Standard Operating Procedure

                Standard Operating Procedure was a riveting documentary that we viewed in class exposing what goes on inside some of the military prisons in Iraq. It was very eye-opening and in a way, hard to watch at times. It showed some of the ways our American soldiers mistreated and tortured Iraqi prisoners and provided gruesome photos of their actions. It was crazy to think about all the things that go on during war each and every day that the American people have no idea about. It also made me think about what I would’ve done had I been in the shoes of the soldiers who were working in the prison. Would I have done the same thing? Or would I have had the presence of mind and the gut feeling inside to stop what was going on? Or would the toils of war and the situation have gotten to me and tossed all my common sense out the window like it did with these men and women. I don’t think these are bad people in the film. Some of them are. But most of them are just like any of us and were just following orders. I myself can’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same thing. War changes a lot of things.   

                I was, however, surprised at the stupidity of some of these people. Most of them say in their interviews that they had a gut feeling that something was wrong and they knew they shouldn’t be doing these things, yet they still took photographs of the events, and were, themselves, shown in the photographs. If you know you are doing something wrong, or even worse, committing a crime, how can you be stupid enough to take pictures of it? That’s one thing I can’t get past about this film.

                Another thing I kept thinking about was the fact that the lower ranks of the army were the ones getting jail time for these crimes. The people who are in charge have to be aware of what’s going on, and in some cases were more than likely giving the orders to carry out the actions shown in the film. They are the ones who are held to a higher standard than even most people in the military, and they turned their backs on what was happening.  The people who risk their lives to be in that prison in the first place are just following orders from the big shots who sit behind a desk, yet they are the ones doing the jail time. Do they deserve it? Probably. They did commit the acts, and in some cases, the things they did to the prisoners weren’t handed down from the desk of a general, but I still think it is unfair for all the blame to be placed on the men and women in the video. 

                I thought this film was very interesting. As with most of the videos we watch in class, it makes yo9ur mind wonder about what happens every day in our country and dealing with our country that regular citizens have no idea about.

Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street

On Wall Street and around the United States, there is an ongoing protest called “Occupy Wall Street.”  The protest is a rally against social and economic inequality among the American people, corporate greed, and corporate power and influence over government.  The slogan of the protest is “we are the 99%” which refers to the difference in wealth between the top 1% and the rest of the people in the United States. 

                I think the people who are protesting have a good argument and I can get behind them and support their cause considering I myself am part of the 99%. However, I also think it’s going to take a lot more than what is going on now to even perk the ears of the people on Wall Street.  The movement is growing, and continues to show signs of getting bigger and stronger, but I don’t think it is enough to make their point heard. I think that in order for anything to be changed, something extremely drastic will have to take place. After all, when the protesters try to assemble peacefully and have their voices heard, they are usually run off or arrested. It’s crazy that it clearly states in the constitution that we have the right to assemble and peacefully protest, yet every time a group of people gets together to do so, authorities do anything and everything they can to try and suppress or stop it. Countless people have been arrested so far and hundreds more have been displaced or removed from the protest as a result of the authorities trying to contain the protests

                I also think it is pretty crazy how dedicated these people actually are. This protest has been going on now for over a month and people are still going strong and not giving up hope. They have slept outside and stayed on location for the entire process and have yet to budge. Outside organizations have also stepped in to aid with the protest by feeding the protestors, and offering other helpful supplies throughout their stay.  It should also be pointed out that the protests are spreading. The protest that started out in New York City gained huge support from the American people and has since spread all over the country. There are now protests taking place in cities such as Boston, Chicago, Columbus, and even Lexington.  The protest has grown tremendously since its birth in mid-September, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Maybe of these crazy people keep it up long enough and continue to gain support they will be heard by someone.

                In conclusion, I normally tend to ignore things like this and I’m normally not one to follow a nationwide protest (or any protest at all for that matter). But this one seems to be a little different. It may be because I can relate to it more than normal, or the fact that it just intrigues me to know how quickly this thing gained support. Whatever the cause, I will continue to keep up with the news and pull for the ones sacrificing their time and bodies for this cause.

G-20

                Recently in class we watched a slide show on the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh.  Before viewing the slide show, I had never even heard of the G-20. That seems to happen to me quite often in this class. I learn something new just about every time I come to class. As for the issue of the G-20, I do find it kind of alarming that a room full of “important” people make some very crucial decisions that affect everyone on the planet. They are our elected officials (at least some of them) but we have no idea what is being discussed or what decisions have been made until the meeting is over. 

                I also am kind of alarmed that all of the protests and rally against the G-20 fall on a deaf ear. People take time out of their lives and probably spend some serious money to travel to where the G-20 meets and rally their cause to the world’s most powerful men and women, only to be met by police barricades and heavily armed riot police. It seems like no matter what people do or say, the leaders in Washington and around the world ignore the voice of the people. It’s scary to think about.  The people that came to protest even got permits to march in the city and were supposed to be helped out by the local police, only to be denied any help by anyone. The protesters had to take matters into their own hands and stop traffic themselves in order to begin their march. It seems to me like the men in uniform that we trust to protect us in our day to day life become out worst enemy when we have a voice against what’s going on above us. It is a constitutional right of the American people to peacefully protest, yet when they do so, they are intimidated and threatened, and often times even beaten. When the protesters in Pittsburgh marched through the streets they were closely watched by fully armed police men who felt the need to beat their batons in their hands the entire time as a form of intimidation. There were even instances of officers in uniform driving alongside protestors and throwing them in the car and carrying them away. It was just like being abducted.

                It seems that no matter what the voice of the people, our leaders will always find some way to cordially turn the other direction.  People gather and protest peacefully about a myriad of different policies, and ideas, and practices, yet when it comes to things taking place in our nation’s capitol, nothing ever changes. In a sense it pretty much voids our right to protest and voice our opinion. Sure we can protest and sure we can have the freedom of speech and express our disgust for some of the things happening in our country. But are we any better off than the people of a nation who don’t have to luxury of these rights? Does it really do us any good to exercise these rights to protest and voice our opinion if all its good for is a means for us to blow steam?