Sierra Turner is a senior from Mobile who has repeatedly made the Dean's List of Honors with major fields in Political Science and Spanish. She is a member of AKA and has contributed many presentations to class, with thorough outlines of readings for our web pages, in addition to helping with various campus initiatives. Elizabeth McLain is a political science major from Millbrook, AL, and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, the Circle K club, the cheerleading squad, and a dancer. She has frequently earned High Honors on the Dean's List, and the political science award. Elizabeth won a prestigious internship with the AL Bar Association's Capitol Intern Program, working in the attorney general's office during spring 2005. She also coordinates community service across campus. With the cheerleaders, she is known as a fearless tumbler. Erin Baier, a political science major who transferred from Auburn U., is an Air Force daughter who lived in Italy for two years; and in Hawaii; she also visited Paris and Germany. Her dad is a USAF officer and her mom is Mexican. She's learning Spanish, speaks some Italian and is thinking of a Foreign Service career. Patrick Dean is a political science major from Gulf Shores, a frequent member of the Dean's List of High Honors, and winner of the Political Science award. As a freshman, he served the Football team as a running back, #1; since then he has served as Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity officer. In spring 2005, he worked on the FRAMP, a faculty-student research project on terrorism materials. Patrick participated in the Great Decisions in foreign policy program, '04, and has won the Political Science award. In his spare time, Patrick runs a successful small beach business in Gulf Shores. Nicole Adams of Montgomery, our first public administration major, and computer science minor, is a former VP of Chi Omega. Having repeatedly made the Dean's List of High Honors, she won the Public Affairs Award, April 2005 and took a summer internship in Washington DC with the Advocacy Department, American Immigration Lawyers Association. Jonathan Barclay, a political science major from Talladega, is a member of Future Farmers of America, who enjoys chemistry, auto mechanics, English, and poetry! Jon has been a mainstay of the HC technical suport team for some years, working the photocopy room. Walker Garrett is a political science major and Business administration minor, from Columbus, GA. A frequent Dean's List of High Honors award winner, and winner of the Political Science award, Walker participated in the USAFA assembly '04 on global governance, and the great decisions in foreign policy program, '04. A tennis player, Walker is a Goldwater enthusiast, and took an internship with the Georgia Superior Court. Walker hopes to take up the family plantation house and renovate it. He was one of 24 presidential classroom honors graduates around the nation for 2002. In summer 2005 he interned with a stockbroker; he hopes to make his pile in business and become a US Senator in 2024. Meanwhile, he has served as a Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity officer. In spring 2005, he worked on the FRAMP, a faculty-student research project on terrorism materials.
Prior to 1950, there were specific acts in place by Congress which expressed sympathy and in some cases offered token financial assistance.A New Beginning….
Any assistance provided by the government was limited to building flood programs which were a part of the larger New Deal public works program….
Before 1950, disaster relief was viewed as the moral responsibility of neighbors, churches, charities, and communities—not the federal government.
The Disaster Relief Act of 1950 (PL 81-875) clearly indicated Congressional aim as regards the role of the federal government in disaster relief: It is the intent of Congress to provide an orderly and continuing means of assistance by the Federal Government to States and local governments in carrying out their responsibilities 1) to alleviate suffering and damage resulting from major disasters, 2) to repair essential public facilities in major disasters, and 3) to foster the development of such State organizations and plans to cope with major disasters as may be necessary.Disaster Relief Act of 1970:
All of the liberal benefits of the 1960’s were incorporated into the comprehensive Disaster Relief Act of 1970.
Though the Disaster Relief Act of 1970 represented a comprehensive consolidation of relief benefits extended since 1950, there was little change in the procedural aspects of the federal program.
The Legislation reiterated the fact that disaster relief was principally the responsibility of state and local governments.
Disaster Relief Act of 1974:
The Disaster Relief Act of 1974 represents revision and more significantly, an extension of previous disaster assistance. The important provisions of the legislation:
authorize the most generous public and private relief programs passed in the United States history;
introduce long-range economic recovery programs for major disaster areas;
encourage the mitigation plans;
establish an insurance program to supplement and replace governmental assistance; and
broaden the powers of the President in the evaluation of disaster requests and the allocation of federal resources.
FEMA to the rescue….
Effective in 1979, the Carter Administration established a new federal agency known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as in independent unit in the Executive branch.Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act….
Emergency responsibilities of the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the Federal Insurance Administration, the Federal Preparedness Agency, the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency, and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration were merged into the new agency.
However, federal relief programs of the Small Business Administration were not incorporated in the centralization plan.
This reorganization of federal disaster services was accompanied by a reorientation in federal disaster policy. The newly consolidated bureau was instructed to underline federal, state, and local preparation for peacetime or wartime emergencies.
