Food for the Blind is Closed

The new AP Gov course blog, The Hitchhiker's Guide to National Affairs, is here.

We've moved from a metaphor of blindness to one of needing a ride, and, of course, that all-important advice: DON'T PANIC.

A quick take on Hillary's speech

In her speech at tonight's conventions, Senator Hillary Clinton asked the questions that may very well convince her supporters to join the Obama camp: "I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?" This is an attempt to unify all the Democrats behind Obama. Will it work? Is Hillary eyeing a Presidential run in 2012 or 2016 already? Should Obama have chosen her as his Vice-Presidential candidate?

Final official word to 08 with scores and all that...

Hiya,

(if there is anyone still out there)

This page is still bookmarked and I noticed a new comment saying Hi to me.

So hi to ya'll right back.

Summer was already going great -- b/c that's what summer does -- when I was told that 77% of you passed the AP exam. Yay. A couple goofy threes notwithstanding, the results were pleasing in general but not optimal. So it goes. Mr. Corti and I will strive to do equally well if not better next year.

More than any % can measure, the collective you were a pleasure to teach. So thanks for that.

I'm also pleased to report that several Aragon alum are working full time on a political campaign (guess which one!) this fall. I'd trade umpteen "5" scores for one actual person in the field trying to improve the public area -- practice is greater than theory. But I still hope you got enough theory and rigor last year to make this fall's campaign a little bit more meaningful.

I don't know if next year's class will keep the name for this blog or move onto their own name, but whether this is the last post for this year, or for all time, you all take care and have yourselves a prosperous and safe first year of college.

Hurricane warning in the Atlantic

According to federal forecasters, there is a good chance of there being 6 to 9 hurricanes forming in the Atlantic. Furthermore, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials have supported predictions of some of these major hurricanes as well as mentioning the possible formation of an additional 12 to 16 storms. While the forecasters said there is a 60% to 70% chance of their predictions coming true, it's impossible to predict what mother nature will present us with. For example, in 2005 forecasters predicted 12 to 15 storms to appear during the season, but there ended up being a record breaking 28. With the upcoming season quickly approaching (June 1 - Nov. 30), it's vital that people living in hurricane prone areas are prepared, regardless of the predictions.

Company offers to clone family pets

We all know that cloning is possible, we also know that cloning is more-often-than-not quite successful. However, what you may not know is that companies have begun to offer cloning services for family pets. A particular company in Mill Valley, here in California, has been granted the sole worldwide license for cloning cats, dogs, and select endangered species. BioArts International, aptly named, was given this right under the "Best Friends Again" program. This program works together with a Korean company called the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation. The company will offer slots to customers willing to pay about $100,000 for the clone.

Should cloning be legal, or to what extent should it be legal? Cloning endangered species seems reasonable, but house pets? Or is it all just wrong?

Original Article: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/05/22/company_offers_to_clone_family_pets/1594/

Gay Iranian Takes Refuge in British Asylum

Mehdi Kazemi, a gay Iranian student was granted right to Asylum from Britain in order to escape possible conviction and death in his home country. After going to England to study, Kazemi discovered that his lover had been hanged by the Iranian government as punishment for breaking Iranian anti-sodomy laws. Most human rights groups believe that the law is a pretext for discrimination. While reading the original article I kept seeing similarities (with the exception of the death penalty) between this and the Texas anti-sodomy laws. The discrimination brought by the Iranian anti-sodomy laws kept reminding me of Lawrence v. Texas.

Link to original article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/20/international/i174955D23.DTL

Senator Kennedy Diagnosed With Cancer

After being hospitalized due to a seizure last weekend, senator Kennedy was discovered with a brain tumor Tuesday morning. With the condition of Gliacoma, most doctors estimate the senator having one year left. The news upset many in the senate, in particular Sen. Robert Byrd, who wept for Kennedy during a speech on the Senate floor. Having served 46 years in the Senate, Edward Kennedy influenced a major portion of American policy and left a great impression on politicians and citizens alike. Recently Kennedy has been on the national spotlight for endorsing Barack Obama in the Democratic Primary Election. Kennedy is not up for re-election until 2012, however it is unlikely that he will be able to fulfill his term with his current condition.

Original Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/kennedy;_ylt=Ag2XkWcl7Y9wT1N180QwcwOs0NUE

Liberia's Cannibalistic Ex-President

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is on trial for war crimes committed during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Charges include murder, rape, torture and using children as soldiers. During the trial a witness testified that Taylor ordered his soldiers to eat their slained enemies, a questionable technique used to scare enemies. The witness Joseph "Zigzag" Marzah, former chief of operations, also testified that Taylor casually ate a human liver. Charles Taylor denies being a cannibal and ordering soldiers to eat slained enemies and pleads innocent to the war crime charges. The court has yet to make its decision.



