Artist Statement
For my project, I did energy independence and natural gas. I talked about how the current political system is divided, but that one of the things politicians of both partiest support is energy independence and natural gas so I argued that politicians shouldn't put their next election first but instead should put the issues we face on energy first. I said to acheive energy independence, we should have politicians support energy that increases the use of renewable energy along with drilling and increasing the use of clean natural gas. By regulating natural gas so it's safe, we will eventually reach our goal of cleaner air and energy independence. My poster has a timeline showing the history of the energy of the path of our country. The two columns I have show the path we should take and the other is the path we are currently on. I used logos by using statistics to back up my argument. The tone of my poster is serious since it shows how the choices our country makes on energy can affect our own national security. I refined my poster by redrawing pieces I thought didn't look good, and I added color so it didn't look blank. I also went over my text in black pen so it's easier to read. I am overall happy how my poster turned out.
Final Op-ed article
The United States is in a critical period where we can reach energy independence, but only if we do it wisely.
The United States has enough natural gas to create 600,000 jobs and power the economy for 100 years with clean natural gas. Matthew Wald of the New York Times says natural gas is one of the cleanest ways to make energy instead of the use of a coal or nuclear reactor to make electricity. The use of natural gas adds lower emissions to the air and the rapid expansion of this part of the industry is also creating jobs.
While liberals tend to favor cleaner forms of energy and conservatives often favor gas development along with limited forms of clean energy, consensus can be formed. Obama and Mitt Romney have both stated their support for natural gas as a way to jobs and energy independence. Since both presidential candidates support clean energy and making our nation energy independent, then natural gas is a good starting point for achieving this.
Thomas Jefferson said, “Political interest can never be separated in the long run from moral right.” Thomas Jefferson argued we should never let our politics prevent us from doing what's right. The current gridlock in Washington is what Jefferson is describing here. The issues our nation faces such as having to worry about oil going low in oil exporting countries is the reality we face. According to a recent Citigroup study, Saudi Arabia will run out of oil in 2030.
Generating electricity from coal plants isn't safer than electricity from natural gas. According to the World Health Organization, coal pollution shortens 24,000 lives in the United States every year and over a million per year worldwide. A European Union study also found that the cost of producing coal in the future will double its current costs for producing electricity.
The need for different types of energy sources besides oil will always be vital for the economy as me move into the future. Wind and solar power is rapidly expanding. According to Felicity Barringer of the Huffington Post, solar power has enough power to generate power to one million homes. California solar generating stations are putting out the same amount of power a coal or nuclear plant puts out(cite and % put out). Solar and wind power is also expected to make up 25% of the United States energy by the end of the decade.
As natural gas become cheaper and cleaner to burn, coal plants are beginning to be replaced by natural gas. By the end of the decade, a third of our energy will come from natural gas fired plants. David Eves ceo of Exel Energy says old coal plants that are replaced by natural gas protects customers from energy prices going up during the building of new plants. According to the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, transitioning to natural gas reduces carbon monoxide by 40% and eliminates the mercury and sulfur dioxide going into the air.
The United States buys oil from many different countries including Venezuela which has threatened to cut oil exports to the United States in the past. The United States currently has 21 billion gallons in federal oil reserves and can output 4.4 million gallons per day if needed. With populations growing and oil resources decreasing, the demand for energy resources will increase which can cause issues between countries. In 1973, the United States support for Israel caused arab countries to embargo oil to the United States which had a big impact on the oil market.
As the demand of oil increases, resources will keep decreasing and competition for resources can raise prices. In world crises like the 1973 oil embargo, the United States was unprepared for the oil market to be hit so hard. The United States support for Israel resulted with an embargo on oil from arab countries which left the United States unprepared. Being less reliant on oil imports can ensure crises like the 1973 crisis never repeats.
The United States has taken many steps which has resulted in positive developments. Due to investments in various forms of energy, the United States currently uses 1 million less gallons of oil per day than any other time. The United States is also already 70% self sufficient based on the amount of resources we have and use which makes energy independence not as hard as it sounds. Our dependence on foreign oil is also at a 16 year low.
In order to reach energy independence, we need to stay on our current path by ensuring our politics aren't put before the correct issues. This means by electing politicians willing to invest and use all forms of energy we have available including keeping our investments in solar and wind power that some politicians want to end.
Project Reflection
We had to pick a political issue that is popular in American politics and discuss how it relates to Equality, liberty or security. I picked energy independence and related it to national security. We looked at different moral philosophy's such as deontology and had to interview someone on different moral dillemas. I than researched my issue and wrote an paper opinion editorial on energy independence. I talked about how my issue was a security issue and how we can reach energy independence. I than made a poster for my article. My poster was a timeline of the history of the US on energy and the fight over natural resources. I learned in
order to reach energy independence we must elect people willing to use all forms of energy including renewable's. I also said it's a security issue because it we have an energy crisis and we are energy independent, we will be secure.
