Kirby's Currents: 2007

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

The Immigration Debate

YOU DECIDE 2008 - IMMIGRATION
Read/view multiple perspectives on the immigration reform debate and make up your own mind. This will be one of the topics for our debate rounds in the new year.

Question to Respond to:
How should we as a nation address the issue of immigration? Justify your response by citing evidence/arguments presented in the sources below. You must incorporate at least three four sources into your response for full credit. Due Monday 12/8/08

Specific areas of immigration you can address. These are but a few.:
Jobs
Cost to Taxpayers
Border Control
Illegal Immigrants
Effect of Population Growth

Additional Guiding Questions:

On what issues do the various sides agree?
What are the major points of disagreement?

The Arrival of Immigrants at Ellis Island - Brief look at immigration from a historical perspective.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7516216082856962759&q=immigration+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=1484&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3

By the Numbers - (Numbers USA - Advocacy Organization) What is this organization advocating? Are there flaws in the interpretation of the "Numbers"?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4094926727128068265&q=immigration+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=1484&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Immigration and Hispanics Forum - (NDN - Advocacy Organization)
Beginning to 19:00. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) - Introductory comments
23:00 to 39:00.Simon Rosenberg - President of NDN - Changing demographics and the hispanic voters.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8440058738521148171&q=immigration+debate+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=111&start=20&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

States' Immigrant Policies Diverge
In Differences, Some See Obstacles For a National Law
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/14/AR2007101401266.html?referrer=emailarticle

Benefits of Immigration
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8520758607235721123&q=immigration+benefits+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=127&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Minutemen: The Immigration Debate
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=347017415491805038&q=immigration+debate+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=111&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

English only debate over immigration in Carpentersille, Illinois. A small town grapples with immigration.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5371119415173542897&q=immigration+debate+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=111&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=8

The above videos and stories are but the tip of the iceberg. Do some of your own research.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Campaign Commercials

Links to some of the commercial sites we used in class.

Dueling Ads

News Story on the Obama 1984 ad
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2963398&page=1

Hillary 19841 min 14 sec - Apr 10, 2007Description: Barack Obama spot using Macintosh 1984 ad.

Barack 19841 min 8 sec - Mar 19, 2007Average rating: (2 ratings)Description: Barack Obama in a 1984 like moment. A must see for all Obama, and Hillary Clinton Fans.

Infomercial/Attack Ads:

Code Pink Hillary Clinton Cindy Sheehan Sean Penn Barack Obama 1984 anti Iraq8 min 32 sec - Feb 12, 2007Average rating: (67 ratings)Description: Pansy4Peace Production's anti war video featuring Code Pink, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, 1984, Senn Penn, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Original music written and performed by Code Pink. Thanks to Kirsten Michel - kirstenmichel.com - for her contribution of footage from Code Pink. *******Code Pink clips used by permission - Kirsten Michel - KirstenMichel.com*******

Hillary Clinton 1984 in 2008: The Big Lie That Won Her Election to the Senate10 min 36 sec - Jan 25, 2006Average rating: (58 ratings)Description: Documentary trailer that exposes the lies Hillary made to the voters and her opponent through the Washington Post (www.hillcap.org) and to the FEC in 2000 about who her largest contributor was,(Spider Man creator Stan Lee's partner, Peter F Paul) how much he gave and why he gave more than $1.6 million to her so he could have Bill Clinton work with his public company, Stan Lee Media, when Clinton left the White House.

Ad Sites:

Political Communication Lab – Stanford U.
http://pcl.stanford.edu/campaigns/2008/

Race42008
http://race42008.com/

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The Primaries

As Campaigns Chafe at Limits, Donors Might Be in Diapers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102301882.html?hpid=topnews

Date of N.H. primary rests with one man
Granite State's Gardner waits to schedule first-in-the-nation contest
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21221397/

A taste of '08 in fight to split electoral votesInitiative on electoral votes has become a battleground for Giuliani, Clinton
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21124456/

The Disciples of Ron Paul, Spreading the Word in N.H.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/14/AR2007101401329.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

CNN Political Tracker
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

MSNBC Republican Debate in Michigan

Michigan Republican debate

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Student Rights Blog - Due by End of Tuesday (11:59pm)

Do you agree or disagree with the decision of the Supreme Court majority in your case? Why? Be sure to ID the case and be specific in your reasoning. 1/2 to 1 page.

