Discussion

This Wikispace is designed to be a forum in which you analyze and discuss topics in contemporary politics with your classmates. Your grade will be based on the quality of your participation over the course of the term. This includes: timeliness of post, use of evidence and research in your arguments, and your civil consideration of the opposing viewpoints of your classmates.
 * DISCUSSION TOPICS 2013-2014 **

Click on the "discussion" tab above and have a conversation about the following topics:

In the article "The Federalism Flip-Flop," James Gimpel argues that the issue of national versus local/state sovereignty should be decided on a case-by-case basis. When it comes to the issues of gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana, do you agree? Why? Below is a list of links to a variety of articles about Federalism, some general information and pro and con articles for both issues. Read at least one of the background articles (some of them I handed out in class) to get an overview of what the debate over Federalism is all about, then choose between the two topics to write your opinion, reading both the pro and con arguments. Although you may certainly state your opinion as to whether or not you support legalizing either marijuana or gay marriage, make sure you also discuss how federalism applies to the topic: is it possible to be a federalist "absolutist?" Post one original comment and (at least) one comment to a classmate.
 * DISCUSSION #1:**

[|The Federalism Flip-Flop (Gimpel, Boston Globe)] [|The Late Great States (Slate)] [|Nullification Everywhere (Slate)]
 * Federalism:**

[|DOMA Ruling is Test For Conservative Federalists (Slate)] [|A Federalist Case for Gay Marriage (Reason)] [|Latter Day Federalists] [|U.S. v. Windsor (DOMA Supreme Court Case)]
 * Gay Marriage:**

[|The Department of Justice's Marijuana Memo Is a Disappointment for Federalism (HuffPo)] [|DOJ Memo] [|Right on Marijuana (National Review)] [|Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana] In the aftermath of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, the ongoing debate about what kind of gun control laws should be in place in the United States has risen to a fever pitch. What do you think? Should we have stronger federal gun control laws? If so, what kind? How do we pass federal gun legislation with the existence of the [|Second Amendment] and when public support for gun rights is so high? Will limiting guns lessen violent crime or increase it?
 * Legalization of Marijuana:**
 * DISCUSSION #2 **

Use the articles below (and the definition of the Second Amendment in the link above) to guide your answers, but don't limit yourself to just these--there are a TON of articles being written about gun control as we speak so do some research on your own as well.

[|"Gunfight in America" (USA Today)] (A series of videos and articles. No need to read / view all of them but they give a good overview of the topic.) [|The Secret History of Guns (The Atlantic)] (Awesome historical overview.) [|Twelve Facts About Guns and Mass Shootings] (follow the links in the article as well) (Ezra Klein, The Washington Post) [|Why Gun Makers Fear the NRA (Business Week)] [|The Next Gun Control Debate in Six Charts (Washington Post)] [|PBS Newshour: The Gun Debate] (Another overview.) [|The Dishonest Gun Control Debate (National Review)] [|Here's a Look at all the Gun Control Laws Passed Since Newtown (HuffPo)] [|NRA News] **DISCUSSION #3** AMAA: Questions for the Midyear Exam