Archive for the 'Civil Liberties' Category

November 18, 2009

Self Defense

You’re walking down the street and you notice a couple of people following you. This goes on for a while. Finally, you decide to confront them by holding a knife at your side and asking them why they’re following you. Except their police doing training. So, you go to jail and are found guilty of threatening them with a deadly weapons.

November 13, 2009

Pardon me, I can’t seem to find the cattle car

Roberta:

No bunch of ignorant goat-herders and tactical illiterates can destroy this country. I’m not sure why some people on the Right and Left think this nation is so weak, so decadent that unAmerican measures are necessary to prop up some horrible star-spangled shell of what we used to be but I am not playing along with it and I won’t pretend it’s okay. It’s been gnawing at me for days now and the way I figure is, those of you who value your imagined safety so much you’ll choose fascism or communism over freedom are the ones who need gnawed at, not me.

November 12, 2009

You’re not law enforcement

Good:

An angry aide to Rep. Ron Paul, an iPhone and $4,700 in cash have forced the Transportation Security Administration to quietly issue two new rules telling its airport screeners they can only conduct searches related to airplane safety.

In response, the American Civil Liberties Union is dropping its lawsuit on behalf of Steve Bierfeldt, the man who was detained in March and who recorded the confrontation on his iPhone as TSA and local police officers spent half an hour demanding answers as to why he was carrying the money through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

The new rules, issuedin September and October, tell officers “screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimes unrelated to transportation security” and that large amounts of cash don’t qualify as suspicious for purposes of safety.

November 09, 2009

More stellar performance from ATF

Seen at Joe’s:

A judge found the actions of federal agents who refused to show Zanesville residents a warrant when asked are “completely unreasonable and unjustified.”

At the suppression hearing in July, Marbley made it clear to agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bosley, that he was unhappy with the way agents handled the search June 18 at the Thompson home on Kopchak Road.

Marian Thompson said even though she repeatedly asked for a warrant, none was ever supplied.

Marbley stated in his ruling that “one of the purposes served by the warrant requirement is informing citizens that the executing agents are acting under proper authorization when they invade the sanctity of a citizen’s home.”

November 02, 2009

1,600

Anti-gunners keep pushing bills that say if a person is on the terror watch list, then they can’t buy a gun. Of course, the trouble is you can’t really appeal that and you have no way of knowing. And since there have been senators and babies on the list, it’s probably not accurate.

Yet, we add 1,600 to it per day.

October 29, 2009

Hope and Change

Thought crimes now make stuff that’s already illegal even more illegaller. They call it a hate crime prevention act. Which it’s not. It just increases the punishment and adds something else someone could be charged with. It will prevent nothing.

October 20, 2009

End the drug war and release the prisoners of war

Good news:

The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday.Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws

Good for Obama. Via Phelps, who says: I’ll start to believe it when they stop raiding dispensaries.

October 12, 2009

Obama on gays in the military

Obama says he’ll end don’t ask don’t tell. But don’t ask when because he won’t tell you.

Criminalizing religious practices

Interesting case. A registered sex offender goes to church. He is arrested because the law prohibits him from being near children and the church has a daycare. He’s suing, claiming his first amendment rights are being infringed upon.

October 06, 2009

The Crucible

Getting your neighbors to form a community terrorist watch list. What could possibly go wrong?

October 05, 2009

You don’t need to know. You can’t know.

Federal agents decked out in Ninja gear and SWAT weapons ransack a 60 year old grandmother’s house. They don’t answer her questions and emptied file cabinets, pulled books off shelves, rifled through drawers and closets, and threw the contents on the floor. Prior to this raid, she and her husband were under investigation for six months. The reason for the resources, SWAT teams, body armor, and all manner of anti-terror, ninja suits? Orchids.

Yes, these domestic terrorist were guilty of cultivating, importing and selling orchids. Kevin addressed the case a few years back.

The linked article has more heavy-handed buffoonery:

Krister Evertson, another victim of overcriminalization, told Congress, “What I have experienced in these past years is something that should scare you and all Americans.” He’s right. Evertson, a small-time entrepreneur and inventor, faced two separate federal prosecutions stemming from his work trying to develop clean-energy fuel cells.

