Current Event - Sexual Assaults in Military Academies

My current event was about sexual assault cases in military academies. The article talked about a report that comes out every year on the number of sex assault cases in U.S military academies in the United States. I got the article from WWW.CNN.com

This year's 2009/2010 report came out and there was a lot of skepticism regarding it. The National Department of Defense commented on the report saying, "This may not indicate an increase in the instances of sexual assault occurring, as it could also be a result of training and education and victim's confidence in the department's ability to respond." Then a former female Marine, Anuradha Bhagwati, executive director of the Woman's Action Network, complained that the government's statement was absurd.

Bhagwati witnessed these incidents first-hand being in the military, therefor people took her word over the governments. The report from 2008/2009 stated that 25 reported sex assault cases were filed. As compared to this year's 41 reported cases, that is a 64% increase over one year. This is an extremely high number.

Bhagwati and the Woman's Action Network felt as though the government has not done enough about this issue and sued the Department of Federal Affairs.

Anuradha Bhagwati also mentioned the rarity of sex assault cases being reported. The 41 cases that were mentioned in the report, are only 10% of the total incidents that actually occur within military academies. An explanation for this was that people are intimidated in the military to report these cases and in fear as well.

Sexual Assault, by definition, is intentional sexual contact by use of force, threats, etc. To be clear, not all of these cases that were reported are considered rape. Rape is a little bit different than sex assault. And not all of these assaults were on women either, but the majority were.

The historical significance of assault in the military academies is that women have come a long way from where they used to be. In the past, women were not even allowed to serve in the military. But now that we have accepted and allowed them to help protect our country, they are still in danger. If we allow women in the military, they should not have to worry about these issues. It shows that there is still a lot of violence against women in the world and that we have a long way to go as a country to provide equal rights (both politically and socially) to all women.

Sources Used:

• CNN.com

Article Link:

• http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-15/us/military.sex.assault_1_sexual-assault-academies-sexual-predators?_s=PM:US

Clarifying Questions:

• Were these sexual assault cases all around the world or just in the United States?

This article focused in on the cases seen within the military academies, not actually out in the already formed military. So training our soldiers happens here in the U.S.

• What did you mean by only 10% of the cases reported?

The 41 sexual assault cases talked about in this article were only 10% of the total number of sex assaults that occurred this past year in the academies.

• Will these cases make people want to take women out of the military?

No, I don't think so because the U.S has made such progress in achieving to let women into the military that it would only be a step back if they took them out again. It will be better to just eliminate these assaults, which are unnecessary in the first place.

Probing Question:
How does these violence against women still occur, even after they have achieved equality regarding their rights and what are some ways to solve the issue of sexual assault on women in the military academies?

LWV Gifts Suffrage Book to Public Libraries

My current event was about the Juneau League of Women Voters giving a book about women suffrage to public libraries in the United States. The book includes different generations of suffragists in their struggles. The name of the book that was donated to public libraries is Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Women Suffrage Movement. It was written by Robert Cooney, Jr. The LWV wanted people to know how long the struggle was for women to gain voting rights.

The suffrage movement began in 1840 and ended in 1910. The women of the LWV worked to get the 19th amendment. The women had to fight for their voting rights state by state.

• 19th Amendment: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote are not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."
  

The Juneau League of Women Voters was organized by Carrie Chapman Catt in 1920. The LWV are active participants in the CBJ campaigns, public forums, education, and voter registration. The CBJ (citizens for better judge) has been around for about 21 years. The organization has a "commitment to the proposition that the public is entitled to a competent, conscientious and professional judiciary," according to Daniel T. Goyette.

• The League of Women Voters first goal was to teach women how to exercise their new right to vote.
  
• These women take action by monitoring elections and government activities, as well as by testifying at legislative hearings.

If you were to search for the topic of women's rights or suffrage movements, you would not find many biographical books about women in the suffrage movement during the 19th century. If you searched "Women Suffrage" you would only see 73 titles; for "Women's History" only 107 titles; for "Feminism" you would see 1,623 titles about the topic.

• Feminism is "the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes."

The author of the book about women suffrage used information from manuscripts, subject titles, and photo archives from both public and private places. The main places that Robert Cooney, Jr. took information were the Schlesinger Library, the Library of Congress, and the Huntington and Bancroft Libraries in California.

Article Link:

• http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/121410/loc_756389226.shtml
  

Sources I used:

• http://www.citizensforbetterjudges.org/history.html

• http://www.juneaulwv.org/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States

Probing Question: Why do you think that there aren't many books that address women suffrage?

Current Event 12/14/10 - Caitlin Carroll

My current event was about a woman named Sarah Cleto Rial who won the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award. She won the award because she was recognized for all of the activism movements that she has somehow participated in against the human rights abuse going on in Sudan. She was born and raised in Southern Sudan. At the age 17 she was arrested for the way she was dressed. The police put her into a pick up truck and drove around town letting people shout out insults and throw things at her then was put through an uncivil trial at court. For over twenty-five years, since her arrest, she has become an activist against human rights abuse. She mainly focuses on woman's voices being heard and their needs being meet.
She moved to the US in 1993 on a college scholarship and resettled in Lynn, Massachusetts. Since her move to America she has become the co-founder of non-profit organization called African Woman Empowerment Group. The organization helps immigrants and refugee woman become more independent and it also helps activist movements in Sudan. She currently works as a program director for My Sisters Keeper, which is a women led humanitarian organization in America. She helps direct programs to help enhance woman's education.

This is historically significant because the award was named after Eleanor Roosevelt. She is famous for being President Franklin Roosevelt's wife (our 32nd president) and for help making the Universal Declaration of Rights. The Universal Declaration of Rights was adopted on
December 10, of 1948 by General Assembly. The document is still used today by the United Nations to help create constitution's and peace laws.


Clarifying Questions:
1) What was in the Universal Declaration of Rights?
Here's a link to a great website of the whole document;
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

2) Why was the fact that Eleanor Roosevelt was significant?
She was significant because she helped write and draft this huge document about human rights and the reason why its linked to Sarah is because she has been dedicating her lift to help others gain those human rights and not have them be violated by a terrible government.

Probing Question:
In what ways can Sarah use woman's history to help her activism in Sudan?

