Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Blajo Trial: Obama Knew Of Blagojevich Plot To Win Cabinet Post In Exchange For Senate Seat
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that a "top aide to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he believed Barack Obama knew of Blagojevich's plot to win himself a presidential Cabinet post in exchange for appointing Valerie Jarrett to the U.S. Senate. John Harris, Blagojevich's former chief of staff, testified Wednesday in the former governor's corruption trial that three days after the Nov. 4, 2008, presidential election, the ex-governor told Harris he felt confident Obama knew he wanted to swap perks."
"The president understands that the governor would be willing to make the appointment of Valerie Jarrett as long as he gets what he's asked for. . . . The governor gets the Cabinet appointment he's asked for," Harris said, explaining a recorded call.
As the Chicago Sun-Times reports that "Harris said Blagojevich came away believing Obama knew what he wanted after having a conversation with a local union representative, who in turn spoke with labor leader Tom Balanoff, with whom Blagojevich met to discuss a Jarrett appointment. Jarrett, now a White House adviser, was seeking the appointment to Obama's Senate seat."
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Dem Rep. Giffords: Federal Agencies Are Boycotting Arizona
Fox News reports that two "federal agencies have joined the 'boycott Arizona' trend and nixed conferences there out of concern over the state's immigration law, a Democratic Arizona congresswoman said, calling the development 'very troubling.' Any cancellations by the Department of Education and the U.S. Border Patrol may have been more out of a desire to steer clear of controversy than outright protest of the law. But Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who has written to dozens of cities and groups in a campaign to persuade them to end their boycotts, said it was disturbing to learn that the federal government would withdraw from the state over the issue."
"It is very troubling when the federal government becomes involved in a boycott against our state," Giffords said in a written statement. "Although I personally disagree with the immigration law, it came about because of growing frustration over the federal government's unwillingness to secure the border. The federal government's participation in this boycott only adds to that frustration."
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MA Public School Aims To Provide Fifth Graders With Condoms, But Even Kindergarteners Can Be Given Condoms Without Parental Permission
The Boston Globe reports that students "in Provincetown — from elementary school to high school — will be able to get free condoms at school under a recently approved policy that takes effect this fall. The rule also requires school officials to keep student requests secret, and ignore parents’ objections... The policy, which requires school nurses to supply condoms to any student who asks, drew criticism yesterday from some parents, a family-advocacy group, and even the town manager, who expressed alarm that children would be able to acquire condoms beginning next school year."
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Democrat Rep. Kanjorski Compares Minorities To "Defective People" And Distinguishes From "Average, Good American People"
Now imagine what would happen if a Republican said something this stupid:
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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Cops Violate First Amendment By Arresting Christians For Handing Out Gospel Outside Dearborn Arab Festival
The Detroit News reports that the "Thomas More Law Center, an Ann Arbor-based Christian legal defense organization, has agreed to represent four evangelists who were arrested on charges of disturbing the peace Friday night at the Arab International Festival. Dearborn police officers violated their free speech rights when their video cameras, which were used to record conversations with festival-goers, were confiscated, said lead attorney Robert Muise... Muise faxed a letter Monday to Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad requesting the return of his clients' cameras and tapes. The Police Department has not responded to Muise's request. The four -- Negeen Mayel of California; Nabeel Qureshi of Virginia; Paul Rezkalla, a New York University student; and David Wood of New York -- were released on bail Saturday. They will plead not guilty and ask for a jury trial, Muise said, at an initial hearing on July 12 in the 19th District Court."
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Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Supreme Court Rightly Upholds Anti-Terror Law That Prohibits "Material Support" To Terrorist Groups
The AP reports that the Supreme Court "voted 6-3 to reject a free-speech challenge from humanitarian aid groups to the law that bars 'material support' — everything from money to technical know-how to legal advice — to foreign terrorist organizations. The aid groups were only challenging provisions that put them at risk of being prosecuted for talking to terrorist organizations about nonviolent activities. But Chief Justice John Roberts said in his opinion for the court that material support intended even for benign purposes can help a terrorist group in other ways."
"Such support frees up other resources within the organization that may be put to violent ends," Chief Justice John Roberts said in an opinion joined by four other conservative justices, but also the liberal Justice John Paul Stevens. The AP further reports that the court often looks skeptically on laws that criminalize speech and holds them to a high level of scrutiny" known as "strict scrutiny." But Roberts said there is good reason in this case to defer to Congress and the president, "uniquely positioned to make principled distinctions between activities that will further terrorist conduct and undermine United States foreign policy, and those that will not."
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