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Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck: The German Empire’s first Chancellor 


Otto von Bismarck is most well known for being a German-Prussian statesman in the late 1800’s as well as being the first Chancellor of the German Empire.
Otto von Bismarck was born in April 1815 in Brandenburg, in the Prussian Province of Saxony, west of Berlin. He went to school at the Graues Kloster and Friedrich-Wilhelm secondary schools and later attended the University of Gottingen where he studied law from 1832 to 1833.
At the age of 32, Otto von Bismarck became a representative in the Vereinigter Landtag, the new Prussian legislature, where he became known as a reactionary politician and Royalist. He was then elected into the lower house of the Prussian legislature, the Landtag, in 1849. Here he opposed unification of Germany the Parliament eventually failed to bring unification to Germany.
Otto von Bismarck later left the Landtag and was obtained a seat on the Prussian House of Lords, where he slowly lessened his reactionary views. In 1862, he was appointed by King Wilhelm I to be the Minister-President as well as the Foreign Minister.  From here into the 1860’s, Otto von Bismarck helped reorganize Germany with the goal of unification under Prussian Leadership.
1n 1870, Otto von Bismarck felt that if France was shown to be an aggressor against the German states, the states would be unified behind the King of Prussia. Otto von Bismarck instigated the Franco-Prussian War by publishing a heavily edited transcription of a conversation between the French Ambassador to Prussia and the King of Prussia. 
Because of Otto von Bismarck’s actions, France declared war five days later, resulting in a victory for Prussia. Otto von Bismarck used this to secure Germany’s unification. At the end of the war, France surrendered some of Lorraine and Alsace to Prussia.
At the end of the war, Otto von Bismarck was made into the Prince Von Bismarck as well the Imperial Chancellor of the German Empire.
One of Otto von Bismarck’s most significant contributions to society was his creation of the first welfare state. In the 1880’s he introduced many different programs in Germany regarding social insurance to promote the well-being for the citizens, particularly workers which would also help keep the economy running efficiently.
Because of his ideas, the German system started to provide worker’s compensation, retirement benefits, disability benefits, accident insurance, unemployment insurance and health insurance. None of these had ever been included in any previous society. Despite his right wing views, Otto von Bismarck is often thought of as a socialist because of these policies.

War On Terror

War On Terror

A Short Explanation of the War On Terror


What is the War on Terror?
The War on Terror is also called the War on Terrorism or the Global War on Terror. The War on Terror is a current military campaign held internationally that is led by the United States as well as the United Kingdom. It is supported by many other counties in NATO as well as other countries that are not in the organization.
The phrase War on Terror was used by former president George W. Bush as well as other U.S. officials in response to the global struggle in a political, military, ideological, and legal aspect against many terrorist organizations and regimes. Most often, the term was used to denote the struggle against al-Qaeda and other militant Islamists.
There were many precursor events to the War on Terror such as the bombing of United States embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, the growth of al-Qaeda, and the many attack plots of 2000. However, the most influential factor that set off the start of the War on Terror was the September 11, 2001 attacks.
On September 11, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes crashed two of the planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and one in Pennsylvania, resulting in the loss of thousands of innocent lives. The War on Terror was officially declared less than a month later, on October 7, 2001.
The objectives of the War on Terror, as described by the George W. Bush administration included the following:
Defeating terrorists and destroying their related organizations, such as Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.
Identifying, locating, and dismantling terrorists and their organizations.
Denying any support, sponsorship, or sanctuary to terrorists.
o Establishing a means of accountability when combating terrorism.
o Strengthening the global fight against terrorism.
o Eliminate any structures that allow for sanctuaries or havens for terrorists.
o Disrupting of removing material supply lines that terrorists use.
Diminishing any underlying conditions that can be exploited by terrorists.
o Preventing emergence or reemergence of terrorism by creating a group effort to strengthen weak states.
Defending all United States citizens as well as all U.S. interests both home overseas.
o Use the National Strategy for Homeland Security.
o Creating protective measures for all citizens abroad.
o Ensure information-based infrastructures so they are reliable both home and overseas.
Some other events that happened in response to the heightened awareness of terrorist after the September 11 attacks include:
Creation and passage of the USA Patriot Act
Reorganization of many different government bureaucracies
Creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
New registration procedure for certain non-citizen males in the United States

