Freedom of Speech

City Taking Church Property By Eminent Domain

Talks between city & church break down
A negotiated land deal between a Brighton church and the town government has fallen apart. Faith Temple church has been resisting Brighton government efforts to take over the land by eminent domain. The church on Westfall Road wants to build a mini housing community on surrounding land it owns. The town wants the land, about 70 acres, for parkland. Federal mediation by a judge has failed.

The Silver Bullet for Liberty

Justice John Paul Stevens. Justice Anthony Kennedy. Justice David Souter. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Stephen Breyer. These four men and one woman have ruled that the United States Constitution truly is a meaningless document. Their ruling in the Kelo case declared that Americans own nothing. After declaring that all property is subject to the whim of a government official, it's just a short trip to declaring that government can now confiscate anything we own; anything we create; anything we believe. They said our purpose in this country is to simply "serve the greater good." Our own hopes and dreams mean nothing. The state now decides.

Because They Are Not Americans

It’s hard to articulate my excitement in watching this gentleman respond to my words in a way that indicated that the “prism” had been slightly but significantly “turned” for him and that he now saw the white light separate into its respective and brilliant colors. My bet is that, like a growing number of other men and women in our land, he will never see white light again.

AP: FBI to Do Prisoner 'Threat Assessment'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- FBI agents nationwide have been ordered to conduct "threat assessments" of inmates who may have become radicalized in prison and could commit extremist violence upon their release, according to an FBI letter obtained by The Associated Press. "The primary goal of these efforts is to assess and disrupt the recruitment and conversion of inmates to radicalized ideologies which advocate violence," according to a letter from the acting assistant chief of the FBI's Los Angeles office, Randy D. Parsons.

Justice Stevens Adds Fuel to the Fire Over Eminent Domain

Speaking to a bar association meeting in Las Vegas last week, United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens confessed that he thought one of his own recent opinions, though correct as a matter of law, was wrong as a matter of policy. Stevens authored the majority opinion in Kelo v. City of New London.

Farm Bureau President Testifies on Eminent Domain

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Agricultural land is extremely vulnerable to condemnation by government entities under the guise of economic development, said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman, during testimony before a joint Oklahoma state house/senate task force. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this summer ruled land can be confiscated for economic benefit, in its landmark case of Kelo v. the City of New London, Conn. AFBF is encouraging state Farm Bureaus to lead urban and rural property owners to support changes in state laws that remedy this problem. For that reason, a Stop Taking Our Property (STOP) initiative was rolled out this week by AFBF, Stallman said.

Taxpayers, Homeowners Need Protection from 'Eminent Domain' Abuse Now

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Thanks to an unwise U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer, citizens can't afford to wait for protections from government's power to take private property for economic development: that's the message an expert from the 350,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) gave Arkansas lawmakers today at a joint House-Senate hearing in Little Rock on remedies for "eminent domain" abuse. NTU has approximately 4,000 members in Arkansas.

Americans, Left and Right, Work to Counter Kelo Decision

Public outrage is turning into action. Unlike many U.S. Supreme Court decisions, which leave no remedy except the arduous path of a constitutional amendment, the Kelo decision allows states to set tighter standards for use of eminent domain. Accordingly, the country has erupted at the grassroots.

Lawmakers Draft Competing Proposals On Eminent Domain

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut's legislature and others across the country are reviewing eminent domain laws. State lawmakers drafted more than a half dozen proposals, which would do anything from pay homeowners more for their homes to halting the practice of seizing for private development. In June, the high court ruled on a 5-4 vote that the city of New London can take homes for a private riverfront economic development project to increase its tax base. The ruling prompted an emotional backlash from homeowners worried their properties were at risk.

Backlash from U.S. Supreme Court decision may limit private-to-private takeovers

In Kelo v. City of New London, a small group of Connecticut homeowners argued that their city officials had no constitutional right to take private property for private development -- in their case an office, hotel and convention center complex.

State Rep. Slams City Over Eminent Domain

He calls it "abuse." They call it good planning. The Stockbridge City Council last week voted to condemn several properties in its proposed redevelopment area. An appointed city panel minutes later decided to condemn several more. This week, at least one state lawmaker is criticizing the city's move as "abuse" of eminent domain powers.

FBI Blocks BATF Raid To Stop OKC Bombing

In February 1995 the BATF started planning a raid against Elohim City in far eastern Oklahoma to block plans of members of Elohim City from attacking Federal buildings including the Murrah Federal building in OKC that was bombed on April 19, 1995. The planning was based on the intelligence provided by BATF informant Carol Howe to her BATF handler, Angela Findley Graham.

The Flu Season Campaign Begins

As predictable as the return of yellow school buses and Monday Night Football, fear mongering about the approaching flu season has also begun. And with it, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has devised a portentous new blueprint to ensure economic success for this year’s flu vaccine suppliers.

