Sunday, December 21, 2008

When the Levees Broke - 12/22/08





Assignment: Carefully read the questions below. Using the questions, write a thoughtful reflection, and post it to this space.

Hurricane Katrina caused America to take pause and challenged our government's values.


What does it mean to be a citizen?

What type of citizen are you?

What is the role of government?

Should the federal government help the less fortunate or provide a safe atmosphere to allow people to become fortunate?

Obviously there were some mistakes made by the federal government.

Have we learned from the mistakes?

In the aftermath of Katrina were decisions made based on race? class? Or need?

Now that we have all seen the Spike Lee documentary what is our responsibility?


CLICK HERE. See what last year's classes in our school, and Queens High School of Teaching had to say. Do you agree, disagree?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. To be a citizen means to respect the people in your community and to help organize things in helping the community.
2. I am probably the justice oriented citizen because I would use the government to make change.
3. The role of the government is to make sure the citizens are protected and safe.
4. I think the government should provide a safe atmosphere to allow people to become fortunate because everyone would have protection, so they could become successful.
5. I think we've learned from our mistakes, so that the next time something bad happens we should know how to take better care of the situation.
6. In the aftermath, I think the decisions were based on race and class because there wasn't as much help as there should have been.
7. Our responsibility is to try and help the people who are suffering, especially when there is a natural disaster.
8. I agree with what they said about the government not helping as well as they could have.

Brianna R. Period 4

Anonymous said...

tyo me, being a citizen means caring about america's society and government. a good citizen should tell the government and others what they feel should change.
the role of government is to protect its people and do what is best for them and it should help the unfourunate.
hopefully we have learned from the mistakes that we made during the week following katrina.the decisions were made based on need because they got every body out before they started cleaning things up.
our responsibility is to help fellow citizens.

Anonymous said...

1. What it means to be a citizen is to respect your community and your peers and to also help your society.

2. I am a voluntary citizen because i volunteer in a lot of things to help my community and my peers.

3. The role of the government is to protect the people and to give them our natural rights.

4. Yes, i think that the federal government should should help the less fortunate because it can help them people start a new life and to get back on there feet and live there lives.

5. Yes, i think that we have learned from the federal governments mistakes because if something bad happens the people know what to do to keep themselves safe and not wait for the government to help them. I think they don't have to wait for the government because with what happened with hurricane katrina the people don't think that they should trust the government anymore.

6. I think that the decisions were based on race, class, or need because they seperated the people and there families and they took them to different parts of the U.S. and the families were worried if they would ever see there other relatives again.

7. I think that our responsibility is to write a reflection.

Maria S.
period 2

Anonymous said...

Being a citizen means having certain responsibilities. You have certain laws to follow and certain rights you have and certain rights you don't have. The government's role is to protect does certain rights. And make sure that you are able to pursue does responsibilities.
The federal government should help the less fortunate because in order to provide a safe atmosphere to allow people to be fortunate, you need to be fortunate. And there are so many people out there that aren't fortunate. And it's a horrible issue, because the government isn't doing anything to help.
I think that the mistakes that the government made kind of woke them up a little bit and made them realize that they really screwed up, but they still make mistakes because everybody makes mistakes and we as people should know that. After Katrina, decisions became based on need. The government finally realized that they had to do something about the situation no matter what race or what class.
I have not seen the ending of the documentary but I think our responsibility as citizens is to know what to do and what not to do and that if you make your own decision against the government's choice you have to be responsible for your own actions.

Megan E.
Period 2.

Anonymous said...

To be an American citizen means to be there for your country. The government should be there for all the citizens, no matter what they are. I think that the federal government should help the less fortunate, but they should also provide a safe atmosphere to allow people to become fortunate. All citizen should be treated the same and given the same opportunities. We have learned from our mistake, but we still need to work on our mistakes. Everyday people make mistakes and we just need to learn what we did wrong to fix it. Each day is a learning experience for any citizen. I think that the aftermath of Katrina were decisions make on race, class and need. I feel that the richer whites were helped first, but eventually the needy were helped. After watching the documentary we learned that when there is a crisis or a natural disaster we need to help our country and its citizens.