Dennis Kucinich

Dennis Kucinich

Dennis Kucinich: Representative of the 10th Congressional District of Ohio


Dennis Kucinich is most well known for being the Democratic Representative for the 10th Congressional District of Ohio in the United States House of Representatives. He was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for both the office of President of the United States in 2004 and 2008.
Dennis Kucinich was born on October 8, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio as the eldest of seven children.  He moved 21 times while growing up and finally wound up at Cleveland State University where he graduated in 1970. Dennis Kucinich then attended Case Western Reserve University, where he graduated in 1973 with both an undergraduate and a Master of Arts degree in communication and speech.
Dennis Kucinich began his political career where he ran but lost for a seat in the Cleveland City council in 1967. He ran once more in 1969 and was elected to a seat. Three years he ran for a Congressional seat in the United States House of Representatives as a representative for Ohio, but lost to the incumbent.
Dennis Kucinich ran again in two years but did not manage to get the Democratic nomination. He then ran again as an independent candidate but still did not get the seat. Instead, he became a clerk in a Cleveland municipal court the year later, where he served for two years.
After his clerkship, Dennis Kucinich took on the role of Mayor for Cleveland, which he served from 1977 to 1979. He lost his re-election bid in 1970 and then worked to keep a low profile for a while. He struggled to find employment and then moved to California, where he worked as a radio talk-show host followed by a lecturer and a consultant.
Upon returning to Cleveland, Dennis Kucinich ran to Secretary of State but lost to Sherrod brown in 1982. The next year, he managed to win a special election of a seat as a city councilman. He gave up this seat to run for Governor of Ohio, but wound up withdrawing from the race.
In 1996, Dennis Kucinich was elected as the representative for the 10th Congressional District of Ohio and since then was reelected six more times.
In the House of Representatives, Dennis Kucinich is currently on the Committee on Education and Workforce where he sits on the Subcommittee for Workforce protection and the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor & Pensions. He is also on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform where he is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight & Government Spending.
Some of his more influential votes include:
Voting for President Barack Obama’s health care bill without the component of a public option
Voting against the Military Commissions Act of 2006 as well as against the USA Patriot Act
Voting against the Violent Radicalization & Homegrown Terrorism Act
Voting against the Iran Freedom and Support Act
Voting against President Bill Clinton’s impeachment

Scott Brown

Scott Brown

Scott Brown: Junior Senator of Massachusetts


Scott Brown is most known as the junior Republican Senator of Massachusetts as well as a former member of the Massachusetts State House of Representatives as well as the Massachusetts State Senate.
Scott Brown was born in Kittery, Main on September 12, 1959, but was raised in Wakefield Massachusetts and often spent his summers with his father, a councilman, in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
As a child, Scott Brown has a very difficult life. His parents divorced and remarried many times. He also experienced sexual abuse from both a camp counselor when he was 10 years old as well as physical abuse from his mother’s other husbands. As a young teen he shoplifted many times as well.
Despite his hardships, Scott Brown graduated in 1977 from Wakefield High School and then attended Tufts University, where he received his undergraduate degree in history as well as cum laude. He the attended Boston College Law School and graduated in 1985 where he received his juris doctor. 
When he was 19, Scott Brown had joined the Massachusetts Army National Guard where he was trained in infantry, quartermaster, as well as airborne duties. He then joined the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 1994. Since then he has been an active member of the Guard for approximately 30 years and is now a lieutenant colonel.
Scott Brown began his political career in 1992, when he was elected as the property assessor for Wrentham, Massachusetts. Three years later he was elected to the Board of Selectmen for the same jurisdiction.
In 1998 he decided to run for the position as the representative for the 9th Norfolk District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He kept this position for three terms until he won in a special election in the State Senate in 2004. He was then reelected for three terms for the same position. While in the Senate, Scott Brown served on committees involving professional licensing, consumer protection, education, public safety, election laws, and veterans’ affairs.
In 2009, Scott Brown decided to run for the U.S. Senate after the death of Ted Kennedy opened up a seat. He won in a landslide victor in the Republic primary and despite being a part of a the Republican Party and won the general election as well.
In the Senate, his committee assignments include:
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
o Subcommitee on
Disaster Recovery
Ranking member of Contracting Oversight
Oversight of Government Management, Federal Workforce, & District of Columbia
Committee on Armed Services
o Subcomittee on:
Airland
Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Strategic Forces

