Monday, March 19, 2012

Article of the Week

In preparation for our upcoming SAT essay, please read the attached editorial and offer your opinions.

68 comments:

  1. In my overall opinion I believe that war is not the best answer. I don’t see it as a way to get back at another country. The only way I see war, is for our countries protection. We should not go to war when we don’t have to. If we know that something is wrong, and we are going to be attacked, or are attacked then we should fight back. Just like the author Bill Keller said, “If Iraq taught us nothing else, it should have taught us this: Before you deploy the troops, deploy the fact-checkers.” I agree one hundred percent with him. Why go to war, when it is not needed. We are only hurting our country as a whole by sending thousands of our troops, and risking their lives, as long as killing many other innocent people. By going to war when it isn’t needed and we don’t even know the right facts “We’d be killing a lot more people,” says Keller. I just do not think that war is a good thing. If we are attacked are we know for sure we are in danger, then that is reason for fighting.

    JJ Carbone Period 5

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  2. In my own opinion I believe that there are reasons to go to war and there are reasons not too. My main reason to declare war on another country would be if they attacked innocent American lives. If another country launched an attack resembling what occurred on September 11, 2009, I believe that I would declare war in an instant. One reason why I would not declare war would be if it wasn’t our fight to fight. For example, what is going on in Uganda right now, I understand that Kony is a very horrible man, but I don’t believe that we should declare war or send troops to Uganda. War is a very strong word; it gets thrown around way too much.

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  3. ^^^^^Dylan Carleton ^^^^^^^ Period 5^^^^^^^

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  4. My opinion on war is both pro and con. There can be good enough reasons to go into war, but also, there can be stupid reasons as to why we are, or go into war. A good reason to go into war could be if another country gets involved with our American citizens, or government. Things that don't concern other countries are when you should mind your own business. for example, i feel that Kony 2012 is a bad thing, but only in one way. It's happening in another country and isn't part of our government. Yeah, its a bad thing and i would help to stop Joe Kony, But you don't see other countries in war because most of them mind there own business. SO war can be a good thing, but also a bad thing, if you have a strong enough argument.

    Amanda Genovese (period 7)

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  5. In my opinion, war is an option that should be avoided whenever possible. It is not worth the lives we lose or the money we spend. It is a waste of our time to plan and organize war from beginning to end to whatever needs to be done in the long-run. War solves no problems, but prolongs tensions between countries. Think of our concerns with Iran, for example. With a country that has shared mutual distrust with the United States for several years, it would not make any sense to wage war because it would turn out to be a war of assumptions. “They seem threatening to us like always. Let’s fight them.” There would be no room left for reconciliation and all the countries would have is loss upon loss.
    Why do we still go into war? Some say that the public opinion expresses our nation’s best interests. “We feel threatened so we need to defend ourselves [in war].” I agree with the writer of the article that public opinion is not always right. Where does the public get its influence if they are not working in the government or inside of Iran? The media. The media manages to cause hype that in turn does not draw accurate public opinion from us all. Then, there is the misinterpretation that we need war. In truth, it is the last thing we need.

    Sidney
    Period 1

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    Replies
    1. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/opinion/sunday/friedman-a-festival-of-lies.html?ref=thomaslfriedman&gwh=7D4C483A972E6D07C18C7DE05776002F

      Interesting article this week in the NYTimes...
      Nice job!

      Delete
  6. In my opinion war should never be the first choice during any situation. War should be avoided as much as possible. It will only extend the tensions between two countries. The negative effects of war out weigh the postives to a great extent. War is very costly and life threatening. American citizens should not have the responsibility of risking their lives fighting for an unknown reason. We made that mistake once during The Vietnam War. War is all this world know because of decisions made in the past. I believe it is time to adapt to a new way of handling situations.

    Bryanna Willaby
    Period 7

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    Replies
    1. Clear position, but please reference the articles.

