before the test...

Mr. Quinell, could you make an anouncment just before you pass out the quizes how you want the essays done this go-around? Such as how long and whether or not you want extra info
~Bo

The Security Council

The UN Security Council is composed of permanent members who have veto powers over proposals by other members. It seems unfair that all should have the same power if not all of them do not contribute as much as the US and UK. I think that since the US and UK commit the most funds and troops to any mission, they should have more power in passing matters in the UN Security Council. What do you think?

What about Iran?

Although the conflict between Israel and Lebanon has recently taken most of the media coverage out of Iran's dispute over their right to enrich uranium, I do not think that Iran would accept any reasonable offers from the UN or other parties. It seems to me that Iran wil only react to a strong military action agaisnt their indusry and military forces. Although not too many people are talking about Iran, the problem is still there and is only getting bigger. What do you think?

France, friend or foe?

Ever since at least WWI, France has always called themselves our allies in time of crisis ( their crisis ) but they always seem to distance as far as they can from us in peace time. Having lived in Marseilles for some time, I often heard people complaining about the US, and its customs, and laws. It may be just me but I think that If we are as bad as some french say we are, we should not help them nor give aid to them in the future . What do you think?

Is Israel the hero or villain?

Israel is highly criticized around the world for defending themselves, they are not doing anything less than we would if we were being attacked . If anything, I think that Israel has had more patience and restrain than we would if we were in Israel place. I dont understand why do people think that Israel should have to ask permission to the UN in order to defend itself from aggression. What do you think?

What about the Soldiers

Having been deployed overseas, I have seen the change how people used to treat soldiers before 9/11 and how we are been treated now. Although the respect has gotten better I hear people complain about the goverment spending too much money on the combat soldier. To a lot of people, It may seem a better idea to spend money on a new aircraft and in the soldier in the ground; however, there has never been a war won without having Foot soldiers in the ground. What do you think?

Gas Prices

I just saw on the news that the gas prices should be going up next week so everybody should carpool or even start riding the bus around town. How much do you all think the gas prices will go up?

Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman losed the primary election do you think it got something to do with his web site getting haceked into?And said all those bad things about him.

New Orleans

The people displaced from New Orleans don't seem any closer to returning home then they did a year ago. In my opinion the government let these people down, and i can't help but think that if it were a rich neighborhood it would be closer to being rebulit. What are your thoughts?

Iraq war

Do you think in the near future there will be an end to the war in Iraq? The president said the war was over 2 years ago, yet people still die everyday. When is the war really going to be over?

Libyan Government sues D.C.

"The Libyan government sued the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority last week in federal court, demanding that the property's water and sewer service be turned on. The lawsuit also asks for $1 million in damages.At the heart of the dispute are more than $27,000 in outstanding water and sewer bills for the property on Wyoming Avenue. Libya says it hasn't occupied the building since 1981, when the U.S. government cut diplomatic ties with the country and shut the embassy.the D.C. utility won't provide water or sewer service until someone pays the bills. The city's records show water and sewer accounts at the property in the name of the "United Kingdom of Libya," and the authority has filed a lien demanding payment," The Washington Times reported Tuesday http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207432,00.html I think this is ridiculous. the Libyan government needs to pay the $27,ooo they owe D.C. because they were using water and sewer services.there is no way Libya should win this lawsuit, it is a waste of time.

People of the US

Immigration is a big part of our country. All of the people that live in this country were not all born here. I think that it is important to allow immigrants into this counrty. The question is do you think the illegal immigrants in this country should be allow to become citizens so they can contribute to the economy? I think that they should because if they made it here, then they should be allowed to stay here and be part of the country.

More money!!!

Is $6.40 enough money to raise a family on? I don't think so! There are many families out there that are raising their families on minimum wage. I think that it should be raised a little more to make it easier for people. Also most college student have jobs that pay minimum wage and it is really tough. I know from experience! What do you think?

Minimum Wage

Should we raise minimum wage? I say yes, because raising the amount of money people can invest in the economy can only help us. Instead of money staying in the pockets of the rich few, it can be reinvested by poorer people in different areas. It also gives them more opportunity to move up in society, which in turn helps the economy.

Leagalizing drugs

I've heard recently that if we legalized drugs, then we would make money through taxes from something people will do anyways. I think that the more accessable drugs are, the more likely people will be to try them, resulting in more cases of addiction. Sometimes kids don't do drugs because they are difficult to attain. Thoughts?

AIDS in Africa

The epidemic in Africa has no end in sight. I think we should try to educate the people over there about how AIDS spreads and give them ways to help themselves instead of throwing money at the problem. That, coupled with the fact that the medicine to treat the disease can't be afforded by them makes this a quagmire with no end in sight. Thoughts?

War in Irag

The war in Iraq has cost us about 300 billion so far. Eventually, we probably will have to send troops to other countries, especially ones with dictators that are trying to enrich Uranium. Will we be able to afford this, especially if we are in Iraq longer than expected? Bush Sr. said he left Irag because their was no viable exit strategy. Maybe his son should have listened.

Final Exam Question

For any who get an A on the mid-term can you please tell me your studying technique? How did you study?

Voting Rights

A couple days ago in class we talk about voting and what you must have to vote. But I learned that a felon can't vote because of whats on his or hers record. Do you think its fair to him or her that they can't vote even through they made a mistake in the past?

Israel Helping There Citizens

I really don't understand why this war is going but, do you think its right that Israel offer there citizens money to leave the city while this war is going on?

lieberman's official campaign site under attack.

UPDATE ON THE ATTACK ON THE LIEBERMAN CAMPAIGN WEBSITESTATEMENT FROM SEAN SMITH: "For the past 24 hours the Friends for Joe Lieberman's website and email has been totally disrupted and disabled, we believe that this is the result of a coordinated attack by our political opponents. The campaign has notified the US Attorney and the Connecticut Chief State's Attorney and the campaign will be filing a formal complaint reflecting our concerns. The campaign has also notified the State Attorney General Dick Blumenthal for his review.""We call on Ned Lamont to make an unqualified statement denouncing this kind of dirty campaign trick and to demand whoever is responsible to cease and desist immediately. Any attempt to suppress voter participation and undermine the voting process on Election Day is deplorable and has no place in our democracy."


Matthew Meadows

Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter seems to capitalizing on the pain that 911 widows are enduring, going as far as to say that they were glad that it had happened. Do you think she really believes this? If she doesn't, that makes her one of the worst kinds of people, trying to make money off others misery.

Help

Could someone help me with the answer to #10 on text assignment 8; How does the size of America's welfare state compare to other modern industrialized democracies? Thanks

Government Funding

I think that the government needs to provide more money to programs to help the poor so that waiting list will be shorter and people can get what they need quicker. what do ya'll think?

Teen mothers

Why are most teen moms discrminated against i think sometimes a teen mom can do just as good a job as a middle aged married women. What do ya'll think?
-Christina Dixon

War on iraq

I was wondering why the soldiers that are getting their time extened in Iraq aren't pulled out and soldiers that haven't gone get sent over there. I doesn't make sense to me. What do ya'll think?

Numerous Guns Stolen from Army Surplus store

"Four men used a car to crash through a steel gate at an Army surplus store in Orlando and steal as many as 25 weapons before fleeing the area early Monday, according to police."

This is just great. now we have 25 guns out on the streets in God knows whose hands running around our sate. Just goes to show crazy people are. Hopefully these people are found and the firearms are returned to the Surplus store soon, before they are used or sold o the streets.

Heres the link.....
http://www.local6.com/news/9637821/detail.html?subid=22100428&qs=1;bp=t

Oil Shutdown!!

BP announced that it found that they discovered corrosion and will have to replace most of the 22 mile pipeline which produces about 2.6 percent of the nation's daily supply including imports. It estimated to take between 2-3 months to fix the problem. The government is conisdering using some of the emergency supply and distributing it to the west coast. This is a very bad day for Bp and the west coast and i hoep for the best, and i reslly hope this doesnt affect our gas prices. Hers the link.....
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/08/oilfield.shutdown.ap/index.html

Gun control

After finishing my research paper on gun control, i realized that theyre many gun control laws out there that actually work. take for example Florida's 10-20-life program.
"The results under 10-20-LIFE are impressive. In only six years, from 1998-2004, 10-20-LIFE has helped drive down violent gun crime rates 30 percent statewide (see Firearm Involved Violent Crimes). During the 10-20-LIFE era, armed criminals robbed a total of 10,567 fewer people and killed a total 380 fewer than they would have if these crime numbers had remained at 1998 levels. These crime decreases occurred even as Florida's population increased over 2.5 million (16.8 percent) between 1998 and 2004. Punishing criminals who use guns is making our state safer."

