The Cat Researches Feminism and Politics

Feminism shows more of the promises of the American political process because it helps women get more rights and promotes equality.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/opinion/sunday/hillary-in-history.html
Among the current presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton is the only woman. If she is elected in 2016, she will be the first ever woman president in the United States! But she isn't the only woman who ran for president in history. Some of the others were Margaret Chase Smith in 1964, and the Democrat Shirley Chisholm in 1972. This helps promote equality by letting women have a job that had always been given to men in the past. 

http://www.biography.com/people/sonia-sotomayor-453906
Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (1981-2006) was the first woman to be a supreme court justice. Because of feminists who fought for women's rights, now there are three female Supreme Court justices: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Justice Elena Kagan. They help make very important decisions about laws that affect the whole country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/23/opinion/sunday/maureen-dowd-donald-trump-struts-in-his-own-pageant.html
Maureen Dowd is a reporter for the New York Times. With her mordant sense of humor, she can influence politics by writing opinion articles. She convinces her readers to take a certain side in politics, and to be thoughtful in their decisions.

A Mysterious Event at the Watergate Hotel

The Cat and the Watergate Crisis

In the early 1970s, during President Nixon's re-election campaign, someone broke into the Watergate Hotel, and put listening devices in the room where the Democratic Party was having its National Committee. Nixon tried to cover it up and pretend it never happened... but once he was chosen to serve a second term as President, his involvement in the whole thing was exposed. When Republican senators told him he'd probably be impeached for trying to influence the election, Nixon resigned.

Today, we enjoy many more freedoms, because of laws that restrict the executive branch and prevent the President from abusing his power. The Ethics in Government Act, which was passed after the Watergate scandal, controlled public officials' lobbying efforts, and gave the public access to the financial and employment history of government members. Another Federal law, the National Emergencies Act, allowed Congress to put limits on the President's power in emergencies. Finally, the amendments to the Freedom of Information Act let citizens of the United States see records about themselves, change the records if they're incomplete or inaccurate, and sue the government if it violates this right or shows the records to someone else without permission.

The Cat Shares His Ideas With the World

The Oxford American Dictionary defines culture as "The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group", or "The attitudes and behavior characteristic of a particular social group". 

I think that the culture of Rock Bridge is student-oriented. The rules are designed to give us lots of freedom. For example, last year at Gentry Middle School, the teachers tried to control each move we made. They even gave us assigned seats at lunch when we got "too loud", and they wouldn't listen when we tried to protest against them. Here at RBHS, it feels more like the students are trusted by the administration. We're allowed to eat lunch almost anywhere in the school, do almost anything we want during passing period, and sometimes leave class to go work in the halls. 

But that freedom comes with responsibility. Students still have to follow the rules. We're expected to  get to class on time, get our assignments done, respect others and the building, and be leaders in our community. At Rock Bridge, we have a voice, even if we're not in student government. 

In the U.S., checks and balances (the responsibility) keep the branches of government from abusing their power (which is like freedom). Every citizen also has his/her share of freedoms (all the rights we have from the Bill of Rights) and responsibilities (we must obey the laws). 

Meows From Around the Globe

"Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

I liked this quote because I agree with everything Eleanor Roosevelt said. People imagine that freedom is like  flying away, soaring higher and higher and never landing again. But the things that are expected of you as a member of society, your responsibilities, weigh you down. At the same time, those things also make you free.

"A person must always be accountable for their actions of their independence, and be able to own up to what they have done or will do."

I chose this quote from Moy Zhong's blog because I think she did a good job explaining what responsibility is.

Freedom With Responsibility

I think that humans have lots of power. We've spread all over the world, and are even cutting into wild areas that used to completely belong to other animals. Plus, our cities and countries are polluting the world around us. 
We have the freedom to live wherever and however we want, but freedom can't be limitless. We have to remember that this isn't our planet, and that we share it with other creatures. That's where the responsibility comes in - we have to clean up after ourselves and protect the environment, so not only we can thrive, but so the huge web of life on Earth stays intact, too.