Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
DOJ Enters Court Battle Over Indiana Abortion Law
The Wall Street Journal reports:A powerful combatant has joined the fight in a pending Indiana lawsuit over the state’s controversial new abortion law.
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As we recently noted, the law at the center of the dispute bans organizations, including Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds if they provide abortions. Indiana says that the law, enacted in May, should prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds even for non-abortion services, because such funds help Planned Parenthood stay in business and thus indirectly subsidize abortions.
The Department of Justice entered the fray yesterday, filing a brief in the case that contends Indiana federal judge Tanya Walton Pratt should block the abortion law on the grounds that it thwarts Medicaid recipients from freely choosing the medical provider of their choice, AP reports.
Betty Cockburn, president of Planned Parenthood of Indiana, has said that the Indiana law could soon force her organization to cut off services to Medicaid recipients.
The Obama administration previously objected to the law and told Indiana officials that it could result in the state losing all of its $4 billion in Medicaid funding. But the DOJ’s brief came as a surprise to Planned Parenthood lawyer Ken Falk, AP reports. “I had no idea this was coming,” he said.
Judge Pratt has said that she will decide whether to enjoin the Indiana law by July 1.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan Calls NY Gay Marriage Bill An "Ominous Threat"
Timothy M. Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, who has been a low-key presence during the debate over same-sex marriage in the state, called in to a capital radio talk show Friday morning to warn that the proposed legislation posed an “ominous threat” to society.Tweet
Archbishop Dolan, who was in Seattle to preside over a meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn had been dispatched from Seattle to Albany in a last-ditch effort to influence the Senate Republican majority, which will determine the fate of the proposed same-sex marriage bill.
The bill was proposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and approved by the Democratic-controlled Assembly, and now the Senate must decide whether and how to vote on the measure as the clock ticks toward the scheduled end of the legislative session Monday.
Archbishop Dolan, speaking on Fredric U. Dicker’s radio program on WGDJ-AM (1300), repeatedly made it clear that he strongly opposed gay marriage, which he called “unjust and immoral,” “detrimental for the common good” and “a violation of what we consider the natural law that’s embedded in every man and woman.”
Acknowledging that supporters of same-sex marriage need just one more vote to prevail in the Senate, Archbishop Dolan said that “we are still working for the defeat of this bill,” but that “we’re realistic to know the forces pushing this are very strong, they’re well oiled, they’re well financed.” However, he said: “It’s not a done deal. There is a good chance that this is not going to pass this year.”
Archbishop Dolan was dismissive of efforts to protect religious organizations from being affected by the legislation, which he called “a couple bones to the dog.” He argued that the rights of churches are already guaranteed by the Constitution, and that as for any additional protections drafted in Albany, “we worry that, what the government gives, the government can take away.”
“We just don’t want this definitive religious freedom to be at the mercy of some government whim,” he said.
Archbishop Dolan argued that the passage of same-sex marriage in other states and countries had at times led to problems for clergy and religious organizations who remained in opposition. “You’ve got couples now in England who are now told they can’t adopt children because they’re not open to same-sex marriage,” he said.
Archbishop Dolan also rued what he called “the presumptive omnipotence of the state” in considering allowing gays to marry, and decried a “new religion of secularism that feels it’s going to come to a theocracy and impose its values on society.”
Asked about polls showing growing public support for same-sex marriage, Archbishop Dolan said he didn’t entirely trust the research methods, because, he said, “our opponents have been very glib in redefining the question.”
But, he said, “they do cause us some concern,” and “we have to convince again even those within our own household.”
Asked by Mr. Dicker why the Catholic Church doesn’t excommunicate or otherwise punish Catholic elected officials who support same-sex marriage, Archbishop Dolan acknowledged that that is a controversial issue among bishops, but he said, “We try to model ourselves after Jesus, and he’s always conciliatory.”
“Sometimes, if we come off too hard, we lose more people,” he said. “Our job is to try to patiently change hearts, and not be throwing people out.”
John Yoo: Libya Action Constitutional, "The GOP Plays Politics With the War Powers Resolution"
Professor John Yoo argues that if "Republicans were serious about stopping the war in Libya, they'd cut off funds." He argues that "House Republicans are abandoning their party's longstanding position that the Constitution allows the executive to use force abroad, subject to Congress's control over funding." To read more visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304186404576389474268093278.html Tweet
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Boyd v. United States: US Supreme Court Rules That Individuals (That Have Standing) Can Sue Based On Federalism/Tenth Amendment Violations
From the Supreme Court ruling today in Boyd v. United States, where they actually got one right:
This case presents the question whether a person indicted for violating a federal statute has standing to challenge its validity on grounds that, by enacting it, Congress exceeded its powers under the Constitution, thus intruding upon the sovereignty and authority of the States... The Court of Appeals held that because a State was not a party to the federal criminal proceeding, petitioner had no standing to challenge the statute as an infringement upon the powers reserved to the States. Having concluded that petitioner does have standing to challenge the federal statute on these grounds, this Court now reverses that determination...
The Framers concluded that allocation of powers between the National Government and the States enhances freedom, first by protecting the integrity of the governments themselves, and second by protecting the people, from whom all governmental powers are derived... The allocation of powers in our federal system preserves the integrity, dignity, and residual sovereignty of the States. The federal balance is, in part, an end in itself, to ensure that States function as political entities in their own right. But that is not its exclusive sphere of operation. Federalism is more than an exercise in setting the boundary between different institutions of government for their own integrity... Federalism secures the freedom of the individual. It allows States to respond, through the enactment of positive law, to the initiative of those who seek a voice in shaping the destiny of their own times without having to rely solely upon the political processes that control a remote central power. By denying any one government complete jurisdiction over all the concerns of public life, federalism protects the liberty of the individual from arbitrary power. When government acts in excess of its lawful powers, that liberty is at stake... Federalism also protects the liberty of all persons within a State by ensuring that laws enacted in excess of delegated governmental power cannot direct or control their actions... The limitations that federalism entails are not therefore a matter of rights belonging only to the States. States are not the sole intended beneficiaries of federalism. An individual has a direct interest in objecting to laws that upset the constitutional balance between the National Government and the States when the enforcement of those laws causes injury that is concrete, particular, and redressable. Fidelity to principles of federalism is not for the States alone to vindicate... The principles of limited national powers and state sovereignty are intertwined. While neither originates in the Tenth Amendment , both are expressed by it. Impermissible interference with state sovereignty is not within the enumerated powers of the National Government, and action that exceeds the National Government’s enumerated powers undermines the sovereign interests of States. The principles of limited national powers and state sovereignty are intertwined. While neither originates in the Tenth Amendment , both are expressed by it. Impermissible interference with state sovereignty is not within the enumerated powers of the National Government, and action that exceeds the National Government’s enumerated powers undermines the sovereign interests of States. The unconstitutional action can cause concomitant injury to persons in individual cases... [W]here the litigant is a party to an otherwise justiciable case or controversy, she is not forbidden to object that her injury results from disregard of the federal structure of our Government.
