Patriot Act: Security or Privacy as the Priority?

Using the following two pages and other reputable sources, compare and contrast the arguments for and against the Patriot Act. Be prepared to cite specific reasons for your argument.

http://www.aclu.org/reform-patriot-act

http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm


If you find a statistic or interesting fact that you want to share with the class, please post it here:

http://corkboard.me/Cg89pSaQcJ

U.S. Incarceration Stats

1. Go to www.nationmaster.com and compare your country with the United States. Look for statistical differences in crimes such as robbery, drugs, murders, etc... You may also use any other statistic that you find to be of significance to the incarceration rate comparison. Spend a little time reviewing the information so that you are prepared for the blog prompt.

2. Record the information you find important into Pages for later.

3. Use google.com to find the penalty for at least three of the previous crimes that you have found. Do these crimes have a harsher penalty in the US or in your country? Does this affect the prison http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifpopulation difference?

4. If you find something in particular that you would like to share with the class go to http://corkboard.me/s1oQNOvFhO and post.

5. Post to the blog a paragraph detailing your findings. Be sure to answer the http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffollowing prompt: What are the contributing factors to the differences between your country and the United States in terms of incarceration rates, crime and punishment?

6. When finished, go to https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7LL8WNDFlw8U18xS1Q4clZRdWU5TFp6cVpCN2RpZw and watch the video on the Texas prison reform. In a separate discussion, post an answer to the following question: Do you think the new model in Texas will help curb incarceration rates in the United States? If not, what do you think is the answer to our current prison problem. Be sure to substantiate your position.

President Obama's Jobs Speech

In his speech to a joint session of Congress, President Obama urged Congress to "Pass this bill right away", referring to his plan to create jobs for Americans. Click here to read an article about the President's speech, and then respond to one or more of the prompts below.

1. How does television give the President the ability to put pressure on Congress to pass his plan to create jobs for Americans?

2. Do you think Americans will react favorably to the President's speech? Why or why not?

3. How important was it that the President proposed ways to pay for his $450 billion jobs proposal? Explain why you think so.

4. Which parts of the President's jobs plan did you like, and why? Which parts didn't you like, and why?

What did you think of the Republican Presidential Debate?

Tonight, Republican candidates for their party's presidential nomination with face off in a televised debate. Click here to read an article describing five things to watch for in the debate. Then respond to one or more of the following writing prompts:

1. Did you see evidence of any or all of the 5 things the article said to watch for? If so, which ones? Describe what happened in the debate in one or more of the 5 areas. Why does what you saw matter?

2. In general, what would make a candidate successful in a debate of this type? Are these the same qualities that would make a presidential candidate a good president? Why or why not?

3. Of all the candidates who participated in the debate, which one impressed you the most? What specifically did he/she do that impressed you? Was it enough to make you want to vote for that candidate?

4. Of all the candidates who participated in the debate, which one was the least impressive? Why do you think so?

Should the U.S. stop subsidizing fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels like coal and oil run the world, but we are slowly running out of them, and they are causing severe damage to the environment. Some people think we need to get more serious about developing and using alternative energy sources and lessening our dependence on fossil fuel energy.

Click here to read an article from the BBC about a proposal to stop fossil fuel subsidies. Then address the following writing prompts:

Do you think the U.S. should stop subsidizing fossil fuels? Explain why or why not.

Do you think the U.S. should stop subsidizing fossil fuels if other countries do not? Explain why you think the way you do.

2010 SUMMER PROJECT: Troublesome Higher Education Stats

The United States is still the world's superpower in many ways, but not in percentages of people with college degrees anymore. Click here to read an op-ed piece from the New York Times about this issue, and then address one or more of the following prompts:

There are many causes for the statistics on college degrees in this article. Describe the ones you think are the most important.

How might the U.S. having lower percentages of college grads than other developed nations impact our country?

What solutions can you think of to solve this problem and increase our college graduation numbers?

2010 SUMMER PROJECT: Elena Kagan Confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court

Today the U.S. Senate confirmed Elena Kagan as the 112th U.S. Supreme Court Justice, but only the 4th woman in history to serve on the highest court in the land. Click here to read an article about her confirmation, and then address one or more of the prompts below:

The U.S. Constitution stipulates that all federal judges, including U.S. Supreme Court justices, are appointed for life. Do you agree with this concept? Why or why not?

Does it matter that Elena Kagan is only the 4th woman ever to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court? Explain why.

Why do you think the nomination and confirmation of federal judges has become so much more political,partisan and controversial in recent years? Is this good or bad for our political system? Why?