Due Date: 9/28
Study Guide for Ch. 2, Daniels (due 9/28) “Philip Freneau and the Invention of the Republican Party”

1.    Describe the differences between the “anti republican party” and the “Republican party” (p. 62). How do they compare (or do they?) to the Democratic and Republican parties today?  Anti republican were consisting of those who believed that government could only be carried on by the pageantry of rank, the influence of money and the terror of military force. The republicans consisted of those who believed that hereditary government was an insult to the reason and an outrage to the rights of man. They do compare to the parties of today, but the Republican Party has shifted roles.  No party really holds the view that the old Republicans had.

2.    Explain the significance of the title of this chapter. How did Freneau create the Republican Party with his newspaper, the National Gazette?  He may have not created it, but he had a large influence on the creation of partisan parties.  The title of the chapter is the creation of the Republican Party to compete against the Federalists.  It displays how his paper was influential in making that happen.

3.    What kinds of political ideas did Freneau believe in?  When he was at college he was strongly against Britain's rule and their politics. When he was at college, his roommate, James Madison and him formed a debate group to speak about these opinions.  They started the Whig Society. He was anti-federalist and anti-aristocrat. 

4.    How did the anti republicans get labeled as “aristocrats?”  This was a way that Freneau had wanted to label the Federalists.  He wanted to created a separation between the classes.  He wanted the majority of the population to be for the Republicans, because they represented the working class.

5.    Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton are mentioned in this chapter. What kinds of political ideas did each hold and how did they relate to Freneau?  Jefferson was an anti-federalist.  Freneau moved to Philadelphia after help from Jefferson.  Jefferson wanted to use the National Gazette to express his opinions and criticisms about Federalists.  Hamilton on the other hand was a Federalist.  He is mentioned because of his political stance.  He was involved in some of the claims the Nation Gazette had against the Federalists.

6.    How is the current state of political media the same and different from Freneau’s time? Can you think of any examples of a news source creating a party or promoting a party?  Today, when I think of partisan news outlets, I think of news programs on television.  They can be the least objective when they are reporting.  Fox News is a prime example of a station that reflects the political views of its owners.  The way the newspapers are run today seem to be objective.  Compared to the National Gazette, papers today do not report the news in the same way.

Due Date: 9/28

Debate is Blocked on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

No Progress for Bill

by Andrew Pooch

            A recent vote in the Senate has put a hold on a bill that would repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  The policy to allow gays to openly serve in the military has been blocked, but has left the door open for a vote in the future.

            The effort to lift the ban needed 60 votes from the senate to pass.  The side for repeal only got 56 votes.  The republicans voted unanimously to block the bill.  They also managed to swing a few democratic votes in their favor as well.  President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates have both said that they would like to see the policy repealed.

The ruling disturbed supporters of gay rights.  Many expressed emotion to the fact that people are being singled out from serving their country.  “It ought to go,” said Joseph I. Lieberman, Independent of Connecticut.  “It’s un-American.  It’s inconsistent with our best values of equal opportunity, who can get the job done, not what your private life is about.”

            Some voters changed their vote at the last minute.  The strategy behind this was not blocking it for good, but just delaying it for now.  With the delay, Democrats will work to make amendments to the bill.  One proposed amendment would be beneficial for the Democrats and maneuvers to block Republicans.

            Democrats created amendments to attach to the bill such as immigration measures that would give citizenship to certain illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as children.  Another policy is to have a more open debate on the Senate floor.

“There are many controversial issues in this bill,” said Susan Collins, a republican senator from Maine.  They deserve to have a civil, fair, and open debate on the Senate floor and that is why I am so disappointed… the majority leader apparently intends to shut down the debate and exclude Republicans from offering a number of amendments.”

            This important bill may be easier to move come December.  The problem right now is the partisan fight for power in the Senate with the elections right around the corner.   Aubrey Sarvis of the Service Members Legal Defense Network, a gay and lesbian advocacy group said, “The Senate absolutely must schedule a vote in December when cooler heads and common sense are more likely to prevail once midterm elections are behind us."

