Although much of Rory Stewart's passages concerning the Taliban always deals with negativity, he is only relating information to the reader about the villagers and the cruelty that the Taliban had evoked on the people. He was providing the reader with a realistic and truthful viewpoint, as with everything else along his journey and throughout the book. For example, on page 253, Stewart writes,
"'There was no electricity or television in the village. These men had never visited an Afghan city or met a journalist. I wondered why they immediately explained to me what the Taliban had done and why they focused on this Koran rather than on their families and their villages.'
'Can you read the Koran? I asked.'
'No we cannot read or write.'
'Did the Taliban take it out and burn it?'
'No. It was lying in one of the houses that the Taliban burned when they attacked the village.'
'So it was accidental.'
'Yes. You see what kind of people the Taliban are. He meant I imagined they were infidels.'
'How many people did the Taliban kill in this village? I asked.'
'Five...'"
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Discussion #7
1. The Hazara people are mostly of Muslim religion, living primarily within the region of central Afghanistan. Most of these civilians are very poor, and lack a general education, proper clothing and sanitation, and even access to electricity (because many of the villages do not have electricity). When traveling through the country, the Hazara people invited Rory Stewart into their mosque, which he found very kind, considering most others had not. In this specific portion of Stewart’s journey, he encounters some men and suggests that the ancestors are descended from ancient Mongolians.
2. The geography and climate of Afghanistan are both completely different from that of the United States. The nation is mostly considered desert, and is sweltering hot. There are many mountains, and some villages and communities are found within them. These villages are very poor and lack the ability to grow crops because the landscape makes it almost impossible. This is hard to understand, but Pennsylvania is known for agriculture, and many areas that we live in are used primarily for farming. The ability to grow crops provides food and also establishes an income, of which these people can’t acquire. Instead, many of them try to find and sell goods, even ancient artifacts from demolished ruins of old and abandoned cities; they sell these items on the black market for much less value than its worth, even just to provide minimal income, necessary for survival.
3. Though the Afghan people are all interconnected through the Muslim religion, there are differences in culture of the nation, especially between the Sunni and Shia Muslims. The differences among people in villages are also recognized, and it is dangerous to travel from one village to the next without being killed along the pathway. Stewart reports this, and also mentions that most people have not even been outside of their own small community, especially the women. Ever since the Taliban invaded the country, the rules and restrictions, especially for women, were increased far beyond the penalties that were outlaid in the religion prior to the invasion. Though the Muslim religion upholds a sacrilegious aspect for women, the Taliban created rules that damaged their social life and various other rights. Tribal and military loyalties within the nation were split up within select communities, and Stewart was accompanied by several men along his journey. Usually one or two “officers” would accompany Stewart to his next village, where he would present a piece of paper signed from the leader of the prior village, stating that he had permission of his travels; at that destination, he would ask for another signature, pay the old “officers,” and obtain new ones to accompany him to the next village on his route through Afghanistan. Though Stewart tried to refuse the safety and protection of these “officers,” it was almost mandatory that they be by his side the majority of the time along his journey. Some of these men did it as an act of kindness to him as a fellow stranger, in order to provide protection, and also because Stewart issued them some sort of pay at the end (though some seemed to refuse at first…)
2. The geography and climate of Afghanistan are both completely different from that of the United States. The nation is mostly considered desert, and is sweltering hot. There are many mountains, and some villages and communities are found within them. These villages are very poor and lack the ability to grow crops because the landscape makes it almost impossible. This is hard to understand, but Pennsylvania is known for agriculture, and many areas that we live in are used primarily for farming. The ability to grow crops provides food and also establishes an income, of which these people can’t acquire. Instead, many of them try to find and sell goods, even ancient artifacts from demolished ruins of old and abandoned cities; they sell these items on the black market for much less value than its worth, even just to provide minimal income, necessary for survival.
