Friday, December 18, 2015

Schools in Virginia Shut Down Over Islam Homework

The homework assignment aimed to give students "an idea of the artistic complexity of calligraphy."

Summary:

A world geography teacher from a school called Riverheads High School in Virginia shuts down after a homework assignment that caused controversy over religion and education. The assignment was for the students to copy a complex arabic phrase, to get a sense of how intricate the language is. The phrase itself said, “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah.” It was said that when students brought the assignment home, parents believed that this was a way of the school attempting to convert the students to Islam. The parents voiced their strong concerns, and wished for the teacher to be fired, even though the assignment was not made to influence the students’ religious beliefs. The school county was affected by the incident, and decided to remove Shahada from the course. Such a nasty backlash was coming from families through calls and emails to the school, that security was sent to the schools in the county. Eventually, several people kept their children out of the schools, which lead to the decision to close the schools down.

Questions: Do you believe the teacher’s intentions were to expose the students to the Islamic religion by having them copy the phrase, or was it randomly chosen? Are the parents prohibiting the teacher’s right of freedom of speech? How would you react to receiving the same assignment?

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/18/us/virginia-school-shut-islam-homework/index.html

Will GOP candidates’ strikingly hawkish stances alienate swing voters?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/will-gop-candidates-strikingly-hawkish-stances-alienate-swing-voters/2015/12/16/6773f610-a410-11e5-ad3f-991ce3374e23_story.html

On December 15th, in Las Vegas Nevada The republican presidential candidates gathered for their fifth debate. The debate was centralized around the topic of national security, and was full of very radical statements regarding military involvement. Below are a few of the most radical statements.

"On the campaign trail, Cruz has used tough and withering rhetoric on terrorism. He said recently in Iowa that he would “carpet-bomb” the Islamic State “into oblivion” and wanted to “see if sand can glow in the dark.”"

"I would be very, very firm with families,” Trump said. “Frankly, that will make people think — because they may not care much about their lives, but they do care, believe it or not, about their families’ lives.”"[Trump on killing the families of terrorists].

The main criticism of the debate is that the candidates were appearing to extreme. Yes, being as "right wing" as possible is one tactic to win the votes of devout republicans, but what about the swing votes? The statements coming from the mouths of these candidates will not attract voters who are not committed to a political party. The candidates are alienating themselves and only appealing to those as radical as themselves.

Also, saying all of these extreme statements to win the primary will leave the winning candidate in a risky position during the general election. Making these promises and being so far to the right, on the political spectrum, will cause less popularity in the general election because they have ignored a large audience of voters who are more in the middle of the political spectrum.

Questions: Are the candidates just trying to match up to the extremism of the frontrunner Donal Trump? Why are the candidates not concerned with winning the votes of swing voters?

Thursday, December 17, 2015

5th Republican Debate promises a Gloomy America

Summary: The 5th Republican Debate took place on Tuesday, December 15th, and national security was the central topic. All the candidates offered a variety of solutions on how to handle the crisis in the Middle East. The overall consensus, however, that with Obama in charge, America is doomed. All the candidates tried to portray the ISIS problem as the biggest crisis since World War II, making the the atmosphere of the debate gloomy.
Two candidates that were attacked repeatedly were front runner Donald Trump and establishment favorite Marco Rubio. Trump was besieged by floundering candidate Jeb Bush, who got under The Donald's skin multiple times. Mr. Rubio came under heavy scrutiny from Ted Cruz and Rand Paul on his foreign policy and his "weak" immigration policy and at times Cruz seemed to get the upper hand.
The overall winner of the debate seems to be Cruz, whose poll numbers continue to steadily rise. His hardline conservative message seems to be resonating with many Americans and with a strong performance at the debate, Cruz now can be viewed as one of the favorites.
Questions:
Are the Republicans justified in portraying America being in big trouble? Why are all the candidates trying to portray America like this? Who do you think is the most reasonable candidate on the GOP platform? And finally, who do you think will win the 2016 Republican Primary?

