A Winning Political Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A Winning Political Strategy - Essay Example A Winning Political Strategy The Progressive Socialists (PS) is the main party that will ultimately win the elections but it can only win the elections through a coalition with the Conservatives of Urbania (CU). The Progressive Socialists (PS) Party’s ideology is on reformed communism whereas the ideology for the Conservatives of Urbania (CU) is conservative. These two ideologies when brought together and blended well will automatically win the elections with a landslide. Information states that the votes swing to the left meaning that the Progressive Socialists Party is in a better position to form a coalition with the Conservatives of Urbania Party (Barbara and Robert 19). The Progressive Socialists have an exceptionally strong winning point on the ideal tax rate, which is to keep the tax rates as low as possible as compared to the other parties. This is a strong campaign point since the majority of the Urbanians will be able to enjoy extra savings after taxation. This is ideal for the economy since it will spur growth and individual investments will increase. Naturally, people are attracted to parties that will ensure that they will tax them minimal tax, which is an advantage to the Progressive Socialists Party. The ideological type of the Progressive Socialists Party also is particularly strong considering the concept that they have in regard to being reformed communist. (Palombara and Weiner 7). Currently in the world, there is a humungous concept that capitalism is not working. This is evident from the recent recession that happened just recently and currently what is happening in Europe. Europe is experiencing the Euro Crisis due to the capitalist ’s ideology and therefore the reformed communist ideology is decidedly much ideal. The Conservatives of Urbania (CU) Party ideology is on conservative. This means that a combination of both ideologies, which are, reformed communist and conservative will be a strong alliance when both parties merge for a coalition. The origin of political parties and the circumstances under which parties first arise is paramount. This means that in a developing political system, the party’s initial tone and configuration have a significant effect on the kind of parties that subsequently emerge (Palombara and Weiner 7). This coalition will be an externally created party meaning that the parties will merge outside the legislature and invariably involve some challenges to the ruling group and a demand for representation. The stakes are too high for both parties to have the majority votes, which in turn, will lead to majority representation. A ruling coalition requires a majority representa tion in order to ensure that the ruling governments’ agendas are pushed forward for effect legislation. This will also ensure that the opposition does not sabotage the ruling party’s operations (Palombara and Weiner 10). The purpose of the coalition between the Progressive Socialists (PS) Party and the Conservatives of Urbania (CU) Party would be to build grassroots organizations that would ensure a win. Since both parties ideologies can be harmonized together, both parties will have a common vision during the campaigns. This will ensure that the coalition parties exist with the organization and structure leading to a visionary direction and leadership. The key strategy here is to ensure that the partners have a feeling of them being partners rather than feeling part of the campaign (Palombara and We

