Debating the Death Penalty -- Resources

Constitutionality
http://www.thisnation.com/question/018.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/colorado-death-penalty-ca_n_2773237.html
http://www.aclu.org/capital-punishment/case-against-death-penalty

Arguably pretty objective:

Pew Forum. This website does a nice job of showing both sides of the issue, with an emphasis on some of the recent Supreme Court cases that have involved the death penalty.
http://www.pewforum.org/topics/issues/Death-Penalty/

Has bias, but still reliable sources:

Supports the death penalty:
This is a website that is organized by the lead prosecutor for Clark County, Indiana. This site is very well known and respected for containing a large amount of verifiable data related to the arguments in support of the death penalty.  (there is also a link off of his site that has a list of many additional pro-death penalty sites)
http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/death.htm

Opposes to the death penalty:
American Civil Liberties Union: Clealy opposes the death penalty and has a lot of information to support their point of view.
http://www.aclu.org/capital-punishment

Just cool...
Very cool website for both sides of the argument. This is how others have debated this topic, included the major reasons pro/con and the sources used to support their point of view:
http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/capital-punishment/house-supports-death-penalty

And, again our grounding website for objective analysis of the issues:  Today, we're going to be looking solely at one website, ProCon.org. This is a pretty fabulous website that focusses on looking at controversial issues by providing both sides as objectively as possible.

• Overall reasons why people are either for or against the Death Penalty

http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002000

• The background on exactly what the Death Penalty is, what qualifies as a crime worthy of the death penalty, where the death penalty is legal, etc.

http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.subissues.php?issueID=000132

• Some of the specific reasons why people are either for or against the Death Penalty. 

1. Moral and Ethical Issues

2. Legal Considerations

3. Deterrence and Retribution

4. Social Issues

5. Death Penalty vs. Life in Prison

Rubric for Jury

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jcEJlhZdKR4MRyotVoPGAtufq1_RJAfSiupmLBw34-0/edit?usp=sharing

Should the Drinking Age be Lowered?

Link to the Questions from the Jury...

Topic Document for Class -- you have only viewing permission. You need to make your own copy so you can edit.  Please share with me and give me editing privileges...

Groups of 2: Please sit together:

Luke -Megan
Grace - Noam
Rachel -- Harry
Fatima - Sydney
Rachel - Jake
Jasmine - Caroline
Artiom -- Caitlin
Kate - Shamil
Dyllan - Kati
Jake - Enya
Gale -- solo

America's Next Top Issue!

Selected Debate Topic For Period 2, Even day:  Should drinking age be lowered from 21?

Starring, in no particular order:

1. Kati and Enya -- Should animals be used in scientific or commercial testing?
2. Kate and Gale --Is Milk dangerous to humans?
3. Jake and Luke -- Are video games increasing youth violence?
4. Shamil and Noam -- Are video games increasing youth violence?
5. Fatima and Sydney -- Do standardized tests improve education?
6. Dyllan and Harry -- Are video games increasing youth violence?
7. Rachel and Grace -- Is Milk Dangerous to humans?
8. Jasmine and Caroline -- Should drinking age be lowered from 21?
9. Megan and Caitlin -- Should marijuana be used for medical purposes?

America's Next Top Issue!

Starring (in no particular order):

1. Pierce and Christie -- Is Milk Good for humans?

2. Eddie and Sam -- Is Alternate Energy a Viable Alternative to Fossil Fuels?

3. Jojo and Carolyn -- Is the use of standardized testing improving education?

4. Zach and Manav -- Should animal testing be legal?

5. Jonathan and Gus -- Should gay marriage be legal?

6. Taylor and Catherine -- Should driving age be raised?

7. Sergio and Peter -- Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?

8. Jackie and Chloe -- Should the drinking age be lowered?

9. Isabel and Selena -- Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?

10. Elise and Abbie -  Are social networking website good for our society?

Let's debate...you help pick the next topic!

I love this website, http://www.procon.org.   It takes issues that have clearly defined sides and tries to objectively provide various points of view in an organized and reliable way.

