Transformation Of American Psyche Through Bush Essay Example for Free

Transformation Of American Psyche Through Bush Essay Very few leaders today cause as many strong feelings as President Bush.   It seems that in his years leading the United States, people either view his leadership with reverence or repulsion, but very few view him with indifference.   In a December 2006 Associated Poll, Americans showed how divisive the president’s leadership is by not only voting him the hero of the year, but also its top villain. Political division is seen as a major cause of the contradiction, as Bush was the choice of 43 percent of Democrats for villain, and 27 percent of Republicans for hero, but 25 percent of all people chose Bush, the leader of the free world, as the top villain over both Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein (â€Å"‘Hero and Villain’: President Bush Sweeps AP Poll†).    The divisiveness he causes in the country, as well as the unilateral action he takes in foreign policy, which has squandered all of the international sympathy towards the United States after 9-11, are some of his biggest shortcomings, though only a few of many.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cited by supporters and critics alike is the president’s refusal to bend on certain issues, including his religious beliefs that have continuously blurred the line between church and state.   According to former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, â€Å"He sticks with his beliefs, no matter how intense the criticism and invective that are directed against him every day† (Koch).   While Christian conservatives support him, his personal beliefs have seriously held up scientific discoveries in the way of stem cell research by refusing to support federal funding; he has denied social advancements to gays wishing for equal rights to marry; he has spearheaded a renewed campaign to take away women’s right to choose; he has also been instrumental in creating a new paranoia over immigration, despite being the president of a country made of immigrants; and, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow, as the country finds itself poised on the brink of recession.   But, his greatest shortcomings are concerning the war on terror, which needlessly expanded, and his flippant abuse of federal power concerning the privacy of U.S. citizens.   For a president that uses the word â€Å"freedom† so frequently, he has done more than most presidents to take it away from his fellow countrymen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bush’s accomplishments are more difficult to ascertain.   The country has not had a significant terrorist attack on U.S. soil, which could be attributed to U.S. soldiers in the Middle East becoming the new terrorist targets.   The prescription drug benefit has also benefited some senior citizens, but health care reform still needs to take place.    While it would be nice to be able to list the accomplishments of President Bush, his presidency has largely been marked by war, with one necessary and one misleading. He has divided the country and relied only on his religious faith to curry favor with his base, and his performance in office is best reflected by his record low approval ratings, his fellow party members abandoning him, and the country’s fervent desire to elect a new leader that will be the complete opposite of him and usher in a new era of unity, honesty, and true freedom. The American public has loudly started to voice its opposition to the protracted war in Iraq, as recent polls and presidential approval ratings show that the public is increasingly upset with the direction the war has taken, even though support for the troops continues to remain high.   As it stands, opposition to the war also continues to grow and the polarization that marked the early days of the war is diminishing, as citizens, politicians, members of the armed forces, and even those in the Bush administration are realizing the errant decisions that led to and sustained the war have cost far too muchin billions of taxpayers’ dollars, international economic and political status, and most importantly the lives of tens thousands of Americans and many more Iraqis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Few issues have polarized the political community and general population in the United States as the sustained war in Iraq.   While most of the country agreed that invading Afghanistan was necessary to combat terrorism, the decision to invade Iraq was met with mixed feelings at best.   At the time, the Bush administration used everything in its power to convince the American public and the world of the righteousness in attacking Iraq. The many reasons, with varying degrees of honesty and accuracy, ranged from the threat of weapons of mass destruction to Iraq’s participation in terrorism to the plain fact that Saddam Hussein was a bad man.   Unfortunately, many Americans who would normally be in the middle of the road on such issues were blinded by the administration’s continued propaganda about having to support a president during wartime, regardless of the terrible decisions or unexplained actions he takes, and many also believed that Iraq was involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.    A Washington Post poll of 1,003 adults taken in August of 2003 found that nearly 70% of Americans polled believed that Saddam Hussein was personally involved in Al Qeada’s attacks on the United States; a Time/CNN poll conducted around the same time found Americans more closely split on whether the military action in Iraq was worth the price in America lives, taxpayer dollars and other costs — 49% said yes, 43% no and 8% were unsure (â€Å"Poll: 70% Believe Saddam, 9-11 Link†).   With its aims justified in the eyes of the misinformed American public, in March of 2003 the Bush administration got its wish to expand the war in the Middle East to include Iraq. This initial invasion was a showcase for the massive military industrial complex that provided scores of new technological advances in recent years designed to maximize death.   Memorable images from the invasion include the â€Å"shock and awe† campaign of large bombs and missiles tearing up Baghdad, the famous toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue by Iraqi civilians, and President George Bush landing in a fighter jet upon an aircraft carrier, only to give a speech in front of a large banner that read â€Å"Mission Accomplished!† The tragically comedic irony of that banner can only be understood in hindsight, and only by those fortunate enough not to have been in Iraq.   Over four years later, the mission has not been accomplished, unless the mission was to create the highest possible revenues for international oil companies at the expense of young American lives. Additionally, the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq eroded much of the international good will created by the September 11 attacks.   Many countries that supported the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan see the invasion of Iraq as unnecessary and nothing more than the act of a bully, the world’s lone superpower.   However, most Americans chose to dismiss the loud opinions of the international community as being shortsighted and not relatable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The economic impact of the war in Iraq is felt by all Americans each time they pump gas.   In the four years since the U.S. invaded Iraq, Iraqi oilfields and associated infrastructure have sustained 400 attacks, and oil production in the country has fallen from 1.95 barrels per day during the first quarter of 2007, short of the U.S. goal of 2.5 million barrels per day and the previous mark of 3.7 million under Saddam Hussein (Miller). It is also highly reported in the media and amongst citizens that companies like Haliburton, associated with Vice President Dick Cheney, have benefited immensely from the reconstruction contracts in Iraq, leading many to believe that the war is solely for oil.   The fact that oil companies are now making record profits seem to reinforce these ideas. But, another consequence of U.S. action in Iraq is that the dollar is losing its international value.   The dollar has weakened against the euro, gold, copper, and other assets, and when Bush came in to office, a dollar equated to .987 euros while now it is at .75 (Miller).   While oil gets more expensive, the dollar weakens, in large part due America’s overwhelming dependence on it and the massive expenditures of oil, resources, and money on the war in Iraq.   The business side of the war in Iraq seems to have little benefit for common Americans, who are really the ones paying the most for it in terms of dollars. Works Cited: â€Å"‘Hero and Villain’: President Bush Sweeps AP Poll.† Editor Publisher. 28 Dec 2006. 9 Jul http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id= 1003525882. Koch, Ed. George Bush is my hero. The Jerusalem Post. 31 Dec 2006. 9 Jul 2008. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFullcid=1167467631671. Miller, Ken. â€Å"Wall Street, Iraq and the Declining Dollar.† The Nation. 12 Jun 2007. 9 Jul http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070625/miller. â€Å"Poll: 70% Believe Saddam, 9-11 Link.† USA Today. 6 Sep 2003. 9 Jul 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-09-06-poll-iraq_x.htm.