Some Teachers, Staff In Keene ISD Will Be Able To Carry Guns On Campuses

This past Wednesday night, school trustees of the Keene Independent School District, located in Keene, Texas, passed the "Guardian Program" on a 6-1 vote. This program allows select teachers and administrators to carry guns on the campuses of the 3 schools within the district: Keene Elementary School, Keene Junior High School, and Keene High School. Overall, the district is home to over one thousand students, which are all paired with a police officer. Superintendent Ricky Stevens, a strong supporter of the program, commented, “all the damage is really done before the police get there. What we wanted to do is do the best thing we could to fill the gap…so they [active shooter] wouldn’t have free reign.” On the other hand, the one dissenter of the program, trustee Dan Roberts, said "we should have more police officers or some other kind of enforcement,”, and that the district was moving too fast in implementing the measure. Under the Guardian Program, the school district assured that those given firearms would undergo psychological evaluations and gun training.

Questions:

Even so, do you believe that allowing teachers to have guns in schools will promote safety? Do you think that the positive effects overshadow the potential dangers? Should this idea spread throughout the country?

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/12/16/some-teachers-staff-in-keene-isd-will-be-able-to-carry-guns-on-campuses/

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Los Angeles Schools Shut Down

link: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-all-lausd-schools-closed-threat-20151215-story.html

Summary:
The Los Angeles area has been dealing with many issues of public safety in recent weeks because of the San Bernardino terrorist attack that killed 14 people. This fueled the conversation of terrorism prevention across the country. On December 15th the Los Angeles Board of Education received a threat depicting explosive devices as well as assault rifles and machine pistols. The district superintendent, Ramon Cortines, decided to close all 900 of the schools in the LA area which kept 640,000 students out of class. Across the country an identical email was sent to the New York Board of Education, but it was ignored because they believed it to be a fake. This has caused much controversy on how threats should be dealt with. Since then the threat was determined to be false and all schools are now back in session.

Questions: Did the LA school district jump the gun or did they make the right decision of being safe rather than sorry in light of the recent San Bernardino terrorist attack? What should politicians do to change the trend of rising mass shootings and terrorist attacks?

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Bush backs Obama, Turkey in Russian warplane dispute

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/25/politics/jeb-bush-turkey-russia-obama/index.html

Jeb Bush said Wednesday he supports Turkey in the dispute that resulted in Russian warplane being shot down Tuesday near the border between Turkey and Syria. Bush told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day." "If we're serious about that, Turkey needs to be an ally and we need to show support. I think President Obama was correct to say that every country has a right to self-defense."Obama said Tuesday that Turkey has a right to defend its airspace, but also urged the two countries to communicate better to de-escalate tensions as Russia continues operations near the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkey said they shot the plane after it violated Turkey's airspace and ignored 10 warning. However, Russia claimed their plane was down over Syrian territory by an air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16 jet. Bush said Wednesday that Russia could be an ally in the fight against ISIS, but added that would require the U.S. setting requirements for working with Russia and Russia abandoning its alliance with Iran in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Question: Do you agree with what President Obama said Tuesday? Is this right to say when we are ally with Russia in the fight against ISIS? Who should be our ally and who is our ally now?

Monday, November 23, 2015

Give me your tired, your poor, but not your Syrian refugees

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/world/paris-attacks-syrian-refugees-backlash/index.html

Summary:

While ISIS continues their push into Syria, many governors have come out against admitting refugees into their states. Govenor Greg Abbott of Texas claimed “Security comes first” and he demanded “the U.S. act similarly.” These governors have ordered their state bureaucracies to not cooperate with federal relocation programs, citing the cost of it and possible terrorist risks. In the light of the recent Paris attack, their fears are not unfounded, as several of the perpetrators seem to have entered France amongst the refugees. However, Europe’s refugees are drastically different than the ones the White House plan to admit to the United States. For starters, they are thoroughly vetted by the UN, then by the FBI, and finally by the Department of Defense. The United States will also be admitting families only, while most of Europe’s refugees are young males. Given all of these factors, it is highly unlikely that the refugees will pose any risk. Furthermore, they are not entering by the millions, but the hundreds. Since 2012, the US has only admitted 1500 refugees, although the White House plans to admit 10,000 more by the end of 2016. However, these are paltry sums when you consider that over 200,000 Vietnamese and 100,000 Cuban refugees were admitted in 1979-1980. Given this historical background, the situation seems fairly ridiculous; we are not talking about states closing its borders to hundreds of thousands of desperate refugees, but rather Mississippi turning away all 3 people who might want to live there.

Questions:

Should the United States admit Syrian refugees at all?

If not, what should be done about them?

If so, should the United States admit more? Canada has committed to 25,000 refugees. If the federal government were to match that figure proportionally, it would have to admit around 250,000 refugees. Do you think it should admit that many?

Should the states have the authority to say no to federal relocation programs?
Should the US do more to protect Syria from ISIS, thereby eliminating the refugee crisis at the stem?

Sunday, November 22, 2015

ISIS: Killers with Good Social Media?

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/22/politics/obama-isis-killers-social-media/

At a press conference in Malaysia this weekend, President Obama labeled ISIS as "Killers with good social media." The quote was made in response to the terror group's social media presence and reports made that suggest the terror attacks in Paris were foretold of on social media. The President decided to strengthen his rhetoric in regards to the terror group following criticism he had received earlier from his response to the Paris terror attacks, having originally described the attacks to be "a setback in the war against ISIS." The president vowed to not let ISIS tactics of fear break the spirits of the American people. The President has been under extreme scrutiny for declaring that the U.S. should take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees within the next year. Congress voted to suspend immigration programs for Syrian and Iraqi immigrants until the immigrants can be cleared as harmless by national security agencies. ISIS seems unpredictable, but social media may be our best bet for preventing further strikes.

Questions: Should U.S. Security agencies focus on monitoring ISIS on social media, tracking their possible IP Addresses and looking for any potential threats? Should the U.S. value the safety of the Syrian refugees and accept them into the country, or require maximum security to ensure that each individual immigrant is not a threat? Should the U.S. continue air strikes throughout ISIS regions, or mobilize soldiers to strike from land?

Super PACs and State Elections

Summary: Political action committees or as they're more commonly referred to, PACs, are political independent expenditure-only committees created for the sole purpose of raising and spending certain amounts of money for political reasons. These funds along with campaign contribution from donors are then used by the PACs to elect or defeat political candidates. A new type of PAC was created as a result of the US Court of Appeals decision regarding the Speechnow v. FEC case in 2010 and became known as "Super PACs". Super PACs could now raise unlimited amounts of money and don't have to report to the IRS if they filed 501(c)(4) status under the Internal Revenue Code. Eventually, because of the Federal Election Commission's unwillingness and/or inability to regulate these newly formed groups, the Super PACs now had greater freedom when it came to their actions as this meant that now there were no limits or restrictions on them or the sources of their funds. Proponents of the Super PACs often argue that their free speech is protected by the First Amendment rights and that the system in place is fair because they're not allowed to coordinate with the candidates. Opponents are frequently disturbed by the estimated $2 billion being spent by Super PACs on the upcoming 2016 presidential election. Additionally, opponents of Super PACs also state that the non-coordination regulations are nearly impossible to uphold. In this article, Paul Blumenthal of the Huffington Post discusses the role played by Super PACs in elections on both state and local levels to demonstrate how firmly ingrained these organizations are in our daily lives and how their involvement is almost impossible to evade, noting that no one is immune from their influence.

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/2015-elections-super-pac_5633d165e4b0c66bae5c7bbb

Questions: Are Super PACs harming US politics?
If so, should their influence be eliminated entirely or simply negated?
If not, should the FEC and IRS actually attempt to monitor and regulate them?