Here's what I'm going to ask you to do:

In pairs, you are going to do the following:

1. Spend 15  minutes looking at this site, checking out various topics that interest you.

2. Narrow down to 1 issue that you can agree on being a topic that you think this class would enjoy debating. Consider the following when deciding:
    -- Do you think that the majority of people in the class would find this topic interesting and engaging to learn about and debate?
   -- Do you think that the topic can be understood with some background learning? (you don't want to pick an issue that is too challenging, but just right!)
   --Is this issue a topic that would be appropriate to learn about in school? (I honestly think almost any topic is, but just think about this a little. Some issues might be more appropriate to discuss with family or outside of class.)

3. Create a 30 second-1 minute 'infomercial' to try to convince your classmates that this topic is worth debating. Consider creative word choice, ways of persuading students that this issue is worth discussing, and a unique approach to 'selling' them this topic. (Write down your 'infomercial' details so you can share with the class and perform them by the end of class)



 

We're Debating Today!

The Plan:  15 minutes to get ducks in a row.  Make sure your group has a clear plan of who is opening, who is owning particular reasons/topics, make sure you have specific evidence to bring into the debate, and make sure you have a person tasked with closing the debate (which may not happen until Day 2 of this debate)

Jurors:  Sam, Jackie, Elise, Selena, Isabel

What we think of this? (Thanks Enya for finding!) Agree? Disagree? Relevant? Irrelevant?

More Gun Rights or More Gun Control?

We’re Debating Next Fri 10/18

Today – Finding sources to help find the arguments for the OTHER side of the debate (Pro-Gun Control)

Today’s class:  Choose 1 of these articles and GO TO TOWN…find specific pieces of evidence that counters all that you learned about earlier this week from the Pro Gun Rights argument. WRITE DOWN THE EVIDENCE AND THE SOURCE!

http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

http://www.bradycenter.org

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/17/the-second-amendment-is-all-for-gun-control.html

http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states

Wed – Getting into groups (1/2 Pro and ½ Con) – will assign openers, leading questioners, closers

Fri -- Debate

Introducing our next new debate topic: Gun Control

What does the second amendment say?

It reads:  “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”  

The word infringed means “limited”, but this amendment has been interpreted in different ways.  Some focus on the “right of the people” wording and suggest that this means the government cannot put many/any restrictions on a person’s right to have weapon if they so choose. Others focus on the phrase about “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security” suggest that the writers were making sure that volunteer militias like the ones that existed in the late 1700s would have the ability to keep weapons, not individual people. They further argue that since we have a full time army now (not a volunteer militia), this right as not as needed or important as it once was.  

Questions we need to think about as we look into this issue: 

1. Should there be a guaranteed right to bear arms as it is currently states in the Constitution?

2. Is there a need to make more gun laws to make the United States a safer country?

3. What is the role of government in deciding who should have access to guns, how many/what kind of guns people should be able to purchase, and how people should handle/use guns they are in possession of?

4. What are the rights of people who want guns vs the rights of people who do not want guns? And how can they coexist?

Today is going to reading a little background on the topic, but then focusing in small groups what information we actually want to learn about. This will help drive our next class and allow us to get very focused on what material we need to find (I'll do a lot of the digging, but I want to have you tell me what you are looking for).

Shutdown

Here's what the cartoonists are saying about the shutdown...

What's going to happen in Washington, D.C?

Will the Government Shutdown tomorrow?

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/27/us/who-goes-to-work-during-government-shutdown.html?smid=pl-share

What are Political Cartoons all about...your turn!!

There are 2 websites that I'm going to encourage you to explore.

Collection of Political Cartoons, compiled by Daryl Cagle.
http://www.cagle.com

Collection of Political Cartoons, compiled by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/

We're going to use the Library of Congress Cartoon Analysis Guide to help us with this activity.

Showdown in Washington DC!

Yesterday, Senator Ted Cruz from Texas began a pseudo-filibuster on the Senate floor to show his opposition to the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) that is set to go into effect next week, Oct 1.  Here is just a snapshot of what he had to say...


He began speaking on the  Senate floor at 2:41 p.m. 

Official definition of a filibuster:

filibuster - Informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length, by offering numerous procedural motions, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions. When there is a true filibuster occuring, no other Senate action can take place. (http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/filibuster.htm)

What Senator Cruz is doing and why it is not a true filibuster: The vote is already scheduled and will take place at 10am on Wed, regardless of whether Senator Cruz is still talking. Yes, that's right. It is possible (although highly unlikely) that the Senate would vote even as Senator Cruz is speaking. It will not delay the vote.

