Week of December 14- December 18:CWI

Monday-

Cocaine

Used as a stimulant or recreational drug. It is snorted, inhaled, or inserted into the veins
Is a powder from dry leaf plant called the coca, the plant was found in South America
With it became really popular in the 1990's, Colombian Cartels would an export around 800 tons of cocaine a year
Extremely addictive, bad for health
Symptoms: itching, fast heartbeat, hallucinations, paranoid delusions
In the 1900's, the prohibition of cocaine came into play
The drug trade increased throughout the years, especially in the 1980's in larger cities (New York)
Mexico and Colombia were big contributors to the trade of cocaine in the US
It was very high in supply and demand
It's no longer as big as it was but is still used in the US
Cocaine is commonly used in middle and upper class
Known as "rich man's drug"
1 in 3 people around the world use it
Uses
- Anesthesia
- Oxidation
- Stimulation
- Nutrients
Coca-Cola
- The original recipe in the soft drink was coca leave which is the cocaine base
- Coca leaf extract has been used in Coca-Cola products sine 1885
- Cocaine was completely eliminated from the products in or around the year 1929
- Coca leaves are still used in Coca-Cola products
- The United States and other nations prohibit the sale of coca leaves
- Coca-Cola company has an arrangement with our drug enforcement administration to be able to import dried coca leaves from Peru in very large quantities
Government
- The Obama Administration gave over 88 million dollars for preventing drug use as part of the drug free communities support program
- Released a national prevention strategy
- Drug rate is still high the rate of drugs used now in America has dropped by over third over the past 3 decades
- Cocaine has dropped by 43%

US Military Bases

What Are Military Bases?
- Secret facility owned by military
- Shelters with:
  - Equipment
  - Bombs
  - Weapos
  - Trained Personel
  - Training facilities
Where Are They?
- Mexico
- Africa
- Canada
- South America
- Europe
- Asia
- Australia
- 174 bases in Germany
- 83 in South Korea
- 113 in Japan
Where is the Problem?
- Environmental Issues
  - Millions of tons of toxic waste have been dumped
  - Spreads fatal cancers and disease
  - $5.4 billion spent on cleanup efforts
- A Local Toll
  - Thousands of people have been driven out of their homes
  - Their homes have been taken over by the American Government
- Labor Abuse in Afghanistan
  - Forced labor and human trafficking
  - Unsustainable low pay for migrant workers
  - 14 hour work days
  - Get low pay because their land is taken so their crops or land get taken away
- The Money
  - $156 billion a year average
  - US taxpayers pay $10,000-$40,000 a year
  - $85 billion in 2014 to keep up these bases
- Okinawa, Japan Military Base
  - Incidents of US servicemen raping young Japanese girls and women have occurred
  - Sparked protests to reduce US prescience in Okinawa

Tuesday-

Military Bases (continued)

- Terrorism and Radicalism
  - Creates motivation for radicalism
  - Recruiting tool for Al Qaeda
  - Strong anti-Americanism
  - Gave Osama Bin Laden inspiration and motivation for 9/11
- War
  - Bases cause resentment towards America
  - Leads to movements to form against US
What is Being Done About This?
- Actions Done by the US
  - Expanding military bases
  - Obama orders to reduce labor abuse and environmental problems
- Actions by Other Countries
  - Protests have risen to close bases
  - Many bases came from post WWII to help stabilize these countries
  - Many people think they aren't necessary anymore
What are Some Solutions to this Problem?
- Close unnecessary military bases that aren't being used
How do We Reduce the Problems that Military Bases Create?
- Cleaner disposal methods of toxic waste
- New laws to combat labor abuse
- Stronger penalties for sexual assaults
- Protect local people

Wednesday-

Illegal Immigration

Illegal Immigration:
- What is immigration?
  - People moving from one country to another with legal paperwork
- What is illegal immigration?
  - People moving from one country to another without permission or paperwork
- Why do people want to come to the US either legally or illegally?
  - Legally: job opportunities, family opportunities, reunite with family
  - Illegally: same reasons as legals but they think it takes to long and they don't want to wait
- Why do US citizens get upset about illegal immigrants?
  - Legal immigrants took the time and effort to get here
  - Taking jobs
  - They feel like they are taking advantage of the US, not paying taxes
  - People don't like culture change
  - Drugs
- Why is it easy for politicians to ignore the problem of illegal immigration?
  - Hispanic votes
  - This is true for Republicans because Republicans are seen as anti-immigration so Hispanics don't vote for them, so Republicans just don't talk about it
- What is birthright citizenship?
  - If you are born in the United States, you are a United States citizen
  - If parents come illegally and have a child, they get to stay because the child is a citizen
  - 14th amendment
  - Trump believes that this should be changed and that it isn't right
- What are "anchor babies"?
  - If illegal immigrants give birth to a child in the United States, it makes it easier for the parents to stay in the United States
- Legal Immigration Statistics:
  - 2013: 990,553 people are granted lawful permanent residence in the United States
  - "Green cards"- given official legal status here while you are working towards becoming a citizen
  - Naturalized citizen- someone who comes here legally, takes a test, cannot run for President
  - The top countries of origin of legal immigrants:
    - Mexico (14%)
    - China (7.2%)
    - India (6.9%)
    - Philippines (5.5%)
    - Dominican Republic (4.2%)
  - 2013: a total of 779,929 people become naturalized US citizens
  - Top countries of origin of naturalized US citizens:
    - Mexico (12,7%)
    - India (6.4%)
    - Philippines
    - Dominican Republic
    - China
- Illegal Immigration Statistics:
  - 2012: the Department of Homeland Security estimates that there are 11.4 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States
  - The top countries of origin of illegal immigrants are:
    - Mexico (59%)
    - El Salvador (6%)
    - Guatemala (5%)
    - Honduras (3%)
    - Philippines (3%)
  - 2012: top top us states where unauthorized immigrants settle
    - California (25%)
    - Texas (16%)
    - Florida (6%)
    - New York (5%)
    - Illinois (5%)
  - Unauthorized immigrants to the United States tend to be young (61% between ages 25-44) and male (53%)
  - Young people come so they can start a life and build a family
  - Males come over more often because of jobs
  - 2013: 662,483 unauthorized immigrants are apprehended
    - More than 64% are from Mex
  - 2013: 438,421 unauthorized immigrants are removed from the United States
    - Mexico (72%)
    - Guatemala (11%)
    - Honduras (8%)
    - El Salvador (5%)
  - President Obama's Plan:
    - cracking down on illegal immigration at the border (both Democrats and Republicans agree with this)
    - deporting felons, not families
    - accountability- criminal background checks and taxes
    - Streamlining legal immigration (keep it under 5 years)
  - Under President Obama, more illegal immigrants have been deported than by any other President

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Week of December 14- December 18:CWI

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