As World War II ended and Americans readjusted to peace, the five years following the war (1945-1950) were among the most formative in our nation's history. Consider the following facts by carefully reading the paragraphs below. When you have carefully read the information provided choose two of the questions to respond to in your homework essay. (It's amazing to consider that all these things were happening in one five year span!).
The GI bill sent former soldiers to college, and for the first time in history higher education and the better jobs that it leads to was open middle class and poor Americans (white, for the most part, but this would soon change). Can you pause for a moment and consider how important this has been in making the US the country it is today?
The Nuremburg and Japan trials were conducted and for the first time in world history nations united together to demand justice. Former Nazi and Japanese officials were given legitimate, fair trials and either acquitted or sentenced based on the evidence. The accused criminals had lawyers and access to evidence. The trials were public and the newspapers of the world reported the daily proceedings. Why was it important that these trials (and the executions that followed) were done in such a manner?
The US instituted the Marshall Plan. It might sound normal by today's standards, but at the time it was an extreme departure from anything we'd ever done: US taxpayer dollars were used to help rebuild Europe! Not just charity projects like food and clothing, but we actually paid for the rebuilding of infrastructure so the European economies would survive and get back on track. Considering the fact that the US has spent $10 billion a month in Iraq for the last seven years, that idea might not surprise you, but you can imagine that it was a novel idea back then, especially considering how strictly tax dollars were spent in the early days of our country. At the same time the US was completely redesigning the Japanese economy, education system, and military. Is there a justifiable reason to spend your money for the benefit of other countries? Does the US eventually get enough benefit from the investment to justify the cost?
After almost 2,000 years, the nation of Israel was reborn. Jews who had lost everything in Europe were unlikely to return to their home countries, and the Zionist movement was born. Hundreds of thousands of American Jews emigrated to Palestine, and in 1948 Israeli independence was declared. Of all the nations on earth, the US has had no closer relations than our relationship with Israel over the last 60 years. Today the nation of Israel, which is surrounded by enemies and has a large Muslim minority, continues to struggle against regular attacks but still has a vibrant economy and fully functioning society. Do you think the US should continue to be so involved in Israel, and do you think that it is possible to see a peaceful solution to the conflict?
The Iron Curtain descended over eastern Europe and the Cold War began. After the Soviets pushed the Nazi army back into Germany, the Communists never relinquished control over eastern Europe, including East Germany. Freedom and democracy were replaced with harsh dictatorships that lasted for decades - most until the end of the 1980s. For years more than a million American and Soviet troops stared at each other from just a few yards apart across the East/West border of Germany: an extremely explosive situation that could have erupted into war at any time. (I was a high school student when the Berlin Wall came down and the eastern European countries overthrew the communist dictator governments - what an exciting time to be watching the world events!). How do you think America has changed since the end of the Cold War?
The United Nations was created and a new era of cooperation began. Along with the UN, new organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank emerged so that large nations such as the US could assist poor countries in developing their economies and improve the lives of their citizens (through immunization efforts, for example). Today there is much controversy as to the efficacy of such programs. Is this unhappiness the result of the fact that the problems of the world are just too large and complex to solve, or do you think that these programs are probably effective but our access to news and information just highlights the continued suffering of those in other countries?
The requirements for this assignment are exactly as all those that preceded it. God bless!
Why was it important that these trials (and the executions that followed) were done in such a manner?...
ReplyDeleteIt was important that the trials were and following executions were done in this way because in the United States everyone is innocent until proven guilty. So as you mentioned in lecture of the Japanese leader attempting suicide and being found by American Solders. Not only being treated for his wound but given the best treatment to be brought back to health, because he deserved a trial even though everyone knew what he had done. Hitlar would have been done the same way if there was a chance for it. But I think it was very important for the trials to be handled this way so no one was accused of being treated unfairly and sentenced on just what was heard but all charges were backed by evidence and no one was falsely accused.
Can you pause for a moment and consider how important this has been in making the US the country it is today?....
Pausing for a moment and thinking of what the GI bill has done to make the US the country it is today, mad me think that it was a brilliant idea by paying for former US soldiers to go to college not only allowed the US economy to rebuild but in today’s time many more young men and women are choosing to fight and defend our country by not worrying about there schooling when they finish, but that there are colleges such as Army, Navy, and Air Force which allow high school students to enter one of the following on a full paid scholarship to put there lives on the line for our country. In my opinion the GI bill was a great thing to institute in the United States
Whoa! I've always wanted to have the first post. I'll put it to good use, unlike certain people (coughCamdenWhitecough)haha.
ReplyDeleteThe Marshall Plan: backing other countries.
Is there a justifiable reason to spend money on other countries? I think there are instances where backing an Allie is okay. Such as in war times, if they are on the verge of a hostile take over. However the U.S. today has far exceeded the bounds of reserve. We have trillions of dollars of debt. At this point when we are lending money to an Allie, we are borrowing the money from a country that is more than likely hostile towards us. The payoff can be worth it, but it needs to be used in moderation.
U.S. supporting Israel:
I only have limited understanding on these topics, but I'll answer these to the fullest extend of my knowledge.
The United States has become Israel's number one buddy over the past decade. We have supplied them with not only military supplies, but nuclear technology and weapons outright. By doing this, we have prevented the invasion and take over from Iran. To me it seems that by doing this we are tying up Iran in a nuclear duel, thus turning their attention from Iraq and the U.S. itself. It actually seems like a pretty good idea.
Now for the question, do I approve? I think that as long as we are not sacrificing any resources for ourselves, backing the underdog is a good thing to do. Especially if there is hidden benefits like there are in this case. However, I don't know if it is a peaceful solution. It's just putting off the inevitable.
Dang it! make that second post -_-
ReplyDelete**The GI bill
ReplyDeleteIn today’s society, college is a very important factor of an individual’s life. If you lack a college education, your chances of getting a decently paying job decrease. During this time period, this level of education was just not available to those who were not in the higher or wealthy groups. When the government sent these soldiers to college, it really changed the way the entire economy worked. Jobs that had never been open to the middle and working class all of a sudden became possible upon the graduation/attendance/completion of college. We look at our country today and see how many professional careers we have. I can’t help but wonder if all the beneficial and competitive jobs would not be as prominent as they are today.
**Marshall Plan
Being so involved in other countries is definitely a controversial issue within our country today. Whether or not it is justifiable must be looked at. We must look at the benefit we get as a country. Is our country and our people going to benefit from the economy of the country we are helping? Because of the strong connection the world has, it affects us. So is it justifiable? I think it really depends on the country and the benefit.
Justin, it is important to have a fair trial. We pride ourselves as Americans in being just. We must prove somebody guilty before judgment so we do not do anything to an innocent individual. We look at the very serious accusations and punishments we have given (death sentence being an example) and see that giving this punishment to somebody who is innocent would be an awful and even wrong thing to do. We must ensure the justice and true judgment that the people deserve.
ReplyDeleteJake, I liked what you said in the first part of your essay about the Marshall Plan. Moderation is an important factor in anything we do. Sometimes we feel that giving vast amounts of money or resources to these countries helps and it does, but we can’t lose sight of what we must do for ourselves. We cannot watch ourselves break apart (financially/economically). I think it’s fine to give these other countries help, but it must be done, like you said, in moderation.
ReplyDeleteCan you pause for a moment and consider how important this has been in making the US the country it is today? (GI Bill)
ReplyDeleteI think that this has been an important factor in making the US the country we are today. I mean, if we offered no rewards or payments for soldiers, we would have a much smaller military made up of mostly die-hard patriots. With all of the many American soldiers that have been in the military, I think that this has helped in making people more educated. This seems like a really big help to former soldiers once they got out, and has provided our country with more educated people.
