America and Anti-War don't go together

 

    The US has been caught up in war since the day we established our nation. We are seen as a powerhouse of a nation and many try to uphold that narrative by flexing our military operations and saying to other nations that we can wipe them out easily if they mess with us. After spending some time on AntiWar.com, I understood why I hear none of these stories, and these stories are pushed away from the mainstream media. The narrative of the US becoming an anti-war nation will send a message to others that we are vulnerable, and other nations might see this as a great opportunity to flex their own military operations.

    

    These websites play into that narrative, highlighting the destruction that our military does and talks about the ideas that no other mainstream media outlet will pay attention to or report on. Many stories abroad are not covered enough when the US is interacting with them and this website makes sure you know most things that are going on in our military. If they weren't so "anti-war" and more "whats going on in our military" they might get better exposure and these stories can be picked up by a bigger news publisher. As a nation, we should strive for transparency within our military but also not backing down when another nation tries to push us around. War is not the choice everyone is looking for, but we must be ready if some other nation tries to challenge us and take our land or resources for themselves. 

https://www.antiwar.com/

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/web-categories/realism-restraint/

Black Lives Matter

   

    While reading about some protests that occurred across the nation in the last few months, the first amendment, speech or action, and the bedrock principles have been highlighted and talked about A LOT. One of the biggest thing that stays in my head is the thought of expressive action, and how some may try to use it to justify rioting and looting of stores in certain cities. Speech is protected by the first amendment, while action is not protected. This is the grey area that many try to manipulate in their favor so they can be protected by the first amendment. If this action is engaging in something that is trying to send a message, this can be protected by the first amendment and called expressive action.           

   

    Many looting and rioting of stores many will say was "trying to send a message" about the unjust police brutality that our nation faces today. This can be a good reason, but many fail to realize that you still have to abide by the other rules of the first amendment (peaceful!) and that freedom of the press is legitimately the only thing absolutely protected by the first amendment. No one wants their property to be destroyed, and our government has checks in place so those that do it face consequences. You can not take the first amendment and apply it to any situation, as every situation isn't always protected by the first amendment (FA does not protect against the Laws of General Applicability). 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html

https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/502121-what-the-2020-black-lives-matter-protests-have-achieved-so

U.S. Supreme Court

     Ultimate jurisdiction and evaluating the constitutionality of all the laws in the US falls into the responsibility of the US Supreme Court. Currently, the US Supreme Court is made up of nine justices that have the ability to check over every other branch of government. The first term that the US Supreme Court was actually established, there didn't even take any cases, as they had to plan out how they were going to actually hear cases and how the process is going to go when hearing said cases. Imagine back in the day, trying to get 6 people (set to 9 in 1869) in from all over the US to come together on the same day to represent and talk about one of the most important parts of our country today. This is a hardship to complete, as transportation was so different than it is today.

     

    Once things got rolling, they handed down their first decision ever on West v. Barnes, a farmer and a family he owed a debt to. The Supreme Court has had lasting impacts, giving decisions that shape what we know about the United States and how we look at different aspects of our constitution. Many cases are looked back upon and the ruling is changed, as there is a history of justices not living up to following the constitution wholeheartedly. This is the job of the US Supreme Court, to constantly check that all our decisions that we make as a nation are in line with the mindsets of our founding fathers. 

Famous cases to take a look at:

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Texas v. Johnson (1989)

Roe v. Wade (1973)

U.S. v. Nixon (1974)

Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

US v. Windsor (2013)

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/supreme-court-facts

My Top Five Sources of News and Information

CNN

CNN has topics that include business, US, World, health and stock market data. They are a decent source when it comes to news and business. They have a lot of entertainment, technology, and style as well.  CNN has a reputation for being on the opposite side of Donald Trump's views and I always find it funny when they slander Donald Trump and vise versa. They tend to give a different narrative than what he is saying and I try to see it from both sides to figure out the right one logically. 

https://www.cnn.com/

The New York Times

The New York Times has a variety of topics that they talk about such as politics and the economy, to fashion and food. This is a fairly unbias site, which may be leaning a little left, but gives you good news stories that can be credible. Most of the stories are sourced which allows for good fact-checking when reading stories you aren't so sure about. I like this website because it gives you a little of the serious side of life while also playing into the casual stuff that keeps you interested and up to date. 

The Washington Post

I'd say that Washington Post is just very similar to the New York Times and holds a lot of the same stories. While reading the website they say they try to provide the most factual information and try not to play into either side in politics. This website has a lot of the same aspects as the New York Times, having technology, health, and even dedicated sections for certain stories such as the Coronavirus. They are also a little left-sided but are seen as trying to be as unbias as possible and they also provide sources for you to be able to do your own research if necessary.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/

The New Yorker

The New Yorker features news, books and culture, humor and cartoons, and podcasts. I'd say this news source is a little more laid back but they are still a reliable news sources. I don't use this one too often unless I need a good laugh about some news I see. They even have the famous crossword puzzles for those that love to complete them. 

https://www.newyorker.com/

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal has a different style of topics such as breaking news, politics, finance, and the economy. I'd say they are a little more serious when talking about information because of having ties to Wall Street. They are very reliable with business and finance and they are always up to date.  They also have an exclusive student offer for those who want to subscribe and are a student in a college/high school. 

https://www.wsj.com/