I am actually sort of surprised that this is a new holding, it seems bizarre to me that the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals could have ruled differently. The powers not delegated to the Federal government nor prohibited to the States "are reserved to the States respectively, OR TO THE PEOPLE." It seems fairly odd to reason that the people, facing injury from federal laws or convictions, should not be able to challenge based on the lack of authority of the federal government to make that law to begin with.
Well, glad they settled that, and that the Supreme Court got one right. Give credit where credit is due, while remembering that even a broken clock is right twice a day Tweet
Alan Reynolds: Why 70% Tax Rates Won't Work
In the Wall Street Journal, Alan Reynolds has a must-read: "Why 70% tax rates won't work." Tweet
Senator Rand Paul On "Obama’s Unconstitutional Libyan War"
Senator Rand Paul writes that our "Founding Fathers created a government with checks and balances to ensure collective judgment. By engaging our armed forces in the Libyan mission, the administration has gone against the founding principles on which our nation was built." To read the full article visit
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/15/obamas-unconstitutional-libyan-war/
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Hilarious: Larry Flynt Open Letter Offers Anthony Weiner A High-Paid Job
After having learned of your sudden and compelled resignation from your Congressional post, I would like to make you an offer of employment at Flynt Management Group, LLC in our Internet group. As a Congressman, you are known for your intensity and perseverance. I believe that this attitude, combined with your service in the House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce, will make you a valuable asset to this corporation.
This offer is not made in jest. To show our sincerity, Flynt Management Group, LLC is willing to pay twenty percent more than your former Congressional salary, ensuring that your medical benefits would be equal to what you were previously receiving. While you will have to relocate to our corporate offices in Beverly Hills, California, we would pay for all relocation costs.
Again, I cannot emphasize enough the genuineness of this offer. We are a serious corporation which, as you know, has been heavily involved in the political environment of this country for over thirty-five years. Our key missions have consistently included the crucial fight of battling hypocrisy within the federal and state governments. Flynt Management Group, LLC and Hustler Magazine have been dedicated to decades of serious political commentary. Just as we do not undertake insincere political crusades, we do not make insincere job offers.
While this employment opportunity is being offered in large part due to your qualifications and clear passion for making a change, I feel that your unfortunate resignation is a prime example of unfounded political pressure and the hypocrisy that has invaded democracy in Washington D.C. I hope you will sincerely consider this offer, and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Larry C. Flynt
TweetGeorge Will: In Ted Cruz, A Candidate As Good As It Gets
Support Ted Cruz! To read this article by George Will about the future Senator from Texas visit http://www.washingtonphttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifost.com/opinions/in-ted-cruz-a-candidate-as-good-as-it-gets/2011/06/14/AGdrmWWH_story.html Tweet
WSJ's James Taranto: "The Romney-Bachmann Ticket?" "
James Taranto writes in the Wall Street Journal: Whereas the argument for Pawlenty is that he is most things to all people--that few voters have any reason to be against him--Bachmann stirs genuine enthusiasm among two of the Republican factions most wary of Romney: the Tea Party and the religious right. A Romney-Bachmann ticket would be balanced in terms of ideology (he's moderate, she's conservative), governing style (he's technocratic, she's idealistic), religion (he's Mormon, she's evangelical) and, of course, sex. This column has no brief for Romney, but strictly as political analysis, we'd say a Romney-Bachmann ticket looks more formidable than the McCain-Palin ticket that lost in 2008. Romney, unlike McCain, has executive and private-sector experience. He's in his mid-60s, old enough that his maturity makes for an attractive contrast with Barack Obama, but not so old that anyone will wonder if he's up to the job.... As for Bachmann, her biggest advantage over Sarah Palin may be that she is now running for president. That means that if Romney were to name her a year hence, she would be a far more familiar and media-savvy politician than Palin was in 2008. She would be much less vulnerable to both smears from the partisan media and unforced errors like Palin's disastrous interview with Katie Couric, whoever that is. For those who care about such things, the presence of a woman on the ticket might serve as an excuse to vote against re-electing the first black president. To be sure, Bachmann is running for the presidential nomination, and while no one considers her the favorite, she's surely a shorter shot than she was a few days ago. But a rival who is able to attract significant support in the primaries is likely to bring more to the ticket than one who isn't. What did Joe Biden get Barack Obama other than comic relief? An interesting aside: A Romney-Bachmann ticket, or a Romney-Pawlenty one for that matter, would combine candidates from the only state Richard Nixon lost in 1972 and the only state Reagan lost in 1984. What's more, of the seven GOP candidates on stage Monday, all but Rick Santorum come from the home state of at least one Democratic presidential nominee since 1960. The four states in question--Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas--have produced a majority of Democratic nominees (8 of 13) during that time[I]f we assume Romney is to be the nominee--a big "if," let us emphasize--then another candidate's performance Monday amounted to a very effective audition for the vice presidency: Michele Bachmann.
Senate Votes To End Ethanol Subsidies
TweetThe vote also could have ramifications on future votes to reduce the deficit. Much of the GOP conference supported Feinstein’s bill even though it does not include another tax break to offset the elimination of the ethanol tax credit.
