A Championship in 1966 Was a Step for Integration

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/sports/ncaabasketball/a-championship-in-1966-was-a-step-for-integration.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FCivil%20Rights&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection

Summary: In 1966, the Texas Western basketball team defeated Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. It was a monumental upset in college basketball history and is considered a prominent step in integration in college sports, but also in general. Led by Coach Don Haskins, the team went 28-1 in regular season but were still considered an extremely unlikely team to win a game in the tournament, much less win the tournament itself. Don Haskins started live African American players in the historic game against Adolph Rupp and his all white team of players. This was the first time a starting team included all five black players in history. It was truly a turning point in the fight for civil rights in the athletic spectrum.

Class Connections: This article is related to our class because its sole purpose is to shed light on a significant event in the battle for civil rights during the 1960s and 70s. We have discussed major leaders of peaceful demonstration like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, but we haven’t talked about major events in places such as sports or music. This article talks specifically about the achievements of the Texas Western team winning over the racist Adolph Rupp, definitely a defining moment for civil rights for black people. 

My Beliefs: I think that it was historic what Don Haskins did back in 1966. I personally am a strong believer in civil rights for African Americans and other minority groups in the world, so I really appreciate the game against Texas Western and Kentucky because it is so important in terms of integration in college sports. To judge someone by the color of their skin makes no sense in my mind, and shouldn’t affect other people as well. Racial inequality is still a big problem in this country and we need to come together as a people in order to end this injustice. 

TV ad blasts Trump’s business ties to criminals

Link: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/3/donald-trumps-business-ties-criminals-blasted-tv-a/

Summary: A super PAC that is known to be conservative recently released an ad that condemns Donald Trump for having ties to drug dealers, convicted felons, and other people who have been involved in wrongdoings. This ad is from America Future Fund, and is part of the GOP’s escapade to prevent Donald Trump from becoming the Republican nominee in 2016. The ad is related to remarks Sen. Ted Cruz made about Trump not releasing his tax returns, which could reveal mafia ties and other illegal business. This super PAC does not back Cruz, though, and ran ads against him as well in Iowa. AFF has also attacked Trump on his university, saying that it has scammed many of its students. The newest ad though, entitled, “Best Negotiator,” highlighted Trumps relations with three men; one, a former senior advisor of Trump who became a convicted stock scammer, a helicopter pilot who turned a convicted felon, and a once real estate worker who took part in trafficking ecstasy. “He claims that as a businessman, he will bring in the ‘greatest minds,’ the ‘most talented’ people,’ and ‘the best negotiators.’ But the more Americans learn about Donald Trump, the more they realize that he will really bring in people who are just like him: morally bankrupt frauds,” American Future Fund adviser Stuart Roy said in a statement.”

Class Connections: In class, we have lately been discussing the media and how they influence politics. We also discussed super PACs, both of which are the main point of this article. We talked about how ads are used by politicians and interest groups to influence the general public on certain issues and political figures. This article talked about an ad released by a super PAC that attacked a particular candidate, one form of how ads are used in order to inform the voters of the U.S. 

My View: I believe that ads are fine to be used for and against candidates in elections as long as they are truthful. Many ads we see today are not true and are often vague and barely scratch the surface of certain political issues and candidates problems. It would be hard to regulate the quality of information in campaigns, but the system could be made better with some simple changes. The government could institute laws that force PAC leaders and interest group leaders to require checks in the information that is used in advertisement of campaigns. There are many things that could be done, and with the insane make-up of this election, there might need to be rules and laws instituted quickly.