Women's History Essential Questions

Here are some ideas developed in each class to help you clarify the essential question you want to focus on. These represent a starting point – feel free to adjust and/or combine various ideas to form your own essential question. You must identify your essential question by Tuesday 12-14 (comment here) as it will guide you through the Gallery Showing on Thursday.

Block Two:
How does one accomplish change in society?
How can a disadvantaged group advocate for change?
How can historical events inform activists’ actions?
What methods can activists use to create social change?
What are the obstacles that groups face in their struggle to achieve social change?
What has been the changing role of women throughout American history?
Must groups achieve social, political, and economic rights in order to achieve equality?
Should groups work within the system to create change or work from outside in order to force a desired change?
How can the creation of law affect the way people act?
What has changed the way we perceive gender roles? What has not changed?
How has our society’s power structure affected gender relations?
What role do the media play in perpetuating gender stereotypes?

Block Three:
How has women’s inequality been established/enforced throughout American history?
How has the media’s perception of body image affected women’s body image?
How has women’s body image been molded by the media over time?
How have women’s roles evolved and developed? Does the stereotypical role still exist?
In what ways have women’s rights evolved over time?
In what ways have gender roles evolved over time and how do they impact daily lives?
What’s the relationship between body image and violence against women?
Why have women been historically excluded from political thinking and roles?
Why is it important to study women’s history?
How has the role of women in politics changed over time? Or, not changed?
How is women’s involvement in politics limited by gender/societal expectations?

Block Four:
What’s the connection between expected societal roles for women and the level of respect/power they’re issued?
How have American women impacted social and political issues globally?
How has clothing and appearance of women changed over time? Is there a relationship between the change and their political roles?
How have women’s professional roles developed over time?
What role has marriage played in the lives of women over time?
How has women’s role in politics changed throughout history? How has politics changed due to women?
What is the connection between women meeting appearance ideals/expectations and their success/power in society?
What does the evolution of a woman’s reproductive freedom tell us about the larger women’s rights movement.

International Viiolence Against Women Act (IVAWA)

My current event article was about the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA). The act was introduced to the 110^th congress, but did not come to a vote before congress adjourned. Therefore, it was re-introduced to the 111^th Congress in February 2010. The sponsors of the bill are John Kerry, the Chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Bill Delahunt, the Chair of House Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on Europe. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to consider the act with little time left in the Lame Duck session. If IVAWA is passed, it will make U.S. foreign policy and international development focus more on violence against women. It will also create new programs, better existing programs, reduce social tensions to create security, support survivors of violence, and hold perpatrators accountable. This would include training United States and international military and peace keeping units in prevention and response tactics. Help would also be given to improve overseas womens governmental and non-governmental organizations (but mostly non-governmental organizations) in addressing violence against women.

Violence against women still affects billions every year. One third of women in the world will be raped or abused in their lifetime. Also, surprisingly, seventy percent of women who are murdered are killed by their male partner. Another large problem that the act wants to help with is sexual violence in conflict areas like Darfur.

16 Days is an annual international campaign that runs from November 25^th to December 10^th. The title of this article is “16 Days of Activism Against gender Violence: Congress Should Adopt IVAWA” because this year their theme focuses on the intersection of militarism and violence against women. There have been over 3,400 organizations participating in 16 Days since 1991. These organizations raise awareness, strengthen local work, work to change societal structures, and advocate for other programs to help support survivors of violence. It would be most meaningful if the act was passed within these days.

questions from class:
Why do supporters want IVAWA to be passed before the lame duck session ends?
The supporters of the act want IVAWA passed before the new congress comes in during January. The new congress is going to be more conservative and will be less likely to pass the bill. Also, they do not want to have to wait any longer or have to re-introduce the bill again.

What is militarism?

Militarism is using the military to control the society. It is when the military is regarded as the supreme ideal of the state, where it is found to be more important than all other ideals.

Probing Question: Do you agree that the U.S. should make violence against women a greater focus of Foreign Policy, or do you think there are more important issues that should be focused on? Explain why. If you think other issues are more important, which ones?

ASSIGNMENT: THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

Thanks for an interesting discussion today. For this assignment, I'd like you to read Charlotte Perkins Gilman's explanation about why she wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper." You can find it here.

Now that you know the story of the story (how confusing is that?) see if you can draw some similarities between Kate Chopin's purpose for writing "The Story of an Hour" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's purpose for writing "The Yellow Wallpaper." How do both authors work to promote social change through their writing? Consider both the structure and the content of each story. How are they similar?

Please post your comment by Monday at 9pm.

ASSIGNMENT: "Story of an Hour" Debrief

Last Thursday, we had an insightful conversation about Kate Chopin's provocative short story, "The Story of an Hour." In a comment to this post, please reflect on what you heard on Thursday, either from our presenters or from the group at large. In your comment, please be specific about what ideas resonated with you and how they expanded your own understanding of the story. Don't forget to give credit where credit is due by naming names.

Please end your comment by finishing this sentence:
"Next time I write a one-pager, I will...(be concrete and specific here--not I will try hard, but rather something along the lines of "I will make connections between the passage in the story and character development.")

Due by 7pm Wednesday December 1st

Early Women's History-DUE TUESDAY

First, I want to remind everyone that your research for the Multigenre project is due on Tuesday. Make sure you have set up your Noodle Tools account and have successfully "shared" with Ms. Gearty and me.

Second, complete the following as an extension of our document analysis work from last week. Considering the late timing of the post, I will extend the deadline until Tuesday.

Assignment: Gather all of the work that you have done in analyzing the provided historical documents relevant to women's history. Considering all that we have discussed, identify the trends that exist across these first-hand accounts of historical events thereby analyzing what life was like for American women in the 18th and 19th centuries. Be sure you use evidence to back up your position. And, be original!

The Paycheck Fairness Act

My current event was about the Paycheck Fairness Act. This was a bill that was meant to help close the gap between men and women's salaries. Laws such as Title 7 (Equal Employment Oppertunity), Equal Pay Act, and Section 1981, already enforce the fact that all employees should get paid a similar salary, regardless of race or sex. However, the gap is still rather large. For example, women have been proven to make 23% less than men do, on average. The weekly earning of men, on average, is $819, which is much more than the women's weekly salary of only $657. The Paycheck Fairness Act was meant to help decrease this gap, however it only recieved 58 of the required 60 votes needed to pass the bill.
This bill said that in order to pay two employees different salaries, they had to have a valid reason (not just because of sex or race, but because of something like experience or ability, for example). If an employee thinks this reason is not valid, they would have the right to complain, sue, etc.
Like all arguments, there are two sides being supported. Some people feel that this would only cause problems. They think this would simply make it easier for women to sue companies for reasons that aren't worth the money the companies would have to pay. They also feel that "wage discrimination based on workers' sex is already illegal. The Paycheck Fairness Act would just amplify already existing laws." On the other hand, many people felt that this could only help. It would close the wage gap between men and women, it would put more money in women's pockets, and most importantly, it's fair.