Air Force Releases Prayer Guidelines

DENVER -- The Air Force released new guidelines for religious tolerance Monday that discourage public prayer at official functions and urge commanders to be sensitive about personal expressions of religious faith. The document directs chaplains to "respect the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs." But some who have criticized the academy questioned whether needed changes will really be implemented.

Impeach This Federal Judge

Federal Judge OKs Global Warming Lawsuit
A federal judge here said environmental groups and four U.S. cities can sue federal development agencies on allegations the overseas projects they financially back contribute to global warming. The decision Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White is the first to say that groups alleging global warming have a right to sue. "This is the first decision in the country to say that climate change causes sufficient injury to give a plaintiff standing, to open the courthouse door," said Ronald Shems, a Vermont attorney representing Friends of the Earth.

Related
Jeffrey White Nominated by Bush for U.S. District Court
Law.Berkeley.Edu / 2002 Stories
Lecturer Jeffrey S. White has been nominated by President Bush to the federal bench. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he will serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. White has taught a course in civil trial advocacy at Boalt Hall for more than 20 years and has won the Roscoe Pound Foundation award for Excellence in Teaching Trial Advocacy. He is also a litigation partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in San Francisco.

New York Announces Plans For Subway Surveillance System

1,000 video cameras, 3,000 motion detectors
One thousand new video cameras. Three thousand new motion detector sensors. A new police command center. These are the key elements of a $212 million security enhancement meant to make New York commuters safer from terrorist attacks. Henry Nocella, a security consultant and terrorism expert with ASIS International, said the high-tech system is not fail-safe, but it's "a significant" start.

Congressman Hopes FBI Will Not Delay Probe Into OKC Bombing

This newspaper has obtained a copy of U.S. Rep. Dan Rohrabacher's tersely worded letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller, asking him to comply with a federal judge's order directing the Oklahoma City FBI office to provide records regarding their investigation at Elohim City and the Mid-west bank robbery gang. Rohrabacher, R-Calif., recently interviewed convicted killer Terry Nichols and others with information concerning the April 19, 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.

Parents Get Jail For Failing To Send Daughter To State School

IRA, N.Y. -- Two parents who failed to ensure that their teenage daughter was attending school in central New York have been sentenced to 60 days in jail. Denise Reitz, 44, began serving her time behind bars Monday at the Cayuga County Jail after being sentenced by Ira Town Justice Paula Townsend, according to The Post-Standard of Syracuse. Her 40-year-old husband, James, will serve his sentence on weekends beginning in October.

Bill Prohibits Coerced Drugging Of Kids

An education political action committee is promoting a bill in Congress that would withhold federal school funds from states that do not prohibit the forced drugging of students with psychotropic medications. The bill, H.R. 1790, sponsored by Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., requires that states establish policies and procedures that prohibit school personnel from requiring a child take the popular behavior-modification drugs.

ATF, Virginia Police Accused of 'Persecuting' Gun Shows

The federal agency that regulates U.S. gun dealers stands accused, along with at least three Virginia law enforcement agencies, of trying to shut down legal gun shows through alleged intimidation of gun buyers and sellers. The law enforcement organizations also allegedly broke the law by sharing gun buyers' information with members of the public.

Feds seize man's $10 million in gold

A Philadelphia antiques dealer says he will sue the U.S. Mint to recover rare gold coins worth millions of dollars after the federal government seized them, claiming they were illegally obtained. The dealer, discovered 10 "Double Eagle" $20 coins minted in 1933 in a Philadelphia antiques and jewelry store and voluntarily brought them to the U.S. Mint for authentication.

Men Railroaded By Corrupt Family Violence Research

For thirty years now, researchers have known that wives kick, punch, stab, or shoot their husbands about as often as husbands kick, punch, stab, or shoot their wives. But federal law ignores the facts and instead uses the power of the purse to get states to impose Kafkaesque policies that punish victimized men and reward violent women.

Brits Itemizes 'Hate Speech' Terms

The Home Office today published a list of "unacceptable behaviours" which will lead to the deportation or exclusion of any foreign national who commits them from the UK. According to the Home Secretary the list is indicative rather than exhaustive and covers any non-UK citizen whether in the UK or abroad.

Federal Court Rules Atheism A Religion

A federal court of appeals ruled Wisconsin prison officials violated an inmate's rights because they did not treat atheism as a religion. "Atheism is [the inmate's] religion, and the group that he wanted to start was religious in nature even though it expressly rejects a belief in a supreme being," the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said.

Illegals Win Arizona Ranch in Court

The land transfer is being made to satisfy judgments in a lawsuit in which the illegals had said that Casey Nethercott, the owner of the ranch and a former leader of the vigilante group Ranch Rescue, had harmed them. Bill Dore, a Douglas resident briefly affiliated with Ranch Rescue who is still active in the border-patrolling Minuteman Project, called the land transfer "ridiculous." "The illegals are coming over here," Mr. Dore said. "They are getting the American property. Hell, I'd come over, too. Get some American property, make some money from the gringos."

