Current Event #22: Secret Service Under Investigation
Due: Friday, April 20th, 2012
U.S. Secret Service Scandal:
The Secret Service has yanked the security clearances of 11 members accused of bringing prostitutes to a hotel in Colombia ahead of last week's pan-American summit. The investigation also involves at least five and possibly 10 U.S. military personnel who were working with the Secret Service ahead of President Barack Obama's trip to the Summit of the Americas. They are accused of bringing prostitutes to their Cartagena hotel Wednesday night, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said his personnel "let the boss down" with their conduct.
What You Will Do:
You will read the CNN article located at the following link: http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/16/us/secret-service-colombia/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 . Here you will find a short video clip detailing the accusations and actions being taken to deal with this recent incident. After reading the article, you should then answer the questions below to share your thoughts and opinions regarding this blemish on America's top security.
What are your thoughts and opinions regarding the recent situation involving our U.S. Secret Service?
***Please note that your responses should be in detailed paragraph form. Be sure to explain your points in well-thought out sentences to reflect each question in its entirety.
***Please note that your responses should be in detailed paragraph form. Be sure to explain your points in well-thought out sentences to reflect each question in its entirety.
1. What repercussions will this scandal have on our nation in countries abroad?
2. How can this incident be handled to ensure non-occurrence in the future?
3. Do you think the necessary actions taken thus far, are sufficient in penalizing those at fault? If not, what actions would you suggest be done?
4. Discuss the potential danger that this particular incident, placed our President in while traveling abroad.
Kristin Thompson <3
ReplyDelete1st period
The Secret Service was token from Columbia because of 11 members accused of bringing prostitutes to a hotel in Colombia. The investigation also involves at least 5 to 10 U.S. military personnel who were working with the Secret Service. Since this happened this is a very bad thing many other countries could now look at America in a bad way or potentially try to harm us, what happened with these Secret Service people should have not happened.
To ensure that this does not happen in the future they need to investigate this situation very good, they need to use all the evidence they have and make sure they are not missing out on anything. They also need to make sure this has not happened any other times before. All of the people evolved in this case need to be suspended because they where not suppose to be doing that, When they find out who all the people that where doing this they need to be let go and any others could come back, they where suppose to be working to protect the president and any other of the duties that they where in charge of doing. I think that the steps they have taken in this case are a good start. Since this event has happened the president could be in a lot of danger, the secret Service is supposed to protect the president. Other people could potentially try to set the secret service up and without them the president is potential target.
Brian Maulucci
ReplyDelete5th pd
1. other nations will obviously be much less trustworthy of our overseas personnel, even if they have never committed any offence whatsoever. However, I don't think that other nations will see this as a reflection of our entire nation unless they have maintained that view of our nation for a while now.
2. Secret Service members should have this concept stressed during their training because this is a very important issue and people in our nation of that high standing in society should have much higher standards for themselves and their colleagues.
3. Currently, yes. There is still an ongoing investigation so this is not a valid question unless you consider punishment without proof of guilt as a viable option.
4. There's always the possibility of an angry citizen killing the president, but this had more potential for political harm than physical harm.
Huibo Qi
ReplyDeleteP-2
It may decrease the respect we receive from other nations. Although it wasn’t a major incident, it still happened and the effects, small or not, is inevitable. The impression that others may perceive is that America cannot control their men and that the entire military is undisciplined. The article stated that there are possibilities that men from other branches of the military were involved in this scandalous incident. To prevent further occurrences, discipline must be extracted into greater amounts and the rules must be enforced. Consequences should also be named frequently to decrease the likeliness of rowdiness.
The penalties are sufficient in my opinion. The shame and disgrace emanating from this small incident must be prestigious. Being taken off duty will give them time to repent their mistake and may give them an urge to redeem themselves. This incident could have put the President and America in danger. The President must have been in Colombia for an important meeting and whatnot, and this act delayed said meeting, and had a chance of affecting America.
Parker Larson
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
1. What repercussions will this scandal have on our nation in countries abroad?
Honestly, this whole “scandal” thing is not that much of a deal. The secret service did something that may be immoral, but not illegal. Its not like they used taxpayer funds. Our nation has the best standards of our troops, and it has not decreased by much. We certainly do not rape and kill our own citizens, like many other corrupt militaries.
2. How can this incident be handled to ensure non-occurrence in the future?
Ummm… I can’t really be handled for non-occurrence. What, are you going to watch the people that are supposed to be watching? You just need stricter punishment and rules.
3. Do you think the necessary actions taken thus far, are sufficient in penalizing those at fault? If not, what actions would you suggest be done?
I think that the actions taken are fair in penalty.
4. Discuss the potential danger that this particular incident placed our President in while traveling abroad.
NO danger at all really, I think that you are exaggerating this incident a little too much…
Brandon Ta
ReplyDelete1st Period
1. I don't really think other countries abroad would even care that something like this happened. What the secret service did wasn't illegal and really shouldn't even be made a big deal out of.
2. Something like this shouldn't ever happen, if any of the agents had an ounce of common sense. Chances of these things happening is like 1 in 10000, and even if it were to happen again, just simply punish those who did it and make an example of them.
3. Yes, yes i do. What else could be done, really?
4. What danger?
Carolyn Deutsch
ReplyDelete2nd period
1. I don't think that it will be that big of a deal but it may make them respect us less.
2. The secret service agent should be informed of the consequences and during training receive a clear description of what is okay and what isn't.
3. Yes, I think that the they took the necessary actions and don't need to do anything else.
4. I think the only danger really is that some of them could be black mailed but I don't think that it really puts him in that much danger.
Everett Dang
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
1. What repercussions will this scandal have on our nation in countries abroad?
To tell you the truth brother, I feel like this wont be that big of a deal. What they did was completely legal. The only issue is that it was unprofessional and immoral. Countries abroad already believe that Americans and morally wrong and fat and bad so it really is not much of a loss.
2. How can this incident be handled to ensure non-occurrence in the future?
It can’t really be handled for non-occurrence. The only way to make stuff like this stop is to hire completely antisocial and committed people. The problem is, about 99% of all Americans are uncommitted, dirty, and social. Therefore arguments are invalid.