Is there a justifiable reason to spend your money for the benefit of other countries? Does the US eventually get enough benefit from the investment to justify the cost? (Marshall Plan)
I think that the money spent for other countries can, at least, be partially justified. I'm not a big fan of the decisions to spend all of the money on Iraq, that we have spent, but I don't necessarily think that the concept is a bad idea. I don't really think that we get enough benefit out of it to really justify the cost. I mean, it is not like America has these billions of dollars to just throw around. I think if we do spend money to help other countries, we shouldn't spend too much.
JAnderson, congrats on your first post. Anyways, I thought your views on these topics were excellent, especiaaly on the Marshall plan. I mean, honestly, I couldn't agree with you more. Seriously, I think you did an awesome job on that one, and my views are pretty much the exact same. (even though it might seem otherwise, because I had a hard time getting my message across in my post. I am bad with words.) I agree with you on the Israel matters, too. I do think we should support them.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I noticed that I picked the same topics as you, when I read your post. I thought your essay was pretty good. I think you made good points about the GI bill. I agree with you, and also think that it is a very good thing. Giving soldiers education after the military has been a benefit to the US. I doubt that we would really be drastically different without it, but I still highly approve.
ReplyDeleteThe Marshall Plan:
ReplyDeleteHmm this question is kind of hard to answer. Is it justifiable to spend your money on the benefit of other countries? well I see it two ways really. Yes I think we should help out people or countries in need. But I believe you can and should only do so much. They have to help themselves also and we can't keep handing out so much money left and right to whoever is in a bit of trouble. That will and has put us into trouble and debt. There is only so much we can do. We can be nice help them out but not be taking from our own economy too much or we are the one thats going to be needing help and we are the ones that are going to pay for it with debt. We can't spend money we don't have on other countries when we are needing it for our struggling economy. Sure it sounds selfish but look at it this way... If we mess with our budget and economy too much we aren't going to be able to help them anyway. So we can help someone out but we can only do so much to help them.
The Nuremburg and Japan Trials:
Why was it important for the trials and executions to be carried out in the manner they were? Well It is only right that everyone have a fair and unbiased trial whether they are guilty or not. Everyone deserves a chance to be proven not guilty only if they aren't amd if they are then they deserve to have to face whatever was fairly decided and sentenced to them. These trials had to be fair they had to be done properly. Now you may say but they have done horrible things and everybody knows it but they still deserve a fair trial and to be sentenced fairly. Many died at Hilters command and and I believe that he as a result deserved death as a punishment. But if he would have been brought to trial before he committed suicide he did deserve a fair one nevertheless. Now about the trials, to be fair evidence had to be presented and they had lawyers. Now about why they made it public. My guess is they made it public so noone could suspect or accuse the court of anything unfair. If they had done it behind closed doors then it would have been more suspicious and there would have been room for accusations of the trials being unfair and not legitamate. So they were done in this manner to protect the integrity, legitamacy, fairness of the rulings and thr court.
Ashley, you are right. There is on good reason for killing innocent people, especially those that can’t defend themselves.
ReplyDeleteThere are two families in my church that have kids with a disease called downs syndrome. This disease is caused by extra genetic material that causes delays in the development of a child, both physically and mentally. This disease surprisingly affects about 1 in every 800 babies.
I know for a fact that not one of the families that have a child like this would trade them for the world. God can, and does, do miraculous things in the lives of the family members. Most think of this disease as being a curs of sorts. You have to constantly care for the person for their whole life. The thing that you have to decide is if you are going to let it be a blessing or are you going to see it as your duty.
I can’t believe that anyone would want to kill any of these kids. Each one of them are loved by more people then I can count. Now, if anyone deserves to live it is the innocent people of this world.
Stotts, in your essay you talked about how the Jews were made to ware the six point star. Its kind of ironic to think about but I imagine that some thought that it was the mark of the beast. But considering that Jews don’t think that Jesus came the first time, they might not have thought it.
ReplyDeleteHere recently I have been thinking about the fact that the older the world gets, the more we try to prepare for the end. The first time that I remember anyone talking about when the world might end was when I was eight years old. Y2K!!! Everyone was saving water and nonperishable foods. They were all upset and worried that the world was going to end. Honestly sometimes I wish it had ended. But then I start thinking about my future and I’m glad that it didn’t end.
Now people think that the world will end in 2012.
I will be answering the question's about the Cold War and the United Nations.
ReplyDelete1) During the Cold War, as we all know, there was no actual "war" fought with guns and missiles, rather it was fought with words and pens. During this 44 year period, the United States was always trying to produce more weapons then the Soviet Union, trying to make sure that we were always ready to go to war on a moments notice. What I've noticed about that time period is the amount of fear that was involved. School's conducted air raid drills almost daily, preparing for that dreaded day the Soviet's came and bombed the United States. People were building bomb shelter's under their homes, stocking up on food and guns, just in case. The Soviet's, as we all know, never invaded or anything close to it. They did, however, instill great fear in the American's of the Cold War. Now how are we different today? Here's how: we have no rival today. Period. We aren't in an arms race with another country, we don't live in fear that a thousand bomber's will appear over our nation and bomb us. Today, the tables have turned. Other nation's should fear our army, fear our navy, our air force, our marines. America is different today because we are alone at the top of the totem pole, and no one will ever knock us off of being the greatest country on earth.
2) Ah the United Nation's, always an interesting topic these days. As we discussed in an earlier assignment, the United Nation's is a great idea! All nation's living in harmony, no war, all countries best friends. REALITY CHECK!! Not happening. And do I agree about the efficacy of these programs of the UN? NO! They are great ideas, but in the scope of things, they will never accomplish what they originally set out to do because the world is a masssive place with A LOT of people in it. If the officers in the UN would realize that their not perfect, and can't fix every problem with a large amount of taxpayer dollar's, then the UN might actually accomplish something.
Enjoyed this assignment!!
Morgan, you had a great essay. Especially the section where you discussed the Marshall Plan. And I completely agree, the United States should set limits of how much money we supply to countries in turmoil. As we all know, the United States is in MASSIVE debt, and all the money we've been shelling out to other countries hasn't exactly helped our National Debt go down. But, as you pointed out Morgan, helping these countries with problems isn't wrong, but when we supply too much, then it becomes an issue.
ReplyDeleteGreat Job Morgan.
Emily, you also had a great essay. Especially the section where you discussed the G.I. Bill. These soldiers that were supplied a college education definitely deserved it, they had been off fighting in war!! If anyone deserves it it's them. And you made a great point about all the jobs that were suddenly available to them with the completion of their college education. They were able to earn better wages, and supply for themselves and their families in better ways.
ReplyDeleteGreat Essay Emily.
U.S. supporting Israel:
ReplyDeleteI personally think that the United States should stay involved with Israel. Israel is a great benefit to the U.S. because they buy weapons and other military supplies from us. Israel has also invented new weapons like the corner shot which is used by American SWAT teams. We also need to remember that the original people of Israel are God's chosen people, and if I am not wrong we are to support them.
I honestly don't think there is a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and its enemies. There will always be conflict between Muslim countries and Israel even though Israel is mostly composed of Muslims. One reason why the Muslim countries hate Israel so much is because of Israel's friendship with the United States. The Muslims hate America so much because it is a Christian nation.
The Marshall Plan:
To answer the question "Is there a justifiable reason to spend your money for the benefit of other countries?" Yes, there is because if you spend your money on other countries in return you're hoping that those countries will import your goods which will increase your economy. I don't think that it is a good thing though to put so much money into the countries that you go so deep into debt that it is hard to recover from it. In the end, it will take many years to gain that money back that you have invested.
