Public Forum work--C and E blocks (edited!)

Regardless of weather this week,

___  Cards are due no later than 9 pm Tuesday night
___  1st Drafts of cases are due no later than 5 pm Wednesday evening

Please refer to the assignment handed you on paper and via email on January 25--follow the instructions there!!!!

District Congress Prep II

Work for Monday - Tuesday, 31 January - 1 February:

Complete Congress Prep I first.  Many people did not send the source email on Friday; you only need to cut THREE cards per side per bill.

In class:
____  locate two sources, one tending to favor, one tending to oppose, two additional bills--email/share these sources with me.

By 9 pm tonight,
____  cut three cards for, and three cards against two additional bills (other than our own) and share them at GoogleDocs with me.

By 9 pm tomorrow night
____  cut three cards for, and three cards against, the remaining two bills.  I will send out, and share here, the research packet by early Wednesday morning.

These deadlines stand regardless of weather.

By Friday, be prepared to give speeches on all bills.  Friday (E Block) will be a practice Congress.

Please make sure the cards follow the format noted in District Congress Prep I

District Congress Prep I

For Friday, 28 January, Congress people not going to Revere should begin prepping the research for Districts.

For your assigned bill, please

____  find at least two sources, one tending to favor the idea of the bill, one tending to oppose the idea of the bill
____  send me an email listing those sources by the end of the block
____  for Monday, find at least four pieces of information in favor of the bill and four opposed to the bill.  Please share with me at Google Docs.

The format for each card should be in lower case and formatted as follows:

____            the part to be read in bold underlined 

____            the part that doesn’t need to be read not in bold, not underlined, in 8 point type, formatted as illustrated in this criterion

____            the full MLA citation at the END of the card (even if you cut multiple cards from the same source).

E Block Public Forum

 Please write a case (either PRO or CON) on ONE of the following topics.  The case should have at least on solid card per contention.  The case should have three contentions, and be from 500 - 750 words, with at least 67% of the words being your own.  Share with me at GoogleDocs at the end of the block.  These are old topics; do NOT use cases you find on line.

• The private ownership of handguns should be banned in the United States. 
• Russia has become a threat to U.S. interests.  
• The American media work against the best interest of the American public.

E Block Congress Exam

Please write a speech in support of one of the following bills, and a speech in opposition to another one of these bills.  The speeches should have between 200 and 400 words and have at least 3 pieces of strong evidence (with sources) in them.  At least 75% of the words need to be your own.  Please share with me at GoogleDocs.

A Resolution to Encourage Use of Local Agricultural Products in School Lunches

WHEREAS, The Agricultural industry of America is failing; and

WHEREAS, The school lunches of America must be improved to insure better health

the United States citizens; and

WHEREAS, School lunches must be improved in order to reduce costs on the American

healthcare system; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that locally grown agricultural goods

should be used in federally subsidized school lunches to provide enhanced

meal quality, and stimulate the agricultural industries of America.

A Bill to Double Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The current funding of Embryonic Stem Cell research in the United States

will be doubled.

SECTION 2. The required funding amount will be $82,000,000 to various universities

and research facilities.

SECTION 3. This action will be overseen by the surgeon general and the Federal Drug

Administration.

SECTION 4. Any misuse of the embryonic stem cells for personal gain and profit will

result in the facility’s loss of grant, and future consideration of federal funding.

SECTION 5. This bill will come into effect 6 months after passage.

SECTION 6. All laws and provisions in conflict with this bill are hereby declared null and void.

A Bill to Restart America’s Nuclear Energy Program

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The Federal Government will create an insurance fund to allow for

adequate insurance in the case of a nuclear accident.

SECTION 2. The funding for the insurance fund will come from a new tax on electricity

generated from fossil fuels.

SECTION 3. The Internal Revenue Service in conjunction with the Department of the

Treasury will be responsible for the implementation of this legislation.

SECTION 4. This bill shall be enacted immediately upon passage, and it shall be

executed by the enforcement agencies as quickly as is possible and be up

for renewal in 20 years.

Columbia

GREEN LIGHT

Columbia is a GO.
Please be at MERHS at 645 to load up.  We will depart at 7 pm.  Please eat before we leave.

C Block Public Forum

Please write a case (either PRO or CON) on ONE of the following topics.  The case should have at least on solid card per contention.  The case should have three contentions, and be from 500 - 750 words, with at least 67% of the words being your own.  Share with me at GoogleDocs at the end of the block.  These are old topics; do NOT use cases you find on line.

• In the United States, public high school science curriculum should include the study of the Theory of Intelligent Design. 
• That participating in multinational diplomatic efforts is beneficial to U. S. interests.  
• The costs of legalized casino gambling in the United States outweigh the benefits. 

C Block Congress

Please write a speech in support of one of the following bills, and a speech in opposition to another one of these bills.  The speeches should have between 200 and 400 words and have at least 3 pieces of strong evidence (with sources) in them.  At least 75% of the words need to be your own.

A Resolution Concerning Guantanamo Bay

WHEREAS, Guantanamo Bay has played a crucial role in the success of the War on Terror; and

WHEREAS, Its closing would serve as a detriment to the security interests of the United States and its allies; and

WHEREAS, In a time of terrorism and religious extremist violence, the United States must utilize all its resources; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that Guantanamo Bay remain open and operational for military use.