I don't understand why more states don't adopt or create a law such as this one. It seems to me that it works well! heres the link.....
http://www.dc.state.fl.us/oth/10-20-life/index.html

Police and Abuse of Power

This isnt a topic that many people get to into. But Have you ever thought about this. A cop pulls you over for speeding, lets just say his dog died that morning he is in a bad mood and takes it out on you in the form of a full priced ticket. Then the next day pulls someone else over for the same thing but gets a warning. Where does the line get drawn in the sand for these guys. I would like to think that most cops are good ones, but the truth is that these guys have so much freedom to do what ever they want that they get away with crazy stuff. For example you can be arrested for using a profatity towards a cop (obstruction of justice-destracting the officer from doing his job to the best of his ability). Im just saying if these guys have so much control over us there should be a tighter standrad by which these cops opperate. The way I look at it is when a cop pulls me over for not comming to a complete stop at 4:30am when no one is around, his time could be better spent catching the "bad guys" than messing with me. It is pretty much there personal choice if they want to arrest you or let you go and were putting this choice in the hands of another human that is just as flawed as we all are. That to me is scary. Maybe some kind of computerized system that requires the cop to go more by the book.

Wakulla Springs Problem

There is a big issue on government officials lately, Wakulla Springs has too much nitrogen in its water. The problem is at the wakulla spings basin where the tallahassee waste water treatment plant is. The plant sprays waste water with enriched nitrogen levels in it over a 2000 acre field. This field is draining down to wakulla springs and growning hydrilla, like it was on steroids, in the river basin. Hopefully our government will figure this problem and preserve our springs

The Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals are: goal#1-Eradicating extreme poverty & hunger, goal#2- achieve universal primary education, goal#3- promote gender equality & empower women, goal#4- reduce child mortality, goal#5- improve maternal health, goal#6- combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases, goal#7- ensure environmental sustainability, and goal#8- develop a global partnership for development.
According to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Report from 2005, there have been some improvements in some areas of stream poverty, but there is still a lot of work to do to help the poorest people in the world. The MDG shows that there is still more than 1 billion people living in less than a dollar a day in developing countries, more than 115 million children are not able to get primary education, almost every year 11 million children die before the age of 5, and more than 20 people have died from HIV/AIDS around the world. The United Nations (UN) have create the MDG as a promise to the world and as a guidance of what is needed to do and how much is still needed to do by the target date of 2015.
Do you think that it is possible to eradicate extreme poverty in the world? Do you think that by 2015, the UN will achieve their goals?
http://unstatus.un.org/unsd/mi/pdf/MDG%20Book.pdf

Take out loans

More and more parents have to take out loans to pay for children's education. Because Household expenditure on private education fees reached an estimated £7.9billion last year, up from £6.9billion in 2001-02. We expect to see a growing number of parents taking out loans to help pay for their children's education. Those parents doing this need to make sure that they shop around and find a good loan rate. Now let me know what you guys think about that.

Is being poor fair?

Mr. Quinnell informed us in class that if there were an instance that a person from a poor community called the police and a person from a suburban community called the police around the same time then the police would respond to the person from the suburbs first. How can anyone justify this? Is it the poor persons fault that he/she is poor? What kind of country do we live in that would try to justify this by saying that those who pay more taxes tend to use the services more frequent than a poor person would and basically they therfore get first dibs on the services.

Alcohol and College

http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/StatsSummaries/snapshot.aspx


Deaths: 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (Hingson et al., 2005).

Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex (Hingson et al., 2002

Sexual Abuse: More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et al., 2005).

Are college students indulging too much alcohol? From the recent statitics, I would agree they are. Having a good time is alright but when you are endangering your life just because you wanted to party, you might think twice after seeing the consequences.

-Selah Manning

Tour De France

Why is it that everytime an American wins the Tour De France, they are accused of taking drugs to help them win? Lance Armstrong won seven tours in a row so of course they are going to question him. He cleared the drug tests, proving that he is just a sick cyclist with a abnormally large heart. Now Landis is being accused of using steroids. What's the deal?

Education - Special Needs, Special Funding

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060728/SCHOOLS/607280349/1026

Detroit News Online, covered a story involving a teenage student with very unfortunate mental instabilities. The student, a young man, 17, suffers from more than a few psychological disorders, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, to name a few. Parents of the young man are fighting for special funding for their son, arguing that their attempts for school cooperation have fallen far from anything acceptable. The student has particular needs, considering his inability to sometimes control his rage or moods, such as little to no classmates. Private education is suggested to be in his best interest and if not possible, considerable accommodation and custom-made education is desired from his High School. However, the High School does not feel responsible financially for his special needs. His parents currently have pulled their son from the school because of the lack of the school's lack of effort in resolving the issue and collaboration.

Take a look at the article, by pasting the link in your browser. Should the public school system be responsible for the extra funding required for special cases, such as the one mentioned above? To what extent should the school be financially obligated, and the parents? Should the State return a portion of tax-funded public education money to the parents of this boy?

R.Mitrosky

Why is America so fat?

One of many problems with this country now a days is that America is fat. There is no nice way to put it Americans are fatter than any other culture in the world. I walk around all day and dont understand how people can be unhealthy. Health care is a big issue in this country, the problem is that we cant afford it. One of the main problems is that most americans dont have the knowlage, so if americans dont know how to be healthy and dont know why it is important then how can they be healthy. They cant! Most illnesses late in life can be prevented by just living a healthy life. This diesnt mean you have to be a bodybuilder or bikini modle, it just means to be aware of your body and how it can make your life easier or harder, even longer or shorter. The government isnt doing enough to control diet in schools, and even at resturants. Im not saying this is the answer to the health care problem but it is a start. It's your body and you only get one dont waste it.

Predators on the Internet

"Come in! I'll be right down!"
"Those words from the adolescent girl on the second floor are music to the ears of the Internet sex predator standing at her front door. Wary that he has been followed, he anxiously eyes the street behind him before he turns the doorknob and enters her home.
He walks in, only to come face-to-face with an NBC camera crew and "To Catch a Predator" host Chris Hansen, who is holding a hard copy of the explicit conversation the man had with the underage girl he has been planning to molest. On camera, for all the world to see, the man's world falls apart." (By Daniella Gallego) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207356,00.html
the NBC show works with "Perverted Justice." which is an internet watchdog group that poses as underage children to gather evidence on sexual predators trying to have sex with underage kids. im glad that there is an organization that helps gather evidence to arrest and convict sexual predators on the internet. the show "To Catch a Predator" records the tactics of Preverted Justice and people who are willing to drive to an underage childs house to have sex. i believe this show has brought attention to parents of children to be wary of their children on the internet. it also should imtimidate sexual predators to think twice before they try to have a sexual conservation with an underage kid, knowing that there are organizations that are trying to protect children and gather evidence for an arrest. not everyone supports this effort, others think that "police work should be left to the police."

Long Cycle Theory

A superpower is a state with the first rank in the international system and the ability to influence events and project power on a worldwide scale. The superpower is considered the higher level of power. The United States is consider the only remaining superpower.
However, there is a theory called the Long Cycle Theory that holds that a dominant state loses power after a century, and that a war is then necessary to allow the next dominant state to achieve its position.
Do you think that the United States can be replaced by another country? Which country do you think will replace the U.S.? And for how long do you think that the United States is going to remain being superpower?

World Trade Center

The movie world trade center looks as if it going to be an amazing movie. Im sure nicholas cage did a great job, and im interested to see it. However, I believe its too soon to be making a movie and trying to earn income off of this American tragedy. What do you guys think?

Feedback Posts

Here is the list of all feedback posts you need to respond to. All students are required to respond to all posts.

Politics and Popular Culture
How Does Government Affect Me
Critical Thinking 9/11 Photo
Textbook Assignment 1
Name the Logial Fallacy
Song Evaluation -- Garth Brooks/2 Pac
Textbook Assignment 2
Spot the Urban Legends
Textbook Assignments 3-10
What I Don't Understand About Political Science
Can You Tell the Difference -- Ideology
Can You Tell the Difference -- Political Parties
Song Evaluation -- Green Day/Darryl Worley

Feedback -- Politics and Popular Culture: Song Evaluation (Worley/Green Day)

For the activity we did on August 7 -- examining songs by Green Day and Darryl Worley for political content -- answer the following questions. This is required of all students.

1. What did you learn from this activity?
2. Did you enjoy this activity?
3. What would you do to improve the activity?

If you were not present for the activity, please post "I was absent" in comments.

Feedback -- Can You Tell The Difference, Political Parties

For the activity we did -- indentifying which statements are associated with which party -- answer the following questions. This is required of all students.

1. What did you learn from this activity?
2. Did you enjoy this activity?
3. What would you do to improve the activity?

If you were not present for the activity, please post "I was absent" in comments.

Feedback -- Can You Tell The Difference, Ideology

For the activity we did -- indentifying which statements are associated with which ideology -- answer the following questions. This is required of all students.

