'll write a journal entry  for my critically-acclaimed journal, Krazy Thoughts By Kit. For the past couple months, we have been discussing defining moments within a generation. It all started out in the Silent Generation up to Generation Z. We have viewed many documentaries and discussed how this particular event affected the people of that time. This journal is being dedicated to two events that captivated the world's attention and forever changed Generation X and Y: The Tank Man and The Rwandan Genocide. But, before I delve into these lively and oh so gleeful topics, I must answer last weeks question. Last week's question was:

1) If you had to, what cause would you die for?

   Honestly, I would die for my country. I grew up with being proud to be an American. Despite all the screw ups  and there have been a lot of them, I would still die honorably if it meant protecting my country. Within my family, we have had a lot of people serve in the military, and this has kind of instilled this profound belief in me that I, if needed to, should give back to my country. Now, that doesn't mean on my 18th birthday I am enlisting and going to fight off in God knows where, maybe I give back to my country in a different way. I'm hoping to pursue medical school when I graduate high school, and perhaps I can give back to the nation that gave me so much through helping people fight cancer and other diseases. I just want to be able to give back my country, even if it's my life.

  

If it's worth dying for, it's worth trying for

  Speaking of dying for a cause, I move into my riveting topic of the Tank Man. In 1989, it seemed that the whole world was in revolution. In divided Berlin, the wall came crashing down, signaling the beginning of the end for the USSR and their massive communist state, but another smaller yet equally impactful event was occurring in the communist country of China.  A massive protest in Tiananmen Square led by thousands of people protesting against government corruption. This timeless event leads to the harsh government action, but one man stood up against the oppression, and he would forever be known as the embodiment of this fight for freedom. One man's lone defiance against tyranny would forever change history, and captivate a generation. 

 Man versus Machine 

  This famous and infamous photograph epitomizes how one small action can permanently sculpt history. To me, this little image shows how one's small action can create this chain reaction, leading to massive reactions. Great now I'm sounding like Rachel's Challenge :/ you know it seems like you can never get away from that stuff!!.... Anyway, back to the journal and away from my little tangent. But really, this man's actions are amazing! After thousands of people lost their lives in Tinanmen Square because they defied the government, here he is, standing in front of the military's tanks, not faltering from the spot. He would not allow these tanks to pass by him, if they attempted to go around him, he would move into their path again. Can you just imagine what was going through his mind!? He's standing in front of tanks that could crush them, yet he won't back down! It's almost casual for him, holding his bags and oh yeah, I'm going to play chicken with some tanks you know, its causal. And he was not doing it for some fifteen minutes of fame, he was not doing it so he could be paraded around like some minor celebrity or that the  international world would glorify him: he did it because it was right. That is what really stands out to me. Tank Man just did what felt right, and he knew what the Chinese government was doing was wrong, and he stood up for the rights of the millions of Chinese people.                                                                                 What it means to me

   I believe that Tank Man does not only stand for freedom, but he stands for all those who could no longer stand. Communism had already existed within China for a while now, and people were always trying to fight against this tyranny, yet their voices were silenced. Those who did not support the state quickly found themselves six feet under ground. Tank Man, though he may not have known it, stood for all those who could no longer fight. Also, his actions gave hope to all those who continue the fight against oppression and corrupt government. 

  China's got a few skeletons in its closet..

    There is so much we can pull from this act of bravery. For starters, this action shows people everywhere the profoundness of nonviolent demonstration  Yeah I mean you alwayyyys hear about "civil disobedience" and " nonviolence" when you talk about Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr., but does anybody ever think of the Tank Man in this context? Not really, but we really should. Also, we can learn about how oppressive China's government is. After this photograph was taken, Chinese agents came into the hotel room and searched the entire room for the roll of film that contained this photo, because they were afraid of this getting out. Even now, most Chinese people do not even know about the Tank Man. If you tried to look up the Tank Man on Google in China, you would not find that photograph. That fact alone really makes me look down on China. How could you conceal something like that from your own people?! Every nation has it's dark moments, yet they don't always try and hide them. If anything, they make sure their citizens learn about it, in order for its people to learn about what happened, and learn from their mistakes. China trying to cover up Tinanmen Square is like us trying to cover up slavery or trying to cover up the use of internment camps in WWII. But do we do that? NO. We constantly learn about both of those subjects and countless other dark moments in America's history. Therefore, isn't it the right of the individual to know the history of the nation they reside in?? Wouldn't you think that you should be allowed to know about the place you live in, and make your livelihood in? Well, apparently China doesn't think so, and they believe that hiding everything from their people would be better instead. Whatever China, throw that skeleton into your closet, even though the whole rest of the world knows about it!