Questions from class:
-Explain what Title 7, Equal Pay Act, and Section 1981 are, and when they were created.

Title 7 - "Prohibits discrimination by covered employers on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, or national origin." This was created in 1964.

Equal Pay Act - "A United States federal law aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex." It pretty much says that any employer under this act cannot pay two employees different amount ob the basis of their sex. This was created in 1963.

Section 1981 - This stated that any victim of any kind of race or sex-based dicrimination has the right to obtain a jury trial against their employer(s). This was created in 1866 during the Civil Rights Movement.

Probing Question:
With the information given, do you think the Payment Fairness Act would have helped, or would it have caused problems? Please explain why you think so.

Sources:
online.wsj.com
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=unfair_loss
http://www.elinfonet.com/1981sum.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Pay_Act_of_1963
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964#Title_VII

My Current Event: The Wage Gap for Women

On Monday, I told you guys about how the wage gap between men and women has greatly decreased, over the years. Now, I want to clarify these things up for you. Statistics have shown that yes, the wage gaps between the salaries of men and women has greatly decreased, but the gap is still quite big. This means that women have been getting paid more and more, over time, for the hard work that they have been doing. To clarify this; women have been entering into more of the professional job areas. More and more women have been employed as physicians, lawyers, and managers of various businesses. This might not sound like much, but in the Women's point of view, it is a huge success. Before, the sexism upon women prevented them from entering the working world as professional job holders, and even made them earn less money than what men made. Even though this still happens today, many acts such as the Paycheck Fairness Act, and the very early, Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 both helped women overcome this sexism, and enter into the world as professional job holders. The Fair Labor Standards Act, which helped make minimum wages possible, did not help protect women against discrimination. But, in 1963, the Equal Pay Act, or EPA, was introduced, and passed by JFK. This act ammends the FLS Act of 1938, and makes it illegal for companies to discriminate against their employees, which is based on the sex of their employees. It also states that the Employers must make all pays equal (for both men and women), and treat all women and men equally, and make sure that this environment stays friendly, and has no discrimination. A then, later ammendment in 2007 was passed through the senate after a second try, further strengthening these rules because many companies did not really abide by this law. The Paycheck Fairness Act is basically one of the latest ammendments to the EPA. This was brought up on November 17, 2010. It was proposing to help the victims (mainly women) of wage-paying discrimination and sexism. It also helped them get fair amounts of wages, compared to what others were making in that certain field of work. This bill was shot down in the senate, in a 58-41 decision. This act would have also required employers to pay employees who were covered under this law about 1.5 times the regular rate of pay.

Clarifying Questions Asked:
Are there any Acts that benefitted only women?
Yes, as I stated above, the Equal Pays Act helped women through protecting them from discrimination; both in the work place, and in their salaries.

Does discrimination REALLY happen to these women?
Yes, from many accounts and experiences, women have been discriminated for all of time. You can see that in these workplaces, these women are still making about 200 dollars less than what men make. Salaries are not the only thing that women are discriminated against for; there is still sexual harassment, and many other forms of discrimination, sexism, and harassment in all workplaces.

Why would women work in the labor fields?
If you look at the economy now, obviously any one would want any job they could find. In my speech for this current event, I might have made it seem that all women wanted to work in labor fields. Well, I did not mean it to happen that way. What I wanted to prove was to show you guys a comparison between men and women. How men would be getting fired (mainly the ones in labor fields and such) and how women would be getting hired as professional job holders. If you think there are no women working in jobs such as construction and such, you are completely wrong. There are plenty of women contracters, builders, designers, and plain-old construction workers who pave roads and such.

Link to the Article's website:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2010-09-13-wage-gaps_N.htm


Probing Question:
Seeing the current wage gap, what other policies aside from the ones that have already been introduced do you think the government should put out to help this problem? If you think no other policy should be put in place, please explain why.

Womens ice hockey in the olympics in jeapordy

The sport of womens ice hockey in the olympics is in jeapordy of being an event anymore in the olympics. There is no parody between countries wich means that there is no real competition for the United states and Canada.For the sport to continue the international olympic comitte (IOC) will need to see investing resources and also seeeing devolpment in progress in the game itself. Some score examples from this year are...
America 12 China 1
Canada 18 Slovakia 0
One reason why america might have the sucsess it does could be because of Title IX wich says "No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded participation in,or denied benifits of,or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid."
For example Boston College is a private school so it can spread its funds around how it wants to, on the other hand Boston University is receiving federal aid therefore they have to spend the same amount of money for mens sports as they do womens that is why BU does not have a football program anymore.


Probing question:
Do you think if other countries adopted an idea like Title IX would that help them gain the progress and resources that the IOC needs to see from countries?

NOODLETOOLS and Biography in Context

It's time for your Women's History Project!
Hurray!

Here's some useful information:

NOODLE TOOLS:

You'll use Noodle Tools to organize you notes and research.

Step 1: Go to noodletools.com, and click on Sign In in the right-hand corner. Click on Create a Personal ID, choose "An account linked to my library's or school's subscription," and click Continue.

Step 2: If prompted, enter the school's username (hudsonhs) and password (hawks).

Step 3: Set up a personal ID and password, and follow the registration process.

Yay! Once you've set up an account, you'll have the option to "Create a New Project." Click on that box on the right-hand side. Choose MLA Advanced, and in the Description block, name the project HAS Women's History Project. Click Create Project, and you will be delivered to your project dashboard. Click the link that says "Share project with a teacher's drop box." In the empty box, enter this code:women's history multigenre research project.

Ta da! You've created an account that will help you manage your project. Now, use it! Using the links in Components, you'll enter works cited information, and then use the notecards feature to take notes. It will even link you directly to your Google Docs account, so when you're ready to start writing, it's all connected. It's super useful. Check the rubric, too--part of the project assessment is based on your completion of effective note-taking.

