Invisible Children and School Chest

If you're interested in learning more, go here. Feel free to browse around the website, read about the history of the organization and the war in Uganda, the current status, the Invisible Children blog, and the latest campaigns. Pay particular attention to the protection plan and the LRA Crisis Tracker. If you haven't seen Invisible Children's latest documentary, Tony, you can view it here.
After you've explored a bit, blog about what you learn.  If you need questions to get started: What specifics and details are standing out to you?  Why?   What are your impressions of this organization?  Is their protection plan and crisis tracker an effective way to combat the issues faced by civilians in Uganda and the DRC? What do you think of this being the focus of School Chest?

If you want to help out, here is the link to the DHS Invisible Children donation page.

Abortion

Since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973 the debates over abortion have not ceased but instead have gotten more contentious with changes in focus and strategies by both sides. Both sides use legal, scientific, as well as emotional arguments with which to make their points and as a result, for many, the issue becomes muddled and confused. Today, your task will be to try to make sense of those arguments. Please blog your responses to the following:

1. The leading organizations on each side of the debate are NARAL-Prochoice America and National Right to Life. Click on the links and explore each of their websites. Look at their explanations of abortion laws, of different methods of abortion, and of current events in the abortion debate. Then, do a comprehensive analysis of each site/organization. Which is a better website and why?  Whose arguments were better and why? Which side seems to be winning the debate and why? How does either influence your opinion on the issue?
2. What do you, as a 17 or 18 year old high school student, think of these positions? Should a parent have the right to know if their daughter is having an abortion? Should they have the right to consent to it? Why or why not?
3. Should there be a requirement that the father is notified of a woman's decision to have an abortion? Should he have a right to consent to it or not? Why or why not?
4. Examine Illinois Abortion Laws (Note, these are compiled by NARAL,thus they are spun in a way that supports their position.  Be sure to look at these critically and note the bias in which they are described).  What are your thoughts on Illinois' positions on the abortion. Are there Illinois laws that you agree or disagree with? Is there anything in Illinois law that you would change?

Death Penalty Final Response

Before beginning your final post on the death penalty, read the text of  the speech that Governor Ryan made when declaring blanket commutation and the initial moratorium on the death penalty that led to its eventual end in Illinois.  Then read this newspaper article about the repeal of the death penalty in Illinois. 
When finished, write a post that describes whether or not you think the abolishment of the death penalty in Illinois was just.  In your response, make sure you reference Governor Ryan's argument as well as the reasoning behind the Illinois' legislature's decision.  You should also use several sources from the unit to support your position (films, articles, cases, research).
This post will be graded as an individual assignment as opposed to part of your blog as a whole.  Please edit and proofread to eliminate any grammar or language errors and to ensure that your writing is as clear and sophisticated as it can be.

Death Penalty #2: Response to Deadline

Below are questions developed by the producesrs of Deadline to guide discussions after a viewing of the film.  For your blog for the week of 10/25, choose one of the questions under each topic below to be the basis of a response to Deadline.

Race and Class

It is impossible to examine the system of capital punishment in the United States without considering the implication that race and class has on its structure.

• David Keaton was sentenced to death in Florida.  Seven years later, he was proven innocent of the crime, exonerated, and released. In Deadline, his brother says, “Growing up black in this state, you know, you really didn’t have a chance when it came to a crime. You know, they say that justice is blind, but justice really isn’t blind.” How would you respond to this statement? From watching the film, what role do you think race plays in capital cases?

• More than 80% of the people who have been executed, have been executed for the murder of white victims. How do you account for this? What effect might this have on perceptions of the justice system among people of color?

• Statistically, people of color and low-income people are more likely to be sentenced to death. Why do you think this is? How might vestiges of legal segregation and historic race-based policies impact the modern U.S. justice system? What measures could be taken to ensure a fairer system of justice?

Law and Politics

Deadline explores the death penalty in a political and legal context. The courtroom is one lens through which viewers can examine capital punishment. The role of politics, and in particular the strong role of Governor Ryan in this case, is also central to the issue.

• The film frequently references the 1972 Furman v. Georgia decision that the death penalty was in violation of the 8^th Amendment of the Constitution. The 8^th Amendment states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” How does this constitutional issue play a role in your opinions for or against the death penalty?

