Terrorism Essay Essay Example for Free

Terrorism Essay Essay 2. Explain the differences between terrorism, state terrorism, and state-sponsored terrorism. From Merriam Webster: Terror- a state of intense fear; a cause of anxiety. Violent or destructive acts committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or Government into granting their demands. Terrorism- the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. From Terrorism Today (The Past, the Players, the Future) The Homeland Security Act of 2002 defines terrorism as â€Å" any activity that involves an act that is dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources; and is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any State or other subdivision of the United States and appears to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping. † From Merriam Webster: State- a politically organized body of people usually occupying a definite territory; especially: one that is sovereign. A government or politically organized society having a particular character. Sponsor- one who assumes responsibility for some other person or thing. A person or an organization that pays for or plans and carries out a project or activity. The difference between terrorism, state terrorism, and state-sponsored terrorism comes down to the persons involved in the act being committed. Much of the terrorism we see today on the news or in the papers are acts committed by terrorist groups linked by ideology and financed through the drug trade as well as ransom obtained from kidnappings. One example of this type of terrorism are the Somali pirates, these terrorists will hijack large container ships to small pleasure craft and hold those on board and any cargo for ransom. Money made from these deals is then used by the terrorists in their fight against  the Somali government or is funneled to other like-minded groups. Another form of terrorism we have seen here in the United States is what many call the â€Å"home grown† terrorist. These terrorists are usually born in the United States or came to the United States at a young age when their families left their home country. Course#: BCJ303 Unit 1 Many of the recent acts committed by this type of terrorist have been based on ideology and were carried out against civilian personnel. One of the most recent examples is the Boston Marathon attack, the two who carried out the attack had grown up in the United States and led seemingly â€Å"American† lives but had latched onto an ideology that views the United States as an enemy of Islam and that the targeting of innocent civilians is a legitimate tactic. Terrorism in the examples given is carried out by small disconnected groups that are mostly aligned by ideology. Although these groups are not supported by a larger organization or national government many governments with a similar ideology or nation with a large population of person who share a similar mind set to the terror group will many times fail to denounce the acts. This is where terrorism differs from state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism as both of those types of terrorism are directly supported by the sta te. State terrorism is used by a nation state as way to control its citizenry and suppress any dissenting views or beliefs that are contrary to those of the government. Many of the governments that exercise this form of terror will sometimes start the process of suppression by creating new laws designed to protect the governing class and criminalize the opposition groups and others have completely thrown out their nations laws and implemented new laws based on strict adherence to a religious ideology or total government control in all aspects of the citizens lives. This was the case recently in Egypt, the elected government (Muslim Brotherhood) removed all secular and Christian officials from the government and in their place were seated members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Many of the top military leaders were also replaced with Brotherhood members. These changes and the removal of any opposition party led to many pro government groups to further oppress the ‘non-believers† through the shutting down of  businesses to the burning down of churches and the killings of Christian and secular citizens. Another tactic that has been used in Afr ica and Latin America by state terror regimes is the use of the police and or military as death squads. These squads are dispatched to eliminate anyone seen as opposition or supportive of the opposition. This type of terrorism is directed from the top of the government down to the group leaders. This is where state terrorism differs from state-sponsored terrorism, the state terror regime is open in its support of the terrorist tactics. The state-sponsored terror regimes do not direct the acts but do support them. State-sponsored terrorism is the support of a terror group by a nation state that provides supplies, training, equipment, and weapons. As well as safe haven for the group through the use of diplomatic protection. An example of state-sponsored terrorism is the Syrian government’s support of the terror group Hamas and their co-sponsoring of the terror organization Hezbollah with Iran. For their part Iran provides Hezbollah with military training, weapons and money, while Syria provides political support. Course#: BCJ303 Unit 1 Many of the state-sponsored terror organizations have a set area of operation not far from their sponsor state but this has changed recently as Hezbollah has been taking up shop in Latin America working alongside cartel and narco-terror groups. While all three types of terrorism are used to instill fear and bring about a change that is desired by the organization or state, the main difference between the three is the support (financing, training, political backing) that the group receives.