The habit of heart and mind that I used the most was refinement since my article had lots of mistakes and I considered doing a different political issue because I struggled with the wording and research. The most challenging part was putting all of the research into one paper. I ended up laying out how I wanted my paper to look and followed my plan which is how I was able to finish my paper.
Of the categories, the one I think I did the best in is development and evidence because my paper and poster had statistics backing up my claims and it helped to support my argument making it stronger. For example in my poster when I talk about the history of the US in energy, I say after the 1973 oil crisis prices on oil sky rocketed, and so I put a chart showing the prices which showed prices going very high. The category I was the weakest in was rhetorical impact since I felt I had some stuff that would count as rhetoric, but I didn't bring as much rhetoric as I would like it to have. It wasn't provocative enough. An example was my poster where I had a page titled the fight for resources and had pictures of people fighting for daily resources and the pictures were provocative, but it was a bit confusing and could be stronger. To improve this, I would have a different poster board and maybe a short write up explaining how that part of the poster related to my article. I would give myself an A in organization and evidence for my article, a B+ for sentence craft and a A for proofreading since I didn't find any grammar errors in my article. For my poster, I would give myself a C for refinement, a C for integration, a B for perspective since I thought my timeline gave a clear view of what I was showing and a C for rhetorical impact since it could be stronger. For my final grade for my project, I would give myself a B+, 88% because I felt I had a very strong article. While my poster could use be improved a lot, I still showed my perspective on my poster clearly.
If I had another week to work on my project, one thing I would do to my poster is make it look neater because some of the pictures I had on it were a bit rushed. I would have my timeline neater and on a different type of poster board. If I could change my article, I would take out parts where I felt I was repeating myself and look for other places where I could make my paper shorter since my paper was over 800 words long.
Korematsu vs. US (1944)
Photo of the Internment Camps
My Court question and answer responses from the trial:
QUESTIONING
Q: Please state your name and occupation for the judges.
A: My name is J. Franklin Carter, and I am a journalist who was recruited by the Roosevelt administration to find evidence of Japanese spy rings on the West Coast.
Q: Do you recognize this document? [gives document]
A: Yes.
Q: Lets get to the point Mr. Carter, while working for the Roosevelt administration what evidence did you uncover that there were Japanese spy rings on the West Coast?
A: There were several spy rings operating on the West Coast, the most prominent one was the Black Dragons, they had links to the Japanese secret police. Several members were arrested in California not too long ago.
Q: That certainly sounds frightening to have Japanese spies so close to home, how many do you think there were?
A: I’d estimate that around 3% of the Japanese-American population on the West Coast were spying for the Imperial Japanese government.
Q: While that may not sound like a lot, that’s around 4,000 people, would you say there were more than that?
A: For all we know there could be more that went underground when they were put into the internment centers.
Q: Speaking of the internment centers, has there been any subversive activity in them relating to the Imperial Japanese, and if so, what?
A: There was an incident not too long ago where a group of internees put up the Imperial Japanese flag and they were even attempting to cause a riot. Luckily it was peacefully contained.
Q: So, without the internment centers what type of danger do you think our military installations would be in?
A: They would be in terrible peril, especially with 4,000 potential enemy spies roaming the West Coast.
Q: What further action do you think is necessary?
A: None whatsoever, the spy problem has been wiped out in one decisive action.
Q: Now this all sounds well and good but I have to bring to light a very serious allegation against you from Mr. Munson, who is claiming that you hid his findings and promoted your own in an incorrect way, what is your say on this?
A: Munson’s results are based upon the false testimony of Japanese-Americans that could very easily be hiding their allegiance to the Emperor. He does not know their loyalty and Munson, as much as he may love this country, has clearly been ensnared in Japanese lies, which casts grave doubts upon the validity of his work. If Mr. Munson cannot determine the loyalty of an enemy, then exactly what can he determine at all?
Farewell: Thank you for your time Mr. Carter, this has been very valuable.
What is your occupation Mr. Kilgore?
I am a the senator of West Virginia.
Can you tell us how your career progressed from your first job to your current occupation?
I was a teacher first for one year and then a principal for a year. When world war One Occurred I joined the Army. I was a captain in the infantry in World War One. After the war I got a job in the coast guard as a colonel. Then proceeded to get a job as a judge in Raleigh. Then I decided to run for senator and was elected in 1941.
Do you feel as though your occupations have contributed to society?
