Difficult Choices

This was another week of violence overseas: the killing of civilians in Syria continued, with scores more dead and no end in sight despite the efforts of former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. In Afghanistan, a U.S. soldier went on a shooting rampage and killed 16 Afghan civilians, including women and children. This latest incident is causing many to rethink the US role in Afghanistan and consider a more rapid withdrawal.

On the domestic scene, Super Tuesday was supposed to give the Republicans a clear front runner but instead there were enough “wins” for all of the candidates to stay in the race. Rick Santorum won the Kansas caucus on Saturday and with two southern primaries this week, Newt Gingrich is hoping for two wins. Meanwhile, President Obama, the presumed nominee of the Democrats, heralded the improving economy and expressed strong support for women’s health issues.

Modern America

We continued our study of World War II by looking at the internment of Japanese Americans. Even though they were citizens, the government was concerned that they could aid the enemy and therefore placed them in detention camps. These people lost all their property and rights for the duration of the war. Despite the obvious violation of civil rights, many young Japanese Americans joined the armed services to prove their loyalty. It is ironic that the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, consisting almost entirely of Japanese-American soldiers, won the most medals for bravery of any unit in US history.

We also did several readings on the dropping of the atomic bomb. Building the bomb was a monumental undertaking. You read arguments for and against dropping the bomb, as well as an eyewitness account of the bomb’s effects on the city and people of Hiroshima. The use of the bomb has had numerous political and economic consequences as the world today copes with the growth of nuclear weapons in countries we see as unfriendly to Western ways. The world community is worried that Iran is developing nuclear capabilities that could threaten Israel, a country Iran’s President has said should not exist. You had the opportunity to further explore the bombing of Hiroshima and its current implications through your accountable talk activity. Accountable talk gives you the opportunity to hear from your fellow students and share your own thoughts. To earn high points for this activity you need to contribute, cite the text, and be a good listener.

G period

Thank you to those who offered our three student presentations on financing the war, the changing role of women, and the retooling of production. More on these presentations in our next blog entry.

Lady Islanders are Number One in our Hearts

Congratulations to our Lady Islanders, who were Second in the State and Number One in our hearts. They provided us with a thrilling season and another trip to URI for the finals. Great job!!!