3. Though the Afghan people are all interconnected through the Muslim religion, there are differences in culture of the nation, especially between the Sunni and Shia Muslims. The differences among people in villages are also recognized, and it is dangerous to travel from one village to the next without being killed along the pathway. Stewart reports this, and also mentions that most people have not even been outside of their own small community, especially the women. Ever since the Taliban invaded the country, the rules and restrictions, especially for women, were increased far beyond the penalties that were outlaid in the religion prior to the invasion. Though the Muslim religion upholds a sacrilegious aspect for women, the Taliban created rules that damaged their social life and various other rights. Tribal and military loyalties within the nation were split up within select communities, and Stewart was accompanied by several men along his journey. Usually one or two “officers” would accompany Stewart to his next village, where he would present a piece of paper signed from the leader of the prior village, stating that he had permission of his travels; at that destination, he would ask for another signature, pay the old “officers,” and obtain new ones to accompany him to the next village on his route through Afghanistan. Though Stewart tried to refuse the safety and protection of these “officers,” it was almost mandatory that they be by his side the majority of the time along his journey. Some of these men did it as an act of kindness to him as a fellow stranger, in order to provide protection, and also because Stewart issued them some sort of pay at the end (though some seemed to refuse at first…)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Essay #2
Tiffany Young
Instructor: Patty Hanahoe-Dosch
EN 102
October 30, 2009
Essay 2
Economic Sense and Nonsense
The economic slowdown of the United States has resulted from inadequate policies established by government officials and policymakers. An article selected from Neil Benson’s blog, titled Sense and Nonsense[1], addresses the Republican Party’s view towards President Obama and the current economic instability of the United States. The author makes false claims, stating that the only goal of the Republican Party is “to prevent President Obama from implementing any plan,” including the new health care reformation bill (Benson). Democratic legislators have drafted various health reform bills, though the controversy of choosing the ultimate plan still remains. There are several policies which Republicans believe can be implemented to improve economic growth and stability in the long run. Though Benson assumes the Republican Party is concerned with preventing the Obama administration from establishing new policies, the key goal is to eliminate unnecessary taxation and therefore diminish health care costs, making it more affordable for all citizens.
Mr. Benson’s political argument relates to a comment within an article from ABC News, written by Jake Trapper. The article, titled “Political Punch,” dates back to July 29, 2009 and addresses the issue of a statement made by Senator Jim DeMint regarding the healthcare situation. Benson comments that the Senator’s only effort is “to stop the current health care initiative.” Trapper provides a counter argument, declaring, “Officials will say the people being "broken" are the American people going bankrupt paying for health insurance premiums that increase 10 percent every year” and “those who want to use this issue to break the president are doing nothing but working for insurance companies and insurance executives” (ABC News). In DeMint’s assertion concerning Obama, Benson ignored that the statement was made during a conference call regarding “Conservatives for Patient’s Rights.” The majority of Republicans, including Senator DeMint, are troubled by the loss of patient and citizen rights. Rather than opposing anything that President Obama and his administration attempt to put into practice, Republicans encourage upholding patient’s rights and attending to the issue of increased insurance premiums.
President Obama’s health care plan includes raising taxes to support socialized medicine, which is a “single payer” system where every individual will be included in the government program. Many of the current excess taxes have arisen from an overabundant abuse of expensive tests being run on patients solely for liability protection due to the rise in medical lawsuits. Republicans hope to lower malpractice insurance and help remove any possible liability that doctors or hospitals might incur, which will only happen with tort reform. Another primary concern regards the injustice of progressive taxation, which involves raising taxes for higher earned salaries. According to Gerald Prante, representative of the Tax Foundation, “Even if you wanted to make the tax code more progressive as Obama's main goal is, you could do it in a much better way than Obama has done (in a way that actually improves the tax code).” This type of implemented taxation leads to unfair wealth distribution, which is taking from hard-working citizens and giving it to those who are unemployed or who are simply too lazy. Though Obama has not specified that these taxes were for socialized medicine, it can be implied by his favor to new taxes, including “higher income taxes on upper-incomes, higher payroll taxes on upper-income workers and a windfall profits tax” (Prante). Not only does the new healthcare proposal cover about half of the uninsured in our country, it will also increase progressive taxes and negatively impact the average middle-class citizen.