Trump Sets Off Rage With Call to Register Muslims in the US

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/20/opinions/obeidallah-trump-anti-muslim/

Recently, in light of ISIS Terror attacks in Paris, Beirut and other cities across Asia, Europe and Northern Africa, Donald Trump has made some very questionable suggestions on how to deal with the terrorism problem and keep it from reaching the United States. Shockingly, Trump told Yahoo News that he would consider requiring Muslim-Americans to register with a government database, or worse, mandating that they carry special identification cards that note their faith. Trump went even further to go and say that if things got really bad, he would consider shutting down all American Mosques. It is extremely surprising to see the GOP frontrunner for the 2016 election make such discriminatory comments about a large population of Muslim-American Citizens. How is it fair for the millions of law abiding Islamic Citizens to be forced to register and carry certain identification and barred from practicing their religion solely due to the actions of unconnected extremists thousands of miles away? Many have made the connection between Trump's ideas to have all Muslims carry special identification with that of Nazi Germany, who forced Jews to wear identification as part of the attempt to systematically segregate them. First, Trump targeted Latino minorities as part of his campaign, and now with his questioning of Muslims, it is clear that he has unjustified racial prejudice against minority groups in the United States.

Questions: Do Trump’s comments hold any merit whatsoever? Should Presidential candidates be held to higher standards in terms of free speech and discrimination of minority groups? What should be done on the Homefront to protect against terrorism?

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/07/us/obama-expected-to-reject-construction-of-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline.html?_r=0

Date: November 13, 2015

Summary: Over the past seven years there has been a debate over the Keystone XL pipeline. This was supposed to be a 1,179 mile pipeline, which would have carried 800,000 barrels of carbon heavy petroleum from Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast. When the pipe first started it was intended to be just an oil transportation project, but it soon got extremely political especially in mid 2011 to now.There are arguments for and against the pipe. Some individuals feel that it will help stimulate the economy by adding jobs and giving us more oil. They also feel that since the oil will be used anyway why not do it more efficiently while helping Canada and ourselves. While others feel that the cost is too great and that it will hurt the environment. Environmentalists had sought to block construction of the pipeline because it would have provided a conduit for petroleum extracted from the Canadian oil sands. The process of extracting that oil produces about 17 percent more planet-warming greenhouse gases than the process of extracting conventional oil. Since it goes cross border, the pipeline needs the presidents permission. However, Obama rejected the deal. Some felt that if he rejected it he was ignoring the American people, but others felt that it demonstrated his seriousness about climate change. This was one of Obama's last final major decisions in office.
Questions: Do you agree Obama's decision? Why do you think that Obama rejected it? Do you think that this help help raise awareness about climate change? Although people feel strongly about different arguments about the pipes, many are overblown and not as drastic as they seem. Why do you think this is, and why are things often exaggerated in politics Do you think that the over politicalization of the pipeline reflects that America is too wrapped up in politics thus hindering our ability to pass helpful legislation?

Sunday, November 8, 2015

University of Missouri's Football Team Protests Against Pres. Tim Wolfe

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/08/us/missouri-football-players-protest/index.html

Date: November 8, 2015

Summary: African American football players from the University of Missouri have joined forces in protest against the Missouri System President Tim Wolfe for his lack of action against the racism that appears on campus. The University of Missouri has an abundance of white students and many cases of students openly using racial slurs, yet, Wolfe has done nothing to stop them. One of the most recent incidents happened in August when a student used feces to draw a swastika on a dorm's wall, which offended not only the Jewish student organization, but the Black student organization as well. Because of the many incidents, the players refuse to participate in any activities related to football, meaning practices or games, until Wolfe resigns or is fired. One graduate student, Jonathan Butler, is even going on a hunger strike until Wolfe is removed from his position. Butler stated that "students are not able to achieve their full academic potential because of the inequalities and obstacles they face". Later, Butler included that he is "in this because it's that serious" and "at this point we can't afford to continue to work with individuals who just don't care for their constituents".

