Congress, Constitutional Law, Politics, Supreme Court

Are Child Labor Laws Unconstitutional in The Tea Party World?

Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty(rafflaw), Guest Blogger

 

We have seen and heard on many occasions the Tea Party claim that it desires Congress and the Federal Government to follow the letter of the Constitution instead of reaching beyond the four corners of the document.  With that thought in mind, I was intrigued by a recent article on the Think Progress site that reviewed the You Tube video claims made by U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah, that Congress’ passage of laws outlawing and restricting Child Labor, was unconstitutional. http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/14/lee-child-labor/?wpmp_switcher=desktop

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Justice, Politics

On Civil Liberties & Freedom: Take 2

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

I thought I’d do a follow-up to my Let Civil Liberties & Freedom Ring! post about the erosion of civil liberties in Britain—which, in my opinion, is akin to what has been happening here in the United States in the past decade. My inspiration for a second post on the subject was Glenn Greenwald’s most recent piece at Salon—Homeland Security’s laptop seizures: Interview with Rep. Sanchez.

I have been reading about the seizures of cell phones and laptop computers by the DHS. I have found it troubling that our government has no compunction about confiscating the personal property of some of its own citizens without any warrant, probable cause, or suspicion that the citizens may have been involved in a criminal activity.

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Religion

Inappropriate Disposition of the Host

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

Navarre, Florida, resident Jackie Trebesh was pulled over by a Santa Rosa County deputy and given a trespass warning after leaving mass at St. Sylvester’s Catholic Church in Gulf Breeze. She was also denied communion during mass. Here crime? Someone said her daughter, Kelly, had improperly disposed of the host in the parking lot.

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Science

2010 – Tied For Warmest Year on Record

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

We have previously discussed, here, the data from NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies showing that 2010 as the warmest climate year on record. We now have confirmation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to NOAA scientists, 2010 tied 2005 as the warmest year of the global surface temperature record, with record keeping beginning in 1880.

Also, Global Historical Climatology Network states that 2010 was the wettest year on record, in terms of global average precipitation.

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Bizarre, Religion

Branding For Jesus – Update II

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

We have previously discussed John Freshwater, a controversial teacher in Mount Vernon, Ohio, who used a Tesla coil to  brand crosses into the arm of a 7th grade student, here and updated his story, here.

The Mount Vernon School Board has voted, 4 to 1, to fire middle school science teacher John Freshwater.

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Academia, Bizarre, Society

The Lesser of Two Weevils: Ohio School Finds Weevils in Noodles, Removes Them, Serves Kids The Noodles

Ohio lunch workers know the values of choosing the lesser of two weevils. They found boll weevil beetles in dry noodles, removed those they could see, and then served the noodles. They did, however, remove the big ones that they could find.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Cook County Treasurer Found To Have Driver Paid $94,000 a Year and a Cleaning Lady Paid $57,000 a Year

My former neighbor in Chicago BS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman has an amazing story this week. Zekman found that Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has a county-supplied driver who makes $94,000 a year and a cleaning lady making $57,000 a year.
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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Emergency Room Waits Now Average Six Hours

A new study has confirmed what most of us already know: we have a crisis in emergency rooms where sick individuals customarily have to wait for hours before being seen. We have seen the horrible consequences of these delays in past postings (here and here). Now, researchers from Press Ganey Associates, a group that works with health care organizations to improve clinical outcomes, finds that in 2009, patients admitted to hospitals waited on average six hours in emergency rooms. Nearly 400,000 patients waited 24 hours or more.
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Congress, Criminal law, Politics

Twelve Angry Liberal Jurors: DeLay Slams Austin Jury Pool and Venue

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) once called the jurors in his recent trial his “brothers and sisters.” His view has changed a bit since they convicted him and he was sentenced to three years. DeLay has been making the talk show circuit and said on “The Today Show” that the jury was a liberal cabal led by a Greenpeace activist.
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Bizarre, Congress, Criminal law

Rep. Peter King To Propose Law Making It A Crime To Come Within 1000 Feet Of Federal Officials With A Gun

As Democratic and Republican members rush to line up with new bills to restrict speech or guns after the Tucson massacre, Rep. Peter King once again will not be outdone in criminalizing conduct. He is reportedly planning to introduce a bill that would make it illegal to knowingly carry a gun within 1,000 feet of the President, Vice President, Members of Congress or judges of the Federal Judiciary. This, of course, raises the problem with politicians being mobile. In states allowing concealed weapons, the appearance of any federal official or judge would require a fast estimation of 1,000 feet to avoid criminal charges.

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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Cut the Line, Do The Time: Texas Schools Increasingly Using Criminal Citations Against Unruly Children

We have been following the general trend toward criminalizing conduct in America and particularly the use of criminal penalties in our schools (here and here). Now, a study by Texas Appleseed shows Texas schools routinely using criminal misdemeanors against unruly students.

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Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Media

Texas Judge Clears Attorneys After Judge McBryde Refers Them For Possible Criminal Prosecution After They Sought His Removal From Case

U.S. District Judge John McBryde of Fort Worth, Texas has issued a massive opinion holding attorneys S. Tracy Long, Melvin K. Silverman, Joseph F. Cleveland, Jr., and John P. Gillig liable for ethical breaches and recommending criminal prosecution after they challenged his impartiality and temperament in a case. The lengthy opinion below details the case against the lawyers in litigation over golf club patents. What is most striking about the case is the decision of the judge to conduct the inquiry himself — rejecting obvious concerns over his own conflict of interest in eliciting testimony on his own conduct. [See the update below]

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Academia, Bizarre, Society

What’s Your Sign? Guess Again

Remember striking out in the 70s with the line what’s your sign when the girl turned out to be a Virgo and you are a Gemini? Now, you can go back and try again if she is still available. Astronomers have announced that most people have been using the wrong astrological sign due to a mistake in the zodiac chart. They have recalculated the dates that correspond with each sign to accommodate millennia of subtle shifts in the Earth’s axis. I have been informed that after years of living as a Taurus (the bull), I am now considered an Aries (the ram).
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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Palin: Attacks on Conservatives Over Tucson Massacre Constitute “Blood Libel”

I was struck by today’s response of Sarah Palin to criticism that her rhetoric and “targeting” of Rep. Gifford’s district may have added to the recent massacre in Tucson. In fairness to Palin, the family stated today that Jared Loughner did not watch news or listen to talk radio. However, I was most interested in her claim that the attacks against her and conservative commentators amounted to a “blood libel.”
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