Grant Government: 2013

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Final exam study guide

The final exam study guide is located here.

Monday, May 20, 2013

In class/homework: Final paper outline

Date assigned
Monday, May 20

Assignment
Write an outline for your final paper (which is due on Friday, May 31). You have all of class on Monday, May 20 to work on your outline, and it is due on Friday, May 24.

Due date
Friday, May 24, beginning of class

Monday, May 13, 2013

In class: Red Line poster

Date assigned
Friday, May 10

Assignment
Directions located here. We did step 1 in an earlier assignment. Do steps 2, 3, and 4.

Due date
Friday, May 10, end of class

Thursday, May 9, 2013

FINAL PROJECT: Changing America

Changing America

While wandering through Forest Park on a sunny Saturday, you stumble across a battered antique oil lamp. To your surprise, upon picking it up a genie springs forth, all thunder and lightning and smoke and what have you. After the hullabaloo has subsided, the genie informs you that you get exactly one wish, and it’s a strictly structured one at that: the country of the United States, from here on out, will follow whatever changes you want to make. Changes to our system of government, changes to our culture, changes to our way of life. You design it, and it will stick. You have a number of options:

1) Keep the pre-existing system – We’ve looked at how the US government functions. Executive, legislative, and judicial. Two-party system where third parties don’t matter. Lobbying, gerrymandering, and the filibuster. We’ve also looked at the country as a whole: guns, health care, private prisons, the drug war, climate change, and military bases overseas. Keep the whole system intact if you want – but you have to be able to justify it.

2) Stitch a quilt – You can pick and choose aspects from any country in the world. A piece of European democratic socialism here, a chunk of Chinese authoritarianism there, a dash of Japanese gun control and cuisine, a pinch of German solar energy – it’s up to you.

3) Complete fabrication – You can concoct a system of government and a culture entirely of your own.

Now, there’s one catch to all of this – you have to write me a 4-5 page paper (typed, double spaced, 12 point font) justifying your decision.

For example: “One of the huge (no pun intended) benefits of the United States adopting a vegetarian diet nationwide would be the drastic reduction in obesity levels. Americans eat an unhealthy amount of corn-fed beef, and as a result are the fattest people in the world. Vegetarians, however, are generally healthier because of their lower levels of saturated fat consumption. This would reduce the amount of money the country has to spend on our health care industry, as the population would be much healthier overall. Additionally, the end of factory farming in America would be good for the environment, with a reduction in the amount of methane gas being released into the atmosphere in the form of cow farts.”

Another example: “Lobbying has got to go. This form of legal bribery has corrupted our political system to the point that the processed food industry convinced Congress to declare pizza a vegetable. They’ve even got pizza being used as the primary example in economics textbooks. Part of my genie wish will ban corporations from donating money to political campaigns, as well as prohibiting corporations from creating political advertisements of any kind. Private citizens will be limited to donations of $100 per candidate per year. The time has come for publicly financed campaigns in America – I’m tired of the candidate who raises the most money winning 90% of elections.”

I expect creativity. I expect thoughtfulness. I do not necessarily expect humor, though it’s always welcome.

Due Friday, May 31 – Enjoy the rest of your lives, seniors

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

In class: Red line rankings

Date assigned
Wednesday, May 8

Assignment
Read the list of Country X's actions and US responses (link here). Rank Country X's actions from #1 (the thing the US should care the most about) to #24 (the thing the US should care the least about). Draw a red line for each US response.

Due date
Wednesday, May 8, end of class

Monday, May 6, 2013

In class/homework: Syrian Civil War

Date assigned
Monday, May 6

Assignment
Read "Syria: To oppose or not to oppose?" (link here). Answer the following questions (1 page typed, 1.5 pages handwritten):

1) Should the United States intervene in the Syrian Civil War? If not, why not? If yes, should they support the rebels or the Assad government? How should the US intervene - supplies and money only? Weapons? Airstrikes? Explain your answer.

2) If Israel and Syria go to war over the Israeli airstrikes from May 3 and May 5, should the United States get involved? Why or why not? On which side? To what extent - supplies, money, weapons, airstrikes, troops on the ground? Explain your answer.