1. What did you learn from this activity?
2. Did you enjoy this activity?
3. What would you do to improve the activity?

If you were not present for the activity, please post "I was absent" in comments.

Feedback -- What I Don't Understand About Political Science

For the activity we did on July 10 -- asking a group of questions that the instructor responded to throughout the semester -- answer the following questions. This is required of all students.

1. What did you learn from this activity?
2. Did you enjoy this activity?
3. What would you do to improve the activity?

If you were not present for the activity, please post "I was absent" in comments.

Feedback -- Textbook Assignments 3-10

For the activities we did throughout the semester -- obtaining answers to exam questions from your textbook -- answer the following questions. This is required of all students.

1. What did you learn from this activity?
2. Did you enjoy this activity?
3. What would you do to improve the activity?

If you were not present for ALL of the activities (meaning you missed every one of them), please post "I was absent" in comments.

Katherine Harris

I was reading an article and they mentioned that Katherine Harris is most luckless candidate this year. They went on to mention how 3 campaign managers along with at least 12 other staff members quit. One Glenn Hodas said that her tantrums were uncontrollable, another former member said that no one in Florida will work for her "It's a nuclear wasteland in there. Anyone who goes in is going to be tainted." To me it sounds like Katherine Harris doesnt have a very big political career infront of her. What do you guys think?
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/20/ivins.mideast/index.html

Isreals Worst Ally

According to ex-president Carter George W. Bush's adminisration is Isreals worst ally. His reasoning is that Bush has not done anything to bring a perminant cease-fire to Isreal. He also called for a removal of all troops from Iraq, Carter said that he would like to see a major withdraw by no later than the end of this year. I do not agree with Carter about the Busg administration being their worst enemy, i think Bush is not pushing for a perminant cease-fire because he would rather see longterm peace instead of just a cease-fire that would temporatily stop the attacks. I also think that the troops in Iraq should remain there until our objective of bringing democracy to Iraq and returning their sovereignty is completed.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/05/carter.mideast.ap/index.html

9/11, a conspiracy?

the Associated Press reports "Kevin Barrett believes the U.S government might have destroyed the World Trade Center. Steven Jones is researching what he calls evidence that the twin towers were brought down by explosives detonated inside them, not by hijacked airliners. " http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207279,00.html
these are not just ordinary people with extreme theories, they are professors. one teaches at Wisconsin and the other at Bringham Young. i do not think people who publicly announce radical theories as this one should be able to teach. 60 state legislatures would agree with me, they are protesting these two professors. the U.S. government did not blow up the towers or the people inside them, nor would a conspiracy of this size be possible. people who believe in conspiracies such as this should be put in a mental institution.

Homeschooling

Home education, also called homeschooling or home school, is an educational alternative in which children are educated at home by their parents. In the United States, homeschooling has been legal in all 50 states since 1993. People say that children having homeschooling get better scores than children going to regular schools. Others say that homeschooling isolate and deprive children from social interactions.
What do you think about homeschooling?

The UN Security Council

The Security Council is composed of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members that are elected by the General Assembly with a two-year term.
The five permanent members that are the Veto Powers are: China, Russian Federation, France, United Kingdom, and the United States. The veto powers are able to veto any resolution in the Security Council, meaning that if any of those powers say NO, the resolution does not pass, does not matter if the rest of the members in the committee say yes, just one opposing vote from one of the veto power is what it takes to reject a resolution.
What do you guys think about the Veto Powers? Do you think that is right to have them or not?

Monday Class

Make sure to bring your logical fallacies handout and any questions for the exam.

Expert Issues Warning About E-Passports

Electronic passports being introduced in the U.S. and other countries have a major vulnerability that could allow criminals to clone embedded secret code and enter countries illegally, an expert warned.A demonstration late Friday by German computer security expert Lukas Grunwald showed how personal information stored on the documents could be copied and transferred to another device.
“Expert Warns That Electronic Passport Flaw Could Allow Criminals to Enter Countries Illegally”
Well you can still copy paper passport and anyone can take advantage of some ones passport and take their picture on some ones passport.Do you guys think that security will be tighter if US. Introduce the electronic passports than regular passports?

Major Alaskan Oil Field Shutting Down

Alaska - Half the oil production on Alaska's North Slope was being shut down Sunday after BP Exploration Alaska, Inc. discovered severe corrosion and a small spill from a Prudhoe Bay oil transit line.BP officials said they didn't know how long the Prudhoe Bay field would be off line. "I don't even know how long it's going to take to shut it down," said Tom Williams, BP's senior tax and royalty counsel.Once the field is shut down, in a process expected to take day, BP said oil production will be reduced by 400,000 barrels a day. That's close to 8 percent of U.S. oil production as of May 2006, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

"We regret that it is necessary to take this action and we apologize to the nation and the State of Alaska for the adverse impacts it will cause," BP America Chairman and President Bob Malone said in a statement.

Do we still need to spend money and try to overcome these problems of oilfields in Alaska?

Anniversary of the first use of the A-bomb

on August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima as a response to the japanese attack on the U.S. 61 years later, the current mayor of Hiroshima wants to destroy all nuclear weapons in the world and he wants japan to lead by example. i don't think nuclear weapons will ever be "eliminated." more countries have nuclear weapons today since WW2 and other countries are trying to develop the technology to create them, even though the U.N. has resolutions against it. Iran is one of the countries that is trying to develop nuclear technology and WMD's were a reason for the Iraq war. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207208,00.html

America: A Fat nation with High Gas Prices

I am sure all of you have noticed gas prices soaring. I think this would be a good time conserve fuel, individuals money, and help lower the nations obesity issues. Just think if our nation cut back on the amount of drivng we do and rode bikes and walked to our designations, this would help two of the leading problems we currently face. How do you all feel about this?

Woman sentenced for 911 misuse

If any of you all have heard about the women who called 911 to see a cop who she thought "was the cutest cop since God knows how long" was arrested and sentenced for 100 hours of communtiy service and ordered to pay a fine of 693.00 dollars. This woman was 45yrs.old, a woman of that age should know better then to call 911 as a means of a yenta service. Little children make the mistake of calling 911 when it is not an emergency but a 45yr. old woman;give me a break. I wonder if the woman ever got her date? LOL Do you all think her charges should have been harsher? I mean she waisted tax payers money all to get a date.

A post-Castro Cuba

If any of you read the article in the Tallahassee Democrat about Cuba in Saturdays paper, it explains how castro has chosen his brother Raul to maintain power due to his illness. The article then goes on to say the government will start to collapse and America should help Cuba maintain a stable government if and when Castro is gone and a transition period is necessary. I am not sure how others feel about this, but we are already in a war tyring to do this for another nation,I am not sure we should take on the responsibilty of this for another nation (Cuba). How do you all feel about this?

Egyptian terror group joins Al-Qaeda

The Egyptian militant group Gamaa Islamiya has offically joined Al-Qaeda in the fight against Western societies. Al-Qaeda's second man in command Zawahiri announced the unification of the terror groups yesterday.

I personally think that this will have a very minimal effect on Al-Qaeda as a whole. They have not achieved anything by making this allliance.

It's like the Miami Heat drafting Bill Gates as their next point gaurd. Al-Qaeda has achieved nothing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5249490.stm

What do you all think about the recent event?

-Alex Baker

Men Not Working, and Not Wanting Just Any Job

The percentage of men who are not working has risen rapidly. joblessness is highest among men in most states.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/business/31men.html?pagewanted
=1&_r=1&ei=5087%0A&en=0669dbbbcec50c59&ex=1154750400

Hezbollah fires rockets even deeper into Israel

The terrorist group Hezbollah has constantly been firing rockets into Israel since this "war" began. Every other day it seems hezbollah uses more advanced rockets with longer range and accuracy. no actually knows how many rockets or what type of arsenal hezbollah actually has. also, is hezbollah's weapon supply being replenished by mideast countries that do not like isreal? I do not think israel was expecting the amount of firepower hezbollah has and with the rocket that struck close to Tel Aviv on friday as with the 200 other rockets fired, israel has to be worried about the safety of its citizens. as well as how consistent hezbollah can fire hundreds of rockets per day and how far this situation could escalate. maybe even U.S. intervention?

Textbook Assignment 10

Chapter 19

1. What is a coup?
2. What is the underlying condition beneath a system breakdown in a country?
3. Name three different types of violence.
4. What types of countries produce terrorism?
5. Does terrorism work?
6. What is the underlying cause of domestic unrest?
7. Define revolution.
8. Generally, who are the leaders of revolutions?
9. Give an example of a revolution that was successful after 1900.
10. Name one country that currently has a significant revolutionary movement.

Textbook Assignment 9
Textbook Assignment 8
Textbook Assignment 6-7
Textbook Assignment 5

Mr. Quinnell's POS 2001 Blog

can someone tell me where those feedback questions are? i can not find them.