Morgan, that is a very true statement. It is everyone's right to a fair and unbiased trial. It has been known in the past that people that were accused of doing something were killed, and later it was found out that they didn't even do anything. That is why everyone deserves a free trial even if it is for sure that they have committed a criminal act.
ReplyDeleteThat was a really good essay, Morgan.
Sam, the Cold War was a horrifying time for Americans. I know that a few miles from Washington D.C. there was a bomb shelter built for the government so that the government could function if there was a Soviet attack. Still to this day, you can watch videos and look at pictures that were taken of that bunker after the Cold War. The bunker had the highest tech equipment at that time, and today for some reason it still has all of the equipment and food that was in it back then. In the end, it is unbelievable the terror that Americans went through during the Cold War, and how much money it cost America even though nothing happend.
ReplyDeleteGood essay, Sam
My response is to the Nuremburg and Japan trials.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, The Nuremburg trials were held in Germany, they charged high-ranking Nazis and German leaders with war crimes. The most famous trial was, the trial was the Trial of the Major War Criminals Before the international Military Tribunal. This tried 24 of the most important captured Leaders of Germany. The second set of trials was for the lesser war criminals. The reason these trials were so important was obviously because this was the first time Nations had worked together to bring justice. This was the starting point for the League of Nations. And all the major Countries in the world coming together to solve their problems peacefully, without war. And another important thing about these trials was that it was a huge improvement from the way things were handled after the First World War in that they were completely fair. And no one side was made to suffer they way they were after WW1.
well im gonna talk a bit about the importance of the GI bill.. my main thought is what would we be like today if the GI bill hadn’t gone into effect? would we all be in the “family business” whatever that may be, or would we be where were at today? it’s a baffling question that I do not want to know the answer to. my fear is that if we hadn’t instituted the GI bill, we wouldn’t be as technologically advanced, as economically successful ( though it doesn’t seem it right now) and we would probably be the Indians working for the few chiefs as akers said.
ReplyDeleteim also gonna talk about the marshall plan.. I think that it is justifiable to spend tax dollars on other countries. it not only benefits them, but in this case, benefits us as well with an ally. yea the price can get pretty high at times, but in the long run id rather the ppl we help be shooting from our side instead of the opposite side shooting at us. it forms alliances that we may not have had before that. so yes I think it is a very justifiable thing. thanks
justin, you bring out a good point. even today the military will pay for your schooling. thats one of the ways they get ppl to join the military. did you happen to think what would happen if we hadnt have instituted the GI bill? its a really scary thought but one that will never have to be answered again
ReplyDeleteshew its hard to choose anothern to comment on.. i think ill coment on jake andersons. Jake, ill tell u what ur pretty darn right in my opinion about israel. US taking the blame, we are like the underdogs. the inevitable tho... with all we have given them, i think they would handle themselves just fine, but hey whats some friendly backup gonna hurt?
ReplyDeleteCan you pause for a moment and consider how important this [the GI bill] has been in making the US the country it is today?
ReplyDeleteI think the GI bill has definitely had a large impact on the way the US looks at education and how it has shaped us. If it weren't for that bill, personally, I don't think very many soldiers would have gone back to school. If you were a soldier who fought for many years and came back home mentally and physically exhausted with no job, why would you spend any extra money you had on education, especially since college is quite expensive.? Today we would say because it pays off and for a good job, but in the 40's that may have not been the case for those hundreds of thousands of soldiers. So, this definitely gave the US something good to send their troops home to.
Do you think the US should continue to be so involved in Israel, and do you think that it is possible to see a peaceful solution to the conflict?
I say definitely. While they are small, they have many things other countries don't have. They have an excellent economy, great society, and if I am not mistaken, one of the best military's in the world (besides the US of course). Yes, they do take a lot of beatings from others countries, but so far they have handled it well and I believe they will continue to. Plus, if we or Israel goes to war, I wouldn't mind having their strong military and finances to help aid the war.
Do I see a peaceful solution to the conflict? I guess you mean between Israel and the surrounding countries. If so, no, I don't think so. Most of those countries are so communistic, power thirsty, and just mad that I don't think they want to make an agreement. When it comes to religion, many people, especially over in the middle east were they take it very seriously, don't like other religions getting in the way. That is the way I see it. The other countries just have this envious hate on Israel, for really no good reason, and they won't back off because they will look like wimps.
During the 1918-1920, Russian Civil War, Britain, France, Japan, Canada and the U.S. backed the White movement against the Bolshevik's. (Communists). The Soviet Union never forgot.
ReplyDeleteThe Summer of 1939, behind closed doors the Russians and Germans made a pact that agreed to split Poland and Eastern Europe. The Russians invaded Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Romania and Estonia and Eastern Finland. The Germans exchanged weapons, manufacturing machinery and technolgy for oil,rubber and maganese. That all changed in 1941 when Germany ignored the political pact and invaded the Soviet Union.
After WWII Stalin promised those territories the right to national self-determination, he lied. They were put under communism and ruled with an iron fist. In Winston Churchill's speech he used the term, "Iron Curtain",in the context of Soviet - dominated Eastern Europe. People were offended but time proved him right. My mother and father went to Latvia, Estonia and Luthuania in 1990.It was obvious that progress for those nations stopped when Communism stepped in. It was like going back to a 1930 movie set. So sad!
The Marshall Plan
General George Marshall on a fact finding mission was shocked by the war devistation that rocked Europe. People were starving after the coldest winter that had been recorded.
Marshall announced his plan to do whatever America was able to do to assist in the return of normal econmic health in the free world.Stalin forbade the Communist to help.
Marshall's aid took the form of fuel, raw materials, goods, loans and food, machinery and advisers. It worked and stopped the spread of Communism.
How did the GI Bill help make America what it is today? Well, for starters it gave everyone who was in the army a chance to get a college education. Now, instead of only the rich getting to go every one could go. It also helped with not having enough jobs for the men that were coming back. Instead of them all needing jobs right then they were getting them gradually. But the bad thing about it was that now everybody wanted to be the boss, not the regular workers they had been. Because of this bill the world now thinks that you have to have a good education if you are going to make anything of your life. But the real question is, will this really help America, or will it end up hurting us because people no longer want to do the “cheap labor”?
ReplyDeleteAs for the UN, I thing that it is a combination of complex problems and continued suffering. As one of the wealthiest countries we have gotten used to having things easy. Because of this we try our best to get out of situations that would make us have to (God forbid) work. We also don’t like to see people suffer. Despite all the things we don’t like, we are some of the first to respond to disasters and we are pretty good at solving problems.
J. Anderson: Thanks for your thoughts on supporting the underdog. I never looked at that perspective before nor the thought of "tying up Iran in a nuclear duel, thus turning their attention form Iraq and the U.S."
ReplyDeleteI believe one of the main reasons America has not fallen like Rome is the support we have given to Israel. God promises in His word that He will bless those that bless Israel. I think we understand that whether we agree with everything they do we MUST support them.
Morgan: The Nuremburg and Japanese Trials:
I liked how you shared that the trials must be tried properly. I agree with you, there would be much suspicion and they would have room for false accusations over the trials if they were behind closed doors.
My mother talks about how her grandparents were suspicious of government since they were first generation Americans. All the relatives were suspicious because they weren't use to trusting government.
The Nuremburg and Japan Trail were very effective. I honestly think the public trial and execution of Nazi and Japanese officials was necessary to bring true justice to the people the treated badly, not to mention that it truly declared victory over the oppressive regimes.
