Group 4 (Christopher Martin on Congressional Criminals)

In Congress: The most dangerous neighborhood in America (Harper’s Magazine, by Ken Silverstein, 9/25/07) Silverstein compares the crime rates of two of Americas must troubled cities with that of Congress. Although Congress does not commit as heinous crimes as Anacostia and the South Bronx, the crime rate is much higher. These crimes do not include rape and murder as far as public knows, but the sheer number of crimes per person more than makes up for that. One cannot help but ask how the leaders of America produce one of the highest crime rates in America at 7 percent. This is nearly seven times that of the South Bronx and it is roughly double that of Anacostia. Many of these criminals are reelected for another term.

Unfortunately, most of the cases are not widely publicized, so the public is unaware of the level of criminal activity. I think that these cases should be publicized so that the nation knows what kinds of people are representing their respective states.
A person that has been recently convicted of a crime has an extremely hard time finding any job, but any Congressman that is under investigation for a white collar crime is able to help represent the voices of the people. Many jobs today require a background screening too. Something needs to be done to stop all of the corruption in Congress, such as a legislation to stop past offenders from being reelected. Unfortunately, those that commit these crimes are also those that vote on the legislation. There has to be a way to pass a law to keep those that make the laws honest.

Group 3 (Mike Priesler on the 'NFL's First Prayer')

Alan Goldenback, Washington Post
After NFL’s first prayer, religion touched down

In the article “After NFL’s first prayer, religion touched down” written by Alan Goldenbach, the writer describes the first time a football player showed his faith by praying after a touchdown. It was Oct. 7, 1977 when Herb Lusk scored on a 70 yard touchdown run, and then when he was four yards deep in the end zone, he dropped to one knee, bowed his head and prayed. A few seconds later he got up and returned to the sidelines, and as Alan writes “His legacy was sealed.” Steve Sabol, the president of NFL films said “Herb Lusk was the first NFL player to kneel in the end zone and pray.” The article goes on to tell how Herb had paved the way for not only all football players to express their faith, but other sports as well. Pitchers point to the sky after a good game, or basketball players pray at center court when a game is over. Lusk says in the article “I'm very proud of when I look and see guys praying in the end zone or praying after [a game]. I see these guys as my sons.I gave birth to them. I see that as my purpose for playing in the NFL".

I think what Herb did was actually a very brave act, especially for a football player. Football is a sport of looking tough and acting macho, especially when it was in the 70’s. Herb could have easily been ridiculed for his actions. He could have been called names and lost respect from his fellow teammates. It doesn’t seem like what he did is a big deal because nowadays it is so common, maybe even overused, but he was the first one EVER. His actions really had an affect on other athletes, showing them that it is ok to express themselves. And with athletes being such huge icons, Herb actually had an affect on a mass number of people, even the team I play for. Before every game we kneel and hold hands while a priest says a prayer for us. All of these types of things can relate back to Herb.

Group 4 (Holly Feldman on Drugs and Kids)

Drug-proof your kids in the London Times talks about the use of drugs in a child's life. One mother found a poster in her 13 year old daughter's room that said " “Busted for blow. Cannabis should not be illegal.” When she asked her daughter about the poster, the child simply said that "everyone tries it" and that "it isn't dangerous". The mother was dumbfounded so she went to a support group on how to drug-proof your child. It was later discussed that telling a child about the risks of drugs, instead of telling them not to do them has a better effect on him/her. Of course, throughout a child's lifetime they are given so much information about the negative effects of drugs, and simply brush off the facts they were given. They are given "informed choices" and the popular thing to do to get rid of this extra stress is to just go get high. The successful way to reach out to a child on drug use is to improve the child's confidence and self esteem. The family should have an honest relationship, and be able to tell each other if they have engaged in drug use or not. If they have, then they can talk about why they did it and ways to prevent it from happening again. It's a better idea to have the child be able to be honest with thier parents, and to be able to admit they made a mistake. After doing drugs, it's important for the child not to be scared to tell thier parents what they have done. A totally open, friendly relationship between a parent and a child is key so that the child doesn't feel the need to rebel.

