http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/billofrights/ en-us Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:14:55 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2049549/posts A weekly SATIRICAL feature from your friends at Not WRIGHT for America Not WRIGHT for America has learned that Barack Obama will make the bold and surprising move of calling for a Bill of Rights. Senator Obama will use the occasion of his meeting with Palestinian leaders to unveil his new plan. Readers may recall that Not WRIGHT for America noted Obama's support for special new rights for terrorists in early July. Not WRIGHT for America was able to obtain an advance copy of Obama's remarks, including the candidate's own notes, which he plans to make Wednesday in the West... Not WRIGHT for America http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2049549/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:14:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047632/posts ... The United States is the only country to take the position that some police misconduct must automatically result in the suppression of physical evidence. The rule applies whether the misconduct is slight or serious, and without regard to the gravity of the crime or the power of the evidence. “Foreign countries have flatly rejected our approach,” said Craig M. Bradley, an expert in comparative criminal law at Indiana University. “In every other country, it’s up to the trial judge to decide whether police misconduct has risen to the level of requiring the exclusion of evidence.” But there are signs... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047632/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:03:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046284/posts Everyone knows this, but it's worth repeating: The Republican Party is the party of Abraham Lincoln and was established in 1854 to block the expansion of slavery. The Democratic Party was the party of slavery: Its two founders, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, owned large numbers of slaves, and every party platform before the Civil War defended the institution unequivocally. After the war, it was the Republican Party that rammed through the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution over Democratic opposition. Republicans also enacted a series of civil-rights laws that culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1875,... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046284/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:41:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038179/posts Repeal the 2nd Amendment June 27, 2008 No, we don't suppose that's going to happen any time soon. But it should. The 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is evidence that, while the founding fathers were brilliant men, they could have used an editor. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038179/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:12:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037521/posts NEWS RELEASESAF CALLS CHICAGO TRIBUNE PLEA TO REPEAL 2A ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ BELLEVUE, WA – The Chicago Tribune’s call for repeal of the Second Amendment following the historic Heller Decision is an “unconscionable attack on the entire Bill of Rights and the freedoms it protects,” the Second Amendment Foundation said today. In an editorial published on the day after the Supreme Court handed down its 5-4 ruling, the newspaper called the Second Amendment an “anachronism” that should be repealed. The newspaper supported its argument by falsely claiming that a 1939 case, U.S. v Miller, established the amendment as a “collective right” that... 2d Amendment Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037521/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:13:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032532/posts “We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, and earnestly desiring to secure these blessings undiminished to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution." Do you recognize these words? They are the preamble to Michigan’s Constitution. Like almost every other state in the union, Michigan acknowledges the existence of God in the opening lines of their state constitution. So much for the so called “separation of church and state.”How is it that public school valedictorians are still being persecuted for their faith and prevented from exercising their right... Holland Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032532/posts#comment Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:56:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021898/posts The Supreme Court is meeting to issue opinions and announce whether it has accepted any new cases. Major cases still undecided include the rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, the ban on handguns in Washington, D.C., and whether people convicted of raping children can be given the death penalty. The court's term ends in late June. The Las Vegas Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021898/posts#comment Tue, 27 May 2008 14:51:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020598/posts When Bob Barr announced his candidacy for the Libertarian presidential nomination on May 12, I wondered how long it would take for the "A" word to come out. By my best reckoning, it took exactly one week. The first mention of it I read was from it was Susan Hogarth of the Radical Caucus (and in the running for a National Committee slot at the convention), who on May 9 released an Open Letter criticizing Barr's "antilibertarian congressional record and disinclination to fully repudiate it". Since then, many other voices have joined in to form a mighty crescendo; the libertarian... Nolan Chart (Virginia) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020598/posts#comment Sat, 24 May 2008 05:06:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020604/posts Fortunately, there is an objective way to measure how libertarian or "anti-libertarian" Barr's record in Congress actually was. The Republican Liberty Caucus has been publishing its annual Liberty Index since 1991. For Congress, the Liberty Index selects 40 key votes each year, half on economic freedoms and half on personal