ReplyDeleteThe GI Bill- the GI Bill is a piece of US legislation that gave the soldiers of our country what they deserved. They fought hard for so long and the least we give them is a "free" college education (at our expense) though it did create a certain generation of Bosses as Mr. AKers discussed earlier today. So yes the GI bill was great (and still is) but it created part of our culture that is yet to be changed- the boss mentality.
The Nuremburg and japan trials.
ReplyDeleteThe these are the reasons i believe the trials were coundected as they where. First, the trials had to be open to everyone, so people wouldent dought their legitimesy. If the trials had been conducted behind closed doors, people would have wondered what was happening, and if it was fair, which might have led to peoples sympathising with the wrong people. Also, the reason that many countries participated was because, if one country tried to help the accused unjustly, the others would step in and stop it. I think that after such a long war, the countries were tired of war, and wanted to do something together.
The U.S.'s involvement in Israel
In responce to the first question, I think that thee U.S. dosen't need to be so involved in Israel. Personally, I don't really see why we have soldiers over there, but I guess thats me being slow. Pretending that I did understand, I would say that we should just send a bunch of people over there and get it over with. I hate it when people drag things out, and I don't really understand why it isn't already over. Anyways, I hope it all ends soon.
Maxwell
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the isralie people need to be protected, regardless of weither they are Gods chosen people or not. I also think that we need to speed things up in israel, because if we keep slowly sending soldiers of their, and they keep making more people to fight us, then the war is really not going anywhere.
Is there a justifiable reason to spend your money for the benefit of other countries? Does the US eventually get enough benefit from the investment to justify the cost?
ReplyDeleteI believe that there is always a viable reason for helping another country. The more I look at it i see that there is little reason to waste as much money as we do for other countries. I'm not saying it's a completely useless it is just that it is a large sum of money that they can't pay back for generations or they can't pay it so they don't. Or we just let them not pay it. In some areas it can be extremely good though like for diplomatic reasons. It can be extremely helpful to get back into good diplomatic relations with a country that is on your bad side. You help them out here and there and then they start talking with us. This can be helpful and harmful. They are almost always using money they can't back up so it leaves taxpayers having to pay for other countries needs for generations to come. Although this isn't the only reason why things like this happen it also depends how the president uses the money. If he spends everything that we don't have then we are losing money that never existed and we just put ourselves deeper into debt. In general it is good to help countries out. The bad can be we are still paying for it today.
My response is to the Nuremburg and Japan trials.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, The Nuremburg trials were held in Germany, they charged high-ranking Nazis and German leaders with war crimes. The most famous trial was, the trial was the Trial of the Major War Criminals Before the international Military Tribunal. This tried 24 of the most important captured Leaders of Germany. The second set of trials was for the lesser war criminals. The reason these trials were so important was obviously because this was the first time Nations had worked together to bring justice. This was the starting point for the League of Nations. And all the major Countries in the world coming together to solve their problems peacefully, without war. And another important thing about these trials was that it was a huge improvement from the way things were handled after the First World War in that they were completely fair. And no one side was made to suffer they way they were after WW1.
Do you think the US should continue to be so involved in Israel, and do you think that it is possible to see a peaceful solution to the conflict?
ReplyDeleteThis has to be one if my favorite questions… The Bible says that God will curse those that curse Israel and BLESS those who bless Israel. So of course I think that we should support Israel because they are God’s chosen people and I don’t think that it is ever a wise choice to be on the opposite side of Christ. Also, to go on further I do not think that the political relationship between Israel and the U.S. is a symbiotic one. It’s a healthy relationship and I believe that it should stay that way.
To the conflict between the Muslims and the Jews I don’t this conflict would be easily resolved. For example we all know the story of Isaac and Ishmael. In Genesis chapter 16 verses 9 through 16 talks about what kind of man Ishmael (and his descendants) was “… a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” In saying that the only one that could resolve this conflict between half-brothers and their descendants is God and no manner of war machines or peace treaties will do that.
Why was it important that these trials (and the executions that followed) were done in such a manner?
The trials of the Nazi and Japanese leaders had to be nothing but fair. Our nation has always had a reputation for being just and seeing that everyone gets a fair trial no matter if we know or not they are truly guilty. It’s in our Constitution and it stands until they change it (because they are trying to write a new one because some people think that it is in antiquity and is no longer relevant). In class Mr. Akers said that when the Japanese emperor attempted suicide and failed we literally nursed him back to health just so that he could stand trial and be proven guilty in a court of law. This trials show that we as a nation will not convict you of any crime until you are tried in court, to some degree I believe that this has stood the test of time. And though as Christians we see the Legislative powers pass laws that are an abomination to the Christian foundation of this nation we can still be thankful to have the right to of freedom of speech, press, and religion.
First topic; you asked “The Nuremburg and Japan trials were conducted and for the first time in world history nations united together to demand justice. Former Nazi and Japanese officials were given legitimate, fair trials and either acquitted or sentenced based on the evidence. The accused criminals had lawyers and access to evidence. The trials were public and the newspapers of the world reported the daily proceedings. Why was it important that these trials (and the executions that followed) were done in such a manner?’ it was important that these trials were conducted fairly because if they weren’t then people may suspect corruption, and were open to the media because they were such high profile cases and were important to the world.
ReplyDeleteYou asked the question: Is this unhappiness (meaning with the UN) the result of the fact that the problems of the world are just too large and complex to solve, or do you think that these programs are probably effective but our access to news and information just highlights the continued suffering of those in other countries? Personally I believe that the media does highlight the suffering more than how much aid the programs of the UN provide, but that the problems of the world are impossible to solve because humans sin nature is the true problem, not to sound preachy, but it’s the truth. Greed, war, corruption, and many of the base problems of the world all come from sin. So my answer in short is that the programs of the UN are somewhat effective, but also that the media is likely only, or at least mostly showing us the suffering. But this is just my personal opinion, if you think otherwise or agree please comment, and sorry for any spelling mistakes, spellcheck doesn’t want to work correctly for some reason
My first question is about the Nuremburg and Japan trials. Why was it important that those trials were done the way they were?
ReplyDeleteI think it is pretty important that the criminals received a lawyer and were able to use evidence. It is a symbol of America. Here, you are not considered guilty until proven guilty. Even though we knew they had done wrong, they were treated as innocent and given a fair, normal trial. I think the situation with Tojo is a fantastic example. I believe it was Tojo that Mr. Akers said, anyway. He tried to commit suicide, was nursed back to health by Americans for a trial, but eventually was executed. That happened to someone.
Is there a justifiable reason to spend our country’s money for the benefit of other countries? Do we get enough of out of it to justify the cost?
You can kind of go both ways with this one. Well, let me just go ahead and say that I wish our country would be more like it used to be with taxes. What I mean is that I wish taxes would be spent quite a bit more strictly now. Then again, I also have no problem with the US being a beacon towards countries in need, I guess. That is a part of what our country is. For example, when Haiti had the disaster, the US was the country that helped the most. That sort of money spending is worth it. But, with the economic development our state is in right now, we have to be careful with all this crazy spending right now when we are ourselves up to our children’s eyeballs in debt. Do we get enough out of it overall? In many cases, we spend a lot on other countries, and it only hurts our economy.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI liked your opinion on the GI bill. Getting American soldiers a college education is not only good for the economy (Vs. having thousands of unemployed soldiers that were having to draw welfare.), but it helped take care of the soldiers, and by doing so, made the United States an even stronger Military Power. Employed people are happy people. When the military has the people's approval as a whole, the draft is no longer necessary. And while it is an easy detail to overlook, men who fight by their own will are much more successful than men who fight because they are forced. Overall, I think America owed the soldiers a comfortable life after what some of them endured over seas. The GI bill was part of that.
