U.S. Would use military force to defend gulf allies

      President Obama, who is currently going up against Persian Gulf countries skeptical of about his planned nuclear deal with Iran, said earlier today that the U.S., if necessary, would use military force to defend our Arab allies. Obama had spent the whole with leaders from the region at his Camp David retreat, and emerged from their camp declaring that he was as committed as ever to protecting them from aggression, a reference talking about Iran. A statement at the end declared that the U.S. 

will continue to deter and confront external aggression against our allies and partners as we did in the gulf war. 

      This article was very interesting and informative. I learned lots about ourn international relations which pertains directly to our civics class. I like that President Obama is protecting our allies and I fully support his idea of using military force to do so if necessary. This article shows Obama is making good decisions and that other countries should feel well protected as our allies. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/13/politics/obama-saudi-gcc/index.html

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U.S.-flagged ship intercepted by Iranian patrol

      My article is about a U.S. flagged ship being intercepted and stopped by an Iran Revolutionary Guard naval patrol this past Friday. This took place when four Iranian naval vessels surrounded the U.S. flagged Maersk Tigris which was crossing the Strait of Hormuz. This happened after an encounter last Tuesday in which Iran Revolutionary Guard patrol boats fired shots at a commercial cargo ship and then intercepted the vessel. A senior U.S. military official who has spoken to tha captain of the Kensington (Maersk Tigris) told CNN that "the Iranians encircled the Kensington and followed the ship on its course for a period of time before withdrawing and breaking away." After that, the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet issued a notice to mariners about the incident. The crew aboard the ship is safe and in good spirits, and were about nine miles out from shore when this article was posted. 

      This article was informative and talked lots about our marine military program. I learned about our offshore and international international relations which directly pertains to this class. I don't have a standpoint on this article because none of it pertains to me, but I believe our military did a good job to inform other mariners about this incident. They possibly prevented more ships from being stopped. I am also glad that after this stressful situation the crew of the ship are all okay. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/politics/iran-seizes-commercial-ship-u-s-official-says-no-americans-on-board/index.html

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U.S. Drone Strike Accidentally killed two people

      My article is about Barack Obama recently announcing that in an effort of counterterrorism involving a drone, two innocent hostages were accidently killed including one American. Multiple U.S. officials informed CNN that the hostages were in fact killed by a U.S. Military drone that was targeting Al-Qaeda. The hostages were one American named Warren Weinstein and an Italian native named Giovanni Lo Porto. This took place earlier this week.

      Barack Obama's statement about this attack was: "As president and as commander in chief, I take full responsibility for all our counterterrorism operations including the one that inadvertently took the lives of Warren and Giovanni." He said this earlier this week in a White House briefing room. 

      This article was very interesting and talked about drones and how they can effect is positively and negatively. I learned that unmanned robotics such as drones can be dangerous but very helpful as well. This article related directly to our AP Gov class because it discusses

our international relations and the Presidents responsibilities and duties. I believe that drones are very useful, and mistakes will be made in figuring out how to use them correctly.

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http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/politics/white-house-hostages-killed/index.html

Australian ex-model, DJ, killed fighting for ISIS in Syria, family friend says

      The article I read this week was about a male model and DJ being killed fighting for ISIS this past week.  The mans name was Sharky Jama and he was born and raised in Melbourne. For the past few months Sharky was living in the Iraqi city of Falluja which is currently under ISIS control. News of his death came to his parents and public attention Monday, from a call and text message to his mother from the president of the Somali Austrailian council of Victoria. The call stated they were sad to inform the family of their loss, and disappointed Sharky, who was 25, had joined ISIS forces. The parents and family members had not known of this even though Sharky's man social media posts supporting ISIS. Sharky was killed in a firefight, who by is still unknown. 

      My article this week was interesting and informational. It talked about how ISIS is still in control over many regions and cities and how they are still at large. It also discussed how they manage to recruit new members. I find it crazy how people such as Sharky Jama, who grew up with a great family and great future, could be drawn into joining a terrorist group. This article relates to out class topics by talking about international relations and how our government is dealing with ISIS. If it were up to me, I would try and find away to make them surrender to end the killing of innocents. This was a very unsettling article to read because I learned just how many people are joing ISIS. 

