COMMENTARY AND OP-EDS
Ken Blackwell On Mancow
On Monday, March 30, 2009 at 7:35am ET, ACRU Senior Fellow Ken Blackwell will be on The Mancow Show. He will be discussing FreedomtoListen.org and SaveRadioFreeAmerica.org. Click here to find your local station.
Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, Inc., Steve Trunk, et al. v. City of San Diego, et al.
The 29 foot high Latin cross atop Mt. Soledad in the San Diego suburbs has been under attack by the ACLU for 21 years now. But the cross still stands. The ACRU has joined in defense of the cross for the last 11 years. In 2005, the Congress took the [...]
Ken Klukowski: Supreme Court Must Be Ready to Defend Conscience Clause from Obama
Barack Obama's administration has taken an extreme position on coercing doctors to participate in performing abortions even if those doctors are religiously-opposed to abortion. If this new policy becomes law, it would violate medical professionals' right to act in accordance with their conscience and violate a doctor's oath to do no harm. Should President Obama force this regulation through, the Supreme Court should strike it down.
Law Review: The Fairness Doctrine: A Solution in Search of a Problem, by Adrian Cronauer
"This Article examines the history of the Fairness Doctrine and the more common arguments offered in support of it. If the Fairness Doctrine, as interpreted by the Commission, upheld by the courts, and encouraged by Congress(note 1) were to be reinstituted, it would actually decrease the likelihood of public exposure [...]
Congressman Pence Signs "Freedom to Listen" Pledge
Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) became an inaugural signer of the American Civil Rights Union's "Freedom to Listen" pledge on Monday, vowing to protect the First Amendment by standing against "any and all efforts to censor or in any way restrict the people's freedom to listen to the unfettered airing of political views of their choice on broadcast media or the Internet." The pledge is designed to unify support against efforts to restrict Americans' constitutional freedom to listen.
Jan LaRue: The Heckler in Chief and Venezuela's Media Mauler
What do President Barack Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have in common? Besides their socialist economic policies, they don't abide media critics well. The Obama White House has Rush Limbaugh, king of talk radio, in its crosshairs. When a president of the United States targets one media personality for criticism, those who live and breathe by the First Amendment should be aware they're on life-support. The executive branch can pull their plug via the FCC, which decides who gets or keeps a broadcast license.
John Armor to Discuss Terrorist "Discrimination"
On Monday, March 9, 2009, John Armor will be on the air to discuss the latest ACLU Outrage, ACLU Labels Defending the US against Terrorists, as "Discrimination".First, from 7:35-7:45am ET, John will be on WLOB Radio, 96.3FM and 1310AM to talk with "Ray and Ted Morning News LIVE and LOCAL!" [...]
Ken Klukowski: The Right to a Good Judge
This column originally appeared on Townhall.com on March 3, 2009.There's much commentary about civil rights and government power. But rights are only secure if a good judge is presiding over your case when you try to assert those rights. The process of confirming judges has been broken for years, and [...]
Ken Klukowski: God Save America from Militant Atheists
On Feb. 23, a federal court will consider the latest attempt to secularize America, led by militant atheist lawyer Michael Newdow. His lawsuit, Newdow v. Roberts, seeks to purge all references to God from presidential inaugurations.
Ken Blackwell on the Sean and Frank Show
On Monday, March 9, 2009 at 8:35am ET, ACRU Senior Fellow Ken Blackwell will be on the "Sean and Frank Show" on Talk Radio 680 WCBM out of Baltimore, Maryland. He will talk about ACRU's latest projects, FreedomtoListen.org and SaveRadioFreeAmerican.org. Tune in if you are in the Baltimore area of [...]
Western Center for Journalism Picks Up Knight Piece
The Western Center for Journalism picked up ACRU Senior Fellow Robert Knight's piece that ran in Human Events on February 20, 2009.The piece, titled "Listen Up, While You Still Can," discussed the so-called Fairness Doctrine and the problems with it.
Ken Blackwell: Equal Opportunities .. Not Outcomes
This column originally appeared in the Washington Times on February 20, 2009.One of the most contentious social and political debates of our time pits the opposing goals of equality of opportunity versus equality of outcome.Some would claim the point was settled before the Founding of the American republic in that [...]
Robert Knight: Listen Up, While You Still Can
Bill Clinton says America needs the Fairness Doctrine because conservative talk radio is sounding "a blatant drumbeat" against the stimulus package. He complained on a liberal talk show on Feb. 12 that "there has always been a lot of big money to support the right-wing talk shows."
Ken Blackwell: A Chicago-Style Census
The census is one of the most important functions performed by the federal government because the integrity our representative democracy depends on it. Because both parties understand its importance, the census has always been insulated from political corruption.
Hans Zeiger: Where are the Conservative Intellectuals?
This column originally appeared on WorldNetDaily.com on February 17, 2009I recently visited Ronald Reagan's Rancho Del Cielo for the first time. Credit for the ranch's preservation goes to the Young America's Foundation. There are many beautiful things about the ranch, but the best is his bookshelf. Covering a wall in [...]
Walter Williams: The Hell With Our Constitution
Dr. Robert Higgs, senior fellow at the Oakland-based Independent Institute, penned an article in The Christian Science Monitor (2/9/2009) that suggests the most intelligent recommendation that I've read to fix our current economic mess. The title of his article gives his recommendation away: "Instead of stimulus, do nothing -- seriously."
John Armor: When Terrorists Walk Free
Making the decision to close Guantanamo Bay without any real plan for dealing with the prisoners demonstrates the pervasive lack of understanding policymakers and the public have about the entire system. There are many gross misconceptions about the differences between trials of the Gitmo prisoners in military tribunals and criminal trials in the U.S., but few people understand them. And if the people don't know these differences and state their opinions, additional Americans may die as a result of the presidential order about Gitmo.
Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
On February 9, 2009, the ACRU filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court arguing that the Court should review the decisions of the courts below upholding this arrangement.In response to the scandals at Enron and elsewhere, Congress passed the Sarbanes Oxley Act in 2002, imposing costly, unnecessary [...]
Jan LaRue: Pornography Advocate at DOJ?
This column originally appeared on Townhall.com on February 9, 2009.It's been a taxing two weeks for President Obama and his nominees. And there's another nominee with bigger disqualifiers than unpaid taxes.Imagine. A veteran pornography defense attorney takes a top spot at the agency charged with enforcing the nation's child pornography [...]
Ken Blackwell: Obama, Ginsburg and Guns
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being treated for pancreatic cancer. While Americans pray for her recovery, this sad news is a sobering reminder that President Obama is likely to appoint several justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. And in the aftermath of last year's landmark decision on the Second Amendment, gun owners need to zero in on what these events mean for the future of the right to bear arms.