Longest Filibusters in Senate History:
5. 16 hours -- 1981, Senator Proxmire
4. 18 hours -- 1908, Senator LaFolette
3. 22 hours, 26 minutes -- 1953, Senator Morse
2. 23 hours, 30 minutes -- 1986, Senator D'Amato

and drumroll please, the longest filibuster in history took place in 1957 by Senator Strom Thurmond. He argued against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. He spoke for 24 hours, 18 minutes. (He was unsuccessful)

Another graphic that shows basically what is going to happen next...

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/24/us/politics/what-congress-must-do-to-avoid-a-shutdown.html?smid=pl-share

Will the Government Shut down Next week?

ISSUE: If the Congress does not vote successfully on a federal budget, parts of the government will begin to shut down.  This delay in passing a budget rests largely because many Republicans are very upset that the new Healthcare Law will go into effect beginning next month. Some Republicans are attempting to delay a vote on the Federal Budget unless the Obama Healthcare Law is defunded, or basically dropped. Most Democrats have refused even to consider this since the law was passed successfully by Congress last year, upheld by the Supreme Court as Constitutional, and they believe should be funded and rolled out.  This is the setup to the political war that is unfolding as we speak in Washington, D.C.

Goal for today's class:  Get a basic sense of what is happening, and why. See what different people have to say, and perhaps hear what you think:

Let's start with the Political Cartoonists! First, some visuals to set the stage: (WARNING: SOME OF THESE ARE INCREDIBLY BIASED AND DEFINITELY HAVE A PARTICULAR POINT OF VIEW!!! That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you need to be aware that these artists have a particular opinion that they are sharing with you!)

When is HW too much? One Parent's experience at trying to keep up with his daughter's HW for a week!

So, I'm super uber curious what people think about this article. It came out on Thurs of last week and it's all about one father's experience trying to complete his daughter's homework for one week.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/my-daughters-homework-is-killing-me/309514/?single_page=true 

As we all read this article, we're going to respond to one another's thoughts. However, it's going to be silent!!! Yes, silent.  We are going to do ALL our commenting, reacting, in writing.  My only ground rules. Stay thoughtful, stay respectful. Write what you would be comfortable saying out loud. Please don't abuse this freedom.

http://todaysmeet.com/toomuchhomework

4 Topics, 1 Period -- You choose what to read and react...

4 topics, 1 period

Pick a topic to read more about, then start having a discussion on Titanpad about what you are reading.  Consider the following prompts:

I was confused by...

I wonder...

I am concerned by...

When the writer said.....                  , it made me think....

Some questions this article bring up are...

I agree with...

I disagree with...

The Atlantic

My Daughter’s Homework Is Killing Me

KARL TARO GREENFELD

SEP 18 2013, 8:24 PM ET

What happens when a father, alarmed by his 13-year-old daughter's nightly workload, tries to do her homework for a week

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/my-daughters-homework-is-killing-me/309514/?single_page=true

http://titanpad.com/0NJZnB2mql

Noting 'crucial details' implicating Syria, Kerry pushes for urgent U.N. action

By Jill Dougherty and Greg Botelho, CNN

updated 7:17 PM EDT, Thu September 19, 2013

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/19/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

http://titanpad.com/0GgFsDNW0k

The next gun control debate — in 6 charts

By Aaron Blake, Published: September 17 at 10:04 am

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/09/17/the-next-gun-control-debate-in-6-charts/

http://titanpad.com/ki6qE6dgJd

Government shutdown gears in motion

By Jeanne Sahadi  @CNNMoney September 19, 2013: 11:48 AM ET

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/19/news/economy/government-shutdown-what-happens/

http://titanpad.com/XXl9WozO46

Supreme Court Lifetime Appointments...a good idea or outdated?

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we're going to sign up to Edmodo so we have a common space to share ideas, opinions, resources.  

I'll walk you through how to sign up, but here is code you'll need:  xt5sfn

Supreme Court Life Tenure...Once you've made, you're here for life!!

Some people think it's a GREAT idea!!

Alexander Hamilton once declared, "nothing can contribute so much to its firmness and independence as permanency in office".

Others, thinks it's gone terribly wrong.