Final Exam Review

Short Answer Questions
There will be 30 short answer questions on the final exam. They will be taken from the quizzes and the textbook assignments. The questions that will be chosen for the exam will be the questions that I think are most important things that we have discussed in this class so far.

Essay Questions
There will be 4 essay questions on the midterm exam. You will have to answer 2 of the essay questions on the exam. The 4 questions will be taken from the 6 topics below. The topics listed below are more general than the questions will be on the exam.

Roles of executives
Future international order
Al-Qaeda
Functions of legislatures
The emerging international order
Why does war happen?

Below is an example of what the essay questions will look like on the exam. In order to do well on such a question, you must answer all of the questions asked. Opinion will only be acceptable on the final question of the essay. Note: The question below will NOT be on the exam.

How a bill becomes a law
How does a bill become a law at the national level in the United States? What parts of government are involved in the process and what is the role of each? Who can propose laws? Who enforces laws? Who makes sure laws are Constitutional? In what ways can each branch of government implement policies? Is the process too complicated or too easy?

Essays will be graded as follows:

10-20% Length
10% Essay format
60-70% Answering the topical questions
10% Providing additional information

Friday Class

I will give you the possible exam essay questions in class tomorrow.

I will give out the War & Terrorism quiz, but only Barfield and Raybon need to take it, no one else has six or more quizzes they got credit on. Everyone will need to take the survey.

Bring your textbook, you will need it.

Textbook Assignment 9

Chapters 20 & 21

1. What is the difference between domestic and international politics?
2. Define sovereignty.
3. Define national interest.
4. What are three possible solutions to keeping world peace?
5. Who were the two superpowers during the Cold War?
6. What is the balance of power?
7. Define hegemony.
8. Define globalization.
9. What are the two general impediments to free trade?
10. What is isolationism?

Bush on Vacation - Again

President Bush has taken more vacation time than any other president in history. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but it is something to question. Right now he is going to his Crawford ranch and is scheduled to be there for two weeks.

Why does the president need so much vacation time? Most people who work full-time in America get little vacation time.

Do you all think that the president should be going on vacation when the Isreali-Hezzbollah conflict is taking place?

Share your thoughts.

http://news.aol.com/politics/story/_a/bush-takes-shortest-summer-vacation-yet/n20060803024409990001?cid=771

What about Iraq?

There is new tension in the middle east, extremist are not going to keep peace. U.S. forces are performing more police work now than ever. Now, according to several top generals in the military, Iraq is on the verge of a civil war. Is that our job to keep them from fighting themselves or was it to destroy the regime we saught to destroy years ago? If Iraqis' think they can wear our forces down, they are wrong, we will eventually prevail!!!

WOW at the heat

For some people, like me, i work in the heat everyday. For most people from the northeast, they are living in the heat, with most residents having no air conditioning and only a fan at the most. Now there are fourteen people that are dead and the cause is blamed on the heat according to the medical examiners. With that, the power companies are struggling the keep up with power demands. Black outs are occuring and people have no way to stay cool. This is a major problem and we all need a break, especially from rising energy prices

Tax Cheats Called Out of Control

Cheating now equals about 7 cents out of each dollar paid by honest taxpayers, as much as $70 billion a year, the report estimated.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0801-04.htm

"I get incensed by people who use tax havens to not pay their taxes while the average guy has to pay his taxes because they are taken out of his pay before he gets it"

FINAL EXAM questions Forum

Here is is a post where we can post info or questions in relation to the final exam next Wed.

Matthew Meadows

IRS and Student Loans

Student loans, for many, are absolutely necessary to afford a college education. Some students receive no outside support or financial assistance from anyone. The main stipulation involved in the amount one student can receive is one's status for tax purposes. If a student is not considered independent to the IRS this significantly lowers the amount of money the student can apply for and/or receive. To be declared independent there are few guidelines. Either both parents, of the applicant, must be deceased, or the applicant must have a full-time job, or a dependent within their household, other than a spouse. There is possibility to be considered independent without meeting one of these requirements, under special circumstances and evaluation. However, there is a, perhaps, small majority of students that experience this that should not, by legal perception, be considered a dependent. These students may have both parents still alive, no dependents, a part time job, and under the age of 24/25 (an age which automatically grants you financial independence). For these students, if their parents make a considerable income, but do not wish to support them in college it makes their case very difficult.

Consider if you were anywhere between 18-23 wishing to take out student loans for your education, had wealthy parents that did not support you for whatever reason. Consider also that you live on your own, have a part-time job and are doing your best to support yourself and afford your education. Do you consider it legitamate for the IRS to deny you the right to the same loan amount as an independent because your family backround/finances appear capable to assist you on paper? Should the guidelines be revised to allow special circumstances without appealing to an official on student loans? Should someone have to jump through hoops to receive financial assistance for education just because they already endure the hardship of an upsupportive and/or absent family?

Brazilian Military in Action- Because of Global Warming?

More than 100 penguins will be transported back to Antartica by Brazil's air force and navy. Many penguins get stranded on large ices that break off and drift out to sea. When the ice melts, the penguins are left along the Brazilian seashore.

This may be an effect of global warming.

The air force will transport the penguins to the southern end of Brazil and the navy will take them to Antartica.

Take a look...............

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5233312.stm

Do you all think that this is a result of global warming?

Change the Pledge

I hear that the pledge was going to be change and Spanish but Bush said no I agree with him because if they change it to Spanish they need to change it to other language. Now let me know what you guys think about it.

Why Health Care costs too much?

Why Health Care Costs Too Much? Health care costs have increased dramatically over the last few decades and are now thought to be very high. That has caused many people to be sick because if you don’t have money to pay them then you will not get care. Let me know what you guys think about it.

Should New Orleans be rebuilt?

I read some where that it talks about should New Orleans be rebuilt? Yes, because New Orleans is too poor they need help but should we rebuild New Orleans, 10 feet below sea level, just so it can be wiped out again? Yes just because it was wiped out it does not mean it would happy again we as a people need to save and provide some basic help to the victims and New Orleans. Let me know what you guys think about it.

Wednesday Class

We will have a quiz on International Politics.

Bring your textbook, you will need it.

Court posts 9/11 trial exhibits online

Exhibits from the trial of convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui, including photographs of September 11 carnage and tape-recorded final phone calls from World Trade Center victims, were posted Monday by a federal court. The U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, said it is the first criminal case for which a federal court has provided access to all exhibits online. The videos, photographs and taped phone calls on the court's Web site were graphic in some cases, leading the court to mark 18 of the 1,202 exhibits. Other trial exhibits range from motel receipts for the September 11 suicide hijackers to photographs of the U.S. flight schools where some of the terrorists learned to pilot commercial jets. Also among the exhibits are the surveillance videotapes of some of the terrorists passing through airport security checkpoints before climbing aboard the jetliners they hijacked. Indicted in December 2001, Moussaoui pleaded guilty last year to terrorism conspiracy charges.

~Selah

School vaccine season grows more complex

The growing list of childhood vaccinations reads like an alphabet soup: Hib, HepA, HepB, IPV, PCV, MCV4, DTaP, Tdap, varicella and influenza. Parents dragging their kids to the doctor's office for those required school shots can expect to hear about more vaccines and, if they're uninsured, new expenses. Twenty years ago, it cost $75 to $100 to immunize a child with the four available vaccines. Today, 12 are generally recommended for kids and adolescents, at a private-sector cost of about $1,250. And the government is expected to recommend a 13th vaccine for girls -- a shot that protects against cervical cancer. It costs about $360 for the three-dose series, potentially raising the per-child vaccination bill to more than $1,600.

~Selah

Doctors poke and prod Bush, find him 'fit for duty'

Bush's doctors pronounced him healthy and in better shape than most men his age Tuesday, but the president himself seemed a little upset about packing on some extra pounds.
Doctors treated a small precancerous lesion on his left arm but indicated it was nothing serious. They told him to use sunscreen and wear a hat. Bush got the works at his annual physical. It took more than four hours and was conducted by a team of nine doctors, overseen by White House physician Richard Tubb and Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the president of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. The group included skin, hearing, heart, eye and sports medicine specialists.

~Selah

Post-petroleum age nightmare- End of cheap oil?

Crude oil makes everything in the world happen. All the food that is grown on farms rely on fertilizers. These same fertilizers cannot be made without petroleum. Huge semi-trucks, that burn petroleum, bring the food to the supermarkets to be sold. Without cheap crude oil, gas prices are going to skyrocket and the shipping cost of food is going to be expensive. This cost will be pasted down to the consumer.

Can anybody guess what will happen when gas prices start to become 10 bucks a gallon? Economies will become cripple. People will not be able to afford to drive downtown from their sub-urban home. Gas is most likely going to have to be rationed.

Also, without cheap crude oil, energy prices are going to surge and rolling black-outs will occur. I seriously don't know why the United States is not fighting the up coming energy problem fiercely.

