Tighter and More Violent?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0424/p01s02-ussc.htm

Is the increase of violence acceptable along the US/Mexico border?

How can a peaceful resolution be reached between boarder agents and people making attempts at crossing into the US?

According to the article, what seems to be the cause of the increased violence?

Is protecting the US/Mexico border from illeagal crossing cost effective? Who benefits?

What advantages do US Taxpayers recieve from tighter border security?

Privacy vs Safety on campus.

Do colleges have an obligation to protect students privacy? or is the obligation to ensure the safety of their students more important?


Could invasion into medical records and disclosure of mental health unfairly discriminate against people?

Second Amendment!

I apologize for the delay, I’ve been busy winning baseball games:

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the
right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

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  How do you interpret the 2nd amendment?


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  What are the two interpretations the courts are struggling with?


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  Who are gun laws aimed at?


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  If Virginia Tech had lifted its ban on guns on campus could this catastrophe have been avoided?

Critical Thinking and the First Amendment.

Click here to comment and take the poll

The links are all posted to the right of the poll!

US Citzen again?

Are all US citizens protected by the US Constitution? What does the term “enemy combatant” mean according to the US Justice System? What is a "speedy trial"?

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

5th Amendment to U.S. Constitution

In times of war are these actions legal? Forgivable? Desirable?

http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2005/ag_speech_051122.html

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-usa-padilla.html

Stopping Drugs Use at What Price?

Do parents have the right to control the behavior of their students? Do families have “family privacy” rights?

For this post it would be great if you could actually do some research on “family privacy”.

Should schools test students for drugs? Why might schools want to get involved in weekend illegal behavior of students?

What might be an economic push behind this increase of drug testing?

Online Constitutional Rights

Federal courts have struck down an opportunity to regulate the Internet. How is this a first amendment issue? Does regulation need to occur? Can we prosecute parents,online providers, or web-hosting sites,web authors for not filtering?

NYTIMES ARTICLE


The 84 page decision.

Link to Brown's other site www.monticohort1.blogspot.com

Utah's Afterschool Club Laws

After reading the article from the NY Times, what seems to be the real issue for the citizens and the students of Provo, Utah? Do schools have an obligation to protect the moral well being of the students who traverse their halls?

How does the Equal Acess law of 1984 impact the effectiveness of this law?

What has to happen for the validity of this law to be decided upon by the courts?

Who gets to decide the "moral well being" of students?

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I have also sent an email inviting both teachers and students from several schools in Utah to respond on our blog.

Olympic Torch and the First Amendment

Today in class we are going to try something different!

We will :

• 1. pass out the laptop computers; (notice I used a semi-colon)
• 2. then we will log onto www.qhst-seniors.blogspot.com;
• 3. Then we will read the NY Times Article linked here together;
  
• 4. We will of course share our thoughts in a disscussion;
  
• 5. Then on our own we will read another linked article and post a comment.

ABC NEWS

Belifnet.com

Education Week

Wall Street Journal

Everything you need to know about the case!

Choose one of the above linked articles, compare it to the NY Times Article we read together, and briefly explain both sides of the issue and share your own opinion.

Below is from an Anchorage Alaska Newspaper :

On March 19, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Morse v. Frederick, a free-speech case from Juneau that pitted an 18-year-old high school student against school officials. A decision is expected before the end of June.

The incident
On Jan. 24, 2002, Joe Frederick, 18, unfurled a banner near Juneau-Douglas High School proclaiming "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." School principal Deborah Morse took the banner, which officials said promoted marijuana use, and suspended him. He appealed, then took his case to federal court, saying his constitutional rights had been violated.

The case
Judge backed the school district in 2003. Last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed and found that Frederick had a right to display his banner, "however vague and nonsensical." The school district appealed.

The issues
1. Can school officials punish student speech of this kind when it occurs off-campus during a semi-official school event? Officials say it undermined their anti-drug mission. Frederick's lawyers said it was not "disruptive" or "plainly offensive," two key tests set by the Supreme Court in the past.
2. Can the principal be held liable personally -- with monetary damages -- for violating the student's rights?

The lawyers
For Frederick: Juneau lawyer Douglas Mertz, with support from the American Civil Liberties Union.
For the Juneau school district: Kenneth Starr, the former independent prosecutor whose Monica Lewinsky investigation led to the impeachment trial of President Clinton.

Legalizing Marijuana

Should medical use of marijuana be legalized by the federal government? What political implications does this debate have? What economic factors might have an influence on the federal court system?

How did the fact sheets help you discuss the article from the NY Times better?

Principal's Monologue

Wow! Interesting class... Probably unique to a senior government class. According to what was understood in class have the girls constitutional rights been violated? Should schools be a haven of free speech or do school administrators need to consider the concerns of the public they are paid to serve? Should the school be scrutinized by the same democratic republic that keeps watch over the rest of the country? Are schools exempt from censorship? Are schools exempt from upholding constitutional rights? Whose stage were the three girls in Cross River standing on?

Below are letters written to the editor by other readers like yourself.

To the Editor:
Re “ ‘Monologues’ Spurs Dialogue on Taste and Speech” (news article, March 8):
The controversy over the word “vagina” and its use in a reading by high school students of a selection from “The Vagina Monologues” calls to mind the current widespread censorship of the “The Higher Power of Lucky,” a Newbery Medal-winning children’s book, for its use of the word “scrotum.”

I understand the impulse that parents and school authorities have to “protect” children. As a parent, I certainly wish I could keep my son young and innocent for as long as possible, especially now when children are forced to grow up and confront adult issues and matters much earlier than before.

