Daily Archives: September 20, 2011

Rebecca Burgoyne at California Family Council: With Democrats firmly in control of the Legislature, the list of bills on the governor’s desk reads like a list of favors pandering to special interests.

Ynetnews: British Foreign Minister William Hague said the European Union was withholding its position on a looming Palestinian bid for UN membership in a bid to force a return to peace talks with Israel.

LifeSiteNews.com: Under pressure from homosexual activists, PayPal has decided to deny service to famed Brazilian pro-life and pro-family Christian activist Julio Severo.

LifeSiteNews.com: Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston condemned the efforts of a pro-euthanasia group to legalize assisted suicide in Massachusetts in his homily at the diocesan Red Mass this past Sunday, CNA reports.

CBC News: A B.C. man who was abandoned as a teenager is being sued by his elderly mother for parental support.

Mary Honeyball at Public Service Europe: Finally, the organisation works in a realm where the notion of human rights varies wildly – depending on which country you are in. Some places do not have much of a tradition in upholding human rights, while the UK has one of the best records. With different standards, it makes the playing field somewhat uneven and difficult to monitor. And, I should imagine, it is a real problem within the ECHR. Every country can better its human rights standards, including the UK – which McDonald fails to see.

Guardian.co.uk: European court of human rights says removal would breach right to family life in ruling that could curtail Home Office powers.

Center for Reproductive Rights: In May, the U.N. Committee against Torture reviewed the Republic of Ireland’s initial periodic report. The Committee’s concluding observations reiterated the European Court for Human Rights’ concerns expressed in its judgment in the case of A, B, and C v. Ireland , to which the Center for Reproductive Rights, and their partner, submitted a friend-of-the-court brief.

Page Gardner at the Huffington Post: The U.S. Census Bureau has made it official: we have entered the era of Unmarried America. And this week, “National Unmarried and Single Americans Week,” is a good time for our nation’s lawmakers, business owners and state governments to acknowledge and respond to what the 2010 Census has made abundantly clear: the days of Ozzie and Harriet are dead

Washington Examiner (includes video): Former Democratic National Committee Chairman, and doctor, Howard Dean backed a McKinsey & Co. survey today that found that almost a third of private-sector employers will drop their employee health insurance coverage when Obamacare’s government-managed insurance exchanges come online.

San Jose Mercury News: But these students weren’t waiting for a football pep rally or a school assembly. They had been separated from the rest of the student body because they couldn’t prove they had received a preventive shot for whooping cough.

LifeNews.com: Human Life International (HLI) Kenya led several student organizations in a peaceful protest last week of a conference convened in Kenya to develop strategies on implementing stealth abortion-legalizing provisions from Kenya’s year-old revised constitution.

CNSnews.com: The appeal by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) followed a three-month investigation across Nigeria’s restive shari’a belt – the 12 northern states where Islamic law has been implemented since the late 1990s.

Greg Baylor at Townhall : In March 2011, the school board in Douglas County, Colo., voted 7-0 to implement a school voucher program. It was designed to provide concerned parents with 75 percent of the education money provided by the state for their children if the parents preferred to send their children to the private school of their choice.

On September 14, the court ruled that Charles G. Hatchett, a resident of Whitewater, cannot be made to register with the state and include a disclaimer on post cards and flyers urging his fellow residents to vote against a referendum

CBS News (includes video): However, one of them, former Air Force Maj. Mike Almy is choosing a different route: The former soldier, who served for 13 years before he was discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, has chosen to sue to be reinstated.

LifeNews.com: The Scientist has a great article called “Skipping Pluripotency.” What is pluripotency? Pluripotent is a term used to describe a cell that is undifferentiated. A pluripotent cell can become most or all of the cell types in the body.

Concurring Opinions : What we have seen is really a combination of two distorted beliefs: the traditional belief that lawyering is a lucrative profession and the reasonable belief that jobs achieved post-law school are legal jobs. Law schools are also aware of these distortions, lending to an information asymmetry which schools have very few incentives to correct. In short, we have a recipe for trouble.