Peter King

Peter King

Peter King: New York’s Representative for the 3rd Congressional District


Peter King is most well known for being the Republican representative for the 3rd Congressional district of New York in the United States House of representatives.
Peter King was born in New York, New York but was brought up in Sunnyside, Queens, New York. He attended St. Francis College, where he graduated from in 1965. He continued at the University of Notre Dame Law School where he received his Juris Doctor in 1968. After graduating from law school, he started to work for the District Attorney’s Office of Nassau Count. He also served in the New York National Guard in the 96th Infantry Regiment from 1968 to his honorable discharge six years later.
Peter King started his political career in 1977, when he ran for a seat in the Hempstead Town Council. He was supported by the Nassau County Republican Party and won the seat. Four years later, Peter King decided to run for the Nassau Country Comptroller, which he was chosen for and subsequently re-elected for two more terms.
In 1986, Peter King decided to run for New York State Attorney General, which was a long shot. He did not win the election. In the 1990’s, Peter King played an active role through the Muslim community within his district. He not only held book signings and gave speeches, but he also supported American intervention in Kosovo and Bosnia, which most Republican’s did not do.
Peter King assumed office as a representative in 1993 and since then has held the position. Since then he has held these political positions:
Opposed closing Guantanamo bay detention camp
Opposed the economic stimulus package of 2009
Opposed the Lillie Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
For the Wall Street Bailout
Opponent of illegal immigration
Supported congressional earmarks
Supported the Iraq War
Supported the Patriot Act
Opposed the appeal for Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Criticized WikiLeaks and felt it should be considered a terrorist organization
Peter King currently lives in Seaford, New York with Rosemary King, his wife, and has two adult children along with one grandson. He has two other siblings, Barbara and Kevin. He also writes and is an author of 3 novels that are inspired by his early years in Congress: Deliver Us From Evil, Terrible Beauty, and Vale of Tears.

Janet Napolitano

Janet Napolitano

Janet Napolitano: the Current U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security


Janet Napolitano is most well known for being the current United States Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security under the Obama administration. She was also the former Democratic governor of Arizona as well as the Attorney General of Arizona.

Early Life and Education
Janet Napolitano was born in New York City on November 29, 1957 in New York City and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1975 she graduated from Sandia High School and was also voted most likely to succeed.
She then attended and graduated Santa Clara University as valedictorian. After, she studied for a semester at the London School of Economics and later attended the University of VA School of Law where she received her Juris Doctor. Once completing law school, she worked as a law clerk in the 9th Circuit in the United States Court of Appeals and later joined the Phoenix Law firm with Lewis and Rocca.

Political Career
Napolitano began her political career when she was appointed at the United States Attorney for Arizona by President Bill Clinton in 1993. At this time, she investigated Michael Fortier during the Oklahoma City bombing. She then ran for the position of Arizona Attorney in 1998, which she won.
In 2002, Napolitano decided to run for the gubernatorial election of Arizona. She narrowly defeated her Republican opponent, Matt Salmon who was a former congressman. This made her the third female governor in Arizona’s history as well as the first woman to succeed a female governor. In 2005, she was named one of the five best governors in the United States by Time magazine.
As a governor, Napolitano has set a record for the highest total number of vetoes issued, having 58 in a single session which was more than twice the previous years. She also set the all-time record with her 115th veto and left office with 180 vetoes. She won the gubernatorial election again in 2006, making her the first female to be re-elected in that specific office. 
In 2008, Napolitano endorsed Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nomination for president and she was later named to the Obama-Biden transition Project Advisory board. She was then named as Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, and was confirmed at the beginning of her presidency. Napolitano is the first female to hold this position.


Personal Life
Janet Napolitano is an extreme basketball fan and also plays tennis. Her other hobbies include hiking and whitewater rafting. She has previously hiked in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona and along with the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico. She has climbed the Himalayas and Mount Kilimanjaro. In 1998 she discovered she had breast cancer but has so far survived.

Ben Nelson

Ben Nelson

Ben Nelson: the Senior Senator of Nebraska


Ben Nelson is most known for being the current Senior Democratic Senator for Nebraska. He was also the former Governor of Nebraska as well.