      Delete
  7. I think it is easy to be whole-heatedly opposed to war when thinking of it abstractly. When only the lives of the soldiers are at stake it is difficult to discern why war could ever be justified. In most cases I feel that this method of thinking is to be accepted. The current situation in Iran, for example, would only be hurt by an active military campaign. However I feel that if certain requirements are met than war may be the best option, even if it is not the only option. I believe, like the author Bill Keller, that we need backing from other countries, need a plan before we invade for post-war reconstruction, and most importantly need to look at what cost for what gain. If by invading we liberate an oppressed people with the help from our allies and are able to quickly instate a popular government by their citizens then yes we should invade. Everything is always on a case by case basis.

    Stephen Perrotti
    Period 4

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  8. In my opinion i think war is not the answer. I dont think we should fight with another country and create more tension between the two. sending troops and soldiers to war and only risking their lives is not right. We are putting their lives in danger that is not needed. Like the author Bill Keller said, that we have to have a plan before we attack and we also have to look at the cost of all of this. Some people say the reason we declare war is because we feel threatemed and want to defend ourselves. People get their information from the media and it isnt always right. Everyone just believes what they hear. Overall i do not think war is the right thing to do unless we are in danger.

    Erica Celentano
    Period 4

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    Replies
    1. Be sure to not repeat previous posts-especially what is referenced before you. Capitalize I as well.

      Delete
  9. In my opinion, there are reasons for war and there are reasons against war. When we are directly affected, or threatened, then it is justified. Other than that, it depends on the unique situation. In Syria for example, many things need to be considered, such as Isreal being our ally. But we also need to consider our current deficit. War is complicated, and rarely black and white. The only way to know for surer if it is justified, is to know what the result will be.

    Chrissy B.
    period 4

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    Replies
    1. How are we to know what the result will be? Be sure to reference the articles.

      Delete
  10. I personally don't feel there is ever a need to go to war unless our country's safety is at stake. We shouldn't get involved with other world affairs because we need to worry about ourselves. Bill Keller writes, "We have been known to fight for our economic interests. We intervene in the name of American values, an elastic rubric that can mean anything from halting a genocide to, in George W. Bush’s expansive doctrine, promoting freedom." I don't think our country should fight for our personal values in OTHER countries, especially when we're not involved in the first place. They don't follow the same ideals that we do. It may be difficult, but we need to find other ways to communicate with countries other than fighting.

    Alessandra M.
    Per. 4

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  11. In my divine opinion I think war is justified to an extent. War should only be treated as a last resort. After diplomacy has failed and our national security is at stake, then troops should be considered. Like Bill Keller said, all the pros and cons must be wieghed before a decision is made. A rushed decision about American lives should never be made. I also think rushing off to fight other countries wars is a counter-productive move. We must never take war lightly.

    Daniel Borrus
    Period 4

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  12. In my overall opinion I believe that war is not the best answer. I don’t see it as a way to get back at another country. The only way I see war, is for our countries protection. We should not go to war when we don’t have to. If we know that something is wrong, and we are going to be attacked, or are attacked then we should fight back. Just like the author Bill Keller said, “If Iraq taught us nothing else, it should have taught us this: Before you deploy the troops, deploy the fact-checkers.” I agree one hundred percent with him. Why go to war, when it is not needed. We are only hurting our country as a whole by sending thousands of our troops, and risking their lives, as long as killing many other innocent people. By going to war when it isn’t needed and we don’t even know the right facts “We’d be killing a lot more people,” says Keller. I just do not think that war is a good thing. If we are attacked are we know for sure we are in danger, then that is reason for fighting.

    ari
    p5

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  13. In my opinion, I believe that right now the United States is in enough of a crisis involving the dropping economy and that we shouldn't spend money on getting involved in a very controversial war. I do believe that Syria is in a terrible state and the people of Syria do need help but it shouldn’t be just the United States getting involved, if anything it should be an alliance of countries helping the people of Syria and not invading their land and starting a war. I agree that there should be alternatives to this problem. Bill Keller said, “Policy makers should — and President Obama mostly has — put a premium on appraising alternatives to war.” I am hoping president Obama’s suggestions are honored so that we don’t end up spending more American money on foreign problems

    Emma Corbett period 5

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  14. i think we should go to war if we are being threatened. but getting involved with other countries isnt something we should waste our time and money on. Going to war with countrie that have their own problems is killing our men and women in the service. our country is in enough debt and we should only be going to war if absolutley necassary. Or our lives are in danger.

