Week 3- "We Shall Overcome"

Lyndon B. Johnson's “We Shall Overcome” speech is very powerful and emotional. Back in the day, these people were going through hard times, especially the Negros. I think that Lyndon’s speech was enlightening for some and it helped them to look at the situation in a new way. He highlights the facts and the general feelings of most people.

I like the quote, “This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose.” He then describes that these purposes are still thriving throughout the famous quotes: "All men are created equal." "Government by consent of the governed." "Give me liberty or give me death." In addition, that the phrases are not simple, witty words thrown together with no meaning; they are not “empty theories.”

Even today, almost fifty years later, those phrases are still important to our people and to our rights. Even in 2006, we were doing things like this. ß Click

There are still soldiers, men and women, of both colors, fighting for them. As Mary has said, there are still problems with race today, but they are most definitely getting better.

I also really liked the quote, “to apply any other test, to deny a man his hopes because of his color or race or his religion or the place of his birth is not only to do injustice, it is to deny Americans and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American freedom.” This quote is very powerful and sadly, very TRUE! I am glad that now a days, this speech is able to make history so that all the generations that came and will come are able to learn from it and respect it.

we shall overcome

Lyndon B. Johnson wrote a speech about the ehole dicrimination in the 60's because he saw that policeman were beating up a negroe repeatedly hitting him over nad over. he wrote this speech to try to stop the disrimination from keep happeneing. he wants everyone to be eaqual. he quotes. the issue of equal rights for american segroes is such an issue. should we defeat every enemy, should we double our wealth and conquer the stars, and still be unequal to this issue, then we have failed as people and as a nation.

what he is saying is why cant everyone just get along no matter what there beliefs are or there skin color. we are all americans in the same country everyone should just get along as a nation instead of always fighting eachother. there have been soldiers who fought for the north and south about the civil rights. now that is over and now everyone should just stop fighting.

he says there are no northern problems, and there are no southern problems there is only american prblems, meaning as a nation we should be helping eachother out not putting each other down. Lyndon can write a good speech and peopple listened to him because they liked how he talked

"We Shall Overcome"

Lyndon B. Johnson spoke gracefully and articulately to the people in Selma, Alabama. After a terrible hate crime against African American people took place by the police, it made Johnson's role in the whole ordeal a troublesome one. While he is the commander and chief of the military, he is also responsible for keeping the police in line.
He claimed to be searching for democracy of all people, no matter what race or religion, and over all I felt he was sincere in his search but I felt as if he might have been a little blind to the whole situation, in his quote "There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem." While this idea is optimistic I don't feel like at the time that was really what was happening. There really was a Negro problem, there was a southern vs northern problem. Just because the President didn't want to believe that it was happening doesn't mean that it was actually reality. In fact the protest was mostly African Americans against the White males in this country.
I did like his approach about everyone being equal. How they weren't meeting as democrats or republicans but as Americans. None the less you know that people do not just walk in the door and drop their beliefs, they are always present and in the back of your mind.
While he wanted everyone to get along in practice it was a good idea, but in reality there was still a problem. Even today race is still a constant issue in this country, but it is getting better.

Week 2 Blog- Shooting and Governer's Comments

The shooting in Tucson never needed to happen. My group members did a wonderful job of summing up the facts and making some very valid points. Lateaka hit the nail on the head that guns do not kill people, people kill people. The shooting was wrong and the man had many other options to get a message across that did not include murdering innocent people. The 1^st Amendment has a lot to it and maybe he got overwhelmed and misused his rights due to a misunderstanding. His choices reflect not only the first amendment but also the second amendment. He may have a right to bear arms, but the use of the weapon is morally to protect himself. He used in an unacceptable way and that is why he must now face his consequences.

In regards to the Governor’s comments: What would it have hurt to go to the event? What did he have to lose by going? As my other group members noted: it made him look very bad and he came off as being a rude racist by not attending. I agree that he should have gone to support his son’s heritage. Let his son learn about the history. As Governor, he must now pay attention and sacrifice some of his own feelings for the sake of the people. He would not have lost anything by attending the event, but by choosing not to, he lost a lot of support and respect from his people.

Unfortunately, when people make decisions, they must face the consequences that come with them. That is what happened for the criminal in the shooting as well as the Governor.

shooting in tucson

even though that there is an amendmant that says that people.can bear arms, well that man used it wrong way times a thousand. you dont go into a grocery store and just shoot up the pplace and killing people for no reason. this is going to have a big role in citizenship because now people are going to get into groups and possibly try to get themto put detectors out side the doors because they will be worried if someones caring a gun in the store. i know i would want for the detectors because i would probably think i was goin to get shot at anytime at any place


i do not think that governor is very mature to telling people to kiss his butt. that is not how a governor should be talking to any people it kinda makes him look really bad. you are supposed to be helping people out not telling them to kiss his but. since i am i citizen of maine it was a bad idea because now he made the government look bad. not something to say on tv.

Week 2 Questions

Lateaka hit most of the important points about the shooting in Tuscon. I think that it is everyone's right to bear arms, and to express how they feel about politicians, but I also think that the gunman took it a little too far by shooting up a grocery store. The innocent people that were killed is also a citizenship problem because innocent people should have the freedom to go to the store and not worry about people coming to "protest". While we do have the right to protest, we have the right to peacefully protest. When things start becoming violent that's when it becomes a problem, that's when your liberties are taken away.
On the basis of morals, I feel that everyone has a different idea of what is morally right. But one thing that most everyone in this country agrees on is that it is not morally right to kill anyone, for any reason, with the exception of the death penalty.

2)the much less tragic, but still newsworthy comments by our governor on 1/14
I feel like the governor not going to the dinner was a little bit weird. It doesn't make him racist but it would have been nice of him to go out of respect for the holiday. There was really no reason for him to not go, and if he doesn't want people to think he is a racist, then it might have been in his best interest for him to make an appearance. While his son might be from Jamaica, one would think that he would want his son to learn about his heritage and about what Martin Luther King had to offer the people of the United States. And celebrate him with the rest of the country. I just find it a little bit weird that he didn't want to go. And he was a little bit rude about the whole idea. But there is freedom of speech for everyone, with no exception.

Blog Week 2- Questions Answered

What are the implications of these events for "citizenship", understood in either its legal or its moral meaning?

Arizona Shooting- The recent shooting in Tucson ended with 6 people killed and 13 wounded. One of the injured was Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Jared Lee Loughner, the gunman who was only 22 years old, took his rights as an American citizen too far. We could talk about his right to bear arms. If he wasn't allowed to have a gun, would those 6 people be dead? But guns don't kill people, people kill people, right? We have the right to assemble, and petition, and disagree with politicians all we want but we do not have the right as an American citizen to take matters into our own hands. Whether or not the shooting was political, I don't know. It seems like people take advantage of the rights they are given because they want more.

Our Governor's Comments- On Martin Luther King Jr. day, Maine governor LePage opted out of attending MLK day invitations from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). When a reporter from a television station asked LePage about the situation he replied, "Tell 'em to kiss my butt. If they want to play the race card, come to dinner and my son will talk to them." (LePage has a son adopted from Jamaica.) I think that Lepage should be able to make decisions of what do do on any day for himself without having his motives questioned but when he made that comment it only made him look rude and disrespectful. I think it makes perfect sense, just because he declined and invitation does not make him racist, but he could have handled that in a better way.