Themes in Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby Essay -- essays research papers

In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, there are several themes. Some include The death of the American Dream, hope, and uselessness of women. These all are the three most important themes and expressed a lot throughout the story. Even though this whole story might seem like a romantic tale, one of the important theme’s is actually the death of the American Dream. F.Scott Fitzgerald shows this by showing us the people’s greed for money and decay of the moral values. One example that shows people’s greed is the way Gatsby acquired his money mostly from Dan Cody (pg 107) so he didn’t really have to work too hard for this fortune and thus, got in the habit of getting everything easily, and thus, started a chain of drug stores that were not necessarily legal, but he had done all that just because he though t it was the only way to achieve his American Dream. He had distorted the reality and actually thought Daisy would be his after he becomes rich. In the end, when his dreams were shattered, all that he could do was die, and even did. Daisy is another example, she is also responsible for the death of the American Dream. She was a materialistic person, all she ever wanted was luxury and comfort. â€Å"..with Daisy’s suggestion that we hire five bathrooms and take cold baths,..†(pg 133). She said this after they had all reached â€Å"the town† and after she had rejected Jordan’s offer to go and watch a movie because she felt hot. All she cares about is her own luxury. She had also lost all her moral values which is also why she was also why she had a big part in the death of the American D... ...he important themes of this novel. Lastly, another important theme in this novel is the uselessness of wome. Tom and Gatsby were both independent men. They did not need anyone else to survive even though they both fight over Daisy. Daisy on the other hand is dependent, mostly on Tom though. Infact, on one of the first meeting with Daisy, she had told Nick that she had a daughter and that, â€Å"..It’s a girl.And I hope she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.† (pg 21) She, herself, admits that girls are fool. She feels that there is no point of them in the world. That is why she was so upset when she found out that she had a daughter, she knew that her daughter would have to go through the same misery that she had to go through because they are not self made and that is why this was also one of the themes of the novel.