3) The US agrees that Israel should be allowed to attack Syria if Syria is supplying weapons to Hezbollah. Obviously the US would be upset if Syria conducted airstrikes against US military installations because of US aid to the Syrian rebels. So why is it okay for the US and its allies to do it, but not okay for other countries? What makes it acceptable for certain members of the international community to commit acts of aggression, but not acceptable for others?

We have a guest speaker coming on Tuesday, May 7 to my freshman history classes. Leila Piazza is the Syrian mother of Joey Piazza, and you are welcome to come listen to her speak with my freshmen during periods 2, 3, and 4.

Due date
Wednesday, May 8

Friday, May 3, 2013

In class/extra credit: Climate of Doubt

The PBS Frontline episode about climate change denial can be found here.

You can take notes for extra credit.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

In class/homework: Global Warming's Terrifying New Math

Date assigned
Wednesday, May 1

Assignment
Read Bill McKibben's July 2012 piece from Rolling Stone, "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math" (link here). In at least 2 handwritten pages, answer the following questions:

1) What is McKibben's thesis?

2) What arguments does he use to support his thesis?

3) Are his arguments persuasive? Why or why not? Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

4) What are McKibben's proposed solutions? Do you think they are likely/realistic/feasible?

5) What does the US government need to do to combat climate change?

6) What can you do to combat climate change?

Due date
Monday, May 6

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Example resume

Here's the resume I showed you in class on Monday, April 29 - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_kSgccj4zngd8UGO944ZNpDwlrJOKmPZuEbjyq7nkZQ/pub

The formatting got messed up in the conversion to Google Docs, but you get the idea.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Homework: Professional resume

Date assigned
Monday, April 29

Assignment
Create a professional resume. Include your contact info, education, professional objectives, and experience. If you're not comfortable putting your real contact info on this assignment, make some up. If you have no experience, make some up.

If you need help formatting your resume, check out the following links:

http://mashable.com/2013/01/13/effective-resume-tips/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/resume-tips-ways-to-stand-out_n_2092363.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/02/05/6-tips-for-avoiding-the-resume-black-hole/
http://msn.careerbuilder.com/msn/category.aspx?categoryid=CL
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/category/resume-tips/
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumetips/tp/resumetips.htm
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumetips/Resume_Tips.htm

Due date
Friday, May 3
OR Monday, May 6 if Friday the 3rd is senior skip day

Friday, April 26, 2013

In class/extra credit: The Secret History of Credit Cards

The PBS Frontline episode about credit cards can be found here.

You can take notes for extra credit.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

In class: Gay marriage, Boston bombing, WMDs, and drone strikes

"French parliament allows gay marriage despite protests" - http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/23/us-france-gaymarriage-idUSBRE93K08B20130423

"Why Should I Care That No One's Reading Dzhokhar Tsarnaev His Miranda Rights?" - http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/04/dzhokhar_tsarnaev_and_miranda_rights_the_public_safety_exception_and_terrorism.html

"What rights should Dzhokhar Tsarnaev get, and why does it matter?" - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/20/boston-marathon-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-mirnada-rights

"What happened to the Miranda warning in Boston?" - http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2013/04/what-happened-to-the-miranda-warning-in-boston.html

Attorney talks about Tsarnaev's Miranda rights: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/04/22/dershowitz_authorities_will_regret_not_reading_boston_bomber_miranda_rights.html

Homemade bombs = weapons of mass destruction: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/22/boston_bomber_weapons_were_not_wmds

Senate testimony on drone strikes: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/24/as_obama_shuns_hearing_yemeni_says

Friday, April 19, 2013

Space!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

In class/homework: Stonewall Uprising

Date assigned
Friday, April 19

Assignment
Finish watching the documentary "Stonewall Uprising" (link here) about the Stonewall riots in New York City in June 1969.

Period 5 - 1:17:00
Period 6 - 1:22:00
Period 8 - 57:30

Write a response of 2 pages (typed) or 3 pages (handwritten) to the film.

Themes you can choose to focus on if you want:

1) prohibition, its effectiveness, and its effect on society (alcohol in the 1920s, homosexuality in the 1960s, marijuana today)

2) how far we've come in the fight for gay rights, and how far we still need to go.

Due date
Wednesday, April 24

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

TEST: Review questions

The 3rd quarter final exam will be Wednesday, April 10th.

Review questions are located here.

Homework: Personal budget

Date assigned
Wednesday, April 3

Assignment

1) Track your personal income and ALL of your expenses for the next two weeks.

