Humor in Argument: "The New Atheists"

I have recently discovered my love and deep respect for any individual who write or speaks in a satirical manner. This has become even more evident as I have shaped who I am as an individual and developed my own religious beliefs. The argument that I wish to present is a book written by Becky Garrison titled: "The New Atheists and Their Unholy Grail: The Misguided Quest to Destroy Your Faith." I have a profound level of admiration for anyone to have a system of beliefs. I have friends who are members of every religion, and many who are agnostic or atheist. However, I can't abide intolerance. Where I would get angry, Ms. Garrison gets funny. Her book gives a strong argument by stating the flaws of these men who hate all people who believe in anything, and suggests many solutions to their hatred. Their is no real way that I can adequately describe the full brilliance of her argument, but you can find examples of her humorous arguments in her books "The New Atheists," and "Red and Blue God; Black and Blue Church." She also writes for the only religion satire magazine: "The Wittenburg Door."

www.wittenburgdoor.com

Op-Ed: Obama's Uneducated Plan

In today’s world, education is everything. The future of our children and our nation depends on a solid cornerstone of education. How can this be accomplished when so few are able to teach and even fewer are willing to learn? We all know that this isn’t some passing problem; we all know that the future is literally at a turning point. Who can you, the concerned parent hope to make a difference? Who can lead the way to a better tomorrow?

The upcoming political election is the beginning of a new age. Promises of change abound, especially from Democratic nominee Barack Obama. After the fall of our nation who can we put our faith into to better the educational system of the United States of America?

I didn’t realize just how close to home the deterioration of the public school system really is. The Dallas Independent School District (DISD) has made some recent and frankly frightening changes to the way they run the schools. The students have absolute freedom; this is not always a good thing. Homework and projects no longer have a due date, and test scores are irrelevant. Students can retake exams as often as it takes to get a passing grade. They are graduating these young people with a barely passing average. It is clearly obvious that this cannot continue.

We live in Plano, but who is to say that this educational issue from Dallas will not spread into the suburbs? It isn’t our nation that is in danger; we have the brave men and women of the armed forces to protect our land. It is our children who are in danger.

Obama professes change, and promises a lot. His political campaign is on the “educational offensive,” because
he claims that his opponent, McCain, has done nothing to improve the state of the nation’s education. These are claims and nothing more, and that doesn’t mean that Obama has the solution. Those promises of change, of bring the United States of America back into the foreground of the educational world, are empty words and empty promises.

Obama claims to have a plan, an eighteen million dollar plan, to correct the issues with the American educational system. I don’t know that much about finances or the economy, but I am pretty sure that we don’t have eighteen million dollars just lying around the United States Treasury. Obama is also proposing tax breaks and this makes the people happy. I would be too. The economy, however, is not capable of yielding eighteen million dollars without tax breaks.

Obama also wants to create programs to assist children who are “at-risk” in the educational system. Children who are “at-risk” are individuals who have a difficult time on certain subjects, such as reading or mathematics. Obama doesn’t understand that sometimes these children aren’t capable of understanding subjects in school and pushing them will only lead them to hate learning and give up all together.

Each student is unique; we all see this with all different children. Therefore, if each subject has children who are “at-risk” and each school teaches typical classroom topics, we have a problem. A problem that is going to take a lot more than eighteen million dollars to fix. Each student will need encouragement in the fields they do have talent in, not just at school but also at home. This is something only parents can give, not money from the government.

Obama also plans to motivate teachers with higher salaries and personal rewards for doing a good job. This sounds an awful lot like bribing. I have no doubt that teachers would appreciate a larger compensation for the man-hours the put into their careers. I also hold no delusions that many citizens believe teachers to be underpaid. However, I know for a fact that a majority of teachers didn’t enter the educational system for the money, and they certainly would not be swayed by bribes.
The fourth and final section of Obama’s plan is to remove teachers who don’t perform up to standards. That is an excellent idea. We must have a waiting list of highly trained and experienced educators dying to get into a classroom. I’m sorry, sarcasm doesn’t become me. I don’t see the benefit and logic of removing the few educator we have when they don’t “excel in their position.”

Obama promises change. Educational change he cannot give, not with this strategy. If he wants to make a real difference, this reporter has two suggestions: move off of the education offensive, or think long and hard about what it will really take to improve the slowly sinking American educational system.

Argument of Definition: "Hooking Up"

An article in the Daily Skiff on Monday the 22nd of September spoke about the link between gender ratio and the rate of people "hooking up." I want to focus less on the idea that young women are feeling pressured to be more sexually appealing to garner more attention from young men. Rather, I want to present the argument that "hooking up" means to have sexual intercourse with little or no knowledge about the sexual partner. "Hooking up" is becoming a much more frequent phrase used in conversations of high school and college students. The idea can be entirely different when used by a woman (kissing, making-out); and used by a man (sex). Sex is still an extremely delicate and almost taboo subject in American conversations. Therefore, I question what "hooking up" really means. Is it something as innocent as a kiss between new friends, or as extreme as having sex with a stranger? Is there a middle ground? What are the limits? We use this phrase a lot; what does it REALLY mean?