            This policy has been a big issue in Congress and keeps getting delayed to benefit each party.  After the election in November, there will be new Senators that will be faced with voting in this big decision.  The policy has potential to be repealed before 2011 if each party can agree on amendments to the policy.

Sources: NY Times Friday September 24, 2010

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-vote-repeal-ban-gays-military/story?id=11685658

9-12 Tea Party Protest in Washington DC - STOP out-of-control spending

Due Date: 9/21

STUDY GUIDE FOR CH. 2 IN FLIPPIN

“The Mankind (and Remaking and Remaking) of McCain”

By Robert Draper

1. McCain held an emergency meeting with his campaign team on Sept. 24, 2008. Why? What were the options and which one did he choose? In hindsight, did he pick the best one? Why or why not?  The meeting was about how he should respond to the crisis of House Republicans supporting a huge bailout.  His options were to offer principles from afar, middle ground of engaging while still campaigning, or going all in.  He chose to go all in.  This was probably not the best idea for the McCain campaign since they lost.  More focus should have been focused on defining his brand.
2. Discuss the “character” issue and how it pertained to McCain. How does this connect with conversations we’ve had already in the course about politicians and their public and private selves and the role of the news media in all this.  The character issue is everything the candidate has built up to now.  McCain really only had his service going for him.  In class we established that a candidates private life isn’t private.  The public wants to know whom they are electing.  They also what services they have provided leading up to this point.
3. Discuss the reasons why McCain had to change his “narrative,” i.e., “remake” himself over and over during the 2008 campaign.  McCain was unable to pin down who he wanted to portray himself as to the voters.  He was never successful on creating the image that would win him the election.  He couldn’t compete with the change that Obama promised.  
4. What were the six (yes, six!) narratives identified by the author? Briefly describe each one.  Which one do you think was the most destructive? Why?  The heroic fighter vs. the quitters was McCain ignoring the fact he should have talked about anything but Bush’s war. Country first dealmaker vs. nonpartisan pretender wanted to portray McCain as a man putting his country first.  He battled his own party as well as the Democrats.  Leader vs. celebrity wanted to focus on McCain actually leading the country and making decisions.  They wanted to highlight that Obama was just a celebrity.  Team of mavericks vs. old style Washington was McCain choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate instead of a safe pick.  John McCain vs. John McCain was John McCain out there campaigning and wanting his opponent to be there with him.  The fighter vs. the tax and spend liberal he was a rebuilt warrior that was going to stand up for the little man.  The worst decision was choosing Palin as his running mate.
5. Why do YOU think McCain lost to Obama? How informed were you during that election?  McCain lost to Obama, because he didn’t have an effective campaign.  The country was also looking for change.  They saw that in Obama, where McCain compared too similarly to Bush.  I was not very informed during the election, but since then I have learned quite a bit.

Due Date: 9/21

Tea Party Moving For Takeover

Obama Could Benefit

by Andrew Pooch

            The primaries are finished and there is a restructuring in the making for Republicans.  In 2009, a series of protests emerged in response to stimulus packages and the health care bill.  This movement was tagged with the name Tea Party Movement, because it resembled a resistance against taxes.

            States around the country are witnessing a change.  In Delaware, Christine O’Donnell has the Republican spot on the ballot, but may not be the best choice.  She was voted in against recommendation to nominate a very conservative candidate.  Delaware is making a bold decision not nominating a highly conservative candidate.  They have decreased their success of winning.   Political analysts believe that Republicans should be distancing themselves from the Democrats as much as possible.  Nominating Tea Party candidates is not helping.

            Events like the one in Delaware have been happening in other states too.  The Tea Party has conquered the primaries and some believe that it will remake the GOP in its image.  Matt Kibbe, the president of FreedomWorks labeled it a “hostile takeover.”  There are others that say it is too big to be taken over and they will become partners to gain the advantage back in Congress.