Link to the original article: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/05/19/taylor.trial.ap/index.html

American Sniper Uses Quran for Target Practice

According to recent news brought by Yahoo( http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080518/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq) a American soldier has been kicked out of Iraq by U.S. millitary commanders for using a Quran as a practice target. The Quran was found on May 11th by Iraqi police, with 14 bullet holes. In a apology ceremony, a U.S. commanding officer kissed a new copy of a Quran in front of a local Sunni tribe in hopes of preventing escalation in reaction to the actions of the American sniper. Though the apology was accepted, it isn't the first time American soldiers have abused the Iraqi people and customs. The U.S. millitary emphasizes that co-operation with Sunni tribes is vital for succes in Iraq. If U.S. soldiers continue to offend Sunni tribes, then they will be less likely to work with U.S. forces. Will the recent abuses and other events influence the U.S. to finally begin the process of leaving Iraq? To what extent will Sunni tribes co-operate with the U.S.?

Rights for Same-Sex Couples

The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday. ruled that sexual orientation "does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights." This ruling will take effect in 30 days. This was brought to court when several gay couples, the city of San Francisco and gay rights groups filed a lawsuit claiming unlawful discrimination when a lower court ruled it illegal that San Francisco was issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Many people, including myself,  believe that this is a just ruling and it will cause broader acceptance for people who are homosexual. However, many people who do not agree with this ruling claim that a constitutional marriage amendment should be placed on the November ballot, and that a federal marriage amendment should be created. Although I know that the majority of the students in this class believe in establishing rights for same-sex couples, do you agree that this decision should be made by the public? Is it fair that something constitutional in one state is banned in the next? Could this ruling have national effects on marriage rights for people who are homosexual?

Natural Disasters: China or U.S.?

A friend of mine brought up a very good point following the earthquake disaster in China--why were we so quick to send them relief but took forever to get relief within our own country for natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina? Don't get me wrong, of course it's wonderful that we're doing anything we can to help in such a situation! But, something just seems really weird with our response to Hurricane Katrina (that most of us can agree was an almost total failure) against our immediate attention to this out of country earthquake.

This definitely needs more information, but anyone with any facts about how we've helped either situation, I'd love to see the research unfold!

Charges Approved For Accused 9/11 Terrorists

On Friday, May 9, a military judge approved charges against five men accused for plotting September 11, including the alleged mastermind, and rejected charges against a man suspected of planning to be the "20th hijacker." If they are convicted, the Guantanamo Bay detainees will face the death penalty. The sixth man, Mohammed al-Qahtani, will remain in custody as an enemy combatant because the charges against him were not approved. The civilian lawyer for al-Qahtani says that he had been tortured at Guantanamo Bay. She was not surprised that the charges against him were rejected because she believes that the military does not want him to be tried because military interrogators abused him. I think it is very good news that the men who took part in 911 are being brought to justice, but was it done so at the cost of torture? Although the claims of torture are not yet proven to be true, how far is too far? Are we willing to have questionable imprisonment methods in order to carry out justice and to possibly enhance national security?

Can Israel Survive for Another 60 Years?

Here's an interesting article by the reliably provocative Christopher Hitchens that I'm sure some of our more regular commentators will find interesting.

California's Huge Step to Preserve its Wildlife

The owners of a large stretch of land have reached a deal with a group of environmentalists to set aside the largest parcel of land for conservation in California's history. After many legal battles, the Sierra Club has finally come to the agreement that they would not challenge proposed development on the Tejon Ranch, which is a huge piece of land north of Los Angeles, in exchange for almost 240,000 acres to be preserved. This area is 375 square miles or desert, woodlands and grasslands. It is eight times the size of San Francisco and almost the size of Los Angeles. This land sits atop the Tehachapi Mountains and is home to many very diverse wildlife and plants. After nearly two years of negotiations, it is finally agreed that almost 90 percent of the ranch will be protected. Do you think this is a promising option for protecting our wildlife? Could it illustrate a stronger push in the future to protect the environment? How significant is this preservation?

Please Go To Class!!

I think most of us would agree that it would suck if we had to take an Economics final so please, please go to class!!

Reminder of TX v. Johnson

This week, a student has been considering filing a lawsuit against a teacher who placed his Mexican flag in the trash can on Cinco de Mayo. Facts seem to be a little wishy washy on both sides due to the student's lack of proficiency in Engilsh, but none the less his flag was physically placed into a garbage can by his p.e. teacher on a very special day. The teacher claims it was for school safety because of racial tension on campus and that he had no where else to place it. Yet again, we're back to our good 'ol list of cases that Mr. Silton has given us. Should different laws apply on school grounds? Or does high school violence give enough of a cause to limit carrying a flag around campus on a holiday, and therefore allow this teacher to take away his flag?

