Obama will be traveling to London this week, and he isn’t traveling light, to say the least.

Check it what is coming with him (including the Presidential Limo and the GAS it will use) across the pond.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/03/29/obamas_traveling_companions.html

Legislative Test Review

Here are two great PowerPoints to help you study for your test on Monday/Tuesday the 30th/31st.

Good luck!

Confused about a topic for your bill?

Use this list to help you with Bill topics. You may not know what all of them are referring to, but you will know what a lot of them mean! Pick an idea (listed or not) that is interesting to you. If you’re not interested in it, your bill won’t be as good as it could be!

Affirmative Action
Armed Forces Personnel
Balkans
Bilingualism
Campaign Finance
Corporate Welfare
Cuba
Darfur
Death Penalty
Death Tax
Disabled Rights
Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell
Drug War
Energy
Faith-Based Organizations
Farm Policy
Flat Tax
Foreign Aid
Gay Rights
Globalization
Global Warming
Human Rights in China
Illegal Immigrants
Internet
Israel & Palestine
Juvenile Justice
Katrina
Kosovo
Kyoto Treaty
Medicare & Medicaid
Mexican Border
Mideast
Minimum Wage
NAFTA
Net Neutrality
North Korea
Nuclear Energy & Weapons
Patient Rights
Privacy
Privatization
Sales Tax
School Prayer
SDI Missile Defense
Second Amendment
Sovereignty
Stem Cells
Ten Commandments
Terrorism
Tobacco
Tort Reform
United Nations
Universal Health Care
Urban Issues
Veterans
Vouchers
War on terror
WMD
WTO & GATT Abortion
Budget & Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy & Oil
Environment
Families & Children
Foreign Policy
Free Trade Government Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure & Technology
Jobs
Principles & Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War & Peace
Welfare & Poverty Comprehensive Energy Policy
North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Program
Economy
Education
Separation of Church and State
Dependence on Foreign Oil
Farm Policy
Net Neutrality
World Hunger
Workers’ Rights
Federal Budget National Debt
Privacy
Stem Cell Research
Middle East Crisis
Rising Cost of Prescription Drugs
Gay Rights
College Affordability
Medicare
Campaign Finance Reform
Second Amendment – Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Immigration
Inflation
Poverty
Gay Marriage
Environment
Health Care
Medical Marijuana
Medical Research
Libya’s Decision to Discontinue Weapons Program
Death Penalty
International Trade
Social Security
Corporate Fraud
Crime
Continued US Presence in Iraq
Taxes
Tax Cuts
Global Role of the U.S.
Equal Opportunity
National Defense
Terrorism
Animal Rights
Censorship
War on Iraq
Teacher Compensation
Corporate Welfare
Global AIDS Crisis
Prison Reform
Ethnic Cleansing in Darfur
Global Warming
Mandatory Registration of Temporary Visitors to the US from Selected Countries
Moral Values
Offshoring
Native American Sovereignty
Use of Torture in Interrogations of POW’s
Race Relations
Abortion
Drugs
Gun Control
School Vouchers
Euthanasia
“Partial Birth” Abortion
Space Exploration
Iraqi Prisoner Abuse
Iran’s Nuclear Energy Program
Government Sponsored Assassinations
Constitutionality of the “Pledge of Allegiance”
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Racial Profiling
Teenage Pregnancy
Electricity Deregulation
Syria’s Occupation of Lebanon
Theory of Evolution and Natural Selection
Retirement Age
Filibuster Rights
Affirmative Action
Genetically Modified Food
School Uniforms
American Flag Desecration
Indecency
SPAM
Steroids in Major League Baseball

We had a great time today with twenty-four students on the trip!

First we traveled to the county Criminal District Court #167 in downtown Austin. Judge Mike Lynch welcomed us as we arrived and we some some really fascinating stuff, including a murder arraignment and several pleas. I’ll let the students post comments about it below.

Group Photo at Lunch on the Capitol Grounds

For lunch we made the trek over to the Capitol where we ran into a few of my friends who work downtown. A random guy was playing the ukulele – he serenaded us with a few songs before we headed off to jail.

Finally, we made it over to the Travis County Jail. Inside (without cell phones, keys, pens, purses, etc.), we got a full tour of the working jail. The students got to step inside of a prisoner’s cell, see the rec area, go through booking, and see some inmates (in the traditional stripes) in their cells.

I know a lot of my expectations about the court and the jail were wrong. It was great to see how a criminal court really works. I was most impressed with Judge Lynch’s commitment to inform the accused of their rights in court. He was insistent on consistently informing them of these rights. Its good to see the judicial system work like us government teachers say its supposed to!

Below I’ve posted several pictures that Hannah took for us throughout the day. Enjoy!

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