• There are currently over 3,000 men and women sentenced to death in the United States. Approximately 65 percent of American voters approve of the death penalty in states where capital punishment is legal. Why do you think the death penalty is so widely supported in this country? What forces do you think shape public opinion on the death penalty?

The Bigger Picture

Deadline explores the legal, political, and familial aspects of the death penalty within the context of the Illinois justice system. All of these issues can easily be expanded to a broader discussion of justice.

• Deadline depicts two inmates who were wrongfully sentenced and later exonerated (David Keaton and Gary Gauger), and other inmates whose guilt was not in question. Is there one position on the death penalty that you think is satisfactory in all cases? Do you think it is possible for a state to construct a foolproof capital punishment system where there is no risk of executing an innocent person? Is some margin of possible error acceptable?

• Some of Deadline’s most moving scenes consist of testimonials by murder victims’ families during the clemency hearings. What might you say to these family members, if given the opportunity? Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? What place is there for the wishes and needs of victims’ families within America’s justice system?

• John Allen Muhammad (one of the Washington D.C. snipers) and Timothy McVeigh (one of the Okalahoma City bombers) both received the death penalty after widely publicized trials. Their respective counterparts, Lee Boyd Malvo and Terry Lee Nichols were also found guilty of their crimes in similar trials, yet they received life sentences rather than the death penalty. How do you account for this apparent discrepancy in sentencing for heinous crimes?

• What is your reaction to Stephen Bright’s quote about the exonerated prisoners?

“This was the third person released by the journalism students at Northwestern, and of course it doesn’t say much for our legal system when people spend sixteen years on death row for a crime they… didn’t commit. And that ultimately comes to light not because of the police or the prosecution, or the defense lawyers or the judicial system, but because a journalism class at Northwestern took it on as a class project to see whether or not these people were guilty or not. You know, if those students had taken chemistry that semester, these folks would have been executed.” Stephen Bright, Director, Southern Center for Human Rights

Death Penalty: Additional Background Info

Now that you've looked at an individual case study and explored the law, it's time to examine the current status of the death penalty and how it operates. Please follow the steps below and blog your responses to the questions. Your responses can be separate paragraphs or one larger integrated piece.

• Read about the STAGES in a death penalty case. Be sure you understand all of the different steps inolved.
• RESPOND-What aspects of the stages in a capital case are designed to protect the rights of the accused? Do you believe that this system is sufficient to guarantee that only the guilty are convicted?
• Read about the different METHODS of execution.
• RESPOND-Which of these (if any) are the most humane? Should any be considered “cruel and unusual” according to the 8th Amendment? If so which? Why?
• Explore the state by state data found here. You can also see it in table form here, and here. (Note: While easier to read and compare in this format, these tables are only updated through 2008.  To get current state by state information go here.) Questions to consider as you explore include: Which states have the most inmates on Death Row? Which states have no death penalty? Which state has the most inmates on death row? Are there more blacks or whites on death row? Which state has the most women on death row? Are more men or women on death row? Why aren’t there any statistics for juveniles on death row? Which states currently do not have a life without parole option? What is the most commonly used method of execution in those states that have the death penalty? Which state has committed the most executions as of 9/08? Which state has committed the second most executions as of 9/08? Are there differences in number of executions by ethnicity? What method of execution is most common?
• RESPOND-What sorts of conclusions can you draw from this data? What does the state by state data tell us about how the death penalty is used? What regional or other trends do you see? What might this data tell us about issues of equality, arbitrariness,and justice?
• Click on this document to read the former Illinois Capital Murder statute.  RESPOND-what do you think?  Was it fair?  Should the crimes listed have death as a potential punishment?  Why or why not?  Go back to the state by state data and click on Illinois to find out the current status of the death penalty in Illinois.  Does the data tell you anything about why the Illinois death penalty is no longer in effect?  If not, make an inference.
• Take a look at the updated CHART put out by the death penalty information center.
• RESPOND-How does the information here influence your previous response? What does this data say about the economics of the death penalty? What does the data say about the influence of race on the death penalty? What does the data say about public opinion for the death penalty? Looking at the information overall, what point of view would you say that the Death Penalty Information center has? Is it convincing? Why or why not? What additional information would you like?
• BONUS-For Dexter fans.  Read the blog posted here.  RESPOND: If Dexter were caught, should he receive the death penalty?  Why or why not?