Related
A Tale Of A Ranch, A Landowner, A
Southern Lawyer And Two Illegal Immigrants
In what may be the first documented case of a non-terrorist, American citizen being held without charges under terms of the so-called “Patriot Act”, Arizona rancher Casey Nethercott was arrested March 1, 2004 by exclusive and arbitrary order of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. Using a “Governor’s Warrant” to hold Nethercott without charges in the Pima County Jail located in Tucson, Arizona, Nethercott was released to the State of Texas on March 22, 2004. According to the records clerk of the Pima County Jail, no one knows where in Texas Nethercott was taken. In fact, she informed me that Nethercott would have to call someone to let him or her know where he is being held. That is, of course, only if Nethercott is allowed to make a telephone call.

Groups warn of Big Brother

Civil-liberty coalition promotes bill to regulate
data chip technologies such as FasTrak devices
SACRAMENTO -- Government has so much information on Californians — mostly carried on cards in their wallets and purses — that it could swiftly become something like Big Brother from novelist George Orwell's "1984" in this post-Sept. 11 world. That's the way a diverse coalition of privacy and consumer groups see it. Government and technology firms disagree. And state lawmakers have jumped into the middle with landmark legislation on "radio-frequency identification," which experts said could mushroom like the Internet.

Officer Cleared of Using Excessive Force On Protester

The San Francisco Police Commission on Wednesday cleared an officer accused of violating department regulations by using excessive force when he swung his baton and broke the arm of an anti-war protester in 2003. Nelson was accused of unnecessarily striking Linda Vaccarezza, 39, with his baton during a March 20, 2003, demonstration in the intersection of Market and Fourth streets. The blow shattered Vaccarezza's arm, and she required the surgical insertion of a plate and metal pins to repair the damage.

A New Tower of Babel

Sustainable Earth And UN Delusions
The bureaucratic international boondoggle hilariously misnamed the United Nations came together in 1992, without a great deal of fanfare that I recollect, to build a new Tower of Babel called "sustainable earth." Very simply, all they want to do is to manage the world ... not a very new or very creative idea. At least these folks did send expensive delegations to Rio de Janiero for playtime and to put together ambiguous documents to disguise their evil plans to control the planet. Someone had a good time while a few furthered their dark ambitions and documented them in so much verbiage that their plans are well hidden beneath seemingly harmless aims.

The Official CAFTA Vote Story

When the official 15-minute period ended, CAFTA had gone down to defeat, 180 "nays" to 175 "yeas." But the House leadership was so politically driven to get what they wanted, they broke the House rules: they simply violated the time limit in order to keep twisting arms and making deals until they finally had bought or coerced enough votes to pass CAFTA nearly an hour later.

The CAFTA Loss—and Beyond

First thing last Thursday morning (July 29) I learned the axe had fallen: the House had passed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) by a vote of 217-215, the slimmest margin ever for a trade accord, following a “15-minute” vote held open for an hour and not ending until past midnight—not ending, that is, until the pro-CAFTA forces got what they wanted. Word gradually filtered out about deal-cutting and arm-twisting on the part of the Bushies. And tales of “irregularities” that probably ought to be investigated. How, for example, did Charles Taylor’s (R-NC) voting card get deactivated so that it would fail to register what he insists would have been a No vote, with no one catching the error until long after he’d left the Capitol building?

Dear Congressman, About Your CAFTA Vote...

It was a sad day for America. Some say it was the day America died, for the events of July 28 portend the end of America as a sovereign, independent nation. And you, Congressman, who swore to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, betrayed your country in the disgraceful post-midnight, vote-buying debacle that delivered the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Poll: NYorkers Back Subway Searches

NEW YORK -- A large majority of the city's registered voters support random bag searches of bus and subway passengers, according to a poll released Friday. In a Quinnipiac University survey of 1,601 voters, 72 percent favored the searches while 25 percent opposed them. Support was solid among blacks, whites and Hispanics. Random searches of packages and backpacks carried by people entering city subways began last month in the wake of the bomb attacks in London subways.

J. Gresham Machen: A Forgotten Libertarian

The parallel rise of theological liberalism and the growth of governmental power in this century in America, it could be argued, was hardly coincidental. Historic Christianity was abandoned by theological liberalism, and the "Social Gospel" movement - having given up on the Gospel - wished to impose its own vision of the City of God here on earth. Biblical authority was weakened; a governmental authority filled the void.