As such, the vote could also represent a setback for influential conservative Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), who said a vote for the plan would violate the anti-tax pledge most Republicans have signed unless paired with a separate tax-cutting amendment…
Feinstein’s amendment to an economic development bill would quickly end the credit of 45 cents for each gallon of ethanol that fuel blenders mix into gasoline. The credit led to $5.4 billion in foregone revenue last year, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The amendment also ends the 54-cent per gallon import tariff that protects the domestic ethanol industry.
George Will: Obamacare And Unconstitutional "Goverment By The 'Experts'"
To read this important article by George Will about the Goldwater Institute's lesser known Constitutional challenge to Obamacare, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/government-by-the-experts/2011/06/09/AGpU1KPH_story.html Tweet
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Beijing Battling Protest Fires On All Fronts
The Australian reports:AN eruption of protests throughout China has sent armoured vehicles into town centres, prompted an internet blackout by the government and left thousands across the country blogging about "crazy" violence on the streets.
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The summer surge of protests, which flared in the southern industrial hub of Zengcheng over the weekend, has been linked to a range of frustrations with modern China - furies that have drawn the government into crackdowns on activism and massive increases in the domestic security budget.
More than 1000 migrant workers went on the rampage in Zengcheng after a pregnant street vendor in her 20s was roughed up by security guards. Such incidents, while distressing, are not uncommon. Witnesses said that the centre of town was bedlam, with smashed windows, blazing police vehicles and teargas explosions as rioters hurled missiles at an official building. One bank worker blogged that the Bank of China had ordered an immediate halt to all ATM transactions.
In central Hubei province armoured cars were used last week to quell a riot over the death of Ran Jianxin, an official who had led the fight against corruption in the town of Lichuan but died mysteriously in police custody.
The protests followed bomb attacks on government facilities in two other cities in the past three weeks, and ethnic unrest in the northern region of Inner Mongolia last month.
Although few see China as a likely arena for uprisings in the style of the Arab Spring, Beijing remains terrified that the fast-rising tally of localised protests could be linked via mobile social networking and Twitter-style websites.
Some Chinese academics believe that the true number of protests in the country last year was more than 180,000. After several big clashes in recent weeks the names of half a dozen big towns have been eradicated from the search engines of the country's most popular microblogging sites.
One of the "disappeared" cities, Dongguan, is the fourth-largest producer of exports in the country and has a population only slightly smaller than London's.
The recent violence, however, has exposed the limits of the government's ability to control the urban population using internet censorship what party leaders refer to as "social management".
Authorities have turned to displays of raw power, deploying paramilitary police and armoured vehicles in at least three cities in as many weeks to prevent violence from spiralling further as protesters have repeatedly directed their anger at government buildings, often ostentatious symbols of power. What connects the violence is the way a flashpoint - in Inner Mongolia, the death of a Mongol at the hands of a Han Chinese truck driver, and in southern China, the assault by security personnel on a pregnant migrant worker - sets off much wider conflagrations.
Iran's President Ahmadenijad Calls For Post-Soviet Alliance To Unite Against West At Summit With Russia And China
The Canadian Press reports:Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Wednesday for a security alliance of several former Soviet nations and China to form a united front against the West.
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Ahmadinejad's address to fellow heads of state at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Kazakhstan will likely deepen suspicions that the bloc is intended as a counterweight to the United States across the region.
In a summit declaration signed by all the member states, the organization also attacked missile defence programs in another apparent dig at the United States.
"The one-sided and unlimited development of missile defence systems by one government or a narrow group of governments could cause damage to strategic stability and international security," the document said.
Much of Ahmadinejad's fiery speech was devoted to levelling an exhaustive series of thinly veiled accusations against unnamed Western countries, which he described as "enslavers, colonialists, (and) invaders."
"Which one of our countries (has played a role) in the black era of slavery, or in the destruction of hundreds of millions of human beings?" Ahmadinejad said, opening his address.
The Weinerlogues: Bill Maher And Jane Lynch Read Actual Messages From Anthony Weiner
GRAPHIC LANGUAGE WARNING:
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Taxpayer Money Well Spent: 1.9 Million Fewer Americans Have Jobs Today Than When Obama Signed Stimulus
CNSNews.com reports:
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Twenty-eight months after Congress passed President Obama’s signature economic stimulus law, and nearly one year after he declared the summer of 2010 to be “Recovery Summer,” 1.9 million fewer people are employed.
In February 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that 141.7 million people were employed. By the end of May 2011 – the last month for which data are available – that number had fallen to 139.8 million, a difference of 1.9 million.
While the number of people with jobs has increased slightly from its low point during the recession – 137.9 million in December 2009 – those 1.9 million jobs have been lost despite $800 billion in stimulus spending.
Democratic Caucus Meeting "Grew So Heated" Over Anthony Weiner
TweetThose tensions spilled out in a private Democratic Caucus meeting Tuesday when New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell laid out his views on the right and wrong ways to handle allegations of wrongdoing by a member of the caucus. He said he understands the need for certain Democrats — party leaders and those whose reelections could be affected by the scandal — to call on Weiner to resign, but then, by implication, scolded Pennsylvania Rep. Allyson Schwartz for jumping ahead of leadership last week when she told POLITICO that Weiner should step down and followed up with a round of national television interviews…
It grew so heated that many lawmakers left the meeting voluntarily, and aides were kicked out to try to prevent leaks…
Schwartz, the clear but unidentified target of Pascrell’s remarks, rose to defend herself during the meeting. She explained that she had been in a lawyer’s office in New York, dealing with her recently deceased father’s will, when she heard that Weiner had acknowledged “sexting” with six women over the course of three years. Schwartz, who is an advocate for women’s rights, was disgusted by Weiner’s behavior and felt he should resign. Without checking in with House leaders, she said, she decided to make her feelings public.
That made Pascrell even more upset: He would have preferred coordination — at least an effort to make sure it was the message party leaders and Weiner’s rank-and-file colleagues wanted.
