Mr. McKay's AP Government Links


Last updated: Friday, 12-Jun-09 12:53:16 PDT

Time until The AP Government & Politics, United States Test,
Monday, May 3, 2010



Lolstudent of the Day



Here are the directions, links & resources for the classroom assignments:




Podcasts of the 2008-2009 AP Government Class

Here are the available podcasts:
(Not all classes are recorded, and not all of
the recorded classes have technically acceptible recordings)


Semester 1 Podcasts

  • Here is the first lecture on Mass Media, presented on Wednesday, 19 November 2008. It covers chapter 7 in the textbook, and chapter 4 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the third lecture on Public Opinion & Political Action, presented on Thursday, 13 November 2008. It covers chapter 6 in the textbook, and chapter 4 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on Public Opinion & Political Action, presented on Tuesday, 11 November 2008. It covers chapter 6 in the textbook, and chapter 4 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the third and final lecture on Civil Rights, presented on Wednesday, 29 October 2008. It covers chapter 5 in the textbook, and chapter 3 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on Civil Rights, presented on Monday, 27 October 2008. It covers chapter 5 in the textbook, and chapter 3 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the first lecture on Civil Rights, presented on Thursday, 23 October 2008. It covers chapter 5 in the textbook, and chapter 3 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the fourth lecture on Civil Liberties, presented on Thursday, 16 October 2008. It covers chapter 4 in the textbook, and chapter 3 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the third lecture on Civil Liberties, presented on Tuesday, 14 October 2008. It covers chapter 4 in the textbook, and chapter 3 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on Civil Liberties, presented on Wednesday, 8 October 2008. It covers chapter 4 in the textbook, and chapter 3 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the first lecture on Civil Liberties, presented on Monday, 6 October 2008. It covers chapter 4 in the textbook, and chapter 3 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second and final lecture on Federalism, presented on Friday, 26 September 2008. It covers chapter 3 in the textbook, and chapter 2 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second and final lecture on the historical background of the Constitution, presented on Thursday, 18 September 2008. It covers chapter 2 in the textbook

  • Here is the first lecture on the historical background of the Constitution, presented on Tuesday, 16 September 2008. It covers chapter 2 in the textbook

  • Here is the second lecture on Political Philosophy, presented on Monday, 8 September 2008. It is a short lecture on the basic defining elements of political philosophy and the positions of selcted political philosophers.

  • Here is the first lecture on Political Philosophy, presented on Thursday, 4 September 2008. It is a short lecture on the basic defining elements of philosophy.

  • Here is the fourth Government lecture, presented on Thursday, 28 August 2008. It is the second and final lecture on the material in Chapter 1 of the textbook, "Introduction to Government in America."

  • Here is the third Government lecture, presented on Thursday, 21 August 2008. It is the opening lecture on the material in Chapter 1 of the textbook, "Introduction to Government in America."

  • Here is the second Government lecture, presented on Tuesday, 19 August 2008. It contains notes over foundational and theoretical concepts of government.

  • Here is the first Government lecture, presented on Friday, 15 August 2008. It contains notes over Christian concepts of government, and a brief discussion over the symbols of America.


Semester 2 Podcasts

  • Here is the last lecture for the 2008-2009 school year, on national security policymaking, presented on Thursday, 23 April 2009. It covers chapter 20 in the textbook.

  • Here is the lecture on healthcare & environmental policymaking, presented on Tuesday, 21 April 2009. It covers chapter 19 in the textbook.

  • Here is the lecture on economic policymaking, presented on Wednesday, 15 April 2009. It covers chapter 18 in the textbook.

  • Here is the lecture on social welfare policymaking, presented on Monday, 13 April 2009. It covers chapter 17 in the textbook.

  • Here is the second lecture on the federal bureaucracy, presented on Friday, 27 March 2009. It covers chapter 15 in the textbook and chapter 7 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the first lecture on the federal bureaucracy, presented on Monday, 23 March 2009. It covers chapter 15 in the textbook and chapter 7 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on the federal budgetary process, presented on Tuesday, 17 March 2009. It covers chapter 14 in the textbook.

  • Here is the first lecture on the federal budgetary process, presented on Friday, 13 March 2009. It covers chapter 14 in the textbook.

