Federalist vs Anti-Federalist

Extra Credit for the first person to answer this question. Who is "Publius"?

Extra Credit for unique, interesting facts about the Federalist Papers, Anti-Federalist Papers, or the Constitutional Convention.

Later,
DT

College Cost Reduction and Access Act

Hey seniors, have been wondering how to pay for your college of choice? President Bush and Congress have got something for you. Check out the new law the president has signed! (An interesting aside: The House of Representatives approved the law 292 to 97; the Senate vote was 79 to 12. Only Republicans voted against it.)

Bush Signs Sweeping Student Loan Bill Into Law

Hope this makes for a happy weekend!
Mr. Thompson

War on Terrorism

This first article deals with the recent request made of Congress for an additional $42.3 billion to help for the efforts in Iraq and Afghanistn. This would bring the total for 2007 to $190 billion.

Increase in War Funding

The second article is an editorial by Matthew Bunn in which he makes his case for why the world must work to stop terrorism. Below is a link to who Mr. Bunn is in case you were wondering about his expertise.

Matthew Bunn
Senior Research Associate Project on Managing the AtomBelfer Center for Science and International Affairs
BIOGRAPHYMatthew Bunn is a Senior Research Associate in the Project on Managing the Atom in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. His current research interests include nuclear theft and terrorism; security for weapons-usable nuclear material in the former Soviet Union and worldwide; verification of nuclear stockpiles and of nuclear warhead dismantlement; disposition of excess plutonium; conversion in Russia's nuclear cities; and nuclear waste storage, disposal, and reprocessing.

Thwarting Terrorists: More to be Done

I guess as I read these 2, I wonder if this is truly the world's responsibility then why are we footing the majority of the bill or does the US have a responsibility for this because of our prosperity relative to the rest of the world?

I encourage you to read both and comment briefly.
Mr. Thompson

Health Care Reform

Here is an article dealing with California's attempt to get universal health coverage. Gov. Schwarzenneger's plan is outlined. I thought since we had recently talked about this topic in class you would be interested to see how one state plans to deal with its 5 million uninsured residents. The plan also details how this coverage will be paid for...no surprises...more taxes. Please include your comments as California Closes in on Universal Health Care Plan.

Mr. Thompson

Monday, September 17th, 2007

Hello,

Today, after 30 minutes of preparation (and to better understand the application of these ideas as we'll be expecting on tommorrow's test), please present, with a partner, a selection from The Prince and then offer a contemporary example of that either being followed or blatantly disregarded.

For example:

p. 100 A prince need not necessarily have all the good qualities. He should certainly appear to have them.

From Brooks's September 11 appearance on NBC's The Chris Matthews Show:
MATTHEWS: Do you think there's a problem with this? I remember when the president wrote in his diary -- his father, President Bush senior -- "you know, I picked [former Vice President Dan] Quayle the first time around, and I wish I hadn't. But I'm stuck with him, and I can't admit it." Is there a problem with this president simply admitting, "I put the wrong people at certain jobs, I didn't get back fast enough to the White House, I wasn't calling the orders fast enough?"
BROOKS: From Day One, they had decided that our public relations is not going to be honest. Privately, they admit mistakes all the time. Publicly -- and I've had this debate with them since Day One; I always say admit a mistake, people will give you credit --
MATTHEWS: Who do you debate this with?
BROOKS: With people who work in the White House.
MATTHEWS: I thought you were talking about with the president in the back room.
[laughter]
BROOKS: Not with him, but they represent what he believes, which is, if you admit a mistake, you get no credit from your enemies, and then you open up another week's story, because the admission of a little mistake leads to the admission of big mistakes and another week's story. It's totally tactical and totally insincere.

We'll be back in the class in 30 minutes.

Other resources:

'05 blog
'06 blog
still stuck? Try a search for "Rove and Machiavelli" or "modern law and machiavelli connections" or "machiavelli and religion" or wherever your interest guides you. . .

The Next Attorney General (maybe)

According to the Washington Post, President Bush is poised to make public his nomination of who he wishes to replace Alberto Gonzalez as the head of the Justice Department. See below for a brief bio and stay tuned for a response from the Democrats. We have to see if they warm up to Mr. Mukasey and confirm him.

Mr. Thompson


Bio
Michael B. Mukasey
Born
-- July 28, 1941, in the Bronx, N.Y.
Occupation
-- Partner, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler law firm in New York, returning to the firm where he previously worked for 12 years.
--From 1988 to 2006, he was a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (serving as chief judge from 2000 to 2006), after he was nominated to the post by President Ronald Reagan.
-- From 1972 to 1976, was an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan, eventually heading its corruption unit.
Education
-- A.B., Columbia University; L.L.B., Yale Law School.
Notable cases
-- Presided over the 1995 trial of 10 suspects, including Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, regarding a plot to blow up the United Nations and other New York buildings. The men were convicted, and Mukasey sentenced Rahman to life in prison and his co-defendants to 25 years to life.
-- Issued the first rulings in the "enemy combatant" prosecution of Jose Padilla, in which he ordered that Padilla, a U.S. citizen, must be allowed to meet with his attorneys and decided that President Bush had the ability to hold Padilla indefinitely without charges. The latter ruling was later reversed on appeal.

Symposium wrap-up

Blog your additional comments here, and you might also consider looking back through the archives at some of the other issues addressed in previous years.

Krugman vs O'Reilly

Hey APLG'ers

Here are a couple of links to editorials by some well-known, opinionated Americans. As you are reading them, think about what we posed in class today about government's responsibility to its citizens, the responsibility of the "enlightened" etc.

Snow Job in the Desert

Playing Politics with Death

You may respond if you like. Keep it brief.
Later Mr. Thompson

Weekend Philosophy

Symposium on Monday over Plato, Thucydides (which is actually just a transcript of a Pericle's speech), Aristotle and Socrate's process (and the implications of that process -- think of your own experience).

Aristotle Readings:
Read from beginning to 2nd page (489) until new paragraph starting "I have said. . . "
Cut until page 1292, line 30, beginning at "Of forms of democracy. . . "
Read until end start of section 6 on 492, cutting all of section six.
Read section seven until page 496, line 20, ending at paragraph starting "These considerations. . ."
Cut until first sentence of last page, read the rest. Do the hokey-pokey and turn yourself around, that's what it's all about!!

ps: come in with some good questions to start us off.

Soma

Hey Mr. Decker,
So I just started classes at UW Madison and I have already thought back to my APLG days. Everything is going very well and all of my classes are incredibly interesting. I thought I would send you a quick note....even though I haven't acutally read any books since the last time we chated.... I was reading a book from my East Asian religious studies course on Hinduism and I read about a plant/drink called Soma. It reminded me of Brave New World was it? Either way, in the Rig Veda, Soma is a plant (no one is quite sure what plant it is referring to. One professor came up with a theory that the plant was a form of mushrooms) that goes through a process to make a soma drink. The drink has intoxicating powers but is also used as a strength builder for one of the main Hindu deities, Indra, who consumes the soma drink before defeating another deity ( Vritra, a snake god) who blocks off the rivers and waters from the Aryan people. After Indra defeats Vritra he essentially creates the earth. Soma is also sometimes refferred to a deity and is considered to possibly be the third most important deity in the Rig Veda based on how often it is written about in a single book.
Anyway, I think that's about all I have read so far, but I thought it was really interesting and hoped you would find it interesting and helpful as well if it is new information to you. Hope the beginning of the year is going well for you and good luck!
Becky Jones '07

calendars online

I'll keep calendars updated here, and I think some old strand links are still there too. See ya soon!