    Laurel
    Per. 5

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  15. My opinion is that we should not get involved in war, unless our country is in continues danger. After the 9/11 attack, our security at airports has increased dramatically, which I do believe 100 percent is a major thing we did right as a country. Even though thousands of Americans are angry with the advanced security systems in airports, and time having to wait inside the lines, it is what is preventing our country from genocide. But on the other hand, I don’t agree that we should have gone to war on this issue. This war is costing our country thousands of lives and at least three trillion dollars in debt. After this first attack from them, I think the United States should do nothing now but protect its country from another attack. Then if it was to happen again, we should have gone to war. America started the war to fast without looking at the pros and cons, and the long run effect it has on our country.

    -Zack Bortolan
    period 5

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  16. I agree with Laurel, we shouldn’t get involved unless we are being threatened. We should not involve in other countries to help them become more stable when we are not that strong ourselves. I think that our priority should be our economy. Also, we have to keep under consideration that some countries do not want us to interfere with them. And if we do it might cause tension and create a larger war. I do not think that war is the answer; it should not be a way of getting revenge at another country. I feel that we should only go to war if our safety is at stake. Especially in this economy, a war is the last thing we can afford.

    aisha p1

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  17. In my overall opinion, i do believe that war is not always the best answer, but in some cases, it is a nessessary solution to engage in warfare. This is true because it is the best way to protect the American people frmo harm of other countries. However, we shouldnt get involved in war unless we absolutely have to in order to ensure this safety. In order to keep yourself safe you sometimes have to cause conflict and violence.
    Marc Canzanella
    Period 7

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  18. We should'nt get involved or go to war unless directly threatened, as said before. Presidents, kings, dictators can all declare war, but none of them take part in the acctually fighting. This is done by the men and women in uniform who are supposed to be sent out to protect our country, not our ideals, not for profit of a few, but for the saftey of all. we are trillions of dollars in debt and we spend even more on building wepons and he army as we continue to fight.
    Tom Gingras Per. 7

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  19. It would be stupid and too exspencive to just be starting to leave Iraq and want to get into anther war. There all talk they aren't going to do anything. This America and even though people hate us they are also afraid of us.

    Walter
    Period !!!!!AWESOME!!!!!

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  20. I agreed with most of the things this article was saying. Like most of the people that have commented, I don't think war is the answer. It doesn't solve anything and it is very easy for it to cause more problems than it can solve. The author of this article was calling the war in Afghanistan a mistake, which I strongly agree with. I believe that all wars are mistakes . The picture underneath the author's picture is a perfect example of how i feel about war. It's never enging and pointless, in my opinion. "Often the American stake is not so clear-cut. We may feel an obligation to defend an ally". I do not think it is our job to defend other countries. We lose a lot of money that way and don't really gain anything.

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  21. I thought it was interesting that in the article it said that "fighting wars is not something you do by american poll" when in the essay wrote in your class today I said that the people should have more say. The reason I said this is because in Vietnam there was so much controversy and many of the soldiers didn't even know what they were fighting for. I suppose that many people do not know all the facts like the government does, however it should be their job to inform everyone so then the people can have an accurate say. Also the quote "The U.S. used force to stop a genocide in Bosnia, but did not in Rwanda or Darfur — one critical difference being that Americans (and American TV screens) were paying attention to the European slaughter, but not to the African atrocities," brought up a good point. If we get involved with one genocide then isn't it only fair to help out in all the rest? I think that "how is this our fight?" is a good question that our politicians need to ask more seriously before getting involved

