American Government

Iran v. Google: The Persian Gulf Conundrum

05-17-2012 7:57 AM

Iran has become angry with Google for removing the name Persian Gulf from Google Maps. Officials in Tehran are threatening to sue Google if the name is not restored immediately. “One of the seditionist acts taken as part of the soft war against the Iranian nation has been Google’s shameless act to drop the name “Persian Gulf” which is against historical documents,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying.

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you believe Iran is threatening to sue?
• Do you think Google should reinsert the name? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

A Warning Shot Nets Twenty Years

05-15-2012 1:04 AM

Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot to frighten her bullying husband. Alexander tried to defend herself using Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which came to national attention recently with the Trayvon Martin case. The case was prosecuted by Angela Corey, the same Florida prosecutor who is handling the case against Martin’s shooter. Congresswoman Corrine Brown accosted Corey after the sentencing, telling the state attorney, “There is no justification for 20 years. All the community was asking for was mercy and justice.”

Discussion Questions:

• Was the prosecutor over zealous in this case? Why or why not?
• Should the Stand Your Ground law be eliminated? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

Obama, Biden, and Gay Marriage

05-13-2012 2:14 AM

In the past week, both Vice President Biden and President Obama have openly voiced their support for gay marriage. The week started with Biden making candid statements about his comfort level with gay marriage three days before Obama made his own statement saying he supported it. Biden did, however, apologize for bringing the issue to the forefront with his comments.

Discussion Questions:

• Did Biden make a mistake with his public comments? Why or why not?
• Do you believe Obama's support will lead to more states legalizing gay marriage? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

The FDA and HIV

05-10-2012 8:41 PM

While it may not be a new drug, Truvada may help stop the spread of HIV. An FDA panel is urging that it be approved for use as a preventative medication. Truvada is currently used as part of a cocktail of drugs to treat HIV, but studies have shown that it can also reduce infection rates. Doctors are hailing the research as a “huge milestone,” saying it could lead to the end of the AIDS epidemic, which has claimed more than 30 million lives worldwide. The FDA is expected to make a decision by June 15.

Watch A Drug to Prevent HIV's Spread: Truvada's Promises on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Discussion Questions:

• Do you believe the FDA should approve Truvada as a preventive medicine? Why or why not?
• Should a bureaucratic agency be able to make such important medical decisions? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

Lugar is Out!

05-08-2012 9:53 PM

After six terms in the U.S. Senate (or 36 years), Richard Lugar is projected to lose the Indiana Senate primary to state treasurer Richard Mourdock. The 80-year-old Lugar faced a challenge by those in his party who felt he was not conservative enough on federal spending. Mourdock was backed by a variety of conservative groups, including the National Rifle Association. There is also a clear Tea Party influence in this race as well.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think Lugar lost?
• Is there a future for moderate Republicans in elected office? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

The Fall of Sarkozy

05-06-2012 11:51 PM

French Socialist Party candidate François Hollande swept Nicolas Sarkozy from office earlier today in an election that many have said could change the political face of France and Europe. Accoring to the French exit-poll numbers, Hollande won with 52 percent of the vote to Sarkozy’s 48 percent. Polls had shown for months that Hollande had a healthy lead on the incumbent, but Sarkozy remained defiant to the end.

Discussion Questions:

• What does Sarkozy's loss mean for the relationship between the US and France?
• What domestic changes should France expect under Hollande?

Posted by william.miller

Facebook on the Market

05-03-2012 12:29 PM

Facebook is moving quickly toward its initial public offering, which is likely to occur in the next two to three weeks. The social networking company revealed Thursday that it would value itself at $86 billion when it goes public, aiming for shares of stocks to be worth $28 to $35 each. The IPO would tower over Google's 2004 offering of $23 billion.

Discussion Questions:

• Is Facebook asking too much for its stock? Why or why not?
• Why do you think Facebook has the highest market cap?

