Sunday, September 24, 2006
Chavez-Castro Friendship Tricky for US
This article was written before Chavez famously called Bush the devil earlier this week, but I think that it explains some important ties between Cuba and Venezuela which fuels the threat that the two countries poses to the US. This relationship between Castro and Chavez has been highlighted all over the media. The rather popular photo of Chavez sitting holding Castro’s hand while he is sick in bed stands as a symbol of the strong backing that Cuba has by Chavez and the fact that he will stand by Cuba. It is a message to the US that they will not be able to simply take over when Fidel dies. The article notes, “Castro and Chavez are united by what they call a crusade against U.S. dominance of Latin America and unbridled capitalism that is driving the world to ruin.” They are some of the most outspoken anti US leaders in Latin America. This union and strength that they have poses a huge threat to US presence.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060913
/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/hugo___fidel_3
tag: last301
Theory: The Origin of Rights
In responding to our readings I decided to focus on a couple quotes that I found interesting.
The first is by Paine. He notes, “Man did not enter into society to become worse than he was before, nor to have less rights than he had before, but to have these rights better secured (Paine 78)” This comment by Paine struck me as it relates to a lot of what we have discussed about rights. In theory this comment is pretty straightforward and rather obvious, yet as we have discussed, in our stratified world this does not ring true for all.
I liked what Rousseau had to say about war and I think that it is especially relevant to us right now. He says, “It is the relationship of things, not of men, that constitutes a sate of war, and since the state of war cannot be engendered merely by personal relationships but only by relationships between things a private war between man and man cannot exist… War is not, therefore, a relationship between man and man, but between state and state, in which individuals become enemies only by accident, not as men, nor even as citizens soldiers (Rousseau 51). This quote immediately made me think of the situation in Iraq and the rather ironic nature of war. We become enemies essentially over fighting for national interests, whether it be land, natural resources, power, religion, or the political and nationalistic gains of the state. These desires result in arm conflict and the loss of thousands of lives. On the surface war is fought man to man (or woman) creating enemies yet it is at the interest of the state.
tag: last301
The first is by Paine. He notes, “Man did not enter into society to become worse than he was before, nor to have less rights than he had before, but to have these rights better secured (Paine 78)” This comment by Paine struck me as it relates to a lot of what we have discussed about rights. In theory this comment is pretty straightforward and rather obvious, yet as we have discussed, in our stratified world this does not ring true for all.
I liked what Rousseau had to say about war and I think that it is especially relevant to us right now. He says, “It is the relationship of things, not of men, that constitutes a sate of war, and since the state of war cannot be engendered merely by personal relationships but only by relationships between things a private war between man and man cannot exist… War is not, therefore, a relationship between man and man, but between state and state, in which individuals become enemies only by accident, not as men, nor even as citizens soldiers (Rousseau 51). This quote immediately made me think of the situation in Iraq and the rather ironic nature of war. We become enemies essentially over fighting for national interests, whether it be land, natural resources, power, religion, or the political and nationalistic gains of the state. These desires result in arm conflict and the loss of thousands of lives. On the surface war is fought man to man (or woman) creating enemies yet it is at the interest of the state.
tag: last301
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Experts: Mexico must do more
This article is about the treatment of Mexicans who are injured at working illegally in the US. It highlights the cross border battle of border life in Mexico. I briefly studied border life of Mexico in an anthropology class last year and was interested to read about this employment struggle in the news. I found the article in The Charlotte Observer (from a google link). It is a short article which highlights the struggles of Mexicans going to the US to seek a better life. It notes that Mexicans believe they will be treated fairly and taken care of while working in the US. Unfortunately this is not the case and injuries are costly and the families have little choice but to deal with it in Mexico. The system is too complex and costly for most Mexicans to file claims against the US. The article highlights the injustices of this area and the need for an improvement in US/Mexican work relations for the safety of its citizens.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/
special_packages/immigration/15539725.htm
tag: last301
This article is about the treatment of Mexicans who are injured at working illegally in the US. It highlights the cross border battle of border life in Mexico. I briefly studied border life of Mexico in an anthropology class last year and was interested to read about this employment struggle in the news. I found the article in The Charlotte Observer (from a google link). It is a short article which highlights the struggles of Mexicans going to the US to seek a better life. It notes that Mexicans believe they will be treated fairly and taken care of while working in the US. Unfortunately this is not the case and injuries are costly and the families have little choice but to deal with it in Mexico. The system is too complex and costly for most Mexicans to file claims against the US. The article highlights the injustices of this area and the need for an improvement in US/Mexican work relations for the safety of its citizens.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/
special_packages/immigration/15539725.htm
tag: last301
In reading the numerous declarations etc. I am struck by the face that my rights are in reality something I give very little thought to. Although it is something many give little thought to, hundreds of years worth of work have been put into creating and adapting them for various countries. I think that our class discussion demonstrated the fact that many of us are unaware of our specific rights. I am curious as to how this varies from country to country and from person to person. Would I be more knowledgeable of my specific rights if they were challenged more often?
I found reading the Canadian Charter especially interesting, and I think that every Canadian should review it. As we briefly discussed in class one of the most notable aspects was the presence of the French language. I think that this is would be far less striking if we were living on the East coast because in comparison there is very little presence of French in Vancouver. Of more notable relevance is the absence of aboriginal rights which seems especially evident to us living on the west coast. Something else that struck me is the section 15 of the Equality rights. It is an extensive list of basis upon which not to discriminate yet fails to mention sexual orientation. I understand that this was of far less relevance at the time yet updates should be made as it is now over 20 years later.
tag: last301
I found reading the Canadian Charter especially interesting, and I think that every Canadian should review it. As we briefly discussed in class one of the most notable aspects was the presence of the French language. I think that this is would be far less striking if we were living on the East coast because in comparison there is very little presence of French in Vancouver. Of more notable relevance is the absence of aboriginal rights which seems especially evident to us living on the west coast. Something else that struck me is the section 15 of the Equality rights. It is an extensive list of basis upon which not to discriminate yet fails to mention sexual orientation. I understand that this was of far less relevance at the time yet updates should be made as it is now over 20 years later.
tag: last301
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