Bong Hits 4 Jesus - The latest Supreme Court case examining your rights.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/washington/20scotus.html?ex=1175054400&en=8b93f1ab98e345e7&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Current Events for the Week of 10/1

1 - Bush Vetoes Children’s Health Insurance Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/washington/03cnd-veto.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

2 -

Making money off the '08 race

3 - A taste of '08 in fight to split electoral votes
Initiative on electoral votes has become a battleground for Giuliani, Clinton
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21124456/

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Democratic Debate

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Current Events for Week of 9/24

Watch the Following:

Iranian President Goes to Columbia
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=209042d27fafd29f57de207a287287f1d77ccc83
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=8ed932b2076a93758fabbaa4be8d50946cf2e870

Bush at the UN
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=2371722b94f32c33823a72162cf59d25e9d95536

Questions to Consider:

Should the right to free speech be extended to anyone? Why/Why not?

Monday, September 17, 2007

New in the News - Current Events for 9/17-9/21

Read the stories and expect 2-3 questions from each. Questions will focus on the main themes or events in each article. Is is up to you to be able to identify those or to ask questions in class!

New Clinton Health Care Plan
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/washington/17cnd-clinton.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

VIDEO:
Sen. Obama Interview
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=ce746ee9-c883-4152-97ed-78390f1c3a0e&f=00&fg=email
Iraq War Debate - McCain and Kerry
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=82f9955b-fe62-466c-8909-d9f85ce7c94e&f=00&fg=copy
Interesting Discussion on Race and Religion in the 2008 Elections.
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=e4decd13-50f9-46e1-b95a-a0c7a5425109&f=00&fg=copy
NEW - Jena Six
1. http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=359d574b-0cc2-40db-836b-3005d93fb1a2&f=00&fg=copy
2. http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=2c47a734-d398-4838-be63-5c3aca9ae400&f=00&fg=copy

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Remembering 9/11

Stories of 9/11 and the aftermath 6 years later. A New York Times special section.

Photo: Alex Fuchs/Agence France-Presse

Your Questions: Respond to 1 of the following by Monday.

1. Should we as Americans be expected to personally sacrifice more in order to protect our way of life? If so, how? If not, why not?

2. Can you defeat a group that believes they are doing God's work?

3. Is the government doing enough to prevent another 9/11?

4. How can we get other countries to better assist us in this war?

5. Will we continue to remember 9/11 as time goes by?

6. Can we win this war?

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/sept_11_2001/index.html

Current Events 9/10-9/14

QUIZ FRIDAY - ALL PERIODS !!!

BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING CANDIDATES:

Rudy Giuliani
Hilary Clinton
John McCain
Barack Obama
Fred Thompson
John Edwards
Mitt Romney
Dennsi Kucinich
Tom Tancredo
Chris Dodd
Mike Huckabee

Stories to read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/washington/11assess.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/us/politics/11web-nagourney.html

Thursday, September 6, 2007

New Hampshire Debate

Click on the link below. This will take you to the Fox News video page. Click on "Top Videos" in the upper right quarter of the page.
1. Identify 5 major issues focused on by the candidates.
2.Each segment is about 7-10 minutes long. Watch at least one segment and respond to at least two of the candidates performance in the segment. What did you like/dislike about the candidate or teh responses? You must identify the specific candidates and topics discussed to get credit.NOTE: If the debates are no longer in the "Top Videos," click on the Videos link and then select "Politics" or go to the Google Videos linked below.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295899,00.html

Youtube:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=fox+gop+debate+sept

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Republican Debate 5/15/07

Click on the link below. This will take you to the Fox News video page. Click on "Top Videos" in the upper right quarter of the page. Each segment is about 7 minutes long. Watch at least one segment and respond to at least two of the candidates performance in the segment. You must identify teh specific candidate, segment # and topics discussed to get credit.

NOTE: If the debates are no longer in the "Top Videos," type GOP Debate in the Search Fox News box.

DUE Friday!

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html

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