                                                                                                        Rwanda's Darkest Hour

    Sorry I just got a little heated there, but I can get very involved in my journals! What can I say, I am a writer for the people. Now, I have to delve into an eh... pleasant topic. We're moving a head about five years to Rwanda, a   country in Africa that experienced one of the greatest genocides in history. 

    The African Holocaust

   Its 1994, and Rwanda is going through tumultous times. The two main ethnic groups of Rwanda, the Hutu and Tutsi, are going for each other's throats. Following the assassination of the Rwandan president, the Hutu's saw this as their time to eliminate the "troublesome" Tutsi's. Within three months of the start of the killings, over 800,000 Tutsi's will have died in a massive genocide, while the majority of the world stood by and watched.

  As the conflict within Rwanda escalated, the UN stepped in and attempted to help by sending troops and peacekeepers into the conflict. Commander of the operation was Canadian-born Gregory " Gromo " Alex, and boy, when i got to Rwanda,  I  had no clue about what kind of ride I'd be in for. 

   Up Creek Without A Paddle

  For starters, I received next to no outside help in regards to aid and supplies. The UN gave  me the bare minimum amount of support that they could. They basically gave me some troops, and then left me to my own devices. 

 

The Kids Aren't Alright

   Yet, if I thought this slap on the wrist was bad, boy I  had no idea what was in store for me. Because this was a conflict nobody really wanted to get involved with, the UN gave the soldiers strict guidelines about what they could and could not do, so basically, they were there to stand and watch innocent people being hacked to death by the machete of injustice. I knew this was wrong, and I really did want to intervene and help the Rwandans, but I wasn't allowed to. I had to sit back and helplessly watch defenseless women and children being slaughtered like cattle in the jungles of Rwanda. However, I refused to go down without a fight. In attempts to save some lives, I  used UN convoys to move Tutsi's out of Rwanda to safe locations; however, it could save only so many lives. 

                                                  Fightin' for the Dyin'

     In this no-win situation, I did whatever I  could. I tried and tried to help the situation, but every time I appealed for outside aid, I quickly met defeat. Nobody wanted to get involved, and nobody wanted to call it a genocide either. After the U.S. had their asses kicked in Somali, with two Black Hawk helicopters shot down and Marines dead, they were extremely reluctant to offer any aid to the growing crisis in Africa. Yes, at one point they did recognize that people were being killed in Rwanda, but that's it. He toiled away in a God-forsaken country while everybody at the UN headquarters put on a real concerned face then went back to bed. I really have no idea how I  could still hold my  head up and continue to try and help the Rwandans when next to nobody else would.

                                        Just try

     I tried doing the best I  could in a no-win situation. If I had received more help, I would have  potentially saved many more lives, but because most people in the outside world did not understand the circumstances of the conflict, they could not offer any assistance. However, should the circumstances really matter when you could be saving lives? Apparently, that doesn't matter. I really admired the work of all the Rwandan officers I had beneath me, they are the reason why I didn't lose faith in the mission. They understood how bad the situation was, yet they didn't stop trying to help their people. It's really astounding to see this sort of dedication and determination in a hopeless situation. I find that I can't really condemn any one person in this situation, it would take too long to hold all those responsible accountable for their actions. On the face of many Hutu's were faces of anger and revenge, yet they were blind to what they were doing. This shroud of anger and deception by their leaders covered their eyes, and they could not see the damage they were inflicting. I cannot condemn them because they had no idea what they were doing, but I can condemn their leaders. Killing off their own citizens, it's something I will never understand. 

Which one's worse?