Case Showcases Judicial Tyranny At Its Worst

It’s a case of judicial tyranny at its worst. Public confidence in the judiciary is eroding from the town courts to the Supreme Court and members of the judiciary have no one to blame but themselves. Judges are running amok, engaging in a rape and pillage of the U.S. Constitution, abusing the laws, their gavel and their black robe to terrorize, retaliate and intimidate members of the citizenry who have the courage to stand up to their arbitrary and wrongful rulings, to the cover-ups of abuse and corruption in the justice system and to their abuse of parties whom appear before them seeking justice and redress of grievances.

Report: National ID Card, Eminent Domain, Could Trample States' Rights

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- States are continuing to see their authority stepped on by the federal government, something that not only curtails their independence in dealing with such matters as elections and education, but in the case of a new national ID card, could cost them financially, according to a new report. In the report released Tuesday, the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan group meeting in Seattle this week, documents pending legislation that pre-empts state authority, a problem that many say has increased in the past few years.

Texas Limits the Use of Eminent Domain

Tuesday Texas lawmakers guaranteed private property owners state-level protection from eminent domain for private profit. The Texas Senate officially accepted House amendments to SB7, which restricts local governments from using their eminent domain authority to take privately owned properties for the purpose of turning them over to retail, industrial or residential developers.

Hoosier Lawmakers Consider Eminent Domain Restrictions

INDIANAPOLIS -- Long before the Supreme Court's explosive ruling to expand the reach of eminent domain, Rep. David A. Wolkins had crafted a bill to limit Indiana government's ability to take private property. In its earliest form, HB 1063 would have barred local and state entities from condemning private property and then turning it over to private developers for commercial use.

State lawmakers Aims To Curb Eminent Domain

SACRAMENTO -- State lawmakers launched an effort Wednesday to limit the ability of local government to take private property for private developers' benefit. Lawmakers have proposed several bills to try to limit the ability of governments to take property in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding that ability in a Connecticut case.

Congressman Plans Legislation To Curb Eminent Domain

LONG BRANCH -- U.S. Rep. Frank J. Pallone Jr. announced today that he would introduce federal legislation designed to stop the use of eminent domain to seize homes for private development. Talking over the whir of construction noise from a luxury condominium being built behind him, Pallone announced his intention to draft legislation when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day while standing on the lawn of Carmen and Josephine Vendetti, whose home is one of dozens targeted for seizure under the city's redevelopment plans.

Roberts' Ind. Hometown Draws Scrutiny

LONG BEACH, Ind. -- Like many towns across America, the exclusive lakefront community where Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. grew up during the racially turbulent 1960s and '70s once banned the sale of homes to nonwhites and Jews.

Feds Push Flier Background Checks

Just weeks after congressional investigators found that officials in charge of a new airline passenger-screening system violated a federal privacy law, the Department of Homeland Security is pushing Congress to reduce oversight of the program and to allow it to use commercial databases to screen for terrorists. Changes proposed to next year's homeland security funding bill would allow the controversial Secure Flight program to use background checks and profiling to help determine if an airline passenger is a terrorist despite not being on a terror watch list.

Department Of Justice Unites Law Enforcement Components In Joining Information-Sharing System In Washington State

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On August 4, 2005, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formally entered into an information-sharing partnership with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service and state and local law enforcement agencies in Washington State, the Department announced today. This partnership represents a first-time effort by the Justice Department to share information from multiple Department components through a single access point with more than 30 state and local law enforcement agencies. Prior to this partnership, DOJ agencies shared information with law enforcement partners through separate arrangements and systems.

ACLU compares praying Christians to terrorists

A local ACLU director equated al-Qaida terrrorists with members of a Louisiana school board seeking to open their meetings with prayer. Joe Cook of the ACLU of Louisiana spoke on camera with WAFB-TV, Baton Rouge. Referring to the school board, Cook said, "They believe that they answer to a higher power, in my opinion. Which is the kind of thinking that you had with the people who flew the airplanes into the buildings in this country, and the people who did the kind of things in London."

Babies Caught Up in 'No-Fly' Confusion

WASHINGTON -- Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at airports throughout the U.S. because their names are the same as or similar to those of possible terrorists on the government's "no-fly list." It sounds like a joke, but it's not funny to parents who miss flights while scrambling to have babies' passports and other documents faxed.

Feds To Exempt Officials From Airport Searches

TSA May Loosen Ban on Razorblades, Knives
The federal agency in charge of aviation security is considering major changes in how it screens airline passengers, including proposals that an official said would lift the ban on carrying razorblades and small knives as well as limit patdown searches.

