Mark McGwire: The Newest Steroid User

Mark McGwire came clean this past week, by admitting to using steroids. McGwire was hired as the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach and felt that he needed to "clear the air" of the suspicion that he used steroids. Now the question is whether or not McGwire will ever make it into the Hall of Fame. I think he will. McGwire played in a time when steroid use was rampant and Major League Baseball just let it slide. There weren't as many banned substances or any strict policies, so players were able to get away with it. Major League Baseball needs to accept that there was a major steroid issue in the past, move on, and focus on preventing steroid use in the present, rather than punishing those from the past. It still took a lot of skill for McGwire to be as successful as he was. He still hit all of those home runs; its not like the numbers were fudged. He just did what everyone else was doing at the time in order to keep up and help recover from an injury. The 1990s was a dark time for Major League Baseball. They turned their backs to all of the steroid use then, so it is pointless to go back now and try to do something about it.

Source for Political Cartoon #6

Source: http://politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/0b69abaf-8f39-46c9-8d27-de3cc3c4c061.html

Political Cartoon #6

Who drew the cartoon? John Cole

Where was it published? The Scranton Times-Tribune 1/15/10

What issue or event does the cartoon deal with? The earthquake in Haiti and aid from other countries

What is the cartoon's message? The cartoon is saying that other countries are having a difficult time providing aid to Haiti after the devastating earthquake because they are tangled up in their own affairs.

Do you agree/disagree with the cartoon's message? Why? While I think aid needs to be given to Haiti, I agree with this cartoon. Countries, like the United States, are going through tough economic times, so it is difficult for them to find money to give to Haiti. A country's internal problems are going to come first, so giving aid to Haiti will go on the back burner.

Outlook on Obama in 2010

I think that Obama has laid down much of the foundation for a successful 2010. While he hasn't actually accomplished anything big, he has brought about ideas that could be beneficial to the country, like the healthcare bill. I hope that the Obama will do something that can push our country past this economic downturn. Once the economy is in a more stable state, I think Obama will have more opportunities to put some of his new ideas to use. It will be interesting to see what happens with Afghanistan and Iraq in 2010. Obama has set timelines for when troops will be removed form these areas, but who knows if these timelines will be followed since it was a surprise that Obama increased the number of troops in Afghanistan. I think for Obama to be the most successful in 2010, he needs to focus on the issues in our country that are effecting Americans on a day to day basis.

Political Cartoon #5

Who drew the cartoon? Taylor Jones

Where was it published? Politicalcartoons.com, 1/6/10

What issue or event does the cartoon deal with? This cartoon deals with airport security and how people of Middle Eastern decent or with Middle Eastern names are often subject to extra searches.

What is the cartoon's message? The cartoon is saying that racial and ethnic profiling is bad because most people aren't terrorists. The artist is saying that racial and ethnic profiling is so out of hand that Obama, who's middle name is Hussein, could even be stopped just because he has a middle name that is associated with the Middle East.

Do you agree/disagree with the cartoon's message? Why? I agree with the cartoon's message. I think it is unfair that someone can be subject to extra searches at airports because of their name, race, or ethnicity. Airports should rely on new technology to make sure people will not commit terrorist acts. With new advancements in new searching technology, profiling of passengers shouldn't be necessary.

Source: http://politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/0ac11c3f-df95-4858-a6f9-171bd769429b.html