INTEREST GROUPS

Interest Groups are organizations that seek to influences policies. There are many such organization ranging from concerns on the climate, businesses, peace on the international level whilst issues like health, wages and advancement policies for certain minority people.

Most interest groups  ability to get their message across is a big factor to consider when lobbying for their issues of interest. This is because without the proper means of getting the message across, no change is going to be achieved.

Demonstration and boycotts. This tactic is probably most famous for being used during the early civil movements like the Montgomery Bus Boycott organized by Martin Luther King Jr. This method of getting a message across especially in the U.S.A for the legal system to be changed in regard to minority rights have been very successful.  Demonstration and boycott is when a group of people march on the street to petition the governments to listen to their grievances on certain rights that have been denied them. Usually it start off peacefully and sometime end with clashes with the police and destruction of properties.

I choose this passage because of the positive achievement it has brought to the Black American and will continue to bring. examples are the equal civil rights and also social rights achieved through this means. Even on the international level some president have step down due to demonstration and boycotts. Removal of university president through this means as he in unable to prevent racism in the university.

These are a few of the achievements made by interest group who choose this method of getting their message across. But on a whole minority, who neither have the means or the resources to get their message across, this mean is the only choice for them. And it does certainly carry their message across to get the change needed.

The Inauguration of President Ronald Reagan on 20^th January ,1981 was held at the Capital West Front for the first time. In his speech he talked about normal occurrence of Inauguration of Presidents that still is a memorable feat for the American people. He talks about the rising deficit the country and the need to eliminate this to make sure the next generation will not suffer. He encourages Americans and reminded them of their past heroic feat of overcoming obstacles in their lives.

“How can we love our country and not love our countrymen” was one the one sentence which grasp my 

attention as he gave his speech that day. Despite this speech, he was the government who gave distribute

 wealth to fewer people. He further increased tax so that the poverty level rose. Although I thought

countrymen made the country obviously this was not to him as he gave relief to only a few people and not a

 majority of the citizen making a mockery of the statement “that the government was for the people and by 

the people.” In it the realization of the people of government being the problem.

The Judiciary which the branch of the government is model on an older English Legal System known as the “common law” which gives authorities to the judge to decide cases, which give them more freedom when given a verdict. They also have to take into account previous rulings of similar cases. Also it has seen the abolishing and passing of law which had in the past infringe on the rights of people in every aspect of life.

One such Civil rights is the court decision in Brown versus Board of Education, which declared segregation is unlawful unlike before when it was affirmed in the case like Plessy versus Ferguson or Dred Scott versus Stanford. Using the 11^th amendment it specifically states that “equal protection clauses state threat the same Stanford of law must be applied to everyone and obviously laws that harm one people of people would fail the test created by the equal protection clauses.

The Brown versus Education was when the United States supreme laws establishing separate public school for Black and White student to be unconstitutional. This happen on May 11,1954 in Topeki,Kansas.

I choose that sentence because it brought a movement change in the lives of the African American and their children and gave them a chance to better themselves in every aspect of  their lives.

Equal rights

  The American Political System over the years have seen demand of equal rights in every aspect of life especially by the minority. Rights are connected with the idea of citizenship and has a civil, political and social aspect as point out by Marshall in the recent reading in class. He explained the entitlement of certain things by citizens of a country and equality when it comes to sharing those things. Although his research was in England, it had a bearing on American which system had its roots from that country.
   He explained that at one point in history, all these rights were combined unlike in recent times where it has  been separated due to the practice of capitalistic economy. In American especially which did not ratify the laws set forth by the United Nation in relation to a person or citizen rights to civil, social and political rights.
  This can be seen in the quote by Marshall. "The explanation lies in the fact that the core of citizenship at this stage was composed of civil rights. And civil rights were indispensible to competitive market economy. They gave to each man, as part of his independent status, the power to engage as an independent unit in the economic struggle and made it possible to deny social protection on the ground that he was well equipped with the means to protect himself."
     This is basically saying that American see these rights as want instead of need and a person has to provide this for himself instead of it being the responsibility of the government. some of these rights like Education, healthcare and protection are not deem an important factor in the growth of the economy that the government has to concern itself with. So basically I choose this quote because I did not see by what means the citizens were equipped with since these rights when apply will be the instrument to equip better the citizen to protect himself. Or I also say that maybe only the citizen that the leaders thought are "THE CITIZEN" have been equipped leaving the minority whom they deem not as citizen therefore unworthy of those rights.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

      In the " Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau, he wrote of the need to prompt the

government when the rights of a citizen is being trampled upon, and to what extend the government

can restricts the rights of a citizen. He wrote of the government's responsibility to make sure every

citizen is accord bill of rights regardless of race, color ,and socio-economic status.