10 Congressmen And A Law Professor Just Sued To Stop The War In Libya
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley and a handful of students filed a legal challenge today on behalf of 10 members of Congress protesting America's involvement in Libya.According to a press release today, Turley filed the litigation on behalf of:
- John Conyers, Jr (D., Mich)
- Dan Burton (R., Ind.)
- Mike Capuano (D., Mass.)
- Howard Coble, (R., N.C.)
- John Conyers, (D. Mich.)
- John J. Duncan (R., Tenn.)
- Tim Johnson (R., Ill.)
- Walter Jones (R., N.C.)
- Dennis Kucinich (D., Ohio)
- Ron Paul (R. Tex.)
The bi-partisan group are basing their argument on the War Powers Act of 1973 which states the president may not send troops into combat for more than 90 days total, without the express consent of Congress.
Hurley has handled many high-profile cases including the representation of five former Attorneys General.
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Oklahoma Supreme Court Upholds State Anti-Illegal Immigration Law
The Oklahoma Supreme Court yesterday upheld Oklahoma's anti-illegal immigration law which The law makes it illegal to knowingly transport illegal immigrants, creates state barriers to hiring illegal workers and requires proof of citizenship before a person can receive government benefits:
Tweet“It is not the place of the Supreme Court or any court to concern itself with a statute’s propriety, desirability, wisdom or its practicality as a working proposition,” the 25-page ruling states. “Such questions are plainly and definitely established by fundamental laws as functions of the legislative branch of government.”
5th Circuit Court Of Appeals Rules Illegal Aliens Do Not Have Second Amendment Right To Bear Arms
In today’s United States v. Portillo-Munoz, a divided Fifth Circuit panel holds that illegal aliens don’t have Second Amendment rights because they’re not part of “the people.” Here’s the core analysis from the majority:
TweetThe individual laying claim to the Second Amendment’s protections in Heller was a United States citizen, so the question of whether an alien, illegal or legal, has a right to bear arms was not presented, and the Court took care to note that it was not purporting to “clarify the entire field” of the Second Amendment. However, the Court’s language does provide some guidance as to the meaning of the term “the people” as it is used in the Second Amendment. The Court held the Second Amendment “surely elevates above all other interests the right of law-abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home.” Furthermore, the Court noted that “in all six other provisions of the Constitution that mention ‘the people,’ the term unambiguously refers to all members of the political community, not an unspecified subset” before going on to say that “[w]e start therefore with a strong presumption that the Second Amendment right is exercised individually and belongs to all Americans.” The Court’s language in Heller invalidates Portillo’s attempt to extend the protections of the Second Amendment to illegal aliens. Illegal aliens are not “law-abiding citizens” or “members of the political community,” and aliens who enter or remain in this country illegally and without authorization are not Americans as that word is commonly understood.
Prior to its decision in Heller, the Supreme Court interpreted the meaning of the phrase “the people” in the context of the Fourth Amendment and indicated that the same analysis would extend to the text of the Second Amendment. In United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez, the Court held that its analysis of the Constitution “suggests that ‘the people’ protected by the Fourth Amendment, and by the First and Second Amendments, ... refers to a class of persons who are part of a national community or who have otherwise developed sufficient connection with this country to be considered part of that community.” Portillo relies on Verdugo-Urquidez and argues that he has sufficient connections with the United States to be included in this definition of “the people,” but neither this court nor the Supreme Court has held that the Fourth Amendment extends to a native and citizen of another nation who entered and remained in the United States illegally.
Moreover, even if there were precedent for the proposition that illegal aliens generally are covered by the Fourth Amendment, we do not find that the use of “the people” in both the Second and the Fourth Amendment mandates a holding that the two amendments cover exactly the same groups of people. The purposes of the Second and the Fourth Amendment are different. The Second Amendment grants an affirmative right to keep and bear arms, while the Fourth Amendment is at its core a protective right against abuses by the government. Attempts to precisely analogize the scope of these two amendments is misguided, and we find it reasonable that an affirmative right would be extended to fewer groups than would a protective right....
The courts have made clear that the Constitution does not prohibit Congress from making laws that distinguish between citizens and aliens and between lawful and illegal aliens. We find that analysis persuasive in interpreting the text of the Second Amendment.
California Bankruptcy Court Holds DOMA Unconstitutional
In another ridiculous display of judicial activism, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, in an opinion signed by 20 of the court’s 25 judges, has held that Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally bars a married gay couple from filing a joint bankruptcy petition. The court absurdly relied on the arguments for heightened scrutiny of sexual-orientation discrimination contained in Attorney General Eric Holder’s letter announcing the new position of the DoJ on DOMA.
The Court wrote:
Visit http://www.stevelackner.com/2011/02/radical-position-taken-by-doj-and.html to see my analysis of that announcement. For more on a Federal District Court in Boston that also ruled DOMA unconstitutional in 2010 visit http://www.stevelackner.com/2010/07/boston-federal-district-court-wrongly.htmlAlthough individual members of Congress have every right to express their views and the views of their constituents with respect to their religious beliefs and principles and their personal standards of who may marry whom, this court cannot conclude that Congress is entitled to solemnize such views in the laws of this nation in disregard of the views, legal status and living arrangements of a significant segment of our citizenry that includes the Debtors in this case. To do so violates the Debtors’ right to equal protection of those laws embodied in the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Because this recent decision is based on the very faulty assumption that there is a Constitutional right to gay marriage that all State's must adhere to, visit http://www.stevelackner.com/2011/04/why-perry-v-schwarzenegger-2010-which.html for my analysis of Perry v. Schwarzenegger.
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Students Don't Know Basics Of U.S. History
The Wall Street Journal reports.
TweetThe results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed that U.S. schoolchildren have made little progress since 2006 in their understanding of key historical themes, including the basic principles of democracy and America’s role in the world.
Only 20% of U.S. fourth-graders and 17% of eighth-graders who took the 2010 history exam were “proficient” or “advanced,” unchanged since the test was last administered in 2006. Proficient means students have a solid understanding of the material.
The news was even more dire in high school, where 12% of 12th-graders were proficient, unchanged since 2006. More than half of all seniors posted scores at the lowest achievement level, “below basic.” While the nation’s fourth- and eighth-graders have seen a slight uptick in scores since the exam was first administered in 1994, 12th-graders haven’t.
