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TweetFriday, February 26, 2010
Proposed Nebraska Bill Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks Of Pregnancy
ABC News reports that "Nebraska legislators are proposing a bill on abortion that, if passed, would be the strictest in the nation and would ban most abortions after 20 weeks into a pregnancy. The first public hearing on the so-called Abortion Pain Prevention Act today drew a crowd of 100, and medical and legal experts from as far away as New York City, Alaska and Boston. The Nebraska legislature's judiciary committee adjourned without taking action and will now discuss the bill in executive session, where the bill could be amended, tabled or passed on to Nebraska's full one-house legislature... The proposed bill would ban abortions after fetuses reach 20 weeks, rather than the current limit that falls around 24 weeks. The only exception on the 20-week limit is if the procedure would "avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function" or save the pregnant woman's life... The bill also specifies only physical health concerns as acceptable reasons for an abortion after the 20-week limit. That would put into place the narrowest health exception in the nation, as mental health isn't included. Interpretation of current law allows for mental health exceptions."
Before all the pro-abortion acitivists get all riled up, all must realize that 20 weeks is five months of pregnancy. Is limiting abortions to within five months of pregnancy really unreasonable? If woman are to decide to abort, does the first five months of pregnancy not allow for enough time for the decision to be made?
Much might be made about the changes in health exceptions. The concern of the legislature of Nebraska, however, is that the "mental health" exceptions can essentially allow for all abortions for any reason, as all one needs to do is show that delivering the baby would be detrimental to a very broad category of "mental health." Why can't the Nebraska legislature eliminate this exception if they feel it is simply an excuse for all sorts of abortions?
Some might cite Roe v. Wade or Planned Parenthood v. Casey and assert that the Constitution protects the right to abortion after 20 weeks. Regardless of whether the specific Supreme Court precedents supports this claim, the fact of the matter is that the Supreme Court itself is liable for the worst sort of unconstitutional interpretation of the fundamental law in the abortion cases to begin with. Even Justice Potter Stewart in his concurrence in Roe v. Wade said that "[t]he asserted state interests are protection of the health and safety of the pregnant woman, and protection of the potential future human life within her. These are legitimate objectives, amply sufficient to permit a State to regulate abortions as it does other surgical procedures, and perhaps sufficient to permit a State to regulate abortions more stringently, or even to prohibit them in the late stages of pregnancy." More importantly, in his dissent, Justice William Rehnquist pointed out the obvious, that the Supreme Court "necessarily has had to find within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment a right that was apparently completely unknown to the drafters of the Amendment... There apparently was no question concerning the validity of this provision or of any of the other state statutes when the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted. The only conclusion possible from this history is that the drafters did not intend to have the Fourteenth Amendment withdraw from the States the power to legislate with respect to this matter." Given the fact that the Supreme Court interpreted the Constitution in such a nonsensical fashion, why should the State of Nebraska not pass its law and let the legal battle stand for another day?
This bill is both good policy, and good law, and for that reason the legislature of Nebraska should certainly enact it into law.
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City Of Beverly Hills Denounces Beauty Contestant For Speaking Against Gay Marriage
"The City of Beverly Hills today denounced statements made by Miss California USA contestant Lauren Ashley, the self-described Miss Beverly Hills. Ms. Ashley resides in Pasadena and is currently a contestant for the Miss California USA title. She does not represent Beverly Hills in any capacity," the city said in a news release issued Wednesday. "The City of Beverly Hills strongly condemns Ms. Ashley's recent statements and has contacted pageant officials to determine ways to formally prevent any beauty contestants claiming the title of Miss Beverly Hills in the future."
The contestant for Miss California USA Lauren Ashley cited the Old Testament as she expressed her views against gay marriage.
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Thursday, February 25, 2010
Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi Calls For "Jihad" Against Switzerland
Reuters reports that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi called on Thursday for a "jihad" or armed struggle against Switzerland, saying it was an infidel state that was destroying mosques... Libya's relations with Switzerland broke down in 2008 when a son of Gaddafi was arrested in a Geneva hotel and charged with abusing domestic servants. He was released shortly afterwards and the charges were dropped, but Libya cut oil supplies to Switzerland, withdrew billions of dollars from Swiss bank accounts and arrested two Swiss businessmen working in the North African country. One has been released but the other was forced this week to leave the Swiss embassy in Tripoli where he had been sheltering and move to a prison to serve a four-month sentence, apparently avoiding a major confrontation. Libya says the Geneva arrest and the case of the two businessmen are not linked."
