2005 You Decide! Current Debate in American Politics Book

1. CONSTITUTON.

GUNS, SAFETY, AND THE CONSTITUTION’S MEANING:  INDIVDUAL RIGHT OR SUBJECT TO REGULATION. 

Guns, Safety, and the Constitution: Individual Right Advocate: Joyce Malcolm, Professor, Department of History, Bentley College and Senior Fellow, MIT Security Studies Program.

Guns, Safety, and the Constitution: Subject to Regulation Advocate: Daniel A. Farber, Henry J. Fletcher Profess of Law and Associate Dean of Faculty and Research, University of Minnesota.

Deciding about Gay Marriage:  Make it a Federal Issue?
Advocate: Orin Hatch, U.S. Senator (R-UT) 

New Deciding About Gay Marriage:  Leave It to the States?
Advocate: Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator (D-VT)

Banning Dilation and Extraction (Partial-Birth) Abortions:  Violating Women’s Rights Advocate: Center for Reproductive Rights.

Banning Dilation and Extraction (Partial-Birth) Abortions:  Protecting Fetal Rights Advocate: Kathi A. Aultman,  MD, board certified obstetrician gynecologist, and Fellow,
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 

REQUIRING REGISTRATION TO ACCESS INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY: ABRIDGING FREE SPEECH OR SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN?

Requiring Registration ToAccess Internet Pornography: Abridging Free Speech.
Advocate: Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court.

Requiring Registration To Access Internet Pornography:  Safeguarding Children.
Advocate: Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court.

Immigraton as a Threat to “Who We Are”:  Valid Concern Advocate: John O’Sulllivan, Editor-in-chief of the National Interest.

Immigraton as a Threat to “Who We Are”:  Unfounded Fear?
Advocate: Jim Sleeper, Lecturer in Political Science at Yale University.
  
6. PUBLIC OPINION/PARTICIPATION.

 Post-9/11 Criticism of U.S. Foreign Policy: Unamerican.
Advocate: Victor Davis Hanson, Shifrin Visiting Professor of Military History, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis.

Post-9/11 Criticism of U.S. Foreign Policy:  Patriotic.
Advocate: Gore Vidal, novelist, playwright, and essayist.

USE OF POLLS IN THE MEDIA:  OUT OF CONTROL OR VALID REPORTING.

Use of Polls by the Media:  Out of Control 
Advocate: Lori Robertson, Managing Editor, American Journalism Review.

Use of Polls by the Media: Valid Reporting.
Advocate: Bill McInturff and Lori Weigel, partners, Public Opinion Strategies, a national survey research firm.

Ethnic Foreign Policy Lobbying: Misplaced Allegiance.
Advocate: Geoffrey Wheatcroft, a British journalist.

Ethnic Foreign Policy Lobbying: All-American Traditions Advocate: Yossi Shain, Aaron and Cecile Goldman Visiting Professor, Georgetown University; Professor of Political Science, Tel Aviv University.

The Odds-On Favorite in the Future: Democrats.
Advocates: John B. Judis, senior editor, The New Republic, and Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow, the Century Foundation.

The Odds-On Favorite in the Future: Republicans.
Advocate: Daniel Casse, Senior Director, White House Writers Group.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE: ABOLISH OR PRESERVE?

The Electoral College: Abolish.
Advocate: Becky Cain, President, League of Women Voters.

The Electoral College: Preserve.
Advocate: Judith A. Best, Professor of Political Science, State University of New York at Cortland.

Congressional Term Limits: Promoting Choice.
Advocate: Paul Jacob, Executive Director, U.S. Term Limits.

Congressional Term Limits: Restricting Choice.
Advocate: John R. Hibbing, Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska.

President War Power and Terrorism: Unilateral Authority. 
Advocate: Douglas Kmiec , Dean of the Columbus School of Law , The Catholic University of America.

Presidential War Power and Terrorism: Constitutional Constraints.
Advocate: Jane Stromseth, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center.

Champion of Equality.
Advocate: Judith Sweet, Vice-President for Championships and Senior Women Administrator, National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Overzealous Crusader.
Advocate: Amanda Ross-Edwards, Visiting Professor of Political Science, Fairfield University.

Legal Philosophy As A Qualification For The Bench: Judicious Standard.
Advocate: Laurence H. Tribe, Professor,  Harvard Law School.

Legal Philosophy As A Qualification For The Bench: Obstructionist Barrier.
Advocate: Todd F. Gaziano, Senior Fellow In Legal Studies and Director, Center For Legal and Judicial Studies, The Heritage Foundation.

Constitutionally Require A Balanced Budget: Fiscal Sanity.
Advocate: William Beach, Director, Center for Data Analysis, Heritage Foundation.

Constitutionally Require A Balanced Budget:  Fiscal Irresponsibility.
Advocate: Richard Kogan, Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Racially Biased.
Advocate: Julian Bond, Professor of History, University of Virginia and Distinguished Professor-in-Residence, American University.

Justice Served.
Advocate: Andrew  G. McBride, former U.S. Associate Deputy Attorney General.

Promoting Equality Advocate: 41 College Students and 3 Student Coalitions.

Unfair Advantage Advocate:  21 Law Professors.

Torturing Terrorists: Sometimes Justified.
Advocate: Robert G Kennedy, Professor of Management, University of St. Thomas.

Torturing Terrorists: Always Abhorrent.
Advocate: Lisa Hajjar, Professor of Sociology, Law and Society Program, University of California-Santa Barbara.

(EXTENDED TABLE OF CONTENTS: WEB ISSUES)
The following topics are available on the Web at:  ablongman.com/YouDecide/

Deciding Policy: Adopt Direct Democracy.
Advocate: Harlan Hahn, Professor of Political Science, University of Southern California.

Deciding Policy: Remain a Republic.
Advocate: Peter G. Fish, Professor of Political Science, Duke University.

Constitutional Amendments: Let States Initiate. 
Advocate: Nelson Lund, Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law.

Constitutional Amendments: Keep the Current Process.
Advocate: Representative Mickey Edwards (R-MA) and Louis Michael Seidman, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center, on behalf of Citizens for the Constitution, nonpartisan organization devoted to fostering public discussion concerning amendments to the Constitution.

Proportional Representation: Advance of Democracy 
Advocate: Theodore S. Arrington, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Proportional Representation: Destabilizing Idea.  
Advocate: Abigail Thernstrom., Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute

Anti-Terrorist Legislation: Threat to Civil Liberties.
Advocate: Bob Barr, former member of the U.S House of Representatives (R-GA).

Anti-Terrorist Legislation: Constitutional Shield. 
Advocate: James B. Comey, Deputy Attorney General Of The United States.

Regulating Campaign Finance Activity by Nonprofit Organizations: Needed Reform.
Advocate: Donald B. Tobin, Professor, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University.

Regulating Campaign Finance Activity by Nonprofit Organizations: Oppressive Restriction.
Advocate: Richard Thomas, Attorney representing the Alliance for Justice, Leadership. Conference for Civil Rights, League of Conservation Voters, NAACP National Voter Fund, NARA: Pro-Choice America, Planed Parenthood Federation of America, People for the American Way Foundation, and Sierra Club.

Becoming President: Natural-Born Citizens Only.
Advocate: Forrest McDonald, Distinguished University Research Professor of History at the University of Alabama.

Becoming President: All Citizens.
Advocate: Prepared Statement by John Yinger, Professor of Economics and Public Administration, The Maxwell School, Syracuse University.