  For the last part of this journal, I am going to attempt to answer my own question regarding the Ghosts Of Rwanda documentary we watched. I had asked " how does this genocide compare to that of others throughout history?". Of course, this genocide is much smaller than say the Holocaust or of the Cambodian one in the 1970's, but what it doesn't surpass them in body count, it does surpass them in audacity. For the other two genocides I listed, we sort of knew about the treatment of the Jews, and he didn't really know a lot about what was happening in Cambodia, but we knew a lot about what was happening in Rwanda, and we stood by and let it happen. This genocide was one we could actually prevent, we had the ability to stop it, but we didn't. We sat on our butts and let over 800,000 innocent Rwandans die. How is that fair? How is that right? IT ISN'T. We knew damn well that people were dying in Rwanda, yet nothing happened. Good move America, good move. 

  Now, I hope you very much so enjoyed my journal, because I really need to go!!! But, before I leave my captive audience, I leave you with a question: 
1) Is it right to stand by and let people die when you know you can help?
  Now, I must go everybody. Have fun this weekend, and come out and support James River Crew Team as we host our home regatta!! :D So, bye y'all, and this is the end of another Krazy Thought by Kit :) 

• • Behind the Scenes: Tank Man of Tiananmen - NYTimes.com. (n.d.). New York Times Photojournalism - Photography, Video and Visual Journalism Archives - Lens Blog - NYTimes.com. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/behind-the-scenes-tank-man-of-tiananmen/
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    Black, C. (n.d.). Chris Black: The Dallaire Genocide Fax | Scoop News. Scoop - New Zealand News. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0512/S00081.htm
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    Cambodia Genocide: Never Again. (n.d.).Potomac School: An independent K-12 school 3 miles from Washington, DC. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.potomacschool.org/faculty/okoth/GSII/Spring06web/camwebpage-final.htm
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    Human Rights Cartoon (3): Intervention | P.a.p.-Blog, Human Rights Etc.. (n.d.).P.a.p.-Blog, Human Rights Etc. | Human rights from the perspective of politics, art, philosophy, law, economics, statistics and psychology.. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/human-rights-cartoon-5/
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    Human Rights Cartoon (55): In Memory of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 3-4th, 1989, 20 Years Ago Today | P.a.p.-Blog, Human Rights Etc.. (n.d.).P.a.p.-Blog, Human Rights Etc. | Human rights from the perspective of politics, art, philosophy, law, economics, statistics and psychology.. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/human-rights-cartoon-133-in-memory-of-the-tiananmen-square-massacre-of-june-3-4th-1989-20-years-ago-today/
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    Interviews - Robin Munro | The Tank Man | FRONTLINE | PBS. (n.d.). PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/interviews/munro.html
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    Is this what you're living for worth dying for?. (n.d.). Words Over Pixels - Daily Inspiration. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from www.wordsoverpixels.com/is-what-you-re-living-for-worth-dying-for/dea86321e5bd68f5ad5ee6149373e1bd.ht
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    KEEP CALM BECAUSE IT'S SENIOR YEAR BABY - KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON Image Generator - brought to you by the Ministry of Information. (n.d.). KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON with the Keep Calm-o-matic. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-because-it-s-senior-year-baby/
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    date, t., & 000. (n.d.). Timeline | Ghosts Of Rwanda | FRONTLINE | PBS. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/etc/crontext.html
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    promises, v. g., nature, s. t., & desire., h. e. (n.d.). Politics Within the Family – How Do We Respond? | Nequient Troll.Nequient Troll | Letters to My Daughters. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.nequienttroll.com/?p=1440

Journal 3-2: It's My Freedom, and I Want It Now!!

  Hey everybody :) On this beautiful spring day, I decided to waste my time on this silly computer and crank out another edition to my riveting blog because I devote all my time and energy into writing this Ethics journal.. Can't you just see the sarcasm dripping off that sentence? Sorry Mr. Couillard :3 But it would be unethical for me to lie :). Also, terribly sorry for the foul language on the picture, but it just fit so perfectly with what I was saying! Well, it has been another great week in the life of this stressed junior, but I'm not going to delve into it because quite frankly it's not that interesting. Anyway, in this edition of my journal, I will be discussing another generation, and an  aspect with a massive impact of that generation: The Freedom Rides. Wait! I nearly forgot to answer last time's question. Last journal's question was:

Is it right for the government to willingly risk the lives of its military personnel?

