Is the Patriot Act really Patriot?

We watched a video where a mother was telling what has happened to her son. She was asking herself the same question; is this act in our favor or against us? The Patriot Act saw the light right after the 9 11 attack. Most people say that this act has more power than the Bill of Rights.

This act gives the police to arrest anybody that is not white or have a different accent, also, listens to the population conversations, among other things. It is imperative that the government comes out with something to ensure that this act will really protect the U.S and its citizens.

I had a Dream, but it is over now

Latinos, Asians, Europeans, Africans they all have something in common, they all see the United States as the land to live in. Nobody can give an exact reason of why they think so. The U.S is the land of immigrant, that’s well known, people from all over the world came to this country many eyars ago. They had families in different countries and in my opinion what these immigrant told their relatives back home was that in the U.S you can find a job easily, you have many rights, you can buy almost anything with a good credit, etc. From that point of view, all the immigrants wanted the same, all at the same time. They wore out America little by little.

There is not more American Dream, such as a big house, nice car or SUV, vacations with the family, graduation from the university, etc In these days, if you had bought a house, it is more than likely that you are about to get it foreclosured. The car you bought, you still have it, because nobody has money to buy it from you and you cannot afford buying a new one either. College education is now technical education, if so. There is no more American Dream anymore, now it has translated into Survival Dream.

Education in the U.S

In this class we talked about the big corporations in the United States. This topic was interesting because we are surrounded by these companies and we do not know much about them. We can truly see that the monopoly in the U.S is run by them. Small companies cannot compete against them. I do not consider the monopoly as a bad thing because they are present in every country and they are a very important part of their economy.

Later, we talked about the distribution of wealth. In most countries the distribution of wealth is not equal, there only some lucky ones who have built a fortune and in the same countries poverty is extreme. I am not against rich people, I wouldn’t mind being rich, I am against the distribution of wealth, if a country, somehow, can make a few people rich, this country must have a way to distribute evenly their wealth among all the population, for example Cuba. 

Big Corporations around us

In this class we talked about the big corporations in the United States. This topic was interesting because we are surrounded by these companies and we do not know much about them. We can truly see that the monopoly in the U.S is run by them. Small companies cannot compete against them. I do not consider the monopoly as a bad thing because they are present in every country and they are a very important part of their economy.

Later, we talked about the distribution of wealth. In most countries the distribution of wealth is not equal, there only some lucky ones who have built a fortune and in the same countries poverty is extreme. I am not against rich people, I wouldn’t mind being rich, I am against the distribution of wealth, if a country, somehow, can make a few people rich, this country must have a way to distribute evenly their wealth among all the population, for example Cuba.

The Great Depression strikes back

“You are supposed to help us, you have received money from the government” this is phrase I hear every single day at work. More and more people are losing their homes, mortgages are not being paid, and it is not because people do not want to pay, people just do not have money. Unemployment rates are increasing, besides this, factories are shutting down and workers are being laid off. The stock market keeps falling down. The government is injecting more money but there are not big changes yet.

This depression does not only affect the U.S, but all the other countries that do business with the U.S. The U.S had a lot of creditors, especially China, if China decides to remove all their business with the U.S, this would mean a lot collapse in the U.S economy. Let’s all hope the situation in the U.S improves, not only for the people living there but also for future generations that can be related to us in some way.

U.S. GOVERNMENT

U.S. GOVERNMENT

On this class, we mentioned how the political system in the U.S. is controlled. Frist, I would to point out that there are 2 big political parties: Democrats (Donkey) and the Republicans (Elephant) there has been Democratic or Republican presidents only thought out history.

The government was formed in 1789, making the United States one of the world's first, if not the first, modern national constitutional republic.  As the same way in Peru, there are three branches: Executive, Legislative and Judiciary and each one of them is independent.

This political system allows only a partial control of the president. In fact, Barack Obama is the U.S. President, but he does not have the authority to do whatever he wants. Whatever decision he makes, it has to be approved first. Mr. Obama was chosen through a very hard to understand election. Voting is not obligatory in the U.S. but if you want to vote, you must register first.

 If we look our political system, we will see similitudes. Like in every other country, the corruption is present. Many U.S. Presidents have been involved in big scandals, or have been shot. So, the U.S. is not a good example to follow after all.

Native Americans not Indians

NATIVE AMERICANS

During this class, all those years living in Utah came to my mind. Many people do not know how the first Americans lived before European came around.  I remember my good friend Apache form the Apache tribe, he was a teacher, a big admirer of the Incan and Mayan Culture, he was adopted by Americans but he never forgot his primary language.

There are not many Native American nowadays, I met many of them and I can say that they are as normal as any other American, the only difference is that they keep their roots, they have respect for each other and they all know where they come from and are really proud of their past.

They are extinguishing day after day and the U.S. government does not pay much attention to them. Centuries ago, they have been killed by white people and they feel bitter for it. It is true when white Americans say that Native Americans are alcoholics and gamble a lot, but at least they do not go to schools and kill people.

Truth is, they are not united as a group, like Latinos, African Americans, etc., since they belong to different tribes, they only take care of themselves. Native Americans are not Indians, if you ever go to America, do not call them Indio, unless you want to get in trouble, and yes, they do have red skin and long hair.

SALAD BOWL OR MELTING POT

Based on my own experience, I can say that America is more a Salad bar than a Melting Pot, just for the single reason that the trend is toward multiculturalism and not assimilation.

By assimilation I refer to the fact that immigrants do not come to America to be like them, and that’s the meaning of the melting pot, all the immigrant populations melted into a pot forming a unique nation, a nation where all the citizens have the same rights and celebrate the same special events.

That just does not happen. If you are an immigrant in America, be happy for it, you are not alone. When you go to the market you will see many people of your same skin color and nationality, and how will you notice them? Very simple, they speak your same language and they may be buying the same products, as you are, to cook the same meal just like you.

There is nothing wrong with the idea of keeping your same culture. You are in a free country. This country is letting you stay, because it knows that you are there for a good reason.  You can be from any country, America is not telling you to quit your citizenship or costumes, so go ahead and celebrate the holidays you celebrate in your country, there is nothing wrong with it.

But, whatever you do, always remember that it is not your country and in the same way this country is letting you stay, you have to be respectful to its people, costumes and specially its laws. 

Manuel Cama.