The Christian Institute: A prominent Scottish historian has warned new sectarianism legislation could bring Scottish law “into disrepute”.

Haaretz Daily Newspaper: Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at Likud conference, says has tried to approach Palestinian President Abbas several times for negotiations, to no avail.

Mirror of Justice: On May 2-4, 2012, Touro Law Center will host the biennial Conference of Religiously Affiliated Law Schools. The Conference will explore a variety of important issues related to the general theme of “The Place of Religion in the Law School, the University, and the Practice of Law. ”

Robert George at Mirror of Justice: During my recent visit to Notre Dame to participate in the wonderful conference in honor of John Finnis organized by Gerry Bradley, I also had the opportunity to give a lecture for the ND Law School Federalist Society chapter. The campus newspaper called the Irish Rover has published a story on my remarks, but the reporter, though plainly well-intentioned, didn’t quite manage to report everything accurately. So here is the text of what I actually said . . .

Pat Buchanan at Human Events: For the third straight year, the median income of the typical American family fell in 2010. Adjusted for inflation, it is back where it was in 1996, the longest period of zero growth since the Depression.

Robert Maginnis at Human Events: The Pentagon’s 2011 annual report on sexual assault exposes a massive leadership failure. Only 13.5% of total assaults are reported, says the Pentagon, because service members are “uncomfortable” with reporting or “fear reprisal.” Besides, the report indicates male victims of sexual assault vary from 6% to 20% of all incidents across the services. How will open homosexuality impact this problem?

NYTimes.com: The video is dull — seminar room, dim lights, PowerPoint — but its message from an F.B.I. counterterrorism analyst is provocative: fighting Al Qaeda and other extremist groups is a “waste” compared to the broader threat posed by Islam itself.

Chron.com blog: Chief Justice John Roberts has publicly called for an end to Senate gridlock in judicial appointments. In his 2010 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary he summarized his concerns about judicial vacancies . . . [see the chart]

SFGate.com blog: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke Thursday at the same San Francisco forum where, a year earlier, Justice Antonin Scalia had declared that the Constitution — as properly interpreted — doesn’t prohibit sex discrimination.

allAfrica.com: : The weighty, scandalous and damaging revelations by Wikileaks reports in the last two weeks about a possible conspiracy between some highranking judicial officers and highlyplaced government officials to subvert justice in Nigeria elicit many compelling questions that should not be left answered.

Colorado Springs Gazette, CO: A gay rights group kicked off the repeal of the U.S. military’s ban on openly gay troops with a protest outside the world’s largest Navy base that called for an expansion of benefits for gay and lesbian military members.

Teresa Collett at University Faculty for Life: In 2007 the United Nations Committee on the implementation of the Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women urged Liechtenstein to liberalize its abortion laws.

Hawaii News Now (includes video): Tess and Jamie Meier walked out of District Court, accompanied by their attorneys after their arraignment. Back in August, the two were protesting gender equality rights along Kalakaua avenue, by going topless. | ACLU press release

Iowa Republicans will have a shot on Nov. 8 to knock Democrats from their one-seat senate majority due to Gov. Terry Branstad’s appointment of a Democratic senator to the Iowa Utilities Board.

NPR (includes audio): A new study finds 3,000 cases of young immigrant women being forced into marriage — across 47 U.S. states — and it suggests the issue is dramatically underreported. Those who refuse can face threats of violence, ostracism from their families, and financial repercussions that can lead to homelessness. Yet, advocates say there is very little legal recourse in this country.

International Business Times: Brazil is on track to meet targets to improve maternal health, goal No. 5 of the Millennium Development Goals, U.N. targets that countries worldwide have pledged to achieve by 2015.

Reuters: Anti-abortion activists plan a rally at the Ohio statehouse on Tuesday to support passage of what would be the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the country — a bill that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

Houston Chronicle: Schmidt filed the lawsuit Monday to block the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing the new rules.

The Asheville Citizen-Times: A pastor who spoke in support of a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage says he’s had “hateful” voice messages and a sign taped to his church’s marquee.