Well I feel confident that all jobs i have had, gave back to society and made the United States a better and safer place. My job as Senator gave me the ability to serve the American People.
Mr. Kilgore, you are far too modest! As a captain in the ?Army? you led men into battle, as a judge in Raleigh you regularly exercised the constitutionality of cases that many people would not know how to decide. You’ve worked with people all of your life and are obviously a gigantic badass.
Information about his credibility-
Can you explain to us your involvement with the Exclusion order?
As well as being senator I also serve on a Subcommittee Mobilization on war of the Military Affairs Committee. When executive order 9066 came to the table I wrote a letter to The president expressing my opinions about the order. I pressured the president in my letter to execute the order due to requests from the people, who felt unsafe. My job is to represent the people and by protecting them from imminent threat I am doing my job. Pearl Harbor was an example of how dangerous and real the threat of an attack is. It would be wrong for our country to take no precaution when it comes to the Japanese immigrants.
How did you advocate for the people in the internment camps?
Well in my letter to the president I made sure to stress that the conditions in the camp were suitable for the Japanese People. The president assured me that the government was following international law with the conditions of the camps. The 1943 War Relocation Authority report shows the government did follow the requirements for the internment camps.
Me- Thank you senator Kilgore for your time.
My character testimony:
My name is J Franklin Carter. I am 45 years old. I am a journalist and write under the column called "We The People". I was a correspondent for the New York Times in Italy and then
worked for the state department as an economic specialist. I was writing for the column "we the people" during the Pearl Harbor attack. I am a personal friend of President Roosevelt and was personally requested by the President to put together a report on Japanese people living in the west coast. I accepted this request in order to help my country in the time of war and to ensure a disturbing event like Pearl Harbor never happens again due to an intelligence failure that could’ve been prevented.
In my investigation, I found that the majority of the Japanese people weren't a threat to the government or our national security. I did discover some Japanese people that could be a threat. I also worked with other professionals in intelligence who helped contribute to my report for the president. I determined the camps were necessary in order to prevent another Pearl Harbor attack. I also found reasons to believe the Japanese government could be funding agents to sabotage things. We put 250 to 300 suspects under direct surveillance in each naval district. Some local Japanese may also be trying to get information on troop, supply and ship movements. Of the 110,000 Japanese people put into internment camps, 3% of the Japanese could be deemed agents. While this was a small percentage of the total amount of Japanese persons inside the camps, the damage just a dozen japanese agents could do to the United States is high and a deep concern for our national security. This report was also written with help from officials in naval intelligence in southern California. Lieutenant Commander K. D. Ringle a senior officer in naval intelligence also helped with this report. Commander RIngle’s past role in assisting with the discovery of a large Japanese spy ring ensured a more accurate report. The secret society called the Black Dragons, which is made of loyalists to the Japanese government is another reason for monitoring japanese people. The arrest of confirmed members of the group on March 27, 1942 in San Joaquin Valley, California is evidence this group is actively interested in attacking the United States. Ralph Townsend a writer for a magazine called Scribners Commentator Magazine even plead guilty to the foreign agent registration act. The scary thing about this man is that he once was a United States consular officer to China. A pro-Japanese imperial flag was also hung by a small group of Japanese people in the manzanar internment camp where they also harassed other Japanese people. This happening directly in the camp which gives more reasons for having more suspicions. The black dragons also have links to the Kempei Tai; the Japanese secret police who played a key role in the bombing of Pearl Harbor that killed over 2,400 people. Keeping Japanese people in the internment camps ensures no japanese spies can do any sabotage or gather needed information to do another Pearl Harbor attack. Keeping these camps ensures everything is being done for the protection and security of the United States and it’s people.
My name is Harley Kilgore. I am 51 years old. I was a teacher for 1 year and a principal for 1 year before going to ww1. During ww1, I was a captain in the infantry in ww1 than a colonel in the national guard and then a judge of a court in Raleigh before being elected senator in 1941.
My present job is being the senator of west virginia. I serve on the Subcommittee Mobilization on war of the Military Affairs Committee. On executive order 9066, I wrote a letter to president Roosevelt the day the order was issued. I pressured the president to execute the order due to requests from military officials distant from the pacific coast that japanese persons on the west coast could be threats. I supported the order, and requested to the president that all citizens or noncitizens be put under military law as camp followers. As senator, my job is to represent the people who elected me and to ensure the prevention of any potential attack that may cause harm to the American people. The chance of another attack is a great area of concern for me. I was ensured by the president that the conditions of the camps were good. In order to prevent the chance of another Pearl Harbor style attack, everything in the governments power must be done to keep our country safe. The 1943 War Relocation Authority report shows the conditions of the camps set up by the government followed international law.