    Emily McColl
    period four

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  22. In my opinion, the only time we should go to war is when our country is at risk of a threat. Going to war for economic growth is not right to human nature. As i saw in Briana's presentation today, it said something at the lines of: Going to war is killing a man you have never met, and if the circumstance had not been the way it has, the man you killed could have been your friend.
    kc
    per 1

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  23. My opinion is that we should get involved in a way unless we are in some way threatened, or something like 9/11. For 9/11 there was no way we couldn't go to war, we were harmed. I'm not saying other times are stupid to go to war but I just don't think the reasoning is a reason to go to war. We could be using the money that we're using for the "not so important" wars on so much more then nuclear bombs and what we pay for with these wars. There can defiantly people different opinions for different people but this is just how I see it.

    Ashlie Forsberg
    Period 5

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  24. This article took me awhile to try to think what I wanted to say about it. Many different questions were popping through my head about war and the whole process of how we go to war and who really makes the final pick.One quote that really is sticking in my head from this article was, "Before you deploy the troops, deploy the fact-checkers".If the politicians of America thought of this before going to war I am very sure our history would be different.Apply that to the Vietnam War where we did not even know what we were fighting for.In addition I think this article does a good job of putting his opinions in but not forcing them on us by using different peoples views as well.It allows us to think for ourselves.Personally the thought of war is one that is tricky for me.It is hard to define when it is the right time to declare war on a country, it truly does depend on what is going on and why it lead to it.If there is nothing else that can be done and also what is going to happen to us to go to war, what are going to be the repercussions.

    Jenny Flynn
    Period 7

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  25. Is war ever justified? This is one question where, no matter how much time one takes to answer, can never be completely correct. There is always an opposing view point, making it impossible for everyone to feel a war is just. In my opinion, there is no reason for the United States to enter a war with Syria or Iran considering we are still at war with a terrorist group in the country of Afghanistan. Our safety is not at stake, and there is no moral or profitable reason to enter another war. I strongly agree with an earlier point that if one feels we need to go to war so strongly, let that person fight for the cause.

    Tyler King
    Period 1

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  26. When I read this article the part that stood out the most to me was "how is this our fight?". I believe when our country is personally threatened then we should go to war to protect ourselves. But if it isn't our fight then we really need to think about wether or not we should go to help. When things get really horrific someplace else, and no one else is helping then I believe we should step in. But we really need to think about the cost and how another war would effect the people of our country. Also we don't want to be stuck in a war for a long period of time because its not good for anyone. But I agree with most of what the commentors said, I don't think war is the answer to everything. I believe that countries and people can work things out peacefully, by talking about what is going on. War doesn't solve anything, usually it just makes matters worse. But if it is truely necessary then it does help people in need.

    Julia Annicelli
    Period:4

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  27. I believe that war should our last option and only go to war if American lives or our freedom is threatened. When in the article he is talking about Americans think they need to go to war for an ally and I believe all Americans should stop thinking like this we have to think about economy and just give as much as we can give but at a limited because we have to deal with our massive debt and after we get that over with we can help others. If we keeping going to wars with other countries we are going to loose a lot of men, women and spend a lot of money, this will bring us into an even bigger debt and turn this recession into a depression and I know nobody wants to go through that. But I believe that we should build our armys and wait until we do have to go to war and be ready so that will win the war hopefully not loose a lot of soldiers.
    Ryan
    Period 5

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  28. In my opinion we should only go to war if our country is in danger. Going to help fight a war that isn't ours could end up making the other country not like us and actually put us in danger. So, helping Syria topple the Syrian government is not our place to get involved. I also think that helping fight a war that we are not directly involved in is a waste of money. We could be using that money to help the other issues in the U.S economy.

