POLICE!

In mentor session, we had a discussion about whether police are abusing their right to have a gun. It was a topic that I never really thought about until that day. The story that went along with this discussion was about a police man shooting someone who was just reaching for his wallet. Some people may say that the policeman was just using self-defense and assumed that the other person was reaching for a gun. However, others may say that this policeman should have waited for a visual instead of abusing his power.

I agree with the fact that he should have waited to see what the person was grabbing before shooting. This policeman took an innocent life; and he has to live with that. I'm sure that there are many incidents like this that happen pretty often; and there is always controversy among the public. When it comes down to it, I think that sometimes, shooting someone cannot be avoided..but, sometimes policeman can seem like they are abusing their power of possessing a gun.

Religions...

When thinking of my research topic for On Democracy, I was really stuck. Then I recalled how many times religion came up in class. Therefore, I decided to do a compare and contrast paper on two religions: Buddhism and Christianity. I grew up with Buddhism, but wasn't very serious about it and don't know much about it either. I also don't know much about Christianity or the word "religion" in general, so this paper will be a good learning experience for me as well.

I do know that they are two very different religions. Christians believe in God and he is the one everyone worships. Buddhism is more about being self-reliant, doing good things, and putting others before yourself. I'm sure there is a lot more to it, and I may be even wrong with what I just said. However, I'm sure that the Buddhist ways that I have learned have probably made me a better person. I will hopefully be able to learn much more about both of these religions and write a good essay.

American Vertigo

This term in On Democracy, we are reading the book "American Vertigo" by Bernard- Henri Levy. He write about his journey through America and discusses various issues he encounters. Levy's thoughts about America are reflected through every passage of this book. Maybe we AMERICANS need someone from another country to see our country in a different light. I think he helps us do this.

I found the first passage pretty interesting. He titled it "A People and Its Flag". Our American flag is just part of who we are. It represents us and the nation that we live in. Levy states, "It's a little strange, this obsession with the flag." But, is it really an obsession? I don't think it is. We are just taking pride in our country. The American flag is something dear to us and we try our best to take care of it. However, if I were in his position and was from another country, I would probably think that it was an obsession too. Since I was born and raised in America, the flag is just part of our culture that I'm used to.