2) Categorize your expenses (food, recreation, transportation, personal care, etc.)

3) Indicate which expenses you think are necessary and which you think are optional.

4) Indicate which expenses are variable and which expenses are stable.

Track ALL of your expenses. Keep a piece of paper in your pocket, keep all of your receipts, or better yet use your phone keep track.

I encourage you to create a budget spreadsheet on Google Docs (link here). If you need help learning how to do this, please come talk to me at lunch, during tutorial, or after school. This is especially helpful if you have a Google Docs (also called Google Drive) app on your phone.

You may also do it by hand if you want.

Due date
Wednesday, April 17

Sunday, March 24, 2013

EXTRA CREDIT: Harper High (Part 2)

Date assigned
Friday, March 15

Assignment
Listen to Part 2 of the This American Life episode on Harper High in Chicago (link here).

Answer the following questions in at least 2 pages typed, 3 handwritten:

1) What decision does Principal Sanders make about the homecoming game and dance? How does that decision turn out? Regardless of its outcome, would you have made the same decision? Why or why not?

2) In Act One, "The Eyewitness," what has Thomas been an eyewitness to? How has it changed his life? How does he cope with his experiences? How does Anita (the school social worker) try to reach him? What do they have in common? How does Anita deal with it?

3) In Act Two, "Your Name Written On Me," what is TGC? What does it stand for? How did it come about? How did TG die? What did he do before he died? Why does Mr. Owens have such a hard time accepting his son's friend's story?

4) In Act Three, "Get Your Gun," where do Englewood kids get their firearms? How much do they cost? How do they sometimes get them for free? Where do they hide their guns? What is the most desired accessory? How are the guns getting into the neighborhood to begin with?

5) In Act Four, "Devonte, Part Two," Crystal is reading a book written by the reporter about gang violence in Chicago. She says, "it's hard to believe that 20 years later nothing has changed." Why has nothing changed? Why has nothing been done to help this neighborhood, or the city of Chicago in general? Is there anything that can be done to help a kid like Devonte? Growing up in this neighborhood with all of the violence, accidentally kills his younger brother, wracked with depression and guilt and anger, facing a huge prison sentence. If he can be helped, what can be done to help him?

6) In Act Five, "Reverse Turnaround Backflip," the extra money Harper received over 5 years has helped them immensely. But next year, that money will be gone - their budget will be reduced by 18%. What effect will it have on Harper? Which students at Harper will be most affected by the budget reduction? What did the principal say she would do with extra money? Have you noticed things at Grant that have changed since you were a freshman due to the budget cuts that have taken place every year you've been here?

7) In Act Six, "We Are Harper High School," other principals and superintendents talk about gun violence in their schools and communities. How is Harper representative of not just Chicago, but of the United States as a whole? What can be done to solve the problems faced by communities and schools in the US?

Due date
Monday, April 8

In class/homework: Detropia

Date assigned
Friday, March 22

Assignment
Watch the film Detropia (link here). If you were in class on Friday, you saw most of it:

Period 5 – 72:30

Period 6 – 63:00

Period 8 – 67:30

If you weren't in class, you'll need to watch the whole thing. Then read the article about the emergency financial manager that was just appointed to Detroit by the governor of Michigan (link here).

When you're finished, pick 8 of the following 11 questions, and answer them in at least 2 pages typed, or 3 pages handwritten:

1) What about this film most shocked or surprised you?

2) Why is Detroit dying? What answer would the filmmakers give? What answer would the residents of Detroit give that you saw in the film?

3) What is your reaction to the Swiss tourists who come to Detroit to see the "decay," the same as if they were going to see the ruins of the Roman Empire in Italy?

4) What is your reaction to young people moving to Detroit because they can buy a house for $6,000 or a condo for $25,000? (Keep in mind that a house in Portland averages approximately $275,000 and a house in the Grant neighborhood averages approximately $400,000.) Is this a positive development, a negative development, both, or neither? Why?

5) Can Detroit be saved, or is it destined to continue shrinking into oblivion? What would be required to save it? What answer would the filmmakers give? What answer would you give?

6) Is what's happening to Detroit an isolated incident? Or does it speak more broadly to the state of America today? Explain your answer.