Group 5 (Luke Ehlen on Golf and the Oneida Nation)

PGA Play Begins in Indian Country by Tom Wanamaker, at highlights a break through for the Indian nation. The Oneida Indian Nation, held the inaugural Turning Stone Resort Championship at its new Atunyote Golf Course in Verona, New York. This is the first time an Indian nation has held a major golf tournament. It is also a step at bring the Indian Nation closer with the surrounding community.
The Championship isn’t the only first in this situation. The Atunyote Golf Course earned the first “environmentally friendly certification”. This is the only course of its kind on the PGA tour. Atunyote is still a very challenging course. It has many water hazards, bunkers, and narrow fairways. Top golfers have praised its scenic beauty and difficulty.
In attempt to better the relations of the Indian nation and the rest of New York, all proceeds from the tournament will go to charities. The estimated revenue so far is greater than $250,000. The reason for friction between the two parties lies in the fact that the Indian Nation is not required to pay taxes. Despite their differences, this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Group 3 (Lauren Brendel on the Zapata Case)

Body not needed for conviction (Ed Treleven, Wisconsin State Journal)

The jury last week was unable to reach a verdict for Eugene Zapata. He was accused of killing his wife 30 years ago, but there are no traces of her body. Dane County prosecutors are undecided as to retry after having the latest mistrial.In the past when it comes to bodyless murder cases, 1989 Homberg from Stoughton was charged with the murder or his wife after just 5 hours of jury deliberation. Also,2001 Dan Kutz was accused of murder of his wife with no body as evidence. All the cases in the Dane County area were the killing of wives in difficult marriages. Debora Denno has found that these types of cases are not always marriages. For example the Manson case, in which a ranch hand was killed. The court said "the government need only prove a crime has been committed." The main problem with bodyless cases is that the jury has to come to a total agreement and in the Zapata case there were 10 guilty, 1 not guilty and 1 undecided.

In these types of cases its very hard to know exactly who killed the missing person. Its more likely when there are divorces or promotions and so on involved but how do you really know how the person was killed and by whom. It's sad that all the court needs it to prove it yet, how can you prove someone is even dead without seeing the body? It's also surprising that there are even six cases that were bodyless murder convitions in Wisconsin. I think that the court should be able to convict these people on these three facts. First, If the missing person was a spouse and there was a divorce. Second, if the missing person didnt take any belongings with them and absolutely no one has heard from them. And third, if there are people that can testify that the person on trial and the missing person had a terrible relationship and that he/she had a reason for killing the missing person. In conclusion it's possible but I think its very hard to convict a murderer if you don't have the body.

Group 2 (Krista Lefflin on Hurrican Katrina)

The article Hurricane Katrina Exacts another Toll: Enduring Depression from the Washington post, discusses the aftermaths of hurricane Katrina that continue to happen today. Hurricane Katrina was one of the largest hurricanes to hit the United States, it completely destroyed New Orleans. It has now been more than two years since the hurricane hit and New Orleans continues to be severely damaged. People are frustrated that the cleanup is taking so long and the long recovery period is taking a toll on the mental state of the residents in New Orleans. A survey taken of the Gulf Coast’s mental health shows that even though the levels of depression and other mental illnesses doubled after Katrina, those levels continue to increase two years after the hurricane hit.
Hurricane Katrina caused a variety of problems: many people lost their jobs, their homes, their friends and their family. Psychiatrists are trying to show these people that they are not crazy and are trying to help them in any way they can. Residents of New Orleans are still living in trailers, on deserted streets with a lot of damage to them. Because of these poor conditions, people have become a lot more depressed and they feel helpless. The only thing that will help is if the efforts to clean up the damage from hurricane Katrina get better, and if those people can get back to a stable life.
I think it is ridiculous that the conditions are still this bad in New Orleans. I can understand why people are having depression issues because it seems hopeless that conditions are going to get better. It has been two years since the hurricane and people continue to live in trailer homes that are dirty and unsafe. Relief efforts need to increase so these people can go back to having a stable life. If our government would step it up and help these people, they could lead normal lives again and their mental health could return to normal.

Group 1 (Lesley Hacker on Stem Cell Research)

Stem Cell Bank Picks up Lines

David Wahlberg from the Wisconsin State Journal has a very informative outlook on stem cell research. The National Stem Cell Bank is housed at the WiCell Research Institute and is affiliated with UW-Madison. This is the country's only official repository of the cells and contains government-sanctioned human embryonic stem cells. Wicell grows and studies these cells and then sends them around the world for research and in hope for cures. Wicell received 16 million dollars over four years from the National Institute of Health to run tests and store 21-stem cell lines. Each stem cell line contains fifteen vials, each which are composed of three million cells. These cells are extremely fragile and are very vulnerable when they are being thawed out.