Josh,
ReplyDeleteI liked your post about the US funding other countries. You really hit it out of the park when you said that helping other countries is important, but we have to ask out selves, is it worth getting our grandchildren up to their eyeballs in debt?
The Trials of the Japanese and Nazi leaders were fair, and they had access to evidence because what would we have looked like as a country if we did not give other countries a fair trial like we do for our citizens. Like it says in the constitution everyone deserves a fair trial, and are innocent until proven guilty. And I believe that it should have printed in newspapers and should have been public. They were held in the world court and everyone came together to make sure these leaders received the punishment they deserved. So everyone should have been able to be aware of what was going on.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is a wonderful thing to have a close relationship with Israel. But America attends to get to involved and make other countries aggravated with us a nation. But I fully understand because every country needs its on space to learn what to do when something goes wrong. And you have to consider that God says to be close with his people. And we are; so I believe that it is a good thing that we are close to them. And there is always a solution to every conflict, but who knows if it will be peaceful or not.
Josh, I really like your essay about Nuremburg and the Japanese trials. As I read I saw that we had very many of the same opinions, and the main one was that everyone is innocent until proven guilty in America. And the way that Tojo was treated was the correct way to do things.
ReplyDeleteStotts, I also like what you said about the Marshal Plan. I also believe that we should reinforce other countries when they are in need. It forms friends and it also makes us look good. And no one in America likes to see people suffering, and we have a soft spot in our heart for people in need. But we should only help them to a certain point, you said that you would rather the people we help be shooting from our side than be shooting at us, but we should not have to suffer because we are helping another country.
Why is it important that the Nuremberg and Japan trials were held with public media access? It’s important because Americans—all the people of the world actually—needed reconciliation. I think back to a murderer like I’ve seen on CSI or something of the like. Even if someone has confessed to doing the crime, the investigators always want to find the body/bodies so the families can feel at ease. I think it’s the same with the deaths of World War II. The world citizens needed access to the trials and understand what would happen to these murderers instead of being blocked from the knowledge.
ReplyDeleteAbout the Marshall plan… I absolutely think the US should give money to other countries. I understand that we’re in an economic crisis, but our nation is filled with wealthy and blessed individuals. Unfortunately, along with wealthy, these individuals are selfish. They want our money to be used for things that apply to them and them only. I don’t like that. I think we who have been blessed enough and have all the freedoms we need an then some should give those who have no freedoms and no schools and disease-ridden generations.
On Israel: It’s a no-brainer that we should be tightly involved with Israel because they’re God’s chosen people. In the Bible it says that the “Lord will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel.” Our nation doesn’t need any more curses. We and Israel should be BFFs.
Zachary: I loved the depth and wisdom in your essay. You made some really nice points about the trials, saying, “it says in the constitution everyone deserves a fair trial, and are innocent until proven guilty. And I believe that it should have printed in newspapers and should have been public.” I agree with you there. The constitution does guarantee a fair trial to ALL people; even the most heinous of criminals. Also, about the need to be public, I understand you there as well. The citizens of the world deserved information on the trial of the people who killed their fellow countrymen. (meow.)
ReplyDeleteAnd then the part on Isreal: I liked most the thing you said about the resolution to conflict. “And there is always a solution to every conflict, but who knows if it will be peaceful or not.” Wonderfully put. I most certainly liked your writing much.
How do you think America has changed since the end of the Cold War?
ReplyDeleteThe mindset during the Cold War was that a war was going to happen but they didn’t know when it was going too happened. They had this new threat of the Atomic bomb and further testing showed just how harmful radiation from these bombs is. People in nearby towns from the test sights often developed cancer later in their lives. People built nuclear bunkers to protect themselves from fallout and filled them with imperishable foods. Some of which is still good to this day. Today, we don’t weary about nuclear war. Now almost any country can get nuclear capability. The Fission process is now viewed as being a source of energy and not a weapon. After the cold war we found ourselves in a rather awkward position. We and Russia had enough nukes to annihilate the surface of the earth and we don’t need them anymore. What do we do with them?
Do you think the US should continue to be so involved in Israel, and do you think that it is possible to see a peaceful solution to the conflict?
Of course we should. The US helped establish Israel on this territory. Even Biblically it makes sense. Israel and her allies will prosper; her enemies shall fall. We are already sticking our nose in other countries business so why should we not do the same for Israel. Israel is only trying to defend herself. We have helped other countries in time of need before so why is this not different.
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ReplyDeleteThe GI Bill
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine, finally coming home from years of war and constant heart ache? And not be relieved of this when we arrive safely to home? You are physically, emotionally, and spiritually weak and what you seek is to be honored by your country. But you’re not, except for another badge you put on that uniform that will go into your closet for the rest of your life. And only your name gets honored.-I know that that is awesome, but what I am trying to say is that you went without an education and came back wishing you had, because now you can’t get a job and also since you were wounded in the war you have to pay for regular checkups and pain medicine for the remainder of your life. And they expect you to pay for this and you cannot get a job because you are either disabled or cannot afford the education that is required for that job so now you’re living in the streets. The men that fought for US and living on the streets because we were too selfish to reward them with our tax dollars. Now look to wear we are today, the army is a fool time JOB but also a man’s duty. You get welfare and some people’s CHILDREN who weren’t even alive then are going to public colleges for free because their parents were disabled and could not get a job. What happen then- after World War 2 still affects us today. The way we are and the way we carry ourselves as a nation. Akers, you said to,”pause and for a moment and consider how important this has been in making the US the country it is today.” I have paused and I have seen and now I have known.
The Re-Birth of Israel
Right now I’m reading a trilogy of a young Jewish girl who had been torn from Jerusalem when the temple was crushed and the wall buried beneath itself. The book is well written and very anointed. The love that the young girl has for God and the cry of her people has completely shattered me for the past couple of days. 2,000 years ago people like Hadassah (the young Jewish girl) were broken and scattered among the world, but God gathered them together once more. Finally the Jews had independence on the Earth in 1948. I like it that we are helping Israel, but in the past, Israel had God and no one else. No allies and many around them hated them. But God made them powerful through him. So if Yahweh wants to take Israel out of our hands I say we should let them be. And God will bring peace.
first of all the GI Bill. this bill allowed soldiers to attend college in a common and predictable economic slump in a post-war economy. this is both amazing and vitally important to preventing another great depression. as we descussed in class the gi bill boosted the percentage of people attending college. its amazing how such a small idea on a large scale can completely change a generation. the "baby boomers" were a generation that changed America. american culture went from working hard for what you had and being a self-made business person, but now acedemia was providing even more advanced and important skills to be developed and taught to a much larger group of people which blew the glass roof off of the normal precedent in a pre-WWII society.
ReplyDeletenext the international trials. when reading this i was reminded of a famous John Wayne Line, "you'll get a fair trial and a good hangin." i mean what these war criminals did was beyond any excuse imaginable, i mean of coarse u have world view that allows such actions (darwinism, humanism, materialism, etc.). these trials seta precedent that we still see today, justice is something neccessary to prevent anarchy and tyrany.
josh
ReplyDeletei really enjoyed your essay even though it was longer than most (haha). anyway, i think your first oint brings out something interesting about the trials and gives an important angle into why it is important for fair and balanced trials where evidence is presented based on facts, your totally right when saying its a symbol of america
your next point i think you say something very true and interesting, that its really like a double edged sword, somewhere there is a balance and i definately think your right when you say America should be and is the beacon of freedom in the world.
tyler
ReplyDeletei really like your essay and really want to comment on your second comment. i totally agree with you that the un is a good idea on paper but people sin and our nature causes problems that no organization or leader can fix other than Jesus Christ. the un has done some good things and many times those good things are left out of the media i agree, however, if you look deeper the un normally takes credit for the relief that exists due to US involvement. so i have a question: where would the un be without the backbone of the US? your essay was really good and thought provoking, good job
Are there justifiable reasons to spend money on other countries?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion yes, however, we spend money on other countries responsibly. That is, we don't waste money here in America, so we can help other countries in their times of need. At the same time, I'm not pushing the idea of "let's help everyone who needs it", we have to take care of ourselves too.
