Sony gets slammed by celebrities for pulling movie

In the upcoming days of the anticipated release of The Interview, Sony has received numerous threats from terrorists all over the world. The movie was a comedy about a plan to kill North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. This movie has been pulled by Sony and will never be released. Some celebrities even took to social media, calling it an act of cowardice and a threat to American freedom to "let the terrorists win". Ben Stiller took to Twitter, "Really hard to believe this is the response to a threat to freedom of expression here in America. Michael Moore who produced the controversial Fahrenheit 9/11 said this, "both the studio and myself, plus some theaters received numerous threats warning us not to show it. None of this deterred any of us from releasing Fareinheit 9/11. We just hired more security."

This is a tough topic. It probably was not the smartest idea to make the movie in the first place. However making the film and then pulling it due to terrorist threats is asinine. I understand that it is important to keep our people out of danger. However, the United States is the greatest military power in the world by a significant margin. This is a clear violation of the freedom of expression. Personally, I think the terrorists won here, proving that they can shut down a filmed American comedy with harsh words.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think Sony handled this the right way? Why or why not?

2. Was this movie a good idea to make from the very start?

International Hackers Could Take Down U.S. Power Grid?

According to the Head of the National Security Agency, China and a few more countries may just be able to take down the U.S. power grid. In a recent study, hackers who work under the Chinese Government have had the capability to infiltrate American facility public systems such as power circuits or water transportation. This is a serious problem. Serious cyber attacks could result in a large amount financial loss could result as soon as 2025 based off a prediction from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. The head of U.S. Cyber Command, Admiral Rodgers, said, "its only a matter of the when, not the if, that we are going to see something traumatic." Rodgers has also said that the United States has already found malware from China that could affect every American.

Currently, this does not relate to what we are studying in class. However, it relates to each and everyone of us in that class as well as any U.S. citizen. There is no doubt this is a serious issue. In a way this is similar to the space race, or the nuclear bomb race. The first person or country to invent or achieve the goal wins... And wins big. The U.S. has to figure out how to stop these hackers before a catastrophic hack occurs. Frequently, my family's computer breaks down due to malware. Not only is it annoying to take to the shop, but it could lead to a violation of privacy. Hopefully, Admiral Rodgers and his team can figure out something soon.

Questions:

1. Should the U.S. Government be using more money in order to research this issue?

2. Who do you think the 2 other countries Admiral Rodgers referred to are? (my best guess would be Russia)?

3. Do you think these Chinese hackers are a legitimate threat? Or is this being blown out of proportion?

Voter ID Law Preventing Texans Right to Vote

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg predicted that the extreme Voter ID law in Texas would prevent people from being able to vote. She was absolutely right. This Voter ID law, signed by Governor Rick Perry (TX) in 2011, requires citizens whom intend to vote to show one of seven types of photo identification. Currently the early voting period is going on in Texas. Election officials and even voters have said there have been issues casting ballots due to the strict law. Texans who do not have one of the seven forms of identification, must go to a driver's license office to receive a voting card. This clearly has posed problems for some people. For example, a 45 year old man from Austin named Eric Kennie could not get his card because the birth certificate listed his mother's maiden name. He has never left his house, so Eric would have problems affording it. After all Ginsburg was right, "the law risks denying the right to vote hundreds of thousands."

Personally, I think this is ridiculous. To avoid voter fraud, some form of photo identification should and needs to be required. Otherwise the results could easily be skewed. The Constitution does state that the right to should not be abridged. I certainly do not think it is being abridged at all. It is necessary to ensure there is no fraud whatsoever. One has to show a photo identification to cash a check, go to the doctor's office, and sometimes even pick up one's kid from school. So why exactly would they eliminate the photo identification? I do think that there needs to be a better system for people who cannot afford a card to be able to vote.

Discussion Questions:
1. Is the Voter ID law in Texas too strict? Why or why not?

2. Should voters be required to show a form of photo identification in order to vote at the polls?

3. Do you think that Eric Kennie deserves to receive a card even though he cannot afford it?

Ron Klain named "Ebola Czar"

This past Thursday, President Barack Obama named Ron Klain as his "Czar of Ebola". The President liked the idea of having one leader coordinate the response to the disease.  "It may make sense for us to have one person ... so that after this initial surge of activity, we can have a more regular process just to make sure that we're crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's going forward," Obama said. Klain is said to be a good manager with great relationships with administration; however he has no background at all in healthcare. Some incumbents want to elimate any travel to and from West Africa. Currently Klain is the President of an investment group known as Case Holdings and the general cousel of Revolution. He will most likely shift his attention to the prevention of a possible Ebola outbreak. 

ISIS is Growing Rapidly 9/11/14

ISIS is Growing Rapidly

According to the CIA, ISIS has nearly doubled in size. Originally, U.S. officials estimated as many as 10,000. Now there are between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters throughout Iraq and Syria according to a CIA agent. "This new total reflects an increase in members because of stronger recruitment since June following battlefield successes and the declaration of a caliphate, greater battlefield activity and additional intelligence," said the spokesman. This news came following President Barack Obama's plan to dismantle and ultimately destroy ISIS. This included launching airstrikes. Murders of 2 American Journalists have led to the push for this plan to be executed. ISIS soldiers come from over 80 different countries. The increased number is certainly a cause for concern,

Former Virginia Governor Found Guilty

Former Virginia Governor, Conservative Bob McDonnell was found guilty this past Thursday on counts of traffic of influence while he was in office. The jury handed out 11 guilty verdicts on 11 counts against McDonnell.  He was not the only one... His wife was found guilty on 9 out of 13. The guilty verdicts included $15,000 for McDonnell's daughter's wedding. A business man even gave the couple a brand new Rolex Watch. Evidently, the gifts were received with a negative intent. In 2012, there were rumors that McDonnell could potentially be Mitt Romney's running mate. Now there is hardly any doubt that he will go to jail. McDonnell questions the judgement. He claims that is was just a nice gesture of the man, but really it was to help promote the man's business.