Full article

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/asia/australia-isis-sharky-jama-killed/

Admitted highjacker dreams of coming home after 43 years hiding in Cuba

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/09/americas/us-cuba-fugitive-charlie-hill/index.html

     The article I read this week was about Charlie Hill contemplating coming back to the United States after hiding out in Cuba for many years. For about 43 years Cuba has been provided ong  refuge for Hill from facing charges that he killed a New Mexico police officer and hijacked an airliner to Havana. Hill, who is now 65 decided to do is first recorded interview with with CNN. Hill said durig this interview that the reason he would want to come home would be to see his family, and enjoy things be used to while he was in America. Hill was a black power militant and stated that he is a revolutionary. 

      I chose this article because I did not know much about our nations ties with Cuba, and we discuss international relations in class. Critics of the new opening to Cuba say Havana's harboring of fugitives like Charlie Hill is enough of a reason to maintain a hard line against the government of Cuba and keep them on the State Department list of countries that support terrorism. I believe that Charlie should not be allowed to live like he does in Cuba with no punishment. 

The operation to recapture Ticrit from ISIS

       My article is about Pro-government forces closing in on the capture of Tikrit, the birthplace of Saddam Hussein, from the Islamic State. Over  30,000 fighters, soldiers, Shia militia forces, Sunni tribal fighters and members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps , are working  on the take over of the capture of Tikrit, which is the largest operation against ISIS since it took over most of northern Iraq this past year. Taking Tikrit back would be a huge accomplishment and step on the road to defeating ISIS. It will take lots of fire power and strength. Many lives will also be lost. The take over of this city began in early 2015 and Tikrit is being closed in on now.

      I believe that the take over of Tikrit, a major Area of land under ISIS's control, would be huge in the long run against defeating ISIS. It is one step of many and even though many lives will be lost making it happen, it will save many from ISIS forces. Tikrit is now in reach, and I hope t is grasped soon.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/12/world/middleeast/the-iraq-isis-conflict-in-maps-photos-and-video.html?_r=0

ISIS apparently claims responsibility for Tunisia museum attack; 9 arrested

      The article that I read was about the recent terrorist attack at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, Tunisia. It took place on Wednesday, March 18th and at least 19 people were killed in the deadly attack. The attackers were inside the museum when they opened fire and killed mostly tourists from European countries. Two attackers were killed at the science by police, and the hunt for three others is underway. My article discussed how earlier today, in an audio statement posted online, ISIS took took responsibility for the deadly terrorist attacks. The statement says Abu Zakariya al-Tunisi and Abu Anas al-Tunisi were two people who carried out the attack, which it warns is "just the start." However, CNN can not verify the authenticity of the statement but U.S. Officials have said there is no reason to doubt the authenticity. The U.S. Government believes the attack was carried out by local "franchise" adherents to ISIS, not centrally associated members of ISIS. 

      This article was very interesting and covered many facts about what exactly happened at the Bardo Museum. Terrorist attacks are always awful, especially when committed on innocent tourists. I believe ISIS was being truthful with taking responsibility for this claim. They have shown they are capable of feats like this in the past. My peers in AP gov and I agree, ISIS is awful and the best thing we can do is take as many ISIS militants out before they kill more innocent men and women. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/19/africa/tunisia-museum-attack/index.html

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Hillary Clinton: I used one email 'for convenience'

      My article this week was about Hillary Clintons current issue involving her email. Past Secretary of State, and most likely presidential candidate for 2016, Hillary Clinton, has been trying to bring down the numerous concerns of her using her private email while leading the state department. She discussed this thoroughly at a press conference at a press conference this past Tuesday.  During the press conference she stated that she had not broken any rules, and that she would not be handing over  over the private server housing her correspondence, despite the fact that many people are calling for its release. Clinton stated that she used a private domain for her work, and personal emails out of convenience. She believed using one email would be much easier at the time, but now has stated that it would have been a good idea do have just made two separate ones. 
      This was stated Hillary at the press conference "I opted for convenience to use my personal email account, which was allowed by the State Department, because I thought it would be easier to carry just one device for my work and for my personal emails instead of two," she said. "Looking back, it would have been better if I'd simply used a second email account and carried a second phone, but at the time, this didn't seem like an issue."
     This article was very informational, and gave me a good look into what the roles of media are because it showed that the media pounces at any opportunity it has to make politicians look bad to get publicity. I believe that Hillary was not in the wrong with one email only, but should have made two separate ones. I hope this media doesn't damage Hillary's  reputation, and she was not in the wrong. 


http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/10/politics/hillary-clinton-emails-flashback/index.html


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More than 800 killed in 40 days of clashes in Syrian city of Kobani

      My article this week was about 800 people being killed in the Syrian of Kobani in the last 40 days. Most of the deaths have been ISIS militants and Syrian Kurdish fighters battling for the control over the key city according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This group figured out the amount of casualties starting September 16, 2014, the day ISIS forces began their attack on Kobani. More than half of the people killed have been ISIS militants, 481, and were killed in car bombings, ambushes, and attacks led by a Kurdish female commander. Also, 302 Kurdish fighter were reported killed. 