BIOGRAPHY IN CONTEXT (formerly Biography Resource Center):

Biography in Context is a super-useful tool to use when you're researching people. Many of you will be able to access all of your sources through this one database. How convenient! You'll start on the Databases page on the HHS Library's website. On that page, under the heading General Databases, click All Gale Databases. Find Biography in Context and click on it. If you're asked for a library card number, try this one: 27411 00029 3090 (please let us know if it doesn't work).

Once you're on the homepage for Biography Resource Center, type your woman's name in the box at the top right to search. If there's more than one woman with her name, you'll have to choose the right one--check with us if you're not sure. You'll be brought to a page that will have a lot of links: Reference Articles, Newspaper articles, Magazine articles, etc. You should have a lot of sources to use. You might be able to access all four required sources from this one page. If your woman is not covered in Biography in Context, please check in with us ASAP.

ASSIGNMENT: "Hell Heaven" by Jhumpa Lahiri

First,I'd like to thank you for participating in our thoughtful conversation today. I know I learned a lot from your astute observations.

In a comment to this post, please reflect on what you heard today, either from our presenters or from the group at large. In your comment, please be specific about what ideas resonated with you and how they expanded your own understanding of the story. Don't forget to give credit where credit is due by naming names.

Please end your comment by finishing this sentence:
"Next time I write a one-pager, I will...
(be concrete and specific here--not I will try hard, but rather something along the lines of "I will make connections between the passage in the story and character development.")

Current Event

My current event was about how on Monday November 15th, 2010 the California Supreme Court ruled that illegal immigrants can be eligible for the same reduced tuition at public colleges as legal residents of the state. This means that they now only have to pay the in-state tuition of the college if they have been living there for six or more months just like any legal citizen would.
This goes back to the Plyler vs Doe precedent that was established in 1976. The Texas legislature in 1975 revised its education laws so it would no longer support illegal aliens with free public education of grades k-12, because they claimed that illegal aliens were costing them money. There was a class action filed against the law in 1976 saying that that this law went against the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Ammendment. The judge ruled for the illegal aliens saying that not only does it violate the 14th ammendment, but that the school would actually gain money from illegal aliens because the school would receive more money from the higher population.
All though illegal aliens are now eligible for the reduced tuition on college, they remain inelegible for state and federal financial aid. Many pro immigration citizens are hoping for a federal financial aid law to pass for illegal immigrants during this current lame duck session. If it does not get passed during the lame duck session, it will be less likely for it to get passed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/us/16immig.html

Probing Question :
How could illegal immigrants in grades k-12 affect the other students and even teachers in the class? For better or worse?

Current Event

My current event today was about how a dozen University of Texas San Antonio students are going on a hunger strike in order to gain support from Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson regarding the DREAM Act. DREAM stands for "Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors." The DREAM Act refers to immigrant minors who don't have control in the status of their citizenship because they were brought to America too young. In order to qualify for the DREAM Act, beneficiaries must:

• Have proof of having arrived in the USA before age 16
• Have proof of residence in the USA for atleast five consecutive years since their date of arrival
• Be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of the bill enactment
• Have graduated from an American high school or obtained a GED
• And be of "good moral character."

During the first six years, the immigrant would be granted "conditional" status, and would be required to graduate from a two-year community college or complete at least two years towards a 4-year degree, or serve two years in the U.S military. After the six years, an immigrant who met at least one of these requirements would be eligible to apply for legal permanent resident status.

The reason that these students are pushing for Sen. Hutchinson's vote is because she originally was in support of the DREAM ACT but voted it against it in the last round. If the DREAM Act fails in the lame duck session, not many people believe it has a chance in the more conservative Washington, D.C.

Clarifying questions:

Why is it important that the DREAM Act be supported by the Republicans?

It is important that the DREAM Act be supported by the Republicans because if it isn't supported by them, it will most certainly not be supported by the conservative people in Washington D.C. It is important to get as much support as possible so that an estimated 800,000 illegal immigrants can gain citizenship.

Probing Question:

Do you think the DREAM Act would be an effective way for Alien Minors to achieve citizenship? Why or why not?

Today I gave a current event on something called the Secure Communities program. This program was created by the Bush administration in 2008. On average 1 million illegal immigrants are arrested each year. The Department of Homeland Security has stated that with this program which consists of screening the finger prints of people who are arrested by local poilice departments in participating communities. As of right now there are 750 durisdictions in 34 states praticipating in the program. A problem that Illegal Immigrant Activist believe will be a direct outcome of the program is it will draw away illegal immigrants from reporting a crime or testifying in court. The Department of Homeland Security has said that the program only involves people who are arrested. The Program is done by taking the finger print of the person arrested and is sent through the Department of Homeland Securities databases and if there is'nt a match the person will then be further screened as an illegal immigrant. The Department of Homeland Security has also informed that the program will be manditory for all counties in the United States.


A question that was asked during class was- How long does the screening process take if the program was added to the average police screening?

The answer to that is about another 30 minutes will be added to go through the databases but if flaged you will then be detained for further screening that could last up to 2 days.

PROBING QUESTION:

Should the program be run by the individual states or the Federal Government and why?

Current Event 11/9 Justin Gough

My current event today was about how the federal government is now mandating the states to increase amenities in illegal alien detainment camps. The federal government is now asking that the states add services like arts and crafts, dance lessons, movie nights, continental breakfasts, and tutoring to their detainment camps. Groups like the ACLU, and Amnesty International say these changes are long overdue, but others disagree, saying that Americans already pay too much tax money on illegals, and already have to foot the bill for the detainees' health and dental care. They also say that the detainees are already treated better than inmates in regular jails, and that they should not be rewarded for breaking the law.

Clarifying Questions:

How long are detainees held?

Detainees are held until their deportation hearing, but can be held indefinitely if they are refused repatriation by their home country, or if the United States government has no diplomatic relations with their home country.

Where are the camps located?

Mostly in the border states, although there is one as close as Rhode Island.

Who are the camps run by?

The camps are run by independent corporations that are hired by ICE to build, operate, and secure the camps.

Probing Question:

Do you think that this treatment of detainees is too harsh, or too lax? Why?

Monday's GLOG SPECTACULAR!!

Welcome to the Glog Spectacular. The goal of this activity is for each viewer to gain an understanding of the American immigrant experience.

Make sure you have your Immigration Patterns Notes page ready!

