COMMENTARY AND OP-EDS
A Time-Honored Observance
Read George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation here.The American Civil Rights Union wishes its valued supporters a Bountiful and Happy Thanksgiving!
Supreme Court Announcement
On 20 November, the Supreme Court accepted for review the Heller case, on the right to own a gun, from the District of Columbia. The lower court, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, had ruled that individual citizens had a Second Amendment right to own guns for self-defense [...]
Horace Cooper: Please Don't Pick This Fight
Many Congress watchers assumed that the fight between the House Judiciary Committee and the White House over subpoenas to former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and current White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten would end when Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned.
Local court battle over protesting at soldiers' funeral begins
BY JOE DEJKAWORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERSecurity was tight Monday as a Kansas woman appeared in Sarpy County Court to answer charges that she mutilated a flag and put her child in danger while protesting at the funeral of a Bellevue soldier.Although the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office prepared for a possible protest [...]
Oklahoma Law on Illegal Immigration Stands
Oklahoma passed a law to discourage businesses in that state from hiring illegal aliens, and property owners from renting to illegal aliens, similar to laws passed in Hazleton, Penn., and Farmers Branch, Tex. But in Oklahoma, the federal judge considering whether the law was unconstitutional, let it stand, and illegal [...]
'Failure' of the First Amendment?
The facts for this comment, but not the legal conclusions, come mostly from an article published in the Raleigh News & Observer on 27 October. This story is related to the positions of the ACLU because, contrary to its stated mission, the ACLU favors maximum freedom of the press for [...]
Punishment will hurt community
Read Hans Zeiger's article, in today's The Philadelphia Inquirer, here.Read additional emails here.
Strike this down
In the wake of President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Congress is preparing for another showdown with the White House. But this time the dispute won't be over health care spending for children, instead the dispute has consequences for all Americans because it is over which branch of government is best suited to know which ground rules are needed for fighting the war on terror.
Horace Cooper: Strike This Down
In the wake of President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Congress is preparing for another showdown with the White House. But this time the dispute won't be over health care spending for children, instead the dispute has consequences for all Americans because it is over which branch of government is best suited to know which ground rules are needed for fighting the war on terror.
Peter Ferrara: Slimming Entitlement Costs
Federal spending has hovered around 20% of gross domestic product for more than 50 years now, ever since it settled down after World War II. Despite all the battles over taxes and spending in that time, the federal share of our economy has remained fairly stable.
Peter Ferrara: Support President Bush's SCHIP Veto
The bill extending the State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP) program that President Bush just vetoed would have increased spending on the program by 140%, costing $60 billion over just the next five years.
John Armor: Press has enough protection; Reporters who choose to be martyrs don't warrant a federal law.
All Americans should be equally subject to law. Not even the president has a "right" to evade the law. Chief Justice John Marshall established this principle when he required President Thomas Jefferson to give evidence in Aaron Burr's treason trial. That concept was later applied to presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.
Opposing view: Press has enough protection
Reporters who choose to be martyrs don't warrant a federal law. Read more in USA Today here.
ACRU Parker Cross-Petition Argument
The American Civil Rights Union filed an amicus curiae brief in the United States Supreme Court on Friday, October 12 in the case of Parker v. District of Columbia urging the Court to grant the requested writ of certiorari on behalf of 5 of the original 6 plaintiffs seeking to [...]
Spotlighting Speech Codes with FIRE's Widget
Over the last several years, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has conducted a thorough survey of campus speech codes at over 350 American colleges and universities and compiled the data in one location on FIRE's website, Spotlight: The Campus Freedom Resource. For each of these schools, FIRE [...]
Just Stand There While I Die
Read David Freddoso's (NRO staff reporter) article here.
ACRU files Amicus Curiae in Heller v. DC
The American Civil Rights Union filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on October 5, urging the Court to take the appeal of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision last March holding that the Second Amendment does protect an individual right of citizens to keep and [...]
ACRU files Amicus Curiae in Heller v. DC
The American Civil Rights Union filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on October 5, urging the Court to take the appeal of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision last March holding that the Second Amendment does protect an individual right of citizens to keep and bear arms. The ACRU wants the Court to take the case to affirm and thereby greatly strengthen this landmark ruling.
Slimming Entitlement Costs
This article originally appeared in Barrons.com: linkFEDERAL SPENDING HAS HOVERED around 20% of gross domestic product for more than 50 years now, ever since it settled down after World War II. Despite all the battles over taxes and spending in that time, the federal share of our economy has remained [...]
Parker v. District of Columbia
The American Civil Rights Union filed an amicus curiae brief in the United States Supreme Court on Friday, October 12 in the case of Parker v. District of Columbia urging the Court to grant the requested writ of certiorari on behalf of 5 of the original 6 plaintiffs seeking to [...]