Archive for March, 2008
SCOTUS gun ban decision update…
Anyone watching the SCOTUS news today regarding the District of Columbia vs. Heller hearing will be happy to know that it looks like it might go in the right direction.
If so it will likely be a 5-4 vote. You can get a great analysis here.
The Supreme Court’s historic argument Tuesday on the meaning of the Constitution’s Second Amendment sent out one quite clear signal: individuals may well wind up with a genuine right to have a gun for self-defense in their home. But what was not similarly clear in the hearing on District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290) was what kind of gun that would entail, and thus what kind of limitations government could put on access or use of a weapon. In an argument that ran 23 minutes beyond the allotted time, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy emerged as a fervent defender of the right of domestic self-defense. At one key point, he suggested that the one Supreme Court precedent that at least hints that gun rights are tied to military not private needs — the 1939 decision in U.S. v. Miller — “may be deficient” in that respect. “Why does any of that have any real relevance to the situation that faces the homeowner today?” Kennedy asked rhetorically.
With Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and Antonin Scalia leaving little doubt that they favor an individual rights interpretation of the Amendment (and with Justice Clarence Thomas, though silent on Tuesday, having intimated earlier that he may well be sympathetic to that view), Kennedy’s inclinations might make him — once more — the holder of the deciding vote. There also remained a chance, it appeared, that Justice Stephen G. Breyer, one of the Court’s moderates, would be willing to support an individual right to have a gun — provided that a ruling left considerable room for government regulation of weapons, particularly in urban areas with high crime rates.
Well, not really. Actually, not at all.
A little over a year ago:
1. Consumer confidence stood at a 5-year high;
2. Regular gasoline averaged under $2.30 a gallon;
3. The unemployment rate was down to 4.4%.
4. Americans were enjoying historically-high home equity.
Since voting in a Democrat Congress in 2006 we have seen:
1. Consumer confidence plummet;
2. The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.25 a gallon;
3. Unemployment rise to 4.8% (a 9% increase);
4. American home equity hit the lowest point in six decades;
H/T for the e-mail: Texas Rainmaker
…not.
Only the Democrat House Leadership could find an unethical way to pass an “ethics” bill.
House Democrats had crafted legislation, an ethics bill in name only, that will do nothing to clean-up Washington. In fact, many non-partisan experts believe that it will only further empower the special interests.
Tonight, on the House floor, House Democrats were headed towards defeat. They were opposed by a bipartisan coalition of Members, who wanted to work towards meaningful ethics reform, rather than accept the empty rhetoric offered by the House Democrat Leadership. At the end of the vote, the bipartisan coalition had prevailed; yet, Speaker Pelosi held the vote open and strong-armed less senior Representatives into voting her way. This action violated House rules that were enacted in January of last year.
One thing is clear – House Democrats have failed the American People. They can’t even pass an “ethics” bill without violating the rules.
H/T: Eric Cantor’s Blog
It can be rather astonishing to look back to the beginning of our country and ponder the thoughts of our founding fathers. Even more astonishing is how far we’ve strayed from the mentality displayed in those times.
Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own voluntary act. -James Madison
Via Patriot Post.
A friend of mine recently asked me about creating a static homepage so that his Wordpress site had a main page that worked more like a static website. I think he was able to get it all set up and functioning properly, but at the time I didn’t have a web page to direct him to that had comprehensive instructions on setting it all up.
Thanks to the Blogging Experiment, we now have a step-by-step guide on using Wordpress as a static home page.
FYI for Blogivists: While this can be done on our system, you cannot edit the code in your navigation area. The above method is designed for self-hosted Wordpress blogs.
It’s interesting to watch a situation unfold where DailyKOS, the left’s web based champion of freedom and democracy, is apparently trying to hide revealing information on one of its own… Bill Foster.
Within hours of a majorityap.com report that a DailyKos user had posted court records from the contentious divorce proceedings of Illinois millionaire Bill Foster, the link was deleted.
Foster is the Democrat candidate in the race to succeed former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. A special election will be held Saturday, March 8, to fill the remainder of Hastert’s term.
Yep, DailyKOS is for transparency and open public records when it is a Republican taking the heat. But if it’s a wealthy Democrat they’ll do whatever it takes to minimize political damage.
I can understand the desire to promote your party, but why protect a guy who doesn’t vote in most cases and has a shady personal life?
Foster is a first-time office seeker who has moved in and out of the district, and has rarely voted in general elections. Foster did not vote in 2006 – the last Congressional election – when Laesch was a candidate.
Foster’s divorce records include several embarrassing, and potentially damaging, revelations. Among them, Foster’s then-wife Ann claimed under oath that the millionaire politician “pushed, shoved and caused physical abuse and emotional harm…putting her in fear for herself (and the couple’s) minor children.”
Why on earth would the left want to protect and embrace this kind of ilk? I just don’t get it.
Is this for real?
We all know the internet has been huge in the revolution of news distribution. Some of the statistics over the past few years have been nothing short of staggering. But did you know that apparently more than half of Americans now believe the internet is the best source of news and information?
Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey.
While most people think journalism is important to the quality of life, 64 percent are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities, a We Media/Zogby Interactive online poll showed.
Nearly half of the 1,979 people who responded to the survey said their primary source of news and information is the Internet, up from 40 percent just a year ago. Less than one third use television to get their news, while 11 percent turn to radio and 10 percent to newspapers.
More than half of those who grew up with the Internet, those 18 to 29, get most of their news and information online, compared to 35 percent of people 65 and older. Older adults are the only group that favors a primary news source other than the Internet, with 38 percent selecting television.
Without question, the internet is the new battlefield in the information warfare.
