Presidency

John F Kennedy Inaugural Speech.

John F Kennedy Inaugural Speech dated January 20^th , 1961, is considered one of the best presidential inaugural speeches in American history.

Some memorable quotes.

“ To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best effort to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

“ Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah to “undo the heavy burdens … and let the oppressed go free.”

“All this will not be finished in the one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of the Administration, nor even perhaps in out lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.”

It's with enormous confidence that the 35^th President of the United States of America addressed the nation and the world making a bold step to change and make a difference in the lives of millions worldwide. President Kennedy called for peace, unity, equality and freedom. A new beginning, to make America greater. It was during this time that the country faced the rise in the KKK, Jim Crow, black power movement and other radical groups. His speech couldn't come at the most appropriate time.

Fifty two years later, history was made again as the first African American President, Barack Obama, stood exactly where former President John F Kennedy, and many other before him to addressed the nation.

President Obama stated, “We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall what bind this nation together is not the color of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional... what makes us American... is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago. We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit to happiness.”

President Kennedy and Obama inaugural speeches spoke volume. Two powerful men seeking the interest of the people and the nation they pledge to serve, not just the rich or the poor, not just the color of the skin or gender, but for every civilian in this country.

Moving forward to 2016, our current election year. One could only imagine what the elected president inaugural speech would state,by simply looking at the current campaigning tactic and the behavior of the presidential candidates. I would say the country is moving backwards instead of forwards principals and values has been lost.

America's Most Gerrymandered Congressional Districts

“ The compactness of a district - a measure of how irregular its shape is, as determined by the ratio of the area of the district to the area of a circle with the same perimeter-- can serve as a useful proxy for how gerrymandered the district is. Districts that follow a generally regular shape tends to be compact, while those that have a lot of squiggles and offshoots and tentacle-looking protuberances tend to score poorly on this measure"

Gerrymandering is the intentional manipulation of an electoral boundary with the intent to obtain political advantage for a particular party or group. From my understanding the process of extending boundaries could be very complex. There is no guarantee that this process would secure the number of seats that are required for a particular party to be successful. Additionally, it can also give opponents a major advantage which can sometimes be sometimes detrimental to the party (and even cause the opposing to party to win.

An example of ineffective gerrymandering is in the 2012 election, where the Democrats won 5 out of the 18 seats (fewer than one third), due to the redrawing of the states congressional districts; yet were still successful in winning the elections.

In a State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama called for lawmakers and the public to take a step “to change the system to reflect our better selves for a better politics.” He requested that we put an end to partisan gerrymandering.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/13/this-is-actually-what-america-would-look-like-without-gerrymandering/

Here are some questions that I have asked myself and I think we all should ask ourselves as well.

• If electoral boundaries can be manipulated, what else can be or would be manipulation?
• Who does Gerrymandering benefit?

Realistically speaking, gerrymandering is technically a form of cheating. Taking this into consideration, the election is not in fact fair, rather it is a gamble. Additionally, this process is intended to weaken the political powers of minority voters who play an essential part of elections. 

While this process can go either way for both parties, I would like to say that I am more of a realist and believe that the law of attraction takes it natural course and that honesty and fairness will be the way.

The voice of the people and their needs should be heard and that is what really matters.

Citizenship and Social Class

TH. MARSHALL.

“There is no universal principal that determines what those rights and duties shall be, but societies in which citizenship is a developing institution create an image of an ideal citizenship against which achievement can be measured and towards which aspiration can be directed.”

I choose this line because honestly, what does citizenship mean?

Its is said that citizenship is defined as the state of being vested with privileges, rights and duties. But what privileges or rights do we as citizens of America have? Legally, as a citizens, we all share the same rights as defined in the Constitution.

We all have the right to vote, the right to free expression and the right to worship according to one beliefs. We also have the right to a fair trial by a jury without bias, the right to freedom, the right to bear arms, the right to be protected by the government from cruel and unusual punishment, and to be protected from unreasonable searches or seizure of ones property or properties.  However, in my opinion, these are simply guidelines and are not necessarily "rights".  The reality is that everyone has limited rights and sometimes one may only have "a right" depending on one's social and financial status. With this in mind, there may be some individuals, called citizens, who have no rights at all. 

Everyday many of there aforementioned "rights of individuals" are violated. There are many illegal arrests and searches of individuals who aren't aware of their rights. Innocent people have been falsely convicted of crimes which they didn't commit. Conversely, there are individuals who have the financial or social status to make all their illegal activities disappear.

Being a citizen and having rights doesn't guarantee fairness or justice. The only rights as a citizen that are acknowledged are basic rights, for instance, being recognized as a an American citizen;  which only entitles one to certain amenities of the constitution.

Recognition of citizenship mainly comes into existence during the election year because of the emphasis of getting votes.  Green card holders aren't recognized and undocumented individuals living in the country  are only discussed when there a benefits to politicians from such discussion. Citizenship in my opinion is just a title which provides you with the comfort and security to obtain certain benefits, mainly from the federal government. For instance medicaid/ medicare, loans, scholarships and Social Security benefits.

“What to the Slaves Is The Fourth Of July.”

“What to the Slaves Is The Fourth Of July.”

Frederick Douglass

July 5, 1852

“Fellow citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national alter, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?”

In this paragraph, Mr Fredrick Douglass is expressing his utter frustration and humiliation to the people of America. He is speaking on behalf of Black Americans or people of color. Mr Douglass is baffled as to why people of color should part take in forth of July celebrations. He mentions that they are considering it as blessing. But what significance does this occasion have for individuals of color? When one hears the word independence, one thinks about freedom, liberty and forming of a new nation. However, how can individuals of color relate to such, when these basic rights and amenities weren't extended to them. Reality was that the shackles of slavery hadn't been removed. The Fourth of July in fact did not include the black race. It was just a reminder of all the suffering and heartaches of the past, present and the future for blacks because in fact...freedom came at a cost.

America was built on slavery...all the sweat and blood of innocent black men, women and children. How could this day be so glorious? Were they truly in-touch with life that they didn't recognize what the day signified and that it excluded them? Why wasn't it a day of recognition for all the millions of lives that were taken away? Had they forgotten the countless amount of hangings, lynching and other tortuous measures used against them? Why wasn't this, a day of prayer and forgiveness how can this be considered a blessing? It was all a political propaganda...there weren't any morals or ethical values it was all about America claiming Independence.

This article does in fact remind me about Civil Disobedience because, as mentioned before, Civil Disobedience relates to breaking the law and challenging authorities, but usually in a non-violent manner; as stated in your blog. I relate to both articles because there were laws/amendments which were put in place to bind people living in a community as well as to protect the general safety and rights of citizens. However, why is it that it seems to only pertain to one race? How was it possible back then, that only blacks were arrested and convicted for crimes without any evidence or correct judicial order and rights? Individuals of color were sold, lynched, assaulted and mistreated in the public eye, yet these oppressors were not charged for such heinous acts. Where were the government personnels who took an Oath to protect and serve? Why didn't they step in and put an end to these activities?

The government has failed the black race then and it continues somewhat to this day as well. Where is the equality and justice for all? “AMERICA IS SLAVERY”...the screams that fell on deaf ears; the sweat and tear drops that poured out daily; the chains that rattle simultaneously. Where does the 14^th Amendment of the Constitution fall in this world? Protection of the law, rights and privileges to all citizens?