Time For Americans To Be A Family :: essays research papers

Time for Americans To Be A Family By D.C. Burch It seems to be a time for Americans to try and be a family again. Maybe a quarrelsome and restless family not entirely happy with each member all of the time, but a family nonetheless. OK, I admit it. I am confused and perplexed by the storm of political correctness sweeping throughout the nation, raising dust-devils and tempests; leaving destruction and chaos in its wake. The English language is being transmogrified to quell and satisfy members of the American society who feel they should somehow, be special; apart from our citizenry. Thus my confusion. I've been called a privileged white-boy by some, honky by others, and cracker by others still. All this because I grew up in a middle class family in Toledo, Ohio? I've never considered myself to be anything special, certainly never superior to anyone or anything by virtue of my ancestry, just your basic, run- of-the-mill guy who wants to do the right thing. From the time I was little boy, I have seen one particular group called colored, Negro, black, and now, African-American. I can't seem to find a consensus out there in any media, one moment the reference is to blacks, and the next to African-Americans, when they are referring to the same group of people. I'm not knocking what people want to call themselves, it's the mixed messages I'm getting and the inaccuracy of the terminology that frustrates me. Look around and you will see there is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Black Muslims, and African-Americans. All of these terms are used to refer to members of one group of people. Is it any wonder I'm confused? I have particular problems with the term African-American, a misnomer which would lead me to believe these people somehow hold dual citizenship with another country, or even worse, lead everyone to believe all those who use that term to describe themselves are of African origin and are exclusively black in color. As we all know, there are white Africans, too. Should they choose to come to the U.S., they too, would be eligible for the label African-American, which would further confuse the issue. Enter the U.S. Census Bureau. Rather than help clear up the mess, they perpetuate it by requesting racial information and make-up of families that does nothing more than perpetuate the lies we tell one another. At least with the Census Bureau, their are Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Other, and Whites. I don't know about you folks but, I was born here in the U.

National Government Essay

National Government  is a concept referring to the coalition of the major political parties which were under Ramsay MacDonald,  Stanley Baldwin  and  Neville Chamberlain  they held office from 1931 until 1940. The  Wall Street Crash  was the start of Great Depression  and Britain was badly hit. The Government tried to achieve several different, contradictory objectives which where ones such as, trying to maintain Britain’s economic position by maintaining the  pound  on the  gold standard, balancing the  budget, and providing assistance and relief to tackle unemployment. In 1931 the situation worsened and there was fear that the budget was unbalanced, which was allowed by the independent  May Report  which triggered a confidence crisis. The  Labour Government  agreed to make changes in taxation and expenditure in order to balance the budget and restore confidence, but the  Cabinet  could not agree on the two options available which was either introduce  tariffs, or make 20% cuts in  unemployment benefit. A final vote was taken on the issue and the Cabinet was split 11:9 with a minority including many political heavyweights such as George Lansbury threatening to resign rather than agree. Due to this unworkable split, on 24 August 1931 the government resigned. Both the Conservative and Liberal parties met with  King George V  and MacDonald, first to discuss support for the measures taken but again to discuss the shape of the next government. On 24 August MacDonald agreed to form a National Government composed of â€Å"men from all parties† with the specific aim of balancing the Budget and restoring confidence. The Government was then meant to resolve once these aims had been met and a general election was to be held. The National Government had many problems during their time in office. One of the major problems they had was the impact of the depression was strong upon Britain. An economic problem they faced was that unemployment had risen to 3 million. During their time in office the unemployment level did drop but this was not due to the national Government it was due to new technology and industries, Rearmament started up in 1936 and there was a housing boom. The national government came up with many schemes such as closing competing factories i. e. cotton; shipbuilding this only increased the number of unemployed. The came up with the unemployment assistance act and the special areas act these worked to a certain extent as for certain areas it was too little too late for schemes like this. But it could not get rid of the intractable million who were people who came from staple industries such as coal, textiles, shipbuilding, iron and steel. These people where the ones who lived in places such as Jarrow where 1 in 10 men where in work. A social problem they faced was that as the impact of the Depression was hard on Britain, there was a large drop in living standards a cut in the amount of benefits people could collect and there was a means test to see if families where eligible for benefits. Which meant fewer families got the ‘dole’ and if they did get it they got a small amount which created the two nations in Britain. As places like Jarrow were one of the worst hit places while places like London and Bristol benefited from a lot of the changes such as they were the ones able to use the new technology and be hired into the new industries and they were one of the few who could afford to buy a new house in the housing boom. There were many hunger marches due to this; the most famous was the Jarrow crusade. This is where many unemployed marched all the way to London to speak to Baldwin about what he was going to do to help them but they were refused a seating which him all they arrived was tea and sympathy it is said. Another Problem faced by the National Government was the balancing of the budget. This was orthodox economics which means it is situation in financial planning where total revenues are equal to or greater than total expenses. This was successful to a limited extent as with all the cuts such as 20% off unemployment as well as having a means test allowing them to save enough money for them to get foreign loans. But only the south of England benefited from the money saved. Social problem occurred due to cuts in unemployment benefit was that there was a drop in benefits for unemployed which led to them having a lower standard of living. They came off the gold standard which made the exports (manufacturers goods) which where imports into other countries cheaper. They lowered interest rates, which helped small businesses, home owners and those in the south of England. Then public sector pay was cut by 10% but navy was not happy about this which caused trouble when the Invogadon navy mutinied. The National Government were successful to an extent but they were limited due to all the economic greatness helped those who were in the south of England and not those in the north which allowed the social deprivation to continue.