Reflection: For this project we studied the supreme court case of Korematsu vs. the US. We read a book called Snow Falling on Cedars and also studied other supreme court cases such as the Patriot Act. We studied the different viewpoints in the Korematsu vs. US case. The United States was taking a Japanese man to court over him not being inside the Japanese Internment camps and that the camps were constitutional. I was on the governments side and played 2 characters named J franklin Carter and Harley Kilgore.
I had to work with the lawyers in making sure my testimony and responses were good. I chose to do two characters while the rest of my team just did one character so I had extra work. I did outside research so that I could meet the deadlines and not slow down my team. I also met with the lawyers who pointed out how my testimony and responses could be stronger. I also got responses from the lawyers about questions the defense may ask me and questions I should be prepared to answer.
Two big revisions I made were the facts I used in my case. A big change I did was editing the part where I talk about the black dragons and the links to the secret police. This is how the sentence resulted: The black dragons also have links to the Kempei Tai; the Japanese secret police who played a key role in the bombing of Pearl Harbor that killed over 2,400 people.
I made the sentence shorter and was able to show what I wanted to say.
This made my evidence in the court stronger against the defense.
My second big change was making my argument as a senator strong by using the letter I used as evidence in the court with outside research. A sentence I made was: The 1943 War Relocation Authority report shows the government did follow the requirements for the internment camps.
This showed my outside research being combined with my letter that I used as evidence.
Overall I enjoyed this project because I had never done a mock trial before and was interested in what I was learning. How someone next year could be better prepared when doing this project is making sure that you meet with your lawyer for the mock trial in order to know the other sides arguments better. If I did this project again, I would look at the Munson report better so that I can respond better on the trial.
Here is a link to my power point: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5wybg_gSnNZdWpxR3dDanN4X00/edit?usp=sharing
Project Reflection
We had to pick a political issue that is popular in American politics and discuss how it relates to Equality, liberty or security. I picked energy independence and related it to national security. We looked at different moral philosophy's such as deontology and had to interview someone on different moral dillemas. I than researched my issue and wrote an paper opinion editorial on energy independence. I talked about how my issue was a security issue and how we can reach energy independence. I than made a poster for my article. My poster was a timeline of the history of the US on energy and the fight over natural resources. I learned in
order to reach energy independence we must elect people willing to use all forms of energy including renewable's. I also said it's a security issue because it we have an energy crisis and we are energy independent, we will be secure.
The habit of heart and mind that I used the most was refinement since my article had lots of mistakes and I considered doing a different political issue because I struggled with the wording and research. The most challenging part was putting all of the research into one paper. I ended up laying out how I wanted my paper to look and followed my plan which is how I was able to finish my paper.
Of the categories, the one I think I did the best in is development and evidence because my paper and poster had statistics backing up my claims and it helped to support my argument making it stronger. For example in my poster when I talk about the history of the US in energy, I say after the 1973 oil crisis prices on oil sky rocketed, and so I put a chart showing the prices which showed prices going very high. The category I was the weakest in was rhetorical impact since I felt I had some stuff that would count as rhetoric, but I didn't bring as much rhetoric as I would like it to have. It wasn't provocative enough. An example was my poster where I had a page titled the fight for resources and had pictures of people fighting for daily resources and the pictures were provocative, but it was a bit confusing and could be stronger. To improve this, I would have a different poster board and maybe a short write up explaining how that part of the poster related to my article. I would give myself an A in organization and evidence for my article, a B+ for sentence craft and a A for proofreading since I didn't find any grammar errors in my article. For my poster, I would give myself a C for refinement, a C for integration, a B for perspective since I thought my timeline gave a clear view of what I was showing and a C for rhetorical impact since it could be stronger. For my final grade for my project, I would give myself a B+, 88% because I felt I had a very strong article. While my poster could use be improved a lot, I still showed my perspective on my poster clearly.
If I had another week to work on my project, one thing I would do to my poster is make it look neater because some of the pictures I had on it were a bit rushed. I would have my timeline neater and on a different type of poster board. If I could change my article, I would take out parts where I felt I was repeating myself and look for other places where I could make my paper shorter since my paper was over 800 words long.
Korematsu vs. US (1944)
Photo of the Internment CampsMy Court question and answer responses from the trial:
QUESTIONING
Q: Please state your name and occupation for the judges.
A: My name is J. Franklin Carter, and I am a journalist who was recruited by the Roosevelt administration to find evidence of Japanese spy rings on the West Coast.
Q: Do you recognize this document? [gives document]
A: Yes.
Q: Lets get to the point Mr. Carter, while working for the Roosevelt administration what evidence did you uncover that there were Japanese spy rings on the West Coast?
