Keystone XL Pipeline: For Better or for Worse?

         Author, Lloyd F. Bitzer, provides a great series of examples to reinforce his idea of the rhetorical situation. You are probably wondering what the heck even is a rhetorical situation. Bitzer describes it as "the want to know the nature of those contexts in which speakers or writers create rhetorical discourse" (Bitzer 1). By asking a series of different questions, rhetorical situations become even more clear. These questions include, "How should they be described? What are their characteristics? [And finally] Why and how do they result in the creation of rhetoric (Bitzer 1)?

There are several issues at hand with the new idea of a Keystone XL Pipeline. "The Keystone XL Pipeline Project is a proposed 1,179-mile (1,897 km), 36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline, beginning in Hardisty, Alberta, and extending south to Steele City, Nebraska" (TransCanada 1). Many argue the issue that it will bring disaster upon natural habitats of animals as well as other wildlife. Others see this project as "a critical infrastructure project for the energy security of the United States and for strengthening the American economy (TransCanada 2). The Senate has already "passed a bill forcing its approval" (Winston 1) which shows that many key American figures are pro-Keystone. On the other hand, "President Obama has said he'll veto Keystone" (Winston 2). These specific issues have helped me manage my research by focusing on particular debates and questions raised on both sides of the argument. 

There is a rather large audience of people involved with both sides of this argument. The people who live in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska do not want a pipeline to come in and destroy the beauty of their states and provinces. On the other hand, people of TransCanada really want this to take place so that crude oil transportation between the U.S. and Canada can be better than it ever was. All republicans and democrats in Washington D.C. have had many heated arguments as whether or not the good out weigh the bad and should therefore allow for the construction of this Keystone XL pipeline. Animals and trees are definitely at stake if this process is to pass. Environmentalist and other pro-environment personnel will step in to discuss this issue. 

This argument of whether or not the Keystone XL Pipeline should be constructed is a nationwide issue that will either positively or negatively effect the lives of millions. The Pipeline will continue to be discussed until a compromise is reached.

Sources:

TransCanada-

http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline-project/

Harvard Business Review-

https://hbr.org/2015/01/why-the-keystone-pipline-is-the-wrong-u-s-energy-debate

The Rhetorical Situation-

http://comphacker.org/comp/engl335fosen/files/2012/08/Bitzer.pdf

We are "Amusing Ourselves to Death"!!!

Something is wrong with our society. America and the rest of the world have fallen under the idea that everything shown on the television and in photography are a fair representation of an entire country or state. In Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" it is very evident that Americans are growing more tolerant of the issues and political systems in our world. Neil describes several cases including the Nixon and Kennedy debate, Las Vegas as being the focus point of American spirit, and how photos and videos are a type of metaphor for its viewers.

Taft is portrayed as very fat

 Kennedy looks way better in this debate

"Amusing Ourselves to Death" sounds rather intense and it is. The first thing I thought of when I began to read this article by Neil Postman is my favorite album by Pink Floyd's Roger Waters called "Amused to Death." A very similar title. Much like Postman's article, Roger Waters emphasizes on the death and violence going on in the world and how people are becoming accustom towards these major issues by watching and listening to these articles on the T.V. and radio. The album cover is a photo of a monkey watching T.V. to emphasize the idea of "monkey see, monkey do." This shows how people are still animals deep down and how society has "been transformed into congenial adjuncts of show business, largely without protest or even much protest" (Postman 4). Amusing oneself to death means how the media is shaping our perception on other issues in the world. This may even include making us a lot more scared of an issue than we really should be. The media likes to expand on these issues and really blow them out of proportions. Most Americans have grown indifferent to the issues of the world and we truly "are the people amusing ourselves to death" (Postman 3). 

