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fandomtownies2011-05-25 12:18 pm
glasses-justice.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomtownies2011-05-25 12:18 pm
Entry tags:
Civics: The Bill of Rights, The Community Center, Wednesday Evening
Alex was still disturbed by those images from the Opening Ceremonies of Katniss's Games, but she did her best to clear them from her mind. The best way she could honor Katniss was by continuing to teach classes about freedom, and the essential dignity of human rights.
That thought did the trick, and she was smiling by the time class began.
"We're combining two amendments into one class this week," she began, by way of introduction. "This is partly because they're closely related, and partly because the third is obscure enough to only have been cited a handful of times. That doesn't make it useless; you will see what I mean by that in a moment."
She gestured to the quote on the left of the whiteboard:
She waited, as always, in case anyone was writing that down, before continuing.
"Simple enough," she said. "If it seems like a strange rule to you, then you're not living in a situation where this is a problem. The founders of this country obviously were. The fact that modern citizens of this country can't name this amendment and find it to be a joke is actually a stunning tribute to its success. It has eradicated the problem so entirely that the populace is astonished to hear there ever was one. Please remember, the country in question is only two hundred years old."
One down, one to go. She gestured, this time to the other quotation.
"And this is the Fourth," she said. "The one that causes me the most headaches, as a prosecutor, because I work closely with the police. The police like to apprehend criminals, and they don't like having to jump through all of these hoops. Needing to get a warrant into a house where you know a man is selling drugs can feel like pointless frustration. But it isn't.
"Both of these amendments have the same point. Your house is a safe haven. The police are not allowed to enter, not without probable cause, or without something called exigent circumstances -- let's say tie house is on fire, or someone is screaming for help. Other than that? Your house is yours. The government can't enter it whenever they like. It can't detain you for no good reason. It can't even station troops in you house should it want to. Your person is yours, and your house is a sanctuary."
She smiled, gently. "I should mention, by the way, that 'house' is not a limiting word, in that case. i have seen people argue that going through a homeless man's cardboard boxes in a public park violated his Fourth Amendment rights. The right doesn't start when you sign a lease. It's not something you lose when you're evicted. Your space is your own.
"So let's discuss the sanctity of home."
That thought did the trick, and she was smiling by the time class began.
"We're combining two amendments into one class this week," she began, by way of introduction. "This is partly because they're closely related, and partly because the third is obscure enough to only have been cited a handful of times. That doesn't make it useless; you will see what I mean by that in a moment."
She gestured to the quote on the left of the whiteboard:
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
She waited, as always, in case anyone was writing that down, before continuing.
"Simple enough," she said. "If it seems like a strange rule to you, then you're not living in a situation where this is a problem. The founders of this country obviously were. The fact that modern citizens of this country can't name this amendment and find it to be a joke is actually a stunning tribute to its success. It has eradicated the problem so entirely that the populace is astonished to hear there ever was one. Please remember, the country in question is only two hundred years old."
One down, one to go. She gestured, this time to the other quotation.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
"And this is the Fourth," she said. "The one that causes me the most headaches, as a prosecutor, because I work closely with the police. The police like to apprehend criminals, and they don't like having to jump through all of these hoops. Needing to get a warrant into a house where you know a man is selling drugs can feel like pointless frustration. But it isn't.
"Both of these amendments have the same point. Your house is a safe haven. The police are not allowed to enter, not without probable cause, or without something called exigent circumstances -- let's say tie house is on fire, or someone is screaming for help. Other than that? Your house is yours. The government can't enter it whenever they like. It can't detain you for no good reason. It can't even station troops in you house should it want to. Your person is yours, and your house is a sanctuary."
She smiled, gently. "I should mention, by the way, that 'house' is not a limiting word, in that case. i have seen people argue that going through a homeless man's cardboard boxes in a public park violated his Fourth Amendment rights. The right doesn't start when you sign a lease. It's not something you lose when you're evicted. Your space is your own.
"So let's discuss the sanctity of home."
Sign In - CIV03
Re: Sign In - CIV03
Re: Sign In - CIV03
Arrive and Mingle - CIV03
Re: Arrive and Mingle - CIV03
Discussion #1 - Home Sweet Home
Re: Discussion #1 - Home Sweet Home
Discussion #2 - Requiem for the Third
Re: Discussion #2 - Requiem for the Third
"In the meantime, I hope your country has learned about the things we call... 'barracks'."
Discussion #3 - Anything Else
Talk to Alex - CIV03
OOC - CIV03