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Grace Arthur is a 17 year-old Southern California Republican who is our summer intern here at MichaelPRamirez.com. She was editor of her high school newspaper and will study journalism in college this fall. We are delighted to feature her opinion writing here.
Spring 2017: Thirty-one days. That is how long until I graduate from high school. My life is just beginning. So yes to be blunt, I am worried about the bombs North Korea is dropping. Kids my age don’t say much about them other than President Trump is not dealing with the threat the right way, (they seem to use that excuse for everything), but from what I can tell President Trump is the only one doing anything.
With an unstable leader like Kim Jong Un, I think foreign leaders need to stand up and do their jobs. North Korea is not just threatening the US but them as well. Take China for example, they are one of North Korea’s only allies. Yet, despite all the rising tension between North Korea and other nations, they still tested a ballistic missile just two days ago, ultimately a slap in China’s face. Yet, what is China doing about it? Well, they are supplying North Korea with weapons. How does that make any sense? Why are the Chinese giving North Korea things that will only enable them to continue to terrorize so many people?
I want to start this new chapter in my life on the right foot. I want to go to college, pursue a career, and have a family. What I don’t want is to live in fear of North Korea dropping a bomb on our country. I say respectfully: can the leaders of every country involved please take a stand and do their jobs?
I want to know, as the future generation, what is being done? No more talking, I want to see some real action being taken to prevent this so called “World War III”. -Grace Arthur
With an unstable leader like Kim Jong Un, I think foreign leaders need to stand up and do their jobs. North Korea is not just threatening the US but them as well. Take China for example, they are one of North Korea’s only allies. Yet, despite all the rising tension between North Korea and other nations, they still tested a ballistic missile just two days ago, ultimately a slap in China’s face. Yet, what is China doing about it? Well, they are supplying North Korea with weapons. How does that make any sense? Why are the Chinese giving North Korea things that will only enable them to continue to terrorize so many people?
I want to start this new chapter in my life on the right foot. I want to go to college, pursue a career, and have a family. What I don’t want is to live in fear of North Korea dropping a bomb on our country. I say respectfully: can the leaders of every country involved please take a stand and do their jobs?
I want to know, as the future generation, what is being done? No more talking, I want to see some real action being taken to prevent this so called “World War III”. -Grace Arthur
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Our Greatest Freedom
By: Grace Arthur July 6, 2017 Ask any teenager what they think their greatest freedom is, and chances are they will say it’s their freedom of speech. Our ability to speak our opinion via Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media outlet has become not just a freedom but a tool. For me, freedom of speech is very important because growing up in California as a young Republican has not been easy. High school consisted of a lot of mean stares and rude comments that bashed my political beliefs and my only defense was my freedom to speak and defend those beliefs. This is why I get mad when I hear that CNN is blackmailing a 16 year-old because he exercised his freedom of speech by posting a video. Since when did CNN get to choose who is allowed to speak their opinion and who should be punished for it? The only reason they are blackmailing him is because the video hurts their appearance. Well, if I could say something to CNN it would be what my mom always told me growing up, sometimes life’s not fair but you're just going to have to deal with it. I applaud that 16 year-old for making the video because, let’s face it, kids do not have a lot of power when it comes to politics. Which is why I take pride in my freedom of speech. It gives me the feeling that what I think does matter because I have the ability to share it. What makes it even better now? I can share it in so many ways with social media. Of course, this can also cause problems (#twitterfights #facebookfights) but I think that is the beauty of free speech because it wouldn’t be free if everyone had to think the same way. I hope in the coming years, as I head to college, I can continue to exercise my freedom of speech without apology or fear: it is my defense, my pride, and above all my right. How Terror Affects Young People
Kids Thoughts on Terrorism
