Last post: Right to Bear Arms

For our last post I choose a topic we haven't covered that is very controversial: the right to use guns. Last week a committee at the MN state legislature debated a bill that would have "authorized deadly force against intruders who enter a porch, garage or occupied car." In MN it is already legal to kill intruders in their homes.

Minnesota Public Radio covered this issue last week in their article, "House panel rejects bill to expand right to shoot in self defense".

1. Do you think the Second Amendment gives people the right to use weapons to shoot intruders in their homes, cars, or porches?

2. If you were in the MN state legislature, would you have supported the bill? Why or why not?

3/10 - Post 6: Gay Marriage

Welcome back after our break from blogging. Please read the article "Justices weigh arguments in potential bellwether for same-sex marriage" from the Star Tribune on 3/5/08. And answer the following questions below:

1. Does it violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment for straights to have the right to marry but not gays?

2. Do you believe that "separate but equal" is possible in marriage or in any form of separation?

3. Do you think that the government should allow gay marriage, ban it, or it is too early to act on this hot issue?

Explain your opinion and be sure to reference the article specifically. Thanks.

Post 5 - 2/25: Guantanamo Bay Prison

Chapter 17 deals with rights issues during war. One of the most controversial parts of the war on terrorism is the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Read one of the two following articles:
Ellison's feelings on Guantanamo mixed from the Star Tribune

Child Soldier Case at Guantanamo Bay from the Associated Press

In your post address the following points:
1. What are the human rights concerns expressed in the article?
2. Do you think that the potential harm from terrorism out weighs these human rights concerns? What should the U.S. do?

2/19: Post 4 - Organizations that Defend Rights

Interest groups are involved in the court process as well. Three of the most famous organizations that take cases for people for free to defend their rights are the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Lawyers Guild. As an example, Gideon was represented by the ACLU when he appealed his case to the Supreme Court and Linda Brown was represented by the NAACP when she appealed Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Today I'd like you to go to one of the following webpages (ACLU, the ACLU chapter in MN, the NAACP, the NLG, or the NLG MN chapter) and look for the information to answer these questions:

1. What types of rights issues does this interest group work on? (List at least 3)
2. Pick one to focus on. What have they done and are they doing on this rights issue?
3. Do you agree or disagree with their position or their strategy? Do you think they are effective at defending rights?

2/11 - Post 3: Choosing Judges

The Minneapolis Star Tribune explains the current debate in Minnesota as to how judges should be chosen.
Minnesotans for Impartial Courts proposed a system that would appoint judges and not give voters the power to elect them. Voters instead could vote to remove judges, but they would be put into the position by the governor not by the voters.

Read the article and then answer the following questions. Please connect the article specifically in your post.
1. Should judges be appointed or elected? Justify your opinion.

2. Would you support the amendment to change the state constitution to give voters the power to take off a judge and take away the power to vote for judges? Why?

2/5 - Post 2: Right to Phone Privacy

The Washington Post explains the background to the Senate's current debate over whether phone companies should be held legally responsible for cooperating with the U.S. government to violate your privacy.

Read the article and then answer the following questions. Please connect the article specifically in your post.
1. Does the U.S. government have the right to listen in on your phone conversations? If yes, why? If no, is there a situation where the government would have the right to listen in on your phone conversations?

2. If your phone company allows the government to wiretap your phone without a warrant do you think you should have the right to sue your phone company? Why? Should other people have this right?

1/28 - Post 1: The Death Penalty

This is your first post! I thought we'd start with a topic you probably have an opinion about: the death penalty!

The Supreme Court recently heard a case that asked them to consider whether or not lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment and violates the 8th Amendment. The Court was not debating the issue of whether the state should be able to kill someone, but instead what methods of killing should be constitutional.

Read one of the articles from the links below and answer the following questions in your post:
LA TIMES
NPR

1. Do you think the death penalty is cruel and unusual? Do you think that the use of lethal injection is cruel and unusual?

2. How do you think the Supreme Court should rule and why?