7) Does the federal government have a responsibility to help a floundering city like Detroit? Does the state government in Michigan have a responsibility to help Detroit? Or is this a problem that Detroit should have to solve on its own?

8) Why do the filmmakers show the Detroit Opera so many times? What role did they intend for the opera to play in the film?

9) Which person depicted in the film was most interesting to you? Why?

10) According to the article, how did Detroit get into this situation?

11) Is an appointed financial manager the answer? Are there cases when democracy should be shut down in this country in order to fix a problem? Explain your answer.

Due date
Wednesday, April 3

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Economics: Day 4

Date
Wednesday & Friday, March 13 & 15

Pages covered
13-15

Questions to answer
Page 16-17, questions 5-8

Topics covered
Efficiency, productive efficiency, PPF, substitution, unemployed resources (workers, factories, land), inefficiency, being inside the PPF, shifting the PPF (due to technological advancement, destruction from war, death of workers from plague, etc.)

Friday, March 15, 2013

In class/homework: Harper High (Part 1)

Date assigned
Friday, March 15

Assignment
Listen to the first of two This American Life episodes about Harper High in Chicago (link here). Answer the following questions:

In the richest country in the world, how is this happening? Has the government failed this community? Has this community failed itself? Should the government be doing more for this community? If so, what should the government be doing? Increasing police presence? Increasing school funding? Trying to increase job opportunities for the adults in the area to raise the socioeconomic status? Trying to create programs for kids to get involved in so they won't join gangs? What's the answer here? What would your prescription for this neighborhood be?

Write at least a page, typed and double spaced, considering the above questions.

Due date
Monday, March 18

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

In class: Democracy Now

Date assigned
Wednesday, March 13

Assignment
Watch the March 13 Democracy Now headlines (link). Take notes on the various issues that Amy Goodman reports.

Due date
Wednesday, March 13, end of class

Monday, March 11, 2013

Economics: Day 3

Date
Monday, March 11

Pages covered
Period 5: 9-13
Period 6: 9-13
Period 8: 9-13

Topics covered

Period 5: Production-possibility frontier, guns vs. butter, necessities vs. luxuries, current-consumption goods vs. investment in capital goods, opportunity costs

Period 6: Resource allocation, inputs, outputs, factors of production (land - natural resources like land, sand, oil, mining, and environmental health; labor - human time spent on production; and capital - investment in the future of the economy in the form of factories, machinery, roads, etc.), production-possibility frontier (weapons production up and car production down in WWII), guns vs. butter, necessities vs. luxuries, current-consumption goods vs. investment in capital goods, opportunity costs

Period 8: Production-possibility frontier, guns vs. butter, necessities vs. luxuries, current-consumption goods vs. investment in capital goods, opportunity costs

Watched
Tax dollars at war: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFeduoDWKj4

Friday, March 8, 2013

In class: Rand Paul filibuster

Wyden joins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaO2y7Jw-PI

Paul ends after almost 13 hours: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/03/07/rand-paul-filibuster-longest-senate-thurmond/1970291/

Vote tracking for Brennan's confirmation: http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/113/senate/1/32

Merkley's statement: http://ggsidedocs.blogspot.com/2013/03/jeff-merkley-on-brennan.html

Economics: Day 2

Date
Friday, March 8

Pages covered
Period 5: 9
Period 6: 7-9
Period 8: 8-9

Topics covered

Period 5: Eisenhower (choosing weapons means not choosing social benefits), resource allocation, inputs, outputs, factors of production (land - natural resources like land, sand, oil, mining, and environmental health; labor - human time spent on production; and capital - investment in the future of the economy in the form of factories, machinery, roads, etc.), production-possibility frontier (weapons production up and car production down in WWII)

Period 6: The 3 problems of economic organization (What goods are produced? How are goods produced? Who gets the goods?), market economy, laissez-faire, command economy, mixed economy, Eisenhower (choosing weapons means not choosing social benefits)

Period 8: Market economy, laissez-faire, command economy, mixed economy, Eisenhower (choosing weapons means not choosing social benefits), resource allocation, inputs, outputs, factors of production (land - natural resources like land, sand, oil, mining, and environmental health; labor - human time spent on production; and capital - investment in the future of the economy in the form of factories, machinery, roads, etc.), production-possibility frontier (weapons production up and car production down in WWII)