5 Key Components of Great Feature Stories

Hard-news stories are typically an assemblage of facts. Some are better-written than others, but they all exist to fulfill a simple purpose—to convey information. Feature stories convey facts as well, but they also tell the stories of peoples lives. To do that, they must incorporate facets of writing often not found in news stories, ones often associated with fiction writing. A Great Lede A feature lede can set a scene, describe a place or tell a story. Whatever approach is used, the lede must grab the readers attention and pull them into the story. Heres a lede from a New York Times story about former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his meetings with a prostitute in a posh Washington hotel: It was after 9 on the night before Valentine’s Day when she finally arrived, a young brunette named Kristen. She was 5-foot-5, 105 pounds. Pretty and petite.This was at the Mayflower, one of Washington’s choicer hotels. Her client for the evening, a return customer, had booked Room 871. The money he had promised to pay would cover all expenses: the room, the minibar, room service should they order it, the train ticket that had brought her from New York and, naturally, her time.A 47-page affidavit from an F.B.I. agent investigating a prostitution ring described the man at the hotel as â€Å"Client 9† and included considerable detail about him, the prostitute and his payment methods. But a law enforcement official and another person briefed on the case have identified Client 9 as Eliot Spitzer, the governor of New York. Note how the details—the 5-foot-5 brunette, the room number, the minibar—build a sense of anticipation about the rest of the story. Youre compelled to read more. Description The description sets the scene for the story and brings the people and places in it to life. A good description prompts a reader to create mental images in their mind. Any time you accomplish that, youre engaging the reader in your story. Read this description from a St. Petersburg Times story by Lane DeGregory about a neglected little girl, found in a roach-infested room: She lay on a torn, moldy mattress on the floor. She was curled on her side, long legs tucked into her emaciated chest. Her ribs and collarbone jutted out; one skinny arm was slung over her face; her black hair was matted, crawling with lice. Insect bites, rashes, and sores pocked her skin. Though she looked old enough to be in school, she was naked—except for a swollen diaper. Note the specifics: matted hair, skin pocked with sores, the moldy mattress. The description is both heartbreaking and repulsive, but necessary to convey the horrific conditions the girl endured. Quotes While good quotes are vital for news stories, they are imperative for features. Ideally, a feature story should include only the most colorful and interesting quotes. Everything else should be paraphrased. Look at this example from a New York Times story about the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995. In the story, reporter Rick Bragg describes the rubble and the reactions of the firefighters and rescue crews responding to the scene: People could not stop looking at it, particularly the second floor, where a child care center had been.A whole floor, said Randy Woods, a firefighter with Engine No. 7. A whole floor of innocents. Grown-ups, you know, they deserve a lot of the stuff they get. But why the children? What did the children ever do to anybody. Anecdotes Anecdotes are nothing more than very short stories. But in features, they can be incredibly effective in illustrating key points or in bringing people and incidents to life, and theyre often used to construct feature ledes. Heres a good example of an anecdote from a Los Angeles Times story about the skyrocketing cost of fighting wildfires: On the morning of July 4, 2007, ranch hands were fixing a water pipe on private land in a narrow canyon off the road to Zaca Lake, about 15 miles north of Solvang.The temperature was headed toward 100 degrees. Rainfall the previous winter had been among the lowest on record in Southern California. Sparks from a metal grinder jumped into some dry grass. Soon flames were rushing through the brush toward Zaca Ridge.By the next day, nearly 1,000 firefighters were trying to box the fire into a small area. But late that afternoon, the Zaca made a run, moving east into Los Padres National Forest. By July 7, Forest Service officials realized they were facing a potential monster. Note how the writers, Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart, quickly and effectively summarize the genesis of a fire that plays a central role in their story. Background Information Background information sounds like something youd find in a news story, but its equally important in features. All the well-written description and colorful quotes in the world wont suffice if you dont have solid information to back up the point your feature is trying to make. Heres a good example of solid backgrounding from the same Los Angeles Times story about wildfires mentioned above: Wildfire costs are busting the Forest Service budget. A decade ago, the agency spent $307 million on fire suppression. Last year, it spent $1.37 billion.Fire is chewing through so much Forest Service money that Congress is considering a separate federal account to cover the cost of catastrophic blazes.In California, state wildfire spending has shot up 150% in the last decade, to more than $1 billion a year. Note how the writers marshal their facts to clearly and unequivocally make their point: The cost of fighting wildfires is rising dramatically.