Alternative energy solutions on a huge scale need to be implemented. This issue is a lot more important than Iraq.

This article is only one aspect of the whole oil depletion issue. Take a look.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3777413.stm

What do you all think about the upcoming energy crisis?

To your amazement, most of the world's oil might indeed be right next door in Canada.

The minimum estimate of the amount of oil is around 1.6 trillion at minimum. That accounts for more than all crude oil all over the planet. Who would have thought North America has more oil then the middle east?
the full article can be obtained at http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0406/feature5/fulltext.html

Leonard puts Russian reserves at around 100 billion barrels. Other experts say the companies haven't explored enough to know. Either way, even Russia has its limits, as Leonard acknowledges. He thinks Russia's oil output will crest in 10 to 15 years, putting OPEC firmly in control of prices again. "Around the middle of the next decade, the price of oil is going to go up and stay up," he says. If it does, an unusual kind of oil that exists far from the Middle East will become more alluring. You can get a glimpse of it just north of Fort McMurray, a former fur-trading outpost in the Canadian province of Alberta. Just where the highway crosses the Athabasca River, veins of black, tarry sand streak the riverbanks. On a hot day tar sand is sticky and smells like fresh asphalt—the smell of money the locals call it. No wonder they're smug. The tar-sand deposits here and elsewhere in Alberta hold the equivalent of more than 1.6 trillion barrels of oil—an amount that may exceed the world's remaining reserves of ordinary crude. But this is no ordinary crude. In fact, it's a residue created when conventional oil escaped from its birthplace deep in the Earth's crust and was degraded into tar by groundwater and bacteria. Most of the tar sand lies too deep or in deposits too sparse to be exploited. But oil-sand companies got a boost in the 1990s as technology improved and Canada cut the first few years of the royalties that companies were required to pay. The Alberta government reckons that 174 billion barrels could now be tapped economically. Last year the U.S. Department of Energy agreed and included that number in Canada's proven reserves. The move catapulted Canada to second place in the ranking of oil-rich states, right behind Saudi Arabia—and ahead of Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait. But standing at the edge of a 200-foot-deep (60-meter-deep) pit where giant electric- and diesel-powered shovels devour beds of oil sand, Shell Canada Senior Vice President Neil Camarta acknowledges that there's a big difference between the oil-sand riches and free-flowing crude. "It's not like the oil in Saudi Arabia. You see all the work we have to do; it doesn't just jump out of the ground." Shell's is one of three big operations that together wring more than 600,000 barrels of oil a day from the Athabasca sands. Every step of the way takes brute force. The sand has to be strip-mined, two tons of it for each barrel of oil. Dump trucks the size of mini-mansions haul 400 tons in a single load, in beds heated during the subarctic winters so the sand doesn't freeze into a giant blob. Next to the mine, the sand goes into the equivalent of giant washing machines, where torrents of warm water and solvent rinse out the tar, or bitumen, leaving wet sand that is dumped in tailing ponds. Even then the bitumen is not ready to be piped off to a refinery like ordinary crude. To turn it back into crude oil, the operations either cook it in cokers, where temperatures of 900°F (500°C) break up the giant tar molecules, or heat it to lower temperatures and churn it with hydrogen gas and a catalyst. The result is a clean, low-sulfur crude—"beautiful stuff," says Camarta. But producing it is not so pretty, he acknowledges. "This really is a big, big project," Camarta says of Shell's four-billion-dollar mine and plant, which opened last year. "It has a big footprint too, and we don't hide that—a big environmental and a big social imprint."

Matthew Meadows

Textbook Assignments 6-7

Sorry, I thought I had already posted these:

Textbook Assignment 6
Chapters 15 & 16
1. Name two other names for an executive other than president or prime minister.
2. What does it mean when a prime minister dissolves parliament?
3. What does it mean when an American president is impeached?
4. How many members of the government does the U.S. president appoint?
5. What is a cabinet?
6. What are government appropriations?
7. How big is the U.S. bureaucracy compared to other countries?
8. Name three roles of the bureaucracy.
9. What is adjudication?
10. Name three proposed solutions to the problems with bureaucracy.

Textbook Assignment 7
Chapter 17
1. Define law.
2. What are the two roots of law?
3. Define judicial review.
4. What are the key mechanisms of international law?
5. What is the adversarial legal system?
6. What is the inquisitorial legal system?
7. What is an indictment?
8. What did Marbury v. Madison set the precedent for?
9. Since 1969, what has been the general ideology of the American Supreme Court?
10. What did the ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright provide legal support for?

Economic Sanctions?

How do you all feel about giving Iran a specific time to hault its uranium enrichment program. This order was supported by the very feebile threat of "possible economic sanctions." I am not very confidant that Iran will just give up their nuclear program due to economic sanctions placed on Iran.

WWIII

Newt Gingrich has been spreading the word that world war three is emerging. Gingrich cited North Korea, Iran, the various other terrorist organizations and Venezuela and Cuba as our threats that could lead us into WWIII. What do you guys think as far as WWIII being a threat in the near future. thankyou

Tuesday Class

We will have a quiz on Political Economy.

Textbook Assignment 8

1. What economist do conservatives generally agree with?
2. Define business cycle.
3. What economist do liberals generally agree with?
4. What is inflation?
5. What is the primary purpose behind the Federal Reserve Board?
6. Define entitlement.
7. How much of the U.S. budget goes to mandatory spending?
8. What is the biggest expenditure in the U.S. budget?
9. What is the maximum amount of time a person can spend on "welfare" in their entire life?
10. How does the size of America's welfare state compare to other modern industrialized democracies?

Summer Heat Wave Affecting Gas Prices

As everyone noticed, the price of gasoline at the pump has risen slightly this past week. The Energy Administration has forcasted prices to be over five dollars a gallon during the summer months. We are fortunate that the hurricane season has been calm for the most part, I could only imagine two years in a row, experiencing inflation at the pump. Although I can't complain too much, we are paying much less than the west coast wher the prices are around the 3.27 range.

Additional Candidate Comparison Paper Info

I accidentally left the following information off the Candidate Comparison Guidelines. You are required to follow these guidelines, too.

You should have four sources for your paper and they have to fit these categories.

1 and 2: You will need one source that is officially from each of the two candidates you are comparing. The easiest thing is to go to the official web site of each of the candidates. Incumbents all have an official government site. Most of them will also have an official campaign site, too. A growing number of them will also have official blogs. You may also use speeches, interviews and the like, but only if they include the actual words of the candidate.

3: You need a non-partisan source that is unbiased. This would include newspapers (such as the New York Times or the Washington Post, magazines, television stations and non-partisan organizations such as Project Vote Smart, On the Issues, or other similar sites.

4: You need a partisan source that is biased. This can include interest groups (NRA [Must be a member], LCV, Christian Coalition, or ACLU), political parties or other groups.

Florida buys 74,000 acres for preservation

Today the State of Florida just bought land from Lake Okechobee to the Gulf of Mexico. It was 74,000 acres of undeveloped land to protect the panthers, bears, and other native species of that area. This land will not be built on and be a preserve for the natural environment. I am all for saving some land for the animals native to an area but 74,000 acres is a lot of land. I would think you could build on half and make the other half a preserve for the wildlife. This is valuable land that could bring more money into Florida if built up. What do you all think about this topic?

UK's Nuclear Waste Storage Problem

The UK has an unacceptable long term nuclear waste plan, according to Britian's Committee on Radioactive Waste Management. Great Britian does not know where it's final resting place will be for lots of its nuclear waste, and the deadly radioactive material keeps being produced every day. Former administrations have faced the problem, but nothing has been done about it.

Storing the nuclear waste a half of a kilometer underground is Great Britian's option that is being considered. Finland has already begun the process of burying its nuclear waste underground as well.

The process of burying nuclear waste takes a long time (up to 30 years). If parliment doesn't do something about the nation's nuclear waste disposal soon, then they are in for some 'serious' problems.

The UK and nations all over the world need to realize the dangers of nuclear waste. Long term solutions are needed to ensure a clean world for the future.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5231530.stm

-Alex Baker

Are children too Fat? And what can parents do?

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/FL00058

Obesity in children seems to be an ongoing issue that may be getting worse. What can parents do to help their children with an overweight problem? I believe parents need to help their children in loosing weight in every way they can. Plan outside activities that might be fun and plan meals together that are healthy. Do you guys think parents are doing enough or should they do more?

Sri Lanka - Next War-torn Region?

Sri Lankan military forces are beginning to fight rebels in the northeast part of their country. In the city of Trincomalee, the fighting is intensifying. Thirty-five rebels were killed and nine Sri Lankan fighters were killed. According to the 'Tamil Tiger' rebels, "the war has begun", between them and the Sir Lankan government.

Because the cease-fire established in 2002 between Sri Lankan forces and rebels is now broken, peace in the region is now non existent.