Drug Testing and Student Rights

Instructions for 10/6-10/7.

• Read the Board of Education v. Earls case in the packet.  Annotate using the Facts, Issue, Holding, Reasoning model.
• Publish a post responding to the Court's opinions in Acton and Earls.  What do these cases say about a students' right to privacy?  Do you agree with these decisions and what they say about drug testing?  Why or why not?  Be sure to use specific quotations that cite the Court's reasoning from each case in your response.  Choose the text based on your reaction to it?  What is provocative and why?
• Next take a look at the ACLU site on student privacy, this article about another recent case of a student search, and this article about drug sniffing dogs in schools.
• Add to your post.  What do these articles tell you about student privacy rights?  What do you think overall?  Are your rights being balanced fairly against the values and ideals that allow for the searches described?

Speech Codes on Campus

Over the weekend you spent a little bit of time learning about speech codes on campus, what they are and the foundations of the law behind them.  Today, you will take a look at how these might be put into practice.  To do so, please follow the steps below:

1. Read Jim Crow on Fraternity Row
2. Next look at the pictures in the this slideshow
3. Begin a new post on your blog and respond to the articles and pictures.  What do you think?  Should the behavior depicted be outlawed or banned on campus?  Why or why not?
4. Go to the FIRE website and read their mission statement and what they are about. 
5. Look at the "What are Speech Codes?" article and "About Speech Codes" so that you understand how FIRE is defining them.
6. Go to "Using FIRE's Spotlight" in order to understand how to use their database.
7. Go to the database and select a college or university that you have an interest in.
8. Go back to your blog and continue your post by responding to the following:
• Describe your chosen university's speech codes (or lack of them).  How do your university’s policies or restrictions on free speech impact you as a prospective student? Does it influence or change the way you view the school? Do you believe that your university’s speech codes are legal or do they infringe on your rights to free speech?
• How might your university react to the parties that you read about in the previous activity?  Would you agree or disagree with their reaction?
9. Spend any remaining time browsing FIRE’s website.  Explore their reports, articles, current events, projects.  Then continue your post.  What do you think of FIRE?  Do you agree with their perspective?  Do you agree with their definitions of what constitutes a speech code? Are the “restrictions” and codes they point out necessarily harmful or do they protect students?
10. Write a concluding thought.

9/11

As we head into the weekend and the 10th anniversary of 9/11 it is important to take stock of where the United States is as a nation 10 years after, what's changed, what has been strentgthened and what has been lost. For your next post, take some time and reflect on the impact of 9/11 to the world, our nation, our community,and you. Begin by exploring the following links. Read some of the articles (choose one to bring to class to discuss on Monday, 9/12) and then write your next post. In your post, you should have one paragraph discussing your thoughts about the film that we watched in class, another paragraph discussing any articles that you read, and a final, personal paragraph with your own thoughts about your relationship with 9/11 as a moment in history and it's impact on your life today.
9/11 News Links:
NY Times Topics
The Atlantic 9/11 10 Years Later
The Nation 9/11 at 10
CNN 9/11 10 Years On

Blogging Continued

As you continue to develop your blog, take some time today to make it your own. Play with the background and design. Think about the kinds of gadgets that you might like on your blog. Begin to create lists of popular links or blogs that you use or follow. Have fun with it.
For your second blog post, reflect on what we've been talking about in class over the last few days. What do you think about students' right to free speech? Is it broad enough? Is it too restrictive? Is it not restrictive enough? Are there any examples or stories you can share from your own experience? Work to use specifics and details from the materials given in class in your responses. Take some time to develop your ideas thoroughly. This post should be at least a couple of paragraphs long.
When you are finished you should browse other students' blogs from class. Read and comment on any post that strikes you as interesting. Decide if their blog looks interesting enough to become a follower.
Happy blogging!

Let's Blog!

Greetings Issues Students. Welcome to blogging, a world in which you will be able to comment and discuss the topics and issues from class as well as any other topic that interests you. I encourage you to use it for more than the minimal requirements for class, allowing it to truly represent you, your voice, your concerns and passions.
To get started, go to my website (link is also available in the link list to the right) and open up the Let's Blog document. Follow the instructions and start blogging!