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Davies

ENGL 101.014

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                On October 22 in 2002, a crisp, autumn, Wednesday afternoon, a man of considerable influence stood before a crowd of thousands in downtown Chicago with a clear and concise message. He confidently stated “Now let me be clear – I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity.” These words came from our future President of the United States, Barack Obama. Strong words proclaiming one thing. Saddam Hussein is a bad man. It is reasonable that one would assume from this message that Senator Obama would concede that it is in United States’ best interest to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, and overthrow his government. However, the picture becomes a bit more muddled if I read to you the words he spoke just before this proclamation. He said “That’s what I’m opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.” The assumption first made would be wrong. Senator Obama did not believe it to be in the best interests of our country to invade Iraq, despite his beliefs that Saddam Hussein was a bad man, and that the world would be a better place without him.

                The sentiments of Senator Obama that day were shared by a number of politicians and citizens throughout the country. However, there were also a large number that would support our President at the time, George W. Bush, if he decided to move militarily against Iraq. Numbers showed that a large percentage of civilians shared Obama’s views on Saddam Hussein; however, they backed a U.S. led invasion of Iraq, whereas Senator Obama did not. What did Barack Obama know that other people did not? The Bush administration had issued statements that received intelligence positively identified Saddam possessing, and manufacturing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). He was in clear violation of U.N. Resolution 1441, which will be discussed later. And further, he was actively attempting to procure Uranium for the purpose of attaining nuclear weapons. Without a doubt, we urgently needed to invade Iraq, and remove Saddam from power. But what if that intelligence was wrong? In this paper, I will examine the information used in declaring war on Iraq, and the ensuing post-war findings of the Iraq Survey Group (ISG).

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Was it wrong for us to invade Iraq?

Was there WMD? What was the intelligence provided to the Bush administration? Was that intelligence wrong, or was it falsified? Was Iraq just smarter that us?

Here today...

I am a student at Purdue University North Central, in Westville, Indiana. I would say that i'm not your average college freshman. I am 35 years old. I am starting a little late because of the fact that for the last 10+ years I was a member of the United States Air Force. I never had any doubts that I would serve 20 years and retire from the military. Unfortunately, I was injured during my service and was forced to be medically retired. So now, after being completely sure of my future with the military, I am out and now a student. I am taking advantage of the GI Bill offered by the military.

Exploring Metaphors in Education

From the earliest days of formal teaching, educators have used metaphors as a way of improving the understanding of the importance of learning. Using metaphors allows teachers to deliver this message in a way that people can more readily comprehend. Paulo Freire used his "banking concept of education" metaphor as a way to show the flaws in the traditional sense of classroom instruction. He believed that students became only a receptor to the educators deposits of information. Instead, fostering an environment that encourages free-thinking, along with free-speaking, gives students an opportunity to be engaged in the lessons. This method of learning has the ability to leave a longer-lasting impression on the students, increasing their ability to retain the knowledge provided.