Anastasia Ioannou Pd. 2 :)

Anonymous said...

Hurricane Katrina caused America to take pause and challenged our government's values.

1. Being a citizen means that you are apart of a community, and that you must do whatever possible to protect you, your community members, and the accual community.

2. I am a Personally Responsible citizen. This is so because I am willing to do things for my country, but only if other people are willing to help as well.

3. The role of the government, or the "community", is to protect it's ciizens/members.

4. The government should protect the less fortunate. This is so because if someone needs protecting, and the govnt's role is to protect us, then they should do their job.

Obviously there were some mistakes made by the federal government.

1. I think that we have not learned from our mistakes. This is so because not only is this country still racist, but the citizens in the French Quarters still only care about themselves, and would definently blow-up the levees again, like they did during Betsy. Manhattan can even do something similar.

2. I think that the desisions were based on race of every kind during the aftermnath of Huracane Kitrina. This is so because the soldiers seperated each person by group on the planes for evacuation, the children in one group, the elderly in the next, the woman in another, etc.

3. Our responsibilities as citizens now are to protect eachother, try to make our community better, and to protect ourselves, and act individually.

4. I agree with what Bjorn Oliver said. this is so because a citizen should help other citizens with their serious situations by atleast making a small donation.



Andrew Villa Period 2 931

alyssa longo said...

What does it mean to be a citizen?
~to be a citizen it means to help the comunity and take pride

What type of citizen are you?
~i am a american citizen

What is the role of government?
~the role of the government is to pertect the peoples rights

Should the federal government help the less fortunate or provide a safe atmosphere to allow people to become fortunate?
~yes i think the federal government should help the less fortunate so it would enable them to help themselves
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have we learned from the mistakes?
~ ? << mr teslerrr.. i dont get it =]

In the aftermath of Katrina were decisions made based on race? class? Or need?
~no, they based their decision on need


Now that we have all seen the Spike Lee documentary what is our responsibility?
~our responsibility based on Spike Lee documentary is to help others in need.

Anonymous said...

To me a citizen means that a person has the right to vote, must follow the laws, give respect to everyone, and treat people like you want to be treated. I am a responsible citizen because I help people when I can and follow the laws. The government plays a big role in our lives because it protects us, gives us money when we need it, punishes people if they break the law, and gives people an education. The federal government should help the less fortunate by showing them the steps they need to succeed so they can do stuff on their own.
I think that the federal government has learned from its mistakes with Hurricane Katrina. Everything that happened with the hurricane got put in the news and it showed that because the people of New Orleans are mostly black, they were not helped as much and as fast as other people.Our resposibility as a nation is to pitch in 100% whenever there is a major crisis no matter what kind of people are in trouble.

Anonymous said...

To be a citizen means that yourare resposible to take car of yourself and your family and a repectful citizen would take the time to help others as well. It is also in the citizens best interest to take care of each other.

I think i am participatory citizen. I take part in communtiy programs and help others people over but i dont paln these events.

The role of the governemnt is to help the people and to make sure that their civil rights are not violated and that they are safe. They are basically there for the people and therefore need the peoples respect and trust to be able to stay in office.

I think that the government should provide a safe atmosphere to allow people to become forunate because then both side would win. Those with mone will be able to become forunate and those who are poor will be in a safe atmosphere to become sucessful.

We have learned that when there is a crisis at hand all measures must be taken to secure peoples safety and that even when its doubted there will be much damage there could always be a twist and end up worse.

In a way they were because most of New Orleans is populated with black poor citzens that acted upo themselves to loot many stores when thw whites were going for food and nesscary stuff. Decisions werent made but form of trestment was made. In the end all citizens lost some of their rights when the governekmnt finally took charge and helped.

