ENG 102 Informative Draft

Anthoney Murray

September 13, 2011

ENG 102

MW 11:00-12:15

Subject

                I have chosen to write my informative essay about the disrespect that President Obama has receive before taking the office of the president, and during his presidency. Like the men before President Obama, he deserves respect, maybe not because he is the person holding the office, but because of the office of the president. I will say that people don’t have to respect him, but they have to respect the office. Never in history has a president been so disrespected than President Obama. Some say that it’s not disrespect, its disagreement with his policies; there is a difference between disrespect and disagreement. You can look at many news outlets and when referring to President Obama, they use “Mr.,” in its place. I will say that it’s appropriate sometimes, but 90% of the time people refer to him as Mr. Obama.

Why is this important

                This topic is important to me, because I want to prove to my intended audience that the reason that President Obama is the most disrespected president in history is due to his race. And that racial tension still exists in the United States even in 2011. I want people to know about this subject simply because it’s time for a change. President Obama’s slogan for the 2008 Presidential campaign was “CHANGE”! Change should have come when majority of the nation voted for their first African American president. If you didn’t want him as your president, leader of the free world, then why vote him in office?

My Intended Audience

                My intended audience are people who don’t understand why the disrespect of President Obama is not only offensive to African American but to other races as well. Also, to disrespect President Obama, is to disrespect the office of the president, and what it stands for.

Bibliography

Harlem English. “Is Obama the Most Disrespected President Ever?”

                http://www.harlemenglish.com/2011/09/is-obama-the-most-disrespected-u-s-president-ever/

the giro. “Obama faces historic disrespect from political peers”

                http://www.thegrio.com/politics/obama-faces-historic-disrespect-from-both-sides-of-the-aisle.php

The First Post. “Disrespect! Republicans avoid Obamas big night”

                http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/84217,people,news,disrespect-republicans-avoid-barack-obamas-big-speech-night-

USARISEUP.com “Blatant Disrespect of President Obama: Racism or Double Standard?”

                http://www.usariseup.com/national-collegiate-dialogue/blatant-disrespect-president-obama-racism-or-double-standard

Huff Post “Black Baptists Decry “Disrespect” Direct At Obama”

                http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/15/black-baptists-decry-disr_n_927286.html

ENG 102 Response 4

ENG 102 Response 4

“Why a Michigan High School is Ground Zero for US Politics”

August 30, 2011

                On April 22, 2011, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” a show on MSNBC, featured a school in the Detroit Public school system, by the name of “Catherine Ferguson High School.”  This is a school that is for pregnant teen mothers, and teen mothers who have already had children, to get an opportunity to earn a high school diploma and attend college. This segment is about the issues the school faces to stay open, when the city government, whom are which taken over by the Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager, decides to close the school if they couldn’t find a private company to take it over. The Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager  basically comes into the city of Detroit and tells them that the people that they have elected to office is only for show, meaning, they have no real power to make decisions about the city. The DPSEM, figures that sense the local elected politicians can’t get the city of Detroit back to its former glorious, prosperous days that they needed to step in and do it themselves. The DPSEM, thinks that this school is somewhat costly to run, and therefore has decided that this school will be one of the schools, that will be eliminated from the school system. The students and teachers protest this decision, and end up getting arrested by the local police, and their cries to be heard go unanswered because the local police turn on the sirens to drown out the protests from the cameras.

                This whole story focuses on what “The Rachel Maddow Show,” calls “REALLY REALLY REALLY, BIG GOVERNMENT!” The story focuses on the government being given unlimited power to take over local cities and towns, and make desions for them. The million dollar question that I want to know, and what the citizens of Detroit want to know, is how can the government come in and say that the people you have elected to office to make decisions for you, no longer matter? This is a prime example of how not to run a school system. Does the government think that my taking power from elected city officials that the Detroit Public School System will be better off? I understand the reasoning behind the government stepping in to govern the school system, but what I don’t under is how it’s going to make the school system better. If the state government is saying that the city elected government isn’t capable of running their own schools, then what makes them think they can? Is it because they feel that since they are the “BIG” government, that school officials are more likely to fall in line to what they feel the schools should be doing?

                I am appalled to know that the government could come in at any moment, and take over my cities public school system, just because they feel that they can do a better job than the elected officials. I feel that once a community has elected someone to an office, they are assuming that this person is capable of doing the job. Electing people to office to govern them makes people feel powerful, but if you take that away it makes them feel powerless. Don’t get me wrong, if the elected officials are living up to their job then they should be voted out, and someone who is capable of doing the job, should replace them. The US school systems have been the same for many years, as a matter of fact, since the founding of the United States, many years ago.

                According to Sir. Ken Robinson, since the founding of the US the school system hasn’t changed and is being run like a factory. Well maybe it’s time for the school system to change, but not get taken over by the state government. There are a few reasons why local schools should be taken over by the state government, and those reasons could be lacking of city funding to run special programs, the city government is corrupt, and if the school system doesn’t improve it could loose federal funding. Taking over a school system just because, is unacceptable. Isn’t the US a democracy, what happened to the right of its people to elect to office whom they choose?

Resources: dialogic.blogspot.com, "The Rachel Maddow Show"

ENG 102 Response 3

ENG 102

Response 3

“Someplace Like America”

In the book entitled “Someplace Like America,” by Dale Maharidge, with a foreword by Bruce Springsteen, both writers talk about their experience traveling through America, and experiences living among “REAL” Americans. They talk about living among, the homeless, the unemployed, the wealthy citizens, whom fall from grace due to the economic downturn, to all walks of life. The journey of this book begins in Santa Barbara, California 1984. It begins with the murder of a homeless man by the name of Kenneth Burr. His friends think that he was murdered by the people of the small town, because they didn’t want the homeless people around. The homeless, where treated with disrespect, like second class citizens, by the locals and the police. A man murdered, goes uninvestigated, with no one being held accountable for the murder.  The Arthur of this book couldn’t believe that this was happening in America!  America was supposed to be the land of freedom, where everyone was supposed to be equal, but the readers of this book, would soon come to find out that it wasn’t true. The way you are treated in America is based on class, race, religion, and career.

                Many Americans tend to think that because you’re a homeless person like Kenneth Burr that you don’t deserve respect and those they can run over you, and treat you any kind of way. The incident that happened in Santa Barbara was very unfortunate and most people, as a matter of fact, many people could careless, except for people that actually treat others with decency no matter what their situation is. Many people are homeless today, because of the economy problems that we are having at the moment.  In today’s society the people on Wall Street that cause the economic problems are still living well, while ordinary people are suffering.

               

                The purpose of this forward from this book, was to give your insight about events leading up to peoples situations, and the financial crisis that is going on now in America. It also is informing us about how was as Americans treat others that are down on their luck, how we try to hide the situation rather than fix the situation. Americans always talk about every is equal, and deserves fair treatment, but where was this compassion when it came to Kenneth Burr? Why was he treated without care simply because he was homeless? America talks a big talk, but in reality if anyone just took a look about our morals, how would they really judge is?

Resources: "Someplace Like America" by Dale Maharidge