Assignment

Respond to Peers: Respond to at least two of your classmates' initial posts. Your peer responses should be substantive and at least 100 words each. As your reply to your classmates, attempt to take the conversation further by examining their claims or arguments in more depth or responding to the posts that they make to you. Keep the discussion on target and try to analyze things in as much detail as you can. For instance, you might consider if your classmate's arguments are well supported with valid sources and logically argued.

• Michael McKusker 100 WORDS Response

What obligations the U.S. government has towards its citizens.

One main obligation that the U.S. government should have for us as citizens is equal rights. Every citizen deserves to be treated equal no matter what race or religion they are. But, often times especially here lately that isn't the case. We as a country and by our leaders need to get better a protecting and filling that obligation. "Still, as much as American civil liberties have expanded, they have never been absolute. There has always been a basis for interfering with them if the state has a compelling interest to do so" (Fine & Levin-Waldman).

How can these obligations impact individual and group rights?

The obligation to uphold the rights of every American is largely impacted because most people are the "believe it, when I see it" type. So, there isn't a lot of confidence in people who want to go out and protest and have their voices heard, because of the fear of backlash. "CFR member are also concerned about civil liberties; 52% say the government has restricted civil liberties too much, compared with 46% in 2009. About one-third of CFR members (32%) say the government has not gone far enough to protect the country, virtually unchanged from four years ago" (Pew Research Center). These restrictions have brought fear into some peoples eyes and could be why most people don't get out and have their voices heard because of a ton of violence that has been brought on to the people who are opposed.

Provide real-world examples to support your explanation.

A real world explanation to citizens not getting equal treatment is the NFL. Just look at all the backlash that Colin Kaepernick and others have faced while choosing to protest the National Anthem. Among all of these men that sit down, raise a fist, or just simply talk about it how many have you heard of that were white? I would venture to guess that next to none is the answer yet every week there have been white lineman (mainly the Seattle Seahawks) who have respected the issue and have chosen to back their brother in his decision to sit, he does that because he understand there is still a problem. Now this isn't a case of whether or not you agree with it, its a simple case of right and wrong.

REFERENCE:

Fine, T. S., & Levin-Waldman, O. M. (2016). American government (2nd ed.) [Electronic version].

Pew Research Center. (2013, December 3). Section 4: The threat of terrorism and civil liberties. In Public Sees U.S. Power Declining As Support For Global Engagement Slips.

• Chad Brayshaw 100 Words Response

Obligations of the U.S. Government

According to Fine and Levin-Waldman (2016), Civil liberties involve protections against government actions that would interfere with individual freedoms. They go on to state that "Civil liberties need to be protected because they are essential to the workings of democratic governance" (p. 191-192). It is the obligation of the U.S. government to protect the civil liberties of every human being in the country regardless of race, gender, sexual preference, or citizenship status. An example of a civil liberty would be the right to peaceful assembly. This has been a big one in the news lately with many demonstrations against policy shootings. While peaceful assembly is a civil liberty, violence committed during these protests is not a protected action and has led to many clashes between the demonstrators and the local law enforcement agencies.

How these Obligation Impact Individual and Group Rights

Freedom House (2017) points out that "In response to acts of violence committed in the course of some past demonstrations, local authorities often place restrictions on the location or duration of large protests directed at meetings of international institutions, political party conventions, or targets in the financial sector" (sec. E par. 1). While some have argued that these actions are in violation of individual civil liberties (i.e. the right to a peaceful assembly) the government (be it either federal, state, or local) also has a responsibility to protect its citizens. We see it too often in the news how the obligation to protect free speech and free assembly must be balanced with the responsibility to protect the innocent from violence and criminal acts. Too many people take these demonstrations as an opportunity to commit crimes in anonymity. These criminals help neither the cause of the demonstrators who are protesting peacefully, not help to move the issue of police and public trust further.

Fine, T. S., & Levin-Waldman, O. M. (2016). American government (2nd ed.) [Electronic version].

Freedom House. (2008). Freedom in the World: 2017.