            The result of this happening can be blamed on other Republicans.  O’Donnell received endorsements from Mitt Romney, Senator Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin.  This will not help the Republican gain back seats in Congress.  By backing a Tea Party Candidate, this means that they are choosing a candidate that is moderately conservative.  This also translates to mean that their candidate is closer to a Democrat.

            The Obama administration has suffered a few tough blows since his election.  He has lost confidence from voters in areas such as the job market and the situation in the Middle East.  This development of Tea Party candidates has the potential to benefit his re-election.

            The benefit that the Obama Administration foresees is Democrats winning or moderate conservatives winning.  This is important; because when candidates are nominated they are usually supposed to be on the opposite side of the spectrum.  Tea Party members are only half way there.

            Tea Party members are benefitting Obama in some areas, but they are also putting the attention on his biggest problems.  The Tea Party is trying to move the debate away from social issues.  They will stand conservatively on abortion and gay marriage, but would rather talk about the economy.  They feel like they have the advantage, because the Democrats have put the country into the position we are in right now economically. 

            This election is exciting, because there is change happening in the parties.  The Tea Party was catapulted to the front with effective protests stressing change in the economy.  The Democrats see an advantage with the choice of candidates being similar to them; voters won’t change.   We will find out a year after this election, when each party is choosing a presidential candidate, if the Tea Party Movement was effective of not.

Word Count: 513

Sources:

http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2010/09/17/tea-party-take-over-the-answer-to-obama's-prayers/?boxes=businesschannelsections

New York Times Thursday September 16, 2010

Due Date: 9/14

STUDY GUIDE

Scandal & Civility: Journalism and the Birth of America Democracy

By Marcus Daniel

Ch. 1: John Fenno

1.     Who was John Fenno and why did he found and publish the Gazette of the United States? John Fenno was a journalist that turned printer.  He formed the newspaper, because he wanted political reports about national events that had impartial principles.  He printed his paper free of advertising, so there were no distractions.

2.     Was he a Federalist or a Republican? He was a federalist.

3.     What did he hope to accomplish with his newspaper? What did he think of as his duty? (p. 25)  Fenno hoped that his paper would inform citizens of the new republic and help form national political culture. He thought his duty was to encourage public support of the people who were elected and for them to respect the government.

4.     How did he feel about George Washington?  From the readings, the impression one can get is that he idolized him.  He was speechless on occasion and he followed him to appearances.

5.     Given the introduction and the issue of character being revealed by the private self, what about the fact that he left his wife and many children (ultimately 14) in Boston when he went to NY? What do you think it reveals about him, if anything? Is it easy to come to any conclusion given the differences in our way of thinking in the 21^st century? Or may it is? No matter what generation is time you are from, leaving your family is not the right thing to do.  Especially in that time, the men were to main support for the family.  He had a lot of kids to support, more than families of today.  It was selfish of him to leave, when he could have functioned in Boston.

6.     Why did Fenno think panegyrics were a good idea? (pp. 36-37)  He wanted people to feel free to praise politicians for good work.  He thought that if there was no praise, political leaders would avoid difficulties they were faced with during their service.

7.     Fenno believed that man (sic) was born rather barbaric, and that civilization was possible only when they learned to control their natural and elemental desires. (p. 33) What do you think? What do you think most American people think today? This theory can be explained, because when we are kids, we don’t know what is right and what is wrong.  We spend most of the time figuring out what we can do and what we can’t.  Our parents help with some of it, but the rest is experimental.  When we age, we are able to control it better.  Most people in America would probably agree with this.

8.      Why did Fenno at first sell no advertising? Why did he change his mind?  At first he had no advertising, because he didn’t want any commercial distractions from his political news.  He had to change his mind because his paper was struggling to get readership and he was in debt.

