Argumentative Essay: Gun Control Violates The Second Amendment of the Constitution :: Second Amendment The Right To Bear Arms

The U.S. should not have gun control laws. The Second Amendment to the Constitution states that, â€Å"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.† This amendment has been around since 1791, and there has been gun control almost as long as it's been around. The National Rifle Association is an advocate of the Second Amendment and an opponent of those who propose restrictions on guns. Even Presidents Reagan and Bush are members, and Nixon, Eisenhower, and Kennedy were also members. Why do people feel the need to own a handgun? One reason is heritage. For as long as this country has been around, there have been gun owners, to defend themselves and to hunt for food. Buying, owning, or carrying a handgun doesn't hurt anyone. Until a person commits a crime, he/she is free to choose what he/she wants to do. Even if guns were completely banned from the U.S.A., people would still find a way to get them. Criminals would get guns. They would have their way, and there would be nothing we could do about it. We would have no way to defend ourselves. What is gun control to you? To me, it is the unconstitutional regulation and banning of guns to try to keep the crime rates in this country down. Does it work? Some gun laws are okay and they may work to some extent, but not to the extent that was intended. As for most of these gun laws such as the Brady Law, it serves no purpose. It is only there to make our lawmaking bodies and those of us who are too naive to see the truth feel better. Do you really think that the Brady Law keeps handguns out of the hands of criminals?

Baroque Assignment

The period of art known as Baroque began in the late 16th century. The period introduced art that was complex, rich, and extravagant. This was a time when optimism was the law of the land and a more confident and self-assured attitude made itself known. This is reflected in most of the artwork in this period.Paintings in the Baroque period were more complex than sculpture, and it showed in almost every painting. (Gardner, 397, 402) The painting, â€Å"The Geographer† by Jan Vermeer, is an example of Baroque art in the 17th century.Encompassing the theme of cartography, the sea chart, globe, and the like, (Harden) the painting shows a man, interrupted from his work, looked out the window. It is interesting to note that the man in the painting might be Anthony van Leeuwenhoek. It has been said that the man in this painting fits the mold of an intelligent man, knowledgeable from literature and observation. (Gowing) This would certainly fit van Leeuwenhoek. In regards the the rest of the painting, there is an abundance of objects on the left, leading the viewer's eye to that area.It seems that the few objects on the right of the painting are unimportant. This painting embodies the four main characteristics of Baroque paintings: the use of diagonals, suspense, tenebrism, and snapshot quality. Diagonals play a major role in â€Å"The Geographer†. In fact, almost every line is at an angle to imply perspective. This gives the painting depth. Everything is on a diagonal, to the point where it almost looks as if the picture is slanted to one side.Other details to note are the compass in his hand moving at the same angle as his arm, creating movement in the direction of his other hand, creating a circle. Most of the movement of the piece leans to the left. Even the shadows seem to be at a diagonal. It seems as if the man in the painting is looking out the window at something. It looks as if he is disturbed, or shocked, with what he sees. Perhaps he was inter rupted from his work to witness something awful. This is the most exciting moment. The viewer can imagine what he is looking at, none of the possibilities pleasant.This is how the painting is suspenseful. One can only imagine what happened before, or what will happen after, this picture was painted, but one can be sure that this moment is the beginning of something exciting. Tenebrism is defined as a style of painting that uses violent contrasts of light and dark. In â€Å"The Geographer†, this is apparent. The strongest light source in the picture is on the left, adding even more emphasis to this side of the painting. The man's face is lit quite well, the viewer must be able to see his face for the viewer to understand his anguish.What he is working on is also well-lit. The wall, where nothing seems to be happening, also where there are no diagonals, is cast in shadow, making this wall unimportant. There seems to be stark lines of shadow, and then of light. (Harden) This con trast adds to the painting's shocked and disturbed feel. Looking at the painting reminds the viewer of looking at a photograph. The colors are rich, the strokes barely noticeable. However, more importantly, the painting resembles a photograph because of the emotion that is caught by the artist.It seems as though the artist painted this at top speed, just to catch the shocked look on the subject's face. Of course, it is impossible to paint that fast, and this is why it resembles a photograph. The characteristics of Baroque art in the 17th century show themselves in â€Å"The Geographer†. In an age of complexity, Vermeer took a subject and animated him with the use of shadow and light. The subject was captured in a state of shock, which leaves the viewer curious as to what he was looking at. Also, one cannot help but to notice the quality of the painting.In an age when optimism was the rule, this painting lends itself to a darker corner of the world, and Vermeer makes it work b eautifully. ? Gardner, Helen. Art Through the Ages. Chicago: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. 1959. ? Gowing, Lawrence. â€Å"Vermeer†. Essential Vermeer. 1950. 2001. 28 Jan 2009. http://www. essentialvermeer. com/cat_about/geographer. html ? Harden, Mark. â€Å"Jan Vermeer: The Geographer†. WebMuseum, Paris. 14 Oct 2002. 29 Jan 2009. http://www. ibiblio. org/wm/paint/auth/vermeer/geographer. html

The Cold War And The Soviet Union - 1858 Words

Though the Cold War was mainly between the two super powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, it also encompassed their European allies, split by the Iron Curtain. It divided the world into the Warsaw pact and the NATO, cementing Europe’s role in the Cold War though its alliances. The constant threat of the nuclear weapons meant that the Cold War became more psychological war rather than of military actions1. .The United States developed their nuclear weapons to strengthen their own military potential after WWII, but the Soviet Russia took this to be more an offensive tactic after the bombs the devastation of the atomic bombs dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The Cold War then largely became an arms race, due to the†¦show more content†¦This brought together Great Britain, France, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Portugal together with the United States, creating N.A.T.O (North Atlantic Treaty Organis ation). This created a powerful alliance that threaten or contained the USSR’s power, which made them bring together all the Soviet bloc countries it dominated in Eastern Europe into the Warsaw Pact 2. With the Soviets creating and successful testing their first atomic bomb sooner than the Americans expected, it meant that the Americans had lost the strategic upper hand. The United States could no longer say that they had the power advantage from nuclear bombs, so set about creating more deadly weapon – ‘the H-Bomb’. Due to the threat of nuclear weapons, this stopped any involvement from the United States during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, that Russia crushed. The United States supported the ‘liberation of captive peoples’ 3within communist controlled areas, yet were unwilling to involve themselves in yet another war. (2) Due to the losses Europe experienced, Russia and the United States were on a power stage above the rest of the world, due to nuclear proliferation. Nuclear proliferation is ‘the spread of nuclear weapons, either by their acquisition by more states or other actors (horizontal proliferation), or their accumulation by established nuclear states