The feds prosecuted Mr. Evertson the first time for failing to put a federally mandated sticker on an otherwise lawful UPS package in which he shipped some of his supplies.

I’m glad to see these incidents getting more coverage to show the stupidity involved here.

September 30, 2009

Drugs continue winning war on drugs

Grandmother arrested for buying cold medicine.

September 29, 2009

Is that all?

You commit three felonies a day. And intent? Never heard of it.

September 28, 2009

But we need this to stop terrorists and for the children

On the PATRIOT Act:

Only three of the 763 “sneak-and-peek” requests in fiscal year 2008 involved terrorism cases, according to a July 2009 report from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Sixty-five percent were drug cases.

September 25, 2009

more like this, please

Hats off to Al Franken, of all people:

Franken, who opened by acknowledging that unlike most of his colleagues in the Senate, he’s not a lawyer, but according to his research “most Americans aren’t lawyers” either, said he’d also done research on the Patriot Act and in particular, the “roving wiretap” provision that allows the FBI to get a warrant to wiretap a an unnamed target and his or her various and changing cell phones, computers and other communication devices.

Noting that he received a copy of the Constitution when he was sworn in as a senator, he proceeded to read it to Kris, emphasizing this part: “no Warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

“That’s pretty explicit language,” noted Franken, asking Kris how the “roving wiretap” provision of the Patriot Act can meet that requirement if it doesn’t require the government to name its target.

Via Phelps.

September 23, 2009

When everyone becomes a libertarian

Katherine Mangu-Ward:

I’m the average American: Take 30 percent of my paycheck and I’ll shrug. Nationalize the car companies and I’ll change the channel to cartoons. Add 10 cents to the cost of my Cherry Coke and, so help me God, I will start a revolution.

It doesn’t make a lick of sense, but that’s the way people are. Tea parties notwithstanding, trans fat regulations, smoking rules, parental advisory stickers, and light bulb bans have long been some of the best recruitment tools libertarians have.

Free Speech

Under threat when you disagree with the establishment.

September 22, 2009

The Day the SWAT Team Came Crashing Through My Door

A good read:

What confounds me is the unmitigated refusal of county leaders to challenge law enforcement and to demand better — as if civil rights are somehow rendered secondary by the war on drugs.

Well, today, they are. That should be changed.

September 16, 2009

Hope and Change

Obama administration looks to extend provisions of PATRIOT act.

September 08, 2009

a reasonable search

A man pulled over for DUI was taken to the hospital and forced to a bed, then catheterized against his will. Seems, he had a problem with the whole thing and is now suing.

September 01, 2009

Probably breaking the law right now

We libertarian sorts point out that it is to the point where there are so many laws that it’s impossible to not break them. Good thing that issue is getting some attention from law professors.

August 31, 2009

The government in your internet

In the event of cybersecurity emergency, they want to shut down. From Tam, who notes:

the oft-derided USA-PATRIOT Act is still with us. I guess they only hate it during election season.

August 28, 2009

flag@whitehouse.gov

Obama administration getting sued for it’s boneheaded snitching on dissenters move:

“My hate mail started shortly after the White House issued the ‘fishy’ request,” said Kathryn Serkes, AAPS’ Director of Policy and Public Affairs. “We were quite visible and vocal before then, so it doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Who did they share their data with? With whom might they share it?”

August 25, 2009

Quote of the Day

David Codrea:

Mabell Labe

August 21, 2009

Watching the watchmen

Blog about the police, spend time in jail.

August 12, 2009

Sign Control

I got sidetracked but I wanted to talk about the man open carrying at the Obama protest thing in New Hampshire from the point made in this post. Insty sums up the press reaction nicely:

EEK! A GUN!

And it’s having an effect. However, you couple the gun with the whole blood of tyrants sign and I think the guy made a poor marketing decision. Of course, he was also a half a mile away and there two hours before Obama’s arrival.

One of the more interesting dynamics I’ve found in this debate is the reaction from folks. Some folks are none too happy here. Take Aunt B. for example:

Because the whole “gun nuts” thing aside, the biggest progress gun lovers have made is in convincing the rest of us that y’all are normal people we have no reason to be afraid of.