       This is the type of question that makes people squirm, it's an uncomfortable question yes, but it must be answered. Also, this question is a tricky one to answer because it's got multiple meanings behind it. One could argue that the government isn't willingly putting the lives of its troops in peril because, unless we're in like World War I, these troops chose to sign up for the military. Therefore, putting them near the site of a nuclear test, supposedly, comes in their job description. However, one could also argue that there is a fine line between putting them into a COMBAT zone and letting them be exposed to radioactive material during a time of peace. For me, I am sort of in between. Yes, I do believe it's wrong to subject soldiers to nuclear testing without telling them; however, they did sign up for this job. This particular question is a hard one to answer because either answer could be right or wrong, it's truly a question of opinion, and I think that my opinion is somewhere in No Man's Land. 

  

        I'm ridin' on freedom's  bus line..

   Now that I got that out of the way, let's get back to the juicy stuff. It's the 1960's, and America is a battleground of racial tension. Yeah you guessed it, it's the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans are demanding the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution; however, white people aren't too happy about the possibility of losing control of their beloved nation. It doesn't help that by African Americans are stomping all over white, particularly Southern, tradition, and y'all know the South doesn't like to be messed with.. or is that Texas? Anyway, America is tangled up in a lot of the pot calling the kettle black, and nobody can seem to let it be, let it be, let it be! During this tumultuous time of racial instability, one brave group of people rose to the occasion, and took to the front lines to fight , or rather ride, for the rights: they were called the Freedom Riders, groups of both African Americans and white people riding on buses into the deep South to challenge hundreds of years of white Southern tradition. 

Ole Guts n Glory

        Right off the bat, I just gotta say that these Freedom Riders had major guts. They WILLINGLY rode into areas of the deep South that would rather die than integrate. They were challenging everything Southern society stood for, they were entering the parts of the South that were notoriously anti-black; however, this did not deter them from their goal, their goal that one day, America would be together and equal. 

  

     Soldiers of Equality

      I feel that the Freedom Riders Movement means so much to all Americans, despite the societal upheaval it caused. People had to be shown what was wrong with society, and these people were willing to risk life and limb to unmask the injustice, the discrimination, the faults in American society. Their movement brought the race issue front and center to not only the American public, but also the international public. Countries all over the world were looking at America with disbelief. This grandiose country that was founded on the laurel wreaths of democracy, fought so valiantly in two World Wars to defend that right to democracy, is denying the basic rights guaranteed by democracy for millions of its own citizens. To me, this movement meant standing up for what is rightfully yours, as well standing up against hundreds of years of injustice. In my eyes, this movement means standing up for yourself, and fighting for your rights. It means showing the world that "hey, you can push me down, you can hit me, you can spray me with hoses, you can call me nasty names, but I'm just gonna bounce right back up." It's such an inspiration because they did something that everybody else was too afraid to do, they stood up for themselves, and worked to make the wrongs right. 

                            "If we do not learn from   History Channel, we shall be doomed to repeat History Channel"

    There's so much you can learn from the Freedom Riders, it would be nearly impossible to NOT learn something from them. They preached civil disobedience, and nonviolent protest. That only is something that we need to learn about. If these people could stand in the face of people brandishing guns and other weapons, and not fight back, that is the truest test of dedication to a cause that I can think of. I mean, if I had a guy running at me taking swings at my head, you can bet that I'd hit him back, but these people didn't fight back. They maintained the beliefs instilled into them, and took the high road, even when it would've been so easy to stop down to their agitators level. You could also look at their persistence and learn a couple things there. These people got the living crap beat out of them almost everywhere they went, yet they wouldn't let that deter them from their goal of achieving racial equality. Despite all the odds being stacked against them, they pressed on. It's such a moving concept to here about people willingly getting bludgeoned to near death, and then getting back up and continuing on their journey. It's something that we as humans need to learn about, and take from that and implement it into our own lives. 

Is it Racist?

  In modern-day America, you don't see racism as predominantly as people would've seen during the 1960's. There's nobody out in the streets marching and holding banners calling for their civil rights, but that doesn't mean that racism has been completely wiped clean from the public eye of America. Now it's just more discretely implied. People aren't going out and burning crosses in people's yards or screaming obscenities at each other ( that last one is a bit more of a stretch), but it's talked about among friends as a joke. Of course, there are those crazy people who still protest against people who " look" different from them, or people who stereotype all people of the same race as all being the same. America hasn't only grown out of the race dilemma in that there aren't as many protesters anymore marching in the streets, they've just taken to social media and the Internet to get their views out. And these other races aren't exactly fighting for their rights; they're combating against stereotypes spawned from hundreds of years of flat-out white racism. So, we as Americans just really need to get the hell over ourselves, and learn to accept each other as human beings, no matter what we look like on the outside. Remember, " It's whats on the inside that counts :)"... Oh brother how corny can I get? -_-

I just wanna dance!

