Lessons From The Past

Should the Government allow 10,000 refugees to come to the United States?

At first glance one might think this poll reflects public sentiment on the growing Syrian refugee crisis following the tragic attacks on Paris last week;  but that would be incorrect.

Two-thirds of Americans polled by Gallup’s American Institute of Public Opinion in January 1939 said they would not take in 10,000 German Jewish refugee children. Fewer than 5 percent of Americans surveyed at the time believed that the United States should raise its immigration quotas or encourage political refugees fleeing fascist states in Europe — the vast majority of whom were Jewish — to voyage across the Atlantic. Two-thirds of the respondents agreed with the proposition that "we should try to keep them out.

In May, 1939, the SS St. Louis, a ship of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution left Hamburg, bound for Havanna, Cuba. Without their knowledge, their landing passes had been voided by the Cuban President, Laredo Bru. When the ship arrived in Cuba, the passengers were not allowed to debark. Representatives from the Jewish Joint Distribution committee negotiated with the Cuban government, but to no avail. The passengers appealed to President Roosevelt to allow them to land in the United States, but they were again turned away. The ship was forced to return to Europe, where two-thirds of the passengers would perish in the Holocaust.

What might have happened had the US reacted differently?

What does the past teach us about the events of today? 

Debt of Honor

Take an unflinching look at the reality of warfare and disability through interviews with prominent disabled veterans, including Representative Tammy Duckworth, former Georgia Senator Max Cleland and former Commander of Fort Belvoir, Gregory Gadson.

'Lame Stream' Media

The image of Republican candidates pushing back against antagonistic questioning from CNBC’s three moderators, who have since been called everything from “snide” to “arrogant,” fired up the Republican base on the red-meat issue of media bias at a time when Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton has enjoyed weeks of good fortune.

“GOP Wins, CNBC Loses Last Night’s Debate,” said the Thursday analysis by the polling firm Rasmussen Reports, citing a poll showing that 75 percent of voters believe media are more interested in “creating controversies” than reporting the news.

Were the questions at CNBC's debate really so hostile? Let's compare the transcripts.

If GOP Candidates Can't Handle CNBC, How Will They Deal With Russia and China?

Another Mass Shooting....

The rural Umpqua Community College on nearly 100 acres of pastureland along the North Umpqua River has about 3,200 students of all ages in this southwestern Oregon community, where the struggling timber industry is no longer seen as a path to the future. Its website said it offered "a peaceful, safe atmosphere."

The school term had just begun and Professor Levine's 10 a.m. introductory composition class was underway when Mercer-Harper arrived on campus not with books, but with a small arsenal of weapons that included five handguns, a semi-automatic rifle, five magazines of ammunition and a flak jacket.

Listen to the President's response.  What points does he make regarding gun violence and gun control?

Why does POTUS seem so helpless to do anything about these Mass Shootings?

What is the history of the 2nd Amendment and its legacy on American society?

What can be done to save lives in the future?  Do we need more gun control?  Less?  Are guns even the problem?  Explain.

The Martian

First, a quick mostly spoiler-free tidbit about The Martian for folks who don’t know: It’s about an astronaut stranded on Mars who has to find a way to grow his own food to survive until he can be rescued. Since Mars is an arid planet where, as Watney puts it, “nothing grows,” he must “science the poop” out of his circumstances to make water and grow a crop.

Yestgerday, however, NASA announced that new evidence shows actual liquid water might be present on the Red Planet. Whoops!

The social media team for The Martian quickly responded to the news today with the this tweet and video, which cuts together the announcement from NASA’s planetary science head, Jim Green, with Watney/Matt Damon’s wry “Surprise!” from the film. It was a fun, smart reaction. But does today’s news blow The Martian’s plot, well, out of the water?

Room For Debate:  A New Space Race or Chance to Collaborate?

Rock Star Pope

What if I were to tell you that Pope Francis used to be a 'Metal Head?!'

Who is the 'Rock Star Pope' really?

Refugee Crisis

"no one leaves home unless

home is the mouth of a shark.

you have to understand,

no one puts their children in a boat

unless the water is safer than the land."

These lines from the poem "Home", by Somali-British poet Warsan Shire, brings home the stark reality of the horrifying decisions refugee parents must make.

As millions of Syrian migrants stream into Europe, the Obama Administration has announced that the United States will be taking in 10,000 refugees.

1) Is this a mistake?  

2) Are these Immigrants a great threat?  

3) What more can we do to help? Should we? 

Remembering Katrina

Has anything ever happened in your life that if it wouldn't have happened you wouldn't be where you are today? What was it and how would your life be different?  How would you start over?