Early Life and Education
Ben Nelson was born on May 17, 1941 in McCook, Nebraska as an only child of his parents. He attended the University of Nebraska, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1963, his master’s degree in 1965, and his Juris Doctor in 1970.
After law school, Ben Nelson worked for the Central national Insurance Group of Omaha as an assistant general counsel and later became the state insurance director. He then went back to Central National Insurance to act as the executive vice president and then the president.
Political Career
Ben Nelson ran for the seat of Governor of Nebraska and was elected into office in 1990 after winning in one of the closest gubernatorial races in the history of the state, where he had received the Democratic nomination because of two votes. He was then re-elected for a second term by a very large vote.
As governor, Ben Nelson worked to close the gap between urban and rural areas of Nebraska in order to have a more effective government. He also helped cut spending when it was scheduled go up higher and created legislation to lower crime rates.
When Democrat Jim Exon retired from in 1996 from his seat in the United States Senate, Ben Nelson decided to run for the seat, but was defeated by a Republican candidate. He continued his term as governor until 1999. He was then nominated once more in 2000 as a Democratic candidate for the 2000 Senate election. He won the election and has since held his position.
Currently, Ben Nelson serves on the following committees and subcommittees:


Committee on Armed Services
Chairman of Subcommittee: Strategic Forces
Subcommittee: Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Subcommittee: Personnel

Committee on Appropriations
Chairman of Subcommittee: Legislative Branch
Subcommittee: Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, & Related Agencies
Subcommittee: Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies
Subcommittee: Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA , & Related Agencies
Subcommittee: Financial Services & General Government
Subcommittee: Homeland Security


Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Subcommittee: Energy, Science & Technology
Subcommittee: Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit
Subcommittee: Domestic & Foreign Marketing, Inspection, &  Plant and Animal Health
Committee on Rules and Administration
Some of his influential opinions and votes include:
Voted in favor of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act that did not include the Stupak-Pitts Amendment that limited abortions funded by taxpayer money despite his pro-life views
Voted against invoking cloture in 2008 that would have helped withdraw many U.S. combat troops from Iraq
Supported the tax cut that proposed cutting taxes in 2001 by $1.3 trillion along with 2003 tax cut
Tried to prevent a vote of the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act (2009) with a point of order
Voted against Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002)
Voted against a bill in 2006 extending Stem Cell Research federal funding
Voted for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States


The President of the United States is the executive of the country meaning he is the head of state as well as the head of the U.S. government. The President of the United States has the role of being the head of the Federal government’s executive branch as well as the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The power of the President of the United States is given by Article II of the U.S. Constitution which is the authority of the Federal government’s executive branch.  Article II also gives the President of the United States the authority and responsibility of appointing different federal officers, such as executive, regulatory, diplomatic, and judiciary powers. Furthermore, the President has the power to conclude treaties with other foreign powers as long as the Senate has consent.
Since the President of the United States is the commander-in-chief, the president has the authority to command and direct military forces and is also responsible for military strategy. However, he does not have the power to declare war. That power rests in the hands of Congress.
Since the founding of America, the federal government’s power as well as the power of the President of the United State has grown significantly. The president has continued to play a powerful role in dictating his party’s legislative agenda regarding domestic and foreign policy within the country, despite lacking powers beyond signing and vetoing bills.
The specific powers that are given to the President of the United States include:
Signing legislation that makes a bill into a law.
Vetoing legislation and having it return Congress and discussing any objections
o If each house of Congress votes to override the veto, they must both have a two-thrids majority.
Take no action in regards to a bill. Here the president does not sign or veto the piece of legislation. By doing this, two things can happen after 10 non-Sundays:
o The bill becomes law if Congress is still convened.
If Congress is no longer convened, the bill will not become law.
Election of the president of the United States occurs through the electoral college who serve as the citizen’s delegates. The presidential term lasts four years and is one of the two Federal positions that are national elected, the other being the Vice President.
There are limitations to how many terms a president can serve because of the 22nd amendment which was put into effect in 1951. Under this amendment, no individual can serve as the President of the United States after two terms for a full third term. Furthermore, a former president, or acting president for over two years cannot be elected to the president.

Ben Quayle

Ben Quayle

Who is Ben Quayle?


Ben Quayle is most known for his role as an American
politician as well a Republican U.S. Representative for the third congressional
district of Arizona.

Ben Quayle was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on November 5,
1976 as the second son to his father, the former Vice President of the United
States. He was just born only three days after his father was elected into the
U.S. House of representatives. Ben Quayle often found himself visiting the
White House along with the rest of his family during the Regan presidency.