Frankensteins Monster Essay Example for Free

Frankensteins Monster Essay In the beginning of the story, Elizabeth who was adopted daughter of Victor Frankensteins parents falls ill to a deadly illness, which is called scarlet fever. Victor Frankensteins mother nurses Elizabeth, and she finally gets better; however Victor Frankensteins mother contracts the illness with fatal consequences. Victor Frankenstein becomes very upset when his mother dies. This event make Victor Frankenstein very determined to study and become a doctor and preserve life. Victor Frankenstein goes to a university in Ingolstadt to study. He seems to be in two minds about his, departure for Ingolstadt, which had been deferred by these events, because he feels guilty about leaving the house of mourning so soon but he is very eager to study. When Frankenstein begins his study at the university, he becomes interested in bringing people back to life. He becomes so interested that he convinces himself that he could revive a dead human being back to life, one of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the structure of the human frame, and indeed, any animal endued with life. The next part of the story is when Victor Frankenstein creates the creature and he tries to bring him to life by using electricity, I collected the instruments of life around me, might I infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing . Once the creature gains life, Victor Frankenstein describes the creature as a demon and a wretch. Frankenstein can only see what the creature looks like on the outside and so believes the creature is evil, How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? Mary Shelley makes the reader feel sympathy for the creature by the way see the way the monster was made this fill us full of horror because the way he was made is completely unnatural I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave or tortured the living animals to animate the lifeless clay This make u feel that the monster was born out of pain and horror. Another way Mary Shelley make feel sympathy for the creature is the way she describes the place the creature was made as no one should be brought in to the world in a place like that In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase, I kept my workshop of filthy creations Some readers may gain sympathy towards the monster as Frankenstein refers to the monster as filthy as may mean filthy as physically filthy or mentally filthy. One of the biggest ways that Mary Shelley gains sympathy for the creature is the way she describes him, this tells the reader how ugly he is and it also tells the reader what Frankenstein thinks of him His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles arteries beneath; his hair was of lustrous black, and following; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but seemed almost the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. The description Mary Shelley uses gives the image that the creature is evil although the creatures personality is pleasant. Also this is how Frankenstein sees the creature as Frankenstein should be a farther figure and towards the creature he should help the creature to learn about the world instead he is disgusted by what he has created also and only see what the creature looks like not how the creature is inside and so he believes the creature is evil. One other way is the way that Frankenstein flees his creation The miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtains of the bed; and his eyes, if they maybe called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out seeming to detain me, but I escaped and rushed down the stairs. I took refuse in the courtyard belonging to the house, which I inhabited. This makes you feel sympathy towards the monster because Frankenstein should be like a father towards the monster and help him through the early stages of his life but instead he abandons him leaves him to survive on his own. Probably the monster feels frightened, and confused, as he is like a newborn baby unaware of anything also not knowing anything. Uneducated, Victor Frankensteins creation is forced to fend for itself, and find food, even he doesnt know how to or what food is.