Israel.
Okay, so I've not thought about this a lot, but now that I do I have come to two conclusions.
1. Israel is God's chosen people, so would you want to say you were against God's chosen race? What if America were like the terrorists and the Taliban and other such groups, persecuting Israel? I sure wouldn't want to be in that position.
2. I'm not against the idea of having no allies. I'm not crazy about promises, and pacts etc. etc. but to have countries on our side is in my opinion a good thing. So, to be friends with Israel is not bad, by any means.
The GI bill was initiated after World War 11. It was started to help the soldiers coming back from the war. It helped many soldiers get an education and get loans to buy houses and it helped the economy switch from a wartime economy back to a peace time economy. My grandfather, for example, got his masters degree in his PH.D. It also helped him buy his first home. I’d say many people of that generation owe their livelihood to the GI bill. It was one way that the country could repay the sacrifice that the soldiers had made.
ReplyDeleteWhen the economy crashed last year, Americans realized that we depend on other countries investing in American businesses, etc. The Marshall Plan made it so that we could help out other countries when they were in need. By doing that, they have now been willing to help and invest in us. Not only that, but based on Christian principles, we should be willing to hep anyone in need where it is possible. At times, this policy has backfired in that we haven’t gotten our money back, but in the long run it’s the right thing to do. It promotes democracy in other countries, hopefully giving other people freedom where they haven’t had it before.
The first thing I want to talk about is the GI Bill. In my opinion, this bill really impacted our culture and transformed us into the society we are today. Before this time, the number of Americans who went on to college after high school was very limited. Not very many people could afford it. Consequently, the majority of jobs out there did not require any type of education beyond your high school diploma (if that!). However, there was the upper class of people who could afford it and therefore did go to college. They were eligible for the few higher positions with the higher pay. That was the way it worked. People just accepted it. That’s the way it is. So, when the GI Bill was passed and all these soldiers started coming home and being sent through college at no cost to them, they started taking higher paying jobs that required college degrees. This raised the bar for education and employment. The standards are much higher today and I believe the GI Bill is one of the reasons for that.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I’ll address the concern of whether or not America should remain so involved with the nation of Israel and if the conflicts between Israel and their Muslim neighbors can be resolved without violence. First of all, I believe with all my heart that America needs to remain an ally of the nation of Israel. From a Christian perspective, I know that Israel is the nation that God chose to be his own. Therefore, we would be utterly foolish to deny them our friendship. Finally, I believe that although the conflict could be resolved peacefully, I highly doubt it will be. As God’s people, Israel has also suffered much affliction. This most likely will not come to an end any time soon.
The Nuremburg and Japan trials:
ReplyDeleteI believe that it was important for the officers accused to have a fair trial instead being assumed guilty and being executed, because 1) They may not have actually done anything to deserve death and 2) An execution like that would be cruel and after World War II, I think the world had had enough cruelty for a while. I also think it was good that the proceedings were made public so citizens could have a sense of closure in knowing what was going on.
Israel:
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with helping Israel when they need it. The country is completely surrounded by countries that hate them. In my opinion I think it’s important for the US to “stick up for the little guy.” I mean, if we have to go sticking our nose in other countries’ business why not do some good for once?
I hope that there could be a peaceful solution, but I don’t think there will be. I don’t know a whole lot about the situation that Israel is in but I know it isn’t good. And although they’re a strong country the hatred towards them is pretty intense.
The Nuremburg trials were military tribunals in which we tried the leaders of the Nazis in Germany. The war trials for Japan were less noted, though, basically the shared the same goal as the Nuremburg trials, eliminating the Axis leaders in Japan. I believe one reason we gave these men trials is because we didn’t want to be like them. These leaders we corrupt and had corrupt justice systems in their own countries. Yes, there was probably a bias against these men, but they were still given as fair a trial as possible. Many of these men were even acquitted, like Franz von Papen (though, he was later found to be a war criminal in Germany’s own courts) and Hans Fritzsche. The fact that even those these men were terrible and abusive leaders but we still gave them fair treatment in court really sends a message that when we fight against injustice we will give justice to all, even those some would deem unworthy of it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.worldwar2database.com/html/warcrimes.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Trials
The GI bill sent former soldiers to college, and for the first time in history higher education and the better jobs that it leads to was open middle class and poor Americans (white, for the most part, but this would soon change). Can you pause for a moment and consider how important this has been in making the US the country it is today?
The GI bill was passed June 22, 1944. The GI bill had such an impact even though it ended in July 1956 it is still carried on through a modified version of it the Montgomery GI Bill. The GI bill, or the GI bill of rights, provided college for returning soldiers; the Bill could also give soldiers a loan to buy a house or start a business of their own. The GI bill changed a lot of people’s lives. Many people who probably hadn’t planned on going to college or hadn’t been able to go now had the option available for them. One problem that we discussed in class was that most men would come out of college expecting to be in high positions in a company; many of them did receive high positions in companies, but there are only so many positions that are available. Many men were probably upset that their life was not changed as drastically as they expected it would be. I think overall the GI bill had a positive effect on America. Many people tend to imitate their parent’s choices, unless strongly motvated in another direction, so I think this opened up the door for more people than we realize.
other source
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.I._Bill
Justin, first of all, I have to say that I am very impressed with your well-written essay but also that you were the first to post it, kudos. Also, I do agree with what you said about the way the trials were and are done in the U.S where everyone is innocent until proven guilty- even those people that we know deserved to be punished-it’s a good system because they can back it up with evidence first. You are right on about the GI bill as well, I liked the point you made about the fact that many more male and female soldiers were joining to fight and defend our country in knowing that they did not need to worry about schooling and college later.
ReplyDeleteVanessa, I like the way you expressed your thoughts on the GI bill. I had not thought of it quite like that but I agree with you, totally. Not only did it allow more people to be able to attend college and get better paying jobs but you are right, I believe it did help set the bar for education and employment pretty high. I found it interesting, too, to read your opinion of whether or not our country should remain allies of the nation of Israel. I did not know much about that topic so it was good to be informed. Although a bit depressing that it probably will not be able to be handled peacefully and that it most likely will not come to an end any time soon. Unfortunately, most conflicts such as these cannot be solved without violence which is sad. I do think that we should always help out other countries if we can, whether it be Israel, South Korea, China or whatever. Though ‘m sure some people would feel free to disagree with that depending on what it would cost us in the long run.
ReplyDeleteCan you pause for a moment and consider how important this has been in making the US the country it is today?(The GI Bill)
ReplyDeleteThe GI Bill basically changed the United States forever. The economy and business info structure would not be the same today without the GI Bill. THE GI Bill allowed soldiers coming back from the war get a free college education. This helped America so much because there could be more educated people which means they wouldn't have to work in a factory or mom and pops business, but they could get a better well paying job. This changed the businesses because their would be more bosses and their would be mmore middle class and rich people.
How do you think America has changed since the cold war?
Well since the Cold War was all about nuclear warfare i think that America is more ready then ever to prevent a nuclear holocaust or nuclear winter. If there ever was a nuclear war you wouldn't have to worry about there ever being another one. The devastation would be terrible. America has a missile defense system and has nukes ready to go off on command. Without the cold war or without having that threat of having another huge powerful country having the same power we have there we would not be where we are today. But then again we may not need to be if there wast another country with nuclear power.