A Bill to Increase Drilling in Northern Alaska

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The United States Department of Energy shall auction licenses for the

development and procurement of the oil reserves in Alaska.

SECTION 2. The Secretary of Energy shall have the authority to establish zones which

are prohibited from drilling.

SECTION 3. All previous restrictions on drilling in Alaska will be declared null and void.

SECTION 4. This law will take effect on January 1st 2012.

SECTION 5. All other laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

A Bill Refusing to Raise the Debt Ceiling

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. Congress shall permit no further increases of the debt ceiling.

SECTION 2. “Debt ceiling” shall be defined as the maximum borrowing power of a government entity.

SECTION 3. The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall

enforce this legislation.

SECTION 4. This legislation shall apply to all future circumstances during which

raising the debt ceiling is proposed, and shall take effect upon passage.

SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

C and E Block Midyear Exams

Speech:  Please be prepared to perform two pieces once, and then to answer some short answer questions.

Congress (CHANGED):  Write a speech in favor of an assigned bill and a speech in opposition to another bill.

PF and LD:  Please be prepared to write a PF/LD case on a topic to be announced during class.

Newton South

515 am:  Newton South is ON



The bus leaves at 730 am.

PF work--4 Jan

Here are three prompts and sets of questions to consider in working through this topic.  Please make sure you have cases for both sides ready for class tomorrow--revise those you already have submitted.  Submit cases if you haven't.

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Department of Justice Mission Statement:

To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.

http://www.justice.gov/02organizations/about.html

Is this helpful in determining what ‘undermines’ the CJS?  Can it be used on either side as ‘the standard’?  How so?

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For a game theoretical approach to PB which I think more helps the CON go to

http://www.unc.edu/depts/econ/papers/00-02.pdf

The ABSTRACT and first paragraphs as well as the last page or so are most relevant (no one needs MATH in a debate round!).  The focus is on the prosecutor’s resources and the information both sides have before bargaining (only the defendant KNOWS whether she did the crime).  They conclude that PB will not catch any innocents under their model.

Game theory is the study of decision making.  One of the more famous examples of GT is the “Prisoner’s Dilemma”—you and a codefendant are both charge with a crime which carries 25 years to life.  The prosecutor offers each of you a deal for 1 year if you inform on the other, while the other will receive 25 to life.   If both of you keep silent, you will both be acquitted.   If you both tell, you'll each get 5 years.  You will not know what your codefendant does.   What do you do?  Why?

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A criminal lawyer’s take on the decision to plea bargain:

I want to discover what evidence the State has. This is the flip side of my not wanting to know whether my client is actually guilty. You see, it is important that the client’s decision on whether to go to trial be based on the evidence. This is because, often, the State has no case even though you are actually guilty. Likewise, the State sometimes has an overwhelming case against someone who is innocent, and it is sometime better to take a plea bargain in this situation rather than risk a trial. The best move is not necessarily based on actual guilt or innocent, but based on the evidence.

http://www.lawfirms.com/resources/criminal-defense/criminal-defense-case/arrest-strategy.htm

David F. Stoddard, Attorney at Law

Isn’t what is actually done ‘in the trenches’ the key to what ‘undermines’ the CJS?  Or should this be argued strictly at the theoretical level?  Can both sides win on the ‘practical’ level indicated by this card?

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Other links:

False confessions are a much greater cause of bad convictions than PB:

http://www.nacdl.org/public.nsf/698c98dd101a846085256eb400500c01/4a6e9aa597092057052573ed0056ffa3?OpenDocument

Juries are a big source of bad confessions:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070628161330.htm

http://ocdw.com/pdf/032607/Risinger.pdf

Many innocent people are in prison:

http://reason.com/archives/2010/02/08/how-many-more-are-innocent

Benefits of well-done PB:

The social psychology research indicates that implementing procedural justice norms not only may increase defendant satisfaction with plea-bargained outcomes (even if the outcomes themselves remain substantively unchanged), but also may contribute to the perceived legitimacy of the criminal justice system and ultimately enhance defendants' levels of voluntary compliance with legal rules and authorities.¹² There are, in short, good reasons to believe that greater attentiveness by prosecutors to procedural justice may increase the cooperativeness of defendants whiletheyare under criminaljusticesupervision and decrease their likelihood of recidivism.13

PLEA BARGAINING AND PROCEDURAL JUSTICE Michael M. O'Hear* --Georgia Law Review 42:408, 412

http://law.marquette.edu/s3/site/images/faculty/GeorgiaLR.pdf

3 January--Congress

1.  If you have not completed your two-bill assignment required in December, please do so by Tuesday.
2.  In class today, please go to massforensics.org, and download the legislation for Newton South (whether you are going to NS or not). 

Part I
By the end of class
____  create a Google Doc, shared with me, with the following name format:  "your last name NS bills";
____  completed Part II for at least ONE bill.

Part II
By 745 tomorrow morning, please do the following with EACH bill:
____  LIST the three strongest arguments for and against each bill, as well as a brief explanation of WHY each argument is one of the three strongest;
____  LINK two articles per bill which discusses the issues involved in the bill; the articles should be different from person to person.