"Any Muslim in any part of the world who works with Switzerland is an apostate, is against (the Prophet) Mohammad, God and the Koran," Gaddafi said. He further said that "the masses of Muslims must go to all airports in the Islamic world and prevent any Swiss plane landing, to all harbors and prevent any Swiss ships docking, inspect all shops and markets to stop any Swiss goods being sold."
"Let us fight against Switzerland, Zionism and foreign aggression," said Gaddafi.
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Senator McConnell Calls For More Equal Division Of Time At Health Care Summit
Obama's response: "I'm the President."
The Washington Times writes that "by the end of the televised event, Mr. Obama had spoken for 119 minutes - nine minutes more than the 110 minutes consumed by 17 Republicans. The 21 Democratic lawmakers used 114 minutes, giving the president and his supporters a whopping 233 minutes, according to a 'talk clock' kept by GOP aides."
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
John Yoo: "My Gift To The Obama Presidency...Bush Lawyers Were Protecting The Executive's Power To Fight A Vigorous War On Terror"
John Yoo writes in the Wall Street Journal that "Barack Obama may not realize it, but I may have just helped save his presidency. How? By winning a drawn-out fight to protect his powers as commander in chief to wage war and keep Americans safe." Yoo details the biased ethics smear campaign that the Obama administration's Justice Department subjected him to and responds to their investigation and the ultimate outcome vindicating him. To read the full article visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704188104575083473537079844.html?mod=rss_opinion_main. Tweet
Canadian Premier's US Heart Surgery: "I Did Not Sign Away My Right To Get The Best Possible Health Care For Myself When I Entered Politics"
The Canadian Press reports that an "unapologetic Danny Williams says he was aware his trip to the United States for heart surgery earlier this month would spark outcry, but he concluded his personal health trumped any public fallout over the controversial decision."
"This was my heart, my choice and my health," Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla. "I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics."
"I wanted to get in, get out fast, get back to work in a short period of time," the premier said. "I would've been criticized if I had stayed in Canada and had been perceived as jumping a line or a wait list. ... I accept that. That's public life," he said.
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US To Build Most Expensive American Embassy In Britain For $1 Billion
The Times Online reports that the "United States has unveiled plans for its new $1 billion high-security embassy in London — the most expensive it has ever built." What was that you say about America's budget problems? Tweet
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Threats Of Jihad Terror After Israel Includes Cave Of Patriarchs, Rachel's Tomb In List Of National Heritage Sites
Ynetnews.com reports that "the decision to declare the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb national heritage sites ahead of their renovation may lead the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to another boiling point: Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad's military wing, threatened Tuesday to launch attacks within Israel.
"If the Israelis continue to damage our mosques and holy places, we will respond within the Zionist territory," the al-Quds Brigades spokesman told Ynet. Abu Ahmed further said that "in the coming months, or to be more exact – in the next six months, the rules of the games are expected to change and the attacks will not only be against the settlers in the West Bank, but also within the entity, as we are aware of the fact that the soft underbelly and the biggest pain are when the attacks take place deep inside the enemy's territory. As far as we are concerned, the annexation of the mosques to the heritage sites is another move of aggression and a move aimed at completing the Judaization of the holy sites – and all the organizations are required to respond."
Sheikh Khaled al-Batsh, one of the Islamic Jihad's leaders, said that "the Zionist decision on the heritage sites will be abolished, just like the occupation will be abolished. This makes it clear to us once again that with the enemy we must only use the language of force and resistance and Palestinian unity, in order to return to the Zionist enemy the mind it has lost, which has caused it to make such decisions." He clarified that "the Palestinians will never agree to have the historic battle with the Zionist enemy settled in favor of the Zionist occupier. We will continue to believe in victory, will continue to hang on to the Palestinian issue, and the conflict will only be resolved when it’s in our favor."
Ynet further reports that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad joined the condemnation of Israel as he "called on the international community on Tuesday to pressure Israel to renege on its decision to add the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb to the list of heritage sites. Fayyad said the move matched Israel's policy to establish the occupation. The Palestinian prime minister added that the media had ignored the fact that Israel also declared Jerusalem's walls as heritage sires. 'The Old City's walls are inside eastern and occupied Jerusalem, which will be Palestine's eternal capital.'"