A: There were several spy rings operating on the West Coast, the most prominent one was the Black Dragons, they had links to the Japanese secret police. Several members were arrested in California not too long ago.
Q: That certainly sounds frightening to have Japanese spies so close to home, how many do you think there were?
A: I’d estimate that around 3% of the Japanese-American population on the West Coast were spying for the Imperial Japanese government.
Q: While that may not sound like a lot, that’s around 4,000 people, would you say there were more than that?
A: For all we know there could be more that went underground when they were put into the internment centers.
Q: Speaking of the internment centers, has there been any subversive activity in them relating to the Imperial Japanese, and if so, what?
A: There was an incident not too long ago where a group of internees put up the Imperial Japanese flag and they were even attempting to cause a riot. Luckily it was peacefully contained.
Q: So, without the internment centers what type of danger do you think our military installations would be in?
A: They would be in terrible peril, especially with 4,000 potential enemy spies roaming the West Coast.
Q: What further action do you think is necessary?
A: None whatsoever, the spy problem has been wiped out in one decisive action.
Q: Now this all sounds well and good but I have to bring to light a very serious allegation against you from Mr. Munson, who is claiming that you hid his findings and promoted your own in an incorrect way, what is your say on this?
A: Munson’s results are based upon the false testimony of Japanese-Americans that could very easily be hiding their allegiance to the Emperor. He does not know their loyalty and Munson, as much as he may love this country, has clearly been ensnared in Japanese lies, which casts grave doubts upon the validity of his work. If Mr. Munson cannot determine the loyalty of an enemy, then exactly what can he determine at all?
Farewell: Thank you for your time Mr. Carter, this has been very valuable.
What is your occupation Mr. Kilgore?
I am a the senator of West Virginia.
Can you tell us how your career progressed from your first job to your current occupation?
I was a teacher first for one year and then a principal for a year. When world war One Occurred I joined the Army. I was a captain in the infantry in World War One. After the war I got a job in the coast guard as a colonel. Then proceeded to get a job as a judge in Raleigh. Then I decided to run for senator and was elected in 1941.
Do you feel as though your occupations have contributed to society?
Well I feel confident that all jobs i have had, gave back to society and made the United States a better and safer place. My job as Senator gave me the ability to serve the American People.
Mr. Kilgore, you are far too modest! As a captain in the ?Army? you led men into battle, as a judge in Raleigh you regularly exercised the constitutionality of cases that many people would not know how to decide. You’ve worked with people all of your life and are obviously a gigantic badass.
Information about his credibility-
Can you explain to us your involvement with the Exclusion order?
As well as being senator I also serve on a Subcommittee Mobilization on war of the Military Affairs Committee. When executive order 9066 came to the table I wrote a letter to The president expressing my opinions about the order. I pressured the president in my letter to execute the order due to requests from the people, who felt unsafe. My job is to represent the people and by protecting them from imminent threat I am doing my job. Pearl Harbor was an example of how dangerous and real the threat of an attack is. It would be wrong for our country to take no precaution when it comes to the Japanese immigrants.
How did you advocate for the people in the internment camps?
Well in my letter to the president I made sure to stress that the conditions in the camp were suitable for the Japanese People. The president assured me that the government was following international law with the conditions of the camps. The 1943 War Relocation Authority report shows the government did follow the requirements for the internment camps.
Me- Thank you senator Kilgore for your time.
My character testimony:
My name is J Franklin Carter. I am 45 years old. I am a journalist and write under the column called "We The People". I was a correspondent for the New York Times in Italy and then
worked for the state department as an economic specialist. I was writing for the column "we the people" during the Pearl Harbor attack. I am a personal friend of President Roosevelt and was personally requested by the President to put together a report on Japanese people living in the west coast. I accepted this request in order to help my country in the time of war and to ensure a disturbing event like Pearl Harbor never happens again due to an intelligence failure that could’ve been prevented.