For my Op-Ed, I will be writing for the Plano Profile; a magazine that is published in my hometown. The audience is primarily married women with children who more than likely are stay-at-home mothers. The issue of education and the election will be a very important topic for mothers concerned about their children's future.

Argument of Fact

For my argument of fact, I chose an article entitled "Vatican: Guess What, Darwin? Evolution is OK." It details the Vatican's surprising and controversial decision. Recently, the Vatican made a sudden declaration that the thoery of evolution is compatable to the Bible. The Vatican now claims that the theory of evolution is described in basic and cryptic detail in the first chapter of Genesis, when God creates the world in seven days. The idea is: God created the world in the order that life evolved on this Earth. While I can agree with this statement as a "bio-logos" believer, (one who accepts science and knows that they are not smart enough to figure out God), I will bring my challenge to light. For one hundred and fifty years, the Roman Catholic Church turned away from Darwin's theory. Now they claim that the Bible is an ancient example of Darwinian evolution. While this is a sudden and unexpected turn of events, it almost seems like their argument of fact, is reading between the lines of a story that was designed to tell a story about why humans are the way that we are. The Vatican declares that evolution is compatable with the Bible. I accept this; I believe that science and spirituality can be viewed harmoniously. It just seems that the fact presented in the Vatican's argument is poorly supported, and very long overdue.

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

This was the first time that I have read an article from the Agence French Presse. I am sorry to have to disagree with your writer of the article entitled “Obama Slams ‘Do-Nothing’ McCain on Failing Schools.” Education is a very important subject for me and the falling quality of school in the United States is nothing short of deplorable. I firmly stand by the fact that without a solid education, America will fall. When thinking of the upcoming presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain, education was the issue that concerned me the most. I hoped to gain a swaying outside view from reading this article but sadly I wasn’t convinced.

The author of “Obama Slams…McCain” clearly wanted to turn voters away from the “do-nothing” Republican president, and toward Obama. This fell short. The article instead paints Obama in an almost relentless light of villainy. The writer presents Obama’s accusations about McCain’s disinterest when it comes to education, and nothing more. They haven’t given any evidence, only accusations. Furthermore, the only mention of a plan for rebuilding a nation’s education system involves paying the teachers the money we don’t have, and removing them if they continue to perform poorly.

This will not solve any problems. Where will Senator Obama get the money for such an idealistic plan? How will he get children interested in learning again? Can we stay a world superpower with poorly educated individuals, the individuals that will lead our nation? No, we can’t. The solution doesn’t come from money we don’t have, the solution comes from the government taking more interest than writing a few checks. The problems won’t go away by removing the only teachers that we have. It involves the federal government taking a real interest.

When I hear about the Dallas Independent School District’s fall from grace. I can only hope, with every breath, that the newest president will do something to improve education. These young people have no deadlines on homework or projects and they can take a test as many times as they want to get a decent grade. They are sending these teenagers off into the world with a diploma that shows they got the slightest D- average. No one seems to care about his or her future. Who is going to care? Who is going to offer a solution that will get the students motivated, to get the teachers proper training, to ensure the future of these individuals?

The article published in your electronic magazine has not convinced me of Obama. The only thing I know is that Obama makes radical accusations about his opponent, and that he has an unrealistic plan to reform a deteriorating system. The article has given me reason to question McCain about education. Hopefully, his plan for education will offer a solution that is in reach in these troubled times. Regardless, I am not sure who to put my faith into when it comes to education. I will undoubtedly hear more mud slinging, but maybe there may be a light of hope to save the future of our nation.

Education: "Obama Slams 'Do-Nothing' McCain"

Obama slams 'do-nothing McCain' on failing schools

Democrat Barack Obama Tuesday assailed his Republican White House rival John McCain's claim to be an agent of change, arguing he had done nothing in three decades in Congress to improve US schools. In excerpts from a speech here detailing his own plans to improve public education, Obama zeroed in on an issue of major concern to voters worried about failing schools and soaring university tuition costs.

"In the past few weeks, my opponent has taken to talking about the need for change and reform in Washington, where he has been part of the scene for about three decades," Obama said of McCain, a 26-year veteran of Congress.

"And in those three decades, he has not done one thing to truly improve the quality of public education in our country. Not one real proposal or law or initiative. Nothing," the Illinois senator said.