Al-Shabaab: The American Connection
Raffaello Pantucci writes in the Guardian that there is "ample evidence of radicalised US citizens wooed to fight in Somalia. We need to ensure they don't bring the jihad home." Pantucci writes that the "news of another American suicide bomber shows, once again, the deadly allure of jihadism among a small number of young US citizens, but it also casts a light on the potential danger that allowing the conflict in Somalia to continue unabated poses. Now that we are at the third possible American suicide bomber in Somalia, it is time to take stronger measures to solve this problem – before it comes back to haunt us in the west."
To read the rest of the article visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jun/13/somalia-shabaab-terrorism
TweetAlabama Governor To Sign Law Banning Abortion After Week 20
BNO News reports that "Alabama Governor Robert Bentley will soon sign a bill that bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, his press secretary said on Tuesday. It follows similar restrictions introduced in a number of other states... The abortion bill, which makes no exceptions for cases of rape and incest, was passed by lawmakers on Thursday during the final day of the session. It makes it a felony to perform an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, unless the woman is at risk of death or serious physical harm as a result of the pregnancy. The 'Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act', which passed the Alabama legislature less than 30 minutes before the midnight deadline, will also require abortion providers to keep more extensive records on the number and type of abortions they have performed...Idaho, Indiana, Kansas and Oklahoma have passed similar restrictions earlier this year. Nebraska also passed a new law last year that put more restrictions on abortions. "
"Modern medical science furnishes us with compelling evidence that unborn children recoil from painful stimuli, that their stress hormones increase when they are subjected to any painful stimuli, and that they require anesthesia for fetal surgery," said Mary Spaulding Balch, director of state legislation for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC). "Therefore, the states have a compelling interest in protecting unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion."
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Tuesday, June 14, 2011
$400 Million Worth Of Earmarks This Year For Congressman Ron Paul's District
Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul — who is campaigning as a critic of congressional overspending — has revealed that he is requesting $400 million worth of earmarks this year.
The Wall Street Journal reports Paul's office says those requests include $8 million for the marketing of wild American shrimp and $2.3 million to pay for research into shrimp fishing.
A spokesman says, "Reducing earmarks does not reduce government spending, and it does not prohibit spending upon those things that are earmarked. What people who push earmark reform are doing is they are particularly misleading the public — and I have to presume it's not by accident."
Read more at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292334,00.html#ixzz1PJuYVKzU
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Wisconsin Senate Passes Concealed Carry Legislation
From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
The state Senate passed a concealed-carry measure by a 25-8 margin Tuesday, getting votes from all 19 Republicans and six Democrats, including Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee).
The measure now goes to the Assembly, where it is expected to pass. It would then go to Gov. Scott Walker, who supports the bill.
"This is a great victory for the people of Wisconsin and for the 2nd Amendment," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said in a statement. "The right to protect ourselves by legally carrying a firearm is long overdue and I'm glad we're joining 48 other states with this law - finally."
The measure would require people to get training and permits to carry concealed weapons, after some Republicans earlier pushed a bill that would let people do so without training or permits.
Wisconsin and Illinois are the only states that have outright bans on carrying concealed weapons. Gun rights advocates for years have pushed allowing concealed weapons in Wisconsin, but they were thwarted by then-Gov. Jim Doyle or Democrats in the Legislature.
Under the bill, the state Department of Justice would have to issue permits to state residents 21 or over who got training and cleared background checks that showed they were not felons or otherwise prohibited from carrying guns.
Republicans have said the law is necessary to ensure people have the right to protect themselves, while many Democrats have decried the plan because they say it would make the public unsafe.
People with permits from other states could carry concealed weapons in Wisconsin as long as they had gone through training and a background check.
Under current law, guns are banned in schools, on school grounds and in school zones - the area 1, 000 feet beyond school grounds. The bill would keep in place the ban on carrying guns in schools and on school grounds, but would allow permit holders to carry guns in areas just off school grounds.
Lawmakers passed bills to allow concealed weapons in 2003 and 2005, but then-Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed them. From then until recently, Democrats were able to block such bills because they controlled at least one house of the Legislature.
TweetWisconsin Supreme Court Reinstates Collective Bargaining Union Bill
TweetThe court found a committee of lawmakers was not subject to the state’s open meetings law, and so did not violate that law when they hastily approved the measure and made it possible for the Senate to take it up. In doing so, the Supreme Court overruled a Dane County judge who had struck down the legislation, ending one challenge to the law even as new challenges are likely to emerge.
The majority opinion was by Justices Michael Gableman, David Prosser, Patience Roggensack and Annette Ziegler. The other three justices – Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Justices Ann Walsh Bradley and N. Patrick Crooks – concurred in part and dissented in part…
Legislative leaders had said they would have inserted the limits on collective bargaining into the state budget late Tuesday if the court hadn’t acted by then. But the high court ruled just before that budget debate was to begin…
In its decision, the state’s high court concluded that “choices about what laws represent wise public policy for the state of Wisconsin are not within the constitutional purview of the courts.”
John Boehner Gives Obama Friday Deadline On Libya
The Washington Times reports:Stepping up a simmering constitutional conflict, House Speaker John A. Boehner warned President Obama on Tuesday that unless he gets authorization from Congress for his military deployment in Libya, he will be in violation of the War Powers Resolution.
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In a letter sent Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Boehner, the top Republican in the constitutional chain of succession, said Mr. Obama must provide a clear justification by Friday for committing troops to Libya.
Sunday marks the 90th day since the president notified Congress that U.S. troops had been committed to help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, which is designed to protect the rebels fighting Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s government.
“The Constitution requires the president to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed,’ and one of those laws is the War Powers Resolution, which requires an approving action by Congress or withdrawal within 90 days from the notification of a military operation,” Mr. Boehner said in the letter.