Our responsiblites are to protect ourseleves our loved ones and fellow citizens and that even when yout think your could handle a sitiuation you must look at the people you care about that will take the path you choose with you and say if this is whats best for them or me.

Allison OHagan
Period 2

Anonymous said...

1. Being a citizen means being a member of a country with rights to political participation. People born in a particular country are considered nationals or citizen of that country. Being a citizen entitles you to certain rights of that country and also implies that you have some responsibilities and duties under social contract theory. Citizens are suppose to work towards the improvement of their community through economic participation, public service, volunteer work and other efforts to improve life for all citizens. In some countries being a citizen means you are responsible to pay taxes, serve on a jury, serve in the military and obey the criminal laws passed by their government. To be a citizen it means that you need to respect one another’s property.

2. I would say that I am a personally responsible citizen in our community. I say this because I participate in community services and obey the laws of NY State.
The responsibilities of the government to the people are to ensure that the people’s rights are not violated, that we have a safe community to live in, that there are plenty of jobs for those that want to work and to listen to the concerns of the citizens.

3. The role of the government is are to ensure that the people’s rights are not violated, that we have a safe community to live in, that there are plenty of jobs for those that want to work and to listen to the concerns of the citizens.

4. I feel that the government should take care of the less fortunate as well as provide a safe atmosphere to allow people to become more fortunate. The less fortunate people will need the assistance of the government in order to better their lives. The government can provide jobs to help the less fortunate earn money so that they can provide for their families. Once they find jobs and start to earn a living that would boost the economy and improve the life styles of the people in the community. Providing a safe atmosphere is important so that the people will stay in the community and help each other to improve life for everyone. People will want to stay and raise their families and open businesses if they know that their community is safe.

5. I do not think that we have learned from our mistakes. Even though we live in a democratic society and in one of the most powerful countries in the world, we still live in an imperfect world. There is still too much discrimination and prejudice here in America. We do not always follow what it says in our Constitution. The rich and powerful have an upper hand in everything over the middle class and the poor. In most cases the poorer areas receive less assistance in every aspect of life. The neighborhoods are falling apart, crime rate is on the rise, drugs can be found just about anywhere and the politicians are too busy to help improve these areas. These areas do not receive the same treatment as the upper class neighborhoods. Until we learn to treat everyone equally we will continue to make mistakes and never learn from them.

6. I think in the aftermath of Katrina the decisions were made based on class and race of the people. I feel that if this had happened in a richer neighborhood populated with white people the government would have reacted much quicker. Living in the greatest country in the world doe not prevent or protect us from the daily discrimination and prejudice we face everyday of our lives. Politicians will still favor whatever groups of people that will help keep them in office. Regardless of what it says in our Constitution, there still remains a certain pecking order and favoritism in our society.

7. After I saw the Spike Lee documentary I think that our responsibilities are to support those that are lest fortunate. We need to all come together to help one another regardless of class or race. We need to take care of America and its problems before we go out and help other countries. We need to educate our people and to follow and obey what is written in our Constitution. We need to unite and act as a single unit with a single goal to improve the quality of life for everyone in the United States of America.

Anonymous said...

A citizen is anyone with rights, which means all people. They have rights, freedoms, and make their own choices in life. Citizens carry out duties for the community and nation. I am a citizen who tries to help out in anyway I can. The role of the government is to protect the people and their rights. THe gov should help the less fortunate because nothing in life is given to you. you have to work to succeed. if its just handed to them it makes them seem just as qualified as those who went to school and studied endlessly, although theyre not. We have learned from the mistakes to never take anything too lightly or underestimate it, we should maybe take things into exaggeration just to be super safe. We've learned to act quicker in times of crisis. Katrina was not an issue of race or class as some have made it to be. everyone was stuck in the disasters aftermath. no one recieved more help than the person next to them. the help was based on need which was needed by all. OUr responsibility is to help out our fellow citizens and nation no matter what the case may be. THe government didnt take control so we have to, you cant wait for anybody. just go out and do it for yourself and those around you, whom youd hope would do the same for you

Crystal
Period 4

Anonymous said...