Still, if we, as adults, put forward the correct words for our body parts for even the youngest children, that may help lessen the use of the much more vulgar slang terms kids are more apt to use.

If we used the correct terminology to demystify and talk about our bodies, that could help defuse our hypersexualized society, which is much more harmful to our children than any particular anatomical term.

Beth Kneller Brooklyn, March 8, 2007
•
To the Editor:
The events leading to the suspension of three high school girls for saying the word “vagina” in a reading from a play that a New York Times reviewer called “probably the most important piece of political theater of the last decade” are beyond appalling.

Let’s be clear about this. This is not about insubordination, but about heavy-handed censorship. Whether the girls did (or, as they maintain, did not) agree to avoid the word, the principal’s actions before and after the reading were unconscionable.

Publishers take prior restraint very seriously, and when that prior restraint is to prevent the utterance of a medically correct term for a female body part, we say, “Enough!”

We would be delighted to send the principal some excellent books about free speech — including the First Amendment rights of students — as well as books on human anatomy, all published by our members.

Pat Schroeder Washington, March 9, 2007

The writer, a former Democratic representative from Colorado, is president and chief executive of the Association of American Publishers.
•
To the Editor:
A few weeks ago it was “scrotum” that was causing an uproar in the world of children’s librarians. Now, in Westchester County, 16-year-old girls face punishment for uttering the word “vagina” when told not to.

Perhaps this culture’s sad hang-ups over sex can be traced to its refusal to call a penis a penis, a scrotum a scrotum, a vagina a vagina.

And perhaps other problems can similarly be linked to its fear of plain speaking, whereby failure is “success that hasn’t occurred yet,” catastrophe is “a heckuva job” and a lie is a “plan for victory.”

Too many adults are in deep denial. Maybe listening to our children isn’t such a bad idea.

Mark Hussey

Upper Nyack, N.Y., March 8, 2007

Would really love to here your thoughts about this one!!!!!!

Why are Veterans Being Ignored?

With the lack of urgency to appropriate disability funds for Veterans for the Iraq War, and the surge in homeless veterans upon us, why is there no public outcry to help these men and women?.

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What tough economic issues do returning veterans present to the US?
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What political voice did these people have before the war? Why are they not being listened to now? Where is the outrage from congress? Why might some look upon complaining Vets as unpatriotic?

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Why are veterans being ignored by Americans after they return home?

Homeless Heros

On this post we are going to try something different. I found the following post on someone elses blog. I am a firm believer that it isn't necessary to reinvent the wheel constantly. Lets read the linked post, and respond there. Please be respectful of each other, and identify yourself as a high school student at QHST.

Death to Some

Why should the same crime receive the death penalty in one town and not another?

What is the authors opoinion on the death penalty?

Where in the US Constitution is the death penalty a means afforded to the state?

Do people who commit horrible crimes deserve to die? Should the U.S. keep the death penalty?

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says:

“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

The Eighth Amendment protects the rights of Americans after they have been convicted of a crime.

It protects people from cruel and unusual punishment. Cruel and unusual punishment means a really horrible punishment like torture. It also means a punishment that does not fit the crime.

The Eighth Amendment makes sure that you do not go to jail for jay walking. It also makes sure that you do not go to prison for life for stealing a little money.

Is the death penalty a cruel and unusual punishment? Some people think so and they believe that the Constitution forbids it.

1. According to the Eighth Amendment, what is a cruel and unusual punishment?
2. Why do some people think the death penalty is a good idea?
3. Why do some people think the death penalty is a bad idea?

Do we have a right to "marraige"?

Should Art in Public places be regulated by government oversight?
Is "art" protected under the first amendment?
Do all members of society deserve equal protection under the law?
Are all people under the law equal?
What is the legal argument against gay marriage?

The Article

"N-Word"

After reading the article form the NYTIMES with our class today many different opinions came forward. What was something from our conversation you remember? Should the language in the Bill of Rights be updated? Why/ Why not?

Should using a word be made illegal? Do we have the right to use the “n-word”? Our resident scholar Corrie pointed out how this might have serious cultural affects if people are prosecuted for using the “n-word”; is Corrie accurate?

When something is legal is it acceptable?


PS. please read the US Constitution?

Legally Responsible

Should schools be held legally responsible for the actions of the bullies they house? Should the Supreme Court Justices be able to dictate laws from the bench? How does our school deal with issues of bullying? According the article we read today in class and in the spirit of Acceptance Week please share you views on harassment in school by students and how this should be dealt with.

PS. if you have time read this ----> click here

New Recruits

Should the US Military Recruiters be more selective when choosing memebrs to train for combat?

NYTIMES Article

Penumbra Rights, Merck, and Texas Pre-teens

Should the government mandate the use of Gardasil

( to prevent HPV) in school-age girls?

CSMontior article 2/13/07

NYTIMES Article 2/03/07

Merck homepage

Gardasil information


Updtaed Atricle from Saturday 17th
EXTRA CREDIT
If you get a chance please post a response to this blog. ----> here

The Truth

Lots of information.... How has your view of AL Gore changed because of this movie? What is the former VP telling us in this movie? What can be done? What are we to do now that we know of the "Inconvenient Truth"?

NYTimes Article.

PS ..... This is the other blog I was talking about in class. After leaving your comment here about the in class movie click on the hyperlink and post a second comment on Mr. Tesler's blog. For bonus points click and post a comment here.