By: Grace Arthur I think we can all agree that the idea of terrorism is frightening. However, I wanted to find out specifically how kids close to my age felt about this topic, especially in light of the recent terrorist events. I set out to ask three important questions: 1. What do you think about the risks associated with terrorism? 2. How do you feel about the terrorism that has been occurring in the United States and around the world? 3. Do you think our government is taking steps in the right direction to stop terrorism? If not, what could they do? The answers: fascinating, diverse, and insightful. 1. What do you think about the risks associated with terrorism? -I think the risk is definitely growing, however it's not enough to make me worried about my safety. (17) -I think the risks are extremely high, because it is very easy to either get hurt or punished in some form. (13) -I believe the risks associated with terror are a huge problem in today's world, considerably more in the last couple years with more and more attacks outside of the Middle East it's become more known as an issue that needs to be solved. (16) -I think hate and terrorism are spreading, meaning there is a greater risk of more acts of terror. (18) -Not gonna stop me from living. Risks are around every corner. If you live constantly in fear of something happening you’d never do anything. (20) -They’re in the back of my head when I attend large events but then I stop worrying about it because it’ll ruin my night. (16) - You can’t live in fear. You just gotta do it and pray a lot. “Do it” meaning go to whatever event you want to go to. (16) 2. How do you feel about the terrorism that has been occurring in the United States and around the world? -I think it is a horrible thing that this is a growing trend. (17) -I believe that the recent occurrences of terrorism are extremely damaging and they make it very hard for some people to get back on their feet.(13) -Obviously I believe terrorism is horrible and I think it's important to remember during times of terror attacks not to categorize a large amount of people based on the action of a few, which I see a lot today. (16) -I feel sad and perplexed as to why people believe violence will help them reach goals. (18) 3. Do you think our government is taking steps in the right direction to stop terrorism? If not, what could they do? -I don't think we are. I feel that we need to do more to connect with other cultures to show them that western culture isn't bad. Instead of going in and fighting in a war that kills people we need to educate the world to bring us closer together. Also I think that we need to stop showing it so much on the media because that is exactly what they want. They are trying to spread fear and when people see it on the news it spreads that fear. (17) -I believe they are, I think it is important to have harsher immigration laws so we do not allow easy access for terrorist groups to move into our country. I do not believe there is a sure solution to solving terrorism or Isis so I think the government is doing what they can currently. (16) -I think Trump has a negative image, therefore making the whole country look bad globally. Our government should not be spending so much money on defense and channel that money towards making peace with other countries. (18) -No. Put bans on the RIGHT countries (20) *Note- the answers I received come from kids all over the political spectrum, not just kids who have similar beliefs as me. Of course, the issue of terrorism is much more complicated than three simple questions, however, I think that these questions, and their responses, prove that kids are scared. We are scared of not knowing if going to a concert or running a race could mean being in danger. We are scared that traveling anywhere out of the country could be a risk. I believe the answers received show that some kids are more scared than others. Perhaps, they have seen family members affected by terrorism or have been affected themselves in some way. However, I also think we are still kids, who want to keep living our lives to the fullest. Yes, we are worried, but no we are not letting crooked, “evil losers” stop us from being happy. |
Stop ResistingBy: Grace Arthur
“Where is the love?” The Black Eyed Peas asked me this (well kind of) on my way to school today. I would like to pass this question on to the rest of you. Where is the love? In all honesty I am tired of going to school and listening to my teachers go on and on about all the negative things President Trump has done. Of course, he is not perfect but who is? When teachers constantly criticize our country's leader, the only thing it does is shape those young people's mind to think poorly of him. Of course, I don't think we only need to talk positive about Trump but can we at least take a minute to see that some things might actually be getting better because of him? I thought I would put a list together of a few positive things I think President Trump has done in the time he has been in office. 1. President Trump ordered federal agencies to eliminate two regulations for each new one they propose. Yes less government! As a 17 year old, I look at the rate at which the government creates regulations and all I can think is that I won't have any freedom to make my own choices, if the government keeps making regulations like they have been. 2. Successfully nominated and confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. For me, this was just plain exciting. It almost makes me giddy when I realize I was able to see a Supreme Court Justice Confirmed, that is no small feat! 3. “Buy American and Hire American” executive order. This makes me feel good because I am going to college next year and 4 years after that I want to get a job where I can support a family, however, from what I can see right now, even kids who completed immense amounts of schooling are having hard times getting a job. Why should that be? Kids my age are put under a lot of pressure. It seems like with every generation, you are expected to do more and more: take more AP classes, be involved in more clubs, volunteer more, play more sports, and the list goes on. It gets harder every year to live up to “the standard”. I think the same applies to President Trump. How much does he need to do before people start to acknowledge the progress he has made? |