Questions: Has racism improved from what it was in the past or is it just the same? What actions would you take as the president of Missouri's four-campus university system to end racism on campus? Should race be factor when admitting students into colleges to even out the demographics? Why or why not?

Monday, November 2, 2015

Transgender Student Rights

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/us/illinois-district-violated-transgender-students-rights-us-says.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&hp&_r=0

Title:

Illinois District Violated Transgender Student’s Rights, U.S. Says

Date: November 2nd, 2015

Summary: Recently, the school district in Palatine, Illinois, was under fire for violating transgender rights which was because they were limiting them the use of gender specific bathrooms. In this specific case, a transgender female was restricted in using the women's bathroom, for it "made other students feel uncomfortable." The school decided that she should change behind a curtain, however, "the school district in Palatine, Ill., has not yet come to an agreement, prompting the federal government to threaten sanctions." The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education sent in a letter to the school board stating that all transgender students should have access to the facilities of their choosing, and that restricting transgender people is a violation of their rights under Title lX, which bans sex discrimination in schools and the use of private and separate bathrooms. The superintendent, Dr. Cates, said "parents had made it resoundingly clear that they favored 'maintaining some measure of privacy expectation' in the locker rooms." This is not an uncommon issue, for many school districts all around the US are struggling to find common ground on integrating transgender students in school, which includes locker rooms and sports teams.

Questions: What is more important, freedom of privacy or expression? Do you believe that transgender people should have the choice in what bathroom to go in or what sports team to join? Why or why not? Lastly, should this be a school wide decision, state wide decision or a nationwide decision?

Assault Weapons Ban Before Supreme Court

Link: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/assault-weapon-ban-u-s-supreme-court-n442056

Summary:

Recently, gun violence and possible gun regulations have been a major issue in the United Sates. One case in particular is challenging a law in Chicago that bans certain firearms (such as the common AR-15 and AK-47 rifles) as well as guns classified as assault weapons. Specifically, the law bans the sale, purchase, and possession of semi-automatic guns that can hold over 10 rounds of ammunition in a single ammunition clip/magazine.

The reasoning behind this was that these weapons need to be reloaded less frequently, which means that they can fire rapidly and cause more injuries. This law was upheld by a federal district judge as well as a federal appeals court panel. Judge Frank Easterbrook, who wrote the opinion on the case ruling, said that the law was upheld to "reduce the carnage if a mass shooting occurs".

The Illinois Rifle Association is currently challenging the law and its constitutionality. According to the Second Amendment, individuals have a right to own firearms for self defense. On top of that, the association is also stating that some of the firearms being banned are "in no way unusual," and even protected in other states by laws banning communities from restricting the sale of them. If the Supreme Court decides to hear the case, this law and others like it banning the sale of certain guns could be ruled unconstitutional and be abolished. However, if the Supreme Court rejects the case, the law would stand, and would boost efforts for other laws trying to impose bans on the possession of firearms.

Questions: Is this law banning the sale and possession of certain firearms unconstitutional, or would it help regulate gun violence? Should the Supreme Court decide to hear the case, and if so, what do you think the decision should be?

Friday, October 30, 2015

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gun Control

Article link: http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_28974167/gavin-newsom-propose-sweeping-gun-control-ballot-measure?source=infinite-up

Summary: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and a group of activists are pushing for harsher gun control laws for the 2016 ballot. California already has strict gun laws, for example: a 10-day waiting period for all firearm purchases, an assault weapons ban, and a ban on making and selling magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. California enacted its assault weapons ban in 1989, but those who already owned the banned guns and magazines were allowed to register and keep them. The new law would require owners to turn outlawed magazines into police for destruction, sell them to a licensed firearms dealer, or move them out of the state. Newsom's measure also would require licensing of ammunition sellers and background checks for all ammunition purchases. It would also require firearm owners to notify law enforcement if their firearm has been lost or stolen.

