EOTO Form of Communication Response

    THE CARRIER PIGEON

    I wish I knew who invented pigeons, but that's an answer I know I don't have. I can tell you who invented carrier pigeons, though. Carrier pigeons were invented (first introduced) by the Egyptians under Pharaoh Akhenaten, in 1350 BC. They were used as an advanced flood warning system. Apart from the constant risk of invasion from other civilizations, flooding of river-based societies was the biggest issue. Societies relied on the river to produce hydration to keep their crops growing; allowing their people to stay fed, and make money. Fixing this flood problem was vital in keeping entire cities from being destroyed. Egypt was a step above the rest in this area due to their ability to adapt to the annual flooding, instead of letting it ruin them; which is a main reason for their wealth, power, and prosperity. Egypt was not the only civilization to maximize the secret talent of pigeons before Christ. In 776 BC, during the first ever Olympic Games, carrier pigeons were utilized. Each athlete brought his own personal pigeon, after a victory, he would send it home to deliver the good news. This sounds like a more positive message than “save your family the Nile is flooding!” 

    It is safe to say that the two world wars dramatically shaped our planet. It is also no secret that carrier pigeons played an important role in the war, being a necessity of communication for both ally and axis powers. They changed the wars due to their insane reliability, with upwards of 95% success rates in delivering urgent information. They were sometimes the lone means of communication between command posts and advancing forces; especially, when radio communication was unavailable or destroyed, exemplifying their great importance. Heroic pigeons, like Cher Ami of the American Forces, saved hundreds of lives by bailing out trapped troops with a clutch last-minute message for backup. Cher Ami delivered his note despite being shot in the chest, blinded in one eye, and losing a leg. Ami is only one example of many, where a pigeon saved the day on the battlefield by doing the job that no man could accomplish. Pigeons solved a plethora of problems, but doing a job no human could do is at the top of the list. They changed wartime communication forever, while also emphasizing the glaring need to create more efficient and reliable means of communication for future war efforts. Thankfully, new modes have since been created and utilized by those at war. I'm sure Seal Team Six was grateful to not have to send a pigeon back to base when their Stealth Black Hawk Helicopter crash landed into the wall of Osama Bin Laden’s compound during operation Neptune Spear. 

Cher Ami

    Due to the carrier pigeons' success alerting civilizations of disaster, excellent rate of achievement at battle, heroic tendencies in the face of danger, a proven track record having saved hundreds at war, and trailblazing new forms of wartime communication, I cannot say there was a single negative regarding these pigeons during their time being used. Nowadays, in retirement, these pigeons mainly just flock the busy sidewalks of big cities and drop surprises on unsuspecting victims; but, after what they did for us in wartime, we should be a little more appreciative of them. 

Eight Values of Free Expression

 

The eight values of free expression are very significant as they honor the First Amendment and help to explain the purposes of it. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, press, among other things; therefore, it’s extremely important. 

The value which resonates most with me is Marketplace of Ideas. This principle vouches that truth will always prevail when in competition with lies. This value promotes intellectual growth and adaptation, and it encourages different perspectives; allowing for dominant narratives to be trumped. I appreciate this value because it promotes fairness and truth in a society where falsities are normalized. 

I believe the value that holds the most importance is Check on Government Power. This is also called the watchdog rule, and it’s vital in combatting abuse of power by the government. This value encourages democracy by empowering the public and press to keep the government in check and challenge their wrongdoings. With scandals being a regular occurrence in politics, the public deserves the right to be enlightened and not shielded from the truth; the Check on Government Power value is vital in making this happen. 

The value which feels most personal to me is Promote Tolerance. I wish this principle was more normalized in society, especially in an age of raging cancel culture. I feel this way because hate speech is protected by the First Amendment; yet, people are still harshly punished for expressing their clashing views. 

Differentiating ideas is what makes this country unique and most importantly, free. If there was no tolerance, diversity could not be highlighted, and people would be living in hermit shells of their own closed-minded beliefs. The idea is that hate speech teaches society; both what they should denounce and what must be acceptable without punishment. As a college student, I have been exposed to various views that are unique to mine and my family’s, which is why understanding this value is powerful, and thankfully present in law and society. 

Staying on the topic of Promoting Tolerance, I believe this value is seen currently. Not only on the college campus where I reside, but also in this country as a whole; especially with the change of power in the United States. I see this value in action quite a lot at school. Different values and viewpoints between students are common and present within class discussions; although disagreements are a given, debates/discussions are encouraged and gone about in a positive way. This is something I was not exposed to in high school. This change is possibly due to our maturation as students, but it could also be due to the tolerance that my age demographic has thankfully gained.  

The values of free expression are complex; however, the ideas behind these values are straightforward. When picking these ideas apart, they actually seem very simple. These principles are vital for the freedom of Americans, and it’s difficult to understand how countries around the world do not allow these expressive rights for citizens. With that being said, we are lucky to be allowed these rights and should use them to their full extent.  

Supreme Court Reflection Post

    I had little background knowledge on the Supreme Court prior to my time in this class; this is in part due to my Canadian background, but it’s also due to my lack of pursuit to indulge in this material. The Supreme Court, and government in general is a daunting topic to tackle, so I'm glad to be finally applying myself to it. 

• What did you learn about the Supreme Court that you didn't already know? 

 

    I learned the sheer amount of cases presented to the Supreme Court Justices; it is no small task for these 9 Supreme Court Justices to be handed around 100 arguments weekly. I used to be confused about why so many cases would be let go and ignored by the judges, but since every case is meticulously worked and drafted over and over, I can appreciate the importance of Certiorari. Certiorari is a new, important term I also learned; it is extremely important for the efficiency of the court. I find it incredible that there has only been a few over 100 justices in American history. These men and women are unbelievably powerful, and highly respected in society; therefore, only a handful of people get the honour of being hand-selected by the President, to become a Supreme Court Justice. 

 

• What is the most important take-away point about the Supreme Court? 

 

    My key take-away is the quote “Their legitimacy is in the constitution, but their power rests on public faith.” It stuck with me because it puts into perspective how important the American Constitution is to law and order in the whole country. The constitution dictates how the most powerful individuals make their decisions, and that is truly important. The “public faith” aspect is significant because without trust of the population, the court would be deemed as less valid. This would promote uprising and unrest, and we have seen examples of this. A memorable instance was when Roe v. Wade was overturned. I remember members of the Supreme Court had their addresses leaked by angry social media users; this was a time where the Supreme Court was widely frowned upon. For the most part, though, the court is regarded as the “most powerful judicial body on earth,” and is respected in society. 

 

• What was the most surprising thing you learned? 

 

    The most surprising thing I learned was how there was once a time when the Supreme Court, under Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, ruled that “blacks could never be citizens.” This was in the mid 1800’s; however, it is still hard to grasp how the most noble men in the nation governed with such racist ideologies and were able to convince other powerful leaders to believe the same.  

 

• How did the video change the way you thought of the Supreme Court? 

  
  

    The videos wholeheartedly changed the way I view and think of the Supreme Court. I have a newfound appreciation for the work these people do. I initially viewed the Justices as untouchable, closed-minded people; however, seeing how they thoughtfully deal with each case handed to them one-by-one, I see how truly complex their work is. I have the utmost respect for it.