Unlike the press, Aunt B. is not all EEK! A GUN!. She takes issue with the sign. I really doubt Aunt B. would be concerned if the guy was protesting and did not have that particular sign. It is New Hampshire. You know, live free or die. And NH has had handgun carry for probably longer than anyone. So, if you’re going to open carry at a protest, probably ought to leave the signs that advocate violence at home. In fact, leaving those signs at home when not carrying is probably a good idea too.

Meanwhile, PDB is utterly outraged.

August 06, 2009

Quote of the Day

Ben Garrett on the FTC’s pending nationalized media:

Interpretation: Five million bloggers exercising their First Amendment right isn’t a good thing for American democracy.

For the children

Walter Olson:

under a law Congress passed last year aimed at regulating hazards in children’s products, the federal government has now advised that children’s books published before 1985 should not be considered safe and may in many cases be unlawful to sell or distribute. Merchants, thrift stores, and booksellers may be at risk if they sell older volumes, or even give them away, without first subjecting them to testing—at prohibitive expense.

The Mrs. collects children’s books. She has for years. It appears she’ll soon need a black market book dealer. HT to SIH who notes you need an interest group for everything.

August 03, 2009

Incumbent protection

Government to limit political speech and not just for corporations:

Under the government’s proposed rule, not even actual gratitude is required before the government can limit speech — it is enough that the government thinks that in some cases legislators might feel gratitude.

July 17, 2009

to be confronted with the witnesses against him

Shocker: Court rules amendment means what it says.

July 10, 2009

Can I get my nailclippers back now?

Good:

A federal judge in June threw out seizure of three fake passports from a traveler, saying that TSA screeners violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. Congress authorizes TSA to search travelers for weapons and explosives; beyond that, the agency is overstepping its bounds, U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley said.

June 26, 2009

Good

Strip searching for Advil ruled to violate fourth amendment rights. Thomas dissented, which is inexcusable.

June 25, 2009

if you go on the internet and you criticize the government, the government might start a criminal investigation about you, and we think that’s extremely problematic

Jack Lail on the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Federal prosecutors who had made a broad request for user information of commenters on the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Web site backed down a bit

June 23, 2009

Quote of the day

Man invited to airport to photograph Fathers’ day flight of a B24 Liberator. Photographer cuffed and held since we can’t have people taking pics of planes. Says one of the veterans:

It’s the U.S.A., not U.S.S.R. — I didn’t fight to protect this shit.

Security theater

TSA agents harass Ron Paul supporter for carrying too much cash. Oh, did we mention he took an audio recording.

The watchlist

The .gov has this watch list that is suppressing our civil rights, the media tells us. But the same list doesn’t suppress the right to own guns and the media gets hysterical. The list has had servicemen, babies, congressmonkies, bloggers, and grandmothers on it. The list is flawed, involves no due process, and you can’t even inquire as to why you’re on it when you’re on it. Robb takes the bootlickers to task.

June 16, 2009

Peaceable assembly, low-level terrorism? what’s the difference?

A little frightening:

Antiterrorism training materials used by the Department of Defense teach that public protests should be regarded as “low-level terrorism,” according to a letter of complaint sent to the department by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

June 04, 2009

Convenience

Scary:

It is legally permissible for police to zap a suspect with a Taser to obtain a DNA sample, as long as it’s not done “maliciously, or to an excessive extent, or with resulting injury,” a county judge has ruled in the first case of its kind in New York State, and possibly the nation.

I have always been of the opinion that the only time for using a Taser is when deadly force is justified.

Good

New Hampshire set to become sixth state to butt out of contracts between two people whose genitalia aren’t different.

May 28, 2009

Big Brother in your car

I forgot where I read this but someone pointed out that it’s a bit scary that the US government will own OnStar. By owning 70% of GM, they would control OnStar as well.

May 27, 2009

Criticism will be tolerated

A judge says your right to free speech is not limited just because there’s an election. Good for him.

May 22, 2009

Hope and change

The NYT:

President Obama told human rights advocates at the White House on Wednesday that he was mulling the need for a “preventive detention” system that would establish a legal basis for the United States to incarcerate terrorism suspects who are deemed a threat to national security but cannot be tried, two participants in the private session said.

Obama seems to be a continuation of Bush. Hell, even Glenn Greenwald is noticing that too.

May 12, 2009

Why not just inject the device into the person?

No warrant needed for GPS tracking of automobile.