Hurricane Katrina affected millions of people across the Gulf Coast in August of 2005. New Orleans lost half of its population after the devastating hurricane, dropping to 250,000 residents. As of last count, 1/5 of the population still hasn’t returned, close to 100,000 people. On the 10th Anniversary of Katrina, it is time for the stories of these displaced Americans to be told.ri Filmmaker Rennik Soholt has documented what’s happened to five people forced to change their lives overnight because of Katrina.

What are the lessons we have learned since the tragedy?

Would we be better prepared if  another 'Katrina'  happened today?

Dress Code Debate

THS Rule 15 ­ Dress and Appearance: 

● Dress and grooming should be neat, clean, and appropriate. It should not constitute a safety or health hazard or be such that it might hamper the educational process.
● Students’ clothing shall thoroughly conceal all undergarments.
● Clothing must cover the torso, including the back (both upper and lower), midriff, sides, and chest. Sleeveless shirts shall be permitted, but the fabric between neck and shoulder must be at least as wide as a dollar bill and the arm holes must be small enough that the wearer’s sides are covered. The upper leg must be fully covered as well, at least to the length of the wearer’s thumbs when standing erect with arms straight down at the sides.
● Students’ heads must be uncovered and eyes unconcealed.
● Any clothing or jewelry deemed disruptive, unsafe, or items/clothing with drugs, drug paraphernalia, alcohol, profanity or sexually related, or otherwise disruptive symbols are not permitted.

What is allowed?  What isn't?  Are male and female students treated equally?  Are these rules fair?  Could they be worse?

Before Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, citizens weren't required to wear the Islamic cover known as the hijab and the country's fashion was almost identical to that of the United States and Europe. After the revolution, though, the hijab became required by law.

Although the standard black hijab is still commonplace—especially in rural areas in the country—Iran has recently seen a fashion renaissance, and cities like Tehran are becoming home to new and innovative designers. The clothing may still have to respect the Islamic dress codes, but the bright colors and designs would never have been seen a decade ago in Iran.

Believe it or not the restrictions in Iran are nothing compared to those enforced by the Taliban in Afghanistan or by ISIS.

Final thought:  Are our school rules too strict or not strict enough?  Would school uniforms help students learn?  What do you think?

Ohio: THE Birthplace of Aviation

First in Flight or the Birthplace of Aviation?

Ohio's fight to defend the legacy of the Wright Brothers soared forward Tuesday in a unanimous vote to repudiate Connecticut's claim that another aviator beat them as first in flight. The Ohio House approved a measure disputing Connecticut's challenge, and it heads next to the state Senate.  Lawmakers are responding to a 2013 Connecticut law that honored aviator Gustave Whitehead as beating Dayton-born Orville and Wilbur Wright's 1903 flight off Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, by two years.  Sponsoring Rep. Rick Perales said Ohio can't stand by while another state "sees fit to change history."

What is the evidence in support of Whiteheads claim?  Against?    Is there evidence of bias?

What do you think?

Attack of the Drones

Is this reality or science fiction?

What exactly are 'drones?'

Is the United States the only country to use drones in combat?

What ethical or moral implications does using drones create?

How have modern weapons like 'drones' changed the way we fight wars?

What do you think the rules should be on the use of these powerful weapons?

Compare them to President Obama's '5 Rules For Covert Drone Strikes.'

Justice Department memo reveals legal case for drone strikes on Americans.

What do critics of the Drone Program like Senator Rand Paul (KY) have to say?

Whats next in Drone Warfare?  Are we asking for a Robot Uprising?

Whats the danger when the President becomes 'judge, juror, and executioner?' 'OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!'

Casino Capitalism

How can we condemn the the riots  and not the Intolerable Conditions that caused them?

Are the riots in Ferguson and Baltimore just about race? 

If not what are they about?

What is 'Casino Capitalism?'

 What does my old Miami professor have to say about how we fix it?  

White Riot

At one point in the evening, over 4,000 people were gathered in the community of 23,000. They were causing chaos as liquor bottles were thrown, stores were broken into and cars were tipped over. Bonfires were set throughout the town’s streets. Light posts and signs were torn out of the ground. Town residents reported that most in the crowd were loud, obnoxious and drunk. At least 20 people were taken to area hospitals for various injuries, mostly from thrown bottles.

Eventually, after copious amounts of property damage had been done by the out-of-control  rioters, police were called into the scene to disperse the crowd. People in the crowd apparently started throwing beer bottles at the police and shouted obscenities. Tear gas was shot into the crowd and pepper spray was used on individuals who allegedly confronted police in a physical manner. One 18-year-old told the local paper Saturday night that it was a “blast to do things you aren’t supposed to be doing.” He also suggested that they were revolting from the cops.

Is this another description of the despicable behavior in Baltimore? 