     

      This article made me feel very please at the fact that people are fighting back against ISIS's reign of terrorism. Even though death isn't good, in this case I believe it's necessary for militants to die to protect innocent people. I stand against ISIS and believe that at all cost they must be stopped, and as we've talked about in class, most people agree with me. If the Kurdish fighters continue their efforts to defeat ISIS, innocent lives will be saved.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/26/world/meast/kobani-isis-deaths/

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ISIS Jihadi John Revealed

      My article was about "Jihadi John," the British-accented man who appeared in an all black shroud covering his face in several ISIS videos in which he beheaded Westerners, has been identified as London born Mohammed Emwazi, a former senior intelligence official confirmed by ABC news. This was discovered earlier this week when a close friend of Mohhamed stated he had no doubt that Emwazi was the man in the videos. Then, a former U.S. intelligence official also comfirmed that Emwazi was the man in the videos.  Emwazi was from a well off family out of London, and graduated from the University of Westminster with a computer programming degree. At the moment British authorities have not commented on the identity of the man on the basis that lives are currently at risk. 

   

       The US Governments point of view and statements-  "The U.S. government continues to investigate the murder of American citizens by ISIL [ISIS]," the NSC said. "As the President said, no matter how long it takes, the United States will not rest until we find and hold accountable the terrorists who are responsible for the murders of our citizens."

  

    As my fellow classmates and I have discussed in recent weeks, ISIS is a horrible terrorist organization. The sooner ISIS forces are taken out the less innocent people will be murdered. I believe that it is very bad that Jihadi John's identity has been revealed because as British authorities said, their are lives at risk and if Emwazi takes this negatively he could kill more men or women. This information should not have been shared with the general public and hopefully, this will not cost anyone their life.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/jihadi-john-identity-revealed-senior-intelligence-official-confirms/story?id=29238973

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ISIS Beheadings In Libya Devastate An Egyptian Village

      Over this past weekend, the Libya branch of the self-proclaimed Islamic State beheading 21 male prisoners.  All of the men in the video have been identified as Christian laborers from Egypt except for one who hasn't yet been identified. This is not the first brutal attack that has been recorded in recent weeks. ISIS has been recording acts of terrorism that involve stabbing and burning people as means of intimidation. 13 of the men in the recent video were from El-Aour, a small Egyption town near the Nile river. Local Priests say the day the massacre happened, you could her a scream from every house in the town. The men from ISIS came to the town about one month ago and specifically demanded for Christians. At the time the town had no idea what was going on and the men were taken away in four vehicles. 

      The rest of the article goes on to talk about how the town is being comforted, and how it's dealing with the great losses. The church has been saying prayers for the murdered Christians and singing hyms. The town is still in mourning, but with the help from the church they will hopefully get through their lossses.

      ISIS has been striking terror through the lives of many people over the past year which I have been discussing with my classmates throughout the past few weeks. I believe that what ISIS is doing is terrible, and I in no way support them. I feel awful for the town of El-Aour  and the families of the fallen Christians. I believe that in order to stop these terrorist attacks by ISIS, the U.S. needs to station troops on ISIS soil and either protect the people threatened by ISIS or eliminate ISIS threats. If we have more troops we will prevent deaths on innocent men and women` even though they are not American. 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/02/17/386986424/isis-beheadings-in-libya-devastate-an-egyptian-village

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Parents' anguish as they wait for word on daughter ISIS claims is dead

      In Prescott, Arizona, not a day goes by without thought of Kayla Mueller. For more than a year and a half, Mueller's family has lived with knowing that their beloved daughter, Kayla, who was an American aid-worker, is being held hostage by the Islamic militant group ISIS. Up until earlier this week, the family had kept all this under wraps becuase ISIS threatened to execute Kayla if the family went public. On this past Friday however, ISIS terrorists spoke to the public and stated that Mueller had been killed during an airstrike by the Jordanian forces in Raqqa. However, the Muellers are still hoping that Kayla is alive and ISIS has provided no proof other than an image of a building in rubble. "We have sent you a private message and ask that you respond to us privately," her parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, said in a statement Friday in hopes that ISIS will respond and hopefully reveal if Kayla is truly deceased. 

