Requirement 1: Being a Good Citizen

What citizenship in the nation means?
Being a respectful citizen in my country
What does it take to be a good citizen?
To be a good citizen, one must follow local and federal laws, respect the people around you, and occasionally do community service
Discuss the rights, duties, and obligations of a responsible and active American citizen.
An active American citizen should vote in elections, pay taxes, serve jury duty when called, and serve in the military when needed

Requirement 2: Tour a landmark or monument

Note: went on a "virtual" tour in the Chickasaw online class on March 22, 2021
Tour a National Monument: Lincoln Memorial
I am interested in the Lincoln Memorial because I admire President Lincoln.  I find the memorial to be a place of inspiration because of all the great accomplishments of Lincoln.  Because President Lincoln had to deal with two of the greatest challenges in US history, the Civil War and ending slavery, he deserves to be remembered, respected, and honored.  

I learned that the Lincoln Memorial was built to replicate the greatness of the Greek god, Zeus.  I also learned that the 36 columns of the memorial represent the number of states at the time of Lincoln's death.  I learned that footsteps have been engraved in the place that Martin Luther King, Jr stood during his famous speech to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the event.

It was a notable experience to tour the monument virtually, but I am very interested in visiting the memorial in person one day.
Choose a monument that interest me: Mount Rushmore

Using books, brochures, the Internet (with your parent’s permission), and other resources, find out more about the monument. Tell your counselor what you learned, and explain why the monument is important to this country’s citizens.
I was inspired to visit this glorious monument because of my favorite president, Theodore Roosevelt.  Mount Rushmore is located in Black Hills of South Dakota to honor four of America's greatest presidents.  Construction of the monument was started in 1927 and was completed in 1941.  The monument was constructed to attract tourist to the region and attracts 2 million visitors per year.  Originally, the attraction was to depict the president's faces and upper torsos, but the idea was rejected after lack of funds.

I believe Mount Rushmore is important to the American citizens because it honors four great presidents that represent the stages of birth, growth, development and preservation of our country.  While visiting the site, I was truly astonished of the monument's beauty and how America feels for four men that built this country.
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Me visiting Mt. Rushmore with my grandparents
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Beware Communism! Freedom is coming after you.

Requirement 3: Be Informed

​ Watch the national evening news five days in a row OR read the front page of a major daily newspaper five days in a row. Discuss the national issues you learned about with your counselor.
Day 1: 03/23/2021
Watched reports on the mass shooting in Colorado at the King Soopers store.  Ten people were killed in the incident and the alleged shooter, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, was taken into custody.

Day 2: 03/24/2021
Watched more coverage on the shooting in Colorado.  The suspect may have mental issues and his family saw him "playing with a gun" in the backyard.  President Biden was calling for gun control.  Senator Ted Cruze said that making laws around gun control will not stop the criminals from getting guns.​

Day 3: 03/25/2021
Watched coverage on shooter Aliwi.  He was sent to the hospital for his leg wound, possibly from the shootout with police.  The shooter appeared in court for the first time on Thursday.

Day 4: 03/26/2021
Watched coverage of Colorado shooting.  Alissa was sent to jail for the deaths of the 10 people killed at the market.  The police went to the hospital to detain Alissa and put the perpetrator in Officer Eric Tally's handcuffs to show respect for the officer's loss.

Day 5: 03/27/2021
Read more coverage on the Colorado shooting.  I learned that Alissa passed the background check in order to purchase the weapon that he used to kill the 10 people.  After death threats from inmates, Alissa was moved from the county jail to an undisclosed location.  I also learned that Colorado does not have the death penalty anymore, so the worst punishment the perpetrator can receive is life in prison.
C​hoose one of the issues and explain how it affects you and your family.
Watching the news about the Colorado shootings has made me aware of the issues of gun ownership and safety.  I believe that we have the right to own weapons, but we need precautions to avoid traumatizing events like this week.  I think that the mental health of a potential gun buyer should be checked before allowing the sale of a gun.  In my opinion, I think the background checks should include medical history regarding mental health.  I also think that background checks should also check social media posts for disturbing posts or threats.

I feel that owning a gun does make a family safer.  A family can be protected, for instance in a home, when an intruder breaks in.  In public areas, more security cameras and security guards can make people more safe.  I think public areas and businesses should always have an Active Shooter plan (like we do in school) to protect customers.

In the news there have been many discussions about the Federal Government's response to the recent shootings.  I believe that the Federal Government should put additional restriction on purchasing guns.  I think Congress should add mental health and social media checks in the background checking process.  I also think that Congress should encourage businesses to add an Active Shooter plan for handling customer in dangerous situations.  Finally, I think that the Second amendment rights should be kept because it allows for protection for citizens and hunting.

Requirement 8: Contact Elected Representative

N​ame your two senators and the member of Congress from your congressional district.

I am from Collierville, Tennessee and I am in the 8th Congressional district of Tennessee.
Senator 1
Marsha Blackburn
​https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/
Senator 2
Bill Hagerty
​https://www.hagerty.senate.gov/
Member of Congress - 8th District
​David Kustoff
​https://kustoff.house.gov/
Write a letter about a national issue and send it to one of these elected officials, sharing your view with him or her. 
Show letter and any response you received

Award

  • Requirements for the badge were completed on 04/14/2021
  • The badge was awarded on 07/21/2021