Economics: Day 1

Date
Wednesday, March 6

Pages covered
Period 5: 3-8
Period 6: 3-6
Period 8: 3-7

Topics covered:

Period 5: Scarcity, efficiency, economic goods, Adam Smith, cottage industry, John Maynard Keynes, Great Depression, post hoc fallacy, "keep other things constant", fallacy of composition, tariffs, the 3 problems of economic organization (What goods are produced? How are goods produced? Who gets the goods?), market economy, laissez-faire, command economy, mixed economy

Period 6: Scarcity, efficiency, economic goods, Adam Smith, cottage industry, John Maynard Keynes, Great Depression, post hoc fallacy, "keep other things constant", fallacy of composition, tariffs

Period 8: Scarcity, efficiency, economic goods, Adam Smith, cottage industry, John Maynard Keynes, Great Depression, post hoc fallacy, "keep other things constant", fallacy of composition, tariffs, the 3 problems of economic organization (What goods are produced? How are goods produced? Who gets the goods?)

Friday, March 1, 2013

In class/homework: "Escape Fire"

Date assigned

Wednesday, February 27

Assignment

Watch the film "Escape Fire" in class. (If you missed it in class, it's going to be on CNN on March 10.) In at least 1.5 pages typed (2 pages if handwritten) answer the following questions:

1) Summarize the issues that the filmmakers view as problematic in the American healthcare system:

Overmedication

Overtreatment

Doctors paid on the fee-for-service model

Disease management (Shannon Brownlee quote - "We have a very profitable disease-care system... it doesn't want you to die and it doesn't want you to get well. It just wants you to keep coming back.")

Medicine as a business (Steven Nissen quote - "When medicine became a business we lost our moral compass.")

Others

2) Summarize the solutions that the filmmakers argue are needed to fix the problems in the American healthcare system.

Treating the whole person

Changing what we teach in medical school

Behaviors (Roy Litten quote - "I eat the regular food...eggs, sausage, grits, bacon.")

Rewarding behavior (Safeway CEO Steve Burd quote - "Behavior becomes a form of currency for people to accomplish their lifestyle changes.")

Others

3) Why is the film called Escape Fire? Why do you think the filmmakers chose that metaphor as their central theme?

4) Why is healthcare such a politically-charged issue? Why do you think it's so hard for Congress to come to a consensus about healthcare? Is there any hope that Democrats and Republicans can work together to do what's best for sick Americans?

5) What can the civilian healthcare system learn from the innovations of the American military?

6) How could the American government invest in schools to improve the future health of our nation's citizenry and cut down on future healthcare expenditures?

Due date

Wednesday, March 6

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Midterm study guide

Gerrymandering

What is reapportionment?

What is redistricting?

What is gerrymandering?

What is the difference between packing and cracking?

Filibuster

What is a filibuster?

Which house of Congress uses the filibuster – the House of Representatives or the Senate?

How is the filibuster different now than it was 50 years ago?

Give a recent example of an issue that caused someone in Congress to threaten a filibuster.

Executive power

Which branch of the government does the Constitution say has the power to declare war?

When was the last time war was officially declared by the United States? (You can name the conflict or the year.)

What was the effect of the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution?

What did the Department of Justice memos under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales authorize during President George W. Bush’s first term?

What is rendition?

Who was Anwar al-Awlaki? Describe the circumstances surrounding his death.

Who was Abdulrahman al-Awlaki? Describe the circumstances surrounding his death.

What did the leaked memo from Obama’s administration earlier this month claim as a new power for the executive branch?

Name 5 of the Departments of the executive branch whose secretaries serve on the president’s cabinet.

Describe 5 issues President Obama brought up in his State of the Union address, as well as his proposed solutions to those issues.

Why did the federal and state governments originally begin employing private companies to run their prisons?

Private prison companies need more inmates to make more money. Describe two ways that private prison companies attempt to increase the number of inmates in their prisons.

What is one way Chalmers Johnson argues that the US can cut the Department of Defense budget?

Friday, February 22, 2013

In class/homework: Understanding American Security

Date assigned
Friday, February 22

Assignment
Read the Heritage Foundation article "Understanding American Security" (link here). Write a response comparing and contrasting the views of the Heritage Foundation (expanding American military spending) with Chalmers Johnson's views (closing military bases around the world - link here).