Choose at least one glog from each immigrant group and spend 5-10 minutes observing and taking notes on that immigrant group’s experience. When you have viewed glogs from each immigrant group, reflect on their common experiences and any connections to your family’s experience.

At the end of class, we will come back together to compare notes, and make some general observations about immigration patterns and the experience of various immigrant groups.

Good Luck!


Irish Immigration:
Alex Wood

Marissa Vara

Brian Fahey

Jackie Brown

Italian Immigration:
Garrett Elder
Chris Frias
Brian Sousa

Terry Bothwell

German Immigration:
Alex DiBuono
Christian Ramos
Ryan Goodwin

Andrea Beland

Brazilian Immigration:
Evan Markopolous
Jake Wardwell
Justin Gough

Chinese Immigration:

Adam Cabral
Christina Vara
Jess Peznola
Mitchell Geist

Mexican Immigration:
Alisha Nogueira

Amber Winske
Emily Cabral

Polish Immigration:
Cassia Landry
Zack Graham
Jon Wharton

Janelle Curtis

Ghanaian Immigration:

Kathryn DeForest

Kayla Boulanger

Current Event 11/4 Zack Graham

My current event was on how the midterm election affected the immigration reform. Since the republicans won the house they now have some power in the government and are going to try and push "The Pledge of America" as the way the immigration reform should go. The pledge want is based on border security, immigration law enforcement and and visa security. It went on to explain how the republicans were indirectly supporting Arizona's immigration laws.

If the democrats won however they had already planned a completely different immigration reform. There reform was set around four pillars. These four pillars are biometric social security cards, creating a system for admitting temporary workers, beefing up border security, and implementing a path for the legalization of certain undocumented immigrants.

Chairperson King, who is Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and a republican, for a re-interpreting of the 14th amendment. This was the amendment that gave all African Americans citizenship in 1868. This is also the only amendment that talks about citizenship.

Even though this is not first on the lists of issues it is still a major problem and may hopefully be dealt with over the next couple of years.

Probing Question

Which plan would be better for this country,the Democrats "Four Pillars" or the Republicans "Pledge of America"?

Immigrant Voters: current event November 3, 2010

Throughout history it has been difficult to become a United States citizen, becoming an active voter is even harder. Many presidents have tried to create laws restricting new Americans from voting, but it hasn’t stopped them yet. New Americans and children of immigrants (born after 1965) now account for 1 in 10 registered voters in the United States. This leads to an extended effort from politicians aimed towards mobilized immigrant voters. In at least twenty-three states 5.4 million dollars have been used by civic participation organizations to target more than one million Latino and Asian voters. This has lead to a significant impact: from 1996-2008 the number of new American voters jumped 101.5 percent. This decade the number is still rapidly growing. The role of new American voters in elections to come will truly have a large impact on the results.
Probing question: Why is it strategic for politicians to reach out to new American voters?

Current Event 10/28 - Cassia Landry

My current event was about the new bill that Florida's State Representative William Snyder has proposed to congress. This bill is similar to Arizona's anti-immigration law, SB 1070 that was passed over the summer. The new law allowed police men to stop people if they have reasonable suspicion that they are an illegal immigrant. The federal government is trying to sue Arizona, because immigration is not a state issue and Arizona did not have the right to make such a law.
Controversy strikes between both the government and the people. Many argue that this law is racist and wrong. This law gives police to ask anyone on the spot if they have their papers (passport, visa, license, or some form of identification) and if they fail to show them the identification, they are arrested. The government does not approve of this law because it is their job to make immigration laws, not the states. Now other states are trying to replicate the law, and even trying to take it to the next level.
The main idea of this article was to expose Snyder’s new bill and the similarities to Arizona’s law. The bill is similar to Arizona’s law, but it goes even further in racial profiling. On the third page of Snyder’s bill it states that if an officer has, “reasonable suspicion” on a person then that person will be “presumed to be legally in the United States,” as long as he or she provides a Canadian passport or a passport from any other visa waiver country. These wavering countries include four Asian nations, but the other thirty-two are Western Europe (France to Germany).
Snyder’s bill has had only a few people notice the wavering countries that would be excluded from the police’s “reasonable suspicion.” It seems as though this bill in the process of being passed is more extreme than Arizona’s. Arizona’s law never said anything about targeting one specific group, and even though Snyder's bill does not, Snyder’s bill still acts in favor of the “wavering nations.” These wavering nations are also white majority. Since large number of Florida’s immigrants are Canadians.
It has raised suspicion that the bill will be even more racist than Arizona’s and it will be more relaxed when it comes to white immigrants. When Snyder was asked about this hidden element he said, “What we’re doing there is trying to be sensitive to Canadians. We have an enormous amount of…Canadians wintering here in Florida. That language is the comfort language.” This discriminates all the other races, and gives the white people an unfair advantage.
Clarifying Questions:
"What kind of papers will the policemen be asking for?"
The policemen will be asking for any form of identification such as a passport, visa, or license.
"How can they tell if a Canadian is here illegally?"
Snyder's bill will exclude Canadians as well as other European countries, they will be known as "wavering countries" and police will have to have more than reasonable suspicion to ask for their papers.
"How is the law in Arizona racist?"
The affects of the law are racist, and the reasonable suspicion that the police have on these potential illegal immigrants is morally based on stereotypes. To clarify with this bill, most white races are not going to be stopped and asked for their papers due to reasonable suspicion.

Probing Question:
How could this bill being passed affect Florida's tourist rates?


Title of Article: “A free pass in Florida if you’re white”
Source:http://socialistworker.org/print/blog/coulnt-make-it-up/2010/10/27/free-pass-if-you-are-white

Immigration Patterns Activity

Here are some helpful links that will aid you in your research of the assigned immigrant group. Remember that not all links will prove applicable. Be prepared to conduct research beyond these suggested sites.

Ellis Island
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Immigration History and Research Center
The Chinese in California
Mexican Migration Project
Harvard University
Educational Videos
username: vivirito password: Hudson#1
German Roots
Best History Websites
The Latina/o History Project
Spartacus International
Think Quest
Immigration Patterns Map
The New Americans
The Library of Congress
PBS "The Border" (Mexican Immigration)
Asian Immigration Timeline
Angel Island
HHS Library Databases
Noodle Tools

Current Event

My current event article is called "Expansive Native American exhibit opening in NYC". My article was about expansive artifacts about the Native Americans, in which there is a museum opening in NYC displaying these artifacts. What is very interesting is that the artifacts are from 1400's. This is significant because the white man wasn't in America in the 1400's. By finding these artifacts we learn how the native Americans lived before the white man interrupted their world. Also we get a different look on Native Americans, we don't receive the stereotypical, feather and cross bow view on Indians.

