We never were. Read the Constitution. But Obama is ruffling some feathers on the right, because he actually said that at a press conference. At a press conference in Turkey, President Obama casually rebuked the old chestnut that the United States is a Judeo-Christian nation. "One of the great strengths of the United States," the President said, "is … we have … Read More
Pittsburgh Shootings
I’m afraid we are going to see a lot more of this: A man opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call Saturday morning, killing three of them, a police official said. Friends said he feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns. Three officers were killed, said a police official at the scene who spoke on condition … Read More
Binghamton Shootings
Death toll up to 13, some reports say. It's not even clear, as I write this, if the situation is over with. Some reports say a man was arrested, some say two men were arrested, and still others say there is a hostage situation. [UPDATE 2:45 pm — Now hearing it was a single gunman, and he is dead.] It's … Read More
Kudos To Iowa
It's one thing when Massachusetts courts recognizes a constitutional right to gay marriage, but when it happens in the "middle America" state of Iowa, that's an entirely different thing: The Iowa Supreme Court this morning unanimously upheld gays’ right to marry. “The Iowa statute limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violates the equal protection … Read More
NC Nursing Home Shooting And Other Mass Killings
Somehow, this possible motive doesn't make the killings any less senseless. Speaking of senseless killing, I'm not looking forward to next month. On April 19, 1993, following a 51-day standoff, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas. A fire, later determined to have been set by the Davidians, destroyed the compound and killed 57 of its residents. On … Read More
Today’s Favorite Lede Paragraph Of A News Story
AP: FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Police in Connecticut say a woman attempting to reconcile with her husband handcuffed herself to him as he slept and then bit him on his torso and arms. Yeah. Um. Yeah. For some strange reason, her attempt at reconciliation didn't work. Ok, ok. Here's the 911 call…
I Love Michelle Bachman
This is why. She presses Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on the Constitiutional authority for the Treasury to give out TARP money, apparently not understanding that Congress, of which she is a member, passed a bill which provided not only the TARP money, but the authority of the Treasury to dole it out. In an interview with after the hearing, Bachmann … Read More
2,116 North Carolina Sex Offenders Are On MySpace
CNN has the story: More than 2,100 registered North Carolina sex offenders were found on the social networking site MySpace, the state attorney general's office said Tuesday. In response to a subpoena from state Attorney General Roy Cooper, "MySpace turned over the names, IP and e-mail addresses of 2,116 convicted North Carolina sex offenders found on its social networking Web … Read More
Prop 8 Court Challenge Primer
Today is the day of oral arguments in California Supreme Court, as justices hear challenges to Proposition 8, which passed by citizen vote last election. Prop 8 prohibits gay marriages. Four of the seven justices were convinced last spring that a prohibition on same-sex marriage violated a "fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship." But that is not the … Read More
Rude Pundit On The Yoo Memos
It's NSFW or the faint of heart, but he's right on target. Here's a taste (and you've been warned): The Rude Pundit has always looked on the Constitution fondly, like an old lover who occasionally calls to reminisce about all those wonderful steamy evenings in fine hotels in Boston and Philadelphia, that passionate headboard-thumping sex, the mornings in each other's … Read More
The Bush Legal Memos
As much as possible, I've resisted Bush-bashing since he was ushered out of office. He's gone, let's go forward I figure. But certain legal memos of the Bush Administration, released yesterday, really are truly frightening. Michael Isikoff from Newsweek gives an example: In perhaps the most surprising assertion, the Oct. 23, 2001, memo suggested the president could even suspend press freedoms … Read More
What Hath Rush, Hannity And O’Reilly Wrought?
James Adkisson has been sentenced to life behind bars for the deaths of Greg McKendry and Linda Kraeger, the Unitarian Universalist church-goers who died during his assault on their church in Knoxville, TN last July. What Adkisson left behind is his four-page handwritten manifesto, which can be read here (PDF format). It's a reiteration of the talking points of Rush Limbaugh, … Read More
Time To Change The Fourth Circuit
This op-ed piece in the New York Times reminds me: we can (and should) do something about the Fourth Circuit. The article is written by Judge Wilkinson, a staunch conservative, and a main driving force that gives the Fourth Circuit the reputation as being the most conservative in the country. The Fourth Circuit is the federal court of appeals (one … Read More
To Boldly Split Verbs Where No One Has Split Them Before
Did Chief Justice Roberts mess up the Constitutional oath? Or was he just a stickler for proper English grammar? The oath says "…will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States…". Roberts prompted Obama to say "…to execute the Office of the President of the United States faithfully…" But this op-ed suggests that Roberts simply was using … Read More