May 08, 2009

Saggy Pants

The TN AG says a ban on saggy pants is ‘Arguably Unconstitutional‘. One would hope so.

April 21, 2009

Potential terrorist?

DHS takes an interest in a man for buying 1,000 rounds of ammo:

West said a customer of his recently stocked up on .223-caliber rounds, a caliber often used in assault-style weapons. The customer bought 1,000 rounds a few months ago through a mail order company.

Shortly after the purchase, he received a visit from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, whose interest was apparently piqued by a large-scale purchase of that caliber.

Large scale? Hardly. Sounds more like a fun weekend to me. Well, I usually buy it 500 at a time. Probably explains why I haven’t had a visit.

Via David.

April 17, 2009

Backing down

Insty reports that Napolitano is apologizing for that whole veterans are right wing extremist terrorists thing.

Meanwhile:

“It’s ironic,” Gottlieb concluded, “that President Obama’s friend, William Ayers, is a leftwing terrorist bomber, but nothing in this report suggests monitoring his activities.”

April 16, 2009

Hope and change

FoxNews:

The National Security Agency intercepted Americans’ e-mails and phone calls in recent months on a scale that went beyond limits set by Congress last year, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

April 15, 2009

SayUncle: Potential terrorist

More on the aggressive use of the label terrorist with respect to political views.

And so the lefties don’t feel left out. Oh, except that’s not real.

Update: I guess the Texas Governor might be a terrorist too!

Update: Indiana legislature too!

April 14, 2009

But I thought dissent was patriotic?

DHS issues reports on the dangers of right wing extremism. And veterans, of course, are right wing extremists.

April 06, 2009

unaccredited grassroots Web site

That’s what they called a blogger so they could raid his house. Raided and computers seized. For criticizing bad cops.

April 03, 2009

Freedom

In protest, dentist sends tea bag to congresscritter. Naturally, the police show up at his door.

Also, Ron Paul staffer asked why he has so much cash at the airport. Detained and harassed. Oh, staffer recorded audio on his phone.

March 30, 2009

Take a break from not scaring white people

On this mandatory volunteerism, over my dead body.

March 28, 2009

Peacable Assembly

Not in Cape Coral:

A tea party to protest government spending and taxing is canceled. Canceled by the government.

Why? They feel too many people could show-up.

March 24, 2009

Martial Law

Mayor in NY wants to declare martial law. Not because citizens are out of control but because the police are.

March 23, 2009

So, you’re treading on me?

Driving While Conservative.

March 03, 2009

Probably hard to measure

How free is your state?

Tennessee comes in at number 7.

First they came for the sex offenders

Technology has put a damper on some constitutional protections. You see, the automobile has made it so that searches are reasonable as long as you search everyone. And indoor plumbing means that it is not longer necessary for the police to knock on your door. Now, technology takes a bite out of the fifth amendment as a judge orders man to decrypt his protected laptop.

March 02, 2009

States’ rights

Holder says the feds will stop raiding medical marijuana facilities in states that legalized medical marijuana. Good.

February 25, 2009

a trend

First, they came for the sex offenders.

February 18, 2009

Discipline

A 14 year-old girl was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Her crime: texting.

Too many school monkeys’ responses are to call the police over what amounts to disciplinary problems. Sign of the times.

February 17, 2009

‘total abuse of police power’

Largo:

Police this week removed an unruly 7-year-old from his classroom and forced him to be hospitalized under the state’s Baker Act — against the wishes of his outraged parents.

The boy spent the night alone at Morton Plant Hospital before he was seen by a child psychologist the next day and discharged.

His crime: a tantrum.

February 09, 2009

ACLU and the teacher with a gun

Last week, I noted a teacher was suspended from her day job because her facebook page had an image of her holding a gun. Now, the ACLU has taken up the case:

The ACLU of Wisconsin is defending a Beaver Dam teacher who was put on administrative leave after she posted a questionable photo on her Facebook page.

From the ACLU of Wisconsin:

ACLU of Wisconsin: School should allow teacher to pose with rifle on Facebook

A Beaver Dam Middle School teacher, Betsy Ramsdale, should not have been put on administrative leave simply because of a photo on Facebook showing her training a rifle at the camera. While school safety is of paramount importance, public school teachers do not lose their right to free expression when they are not working.

