PIED TYPE
Constitution
Perpetual war, perpetual power
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria is one of the few remaining good things about this flailing, failing news network. He is intelligent, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and in every way professional. His commentary on this morning’s “GPS” was notable for its explanation of just how big our paranoid Department of Homeland Security has grown — even as the U.S. … Continue reading
CISPA: Will Obama stop SOPA 2.0?
Today I came across a bit of background on CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, on Congress.org. I really dropped the ball letting something so important get all the way through the U.S. House before I noticed it on my radar — said radar having been focused more on recent legislation threatening women’s … Continue reading
CISPA: Sacrificing our rights in order to protect them
As an American citizen, a woman, and a heavy user of the Internet, I feel I am under constant assault by my own government. There has been an ongoing stream of legislation and regulation in recent years with the sole purpose of giving the government more rights while whittling away at mine. The latest volley … Continue reading
Executive orders legal but …
The New York Times yesterday featured an article entitled “Shift on Executive Power Lets Obama Bypass Rivals.” It discusses at some length President Obama’s announced intention to employ executive orders to bypass his obstructionist Republican opponents in Congress. While there is ample precedent for doing so, it dances at the edge of constitutionality. Ours is … Continue reading
Text of senators’ letter challenging Patriot Act abuses
(Updated March 17 at 2 pm MT) The full text of the letter to Attorney General Eric Holder from Senators Mark Udall (D-CO) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) concerning our government’s interpretation and application of the Patriot Act speaks more eloquently for itself than any report or summary of its contents. The senators are members of … Continue reading
Patriot Act under fire from senators & FOI lawsuits
In response to a New York Times article this morning, “Democratic Senators Issue Strong Warning About Use of the Patriot Act,” I fired off a note to my senator, Sen. Mark Udall, one of the two mentioned in the story: Thank you for speaking out against the misuse and misapplication of the Patriot Act. In … Continue reading
Copy of OK personhood bill posted
Note: A screenshot of the Oklahoma “personhood” bill has been added to the recent post “Embryos gain personhood in Oklahoma bill.”
The religious rape of American women
Catholic men of America — and all conservatives who support them — you’re not going to win this debate. You are not going to deprive American women of the benefits of 21st Century science, medicine, and law. You are not going to inject your archaic religious beliefs into American jurisprudence and drag women back into … Continue reading
Here comes the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act
Here we go again. Hot on the heels of the SOPA/PIPA shelving, Harry Reid and the Democrats are launching a new assault on Internet privacy — the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2012. This time the attack is not being led by the recording industry; it’s being done by our own government in the name … Continue reading
So the terrorists don’t have to
Imagine you are at the mall one day and suddenly you are surrounded by a bunch of strangers, arrested, and taken to jail. Then you are transferred to prison and ultimately to the infamous U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. No one bothers to tell you that you are suspected of being a terrorist … Continue reading
There’s a petition to support the Citizens United amendment
Hopes springs eternal. A constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decison has been proposed and introduced in Congress. Now there’s a petition. It may not help, but it can’t hurt. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a co-sponsor of the amendment, is not mentioned on the petition site. I’m not sure why. It looks … Continue reading
‘Birth tourism’ perverting the system
“Birth tourism.” I first heard about it a while back, but at the time it was just an obscure idea said to be catching on in China Silly me. I should have known. If the Chinese saw the potential, so would everyone else in the world. That’s a lot of people gaming the 14th Amendment … Continue reading
Once upon a time in America, there was a Fourth Amendment
Gotta give the government credit. They’re always coming up with new and better ways to catch bad guys. Now it seems they have a gadget called a “stingray” that can track cell phones, even if they aren’t being used to make a call. I’m all for law enforcement dreaming up new ways to catch the … Continue reading
‘Super Congress’? How is this legal?
Ever heard of a Super Congress? Well, hang onto your hats, because apparently this is the latest idea to navigate past all the obstacles and get a budget deal in Washington. Of course, it navigates right past the Constitution too, but hey, they’ve got to get a deal done, right? This is how today’s Huffington … Continue reading
The unpatriotic Patriot Act
In the wake of 9/11, Congress took advantage of a fearful public and a rare moment of national unity to pass the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, or USA PATRIOT Act. The legislation gave unprecedented and unchecked power to the president and cavalierly suspended many … Continue reading
A surprisingly logical Supreme Court decision
The Supreme Court today upheld an Arizona state law that would penalize businesses hiring illegal immigrants. The case was Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting. Frankly, I’m really surprised. There’s been so much talk about Arizona’s immigration-related laws (particularly SB 1070) being unconstitutional because immigration enforcement is the federal government’s responsibility, not the states’. Today’s ruling … Continue reading
TSA searches lack probable cause
I’ve already ranted about the TSA’s invasive groping and scanning in the name of national security, so I won’t launch into that again. However, I do want to lift my glass to the New Hampshire legislature for proposing a law that would criminalize such behavior. As noted in its introductory text, the NH bill (HB628-FN) … Continue reading
Retrieving our Constitution
The following appeared in a Christian Science Monitor story about two hours ago: The Fourth Circuit’s decision has profound repercussions. … It grants the executive discretion to displace the constitutional protections of the criminal justice system, including the right to speedy presentment, confrontation, and trial by jury, merely by alleging a connection to possible terrorist … Continue reading
There is no constitutional right to bear arms
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. As an editor, I can interpret this only one way: the framers of the Constitution meant to ensure that the … Continue reading
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