    Kathryn Collins
    Period 4

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  29. To me, war is activity that, as Americans, we should only engage in when absolutely necessary for the well being of our country. As Ryan (Period 5) had stated, freedom should be our number one priority and we should only resort to going to war as a last resort. Unless our country is threatened, we shouldn't be so quick to fight, as war is costly. Within the article the author expresses that we may feel obligated to help an ally or promote freedom throughout the world. Although this sounds like the right thing for a country to be doing we can't always be worried about the things that are going on in other places. Not every country is perfect and it's impossible to make them that way. Of course it would be great to help, but in these economic times, I feel as though we have to step up and help those who are suffering in this country first then move on to those around the world. It's great to give aid to others, but with a limited budget we need to invest funds into our people and the future of our country instead of always lending it out to others for their benefit.
    -Jessica Teulings
    Period 4

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  30. The question, ‘Is war ever justified?’ is asked over and over again. And honestly, it’s not so easy to answer. When it comes to war, nothing is clear cut, nothing is black and white. If it were, countries wouldn’t be torn up over it and we’d live in a much different world. After reading this article, and actually thinking about it, I believe that America should avoid war more often. I understand we have duties and responsibilities, but unless we are directly affected but should stay away. To quote the article, ‘Is it our fight?’ It sounds awful to say that we need on focus on ourselves, but it’s true. Things get messier and messier when more people get involved, and it’s not worth it. We also need to think of our economic status. We don't have an unlimited budget.

    Nina M
    period 1

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  31. I personally believe that the American government should never enter a country or declare war without a reasonable threat to our county or alias. We waste our resources, money, and men in a war- so why even bother? America tends to want to be the "hero" and just jump in and attempt to save every country: Afghanistan, Mexico… who else? I believe that keeping a strong alliance with Israel as well as other countries is crucial to America but it doesn’t mean that every time there is turmoil that we come in and rescue them. I believe that war is unnecessary and we usually bring it upon ourselves.
    Karlie
    Period 1

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  32. War is never justified. And if no one sign up for the army then no country would go to war with one another and in our society today kids have come to believed that going to war is a glories thing to do. In away our leaders have successfully created a generation of war lovers that would do their biting even if they are right or wrong. War only ties nations apart so if a president of a country has a problem with another country’s president they should solve it themselves without involving their nations. When we talk about war we should not be talking about the winner or loser but how it affects the common person because that is who is always left out of the picture but who matters the most in this case.
    sandrine Amin
    period 4

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  33. The first most important thing when deciding whether or not to go to war is the fact that we must all be informed and educated. We can’t make a significant decision such as this one without first fully understanding the cause and effects. Without understanding the entirety of a situation and all the necessary facts and information, unwise decisions are made. And Americans are going to have to pay for it. We have to consider whether or not our country or a close ally is being attacked. Fighting for another country that has no close ties with us isn’t such a great decision considering we’ve spent trillions of dollars on this war for the past 10 years. There are a lot of things to consider when going into war and I think the cost we’ll have to pay, both financially and physically, should be one of the major deciding factors.

    Kelly Du
    Period 1

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  34. When talking about if a war is just or unjust, in my opinion there is never a war that could not justified in other ways. We have been through so many wars that have had an effect on our contries history and I feel like our contry is just starting to realize the consequences. The amount of debt this contry is in and then adding to in with more war would just mean that it would take longer for the U.S. to become more of an econemicly solid envirnment.

    Taylor

    Period 5

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  35. War is a peculiar thing and in trying to gain some sense of comprehension of its initiation, one is often forced to question what war truly is, what it symbolically stands for, and at what circumstance the necessity arrives. As demonstrated in the article, "Falling In and Out of War", the author Bill Keller raises several vague questions that serve to motivate the reader to interpret war from several view points and then have the reader conjure a conclusion based upon their given understanding. Without a doubt, this article was written to fill a void in an editorial. Nonetheless, the article serves just as well to critique the American mentality behind war and what it entails economically, politically, and socially amongst the people who live the reality of war time. To analyze war as a physical entity one must refer back to the most basic definition of war; (noun) active hostility or contention; conflict; contest. This definition in itself attacks the core of hostility and emphasizes the core of American interest and military philosophy. As argued by Keller, America as a nation acts as the international police force of the world, working to achieve an environment that allows for the continual spread of American ideals such as; freedom, liberty, and justice for all. In effect, the United States is at odds with the varying opinions of the world and this conflict thereby raises the hostility towards the U.S and its allies. Consequently, the conflict of varied belief leads to the necessity of action and ultimately war. This altercation then leads to the question of whether war is ever truly justified, which does not have a definitive answer based upon the perspective taken of the war. In relation to war, it is generally accepted that the problems of yesterday maybe solved by the decisions of today, but once the inevitability of tomorrow arises there is no clear cut solution to the problems a being will face.

