Wednesday, March 27, 2013

An Argument Which Does Not Exist


           This week featured two happenings in the drive to legalize same-sex marriage in the United States.  First, the Supreme Court finally heard cases concerning the constitutionality marriage restrictions and second, Facebook was hit by a wave of profile picture changes to a red equals sign.  One of those matters a great deal, one hardly matters at all.  I’ll let you decide which is which.  My distaste for internet activism aside, same-sex marriage is the topic of the hour and I would be amiss if I did not add my two cents.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Roadblocks to Effective Government


Citizens of the United States often complain that their Congressional representatives and senators focus on ensuring continual reelection over effectively governing the nation.  Desire to maintain political power discourages members of Congress from tackling politically sensitive and often times vitally important issues, resulting in the crippling gridlock we have experienced over the past decade.  While it seems like an easy fix to this problem is to create term limits for representatives and senators, effecting change in this area is not as easy as it sounds.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

The Inception of World War One


             At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 after the end of formal fighting in World War One, Britain and France, over the objection of the United States, forced Germany to accept a war guilt clause.  This clause put the complete responsibility for dragging Europe into the war in 1914 on Germany, forcing the state to accept draconian punishments.  These included complete disarmament, significant land concessions, and substantial war reparations.  While the German delegation had little choice but to sign it, the reality is that Germany did not prove to be the state most at fault for the descent into war. 

Friday, March 1, 2013

World War One and Total War


            While World War One may not have been the first global war (the Seven Years War featured fighting in Europe, North America, Central Asia, and numerous naval skirmishes all across the globe), it was certainly the first total war.  To be considered a total war, a war must have profound impact on the daily lives of nearly every citizen in the combatant states.  Their social, political, economic, and cultural lives become directed by the state in such a manner that it benefits the military effort.