Aug. 22, 2007

CALENDAR FORMAT

WHAT:  Democracy Days   
WHEN:  Sept. 17-19, 2007
WHERE:  St. Charles Community College campus, 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Dr., Cottleville   
COST:  Free
CONTACT INFO:  Michael Kuelker, mkuelker@stchas.edu

NEWS STORY FORMAT

ST. CHARLES COMMUNITY COLLEGE OFFERS FREE
SEMINARS ON DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA AND ABROAD

            The free annual educational forum at St. Charles Community College known as Democracy Days kicks off with a keynote presentation this year on a crucial legal case involving war and the U.S. Constitution.  The presenter is Joe McMillan, an attorney who worked on the team that brought a case involving Salim Hamdan, a Guantanamo Bay inmate, before the United States Supreme Court in June 2006. 
            The lecture, "The U.S. Constitution and Hamdan v. Rumsfeld," takes place from 7- 9 p.m.  Monday, Sept. 17 [Constitution Day], in the Social Sciences Building auditorium on the SCC campus, 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville.  The keynote will be followed by a series of seminars on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 18- 19, all of which are free and open to the public.
            McMillan was one of a team of attorneys from Perkins Coie of Seattle, Wash., who did pro bono habeas corpus litigation successfully challenging the legality of military commissions established for detainees imprisoned at the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Salim Hamdan of Yemen, one of Osama bin Laden's drivers, is accused by the United States of conspiracy to commit war crimes and has been a prisoner at Guantanamo in Cuba since 2002. Guantanamo has emerged as the epicenter of contests between executive power and the judiciary, involving key issues of arrest, detention, interrogation, and trial by military commission. McMillan taught history at St. Charles Community College, earned a law degree from St. Louis University in 1996, and is currently a partner at the Seattle law firm of Perkins Coie LLP. He specializes in intellectual property law.
            Hamdan v. Rumsfeld received international attention and was widely regarded as one of the most important legal decisions of 2006.  About the case Laurie Levenson, professor of criminal law and procedure ethics and evidence at Loyola University, has observed, "From a criminal law perspective, Hamdan not only asks how much power the executive branch has in setting rules for criminal proceedings, but it launches the discussion of what is the minimum due process we will accept.  What rules will make a trial fair and get us an accurate result?  Who should make those rules?  Does it matter who is on trial?  These questions are at the heart of the criminal justice system."
            The 2007 Democracy Days will roll on with an agenda on Sept. 18-19 covering a wide range of geography and subject matter.  In Student Center 205 there will be presentations on "YouTube-ification" in the American political process, immigration and religion in America, genocide in Sudan, human rights in the Caribbean, democratization in the Middle East, and the use of torture as a tool of interrogation.  Sophie Scholl, a recent award-winning film about resistance to Hitler's Third Reich, is also being screened. 
            In addition to tapping one guest speaker, one student and several faculty members for the program, Kuelker said he seeks a presentation format that is democratic.
            "I look at this as an opportunity for the campus and the community to convene for a series of crucial discussions. The presenters will certainly be informative, some of them will seek to persuade, and all of them will leave time for questions and observations from the audience, which sets the conditions for some engrossing sessions," he said.  "The forum is conceived in the old school spirit of getting on the stump."
            SCC Democracy Days is an annual event analyzing the history, health, and functioning of democracy in America and the world at large.  Begun in 2001, the forum has featured interdisciplinary presentations by SCC faculty, staff, and students as well as participation by members of the news media and citizens of St. Charles County.  It takes place every September, in time for unregistered voters to register on campus and be eligible to vote in the November elections; voter registration takes place yearlong at the SCC Library.  For more information, contact mkuelker@stchas.edu. See www.stchas.edu for directional maps.
            Democracy Days is co-produced with the SCC Student Activities Department. The organizers gratefully acknowledge support from the SCC Foundation and Emerson that helped make this year’s event possible.

Democracy Days 2007 Agenda & Descriptions
All presentations take place in Student Center, Room 205 unless otherwise noted.

Monday, Sept. 17

7-9 p.m.  "The U.S. Constitution and Hamdan v. Rumsfeld"     [Social Sciences Bldg. Auditorium]
Joe McMillan, a member of the legal team that took Hamdan v. Rumsfeld before the U.S. Supreme court in June 2006, gives a special guest presentation for the 2007 Democracy Days keynote. The internationally observed case involved Salim Hamdan of Yemen, one of Osama bin Laden's drivers, who has been accused of conspiracy to commit war crimes and has been a prisoner at Guantanamo in Cuba since 2002. Guantanamo epitomizes the contest between executive power and the judiciary, and because it involves questions of arrest, detention, interrogation and trial by military commission, the Hamdan case strikes to the very heart of the rule of law.