    - Alexander Borkowski Period 1

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  36. I feel that war has always done more bad than good. Too many people are killed and families have always had to get through the pains death brings. Sometimes, the U.S. goes to war because the government thinks there is a threat. The author writes,” If Iraq taught us nothing else, it should have taught us this: Before you deploy the troops, deploy the fact-checkers.” That is an example of a time the government thought there were nuclear weapons in a country and so the U.S. went in and tried to find them. If President Bush knew exactly where they were or if they truly did exist, then he would have sent our troops to the exact location instead of making them search aimlessly for months with only slight ideas of where to look. And while the troops were out searching, money was being spent to keep them there…lots of money. Sure war has given us certain privileges in the past, but too many individuals either got hurt or died. Is war worth it? I don’t think so, especially when countries can work out problems with treaties or by simply discussing the situation.

    Meglin Bodner Per. 5

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  37. IN my opinion this artice helps me undersdtand that war is never truley justified. the perspective of war by the author shows me that war will never be worth the amount of deaths and pain that it has caused only for the claim of power over one another. i belive that war should not exsist, countries should not fight against one another we should join together and find a way to agree on a common goal, because in the end we all just want one thing, the right of freedom for us and the ones we love.
    jennifer lassman p1

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  38. War is a hard subject. In my opinion I don't think there could ever be peace because no matter what everyone is going to have their own opinion and do what they want and that is going to make somebody angry. However, war is hard to justify when millions of soldiers are being taken away from their families months at a time and dying. We may think that by going to war that it is solving the problem, but in a way it only makes the problem bigger. If we attack someone then they will just get mad and try to get back at us. If we kill their leader there are still followers that will fight back. Going to war costs a lot of money and it costs a lot of lives and the men and women that fight for our country I have a lot of respect for because they do an amazing to, but is there ever really an ending to the war? Someone in the end isn't going to like the results and that is going to result in a bigger issue.
    Kelsie DePino
    Period:5

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  39. After reading this article, I was convinced that war is never justified. War consumes money like a black hole. We as a country are in a deficit and cannot afford to go off to war. This country gets involved in foreign affairs much too often. We need to know when to stand back and not take control of the situations that are occurring around the world. In the end, war is something our country should avoid at all cost because there is always more than one way to fix a situation.

    Pompeo M.
    Per.4

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  40. I think we should only go to war if we are being attacked or threatend. I don't think we should get involved with other country's and try to help them becasue we are ended up getting attacked we should stay out of it and maybe America would be peaceful. People think if we go to war to help it will stop it for good but it still hasn't but what I think is we help other counrtys but the real question is if we needed help would they help us and I think they wouldn't they would stay out of it like we should do.

    Nick DeBroi Period 5

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  41. War is sort of an iffy subject; my opinion goes back an forth when asked about it. On one hand, I think war is just a bad idea in general, it costs a lot of money (the U.S is already trillions of dollars in debt) and a lot of lives being lost. On the other hand, if we are being attacked, we can't help but fight back for defense. Bottom line, I don't like wars.

    -Michelle Caron Per.5

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  42. I feel that we should not go to war if it is not necessary. We always are trying to help other countries out and wind up getting entangled in their problems, when we ourselves haven't even solved our own. I think it's best to leave things be unless tension arises, and a move is made. As tough as it is to admit, war is something that is going to exist until the end of time. Someone will always find a way to pull strings at something that causes a domino affect and then, in the end, start a war. If only peace was an option...
    Summer Harvey period 5

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  43. War should only be a last resort. When people go to war, that means killing each other's men. From my perspective, it doesn't gain anything except more wars. People living in one country end up hating the country that they're fighting. We lose thousands of men and women every week because of war. We need to stop thinking that war will end in peace. It just ends in bitter fights between countries that will go on for centuries. Don't get me wrong, I am all for fighting BACK in case someone attacks the U.S., but we shouldn't go to war as the first option to "resolve" a problem with another country.