In my investigation, I found that the majority of the Japanese people weren't a threat to the government or our national security. I did discover some Japanese people that could be a threat. I also worked with other professionals in intelligence who helped contribute to my report for the president. I determined the camps were necessary in order to prevent another Pearl Harbor attack. I also found reasons to believe the Japanese government could be funding agents to sabotage things. We put 250 to 300 suspects under direct surveillance in each naval district. Some local Japanese may also be trying to get information on troop, supply and ship movements. Of the 110,000 Japanese people put into internment camps, 3% of the Japanese could be deemed agents. While this was a small percentage of the total amount of Japanese persons inside the camps, the damage just a dozen japanese agents could do to the United States is high and a deep concern for our national security. This report was also written with help from officials in naval intelligence in southern California. Lieutenant Commander K. D. Ringle a senior officer in naval intelligence also helped with this report. Commander RIngle’s past role in assisting with the discovery of a large Japanese spy ring ensured a more accurate report. The secret society called the Black Dragons, which is made of loyalists to the Japanese government is another reason for monitoring japanese people. The arrest of confirmed members of the group on March 27, 1942 in San Joaquin Valley, California is evidence this group is actively interested in attacking the United States. Ralph Townsend a writer for a magazine called Scribners Commentator Magazine even plead guilty to the foreign agent registration act. The scary thing about this man is that he once was a United States consular officer to China. A pro-Japanese imperial flag was also hung by a small group of Japanese people in the manzanar internment camp where they also harassed other Japanese people. This happening directly in the camp which gives more reasons for having more suspicions. The black dragons also have links to the Kempei Tai; the Japanese secret police who played a key role in the bombing of Pearl Harbor that killed over 2,400 people. Keeping Japanese people in the internment camps ensures no japanese spies can do any sabotage or gather needed information to do another Pearl Harbor attack. Keeping these camps ensures everything is being done for the protection and security of the United States and it’s people.
My name is Harley Kilgore. I am 51 years old. I was a teacher for 1 year and a principal for 1 year before going to ww1. During ww1, I was a captain in the infantry in ww1 than a colonel in the national guard and then a judge of a court in Raleigh before being elected senator in 1941.
My present job is being the senator of west virginia. I serve on the Subcommittee Mobilization on war of the Military Affairs Committee. On executive order 9066, I wrote a letter to president Roosevelt the day the order was issued. I pressured the president to execute the order due to requests from military officials distant from the pacific coast that japanese persons on the west coast could be threats. I supported the order, and requested to the president that all citizens or noncitizens be put under military law as camp followers. As senator, my job is to represent the people who elected me and to ensure the prevention of any potential attack that may cause harm to the American people. The chance of another attack is a great area of concern for me. I was ensured by the president that the conditions of the camps were good. In order to prevent the chance of another Pearl Harbor style attack, everything in the governments power must be done to keep our country safe. The 1943 War Relocation Authority report shows the conditions of the camps set up by the government followed international law.
Reflection: For this project we studied the supreme court case of Korematsu vs. the US. We read a book called Snow Falling on Cedars and also studied other supreme court cases such as the Patriot Act. We studied the different viewpoints in the Korematsu vs. US case. The United States was taking a Japanese man to court over him not being inside the Japanese Internment camps and that the camps were constitutional. I was on the governments side and played 2 characters named J franklin Carter and Harley Kilgore.
I had to work with the lawyers in making sure my testimony and responses were good. I chose to do two characters while the rest of my team just did one character so I had extra work. I did outside research so that I could meet the deadlines and not slow down my team. I also met with the lawyers who pointed out how my testimony and responses could be stronger. I also got responses from the lawyers about questions the defense may ask me and questions I should be prepared to answer.
Two big revisions I made were the facts I used in my case. A big change I did was editing the part where I talk about the black dragons and the links to the secret police. This is how the sentence resulted: The black dragons also have links to the Kempei Tai; the Japanese secret police who played a key role in the bombing of Pearl Harbor that killed over 2,400 people.
I made the sentence shorter and was able to show what I wanted to say.
This made my evidence in the court stronger against the defense.
My second big change was making my argument as a senator strong by using the letter I used as evidence in the court with outside research. A sentence I made was: The 1943 War Relocation Authority report shows the government did follow the requirements for the internment camps.
This showed my outside research being combined with my letter that I used as evidence.
Overall I enjoyed this project because I had never done a mock trial before and was interested in what I was learning. How someone next year could be better prepared when doing this project is making sure that you meet with your lawyer for the mock trial in order to know the other sides arguments better. If I did this project again, I would look at the Munson report better so that I can respond better on the trial.
Dp Update
Energy and Place project
The Natural Resources
of Colorado
My paper will be talking
about the importance of sustainability and how the environment is
depended upon by so many people and animals daily, but focusing on
the need for protecting what we enjoy. The environment is an
important aspect of my life. I used various statistics to cite and
bring awareness to the environment in our daily lives. Living here
in Colorado, there are many different activities available to do from
skiing to mountain biking and sometimes occasionally golfing. The
advantage I have of living outside of town is that I don't have to
worry about lots of traffic that is usually in town. The area in
which I live has lots open space which allows neighborhood kids to
run around without a parent worrying about their kid getting lost and
animals can roam free. Durango has so many things that people rely
on such as the River for our every day lives.
Durango is known for
skiing and the train, which are vital attractions to our economy.