Muslim Brotherhood Leader: "Allah Has Warned Us [Of] The Tricks Of The Jews"
From the Investigative Project on Terrorism:
Anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism go hand-in-hand in the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology, as demonstrated in a recent speech by the group's leader Mohamed Badie. To Badie, the current problems in the Middle East have historical roots in a Jewish conspiracy, coupled with Masonic and American/Western elements."Allah has warned us the tricks of the Jews, and their role in igniting the fire of wars," Badie said in a speech posted to the Brotherhood's Arabic-language website on June 2 and translated by the Investigative Project on Terrorism. "The Almighty said: 'Every time they light the fires of war, Allah extinguishes them; and they labor hard to spread corruption on earth: and Allah does not love the spreaders of corruption."
According to Badie, "such was their [the Jewish] plot by night and by day to divide the Muslims, old and new." Their intentions could be traced from Napoleon to the founder of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, and on to the strife in Arab nations like Sudan. "We will only gain their land by feeding the fire of animosity between them, to facilitate their destruction by our hands," Badie claimed that Herzl said at a 1903 Masonic Conference.
As a part of this conspiracy, Badie argues that the West is in collaboration with the Jews. "O Muslims: I do not think that the West wants well for Muslims good," Badie said. "I do not imagine the Americo-Zionist alliance wants our blessed revolution to reach its objectives, in the forefront of which are: that we enjoy freedom in our land, that we be independent in our decision and that we have sovereignty over our homelands."
The speech underlines assertions that the Brotherhood has not reformed its ideology, despite public pronouncements on their website and in English-language comments to the media. The organization recently generated controversy by condemning the killing of Osama bin Laden, and for its support for terrorism and a shaky commitment to democratic principles.
Rob Natelson: How Pre-Revolution Pamphlets Help Show that a Key “Progressive” Constitutional Theory Is Wrong
Rob Natelson points out that "the Founders recognized that human activities are highly independent. Nevertheless, they made the deliberate choice to decentralize power in the interests of better government and human liberty." He looks at a pre-revolutionary document to demonstrate this, if additional evidence were even needed. To read this interesting article visit http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2011/06/13/pre-revolution-pamphlets-constitution/ to read for yourself. Tweet
House Speaker John Boehner Asked If Anthony Weiner Should Resign: "Yes"
One word is all it takes for that question:
TweetHouse Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday joined President Barack Obama and a chorus of other Democrats in suggesting that Rep. Anthony Weiner resign, while a member of Weiner’s New York congressional delegation said she expects him to quit soon.
Boehner, who until now has let Democrats wrestle with Weiner’s sexually charged messages and photos to several women, responded with a one-word answer when reporters asked whether Weiner should quit.
“Yes,” he responded.
CIA Plans Yemen Drone Strikes
The Wall Street Journal reports:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The Central Intelligence Agency is preparing to launch a secret program to kill al Qaeda militants in Yemen, where months of antigovernment protests, an armed revolt and the attempted assassination of the president have left a power vacuum, U.S. officials say.
The covert program that would give the U.S. greater latitude than the current military campaign is the latest step to combat the growing threat from al Qaeda's outpost in Yemen, which has been the source of several attempted attacks on the U.S. and is home to an American-born cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, who the U.S. sees as a significant militant threat.
The CIA program will be a major expansion of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Yemen. Since December 2009, U.S. strikes in Yemen have been carried out by the U.S. military with intelligence support from CIA. Now, the spy agency will carry out aggressive drone strikes itself alongside the military campaign, which has been stepped up in recent weeks after a nearly yearlong hiatus
The U.S. military strikes have been conducted with the permission of the Yemeni government. The CIA operates under different legal restrictions, giving the administration a freer hand to carry out strikes even if Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, now receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, reverses his past approval of military strikes or cedes power to a government opposed to them.
The CIA program also affords the U.S. greater operational secrecy, and because CIA drones use smaller warheads than most manned military aircraft, U.S. officials hope they will reduce the risk of civilian casualties and minimize any anti-American backlash in Yemen.
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Obama: "There Are Days Where I Say One Term Is Enough"
We'll be doing our part to oblige your desire:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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Rivkin And Casey, Lawyers Representing 26 States Challenging Obamacare: "Why ObamaCare Is Losing In The Courts"
The two attorneys write in the Wall Street Journal that "when we first articulated ObamaCare's fundamental constitutional flaws in these pages nearly two years ago, our objections were met with derision by the law's defenders. Those who have been following the unfolding litigation are no longer laughing." To read the full article aobut how "the government's lawyers keep changing their arguments as each one is exposed as constitutionally suspect" visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303714704576383443814815916.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop Tweet
Obama On Anthony Weiner: "If It Was Me, I Would Resign,"
Tweet“I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign,’’ Obama told Curry…
“When you get to the point where, because of various personal distractions, you can’t serve as effectively as you need to, at the time when people are worrying about jobs, and their mortgages, and paying the bills — then you should probably step back,’’ Obama said.
Obama added that what Weiner did was “highly inappropriate’’ and that he has “embarrassed himself” and his wife and family, but said it will ultimately come down to a decision by Weiner and his constituents as to whether he will continue in office.
Obama Reaches Out To Wall Street Donors For Cash
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A few weeks before announcing his re-election campaign, President Obama convened two dozen Wall Street executives, many of them longtime donors, in the White House’s Blue Room.
The guests were asked for their thoughts on how to speed the economic recovery, then the president opened the floor for over an hour on hot issues like hedge fund regulation and the deficit.
Mr. Obama, who enraged many financial industry executives a year and a half ago by labeling them “fat cats” and criticizing their bonuses, followed up the meeting with phone calls to those who could not attend.
The event, organized by the Democratic National Committee, kicked off an aggressive push by Mr. Obama to win back the allegiance of one of his most vital sources of campaign cash — in part by trying to convince Wall Street that his policies, far from undercutting the investor class, have helped bring banks and financial markets back to health.
Last month, Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, Jim Messina, traveled to New York for back-to-back meetings with Wall Street donors, ending at the home of Marc Lasry, a prominent hedge fund manager, to court donors close to Mr. Obama’s onetime rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton. And Mr. Obama will return to New York this month to dine with bankers, hedge fund executives and private equity investors at the Upper East Side restaurant Daniel.