Questions asked in class:
What are the connections between this exhibit and the Smithsonian?
The connections between this exhibit and the Smithsonian is that the artifacts were actually held by the Smithsonian in the moving process of the exhibit. The man that owns the artifacts moved a small NYC exhibit to the Smithsonian but received the artifacts back.

Probing Question:
Do you believe the Native Americans could have survived and have been strongly populated without the white man's invasion?

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/10/22/1392347/expansive-native-american-exhibit.html

ASSIGNMENT: ALEXIE OPTION #2

Here's option two. Remember, you need only complete one of the Alexie Assignment blog posts.

We did an author study on Sherman Alexie. It's awesome that we had enough time to look at multiple texts by this one talented writer. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same opportunities we do.

Imagine that you could recommend only one Alexie text to someone who's interested in learning about Sherman Alexie as a writer. Which, of the texts we read in class, would you recommend, and why?

ASSIGNMENT: ALEXIE OPTION #1

By Wednesday, you need to respond EITHER to this post OR the other Alexie post.

Here's your first option:

The sequel to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is The Magic and Tragic Year of my Broken Thumb. Hmmmm....

What are your hopes for this new book? What do you think it will be about? What are your predictions for it?

Proper Letter Format: An Example and Some Resources

Here's a great source to help you format your letter to President Obama.

And, you can click here for a visual of what a properly formatted letter should look like. (Use the first example of the Block format).

Also, if you need help with MLA format, please use the Purdue Writing Center site to help you.

Current Event Presentation

For my current event I had done an article called "Native American Farmers Agree to Settle decade-old Discrimination case". In this article there were many things that were important. This article was about a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture that has been going on for more then a decade. In this lawsuit the USDA is now agreeing to give Native American farmers $760 million dollar settlement. This settlement is because in the past the USDA had overlooked many loans that Native American farmers have wanted, they have always given the loans to the white American farmers. In the article there was one woman who was very happy to have this lawsuit. She had said that she was so glad for the native America children who are going to become farmers, because now they are going to have a better system for loans. The lawsuit will be put into affect after the final approval by the U.S District Court next year.

Some of the questions that were asked in class:

Does this lawsuit apply to all tribes in the U.S?

The Choctaw tribe and the Sioux are some of the many tribes that are affected by this lawsuit. These are the only tribes that were mentioned in the articles that I had found.

How much does each tribe get from the lawsuit?

In the article it says "that uniform farmers will receive $50,000 after presenting evidence of bias to an impartial adjudicator" And farmers who have had major damages from not getting the loans that they have wanted by discrimination will receive $250,000 for all the damages.

Probing Question:

Why do you think the Native Americans were discriminated for so long?

Websites:

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7020277225?Native%20American%20Farmers%20Agree%20To%20Settle%20Decade-Old%20Discrimination%20Case

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1010/101310cdpm1.htm

Current Event

My current about was about an article I read, "Census Bureau Tackles Undercount of Native Americans." It explains that the bureau has been trying to get more Native Americans to fill out the census. Native Americans were first added onto the census in 1870; although before then some Indians were counted if they gave up their cultures and followed assimilation. In 2000, a little more than half of the Tulilip Reservation residents took part in the census. Since then people like Roberta Belinich, a resident of the tribe, have been going door to door around the reservation. She found that one person was ill and didn't want to be troubled, but everyone else was very cooperative about filling it out. Most people didn't even know what the census was, or they just didn't realize it's importance. Getting an accurate population count helps tribes to recieve their fair share of federal funds. This helps with infrastructure. Other ways of getting people to do their census is by putting up fliers and having census parties to spread the word. This year 72% of households mailed in their census forms, so these efforts have been working. Some Native Americans are skeptical when it comes to working with the government because there are still issues with trust. The Tulalip chairman says, "We do not forget our history, but we're looking forward with optimism."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011962971_nativecensus27m.html

PROBING QUESTION: How is the census related to power in America?

DUE: Debrief Learning Stations

Before completing this blog post ASSIGNMENT, read the transcript excerpt from the Tribal Nations Conference that President Obama held on November 5, 2009. Using the information from the learning stations and the Obama transcript, what issues or policies does this have you thinking about? In a comment on this blog post, generate ideas and resources for your letter and to help support your classmates with their letters.Also, if you'd rather watch the video of the Tribal Nations Conference, you can do that here. It's the whole thing, while the transcript we gave you is a reduced version.

Hoh Tribe Additions

My current event was about the Hoh Native American tribe of Washington State. In 1856, they lost their land to the government. In 1893, an executive order relocated them once again. Currently, the Hoh tribe resides near the ocean, locked between Olympic National Park, the Hoh River, and the Pacific. Their land is considered a flood plane and a tsunami zone. In addition, the Hoh River is creeping ever closer due to erosion. As it stood, it appeared that the reservation may disappear in a decade. However, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell had a plan. Together, they helped to settle 425 acres of surrounding land and 37 acres of Olympic National Park as an addition to the reservation. In doing so, the tribe can move farther from the flood plain and live in a more open space. However, as a side note, a National Park was not meant to be land for people to live on. It is also government land. It is significant to note that the government is giving a piece, no matter how small, of their national park to the Hoh tribe. Long ago, the Hoh tribe's lands were cheated from them, now they're beginning to get it back.

Questions from Class: Which Senate ran the legislation through? Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are U.S. Senators.

Would the river keep expanding? Yes, erosion would keep the river growing.

Probing Question: Should the government give back more land as compensation?

Links: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/
2013041342_apwahohreservation.html

http://www.seattlepi.com/
local/177885_hoh15.asp

http://www.house.gov/list/speech/
wa06_dicks/morenews1/hohbill.shtml

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1554.html

http://www.ohwy.com/wa/h/hohrintr.htm

Current Events Follow-Up: Appeals court rules Cherokee Nation can't join poultry suit

****sorry every one, I couldn't figure out how to fix the formating***

In Oklahoma, the Cherokee nation has been having issues with the polluted Illinois River.