Do you think the violence in Sri Lanka will escalate into all-out war?

Congo votes in first free election in 40 years

Millions of Congolese just voted in their first free elections in over 40 years. The Congolese governement hopes to end years of corruption,wars, and chaos. U.N. peacekeepers -- 17,000 of them, backed by 1,100 European Union troops—and Congolese police guarded the schools, churches and tents used as polling stations. Many voters were so excited they got up early and waited in line for hours. To me it seems the U.N. is being quite helpful in helping Congo get is government kinks sorted out. I like to see the U.N. helping other country's stabilize thier governenmenal system. Do you all see the U.N. as helpful?

Lake Okeechobee - The Next Katrina Disaser?

The state has found many problems with the engineering of the dike, arounf Lake Okeechobee, by the Amry Corps. A report released by state consultants stated that the "leak-prone dike around Lake Okeechobee" is considered a "grave and imminent danger." The Herbert Hoover Dike is talked about by consultants to be similar to the "levees that failed in New Orleans." Flooding would be catastrophic if a 'major' hurricane directly hit Lake Okeechobee.

I think that Florida is looking at a potential Katrina like disaster of nothing is done about the poorly engineered dike around Lake Okeechobee. This time around, something can be done by the government before it happens.

Heres the link........

Monday Class

We will have a quiz on Law & the Judicial Process.

Bring your textbook to class, you will need it.

I read some where about minimum wage will be no higher than 5.15 an hour and meanwhile gas prices is going up 3$ a gallon. I feel a year of work at the minimum wage yields 10,712 just above the poverty level for a single person but well below for a family of two let alone three or four. Now let me know what you guys think about it.

Forty Million Dollar Slaves??

I have now seen the author of the book, Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete, twice on TV news programs. His name is William Rhoden and he writes for the New York Times sports column. He believes that "sports stardom has brought black athletes wealth without progress and prosperity without freedom." He went on to say that leagues such as MLB and the NBA are forms of modern day slavery. I didn't know what to think; how can a guy like Lebron James who just signed a contract worth $60 million over a three year span possibly be considered a slave? Well, as Glenn Beck said, please put me on that plantation, lock me in those chains, and make me a multi-million dollar slave. The players in these leagues have dreamed ever since they could remember to be the elite athletes in their sport; who knew that they were actually dreaming to be a slave? Those athletes have put all of their heart into becoming the athletes that they are and were never forced (unless by parents) to get on a court or field and spend countless hours perfecting their game. They don't play in these leagues because the white slave master owners forced them to, they do it because they can make a great living doing something that they love doing. I guess that makes the white, European, South and Central American, and Chinese players in the NBA slaves as well right? I believe that Jay-Z is the majority owner of the New Jersey Nets. Isn't that amazing? I never saw him becoming a slave owner. He says that Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in NBA history and a man that transcended his sport, was responsible for bringing about change and needed to commit himself to helping the black community. Rhoden says that by ignoring these issues Jordan committed an almost treasonous act. You know, Rhoden, maybe Michael Jordan didn't consider the possibility that he was a slave; that making $30 million a year in salary and endorsements could be racist. Here's an excerpt from the book:

"In those days, when black faces were few and far between, we cheered for the color of the skin. We had some variations to the general rule: If the team was from the South and had just one Brother, his team was our team; he was our man. Didn’t matter who the athlete was underneath his uniform or his skin—his true character was less significant than his presence. Out there on the field, he became the torchbearer for the race. Content of character mattered only to the extent that we prayed these pioneers wouldn’t embarrass The Race."

I understand that things were much different in his day and that racism was a lot more evident but isn't this thinking the exact OPPOSITE of what Martin Luther King Jr. so valiantly fought for? "I have a dream," as King said, "that one day my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." To Rhoden race was, and seemingly still is, the only factor, no matter how good or bad the person. I understand that I was not alive as an African-American during the height of racism and I don't want to downplay how horrific it was, but African-Americans have come a long way since the 1960's. I can also understand blacks cheering for blacks when there were few playing in professional sports and how a black victory in sports could be considered a victory for the black race. What I don't understand is where Rhoden gets off saying that slavery is still very much alive. I am not trying to act like racism is dead, but I believe the way to beat racism is not to look for it where it is not as it seems Rhoden is doing, but to start judging people by their character, not skin color, as Martin Luther King Jr. once dreamed. Forty million dollar slaves? Not in my opinion.

Here's the website where I got the excerpt -- link

Oil Spill in Lebanon

link


Israeli air raids took out the Jiyeh power plant causing about 110,000 barrels of oil to spill into Lebanon's Mediterranean shore. As of now the spill has touched about 80 miles of beaches and the number is expected to get significantly larger. Ten trucks from Kuwait arrived to clean up the mess but weren't able to access the spill areas due to fighting. This environmental fiasco is rapidly killing marine life, including the endangered green turtle, and there is a fear of the oil affecting other parts of the Mediterranean.

Analysis: Bush foreign policy struggling

“A string of disappointments in recent weeks has left Washington's role as a global power broker diminished.”

United States Foreign policy and relationship with other countries is besieged in recent years. For example, Condoleezza Rice failed to agree in Rome with European and Arab allies on terms for a cease-fire to end two weeks of Israel-Hezoballah violence. Efforts to get North Korea and Iran to restrict their nuclear ambitions remained held up. World trade talks collapsed.

How else could one explain such overwhelming incompetence of our relationships with other countries? The strategy seems to be built around the notion that instability in the Middle and Far East benefits the United States. I think the problem with this strategy is that it also keeps us weak, because we have to keep giving cash to keep the agenda going.

Is US interfering with countries out of their range? Do we need to stop intrusive with other countries (with president bush’s favorite quote…to establish democracy in those particular countries like Iraq)?

Friday Class

We will have a quiz on the Executive Process.

You should bring your textbook again, as we will definitely be using it.

Textbook Assignment 5

1. Name two reasons why voter turnout is so low in the U.S.
2. Name the most important factor that influences who people vote for.
3. Name three other factors that influence who people vote for.
4. What is a dealignment?
5. What is retrospective voting?
6. What is a vote of confidence?
7. What is a bicameral legislature?
8. What are pork barrel projects?
9. What is casework?
10. Name two reasons why legislature have declined in power in recent years?

In God We Trust

Okay I want to hear your thoughts on removing the words "In God We Trust" from things such as money and "Under God" from our pledge. From my point of view I hate the thought of this. I understand freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. However, it is not forcing a religion on anyone by having these words on our money and in our pledge. It is just keeping the tradition of what we found our country on alive. I mean it doesn't say in Jesus Christ we Trust. I don't think things with such meaning and tradition should be removed from our currency, pledges, etc.

Additional Candidate Comparison Paper Info

I accidentally left the following information off the Candidate Comparison Guidelines. You are required to follow these guidelines, too.

You should have four sources for your paper and they have to fit these categories.

1 and 2: You will need one source that is officially from each of the two candidates you are comparing. The easiest thing is to go to the official web site of each of the candidates. Incumbents all have an official government site. Most of them will also have an official campaign site, too. A growing number of them will also have official blogs. You may also use speeches, interviews and the like, but only if they include the actual words of the candidate.

3: You need a non-partisan source that is unbiased. This would include newspapers (such as the New York Times or the Washington Post, magazines, television stations and non-partisan organizations such as Project Vote Smart, On the Issues, or other similar sites.

4: You need a partisan source that is biased. This can include interest groups (NRA [Must be a member], LCV, Christian Coalition, or ACLU), political parties or other groups.

Thursday Class

We will have a quiz on the Legislative Process.

Make sure to bring your textbook, you will need it for two group assignments.

Candidate Comparison Paper

I would like to go ahead and start this post to answer questions individuals might have about this paper.

Wednesday Class

Bring your textbook to class, we will need it.

Your research paper is due on Wednesday, including the electronic copy.

We will be going over the directions for the Candidate Comparison paper.

Numbers of Illegal Immigrants caught at border drops

The number of illegal immigrants caught trying to sneak into the United States has dropped since President Bush ordered the military to help tighten the border, the head of the Border Patrol said Tuesday. Officials surmise that part of the reason is that fewer people are trying to enter the country because they’re discouraged by the increase in efforts against them.
Immigrant rights advocates think the migrants may just be shifting entry points, crossing at more remote and dangerous areas. Maybe the thought of it being more dangerous will keep many from trying to cross.
~Bo Barfield

Soldiers cleared of killings in Iraq

The U.S. military has cleared a soldier of unlawfully killing an Iraqi civilian after investigators concluded Specialist Nathan Lynn had reason to believe the man was carrying a gun when he opened fire. Charges were brought against Lynn last month at a time when several murder investigations into U.S. troops in Iraq have prompted questions about their behavior and complaints from the new Iraqi government about a culture of impunity among soldiers. I am glad to see that this soldier is pardoned because convicting him would have done nothing but cause problems.
~Bo Barfield

Bush and Al-Malaki increase forces in Bagdad

President Bush said Tuesday a new plan to increase U.S. and Iraqi forces in the besieged capital of Baghdad will help quell rising violence that is threatening Iraq’s transformation to a self-sustaining democracy. The number of forces is estimated to be in the low thousands with Iraqis making up the bulk. I thought we were looking for a way to get troop out of this mess, not send more in. Am I reeding this wrong?
~Bo Barfield

President is getting sued?!?!