    Henry Lau
    P.5

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  44. In my opinion i believe that there are only certain reasons to go to war. If our country is being threatened then we should get involved. Otherwise getting involved in other countries wars is just putting us further in debt and killing our men and women.

    Lauren Atkinson
    period 5

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  45. In my opinion war isn’t the right decision. I believe we should only go to war if our country is in danger. Helping Syria isn’t our place to get involved. War is an option- you can get involved and lose a lot or stay out and gain some. I think we need to focus on our issues before someone else’s. United States has their own issues that we need to focus on rather other countries. We would be wasting a lot of money by getting involved with a war that we aren’t directly involved with.

    Brya
    period 7

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  46. War is not worth our time and resources if it is not justified. The purpose of our military is to defend our country. I don’t think we should wage war unless a threat is made against us. However many factors need to be weighed when deciding whether or not to get involved in a war. The article mentioned obligations to defend our allies. I think this topic is very far from black and white. Part of me says that we should avoid war entirely and try to support our allies without actually having to fight. On the other hand, I think when roles are reversed we would expect our allies to come defend us and owe them the same favor. In the end, I think it really comes down to the cost of war. Is it worth risking the lives of our soldiers? I think war should be a method of last resort and we should look for other solutions before declaring war.
    Kelly L.

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  47. war isn't the right choice. if we go to war and help out Syria, it could turn into another war like the one Iraq which we are finally getting out of. if we aren't being threatened then we have no real reason to get ourselves into another war. its just not worth it in my opinion.
    ali nuzzo
    period 7

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  48. War in my opinion is human nature at it's most raw form. Someone had something that we wanted so we acted upon it. i am not saying that war is the right option to take. what i am saying is that you have to put aside what your initial beliefs are and look at it from another perspective. War has gone on for as long as human beings existed. yet we have never learned how to stop war, but make it even more dangerous. violence is human nature, no matter what you do, there will never be world peace.

    -David Travisano

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  49. In my opinion we should only go to war if our country is in danger. Going to help fight a war that isn't ours could end up making the other country not like us and actually put us in danger. Josh Celone Per 7

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  50. I really liked the way that he wrote the article. With all those different sections that he talks about, 1. HOW IS THIS OUR FIGHT? 2. AT WHAT COST? 3. OR WHAT? 4. AND WHO ELSE? 5. THEN WHAT? My favorite section was the how is this our fight. This was my favorite section because I have the same feelings as he has and share the same opinions as him. Like what he said, “We may feel an obligation to defend an ally” and America always does but its not our job or necessary for us to always go in and help others when we need to be helping ourselves.Over all this section is the one that i full agree with
    Pierina Lopez period 7

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  51. I think that war is not the answer because we shouldn't spend all of this money helping every one out. We should instead invest it in our selfs. I dont think we should go to war because we are one of the supreme powers and if we keep sterching are self thin we will get taken over by the chines.


    Austin Fries

    Period 7

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  52. I believe war is not justified at all but we cannot deny the existence of war and ignore it and do whatever we want. War comes along with the existence of human being and always will be there until human will come to an end. So even if we don’t want war, we have to go through wars because people have different values, believes, faith and many other differences which led to war. War is not an answer, and it’s unnecessary but yet we have to deal with it. I think we have to enter the war. It’s not like we will start helping and support other country only when they are in an extreme dangerous situation. I don’t think we can stay back and watch and wait thinking the time will come when they will ask us for our help. If we are going to step in right now and act then when we’ll be in similar situation our allies will step in to help us.
    Shila Raj.
    Per 1