Though both political parties propose various strategies to strengthen the economy, Benson excluded an accurate assessment of United States economic statistics, which must be considered when conducting any valid argument. In the first quarter of 2008, GDP fell 6.4 percent, and the unemployment rate rose to its highest since the Great Depression, at an estimated 9.7 percent as of August 2009 (United States Department of Labor). The Families USA report estimated that with the rise in unemployment, the “number of uninsured working-age adults rose by 4.0 million - and, as a result, the total number of uninsured Americans now exceeds 50 million” (Lucas). The rise in unemployment stems from increased cost of health care to employers as a result of excess government taxation. In a report issued July 18, 2009, USA today reported an estimated “9% cost increase” by 2010, in reality “employees' costs actually go up by double digits." According to PWC Principal Michael Thompson, the extra taxation will have a ‘major, major impact’ when many employers are freezing or cutting pay” (USATODAY.) The Republican Party recognizes the “link between rising unemployment and health insurance coverage losses” and believes that lowering taxes would help provide more affordable coverage (Lucas).
Benson fails to recognize the economic issues that concern the Republican Party when he ignorantly refutes, “It is hard to know what the Republican Party stands for, if it stands for anything at all.” It is difficult to execute a perfect plan of action to completely resolve every issue involved in the economic slump, yet certain tactics appear to be promising. Rather than issuing higher progressive taxes to wealthier citizens, national health care should be made available under specific requirements to the poor and those suffering financial hardships. A balanced budget plan would include simultaneous government spending and taxation in equal amounts, which would raise GDP by the specific amount, and promote overall economic stability and potential growth. Several strategies set forth through the Obama Administration involve additional government control and higher taxation, ultimately raising Republicans’ concerns for a government heading towards socialism and fascism and moving away from capitalism.
Works Cited
ABC. "Political Punch." 19 July 2009. ABC News. 20 October 2009.
Benson, Neil. Sense and Nonsense. 10 September 2009. 15 October 2009.
United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. October 2009.
20 October 2009.
Lucas, Dave. “The Economy Project.” 20 October 2009. WAMC. 27 October 2009
Prante, Gerald. “Tax Policy Blog.” 25 July 2008. Tax Foundation. 30 October 2009
< http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/23418.html>.
USATODAY. “Report: Health care costs to rise 9% in 2010.” 18 June 2009. USA Today.
<>.
Political, Economic, and Social Commmentary
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Obstructionist Republican Party
What's left of the Republican Party has a new motto. It's "Just Say No" again, and again to anything proposed by the current administration. It could be argued that the Republicans are fulfilling their role as the loyal opposition. However, that argument is terribly thin because it is hard to know what the Republican Party stands for, if it stands for anything at all.
The main mission of the Republican Party seems to be to prevent President Obama from implementing any plan in any area. The Republicans voted against the stimulus package, and offered very little in the way of an alternative that made sense to anybody but fellow Republicans. They were against the bailout of the big three automakers which ought to be interesting the next time they're trying to get votes in Ohio and Michigan.
The essential nature of the current Republican Party position was eloquently stated in July, by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina. When talking with Republican activists regarding efforts to stop the current health care initiative he said, "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him." If Senator DeMint were interested in serving the interests of the people of South Carolina, he might remember the large percentage of his constituency, which has either no health insurance or inadequate health care coverage. The senator from South Carolina may be prescient in his prediction of Waterloo, but it may be about his own party rather than the president.
The Republicans rightly raise concerns about the amount of money being spent by the Democratic Congress and the Obama administration. Unfortunately, the Republicans are adept at raising concerns, but short on offering realistic alternatives to solving the critical problems facing this country today. The continued absence of meaningful leadership within the Republican Party has allowed Sarah Palin to develop delusions about her ability to run for the presidency in 2012. Perhaps the Republican Party will get its just reward after all.