3. Do you think the necessary actions taken thus far, are sufficient in penalizing those at fault? If not, what actions would you suggest be done?
I think the penalties set upon them is sufficient. Not much else can be done considering what they did was totally legal.
4. Discuss the potential danger that this particular incident placed our President in while traveling abroad.
Ya see, that's a bad question to ask because the danger is nonexistent. The only real danger for these guys is when they return home they have to go home to their wives and lord knows what will happen to then when their wives have a talk with them.
Juliana Dunn, 5th
ReplyDelete1. I think that after this incident, our country will not be as well respected as it might have been if this scandal had never occurred. However, we are not in the situation where our country did something shockingly inhumane in another country, so I am sure that other countries will be fine with us coming in, although they now have reason to doubt the judgment of our military personnel.
2. I am not sure how we can handle this occurrence to make sure this never happened again, because I at least hope that our government would not have the mind to hire men that seem like they would sleep with prostitutes on duty in a foreign country. But, if possible, the government should make sure they issue harsher punishments and are even choosier about the people they hire.
3. I think that men should have been punished for what they have done, but maybe besides just being fired they should have to serve a small amount of community service to stand as a warning for anyone else who thinks about doing something so inappropriate on duty.
4. I understand that our president could have been put in some danger, but I do not really see why some random prostitutes would want to black mail any secret service agents, because they most likely did not have any ties with terrorists, and, unless the people told them, they would have no way of knowing they were secret service agents. Although I believe this was completely inappropriate, I don’t understand how it could have posed any danger on our president.
1. What repercussions will this scandal have on our nation in countries abroad?
ReplyDeleteWell i think this incident will just stengthen other countries picture of us. THe countries probably don't care that much anyways though, because if the prostitution is all ready legal they dont care
2. How can this incident be handled to ensure non-occurrence in the future?
Nothing can really be done to judge the moral of a man. THe secret Service can only advise against it, and hope for the best.
3. Do you think the necessary actions taken thus far, are sufficient in penalizing those at fault? If not, what actions would you suggest be done?
I mean the problem only occured because the prostiute whined that she did't get paid. If she didn't do that nothing would have happpened, so I think that this incident didn't really threaten anybody, the were just not doing the "right" thing. and the punishments were fine
4. Discuss the potential danger that this particular incident, placed our President in while traveling abroad.
Nothing bad is going to come from a secret agent having sex with a local. THey could have still been doing their job just fine, and the only reason they got causght is that one of them didn't pay
Nate Bolon
ReplyDelete5th period
1. The repercussions that this incident will have is that the CIA agents will be not as well respected across the world because of this thing happening. The CIA has always been known as a prestigious organization and now that sterling reputation has been tarnished by the actions of a few. this totally ruins the street cred of the CIA because before this people really respected them but now the people on the street are gonna think that the CIA agents are just scum.
2. The CIA should not allow its agents to carry around cash so they cannot pay prostitutes and instead make them all only carry credit cards that way they cannot pay for any illicit services. also, they should disavow the dirty scumbags who commited these heinous crimes and make examples of them. these men should not be allowed to walk away. another option is to allow them to stay, but make them publically apologize and wear around a red badge that says I support prostitution.
3.No. As I said before, what these men have done is despicable and unforgivable. As i said before, they should have to pick their punishment.
4. One of the dangers of this happening is that somebody could blackmail the secret service agents in order to attempt to cause a lapse in security that would then allow them to kill the president. members of the CIA are chosen from the best of the best because they need to be capable of protecting our commander in cheif 24/7 so if somebody has blackmailed them that person could orchestrate a situation in which a bunch of secret service agents all bent over simultaneously and the assailant/blackmailer would have a clear shot at the president.
Caroline Liu
ReplyDelete5th period
I believe that this scandal will cause us to seem vulnerable to the other countries. If the body guards of the president can’t even do their jobs, how terrible would our national security system seem? We look like a joke. The secret service is supposed to “uphold the tradition of excellence in its investigative and protective mission through a dedicated, highly-trained, diverse, partner-oriented workforce that employs progressive technology and promotes professionalism.” [directly quoted from their website] I am no expert but I don’t think partying with prostitutes when you’re supposed to be protecting the head of country is helping.
The officials at the secret services must things of this sort from happening again. To do so, they must enforce the rules and the rules only. No cutting corners. The members of the secret services must realize that their job is extremely important. Those who break rules should be severely punished. Those who can’t take this job seriously shouldn’t be hired in the first place. We must ensure that this does not happen again. They need to do their job “safeguarding the nation's financial infrastructure and payment systems to preserve the integrity of the economy, and protecting national leaders, visiting heads of state and government, designated sites and National Special Security Events.”
Heather Fowler
ReplyDelete2nd period
The rest of the world’s view of us may change due to this scandal, but I doubt it will have a big effect. If anything, other countries may disrespect us a little more or even see our security as weak, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. What the secret service agents did was immoral and not illegal, so it probably won’t be as big of a deal to other countries as it is to ours.
To ensure this situation does not happen again, the white house needs to push this investigation to find out all the details. They obviously need to keep closer tabs on the secret service agents, seeing as though they had no idea this was happening. Once they finish investigating I think they should replace all the agents involved, and make clear to the new ones that this must never happen again. By laying their foot down and being strict about the situation, hopefully the agents will realize what they did is wrong.
Currently, I do believe the actions taken are appropriate considering the investigation is underway. Hopefully the white house will get the details they need and take actions to ensure it was a one-time thing. You cannot give punishment until one is proven guilty.
I think the media overreacts to this type of stuff, and I don’t really think it posed much of a threat to the president. The secret service agents were still present to protect him, and the situation didn’t undermine their ability to do so. There is always a possibility of blackmailing, but I think that’s highly unlikely and with all his security, I doubt the president would be in danger.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteRaziyahApr 18, 2012 08:11 AM
ReplyDeleteRaziyah Farrington
4-18-12
Period 1
1. To be honest I don’t really think this scandal should be this big of a deal. I mean the secret service did something that may be wrong in many people’s eyes but not anything illegal. This scandal may make the other countries respect us a lot less, but they shouldn’t look down on them for doing what they did because it’s there personal life. I’m not saying that it’s right but many people do it, selling your body is a crime but just because the secret service does it, it shouldn’t be made a bigger deal than others are.