9.     Fenno thought of himself as objective because he wasn’t supported by a political party; his aim was to be supportive of the federal gov’t. Is that really objective?  It doesn’t seem to be objective, because a government can be swayed to a side depending upon who is leading the country.  Then they will have an influence on his political writings.

10. Fenno supported Hamilton’s ideas on federalizing the states’ debts from the Revolutionary War, which had become a very divisive issue.  (p. 42) Can you see any parallels with our situation today?  Fenno believed that we needed to restore the public credit.  This can be said for today.  We are short on jobs which is where most people make money.  If we could get the unemployment rate to go down, our public credit should improve.

11. Fenno “pronounced the public debt a ‘NATIONAL BLESSING.’” (p. 44) Wow! Can you imagine anyone saying that today? What was his logic?  No one would claim that about our situation today.  His logic was that from this debt he thought that it would bind Americans together and bind the wealthy to the federal state.

12. What was Fenno’s relationship with Thomas Jefferson? Could such a thing happen today? (p. 45)  Thomas Jefferson was the secretary of state. He was supporting Fenno’s paper. This would allow Jefferson to have his ideas flow through Fenno into his newspaper.  This would not happen today.

13. What were the ideas of John Adams that most people found so unattractive? What do you think of his ideas? (pp. 49-50)  He told people that they should fear France.  He sounded like he had become a supporter of a monarchy.  I think his ideas were not appropriate, because they were during a time that was too soon after the Revolutionary War.

14. Explain the French Jacobin Party’s policy of de-Christianization. (p. 53) Was it successful?  It was a policy designed to abolish Christian worship in France and replace it with a civil religion dedicated to the goddess of Reason.  It was not successful.

15. What happened in the U.S. that took their attention away from the French Revolution? (pp. 54-55) Yellow fever had taken over Philadelphia.  People were leaving and trying to stay alive which took focus off the French.

16. What was Fenno’s stance on the French Revolution?  He feared that it would have influence on the growth of the domestic opposition to the federal government.

17. What is xenophobia? What did it have to do with Fenno? (p. 57)  Basically is a fear of foreigners.  He was blaming his decline in readers on exiles from Europe.

Due Date: 9/7

Study guide for Best American Political Writing 2009, ed. By Royce Flippin

“Introduction”

1.     According to the author of the introduction (Matt Taibbi), George W. Bush had an “awful effect” on national political journalism. Describe this effect and discuss your response. (pp. xv—xviii).  George Bush contributed to the 24 hour news cycles.  They were constantly making fun of him, or backing up his decisions. The television media had stations that supported him and some did not.  They were most of the time talking about funny, embarrassing things he had done more than policy he had enacted.  Bush made big decisions during his presidency and books were written about the decisions.  Bush contributed to a lot of media because he gave them something to report on.  Obama has so far been less in the news.  He isn’t as awkward in public and rarely embarrasses.

2.     According to the author, how did the Bush administration affect political journalism differently for conservatives and liberals? (xvi).  Bush made networks like FOX popular, because it is a conservative network.  They would talk about Bush in a positive light and debate his actions.  Then the author mentions the Daily Show and The Colbert Report, which make fun of embarrassing things Bush did.  They both were able to thrive during his presidency, because both sides were reporting news stories. 

3.     What was the problem with both conservative and liberal journalism during those years? (xvi).  The author points out that journalism became money driven.  People saw that Bush was making many life-changing decisions and instead of reporting on them, they wrote books expressing their opinions.  This was a change from reporting done during the Nixon administration.

“Battle Plans: How Obama Won”

By Ryan Lizza

1.     According to Lizza, Obama won because of his “finely crafted and superbly executed campaign” (4).  Discuss three of the factors that made it such a great campaign.

The first strategy the campaign stressed was “change.”  They not only wanted to distance themselves from Bush, but they were trying to win the democratic ticket as well.  They needed to craft a message that talked about change and made Hillary Clinton pay the price for her experience.