The attack came a day after Obama accused McCain and the Republican's running mate Sarah Palin of "shameless" dishonesty with their claim to be "mavericks" who are distinct from the unpopular President George W. Bush. The rhetoric has turned more biting as polls show McCain, helped by conservative excitement at the addition of Alaska Governor Palin
as his vice presidential nominee, pulling even or ahead in the race for November 4's vote.

The Obama campaign released a new advertisement accusing McCain of planning to cut education funding while extending hefty tax breaks to big companies, and proposing to abolish the Department of Education.

"We can't afford more of the same," the ad said, tying McCain and Palin to Bush despite the Republicans' self-professed claim to be zealous reformists who would take on special interests in Washington.

"That is not my idea of reform. That is not my idea of change. That is not a plan to help your kids compete with those kids in China and India," Obama was to say in his speech at a Dayton high school."After three decades of indifference on education, do you really believe that John McCain is going to make a difference now?"

McCain favors giving parents vouchers to send their children to the state school of their choice, and accuses Obama
of being beholden to powerful teachers' unions to the detriment of pupils' education needs.

The Democrat said he would couple higher pay for teachers with more exacting standards. Educators performing poorly would get support, "but if they still don't improve, they'll be replaced," he vowed.

Aspects of the Presidential Elections

In the upcoming election, I never thought that I would have no idea who to vote for. While I am taking this class to expand my ability to write pursuasively; I would also like to figure out who will receive my first presidential vote. That being the case, I want to look at a few different areas of the presidential election.

The political issues that I will be following are the ones that I think apply the most to me as individual, and the nation in the big picture of the next four years. First is Education. I am in college, where I will shape the rest of my life, and learn what I need to shape my future career. I need to know what the candidate's plans for education are; not just for myself, but my loved ones and future generations as well. The second aspect would be the Economy. Everyone is talking about the state of the economy and I know that it is terrible. I don't claim to know much about how the capitialist system works, but I understand the English language well enough. I need to listen closely to the promises of the candidates and their plans for the economy. Third would be Foreign Policy. We need a president who will work for a better form of Foreign Policy. Our reputation with the other nations of our planet has been utterly humilated. Our future president will need to convice me of what they will do to help our nation be a more respected as in the past.

When I heard about the presidential elections in the past, I would judge my hypothetical decisions on the appearance of the candidates. If they looked nice, caring, smart, and trustworthy, they would have my imaginary vote. In the current election, based on appearances, McCain wouldn't have my vote, while Obama would. However, with their vice presidential candidates McCain would have my vote while Obama wouldn't. Now more than ever, I will have put aside my apathetic feelings of politics and learn and listen and watch.

"Logos": Video Games

While I for one was never an avid supporter of "World of Warcraft", I did feel that this argument used Logos to convey its purpose. The ad displays a ven-diagram of sorts that show how a game called "Second Life" is superior to "World of Warcraft." Through this argument, "Second Life" is a way for people to have social interaction and a real community of friends in a world that they create themselves. This is obviously an attempt to overshadow "World of Warcraft" by using reason. They have laid out the apparent superiority of "Second Life" in a list form.

The argument also spells out the similarities of the two games, and while "World of Warcraft" has a longer list, the argument uses common sense to show the reader that "World of Warcraft" is ironically a limited world. "Second Life" appears to use logic to show that it is a game with the potential to teach your children valuable life skills; such as limitless potential, real social interaction, and the art of business.

I, however, would like to make my own argument. I don't like online role-playing games. I feel that they take away from good old fashioned human interaction and turn people into fat, lazy, hermits who cringe at sunlight. Nevertheless, I do feel that this argument's use of logos has enlightened me to a better game than "World of Warcraft." The link below is the address to the argument:

http://wadatripp.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/image0061.jpg

"Pathos:" The Air I Breathe

"The Air I Breathe" was a powerful and thought-provoking movie that flew under the radar and stared some of the Hollywood elite. Based on an ancient Chinese proverb, Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Kevin Bacon portray the four major human emotions: Happiness (Whitaker), Pleasure (Fraser), Sorrow (Gellar), and Love (Bacon). They are all tied together by the notorious mob boss Fingers (Andy Garcia). Through this movie an argument that uses Pathos was conveyed. The argument itself is built up and explained by each of the four main characters.

The argument of the film is simply: we are all connected. We are all individuals, we are all unqiue. We are also all bound together by one thing: emotions. We all feel happiness, we all feel pleasure, we all feel sorrow, we all feel love. We are all connected in how we experience these feelings. Knowing that we feel these things makes us human. Humanity is what binds us all together. We cannot simply change how we feel, and "sometimes the things we can't change, end us changing us." The cover of the movie also conveys the argument that we are all connected by the emotions that we share. Happiness is smiling, Love is forelorne, Sorrow looks like she will cry, and Pleasure looks lost and empty. They may all be individuals, they may all be seperated, but they are all still human. They are all still human and therefore they are all connected. On some emotional level, we are all the same.