1. What it means to be a citizen is to be a responisble and stable person. You have to have respect for yourself, others in your community and across the U.S., and for the government. You have to maintain a stable lifestyle and also have obey the laws that come along with our rights.

2. I'm a justice-oriented citizen because I believe everyone should be treated equally and given the respect they needed on common grounds. As well I believe nobody should be denyed help, just based on their standards.

3. The role of the government is to protect citizen's civil liberties and from any unfair treatment from the government itself. The government also provides help when needed and to keep a balanced system that is fair for everyone.

4. Yes, the government should help along with the state government to help those who are capable of becoming a well being citizen and have a chance to better themselves. That is why there are shelters and soup kitchens and free college classes people can attend with the help of the government to become fortunate.

5. I think the government should have learned from their mistakes, because as the people we are the main power of the government and if we see the same problem occuring over and over we can stop it. As well, the government does amend the Constitution to adapt and correct their mistakes.

6. I think the government didn't respond based on race and class, because if this were to occur for example in Los Angeles, California where all the famous celebrities lived, they would get help as soon after the disaster was over. Nobody would be denied help, but since New Orleans also was a place of slavery many, many years ago, President George Bush and FEMA didn't feel the absolute need to help those who had very little and those who had nothing. It definently wasn't based on need because if it was the government would have gone in the day after Hurricane Katrina happened, but that is not what they did.

7. I think our responsibility is to be more aware of what is going on with other citizens across America and to help those who might need the help after a natural disaster. The government and nobody else should turn their backs on others who need it the most.

8. Yes, I do agree because they expressed the same views and concerns our class discussed on how the government did a very poor job on help anybody down in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Gabrielle Rosado
Class Period 4

Anonymous said...

1.To be a citizen mean that you get to do what u want and not be told what to and plus u can stand up for your community and organize what u can to for your self.
2.I'm a citizen that stands up for my community and when stuff have i am there for my community what so ever.
3. I think that the government is one for the main role because the provide a safe atmosphere for all people and try to keep us safe and tell us what to do
4. I think we should know what to do next time so we don't make mistakes and just watch out for the bad things that happen around you.
5.I thing it was not really based on race it was more like about the poor and who could not come out and who did so
6.i think that is to try to help the people that are not in good shape.
7. I agree with what they said about the government not helping the people on time.

Andre Belgrave Period 2

Anonymous said...

MAKE UP HOMEWORK:

What does it mean to be a citizen?
-to be a citizen means that you are born in America and apply to the rules and regulations

What type of citizen are you?
-i am a justice oriented citizen because i think that people should be treated equally and not differently than anyone.

What is the role of government?
-the role of the government is to protect l citizens and make sure they are in a safe atmosphere and all their natural rights are given to them.

Should the federal government help the less fortunate or provide a safe atmosphere to allow people to become fortunate?

-well the federal government should help them by giving jobs and making organizations to help them work but not to make them fortunate just be able to pick themselves up.

Obviously there were some mistakes made by the federal government.
Have we learned from the mistakes?

-yes we have learned from the mistakes because now the federal government knows how people are going to react if he does certain things that they did during Katrina, if anything happens like that again they will know what to do.

In the aftermath of Katrina were decisions made based on race? class? Or need?

-i think the decisions were made in class and race because half of the people who couldn't evacuate was because they were low class and couldn't afford it and also they were African Americans so probably if they were African Americans but upper class the help would've came quicker.

Now that we have all seen the Spike Lee documentary what is our responsibility?

-our responsibility is to help others and treat them the way we want to be treated because if we were in the Katrina victims place we wouldn't want to be treated like that.

Angela rivera 903
2nd period