Tuesday, Sept. 18

10-11:20 a.m.                        “In Our Own Backyard:  Human Rights in the Caribbean”
Drawing on his work as a country specialist on Jamaica for Amnesty International USA, Michael Kuelker, professor of English, will discuss life on the ground for some of America's hemispheric neighbors. Incorporating clips from new documentary films, the presentation will focus on two recent human rights reports regarding Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Becoming knowledgeable about human rights, Kuelker will argue, is an ideal way to learn about culture, and it gives grassroots activists a means to advocate effectively when others are denied basic rights.

11:30 a.m.-12:50 p.m.            “The YouTube-ification of the 2008 Presidential Campaign”
Jennifer Rigdon, adjunct instructor of speech and communication and a former debate coach, will discuss how campaign management and the democratic process have been changed by Web sites such as YouTube and TMZ. Rigdon will discuss how the YouTube debates are changing the debate landscape and what happens when a campaign loses control of its own image.

7-9 p.m.                        Sophie Scholl  [film]              [Social Sciences Bldg Auditorium]
Based on actual events, Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl is about the White Rose, a group of college students who opposed Hitler's Third Reich. The title character is arrested while distributing leaflets on campus and interrogated by the Gestapo, and the film unveils the moral and political dimensions of resistance against the very antithesis of a democracy: a genocidal fascist government. Sophie Scholl was a foreign language Oscar nominee in 2006. Hal Berry, professor of history and theater, will lead a question and answer period following the film.

Wednesday, Sept. 19

10-10:50 a.m.                        “Border Brinkmanship: The Challenge of Immigration in a Free Society”
The future of legal and illegal immigration is arguably the most divisive issue facing our society today. Both major political parties seem to be oblivious to the popular sentiment on border problems and incapable of resolving the border crisis. This highly visual multimedia presentation by Bob Gill, instructional media manager, will trace the nation’s history with foreign immigrants and explore the various issues involved with allowing foreigners to live and work in the United States. Topics will include national security, job outsourcing, and the proposed North American Union.

10-11:50 a.m.                        “Religion and Our Founding Fathers”
Hal Berry, professor of history and theater, presents a timely subject with deep historical roots: religion and its place in governance in America. As early as the 1640s religious tensions between Protestants and Catholics threatened the peace of Maryland. As a result, the Assembly passed the Toleration Act of 1649. This would become the foundation of what would grow into a political philosophy defended by our founding fathers that there would be religious freedom, no national church and a secular wall, erected by the Constitution, that separated church and state relations. Berry will explore the sometimes conflicting views of the framers of the Constitution.

Noon-12:50 p.m.            “Darfur: Silence Is No Longer an Option”
Genocide has raged in the Darfur region of Sudan since 2003 in full view of the international community. Jennifer Bidstrup, an SCC student, argues that while individuals cannot make the ultimate political decisions needed to stop the crisis, they can still provide the muscle to influence the government to take the needed steps to save innocent lives.

Additionally, on Oct. 11, Bidstrup will lead a book discussion on Not on Our Watch, the new work on Darfur by actor/activist Don Cheadle and journalist John Prendergast. The discussion takes place from 10-11 a.m. in the Private Dining Room of the SCC Student Center. Students and others in the SCC community as well as the general public are invited to participate. Copies of Not on Our Watch are available on reserve at the SCC Library. 

1- 2:15 p.m.                        “The Desirability of Democracy as a Goal of U.S. Foreign Policy”
The Bush administration has ostensibly made promoting democracy the crux of its Middle East foreign policy and has pushed for elections in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. Paul Roesler, professor of political science, argues that elections have worsened the situation in both places and explores why elections alone won't solve the Middle East's problems.

7-9 p.m.                        “America's Methods of Torture”
SCC senior faculty member in philosophy Blanchard DeMerchant presents a new scholarly paper that (1) summarizes the steps the Bush Administration took to approve an interrogation-by-torture policy in the "war on terror"; (2) explains the "torture lite" methods the Administration approved and were used by military interrogators, and are likely still being used by the CIA; and (3) offers reasons why a policy of torture should never have been approved.

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