Google eyes wireless Web

Free Wi-Fi? Get Ready for GoogleNet
Business 2.0 has learned from telecom insiders that Google is already building such a network, though ostensibly for many reasons. For the past year, it has quietly been shopping for miles and miles of "dark," or unused, fiber-optic cable across the country from wholesalers such as New York’s AboveNet. It's also acquiring superfast connections from Cogent Communications and WilTel, among others, between East Coast cities including Atlanta, Miami, and New York. Such large-scale purchases are unprecedented for an Internet company, but Google's timing is impeccable. The rash of telecom bankruptcies has freed up a ton of bargain-priced capacity, which Google needs as it prepares to unleash a flood of new, bandwidth-hungry applications. These offerings could include everything from a digital-video database to on-demand television programming.

Eminent Domain Case Shakes Religious Groups

Forget Ten Commandments displays and prisoners' rights — the religious-liberty issues before the Supreme Court last term. It's "eminent domain" that has stirred up the most reaction among religious groups. The case — Kelo v. City of New London — involved the Fifth, not the First, Amendment (specifically, the "takings" clause: "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation"). But the fallout from the court's ruling could have a significant impact on the free exercise of religion. With cities and counties looking for more tax revenue, tax-exempt religious institutions are inviting targets. According to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, "the power to condemn houses of worship, soup kitchens and homeless shelters under Kelo is boundless." If a modest number of religious groups had problems pre-Kelo, many more can expect property takings post-Kelo.

Don't Say It Can't Happen Here

The Nazi War Against Religion
What happened in Germany can happen in any nation where men reject God and His rule. We see advancing atheism within our own civil realm. This book is a wake-up call to sinful men and societies in need of God’s grace. It is well written and full of factual information. Stein does a masterful job of interweaving Niemoeller’s reflections of how Germany had reached that low point in its national life with his own historical account of life as a prisoner.

The New American Security State

Fresh on the heals of the London Bombings overseas, my government, known otherwise for dismembering state involvement when used to protect citizens from corporate greed, has been quick to exploit these incidents to further usher in the new security state, which claims to protect citizens from a threat it wishes the public to imagine requires governmental solutions. Never mind that none of these new measures actually increase anyone's security, except the security of those in power from those they govern.

Caution on Terror Laws

British human rights advocates despair that their country is becoming just like America in its zeal to fight terrorism. That's not the problem. The problem is that America, in its zeal to fight terrorism, will begin to emulate Britain's headlong rush to overturn free speech protection.

Columbus Draconian Gun Ban Goes Into Effect

The City of Columbus's draconian gun ban goes into effect today. There is a 90-day grace period, during which time gun owners can register their guns they feel may be affected by this ban with the city. There is a great deal of confusion about what guns this ban covers. Because a provision in the new law stipulates that guns that are registered cannot be later sold or willed to a gun owners' heirs upon her death, this is essentially a gun "surrender/confiscation" law.

Is Nullification Dead?

It is said that the debate over federalism ended when the South was crushed in 1865. Indeed, that year marked the end of the traditional argument over state sovereignty. This debate over federalism--the proper relationship between the states and national government--was settled by the sword. In the midst of this national tragedy, the practice of nullification seemed to lay dead next to the 620,000 Americans killed on both sides of the war. Nullification--the idea that a state could void an unconstitutional federal law within its jurisdiction--was considered to be lost to history. At least that's what it seemed like at the time.

The Right To Travel Going, going, gone

There is a word for those who are not only restricted from traveling where they desire, but also must "check in" with an authority before absenting themselves. That word is slave.

U.S. Strips More Freedom From Citizens Than Terrorists Ever Could

After the collapse of the twin towers, our Congress, in a patriotic fervor (more exactly described as a mad panic), passed sweeping legislation that did more to strip away freedom from the American people than 1,000 flying bombs. The Patriot Act. The very name is cynical.

Evolution Battle Rages In Kansas

The Kansas Board of Education voted 6-4 to include greater criticism of evolution in its school science standards, but it decided to send the standards to an outside academic for review before taking a final vote. The Kansas school system was ridiculed around the country in 1999 when the board deleted most references to evolution. The system later reversed course, but the language favored by the board Tuesday comes from advocates of intelligent design or creationism.

America’s Immigration Education Crisis

We must insist that our publicly elected leaders, first of all, stop the illegal alien invasion. We cannot survive it much longer. It creates a non-viable underclass, which in time will create hopelessness for millions. It will also create violence as their numbers grow. Second, we must insist that all people speak English in America as their first language. We cannot have foreign language television and radio stations that enhance non-assimilation.

Immigration and the Welfare State

More and more of my constituents are asking me when Congress will address the problem of illegal immigration. The public correctly perceives that neither political party has the courage to do what is necessary to prevent further erosion of both our border security and our national identity. As a result, immigration may be the sleeper issue that decides the 2008 presidential election.

U.S. Tests Radio Tags On Cars At Border

ALEXANDRIA BAY, N.Y. -- Security officials gathered Monday at a Canadian border crossing to mark the first test of a radio frequency identification system to be used by foreign visitors. If successful, radio "tags" carried by travelers will be part of the standard registration process for those entering the United States.

