Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy?

http://nyti.ms/2hVbbr2

Thought this was an interesting final question to consider for the semester given the topic of your democracy papers and the results of the election this fall. The authors of this article argue that he is a threat based on:

1. his promotion of violence during his campaign.
2. statements to jail his political opponent.
3. his questioning of the legitimacy of the popular vote outcome.

The authors also warn of his authoritarian tendencies, attempts to diminish the news media's role by direct communication with voters through twitter. Lastly they raise the question of whether our democracy would survive a conflict. A few questions then:

1. Is Trump really a threat to democracy?
2. Is the bitterness and divisiveness that has emerged in our two party system a threat to democracy?
3. President Obama tried to create a more collaborative culture in Washington DC, but instead politics has become more divided. How can the national political system be improved?

Trump responds immediately to 'Saturday Night Live' skit mocking his tweets

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/12/04/trump-responds-immediately-saturday-night-live-skit-mocking-his-tweets/94933756/

In an article written on the USA Today website, Trump expresses his feelings toward actor Alec Baldwins impression of him on SNL a.k.a. Saturday Night Live. Within only one hour of the shows live broadcast, Trump immediately responded, outraged that SNL would mock him the way they did. Trump said "Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad". This response, given from his twitter feed, provides the american people with evidence to believe Trump is an inferior president and he will be bothered by little things like mocking him. In the past many other presidents were mocked and were not bothered by the impressions made on SNL: Michael McKean as Bill Clinton, Darell Hammond's as George W. Bush, Fred Armisen playing president Barack Obama. 

With this in mind, do you believe Trump will continue to be disturbed by the medias mocking of him? 

Is it possible that Trump will grow into the president we want and need?

Will Trump ever discontinue the comments he makes on twitter and pay more attention to his presidential duties?

Family Fights Government In Land Dispute Near Area 51

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/12/12/family-fights-government-in-land-dispute-near-area-51.html

Lying along the border of Area 51 is Joe Sheahan' s family' s Nevada Groom Mine, which is currently in danger to the likeliness of the government. The family has been encountered by many government affiliated corporations who by all means tried obtaining this valuable piece of land with intimidation and 'embarrassingly low' prices says family lawyer James Leavitt. The family´s Nevada mine currently is 400 acres, 5,000 feet above sea level,  and holds minerals that were recently looked for by the Joe´s family in 2015. Since the early 1900´s, the family has been battling the government with health risks such as radiation from nuclear tests that have not been warned to the family, and now the government have taken the family deed after the Sheahans refused their offer for their piece of land. Now, Joe Sheahan and his family fight to find an agreeable value for the land, but if the establishment of an agreed amount cannot come to take place then the Sheahans are ready to take the battle to a jury trial. 

1) Why do you think the Sheahan´s Nevada Groom Mine is so important for the government to acquire? 
2) Do you think that the sight of extra terrestrial activity can play a part in the reason why the government desperately wants this piece of land? If so, explain what this could mean to the reputation of then government. 
3) If your family was to own this property, would you be terrified to oppose the government or legally fight this battle in court? Explain. 

Republicans Ryan and McConnell back Russia vote hack probe

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38294765

The Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell both support the initiative to look into Russia hacking the election. They state that any foreign intervention in the polls is "unacceptable." The two say that they will use their own intelligence committees to investigate the allegations. The CIA has been investigating the matter, and there has been no concrete evidence of Russian tampering that has come up yet. Trump defends himself, tweeting: "Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card. It would be called conspiracy theory!". While both Ryan and McConnell support the investigation of the election, Ryan states, "As we work to protect our democracy from foreign influence, we should not cast doubt on the clear and decisive outcome of this election." If the accusations came out to be true, then current relations with Russia would become a lot worse than they already are. It is also possible that the recount effort led by Jill Stein will skyrocket in support, and Trump may not be allowed to take office. On the other hand, if the accusations were false, it would make the Democratic party and those against Trump seem vengeful and unwilling to accept a fair, democratic election. 

Do you think Russia had any influence on the outcome of the election?
What would happen if they were found to actually have done it?
Would there be any sort of impact if Russia didn't do anything?

Beijing 'seriously concerned' after Trump questions 'one China' policy

After the most recent presidential election, China is "seriously concerned" after Donald Trump questioned whether the United States should keep its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of "one China." China has responded saying that co- operation with the United States is out of question. China believes that unless Trump adheres to the one- China policy, it will spark a real crisis between the countries. The article continued by claiming that Trump is "ignorant as a child" in foreign policy. This editorial spoke about how Trump did not understand that the one- China policy bought or sold because he only understand business and believes that everything has a price. Earlier this month, Trump slammed China on twitter criticizing their currency policy and military posturing.

1. Do you agree with China's decision to make cooperation with the US out of question? 

2. Why do you think Trump was called "ignorant as a child"

3. Is Trump harming his presidency with these actions?

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/12/politics/china-trump-one-china-reaction/#

Advice to Melania Trump

Use this link

In recent years, there has been an astronomical increase in cyberbullying, thanks to social media. The effects of bullying has led to numerous deaths. Bullying that used to happened in school is now initiating a new era on social platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat. Despite the all the hate and disagreement from this election, Melania Trump is a stark contrast in that she plans to promote unity. While Michelle Obama chose to focus on healthy eating, Melania Trump chooses to focus on cyberbullying, something she has dealt with especially with the duality of being a model and Donald Trump's wife. Some advice for Melania is for her to focus on the positive, teach kids that hurting the attacker will only continue the bullying cycle, and increase social-emotional programs that will help students recognize their own emotions. 

Discussion Questions:

 1) Do you agree with Melania's efforts or do you think that she should focus her attention elsewhere? 