Aides to Obama believed a crucial moment in the campaign came when Obama said he would meet with leaders of some of the world's most dangerous countries.  They originally thought the best tactic was to go on the defensive.  Obama told them to be aggressive about this statement and not let the Clinton campaign bully them around.

Another key moment in the Obama campaign was the way they chose to raise money for funding.  Obama removed himself from the restrictions of public-service funding.  By doing this, he earned more money and was able to buy more advertisements.  He was buying ad space in states that McCain didn't even have a presence in.  This in turn helped him win more states.

What’s your personal opinion about his campaign? How engaged were you? What do you think?

                  The campaign was interesting.  The way that aides magnified certain statements from Obama and other candidates was clever.  I didn't realize how simple statements can be blown up to sway a campaign for a candidate.  The correct decision making in the campaign seemed like it helped Obama take the presidency away from Hillary Clinton and John McCain.  Obama had the best aides of the 2008 presidential campaign.

2.     According to Lizza, Obama’s campaign turned his vulnerabilities into assets. Explain that statement. (8)  The world knew about Bush and his actions.  They knew a few things about Obama which appeared to be vulnerabilities such as his race and name.  They also knew that he was a senator.  Some of these were thrust into assets, because of the idea of change.  They wanted people to know that this new candidate was separating himself  from Bush.  He would be a new, different president.

Intro to Daniel Study Guide

1. William Kristol is a columnist for the NY Times.  He argued the "character issue" was the key to understanding Obama's political motives and behavior.

2. The media wants to expose the true character of a candidate.  Once the public gets a taste for their personal life, they can't get enough.  Some events are John Edwards scandal and Barack Obama's citizenship.

3.  "Personal is the political," because in politics the personal life of a candidate comes forward.

4.The post revolutionary U.S was not an age of classic virtue.  I had assumed that politics were highly personal, like they are today.  I didn't realize to what extent.

5. The federalist party existing between 1792 and 1816.  The republican party was established after that.  The federalist differ because they were trying to hold onto some of the principles that Britain lived by.  The republican were trying to build a new country.

6.He believes that it was a dark times for journalists, because it was after the country had already earned its independence

7. Most of the newspapers in the country had become partisan.  The country had developed a political sphere.  In our world today, we still have partisan papers.  Strengths and weaknesses are how the stories get reported.  A newspaper can chose what to print based on their political agenda.

8.  Ideas that places human volition rather than divine providence at the center of the historical process.

9. Lyon spat in the face of Griswold, then Griswold beat Lyon with a cane.  There was too much personal passion going on.

10.  Reading newspapers became a way of life.  People's passion had grown to read newspapers.  Kids were listening to newspapers being read before they could read.

11.  People had become partisan.  They has chose their paper to read.  The papers did not hold back the libel, and this caused people to believe what they were hearing.  The media can still be blamed for this.

12.  Teleology is the philosophical study of the idea that final causes exist, of evidence that design and purpose are inherent in nature. 

13.  Yes, the media is similar today.  Phrases such as "persuade listeners and readers," alter and change reality," and "good political work" can be applied in the media of today.

McCain Staying Strong in Arizona

Newcomer Hoping to Challenge McCain

By Andrew Pooch

            John McCain has never lost an election in his home state and he has no plans to change that now.  With the August primaries done, each party has selected a candidate.  Current Senator John McCain is taking on Democratic candidate Rodney Glassman.

The campaigns will be in full swing from now until Election Day in November.  McCain held nothing back while trying to secure the Republican nomination.  The Huffington Post reported, “After funneling $21 million into his campaign successfully, [McCain] withstood a primary challenge from former U.S. Congressman J.D. Hayworth.”

McCain’s biggest test was winning the Republican nomination.  He was in a close battle with J.D. Hayworth until the primaries.  Early polling showed that McCain has a good grip on the Senate election in Arizona.  The official numbers from Rasmussen Reports had “fifty-three percent of likely voters in the state support McCain, while Glassman earned thirty-one percent of the vote. Ten percent liked some other candidate in the race, and six percent were undecided.”