The context of the photo, the whole Facebook page, is important to understand before taking action against a teacher, who happens to be a gun enthusiast.

Well, that’s likely the problem right there. Can’t have gun enthusiasts educating people.

Good for the ACLU.

On the drug war

Xrlqy Wrlqy says:

drugs have become a religion on both sides. On the one hand, drug prohibitionists have an annoying tendency to ignore the fact that prohibiting a substance causes the price to skyrocket, thereby creating the motive underlying most “drug-related” crime. On the other, legalization and decriminalization advocates have an equally annoying tendency to ignore the fact that repealing the prohibition (or reducing enforcement efforts) on that same substance would cause the price to plummet, thereby causing recreational use (and, inevitably, abuse) to increase.

Probably. But one annoying tendency doesn’t lead to 90 year-old grandmothers being shot dead by police and then the police engage in a cover up. And another does. The religion of peace, I guess.

There ought to be a law

Seen at MKS:

A bill filed today would specify that blogs can be libelous. Sen. Steve Goss said he wrote the bill over concern that “fast-moving Internet technology” may be outstripping existing libel laws. He wants the law to specifically say that blogs and other online media can be considered libelous.

I would imagine that libelous statements, such as Sen. Steve Goss has a thing for Asian transsexual hookers, are probably actionable no matter the medium in which they are presented. And that non-libelous statements, such as Sen. Steve Goss is an authoritarian douchebag, are protected regardless of the medium in which they are presented. You know, free speech and all. But then, I’m not a lawyer.

February 06, 2009

police had reason to believe a gun was in the residence, which was why they did not knock

PGP: Let me see…the police *think* you might be armed (gun registration what could possibly go wrong?), so they kick in your door, detain everyone forcibly, and shoot your dog because they’re looking for someone who doesn’t even live there.

Another case against registration.

Another confidential informant? They invaded his son’s home too. No arrests.

February 05, 2009

Credit where it’s due

For the second time, I’ll give props to the Obama administration:

The White House affirms that he will end the Bush/Clinton policy of raiding medical marijuana providers who are operating within the parameters of state law. A victory for patients, for the Tenth Amendment, and for responsible use of federal law enforcement resources

Literacy

Jim Crow for gun owners.

February 04, 2009

I would have preferred Gitmo

Seen at Joe’s:

Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., has introduced to the House of Representatives a new bill, H.R. 645, calling for the secretary of homeland security to establish no fewer than six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations.

Text of the bill.

February 03, 2009

States’ rights

A bill in New Hampshire.

January 29, 2009

Stealing laptops, taking your nail clippers, and fondling you: not just for airlines anymore

Or Meet the new boss.

The first federal evaluation of mass-transit security shows that more than 75% of the nation’s major rail and bus systems aren’t meeting Homeland Security guidelines.

By contrast, 96% of airlines are complying with security requirements, according to a new report by the department. The report doesn’t identify which rail and bus systems fell short.

The assessment comes as new Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says she plans to focus more on mass transit, possibly through “redeployment” of resources from other areas.

That mean taking the Security Theater from the airport and putting it in the bus & rail stations where it will do just as little?

January 27, 2009

regulating commerce

A bill in congress to, and I am not making this up, require a cellphone equipped with a camera to sound a tone whenever a photograph is taken with the camera’s phone. It would also prohibit such a phone from being equipped with a means of disabling or silencing the tone.

January 15, 2009

I’m guessing mistakes are not unreasonable?

Further erosion of the fourth amendment:

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that evidence obtained after illegal searches or arrests based on simple police mistakes may be used to prosecute criminal defendants.

I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more simple police mistakes.

What first amendment?

In SC, there’s a bill to outlaw public profanity. Well, fuck.

January 06, 2009

Hoplophobia

DC rejected the license plate TRIGGER. Well, until NRA lawyers stepped in. Really, afraid of scary gun words?

Ebay is scared of pictures of guns and will pull your auctions over it.

January 05, 2009

Potential Terrorists

The WaPo:

The Maryland State Police surveillance of advocacy groups was far more extensive than previously acknowledged, with records showing that troopers monitored — and labeled as terrorists — activists devoted to such wide-ranging causes as promoting human rights and establishing bike lanes.

Also, reminds me of this.