Ben Quayle attended Duke University and graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts in history in 1998 and then went on to receive his Juris
Doctor in 2002 from Vanderbilt University Law School.

After school, he worked as an associate in the Schulte Roth
and Zabel law firm and after the Snell & Wilmer law firm. He then became
the founder as well as the managing director of Tynwald Capital, which was a
law firm that specialized in acquiring and nurturing small businesses.  He then became a APG-Southwest along with the
Managing Partner of the Arizona Branch of APG Security, which provided various
security services for businesses.

In the 2010 election, Ben Quayle ran for the seat of the 3rd
congressional district of Arizona, which he won by defeating Green Party
nominee Leonard Clark, Libertarian nominee Michael Shoen, and Democratic
nominee Jon Hulburd. He then succeeded 8-term Republican Representative John Shadegg
and took his place as a Representative.

As a representative, Ben Quayle currently sits on the
following committees:

·        
Committee on Science, Space & Technology

o  
Subcommittee on Research & Science Education

o  
Chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology &
Innovation

·        
Committee on the Judiciary

o  
Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Intellectual
Property, Competition, & the Internet

o  
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, & Homeland
Security

·        
Republican Study Committee

·        
Committee on Homeland Security

o  
Vice Chair Subcommittee on Border & Maritime
Security

o  
Subcommittee on Counterterrorism &
Intelligence

Some of Ben Quayle’s opinions on influential subjects
include:

·        
Opposition to the Patient Protection & Affordable
Care Act of 2010

o  
Ben Quayle feels the act should be replaced with
medical tort reform.

·        
Supports the second amendment which allows law abiding
citizens to possess and bear arms.

·        
Suggests lowering taxes and revisiting
regulations that detriment job growth.

·        
Promotes furthering education reform in order to
destroy bureaucratic roadblocks that prevent school teachers and administrators
from successfully doing their jobs.

·        
Supports veteran’s benefits by providing quality
care for those who protect the country.

Rafael Robb

Rafael Robb

 


Rafael Robb

 

Once best known as an economics professor specializing in the field of game theory, Israeli-born Rafael Robb achieved notoriety in an entirely separate sphere in 2006, when his 49-year-old wife Ellen was found dead in their home in Upper Merion Township. On the morning of December 22, the day her body was discovered, Rafael Robb initially claimed that he had been in Philadelphia. During the initial investigation, Rafael Robb said he had last seen his wife at 9:30 am before driving their then 12-year-old daughter Olivia to school.

 

Rafael Robb told police that he believed his wife had been killed the course of a robbery. While some of the crime scene evidence seemed to corroborate his claim, such as a smashed window in a door in the house, investigators became suspicious when closer investigation led them to suspect the scene had been staged as a cover-up. Their suspicions deepened after interviewing Ellen's family members, who revealed she had told them that she was planning to move out of their house on January 1 and initiate divorce proceedings, expecting to receive some $4,000 a month in alimony payments.

 

Ellen's body was so bludgeoned and unrecognizable that investigators initially thought she had died of a shotgun blast to the face. However, later the murder weapon was found when a bloody chin-up bar was discovered in a dumpster. Subsequently, Rafael Robb reversed his earlier statements of innocence and said he had killed his wife in a momentary fit of uncontrollable anger upon learning Ellen was planning on taking their daughter on vacation for a few days, which would cause her to miss some school.

 

The district attorney arranged a plea bargain with Rafael Robb, agreeing to charge him with unpremeditated manslaughter rather than murder, the initial charge. To avoid a long trial, Rafael Robb agreed to accept their offer. However, the day before his sentencing hearing, Robb sent a letter to Olivia saying that she would receive no Christmas presents unless she mailed him a photograph of herself along with her most recent report card. Informed of this, the court imposed a sentence of five to ten years in prison, with eligibility for parole after five years had been served. The maximum possible sentence would have been 20 years.

 

In 2008, Rafael Robb and his attorney Frank DeSimone filed an appeal for lessening of the sentence. In their courtroom appearance before Court of Common Pleas judge Paul Tressler, they argued that the intent of Rafael Robb's letter to his daughter had been misunderstood and asked for reconsideration. Their appeal was rejected.

 

 In 2012, Rafael Robb became eligible for parole but has yet to be released from prison custody as of October 2012. He is still the owner of the house at which the murder took place. His daughter Olivia is being raised by the uncles of his late wife Ellen.