            McCain has a long history in U.S office.  He has held his seat in U.S senate for four terms.  He came up short in two presidential elections.  He missed the republican nomination to Bush in 2000 and lost the presidential election to Obama in 2008. 

            McCain has highlighted important areas on his Website.  He is concerned about immigration, health-care, education, jobs and agriculture.  The recent violence in Arizona has brought the immigration from the South to the forefront of conversation.  McCain feels it’s essential to increase security to effectively protect the citizens of the U.S.  He also sees the public education system of Arizona in major need of reform. McCain believes, “Every public school child deserves a first-rate education. And too many of our schools are producing second-rate results.”

            Glassman is only thirty-two years old, but has credentials to back him up.  Jill Lawrence of Politics Daily, reported that Glassman has a “Bachelor's degree, master's in business administration, master’s in public administration, Ph.D. in arid land resource sciences, law degree.”  He was also a “business consultant, retirement planning counselor, JAG lawyer in the Air Force reserve, Legislative aide to a congressman and city council member.”   His last position was the vice mayor of Tucson.   

            The issues Glassman puts emphasis on are veterans, economy, health care, corporate taxes, clean energy and economic growth.  Glassman suggests that McCain is a “World Senator” and that he doesn’t care about his state.  Glassman emphasizes that he is going to make changes for the country and focus on issues in his home state.  The issue that is hurting Glassman is his inexperience.  He hasn’t had great reviews for his work in Tucson.  McCain has been in the Capitol, he is favored largely because of the experience he has.

            These two different generations of politics will be facing off this fall.  McCain has been the “Maverick” for Arizona for decades and Glassman hasn’t held a major office.  If the projections follow through, McCain will come away with a victory and begin his fifth term in the U.S Senate this fall.

Word count: 533

Website Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/24/arizona-election-results-_n_692950.html

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/arizona/election_2010_arizona_senate

Dayton and Emmer Battle for Governor

Experience Will Replace Pawlenty

By Andrew Pooch

            In early August, Minnesota held primaries for the gubernatorial race that will be decided on November 2.  The three front runners are Republican Tom Emmer, State Representative; Democrat Mark Dayton, former U.S Senator; and Independent Tom Horner.  Minnesota has a history of making unexpected decisions when it comes to elections.  In 1998, an Independent candidate came in and unexpectedly won the election.  His name was Jesse Ventura.  This precedent for Minnesota informs us that three parties should be considered and not just the big two.  As of August 13, 2010, The Rasmussen Reports is a polling website that has Dayton with 45%, Emmer 36% and Horner with 10% of the vote.  These percentages show that once a toss-up state, Minnesota is now leaning Democrat.

            This election may seem different for most Minnesotans.  ABC news reported that since the U.S Supreme court erased the limits on corporate and union campaign spending, citizens should brace themselves for a new type of advertising this fall.  The variety of the ads will increase with the "barrage of harsh attacks" back and forth between parties.  Tom Diemer of Politics Daily reported Mark Dayton spending $3 million dollars on a campaign that helped him win the primary election.

            The big issues on the table this fall includes: job creation, education, taxes and health care reform to name a few.   The Candidate’s Websites supplied their stances on the issues. Emmer and Dayton both agree that changes need to be made in education.  Dayton wants to increase teacher's salaries, lower class sizes and have all day kindergarten.  Emmer wants funding for schools to increase, teachers to be rewarded for good work and higher standards for licensure. Both candidates believe the creation of jobs can be found in a state stimulus package that will provide government jobs to projects such as highway and mass transit. 

            Emmer and Dayton differ on the view of taxes.  Dayton would like to see taxes raised for wealthier classes and spending to be reduced.  Emmer has had an opinion about how hospitality workers should treat their tips.  He recently decided that tips should be between the server and the customer.  The state government shouldn’t be allowed to meddle with that money.  He says on his Website that he does not want to reduce minimum wage, but other sources contradict his message.

