Friday, January 24, 2020
Capital Punishment :: essays research papers
Capital Punishment Thesis One: In principle a case can be made on moral grounds both supporting and opposing capital punishment. Thesis two: Concretely and in practice, compelling arguments against capital punishment can be made on the basis of its actual administration in our society. Two different cases can be made. One is based on justice and the nature of a moral community. This leads to a defense of capital punishment. The second is based on love and the nature of an ideal spiritual community. This leads to a rejection of capital punishment. JUSTICE AND THE NATURE OF MORAL COMMUNITY A central principle of a just society is that every person has an equal right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Within that framework, an argument for capital punishment can be formulated along the following lines: some acts are so vile and so destructive of community that they invalidate the right of the perpetrator to membership and even to life. A community founded on moral principles has certain requirements. The right to belong to a community is not unconditional. The privilege of living and pursuing the good life in society is not absolute. It may be negated by behavior that undermines the nature of a moral community. The essential basis on which community is built requires each citizen to honor the rightful claims of others. The utter and deliberate denial of life and opportunity to others forfeits ones own claim to continued membership in the community, whose standards have been so flagrantly violated. The preservation of moral community demands that the shattering of the foundation of its existence must be taken with utmost seriousness. The preciousness of life in a moral community must be so highly honored that those who do not honor the life of others make null and void their own right to membership. Those who violate the personhood of others, especially if this is done persistently as a habit must pay the ultimate penalty. This punishment must be inflicted for the sake of maintaining the community whose foundation has been violated. We can debate whether some non-lethal alternative is a fitting substitute for the death penalty. But the standard of judgment is whether the punishment fits the crime and sufficiently honors the nature of moral community. LOVE AND AN IDEAL SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY Agape, Christian love, is unconditional. It does not depend on the worthiness or merit of those to whom it is directed. It is persistent in seeking the good of others regardless of whether they return the favor or even deserve to be treated well on the basis of their own incessant wrongdoing.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Iraq War Essay
The past wars among many sovereign countries were caused not only by misunderstanding and miscommunication. Political leaders usually have a set of premature agenda hidden from the public: agenda that seek good fruit from launching wars and political instability. Only one thing is certain: these wars, with their premature agenda, do more damage than what is intended. Invasion of Iraq: Its Positive Side            Though majority of the polls in the United States produce same results and arguments about the negative reputation of the country, it is yet empirically verified (). Poll surveys may give a view of a certain population upon an issue and from there generalizations are being made. These generalizations (based from poll surveys) cannot be the sole justification of America’s reputation because of the mere reason of its limited scope. Even if the poll surveys result to the belief that America’s reputation is damaged, empirically it is still possible that it might not really be damaged.            Considering the facts, some known statesman and scholars believed that US position and reputation had certainly improved after four years of occupation of the Iraqi land. The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia was stained before the US invasion of Iraq. Prince Saud of Saudi Arabia expressed that if an attack on Iraq was sanctioned by the UN Security Council, it would not be classified as an act of aggression. He noted, â€Å"So we are ardently urging the United States to continue to work with the United Nations and not to create an act of individual aggression, of individually taking charge of the duties of the Security Council†(Saudis warn US over Iraq War, 2003:1). This stained relationship of the United States and Saudi Arabia had changed after four years of occupation of Iraq by the US. Saudi Arabia supported the United States of its call for rebuilding the lives of the Iraqi people and the country as a whole under a democratic government. A diplomat from Saudi Arabia who came to the White House last August said that Saudi is willing to cooperate with the United States with its genuine effort to rebuild Iraq.            It is not so distant that other countries in the world supported the call of the United States in rebuilding Iraq. The Philippines and Lebanon were the first countries to accept the challenge of helping Iraq to rebuild itself. Lebanon said that Saddam Hussein’s regime had killed thousand innocent people during his course of his rule. Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s President said that their country will send military and medical missions that will enormously help Iraq in its rebuilding process. He also promised that the government that will be established in Iraq will be given equal respect like any other sovereign country. Even though many countries had opposed the United States invasion of Iraq, they regain the respect of these countries. United States aim to rebuild Iraq had resulted to the support of multi-sectoral support of many countries. Japan, despite of the treat from North Korea promised to extend its help through Official Development Assistance to Iraq. Australia on the other hand, promised to allot a significant amount of its foreign budget for the Iraqi reconstruction. To sum up, all these promised help from many countries in the world is grounded on the notion that the United States’ effort to rebuild Iraq is genuine and based on the democratic principle of self-determination. The issue of continued occupation of the US troops in Iraq remains an open issue. Although this issue does not damage the image and credibility of the US government in other countries at recent times, it may in the near future. The rebuilding process of the Iraqi government must come into place for the self-determination of its right and sovereignty. In accordance with this, President Bush said, â€Å"The ultimate victory in Iraq, which is a government that can sustain itself, govern itself, and defend itself, depends upon the Iraqi citizens and the Iraqi government doing the hard work to protect their country†(Reid, 2006, p.1). Bush maintained that the role of the United States is to support the effort of the Iraqi government in the attainment of that objective.            