2) We all have seen or experience bullying in various forms. How do you think bullying, specifically cyberbullying, should be targeted?  

3) Do you believe social platforms should allow for censorship of any type of bullying? 

Is Trump winning the game, or is it all just a scam? 4 Incredibly Accurate Things People Who Like Click Bait Will Get~

This guy is the 45th President of the Free World  

article link Very reliable and honest Washington Post
Very smart and funny contributing source: Buzzfeed

The President-elect Donald J. Trump announced today that he successfully negotiated a deal with the Japanese telecom and Internet company Softbank, in which Softbank will invest $50 billion in the United States and create approximately create 50,000 jobs. It is important to note that Softbank is the majority shareholder of the Sprint company and its transition to America is a great sign of prosperity to come--relative to Trump's overall message to "Make America Great Again." Furthermore, in order to create jobs in America, Softbank plans to invest into multiple start up companies across America. This is an interesting trend for Trump to already be doing presidential cool stuff when he hasn't even been sworn into office yet. This also builds upon his recent Carrier deal he made to keep 1,000 jobs in the United States from moving to Mexico. It's also interesting to note that the CEO's son of Softbank claimed that if Hillary Clinton was President this deal would have never happened. All of Trump's campaign talk and promises to create more jobs and uphold America's strength seem to already be happening. In addition to the trustworthy Washington Post, CNN is also telling me that this deal is all just a political stunt that is aimed to glorify Trump's future presidency--somehow this has to be all a massive plot to induce more racism and xenophobia. So there you have it, two polar opposite viewpoints of this deal from two very reliable news outlets.
Discussion Questions:

1. Are Trump's actions of salvation worth his redemption for all his xenophobia to get to power? 
2. Is it all just a scam? 
3. Why are foreign companies more inclined to invest in America now? 
4. How can Bernie Sanders still win the election? 

President-elect Donald Trump dismisses Green Party recall effort as a ‘scam’

article

Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has called for a recount in voted in a few states, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump has tweeted about this saying that it is a scam and that Jill Stein is only doing this to get money. She recently dropped her recount suit in Pennsylvania and she's loosing votes in the Wisconsin recount. After Trump tweeted about dropping the recount, Jill Stein changed her mind and said she was still going through with it. However, I do not think a recount would do anything to change the results of this election. She then stated that she would escalate her efforts and file a federal lawsuit in Pennsylvania to get the recount. Trump also believes that the only reason he lost the popular vote was because thousands of people voted illegally.

1. Do you think there should be recounts in some states?

2. If some states do get recounts, do you think it can change the results of the election?

3. Do you think Jill Stein is just doing this to get money?

Ghost Ship Fire in Oakland

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/04/us/warehouse-party-fire-oakland-search.html?_r=0

A fire in Oakland, CA resulted in 33 deaths at a warehouse that was used for parties and living space. The fire is regarded as one of the worst structure fires in the United States in over a decade. The building, which was known as the “Ghost Ship,” had legal permits to serve as a warehouse, but not residents or performances. The cause of the fire was thought to be from faulty electrical circuits. A resident reported to attempt to install a new refrigerator, which may have triggered the electrical malfunction. In another part of the building on Friday night, an electronic dance party was going on. It is unclear how many people were attending the party, but there were 25 permanent residents at the ghost ship. There were only two exits in the building, so many people were trapped inside from not being able to get through one of them in time, or not being able to find an exit at all. The building was an accident waiting to happen; everything about it was a safety hazard. Filled with highly flammable objects, and scraps of wood and other objects littered the surrounding of the building. The warehouse no time at all to engulf in flames. With the inferno burning stronger and faster, few people were able to escape in time. One local who had visited the warehouse before noted that “that place was a tinderbox. Anybody who went in there who had any kind of authority should have not allowed it to continue.” It is still unclear whether or not law enforcement had any knowledge of this building, but it is still questionable about how this disaster was able to happen. Even though everything about the building was already highly illegal, some people still think that laws could further restrict these occurrences from happening. The owner of the building, Dereck Ion Almenia, even remarked that he cared most about his possessions that were destroyed in the fire. To the residents, he was known to be arrogant and apathetic. His carelessness only adds to the tragedy. If he did something to help meet some regulation standards or at the least cared about his residents, this fire could have been prevented. Historically, tragedies like this happen as a result of neglect to the law, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Being one of the worst structure fires in the United States in over a decade, this proves that there are still improvements that need to happen with stricter regulations.

Questions for discussion:

1. How could law enforcement help prevent occurrences like this in the future?
2. Because everything about this building was highly illegal, who is to blame for the fire?
3. What do you think of the owner’s response to this catastrophe?

Army Halts Construction Of Dakota Access Pipeline

A pipeline over 1,000 miles long is being built to transport Bakken oil from North Dakota to Chicago. Most of the pipeline has already been built, with the exception of a 20 mile segment near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. For the past six months, protests of this section of the pipeline have been happening. The protests have garnered new attention in the past few weeks, especially with environmentalists, celebrities, war veterans, and more joining the Native Americans in protest. 

The protests have proven successful. Construction of the pipeline has been called to a stop by federal officials who are now searching for alternative options. Those in protest have thanked the Obama administration for taking such steps to stop the construction of the pipeline, and they hope that Trump respects the decisions made. Already, the CEO of the company in charge of the pipeline has called to Trump to make the approval of the project a priority. Many are worried that this is just a temporary victory. 

1) Do you personally believe that the pipeline should be built? Weigh the importance of this vital energy with the water safety in North Dakota.
2) Will Trump respect this decision or allow the pipeline to be built?
3) Is this really just a temporary victory for protestors? 

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