Scott Bittle: The Iceman Goeth: Politicians Ignore the Biggest Threat to American Jobs. As the presidential candidates spout on about jobs and the economy, I sometimes wish I could put my late grandfather on the stage during the debates.
Not just because he had a low tolerance for blather, although he did, and I think the politicians would find his comments, let's say, bracing. The real reason is that his experience has more relevance to the jobs debate than most of what the politicians are talking about. Eventually technology came out with something better, but my grandfather knew that wasn't necessarily going to be better for him. As my father used to tell it, the family was once invited to dinner during the 1930s; a dinner that ended with ice cream out of a refrigerator. An electric refrigerator. My grandfather didn't say anything, but there was no way in hell he was going to eat that demon dessert, no matter how hard my grandmother kicked him under the table. Here's Why the Government Thinks It Can Kill You Overseas. The Obama administration calls it “targeted killing.”
Steven Seagal would call it getting marked for death. It’s the practice of singling out an individual, linked to a terrorist group, for killing, and it’s been played out hundreds of times in the 9/11 era — including, more recently, against U.S. citizens like al-Qaida’s YouTube preacher, Anwar al-Awlaki. When the US Government Can Kill You, Explained. A US Air Force Reaper armed with hellfire missiles.Louie Palu/ZUMA Press On Monday, the Obama administration explained when it's allowed to kill you.
Speaking to students and faculty at Northwestern University law school, Attorney General Eric Holder laid out in greater detail than ever before the legal theory behind the administration's belief that it can kill American citizens suspected of terrorism without charge or trial. In the 5,000-word speech, the nation's top law enforcement official directly confronted critics who allege that the targeted killing of American citizens violates the Constitution. "'Due process' and 'judicial process' are not one and the same, particularly when it comes to national security. " Holder said. Who decides when an American citizen has had enough due process and the Hellfire missile fairy pays them a visit? There won't be any drone strikes in Denver anytime soon.
Eric Holder’s Appalling Speech. There’s a sense in which it’s good that Attorney General Eric Holder explained today why the government has decided it has the power to kill American citizens suspected of being terrorists without judicial review.
There’s value in the government making these arguments explicit. That is the only positive thing anyone who cares even slightly about liberty can say about this speech. Responding to the Fifth Amendment’s fundamental stipulation that the government must provide due process of law before depriving a citizen of life, liberty or property, Holder comes up with a legal novelty: a Hellfire missile is due process of law. No, really. FAQ: the crackdown on insider trading in Congress. Despite, the partisan gridlock that plagued Congress for most of 2011, legislators are making progress on at least one issue: cracking down on insider trading within the two chambers.
On Monday, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed to move the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act closer to a final vote. Here’s a closer look at the bill and why it’s on the front burner: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand ( D-N.Y.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) are sponsors of the STOCK Act, along with Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.). 1)What would the STOCK Act do? The measure would beef up reporting rules for such financial transactions, requiring members to file monthly instead of yearly reports and to post the reports online. 2) Isn’t there already a general ban on insider trading? 3)Why is this coming up now? There’s conflicting evidence from academics who’ve tried to determine whether congressional insider trading is a serious concern. 4) What will happen next?
‘Throw Them All Out’ Author Lauds Insider-Trading Ban Move by Congress. The documentary ‘When the Garden Was Eden,’ premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, focuses on the ‘70s New York Knicks, and how the basketball team served as a refuge for a city plagued by crime.
“Now here comes Willis... and the crowd is going wild!” That was Marv Albert’s call on the radio for Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, and even though New York City is seen as some kind of secularist’s utopia or dystopic hellscape depending on your point of view vis-à-vis organized religion, Reed’s entrance is practically a shibboleth for Gotham basketball fans; flash a few stills from the grainy TV footage, and the entire gloriously improbable tale comes spilling out in gushing, reverent tones, as if retelling the deeds of saints. The New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers were tied at three games apiece, but Knicks Captain Willis Reed had suffered a torn muscle in his right thigh during Game 5, and skipped Game 6 entirely. As Araton wrote: Jackson himself wasn’t exempt. But there is hope. Racist Political Ads. How the GOP Is Resegregating the South. This article was reported in partnership with The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute, with support from The Puffin Foundation.
North Carolina State Senator Eric Mansfield was born in 1964, a year before the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed the right to vote for African-Americans. He grew up in Columbus, Georgia, and moved to North Carolina when he was stationed at Fort Bragg. He became an Army doctor, opening a practice in Fayetteville after leaving the service. Mansfield says he was always “very cynical about politics” but decided to run for office in 2010 after being inspired by Barack Obama’s presidential run.
SC voter ID law blocked by Justice Department - politics - More politics. NAACP: Restrictive laws 'assault' Americans' voting rights. Editor's Note: In America is producing a documentary, airing in July, which looks at whether a flurry of new state laws are designed to suppress votes, or protect against voting fraud.
By Stephanie Siek, CNN (CNN) – The voting rights of minorities, students, the poor, the elderly and the disabled are threatened by a concerted campaign to restrict access to the polls, according to a report released by the NAACP and NAACP Legal Defense Fund. “Defending Democracy: Confronting Modern Barriers to Voting Rights in America” states that Americans “are experiencing an assault on voting rights that is historic, both in terms of its scope and intensity.” In 2011, 14 states passed laws that restrict the voting or voter registration process in ways that disproportionately impact minorities, according to the report released Monday.