Audacity of Hope #3

In this chapter, it tells Obama's feelings on the US constitution.  Barack Obama knew the constitution well and believed there were only a few ways to interpret it.  He acquired this belief after his first couple of weeks in the Senate.  Because he was new, he was not familiar with many senators and soon became friends with the old-guard lawmakers.  After learning much from them about how the Senate worked around the Constitution, Barack came to the conclusion that, 
"What the framework of our Constitution can do is organize the way by which we argue about our future" (p 92).  Barack knew the constitution wasn't just a set of rules; it was created to be ever changing and to allow adaptation to modernization.  The old-guard were wise and had much respect for the constitution and the forefathers that created it, but the newer, inexperienced youth of the senate were quite different.

Barack was upset with the younger members of the Senate for disregarding the constitution and focusing on what they believed to be the solution to our nation's problems.  They always wanted action to be taken without thinking things through, but the experienced members knew better and shut them down.  Obama thought the Senate should fix the country's problems through healthy debate, not rash decisions.  In regards to the constitution, he believed, "The answer I settle on--which is by no means original to me--requires a shift in metaphors, one that see our democracy not as a house to be built, but as a conversation to be had" (p 92).  Barack tried all he could to learn from the older members, but he soon learned from experience.  He understood the frustration of the younger members for being restrained, but knew it was wiser to view all possible solutions.  Barack learned to be a very understanding person.

Obama's Ethics

Barack Obama is a man of great ethics.  He knows the difference between wrong and right and no matter the pressure, he always selects the good decision.  He was raised with strong, moral family values, which he applies to everyday life.  He also intends to apply them to the country as president.  If family members support each other, help each other, and are willing to do anything for one another, then his ethical beliefs are incredibly strong and good-natured.  Obama spent a long time in the rough city areas to help the impoverished, (202).  He believed that he had to help his "family" in the poor areas because, after all, they were his brothers and sisters, his sons and daughters.  Obama wouldn't do anything wrong to keep his family well though; he would do anything within reasonable measures to keep them safe and comfortable.  He is a man of strong morals.

On the Waterfront: Traitor or Crusader?

In the movie, On The Waterfront, the characters believed that by ratting out the mob on a crime they committed, you would be considered a "stool pigeon."  The mobsters believed that if you ratted them out, you were no good and they'd get rid of you.  They believed that rats had something to gain from tattling on them.  Terry believed that what he was doing was right; he knew that what the mob was doing was wrong and he wanted to stand up to them and help everyone out.  He thought he was a moral crusader, or a whistleblower, the mob thought he was a rat.

I think that if you rat someone out because you can gain something out of it for yourself, you're a tattle tale.  Selfish acts are for traitors.  If you stand up and point something out that someone's doing wrong because you know it will benefit society, then you are a moral crusader.  I think there should be more moral crusaders in the world.

All My Sons is pretty dramatic.

In the play All My Sons, Arthur Miller, the author, shows how a man places the needs of his family before those of society.  Joe Keller is the father of the Keller family, as well as the owner of a machine parts factory.  He sells broken machine parts to the military which end up taking the lives of twenty-one pilots.  After putting the blame on his partner, who goes to prison, his son finds out and he explains to him how he did what was best for his family.  Joe tells his son, "For you! The business was for you!"(70).  Joe's life's goal was to create something for his son, otherwise he felt like his life meant nothing.  He wanted to support his family and leave his son wealthy; he didn't care about leaving anything for others in society.  Joe was a family man, a man who'd do anything for his family.  So, he killed twenty-one pilots to keep his family off of the streets.

 I don't judge Joe on what he did.  I know that if I were in his shoes, I'd try to do what was best for my family too.  Except killing innocent pilots is crossing the line.  Joe should've made a better decision but given little time he did the best he could.  Anyone would put their family first.  Some would call that selfish but deep down they wouldn't give up their children.

Barack Obama's Virtues

Barack's virtues are based off of the opposite of what he saw in corrupt politicians.  He saw how the political system made it hard for the politicians to stay true to their virtues, even Democrats. In fact, the Democrats' recent loss in power made them more likely to fall into corruption and bribery, just to maintain electability. In his book he states,"I think Democrats are wrong to run away from a debate about values, as wrong as those conservatives who see values only as a wedge to pry loose working-class voters from the Democratic base." (52)  

Barack also claims that he learned most o his values from his mother, and that he takes these values and applies them in his decision making in office.  He wrote,
"Like most of my values, I learned about empathy from my mother. She disdained any kind of cruelty or thoughtlessness or abuse of power ....Whenever she saw even a hint of such behavior in me she would look me square in the eyes and ask, "How do you think that would make you feel?" ... I find myself returning again and again to my mother's simple principle -- "How would that make you feel?" -- as a guidepost for my politics."(79)  Barack uses the morals he grew up with and learned as a child and applies them to his adult life.  This works well because I believe that children are innocent, and adults are not. So by using what he learned as a child, he can help to 'purify' our nation with the innocence of children.  Barack is very interesting when he comes to politics; not every politician would turn to his childhood for guidance.

Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope

Barack Obama has just become president, a huge, historical feat.  But before he ran for presidency, he was in the Senate.  Barack had always been a person who helped people, even before he was politically active, but the Senate was a whole new experience for him.  When he first arrived in Washington, he said, "I felt like the rookie who shows up after the game, his uniform spotless, eager to play."(19)  He wasn't experienced, but he was ready to make changes.  His 'teammates' were also very welcoming towards him; they respected him.  But since Barack was a Democrat, Republicans would not be as friendly to him.

In the first chapter, Republicans and Democrats, Barack learns that the world is divided into Republicans, people who like America the way it is, and Democrats, people who see that changes need to be made.  Barack saw how the republicans were more apt to use slander and negative ads to get their points across to America and have their way, but he also saw how some honorable republican leaders were disgusted with modern day politics. He said, "I suspect the Republican leaders weren't entirely comfortable with the direction that politics had taken."(33)  After working in the Senate, Barack developed a sense of respect for the republican party, seeing that they weren't entirely ignorant and brutish.  He knew the world was split between democrats and republicans, but he learned through the Senate that they were all civilized people that wanted what was best for America.

Monkeys With Weapons

Researchers have observed chimpanzees in the West African savannah making and using spears to hunt.  This is a major step in evolution in hunting for animals other than humans.  Although researchers have observed chimps throwing rocks, this is the first time they have seen chimpanzees actually brake branches off of trees and sharpen them into weapons.  After sharpening the sticks with their teeth, they violently stab into bush baby nests and eat the small animals they killed.  This use of wooden weapons leads scientists to believe that humans, similarly, crafted wooden weapons to hunt, instead of stone.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/22/AR2007022201007_2.html

I've heard of monkeys peeling bananas and riding bikes, but making weapons and killing things is scary.  It's interesting to think that they are evolving like us, slowly becoming more creative and innovative.   However, I'm also worried that they will start attacking humans and learn how to make better weapons.  Some kind of "Planet of the Apes" scenario where we are oppressed by chimps.  Aside from an irrational fear, this was the coolest article I've read in a long time.  Maybe ever.