Congress to Repeal ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’

Congress could vote as early as Thursday to repeal the controversial “don’t ask don’t tell” policy that prevents gays and lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. armed forces. (5/25/10 ABC News, Jake Tapper, Luis Martinez, and Huma Khan) … Read Article

1. Discuss the political argument against the proposal to repeal ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ according to the article.

2. Discuss the role of the Pentagon (also known as the Department of Defense) as a bureaucracy in the process of passing the “compromise amendment.”

Republicans Crafting A New “Contract With America?”

House Republican leaders are beginning the process of crafting a 2010 version of the “Contract with America ” that proved so successful for the party in the 1990s. (5/25/10 ABC News, Teddy Davis) … Read Article

1. Compare the Republican and Tea Party political ideology based on the information in the article.

2. Discuss the “party of no” image that the Republicans are trying to shed. In other words, why are the Republicans being referred to as the “party of no?”

Tea Party Activists Unveil ‘Contract From America’

Tea Party activists are once again descending on Washington, D.C., and this time they have a 10-point “Contract From America” that they want the next Congress to follow. (4/15/10 ABC News, Teddy Davis) … Read Article

1. Discuss the principles on which the Contract From America is based.

2. According to Newt Gingrich, how is his Contract With America in 1994 different from the Tea Party’s Contract From America.

A Post-Racial America: Are We There Yet?

According to Andrew Young, the American politician, diplomat and civil rights legend, the tea party movement is one sign the country hasn’t reached a post-racial era. (5/25/10 ABC News, Devin Dwyer) … Read Article

1. What, according to the article, does Andrew Young and his godson have in common?

2. Who are the examples of “humanitarian capitalist” according to Andrew Young?

(Video)The Oil Spill: Who’s To Blame?

At a congressional hearing, executives from British Petroleum and Halliburton each faulted one another for the recent massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (5/11/10 CBSNews, Nancy Cordes)

1. Describe the relationship between Transocean, Halliburton, and BP?

2. Discuss the action the Obama administration plans to take, according to the video.

(Video)Oil Spill Environmental Issue

Harry Smith interviews environmental toxicologist Luann White about the biggest environmental concern for the Louisiana coast. (04/30/10)

1. What, according to the toxicologist, is the biggest environment concern regarding the oil spill?

2. What is the difference between the light crude and heavy crude in terms of the potential damage to the environment?

Polisci Students’ Opinion on Elena Kagan

In a recent poll we asked MPSL students whether the Senate should confirm Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court. The result: 48% of respondents said yes; 29% said no; while 23% is not sure whether she should be confirmed. In a similar poll by Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll, 70% of Americans think the Senate will confirm Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court; 8% think she will not be confirmed; and 22% is unsure if she will be confirmed. Results were retrieved on 5/25/10, 8:00 PM PST.

Some critics argue that Elena Kagan is not qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice because she has no experience as a judge.  What do you think?

Evicting the Family When a Child Skips School?

Under a complicated plan aimed at reducing truancy among its residents, the Omaha Housing Authority could, in a worst-case scenario, evict a family whose child chronically failed to attend school. (5/13/10 ABC News On Campus, Andrew Mach) … Read Article

1. “States … differ in the definition of truancy…” This is an example of federalism in practice. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of federalism based on how states deal with the problem of truancy.

2. Discuss the skepticism, by a staff of the National Center for School Engagement, about the plan that will be introduced in Omaha schools this fall.

Parents Fight Low Graduation Rates

“There’s a huge number of kids that enter the ninth grade, and there’s less than half of them that actually graduate the 12th grade, and I’m scared to death that one of those kids could be one of my own,” Jones-Cole said. (5/4/10 ABC News On Campus, Matthew Nojiri) … Read Article

1. Discuss the argument of proponents of mayoral control of schools.

2. Discuss the reasons why critics are opposed to mayoral control of schools.

Illegal Immigrants Make 1,500-Mile March to Washington

South Florida college students Felipe Matos, 23, Carlos Roa, 22, and Gaby Pacheo, 25, say their lives as undocumented immigrants have become so “unbearable,” they decided it was time to take their stories to the nation’s capital…on foot. (1/26/10 ABC News, Devin Dwyer) … Read Article

1. What did the spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say about the student walkers?

2. What did the ICE Director say about the case of individuals like Matos, Roa, and Pacheo?