Sunday, March 24, 2024

Eight Values of Free Expression (Post 3)



When it comes to the concept of expression via speech not many individuals know the base values. There are eight values consisting of "Marketplace of Ideas", "Participation in Self-Government", "Stable Change", "Individual Self-Fulfillment", "Check on Governmental Power", "Promote Tolerance", "Promote Innovation", "Protect Dissent". Two prominent expressions that seem to carry over into todays world view are "Protect Dissent" and "Promote Innovation". 



Protect Dissent refers to the protection of speech no matter how unpopular. You have a strongly protected right to disagree with the government — and everyone else. In fact, it is your patriotic duty to criticize the government" (Steven Shiffrin). Social media outlets have taken over the 21st century containing tons of articles and news reports, along with opinions of very adamant persons pertaining to a certain topic. I believe that protect dissent is important because it holds a foundational understanding for The First Amendment. Allowing individuals to voice their opinions is important. This allows for civil conversation to be explored and meander through the intricate background of dialogue. The protection for the criticization of the government allows people to express their needs and wants from the leaders of the United States. By chance if the government was not founded with the first amendment and the expression of protect dissent was not called upon there would be anarchy. Riots would pollute the city streets and no one would be able to have a say in what the government promotes. Despite facing so much backlash with the prestigious amount of the censor ship coming from multiple social media platforms along with news broadcasting systems it is applicable to all U.S citizens that they can create or find private networks to preach their values. This is why I believe that "Protect Dissent" is so vital to our great nation. This expression resonates with me due to the reason that so many individuals seem to be persecuted or targeted by others for voicing their opinions.


With censorship becoming the main headlines in todays world it is quite hard to "Promote Innovation". Promote innovation refers to "a community in which free speech is valued and protected is likely to be a more energized, creative, interesting society as its citizens actively fulfill themselves in many diverse and interesting ways" (Jack Balkin). Ideas are mostly generated through one person. That person carries on their research and opinions but the only time it starts to become perfect is when others share thoughts and opinions. This allows for generation of ideas that can directly help society as a whole. I believe this expression is another key factor in the terms of The First Amendment due to allowing citizens to freely cultivate ideas without persecution. The expression "Promote Innovation" is personal to me because I think believe people feed off of other peoples energy. This can refer to the boosting of moods via an inspirational speech. Also the publications of podcasts has a lot of opinion based conversations on topics that I love being informed on so I am better equipped if a debate is needed or general knowledge. Keeping speech interesting is imperative to keeping a calm and collected society.


Informational Crash Course on Freedom of Speech: 



Tuesday, March 19, 2024

History and Workings of The Supreme Court (Post 2)

Supreme Court Building

A factor of information that I have learned that I did not know about before was that the President of The United States nominates the Supreme Court Chief Justice. Being able to tell congress, The President of the United States and the states is a huge task and the individuals cannot avoid controversy. Another piece of information that I found very intriguing is that cases are sent to justices once a week and is assisted by law clerks and secretaries. But these clerks and secretaries decide on which cases decide go to all the supreme justices. With this system I think is very important because it allows other justices to sit in on this case and go over important details regarding the law. Another prominent idea that is spectacular is that every petition filed by legal high priced legal council or even a prisoner in his or own handwriting still get same individual consideration despite the size of the country. Another statement recorded from the video Part 1 was that these guidelines created by a group of men 2oo years ago still govern and lead people today. As time goes through the supreme court justices take their new positions and move around but they learn to work together despite any controversy in their beliefs of the case. My view point has changed a substantial amount. To be honest I did not know much about the supreme court and the differences of congress. I have learned so much about the supreme court and what their jobs are. I appreciate their jobs and opinions but their opinions are based on more of a legislature viewpoint of the constitution and other case rulings. 

Supreme Court Justices 2024

Supreme Court Video Part 1

Supreme Court Part 2

U.S Supreme Court Main Page

Top #5 Sources of News and Information (Post 1)

Where do we get accurate news information without aspects of information altered? As a young man growing and maturing I have come to the realization that staying up to date with news and information is a very prominent aspect of life. But it is very tricky to be able to trust the sources that this information is coming from. As many different media outlets have different opinions on different events that take place. My top 5 new and information outlets are Fox News, The New York Times, MSNBC, Instagram, ESPN. With these five outlets I believe I am able to rectify any concerns/ ideas I may have on what is happening in the world on any given day. 


Click here to open: Fox News

Fox news has been in service for 28 years now to date. Fox news provides up to date information regarding what is happening in the world on that day. They hold a momentous amount of information about U.S politics, that is key for viewers to adhere to. Fox News interviewers that are required to provide information are usually in attendance in important informational meetings and events that is keen for viewers to keep up with. Fox news also has hosts that are very professional with a background more focused on conservative point of views. With the more conservative outlook on information this attracts only a certain demographic of people. In this instance people that view Fox News may not be very adamant about their biases towards other news providers but they like to be fed the information that aligns with their beliefs. 



Click here to open: The New York Times

The New York Times provides information daily via newspaper and online sources. The New York Times has a strong heritage dates back to 1851. Despite the title of the company The New York Times does not just cover New York it also covers national and international news, along with opinion pieces, investigative reports and reviews. Since a dense part of the population within the United States resides in the north east most individuals cater to this news source for daily updates. Few events ever go unseen by The New York times. This is what makes them a quite credible source for the 10,360,000 users. 




Click here to open: MSNBC

MSNBC has quite the mix of emotions when covering daily news. It appears that MSNBC does not lean one way or another in the political field. But it seems like the main stories that are presented by MSNBC are all about U.S politics. This incurs that if an individual wants to keep up with some of the political drama here in the U.S then this media outlet would be best fit. It is quite hard to find other major headlines dealing with over sea adversaries or even national problems the U.S face. There are rarely any to no stories about any good that is happening within the country leading it to be a very depressing news source. If one wishes to pursue and keep up to date with the drama and craziness of MSNBC then it is highly recommended. 



Click here to open: Instagram

Instagram is not a typical news media outlet. With Instagram one might have to follow/ show interest in certain topics that appeal to that user. Without doing some digging into the topics an individual may not come across the desired news and media they are looking for. In cases that a user does follow and stay up to date with information regarding what they want to listen to it can be a very useful source. One may attain information directly from news sources or tangible information that a certain person that made a statement that affects the outcome for many people withing a community or nation. A user can also hear many different opinions about the outcomes of certain events that may take place. So Instagram is a very resourceful platform for users to hear options or even hear information right from the source. 


Click here to open: ESPN

ESPN it known throughout the world. ESPN is the largest sports media broadcaster in the world. They constantly keep users updated in most to all sports all around the world. They also hold informational press conferences regarding athletes and the management of teams. The revenue brought in from sports have to give thanks to ESPN due to the wide broadcasting of these sporting events because without them not many people would follow along with certain athletes or teams. They provide great data anylsis breakdowns of games at collegiate through professional career. 

Final Post (Blog #11)

Footprints On The Motherboard      Technology is encompassed in every individual’s daily life. When talking about my usage of technology I ...