Posted by william.miller

Obama Off to Afghanistan

05-01-2012 9:29 PM

President Obama went to Afghanistan today in a surprise visit where he also gave a live, televised address to the nation. He spent time meeting with President Karzai and reiterated that America would be free from Afghanistan by 2012.

Discussion Questions:

• Why did Obama make the secret trip to Afghanistan?
• Do you believe this had anything to do with his campaign? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

Does Torture Work?

04-29-2012 11:00 AM

A probe looking at the effectiveness of harsh interrogation techniques in the United States military is expected to conclude that the methods didn’t produce breakthroughs. One official familiar with the investigation says they found no evidence that the tactics aided long-term antiterrorism operations. Democrats from the Senate Intelligence Committee have spent three years examining records charting daily operations of investigations to disprove claims by Bush supporters that waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and other tactics led to counterterrorism coups. The CIA had began starting to pull back from these techniques before Obama banned them upon taking office.

Discussion Questions:

• Do you believe torture is effective? Why or why not?
• Should the American military abandon all torture techniques? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

Watch What You Say on Facebook

04-26-2012 12:06 PM

Sergeant Gary Stein will be kicked out of the Marines for Facebook comments he made criticizing President Obama on a page used by Marine meteorologists. He'll get an other-than-honorable discharge and lose most of his benefits, three months before his contract would have been completed. Service members are allowed to criticize political candidates, but not as representatives of the Armed Forces.

View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

Discussion Questions:

• Should Stein be removed for his comments?
• Should a Marine be allowed to publicly state his views of the President? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

Death Penalty in California

04-24-2012 8:23 AM

One of the largest death rows in the United States may shut down if California voters approve a measure in November that would replace death with life in prison without parole as the state's toughest penalty. More than 700 people on death row would have their sentences commuted if the measure passed. Part of the motivation is financial since the legal process takes so long. Most of the 700 prisoners are more likely to die of old age than by injection, and the 13 inmates that California has successfully executed in the last 23 years cost taxpayers $4 billion.

Discussion Questions:

• What are the arguments for and against the death penalty?
• Do you believe this measure will pass? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

North Carolina Sentence Overturned

04-22-2012 2:37 PM

A North Carolina judge ruled last week that an African-American man who killed a white teenager in 1991 was sent to death row in part because of racial discrimination. The judge ordered that the man be immediately taken off death row and instead serve a life sentence without parole. Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Greg Weeks found that black jurors were excluded from Robinson's trial. His case is the first of many that will likely be filed under the state's new Racial Justice Act, which allows death-row inmates and capital-murder defendants to present evidence of racial bias in court.

Discussion Questions:

• What is the goal of the Racial Justice Act?
• Do you agree with its premise? Why or why not?

Posted by william.miller

American Soliders and Taliban Victims

04-19-2012 4:09 PM

A solider from the U.S. Army released photos this week of soldiers posing with the remains of Afghan suicide bombers. The soldiers are smiling and appearing to be enjoying their clean-up duty. Defense Secretary Panetta has apologized for the actions while President Obama has requested an investigation into the photos.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Discussion Questions:

• What punishment should these troops face?
• What impact do you believe the photos could have on American war efforts?

Posted by william.miller

The Romney Family Pet

04-17-2012 11:40 AM

Animal rights have been an ever increasing topic of media and public skepticism. This week, Mitt Romney found himself in potentially hot water after admitting he used to travel with their family pet strapped to the roof of their car. As would be expected, this admission has led to many negative perceptions.

Discussion Questions:

• Should this issue impact Romeny's candidacy? Why or why not?
• In what ways could this impact perceptions of Romney?

Posted by william.miller

Romney and Women

04-15-2012 8:36 PM

Mitt Romney has long been presumed to have a problem with female voters--especially when considering economic issues. Recently, a spat between Hilary Rosen and Romeny's wife, Ann, has drawn even more attention to potential gender gaps in results. Rosen publicly claimed that Romney, a stay at home mom, had never worked a day in her life.

Discussion Questions:

• Should this issue matter in the presidential race? Why or why not?
• What does this spat tell us about women and politics?

Posted by william.miller