CCS United States Government

Please read the following case: Lynch v. Donnelly (1984)

• Be prepared to summarize the case in class.
• This case refers to a 3-prong test, established in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971).  What is the Lemon Test?

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Read Cohen v. California.

• Be prepared to summarize the case in class.
• Are there any tests or standards that can be applied when dealing with similar situations.
• Do you think the case was properly decided?

Just for fun and enjoyment:  Relax and enjoy some videos of my son:  Click Here.

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Click here for an audio recording of today’s press conference.  Note: this is a .mp3 recording, so you can download it and put it on you mp3 player if you wish.

Click here for a written transcript of today’s press conference.

Assignment: Put together a list of issues along with President Bush’s position.

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Check back for additional information . . . hopefully.  I just got a notice that the web masters are planning to do some maintenance this weekend from Friday night to Saturday morning.  The last time they did this, this page was down for an entire week.  So, don’t get too excited if you have a hard time getting on this weekend.

Assuming that you can read this.  Here are some links to help you with your essay regarding Judicial Activism verses Judicial Restraint:

• Answers.com
• Wikipedia
• Accociated Content

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1. Read 8-1, Section Review #1-6

2. Read 8-2, Section Review #1-10

3. Name the current Justices on the U. S. Supreme Court.  Who is the Chief Justice?

4. Bring all the homework you did last Friday and over the weekend.

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For those of you who were intelligent enough to come here the night before an exam, here are some helpful hints for your test:

Executive privilege vs. Separation of powers

• Click here for a very good article about Bush’s refusal to turn over subpoena documents.
• As much as I dislike wikipedia, I do have to admit that they have good resources.  Here is a good article on the concept of “executive privilege” : Click Here.  You might want to follow the leads on the Nixon case.
• If you want to challenge yourself (the night before an exam), you might want to scan the actual court decision in the Nixon case: U.S. vs. Nixon (1974).

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I would like your opinion on filibustering.  Should we enact new rules in Congress to regulate filibustering or allow it to continue.  Currently, there is only one rule governing filibusters.  Two-thirds of the Senators present can call for a “cloture.”  This would end the filibuster and call for a vote.  However, it is difficult to obtain a cloture.  So, a Senator can still get up and read the dictionary to filibuster a certain bill.  But, to regulate filibustering would be to regulate free speech.  What do you think?

Test:  I’ve decided to go ahead and have our first test on Friday.  Take a look at the Government outline (the link is on the left column).  Anything that is marked with an “x” or highlighted will be on the exam.  However, there will be a greater focus on the items that has both.  If the item is highlighted only, you are only responsible for what is in the book.  If the item is marked only, you are only responsible for class discussions.

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Hello Summer School Students.

Welcome to my classroom blog site.  I will update it from time to time with information, assignments, clarification, etc.  Most importantly, I may even put a study guide or two on it for you.  Go ahead and look through some of the links on the side margins.  You’ll be able to see some of the work that my World History students did during this past school year.

Okay, remember that your homework assignment is to complete as much of the handout as possible.  We’ll try to go through it on Monday.  Speaking of Monday, don’t forget to look up an article that morning.  Read it and bring it to class with questions.

With regards to the article we read today in class, I would like your opinion on it.  Please click the “comment” link at the bottom of this entry to leave your opinion.  You can click here to read some opinions by other people on the ABC News website, where I got this article.  Please let us know your opinion of the Senate’s action of passing this pro-energy bill.  Although, your opinion is not graded, I am grading the fact that you did think about this and commented on it.

Update:  Here is the schoolhouse rock video on “How a Bill Becomes a Law”:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/mEJL2Uuv-oQ" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

See you on Tuesday.

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Can someone verify this coming Monday and Tuesday’s homework assignment?

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On the left side bar you will find a new link called, “Classroom Podcasts.”  This will take you to all the podcasts I have in storage.  Friday’s podcast can be found in the Industrial Revolution file.

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