   Now that that's all done, we're going to discuss something different: Ted! And no, it's not that awesome talking bear in that movie ( although he's pretty cool), I'm talking about Ted Talks, independently organized talks produced for public use.. yeah it's something like that. Basically, this Ted organization gets together a bunch of different people each year, from all walks of life, and they all talk about stuff. Some people also do musical acts, or they do dance pieces, they can really do just about anything they want to do. Anyway, as we normally do in Ethics class, we watched some more videos :3. We watched some Ted videos from this event going on in Long Beach, CA, and it was just sort of the same-old same-old inspirational touchy feel good videos preaching stuff about doing things, I've heard it all before. Then something interesting came on the screen. Four dancers emerge on the screen, and I started to look up from my copy of Huck Finn ( I know I should have read it for homework but I got tired OK) and I started watching these dancers do things that I couldn't even begin to describe. One of the male dancers would touch the female dancers arm and it would move to the beat of the music, but in a way that I can't put into words. 

  

   The performance was extremely interesting. The dance troop consisted of different outfits and story lines that, to me, made it feel like you were watching multiple dance performances, but all at the same time. Then at the end, all the dancers introduced themselves, and they came from all over the world. People came from Denmark to Japan, and they all had their own personalities. Following this, the two producers of this Ted Talk, Rich and Tone Talauega, started talking about the significance of dance. Now this is where I really started listening to these guys. 

    

   Rich and Tone started talking about how dance can connect everybody together ( they said something like that right? Because... yeahh....). Dance transcends language, political affiliation, religious ties, it transcends all barriers that might stop us from otherwise communicating. People have always used the arts to talk to one another when words failed them. These two guys have provided a prime example that proves this point. There's no way  you could sit there and explain every move that you saw, you could only watch and appreciate the beautiful art form that is dance. It's truly mystifying to watch someone do something that you know you can not describe in any other way. Dance and art epitomizes the human experience, it's so instinctual and it's sewn into each and every one of us, you just have to grab a hold of it and let it go. 

   Well, this was certainly a great journal. Touched base on a lot of different stuff all while wasting away the gorgeous weather :( meh. But hey, grades are important too so... hey value conflict! Alright I should get some extra credit for that. Anyway, to touch off the end of a great journal, I must ask my next question. Today, I leave you with this question: 

   

  1) If you had to, what cause would you die for?

    Now, I really must go, I have to work on another Ethics assignment... Yay -.-. Oh but I'm sure I'll be fine, after all I only have to try and interview my 12 year old sister.. easiest thing ever? We'll see :). So, for now, I must go. Goodbye y'all, see ya next time on Krazy Thoughts  By Kit!

• Revolution, Reform and Protest | Freedom Riders | Event view. (n.d.). xtimeline - Explore and Create Free Timelines. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?id=70912
• Albert Camus | Quotes of life. (n.d.).Quotes of Life. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://quotesoflife.info/tag/albert-camus/
• Allen, B., & Rein, M. (2011, January 10). AC Transit riders fight for their right to ride, 55 years after Montgomery. San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from sfbayview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Montgomery-bus-boycott-cartoon-021356-by-Laura-Gray-The-Militant.jpg
• Ha, T. (2013, February 27). Electric, eclectic dance: Rich + Tone Talauega at TED2013. Ted: Ideas Worth Spreading. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/ted2013_0043182_d31_1488.jpg?w=900&h=599
• Humanity | Achieved Strategies. (n.d.).Achieved Strategies. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://achievedstrategies.com/blog/tag/humanity/
• McLaughlin, T. (n.d.). Ted McLaughlin: The WikiLeaks Brouhaha. The Rag Blog . Retrieved March 10, 2013, from 3.bp.blogspot.com/_HyyDHyAwI6k/TPRB5v1GT9I/AAAAAAAAK-M/cUJVmzOAsTU/s1600/wikileaks%2Bcartoon.jpg
• Rich + Tone Talauega at TED2013:. (2013, February 27). Ted: Ideas Worth Spreading. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://blog.ted.com/2013/02/27/electric-eclectic-dance-rich-tone-talauega-at-ted2013/
• Rich + Tone Talauega at TED2013:. (2013, February 27). Ted: Ideas Worth Spreading. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://blog.ted.com/2013/02/27/electric-eclectic-dance-rich-tone-talauega-at-ted2013/
• The Key to Success.. Being Persistent . (2011, January 4). Empower Network. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from www.empowernetwork.com/msycks/files/2013/01/Perseverance.jpg
• Williams, J. (2008, August 13). Olidauh Equiano: Political Cartoon. The American Dream . Retrieved March 10, 2013, from jwilliamsamdream111.blogspot.com/2008/08/olidauh-equiano-political-cartoon.html
• Workplace Ecards. (n.d.). Someecards. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from static.someecards.com/someecards/usercar