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  53. Sometimes, war is invetable: there is no other way to ensure the safety of our country. But, other times, war can be avoided because the conflict may not totally pertain to us, or it is about a matter that doesn't have a direct impact on us. Regardless of the reason for war, I think that we should only go to war if it pertains to us, or one of our allies. If it has an effect on any other country, especially in our economy today, I don't think we should act as police and intervene in every other conflict. As much as we would like to defend American values, we just can't afford to protect every single nation. War is obviously a terrible thing, so in should be avoided, if possible. Ideally, we want there to be peace on earth. But, if the United States were to do this single handedly, we would be involved in a huge amount of wars. So, the expectation of saving the world is unrealistic. We just need to concentrate on our country, and our allies and that's it.

    Alex Gogliettino
    Per. 4

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  54. War has been a part of history since day 1, and deciding whether or not to go to war is possibly the hardest decision for a leader to make. We go to war for many reasons sometimes good and sometimes bad. The first step to going to war is always for what reason, I personally have a pretty strict foreign policy and think that we should try to get involved in outbreaks as little as possible, because it has proven in the past to only hurt us. Now lets talk about the costs of war, Iraq has nearly bankrupted this country putting us 14 trillion dollars in debt which has nothing but dampen the economy. Second, the cost of life, the number of people that are effected in a war is out of control. If you think about World War II and how many thousands of young men never came back to the states. How many young men never saw the end of a war that they had given their lives for. Also the people effected back home. The parents who lost children and siblings who lost brothers and sisters and would never have a full family. Finally, when a war is finally over and the smoke from the guns has cleared, what has actually been accomplished. In some wars, millions of lives are saved. In others the only outcome is thousands of civilian casualties and another country that develops a hatred for the US. All and all decided when to go to war can be one of the most difficult things to deal with as a leader and it should not be taken lightly.

    Period 1
    Edgar Ortiz

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  55. I feel that there are only some reasons to go to war. Not for power but for change that will benefit the world. I feel like it can be justified because it prevents even bigger problems from happening. It stops even worse behavior and enforces international agreements to occur. I also feel that the negative effects of war are smaller than not going to war at all. On the other hand, there shouldn't be war over unreasonable causes. Such as power. There should be certain reasons for war and shouldn't happen so easily.

    Kayleen K
    Period 4

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  56. Not enough questions are asked before wars are started, wars by nature are made by quick decisions and are not very well thought out. Wars are usually spontaneous, or at least the involvement in war is spontaneous. There usually is no time to discuss the positives and negatives in war, because every second counts in a war. The other problem with wars is that they are over thought, when a subject is talked about for so long, too many people get involved and too many opinions are thrown into the mix. The bottom line is we need to learn to ask the right questions, we need to answer them fast, and we all need to agree on something.
    Marisa Kaplita
    period 4

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  57. I feel that war is not the answer unless there is a justified reason. In many cases, a country must go to war. Is a war really worth it? In my opinion, it depends on the reason of war. The United States always thinks of its allies before we think of ourselves. If we have an ally in danger, we will help it out. We fail to think about the risk we are taking by doing so. We can't afford to spend any more money or lose any more lives to help out an ally in need. Unfortunately, the United States cannot get rid off all the danger in the world. The President needs to ask questions before getting involved in any type of war.

    Kelly Smith
    Period 1

    PS- Sorry this is late again. I explained why on the other post

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  58. I feel war is a very just thing to do. Most times war is the only way to end something bad. Many nations go to war only for just reasons. When Hitler was killing millions we stopped his rain of terror, but imagine if we didnt. That 10 million plus total deaths could of turned in to 20 million easy. Maybe Jewish people might not even be around today if it wasn't for America going to war to help those people out. So war costs alot of money, but do you know how much I would pay to be free? I would give every dollar in the world to live and be in a free country where I have rights and can do all the things human should be able to do. War also costs a lot of lives, but if I died to protect this beatiful country I die with honor and knowing I have servered this country would give me all the joy in the world.

    Jennyfer Jarrin
    Period 5

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