An additional task was to offer incentives for federal agencies which would prepare emergency plans in their own procedures.
Additionally, the agency was to develop incentives for all lawmaking levels which would stress hazard mitigation.
Thus in addition to previous attention to tasks of rescue and recovery, the Carter Administration sought to stress the importance of preparedness and prevention.
In 1988, Congress passed the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), amending the 1974 Disaster Relief Act and prior laws dating back to 1950.
Important Sections of the Stafford Act:
Section 409 of the Stafford Act reiterated the long ignored mandate of the 1974 law that state and local governments receiving federal disaster assistance must assess and implement opportunities to reduce natural hazard risks.
Section 404 of the Stafford Act created a new hazard mitigation grant program to assist states in conducting projects identified by Section 409 plans that are “cost effective and which substantially reduce the risk of future damage , hardship, loss, or suffering in any area affected by a major disaster”.
Case Studies:
1906 California Earthquake
Mexico City Earthquake of 1985
Hurricane Hugo of 1989
Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989
Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire of 1991
St. Charles County, MO Flood of 1993
1906 California Earthquake:
The California earthquake of April 18, 1906 ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time.Mexico City Earthquake of 1985:
The 1906 catastrophe possessed many elements of a contemporary natural disaster:1) multiple interrelated hazards—earthquake and fire;
2) failure of vital lifelines that caused various secondary impacts;
3) widespread structural damage due to inadequate building standards;
4) resulting in homelessness and joblessness of much of the working-class population; but
5) a nurturing external society that assisted in the immediate response to the disaster and to some extent in the longer-term recovery.
On September 19, 1985 an earthquake occurred without warning followed by a major aftershock 36 hours later.Hurricane Hugo of 1989:
Considering the fact that the area has a history of being seriously and threatened by earthquakes, it would seem obvious that there would be some type of disaster planning at federal and metropolitan areas.
At the time of the Mexico City earthquake there was no overall, system-wide planning at the federal district level. Virtually all sectors of Mexico City’s economy were affected, including health, education, telecommunications, manufacturing, public services, tourism, and housing.
A federal emergency plan was put into action shortly after the earthquake. However, this plan was implemented only in certain areas with the military being given the lead role in disaster response.
Hurricane Hugo slammed into South Carolina, resulting in widespread damage all over the state.Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989:
Damage estimates for South Carolina alone reached $5 billion, while overall hurricane damage for the Southeastern United States and Caribbean exceeded $9 billion, making Hugo the second most expensive hurricane to ever hit the United States.
Hurricane Hugo resulted in four presidential declarations for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
It devastated St. Croix in the Virgin Islands and caused extensive coastal and inland damage in the Carolinas. In both the Virgin Islands and in South Carolina there were problems with the federal response, which showed up more extensively again after Hurricane Andrew in Florida in 1992.
The Loma Prieta Earthquake hit the Bay Area of California a few weeks after Hurricane Hugo.Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire of 1991:
In general, the earthquake caused four kinds of impacts from infrastructure damage:1) direct physical and economic damage to the systems themselves,
2) diminished ability to carry out emergency response activities,
3)inconvenience due to temporary service interruption, and
4)longer-term economic losses due to limits on recovery.
The Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire of October 20, 1991 reminded disaster planners worldwide that natural hazards may be immeasurably aggravated by ill-advised building patterns and neglect of common-sense hazard improvement.St. Charles County, MO Flood of 1993:
The risk of urban wildfire in this region and similar areas in the West arises from several interrelated factors:1) vegetation,
2) fire suppression,
3) drought,
4) building materials,
5) narrow roads,
6) wind,
7) water supply,
8) arson, and
9) floods and debris floods.
St. Charles County, Missouri, occupies 586 square miles, comparable to half the area of Rhode Island.Findings/Observations:
Roughly 50 percent of St. Charles County is recognized as floodplain. In fact, the county lies in the path of two inevitable and opposing forces: water and people.
The flooding of 1993 in St. Charles County was unprecedented in terms of record-setting and the extent of the flooding. Overall, the flood damaged more than 4300 structures in the county and forced more than 2000 families from their farms, homes, and in some cases mobile homes.
St. Charles County responded to the disaster by developing a three step-process to guide damage assessment and the rebuilding process. The process consisted of1) damage inspection and assessment,
2) homeowner review, and
3) negotiation to expedite the repair or removal of flood-damaged structures in the floodplain.
The case studies presented in this paper show an apparent double standard that afflicts national policy regarding natural hazards, particularly in areas of high amenity value such as coasts and steep hillsides. On the other hand, the federal government is increasingly expected to bear the major proportion of local and private economic costs of disasters through its grant, loan, and insurance programs. However, government at all levels is obstructed in preventing building and rebuilding in areas of known risk due to the property rights movement and fear of the “taking issue”.When considering alternatives to the present system of federal disaster assistance there are a few possible approaches and they include, but are not limited to:
1) depoliticize individual assistance o reduce the number of disaster declarations;
2) reduce the magnitude and cost-share of federal assistance;
3) eliminate federal incentives to build or rebuild in areas subject to repetitive natural hazards; and
4) strengthen nonfederal hazard mitigation through land use controls and incentives.