 Roger Water's Album Cover

Postman makes a claim that cosmetics have replaced ideology. He refers to the Kennedy and Nixon election and how Nixon was "sabotaged by makeup men" (Postman 4) because of the way he looked. Kennedy brought forth a youthful and refreshing spirit to politics, just by the way he appeared on the television. This idea of popularity through entertainment is a huge factor in the way people elect officials and business leaders. When President Taft was elected in 1909, T.V. was nonexistent and photographs were just becoming a lot more common. In today's world, America would not elect a President of such obesity as he was, even though, "The shape of a man's body is largely irrelevant to the shape of his ideas" (Postman 7). This is the society in which television has created for all Americans and the rest of the world.

Las Vegas is not the focus point of American spirit. In fact, Las Vegas is looked at as American corruption in my opinion. It is the gambling capital as well as the center for strip clubs and other degrading sexual activities. American spirit should be focused around opportunity and determination, not purely entertainment. "Las Vegas is a city entirely devoted to the idea of entertainment" (Postman 3) which is not what American spirit is all about.

I agree with Postman's idea that photos are a type of metaphor. On the other hand, I disagree with his idea that pictures "classify the world for us" (Postman 10). Take the Middle East for example. Any time the Middle East shows up in Fox News or CNN or whatever, photographs that are taken or video clips made always have guns, bombs, or dead bodies scattered everywhere. These images are not a metaphor for the rest of the Middle East. Having lived in Qatar myself, I can honestly tell you that it is one of the cleanest and friendliest places I have ever been. America has fallen under this idea of photos representing entire areas which this is not completely the case. We can not "confuse a message with a metaphor" (Postman 10) if we truly want to understand the world. 

Roger Waters, Richard Nixon, Las Vegas, and the issues in the Middle East are all examples of how our society is amusing itself to death. We are growing more and more immune to horrible news and more and more focused on the aesthetics of how people look compared to their actual intelligence. This may eventually lead to the downfall of our American society if we amuse ourselves to death. 

The "Freedom" of Expression Pays a Price

Ok, I'd like to begin by saying, what the heck has our world come to?! Killing a dozen people over a satyrical Islamic cartoon? I mean really! Have we forgotten about others "freedom of expression?" So many issues have arose about these apparently "sensitive" subjects that no one can take a joke anymore!

I recently read an article by Karl Sharro, a man who does satyrical middle-eastern comics himself, about this whole Charlie Hebdo attack. He describes this attack as a fine example of the "steady erosion of freedom of expression." He could not be anymore correct! This masacre shows how dangerous a job like Karl's can be. Karl continues to put himself in danger in order to continue the "freedom of expression" that our founding fathers fought so hard to protect. That is extremely important to him.

This cartoon, printed in the Charlie Hebdo is no doubt offensive. There is one cartoon with a man filming what appears to be the prophet Mohammed's butt. It looks to be as if Mohammed is taking part in a porno. Is it offensive? Yes. Is it harmful? No. That is a huge difference. The only harm done was the murders of the people who created the newspaper and the pain the terrorists have placed on their family members.

This idea of pornography leads me to my next topic. Should it be allowed? Susan Brownmiller, author of "Let's Put Pornography Back in the Closet," thinks it should be. She is a huge fan of freedom of expression and believes that in order to preserve this freedom means that pornography must be kept. It too can be highly offensive. Several people on the otherhand view porn as a form of art. This line between porn and art is kind of a gray area to me and one in which I sometimes can not tell the difference between. 