Journal 3-1: Viewer Discretion is Advised.

       Hey y'all!! Krazyy Kit is back for yet another exciting installment of her world-renown blog!.. Or this normal Virginia teenager is back to report on her ethics class :3. Anyway, this journal is going to be a bit different because the most wise Mr. Couillard has assigned that this journal will be one based on two very interesting topics: Science, and Ethics. Woo-hoo! However, before I can delve into the fun of researching ethical issues in today's scientific field, I must answer last weeks question! Last week's question was: 

1) In this age of great change, what would YOU do to better the world?

    Well, this one is something that really makes you think. I really could do anything that could help in some way, shape, or form. Honestly, I just want to be able to help others in anyway I can. I feel that when I do something nice for others, from opening a door for someone or helping them clean their house, I feel like I have made an impact on their lives, whether great or small. By helping others, you just get this awesome feeling of knowing that you made someone else's life better, even if this impact only lasts for a moment. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true. You never know when an act of kindness can impact somebody for the rest of their life. 

     Now, since that little happy feel good moment is done, lets get to the fun part! Lately in class, we've been discussing the ethics of science, and we've been specifically analyzing certain events within a generation that defined that generation. For example, we analyzed the Lost Generation and the impact that the 1918 influenza outbreak had on that generation. Then, we jump forward to the 1950's and we study about the Baby Boomers, and the Navy atomic bomb tests on Bikini Atoll Island. Therefore, this journal assignment is a little different. For this one, we have been assigned to study a particular aspect in science that has been extremely controversial, ethics-wise.  Of course, there are just so many topics to choose from, but I have decided to pick a fun one: biological warfare!

  

It's the end of the world as we know it..

     Before I can delve into the ethical issues coupled with this highly controversial topic, I must first address the definition of biological warfare, and what type of weapons fall into this category. Biological warfare, as defined by the all-knowing Wikipedia, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with the intent of killing or disabling humans, animals, or plants as an act of war. There are different uses for biological weaponry, but you've probably only heard of it in being used as an act of war. Biological warfare is as old as time, with incidents dating back to the times of the Ancient Greeks leading all the way up to modern day; however, most incidents involving the development and use of biological weaponry occurred during World War 1 and 2. Countries in the Allied Powers such as the U.S., U.K. and U.S.S.R started developing BW's ( biological weapons) in response to claims that the Axis Powers ( primarily the Germans) were developing them. Of course, these weapons were seldom used and in 1972 these nations along with many others signed the Biological Weapons Convention which basically "banned the production, development, and the stockpile of BW's, excluding some that would be kept for protective and peaceful research." Though this treaty worked to prevent further use of biological weapons, it didn't give peace of mind to the millions of people who had been affected by the devastating weaponry. One particularly horrific incident which involved biological warfare involved the Japanese and the Chinese. 

A new age of warfare, and its scary. 