5th period - 2 pages
6th period - 1 page
8th period - 1 page

Due date
Monday, February 25

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

In class/homework: Dismantling the Empire

Date assigned
Wednesday, February 20

Assignment
Read Chalmers Johnson's essay "Dismantling the Empire" (link here).

Type a 1-page response (1.5 pages if it's handwritten) about whether you agree with Johnson's thesis or not. Should we close down our military bases abroad and pull our military back to the United States, only to respond to direct attacks against American soil? Or should we continue to project American power abroad?

Due date
Friday, February 22 (when we'll be looking at the opposite view about American military power)

Friday, February 15, 2013

In class/homework: Private prisons

Date assigned
Friday, February 15

Assignment
Read the following 5 articles:

http://www.propublica.org/article/by-the-numbers-the-u.s.s-growing-for-profit-detention-industry

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/12/12/how-private-prisons-profit-from-the-criminalization-of-immigrants/

http://www.policymic.com/articles/20186/war-on-drugs-how-private-prisons-are-using-the-drug-war-to-generate-more-inmates

http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/01/22/one-tiny-states-movement-to-ban-private-prisons/

http://www.businessinsider.com/a-3-billion-industry-is-going-to-be-slammed-by-immigration-reform-2013-1

Write a 2-page response, using examples from all 5 articles.

Due date
Wednesday, February 20

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Homework: Rubio's rebuttal

Date assigned
Wednesday, February 13

Assignment
Watch Senator Marco Rubio's rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union speech (link here).

While watching, record at least 5 specific differences between Obama's speech and Rubio's rebuttal. Summarize the differences, and record the different solutions that Rubio suggests (if he suggests any).

Due date
Friday, February 15

In class: State of the Union

Date assigned
Wednesday, February 13

Assignment
Watch President Obama's State of the Union speech (link here).

While watching, record at least 10 issues President Obama brings up, as well as his position and suggested solutions.

EXAMPLE:

Issue - Gun violence

Position - Obama wants more gun control laws, particularly involving banning high-capacity magazines (no more than 10 bullets) and enforcing background checks for all gun sales to prevent people with criminal records from purchasing guns.

Suggested solutions - Obama wants Congress to pass laws that 1) ban high-capacity magazines; 2) require background checks for all gun sales; and 3) punish people who sell guns to criminals. Obama is willing to take executive action if Congress doesn't act.

Due date
Wednesday, February 13, end of class

Monday, February 11, 2013

In class: The drone debate

The drone debate slide presentation from Monday, February 11 is located here.

Krystal Ball defending due process violations by Obama over Bush - http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/02/msnbc-host-trusting-obama-more-than-bush-isnt-hypocritical/273018/

Should a drone strike be used on Christopher Dorner - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/11/chris-dorner-drones-lapd/print

Questions

1) Is Krystal Ball's position defensible or is it hypocritical to trust one president with a power that you wouldn't trust to another president? Defend your position.

2) If the president is claiming the power to use drone strikes to eliminate American terrorist suspects in Yemen, should he also have the power to eliminate someone like Christopher Dorner, who could easily be considered a domestic terrorist? Why or why not?

Friday, February 8, 2013

In class: Drone strikes and Guantanamo Bay

Brennan dodging Senate confirmation questions about whether waterboarding constitutes torture - http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/07/brennan-refuses-to-say-whether-waterboarding-is-torture/

Map of drone bases and targeted groups in Africa - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/national-security/drones-and-spy-planes-over-Africa/index.html

Tracking the # of drone strikes since 2004 - http://apps.washingtonpost.com/foreign/drones/

Deaths from drone strikes in Pakistan - http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/drones

Map of drone strikes in Yemen - http://yemendrones.newamerica.net/

Cluster bomb strike in Yemen - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/yemen/7806882/US-cluster-bombs-killed-35-women-and-children.html

US newspapers withholding info about drone base in Saudi Arabia - http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/feb/06/us-newspapers-accused-complicity-drone

Lincoln's 1863 executive order about assassination - http://www.suvcw.org/education/documents/liebercode.htm

Reagan's 1981 executive order about assassination - http://www.tscm.com/EO12333.html

Obama's Dec. 2007 answers about presidential power and due process - http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/CandidateQA/ObamaQA/

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

In class: Expansion of presidential military powers

The Drone Strikes slide presentation from Wednesday, February 6 is located here.

