Fidel Response

From what we viewed in class on Thursday, the Cubans were sick and tired of the corrupt government they had under Prio. Fidel's leadership could be seen even when he was a lawyer, arguing against the government, and pushing for revolution. Upon watching this portion of the movie, I realized that the Cuban people were not satisfied with the government they had before Castro, as I had previously thought they were. As it appeared, the government under Batista was not much better than under Prio, and Castro anticipated this and called for an attack on the Moncada barracks on July 26th. Although this attack failed, Castro's leadership could easily be seen here, and his bravery and determination that inspired those who supported him to belive in his ideal above all else, even family. His charismatic approach is what led these people to follow him, in an effort to revolt against the established government, and free the Cuban people of the oppression bestowed upon them by their own government and the U.S.

" A Mighty Heart"

"A Mighty Heart" is a movie starring Angelina Jolie as the wife of Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was kidnapped on his way to an alleged interview with the Sheikh of Pakistan, and then brutally murdered weeks later. I was watching this movie earlier today, and I could feel the pain this poor woman went through during weeks of searching for clues as to the kidnapping of her husband. This happened shortly after the 9/11 terrorist hijackings in the city of Karachi, the biggest city in Pakistan during mid-January.

The movie is very emotional. The search that lasted for weeks, involving the FBI and Pakistani officials, led to the tragic conclusion of finding out that Daniel Pearl had been beheaded by Al-Qaeda extremists, and captured on videotape. His wife was hopeful until the very end, and her passion in discovering the truth and the clues is excellently portrayed by Angelina Jolie. The anguish and the suffering she goes through when she found out he had been murdered is very emotional and saddening to watch, after having come so close to finding the kidnappers and bringing Daniel back home alive. It is a story of courage and hope that should be seen by my fellow classmates, and we should never forget the story of Daniel Pearl, a dedicated journalist of the Wall Street Journal who died in the line of duty, doing what he knew was right, and reporting honestly all the time.

Abortion

Abortion is a very controversial social issue that as been going on for quite a while now. For a fact, almost everyone at one point has heard the "Pro-life vs. Pro-choice argument", whether it was on TV, the news, the internet, at work, or even at school. Some people argue for pro-choice, exclaiming that it is the woman's choice whether or not she wants to abort the child or not, and that a law prohibiting the woman from making this choice infringes her right of privacy. There have even been court cases, such as "Roe vs. Wade", which even declared that it was unconstitutional and against the fourteenth amendment to prevent a woman from having an abortion. However, I am one who believes in pro-life.

It is true that a woman has a right to her privacy. However, if said woman was irresponsible, and did not utilize any contraception, why should the child, even though not formed yet, have to suffer? The woman should be responsible enough now to have this child and take care of it, and the man who impregnated her should not be a pansy and run away from the problem. Instead, such man should console his wife/girlfriend and encourage her, being the head of the house he should be. He should tell her not to worry, and that together they will get through this. He can even suggest for her to get help, and there are many ways she can get help.