December 22, 2008

Federal Suit in Delaware

In PA, looks like there’s a lawsuit over confiscated firearms.

Update: Did you know that there was a Delaware County in PA? Me neither.

December 16, 2008

The score 9:1

Yesterday was toilet paper in the capitol building day. Err, I mean Bill of Rights day. A look at how it’s doing.

From reader HtownTejas.

A car is a public place?

Seen at David’s: An Oregon Appeals Court decision has found that your car is now considered a “public place.”

Some disagreement as to what the court meant in comments as a lawyer type says your car is a container on a public street. But so is my house. Still, I’m of the opinion that my vehicle is private. Oh sure, you can see in it. But it is my personal space.

December 15, 2008

Huh?

Woman found not guilty, sentenced to 55 years.

December 12, 2008

Unreal

Judge takes meat cleaver to First Amendment.

December 02, 2008

So much for Posse Comitatus

The WaPo:

The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.

The long-planned shift in the Defense Department’s role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said.

There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military’s role in domestic law enforcement.

But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

I wonder if the Bush loyalists are still going to be OK with that come January?

December 01, 2008

Who knew?

Dragging a guy from his house then charging him with public drunkenness doesn’t fly.

November 21, 2008

Who Decides?

Publius does a nice job summing up what’s at the heart of the liberal/conservative divide on “social conservative” issues:

The social conservatives’ positions tend to empower government over individuals. If they got their way, the public would be forced to submit to the government’s decision-making. The more liberal position, by contrast, allocates power to individuals – no one is forced to do anything. (Admittedly, this is not really a constitutional argument – just an additional explanation for why the Christian Right tends to scare people).

Take, for instance, the granddaddy issue of them all – abortion. The Christian Right position would require every single person in a given jurisdiction to give birth. (Yes, some would argue that it’s simply about letting the states decide – but still, they prefer this position because many states, and virtually the entire South, would ban abortion). Thus, the decision-making power here would belong to the government. Individuals would no longer be free to decide.

The pro-choice position, by contrast, ensures that individuals – not the government – will ultimately make these private decisions. Individuals remain free to have, or not have, abortions as they and their God see fit. And everyone remains free to persuade their fellow citizens of the values of bringing all pregnancies to term. But in the end, the individual – and not the state – would make the final call.

This pattern repeats itself across a number of issues. For example, gay marriage doesn’t require anyone to do anything. It merely allows consenting gay adults to be married. Gay marriage bans, by contrast, grant that decision-making power to the state.

Similarly, rights to contraception don’t require anyone to do anything – the ultimate decision remains with the individual. Contraception bans, by contrast, allocate the decision-making power to the government.

Same deal with school prayer. Banning school prayer in public classes doesn’t prevent anyone from praying privately at the school. But allowing public prayer, by contrast, would force non-Christians to sit through prayer sessions in a publicly funded school. Again, the decision to participate in prayer would be made by the state, not the individual.

The larger point is that these examples illustrate why many people fear social conservatives – simply put, many of the latter’s preferred positions would use the state to intrude on people’s lives and dictate very private and personal decisions to them.

Now, I think this is largely true. But at the same time, if you expand beyond the so-called “social conservative” issues, there are plenty of places where it’s the liberals who would be doing the forcing. Environmental issues, for example, or gun control.

That said, I think the fact that compliance is somehow enforced is not, in and of itself, necessarily a bad thing. It depends upon your view of the thing being enforced.

November 12, 2008

Quote of the day

From the Daily Show on California’s gay marriage ban getting passed because a lot of black people showed up at the polls (paraphrased):

The oppressed have become the oppressors.

November 05, 2008

Post election stuff

Personally, I blame the Republicans for their loss. You can’t win by running left. And you can’t win by consistently abandoning every principle that got you elected in the first place, which the Bush administration did for eight years. McCain had to spend his time shoring up a base he should have already had to begin with.

Still, 51% isn’t exactly a blow out. Looks like the Democrats are up to 56 in the senate and the house tally looks to be an increase. From a gunny standpoint, I hope there are enough blue dogs to keep the Obama administration in check. Or we’re fucked and going to court a lot.

I’m guessing about now John McCain realizes that the supposed campaign finance reform law that bears his name is steaming pile of poo.