Critic David Fagan suggests that the idea of life time appointments to the Supreme Court are outdated. "This decision, made over 225 years ago when monarchies were the main form of government, was, for the most part, due to the fear that politics would play too much of a role if the judges had to worry about losing their jobs under the king. I wonder what they'd say today. Perhaps a slight revamp, Your Majesty?"

Recently journalist Timothy Noah went so far as to say, "Life terms might make sense if Supreme Court justices had life spans comparable to those of rock stars. But they don’t. Possibly because they don’t typically abuse drugs, or possibly because they don’t fly as often on private planes, Supreme Court justices live much, much longer than rock stars."

What do YOU think? Let's read a little and find out!

Part 2:

Who is on the Supreme COurt?

http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/justices/fullcourt.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States#Current_justices

Let's start with Syria, and the Political Cartoons that tell quite a story...

What is happening in Syria, and the discussions/debates it is inspiring around the country and world also have inspired Political Cartoonists to take a stab at making some comments on the situation.

Some have used their talents to make comparisons and perhaps prompt people to take action...

...while others have highlighted some of the hesitation that many Americans are feeling about supporting another conflict involving the U.S. govt/military....

...still others have chosen to highlight that the action proposed by President Obama is potentially very risky, politically and militarily...

 ...and some focus on the credibility of believing the word of someone who maybe shouldn't be trusted...

What do YOU think?

Notetakers here's your link

4 topics, 1 period

Pick a topic to read more about, then start having a discussion on Titanpad about what you are reading.  Consider the following prompts:

I was confused by...
I wonder...
I am concerned by...
When the writer said.....                  , it made me think....
Some questions this article bring up are...
I agree with...
I disagree with...

Syria -- Major news that U.S. has decided to help arm the Syrian opposition.  
Titanpad link

Time Magazine Reaction and Analysis
http://swampland.time.com/2013/06/17/four-ways-obamas-syria-gambit-could-end/?hpt=hp_t1 

The wide-ranging reaction of countries to Syrian conflict
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/world/europe/split-over-syria-becomes-clearer-as-group-of-8-meets.html?ref=syria

The Holocaust -- The legacy and how the story isn't over
Titanpad link

Possible former Nazi commander living in Minnesota under assumed name
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/17/justice/minnesota-alleged-nazi/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Father's Day piece about a Holocaust survivor
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/lesson-hope-father-article-1.1373288

Fascinating discovery of a lost diary of a high level Nazi official (Thank you Brendan O'Neil for this story tip!)
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/us/nazi-diary

National Security Agency and Domestic surveillance
Titanpad Link

Reaction by the government, justification for program
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/17/politics/nsa-up-to-speed/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 

Opinion piece about Surveillance and living in US
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/opinion/keller-living-with-the-surveillance-state.html?hpw

Concerns over the domestic spying program
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/privacy-concerns-beyond-the-edward-snowden-saga-92869.html?hp=l9


Unrest in Turkey continues, with arrests of hundreds of protestors 
Titanpad Link

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/17/19001014-striking-workers-riot-police-face-off-in-turkish-capital?lite

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/world/europe/turkey.html?hpw&_r=0

Syria 101

A good background on the conflict in Syria.

http://jurist.org/feature/2013/03/the-syrian-civil-war.php

Another good site that shows some maps, statistics and background of the Syrian civil war. It has a cool interactive feature at the bottom of the page that allows you to learn a little more about the many players involved in this crisis.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/syria-dashboard/

So, the question is, knowing what is happening in Syria, should the United States intervene and get involved?

YES

Recent opinion piece by Christian Science Monitor newspaper on support for US involvement

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/0606/Why-US-must-give-military-aid-to-Syria-s-rebels

Another recent opinion piece by Boston Globe newspaper on support for US involvement

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/06/04/ominous-turn-syria/co6bN0jyhh4wS8zXhdaLpI/story.html

Short story on former Secretary of State under President Bush arguing for military intervention

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/condoleezza-rice-pushes-for-intervention-in-syria-on-cbs-u-s-doesnt-have-an-option-of-no-action/

NO

Opinion piece in Time Magazine by Fareed Zakaria arguing that military intervenion will not resolve things the way people think and that the risks might be bigger than the benefits.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2142505-1,00.html

Former Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, on why he opposes the US getting involved.

http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/05/12/303161/us-intervention-in-syria-a-mistake/