(from http://senseandnonsensnb.blogspot.com/)
[1] Blog link is http://senseandnonsensnb.blogspot.com/
Instructor: Patty Hanahoe-Dosch
EN 102
October 30, 2009
Essay 2
Economic Sense and Nonsense
The economic slowdown of the United States has resulted from inadequate policies established by government officials and policymakers. An article selected from Neil Benson’s blog, titled Sense and Nonsense[1], addresses the Republican Party’s view towards President Obama and the current economic instability of the United States. The author makes false claims, stating that the only goal of the Republican Party is “to prevent President Obama from implementing any plan,” including the new health care reformation bill (Benson). Democratic legislators have drafted various health reform bills, though the controversy of choosing the ultimate plan still remains. There are several policies which Republicans believe can be implemented to improve economic growth and stability in the long run. Though Benson assumes the Republican Party is concerned with preventing the Obama administration from establishing new policies, the key goal is to eliminate unnecessary taxation and therefore diminish health care costs, making it more affordable for all citizens.
Mr. Benson’s political argument relates to a comment within an article from ABC News, written by Jake Trapper. The article, titled “Political Punch,” dates back to July 29, 2009 and addresses the issue of a statement made by Senator Jim DeMint regarding the healthcare situation. Benson comments that the Senator’s only effort is “to stop the current health care initiative.” Trapper provides a counter argument, declaring, “Officials will say the people being "broken" are the American people going bankrupt paying for health insurance premiums that increase 10 percent every year” and “those who want to use this issue to break the president are doing nothing but working for insurance companies and insurance executives” (ABC News). In DeMint’s assertion concerning Obama, Benson ignored that the statement was made during a conference call regarding “Conservatives for Patient’s Rights.” The majority of Republicans, including Senator DeMint, are troubled by the loss of patient and citizen rights. Rather than opposing anything that President Obama and his administration attempt to put into practice, Republicans encourage upholding patient’s rights and attending to the issue of increased insurance premiums.
President Obama’s health care plan includes raising taxes to support socialized medicine, which is a “single payer” system where every individual will be included in the government program. Many of the current excess taxes have arisen from an overabundant abuse of expensive tests being run on patients solely for liability protection due to the rise in medical lawsuits. Republicans hope to lower malpractice insurance and help remove any possible liability that doctors or hospitals might incur, which will only happen with tort reform. Another primary concern regards the injustice of progressive taxation, which involves raising taxes for higher earned salaries. According to Gerald Prante, representative of the Tax Foundation, “Even if you wanted to make the tax code more progressive as Obama's main goal is, you could do it in a much better way than Obama has done (in a way that actually improves the tax code).” This type of implemented taxation leads to unfair wealth distribution, which is taking from hard-working citizens and giving it to those who are unemployed or who are simply too lazy. Though Obama has not specified that these taxes were for socialized medicine, it can be implied by his favor to new taxes, including “higher income taxes on upper-incomes, higher payroll taxes on upper-income workers and a windfall profits tax” (Prante). Not only does the new healthcare proposal cover about half of the uninsured in our country, it will also increase progressive taxes and negatively impact the average middle-class citizen.
Though both political parties propose various strategies to strengthen the economy, Benson excluded an accurate assessment of United States economic statistics, which must be considered when conducting any valid argument. In the first quarter of 2008, GDP fell 6.4 percent, and the unemployment rate rose to its highest since the Great Depression, at an estimated 9.7 percent as of August 2009 (United States Department of Labor). The Families USA report estimated that with the rise in unemployment, the “number of uninsured working-age adults rose by 4.0 million - and, as a result, the total number of uninsured Americans now exceeds 50 million” (Lucas). The rise in unemployment stems from increased cost of health care to employers as a result of excess government taxation. In a report issued July 18, 2009, USA today reported an estimated “9% cost increase” by 2010, in reality “employees' costs actually go up by double digits." According to PWC Principal Michael Thompson, the extra taxation will have a ‘major, major impact’ when many employers are freezing or cutting pay” (USATODAY.) The Republican Party recognizes the “link between rising unemployment and health insurance coverage losses” and believes that lowering taxes would help provide more affordable coverage (Lucas).