     Government can be accountable for their actions when people stand up for things that they

realized benefit only a few of the members that they vote for and not the nation as a whole. I also

learnt of three important figures who champion liberty for all and was ready and willing to make

known all the abuses of a government, which restricts the liberty of its citizen. These figures are

Elizabeth Cady- Staton, (1815-1902), Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906), and Frederick Douglass (1817-

1895).Frederick Douglass was a runway slave from the south, who when he got to the North

campaign for the end to slavery. In one of his campaign , he was asked to speak during the fourth of

July celebration and he took the chance to nail it home of the meaningless of the celebration to him

and his fellow race because attributes and laws behind the celebration did not applied to them. This

 is an excerpt from his speech,"The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence

,bequeather by your fathers, is shared by you, not me. This is basically saying that since the concept

or idea behind the celebration is not applicable to me why should I honor this.
 
   This clearly shows a recipe for civil disobedience because if the government think that the African -

American is not eligible for the bills of rights which is to justice, liberty , prosperity and

independence, why should they celebrate a holiday for those things. It clearly showed the

disregard for bill of rights for certain race and yet expect them to pay taxes in the building of the

nation.
   

Having finished reading the "Civil disobedience by Henry Thoreau, I find it difficult to understand what he actually meant whether as an individual we do disobey the the law or as collectively as most laws are enacted with the mindset of what to gain from it and not how it is going to benefit the nation as a whole.
 One quote that catch my attention was " If I devote myself to other pursuits and comtemplations,I must first see,at least , that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man's shoulders.  Basically I think this means that whaterver you are doing , make sure it is not going to infringe on the rights of another.
And also bare him from doing what is beneficial to him.I think he also liken our country as a people who only talks about injustice but does nothing to correct it.  There is a lot of unjust acts being done in the name of order and civil obedience to the government. Lastly lawmakers by being bais and selfish have set a lot of laws which leads to civil disobedience.

Another stab at the constitution.

         






           This is a writing from the New York Times  opinion section  called "ROOM FOR DEBATE
" which deliberates on matters pertaining to the constitution of America. It argues for the review and change of most of the constitution since it has not been made since the 1960 and 1970s. The only recent one was also made in 1992, which is a decade old. It further went to explained the tedious and technicalities involved in having a constitution amended.  This platform was used Proffessors from various states who gave their opinions on what amendaments needs to be done and also a clear interpretation of some of the constitution laws.

                      
       "We are a nation dedicated to liberty and equality. So it is a particularly tragic irony that America leads the world in imprisonment and that a large proportion of those serving sentences are people of color" This the second piece by Rachel Barkow, a professor at the New York University  on matter of regulatory laws and policies. This brings into perception the Eight Amendement which touches on the rights of a person to get a fair trial, sentences and levies in respective of race or color.  The reason why I choose this quote was the knowledge that this is just a theoretical saying and not a reality thing, especially the part about being a nation dedicated to liberty and equality.

Infact I agree with her revision of her Eight Amendement which clearly stated that excessive terms of incarceration are prohibited just as it bans excessive fines. This will then showed how America is dedicated to liberty and equality instead of still having a two-faced idealogy of writing something and doing something else although. It has teaches me about the ecomonical and political propaganda attach to the lobbying for tougher and harsh punishments for crimes allegedly committed. One thing that brought to mind as I wrote this was the federal role in making sure states adhered to their demands. Prisons from this point is not a reform but another way of downtrotten the black American as it has always been the case since emanicipation. Therefore she hit  right on the nail of the problem and education on this will help alleviate this harm that is still done to the minority in this country.