A host of Israeli members of the cabinet shot back at the Palestinian threats. Israel's Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan blasted the Palestinian president: "Abu Mazen (Abbas) is finding it difficult to be freed of his past as a Holocaust denier and proves once again that in spite of his moderate image he does not acknowledge Jewish history, which dates back thousands of years and connects us to the Land of Israel. Even preserving holy sites like the tombs of our forefathers is used by him as an excuse to incite and encourage violence."
Vice Premier Silvan Shalom used an ancient claim: "This is insolent and outrageous and another attempt to rewrite history. The Cave of the Patriarchs, like Rachel's Tomb, are Jewish heritage sites pointing to the deep 3,700-year affiliation of the people of Israel to their land. The people of Israel's affiliation to the land did not begin – as the Palestinians are trying to claim – in the past 100 years, but when the Cave of the Patriarchs was bought by Abraham from Ephron the Hittite for 400 silver shekels and Rachel's Tomb was purchased for a full price in the Binyamin region. They are both still mentioned in the Torah in the Book of Genesis, and no one can take that away from the people of Israel. The wild Palestinian attack is aimed at trying to cut off the affiliation and rewriting history. This is a continuation of their ideological objection to recognizing Israel as a Jewish state."
Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz noted that "the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb are part of Israel's heritage and this is a historical fact. Abbas had better educate his own people rather than the people of Israel."
Information Minister Yuli Edelstein added, "It's disappointing every time to see the Palestinians reveal their understandings in regards to a future agreement between us and them. They want to leave us as second class citizens, like Islamic countries did in the Middle Ages. How is it possible that Abbas, who strives for peace, wants to stop us from reaching the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb?"
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Democrat Congressman Bart Stupak: Abortion Language In Obama's Health Care Plan "Unacceptable"
The AP reports that "Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, who opposes abortion rights, has released a statement saying the White House health care reform plan is 'unacceptable" because it 'encompasses the Senate language allowing public funding of abortion.'... Stupak drafted language in the House version of the health reform bill -- the so-called Stupak amendment -- barring coverage of abortions in government-run health care plans and keeping people who get federal health subsidies from purchasing plans that provide coverage for abortion."
"The Senate language is a significant departure from current law and is unacceptable," said Stupak. "While the President has laid out a health care proposal that brings us closer to resolving our differences, there is still work to be done before Congress can pass comprehensive health care reform."
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Army Head Hesitant On Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Politico reports that in "testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, the Army’s top commander did not give the same enthusiastic endorsement to rescinding the Pentagon’s ban on gays in the military that was sounded by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier this month. Gates and Mullen both endorsed the repeal but ordered a year-long review of how to implement a change to the policy. In testimony today, Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, said that until the review is completed he’s neutral on whether the ban should be repealed... After participating in the review, which is expected to take up to one year, Casey said, 'then I can provide my informed military judgment to the secretary and Congress.'"
“I do have serious concerns about the impact of repeal of the law on a force that is fully engaged in two wars and has been at war for eight and a half years. We just don’t know the impacts on readiness and military effectiveness and that’s why I fully support what Secretary Gates has laid out,” Casey said.
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Monday, February 22, 2010
Harry Reid Says We Need The Democrat "Jobs Bill" Because Men Get Abusive When They Don't Have A Job
Come this November, Harry Reid might then very well be the one getting abusive:
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The Story Of Igor From "Undercover Boss": "I Am Living The American Dream"
"Undercover Boss" is the new CBS reality show in which heads of companies go undercover to experience the lower positions in the company first-hand. The most recent episode featured 7-11 CEO Joe DePinto going undercover, and he met a man named Igor that did night deliveries to the various franchises. Here is the story:
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Obama Puts Forward $1 trillion Health Care Plan
