On Tuesday night, President Obama gave the annual State of the Union Address. Following the address, there have been mixed opinions about it, from both the Republican and Democratic parties. One of Obamas primary themes throughout his speech was that he has only two more years in office, and has no more elections to run. Because of this, Obama intends to do whatever he feels is best for the country, since he doesn't need to worry about focusing on what needs to be done to get votes and higher approval ratings from everyone. I think this is a very smart thing for Obama today, and I also think that this is very good for the United States, because instead of our President worrying about approval ratings and politics, his main focus will be doing what he thinks is best for everyone in this country.

Another very important part of Obamas State of the Union, was in the speech he said the word "transgender," making him the first president to say the word during any high profile or formal speech. Many members from the LGBT community are speaking out in support of the president, and have stated that his acknowledgment of this group has helped to force the rest of the country to acknowledge this community of people. I think that his just goes to show not only what an accepting person President Obama is, but it also shows how much this country has progressed in recent years, and many people of different groups are becoming more and more accepted. It is also important that Obama has acknowledged them because it may force other people that me be closed minded, to become more open minded and accepting of different types of people. Overall, this can be considered a big step towards greater acceptance equality throughout this country, and hopefully the rest of the world.

Of course, not everyone has positive things to say about this years State of the Union. One of the major criticisms of the Presidents speech, is his failure to attempt to unify himself with the Republican majority Congress, in attempt to try to agree with the Republicans in some things. Following several months of disagreement between the President and the Republican Congress, not much as been accomplished with these two groups having very different goals and policies. However, this is exactly the reason that our government was created the way that it was, and I think it is very important for the President and Congress to find a way to work together, and find compromises on some of the important issues that they have so far failed to do.

In recent weeks, Paris has faced several terrorist threats and attacks from Islamic extremists. In recent years, there has been increasing tension between these extremists and other citizens of France. This tension finally escalated to something much larger last week when a satire magazine, Charlie Hebdo, was attacked by three terrorists, which resulted in the death of twelve people.

Ever since this attack last week there has been an increase in tension between extremists/terrorists and the rest of the world, not just in Paris. Many people instantly want to blame everyone that is Muslim for these attacks, but it also important to remember that these actions are done by a small group of extremists that do not reflect the views and desires of everyone else in that religion.

On January 16th, the Supreme Court began a case that would determine if same sex marriage would become legal in all 50 US States. In recent years, several states across the country have legalized same-sex marriage, Oregon included, but if this case is successful it would end the uncertainty and debated and make it legal in every State. It is currently legal in 36 states, and Washington DC for same sex couples to get married.

One of the main judges on the case is Justice Anthony Kennedy, and based on many of his rulings on previous cases that dealt with same sex marriage, as well as rights for same sex couples, many believe that he will rule in favor of same sex marriage.

In recent years many people have compared the rights of gay and lesbian couples to the civil rights movement. Although there is still a lot of work to be done for every one in this country to be treated equal and to have equal rights, there has been a lot of progress in recent years, and I believe that as a country we will eventually reach a point where every one truly is equal.