Opponents who fear that Arizona’s tough new immigration law will lead to police harassment of legal immigrants and U.S. citizens who look Hispanic are set to demonstrate against the measure at the state Capitol Sunday afternoon. (4/25/10 Associated Press, Jonathan J. Cooper) … Read Article
1. Discuss the controversy surrounding the new law.
2. What solution has the governor proposed to address the fear of racial profiling and police harassment?
Appointment to a seat on the country’s highest court can be both a blessing and a curse, court insiders say. (4/23/10 ABC News, Devin Dwyer) … Read Article
1. Discuss what makes serving on the Supreme Court the cushiest job in the world according to professor Lucas “Scot” Powe.
2. Discuss the loneliness experienced by Supreme Court Justices inside the court.
Posted in Constitution, Presidency, Public Opinion, The Supreme Court
France’s government on Thursday announced it would apply a proposed ban on face-covering Islamic veils to visiting tourists as well as residents, even as skepticism mounted over the legality of the plan. (4/22/10 Reuters, Sophie Hardach) … Read Article
1. On what basis does the junior family minister support the ban on burqa?
2. Discuss the potential legal and political risks President Sarkozy faces by proposing the ban on the Muslim veil.
France is moving toward a ban on wearing face-covering Islamic veils in public, with the government set to examine a draft bill next month amid heated debate over women’s rights and religious freedom. (4/21/10 Reuters, Emmanuel Jarry) … Read Article
1. Discuss why President Sarkozy and many in France support a ban on women wearing the burqa in public.
2. Discuss the constitutionality of banning the Muslim veil in public in France.
In one of our recent polls we asked MPSL students their opinion on the nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia. The result: 38% agree that the treaty is likely to hurt U.S. national security; 49% disagree; while 13% is unsure whether the treaty is likely to hurt U.S. national security. In a similar poll by CNN/Opinion Research Poll, 70% of Americans think the U.S. Senate should vote in favor of the treaty; 28% think the Senate should not vote in favor of the treaty; while 2% is unsure. Results were retrieved on 4/25/10, 8:00 PM PST.
Some think that the nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by President Obama President Obama Russia’s President Medvedev is a step toward reducing nuclear weapons in the world. What do you think?
Do you ever get creeped out when an ad on a Web site seems to know something about you? Information about you is collected every time you go online. (4/16/10 ABC News, Becky Worley) … Read Article
1. Discuss how you can use your mobile phone to protect your privacy according to the article.
2. Discuss the actions demanded by the petition to the FTC.
Do you post an update on Facebook or send a tweet about your vacation plan? You may be asking to be robbed. (3/25/10 ABC News, Andrea Canning) … Read Article
1. What, according to Aftab, are the three main ways to stay safe?
2. There are over 400 million Facebook users worldwide. What caution is provided by the Web site PleaseRobMe.com?
Every time we hitch our lives to these digital wagons, we leave a trail of information that, for good or for ill, marks every twist and turn we take in the electronic frontier. (12/30/2008 ABC News, Leslie Harris) … Read Article
1. Discuss the “Fact” of the “Myth” that says “As long as a Web site has a privacy policy all your data on that site is protected.”
2. Discuss the “Fact” of the “Myth” that says “Privacy laws protect all your online transactions from misuse by companies.”
Following the lead of Wall Street and the banking industry, students at Syracuse University are looking for a bailout: Save them from the university’s choice of commencement speaker. They don’t want Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, to speak at the May 16 ceremony. (4/16/10 ABC News On Campus, Matt Markham) … Read Article
1. Discuss the argument for and against Jamie Dimon as the commencement speaker for Syracuse University class of 2010.
2. If you were a senior at Syracuse would you have supported or opposed the speaker-ship of Jamie Dimon. Why?
According to a recent study, about one out of every 200 words the average person speaks is a cuss word. John Blackstone reports on a California teenager who is trying to clean up profane language. (3/26/10 CBSNewsOnline)
1. Discuss the result of the demand by the president of the No Cussing Club to declare a no cussing week in California.
2. According to the video, what is the penalty for cussing in Mississippi, Virginia, and South Carolina?