Emily, you had a really good essay. I also think that if the government had not chosen to send these young men to college on their return from World War 1 that the jobs that are so prevalent in today’s society may not have been offered to the middle and lower classes. Also, I know today that the military will pay for you to go to college upon your enlistment and if they hadn’t enacted the GI Bill after WW1 this opportunity may not exist today.
ReplyDeleteOn the Marshall Plan, I know that there is a controversy that exists that says we shouldn’t do as much as we do to help other countries since in return we do not get back as much as we give. And as you said “it depends on the country and the benefit” given I believe to be very relevant to this issue. Because many times over we have given money to countries and then they turn right around and aim the weapons and materials given to them back at us. So as long as we continue to give weapons to countries with unsteady governments we can expect no more than this. But I think that the Marshall Plan is overall a good way to help those in need around the world.
Mady, I really liked your essay. On your paragraph about us helping those in need I thought that your opinion was great. Yes, we do need to help others but we do not need to neglect the people at home as well. I am all for helping those in impoverished areas but while we’re helping those overseas we don’t need to forget the people that live within our own cities that are living in the same conditions. So if anything we need to help both the people in foreign countries and those on the home front.
ReplyDeleteI also chose to write about U.S. in Israel. I agree with you completely on this. We do need to maintain our friendship with Israel .
Can you pause for a moment and consider how important this ( the GI bill) has been in making the US the country it is today?
ReplyDeleteThe GI bill has opened up opportunities for those people who did not have the money to be able to go into college. Now those who were not as wealthy as others were able to come back home from the army and could go to college for free. This made so that many more people could eventually have better jobs and have a higher income. This also made so that the wealthy people were not the only ones to remain wealthy but it allowed others the same making America more of a place for opportunity. Where some countries you are what your parents were and your kids will be what you are this is not so in the US. You have the ability to chose how you are going to live and ultiimately how prosperous you are going to be. Your parents do not determine it for you, it is your choice.
Is there a justifiable reason to spend your money for the benefit of other countries?
Yes there is but I also think there should be a balance. We should help other countries in ways such as helping them get started or helping boost their economy and so forth but if in the process of helping other countries we are hurting our own what is the gain. I think we should help and do what we can but we shouldn’t bring our own country down so that we end up being the country needing the help.
Wow. Ok, I’m pretty sure that just about everybody (including me) wrote something about the GI Bill. All of them were great. You all pretty much said it all and I don’t know what ells to say. So Akers, I know that it is not as long as you wanted it to be but there isn’t anything to say. So, I guess I could stop saying nothing or I could keep saying nothing and eventually get one hundred and fifty words. So, since I know how much you dislike it when we say nothing, I guess I’m going to have to keep going because I also know that you want us to do our homework. So, I’m being a good little girl and doing my homework (as you can see).
ReplyDeleteKezia, I liked your essay and I agree with you on the question do you think the US should continue to be so involved in Israel? We should help out Israel because of exactly what you said that the Bible says, that God will curse those that curse Israel and bless those who bless Israel. When I read this question first off I thought of this so Im glad you brought it up in your essay.
ReplyDeleteWhy was it important that these trials (and the executions that followed) were done in such a manner?
ReplyDeleteWell when U.S troops found and captured Tojo after this attempted suicide, and brought him back to health just to put him on trail and being hung for his actions. You might thing why, why not just cut out the middle and skip straight to the end and kill him now. Well it was just to show what one of the foundations this country was established on, a fair trail and innocent until proven guilty. Showing that no matter what the actions you deserve to have the right to defend yourself against the evidence brought against you.
Another thing is the GI bill, which allows anyone involved in the military to have schooling for free. It was a great thing for the economy after World War II and looking at it it changed our country today. It raise the college attendance rate significantly, and i think is a very good thing for the United States.
Sam, you bring up a good point. The Soviets did bring upon the United States great fear of them. They had the ability to start a war and possibly severely injure us back home with WMD's. Like you said, today the US is highly respected and feared because, after all, we are the most superior country. Not just because of our freedoms, but because of our military. It is multiple times better than the next closest army to us. We have something to be proud of and that is the United States Military!
ReplyDeleteJosh, you bring up a very true point. I like the fact that the United States is a model for the world and a helping hand to other countries. When other friendly countries need help, we give it to them. We don't hesitate to do it either. Is that a good thing? Yes and no. Yes because it shows just how much we as Americans care for other people other than ourselves. However, giving away lots of money while we ourselves as a country are already in massive debt needs to be considered. There needs to be a good balance of giving money to help other countries and obviously keeping some to not put us in further debt.
ReplyDeleteCharity, your essay was very thorough and well written. I enjoyed reading it and what all you had to say. I liked what you had to say about those who do not have as much money and thought you did a nice job explaining your reasoning.
ReplyDeleteStotts you have a point there about rather helping other countries out so that they would likely be on our side. But... i gotta say i disagree with you. Sure its nice to help em out and to have em on our side when its all said and done but there is a point when you gotta draw the line. If its getting to expensive and taking away from our country and people then we need to say ok thats enough even if it does mean losing that ally. If we help them out and do all that we can do without jepardizing out country then they should be with us anyhow and if not i wouldn't say they would be very good allies anyhow. So i agree with you that its great to help them out and have them as allies but not if its hurting America to much. So when the price gets too high to the point its urting our country thn we should cut back. Good essay though.
ReplyDeleteI liked what Sam Weir said. Our country has grown quite powerful. Think of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was at the top of its gain. They had nothing to fear. Other countries feared them. They occupied most of a continent. They had a powerful government and economy. They were wealthy. What went wrong? Their government collapsed and was divided into many smaller countries. Their government failed and the rest soon followed. Could the same thing happen to us, the US? Is it not possible that we are headed for the same disaster? Nothing will last forever. If the Lord doesn’t come back by then, the US will eventually collapse. But there is something we can do. We can learn from our past mistakes and from the Roman Empire.
ReplyDeleteI liked what Colby Upton said. The GI bill not only inspired soldiers to go to college but many future generations as well. This bill was very important and still is.
ReplyDeleteJacob Anderson:)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your essay, and agreed with it immensely. I agreed that helping our allies is a good thing, but today we have been so excessive with our spending, we do not have the money to be handing out freely to other countries. Any how, good job on your essay.
Cody,
As we all know, you have an extensive knowledge, and somewhat creepy obsession, with bombs, guns, nuclear weapons, etc, so in reading your essay I found your opinion on the Cold War interesting. I would have probably never thought about that part. But you are right, the U.S. is definately better equipped and more knowledgeable, on nuclear capabilities, and we would most likely be well prepared in the event of a nuclear war. Nice job.
Jarred I agree and disagree with you. Yes we are very blessed in this country and have the freedom to share our wealth and things of the sort and we should its only right it would be selfish not to. I mean there are so many that suffer annd go without while we have many times more than we need. But on the other hand we can only do so much. We help should people out and do what we can but at a certain piont you gotta say enough. There are people in this world that are blessed and have more than they really need and they aren't always going to share thats the hard fact of life. We should do what we can without hurting ouselves to much beacause then in turn we cant continue to help everybody else if we go under.
ReplyDeleteDavid Sams i liked your essay about the Nuremburg and Japan Trials. Your right there was probably bias against these men. Thats just a given. And your probably right we didn't want to be unfair and cruel like these men. Everybody no matter what awful things they have done deserve a fair trial even though they are guilty and everybody knows it. Those men in many cases probably deserved a lot worse than they were sentenced though. But its good that we gave them as fair a trial as we could.