This is a very slow process due to the competitive nature of science and politics. There are rules such as receiving federal funding only if cells used were created before August 9, 2001. Also, as politics and leaders begin to change, views and regulations will change as well.

This is a very controversial issue because many believe that its wrong to destroy these embryos because they are human life. Others believe that this is the gate-way to finding cures to diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's. Stem cell research has a very unclear future and only time will tell. What do you think will happen with this process?

Group 4 (Olivia Zabel on Russian "productivity")

William Saletan's article F--- Off: Skip Work and Make Love for Your Country (Slate, September 13, 2007) discusses a strange issue of orders given by a Russian governor. A governor in Russia actually gave orders to employers to allow a day off from work in order for the employees to have sex. Although this may seem like a joke, the reasoning behind this was actually to increase the population of the country after a "radical decline" due to AIDS, drug abuse, and other population killers. Cash awards were said to be issued to couples who could give birth exacty nine months after the day that employees were alotted to have sex, and believe it or not, a main doctor said that due to a similar deal that
happened the prior year, "women delivered three times the usual number of babies on payoff day." A rebuttal to this story is that having women try for this prized day of birth will only cause women to induce labor which could possibly lead to premature birth. Would women really threaten the lives of their children for a cash prize, or would they pass up the chance to have a healthy baby? Also, could this concept be reversed to decrease the population? In countries where there are way too many people, could a government issue cash prizes to couples who refrained from having more children, and would the population follow through? Maybe not--sometimes human nature is hard to resist.

Group 5 (Carmen Coats on the Zapata Trial)

Mistrial Declared in Zapata Trial

Jurors had heard testimony and circumstantial evidence. The jurors went into deliberation Friday and continued for 30 hours, but could not agree upon a verdict. The vote was 10-1-1. The majority of the vote was for guilty, but there was one juror who was undecided, and another who would remain with his innocent vote because of a lack of evidence. The jurors were deadlocked. On Monday afternoon Judge Fiedler declared it a mistrial. Now prosecutors are deciding whether or not they should have a re-trial, Linda Zapata says she'll be ready to testify against her father if there is one.


I think that the case needs to be re-tried because I think that a new jury will find him guilty. Hopefully in the new trial they will have some physical evidence to back up the case because I think that it will definitely affect the outcome of the trial.

Group 2 (Jimmy Luccas on O. J. Simpson)

In the article Simpson Arrested on Charges Related to Robbery, Noah Adams and Ina Jaffe talk about another one of OJ Simpson’s problem s with the law. On September 16, 2007 OJ Simpson was arrested for reportedly being a part of an armed group that broke into a Las Vegas hotel. Simpson is facing seven charges, six of which are felonies. He was accused of stealing some memorabilia that documented his career in sports, while being armed with “deadly weapons.” OJ Simpson is a retired NFL star running back that became famous for more than just his football career. OJ Simpson was accused for killing his wife and her friend. This incident was made public very quickly. The case became so popular that it is now known as the “trial of the century." His record keeps filling up with more and more crimes. Finally OJ may be put in prison! With a couple counts of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit burglary with a firearm, and other crimes, OJ may have had his last stand.

Seeing this article really frustrates me because it took this long to get this man into prison. It seems like people can do whatever they want because the penalties they receive are not harsh enough. Maybe if he was jailed before this, Simpson may have seen reality and understood that he cannot do whatever he wants . More and more issues are occurring where pro athletes commit crimes and they can just get away with them. I see a similar future with Michael Vick. Hopefully they will stop him before he gets out of hand. There needs to be the same penalties to all people, whether they are famous or not.

Group 3 (Bryanna McCarrell on Sentencing)

Prosecutor Who Opposed a Death Sentence Is Rebuked (New York Times, September 15, 2007)

Robert E. Owens, an Alabama prosecutor, was criticized by the state attorney general for arguing that a man on death row should not be put to death because the gunman in the execution he was a part of was not put to death. Marcus Presley was convicted with LaSamuel Gamble for the murder of two people at a pawn shop in 1996. A security camera shows that Presley was the gunmen in the crime and Gamble only checked the victims’ vitals and picked up the shell casings. Both men were sentenced to death before an amendment ruled it unconstitutional to sentence anyone under 18 to capital punishment. Presley, the gunman who was 16 at the time, was then put to life without parole. Gamble, who didn’t pull the trigger, was 18 so he was still on death row until winning his appeal to convert his sentence to life in prison just last week. The state attorney general says he will try to reinstate the death penalty on Gamble.