2. There isn’t really a way to really insure that this doesn’t occur again. You wouldn’t be able to like follow them everywhere they go. I mean I guess if it’s that big of a deal the just make stricter rules. They should just make sure he knows what he can and cannot do when participating with this type of job
3. I could agree with others and say that the actions taken thus far are fair. But they should still use this crime as innocent until proven guilty.
4. I think some danger could be let out but it kind of makes the president not be able to trust his men all that much.
Kefu Zhu
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
This scandal is only the latest in a long series of scandals involving US Government agencies doing stupid stuff. The Transportation Security Administration already has some anger against it, for harassing people and discriminating, but now there’s THIS. This will seriously hurt the other countries’ impression of the US. When people think of the Secret Service, they tend to think of professional people in black suits and sunglasses walking behind the president and other leaders, sheltering them. They usually not think of the Secret Service as a government funded agency that brings prostitutes to hotels. I don’t know of any way this incident can be handled to ensure non-occurrence. It’s just simply too severe, and will likely plague the record of the Secret Service for a long time.
The actions taken were not sufficient in punishing those involved. They just compromised the safety of the president, failed in their obligation, and ruined the image of the Secret Service worldwide. Good job. I don’t think what action has been taken is going to cut it. Speaking of the danger of this incident, way to leave the president to have some fun with hookers. The way the world looks at the US probably will not be the same again. Nobody is going to take the US very seriously anymore. Good job, Secret Service. We love you guys. Try not to do anything stupider.
1. I have mixed feelings about this scandal, and about prostitution in general. The classic argument for prostitution is somewhere along the lines of, "Well, if someone wants to sell their body for a business transaction, what business is it of mine?" while the classic argument against it is, "I sure as hell don't want my daughter to be a whore." People these days are under a lot of scrutiny in their personal lives, more so than ever before; for instance, several Roman Catholic popes have legitimized their bastards. While this is all well and good to an extent, people should be judged on ability for the most part and their personal lives as a secondary factor.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Raziyah; if this incident does anything, it will ensure that Secret Service agents and their military equivalents are more careful with their prostitutes.
3. The actions are sufficient. Whenever a law that does not exist to hinder one group of people to the advantage of another is broken, regardless of my feelings on the matter, I think that the punishment should be met out in full.
4. We are in absolutely no danger whatsoever. What do you think, that other countries will declare war on us? No! It's like if somebody catches you doing something at school: At first you're in trouble, but then your classmates (in this example, other countries) are like, "Cool."
Vatsal Parikh
ReplyDelete2nd period
1.What repercussions will this scandal have on our nation in countries abroad?
I think that now countries that we are not closely allied to are going to look at us with a new media perspective of being unmoral people. I think that in our country, there might be some question of the job security of the members involved in the scandal.
2. How can this incident be handled to ensure non-occurrence in the future?
I don't think that there is much that can be done to handle this type of incident in the future. However, I don't think it will happen again (or at least not in as large a magnitude) because important political agencies like the Secret Service, are aware now that if they do it again, and get caught, they will be put into a heavy media spotlight.
3.Do you think the necessary actions taken thus far, are sufficient in penalizing those at fault? If not, what actions would you suggest be done?
I think yes, because even if they were not punished very much, they would have gotten so much media speculation, that they are probably too embarrassed to do it again in the future anyway.
4.Discuss the potential danger that this particular incident, placed our President in while traveling abroad.
This event did not place our president in a whole lot of danger because, the only thing that really happened is that some of his men just embarrassed themselves really badly. President Obama probably just lost a lot of trust from some of his men.
Alexa Parvey
ReplyDeleteperiod 1Other countries will look down upon the U.S once they find out that U.S. personnel have been taking prostitutes into their hotel rooms and they are well aware that it is in fact illegal. The people who were with the prostitutes should be punished and shown as an example so that others do not follow in their footsteps. No I do not. While the personnel were with their prostitutes they were not guarding the president and watching out for him
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ReplyDeleteKat Westover
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
This will reflect very badly on the United States. This was a mission in another country, which meant these people were representing the most disciplined of the people of the United States. This could make other countries wearier of us, which could lead to a lot of complications. It could also make other nations see the United States as being easier to influence and that we are not prepared for threats from other nations. It could give blackmail material to people who we really don’t want blackmailing us. The people who caused this could be made into examples. If they are stripped of their titles and jobs, it might make others think more carefully about compromising security like that. I do think that the proper punishment has been given to the men who created this problem. This is a serious security compromise. If there was a disguised assassin, then someone could have been killed very easily. It worries me how lax this incident makes the security surrounding the President seems.
Jonathan Jang
ReplyDelete04-18-12
1st Pd
1. What repercussions will this scandal have on our nation in countries abroad?
Other nations and countries will probably not trust our overseas personnel, not matter what our secret service has done in any circumstance. Also this whole scandal thing isn’t that much of a big deal compared to what we hear other countries do.
2. How can this incident be handled to ensure non-occurrence in the future?
Any military or secret service or solider should have this concept stressed during their training because it is a very ignorant thing to do and it just makes us look uneducated.
3. Do you think the necessary actions taken thus far, are sufficient in penalizing those at fault? If not, what actions would you suggest be done?
For now yes, but since there is still an ongoing investigation and we do not know what could happen.
4. Discuss the potential danger that this particular incident, placed our President in while traveling abroad.
There isn’t really any danger, unless some crazy citizen goes about to kill the president.
Arturo Tornero
ReplyDelete1st
1. I really doubt there will be a big deal made of what has happened. What the Secret Service did was completely legal and permissible (because of where they were), but very unfaithful too. Anyways, other countries already picture us as powerful fat people, so we won't be damaged at all.
2. Things like this have happened several times in the past, and the person that knows a hired agent the most is themselves. So on my opinion, there isn't much to help stop something like this from occurring again.
3. What they did was legal -- in Colombia, which is where they were. On my perspective, there isn't much that could have been done more since what they did was legal.
4. The only people in trouble are the Secret Service; the president will trust them less, and they will be in deep doo-doo when they get home to their wives
Becca White
ReplyDelete2nd period
4/18/12
1. I feel like this wont be that big of a deal. What they did was completely legal. The only issue is that it was unprofessional and immoral. It really isn't that big of deal. Countries abroad already believe that Americans are wrong.
2. It can’t really be handled for non-occurrence. The only way to make stuff like this stop is to hire completely antisocial and committed people.
3.I think the penalties set upon them is sufficient. Not much else can be done considering what they did was totally legal.
4. There isn’t really any danger, unless some crazy citizen goes about to kill the president or some sort like that
Peter Williams
ReplyDeleteMr. Water WH
4/18/12
Period 5
1. I don't think that other countries will actually care that much about what happened because it it common in a lot of other countries.
2. In the future it might happen again and we cannot control it but tell agents not to do it. They will take this incident as an example and learn that it would be a bad idea to risk doing it.
3.The people that do it should be punished slightly but it should not be put in the news for everyone to see. If they can keep it out of the press it would not make us and our secret service look as bad.
4.I don't think any danger was put on the president at all, it was probably more embarrassing for him than anything else. Now he has to deal with all of this because of what these men did.
Bryan Zhang
ReplyDelete5th period
1. In my opinion, this scandal is a big whiff. What the secret service did was not illegal, even though. It is not like they used taxpayer funds. We did not rape our own citizens, because our nation has the best standard of troops.
2. It can not be handled for non-occurrence. The only way to make things like this stop is to hire completely anti-social and committed people. The problem is that about 99.9% of all Americans are uncommitted, dirty, and social..
3. I think the penalties set upon them is sufficient. Not much else can be done considering what they did was totally legal.
4. This is a horrible question to ask because the danger is nonexistent. The only real danger for these guys is when they return home they have to go home to their ladies and who knows what will happen to then when their wives have a very long talk with them.
Other nations will probably be much less trustworthy of our troop overseas. This probably will not be the case as most countries will forgive and forget unless they held this view prior to the scandal.
ReplyDeleteThis type of thing should be stressed from the beginning. The people in our services of any sort should have expectations far higher than this in the first place.
As of now no punishment has been proposed or carried out.
Most likely the threat if there was one at all was of a political nature rather than a physical nature.
Jacob Guskiewicz
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
1. I think other countries will think it is very silly and all but it won’t really hurt us. I feel it’s not harming our country or other countries because Obama was not even in the Country yet when this incident only the secret service member were.
2. Barack Obama needs to take action with this issue and make sure it doesn’t happen again by watching out after his secret service members and getting to know them well and see how they act and if they are mature.
3. I feel they shouldn’t be punished harshly at all because it’s legal and is not something very important to the US. But it wasn’t mature and should be handled.
4. The dangers of this incident are very slim unless an angry citizen would find it terrible that a secret service member did that. But the president is in good hands so he should be safe and not get into harm.
Mookho
Delete2ed Period
Honestly, I don't think that other countries will care much about what happened because similer things probably happened to them as well. Though this scandal will make the U.S look like a joke, there is an investigation still taking place.
We can do things in the future that can prevent this from ever happening again. If the secret service members continue to do this in the future, the people will have trust issues with the government.The people expect way more out of them. And if they see that secret services are fooling around instead of doing their job, there will be a fiasco.
Since what they did was legal, they can not really be punished for their actions. I do believe that they should get some punishment because when the press and media finds out, it makes the United States look bad and that is the last thing we want. And lastly, I think that the dangers of this incident is slim but the secret service workers should probably take precaution.
Elijah Moore
ReplyDelete2nd period
It seems to me that the Secret Service has been embarassing themselves more often than usual. I remember a few years ago the First Lady Michelle Obama snuck out of the White house every thursday without anyone realizing she was gone to go eat a cheeseburger from her favorite burger joint. Their respect has dwindled over the past couple of years since they started to neglect their duties. You never really hear a story of when a secret service agent saves a President from harm.
I wouldnt worry about the views of other countries because they already have low standards for us, I think the only reason they have some respect for us is because of the strength of our army and our international aid towards other countries. It was very inappropriate and unprofessional for the Secret Service to do what they did.
Andrew Simms
ReplyDelete4/19/12
P.2
I think other countries will think of the USA as no threat and a fake. They will think all we do is enjoy ourselves and don’t think about the consepuences of our actions. Also we look like fools having our security be with prostitutes. I think we should tell the members of the secret service that ifd they commit a felony or take Prostitutes they will be kicked out and have a horrible track record. No I do not think so because it is not illegal so what is there to be done. Why are we going through such trouble the president wasn’t even there yet. I do not believe that there was any potential danger because the pres would not be there for 2 more days.
Roy Huang - 2nd period
ReplyDeleteI think that this scandal makes the United States seem rather vulnerable in the eyes of other countries. If the body guards of the president can’t do their jobs, how bad does our national security system look? We must look absolutely embarassing. The secret service is supposed to “uphold the tradition of excellence in its investigative and protective mission through a dedicated, highly-trained, diverse, partner-oriented workforce that employs progressive technology and promotes professionalism," a direct quote from their official website. I don't know much about the secret service, but I'm rather sure that being with prostitutes overseas is doing much to help our country.
The officials in the secret services must prevent things like this from happening again. To do this, they need to enforce the rules strongly, without any loopholes. The members of the secret services need to understand that their job is extremely important. Those who break rules should be punished. Those who can’t take their job seriously shouldn’t be hired. We must ensure that this does not happen again. They need to do their job of “safeguarding the nation's financial infrastructure and payment systems to preserve the integrity of the economy, and protecting national leaders, visiting heads of state and government, designated sites and National Special Security Events.”
Blaire Sobolewski
ReplyDeletefirst period
1.I think that this scandal will cause other countries to think that the United States secret service is a joke. I do not think that this will cause the United States much harm, if any. I feel that most people will look at this like it is a joke and slightly ridiculous.
2. I think that this needs to be investigated more to find out exactly what and how this happened. I think that this incident should be used as a lesson to other agents, and those training to be agents. The danger of this idea should be stressed during training.
3. Yes, I think that the necessary actions were taken and are sufficient in penalizing those at fault. I do not think that any more punishment needs to be done.
4. I do not think there is any danger.
Ariella Hirsch
ReplyDelete5th
I think that this scandal will not reflect well on the United States. Other countries will be shocked, just as many people in the U.S. were, however I don't think it will make a large or long-term impact on the U.S. and will eventually be forgotten when something else occurs. I think that this incident has been handled well so far. I think that in order to ensure that this doesn't happen again the agents involved this time should be sufficiently punished. It may also be a good idea to make it known to all of the agents that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. While the behavior of the agents was immature, and should not be tolerated I don't think that President Obama was in significant danger. If he had been in greater danger there would have been more agents sent.
Morgan Mann
ReplyDelete5th Period
This recent scandal taken by members of our Secret Service could very well be an action that causes other countries not to trust us or think badly of our country. This incident doesn’t look good for the U.S., it makes us seem vulnerable and unprofessional. The action of firing these men was a smart decision, and I don’t think much else can be done to ensure this doesn’t happen again but to keep a closer eye on our Secret Service when traveling and making sure that the men hired are suited for the job. This episode being publicly announced is a good amount of humiliation and suffering for the men involved in this scandal, they hopefully have realized how much of a negative impact they made on our country. Being replaced, with this incident on their records will be hard enough. I believe enough punishment was given for these men. They put Obama in danger of not having a solid support system while he was abroad, and his reputation.
Ye Htet
ReplyDelete2nd period
1. I really don't think the other countries in the world would care that much. Yeah those guys just made our country look stupid but it's not as serious as other matters. What the agents did was stupid and made it look like the U.S.'s Secret Service is full of unprofessional idiots but it's okay because other countries of done the stupid things too. 2. I think maybe the Secret Service should hire better people and maybe pressure them about this type of matter when their doing training or recruiting new agents. 3. Yes. I do think they've taken the actions needed but they need to investigate more on this incident. They don't need to punish anyone or anything because this incident wasn't really serious. It's just plain childish. 4. I don't think there is any danger to the President other than him having to go to conferences about this incident and being embarrassed because of these guys.
Grace Gollmar
ReplyDelete1st Pd.
4/19/12
While I think that this scandal will reflect badly on the U.S. as far as international relations are concerned, I ultimately think that the repercussions of it will be felt more strongly here than abroad. It is to the Secret Service’s credit, however, that the people involved were dealt with as soon as possible—this states that we are not condoning their behavior and that the Secret Service wants its reputation to stay intact. I certainly hope that we are in no danger of being attacked by any other countries due to the actions of a few (although it’s rare that countries will attack each other based on anything else), but I still think that we have handled the scandal well enough to be safe as a country, and the sooner we can move on from it, the better. Our first priority should be making sure we have competent people in charge, not focusing on issues of scandal and blame like this one.
Emilee Taxman
ReplyDelete2nd Period
I think that many repercussions could happen with our foreign relationships because of this. Especially in Colombia, they could look at the people that we choose to represent us and work for the government. If it’s in the US, we don’t have to show them that it happened but since it was in a foreign country it reflects badly on us. We don’t want to look weak minded to other countries in a time when our economy and state of the country in general is so bad. We should give them a fair punishment so that others don’t do the same and continue to embarrass us. If other soldiers and government workers can see that acting like that gets their privlages revoked then maybe they will know not to do the same.
I think that the punishment they were given is fair. It’s a hard thing to lose your job in this economy but they broke the rules in a serious way. It wouldn’t make sense to give them any further punishment but the one that they’ve already got. This could have been very dangerious to the president while abroad because he was being judged by his men and their actions. He could be harshly judged by the government that is hosting him and the other people from his country.
Jeanie Stouffer
ReplyDelete4/19/12
5th
This scandal shows us our secret security employees are not always trustworthy. They might be at first, but then they think they can get away with anything, but they do not know that people always find out eventually. I think the security guards need to be watched on by higher authorized security guards. Some security guards think they can do whatever they want, and they are supposed to be trusted by Barack Obama. I think the government needs to fire those security guards in the scandal and hire new ones. They are people that want to be security guards. Barack Obama has to have another one of our problems solved. Also, the prostitutes should go to jail for a while because they deserve it.
Waad Husein
ReplyDelete2nd Period
This scandal has definitely scarred the Secret Service’s reputation towards other countries. It’s possible that other countries would be more skeptical of the personnel but other than that I don’t believe that there are other repercussions.
Security Service will have to be stricter with choosing personnel and making sure that the people they choose for the job won’t commit these lewd acts. They need to make sure that the personnel is focused and dedicated towards ensuring security.
I think penalizing the personnel for being irresponsible is necessary. They weren’t doing their job, although I feel that this is more of a moral issue. Of course their actions were wrong, but were they necessarily illegal at the place they were at? If America punishes these personnel it’s mainly because of their lack of responsibility and morality, not because of legal issues.
4) This incident could have potentially put the president in danger if the security were committing these acts and not looking after the president. They’re lack of prioritizing could have hurt the president if something were to happen. Also, this could have posed a risk to the president by exposing the security to blackmail.
Sophie Kahn
ReplyDeletePeriod Five
Other countries are not going to respect our country as much because of this incident, whether or not it happened as it is alleged. The personnel should’ve been aware of the rules they were braking, because of their training. Because of this, I hope that they are penalized properly so that it won’t happen again. Even when you are in another country, it’s not okay to act like that. So far, I think the actions they are taking are sufficient. I think that they should continue investigating, and hopefully come to a conclusion about how exactly the night went. The President’s only danger was the fact that his security was acting shameful for our country and that if they weren’t fully concentrated on their job, that would be potentially dangerous.
Daniel Ferreira 5th Period
ReplyDeleteOver the past few months we have had some odd occurrences with our military. First there was the soldier who killed Afghan civilians. Then, there were the soldiers who took pictures with the dead people they killed. And now there is this prostitution scandal. I respect our US military completely; however these individuals are giving the USA a bad name. They should be fired immediately. I don’t see how these secret service men can keep their jobs after this incident.
There really isn’t any way to control the actions of these soldiers and secret service members. We just have to hope that they will be loyal to our country and most importantly, be responsible on and off duty. The members will know that they will be fired if they violate any rules and regulations. Other than that, you can’t control much else that occurs.
I believe that the punishment has been perfectly fine. They deserved to be relieved of duty. After what they did I believe it will be difficult for them to find any job. They put the president at risk through many situations. As it says in the article they could be subject to blackmail and such. It was a foolish thing to do and until the full investigation is complete, they should be relieved of duty.
Louisa Fine
ReplyDelete1st period
I think nations abroad may take this as a week spot in the United States Government. It will be used as a fault that our enemies will laugh at. The people that work in such important parts of The United States Government should be able to be trusted and not be embarrassing us like they have done in the recent past.
This incident should handled with a strong punishment to show that our country will not take such behavior lightly. The investigation is not complete yet so they have not made punishment complete. Right now all the people involved have been put off staff.
I do not see any potential danger in what happened. Even our own government said Obama was never in any real danger and that they had the situation covered. The real problem is that this makes the United States look weak to our enemies. It makes our very important secret service men look undisciplined and uncaring.
Jeremy werden
ReplyDelete1st period
I personally beleive that the media is making this event a lot larger than it actually should be. Secret service men and women, dedicate their lives to our country. They protect our president and US currency, by letting their personal lives go astray. When a few servicemen were trying to have a little fun for once in a while, they get in trouble, and deemed as the worst people in the country by the military.
The secret service has a very strict lifestyle policy. People know this when they enter the force. So any misconducts should be handeled by the military/secret service, rather than the media sticking their nose into everything and forcing the military to act. If you have been deprived of you life would you party for 1 night? I know I would.
I think these events have lowered the reputation of the United States, and other countries may not think of the US in the same way, especially because the secret service is so close to the president.
ReplyDeleteI think that these men should be fired, because this kind of thing shouldn't be tolerated, especially with their high status. However I think the media shouldn't have been so nosy in the issue, and let the military handle the investigation, rather than blurting everything out. I would suggest that they be stricter on their agents and train them more strictly. Enemy groups may now think of the secret service as a joke, and they may take actions against our president because they don't think the secret service is as secure.
Tommy Billman
ReplyDelete1st Period
1. Repercussions will be that the Secret Service will have to crack down to make sure that this will not happen again. What happened to "What happens in Colombia, stays in Columbia"
2. You can just tell the agents not to sleep with prostitutes. It's not that hard
3. They have not been penalized to the correct extent. Even though prostitution is legal in Colombia their ethics should still be American seeing as they work for the American government.
4. The Colombians might get mad and boost up the prices of cocaine. That would actually for both the Colombian economy and for getting rid of druggies in America.
Alex Haggis
ReplyDeleteFirst Period
This incident will probably cause people to take the secret service, as well as the United States as a whole a bit less seriously now considering this bad incident. Perhaps if the secret service does order prostitutes in the future, they will pay them fairly and don't get the police involved. I feel like what people do in their private lives should not interfere with their political appearance unless it directly affects their political actions. The important things at this point is to save face with a public apology and that sort of thing.
1st period
ReplyDeleteWell I mean every other country in the world thinks we are all idiots so I don't see how their opinions would change that much. In the future just tell the agents not to buy prostitutes. Yes, I think the action taken so far have been appropriate. The danger is that the Colombians might get mad and rage quit.
I think that the media should stay out of their personal life. All they do is get under peoples skin try to bug them and start a scandal. But I do agree that the secret service new what they were going to sign up for and it comes with a price they have to live a very strict life style, and when they do some thing like this they should be punished by the head of the secret service. And same with the military men they should be punished as well. But for the media they should just stay out of this.
ReplyDeleteSunny Osment
ReplyDelete2nd period
I am not shocked by the actions of these secret service men, but I am disgusted by them. I do not think it is anyone’s fault but their own and the main thing I am worried about is how it could affect President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. I think this will give other countries and give yet another reason for our international relationships to be questioned and jeopardized. I think the head of the security department should always be aware of where their agents are and what they are doing, that might ensure that this will not happen again. I think that the necessary actions taken are pretty helpful and they should just continue to be more aware and responsible. I worry that if President Obama’s agents are not completely focused on their job then our President was put in too much danger. I hope these agents understand the problems they have caused and have learned their lesson about jeopardizing President Obama’s life by making such irresponsible decisions.
Julia Haines
ReplyDelete4/20/12
1st period
I personally think that this is a very important thing, but I don’t think it should be getting so much news and media coverage. I think that it might have a small affect on other nation’s view of us, but it won’t be so extreme as to change anything. Every occupation has people that make bad choices and do bad things in their spare time. Even the Secret Service. It is dissappointing, but it is true. We’ve even had presidents that have cheated on their wives, and that didn’t really affect anyone except for the people involved. So I do not think it will have repurcussions on nations abroad.
The only sure-fire way to stop this from happening in the future would be to not have prostitutes in Columbia, or in the world, in the first place. We should develop harsher laws against pornography and prostituism, and develop more organizations that give jobs to those people in the buisnesses so that they can make a living some other way.
The actions being taken are very reasonable, they are double checking the background of the individuals and suspending them from their jobs for the time being. They are looking for proof and are not accusing anyone based on the media, which I think is very noble of them. The media gets a lot of stuff wrong and we shouldn’t believe everything we see.
This does not have anything to do with the President’s security. The people involved were part of the support of the secret service, they weren’t involved with the direct security and safety of the president.
Jamil Walker
ReplyDeleteApril 20, 2012
1. Well this act isn’t really that important because I mean everyone should be careful anywhere they go. I mean people should be for a watch put because people shouldn’t be paid to do something if they do the opposite. So everyone needs to watch out, even though it’s not a big deal.
2. I mean there is not an exact way to watch out because I mean they were lucky to catch them because they were kind of sneaky with it. But the people who hired them need to be careful of how they choose people because if they choose them right the act wouldn’t have happened.
3. Its not that serious to me. In a way I could care less because everyone does what ever they want to and those men did what they wanted to do. Now it wasn’t a part of their investigation so they need to get penalized for doing something out of the way.
4. I think that everybody is going to look at the secret services as if they didn’t do anything. So in order for the secret services not to look bad they will have to do something to the men to act as if they really care. But to me I don’t think this is a real big deal.
Olivia Donahue
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
Although I do agree that these recent events are innapropriate and are an embaressment, I do not think that it should be getting as much media coverage as it has been recieving. The Secret Service provides an important and vital service to our country and national security. They should not be careless and inmmature enough to associate with prostitutes while on the job. Obviously their actions were wrong. However, this story should not dominate the twenty-four hour news cycle. Instead of reporting on what Secret Service men do with their time, the newsmedia shold be reporting what important events had transpired at the summit itself.
David Archer
ReplyDelete5th period
. What repercussions will this scandal have on our nation in countries abroad?
I dont think this is that big of a deal because they didnt do anything illeagal they just did somthing very stupid. I dont think that other countries will care at all about this.
2. How can this incident be handled to ensure non-occurrence in the future?
There isnt much you can do to try and make sure this doesnt happen. They have the right to have privacy and what they please if its stupid or not.
3. Do you think the necessary actions taken thus far, are sufficient in penalizing those at fault? If not, what actions would you suggest be done?
I think them getting fired is a good punishment
4. Discuss the potential danger that this particular incident placed our President in while traveling abroad.
NO danger at all really, I think that you are exaggerating this incident a little too much
Abu S
ReplyDelete1.) Well, the secret service agents did not do anything illegal, so their punishments should not be very severe. It does make America and Americans look undisciplined, however the intensity of this event should clear up complexes in about a month.
2.) Since they didnt do anything illegal, there is no legal punishment for them. They should just be fired.
3.) Just firing them is a good punishment, so they learn their lesson.
4.) It put the President at risk, and he is the most importnat person in America. It was a minute risk, nothing much to be worried about.
Lianna Malawski
ReplyDelete1st period
1. well, i don't think this is a huge impact on the U.S. But it does show other countries that maybe we cant control our secret service agents as well as we should be. it was very stupid on the agents part to do something while on an important mission.
2. i think that the agents that did that should be fired, and to stress to the agents now and the agents in training to not do this. the secret service is a very important part of the U.S we cannot have agents do this.
3. i think what the3y are doing to the agents now by firing them is fine. it was not iilegal, but they should never have done it in the first place.
4. i dont think there is any potential danger to Obama.
David Batson
ReplyDelete2nd Period
This scandal will not look good for the USA and in countries abroad we may have to bring less of our secret service agents because of all the mistrust there could be towards them. Other countries will also be more suspicious of secret service agents and probably have an organization of their own watch over our secret service agents to make sure that they are simply doing their job instead of fooling around.
This incident will have to be thoroughly investigated and all people involved in this scandal will have to be reprimanded to some degree. I believe that the incident could be linked to other secret service blunders that have just been hidden and people paid to keep silent about them. We should uncover all scandals and reprimand all personnel involved according to the law. If that means that we have to ban some secret service agents from government jobs then so be it. We need to be thorough to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
The actions taken thus far have been sufficient punishment until a further investigation is done. I do not think that the personnel have any chance of being reinstated, although it says they will be if nothing else is uncovered. A person who has the potential and secrets to be blackmailed should not be the person who is protecting the president of the USA.
This incident put our president in danger because if someone had found out about this incident and threatened to spill unless they captured the president and brought him somewhere they might have done it. They could have ended their marriages and now they probably have and some people would have done anything to prevent that from happening. Blackmail of a few trusted secret service agents could have gotten our president captured or killed. If he had been captured, the people holding him could have demanded any ransom they wanted to and plunged our nation into a complete financial breakdown which would have resulted in anarchy.
Melissa Turner
ReplyDelete3rd Period
4-19
1.I think that this scandal will cause other countries to think that the United States secret service is a joke. I do not think that this will cause the United States much harm, if any. I feel that most people will look at this like it is a joke and slightly ridiculous.
2. I think that this needs to be investigated more to find out exactly what and how this happened. I think that this incident should be used as a lesson to other agents, and those training to be agents. The danger of this idea should be stressed during training.
3. Yes, I think that the necessary actions were taken and are sufficient in penalizing those at fault. I do not think that any more punishment needs to be done.
4. I do not think there is any danger.
Jeffrey Williams
ReplyDelete4th Period
1. I think this a huge scandal and the United States will be looked down upon for years to come. Although this is only one department of our government, the rest of the government will be under a microscope for a long time.
2.I think that there needs to be a more rigorous inspection process for selecting Secret Service agents who are allowed to protect the President. I think that they need to realize that protecting the President is a privilege and a duty not power to be abused.
3. I think that a thorough investigation is in order. Even though this looks like a case of plain right and wrong all these men still have the right to a fair trial, even though we probably all know what will be the outcome.
4. I think that the President is in great danger. This would be an opportunity for some idiot to take a shot at the President.
Keith Swartz
ReplyDelete1st
1) I don't think this will be very bad for us in the other countries eyes because we did something ethically wrong.
2) I think if the people that committed the crimes would just apologize and that we keep a closer eye on them this can be dealt with.
3) I think that a thorough investigation is in order. Even though this looks like a case of plain right and wrong all these men still have the right to a fair trial, even though we probably all know what will be the outcome.
4) I think that the President is in great danger. This would be an opportunity for some idiot to take a shot at the President.
Sandeep Gill
ReplyDelete1st
1. I really doubt there will be a big deal made of what has happened. What the Secret Service did was completely legal and permissible (because of where they were), but very unfaithful too. Anyways, other countries already picture us as powerful fat people, so we won't be damaged at all.
2. I think that this needs to be investigated more to find out exactly what and how this happened. I think that this incident should be used as a lesson to other agents, and those training to be agents. The danger of this idea should be stressed during training.
3) I think that a thorough investigation is in order. Even though this looks like a case of plain right and wrong all these men still have the right to a fair trial, even though we probably all know what will be the outcome.
4.I don't think any danger was put on the president at all, it was probably more embarrassing for him than anything else. Now he has to deal with all of this because of what these men did.
Ria Das
ReplyDelete2nd Period
I think that this is not a huge issue. Other countries will just have a laugh at what happened. It's really not that big of a deal and even though what they did was immoral, it was legal. There is not really much we can do to prevent these kinds of things from happening in the future. The best we can do is to just educate the people who are training to be agents, about what is wrong and what is right. I think that the punishment that the agents got is what they deserved. The President wasn't really in any risk.
Jack Jansen
ReplyDelete2nd period
I believe that this scandal makes the United States look bad and vulnerable to other countries. If the body guards of the president can’t do their jobs, this makes our security system look very bad. We must look absolutely embarassing. The secret service is supposed to “uphold the tradition of excellence in its investigative and protective mission through a dedicated, highly-trained, diverse, partner-oriented workforce that employs progressive technology and promotes professionalism," a direct quote from their official website. I don't know much about the secret service, but I'm rather sure that being with prostitutes overseas is doing much to help our country.
The officials in the secret services must prevent things like this from happening again. To do this, they need to enforce the rules strongly, without any loopholes. The members of the secret services need to understand that their job is extremely important. Those who break rules should be punished. Those who can’t take their job seriously shouldn’t be hired. We must ensure that this does not happen again. They need to do their job of “safeguarding the nation's financial infrastructure and payment systems to preserve the integrity of the economy, and protecting national leaders, visiting heads of state and government, designated sites and National Special Security Events.”
Dilay Uras 5th-pd
ReplyDelete1- I think that this action will not affect us much, because they were times were the greatest people in America did unspeakable things; and yet we still have a lot of respect from everybody.
2- I think that this should be looked into more so we would know who did what, and just make sure to deal with things like this quickly.
3-I think simply firing them is good enough. This was not much of a big deal in the end.
4- I do not think that it has put the president in any sort of danger. I just think that it made the president look a little bad, that's all.
Matt Dayton
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
1. I do not think that this will effect our nation very much. First of all this is only a select few of the Secret Service, not the whole se4cret service. Also few good people have had mistakes and done things that were frownd opon is society.
2. I think that the Secret Service should be monitered more closly. Also I think that all Hovernment Employies should be monitered closely so that this doesn't happen to another section of govermental jobs.
3. I think I was a good idea to fire them, but our government needs to learn from this. They need to monotor their employies more carefully so something like this doesn't happen again.
4. I don't think that this put President Obama in an sort of trouble to get re-elcted. This could have very easily happened under any presidents watch, it just happened to be under President Obama's watch. This is just an unfortunate evennt that we need to learn from ad grow as a nation.
Hugh Kelley
ReplyDelete5th period.
I think that this is bad because other countries will look down on us and think of the US secret Service as a joke which is very very very bad.
I think that the secret service should now be monitered much better than what it was before because of this mistake.
Yes I think the actions taken were correct because of what happend. The people who made the mistake should be fired.
I don't think that his is bad for Obama through the re-election but it is bad for his status for him when he travels over seas.
Sadie Frank
ReplyDelete1st period
I think that the US secret service is an important part of our government. The secret service is necessary in protecting the president. However, I don't think that they should be exempt from punishment. They should be made to undergo punishment like any other organization that has done wrong. The mistakes that people in the secret service make should be treated seriously. However, the entire secret service shouldn't be held accountable for the actions of a few of its members, because that is illogical. It was a good idea to punish those select few, though. I also believe that this won't realy affect Obama in the re-election, because he cannot be held responsible for the actions of everuybody involved with him, and rational people will see that.
Taylor Headen
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
The U.S. soldiers were accused of bringing 11 prostitutes back with them to their hotel room on a wendsday night. This envoled between 5 and 10 people working for the secret service ahead of Obama. This is not a good thing. I think that the soldiers should be punished for this because this is making the U.S. look bad, and I also think that that was very dumb of them to do that.
Bringing prostitutes or even strngers in their hotel room is very risky to do when traveling with Obama. You dont know what th protitutes can do when they are in the hotel room, they could be undercover cops working for the enemy and you just let them in your room?!? That was a really dumb mistake to do and i advise them to really think about what they did so it wont happen again in the future. We cant have othr countries thinking that the U.S. weaknesses is protitutes.
1st Period-Honors World History
ReplyDeleteI think that the consequences of this scandal should be only directed towards the few members in the secret service who particapted in it. Punishing the whole secret service would be dumb. Grow men are responsible for themselves and shouldn
t be held accountable for anyones actions but their own, especially something like this. I don't think that this will affect Obama in the election in a major way, but I do think it will make people wonder how Obama can control a country if he can't even control his own security.
I think that bringing prostitutes into a hotel when traveling with President Barack Obama is very inappropriate. The president could have been placed in great danger in this situation. Also, those who participated in this should be punished like any other person who would have put Obama in dangered would be. No exceptions, regardless of who you are. I think that this will teach them a very valuable lesson on learning how to take things seriously and the gravity of the situation.
EMERY HARWELL
ReplyDeleteFIFTH PERIOD
Obviously these guys blow at being secret service agents. if you cant hide have a prostitute in a foreign country... you shouldnt be guarding the president. how will this afffect other country's opinions of us? it wont. no one likes americans anyways, so this really just enforces it, wont change much. the best way to stop this form happening in the future is just getting new secret service. alos i think the best consequence is just to have the agents pay the prosititutes... that was what the dispute was over right? i mean, they werent doing anything wrong, it doesnt make the us look to good, but it wasnt illegal, over there at least. and how will this affect obamas protection? it wont. he'll still be perfectly safe, because if he werent then he wouldnt travel and stuff anymore.
Ian McKeown
ReplyDelete5th Period
these guys SUCK at being secret service officers. If they cant hide a prostitute in a simple foreign country, they are DEFINITELY safe to protect out master and chief. Will other countries respect us less? possibly. we are already universally hated so this does nothing to change that. best thing to do? let it blow over. the secret service should be required to keep the prostitutes well in money for life. they didn't technically break laws. so pay and let it die. Obama is still safe. just perhaps the secret service should keep their eyes on the president, and keep the rest in their pants