[clip length—7:42]

TEACHER: Ssh. Uh, guys, let’s listen.

STUDENT: Like, I believe that wiretapping should be allowed, but you have to warn the people so the people, like, know not to talk about that stuff. Even notwithstanding what the— what the judges have to say, because the judges might, like, they just say no ’cause they don’t— like, a judge should be done. And… Yeah. Secret wiretapping should— it should be legal. But you should warn people so, like, they don’t say that— they— they don’t say stuff or they— they think about never talking about that on the phone.

TEACHER: Wow. All right, pass it on. Let’s try to use the words, guys.

STUDENT: Okay, if you were really trying to find terrorists with wiretapping and you warn people about it, it would be kind of pointless, because then they would also be warned and they wouldn’t talk about—

STUDENT: Then they can’t plan it.

STUDENT: Well, they— there are other methods to plan. I mean…

STUDENT: Like walking.

STUDENT: So…

TEACHER: Okay, Hannah, pass it on.

STUDENT: Kaliani.

STUDENT: Um, well, I support, like, all of ’em, but I think that they’re— the government wants wiretapping, they’re not gonna care what other people are saying or gossiping about. They’re— they’re not gonna really, like— They don’t really care. They just wanna find out about the terrorists. But then they— they’re kind of like invading people’s spaces by having, um, wiretapping and listening to their conversations. Um, Brian.

STUDENT: Which one?

STUDENT: Um, M.

STUDENT: Okay, well, I think that wiretapping should be allowed because, like, um, first of all, you wouldn’t really know if they’re wiretapping you. So you can talk normally. And if you had something to hide, like— Like, I don’t think you would have something to hide so you can just mind your own business. So I mean, I think wiretapping should be allowed. Uh, Juliana.

STUDENT: Um, I think wiretapping should only be allowed if it’s like an emergency. And then they could ask the court for permission. But it doesn’t need to always be allowed, only if, like, they think that we’re in danger. Which is a good idea, ’cause it’s fair for everyone.

STUDENT: Okay. So um, I think that it’s okay. But they should have, like, a good source of why they should do it. And like, not just ’cause they think something’s happening, but it’s, like, false evidence. So like, I don’t want them to be listening to my conversations if they don’t even have…

TEACHER: Okay, I’m getting the word wiretapping a lot, but I’m not hearing a lot of the other words, so try to use ’em.

STUDENT: I said source.

TEACHER: Oh, you did say source. Good. Okay.

STUDENT: Um, Pablo.

STUDENT: So, well, I really would like to be in that person’s group, but I think this one is the— I mean, it’s the one easiest to work with because that way, well, I mean, I don’t— People here, like, are obsessed with security. So this actually, like, puts— get— makes the people think that they’re actually, uh, being protected and everything, but also discourages a little the fact of secret wiretapping because of all the things we have to get through, the judge and all that. So I think, uh, this position should be, um, implemented because, uh, that way, it would— well, it’s like the most. So most parties are happy.

STUDENT: Exactly.

TEACHER: Okay, pass it on, Pablo.

STUDENT: Give it to Brian.

STUDENT: Brian.

STUDENT: All right. I think that— I don’t really think they should tell you if you’re gonna— if they’re gonna wiretap you because if a police officer is gonna do a stakeout, they’re not gonna come up and say, “Oh, we’re gonna stake your house out,” because pretty much, that will tell them not to talk about anything they’re doing illegal, if they are doing anything illegal.

STUDENT: It’ll scare them.

STUDENT: But if they don’t, if they aren’t really doing anything illegal, they don’t— won’t have anything to worry about. But that could catch a criminal that’s— could— is gonna murder someone or deal drugs out, something like that. Uh, Hannah.

STUDENT: Well, you have to ask yourself— if they’ve been doing it for a while, then you have to ask yourself it’s— if it’s working. Um, and it doesn’t seem to be, from what I know. There— I— there hasn’t been any huge discovery of a nest of terrorists or anything made using wiretapping. And also, it’s more in theory that— It’s kind of a disturbing thought that the government is using wiretapping. And um, I think it’s kind of wrong. Pablo.

STUDENT: Well, like, I— I just remembered something from The Simpsons Movie, when Hannah was talking about— So they’re— they’re trying to find the wiretappers. And when— that they were trying to find, uh, a sort of— some criminals or something. And then they actually find them. They go, “Wow, we actually found something— someone we were looking for.” So yes, I don’t think they have found— well, recently. And the other thing is that if the government, uh, can simply decide to wiretap or simply decide to take any action without taking— without having the permission of another branch of the government, that’s really dangerous. Uh, so I don’t think all the power should be in the executive branch. I think—

TEACHER: A few more comments. [Noise] A few more comments. Pablo, pick someone.

STUDENT: Okay, well— well, Hannah said thi— she says that wiretacking— wiretapping doesn’t work ’cause we haven’t found a nest of terrorists, but— but has there been a terrorist attack like 9/11 in the recent years? There hasn’t. So you can’t really prove that wiretapping isn’t working.

STUDENT: You don’t know that.

STUDENT: Okay, but I don’t, but there hasn’t been an attack like 9/11.

TEACHER: Two more comments. We still have to use the words suspicious, source, notwithstanding, eliminate.

STUDENT: She said source.

TEACHER: I’ve heard a few of them here and there, but I wanna try and actively, um, make it happen.

STUDENT: I have a comment about your, um, thing. Well, you don’t know that, ’cause I don’t think so the government would, like, tell everybody what’s happening because they might have, like, little stuff happening in the side, but they won’t tell, like, us. So you really don’t know what’s happening, so you can’t say that.

TEACHER: Okay, two more times. Pass it on.

STUDENT: Um, Hannah.

STUDENT: You can’t really say that because there hasn’t been an attack, wiretapping is working. It’s kind of— Before the attack, you could— you could make the judgment that your system of defense was perfectly fine because there hadn’t been an attack. But it’s that there hasn’t been one yet. You only find out if there’s something wrong with it when there is an attack, when something does happen. So wiretapping, I highly doubt that it’s doing very much to stop attacks. Um, and…

TEACHER: Pick someone for the last comment.

STUDENT: All right. I think wiretapping should be legal because if there is anyone that’s that suspicious or anything, and what if they do wanna blow up America or something? That if they wiretap, they might find something. But they might not, but it doesn’t matter; what if they would try? I mean, would you rather be blown up or listened to your calls?

 

- Student states position about notification of wiretapping.

- Student rebuts.

- Class debate continues. Throughout the debate, students select another student to respond or continue.

- Teacher occasionally interjects for to clarify or to encourage students to use the weekly target words.

"Debating the Issue" from Teacher Guide

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