    The year is 1935, and tensions between Japan and China have finally come to full blown war. These two countries have become immersed in the Second Sino-Japanese War, a war that would eventually merge together with World War 2. This particular war erupted because of Japan's imperialist policies, and their many militaristic attempts to take over China. Well, China put their fists up, and both countries entered the ring. But Japan would be bringing a new aspect to this fight: biological weaponry. Throughout World War 2, Japan would use innocent Chinese civilians as human guinea pigs for them to test their biological weapons on. Basically, one certain part of the Imperial Army of Japan was set aside to conduct biological weapons tests, a particular unit called Unit 731. It was originally set up under the Kempeitai, the military police of the Empire of Japan, but it was then taken over and commanded by General Shiro Ishii, an officer in the Japanese Army. This unit set up shop in the town of Pingfang, and here is where their nefarious experiments were conducted. Throughout the war, Unit 731 would test the plague, cholera, smallpox, botulism, syphilis, anthrax, tularemia, typhoid, dysentery, and tuberculosis. However, the way that these diseases were tested on people varied. Some, like anthrax, were tested by dropping infected supplies in crowded areas and testing the effects. Others, such as cholera and smallpox, were weaponized into bombs.  These "prisoners" would be infected with various diseases in some way. Then, after the prisoners were infected with the disease, doctors would perform vivisections on them. A vivisection is basically surgery conducted purely for experimental purposes on a living organism to "observe their internal structures." Basically, while you were still alive, you would be cut open, without anesthesia, and these doctors are going to play operation with your body. The reasoning behind these vivisections was that they believed if the body started to decompose, it would affect the results. 

   Oh, but the torture doesn't stop there! On top of testing biological weapons on these prisoners, the Japanese tested a lot of other things. For starters, they would use human targets to test grenades in different positions and places. They tested flamethrowers on humans, and the Japanese tied Chinese civilians to stakes and used them as target practice to test germ-releasing bombs, chemical weapons, and explosive bombs. They would expose the prisoners to lethal doses of x-rays, put them in gas chambers and subject them to various chemical weapons, placed them in high-pressure chambers until death, and they conducted so many more unspeakable acts on these innocent people. 

The only question that can't entirely be answered is exactly how many people died as a result of these heinous experiments. 

Angels of death. 

Now, who stood to gain from these experiments? Well, the Japanese certainly did because if they could figure out the effects of biological weapons on humans, it could greatly help the Axis powers. Also, if they could figure it out before any of the other countries could, they suddenly gain a huge advantage over everybody else. But there is another stakeholder in this sick game of operation: the United States. It may sound insane, but because of the tests Japan conducted, the U.S. learned so much about biological warfare. They're sort of unintentional stakeholders in this equation. They don't gain anything from the untold number of lives lost, but they gain knowledge, which will help them farther down the road. 

    The Japanese have everything to gain, and everything to lose from these tests.  If these tests were to succeed, the Japanese would be the masters of biological warfare, and they could drastically change the outcome of the war. Just think, if the Japanese had perfected these weapons, we could be bowing down to Emperor Hithero 9 or something. However, they could have everything to lose as well. If Japan couldn't perfect these weapons, they might lose this advantage over the Allied Powers, plus they knew they had gone against an international treaty that they had signed. If word got out that they conducted illegal tests, they would face massive international repercussions. The Japanese had to decide what decision weighed more: conduct illegal tests, and have the remote possibility that you can create functional biological weapons, or not conduct tests and save millions of lives, but run the risk of the Allies winning the war. 

  Of course, one possible solution would be to not conduct tests all together because IT'S AGAINST THE LAW!... but that would make too much sense now would it? They could conduct tests, but maybe conduct them on animals or perhaps criminals? Don't conduct tests on another nation's peoples. Not cool man, not cool. Now, if they really wanted to be despicable, they could test on Chinese civilians, but this would be as an intimidation factor. This way, you can show to China that you aren't fooling around. This way, you can ensure that you are taken seriously and that nobody can stop you. However, it would be extremely risk and if they were to get caught, it could bring hell down on the land of the rising sun. 

Which do you choose: anthrax or dysentery?  As history tells us, the Japanese decided to test their chemical weaponry on Chinese civilians and military personnel.  They treated innocent people like lab rats, and killed between 3,000-12,000 people in the PingFang camp alone. Thousands of people met their demise at the hands of Unit 731. However, the Japanese didn't end up winning in the end. If any, and it chills me to say this, the U.S. benefited greatly from the Japanese experiments. Following the Japanese surrender, the U.S. took over Japan, and with this, they took all their research and information and used it to form our own biological weapons program. Also, even more disturbing, the U.S. "let" the former members of unit 731 to continue experiments on human subjects while they occupied Japan. It wasn't until years later did the U.S. finally attempt to try members of the unit for their crimes against humanity. The Soviets held actual trials and convicted 12 members of the unit and sentenced them to 25 years or greater at a Siberian labor camp. Of course, because of the crappy U.S. relations with the Soviet Union, they disregarded these trials as being "communist". 