Alan Dershowitz: Why Dominique Strauss-Kahn Will Settle
Alan Dershowitz writes that "this case is going to be resolved outside the courtroom. There are three distinctive parties in this case, all of whom have different interests. There is the prosecution, Cy Vance; he wants to go to trial and he wants to get a conviction. Clearly the defendant wants to avoid trial and wants to see if he can work out a deal that’s acceptable to him. And my sense is that the victim would like a big payday. Why does she want to make a deal now? Why not wait until the conviction, and then sue? [Because] the defendant doesn’t have much money. All the money is his wife’s money. And if you win a suit—let’s assume she wins a $10 million judgment against him. She’s not going to collect it. He’ll go bankrupt. Whereas if she settles the case, the wife pays up. So the difference is between getting, say, a million right now from the wife, or $10 million from the husband which the lawyer has to spend the rest of his life chasing. It’s in DSK’s best interest to settle this case. It’s only not in Vance’s interest to settle the case. You saw in the paper that the lawyer for the victim is 'working together' with the prosecution. Nonsense. He’s probably working together with the defense. They have a joint interest."
To read the full article in Newsweek visit http://www.newsweek.com/2011/06/12/alan-dershowitz-why-dsk-will-settle.html
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Rasmussen: Just 26% Favor Continued Military Action In Libya
Rasmussen reports:A plurality of voters now opposes further U.S. military action in Libya, and most say President Obama needs congressional approval to continue those operations.
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A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 26% of Likely U.S. Voters feel the United States should continue its military actions in Libya. Forty-two percent (42%) are opposed and 32% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
MSNBC Anchor Falsely Claims That LBJ Never Got Elected
"As we all know," the anchors on MSNBC don't know what they are talking about. But that's okay, they will just spend the time criticizing Palin over Paul Revere when their own anchors don't even know that Lyndon Baines Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in 1964:
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Sunday, June 12, 2011
Israel's National Bible Contest Led Scientist To Discover That Cinnamon Could Combat Alzheimers
A cinnamon extract inhibits the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD ), Tel Aviv University scientists have discovered.Tweet
The scientists, headed by Prof. Michael Ovadia of the zoology department in the life sciences faculty, have isolated a substance from the cinnamon plant, referred to as CEppt, which inhibited the disease in laboratory mice...
Ovadia was interested in cinnamon attributes already as a youth, when he took part in the National Bible Contest and was asked about the substances comprising the holy paste the priests used to spread on the altar before the sacrifices.
"I had a blackout, and remembered the materials, which include cinnamon, just as the gong went," he says.
The substances, including also myrrh, cassia, fragrant cane and olive oil, appear in Exodus chapter 30, verses 23-25.
"The question bothered me for years. I decided to examine cinnamon's attributes and have been doing so, until I made the current discovery," he says.
Daily Telegraph's US Editor Toby Harnden: "Sarah Palin Email Frenzy Backfires On Her Media Antagonists"
The Telegraph writes:The trove of more than 13,000 emails detailing almost every aspect of Sarah Palin’s governorship of Alaska, released late on Friday, paints a picture of her as an idealistic, conscientious, humorous and humane woman slightly bemused by the world of politics.
One can only assume that the Left-leaning editors who dispatched teams of reporters to remote Juneau, the Alaskan capital, to pore over the emails in the hope of digging up a scandal are now viewing the result as a rather poor return on their considerable investment.
If anything, Mrs Palin seems likely to emerge from the scrutiny of the 24,000 pages, contained in six boxes and weighing 275 pounds, with her reputation considerably enhanced. As a blogger at Powerline noted, the whole saga might come to be viewed as “an embarrassment for legacy media”.
To read the full article visit http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyharnden/100091820/american-way-sarah-palin-email-frenzy-backfires-on-her-media-antagonists/
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Ninth Circuit Panel Finds (By 2–1 Vote) That Jordanian Government Acquiesces In Honor Killings, Holds Jordanian Woman May Not Be Deported
The decision from this past week in Suradi v. Holder:
Iman Khalil Suradi (“Suradi”), a native and citizen of Jordan, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA) rejection of her application for deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). We grant the petition and remand to the BIA for further proceedings consistent with this disposition.
To establish eligibility for deferral of removal under CAT, Suradi must demonstrate “only a chance greater than fifty percent that [she] will be tortured if removed” to Jordan. The torture may be “inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.” “Acquiescence of a public official requires that the public official, prior to the activity constituting torture, have awareness of such activity and thereafter breach his or her legal responsibility to intervene to prevent such activity.” ...
The record compels the conclusion that Suradi will more likely than not be killed in an honor killing if she is removed to Jordan. Suradi testified that it is “something definite” that she will be killed due to the shame of her extramarital affairs and drug conviction. Under § 1208.16(c)(2), this testimony alone, even if not corroborated, may be sufficient to sustain her burden. However, her brother corroborated her testimony, stating, “It’s not I think. I know that she will [be killed].” In addition, Suradi provided several articles and country reports describing the problem of honor killings in Jordan, a fact which the IJ acknowledged.
Substantial evidence does not support the IJ’s finding that Suradi has not reported any threats from her family or husband. This finding is directly contrary to Suradi’s credible testimony; her declaration in support of her asylum application asserts that her husband has explicitly threatened to kill her to “cleanse the dishonor” caused by her extramarital affairs in the U.S. Suradi also declares that her family has “threatened that I must end [an extramarital] relationship otherwise I would pay the price.”
Because the IJ and BIA were required to accept Suradi’s testimony as true, Ornelas-Chavez, 458 F.3d at 1056, and the testimony of both Suradi and her brother indicate it is nearly certain that Suradi will be killed, the record compels the conclusion that it is more likely than not that Suradi will be subjected to an honor killing by her family or estranged husband. There is no evidence in the record rebutting her credible testimony....
The IJ’s finding that the Jordanian government does not acquiesce in honor killings is not supported by substantial evidence. Purporting to rely on the State Department’s human rights report on Jordan, the IJ found that there were only sixteen honor killings in Jordan in 2008, and that these killings were prosecuted by the government. Therefore, the IJ concluded that Suradi had failed to meet her burden to show that the government would more likely than not be unable or unwilling to prevent the harm. However, the IJ’s finding was based on a clear misreading of the State Department report.
