"Classroom Convention" Experience

Please post your experiences regarding today's lesson about the "Classroom Convention".  What was it like to work in your group?  What was difficult?  What was easy? What went well?  What did not work?  How would today's experience be similar to the creation of a new government after the Articles of Confederation?

Pearl Harbor Day

Please explain the importance of December 7th, 1941.  The best answer from each class will be rewarded.

The French and Indian War

After researching the French and Indian War and using the website that I created for the class, does the French and Indian War deserve to be considered the "true" first world war? Please state your opinion and defend your response using the information you have gathered.  College Prep:  Must answer in at least 2 paragraphs.

Are You Down With L,L,P?

Are you familiar with John Locke and his ideas about natural rights?  Please include a description of your extra credit assignment.  Are you down with L,L,P (Yeah You Know Me)?

What do you believe is the history of Thanksgiving?

Do you believe that European nations had an obligation to stop the conquest of the "New World" or do you believe that conquest of the "New World" was inevitable?

What Influences Someone To Become A Terrorist:

What influences someone to become a terrorist?

When this question is posed, many people immediately begin to think of the accepted answers that include hatred, rebellion, or religious motivations, because many of these answers are simple and easily accepted.  However, what many fail to look at are the movitations of the average person who is recruited by a terrorist organization.  A terrorist organization must continue to recruit in order to operate.  Many of these organizations thrive in areas which are considered, by international groups, to be economically depressed.  For example, after the Soviet Union retreated from Afghanistan, the country was left in complete ruins with millions of Afghanis killed during the war. Eventually, civil war and the rise of the Taliban only further placed this country among the world's poorest. 

As the war on terrorism raged, the Taliban reversed their previous bans on the growth of the poppy plant and  began to use Afghanistan's poppy plants as a source of income.  In fact, according to Peter Bergen, Afghanistan was the source of 90 percent of the world's heroin.  During this time the U.S. tried to combat the production of these plants, however, the Taliban, with multiple sources of income, were able to pay their fighters $100 or more a month.  At the same time, an Afghani police officer could hope to make around $70 a month. During the same time period, farmers in Afghanistan could make up to twelve dollars a day producing poppy, where a tailor would need to work an entire month for the same amount of money (The Longest War).  Now, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda were able to use economics as a weapon.   

Currently, North Africa is being watched as a future "hotspot" of potential terrorist activity.  As we have learned from history, certain areas of North Africa resemble the model displayed in Afghanistan.  Well-funded terrorist organizations are using their power and influence to infiltrate areas where weak goverment, low economic status, and drugs exist.  People living in these areas have made statements welcoming anyone who will provide them with money and/or a better tomorrow.   As one can see, those who support terrorism, whether directly or indirectly, are often considered to be some of the poorest individuals on Earth.  As we continue to study terrorism and try to prevent it, we must become aware of the various ways in which terrorism receives power.  I hope you enjoyed reading this and maybe it has sparked an interest into the economics of terrorism.