 How is media perception different when white people riot?

Is the media's bias showing? 

White or Black, there is no excuse for this type of violence right?

What would MLK say? 

Are we going backward or are we going forward?

Why you got to bring Mammas into it?

What is a 'Thug?'

Life or Death?

Convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is set to return to court today for the next phase of his trial, when prosecutors will argue that he should be sentenced to death for his role in the deadly attack in 2013.   Read more....

What has the Defense strategy been so far?  Has he denied guilt?

What do the victims say?

What does the Tsarnaev family say?

Who are Dzokhar's supporters?

What do you think?  Why?

Myth of Accountability

The explosion in Ferguson has left us a lot of scraps of American culture through which to view what happened and what it means. It’s hard to see all the pieces at once, to make them fit into one narrative. One lens sees racism -- individual, historical, structural. Another sees police brutality and the militarization of the police. Another focuses on our gun culture and how for a large segment of this country to condemn any gun violence, no matter how outrageous, is to somehow restrict our freedoms. Another turns the killing inside out and treats Darren Wilson as the victim. Another sees power disparities, class disparities and economic disparities. Another sees media delight in all the titillating violence breeding more violence that stimulates product sales. Another promotes fear -- a different fear depending what race you are, but fear of the other, nevertheless. And another simply sees the grief of Michael Brown’s parents.

What is the Myth of Accountability?

Rockin' the Suburbs

'You all don't know what its like being male middle class and white....'

Most of us would never admit to being racist.

We think we know the difference between when we are being rational and when we are being impulsive, but what does research show?

Read Chapter 9:  The Matrix in Me to find out.

Take the Implicit Association Test

Water Water Everywhere

.... but not a drop to drink.

Hamilton Named Best Tasting Water in the World

For the second time in five years Hamilton’s tap water was named the “Best Tasting Tap Water in the World” at the 25th Annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting on Saturday in Berkeley Springs, W. Va. Hamilton’s water was judged against former gold medalists, including Clearbrook, British Columbia (three-time champion, including 2014); Emporia, Kans. (2013) and Greenwood, British Columbia (2012), according to a city press release.  Read more...

Water covers about 70% of the Earth and is essential to all living things but millions of people still don't have access to clean and safe sources.  

What are the causes to this problem and what can we do to help?

Spock

Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.  

Read his obituary.

The Westboro Baptist Church, known for picketing the funerals of celebrities and soldiers with signs emblazoned with horrific homophobic slogans, stated their intent to target the departed ‘Star Trek’ actor’s funeral.  Why?

Read Leonard Nimoy's Heartbreaking Last Tweet.

Your assignment: Write your own Obituary. Assume you live to be at least 80 years old. What will you have accomplished? Who will you leave behind? What will your legacy be?

Guilty Verdict

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The prospect of jurors being biased in the "American Sniper" trial was a concern from the very beginning of the case because of the popularity of victim Chris Kyle's memoir and ensuing blockbuster film about the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history.

Now, it has been revealed that several members of the jury saw the movie before being selected to serve on the trial, but they maintain that it did not interfere with their ability to fairly judge accused killer Eddie Ray Routh.

What was the verdict for American Sniper defendant Routh?

What was his main defense?  Why is it so hard to prove?

Do you agree with the jury?  Was it a fair trial?  Why or why not?

American Sniper

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) takes his sole mission -- protect his comrades -- to heart and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history. His pinpoint accuracy not only saves countless lives but also makes him a prime target of insurgents. Despite grave danger and his struggle to be a good husband and father to his family back in the States, Kyle serves four tours of duty in Iraq. However, when he finally returns home, he finds that he cannot leave the war behind.

Should American Sniper have won the Oscar for Best Picture?  Why didn't it?

Why was Seth Rogen singled out by Mr. Hannity?  Does it matter that Rogen is Canadian?

Seth's movie The Interview was not nominated for an Oscar, but just weeks ago Fox News said it was our 'Patriotic Duty' to see this film. Why?  

Does 'Liberal Hollywood' hate America and the military?

Citizen Four

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

Who is Edward Snowden and why couldn't he be there for some 'treason?'

Do you think the joke was in poor taste?  

What is a 'documentary' and how is it different from other films?

What is the movie about? Does Edward Snowden deserve the recognition?

War & Religion

In his comments at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, President Obama condemned violence in the name of religion and pointed to religious groups other than the Islamic State that have perpetrated acts of terror in human history.

"Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place," the president said, "remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.”

The president criticized those who resort to “twisting and distorting” religion, noting incidents of sectarian war and violence in Syria, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, as well as "a rising tide of anti-Semitism and hate crimes in Europe."

The president's comments angered some who felt that comparing the atrocities of the Islamic State to other acts of violence was out of line.