LifeSiteNews.com: The National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth has denied access to a series of “masterclasses” that include a course on the subject, “Termination of Pregnancy: a lawful choice,” to pro-life protesters who oppose the school’s promotion of a program that contradicts Irish law on abortion.

LifeSiteNews.com: The Colombian Senate is scheduled to begin a debate this week on a constitutional reform that would prohibit abortion in all circumstances, according to local media reports.

LifeSiteNews.com: The fact that a sitting judge would recognize the preposterous notion of “wrongful birth” — stop for a minute and consider the implications of that statement — makes it crystal clear that some people, based on their ability, should not have been permitted to be born.

LifeSiteNews.com: What if a candidate supported terrorism? Would citizens say, “Well, I disagree with you on terrorism, but what’s your health care plan? Maybe we can work together on some social programs. After all, terrorism isn’t the only issue.”

News from The Associated Press: The governor is scheduled to announce this year’s amount Tuesday morning. Last year’s check was $1,281 per person.

Religion Clause: In Pakistan, the Lahore High Court is hearing a lawsuit seeking a permanent ban in the country on access to the social netwrking site Facebook because it has hosted a page titled “2nd Annual Draw Muhammad Day-May 20, 2011.”

OneNewsNow.com: Another abortionist is threatening to open an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas, where there has been none since the death of late-term abortionist George Tiller more than two years ago.

OneNewsNow.com: The Los Angeles Board of Education has passed a plan to include in its curriculum more positive teachings on LGBT figures. The initiative’s author, Steve Zimmer, says the curriculum is needed to ensure that homosexual students are respected and not bullied.

Cynthia Hsu at Findlaw: U.S. Supreme Court Justice and resident Constitutional stalwart Clarence Thomas’ recent Nebraska trip served up some insight into his legal jurisprudence. And his view toward elite, Old Guard law schools.

. . . the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the religious exemption in the federal Fair Housing Act applies to shield from religious discrimination claims an organization that sponsors Christian homeless shelters and a drug treatment program.

Religion Clause: In Carrollton Presbyterian Church v. Presbytery of South Louisiana of the Presbyterian Church (USA), (LA App., Sept. 14, 2011), a Louisiana state appellate court upheld the right of a Presbyterian congregation to sell real property titled in its name. It held that the so-called “Dennis Canon” does not apply.

SCOTUSblog: Sept. 20 was set as the end date after President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in July officially informed Congress that the services were ready to implement Congress’s repeal of the “don’t ask/don’t tell” law. This memo on repeal was released by the Pentagon early Tuesday morning. The text of the repeal law can be read here.

News from The Associated Press: But over two decades, attitudes shifted, America changed and these youngsters grew up, winning coveted spots to study in the top military academies. Now they’re giving a collective shrug to the end of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era.

News from The Associated Press: Meanwhile, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., announced he’s running for Alexander’s post as chairman of the Republican Conference.

News from The Associated Press: “Gay marriage is one of the thornier issues. An initial move by the Navy earlier this year to train chaplains about same-sex civil unions in states where they are legal was halted after more than five dozen lawmakers objected. The Pentagon is reviewing the issue.”

Michael Brown at Townhall: These, then, are some of the questions that must be answered in the current debate. First, what is marriage? Conservatives would point out that, with virtually no exception until recently, marriage has always been the union of a man and woman, not simply the union of two people. Second, why should marriage consist of only two parties? Supporters of natural, organic marriage argue that marriage consists of only two people because of the uniqueness of the male-female union. Otherwise, what’s so important about the number two? Why not more? Third, since most Americans agree that government should have limited involvement in the lives of its citizens, why is the state involved in the issue of marriage?

The Washington Post: A civil liberties group in Los Angeles has amended its lawsuit alleging the FBI spied in mosques to include new claims the bureau used anti-Muslim training materials.

Library Journal: Registered sex offenders are now barred from stepping foot inside any of the 19 libraries in Knox County, TN, following an executive order issued Sept. 12 by county mayor Tim Burchett. It’s believed to be the first such ban enacted in the Volunteer State, and within days the policy yielded its first arrest as well as a rebuke from the ACLU of Tennessee.

Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner said in his decision that the state’s marital classification violates the Alaska Constitution’s equal protection clause. The ruling was signed Friday and released Monday by ACLU of Alaska.

LifeNews.com: Although Planned Parenthood officials like to talk about how a small percentage of the “services” it provides women are abortion-related, an analysis from Live Action indicates 38.4 percent of its income is derived from abortions.

eSchool News (July/August 2011) reports.

TheHill.com: Led by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), more than 50 Republicans have signed on to a letter asking the leadership to abide by the $1.019 trillion spending cap for fiscal 2012 in the House-passed GOP budget, not the $1.043 trillion ceiling included in the debt deal.

Education News: A group of 30 scientists have signed a statement saying it is “unacceptable” to teach creationism and intelligent design, whether it happens in science lessons or not. The statement claims two organisations, Truth in Science and Creation Ministries International are “touring the UK and presenting themselves as scientists and their creationist views as science”.

OneNewsNow.com: “The ACLU cannot set its own opinion up over the Supreme Court or the United States Constitution and decades of legal precedent,” Cortman contends. “‘Lip service is students’ First Amendment protective rights to express their religious beliefs at school’ is a flimsy cover for the ACLU’s real agenda, which is imposing restrictions that trample these rights.”

LifeNews.com: he appeal was filed by the Jubilee Campaign, a Christian law firm, and their co-counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. The Obama administration, via the National Institute of Health’s regulations permitted the federal funding of “research in which” human embryos are “knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death.” Sam Casey, pro-life attorney arguing the case, commented on the appeal, saying, “Each time grant-awarding officials and federally funded scientists support or engage in hESC research, living human embryos are ‘knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death,’ in violation of the federal law known as the Dickey-Wicker Amendment.

LaTimes.com: The latest example is a battle between the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative public-interest law firm, and the Idaho Public Charter School Commission. The commission threatened to revoke the charter of a school if it used any “religious document or text” — including the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Koran and the Bible — or even made those works available in the classroom.

Thomson Reuters: For the gay marriage opponents: Charles Cooper, David Thompson, Howard Nielson, Nicole Moss and Peter Patterson of Cooper and Kirk; Andrew Pugno of the Law Offices of Andrew Pugno; Brian Raum and James Campbell of the Alliance Defense Fund.

JDSupra: According to the survey conducted by LifeWay Research in August, 79% of Protestant pastors ‘strongly disagreed’ while 7% ‘somewhat disagreed’ with the statement, “The government should regulate sermons by revoking a church’s tax exemption if its pastor approves of or criticizes candidates based on the church’s moral beliefs or theology.” The survey was conducted among 1,000 Protestant pastors and sponsored by the Alliance Defense Fund.

The New Civil Rights Movement: Which means, Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization For Marriage (NOM), Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council (FRC), the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), ProtectMarriage​.com, and all the other “family” anti-​gay groups can band together and file a motion to appeal this appealed ruling, all the way to the Supreme Court if they like.

Rasmussen Reports: The percentage of American homeowners whose home is worth less than what they still owe on it has hit the highest level in nearly three years.

Rasmussen Reports: Voters are more convinced than ever that neither major political party in Washington, DC is on their side.

Fox News: IRS statistics for tax year 2009 show the millionaires — who make up a fraction of a percent of all taxpayers — contributed more than 20 percent of total federal income tax revenue. That’s about $180 billion in taxes from millionaires, according to number-crunching from the National Taxpayers Union. The National Taxpayers Union also found that in 2008 the top 1 percent of American taxpayers paid 38 percent of collections for personal federal income tax while they represented 20 percent of all income.

Daily Mail Online: The North Korean government may deny their existence, but photos taken from space have revealed in unprecedented detail the concentration camps that are used imprison more than 200,000 citizens. Men, women and children are forced to work seven days a week as slaves and eat ‘rats, frogs, snakes, insects’ and even faeces to battle starvation in the camps.