Against War Itself            Against the political machinations and demagoguery of the Bush government, the US-led invasion and eventual occupation of Iraq is unjustified. Most people in Western liberal countries see the US-led invasion of Iraq as morally and politically unjustified. Added to that, there is also wide belief that the Bush government used the â€Å"existence†of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to launch its war. Bush’s justification of declaring war in Iraq was far from justified. The US military failed to find any weapons of mass destruction. Another justification of the US government is that Iraq can not be able to work things out their own way. They believed that the only chance for the Iraqi government to exercise democracy is to let the US led and rebuild them. In the short run, some people identified the war against Iraq as a desperate move of the US government to overthrow Saddam Hussien’s regime. In the long run, however, it seems that the war created undesirable consequences. The continued occupation of Iraq by the United States is the one referred to as long run. Retired Lieutenant General William Odom, a professor at the Yale University said, â€Å"A rapid reversal of our present situation in Iraq would improve U.S. credibility around the world†(Odom, 2007:4). According to Odom, US forces in Iraq are already caught in a trap that has damaged America’s reputation (Odom, 2007:1). He argued that the invasion is unnecessary given the justifications and reasons the US government had presented. He added that American public opinion is now justifiably against the continued war and occupation of Iraq. The search for a viable and abundant resource like oil was the reason the United States, in the face of a slowing economy, entered into war with Iraq. In England alone, citizen’s opinion on the war was negatively criticized. According to Odom, the red state citizens of England were not in favor of the war against Iraq and the eventual the domination of the country. These reasons, according to him, may give way to the possibility of withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and apparently will improve US credibility. This will allow the United States to reestablish diplomatic and military mobility. Odom mentioned the current Zogby poll which suggested that most US troops would favor an early withdrawal deadline (Odom, 2007:3). He further argued that setting an early date of withdrawal would improve the morale of the US troops in Iraq.            The Washington Post released a recent poll which indicates that in the United States alone, most of the adult respondents find the government effort in Iraq vital and certainly giving the United States a negative reputation (Reid, 2006:1). Out of all the respondents, seventy percent believe that the war in Iraq was a major factor in the negative image the United States is facing. Moreover, forty-eight percent of the respondents think that the US government failed to improve the lives of Iraqi people. The opposition of the West had a decisive effect on the result of the survey. In defiance of the opinion of the United Nations Security Council, President George Bush forced his decision to attack Iraq. The war against Iraq caused the death of at least 2,803 American soldiers during its military and naval operations.  Philosophically, the war against Iraq is unjustified in the world of constitutional liberty. Any war can do no good between the involved countries. The people of an occupied country will not accept any compromise of their sovereignty.  The damage that the war may yield is immeasurable and cruel to the eyes of an observer. The history of wars repeatedly resulted to deaths of millions of innocent people. Moreover, the invasion of Iraq is evidence that the US, a superpower, can conquer and take charge of any sovereign country that does not share its ideology. In the case of Iraq, US may use the invasion of Iraq as an alibi to acquire the Iraqi oil. Added to that, the Iraq war and the continued occupation of the US troops are not justifiable because of the damaging effects to the Iraqi nation. Some examples of these are: 1) the abuse of the human rights, 2) the depletion of resources for the benefit of the US, and 3) the continued domination of the US in the oil industry. The continued occupation of Iraq must be stop for many logical reasons. These reasons are the Iraqi resistance, the military itself and the large number of opposition of people in the United States (due to the lack of financial support to many disasters in the United States. Logically, the invasion of Iraq and the continued occupation by the US troops should be withdrawn. From the above evidences of the unjustified war and occupation of Iraq, People might say â€Å"Let the people of Iraq determine their self and future†. In addition, Iraq like any other country has the right to rebuild itself. In this way they will regain their confidence and self- determination. Finally, Iraq’s freedom should not be determined by any other country (even US). The true liberty dwells on the heart and minds of the Iraqi people.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Informative Speech- Fast Food Essays - 865 Words
Fast Food Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about fast food in the United States and its effects. Central Idea: The history of fast food, the effects of eating fast food, and its effect on the United States. Introduction I. Anywhere you go, there is a good chance there will be a fast food restaurant nearby. A. It’s the easy way out of cooking dinner, or grabbing something fast because you didn’t have time to make anything. B. Fast food may taste good, but have you ever thought of the effects it has on your body, and wallet? II. For the past 92 years fast food has become a popular choice of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. III. However, the effects it has can be negative for health, as well as money. A. Because of†¦show more content†¦Many people don’t think about the outcome of eating fast food. A. Fast food nutrition only makes up the minimal part of a healthy diet. 1. Eating too much can make your body feel very sluggish because of the lack of nutrients that is put into fast food. a. This is because fast food doesn’t contain the amount of protein and carbohydrates the body needs, so your blood sugar can drop. B. Fast food contains high levels of fat, sodium, and sugar which can cause a copious amounts of health risks. 1. These health risks may be minor or major, and may even lead to death. a. These include a variety of things from stomach aches to heart disease. 2. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. C. The most common health problem that fast food causes in America is obesity. 1. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than one third of adults in the United States are obese. (Transition: Fast food may have a numerous amount of negative effects on health, but for the United States it has become a big source of income.) III. On average, Americans spend $117 billion on fast food per year. A. 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