Eleven poultry companies from Arkansas have been accused of polluting the water with chicken

feces and parts. The state of Oklahoma is suing the poultry companies for $600 million for

damages to the water. The state was told that they could not sue for the large amount of money

they were asking for because the river runs through Native American land, and the state failed

to add the Cherokee nation as a primary plaintiff. The Cherokee nation was denied by the court

to join the lawsuit because they were tardy in filing their name. The Cherokee Nation has now

has signed an agreement with the state of Oklahoma allowing the state to claim for the Cherokee

nation. The Cherokee nation is now questioning: who really owns the stretch of the Illinois River

that cuts through the Cherokee nation. The Cherokee nation is now fighting for rights to the Illinois

River, a right that they thought they always had.

Link to article: http://www.nativetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=9&Itemid=4

Probing Question: Why are the rules so unclear on who has the right to bodies of water that are shared with multiple states and Native American land?

Navajo Water Rights

The Navajo Nation had some recent controvery over the water rights of the Dine people. The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement (NAIWRSA) is a Legislation that was created in an attempt to resolve the water rights claims from the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe. This Legislation would only give the Navajo Nation 31,000 acre-feet per year of 4th Priority Colorado River water. This water would not be accessable during droughts and would cost an extra $500 million of federal funding to install a pipeline that would deliver the water to needy communities, which would be given from the U.S. Congress. The water would also go directly to the reservation, but the Nation does not accept this as something that would be good for the people of the Dine and Hopi Tribes.Non-native Stanley Pollack was one of the lawyers that created the Legislation, and many of the Najaho Nation believe that this was a bad idea.

The Dine believe that water is sacred to their way of life, giving them means to live, perform ceremonies and keep their animals alive. They strongly believe that if this Legislation went through, it would most likely disrupt their way of life and make their living conditions even worse than they are now. The council of the Navajo Nation heard these please and decided to give the Legislation another week to decide whether to activate it or leave it be.

Some questions that were asked during my presentaion were:

Where did I find my information?
My information was found on the Census News website. This sight has updated events about the Navajo Nation, and some public addresses made concerning their environment, water rights, and other topics about their reservation and way of life.

Does the water go directly to the reservation?
Yes the water goes directly to the reservation. If the pipeline were to be made it would carry water from the Little Colorado River to the reservation.

Is the Legislation going to be reviewed?
The Legislation is going to be reviewed a week from October 8, so this date will decide if the Legislation is going to be active in the Navajo Nation or not.

Probing Question:
Can water rights make a difference on a reservation?

Massacre at Wounded Knee

Custer's Last Stand

Native Americans and Healthcare Reform

My current event was on how Indians were effected with the new health care bill that Obama just made. Before Obama made the Indians Health Care Improvement Act permanent that Act had to constanly be reauthorized by congress every couple of years. The issue with this lately was that in 2000 when it expired yet again congress was taking their time deciding on what needed to be changed with the bill and so on, this process has been going on since this Act was first established on September 30, 1976. With this bill it will ensure that all Indians will be treated equally when it comes to Healthcare.



A few things have changed on the bill from the 1976 original

• Enhancement of the authorities of the IHS (Indian Healthcare Service) director, including the responsibility to facilitate advocacy and promote consultation on matters relating to Indian health within the Department of Health and Human Services


• Provides authorization for hospice, assisted living, long-term and home-and community-based care


• Extends the ability to recover costs from third parties to tribally operated facilities


• Updates current law regarding collection of reinbursements from Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP (Childern's Health Insurance Program) by Indian health facilities


• Allows tribes and tribal organizations to purchase health benefits coverage for IHS beneficiaries


• Authorizes IHS to enter into arrangements with the Departments of Veteran Affairs and Defense to share medical facilities and services


• Allows a tribe or tribal organization carrying out a program under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act and an urban Indian organization carrying out a program under the title V of IHCIA to purchase coverage for its employees from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program


• Authorizes the establishment of a Community Health Representative program for urban indian organizations to train and employ Indians to provide healthcare services


• Directs the IHS to establish comprehensive behavioral health, prevention and treatment programs for Indians


• If an Indian does not wish to get private insurance they will not be pentalized for it

Questions my classmates had "Does the Indian healthcare act have to be done by each individual reservation?" The answer is no, because with this bill in place it will cover all native people from America and Alaska.

PROBING QUESTION: Why do you think it took so long for the Indians to get this bill made permanent?

Current Event Follow Up

My current event was on the reviving of the Wampanoag language. The language of the Wampanoag tribe out of New England was lost in the late 1600's due to gender imbalances. These imbalances were caused because the Wampanoag tribe was in a war with the Pilgrims, so the women went on and married different in different tribes, which over time causes the language to slowly vanish. The Wampanoag lost the war with the Pilgrims and that was the last that was heard of them. In 1993, Jessie Baird from Mashpee Mass, created the Wampanoag Language Reclamation, because she knew her ancestors spoke the language and she was inspired to do so. Baird and a group of others studied at MIT for years, working on the now finished 10,00 word dictionary they created for the Wampanoag language. Jessie Baird received a $500,000 dollar grant from the MacAuthor Fellows. She plans on using this money towards the Wampanoag language department, buying audio equipment, hiring a illustrator for her children's books, and developing a Wampanoag language school.

During my presentation, fellow classmates had asked me questions I want to clarify. One question was "Where is the school going to be built?" The Wampanoag school that they want to build has not started its progress yet, but they believe to build it in the Mashpee area, where her organization runs out of. Another question was "Did the Wampanoag win the battle against the pilgrims?" As I said earlier, the Wampanoag did not win the war against them, which caused the language to slowoly dissapear.

What is it about a language that can bring people together?

Follow Up on Current Event.

In class today I was asked some questions that had to with the cuurent event that I had just shared with the class.
One was that, "Why are they allowed to make casinos on the reservations?" They are allowed to make them because they are not going by state laws but by federal laws. In the state of New York it is illegal to gamble but under federal laws they are able to go by federal laws not state laws. Another question asked was, "Where will they make this casino?". They would make the casino on there reservation in North Hampton. The thing is that the state of New York does not want them too because it will cause more traffic in the Hamptons. New York wants them to make it in the suburb of New York City but then they would have to go through a hearing, federal laws, and government backing. That would be no problem because Governer David Patterson already is backing them.
My current event was that the Shinnecock tribe of New York was federally recgonzied after a 32 year struggle to be federally recgonize. They now can build a casino on there reservation because they can go under federal laws not state laws because the state of New York does not permit gambling. They want to make it on Long Island in the Hamptons because that is where they live but the state of New York doesn't want them to make it because traffic in the Hamptons is already so bad. They want it to be made in a suburb of New York City.
Do you think that that by making a casino the reservation will prosper and become rich?