      At the moment Jordan forces are still investigating the claims by ISIS about Mueller's fate. In a statement made by Jordanian spokesman Mohammed al-Momani, the Jordanian government provided their side of the arguement by saying, "What we know about this terrorist organization is that they are liars when it comes to these things." 

      People are questioning why no ISIS militants died in the collapse and why there was no fire or smoke in the image ISIS revealed of the demolished building. People are starting to say ISIS killed Mueller before, and has been waiting for a chance to release this news and make it look like someone elses fault. 

      The article then goes on do discuss other claims believed to be false by ISIS and how Jordan believes ISIS forces have another one of their pilots. It also talks about how ISIS demanded a ransom for Mueller last summer and how it's possible she was killed then, and the news wasn't released until earlier this week.  

      I'm sure this article will relate to our AP Governent class soon because it has to do with our citizens' rights and our countries involvement in the war with ISIS. I believe this whole situation has been terrible, and hope the Mueller's will stay strong the next few months until more information is revealed. I personally believe that Kayla was murdered earlier in the year by ISIS, and they are trying to pin the crime on Jordanian air strikes. However, I hope my belief is wrong and Kayla will soon be returned. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/09/us/isis-hostage-mueller-family/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

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U.S. Deploys Search and Rescue Helicopters to Iraq in ISIS Fight

      The article I chose to write about was titled "U.S. sends search and rescue helicopters to Iraq in ISIS fight." It was written on February 4, 2015, in response to a murder by ISIS of a Jordanian pilot. The article discusses the decision of the Pentagon to place more search and rescue helicopters in northern Iraq, in order to reduce the time it takes to locate crashed pilots. Other countries have already began pulling their aircrafts out of the area due to the threat posed by ISIS forces. 

      This new policy stemmed from a murder orchestrated by ISIS forces, and a video released by ISIS of Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh which I'm sure we'll talk about later in class. He was captured by ISIS in December when his f-16 crashed over Syria. Not only does the video show the Lietunent being burned alive, but it also contains verbal threats to other Syrian pilots. U.S. officials stated that the United Arab Emirates, an important group in fighting ISIS, has completely stopped flying combat missions over ISIS territory after Kaseasbeh's capture. They have also said that every effort was made to recover the downed pilot and as soon as his plane went down an intensive search was initiated. Jordanian forces are still leading bombing attacks against ISIS. 

      After reading this article I am disgusted by ISIS. I strongly believe that we should put more troops into northern Iraq and support the Pentagon's decision of sending more search and rescue helicopters. The more military units we have fighting against ISIS forces, and looking for injured, crashed, or M.I.A. pilots the better. If we continue to put in search and rescue units, there will be a significantly smaller chance of downed pilots being captured and murdered.  

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-deploys-search-and-rescue-helicopters-to-iraq-in-isis-fight/

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Obama’s nominee for attorney general claims alcohol is safer than marijuana

      Hello fellow readers. The article I'm discussing this week involves Barack Obama's nominee for Attorney General of the United States, Loretta Lynch. The role of Attorney General is the highest ranking judicial official in our government, which I'm sure we'll discuss later in class. Mrs. Lynch was nominated on November 8th, 2014 and her comformation hearings are currently taking place. Mrs. Lynch was born May 21, 1959, and is the Currrent United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, attended Harvard University, and is of the Democratic Party. 

      The article I read discusses Mrs. Lynch's views on marijuana. She believes that marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol, a view disagreeing with Barack Obama. Marijuana is a very controversial topic, and it has been scientifically proven that alcohol poses more of a threat to the person consuming it, and the people around a person consuming alcohol than weed. As well as scientific studies, government statistics also prove marijuana is safer, even though neither are risk free. Lynch's views on this subject are very important, because if she is elected as Attorney General, she has the authority to remove marijuana from schedule one, which is a dangerous category of drugs. If this happened researches and doctors would be able to see the affects of the drug in medical purposes and possibly move towards legalizing marijuana. 

      There are many arguments over the legalization of marijuana, but I agree with Mrs. Lynch's view that the drug is very dangerous and should not be legalized. It can cause unsafe situations and many injuries. The interesting part of this is that in general liberals actually disagrees with Mrs. Lynch's views and support moving forward in legalization. This could influence the selection of Mrs. Lynch, and I believe that after stating her views on marijuana, she is more likely to bring in Republican votes. It will be very interesting to see if Mrs. Lynch will be confirmed by the bi-partisan comittee, but we'll have to wait and see what happens. 

live link--http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/29/wonkbook-obamas-nominee-for-attorney-general-claims-alcohol-is-safer-than-marijuana/