War On Drugs Effective Criminology Essay

War On Drugs Effective Criminology Essay Supply and demand is the major problem we have with combating drugs. Many Central and South American governments are often targeted as objects of its now age old and publicly demonized War on Drugs. Many of these governments have been singled out as cooperators in the production or trafficking of drugs. Now America has started a new war: a war on terrorism. Many of the aforementioned governments have withstood the half-hearted efforts of the War on Drugs, but now the question arises, will they withstand the more widely supported War on Terrorism? The Nixon Administration In 1969, Richard Nixon became president, narcotic usage had already reached crisis levels in the United States (Marcy, 2010). Contrary to what many people believe, this was not something that developed under his administration, President Nixon took action against it. Nixons strategy was arguable successful but he did not have a lot of more options, it was either ignoring it or doing something about it and he decided to do what he thought was right. Nixon felt that he had a national responsibility to stop the nation from being destroyed by drugs; in his administrations view, narcotics threatened the very fabric of U.S. society (Marcy, 2010). The war on drugs started in the middle of a war; Vietnam was in its prime and the drug addiction problem inside the U.S. military was immense. In early 1966, military authorities began to investigate the levels of illegal drug use in their ranks; the Department of Defense estimated that between 1967 and 1970, the use of marijuana, heroin, and hard narcotics in the armed forces had double each year (Marcy, 2010). The problem was not a local problem; it had spread across the United States, from college students to factory workers and the military. President Nixons administration attempted several strategies to stop the use of drugs in the United States. To address the narcotics epidemic, the Nixon administration proposed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act in 1969 (Marcy, 2010). This plan was designed to consolidate most of the drugs legislation already in place. This plan was geared towards cutting supply and demand for drugs in the United States by creating rehabilitation and education programs while strengthening law enforcement. This plan increased law enforcement training and cooperation between the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) and the Customs Bureau and created two new enforcement agencies: the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE) and the Office of National Narcotics Intelligence (ONNI) (Marcy, 2010). The plan was to overwhelm drug trafficking organizations and therefore win the war against drugs while educating and rehabilitating drug addicts in order to be effective in the long run. The Nixon administrations efforts at international narcotics control during the late 1960s were focused on stemming the flow of heroin from Turkey, France, and Mexico into the United States (Marcy, 2010). Lack of resources and a weak economy due to The Great Depression impeded United States access to areas outside of Mexico. This and other factors let drug trafficking organizations develop more sophisticated ways of trafficking illicit drugs to the United States almost freely and without much hassle. The war on drugs was a disaster; between the 1970 and 1975, the number of first-time cocaine users in the United States jumped from 301,000 to 652,000 people annually (Marcy, 2010). Instead of the numbers declining, the numbers kept increasing. By the late 1970s not only Peru and Bolivia were a threat to the war on drugs but Colombia had become the pillar of drug trafficking to the United States. By 1976 it was clear that approximately 90 percent of the cocaine shipments destined for the United States passed through Colombia (Marcy, 2010). After that, Colombia started to produce marijuana and increased their shipments of drugs to the United States repeatedly, their violent mode of operations had them atop drug trafficking organizations and earned them respect across the globe. Drugs and the Reagan Administration By the time, Ronald Reagan was elected president drugs in the United States were being sold at an alarming rate. In fact, crack cocaine was so large, that the epidemic was on the consciousness of every American (Marcy, 2010). President Reagans War on Drugs allowed the military to not only help fight it, but to provide intelligence, equipment, and training to federal, state, and local law enforcement (Marcy, 2010). The Reagan War on Drugs put pressure on the Joint Chiefs of Staff to get the military even more involved in the War on Drugs (Marcy, 2010). The Joint Chiefs of Staff were pressured so hard, that the Army gave $277 million in equipment to help fight the drug trade. In the early 80s, Reagan redoubled efforts at curbing imports, further militarized drug policy, and brought about mandatory minimum sentences for minor drug offenses. In 1980, the FBIs Uniform Crime report listed fewer than a hundred thousand arrests for heroin and cocaine, which were tabulated together. By 1989, that figure had jumped to more than seven hundred thousand arrests (Grim, 2009). The drug enforcement bill President Reagan signed in 1986 was criticized for promoting significant racial disparities in the prison population and critics also charged that the policies did little to reduce the availability of drugs on the street, while resulting in a great financial burden for America. The Reagan administration was criticized for its slow response to the growing HIV epidemic. As thousands became infected with the virus, he did not increase funding to try to discover cures rather he downplayed the situation. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act required a minimum of 10 years to life for a first drug conviction, 20 years to life for a second and life in prison if the possession could be tied to a death or serious bodily injury. In addition, the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1974 , was also established to empower the Department of Justice (DOJ) to seize assets derived from drug trafficking (Libby, 2008). Drugs in the Golden The Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent are very much two distinct areas of the globe, the former located in the areas around Burma, Thailand, and Laos, the latter located around Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. (Chouvy, 2010) The Golden Triangle, encompassed by Burma or Myanmar has a very bloody history. The Chinese people became addicted to the drugs in return China had made such a stand outlawing the import of opiates once the government learned the ill effects of the drug. Consequently, Britain went to war in the Opium Wars to try to force free trade onto the Chinese in order to foster British exports (Marchant, 2002). Afghanistan, which is majority of the area known as the Golden Crescent, has been known to be the worlds greatest producer of opium and drug trafficking account for a third of the total Afghan economy. Alongside the War of Terrorism the control and eradication of the opium production and related trafficking is a main concern of the international community, Drug use is often a response to war, poverty, and under-development, however, street opium and heroin manufactured in the country are widely available, affordable and of high purity (Maguet Majeed, 2010). The Taliban were smart economists you could say amongst other things and used the Opiates to create a so called shortage to sky rocket the price before increasing the development of the poppy to export for a higher fee. Through Islam law, the Taliban government got over half of profits via taxes from every crop sold and used the money to finance an army of insurgents. While the Taliban has been disrupted by the US following the attacks on the WTC and their support of Al-Qaieda the economic structure they created in their mountainous ranges continue to grow unanswered. The Golden Crescent came to be also out of the outlawing of the drug in neighboring countries; namely China and Iran. It is striking that the Golden Crescent became so lucrative so fast directly following a sheer drop off in the output and demand for the Golden Triangle Opiates. Drugs and Terrorism The merger of trans-national crime, terrorism and corruption is profound; the idea that these ideas can be discussed separately is problematic. (Shelley, 2003). Terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have changed the way law enforcement and governments see terrorist, guerrillas, and organized crime. They represent a greater danger than organized crime organizations because they adopted tactics from all kinds of different criminal, terrorist, and other organizations. A terrorist organization is connecting with scholars, international organizations, and the government. This represents a particular danger because they are usually more aggressive and violent than an organized crime group but working as an organized crime group. It is a complicated situation; terrorist organizations like Hezbollah have seen the benefits or expanding their networks outside the border of where their ideology originally started. They are connecting with o ther organizations and at the same time exploiting the illicit drug market in order to conduct further operations and to make a profit. The illicit businesses are now the largest and most profitable to be located in the developing world; for example, the drug trade now represents about 7% of world trade according to late 1990s estimates of the United Nations and their vast profits and enormous assets make them powerful actors in their home countries and in their regions (Shelley, 2003). When these guerrillas organizations deal with outside markets, they often make more money than what they would make in their respective countries and that makes them powerful. They often manipulate and bribe government officials taking advantage of the economic situations in certain areas. The biggest difference and danger is the ideology of terrorist organizations/guerrilla, organized crime often seeks to profit and do not have other agendas that could endanger innocent people as long as they stay of their way but terrorist organizations and guerrillas do. They are groups that were created in order to fight for a cause and by profiti ng they way they do they become more dangerous. Latin America and Drugs In Latin America, various criminal organizations operate like any multinational corporation, with separate divisions for cultivating the drugs, exports, transportation, distribution and finance. The guerrillas protect the drug traffickers because the latter supply weapons mainly from Cuba and Libya. These guerrillas reportedly attacked prisons to free drug traffickers who were, for example, caught along the northern coast of Colombia. Terrorists and guerrilla organizations in Latin America exchange not only arms, but also intelligence and services for money laundering. The drugs provide quick and assured financial gain, they also serve an international currency funding terrorist activities and guerrilla warfare (Ehrenfeld et. al, 1986, p.1). In parts of Colombia, guerrilla groups are allied with narco-traffickers who pay them to guard their laboratories. In areas such as Magdalena River Valley, traffickers have armed paramilitary groups to protect their property against the guerrilla s, who maintain they are fighting for land reform to benefit poor peasants (US Department of State Dispatch, 1992). As a result of the significant decline in funding of guerrilla and terrorist groups, these groups have become increasingly reliant on drug trafficking as a principal funding source. The terrorist and extremist groups derive much of their drug-related income from taxation levied for protection of drug powers, laboratories, clandestine landing fields, and transport of drugs of chemicals through guerrilla-controlled territory (Library of Congress, 2002, p. 1). Conclusion In spite of documentation showing the effectiveness of the current war on drugs, I do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. When the numbers of production of drugs, such as coca in Columbia are down, everyone is quick to claim the end of the 40-year battle against cocaine. Really, these numbers do not mean much for slowing, stopping, or eradicating drugs. This drug war is raging more violently than ever. The drugs are plentiful, cheap and as addictive as ever. The violence used to obtain the drugs has turn into terrorism at a global level.