Tax on cigarettes for native americans

Gov. David Paterson of Albany New York plans to start a new tax law on reservations. The law requires Native American's cigarettes to be taxed only to non-tribe members. The tax is ONLY on cigarettes however. None of the tax money goes to the Indian tribes on the reservation.
Tribes affected by this new taxation in New York are Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora tribes. Indians are angry about this law because they have treaties and other legal documents stating that they do not have to pay tax on their land. The documents say that it is their land and they are free to do and sell what they want how they want on their land.

PROBING QUESTION: How is this new law going to affect the tribes both emotionally and economically?

Native American Artifact Discovery

Today we had the opportunity to observe various artifacts related to Native American culture and history. Along the way, you took notes making observations and asking questions. We want you to share some of that thinking here. Identify one artifact that had a significant impact on your thinking and explain why. Include the questions that were raised in examining the content. Feel free to elaborate on your experience explaining anything that was particularly surprising and/or reaffirming.

Some Big Questions to follow up our "What is an American?" Discussion

Today in class, we spent a lot of time looking at texts and data, trying to figure out some big questions. We're talking about our American identity, so the question of "Who is an American?" is a big consideration for us. You might have noticed that we looked at a census and a personal narrative/observation from each time period--the end of the 18th century (the American Farmer Crevecouer and the census from both 1790 and 1890), and the beginning of the 21st century (then-state-senator Barack Obama and the 2000 census). Both the narratives and the census data gave us a snapshot of the time period--just from different perspectives.

We found that the 1790 census challenged a lot of our American farmer's assumptions and observations about what an American is. Does that mean the American farmer was lying about his experience? When we looked at the 2000 census, then listened to Barack Obama speak about American identity, we might have seen some connections and some contradictions.

Here are some questions to think about. These questions are big...they might even prompt more questions that we'll need to consider. Review your texts and if you'd like, revisit Obama's speech included here on the blog. Then, please post your reflection as a comment on this post.

• Having seen and discussed four different texts on who is an American, what is your thinking now? How do we decide who is an American? Who gets to decide?

• What do the personal narratives tell us that the data doesn't? What does the data tell us that the personal narratives don't? And...what's the truth?

And...go!

Obama Keynote Address 2004 DNC

Today in class, we'll look at this clip from a speech Barack Obama gave at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Specifically, we'll be talking about his characterization of America, Americans, and the idea of the American Dream, in the context of our recent class discussions. We'll examine and question the vision he presents in the speech.

ASSIGNMENT: Follow-up on Summer Reading Discussion

We had a good chat today about your summer reading books. Thank you for participating!
If you recall, I made a bold statement at the end of our discussion. I said:

All of the following texts: Dave Eggers' Zeitoun, Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and even, for those of you out in the hallway, Richard Rodriguez's "Does America Still Exist" explore the American Dream.

Using the text of your choice, defend or dispute the statement with evidence from your reading. Root yourself in the text, be specific, and think deeply about your author's purpose as you build your case.

Please post a comment below by Friday, September 24th.

ASSIGNMENT: American Soundtrack

We asked you to find a song that you think captures the notion of the American Dream. What did you find? Add your song in a comment below, and together we'll build our class soundtrack.

DON'T FORGET!!!

Monday is Independent Reading Day! Yay books! Bring your new reading selections to class and be prepared to dig in. And by the way...we'll have our Summer Reading discussions on Tuesday, so get yourselves psyched up for that too. Enjoy your weekend. Go pick some apples or something autumn-ish!

ASSIGNMENT: HUGE POTENTIAL in "Death by Landscape"

Read back through the story again. Find a phrase or sentence that has HUGE POTENTIAL.
Some things to look for in a "quote with potential" are:

• vivid, specific and specialized language (Remember how we explored the words "molting" and "carnivorous" that Atwood used to describe the moose? Remember to ask yourself, "why would an author SAY it THIS way?")

• images that repeat (remember the "pinky" stones that reappear in several places?)

Cite the quote with page number and then explore the possibilities in a comment on this post. Look up the definitions of the words (remember denotation and connotation). Include your ideas about the quote's significance and relationship to the larger meaning of the story.

Evan Markopoulos

Currently the state of Connecticut is in a heated race for the states senate seat. One of the key runners in the election is Linda McMahon. The following article talks about her views on Connecticut tax rates.

http://www.ctmirror.org/story/7701/mcmahon-backs-mcconnells-all-or-nothing-stand-tax-cuts

This is an example of federalism. Although we have President Obama, we also have representatives for each governing state, such as candidate McMahon. This shows that although we have a federal government, we also have state governments that have their own laws and standards.

Current Event Dates

9/21 Jon
9/23 Alex W.
9/28 Amber
9/30 Jacob
10/5 Marissa
10/7 Christina
10/12 Brian
10/14 Christian
10/19 Jessica
10/21 Alisha
10/26 Evan
10/28 Cassia
11/3 Kirby
11/4 Zack
11/9 Justin
11/12 Ryan
11/16 Mitch
11/18 Chris
11/23 Brian
11/30 Garrett
12/2 Alex D.
12/7 Kathryn
12/9 Janelle
12/14 Caitlin
12/16 Emily
12/21 Adam
12/23 Jackie
1/4 Kayla
1/6 Terry
1/11 Andrea

Jake Wardwell

In an article I found today there was something that had to do with Congress and passing a bill. They have already passed this but they need President Obama to sign it for it to go through. It was passed by the Democrats and Obama is a Democrat. This would allow for a 30 billion dollar plan for small firms. This will help people with small businesses get loans and be able to start more shops or do what they want to with the money they need. This bill would give 10 billion to encourage small business lending then 12 million for both small and large buisnesses.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/14/senate-set-vote-b-credit-small-firms/

I think this has to do with equal power because this shows that the House can make laws but thye still need to go through the president who needs to sign off on it to be passed. If he does not then it goes back to the house where it will then need a 66% vote to be passed then and be signed no matter what by the President. It shows equal power because they need to have it passed then get it passed by the President.