blog post 15- religion in government

15. Does religion, or religious principles/ethics/morals, have any place in government? Should government create laws based on these norms?

There should be no consideration given to religious principals, ethics or morals.  The problem with this is that in countries like Canada, that are composed of multiple religions that cover a broad base of norms.  What is ethical to ones faith may not be appropriate for another.   Norms should be based on the perceptions of society and enforced to all.

blog post 14- food dumping

14. One way that developed countries 'help' the less fortunate nations of the world is by offering aid in the form of food. This approach to aid has been criticized by some as ineffective at best, and criminal at worst. Read through the material posted here, then answer the question: "What is food dumping, and how does it contribute to the cycle of poverty and dependence among the world's poorest people?" Also, offer a solution to the problem.

Food dumping is when over production in countries that produce large amounts of specific agricultural products ends up on the open market and often delivered to under developed countries. The problem with this is this excess production is delivered to those countries at a price point that makes it impossible for the local farmer to plant, tend and harvest his crop for any profit.  The principal problem becomes that local agricultural production is forced from operating leaving the country completely dependent on food imports. This is done for both economic and political reasons. The economic reason is that they need a market for the food that is produced by farmers in western countries to enable them to plant the same amount of crops the following year. Dumping is done politically often under the disguise of good will to underdeveloped countries, often termed “food aid.”  In reality it is simply the dumping of agriculture over production. Strategic advantages also come with donation of foodstuffs. This is typically done in treaty negotiations as part of the compensation given to underdeveloped countries for political, economic or military concessions. These countries can become dependent on this supply of cheap outside food. This is not offering them any constructive ability to fix their own agriculture and thus they are stuck in a cycle of poverty. I believe an effective solution to this problem would be to supply agriculture technology and education to help provide them a means of supplying themselves. For example instead of a hose they need tractors or perhaps they need irrigation technology or even guaranteeing the government of the underdeveloped countries a guaranteed market for a crop that they may produce in large scale but not as cheaply as some other nations of the world. 

blog 13: Canadian Terrorist

13. What does the recent arrest of two people who are suspected of planning a terrorist attack on Canadian soil mean to you? What impact does it have on Canada? What impact does it have on how people think about Islam? What motivates people to turn to terrorism in Canada?


This is concerning for all Canadians. It goes to prove that despite Canada being viewed as a multi-culturally open society, there are extremist elements that obviously have issues with our culture. These terrorist acts cannot be viewed as strictly the concern of countries like the United States, it goes to prove that Canada is as likely a target then any other nation. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings and these recent arrests all countries including Canada must be more vigilant. On a positive note, it is reassuring to know that our police and security agencies seem to be doing excellent work. It is interesting to note that these individuals were first identified through mosques and their spiritual leaders. We must continue to have faith in muslims who have come to this country, as a couple of individuals should not tarnish the reputation of all the people that belong to the Islamic faith. It should be noted that these two individuals were not Canadian residents and that Canadians must understand that there is always a chance that those people who are not life long residents and may not understand our culture and beliefs could still be radicalized. 

Boston Marathon- post 12

The Boston Marathon bombing quickly brought Americas and even other western democratic countries back to the reality of radicalized Islamists that we have let slip to the backgrounds of our lives. Iraq and Afghanistan are fading front lines a long way away from North America and it has been 11.5 years since 9/11. Americans and even citizens of countries like Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France and Democratic Europe will have to renew interest and determination with the understanding that youth of these countries are being radicalized and the Islamic extremist have now brought their fight in the disdain for our culture and beliefs back to the shores of our countries. They have targeted non military, "soft" targets where innocent civilians are their objective. Scrutinizing  events, plans and security for large public gatherings like sporting events, concerts, shopping centres, parades and tourist attractions will have to be reviewed and beefed up. Security agencies like FBI, Homeland Security and CSIS will have to re-evaluate and re-engage themselves into possible homegrown threats as well as remaining vigilant for threats from abroad.

blog #11: Drone Strikes

Drone strikes are very controversial. They are a very good idea of affecting and influencing a problem hot spot in a turbulent country or terrorists camps by bringing military action without the risk of deploying military personal and exposing them to risk. America citizens would support drone strikes but wouldn’t look favorably to putting soldiers on the ground in dangerous situations unless absolutely necessary. Countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan don’t like the US operating drones over their territory. It makes them look weak in the eyes of their enemies and their citizens; A “puppet” of the US.

Blog #10 North Korea: what would you do if you were president Obama?

President Obama has several choices he could make in terms of dealing with North Korea. They range from doing nothing to drastic military action. The results of any of these choices would range from a peaceful resolution to war. Due to the heavy American involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American public would have very little appetite for military action unless absolutely necessary. Also, doing nothing would not be a wise choice in part because we are dealing with a young, new and unpredictable leader who in all likelihood is staging these events in order to appease his generals and gain further concessions from western nations. We have to remember that North Korea is a rouge hermit state where human rights are suffocated and is ruled by a small, elite group who live quite lavishly. This groups main purpose is to stay in power and to keep the common citizens oblivious to the outside world. 

I believe President Obama’s best choice would be to pressure China, which is North Koreas only significant ally to exert political, economical and potentially even military pressure on the North Korean leadership. This is not to mean that the United States, South Korea and Japan shouldn’t take prudent defensive actions in the extreme likelihood that the North Koreans bluffing.

BLOG 9

Sexualization in mainstream society- is it a problem?

There are going to be places where sexualization in society will be a major problem. In Canada it may not be as much of an issue but it is still a concern. You are always going to have employers or coworker who are abusive even though our laws are quite clear on work environment rules. This is obviously a problem because these actions are still taking place despite the rules and laws.

Poverty

What role should the wealthy nations of the world, like Canada and the United States, play in easing the suffering of the world's poorest people? What responsibility do the wealthiest people have in tackling global poverty?

It is important for the wealthier nations such as Canada and the United States to support the suffering of the world's poorest by providing education, information, and in some cases possibly even technology to improve the quantity and type of food grown. Technology can be used to possibly implement irrigation and developing better seats to increase crop yields. I feel that we must do more than just provide money and food because that is not inedibly solving the problem.