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ReplyDeleteCan you pause for a moment and consider how important this has been in making the US the country it is today?
ReplyDeleteThe GI bill has a large role in what our country is today. When the soldiers came home from WW1 the economy bombed. There were no jobs for them, the factories shut down, leading to all the crashes. But with the GI bill the soldiers could go to school, go to college, and get a good education so that they could get higher level jobs. But this also played a partial bad role on our country, it was the start of the mentality that some Americans have that we are all capable of being leaders but we can’t all have leadership roles. Some of us have to settle.
Is there a justifiable reason to spend your money for the benefit of other countries? Does the US eventually get enough benefit from the investment to justify the cost?
Yes, in my opinion, I feel that it is good and right for us to give money to and help out down countries. I feel this way because we have been through and had our rough times as a country and we don’t want anyone else going through that. Also if we help countries, hopefully if something ever comes up they will help us out. I know we have gotten some money back, but I don’t think that we have fully been paid back for everything we have done in the past.
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ReplyDeleteJosh, your essay was very interesting and informative. You’re right, it was very respectable that we gave the officers a fair trial because freedom is what America stands for. Very good essay, good job
ReplyDeleteJarred, you made a point very similar to mine. The families did need to know what was going on so they knew that justice was being served. I also think that we shouldn’t be stingy in helping other countries in need. We ARE very blessed and we should be generous when needed.
Justin,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your essay. I want to start out by telling you I liked one of the points of view you pulled out of the GI bill. I did the same response but I didn’t look at it the way you did when you said it makes men and women today fight and defend their country without worrying about their education. That point just stood out to me.
Sam Wier,
ReplyDeleteYour essay was pretty much great. I like the way you described the Cold War, “It wasn’t fought with guns and missiles, rather it was fought with words and pens. I have studied the Cold War in the past, but I never looked at the fear quite like you did. The school’s choices revolving around this is incredible. People stocking up just in case something went down, that just seems like an unhappy and very uncomfortable way to live.
Do you think the U.S. should continue to be so involved in Israel and do you think that it is possible to see a peaceful solution to the conflict?
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think the U.S. should continue to be involved in Israel. Israel is God's chosen people. Christianity came from Judaism and we need to be involved in that as much as we can. America seems like it's getting farther and farther away from God, we need to stay involved with Isreal. Israel is very important and I believe the day that the U.S. stops being involved with them is the day the U.S. will stop receiving God's blessings. It is very important that we continue to be a positive force for them.
It is prophesied that Israel will be completely restored and we need to do all that we can to help that come true. Israel has become a state but they still struggle with Egypt in getting complete control of the land that God promised them. This is why there will never be a peaceful solution to the problem between Israel and Egypt. Egypt does not want to admit that Israel is a state. They do not want to give them the land that is really there's. The very land that Moses received the Ten Commandments on. Peace will come only in the end of time.
Is there a justifiable reason to spend your money for the benefit of other countries? Yes it is very justifiable. Let's take Haiti for an example. This is a country in so much pain and has so much need right now. They are suffering from such a disaster and they really need help our help. What if we needed help someday? Wouldn't want other countries to help us? On the other hand Iran is not a country that we would want to help. They are very anti-American and they are building nuclear bombs right now, so that wouldn't be to smart to help them. And they probably wouldn't want our help for anything. We would not want to give money to help them, they'd just use it to make more bombs. So, it really just depends on the country.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your essay. I liked the way you were able to actually relate a personal experience about your grandfather getting his PH.D and being able to get the loan for his first house. It was sad that so many had to go and sacrifice their lives, but it was a wonderful thing that the US government did for them when they returned. I’m certain that you’re right. Many people, still today, have the GI Bill to thank for their family’s current financial status. For instance, a soldier who returned from war who was able to become a doctor or lawyer (etc.) would probably be able to leave a nice inheritance for their children, and so on and so forth until a legacy is formed. All thanks to the GI Bill.
Madyson,
I really agree with your stands on Israel. I’m kind of like you. I hadn’t really thought about it much, but now that I have put some thought into it, I can’t find a down side to being Israel’s ally. God said that he would curse the nation that went against Israel. America is doing a lot of things wrong already (abortion, gay marriage etc…) but I think that if we went against Israel, God would not let us prosper anymore and would start letting us have what we probably deserve. That’s just my opinion.
To all who wrote in support of the GI bill, I agree completely. What a great thing to do for the troops upon their return. Many years of my life, the U.S. has been at war in Iraq and Afghanistan and I am so thankful for the U.S. troops. What they are doing to help those countries and to protect us is awesome. I know that the military is not paid as well as it should be. The fact that they had this G.I. bill was a wonderful thing to do at that time. Anything that we can do to help our troops on their return, to help them settle back into society and make a living is a good thing. It was a good thing then and anything we do to help them now is a good thing too.
ReplyDeleteDavid, you did an excellent job on your topics (smiley face). It is all thought out well, clear, and informative. I think what you said about us not wanting to be like them by having trials is cool. I hadn’t thought of it like that before. Because they were abusive leaders coming from countries with corrupt justice systems, we were sending a message that our country’s judicial system is fair. That is kind of interesting. You also did a job well done on explaining the GI bill and its effects.
ReplyDeleteBen, your essay is very good. Like most people, you talked about the GI bill. However, your points were fresh and unique. You brought up something important about it that I didn’t see anywhere else. It kept women involved in the work force. What you said is true that it was important in the post-war that women work while the men were in college. Once again, your essay is solid.
ReplyDeleteMorgan, when you wrote about the Nuremburg and Japanese trials you brought up one point I didn't think to talk about and one I didn't explicitly point out. You wrote about the fact that the trials were public trials. First-of-all this dispells suspision like you said, and it made the trials seem more like normal trials. The other thing you said that I didn't really say was the fact that the trials were, like I just said(typed?), normal. There was evidence and there were lawyers for both sides. You pretty much said the same thing I did, though, about the reasoning behind it and that is that this proved our belief that everyone deserves to be innocent until proven guilty
ReplyDeleteJosh, I'm not really going to talk about your Nuremburg/Japanese trials essay, though, it was good, but I am going to talk about the one on spending money in other countries. I agree that it's good we spend money on other countries, like Haiti, but like you said the amount we've already spent is ridiculous! You said quite often we end up hurting ourselves with this foreign spending but I want to say I think quite often we gain also as long as we don't overdo it. I think we do get hurt when we get over involved, like we have been in Haiti.
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Why was it important that these trials (and the executions that followed) were done in such a manner?
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It was important that America held these trials at a far pace because, had we defied or own rules then we would lose all credibility as a sovereign country. We would have held no depth in the foreign struggle to suppress the suppressers..if that makes sense.
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Is there a justifiable reason to spend your money for the benefit of other countries? Does the US eventually get enough benefit from the investment to justify the cost?
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As crazy as this sounds.. here it goes: NO. Not how we are doing it now anyway. The government shouldn't just up and spend tax dollars on things that they don't directly ask the tax payers themselves about. The U.S., as far as that goes, shouldn't do it for benefit. IF the tax dollars are spent for help, that should be out of grace. We've worked too hard to be robbed of our money! They force us to pay taxes and spend it on anything they want!!
Jacob,
ReplyDeleteWhile the GI bill was a positive for the veterans, it really made a bunch of tax payers angry. Think about it, why couldn't I just take MY taxes back and go to college? It was a positive and a negative thing, i think it was too much of a quick fix..
Ben,
ReplyDeleteinteresting observation that the GI bill kept women in the work force. I had never thought of it that way. You made good points that others hadn't made. Good job on the research