I do not think that Gamble should be put to death since the gunman in the crime wasn’t even put to death. The state attorney general is wrong in criticizing Robert Owens. Owens makes a very good point when he says, “I couldn’t lay my head on my pillow at night if I stood by and let a person who didn’t kill somebody be executed when the person who did kill somebody was not.” The evidence was there that Gamble didn’t kill the victims so why was he sentenced to death in the first place? Even if Presley was executed, Gamble should not be. However, if Gamble is executed, Presley definitely should be too. Presley was the one that pulled the trigger and should not be able to get away living if Gamble does not.

Group 1 (Beau Dobson on Rainwater Collection)

Saturday Sept. 15
Roll Out The Barrels

Katie Dean from The Capital Times sheds light on a new technique that could be useful and appreciated by many. People are using unique 55 gallon barrels to collect rain water before it hits the ground. Although the idea is not new, advances in the barrels are contributing to a heightened popularity. These specially designed barrels were improved by MATC and UW-Madison students. The MATC students contributed a logo and to inventory management while an engineering class at UW-Madison developed an environmental friendly spigot, that is attached to the barrels.

These barrels have several uses that are discussed in the article. It is stated that the growth of algae is enhanced by the phosphorus found in fertilizers, sediments, and animal waste. By collecting the water from roofs of homes, water runoffs cannot collect these things and in return reduce the unwanted algae amounts in bodies of water. Others are using the barrels for more practical uses such as watering plants because the rain water is free of fluoride, washing pets, or simply to save money by not using as much power. The water barrels are also ways for people to do their part to combat global warming.

The water systems themselves are suppose to be easy to clean, sealed to eliminate mosquito problems, capable of handling overflows, and have spigots that can be attached to a garden hose.
Single or double barrels kits are available over the internet for $75 and $115 respectively.

Group 3 (Whitney Spahn on Hillary Clinton)

Clinton Bills Herself as Agent of Change, Voice of Experience (Washington Post, September 2, 2007)


Hillary Clinton, democratic presidential candidate, is expected to have a much accelerated campaign this fall. Clinton has been promising change to the American people and says she is the perfect person for the job: “I have spent my whole life fighting change,” she claims. Clinton continues to slam both President Bush, about his current policies, and also the other democratic candidates. She believes a bluep rint alone is not enough to solve problems such as world health-care and a new energy plan. Clinton states in order to make changes like these, one needs to form a large following. This following she claims to have; sighting her experience in Congress. Both Clinton and her husband have been traveling together to support her run for office. Some believe this is a good approach because former president Clinton's experience will add to his wife’s potential. Some points Clinton has taken a stand on include ending the war in Iraq, expanding diplomatic outreach, and providing benefits for the middle class including job growth. At the end of the article Clinton states that she realizes compromises must be made or nothing will get done.

I feel Hillary Clinton, although well experienced in politics, is coming out too strong to the American people. I think her negative comments about the current president and her fellow democrats will hurt her campaign in 2008. I feel she should concentrate more on her individual points and strengths than her opponents’ faults. She has made stands on several issues including the war and health care. I think her campaign will run smoother and be more successful if she concentrates harder on these points of interest! I also personally believe that Bill Clinton does not add appeal to Hillary’s campaign. I think his past may actually hurt her chances of taking the white house.

Group 2 (Erin Banco on Al-Qaeda and the US)

Sunday, September 9, 2007

The New Al-Qaeda Central, September 9, 2007, washingtonpost.com

The author, Craig Whitlock, starts by describing Al-Qaeda and their incline of strength since September 11, 2001. No one has heard or seen Bin Laden on tape since October 2004, however the terrorist released a 26 minute video tape this past Friday stating what no American wants to hear: "We have survided." Over the past six years, America has spent trillions of dollars trying to diminish terrorism in the Middle East and capture key players in terrorist organizations like The Taliban. However, America's effort has backlashed and Al-Qaeda has once again reconstructed its arms and leadership (shura). Half the reason Al-Qaeda has become so strong in the past few years, is its ability to recruit new leaders and members. Because Al-Qaeda has reconstructed, it has continued to carry out acts of terrorism, such as the London transit bombings in 2005. The U.S. has since tried to get rid of main Al Qaeda leaders, but many have failed because of poor communication or skewed information. Al-Qaeda does not use (high-)technology as a form of communication which makes it even more difficult to intercept conversations between prominent leaders.