Is Religion the cause of most wars?

Inside Islam

Most Americans say they do not know much about the religion of Islam. A majority admits to knowing very little (30%) or nothing at all (25%) about the Muslim religion. Just a little more than a third (35%) know “some” about the religion, and only 9% say they know a great deal. These numbers are little changed from 2007, and have not moved much at all since Pew Research began asking the question in 2001. College graduates (63%) are more likely than those with some college experience (48%) and those with a high school education or less (31%) to know some or a great deal about Islam. Most American (58%) also do not know someone who is Muslim while 41% do. Those with a college degree and adults younger than age 50 are far more likely to be acquainted with a Muslim than are older and less educated Americans. 

Read More

Test Your Knowledge.

Stranger Danger

'Stranger danger' is the danger to children presented by strangers. The phrase stranger danger is intended to sum up the danger associated with adults whom children do not know. The phrase has found widespread usage since the 1970s and many children will hear it (or similar advice) during their childhood lives.  Books, films and public service announcements have been devoted to helping children remember this advice.

How are ISIS and other radicalized groups using the internet to try and recruit you? 

What should your reaction be?

Alien & Sedition Acts

Christopher Lee Cornell, 20, of Green Township, is accused of using cyberspace to plot to assassinate Congressional employees and attack the U.S. Capitol for his personal jihad. He was charged with attempted killing of U.S. government officers and possession of firearms in furtherance of an attempted crime of violence.  The Oak Hills Local School District released a statement on Thursday morning regarding Cornell, who graduated from Oak Hills High School in 2012, describing Cornell as a "typical student."

"Christopher was not a disruption or a discipline problem in the school," said Oak Hills Principal John Stoddard in the release. "His teachers were shocked at the news of his involvement in this situation."

So how did he become 'radicalized?'

Is He the only one?

The United States and Europe are currently facing threats from militant Islamic groups like Isis that can no longer be ignored as just a 'Middle Eastern' problem. Public beheadings like those of American journalists Steven Joel Sotloff and James Foley and the recent attack against Charlie Hebdo in France are part of ISIS' sophisticated video and social media strategy meant to sow terror in the Western world.

 Who is ISIS and what do they really want?

 How are they using our own freedoms as weapons against us?

Passed in preparation for an anticipated war with France in 1798, the Alien and Sedition Acts tightened restrictions on foreign-born Americans and limited speech critical of the Government.   The Acts made it a crime for American citizens to "print, utter, or publish . . . any false, scandalous, and malicious writing" about the Government.  While the Acts were eventually repealed, the controversies surrounding them provided for some of the first testings of the limits of freedom of speech and press.

Should our Government be able to limit freedom of speech during wartime?

Why not just block ISIS websites?

Listen to an American Extremist who wants to join ISIS in his own words.

1) Why does he want to join?  

2) Was he raised Muslim?  When did he become 'radicalized?'

3) How should the United States punish Don Morgan?  Is he guilty of sedition? Treason?

4) How do we prevent more Americans from joining?  Should we?

WGOITP?

Whats Going On In This Picture?

The nation’s celebration of Dr. King’s birthday on Monday was punctuated by protest, as a new generation of activists, angered by the deaths of several unarmed African-Americans in confrontations with the police, demanded that the traditional holiday rituals of speechmaking, community service and prayer breakfasts give way to denunciations of injustice and inequality.

“The events that have happened have kind of diminished his dream a little bit,” said Aleah Hutchinson, 17, who attended a King event in Athens, Ala., and won a local essay contest connected to the holiday. “He wanted us all to work together in unity, but when certain events occur, like the events in Ferguson and the Trayvon Martin case, it kind of diminishes his dream a little bit because at that point, we’re not working together.”

Has Dr. King's Dream been diminished? Why/not?

How should Dr. King be remembered?

How does Dr. King inspire you?

Je' Suis Charlie

At least 3.7 million people, including world leaders, marched in anti-terrorism rallies in Paris and elsewhere in France on Sunday, French officials said, calling the massive gathering in the nation's capital the largest in France's history.

One man in the crowd said the French people must not "give in to fear." Terrorists, he said, "will not win."

Others carried signs that echoed the now-famous phrase that honored slain journalists at the magazine Charlie Hebdo, "Je suis Charlie."  "I am Charlie."

Why is freedom of speech and the press so important?  

How unique is our right to freedom of the press?

Where were each of these photos taken?  How do these countries view free speech?

WGOITP?

Whats Going On In This Picture?

What does the pencil symbolize?  Why is it broken?  

Which headline story is this in reference to?

How is it resolved?

What two freedoms does this story concern?  Where are they guaranteed?

Just because you can do something should you?