A Critical Exploration of Klein’s Discarded Factory in Connection With

There is an undoubtedly enormous influence on the world by consumerism. Consumerism and capitalism shape the nation that we live in today. Everyone knows this because they see advertisements all day long on television, on the radio, on billboards and through hundreds of other mediums. Unfortunately, what the world is not exposed to is what goes on behind the marketing and the ultimate final sale. There is a dark side to capitalism created not only by shady merchants, but the worldwide multi-national companies as well. What both of these excerpts portray is the idea that there is more to the products we buy than we are told, or unfortunately, that we bother to ask about. Through the use of interviewing, traveling, and criticism, these authors do a fine job in analyzing the relationships between branding and marketing, and more importantly, between our modern day consumption habits and hidden production processes. Based on what we see through advertising and what we are told by sales associates in stores, we assume that many of the products that we are exposed to are of high quality, which justifies the high prices. For example, we pay higher prices for a Nike shoe than a brand less shoe because from what we know, it is made better. While some people have the sense to realize that a name doesn’t make that much of a difference, the scale to which we are misled is much greater than we think. Stoller points out one instance on the streets of Harlem in the following passage: And so they traveled uptown to invest in bolts of wholesale ‘Ghanaian kente,’ which they brought to their sweatshops in lower Manhattan, producing hundreds of ‘kente’ caps at a price cheaper than one could get by buying cloth on 125th Street and commission... ...rs were buying the African image. These two authors proved in different ways that there are flaws in consumerism. While Stoller didn’t attack the market as Klein did, he shed light on an underground society that people did not know too much about, even though we see them every day. That idea is eerily similar to multi-national brands that we see every day, doing things that we as consumers unfortunately, do not know too much about. This grand scheme of giving up ethics for an increased profit is not only inconveniencing us consumers on the streets of Manhattan with fake cloth, thanks to Klein, we can see that it is literally destroying the world. Works Cited Stoller, Paul. 2002. Money Has No Smell: The Africanization of New York City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Klein, Naomi. 1999. No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. Canada: Knopf Canada.

Macbeth: Victim or Villan

Macbeth: Victim or Villain William Shakepear’s Macbeth is a tragedy that contains a perfect example of how lust for power can twist one’s thoughts, emotions, and personality. Even the noblest human being can become malicious when faced with the opportunity to gain power. Macbeth, the play’s protagonist, comes face to face with this exact dilemma, causing him to transform from a valiant war hero into a murderous villain. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth’s future is foretold by three witches. The first prediction is stated by the first witch saying, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis† (I. ii. 48)! Thane of Glamis was already Macbeth’s title; therefore the first witch is correct. The second witch predicts that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor. Immediately after the witches disappear, a message comes for Macbeth saying that he will now be the Thane of Cawdor as a result of the preceding Thane’s act of treason. The final prediction made by the witches was that Macbeth would be â€Å"†¦King hereafter† (I. iii. 50. ). At first, Macbeth dismisses the predictions, but because the first two predictions from the witches are correct, Macbeth concludes that the third must be true as well. The prospect of gaining power as king appeals to Macbeth, but he does not yet know how he will become king. Macbeth decides to take matters into his own hands, creating a plot to kill the current King of Scotland, thereby speeding up the time between now and Macbeth’s coronation. The witches’ predictions have already taken root in his brain and, by dwelling on them, Macbeth allows his evil thoughts to grow and flourish. This causes him to carry out his evil deeds along with his wife, Lady Macbeth, who has also become lethal in the pursuit of power. After realizing that he can make himself king, Macbeth concocts a plan to kill Duncan, the present King. Macbeth and his wife decide to kill Duncan when he comes, as a guest, to their castle. At this point, Macbeth can easily change his mind and allow the future to take its course without his interference, but instead, his decision to kill Duncan remains. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels a wave of guilt. As the play goes on, Macbeth’s conscience begins to become numb to the idea of taking the life of someone else. The next major character in the story that is killed is Banquo. In the play, Banquo is also given a prediction by the witches: â€Å"Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none† (I. iii. 67. ). This means that although Banquo is not king, his descendants will be. Macbeth realizes that this may be a problem later on and it may interfere with him being king. Banquo is also suspicious about how Macbeth is able to become king. He says â€Å"Thou hast is now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, / As the weird women promised, and I fear / thou play’dst most foully for ‘t† (III. i. 1-3). With the prospect of Banquo’s descendants becoming king and the possibility that Banquo is suspicious of how he became king, Macbeth decides that Banquo and Banquo’s son, Fleance, must be exterminated. Macbeth hires murderers to kill the two of them as they both go horseback riding. Though Banquo is a close friend of Macbeth, this does not stop him from murdering both Banquo and Banquo’s son in Macbeth’s quest for power. Subsequently, Macbeth returns to the witches to get more information about his future. Macbeth is so concerned about keeping his crown that he willingly goes to the witches so he can figure out which action to take next in order to maintain his power. While there, he is given four more predictions in the form of apparitions. The first apparition, which is an armored head, says â€Å"Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife† (IV. i. 71-72. ). This apparition means that Macbeth should be wary of Macduff because he somehow poses a threat to Macbeth. Macbeth refuses to allow Macduff to be the one that ends Macbeth’s rule as king. Without a second thought Macbeth hires murderers to go to Macbeth’s castle and kill everyone there, but what Macbeth does not know is that Macduff is not in his castle. Macduff is in Engla nd convincing Malcom, Duncan’s son, to send an army to Dunsinain. This is the same army that ultimately leads to Macbeth’s doom. This means that Macbeth has killed the innocent people in Macbeth’s castle for nothing. Macbeth has multiple opportunities to change his mind about his pursuit of the crown, but he still chooses to kill innocent people for his own selfish gain. Macbeth’s judgment is repetitively clouded by his quest for power throughout the novel. His apathy towards his murderous ways makes him a villain in the play. His identity changes from a war hero to a bloodthirsty tyrant. This shows that anyone is capable of becoming evil when given the right motive.

