President Obama continues to fill out his second-term team, adding to the recent confirmations of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense and CIA Director John Brennan. Today, Thomas E. Perez, currently an Assistant Attorney General heading the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice has been nominated by the president to take over as the United States Secretary of Labor, replacing outgoing Secretary Hilda Solis.… [Read more]
“If an obscure Florida convict named Clarence Earl Gideon had not sat down in his prison cell . . . to write a letter to the Supreme Court . . . the vast machinery of American law would have gone on functioning undisturbed. But Gideon did write that letter, the Court did look into his case .… [Read more]
With approximately 34,500 uniformed officers and 51,000 employees overall – even more than the Federal Bureau of Investigation – the New York City Police Department is the largest police force in the country. It’s a powerful army in its own right and it has been expanding its global presence as it continues to fight the global war on terror.… [Read more]
Did you know that this is “We Love Nature” month and that today is the International Day of Action for Rivers? As part of the month, today’s global activities will introduce many of us to nature and what we can do to actively protect the environment.
According to InternationalRivers.org: “Every year, thousands of people around the world lift their voices to celebrate the world’s rivers and those who struggle to protect them.… [Read more]
Did you know that today is International Women’s Day? Also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, International Women’s Day is held each year on March 8th to celebrate the achievements of women over time and around the globe, and to note that while women have come quite far throughout history, there is still a long way to go before women experience the full benefits of equality.… [Read more]
For several months, politicians on both sides of the political aisle have been sounding the alarm. We’ve been warned that the sequestered spending cuts are across-the-board and, therefore, without analysis. We’ve also been warned that the draconian measures will slow economic growth and, as a result, cost the nation somewhere in the area of 750,000 jobs – a figure agreed to by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.… [Read more]
Will Pennsylvania’s governor, Tom Corbett, stand against electoral vote-rigging? Based on reports disclosing that he took $11,000 in gifts from lobbyists and business executives, and that he’s seeking to reform the state’s two pension systems in a manner that will raise costs, why would anyone expect him to do the right thing where upcoming elections are concerned?… [Read more]
Before the sequestered budget cuts redirected attention to our elected officials’ inability to work towards a goal beneficial to most Americans, the news cycle contained stories about other items of importance, such as foreign policy and even issues such as the right to privacy. Many of these issues have something in common: the potential for governmental overreach of its authority.… [Read more]
It’s drawing very near the end of the work day for those of us located on the east coast — and that, of course applies to people who are fortunate enough to have a job. Among the most fortunate of job holders are our Senate and Congressional representatives; after all, how many people receive compensation for working productively so few days of the year?… [Read more]
Here’s an update for you: FINALLY, the House has passed the broader Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act bill. It’s now on it’s way to President Obama for his signature.
We wondered if House Republicans would FINALLY do right by women and sign the reauthorisation of the Violence Against Women Act.
We are aware that the hold-up on the issue had been that House Republicans wanted to make sure the law omitted references to sexual orientation, and that it didn’t give Native American courts greater authority to try non-Native Americans who are accused of acts of domestic violence on tribal lands.… [Read more]
Remember when the Senate passed a reauthorisation of the Violence Against Women Act but then House Republicans threatened to block the legislation? And then protests and petitions asking that citizens tell House Republicans to stop denying women protection against violence because of petty partisan politics bombarded the offices of elected officials who were standing in the way of renewing the VAWA?… [Read more]
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand sent this e-mail today, hoping that the citizens of her state, and citizens around the nation, will take action:
The Supreme Court’s oral arguments on the Voting Rights Act begin today.
We have to speak up in support of this landmark civil rights act now. There’s no time for silence. Not when a strike to this civil rights law would cause serious harm to our democracy.… [Read more]
Election day is months behind us but the issue of voting rights has once again become a ‘hot topic’. Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Voting Rights Act case, Shelby County v. Holder. At issue in this case is whether the decision made by Congress in 2006 to reauthorise one portion of the Act in particular, Section 5, has exceeded its authority under the 14th and 15th amendments (equal protection and voting privileges), thereby violating the 10th amendment (state sovereignty) of the U.S.… [Read more]
The attention-grabbing title, “I am very disappointed in Governor Rick Scott” was enough to let me know that I would soon have something to smile about. Red State’s Eric Erickson’s morning e-newsletter said the following:
I was one of the few national conservatives to support Governor Scott in 2010 during his primary. He is a fundamentally great person.… [Read more]
Of course this is a nation of laws and, of course, laws are meant to be followed. And, in the absence of just laws, compromises are made…and, where necessary, people do what they believe is best under the circumstances with which they’re faced. And, so…what should a person who is caught in between laws do in circumstances such as these?… [Read more]
The state that is home to the ‘city that never sleeps’ has an interesting new piece of legislation submitted for consideration. A few days ago, New York Senate Bill #S03412 - which seeks to prohibit lawmakers’ taking votes on legislation after 9pm and before 9am – was put forth and is now pending senate investigations and action by the government operations committee.… [Read more]
On January 31, 2013, former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) was questioned at his senate hearing as President Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Defense. The hearing proved interesting — not because watching senators take yet another of the president’s nominees and grill him like cheese is so fascinating — but, rather, because it’s more apparent than ever that these hearings are often nothing more than an opportunity for senators who seek to remain relevant to display their ruffled feathers.… [Read more]
Criticism is often offered before people know exactly what they are criticising; that goes for politics, interpersonal relationships and it’s certainly evident in social media interactions. Case in point: recent criticism over President Obama’s picks to fill his cabinet have reminded me very much of those people who see an article posted on Facebook and then make comments based on solely on the title without ever having read the article to which it’s attached.… [Read more]
On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued the historic Roe v. Wade decision. In making its decision, the court overturned a Texas interpretation of abortion law and, as a result, made pregnancy termination legal in the United States. In a vote of 7–2 the Supreme Court held that a set of Texas statutes that criminalised abortion violated a woman’s constitutional right of privacy.… [Read more]
With the eyes of the nation focused on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Barack H. Obama will be sworn in for his second term as the 44th President of the United States.
Whether we agree with his politics or policies there is one thing about which we should all agree: we are bearing witness to a powerful, historic event – one which is a significant reminder of the greatness of a democracy.… [Read more]
