2001, the U.S.A. Patriot Act was introduced to Congress. One month later, the act passed in the Senate with a vote of 98-1. A frightened nation had cried for protection against further attacks, but certainly got more than they had asked for. Russell Feingold, the only Senator to vote down the act, referred to it as, “legislation on the fly, unlike anything [he] had ever seen.” In their haste to protect our great nation, Congress suspended, “normal procedural processes, such as interagency review and
Through the 1940s and 1950s, America was beleaguered with anxieties about the menace of communism arising in Eastern Europe and China. Profiting out of such worries of the nation, young Senator Joseph McCarthy made an open charge that hundreds of "card-carrying" communists had penetrate in the United States government. Although his allegations were found ultimately to be false and the Senate reproached him for improper ways, his ardent shakeup heralded as one of the most tyrannical era in 20th-century
had been freed from death row because they were later proven innocent. That is a demonstrated error rate of 1 innocent person for every 7 persons executed. " said Russ Feingold, JD. "It is a central pillar of our criminal justice system that it is better that many guilty people go free than that one innocent should suffer..." Ross Feingold, JD continued. " Let us pause to be certain we do not kill a single innocent
first term. The lone senator who voted against the Patriot Act and in fact shared the many concerns that present day Americans have over the Patriot Act was Russ Feingold, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, ironically the polar opposite of his fellow statesman Sen. Sensenbrenner, the same man who put the Patriot Act into writing. Feingold, though is not primarily known for being the lone person to vote against the Patriot Act.
practices these means of funding, but a debate of who gets more from it. Democrats argue that Republicans have long been the main beneficiaries of soft money, pointing to Republicans' efforts to stop legislation sponsored by Senator John McCain and Russ Feingold that would have banned it (Political Parties). Even while both parties sling mud at each other, the money is still pouring in. The most recent “soft money campaigns” have been a $21 million dollar Republican party in April 2001 and a barbecue for
I. Introduction 1. Using the death penalty, is using the power to decide who gets to live or die, and deciding the faith of someone, a decision that no person has the right to make. 2. The death penalty should be banned because it is morally wrong, unconstitutional, and a flawed system. II. Body 1. First main idea: The death penalty is morally wrong. i. Whether the criminals deserve to die or not, what gives the government or the people the right to decided. ii. The death penalty is inhumane;
The Merits of Capital Punishment Murder! Rape! Terrorism! Most consider the people that commit these heinous crimes, but some say these people deserve a second chance. The Debate over the merits of capital punishment has endured for years, and continues to be an extremely complicated issue. Adversaries of capital punishment point to the Marshalls and the Millgards, while proponents point to the Dahmers and Gacys. Capital punishment is the legal infliction of the death penalty on persons convicted
Still We Rise Mya Angelou had a poem entitled “Still I Rise” about empowering others and being lifted up through struggles. Often times when it comes to remembering past heroes to society who have made a tremendous step forward for civil rights we think of the greats like Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, or even Malcom X. These leaders made America refocus their attention to the true meaning of humanity: togetherness. Their attributions to our country has made a great difference but today, we have
Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System “We simply cannot say we live in a country that offers equal justice to all Americans when racial disparities plague the system by which our society imposes the ultimate punishment,” stated Senator Russ Feingold. Even though racism has always been a problem since the beginning of time, recently in the United States, there has been a rise in discrimination and violence has been directed towards the African American minority primarily from those in the white
The Strengths and Weaknesses of the System of Choosing Presidential Candidates It seems reasonable to conjecture that the Achilles' heel of the modern presidency is one of recruitment. The long-winded delegate nomination process could in theory be replaced by a daylong direct election of presidential candidates. Instead, tradition dictates that the presidential race is drawn out quadrennially over the pre-primary, primary, Party Convention and campaign seasons. All four phases influence
The stakeholders in this policy area, based on the amicus briefs filed in the Citizens United case and frequent litigants in other similar cases, include politicians, candidates for political office, political action committees, civil rights organizations, nonprofit and legal organizations, agents of the federal government, and political scientists. The Federal Elections Commission is a particularly typical litigant in this policy area, petitioning in a manner that would likely call for an overturning
Capital crime is something that is meant for people that are found guilty of committing a serious crime, such as murder, rape, or theft. These are offences that should not be taken lightly but by killing the offender, the government is carrying about the action that they are trying to prevent. There are many other ways for the government to enforce federal laws that don’t involve the killing of an individual. After this person is executed, there is obviously nothing that can be done for the terrible
Imagine being wrongly accused of a crime. It is a truly nerve wrecking feeling. Better yet, imagine being wrongly accused of a capital crime in which a guilty verdict would result in the loss of life. Although certain crimes merit the punishment of death, Congress should still put an end to all forms of capital punishment throughout the United States since it is an unfair, irrevocable, and costly practice. When someone is convicted of a capital crime their life depends on their ability to defend
supported by 16 Senators that actually understand what the Internet is. Seven days later, several prominent House members publicly announce their opposition to the CDA, including Newt Gingrich, Chris Cox, and Ron Wyden. On September 26, 1995, Senator Russ Feingold urges committee members to drop the CDA from the Telecommunications Reform Bill. On Thursday, February 1, 1996, Congress passed (House 414-9, Senate 91- 5) the Telecommunications Reform Bill, and attached to it the Communications Decency Act. This
On March 7, 2005 a man named Richard on Death Row said his last words, “I did have a statement, but now I see my family here and everything - all I want to say is I love you so much. I am innocent. I love you all so much. You all are beautiful. Okay Warden, I am through.” The Death penalty is the execution of an offender after being convicted by a court of law of a criminal offense. The Death Penalty was first introduced to North America in 1608, during the colonies and has since been used. Proponents
up their rights for safety without any hesitation. Now, twelve years later, many skeptics call in to question the Patriot Act and the agencies created as a result of the legislation. In 2001, Former Senator Russ Feingold was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act. Senator Feingold stated, "The first caution was that we must continue to respect our Constitution and protect our civil liberties in the wake of the attacks" (Statement on the USA PATRIOT Act). With fear fresh in their minds
History of Immigration to the United States of America starting in the 1600’s, is very complex, with different waves of African Slaves, Indentured Servants, Asian, Latino Immigrants and other immigrants. The attitudes of immigrants have changed overtime with different peaks and dips of ethnic backgrounds, with New Immigration (1930-2000), which gave rise to illegal immigration. New Immigration is when Americans worried about immigration with the rise of Southern Europeans and Russians entering the
Clear Channel and the Cultural and Socio-Political Ramifications of Media Consolidation I.INTRODUCTION In 1996, Congress passed the Telecommunications Act thereby lifting restrictions on media ownership that had been in place for over sixty years (Moyers 2003; Bagdikian 2000: xviii). It was now possible for a single media company to own not just two radio stations in any given local market, but eight. On the national level, there was no longer any limit on the number of stations a company could