Tourists come to Durango for the train ride to Silverton or Cascade
or just to ski at Durango Mountain Resort. When tourists aren't
riding the train or skiing, they are generally downtown shopping or
even going to a restaurant to enjoy a local dinner. Many times when
I will be in my car, I will see a tourist pulled over on the side of
the road holding a camera taking a picture of the local wildlife that
are generally seen roaming around the valley. This land is pretty
and green as a Christmas tree and vivid which is why the
wildlife will graze on the land for short periods of time to get
food. Many tourists have never seen an elk in their life and for
them to have that experience is life-changing. These are just some
of the advantages of living here. All forms of different life enjoy
land that is well taken care of and not a threat to anything.
Another part of Durango
that is not only important to our economy and to locals and wildlife
is the river. We use it for fishing and rafting which supports the
local economy and wildlife use it to get fresh water. Farmers in the
county rely on the water in order to water their crops. Outside of
town, as you drive along the road and look to the side, you can see
farmers have pumps attached to the river which brings water to their
land. The river also is relied on by the town and parts outside of
town for drinking water. Keeping the water sustainable as it
currently is should be a current priority.
If you're in a plane and
flying over the county you can see lots of oil drilling pads all
over. This includes drilling for fossil fuels and natural gas. La
Plata County has lots of natural gas which is why Colorado is one of
the largest natural gas producing states in the country. According
to The Bureau of Land Management, the oil and gas industry generated
9.5 billion dollars to the Colorado economy last year along with
44,978 good paying jobs. Colorado is a vitally important state to
our national economy because we produce lots of energy which helps
our national security by helping us be less reliant on other
countries for energy.
Understanding the balance
between what helps grow our economy while protecting all of the land
and the environment that we use should be considered before new
drilling happens. While the oil and natural gas industry makes up a
lot of jobs in the state economy, green energy also makes up a good
amount of jobs. Colorado is the first state to have a renewable
energy standard. A recent bill passed by the state legislature
requires 30% of our energy to come from renewable energy by 2020 and
20% must come from renewable energy by 2015. A advantage that
Colorado has over different states is that Colorado has lots of wind
and sunny days. This advantage gives us the ability to create
renewable energy jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Colorado employs over 72,452 jobs in the clean energy industry.
While all of this is
great for our economy, we need to be aware of what is released into
the air and water because this is important to our environment. In
La Plata County, the main natural gas formed here is called coal bed
methane natural gas and this emits twenty times more heat into the
atmosphere then C02. In the 2005 Energy Act that was passed by
the United States Congress, the oil and gas industry were exempt from
the Clean Water and Air Act. This means that the oil companies don't
have to report what they are releasing into the environment. This
can be a serious threat to the health of citizens, especially when
the oil companies don't have to report what they are releasing into
the environment. The process of natural gas is called fracking and
this is the process where rock layers are fractured by pressurized
liquid. Colorado has since passed laws to require companies to
report spills and to follow government regulation. Various
technology has also been formed to improve fracking including
environmentally friendly fracking liquids. Biodegradable drilling
fluid that mitigates the threat of water contamination has also been
used.
Living in La Plata
County, our natural resources and water are a very important source
in the lives of the people living in the City of Durango or outside
the city. My own memories of living in La Plata County and using our
natural resources is the main reason Durango is my favorite
environmental place. I have always used the river to go tubing down
the river and on occasion go fishing. When I was younger, I used
watch a kid named Cliff and we would go tubing down the creek behind
his house and ride it all the way to the part where the creek
connected with the river. We would go from different riverside banks
and look for deer tracks or sometimes we would find coyote tracks.
Other times, me and a bunch of people would go tubing down the river
and the dogs would swim alongside us or ride in the tubes until we
got near Dalton Ranch where we would find many golf balls in the
river that we would use to collect to sell back to golfers or just to
use for our own collection. I had a ton of fun and being able to
swim around in the murky, dark water was what was so much fun about
being in the river, that we were able to run around as if it's a
beach and explore all we wanted.
One time when I was
tubing, I dropped the brown wooden oar that I was carrying, so I
quickly jumped out of my river tube and grabbed it just in time
before it could float away. I was too excited to notice that I had
just stepped on a large sharp can that someone had thrown into the
water. The eventual pain was quick like a bullet shot from a
hunter. I was surprised because I had never seen this much trash
in the water and was most of all surprised someone through the can
into the water without thinking about someone cutting themselves as I
did or the possibility of the can disturbing the natural flow of the
river.
My incident where I cut
my foot on trash in the river was the first time I can recall really
stopping and thinking about pollution and trash in the places I use
for fun and recreation. In July 2011, Durango had an incident where
the sewage plant for the city had a leakage in which 300,000 gallons
of sewage spilled into the river as estimated by the Colorado Health
Department. That is equivalent to 10 gallons per minute spilling
into the water. The most disturbing part is that no one even knew
about the leakage until a kayaker reported it.