Paranormal Existences

Paranormal Existence Is someone or something else among us at this moment, in this room, something we can’t even see? Have you ever wondered what else is really out there? Unexplained happenings occur every day. Spirits or ghosts are thought of just being people that have passed away but there has to be more to it. Paranormal activity is defined as experiences that lie outside the range of normal experience or scientific explanation.At some point in everyone’s life they will experience some kind of unexplained activity. Many people ask the question if it actually exists or if it’s all in their head. Scientists often say that these so called â€Å"spirits† do not exist. Only personal experiences can interpret your own feelings about paranormal existences. My story is about a spirit that lived on past their death. One night a couple months ago me and my friends were playing on her wigi board. Her dad had died 5 years earlier due to a horrific car crash.Her f amily had always seen balls roll across the room and other strange things happen without explanation; they always assumed it was him. When we started playing around with the board the first letter of the girl’s dads name showed up and her eyes instantly filled up with tears, like a helpless child left all alone, the second letter was the second letter to his name, the same with the third. By this time my friend was balling, she of course knew it was her father. We continued playing until the last letter of his name showed up.At this moment we heard a vase upstairs shatter into a million pieces, just like the car windshield had done when his helpless body had gone through it, instantly killed. We ran upstairs to find the vase and its contents of flowers spread all over the floor. Then we replaced it with a new vase and reassembled the flowers to how they were. The next morning her mother walked downstairs with a flower in her hand and asked, â€Å"Why did you put a flower nex t to my bed? † That night changed the way I thought about spirits forever.I never thought anything like that could ever happen to me. Anyone who experienced that kind of activity and the intensity in that room could easily say they felt a presence surrounding them. In the moment of that glass shattering was the one of the scariest moments of my life. I will always remember the terror racing through me, my heart pounding, sounding of horse’s strong hooves beating against the track, like thunder rolling in and the suspense leading up to the storm.Saying spirits like this don’t exist is outrageous considering how many people actually experience real activity. Some people don’t want to believe this is real simply because they are scared of it. Many others find it very interesting to study about and explore the possibilities of what else could potentially be out there with us in our everyday lives and something you aren’t even able to see. Everyone has d ifferent views on if paranormal existences are actually real. Mysterious things could happen at any time, and when they do, be prepared.

Chimpanzees Exhibit Culture Through Social Interaction

The concept of culture to many individuals may be perceived as a combination of language, beliefs, norms, values and customs shared amongst individuals; passed along generations to be carried out within a society. In a society, individuals make up social groupings that form ideas, behaviors and materials objects that encompass what they define as culture. Culture is not only essential for survival, but for growth and communication; through interaction, observation and imitation our behavioral patterns thus create culture. Since culture is such a tool kit for survival, it does not come as a surprise that culture is apparent in animals. Animal culture refers to the theory of social interaction, through means of learning, artifacts, behavior patterns, animals such as chimpanzees, pass their knowledge through generations, much like humans do. Throughout this paper I will begin to identify that similar to humans, chimpanzees exhibit culture. By looking at norms, behaviors, attitudes, and comparing to those of human characteristics, I will prove chimpanzees learn culture through social interaction. Culture has a strong influence on a variety of aspects in our lives; many may know it to be an aspect uniquely acquired by humans. The debate drives onto scrutinize if apes, such as chimpanzees are influenced by culture and its impact on chimpanzee social groups. The concept of social learning has become such a popular source in distinguishing if animals, do in fact exhibit culture.Show MoreRelatedThe True Cost Of Animal Experimentation Essay1210 Words   |  5 Pageswith AWA. 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