Benson fails to recognize the economic issues that concern the Republican Party when he ignorantly refutes, “It is hard to know what the Republican Party stands for, if it stands for anything at all.” It is difficult to execute a perfect plan of action to completely resolve every issue involved in the economic slump, yet certain tactics appear to be promising. Rather than issuing higher progressive taxes to wealthier citizens, national health care should be made available under specific requirements to the poor and those suffering financial hardships. A balanced budget plan would include simultaneous government spending and taxation in equal amounts, which would raise GDP by the specific amount, and promote overall economic stability and potential growth. Several strategies set forth through the Obama Administration involve additional government control and higher taxation, ultimately raising Republicans’ concerns for a government heading towards socialism and fascism and moving away from capitalism.
Works Cited
ABC. "Political Punch." 19 July 2009. ABC News. 20 October 2009
Benson, Neil. Sense and Nonsense. 10 September 2009. 15 October 2009
United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. October 2009.
20 October 2009
Lucas, Dave. “The Economy Project.” 20 October 2009. WAMC. 27 October 2009
Prante, Gerald. “Tax Policy Blog.” 25 July 2008. Tax Foundation. 30 October 2009
< http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/23418.html>.
USATODAY. “Report: Health care costs to rise 9% in 2010.” 18 June 2009. USA Today.
<>.
Political, Economic, and Social Commmentary
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Obstructionist Republican Party
What's left of the Republican Party has a new motto. It's "Just Say No" again, and again to anything proposed by the current administration. It could be argued that the Republicans are fulfilling their role as the loyal opposition. However, that argument is terribly thin because it is hard to know what the Republican Party stands for, if it stands for anything at all.
The main mission of the Republican Party seems to be to prevent President Obama from implementing any plan in any area. The Republicans voted against the stimulus package, and offered very little in the way of an alternative that made sense to anybody but fellow Republicans. They were against the bailout of the big three automakers which ought to be interesting the next time they're trying to get votes in Ohio and Michigan.
The essential nature of the current Republican Party position was eloquently stated in July, by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina. When talking with Republican activists regarding efforts to stop the current health care initiative he said, "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him." If Senator DeMint were interested in serving the interests of the people of South Carolina, he might remember the large percentage of his constituency, which has either no health insurance or inadequate health care coverage. The senator from South Carolina may be prescient in his prediction of Waterloo, but it may be about his own party rather than the president.
The Republicans rightly raise concerns about the amount of money being spent by the Democratic Congress and the Obama administration. Unfortunately, the Republicans are adept at raising concerns, but short on offering realistic alternatives to solving the critical problems facing this country today. The continued absence of meaningful leadership within the Republican Party has allowed Sarah Palin to develop delusions about her ability to run for the presidency in 2012. Perhaps the Republican Party will get its just reward after all.
(from http://senseandnonsensnb.blogspot.com/)
[1] Blog link is http://senseandnonsensnb.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 2, 2009
Discussion Topic #6
Upon reading the book and from prior knowledge and research, I personally believe the primary reason women were not frequently mentioned was due to the religion within the communities that Rory Stewart encountered. The Taliban treatment of women is very notorious, and upon recognition of this, the Femininst Majority Foundation outlays a special page which sites facts regarding the Taliban and Afghan women. The foundation was created in focus of women’s rights and humanitarian crisis and outlays the violation of rights of the Afghan women, including banishment from the work force, being expelled from universities and issuing orders for women to cover their faces by wearing a burqa. The Taliban also forbid women the right to be examined by any male physician, yet they could not be examined by women either, because they were banned from the work force. Upon violation of these laws, women faced execution. From an American perspective, these laws seem very absurd and cruel, yet the women of the country do not know any better. The people within communities are very religious, and the laws imposed are extreme, yet they were maintained in order to maintain a dignity that is sacred. The rules are based upon respect, and it is often very hard to distinguish what should be considered morally “wrong,” because these rules are indeed based off religious ideals. Though many women are stripped of these rights, it is part of their religious tradition; the primary concern should be in the penalties women face for religious violations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