Conclusion….
Disaster policy in the United States is an extensive program which focuses on relief and compensation as opposed to readiness and prevention. It can be further characterized as highly susceptible to political manipulation due to the central role assigned to the President. This is combined with the lack of a clear definition of disaster as well as an open-minded provision for relief.
Elizabeth McLain, "The Relationship
between Church and State in the United States"
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances
Establishment of religion Free exercise
Intentions of separation between church and state? Colonists Roger Williams William Penn
Benjamin Franklin George Washington Thomas Jefferson Patrick Henry James Madison Thomas Jefferson’s “Wall of Separation” Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut
The Fourteenth Amendment
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States Barron v. Baltimore (1833) The Mormon Cases Reynolds v. United States (1879) Davis v. Beason (1890) The Late Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. United States (1890) "Laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious beliefs and opinions, they may with practices."
Everson v. Board of Education (1947) Jefferson’s “wall of separation” used by Justice Hugo Black
Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnett (1943)
Prayer
Engel v. Vitale (1962) Bible Readings School District of Abington v. Schempp (1963) Murray v. Curlett (1963) The Lemon Test Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) The statute must have a secular legislative purpose Its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion The statute must not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion
Separationists Accommodationists Non-Preferentialists
American Civil Liberties Union People for the American Way Americans United for the Separation of Church and State American Atheists
Christian Coalition Christian Voice Family First Roy Moore
Histories of Vietnam and China have long been intertwined Chinese conquests of the Vietnamese kingdom have occurred often and resulted in some integration of Chinese culture Following US-Vietnam War, relations deteriorated and led to a military conflict in 1979 Normalization processes began in mid-1980s and were fully normalized by the end of 1991 Since then, relationship has been characterized by two trends: positive and negative However, in recent years, there have been improved cooperation between two nations in settling territorial disputes
Consists of 100 islands with a total land area of about two kilometers Lay dead center across major sea-lanes in South China Sea Significant resources that include rich fishing grounds and oil & gas resources Largely unexplored until recently Due to location and potential for energy and food resources, 45 islands are occupied by small numbers of military forces from five countries
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam’s claims: historical Philippines: first country to establish itself on islands Malaysia and Brunei: based on Law of the Sea
Islands remained mostly unoccupied until 1980s China began to establish physical presence in 1987 Clashes between China and Vietnam in the Spratlys would continue until 1994 November 1994: both countries agreed to enlisted a joint committee to resolve dispute Minor attacks still continue as China and Vietnam seek to control the region
China’s preferred method of resolution PRC and Vietnam border dispute Led to Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979 Low-Level conflict continued until normal relations resumed in the 1990s Land Border Treaty (1999)
Vietnamese attempt to control islands led to complete Chinese takeover of the islands
Stop nations from undermining “freedom of the seas” concept Adopted by Vietnam in 1994 and by China in 1996 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) created overlapping claims In the event of disputes over maritime possessions, three means may be used: the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, International Court of Justice, or Arbitration
Made up of 21 independent members Since inception in 1996, it has seen thirteen cases Lack of financial support in 2000 Has support from leaders around the world Hard to say whether it will be effective since it is relatively new
Has seen territorial disputes before and will see a Southeast Asian territorial dispute in 2006 Ability to use compulsory jurisdiction has pushed nations to withdraw from the Court Impartiality of judges has been questioned Only decides a few cases a year and is considered inefficient
Oldest in the field of international dispute settlement International Court of Justice has overshadowed it and reduced to a few cases a year Since early 1990s it has reinvented itself and now offers flexible rules of procedures Has succeeded in settling other Asian disputes
Established on August 8, 1967 ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) created in 1994 Declaration on the South China Sea (1995) Code of Conduct (1996) Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (2002)
Potentially valuable to any Southeast Asian country that claims them China: striving for good relations and stability in the region; wishes to avoid economic upheaval Vietnam: has weak military and seeks to create good relations with its neighbors Trends indicate territorial disputes in the South China Sea are slowly getting resolved Seems likely that any resolution will have to be achieved through either the Permanent Court of Arbitration or the International Tribunal However if no action is taken by either nation then situation will linger at its current state
Topics of Welfare History of the States Current States Social-security Public pensions Taxation Health Care Economy
Germany Sweden America
Germany Sweden America
Taxation Rate in each Country Amount of Public Expenditures In relation to GDP The Economic Status of the Nations