  • Here is the second lecture on the Judiciary, presented on Thursday, 5 March 2009. It covers chapter 16 in the textbook, and chapter 9 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the first lecture on the Judiciary, presented on Tuesday, 3 March 2009. It covers chapter 16 in the textbook, and chapter 9 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on the Presidency, presented on Wednesday, 25 February 2009. It covers chapter 13 in the textbook, and chapter 6 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the first lecture on the Presidency, presented on Monday, 23 February 2009. It covers chapter 13 in the textbook, and chapter 6 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the third lecture on Congress, presented on Tuesday, 17 February 2009. It covers chapter 12 in the textbook, and chapter 8 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on Congress, presented on Friday, 6 February 2009. It covers chapter 12 in the textbook, and chapter 8 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the first lecture on Congress, presented on Wednesday, 4 February 2009. It covers chapter 12 in the textbook, and chapter 8 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on elections & voting behaviors, presented on Tuesday, 27 January 2009. It covers chapter 10 in the textbook, and chapter 4 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the first lecture on elections & voting behaviors, presented on Friday, 23 January 2009. It covers chapter 10 in the textbook, and chapter 4 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on political campaigns, presented on Friday, 16 January 2009. It covers chapter 9 in the textbook, and chapter 4 in the Woll reader. Teacher cadet James Stevens presents this short lesson.

  • Here is the first lecture on political campaigns, presented on Wednesday, 14 January 2009. It covers chapter 9 in the textbook, and chapter 4 in the Woll reader.

  • Here is the second lecture on political parties, presented on Thursday, 8 January 2009. It covers chapter 8 in the textbook, and chapter 4 in the Woll reader.




A friendly reminder to youse



Basics of Political Philosophy


Plato Thomas More Samuel Rutherford Thomas Hobbes John Locke Jean Jacques Rousseau Adam Smith






Lolpolitician of the Day




Here are the PowerPoint slides for the class notes:

Please note that the PowerPoint slides below do not contain all the notes or comments presented in class,
these are an adjunctive resource to help you focus your studies.
They are not a replacement for proper notes and paying attention in class!


 



Unit 1 Notes

Unit 2 Notes


Unit 3 Notes

Unit 4 Notes


Unit 5 Notes

Unit 6 Notes



Unit 7 Notes



Here are the links for the classroom resources:





SCOTUS Cases:

How to Read a Supreme Court Case.






Constitutional Resources:







Other Related Resources:


Criminal Code of Georgia

Cornell Law School's Criminal Law Page

C-Span's Judiciary Resources. This is a great page of current and historical resources for SCOTUS and other Federal courts.

C-Span's Executive Branch Resources. This is a great page of links to resources for the White House, Executive Branch, and the Federal bureaucracy.

C-Span's Congressional Glossary. This will be very useful to help review the Legislative Branch.

Yale University's Avalon Project: The Federalist Papers. All 85 in their original, unannotated format.




These are blogs for daily reading; a lot of material we discuss in class is discussed in other ways on them:



SCOTUSBlog.
You are strongly urged to read this blog frequently. It covers in great depth important cases and issues before the Supreme Court of the United States. You are unlikely to see anything on the AP exam that is discussed here, but it is a superb resource for getting to understand the Court and its role in the American political system.


The Volokh Conspiracy.
Like SCOTUSBlog, you are strongly urged to read this blog frequently; actually daily would be a better schedule to follow. This is a superb source for commentary and news from the legal/courts world. Founder Eugene Volokh teaches free speech law, criminal law, copyright law, the law of government and religion, and a seminar on firearms regulation policy at UCLA Law School. Before coming to UCLA, he clerked for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court and for Judge Alex Kozinski on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His UCLA Law School page has some interesting and useful resources, as well.


The InstaPundit.
Good general political blog, with a lot of emphasis on Congressional spending & budgetary issues. "The" InstaPundit, Glenn Reynolds, is the originator and main cheerleader for the watchdog group PorkBusters:




Today In Government Links

Political News Daily
Good links site with a wealth of updated news sources and political commentary.

World net Daily
Conservative, Christian news site.

SBC Baptist Press News
Nice site with a surprisingly large amount of political and government news.



Political Cartoons Links

Townhall.com: The Funnies
A collection of daily, conservative leaning editorial cartoons. This is quite rare, actually, the vast majority of editorial cartoonists are distinctly liberal in their political views.




