Intriguing People- Najibullah Zazi

Najibullah Zazi was a terrorist suspect who recently pled guilty to the charges of conspiring to detonate explosives in the United States. He admitted that the terrorist group Al Quaeda recruited him along with several others. These were the three accounts that he was charged with: conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support to a terrorist organization. Zazi also confessed in court that while they had been training in Pakistan they had "had discussions with al Qaeda about targets including the New York City subway system." Officials have said that this is one of the most severe accounts of conspired terrorism since the tragedy of 9/11.



I think that it is shocking that such a large-scale terrorist conspiracy, training, and operation had been going on and so few people realized it. Many countries have been working hard at securing their borders and tightening security and procedures in general to keep terrorists at bay- especially the United States. I believe that most of this, and the new attitude towards terrorism has changed greatly since the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. However, because the US had such a significant crackdown on security, I think most people didn't worry anymore about another incident like that happening again. Are we still living under a false sense of security?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/23/mip.tuesday/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Issue #3- Social Insecurity

Many Americans believe the social security program of America needs to be reconfigured. The Bush administration has already made some changes to the system, including private investment accounts. One argument is that the social security system is going bankrupt, and is hurting the economy of the United States. They feel that the system has become the solely the "national retirement program", and is making promises to American citizens- especially retirees-it cannot follow through on. They realize that this is their entitlement, and that if they don't take precautions there's a possibility they won't be able to enjoy that right. The other side of the arguement is that the social security system is still strong and, in fact, has a surplus. According to this arguement, the system could be easily fixed with only a few simple changes. Some of these might include raising the earning cap for social security taxes, and raising the retirement age.

I stand with the former arguement for several reasons. First, it is obvious that the baby-boomers will take up a much larger portion of the social security budget- meaning there will be significantly less for the following generation. This means less financial security. Another reason why I believe the system is in economic trouble is because so many Americans have become solely dependent upon social security to take care of them once they have retired, instead of working to create a solid nest egg to rely on. I believe that America should impose at least small earmarks on products in order to increase the social security budget, thus planning ahead for future generations and avoiding "social insecurity".

Here is an interesting article from CNN about the social security debate:

http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/18/retirement/wage_cap_change/index.htm

Issue #1http://felicia01.blogspot.com/2010/02/issue-1-war-dollars_18.html

Issue #2 http://rachaelbeers951.blogspot.com/2010/02/issue-2.html

South Africa Today: Mandela's Influence

Article: South Africa 20 Years after Mandela release (CNN World)

This journal article covers the extensive work accomplished by Mandela in his lifelong struggle to find a peaceful solution to the conflicting political parties of South Africa. He grew up in a royal family, though he was unable to inherit any position of power in government. Despite this, Mandela still voiced his opinions and became a prominent figure in the history of South African politics. He was always outspoken, and tried to find nonviolent ways of dealing with political challenges-especially regarding the tense relationship between blacks and whites during and after apartheid.

Several weeks ago the school's Amnesty International group had a discussion about apartheid and planned a field trip to the movie theater to watch Invictus. Invicus is a recently released movie about Mandela's struggle to reach peace in South Africa after his release from jail, and how he accomplished it through the nation's rugby team. I think this article is a solid follow-up to that movie, highlighting the great challenges and victories that Mandela, both major political parties of South Africa, and its citizens experienced during that time. This subject is intriguing, and I am especially perplexed- and slightly embarassed (I will admit)- that I had so little knowledge of this great human struggle. Although he is not perfect, no human is, his dreams and great aspirations for his beloved country should be an inspiration to all.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/02/10/mandela.anniversary/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Invictus Poem: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/invictus/
Invictus Movie: http://invictusmovie.warnerbros.com/
Mandela Bio: http://www.anc.org.za/people/mandela.html
Amnesty International: http://www.amnestyusa.org/