Saturday School

Who would want to spend their Saturday at school, no one? As soon as that very last bell rings on Friday you and everyone else are ready to get out of there. When Saturday comes around all I want to do that day is hang with friends, sleep in all day, or something fun. I am sure you feel and many others agree with what I am thinking. Spending your Saturday at school is something you certainly do not want to do! On Saturday I’m all set to go to a friend’s house and have some fun. That day I don’t have a worry in the world.I get to stay up all night and enjoy being with my friend’s. Nobody even wants to think twice about anything school associated. I highly doubt anyone would rather go to school on Saturday than just going one extra hour a day, the rest of the week. I mean come on. It is ridiculous to spend your Saturday at school instead of at your friend’s house. It is not ethical to go to school on Saturday when you’re supposed to be sleeping in all day! We teenagers need as much sleep as we can get to develop properly. Please really think about this.Going to school for just one extra hour is not that unreasonable. If you choose to go on Saturday that is a complete seven hours you cannot spend sleeping in. Lastly, the most significant reason we should not have school on a Saturday is you’re supposed to be doing something fun that day! What if you had a trip planned that Saturday to go to mall or maybe even skydiving? If you end up choosing to have school that Saturday you cannot go now! Saturday’s are meant to be all about fun and nothing to do with education.That is our day off to have fun and be free of school. It is not our day to be locked up for hours in a boring old school. Really think about what I am saying! You will regret it if you do not! In conclusion, Saturday school should be entirely out of the question. On Saturday, your day should consist of hanging with a friend, sleeping in all day or ju st doing something enjoyable. Before you make a verdict, truly think about what I said and make the choice you and I both know is the right one!

Stories of Scottsboro essays

Stories of Scottsboro essays "Stories of Scottsboro" by James Goodman is an in-depth look at the case and overall events that occurred when nine black men are accused of raping two young white women. The black men range in age from thirteen to nineteen. And the two women whom they are accused of raping are seventeen and twenty-one years old. The men are arrested in March of 1931 at a train depot in Paint Rock Alabama after getting into a fight with a group of white men around the same age on the train earlier that day. They are then taken to a jail in Scottsboro Alabama because Scottsboro is the county seat of Jackson County. They were sentenced to death after a rushed and racially based trial, which caused much controversy within the United States and attracted attention around the globe. "Stories of Scottsboro" is told from a third-person point of view and is written as a narrative. James Goodman is not presenting new information in this book; he is just arranging information that is already known to exist into an easy to follow retelling of the events that occurred during the trials through the eyes of people that were there. Goodman's book is written in an interesting way. The book is divided into fifty-four rather short chapters in which he tells the story from a different perspective in each chapter, but still in the form of a narrative. With this narrative style and division of chapters into different perspectives, the book flows very well and captures the events taking place very thoroughly. He lists his sources in the bibliography and also briefly explains what his sources are in the preface. In the preface he says, "My sources include diaries, memoirs, oral histories, and autobiographies; previous histories of Scottsboro and numerous other works of history " Goodman's goal with this book is to tell the stories of what happened on a more individual level in contrast to solely explaining why the men were arrested and how they were not given a fair t...