Current Event- January 7

President Obama (source: huffingtonpost.com)

          The U.S. Bill of Rights states that a person cannot be held responsible for a crime without proof, that everyone has the right to a court trial, and that you are innocent until proven guilty. America, being the free country that it is, holds these laws among others as its most basic, or at least it used to. Just on New Years Eve, President Obama signed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, which, among other things, allows the military to imprison any American citizen without  trial or attorney upon suspecting them to be involved in terrorist acts. For much of the American public, this was quite frightening.
           Since 9/11, Americans have lived in fear of terrorism. Airport security is nearly impossible to get through, people are always on the lookout for suspicious activity, and racism against people of middle eastern backgrounds has elevated to an entirely new level. American Law enforcement have an awful reputation for racism, so it is easy to see how many could live in fear of being imprisoned for something they never took part in.
           The NDAA was created to help fight the war against terror, but it is actually causing terror itself. The Law stated that someone could be imprisoned for simply looking suspicious, which would strike a bit of fear in everyone. This doesn't just affect middle eastern people; it affects everyone. Anyone could be held in a cell for the rest of their lives, and we would never know. How is that fair to anyone?

Current Event- January 1

         The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) act was first introduced to the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently reintroduced on May 11, 2001 to help minors who were brought to America at a young age. If these minors graduate from an American High-School, they would be offered residency until they graduate college or serve in the military, and then would be eligible to obtain permanent residency. For illegal aliens, the prospect of gaining citizenship was lifesaving to them, and since adequate numbers of people in American communities are illegal immigrants, the DREAM act would help thousands create futures.

Protesters hold signs as presidential candidate Mitt Romney
leaves campaign stop in New Hampshire.
(source: Yahoo News.)

         Just this Saturday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stated that he would veto the dream act, the pledge that claimed the hearts of Americans that he is trying to win over. As he told a young woman who asked him if he would deny the proposal whom he met at a restaurant: "For those that come here illegally, the idea of giving them in-state tuition credits or other special benefits, I find to be contrary to the idea of a nation of laws." He also states that he wants to crack down on illegal immigration to protect legal immigration. 
          As a country that says it supports peoples ambitions, and that is made from people from all walks of life, how would we respond as a whole to Romney securing the border with a fence and placing enough border patrol around it to form an army? As Romney tries to win the hearts and minds of the American people, how will this major detail affect his ability to run for president?