Federal Departments & Agencies

The Federal Departments
The U.S. Courts
Embassies & Consulates
Firstgov.com U.S. Government Guide
Law and Politics: Internet Guide A searchable gateway to legal and government information
Searchgov.com US Government Search Engine
Google "Uncle Sam" search Speedy search of all US .gov and .mil sites
Legislinks A list of links about National and State legislatures
The Government Information Locator Service (GILS) at GSA
Government Information Xchange
U.S. General Services Administration
WWW Servers (U.S. Federal Government) Federal Information Exchange, Inc.
Federal Government Agencies National Political Index
Government Sponsored Information National Political Index
State & Local Gov't Agencies National Political Index
Governments on the WWW: USA By Gunnar Anzinger
FedWorld Web Information Network
Free Government and Law VidBook Guide
FedLaw
Web Sites of National Parliaments: USA Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
THOMAS - Legislative Information on the Internet
U. S. Government Yahoo!
Politics 1 Net Guide to American Politics, Candidates & Parties
White House
House Speaker Denny Hastert
National Security Council
GPO Gate GPO Gate is the University of California gateway to publications offered by the U.S. Government Printing Office's "GPO Access" program. The Government Printing Office makes these publications available to government depository libraries as part of the U.S. Government Depository Library Program
Congress.org
The US Congressional Fax Service Send a Fax to Every Member of the US Congress
Congressional Budget Office
CapWeb The Internet Guide to the U.S. Congress
U.S. House of Representatives
The U.S. House of Representatives Internet Law Library
The US Senate
Congressional Observer Publications U.S. Congressional Votes
Voter Information Service (VIS) Non-profit organization dedicated to voter education
The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress Online Catalog
United States Copyright Office
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Office of the Director of Central Intelligence
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Strategic Intelligence A collection of documents and links with strategic and military intelligence
Bureau of the Census
Foreign Agents Registration Act
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The United States Commission on Civil Rights
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
The United States International Trade Commission USITC
Federal Reserve Board Board of Governors
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
International Broadcasting Bureau (Voice of America , Worldnet Television, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia)
Federal Election Commission FEC
U.S. Office of Government Ethics
National Endowment for the Humanities
U.S. Consumer Gateway Federal Consumer Information
IGnet - Federal IG Community
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP)
U.S. Access Board Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission



Media & Information Sources

Multimedia
Newspapers
Video
Audio
Magazine
Associations
Watchdog
News Link
Les journaux sur le Web - USA Presseweb
United States: Newspaper Services on the Internet Editor & Publisher
Electronic Policy Network: Media Old & New
Prodevelop.net News Directory
Multilink site Comprehensive list of USA media links, resources, sites, pages
News & Media Ready Reference Internet Resources
Political Links Links to political columnists from all over the USA
US Truth Links to media, research and discussion resources
NewsSynthesis.com News portal bringing all the news on the web to one source
Hearing Issues A non-partisan news source covering expert testimonies on public policy-making issues heard by United States Government Legislators at Congress Committee hearings
Camera Media Report The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
DataUSA Public Opinion Research
PoliSource The gateway to political information and commentary
Accessible Archives Full text searchable 18th and 19th century american newspapers on-line
Rhetorica Network Rhetoric in Politics, Campaigns, News, and Journalism
InfoTimes Free Press Network
Scientific Polls by iNetNewsWire
U.S. Politics Today
 


Political Parties


Republican Party

The Republican National Committee
 
House Republican Conference
Senate Republican Conference
House Republican Policy Committee
Senate Republican Policy Committee
Republican Governors Association
Republican Home Page
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The Republican Liberty Caucus
Republican Mainstream Committee
Republican National Hispanic Assembly
Republican Jewish Coalition
Republicans Abroad International
 
Other sites
The Strategy Group
National Federation of the Grand Order of Pachyderm Clubs
Right Side of the Web
Ronald Reagan Home Page
God Bless Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan and the Soviets
National Federation of Independent Republicans
MichiganRepublican.net
Republican Youth Majority
Bull Moose Republicans
Join Arnold! Arnold Schwarzenegger's website
Women Joining Arnold! Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife website
Republican Technology Council


Democratic Party

The Democratic Party Online

 

National Sites:

House Democratic Leadership
House Democratic Caucus
HouseDemocrats.gov
Senate Democratic Policy Committee
New Democrats Online: The Democratic Leadership Council's Online Community
Following the Third Way... An introduction to, and advocacy of, the Blair / Clinton Third Way
Progressive Policy Institute: Defining the Third Way
Progressive Democrats of America
Democrats Abroad The official Democratic Party organization for American citizens who live outside the United States
Democrats for Life
National Stonewall Democrats Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Democrats
College Democrats of America
Democratic Freedom Caucus Pro-freedom caucus in the Democratic Party

 

Other sites:

Carlos Manzano First Colombian-born in the history of New York City to be elected to office (Democratic State Committee) by popular vote
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. Website Political information about what's going on in Washington and the people should be aware of.
New York City - National Democratic Club
Tenessee Federation of College Democrats
Democrats of the desert
National Stonewall Democrats
Iranian-American Democrats
Right Democrat A voice for conservative Democrats

 



Other Political Parties in the United States:



American Tea Party Movement:
  • The American Tea Party - A true "grass roots" movement that started in early 2009, effectively also a true third party genesis, as the inherents do not claim any association with any established political party or movement. It began in response to the $1 trillon "stimulus plan" promoted by the Obama administration in its earliest days, and has since grown into a multi-faceted anti-big government movement. Many of the writings of those who support this very loose, "open party" harken back to the original intent of the Founding Fathers of this nation, including the direct actions of Sam Adams and his Sons of Liberty, hence the "tea party" nomenclature.
  • Simon Jester - Closely associated with the new Tea Party movement, a more proactive and activist libertarian (apparently not an oxymoron) open group. The "Simon Jester" graphic and name is a reference to a character in Robert Heinlein's 1966 science fiction novel, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. Heinlein was famously a libertarian (of the small "l" variety) and this is perhaps his most overtly political novel.
  • Tax Day Tea Party




  • Christian:
  • Christian Coalition
  • Christian Solidarity International - Interdenominational human rights organisation for religious liberty, helping persecuted Christians.
  • Movement for Christian Democracy - Contains resources, news, campaigns and creative ideas for Christians who want to engage creatively in politics and public life.
  • Christian Heritage Party of Canada (CHP) - Officially registered federal political party whose policy is based on Judaic-Christian values.
  • Christian Democrat International - Worldwide association of political parties and organisations that take their inspiration from Christian and integral humanism.
  • Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the Ten Commandments - From a number of people who love the Ten Commandments.
  • National Alliance Against Christian Discrimination (NAACD) - Monitors anti-Christian intolerance, defamation, discrimination, bigotry, and bias.
  • National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel (NCLCI) - Network of Christian organizations and individuals supporting the State of Israel.
  • Wake Up America, Inc. - seeks to educate, equip, and call to action individuals, churches, and other like-minded organizations to reclaim America's Godly heritage.


  • Reformers:

     

    Libertarians:
    The Reform Party Ross Perot's party
    The reformist Commentary, Opinion and Punditry for the Reform Party

     

    Greens:
    US Libertarian Party
    Libertarian Party of New York
    Libertarian Party of Tennessee
    Wyoming Libertarian Party
    Monmouth County (NJ) Libertarian Party
    Revolution Ammo for Freedom fighters

     

    Progressive:
    Green Parties of North America
    Green Party of the United States
    New Mexico Green Party
    Arizona Green Party

    Socialist:

    New Party
    Progressive Party of Vermont

    Communist-Marxist:
    (Hard to believe it, but these guys are still around!)
    Socialist Party USA
    Socialists on the internet
    Workers World Party
    Democratic Socialists of America
    Chicago Democratic Socialists of America
    Boston Democratic Socialists of America
    Detroit Democratic Socialists of America
    Youth of Democratic Socialists of America
    Social Democrats, USA
    Socialist Labor Party
    Freedom Socialist Party Revolutionary, Feminist, Internationalists
    World Socialist Party of the United States
    Left Turn
    Socialist Viewpoint Socialist Workers Organization
    Liberal Party of Minnesota New Democratic Socialist for a new age

    Conservative:
    Progressive Labor Party
    Communist Party
    Workers Party, U.S.A
    Revolutionary Worker Online (Maoist)

    Nationalist:
    (WARNING: Be aware that these are very reactionary, deadly serious sites!)
    Constitution Party
    Constitution Party of Illinois
    American Independent Party of California California affiliate of the Constitution Party
    The New York State Conservative Party
    Prohibition Party

    Various:
    (Some of these are jokes or semi-serious "parties," most are not)
    National Alliance
    National Socialist White People's Party
    Ku Klux Klan
    The American Nationalist Union
    National Association for the Advancement of White People NAAWP
    CROSSTAR The Nationalist Movement
    Christian Falangist Party of America NOT a Christian organization!
    American Fascist Movement
    United Fascist Union
    American Fascist Party
    American Populist Renaissance
    Libertarian National Socialist Green Party
    Liberal Party of New York State
    Natural Law Party
    Common Dreams A new national grassroots organization
    Third Party Central
    The Light Party
    Expansionist Party of the United States
    Peace and Freedom Party California
    The United States Pacifist Party (USPP)
    Royalist Party of America A party whose goal is to change the USA to a constitutional monarchy
    The Legal Party
    YPA - Young Politicians of America
    Hawaii Independence Party
    Grassroots Party of Minnesota
    Alaskan Independence Party
    American Centrist Party
    American Synthesis Party
    Heart Political Party
    Abolition of Income Tax and Usury Party
    Constitutionalist Party
    U.S. Official Monster Raving Loony Party
    Cascadian National Party (CNP) A progressive political party that calls for the independence of Oregon and Washington state to create a Cascadian Republic
    Personal Choice Party
    America First Party
    Southern Party of Georgia
    American Heritage Party
    Diamond Party
    School Choice Party A political party in New York State
    Freedom Party of the United States of America Affiliated with Freedom Party International
    Independent Party of America
    The Thermodynamic Law Party
    Balanced Party for the Strategic Future of America 2008
    The NeoWhig Party






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