Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read chapters 8, 9, and 10 in American Government and watch the video, Episode II – It’s a Free Country.

Reflect: Our political system is characterized by certain fundamental features to include a system of laws, rights, and liberties. The laws, created and supported by the Constitutional framework, are designed to protect and secure the rights and liberties of individuals and groups throughout the U.S. However, the government also has an obligation to provide for the security of its citizens from serious internal and external threats that could cause grave or severe damage to our country. The need for homeland and national security can create a dilemma where conflicts emerge between these security needs and the demands for civil rights and liberties.

Write: In your initial post, explain what obligations the U.S. government has towards its citizens and how can these obligations impact individual and group rights? Provide real-world examples to support your explanation. Fully respond to all parts of the prompt and write your response in your own words. Your initial response must be 200 to 250 words. Support your position with APA citations to two or more of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.

My major is Health and Wellness, and I am in the Military. Please have discussion reflect this. 

Assignment 2: Terrorist Organization
Due Week 9 

Research a foreign terrorist organization of your choice.

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:

1. Describe the history of the organization.
2. Compare and contrast the organization’s primary beliefs, motives, and allies with another terrorist organization of your choice.
3. Discuss past actions and terroristic endeavors.
4. Discuss the present areas of operation, believed actions, and current status of the organization.
5. Analyze the actions taken by intelligence agencies to protect against the group’s current believed actions and describe the effectiveness of these measures.
6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Compare and contrast terrorism, terrorist groups, organized crime, and their financing activities and practices.
• Analyze the role of intelligence and counterterrorism activities among federal agencies.
• Describe future trends in homeland security and terrorist activities.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in homeland security.
• Write clearly and concisely about topics related to Homeland Security Organization and Administration using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Weekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time.

Almost all people have times in their life when they feel that they are not in control of the events that happen to them. There are often times when others seem to have more power over people than they do over themselves. This can create a strong feeling of power imbalance between oneself and another person. Sometimes, this can be because of a positive power imbalance, in the case of a mentor, advisor, or supervisor who uses his or her authority to guide and teach others. Sometimes, however, this can also be because of a negative power imbalance, in the case of a boss who bullies; a boyfriend or a girlfriend who can be emotionally and physically threatening; or in the case of a confrontation, one person initiating violence against another.

In the United States and in other countries around the world, power imbalances are often commonly experienced by populations who may be political or social minorities because of their gender, race, tribal and ethnic association, or socioeconomic status. Consequently, discrimination may occur as a way of preserving the status quo as a means of preventing others from accessing multiple public and private services, credit, employment, and housing opportunities, for example.  

As people bring the personal into the professional, self-awareness is important for homeland security personnel when working and intervening successfully with critical incidents that may involve culturally diverse responders, survivors, and perpetrators. Coping with unpredictable and ongoing situations of crisis and terror can arouse personal feelings of helplessness and lack of control. It is important, therefore, to understand what particular coping strengths you can bring into such a situation, your ability to respond to and manage such a situation, and what your capacity is to learn from such events for future use.

Therefore, looking back over your own life, choose a situation in which you experienced a major power imbalance while interacting with another person that either assisted or prevented you from meeting your aims. This could be, for example, with a former boss, coach, teacher, parent, or friend who had some kind of authority over you when the incident occurred.   

Assignment Guidelines

• This paper should be between 750–1,000 words and will be written in 3 parts:
  • The first part should be labeled “Part 1: What Happened.”
    • Insert as much objective detail as you can remember, in as factual a manner as possible. 
  • The second part should be labeled “Part 2: Looking Back.”
    • Insert what you felt your response was to what happened during the event.
  • The third part should contain discussion regarding 2 additional aspects and should be labeled “Part 3: What I Learned and How I Can Apply It.”
    • Write about the lessons that you learned from this experience.
      • Consider your future career as a homeland security or emergency management professional.
      • Consider what advice you would offer if a friend, relative, or fellow professional had faced a similar situation to what you faced.
• When choosing an event, pick an occurrence that you feel has been resolved to a great degree in your mind.
• It is not the purpose of this assignment for you to re-experience a feeling of trauma and feel upset; rather, you should be able to choose an incident that you feel that you have learned and gained wisdom from.

PLEASE PLACE THE NAME AND NUMBER NEXT TO EACH REPLY

Respond to Peers: Review your classmates’ posts, and respond to at least two of your peers. For one of your responses, choose someone who posted on a topic different from what you selected. Share alternate views, provide personal experiences as they relate to the topic, expand upon ideas, or provide questions to encourage further elaboration of the topic. Each response should be a minimum of 75 words.

