Thursday, March 12, 2009

What did we do this week?


Interpreting Amendments to the Constitution (1st and 14th)

Quiz 1.4

Please pick one quote to address and then answer the following questions in a cohesive essay.

Paragraph 1: What does this quote mean? ( 5- 6 sentences)_

- BASICALLY= WHATS THIS ABOUT- ( If I never read the quote, what could you tell me about it)

- Break each phrase down if you need to.

Paragraph 2: How does it relate to the either the 1st Amendment or 14th Amendment ( 5-6 sentences)

-start by telling me what the amendment guarantees.

-Then tell me how it relates to either the Skokie trial or to Gay Marriage.

Paragraph 3: Give me your opinion on the issue ( 6-8 sentences)

Support it with at least 2 valid reasons.

Choose your quote:

“By prohibiting gays to wed, the government is not merely discriminating against them on a cultural level. Rather, they argue, the United States has no less than 1,100 federal laws in which marital status is a factor. By denying gays the ability to legally marry, they argue, the government denies them many of the rights and benefits associated with marriage. “– Gay/ Lesbian Activist

Or

"It is better to allow those who preach racial hatred to expend their venom in rhetoric rather than to be panicked into embarking on the dangerous course of permitting the government to decide what its citizens may say and hear .... The ability of American society to tolerate the advocacy of even hateful doctrines ... is perhaps the best protection we have against the establishment of any Nazi-type regime in this country." – Federal Judge Bernard striking down an ordinance.


Please type your response on a word document and then copy and paste it into the comment box. If the comment box is not working, you may email it to kevynklein@gmail.com. ( make sure you fill in your profile as google/ gmail)

6 comments:

  1. March, 12 2009

    The quote that I chose was about gay marriage. This quote talks about why is gay marriage not legal in the united states. I think gay marriage should be allowed because is their rights as citizens of the united states to get married with whoever they want. Also theirs a law that states that all people are protected they are all equal.

    The 14th amendment states that all citizens are equal, meaning that all humans born in the united states are treated equal don’t matter what you are as longest you are a citizen of the united states. This law is similar to what gays and lesbians are; they are citizens they want to get married so I guess they got the right as citizens.

    My opinion to all this is that people that are gays and lesbians should get married because them as citizens have the right to everything in the united states. They got the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion(1st amendment), and all have equal rights(14th amendment).At the end I think their should be gay marriage and let them live happily ever after.

    In conclusion of all this gays and lesbians should speak out for themselves and for their rights as citizen in the u.s to left alone and let them get married, also to not make a big deal out of this issue that it don’t matter if they don’t get married they are both going to live happy and together.

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  2. Ryston Buchanan

    In this quote the gay/lesbian activist, are expressing how denying gay marriage is wrong on many levels. The activist expresses how it is a discrimination against their cultural belief. Also in the Untied States there are about 1,100 laws of marriage. In those laws none of them state that marital status is a factor. The reason why this is a factor is because the gays and lesbians want the same rights as married couples.
    This quote is a perfect reflection of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
    In the 14th amendment it states that all born citizens of the United States are even equal rights. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States”. So by denying gays the same right as straight married couples is a violation of their rights. This is their main argument with the U.S. federal system. This is why the 14th amendment breaks that down in details.
    I have mixed feelings when it comes to this matter. I feel all should have equal rights, but then I also believe in the bible. I feel that I’m swaying towards the equal rights side. The reason being is because if the world so closed minded then there probably would still have slaves. So we have to be open minded. An also you can’t stop the one you fall in love with. So by stopping them from getting married we are monitoring who they love.

    P.S Hi

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  3. May not letting gay people get married. The government is not just discriminating against them. There’s 1,100 federal laws that has to do with marriage and gay people don’t have the rights to participate in those laws because there not able to get married. By not approving gay people to be legally married, they argue that the government denied them many rights and benefits that have to do with marriage.
    14th amendment: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. According to the constitution that’s what the 14th amendment it’s all about. It relates to the gay marriage because somehow this amendment is not being applied to gay people and it says it clearly; is for every type of person no matter what color or believe.
    My opinion to this is that the government is really not following the rules we have in the United States. We have freedom of speech we have equality, so why gay people are not being able to get that right to get married. They are not hurting anybody or doing any damage by getting married. At the end of the day is their personal life. It’s a couple thing I don’t think the laws should get involve in that. and stop taking it so offensive and just let them get married.

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  4. “By prohibiting gays to wed, the government is not merely discriminating against them on a cultural level. Rather, they argue, the United States has no less than 1,100 federal laws in which marital status is a factor. By denying gays the ability to legally marry, they argue, the government denies them many of the rights and benefits associated with marriage. “– Gay/ Lesbian Activist
    1. What does this quote mean?
    Basically what this quote is stating is that when you have a regular or straight marriage you can get allot of beneficial things from your partner. Some of those benefits are inheritance; this law states that when you or your spouse passes away you have the right to inherit anything they left behind. One other law that straight marriages have is the right to claim money from their spouse recent job before they where deceased. There are some other laws in marriage that you get but when you are involved in a gay marriage you may not get at all.
    2. How does it relate to the 1st or 14th amendment?
    The 14th amendment basically states how every one has equal right of protection from the law. It relates allot to gay marriage because if everyone has the equal protection of the law why do gay people don’t have the right to get married why don’t they have the same right on everything as a straight marriage would. Why do gay people don’t have the right to inherit anything from their spouses. I feel that as long as you are born here you are suppose to get the same rights and protection, but some gays are born here and are human and why don’t they get equal protection like regular people.
    3. Give me your opinion on the issue?
    My opinion is that is wrong that they are not letting gay people get married is very unfair because like everyone else they are human. I also feel like these amendments are contradicting themselves stating something but still somehow doing another. People also say how America is basically a free country but if it’s so free why regular people like gays and lesbian don’t have the same right as straight people.

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  5. Sera Marie

    I choose the second quote basically about American’s freedom of speech. This quote is saying it rather allow those to speak of hatred spreading their poisonous words, then to being forced into allowing the government to get involved in censoring what American’s citizens can say and hear. So our ability to put up with the support of such hateful principles, is possibly the best protection we have against nazi type government in our country. If the government were to get involved, we would basically be loosing our right to freedom of speech. The Government shouldn’t be allowed to decide what citizens can say and hear.

    The 1st amendment states that the congress or government is prohibited from any interference of freedom of speech. The right to freedom of speech allows individuals to express themselves without any government involvement. Everyone has a right to communicate a message, but that doesn’t mean we can bring reproach upon promoting peace or causing violence. The government however, is allowed to censor some of what is unnecessarily exposed.

    In my opinion, I agree that the government shouldn’t be allowed to control what we can say or hear, because its our right granted by federal law. If this is legal and equal in our country the n even the Nazis are equal to freedom of speech.

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  6. This quote is describing how the government is better off not censoring what the public should hear. Instead we should allow the citizens to speak their minds and allow Americans to decide on their own, to decide what they should believe and hear. Also it explains that if we block Nazis from speaking we are becoming a Nazi country for that is how it began in Germany.

    This relates to the 1st amendment because in this amendment it describes freedom of speech and religion. Nazis have a right just like everyone else to believe in what they believe in and as citizens we have the right to listen to whatever we want to listen to. Blocking or limiting this particular amendment we are limiting our right.

    I do agree with this quote. We are citizens and have the right to speak our minds. It is true we are not always going to agree on the something. Also I get angry when I know that the government is censoring what I can or can not listen to, so by the government not intervening they are not limiting a right that belongs to me.

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