Blog Stage 8

In an editorial posted by USA seen from a Paki, author Osama Imran ridicules the national government as well as Donald Trump by attacking the religious discrimination against Islam. He additionally incorporates personal anecdotes to highlight the problem and how it affects common citizens.

Imran begins his argument by stating that ever since 9/11 Americans have become more afraid of religions, specifically Islam. The media contributes to these fears by bombarding individuals with gruesome news and images depicting attacks which link Islam to terrorism and oppression. The author could of strengthened their argument by adding opinion polls here. These polls can reveal Americans’ fear and bias towards Muslims. Statistics could also be used to emphasize the growing percentage of individuals who fear the religion and its followers. The author then introduces personal experiences on how Islamophobia has affected them and the people they know. Imran recalls how a majority of Americans he has met often joke or become frightful when they learn that his name is Osama; he also states that many of his fellow classmates felt threatened and feared for their lives simply because they were Muslim. These anecdotes support the author's central claim because it reveals that Islamophobia hurts common individuals and infringes upon their rights. Discriminating against Islam is an issue because it undermines American core values that state that each and all citizens have the freedom to practice their own beliefs.

Furthermore, the author claims that after the election of Donald Trump for president, the problem has become much worse. The “Muslim ban” has created discrimination which “seems pointless” and prevents Muslims from entering the country. The argument could of been better supported if the author included more info, such as which countries were included in ban as well as statistics on how many people are affected by it. By placing the travel bans Trump further portrays Muslims as dangerous and should be avoided. Imran also states that anti Muslims groups have quadrupled in the last year and hate crimes have increased at an alarming rate. Once again, the use of specific statistics would solidify the argument because numbers are objective. The last point Imran makes is that the media also contributes to Islamophobia because often times if there's an “evil organization” or a “villain” in the film, it is likely that they are Arab or Islam based. I agree with this statement, but I would like to see specific examples of films where this is the case.
All in all, I agree with Imran’s opinion. Trump’s decisions are not in the best interest of the country and his policies seem to further increase discrimination against Muslims. The editorial is constructed well, and their seems to be few flaws in the reasoning. The commentary, however, could have been strengthened by citing the information through hyperlinks. America must properly educate themselves rather than relying on what Trump or the media says about Muslims and Islam. The hate and discrimination violates the First Amendment and immediate action must  be taken in order to protect every citizen’s rights.

Blog Stage 7

Gun shootings seem to dominate news stories in America, every day more people get hurt and everyday people become more afraid, yet, the U.S government seem to be ignoring this deadly issue. The government has a duty to the people make the public feel secure, but with the election of Donald Trump, they seem to be doing the exact opposite.

The vast majority of ordinary Americans, about 9 in 10, support reasonable regulations on guns. Additionally, even National Rifle Association members seem to encourage some form of control,  but lawmakers in Congress seems to blatantly disregard the facts and fail to pass any laws that aid in this desired protection. They even seem to reject even the mild, sensible laws- such as background checks, bans on ownership by domestic abusers, and bans on mentally ill individuals that would help reduce the country's staggering toll of gun violence.
The failure of gun control also undermines the core idea of democracy, the laws that are in place, or rather the laws that are not in place, are an ill representation of what the people want. Last September, Missouri legislators overrode the governor’s veto to allow people to carry concealed weapons in public without a background check, permit, or even training. By passing this law, it ignored 86% of the states' votes as well as the plea of law enforcement organizations. Previously, Missouri had loosened its gun laws in 2007, by eliminating the requirement that handgun purchasers get a permit by passing a background check. And as a result, in the following six years, the state’s gun homicide rate rose by 18 percent, almost 50 percent higher than the national average.

Furthermore, President Donald Trump signed a bill earlier in 2017 that rolled back an Obama regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun. The rule added people receiving Social Security checks for mental illnesses and people deemed unfit to handle their own financial affairs, to the national background check database. Had the rule fully taken effect, the Obama administration predicted it would have added about 75,000 names to that database, which in turn would have given Americans more security.Trump’s main argument for uncontrolled guns is the protection of the second amendment, which is the right to bear arms. In a speech given to the NRA, Trump proclaimed that the “8-year assault on the second amendment has come to a crashing end,” but the end of this “assault” means the beginning of a new and dangerous era. Many conservatives, as well as Trump himself, believe that guns are used in self-defense but many statistics prove otherwise. Research in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, stated that 87 percent of handgun owners report that self-defense is their principal reason to own a firearm , however, research has shown that having a gun in the home,  regardless of the number, increases the risk of homicide or suicide. In 2014 alone, for every time a person used a gun to kill in a justifiable homicide (self-defense), 34 innocent lives were ended in criminal gun homicides.

All in all, gun control is an issue that if handled properly would help protect many Americans. Trump must realize that having restrictions does not mean the second amendment has to be eliminated, but rather restrictions would help make the country safer by reducing the number of individuals who are unfit to carry a firearm. Many states, such as Maine and Nevada,  are already taking action by passing universal background checks, but this is not enough. Individuals in all states must encourage their representatives to understand the need for gun control.