Brits License Plates Get Chipped

The UK Department for Transport just gave the go-ahead for a trial of new, RFID-enabled license plates aimed to make vehicles trackable in Britain. Unlike passive RFID which only transmits over short distances, the e-Plate licenses use active RFID technology to transmit vehicle identification numbers and other data to readers over 300 feet away.

A Memento for Belief

"Everybody has presuppositions, everybody has preconditions for living their life, evaluating things, knowing what they know." This quote comes from the soon-to-be-released video series, Basic Training for Defending the Faith, featuring the late Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen. Dr. Bahnsen gave the five lectures in this series to young adults to prepare them for a world that is hostile to their Christian faith. The above quote is the main point that he wanted these students to learn, and what they needed to learn, we must make sure that we remember also.

Ban On Rebel Flag Items Is Overruled

Judge Sides With Student In W.Va. Case
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge has ruled a high school dress code that banned items bearing the "Rebel flag" is overly broad and violates students' rights to free speech. U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver's ruling came in a lawsuit filed by Hurricane (W.Va.) High School senior Franklin Bragg, who was ordered to serve two in-house detentions last November for wearing the T-shirt with the flag's image. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia after attempts to resolve the issue with school officials failed.

Pentagon to Increase Domestic Surveillance

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Defense has developed a new strategy in counterterrorism that would increase military activities on American soil, particularly in the area of intelligence gathering. The move is sparking concern among civil liberties advocates and those who fear an encroaching military role in domestic law enforcement.

One Nation, Under Watch

Six weeks after 9/11, with scores of heartbreaking obits being printed in the New York Times every single day and the toxic dust from the collapse of the twin towers still settling, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act into law. The bill's supporters characterized the act as a necessary measure to secure the country's safety in the wake of the terrorist acts. The few congressional dissenters at the time were criticized for lack of patriotism.

I Have Seen Big Brother – And He Is Us

Having been recently appointed Anti-Money Laundering Officer at my investment firm, I now have the official, government-sanctioned power to scrutinize our clients' account activity and report almost anything I deem "suspicious activity" to the federal government. Be worried, friends – be very worried – since every bank, every brokerage house, every financial institution in the U.S. is required by the Patriot Act to appoint an AML Officer, enact procedures to combat money-laundering, and file Suspicious Activity Reports on U.S. citizens. (You can view the 4-page SAR-SF form here.)

Americans Reject Anti-Privacy Security Measures

Gallup finds that Americans are not so fearful that they are willing to surrender their personal privacy. In the name of domestic security, most Americans are willing to endure metal detectors and security checks at buildings, and are in favor of a national ID card. They also think it's OK for the police to profile Arab Americans at airports. But most reject more extreme measures, such as allowing the police to search people and homes at random or without a warrant, expanding government surveillance of e-mail and telephone calls, and suspending the right to a speedy trial of terrorist suspects who are U.S. citizens.

Judge: Patriot Act provisions unconstitutional

In a July 28 decision, US District Judge Audrey Collins in Los Angeles ruled that several Patriot Act provisions on material support for terrorist organizations remain unconstitutional. Collins said Congress had failed to remedy all the problems she defined in a Jan. 23, 2004 ruling striking down the statute. "Even as amended, the statute fails to identify the prohibited conduct in a manner that persons of ordinary intelligence can reasonably understand," Collins ruled.

Father Faces Trial Over 'Gay' School Book

Arrested after objecting to
kindergartner's reading material
A Massachusetts man faces a court trial over a dispute about the teaching of homosexuality in his son's kindergarten class. David Parker, of Lexington, spent a night in jail and was charged with criminal trespassing after refusing to leave a scheduled meeting with school officials April 27, unless they gave him the option of pulling his child out of certain classes.

The risks of giving God a seat in the heathen boardroom

It was a seemingly innocent remark. Nortel Networks Corp. chief operating officer Gary Daichendt told colleagues that he had prayed with his wife for guidance the night before an important decision. That statement became a defining moment in Mr. Daichendt's stormy, short-lived tenure at Nortel -- and provides a telling case study of how the "culture wars" are invading North American executive suites.

Libraries at the center of efforts to change Patriot Act

WASHINGTON -- Libraries would hardly seem to be the front line in the war on terrorism, but Congress' debate over renewing the Patriot Act centers largely on whether federal agents should be able to investigate Americans' reading habits. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have added restrictions to the 2001 anti-terrorism law's so-called library provision, which has become its most bitterly debated part. It's spawned angry protests, the purging of library records and a host of congressional amendments and bills.