This article once again makes me question the motives of this war. I know this is a debate we all have heard over and over. When will the debate end? I realize this question may be daunting in certain ways, but its a question that needs to be answered by someone who is an authority figure. The artcle gives the public another reason to disagree with the Bush administration and its supporters. With the election in sight, news headlines will have everything to do with the politicians. They will be questioned mostly about their motives and ideas concerning the war. I guess only time will tell who our next "successor" will be.

Group 4 (Dylan Van Lith on the UW and beer)

Lee Lowenthal, a journalist for the The State Journal wrote an article on the increased success of UW Graduates Welch and Bronstein. This article titled, For Love or Beer (The State Journal, September 9th, 2007) describes how two University of Wisconsin undergraduate’s started a brewing company on the grounds of the campus. This company expanded into New York City after graduation, but it started right here while the two men were attending school. This 'bond' that they developed over beer began while they were students living in Vilas Avenue. Now, these two men sell nearly 3,100 barrels of beer a year. "I never thought I would be doing what I am doing now, " said Welch (UW Graduate). This article discusses how both of the men involved in the beer experiments have been wanting to become breweres since they met in college. They comment how they solely talked about how to make the best beer all throughout their four years at Madison. Once of my questions is, do you think that these men were taking up the space that could be used for a student who fully wants to focus on accademics? We could have admitted a future nobel prize winner or a scientiest who studies how to prevent diseases instead of having two graduated brewers. We already have enough alcohol in the world, but we still have many pertinent issues that still need to be solved. My question would be if UW Madison is now becoming known for its reputation of being a drinking school instead of for its academics? Do you think that parents are going to start pulling their children out of this prestigious university because of all the talk going around about Madison being such a party school? After reading this article, it makes me wonder if Madison is more party oriented or school oriented. I guess that I’m going to have to wait to find out!

Group 1 (Tyler Tiede on race and public schools)

It seems to me that the scope of racial discrimination has switched from its focus on non-Caucasians to Caucasians in the Madison area school district. Andy Hall writes about this situation in the article Open Enrollment Closed to White Madison Students. The article goes on to report that a 12-year-old boy named Zachary Walton was denied enrollment into a public online school because he is white. If Zachary was any other race he would have been allowed enrollment without a problem, but since the Madison school district receives $500,000.00 a year to participate in the states voluntary school-integration program known as Chapter 220. Madison is the only school district in the state of Wisconsin that participates in this program, which prohibits any student from changing the racial balance of the school by joining the school district through open enrollment. Even though this program affects every race, last year 140 transfer requests from white students were denied, which represents 71 percent of the race-based rejections at that time. The question that arises in my mind is: should school enrollment in the Madison school district be based on race or the student’s need and ability?

Group 5 (Casey Christian on judicial standards)

Dee J. Hall’s article Treat Ziegler like other judges, lawyer urges (Wisconsin State Journal, September 8, 2007) discusses how Attorney Jon Axelrod is urging that Judge Annette Ziegler’s charge for breaking Wisconsin’s conflict-of-interest law be handled consistently with how similar matters have been handled in the past. The defendant is seeking a public reprimand for her actions. In general, a public reprimand seems too weak of a punishment, but it is consistent with how other matters of similar nature have been resolved, specifically the case involving Judge Daryl Laatsch. The issue surrounding this matter stems from the fact that Ziegler is a junior justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and because of this higher position, should be held to higher standards. Would these higher standards warrant more severe punishments?

One Example Post (do not comment on this post)

In the editor's report (no author's name is given) Nations Continue to 'fight for the line', (Indian Country Today, September 6, 2007), the author outlines some of the issues complicating the border crossing (between the US and Canada) for First Nations, or Native American, people whose citizenship is primarily with a tribal nation. As the author suggests, theoretically this kind of border crossing is protected by both international (Treaty of Ghent) and national (Immigration and Citizenship Acts) legislation, however it seems both the history of that protection, as well as its status after 9/11, remain problematically obscure. The article brings up one of the most interesting--and oddly promising--issues in Native studies: what happens when tribal national jurisdictions overlap with other, international borders? This is an issue that many people struggle with daily (as explored in Thomas King's Truth and Bright Water), and one whose resolution seems contingent on the increased recognition by so-called 'western' nations of tribal national sovereignty. Ultimately, this article makes me wonder: if tribal nations are not explicitly reauthorized by countries like the US and Canada, will these local-level disturbances lead to some kind of generalized apathy toward the issue in non-Native countries?