Tennessee went the opposite direction and now has a Republican majority for the first time since the reconstruction.

The sentiment of blaming George Bush seems common among the blogs today:

Jeff: Congratulations are also due to President George W. Bush for being one of the most incompetent, overspending, uncommunicative, clueless politicians. He has single-handedly reduced the Republican Party to “also ran” status by pissing-off almost everybody.

Sebastian: Thanks George! Let’s be honest about who’s fault it really is we lost this election. The Rove strategy has proven to be a total failure at this point.

Robb: You will not win by moving left. Sorry, the Democrats and progressives have a monopoly on that segment and you’re not going to win them over.

Chris reminds us that this is not a huge victory in terms of numbers.

Tam says we’re all ready to start taxing our way to prosperity in a few months

Xrlq looks on the bright side.

October 23, 2008

Equivocation

Gun owner = trained jihadist.

October 14, 2008

Frightening

Constitution Free Chicago.

September 16, 2008

We don’t need no due process of law

Guy doesn’t break the law and will not be charged. Guns not returned.

September 08, 2008

Quote of the day

James Valley, mayor of Helena:

“I’ve offered to give the ACLU lady a house on Second Street,” he says. “That way, she can see if the Constitution will protect her there.”

Responds Sklar: “The arrogance of small-town tyrants never ceases to amaze me.”

From an article noting a town south of Memphis has a police enforced curfew.

I think I’d choose the constitution and a rifle over 30 policemen in ninja outfits clearing the streets.

September 05, 2008

Restraining orders and gun rights

People wonder why I find restraining orders restricting one’s right to arms a bad idea? This is why. Rights stripped without due process.

September 02, 2008

You can’t not break the law here

So, a guy near the Democrat Convention is lawfully open carrying his firearm. He was arrested and detained. Said the man:

Asked if it was wise to carry a gun near the Obama event, Noble said: “His rights don’t trump mine.”

Amen.

August 28, 2008

We don’t need no stinking due process of law

We have lists!

Guav:

First of all, the fact that the Bush administration supported the legislation should set off warning bells immediately at Think Progress. Second, characterizing Scheunemann and the NRA as being “in favor of gun rights for suspected terrorists” is fucking despicable.

Indeed. Continuing, he notes:

That’s 1 million “suspected terrorists”—including former Assistant Attorney Generals with a top-secret security clearance, nuns, members of Congress, people with names like Robert Johnson and Gary Smith, peace activists, Nelson Mandela, and other people—who will be harassed, denied the right to travel and punished for having a name similar to one used by someone who may or may not be a terrorist.

Reminds me of David’s bit on people Democrats think are terrorists

In an election year

Freedom Of Expression: So Precious, It’s Rationed

August 19, 2008

Abuse of power

Seems that our state troopers were doing background checks on political rivals of the powers that be.

The intimidation files.

Terry names names.

Journalists on the list?

August 15, 2008

Jury Nullification

Questioning the legitimacy of drug laws gets you kicked off a jury.

August 14, 2008

Solution to gun violence

bigotry:

Thus, I call upon everyone – private employers, government agencies, schools, physicians, and especially parents – to help. First, to put teeth into this initiative, I ask the General Assembly to take the lead and make guns in public accommodations illegal. It is one thing to continue to tolerate people choosing to endanger themselves and their loved ones by keeping a gun at home. We should no longer, however, allow them to force others to endanger themselves by going to a movie theater or baseball game where guns are permitted. In addition, private employers outside the context of public accommodations should prohibit guns on their premises, with prominent signs to remind the public that guns must be left at the door.

August 12, 2008

Shooting the dog

Not funny but funny.

August 07, 2008

The report must match the tape

Only it doesn’t.

August 06, 2008

Shooting the dog – update

Remember that mayor whose dog was killed when the police put on their ninja clothes and kicked in his door because someone mailed him some weed? Well, turns out that:

1) Police concluded that maybe that really wasn’t his weed (duh – who mails 30 pounds of illegal drugs and doesn’t plan on getting caught).

2) And the police, it seems, did not obtain a no-knock warrant. This would seem odd since they did not knock, stormed his house, and shot his dogs.

Now, maybe these ridiculous raids will get some attention. Good thing that bad things happen to important people or no one would ever notice.

Campaign Finance Laws

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Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.

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