One issue I see with "freedom of expression" is not placed on by the government at all. In fact, it is the issue with schools that I feel takes this priveledge away from most adolescents. I have had countless friends get detentions at school because they posted something or tweeted something offensive towards a student or faculty memeber. Last year, our school received iPads for the first time in school history. The first few months were just nonstop flappy bird and clash of clans for most students. I personally enjoyed those games before I realized I needed to stop due to decreasing grades (which I was able to recover from). Anyway, sometime during the spring semester a new app called Yik Yak was released to the students. After that, all hell broke loose. Yik Yak is an anonymous comment feed, similar to twitter, that allows people within a mile's radius to read you comments. Being anonymous, students were willing to write everything and anything that was offensive towards students and teachers. I have to admit, some of the things that were written were hillarious. Unfortunately for others, they were not...Dean Healey later put an embargo on the Yik Yak era. The comments were all deleted and I heard that some comments were even traced back to the select students that posted them. Ok, I know that it was wrong, and I know that several feelings were hurt, but I feel as though this takes away from our rights as americans to have a freedom of expression! The part that really frustrates me is the fact that some students were traced and tracked down!

This tracking is very similar to Harlan Coben's the "Undercover Parent." Parents should not be able to track and trace every key note their child puts on the computer. For me, I would feel extremely violated!

It sort of seems like this "freedom of expression" in America and other select countries is not so free after all. You may not be thinking about it at the time, but you might have to pay the consequences later.

Sources:

Current Issues and Enduring Questions

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/01/charlie-hebdo-and-the-right-to-be-offended/384404/

Pope's Comission to Combat Sexual Abuse

For many years, the church has had many issues. One issue the church faces is sexual abuse. Not only do people receive this from outside the church, but it has happened by members of the church as well! People do the best they can to stop this horrible crime. Even if it continues to happen.

Now Pope Francis takes a stand for all of the Vatican. He plans to create a comission preventing abuse to minors! Hopefully we will see it go through to help with the prevention. Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley announced this last week. I plan to see great improvements in the prevention of sexual abuse prevention, I pray it helps!

Website Source: http://religionblogs.cnn.com/2013/12/05/vatican-setting-up-commission-against-sexual-abuse-of-minors

Photo Source: http://religionblogs.cnn.com/2013/12/05/vatican-setting-up-commission-against-sexual-abuse-of-minors

Zimmerman needs peace!!!

People in the last year have been going crazy over racial allegations of the death Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman is the reason for this after shooting him over a year ago. People think he did this out of hatred of blacks. He went to court earlier this year and many times following and came out not guilty. By coming out not guilty, this has ticked many people off.

Recently, Zimmerman is being called back into trial to face more judges. A pastor name Rev. Gregory attempts at making peace for the trial. He feels no conflict is necessary. This pastor really sends out the message of being the bigger man. I really hope that what ever happens, peace will maintain its presence.

Website Source: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/24/pastors-aim-to-keep-peace-at-zimmerman-trial/

Photo Source: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/24/pastors-aim-to-keep-peace-at-zimmerman-trial/

The Pope Get Threatened by the Mafia

The Mafia has been around for hundreds of years organizing and plotting ways to get money. They have done both incredibly horrible yet some extremely intelligent acts as well. They dont like to mess around. They get what they want, no mercy. They can be extremely violent especially when plotting an attack.

Recently Pope Francis received a threat from the Italian very recently. It has called for high security and extra protection of the pope. The reason of confliction is due to an unfairness in the Vatican Bank. The mafia does not like getting screwed over. I hope stays safe and lives a very long time!

Website Source: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/14/prosecutor-pope-faces-mafia-threat/

Video Source: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/14/prosecutor-pope-faces-mafia-threat/

The 'Obamacare scandal you never heard about

Throughout the history of America, people have tried to find ways to make things better for the entire community. Religion has brought forth many reasons to keep and hold people together throughout history. Even today, religion has brought hope to many people. It continues to do so even through the hardest of times. This is especially common today.

Recently, a Reverend named Timothy McDonald brought forth an entirely new perspective on Obamacare. He fears that the people who will need it most wont even receive it! This is due to state laws that will not permit it. Rev. McDonald gave hope to many people by telling them basically that through Jesus anything is possible. This has helped many people remember and see the goodness that still remains in hope.

Website Source: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/08/the-obamacare-question-pastors-shun/

Video Source: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/08/the-obamacare-question-pastors-shun/