Fighting for Rights

In the past few weeks, several issues have dominated the news, including the revolutions in the Middle East and the situation in Wisconsin. But an issue that hasn't gotten a lot of attention lately is the fight for gay rights. Aside from the victories the protestors have experienced in the Middle East, there have recently been a series of small victories for advocates of gay rights.

Image cred: CNN

This month, the Maryland senate passed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Though it still needs to pass in the House of Delegates, Democrats remain optimistic that they have the votes to pass the bill. Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley has stated that if it passes, he will sign the bill into law. If the bill passes Maryland will be the sixth state to recognize same-sex marriage, along with Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as Washington D.C. This bill is a great news for gay rights advocates, and hopefully it will be passed and signed into law.

President Obama also spoke out this week about the issue when he stated the administration's opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law defining marriage as strictly between a man and a woman. Obama has long voiced his opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act, but this week he ordered the Department of Justice to cease all defense of the law. But some fear Obama's decision will have political consequences in his re-election bid in 2012.

In other news, the White House also named Jeremy Bernard as the new White House Social Secretary. This marks the first time an openly gay person will hold the position.

These past few weeks we have seen a few small victories in the fight for equality, and they hopefully represent the first of many victories to come.

How Technology is Changing the World

Photo cred: CNN

It's fairly obvious to say technology is changing the world. Ten years ago no one knew what "Facebook" or "Twitter" were, yet now we can't imagine life without them. And although these are great tools for reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, more and more people are discovering the greater impact social networking sites can have. In these past few weeks the crisis in Egypt proved that the internet is for more than grass-root campaigns to get Betty White on SNL. In fact, it can start a revolution. Initially sparked by one man, Wael Ghonim, the revolution grew mainly because of the use of social networking sites. Social networking sites have also played significant roles in the revolutions in Tunisia and Libya. The role of the internet in the Middle East is summed up well in this video from CBS News. The true question is: what will the internet spark next?

This week we also saw the astounding development of technology when IBM's computer Watson competed on Jeopardy--and won. In light of this, there has been a lot of discussion about not only how computers can take over jobs previously held by humans, but about how far we are from computers becoming more intelligent than humans. Watson is not perfect; in fact, it made a number of mistakes. But it is still an amazing feat that will have countless advantages in the future. For instance, Watson can be used in the healthcare industry. Here's a great video about the experience and Watson's future:



Technology was also addressed in President Obama's State of the Union address. He spoke about the need for technology in order for the United States to remain competitive in today's world. Obama has repeatedly stated that training in technology is essential in the education system today. This week he even met with some of the industry's biggest leaders to speak about how technology can impact job creation. So in a world where technology already plays a huge role in our lives, how will it affect us next?

Welcome

The Hopper is now live! My name is Sarah Zimmerman and I am taking AP United States Government with Mr. Gwaltney at the Online School for Girls. I am a junior in high school with an interest in politics. I follow political news and I interned for a campaign this past summer, and I'm thinking about pursuing a career in politics.

This blog is about what's going on in American politics today and how it relates to the study of American history. Some of the issues that arose in the drafting of the Constitution, for instance, are the same issues arising today. These include health care, gun control, capital punishment, and of course states rights. What I'm going to do is tweet about what's happening in political news and then write more in-depth posts weekly. You can look me up on Diigo, follow me on Twitter @szimmerman94, or email me at szimmerman94@gmail.com. I'm looking forward to learning more about politics each week, and I hope you guys are excited too!