Sen. Specter, a powerful Republican committee charimen, is leading the charge agianst President Bush's signing statements. He stated yesterday, Monday, July 24th, 2006, that have a bill ready at the end of the week ready to sue the President for acts that he considers unconstitutional. Bush has challenged about 750 statutes passed by Congress, according to numbers compiled by Specter’s committee. The ABA estimated Bush has issued signing statements on more than 800 statutes, more than all other presidents combined.But many of Bush’s signing statements serve notice that he believes parts of bills he is signing are unconstitutional or might violate national security.
~Bo Barfield

Research Paper Help

I am creating this thread for those of us that have questions about the research paper.

Tuesday Class

We will have a quiz on Elections.

Contrary to popular belief, the day after the exam is the WORST day of the semester to skip class, particularly if you did poorly on the exam.

Should America Pay?

I read some where that it may be required that the American will have to give reparations to the African American there are many debate about should American have to pay or not.. I feel they should pay because we as African American were promise many changes after the slavery time which we never seen. Now let me know what you guys think about it?

W.M.D.

Here, a video in which a Lebanese Doctor tells CNN International that Israel is dropping phospherous weapons on Lebanon, and that these chemical WMD's are harming numerous civilians. White phospherous, or Willie Pete munitions, can be used as the most effective smoke-screen in small amounts, but large doses equate to what the U.N. classifies as "illegal chemical warfare". I told you that to tell you this...
Here, an Italian documentary depicting the use of W.P. munitions against Fallujah by the U.S. Army. You may remember that most people killed in Fallujah were civilians, though it was indeed the hotbed of the Resistance at the time. Anyway, journalist Guiliana Sgrena made the documentary, before being captured by a group of insurgents. She appeared on t.v. like the other poor souls who were most ceremoniously beheaded, but her release was negotiated by one Nicola Calipari, an Italian inteliigence agent who had negotiated the release of 5 Italian hostages in Iraq. Upon her release, the car she and Calipari rode in was gunned down approaching a U.S. checpoint, killing Calipari and wounding Sgrena. She told her story to 60 minutes. Sgrena writes for a borderline Communist newspaper in Italy and was openly anti-war. All I ask is, isn't this whole situation a little suspicious, or at least peculiar? We have the U.S. seeking to disram Iraq of WMD's, then sequentially dropping WMD's on targets within a civillian city. When an embarassing news report surfaces, the author is quickly stolen away by insurgents. After a 28 day span she is released, because an Italian National Hero who had arranged the release of numerous prior hostages (while we "don't negotiate with terrorists", and I've seen the beheadings online which prove that), somehow convinces them to let her go. Then, their vehicle, as it approaches the airport, is gunned down by Americans, followed by yet another embarassing news report. What do you think? Is it safe to say that Israel secured W.P. munitions from the U.S., since we sold them the rest of their military? And is it safer to say that the U.S. knew of the chances that W.P. rounds would be used on Lebanon? So is it thusly safe to say that the U.S. didn't try to stop them? Is it at least safe to say that the phrase "Do as I say, not as I do" has never been so liberally lathered on before the Bush Administration? All I know is, WMD's are WMD's are WMD's, no matter who is dropping them on who, what chemicals or biologicals or elements are used, or how badly the struggle becomes to cover them up. I encourage you to do some googling of your own, see some of what the man behind the curtain doesn't want you to pay attention to.

college students need medical coverage

I read some where that it may be required to have health coverage in order to attend a university. This is ridiculous!!! There are many students who are struggling as is, but they keep hope alive knowing that if they just press their way and finish their degree then they will eventually be able to afford good health coverage as well as other luxuries earned by completing a degree and landing a good job. I feel that this is an effort to weed out those who aren't so fortunate. If health coverage becomes a must in order to enroll in school then what will the outcome eventually be?

Death Penalty

It really bothers me that there are people who think that it is alright to even acknowledge the concept of an eye for an eye. This concept makes me ashamed to be an American. Who gave us or anybody for that matter the right to decide who should live and who should die. I see nothing right about playing God and that's exactly what's being done. There are those playing God by creating life and there are those playing God by taking life. What is this world coming to, and how can anybody justify this behavior?

The fighting in Israel and Lebanon has steadily become worse. I believe this is the 12th day of fighting and over 300 Lebanese citizens have been killed, about a 1/3 of them children according to CNN news. A missile from Israel supposable hit a mini bus transporting people out of Lebanon to a hospital and another hit a refugee camp. I know its difficult to accurately predict where your missiles will actually land but I do wish Israel would be a little more careful to where their missile hit; it's hurting their image in this war.
~Bo

GI's Accused With Murder

On May 9th 4 soldiers involved in a raid of a suspected al qaeda training camp were ordered to kill all military age males. The soldiers did as they were told and killed 3 suspected insurgents, and now they are finding them selves accused of murder. According to the Uniform Code of Military Justice the 4 accused can be sentenced to death. My views are that the trained special forces soldiers were following orders, according to me they did there job. Using the information available I think the death penalty should not even be considered and I dont think they should be held accountable for there actions, the higher officers that made the orders should be. I would like to here your views on this subject. Thankyou, Alex Clarke

Desloge drops out

Bryan Desloge droped out of the race against Cliff Thaell for at-large county commissioner. Desloge is running for the district 4 commissioner. Many Republicans were supporting Desloge as their best chance in years to beat Cliff. However, my man Thaell will prevail.

Test Help

I am creating this thread in case anyone has any questions that someone might be able to clear up for them.

Midterm Exam Review

Short Answer Questions
There will be 20 short answer questions on the midterm exam. They will be taken from the quizzes, homework assignments and the textbook assignments. Any of the questions from these assignments that haven't been previously crossed off could appear on the exam.

Essay Questions
There will be 4 essay questions on the midterm exam. You will have to answer 2 of the essay questions on the exam. The 4 questions will be taken from the 6 topics below. The topics listed below are more general than the questions will be on the exam.

Logical Fallacies
Totalitarian/authoritarian governments
Elite vs. pluralist theory
Political ideologies
Purpose and Functions of Political Parties
Functions of the mass media

Below is an example of what the essay questions will look like on the exam. In order to do well on such a question, you must answer all of the questions asked. Opinion will only be acceptable on the final question of the essay. Note: The question below will NOT be on the exam.

How a bill becomes a law
How does a bill become a law at the national level in the United States? What parts of government are involved in the process and what is the role of each? Who can propose laws? Who enforces laws? Who makes sure laws are Constitutional? In what ways can each branch of government implement policies? Is the process too complicated or too easy?

Peaceful Outcome?

Does anybody still think that the conflict in the Middle East will get better before it gets a lot worse? I guess the U.N. is going to send some peacekeeping troops. Do you think this will have any effect on Israel or Hezbollah's actions? I don't think that Israel or Hezbollah is intent on a peaceful resolution. It seems to me that Israel is after a lot more than their two captured soldiers. Israel did say that if these two soldiers were returned they would stop bombing Lebanon but I'm not really buying that. I believe they said that to make it seem like they were trying to be the more peaceful side and that they never expect to see those soldiers again anyways. Israel knows that if they want their soldiers back they're going to have to bring a lot more to the table and it seems as though they're not willing to do that. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but when these conflicts have happened in the past, it was Israel who always ended up releasing prisoners or giving away some land and Israel is just sick of being pushed around. As for Hezbollah they're a terrorist group. They're being backed by Syria, Iran, and possibly even China (an Israeli ship was hit by a Chinese-made rocket which went through Iran and into Hezbollah hands). I can't see them trying to work out a peace treaty here unless it involves Israel deciding to fold as a country or Israel releasing a large number of prisoners. Let me know what you guys think; I'm sure I left myself open for criticism.

Funderburke v. New York State Department of Civil Services, Uniondale Union Free School District, et al.

