Portland officials were shocked this week when a security camera captured a man urinating in a city reservoir of treated drinking water. Others were equally shocked by the city’s response — it flushed 8 million gallons of water down the drain.
Continue reading “Portland Dumps 8 Million Gallons Of Treated Water After Man Urinates In Reservoir”
Category: Politics
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
It’s been nearly a decade since the death of Manadel al-Jamadi, an Iraqi prisoner known as “the Iceman.” In Alexandria, Virginia, a secret federal grand jury has begun calling witnesses in its investigation of the death of “the Iceman”. Manadel al-Jamadi was killed while in CIA custody at Abu Ghraib and got his nickname from an attempt to keep his body cool and make him look less than dead.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
During the Republican presidential debate on Monday, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann announced that she had filed paperwork for a 2012 run. She has a J.D. from Oral Roberts University and an LL.M. degree in tax law from the William & Mary Law School, and worked as an attorney representing the IRS.
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
We recall with considerable mirth the recent unsuccessful prediction of The Rapture and subsequent world annihilation by Family Radio Worldwide leader Harold Camping who said he made the discovery after much study, reflection, and prayer. Sadly, Mr. Camping suffered a stroke after seeing the fall of his Rapture prediction on May 21, 2011, and after spending an estimated $100 million dollars over seven years to “educate” the public on his prediction. Not to be outdone, the revised prediction is now set for October 21, 2011. It got me thinking about the success rates of some other famous prayerful requests and predictions:
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will resign today from his seat in Congress. In addition to the political pressure from his own party, Weiner had a couple of strong legal reasons to resign.
Continue reading “Weiner To Resign”
San Francisco’s Commission of Animal Control last year was lambasted over a move to ban puppies, hamsters, and kittens from being sold in the city. Now, the Commission is moving on to a new proposed ban: goldfish.
Continue reading “The Scales of Justice? San Francisco Moves Toward Banning Sale of Gold Fish”
Today, I have the honor of representing ten members of the United States House of Representatives in challenging the constitutional basis for the Libyan War — and the underlying claims made by President Obama. These members include Democrats and Republicans from across the political spectrum. They share a belief that Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution expressly requires the authorization of Congress before a president can commit the nation to war. The lawsuit will be heard in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. We filed this afternoon and held a press conference with the members in front of the courthouse. A copy of the complaint (which will be heard by Judge Reggie Walton) is below.
Continue reading “Members of Congress Challenge Libyan War in Federal Court”
House Speaker John A. Boehner sent a letter to President Obama on Tuesday informing the President that the Congress now views him in breach of the War Powers Resolution absent authorization from Congress for his military deployment in Libya.
Continue reading “Boehner Accuses Obama of War Powers Violation”
We have been following the trend against free speech rights of students and the disciplining of students for speech outside of school. This includes the opinion in Doninger v. Niehoff with then Judge Sotomayor. Now, the Third Circuit has handed down a major victory for free speech in rejecting a parody on MySpace as the basis to discipline two teenagers in Pennsylvania. The case is J.S. v. Blue Ridge Mountain School District, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 11947 (June 13, 2011).
Continue reading “Court Rules Against School in Disciplining of Teens For MySpace Parody”
It appears that President Barack Obama is having a severe meteorological effect on the nation, according to Laurie Cardoza-Moore, president of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN). Cardoza-Moore has warned that, after Obama’s speech in support of the Palestinian border claims, tornadoes ravaged the United States and weather patterns changed. A coincidence? Not in Cardoza-Moore’ world.
Many of us have been objecting for years that we are closing down essential programs and selling off public lands on the state and federal level while we gush billions to fund wars like the one in Iraq — an oil rich country. The Iraqis, however, have called for billing the United States for damage to their country from the war. When Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from California, went to Iraq with a delegation he caused a diplomatic incident when he politely suggested that Iraq might want to pay some of the costs back now that it is again selling oil at record high prices. The response was a statement from the government that the entire delegation was not welcomed in the country after making such a “stupid” proposal.
Continue reading “Iraqi Leaders Denounce Congressional Delegation After One Member Suggests Iraq Should Help Pay War Expenses”
For over a week, an international campaign has grown — with growing media coverage from CNN, NPR, and other outlets — to support Amina Abdallah Araf al Omari, a self-described 35-year-old lesbian who had been abducted in Syria after blogging about her life and dreams. The American-born Amina’s disappearance led to the creation of websites and set off demands for governmental inquiries and sanctions. She has now been found alive and well . . . and a man from Georgia with a rather twisted view of advocacy and integrity. Tom MacMaster, 40, a graduate student has now admitted that there is no Amina, no abduction, and only a very pathetic story about a man from Georgia.
Continue reading “Syrian Lesbian Advocate Amina Abdallah Is Alive And Well . . . And Living As A Man In Georgia”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The Republican spin machine is in overdrive working on their plan to replace a government-run program (Medicare) that directly pays health care providers with a program that would funnel taxpayer funds to private insurance companies (Vouchercare). They are trying to convince the media that their plan to end Medicare is actually a plan that creates a “new, sustainable version of Medicare.”
As Atrios puts it, “when we replace the Marines with a pizza, we’ll call the pizza the Marines.”
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Until last week, I had never heard of an organization called Personhood USA. Then I read a post about it on Think Progress titled Anti-Abortion Groups Push To Outlaw Contraceptives By Redefining Personhood. According to the
Think Progress piece, Personhood USA has been quite successful at pushing legislation in a number of states that would “redefine life as beginning at the moment of fertilization…”
Dr. Dan Grossman, an obstetrician/gynecologist at the University of California, San Francisco, said that the medical community has been in agreement that a pregnancy begins “once implantation occurs.” Only about a half of fertilized eggs, however, actually implant into a woman’s uterus and result in a pregnancy. The rest of the fertilized eggs never begin dividing, never implant, or spontaneously abort. In fact, some spontaneous abortions occur so early in a woman’s pregnancy that she may not even be aware that she is pregnant.
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Anthony Weiner may not be the only politician whose electronic shortcomings could derail his career. The State of Alaska has released 24,000 pages of emails by then-governor Sarah Palin pursuant to a FOIA request. The emails cover all sorts of Palin controversies like Troopergate, Travel Expense-gate, and even the flurry of activity surrounding her eventual selection as John McCain’s running mate. One email details Palin’s frustration with questions from reporters about whether she believes humans and dinosaurs co-existed.