Decision, decision.. what to choose..
     The Japanese's decision is a very interesting one. They decided to test extremely diabolical diseases on average citizens, plus they performed vivisections without any way of easing their victims pain. It's an extremely cruel and cynical act enacted with brutality close to that of the Holocaust. I can not begin to imagine the feeling those Chinese people felt as they were experimented on, being subjected to having lethal diseases plague their bodies. It's a thought that I wish I could erase from my memory, yet when we become ignorant of our past, it will have harmful effects on our future. To quote the hilarious and outrageous show Workaholics " If we don't learn from History Channel, we're doomed to repeat History Channel." Therefore, we must learn from our mistakes, and work to prevent those same mistakes from occurring again in the future. Looking back on this completely preventable incident in Japan, the world must work to limit the testing abilities of biological weapons, and hold those who go against these guidelines responsible. 


   Now, let's discuss another equally controversial topic, which involves nuclear weapons testing: the U.S. Navy's nuclear weapons testing on Bikini Atoll in the 1950's. Basically, the U.S. and the Soviets were having a race to see who could make more, and better nuclear weapons first. Therefore, the U.S. being the mule heads we are, tried testing as many nuclear weapons as we could. However, not all these tests were conducted on U.S. soil. Instead, we decided to kick people off their own land and blow it to smithereens. That's what happened at Bikini Atoll. We took a perfect island, moved all its inhabitants off their native soil, and bombed it. Seems fair right? Heck no! But, since we think that the U.S. can do whatever they want, we don't exactly listen to sound logic. So I would like to answer a question which concerns the U.S.'s right to kick the native Bikinians off their native soil for nuclear testing. I think the answer is plain and simple: NO! By us moving these innocent people off of their native land, we go against everything that this country is supposed to stand for! Ever since this country became independent, we have preached and professed our beliefs that every country has their own rights, and that no one is supposed to infringe upon them. Well, America should receive a big ole slap in the face because we did EXACTLY what we shouldn't be doing. But did we care? Nope. We are too selfish to even acknowledge our faults, and the repercussions of our actions. This government disrupted the lives of millions in order to set off 2 bombs, which most ended up calling "lame" and "uneventful." WOW. No wonder other countries hate us so much, we have to mess everything up for everybody else! Typical American behavior, I guess. 

  America, a.k.a the Grim Reaper.

    So, if it wasn't fair to boot off all the native Bikinians, why did we do it? It's because we were consumed with beating out the Soviets in the nuclear arms race. Of course, we would never actually use nuclear weapons on the USSR, we just wanted them handy in case good ole Stalin got an itchy trigger finger. We just wanted to be sure that we could beat the red outta Europe. This basically means that we relocated thousands of peoples, risked millions of sailors lives, for nothing. We could have easily tested the 2 bombs on American soil, but we were too preoccupied with showing off to the Soviets and trying to make ourselves look cool to take into consideration the lives of other peoples. Honestly, do you think that we actually asked the Bikinians " Hey, can y'all leave? Because we have to test some nuclear weapons and destroy the island you've lived on since childhood?" NOPE. We just picked them up, and threw them somewhere else, to be somebody else's problem. Now, the U.S. government has made an effort to provide compensation to the Bikinians after we sort of destroyed their island. We pay them some money, but that's it. No amount of dollars can possibly pay back the irrefutable damage we inflicted on not only the Bikinians, but our own people. We put our own sailors at risk, and nothing we do can make it better.

   So, I have a question for you. 

      1) Is it right for the government to willingly risk the lives of its military personnel?

With this question, I must leave you. This journal is starting to make me not only depressed, very angry. And you don't want to make me angry -.-. Anyways, it has been fun, and I hope you enjoyed reading this somewhat lengthy journal entry. Now, see y'all later! This has been the latest installment of the insane accounts of Krazyy Kit :). 

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