Newsletter

Hey College Dems,

This week, our meeting we will be divided into two parts. The first part will be pretty much the same old song and dance, some speakers (candidates [quickly]) explaining their positions and why we should care about their campaigns. Then we will turn to a discussion. We will be talking about the Supreme Court of the United States, the rule of law, and all that good stuff. We'll speculate as to who is leaving, where the court is taking the Constitution, and other things that might be tangentially related to the Supreme Court.

In case you need a refresher, here are some major cases before the Supreme Court in the 2009-10 term.

Campaigns: Whether federal and state laws that ban corporate and labor union contributions to political campaigns and political parties violate freedom of speech.

Guns: Whether the Second Amendment, which the court interpreted to guarantee an individual's right to own guns for self-defense, applies to state and local governments.

Religion: Whether an 8-foot cross in the Mojave National Preserve is an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion.

Animals: Whether a federal law making it a crime to possess images of cruelty to animals violates freedom of speech.

Terrorism: Whether federal laws that make it a crime to give "material support," including legal training and medical aid, to groups designated as terrorist organizations are unconstitutionally vague or overbroad.

Juveniles: Whether a state can sentence juveniles to life without the possibility of parole for crimes other than homicides, such as rape or robbery.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/04/MNR119VTSS.DTL#ixzz0TreaJ1Hh

The second half will commence immediately after the first. We will be discussing plans for the newspaper that we will be launching. There are a wide range of issues that we will be discussing, everything from naming the beast to picking the font (fun!).

So you actually have options (beyond coming and going), you can come to the first half of the meeting and leave before the second, or come for just the second, or come for both. We realize that this is kind of a stressful time for everyone (exams etc), so that's why we've broken it down this way.

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A few more things:

1. President Obama visits Boston!
President Obama will be visiting Boston on Friday October 23rd as a guest of the Deval Patrick Committee. Unfortunately, tickets for the event cost $500 (it's a fundraiser). Fortunately, you can attend for free, provided you volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, please reply to this email for more information.

2. New Jersey Vote by Mail
Are you from New Jersey? Are you registered to vote in New Jersey?
New Jersey is one of only two states in the nation to hold a gubernatorial race this year. The outcome of this election will have national significance and will serve to either validate or undermine President Obama's progressive national agenda.
If you are from New Jersey and registered to vote in New Jersey, please visit www.njvotefromhome.com to register to Vote by Mail. With one simple form, you can request to have you ballot mailed to you at school!

3. Blog for BUCD!
We are always looking for new contributors for our blog. Please check it out at http://bucollegedemocrats.com/blog and if you're interested in blogging, email us!
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As always, stay blue, and have a great week!

See you Thursday,
Esha Rakhit
President, BU College Democrats

bucollegedemocrats@gmail.com
www.bucollegedemocrats.com
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Meetings Every Thursday at 7pm in Sargent 102.

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