Social Security’s Scheme Retirement Ages vs. Life Expectancy Eligibility
Germany Sweden America
Universalism, Corporatism, and Individual Responsibility History of Reforms Current Status of the Systems
Defining organized crime Activities Combating Organized Crime Prohibition and Al Capone Kefauver Hearings of 1950-1952 McClellan Hearings of 1963 Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 RICO Witness Protection Program
No official definition has been offered for two reasons A definition may be too narrow A definition may be too wide
Drug trafficking Illegal gambling Loan sharking Labor racketeering Corruption of public officials
Organized crime was difficult to combat in the early 20th Century because it was not considered a national issue Early attempts at combating organized crime failed
Prohibition caused the greatest growth in organized crime activity ever seen in the U.S. Al Capone’s empire was responsible for an amazing amount of violence and corruption Eliot Ness and the “Untouchables” Capone’s fall and repeal of Prohibition
First major committee centered on organized crime Had high-profile mob figures present Helped the federal government better recognize targets Led to McClellan Hearings
Featured Joseph Valachi, who first publicized the term “La Cosa Nostra” Valachi described the organization of the Mafia Led to models of organized crime as a bureaucracy being presented Resulted in more effort from the federal government to pass legislation
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was a helpful, but confusing tool United States v. Turkette Witness Protection Program Offers informer alternatives other than jail or the streets Responsible for bringing down America’s most recent notable Mafia figure
The elite ruling minority within a society Concentration of power, wealth, and social status Exclusive privileges and influence protected by class unity Common beliefs or interests
Time period of Aristocratic political superiority 1688-1885 Concentration of power in parliament and the monarch’s court Titled nobles, the landed wealth, and wealthy industrialists, merchants, and financiers Hierarchy of influence based on social status Ancient Lineage, landed wealth, and respectable values determined status level God’s elect Generally ownership of at least 1000 acres Degrees of rank with status designation
Control of the overwhelming majority of land of the British Isles Monopoly of power in The House of Lords by the peers Ability to throw out all but money measures produced in the commons Majority of landed gentlemen in the House of Common Control of the judiciary with the gentry in most Justice of the Peace positions
Judiciary Church Army Civil Service
c.1880 Table from The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy by David Cannadine
Shift of Power from Tory Party to Whigs John Wilkes Industrial Revolution, Plutocrats Reform Act of 1832: Larger Electorate, Updating of Voting Districts Reform Act of 1867: Voting rights to the working class Reform Act of 1884-1885: Doubled electorate size and redistributed seats Reform Act of 1918: Universal Adult Suffrage Methodism: Challenge to Anglican Church and its class structure
Generations of Power Instinct to see inevitable in class development Entail, the inheritance of estates by the eldest male, ensured concentrated wealth across generations Industrial Revolution Use of Industry to complement traditional land based wealth Liberal members of Parliament Supported and introduced reforms gradually giving up privileges Extended power to middle class as a conservative addition to the electorate Reforms proposed with enough to satiate demands for change from the common people
The Old South Aristocracy, 1775-1865 “Nouveaux riche”, Middle-class or bourgeois origins Landed Gentry, Agrarian dominated economy Plantation system, Slavery Country Gentleman Ideal, Unified through a common culture Chivalry, Pursuit of Leisure
Planter class domination Best land Control over local governments State Constitutions Property requirements to vote Upward Mobility Small farmers supported the power structure Wealth was not tied to one group of families consistently Education concentration within the elite
The Industrial Revolution No industry development in South Abolitionist movement Agrarian economy dependent on slaves White Manhood Suffrage in all southern states by 1850’s Gentry culture: Exaggeration of country gentleman ideas Lack of initiative in business Lazy lifestyle required slavery Financial debt
Secession from the Union Interests of the planters Civil War Emancipation Proclamation Plantation system destroyed Slavery was the economic engine of the agrarian South Southern gentry lost the foundation for their country gentlemen lifestyle
Edmund Burke Change is necessary, but hold onto the past institutions, gradual not revolutionary “all men have equal rights, but not to equal things” Alexis De Tocqueville “Equality of Condition” Old South poor farmers submitting to place in social structure Max Weber Bureaucracy is the enemy of aristocracy The rise of modern bureaucracy in England The development of career politicians and civil servants
Max Weber’s approaches to Social Analysis English Aristocracy’s methods of survival and Old South’s refusal to change and adapt Financial Resources Old South tied to agrarian lifestyle and slavery Lack of modern industry Fad of debt English adapted to Industrial Age Social Position Old South pursued an exaggerated imitation of English feudal values of chivalry and honor Position collapses due to rank in society dominated by wealth and class position English views of status is a consistent measure of social position and keeps exclusiveness part of upper strata Political Activities Old South vehemently opposed influence of the North Refusal to compromise caused civil war English initiative in political compromise bought time for the oligarchy