            Health care reform is another big issue for Minnesota.  Emmer would like to see Minnesota take control of their health care. He believes we have some of the best care and that everyone should be able to have it.  Dayton wants the health care to be more affordable and reach more Minnesotans.  He wants better benefits for employees of the public school system.

            Mark Dayton previously served Minnesota in the U.S Senate.  He currently has endorsements from the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, Mesabi Daily News, AFSCME and United Steel Workers. 

            Tom Emmer is in the Minnesota House of Representatives for the 19B district.  Emmer has endorsements from twenty-seven elected officials, statewide leaders and congressional district leaders.

            Tom Horner is a native Minnesotan who has worked in the Minnesota capitol.  He has also owned his own business.  He has endorsements from former senator David Durenberger and former congressman Tim Penny.

Word Count: 562

Websites used in the paper:

www.markdayton.org

www.emmerforgovernor.com

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/minnesota/election_2010_minnesota_governor

http://theraabereview.com/2010/08/03/the-great-mn-governors-race-2010-pre-primary-roundup/

U.S. Court of Appeals Dismisses C.I.A. Torture Case

Decision Made to Conceal Secret Data

Andrew Pooch

            A United States Court of Appeals has recently dismissed a case alleging C.I.A. torture with a vote of 6-5.  The decision was reached on the basis that it may expose secret government information.

            The suit was brought against the  company, Jeppesen Dataplan Inc.  This company is a subsidiary of Boeing.  They are tied into the case, because they were responsible for transporting captives to other countries.  These captives would then be imprisoned and interrogated. 

            The American Civil Liberties Union brought the case to court on behalf of the five prisoners that were allegedly tortured.  The prisoners were tortured in captivity and accused Jeppesen of being part of the government’s rendition program.

            Extraordinary rendition in a term used in the case of transferring captives to other countries in order to torture them.   This is usually a case when C.I.A. will capture terrorists and transfer them to locations where interrogation takes place to get answers.

            The New York Times reported that this case involves whether the president can apply the states-secrets privilege to shut down entire lawsuits or be limited to withholding pieces of secret information.

            According to investigativereport.org the government made arguments that there was no way to litigate the case without disclosing certain facts.  The first was that there might be information that would confirm or deny Jeppesen or any other private firm assisting C.I.A in intelligence activities.  The case could uncover information about any foreign government cooperating with the C.I.A.  The details about the C.I.A’s terrorist detention or interrogation programs might be uncovered. Or, any other details of intelligence activities, sources or methods were a concern for the government.

            This case began in early 2009, when a district court dismissed the case.  Then a smaller panel of judges heard the case and decided that the case should proceed.  This led to an appeal by Obama’s Administration.  A panel of eleven judges came to a narrow decision to overturn the small panel ruling.

            The explanation for the overturning according to jurist.org was, “holding that in some ‘rare’ circumstances, it may be impossible for a suit to proceed at all without inevitably compromising national security.”

            The New York Times highlighted the story of Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian man who lives in Britain.  He was captured in Pakistan and bounced around from prison to prison, where he was brutally tortured.  His journey went from where he was captured in Pakistan to Morocco, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Now he is free and living in London.  He did not get justice in court.

            A.C.L.U staff attorney Ben Wizner expressed his concerns with the ruling saying, “This is a sad day not only for the torture victims ... but for all Americans who care about the rule of law.  To date, not a single victim of the Bush administration's torture program has had his day in court."

            The A.C.L.U promises to appeal this ruling to the United States Supreme Court.  They would like to see how far the presidential power reacts in matters of counterterrorism.

Word Count: 529

Sources:

http://www.investigativeproject.org/blog/2010/09/appellate-court-dismisses-private-torture-suit

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/09/ninth-circuit-dismisses-cia-rendition-suit-on-state-secrets-grounds.php

New York Times September 9, 2010