The trash and pollution
going into the river alone is bad, but all of that sewage is
extremely scary. American Rivers a water quality action group
reports the impact on humans that sewage spills have can result in
inflammation of the intestines. The danger sewage spills pose to
animals and wildlife is that high raw sewage levels can effect the
rivers ecosystem and kill fish. That is from the high growth of
algal growth which consumes oxygen resulting in the depletion of
fish. According to the Colorado River Outfitters Association, just
alone, white water rafting (8.9% of Colorado commercial rafting
market) generates over 5.2 million dollars to the state economy along
with thousands of users.
Not only does Colorado
rely on tourism for money, many states rely on Colorado for their own
drinking water. In 1922, the Colorado River Compact was signed by 7
states on the agreement of relying on Colorado for safe drinking
water. Dams and large amounts of development have decreased the
amount of water certain states have received. Not only does the risk
of not getting safe drinking water an issue, but the needed amount of
water received by states will be an issue. As populations increase,
the use of water will increase.
Various studies and
methods have been done to provide cleaner water. The Colorado River
International Task Force was set up in 1995 to come up with methods
to provide cleaner water. Some of the methods used were bank
protection, channel evacuation, and salinity control. To further
improve drinking water, the government has been to install variable
speed pumps and to replace high salinity drain flows with less saline
groundwater.
The environment in
Colorado as said above with the examples I have provided are reasons
why the environment plays such an important place in our daily lives.
We have many beautiful rivers that tourists come from all over to
use which generates jobs for our state economy. Seven states besides
our own rely on our rivers to provide for their own drinking water.
The importance of protecting our resources while still being able to
use them should be something that every Coloradoan considers. If we
destroy our resources, then not just Coloradans will suffer, but so
will millions who rely on us to be responsible guardians with the
treatment of our resources. We also play a key role in our nations
national security with all of the energy our state has. Colorado is
the tenth most green state according to a study by 24/7 Wall St. and
the fifth largest natural gas producing states according to the U.S
Energy Information Administration. These energy advantages we have
over other states shouldn't be taken for granted which is why people
need to be aware of what our state has to offer and how we can help
sustain our resources for the next generations. This is why Durango
in particular and sustainability are such an important part of my
life.
"Oil
and Gas Leasing Program." BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, 12 Mar.
2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas.html>.
"COLORADO
Incentives/Policies for Renewables & Efficiency." DSIRE ,
n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=CO24R>.
"EMPLOYMENT
IN GREEN GOODS AND SERVICES." BUREAU OF LABOR STARISTICS, n.d.
Web. 24 Apr. 2013. <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ggqcew.pdf>.
Edwards,
Lynda. "Sewage estimate: 300,000 gallons." The Durango
Herald , 26 July 2011 . Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
<http://durangoherald.com/article/20110727/NEWS01/707279904/Sewage-estimate:-300000-gallons->.
"Commercial
River Use In The State Of Colorado ." CROA, n.d. Web. 25 Apr.
2013.
<http://www.croa.org/media/documents/pdf/2011-commercial-rafting-use-report-final.pdf>.
Mission
2012: Clean Water.
MIT, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
<http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2012/finalwebsite/problem/coloradoriver.shtml#taskforce>.
"Safe
fracking technologies that too often go unnoticed." Ener
Sciences , 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
<http://news.enersciences.com/blog/fracking-news/safe-fracking-technologies-that-too-often-go-unnoticed/>.
Project Reflection:
For this project we had to
write a personal essay on energy and our environmental ethic. We had
to write inspiration journals which helped us come up with how we saw
nature. I learned my environmental ethic is sustainability. We had
to talk about how we see the environment with the ethic we picked and
also had to talk about a energy topic of our choice. I didn't focus
on a certain energy, but rather energy around Colorado because we had
to pick an place in nature that's important to us.
I talked about a
environmental place important to me and I talked about how I enjoy
being in nature but that we need to take care of the environment but
still be able to use it. I used lots of refinement for making me
essay better. I did lots of research for my paper because I include
lots of statistics and my visual piece turned out good with
refinement and I included things from my paper in my power point.
Two specific revisions I
did were including more statistics about pollution in the river from
a recent sewage spill and the dangers it poses to people.
I enjoyed this project a
lot because I enjoy talking about energy and natural gas because I
find it interesting especially since we have so much. I also liked
the nature aspect and having to come up with our own environmental
ethic.
Here is a link to my power point: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5wybg_gSnNZdWpxR3dDanN4X00/edit?usp=sharing
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