The AP reports that "President Barack Obama is putting forward a nearly $1 trillion, 10-year health care plan that would allow the government to deny or roll back egregious insurance premium increases that infuriated consumers. Posted Monday morning on the White House Web site, the plan would provide coverage to more than 31 million Americans now uninsured without adding to the federal deficit. It conspicuously omits a government insurance plan sought by liberals. But it's uncertain that such an ambitions plan can pass, since Republicans are virtually all opposed and some Democrats who last year supported sweeping health care changes are having second thoughts. After a year in pursuit of his top domestic priority, Obama may have to settle for a modest fallback." Tweet
Washington Archdiocese Gets Rid Of Foster Care Program Due To Gay Marriage Law
Fox News reports that the "Archdiocese of Washington has scrapped its 80-year-old foster care program, claiming it's no longer eligible to serve as an adoption provider due to the District of Columbia's pending same-sex marriage law. Under the legislation, which legalizes same-sex marriage in the nation's capital and which goes into effect March 2, all outside contractors must recognize gay couples in the District. In a press release posted on its Web site Tuesday, the archdiocese, which opposes gay marriage, said it had no choice but to transfer its foster care program to the National Center for Children and Families, or NCCF. 'We regret that our efforts to avoid this outcome were not successful,' Ed Orzechowski, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, said in a statement. The transfer includes seven staff, 43 children and their biological families and 35 foster families, according to the press release." Tweet
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Another Top Taliban Commander Captured
Fox News reports that "Mulvi Kabir, the former Taliban governor in Afghanistan's Nangahar Province, and a key figure in the Taliban regime was recently captured in Pakistan, two senior US officials tell Fox News. Kabir, considered to be among the top ten most wanted Taliban leaders, was apprehended in the Naw Shera district of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province by Pakistani police forces in recent days. A senior U.S. military official in Afghanistan called Kabir a 'significant detention.' The intelligence that led to Kabir's capture was gathered from Mullah Baradar, the Taliban’s second in command, who was picked up roughly two weeks ago in Karachi, Pakistan by a joint CIA and Pakistani intelligence operation." Tweet
Wall Street Journal: "Vindicating John Yoo: Bush Lawyers Are Found To Have Acted Ethically, Unlike Their Accusers"
The Wall Street Journal reports that "five years of investigation, partisan accusations and unethical media leaks, the Justice Department's senior ethicist has concluded that Bush Administration lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee committed no professional misconduct. The issue now is whether the protégés of Attorney General Eric Holder who led this exercise at Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) should themselves be in the dock. That's our reading of the analysis by Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis, a career official who reviewed both the Bush-era legal memos on interrogating terror suspects and their review by the lawyers at OPR. Remarkably, his report is far more scathing about OPR than it is about Messrs. Yoo and Bybee, who he says made legal errors but did so in good faith, out of honest legal analysis, and in the ethical service of their clients in the executive branch at a time of war." To read the full article visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704757904575078182303405948.html?mod=googlenews_wsj. Tweet
Toyota Execs: Democrats Are "Not Industry Friendly'
Politico reports that internal "Toyota documents derided the Obama administration and Democratic Congress as 'activist' and 'not industry friendly,' a revelation that comes days before the giant automaker's top executives testify on Capitol Hill amid a giant recall. According to a presentation obtained under subpoena by the House Oversight and Government Relations committee, Toyota referred to the 'changing political environment' as one of its main challenges and anticipated a 'more challenging regulatory' environment under the Obama administration's purview." Tweet
Israel Unveils New Drone Fleet That Can Reach Iran
The AFP reports that a "new drone that can remain airborne for more than 24 hours and reach as far as Iran was added Sunday to the Israeli air force's arsenal, the military said. Described by the army as a 'technological breakthrough' the Eitan -- which means strong in Hebrew -- is a Heron-TP type drone with a wingspan of 26 metres (85 feet), similar to that of the Boeing 737. It is 24 metres (79 feet) long, weighs 4.5 tonnes and can remain in the air for more than 24 hours, enabling it to fly as far as Iran, Israel's arch-foe. The drone was built by Israel Aerospace Industries in cooperation with the air force and is equipped with radar, cameras and high-tech electronic equipment including mapping devices. The drone can reach an altitude of 13,000 metres (43,000 feet) and carry payloads of about one tonne."
"This aircraft constitutes a very important turning point in the development of unmanned aircraft," Air Force chief General Ido Nehustan was quoted as saying.