Article II of the Constitution discussing the executive branch can be found here.

Further information on Obama's drone strike policies and the memo that was leaked on Tuesday, February 5:

http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/attorney_general_holder_defends_execution_without_charges/

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/10/how-team-obama-justifies-the-killing-of-a-16-year-old-american/264028/

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/02/obamas-memo-on-killing-americans-twists-imminent-threat-like-bush/272862/

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/02/20132517311796860.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/05/senators-threaten-confrontation-with-obama-nominees-over-drone-concerns/

http://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-statement-on-doj-memo-on-the-killing-of-americans-during-counterterrorism-operations

Friday, January 25, 2013

Homework: Gerrymandering

Date assigned
Friday, January 25

Assignment
You have 3 options:

1) Finish watching the movie about gerrymandering that we started in class: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/gerrymandering

2) Read two Slate articles about gerrymandering in the 2012 election (here and here)

3) Play the Redistricting Game! Complete all 5 missions on beginner - http://www.redistrictinggame.org/

When you finish one of those three options, write a half page about your option. Summarize the second half of the movie, or respond to the Slate articles, or write about what you needed to do to finish the redistricting game.

Due date
Monday, January 28, beginning of class

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

RECURRING HOMEWORK CHANGE: Weekly news

We are modifying the Democracy Now assignment (link here). You are no longer required to watch Democracy Now on Tuesdays and Thursdays and write 5 questions and 5 summaries.

The new assignment

Twice a week, watch the news. The source can be of your choice. If you want to watch TV news, great. If you want to use internet sources, great. If you listen to news on the radio in your car, great. Here are some suggested sources (in alphabetical order):

On TV
ABC
CBSCNN
Fox News
MSNBC
NBC

Radio
National Public Radio - 91.5 FM

Online
Al Jazeera - http://www.aljazeera.com/
BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/
Democracy Now - http://www.democracynow.org/
National Public Radio - http://www.npr.org/
The Young Turks - http://www.youtube.com/theyoungturks

Then write a response to the news. It can be a list of questions you have. It can be summaries of the stories. It can be an in depth response about one or two stories. Get at least a half page of writing down in response to the news twice a week, and turn both responses in every Friday.

Recurring due date
Two responses, every Friday.

Test: 2nd quarter final exam study guide

Your 2nd quarter final exam study guide can be found here.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

In class: More lobbying links

HSBC drug money scandal article: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/outrageous-hsbc-settlement-proves-the-drug-war-is-a-joke-20121213

HSBC drug money scandal video: http://www.democracynow.org/2012/12/13/matt_taibbi_after_laundering_800_million

HSBC lobbying 3rd quarter 2010: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9K5VAO81.htm

HSBC lobbying totals: http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000021791&year=2011

Former lobbyist (and convicted felon) Jack Abramoff talks about lobbying in Washington: http://www.upworthy.com/a-former-lobbyist-talks-about-what-he-used-to-do-for-a-living-and-its-horrifyin

Monday, January 14, 2013

In class: Lobbying essay

In class essay – Friday, January 18

Congress has control over hundreds of billions of dollars of discretionary spending every year. They have the ability to control tax rates. They decide which industries get subsidies. They make the laws that govern safety regulations, environmental standards, and even have the power to declare pizza a vegetable. Lobbyists spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year trying to persuade members of Congress to vote a certain way. Some say that lobbyists from opposing industries and interest groups balance each other out. Others call lobbying a form of legal corruption.

Should lobbyists be allowed to influence members of Congress with campaign money?

Write a 5-paragraph essay supporting or opposing lobbyists in our system of government. Give specific reasons to support your opinion.

In class: Lobbying links

CBS news report - http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57527490/behind-the-closed-doors-of-washington-lobbyists/

CBS news report transcript - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1am57DBEAkxwqXcmN0lrNudOTLNbMIvH5qUBhqRLwWkA/pub

Pro-lobbying advertisement - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q46kxNc5BLE&safe=active

Dick Cheney and the "revolving door" - http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2000/08/cheneys-multi-million-dollar-revolving-door

Cheney's stock options at Halliburton - http://lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=254548

Pizza = vegetable - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2062056/Pizza-vegetable--covered-tomato-paste.html

The New Price of American Politics - http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/10/the/309086/

Friday, January 11, 2013

In class: Citizens United and Super PACs