I know TX v. Johnson had to do with United States flag burning, but if we can't burn a flag, are we allowed to throw it away? To me, it seems like the same meaning in slightly different form. Yes, burning the flag is slightly more dramatic, but throwing it out is equally degrading to the meaning. Similarly, in a country built on freedom of almost anything possible and respecting the differences between people, should we be able to degrade OTHER flags in a country built upon citizens from all over the world?

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College Drug Bust

About 100 people, 75 of which were students, were arrested in an undercover drug sting at San Diego State University today. This investigation was initiated by campus police after a student's fatal overdose a year ago. Officials claim to have confiscated more than $100,000 worth of drugs in "Operation Sudden Fall," including four pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana and 350 ecstasy pills. They also took one shotgun, three semiautomatic pistols and $60,000. Among those arrested were students majoring in homeland security and in criminal justice, one even worked under campus police as a student community service officer. In addition to facing criminal charges, the students are also suspended from SDSU and have been evicted from their housing. How could colleges prevent these kind of "mid-level distributors" who sell more than someone might buy for personal use? Should colleges take these extreme measures in order to limit their students' drug use? Was this an appropriate way to handle the situation?

Drunken Pirate Loses Her Teaching Credential

Miss Stacy Snyder, who is 27, has lost her teaching credential from Millersville University because the administration caught wind of drunken pictures of herself on Myspace. She will not be able to get her credential now because of a picture of her in a pirate hat drinking from a Goodbar Cup with a caption that reads "drunken pirate" and her favorite activity was listed as "dancing like an a**hole." The University also said that she would not have received it anyways because she had "unsatisfactory performance" and "unprofessional behaviour." Her father, however, claims that, "I don't think its fair...She could have been a good teacher."
Does her behaviour really warrant a withdrawl of her teaching credential? Becoming a teacher includes making changes in your life so that you become a role model and do not encourage questionable behaviour.She was young, however, and had not graduated yet, so is this an extreme example? Lots of college students have pictures of themselves partying on myspace, so was it just bad luck that she got caught? How justified is the school's reaction?

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4791295&page=1

True-Life: What To Do About Criminal Pirates

Like the stories of pirate-hood in Pirates of the Carribean, recent boaters in the Atlantic have come upon violent men with money symbols in their eyes. Recently, Colin Darch was faced with such a problem. "With boats on each flank and almost 20 pirates armed with AK-47s, he and his five crew members would not escape. The pirates rushed aboard, firing their weapons into the air and ordering the crew to lie down". This mariner and his crew were quite lucky, it only took them six weeks to come up with $700,000. Unlike the 1700s, these modern-day pirates are now holding men for ransoms as large as 1.2 million dollars for a small crew. Maybe it's just me, but I always thought that this pirate idea was a crime of 3 centuries ago when people still believed the world was flat and had an end! Little did I know, the navy has been monitoring the waters off the East Coast of Africa for the five past years because of the increase in such water-crime. "The Navy works with France, the Netherlands, Britain and Pakistan in what is known as Combined Task Force 150, a maritime coalition that has taken on additional anti-piracy roles around Somalia" and keeps a warship present! Especially living where we're blessed to live, it's funny to think that such primitive ways of life still exist at all. Maybe I live in some cardboard box, but who knew Johnny Depp could have actually done a true-life interview to get to the core of his gold-loving, boat-taking character over the past two years. How else should the U.S. be involved in this open water crime? Or should we be involved at all when we have a war-focus elsewhere?

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Spiritual Attack or Medical Misjudging?

In Weston,Wisconsin an 11 year old girl suffered from diabetic ketoacidosis. However, Her family refused to even take her to a doctor for a diagnosis. They believed that the sickness was a "test of faith" and that the young girl would quickly recover after a week or so after some "emergency prayer". She appeared to be weaker and slower for about two weeks before her death, which was ironically on Easter Sunday, and may have shown milder symptoms for up to two months before. The parents believed that it was just signs of puberty and that faith would heal her. Both the mother and the father are being tried for second-degree reckless homicide.
First of all, I would like to say wow. I am a Christian, but this seems extreme to me. This girl lost her life because she wasn't even given a chance to see a doctor. God is a healer, but completely relying on His power for medical treatment seems very Old Testament. I think that the parents really misjudged this. Diabetes is exactly what scientists are working on healing, and making progress. Why not take advantage? What do all of you guys think?