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WSJ: "Israel And The Dubai Murder Mystery"
The Wall Street Journal reports that "Israelis woke up Wednesday morning to pictures of 11 individuals plastered on the front page of every newspaper. The familiar guessing game began immediately: Don't I know him? Didn't we serve in the same army unit? Isn't that guy my geeky neighbor, the one who says he's an accountant? An acquaintance of mine swore she had dated one of the men. 'He behaved exactly like you'd expect a killer to behave,' she said. Nearly everyone believes that the 11 alleged members of the hit squad that killed Hamas leader Muhammad al-Mabhouh last week in Dubai are Mossad agents. Seven of the 11 identities used were stolen from other Israelis with dual European citizenship. The Dubai police chief has stated 'with 99% certainty' that the Mossad is responsible and has promised to reveal additional evidence to prove it. The methods—including the use of false European passports—are certainly reminiscent of previous Mossad operations. The mission was technically successful. The target was eliminated—allegedly smothered by a pillow in his hotel room—and the operatives left the country within hours. But it has turned into a diplomatic nightmare for Israel. The sovereignty of Dubai was violated, and the passports of four European countries were used for the purpose of committing a crime. Several rows Israel can ill-afford are currently brewing with England, Germany and France. Israel, assuming it was behind the assassination, had good reason to want Mabhouh permanently out of the picture. He rose to infamy in 1987 by abducting and killing two Israeli soldiers. He then went on to become a central figure in Hamas's fund-raising operations. Later, Mabhouh became a key coordinator of Hamas-Iran cooperation. In this capacity he organized the shipment of weaponry and other sophisticated equipment to Gaza and arranged for Hamas fighters to be trained by the Revolutionary Guards at a facility outside of Tehran. It was in connection with his Iran operations that he was in Dubai last week."
The following shows a lot more of the footage from which Dubai figured out which individuals were part of the hit group:
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Massachusetts Attorney General Coakley Files Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality Of Federal "Defense Of Marriage Act"
The AP reports that a "federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman forces Massachusetts, the first state in the country to legalize gay marriage, to discriminate against same-sex couples, state Attorney General Martha Coakley argues in court papers. Coakley’s office filed a lawsuit in July challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act. In court papers filed in US District Court on Thursday, Coakley asked a judge to deem the law unconstitutional without holding a trial on the lawsuit. Coakley argues that regulating marital status has traditionally been left to the states. She said the federal law treats married heterosexual couples and married same-sex couples differently; for instance, when determining eligibility for Medicaid benefits and when determining whether the spouse of a veteran can be buried in a Massachusetts veterans cemetery." Tweet
Supreme Court To Hear Challenge To Portions Of The PATRIOT Act Criminalizing "Material Support" For Terrorism
The UPI reports that "the U.S. Supreme Court this week hears arguments on a provision of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 -- or as it is more familiarly known, the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was signed into law Oct. 26, 2001, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The act, read in conjunction with other federal anti-terrorism laws, presents what some consider a chilling effect on constitutional rights, including the First Amendment guarantees of the freedoms of speech and association. The Supreme Court will decide whether the parts of the law that make it a crime to give 'material support or resources' to government-designated foreign terrorist organizations are unconstitutional. The case of Holder vs. Humanitarian Law Project involves civil rights groups and individuals halted in helping foreign terrorist organizations achieve their non-violent goals because they say the anti-terrorism laws criminalize even the most innocuous activities carried out with or on behalf of foreign terrorist groups." Tweet
Supreme Court To Consider Another Case On Racial Bias In Hiring
The Los Angeles Times reports that the "controversy over racial bias, testing and firefighters that blew up at both the Supreme Court and the Senate last year returns Monday, this time as the justices decide whether blacks who were not hired in Chicago because of their test scores are due damages for years of lost wages. The potentially $100-million civil rights case comes before a high court that has already shown its skepticism toward such claims. Last year, the justices ruled for white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., who said they were victims of illegal racial discrimination when the city threw out the results of a promotion test. The whites had earned high scores and would have gotten nearly all the promotions. City officials dropped the test results because they feared being sued by blacks who were denied promotions. By contrast, the city of Chicago was sued for illegal discrimination by more than 6,000 African Americans who earned 'qualified' scores on an entry-level test given by the Fire Department, but who lost out to mostly white applicants who had higher, 'well qualified' scores." Tweet
Petraeus: US Putting Iranian Issue On A "Pressure Track"
The AFP reports the "United States is raising the stakes in its bid to halt Iran's nuclear program, putting the issue on a "pressure track," top US general David Petraeus said Sunday. The US and other world powers are drumming up support for a fourth round of UN sanctions against Iran for its refusal to comply with repeated ultimatums to suspend uranium enrichment and agree to a UN-backed nuclear fuel deal. President Barack Obama had talked about a dual-track approach to dealing with Iran's suspect nuclear activities, involving efforts to engage Iranian leaders backed up by the threat of further sanctions. 'I think that no one at the end of this time can say that the United States and the rest of the world have not given Iran every opportunity to resolve the issues diplomatically,' Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, said."
"That puts us in a solid foundation now to go on what is termed the pressure track. That's the course on which we are embarked now," he told NBC television's "Meet the Press" program.
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