#1 Leah Long

SaturdayFeb 24 at 10:49am

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Topic #2: Servicio a la Comunidad

· From my experiences, I feel that many people in the United States participate in volunteer activities and community service. I have seen incredible amounts of people come together from various areas of the country to help people in need who suffer from natural disasters. I know with the hurricanes recently communities were coming together and I saw several people flying into the areas to help in any way needed. 

· There are some groups of people in my community who struggle because they are low-income, but they are not technically low enough to get government assistance, such as food stamps, government housing, and other government funding. These people are having to rely on their own income to support their families, and it really is a struggle for them. Here in Salt Lake City, there is a great source called Welfare Square, which is ran and provided by the LDS church. Welfare Square provides low-income families with everyday essentials, such as food, soap, paper products, toiletries, etc. Another group in my community who need the most help are those who suffer from addictions. The church here also provides excellent addiction recovery programs, which are available to anybody who wants help. I have seen numerous people benefit from these programs and services.

· In my community I think more people should participate in service activities concerning the environment. I have lived in three different areas in the country, but here in Salt Lake City I have seen more citizens serving each other than anywhere ever. People really tend to come together to serve others who struggle here, which I have been really impressed with. A major thing I have noticed is the poor air quality here. I think people should come together to promote cleaner air.

· I think there are many community resources available to Spanish speakers in my area. I know at the Department of Workforce Services there are translators and Spanish-speakers available to help anyone in need of any of their services. I have not noticed a particular service that I think is missing. 

· I would like to work as a volunteer in the future because I think it is important to serve others in our communities. I also think when we do volunteer or serve others it brings happiness to not only whoever is receiving the service, but to the volunteer as well.

#2 Matthew Steinberger

MondayFeb 26 at 9:50am

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Topic #1: Las Compras

               Stores and shopping is a huge part of the American culture, and according to the reading, it is also a huge part of the culture in Spanish-speaking countries, especially in larger cities. In these Spanish-speaking countries, shopping is often done in shopping centers, which is similar to the United States. The stores in Spanish-speaking countries, whether they are in a shopping center or not, are often named after the product they sell. Some examples of this in my community would be Sunglass Hut, Boot Barn, The Ski & Bike Shop, and Widman’s Candy Shop. All of these shops are named after the products they sell. As far as ethnic stores, Grand Forks has a very limited amount of ethnic stores, and most of these stores are grocery stores, like Asian Grocery and Mexican Village.

               Sometimes individuals do not only shop for a product, they sometimes will shop for the experience shopping can provide. Often times I will personally shop for the experience, but one time specifically I remember a shopping experience as a cultural experience. When living in Green Bay, my friend took me to a Hispanic grocery store and the store was extremely different from the other local grocery stores I was used to shopping in. Of course the store had similarities, like a deli and bakery, but the differences really opened my eyes. First of all, Hispanic grocery stores do not force candy, chips, and soda into your face like other American grocery stores do by putting these items at every checkout and entrance. Of course they do have an isle for these items, but when I entered the first thing I noticed was all the fresh fruits and vegetables. Another thing I noticed was the fresh bread and tortillas, which really showed me what Hispanic countries idolize compared to the standard American culture.

               As far as shopping preferences, every individual has a different preference, but some of these preferences can be cultural. For example, my mother grew up around farmer’s markets and garage sales, which is her preferred shopping experience. However, growing up in a more modern era, I enjoy modern mall shopping over an open air market. My Puerto Rican best friend enjoys these open air markets more because he was very familiar to them in Puerto Rico and he feels like he has more control in these shopping experiences than he would at a mall. Shopping preferences are different for every individual, but some of that can be a cultural trait.

               When traveling, I personally do not dedicate time for shopping, but at the same time I really enjoy shopping in other locations. Usually my time is dedicated to the event I was traveling for, whether it was sight-seeing or something more adventurous. However, I usually can find some time to shop at the local shopping centers. When visiting, I enjoy shopping at places that are different than the stores I am familiar with. For example, when in Orlando, I really enjoy shopping at the huge Disney-specific stores because they are almost like a museum of new Disney items. When traveling or visiting, you will never see me in a Wal-Mart or Target because I always shop in these stores when I am at home. As far as activities when traveling, I usually enjoy adventurous activities more than sight-seeing, like amusement parks and rock concerts.