"(New York, March 16, 2005) — In legal papers served today, Lambda Legal has taken the first step toward filing a lawsuit on behalf of a gay couple who were legally married last year in Canada but were denied spousal health benefits from Uniondale Free School District on Long Island. The lawsuit will argue that state law clearly requires government entities to respect marriages performed out of state, including same-sex couples’ marriages that were legally performed elsewhere.
Lambda Legal represents Duke Funderburke, 72 , who worked as a teacher at the Uniondale Union Free School District in Nassau County for over 20 years before retiring in 1986. He married his partner of 42 years, Brad Davis, 67, in October of 2004 in a ceremony in Ontario, Canada. When Funderburke requested that his retirement health benefits be extended to his spouse, just as benefits are extended to other married retirees, the school district refused.
“New York law is clear that when couples get validly married somewhere else, their marriages are recognized in New York. It doesn’t matter whether same-sex couples can get married in New York right now – if they were married legally somewhere else, the law says they’re legally married here,” said Alphonso David, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal who is handling the case.
The papers served today say that the school district violated its contractual, statutory and regulatory obligations, as well as common law and the state constitution, in refusing spousal coverage to Funderburke and Davis (The papers served today are a notice of claim that will allow a lawsuit to be filed in 30 days). Lambda Legal also cites opinions in recent months that were issued by New York’s Attorney General and State Comptroller, both clearly saying that out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples must be recognized in New York."

http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/press.html?record=1665

If a legally married couple moves from Florida to Georgia, their marriage is valid also in Georgia, correct? Is this a reasonable argument for the two men in New York?

R. Mitrosky

Thursday Class

We will have a quiz on political parties and leadership.

Bring your book, it might come in handy during the group activity. Then again, it might not.

Don't forget to bring the first page of your web page assignment.

Tallahassee Expansion

Plaza Tower


My fellow classmates, I am pleased to inform those of you who aren't quite aware of the wonderful things happening around this area.
I've been in Tallahassee one year. (And what a short year it has been)
Throughout this year, I've seen Tallahassee starting to experience the surge of growth and expansion that the rest of the State has been experiencing for a long time.
I think it might be safe to say that within ten years, we might actually look like a true thriving "Metropolitian Capitol City".
Its about time, thats all I can say.
I will highlight some of the big projects that you will see added to our skyline within the coming year or so.
I'm sure you guys have noticed the almost near completion of two 10 to 15 story condominium buildings downtown recently. "The Tenyson and the brick one near the capitol"
Kinda giving us an urban appeal ehh? Well brace yourself for this. You haven't seen nothing yet!
Number One= I'm sure some of you have seen adverstisements around town advertising concierge style living downtown right? "What is that?" I hear people asking. Well my friends, it is a 23 story Condominium sky rise called Plaza Tower about to take to the sky. The bottom floors will have shopping, restaurants, and tons of other retail. The rest of the highrise will be residential condominiums starting at about 200 thousand all the way up to 800 thousand dollars. to give you an idea of how large this building will be (in Tallahassee standards =), it will stand proportional to the Capitol Building.
(State law mandates nothing can be higher then the Capitol building in Tallahassee because it suggests that the state is inferior??? Don't ask. )

Plaza tower will stand at 23 stories. Yes, the capitol is 22 stories but the lower elevation from which the foundation of this tower will be constructed upon will make it even. This is going to be a beautiful addition to our downtown and help bring back vibrance. A picture is seen above of what it is projected to look like.
I present, Plaza Tower in her early stages.

Secondly= Another project is underway and right where noone is expecting it. Have you noticed the sudden demolishing of a BP gas station, a Napa Autoparts, and Hertz Car rental in town recently? Well, there was and it is on the corner of North Monroe and Tennessee Street.
From this site, you will see the project has already started. The proposed building is another large condominium sky rise roughly around 18 to 20 stories and the developer is Booth Properties. Now before you all get scared at that, please note that I seriously doubt this building will look anything like all the other crap you see Booth build locally. You know, those funky looking apartment complexes standing on two story iron girders with cars parked below. The location will have codes to hopefully prohibit anything as ugly as that going up on Monroe. But the location is brilliant. Its kinda scary imagining such a large building towering over this intersection but kinda cool at the same time. 18 to 20 stories is proposed but I have not been able to get my contacts to verify that yet. Booth has been very quite on their plans. I work at Florida Channel in the Capitol Complex so all these projects will come into our studio at some point.
If you wanna keep informed and up to date on all the expansion from West Capitol Circle all the way to the Georgia border, visit the Tallahassee forums at www.urbanplanet.org and there is a thriving Tally forums thread there.
Now since you are aware of the building going up on the corner of Monroe and Tennessee, I would like to take your attention to the corner directly across from it. This area is the temporary construction site being used to build the Tenyson which is almost near completion. That is a large, vacant, and prime piece of real estate just waiting for concrete to be poured on it.
Right now, there are several proposals on the drawing boards and several very interested developers who will be fighting for rights to build there. It is currently owned by the same people building the Tenyson but they might decide to sell it to another developer. Everything is still in speculation in simple terms. But some of the proposals I have heard for this property are exciting. Some will go as high as 24 stories and maybe higher if they can meet the harsh restrictions given by the City. It is possible to get above the Capitol, you just got to include the right stuff such as residential catering. Anyways, it is going to be big. Rest assured of that.
Just within the last 2 years, Tallahassee will be getting 4, possibly 5 high rises downtown so change is bound to happen. I realize that there is a portion of you out there who don't like to read this but it is going to happen sooner or later. Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the Union and we currently rank 4th in population. So it is only a matter of time.
It would definitely be nice getting off the interstate a few years from now and seeing landmarks that will define our city and show it in it's true glory. Such as having a skyline with lighting that can be seen from a far.
What happened to Tally?
What happened was around the turn of the Millenium, Florida finally decided to leave the fate of Tallahassee's downtown in the hands of the city, not the state, itself. So now since we no longer have a state government dictating to us what we can and cannot do with our downtown, you will be seeing some drastic changes in the coming future. Tally is a great city. It is unfortunate though that a lot of the alumni of FSU, TCC, and Famu cannot stick around after graduation because of a economy which seriously lacks high paying jobs. So they move on to other places. This is starting to change.

Matthew Meadows

I Pledge Allegiance...

seriously

I Pledge Allegiance...

Here's the link...

I Pledge Allegiance...

Here a short history of the Pledge. Thought it was relevant because of the new legislature that "protects" the pledge. Most of note is that "under God" wasn't added until 1954, over 50 years after it's origin. Also of note is that it references liberals' removal of "under God", and pro-life conservatives added liberty and justice for all, born and unborn". While this is only the adding or subtracting of phrases while reciting, based on personal choice, the page makes the bold claim that the Pledge will be altered in this decade (writtin in 92), and now the only legislation is that recently prohibiting any Pledge alteration. Interesting?

Open-Source

First let me say that this is in no way a knock against Prof. Quinnell. that being said, POS2001 is one of the many classes in which the teacher requests certain formats for papers and other assignments, namely Microsoft Word. Aside from the fact that Micosoft has had a stranglehold on all things computer for too long (they even had copyrighted all fonts on word, so Times New Roman was a misnomer if you didn't use Word), this shows a quasi-discrimination against old-school formats like notepad, or anything on MAC. Anyway, I thought I would link this and let you see for yourself the flaws inherent in the widespread use of MSWord. Do yourself a favor and support open-source software like OpenOffice. it's the wave of the future, and you'll want to beat the crowd.

Wednesday Class

We will have a quiz on Mass Media.

Make sure you bring your logical fallacies handout to class, we will use it in our group discussion.

Textbook Assignment 4

1. What is the law of anticipated reactions?
2. Define subculture.
3. What agent of socialization usually has the strongest effect on most people?
4. Define public opinion.
5. Name three factors that influence public opinion?
6. In opinion polling, what are the two major ways to come up with a representative sample of the public?
7. What is the newest and fastest growing mass medium?
8. What is the bandwagon effect?
9. Generally, what kind of relationship has media had with government since the late 1960s?
10. What did the Supreme Court rule in New York Times v. Sullivan?

Textbook Assignment 3
Textbook Assignment 2
Textbook Assignment 1

The Shelter

The Shelter, on W. Tennessee Street may be shut down, within the next year or so. The Shelter, like its name should suggest, is a shelter for the homeless of Tallahassee. Like many homeless shelters, they aim to provide humble housing, solid meals, and job opportunities for those who need a hand up. Beyond the basics, The Shelter provides rehabilitation for its residents, of which there are an abundance. However, the city of Tallahassee claims that those goals are no longer being met. Without successfully rehabilitating afflicted residents from their addictions, the City does not consider The Shelter to be moving forward. I don't beleive the city aims to shut down the local shelter, but indirectly the possiblity is very real. A major part of The Shelter's funding comes from the city, and the basis of the funding is from reaching results, including rehabilitation and short-term residencey needs. Without these being achieved, the funding may very soon be pulled, and speculation of the workers suggests that the loss is too great for the shelter to afford continuing on its own.

Does this seem like a fair basis for the city to pull funding from the homeless shelter?

The location of The Shelter is also up for concern. Being located on W. Tennessee street, it's considered prime real estate. Yet, it draws no profits considering the business housed there. Though it is a prime location, it also deters from the sucess of neighboring businesses.
If it is not shut down, should the center be relocated?

- R.Mitrosky