Lawmakers Consider Stamps on Bullets

LOS ANGELES -- Lawmakers in California now have two bills on the table that could aid in the search for gun-firing assailants. Forensics investigators currently have the ability to match the unique signature on every bullet to the gun it was fired from. The problem then becomes, for detectives and law enforcement, finding the gun itself and the person who fired it. California Senate Bill 357 and its sister bill Assembly Bill 352 would have all new guns stamp an I.D. number on shell casings as they fire, and require every semi-automatic handgun sold after Jan. 1, 2009, to be equipped with the new microstamping technology that assigns traceable serial numbers to individual bullets.

"The Militia of The Several States" Guarantee The Right To Keep And Bear Arms

Too many people wrongly assume that the purpose of revitalizing "the Militia of the several States" (or, for that matter, of forming the kind of private citizens "militia" that already exist in several States) is to fight new battles of Lexington and Concord. To the contrary: The goal must be, if at all possible, to deter usurpation and tyranny, so as to make actually fighting any battle here in America unnecessary.

FAA Proposes Permanent Restrictions Over D.C.

WASHINGTON -- The government wants to restrict a wide swath of airspace over the Washington area permanently and make it a crime if a private pilot knowingly enters a zone that extends from Maryland to Virginia. Pilots have strayed hundreds of times since the government temporarily restricted airspace over the capital just before the start of the Iraq war in 2003. In many cases, fighter jets, which are prepared to shoot down a plane, have escorted an errant aircraft to an airport.

Lawmakers to Face Eminent Domain Issue

AUGUSTA -- Maine lawmakers will be asked to clarify state law to ban the taking of private property through eminent domain for private economic development - a power that was authorized by the U.S. Supreme Court in a Connecticut case. "This has pricked the nerves of a lot of Maine people," said Sen. Barry Hobbins, D-Saco, co-chair of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee. "We need to look at what needs to be done to make sure that can't happen in Maine."

Eminent Domain: Long Branch, N.J. Taking People's Homes for Profit

Denise Hoagland has lived in her beachfront cottage on the New Jersey shore for 12 years. "It's not just a building," said Hoagland, 38. "It's a home I created with three children and a husband." Hoagland's is one of about 36 residential properties the city of Long Branch, N.J., wants to raze and turn into high-end condominiums. City officials are prepared to use eminent domain if necessary. A developer has offered Hoagland $400,000 for her three-bedroom, two-bath piece of paradise. Her answer is unequivocal and painted in red, white and blue on her fence: "NOT FOR SALE."

Eminent Domain Ruling Creates Political Backlash

WASHINGTON -- Sometimes nothing promotes a cause like losing. That's what appears to have happened to the property rights movement, thanks to the backlash over the Supreme Court's June 23 ruling on eminent domain, the government's power to take private property for public use. "I can't think of a reaction from both the left and the right in recent decades that's like this case," said University of Wisconsin political scientist and law professor Donald Downs.

Alabama Legislation Limits Eminent Domain

A backlash is under way across the country following a recent Supreme Court decision allowing cities broad power to seize private property for commercial development. Last week, Alabama enacted legislation to limit that power. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley discusses the new law.

Eminent Domain Threatened in E. Haven Trolley Flap

EAST HAVEN -- The new owners of the Quality Inn motel along Frontage Road want the town and the Shoreline Trolley Museum to remove the old trolley car that the town has used for years as a tourist information center just off Interstate 95. But East Haven officals want the trolley to stay, and say that if they can’t work out a new agreement, they may have to resort to eminent domain proceedings.

Delray Residents Still Edgy Their Property Might Be Up For Grabs

Carolyn Zimmerman is fed up with the mail solicitations she's been getting from developers eager to buy her Delray Beach home. "They say they want to give me $100,000 for my double lot. It's absurd," she said, pointing out that the median price for a home in Palm Beach County is about $400,000. The truth, however, is that the rising cost of homes in Palm Beach County has made Delray Beach a prime hot spot for real estate. This has ignited concern and fear among Delray Beach residents who say their property might be up for grabs.

Eminent Domain Decision Resounds in Henry County

In the wake of a recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that reinforces government ability to seize property to be turned over to private entities, local governments have been on a mission to reassure residents it won't happen here. In recent weeks, Henry County and the city of Hampton have passed resolutions saying they won't take property for private development. McDonough's mayor has likewise attempted to allay fears in a recent letter.

Police Chief: Officers didn't violate rules by handcuffing kindergartner

City police officers committed an error of judgment but did not violate policy when they handcuffed an unruly kindergartner at school last spring, the department's chief said Thursday. Chief Chuck Harmon said the two officers who handcuffed the 5-year-old girl were reprimanded for minor errors in handling the situation, which gained worldwide attention when a videotape of the confrontation was released to broadcasters.

