Houston City Council Meeting I attended the Houston City Council meeting held on September 1, 2015. When I entered the the council chamber, at 1:20 pm, I was surprised to see that the chamber was packed with people. I had previously attended a New York City Council meeting were the chamber was almost completely empty. As I made my way to an empty bench in the chamber, I noticed that most of the people in the chamber were veterans. A majority of the veterans appeared to be in their eighties or nineties. Later, I found out that they were all veterans of World War 2. As I sat down I was handed a newspaper printed for veterans who live in Harris County. As I waited for the meeting to start I looked at the chamber itself and was surprised …show more content…
at how nice and ornate it was. When I had attended the council meeting in New York I had the opposite reaction. There, was paint pealing off the walls and ceiling of the chamber. As I waited for the meeting to begin I quickly read threw the newspaper I had been handed. Mayor Parker called the meeting to order order at 1:40 pm.
I was surprised that the Mayor actually attended the meeting. I was surprised because Mayor Bloomberg did not attend the meeting I went to in New York. The meeting started with presentations to the council. During these presentations a council member presented a person or persons to the council. Once the council member made their presentations the other council members made comments to the person or persons. The presenting council member then read part of a framed proclamation. The Mayor then read the proclamation to the council and made a declared the day as a celebration of that person or persons. The first presentation of the day was made by council remember Jack Christie. Council member Christie presented a group of local veterans of World War Two. Council member Christie stated that today they were celebrating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two. In addition to thanking the veterans for their service. Council member Christie then, asked the Russian Consul General: Alexander K. Zakharov, to stand up so he could be thanked for his country’s service during the war. The Mayor then declared the day a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War
two. During the presentation, I wondered if what I was witnessing was really an appropriate use of the council’s time. I did not understand why a city that had just been threw a major flood would spend its time and recourses to declare a celebration that few would even know about. I also thought it was interesting that a local city council would invite a diplomat to its meeting. When one usually thinks of local government they usually think of angry senior citizens’ complaining about the widening of Main Street, to accommodate cars heading to the new Kroger. They do not imagine, that the man, sitting behind the old man is a diplomat. This is still true for most local governments. Yet when it is the 4th largest city the government must deal with more then the angry senior citizen.
It’s hard for civilians to see what veterans had to face and still do even after all is said and done. The rhetorical strategies that contribute to Grady’s success in this article is appealing to the reader’s emotions through the story of Jason Poole. Denise Grady’s “Struggling Back From War’s Once Deadly Wounds” acts as an admonition for the American public and government to find a better way to assist troops to land on their feet post-war. Grady informs the reader on the recent problems risen through advancements in medical technology and how it affected the futures of all the troops sent into the Iraq war.
He says, “In all fairness, I have no doubt that these symposia are worthwhile, and I will take it on faith that the organizers are not viewing a potential influx of veterans as a threat to campus safety and simply want to be prepared... Most faculty and administrators, I would hope, realize that, of all the horrific campus shooting we have heard about in recent years, not one of the perpetrators was a military veteran.”
A time to remember those who died, those who served, and those who carry on.” ~Unknown. Servicemen make sacrifices daily. During 9/11, the Manhattan firefighters were responding to a gas leak when they heard the explosion from one of the twin towers. Policemen and firefighters from all around New York and surrounding areas came to help rescue the victims. They searched through rubbish and raced with time to check the buildings before and after the buildings collapsed. There were clouds of smoke, dust, and debris flying through the streets; blinding the bystanders. Hundreds of servicemen died that day, including military personnel in the Pentagon who were also hit by the hijackers. I had a cousin named Johnnie Doctor Jr who was in the Navy. He was killed in the Pentagon. I never got to know him, but from what I heard he was a great person to be
...of the struggle over how the war would be remembered. Blanketed by the discourse of disability, the struggle over the memory of veterans and the country alike would be waged with such obliquity as to surpass even the most veiled operations of Nixon’s minions. While Nixon’s plumbers were wrenching together the Gainesville case against VVAW in the spring of 1972, mental health and news-media professionals were cobbling together the figure of the mentally incapacitated Vietnam veteran. More than any other, this image is the one that would stick in the minds of the American people. The psychologically damaged veteran raised a question that demanded an answer: what happened to our boys that was so traumatic that they were never the same again? As it came to be told, the story of what happened to them had less to do with the war itself than with the war against the war.
Congress is in session far more than that of the part-time Texas legislature. The Texas Legislators must create laws for the second most populated, second largest State, This is not a part time task. The Texas congress could easily be in session year-round. Many issues brought up while the Texas Legislature is not in session are left in limbo as they await the next legislative session. An ideal legislature is working around the calendar to ensure that they are serving as leaders.
walked into the auditorium. Everyone just became silent and listened. Hickam really did not state
America is the land of opportunity and the land of second chances. People come to America to live a better life, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. When Veterans come back home, all they want is a second chance at life again. They want to come back and be able to start from where they left off. But the government has done very little to help these veterans. The government believes they have done enough with the programs they have created, but it hasn’t had much of a change. The purpose of this essay is to discuss my opinion and what I know about this issue, to benefit The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, who are my intended audience. If the government were to put a lot of effort, like they do for pointless issues, there wouldn’t be many struggling veterans. If the government does more to improve every aspect of the reintegration process of veterans, so many benefits would come out of this action. There are a couple of reasons for why we should work toward improving veterans lives. First, there would possibly be a decrease in the veteran suicide levels and a decrease in the substance abuse aspect. Second, less veterans and families will have to worry about living and struggling with mental illnesses. Third, by improving the economical aspect for these veterans, more will find jobs and less will end up on the street homeless. And lastly, the reintegration process won’t be as hard for these veterans, and they will be able to resume a normal life. This essay is not meant to offend in any way, its purpose is to provide a new perspective over this issue, to cause a change for the better.
After witnessing the older gentleman give a piece of his mind to the mayor, I was hoping for more residents to stand up and demand action from their local government. I wanted people to step up and tell the local government that some of ...
The relationship between a local government and its people is typically a combined form of stability, as well as discordant moments of tension and rising-to-dramatic change. More specifically, the political climate of the local government differs depending on how those people view the three aspects of their governmental calls and needs: rights and responsibility of the people, obligations of their government, and limits on the local governmental authority.
America’s veterans should be honored because they have suffered through so many hardships that others could not and have not survived, and they did it for their country that they loved and still love today.
In seeking to determine whether the American Legion should open its doors to non-wartime veterans, we must begin with a look at the organization itself:
I chose the easy route of interview my grandpa (Dean Randel) who served in World War II as flight deck operator that signaled the aircrafts and got them ready for flight. He was station in San Diego on the USS Wisconsin which was of course a aircraft carrier. As I grew up he always told me stories of the good times he had with buddies and just living the good life. This is a first for me to sit down one on one with him and hear about what went on. Before I could even get a word in my grandpa ask me, “Do you know how Veterans Day was brought about?” I was so shock he was into doing this that I just shut my mouth and listened. He continued by saying in 1921, an American soldier -his name "known but to God "-was buried on a Virginia hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of Washington, DC. The burial site of this unknown World War I soldier in Arlington National Cemetery symbolized dignity and pride for all American veterans. Similar ceremonies occurred earlier in England and France, where an "unknown soldier” was buried in each nation’s highest place of honor (I later researched and found out it was in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe). These memorial gestures all took place on November 11, giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War I hostilities at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). The day became known as "Armistice Day.”Armistice Day of...
As men and women serve this country we often forget the importance of what they did and how we give back to them for what they have experienced. Through student surveys that have been gathered, it has been proven in the course of knowledge that 80% of all thirty students surveyed that say they know of someone who is or was a veteran and only 57% of those Veterans receive help. Richelle E. Goodrich stated, “Have you ever stopped to ponder the amount of blood spilt, the volume of tears shed, the degree of pain and anguish endured, the number of noble men a...
Our government here in Texas has three major parts that play a significant part in our decision making process. These levels have been deigned to decentralize power and make it more affective for the public's needs. The primary level is the Texas legislature. It is almost a given to say that everyone has at least heard of the legislature. Some variables that the legislature contains are the Lt. Governor, the Speaker of the house of Representatives and Committee Chairs. The Speaker acts as the presiding officer over the house and has two levels of power. These two levels are institutional powers which allow the officer to preside over the Legislative Audit Committee and Sunset Advisory Committee.
...evision. I feel there are several simple things could be done that would make the meeting more accessible to not only first time attendees but also citizens in general. First of all by giving a very brief introduction to who the Council members are and why they are on the Council, as well as the who the people on the side bars are and what their purpose for being there. Just a brief background, five minutes at the tops, would give a background enough for newcomers to have a basic understanding of what is going on. Another thing that could be done to make it more accessible would be to explain the purpose of the meeting or to give out an agenda at the beginning. By attending this public meeting, I was able to see that the grandeur that is portrayed on television is very fake, but the importance is vastly downplayed.