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Filipino To Be Named By Guinness Book Of World Records As Shortest Man
The AP reports that officials "say a Filipino about two feet tall is expected to be named the world's shortest man when he turns 18 on Sunday. Lolit Homay, municipal health officer in Zamboanga del Norte province's Sindangan township, says Junrey Balawing was measured at about 24 inches (61 centimeters) from head to foot lying down and slightly above 23 inches (58 centimeters) standing up Saturday. A representative of Guinness World Records is to announce the official measurements on Sunday. Current record holder Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal is 26.4 inches tall. Municipal administrator Allan Selda says the local government is preparing to celebrate the expected Guinness announcement with balloons and a cake for Balawing."
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2012 Vote To Oveturn Proposition 8 And Allow Gay Marriage Unlikely In California; Liberals Once Again Plan On Relying On Illegitmate Judicial Activism
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[W]ith a pending federal court case showing promise and major donors reluctant to step forward, it is unlikely that California voters will revisit same-sex marriage anytime soon.
“I’m not aware of a single donor who would support a ballot measure campaign,” said Chad Griffin, the co-founder and board president of the American Foundation for Equal Rights. “A ballot would be unwise, foolish and, in fact, dangerous.”
That danger, according to several leaders in the gay community, comes from the potential impact that a failed effort in 2012 could have on the federal case, which was brought in 2009 by Mr. Griffin’s group. Mr. Griffin, an experienced fund-raiser, hired the high-powered legal team of David Boies and Theodore B. Olson to pursue a constitutional challenge to the law, and last August, a federal judge — Vaughn R. Walker of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California — sided with opponents of Proposition 8, finding that the voter-approved law violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process.
But the legal machinations continue on several fronts: Judge Walker’s decision has been appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and on Monday, there will be a hearing before another district court judge regarding a motion to vacate Judge Walker’s decision because of his sexual orientation. (Judge Walker, who retired in February, is gay.)
Regardless of how the lower courts rule, most legal analysts believe the Boies-Olson case will eventually be decided by the United States Supreme Court. No one seems to want anything to happen outside the courtroom to prejudice judges at any level.
Teacher In Kuwait Fired For Praising Jews
Israel National News reports:
A teacher in Kuwait has been sacked after holding up Jewish ethics as a role model for students to follow. The teacher, an Arab, was rebuking two quarreling students at the Abdullah Al Nouri elementary school in Kuwait City....Tweet“She stopped them and told them they must respect and love each other in line with our Islamic principles,” reported the paper. "If the Jews respect each other, why can't we learn from our Prophet.... and respect each other," the report quoted her....
Evan Sayet: Why I'm A Global Warming Skeptic
I am a global warming skeptic (to say the least) specifically because I have thought through the issue and the claims of the alarmists just don’t http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifadd up. What follows is my thinking and what it is that has led me to conclude that global-warming is a leftist farce which is being perpetuated for both financial and political reasons.
To read the full article by Evan Sayet at Front Page Magazine visit http://frontpagemag.com/2011/06/10/why-im-a-global-warming-skeptic/
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TMZ Releases New Photos Anthony Weiner In House Gym, Including Nude Photo
TMZ has new photos (to see photos click here) or self-portraits from Rep. Anthony Weiner. TMZ also reports that he sent the photos to at least one woman. This creep needs to resign and not take a lame "leave of absence" in hopes that everything is forgotten in the interim while he seeks "therapy" for being an egotistical Congressman who thought he could get away with anything.
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Hamas Breaks Attendance Record In Latest Child Indoctrination Camps
TweetHamas is reporting record turnouts for its summer camps for children in 2011. The 'summer camps,' combining Islamic indoctrination, paramilitary training, and social activities are set to begin again this year as United Nation’s summer camps, considered competition by Hamas, are being openly denigrated by jihadists. "... The United Nations Relief and Works Agency summer camp system hosted 250,000 children and adolescents in 2010. This year, as with previous years, the UN camps were harassed by jihadist terrorists. On May 23, 2010 a group of 30 armed, masked men broke into an UNRWA summer camp site and burned it to the ground. On the night of June 28, 2010 armed, masked men broke into another UNRWA camp site in the Al-Zuweida region in central Gaza and set it on fire. In both incidents the arsonists were not identified.
Greta Van Susteran: What If Another House Member Objects To Anthony Weiner Taking A Leave Of Absence?
Here’s what’s interesting….
A leave of absence must be requested on the floor. This is usually a perfunctory, moot exercise, with no one objecting.
But….
It is conceviable that if someone does object…the leave is not granted. And, it’s possible a debate and even a vote could ensue on the merits or demerits of granting leave.
If Weiner asks for leave, it would not surprise me if someone were to object on the floor. Then we’re into uncharted territory.
Read more: http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/what-if-some-other-congressman-objects-to-congressman-weiners-request-for-a-leave-of-absence/#ixzz1P5K7pGQ7 Tweet
David Brooks On Obstacles Israel Faces To Peace: "The Depravity Factor"
David Brooks writes:
It doesn’t matter how great a law professor or diplomat you are. It doesn’t matter how masterly you sequence the negotiations or what magical lines you draw on a map. There won’t be peace so long as depraved regimes are part of the picture. That’s why it’s crazy to get worked into a lather about who said what about the 1967 border. As long as Hamas and the Assad regime are in place, the peace process is going nowhere, just as it’s gone nowhere for lo these many years.
To read the full article visit http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/opinion/03brooks.html?_r=1 Tweet
Deficit Set To Exceed $1 trillion For Third Straight Year
Politico: Sarah Palin E-Mails Bring "Back The Memory Of A Long-Lost Palin: The Popular, Charismatic, Competent Woman Of The People"
Politico writes that "the emails from her governorship, released Friday, brought back the memory of a long-lost Palin: the popular, charismatic, competent woman of the people." To read more visit http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56750.html#ixzz1P2x0J2CU
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