Harvard To Pay $26.5 Million in HIID Settlement

Harvard will pay $26.5 million to the U.S. government to settle a five-year-old lawsuit that implicated two University employees, including its star economics professor Andre Shleifer ’82, the Justice Department announced today. Shleifer, the Jones professor of economics, emerged far less scathed in the settlement, agreeing to pay just $2 million. He had faced damages of up to $104 million for conspiring to defraud the government while advising a U.S.-funded program to privatize the Russian economy in the 1990s. Jonathan Hay, another advisor to the program, will pay between $1 million and $2 million depending on his future earnings, the government said.

The Evolution of Evolution & A Godless Society

Let me get it off my chest upfront! Evolution isn’t about and never has been about science at all, it’s about removing God from our vocabulary – plain and simple. If evolution is about science, those with half a brain will quickly understand there are so many holes in the evolutionary theory that it is rendered helpless or missing in action.

Oldest known Bible to go online

A manuscript containing the oldest known Biblical New Testament in the world is set to enter the digital age and become accessible online. A team of experts from the UK, Europe, Egypt and Russia is currently digitising the parchment known as the Codex Sinaiticus, believed originally to have been one of 50 copies of the scriptures commissioned by Roman Emperor Constantine after he converted to Christianity. The Bible, which is currently in the British Library in London, dates from the 4th Century.

CAFTA, NAFTA and the WTO

These acronyms, NAFTA, CAFTA, and the WTO, are a weird blend of alphabet soup that provides nourishment for almost all participants - except the United States. The people who lost their jobs when 354 textile plants closed, just since 1997, are not nourished by this alphabet soup. The people in Asian sweat shops are.

Garment and textile exports to the US reach US $926 million
Vietnam exported 25 categories of garments and textiles with quota management to the US worth more than US $926 million in the first seven months of this year. Of this export value, 18 products having automatic visas contributed around US $500 million. The 338/339 category was the biggest hard currency earner with US $379 million, followed by the 347/348 category at US $247 million. The seven-month export value reached around US $1.3 billion including the value of non-quota items. (VNA)

CAFTA Guts All “Buy American” Laws: A New Green Light for Outsourcing

WASHINGTON, DC -- “Buy American” laws and similar state and federal legislation would be gutted by CAFTA procurement rules that prohibit all laws that give a preference to domestic or local businesses according to U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, who says CAFTA Article 9 overturns every state and federal law that requires federal, state, and local government agencies to buy American products, or use American workforces.

Bureaucracy Is Not Freedom

Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, “In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, ‘Make us your slaves, but feed us.’” Such words would seem to describe the state to which modern proponents of constitutionalism and individualism have been relegated. The most recent example of this is the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). CAFTA passed the U.S. House on July 28th by a vote of 217-215.

The Robotic CAFTA Vote

Just what exactly is the significance of the CAFTA vote as it relates to our ability as American citizens to shape our destiny? When promises of "pork" are made to congressmen to change their votes, is this not bribery? Isn't the use of positive/negative reinforcement operant conditioning (rewards and punishment) basically what the Russian Ivan Pavlov and the American B.F.

Fox News loves Big Brother

The killing of Jean Charles de Meneze by London police, who wrongly suspected Meneze of being a suicide bomber, demonstrated the folly of giving police a license to kill on the basis of suspicion. Yet some neoconservatives "love" this and other Big Brother policies. The July 22 shooting death of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes at the hands of plainclothes London police left Fox News commentator John Gibson swooning with admiration. "I love the way the Brits have 10 million cameras sticking up the nose of every citizen no matter where they are, except in the loo [bathroom]," exulted the host of the Fox program "The Big Story."

Fear Over U.S.-Born Extremists Is Brewing

WASHINGTON -- When security cameras captured four young Britons sauntering into the London Underground before detonating their deadly backpacks last month, the chilling images raised questions about whether such homegrown sleeper terrorists could be plotting attacks in the United States. U.S. counter-terrorism officials say there is no evidence that such would-be terrorists exist in large numbers in the United States, or that any of them are in the operational stages of a plot. And some U.S. officials and experts downplay the threat such domestic militants might pose to Americans.

The Theology of the Welfare State

BUYING OFF THE PRIESTHOOD -- To silence ministerial opposition to the healer state, the United States government began to pressure ministers of churches to join the Social Security System. This began officially in 1958. Ministers had to file a form to opt out of the system. At the time, Social Security looked like a good deal: $38 a year on average, or 1.5% on a maximum of $3,000 for a maximum of $45. For this, the government promised to pay an old-age pension. Ministers signed up in droves.

Woman, 50, Mauled by Bear in the Woods

A woman was severely injured when she was attacked by a black bear while walking in woods in northeast Minnesota, officials said. Mary Lou Munn, 50, managed to call authorities but was found lying in her front yard with several severe cuts to her leg, back, stomach and shoulders, authorities in Carlton said. They said Munn told them that she fought the bear with a stick and her fists and that her dog tried to help, but that the bear continued attacking her. Munn was reported in good condition Saturday after surgery at St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth.