Answer to Questions-Person 2, Position 1-Wednesday

To start, let's talk about the very meaning of moral and legal citizenship, what it means to be a good citizen versus the rights given to citizens exchanged for loyalty. The latter of the two is the legal impact on citizenship while the first is the moral vision of the word.

First, let's look at the shooting in Tucson that occurred on January 8, 2011. The tragedy brought citizens together, but it's unfortunate that it happened. It brought people together, does that mean we are banded by tragedy? Or does it mean that we, as American's, have a very common goal in our daily lives, and that is protection? Similar events that have resulted in banding citizens together would be the terrorists attacks on 9/11 or the War in Iraq. Citizens of this nation find a common ground when things effect more than just themselves; they try to come together for the greater good of their common interests, but it is unfortunate that this is sparked by a tragedy felt by all. I think this points to the conclusion that citizenship, in the moral meaning, is for the greater good of being a good citizen and fulfilling the civic virtues of helping fellow citizens in time of need. On the other hand, the legal meaning points to the conclusion that rights to all citizens are sometimes mis-used and can hurt people, while helping so many more.

Governor Paul LePage's statement to the NAACP to "kiss my butt," on January 14, 2011 not only struck Maine's people by surprise, but it also made national news. the question of how this effects citizenship, on the other hand, does not represent a banding together of citizens for the common goal. It actually does the opposite. It tears people apart at the very level that politics rests on, the left versus the right. It widens the gap between the viewpoints of so many citizens and makes us, citizens of Maine, feel less united because of it. We feel not only weak in the eyes of the rest of the nation, but also embarrassed because our other fellow citizens, other American's now associate us with his remarks while representing Maine's views as a whole. In the moral meaning of citizenship, one looking at this remark subjectively, would say that Paul LePage did not act as a good citizen. Looking into the legal meaning, he has every right to say this because he is in fact a citizen in the United States, where the right to free speech is so prevalent.

In conclusion, both of these events pull at the ties to the moral meaning of the word citizenship and what is means to be a good citizen.