Questions: Do you think that it is acceptable for government to take your property and destroy it? Is this infringing the second amendment? Do you think that giving up rights as a citizen will protect us? Do you agree with Newsom about needing harsher gun laws to prevent mass shootings? Why or why not?

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Mass Incarceration

Link- (article is a 2.5 minute video)
http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/404890/prison-inherited-trait/

In this video from The Atlantic, Bruce Western argues that mass incarceration is a relatively new phenomenon and that today "we are no longer incarcerating the individual, but we're incarcerating whole social groups". The video shows that African Americans are incarcerated around twice as much as Latinos, and 6 times as much as Whites. Incarceration rates have grown 5 times as high since the 1970's and we incarcerate more than any other country in the world, about 5 times as much as the UK. Western also states that there is a 70% chance that a black male under 35 who dropped out of high school has been incarcerated, making it a "normal life event", and this has really only happened in about the last ten years. About one in nine African American children has an incarcerated parent. He ends the video claiming that ultimately the problem is that we have chosen incarceration to deal with crime, and that "we have chosen the response[to crime] of the deprivation of liberty for a historically aggrieved group whose liberty in the United States was never firmly established."

Is mass incarceration today's institutionalized racism? As it is relatively new ("last ten years"), is America becoming more racist? Crime is also highly correlated to economic problems, mental health issues, and drug addiction- Are we criminalizing social issues? Is putting people in prison the appropriate response to crimes (even if they are related to things such addiction, mental health and unemployment), or are there better ways to respond to these problems?

Monday, October 19, 2015

California Bans "Redskins" Mascot

Links: Both articles go together - "California Becomes First State to Ban "Redskins" Nickname": TIME Article (Read this one first); NBC Article

On October 11, 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a legislation that would ban the term "Redskins" from being used as a mascot, eventually eliminating all Native American mascots by January 1, 2017; a win for the National Congress of American Indians. This law was aimed at the four teams in Merced, Calaveras, Tulare, and Madera counties that bear Native American mascots. Although this law seemed to get quite a bit of support, it also received some criticism from those who wished to keep the name because it was tradition. One supporter of the tradition, Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, refuses to change the team's name because he claims that instead of focusing on the racial slur, America should focus upon the much substantial issues concerning Native Americans.

Questions: Do you think that using "Redskins" as a mascot is a tradition that should be kept or eliminated? What are your opinions of Snyder's argument against changing the name of his team? Should all teams with Native American or other racially suggestive mascots change them?

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Clinton's Emails Remain Contentious Topic in Debates

Link- Democratic Debate: Clinton Emails

The first Democratic Debate had Clinton, Sanders, and O’Malley voicing their frustrations at the over-coverage of the former Sec of State’s email controversy in the 2016 Presidential campaigns. Numerous members of Congress have previously contended that her use of personal email accounts on a non-government server to conduct official business during her tenure as US Secretary of State, and the deletion of nearly 32,000 emails before Clinton released her account to the Department of Justice, “violated State Department protocols and procedures”. Others have called the ongoing investigations on Clinton as a manipulated, partisan attack by the Republicans in Congress to weaken the potential Democratic candidate before the presidential elections next year. They note previous Speaker of House candidate Kevin McCarthy's comments on the House Special Committee on Benghazi (set up by a Republican-led House) as proof that the Republicans hope to utilize their majority in Congress to galvanize the public into "driving down [Clinton's] poll numbers".

If this controversy had happened to PRESIDENT Hillary Clinton, should she have been impeached? Who would have the jurisdiction to impeach the president? Do you think Clinton should be persecuted for her actions? And on what grounds (ie what laws did she violate)? What would Republicans be hoping to gain from this scandal?

3rd Period AP US Gov't & Politics

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