Intrerest Groups 5/14

"Notice that the interests that all of these diverse types of organizations are expected to further are for the most part common interests: the union members' common interest in higher wages, the farmers' common interest in favorable legislation, the cartel members' common interest in higher prices, the stockholders' common interest in higher dividends and stock prices, the citizens' common interest in good government. It is not an accident that the diverse types of organizations listed are all supposed to work primarily for the common interests of their members."

Organizations are created to further the common goals of the people within. These goals are ones that they would not be able to reach individually. The common goal that they are trying to reach, keeps them united and working together. When the goal they are working towards is not making any progress or the progress is not great enough to need a group to create, the organizations starts to disband.

The Judiciary 5/7

Schenck v. United States:  

"During World War I, Schenck mailed circulars to draftees. The circulars suggested that the draft was a monstrous wrong motivated by the capitalist system. The circulars urged "Do not submit to intimidation" but advised only peaceful action such as petitioning to repeal the Conscription Act. Schenck was charged with conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act by attempting to cause insubordination in the military and to obstruct recruitment".

When America entered World War I in 1917, Congress passed a law called the Espionage Act. The law said that during wartime obstructing the drafting of soldiers and trying to make them disloyal or disobedient were crimes. Almost 2,000 people were accused of violating this law and were put on trial. Charles Schenck was one of those people. He mailed thousands of pamphlets to men who had been drafted into the armed forces. These pamphlets said that the government had no right to send American citizens to kill people. 

Along with the the others, government accused Schenck of violating the Espionage Act. Schenck answered by saying that the Espionage Act was unconstitutional. He said that it broke the First Amendment's promise the "Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech." After working its way through the federal courts, the case was judged by the Supreme Court in 1919. In a unanimous decisions, the supreme court ruled that the second amendment could not be used to shield who are creating a clear and present danger. It was during this case that the second amendment no longer was absolute. Though having the freedom of speech is an important law, boundaries are necessary to see that the law is being used correctly. The expression ' yelling out fire in a crowded movie theater' reminded me of this and caused me to pick this law.