liberties, using those votes to rank Congressmen on a Nolan Chart (like the one at the top of this article). A rating of 100 would place a Congressman at the top of the chart -- a "pure" libertarian -- while a rating of 0 would place him or her at... Nolan Chart (Virginia) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020604/posts#comment Sat, 24 May 2008 05:48:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2019211/posts I'd like to ask my fellow FReepers what you think about the Presidential candidacy of Bob Barr? Given our current choices for President, Obama, Clinton & McCain, is Bob Barr a good alternative this year? I know no one will agree 100% with any candidate's positions. But, instead of not voting, would a vote for Bob Barr be an alternative you would consider? As a disappointed Republican, I'm considering going Libertarian this year. I like most of their positins, especially on safeguarding Liberty for All. I'm tired of carrying Big Brother with me everywhere I go. I'd like to see... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2019211/posts#comment Wed, 21 May 2008 17:01:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011245/posts STAPLES HUGHES, a North Carolina lawyer, was on the witness stand and about to disclose a secret he believed would free an innocent man from prison. But the judge told Mr. Hughes to stop. "If you testify," Judge Jack A. Thompson said at a hearing last year on the prisoner’s request for a new trial, "I will be compelled to report you to the state bar. Do you understand that?" But Mr. Hughes continued. Twenty-two years before, he said, a client, now dead, confessed that he had acted alone in committing a double murder for which another man was also... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011245/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 01:05:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010888/posts After entering the House of Representatives in 1995, Georgia Republican Bob Barr acquired a reputation as one of the most conservative members of Congress. It was Barr who in 1996 wrote the Defense of Marriage Act, which said states didn't have to recognize gay marriages performed in other states; it was Barr who protested when he learned the military allowed soldiers to practice Wicca. A former federal prosecutor, a firm social conservative, and a strong supporter of the War on Drugs, Barr doesn't fit most people's image of a civil libertarian. But in his eight years in Congress (he failed... Reason Magazine (CA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010888/posts#comment Sun, 4 May 2008 01:38:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009563/posts Americans' civil liberties as established in the Bill of Rights are seriously in danger, says Bob Barr. So much so, he says, that it prompted the Smyrna resident and former member of Congress to consider a bid for president as a Libertarian. "There is one set of issues that ought to be discussed during a presidential campaign - the Bill of Rights, what are our liberties, what are our freedoms and how can we protect these liberties," Barr said in an interview Monday at his office for his consulting firm, Liberty Strategies, near the Cobb Galleria. "I'm interested in working... Marietta Daily Journal (GA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009563/posts#comment Thu, 1 May 2008 05:50:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003656/posts AUGUSTA, Maine -- Gov. John Baldacci signed into law a bill to tighten standards for getting a Maine driver's license, acknowledging that the measures were a tough issue for lawmakers. Under pressure for the federal government, Baldacci wasted little time before signing the bill Thursday night after the Senate approved it by a 19-15 vote despite criticism from civil libertarians. With the bill's enactment, Maine joins 44 other states, including the rest of New England, in making proof of legal U.S. residency a requirement for getting a driver's license, the governor said. Previously, the state did not require any proof... Seattle Post-Intelligencer/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003656/posts#comment Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:40:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002595/posts WASHINGTON -- The government plans to begin collecting DNA samples from anyone arrested by a federal law enforcement agency - a move intended to prevent violent crime but which also is raising concerns about the privacy of innocent people. Using authority granted by Congress, the government also plans to collect DNA samples from foreigners who are detained, whether they have been charged or not. The DNA would be collected through a cheek swab, Justice Department spokesman Erik Ablin said Wednesday. That would be a departure from current practice, which limits DNA collection to convicted felons. Expanding the DNA database, known... Seattle Post-Intelligencer/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2002595/posts#comment Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:07:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992254/posts A Michigan church filed a federal lawsuit after police officers, led by a local prosecutor, entered the sanctuary at least twice without a warrant, alleging the church's music was too loud. In one instance, they threatened to arrest church musicians for disorderly conduct. Faith Baptist Church, with a congregation of about 10,000 members, is suing local officials in the Township of Waterford, Mich., in a First Amendment case a church attorney said could have national ramifications in establishing what local governments can do in regulating churches. The suit -- alleging the township violated the church's freedom of religious expression, freedom... CNS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992254/posts#comment Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:45:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986498/posts Geraldine Ferraro’s impolitic commentary regarding Barack Obama has been widely covered and discussed. But in the rush to examine the really juicy part of her monologue, you know – the stuff about race – something else the 72 year old former congresswoman said is being lost. Toward the end of her recent, now infamous, interview, one that has apparently cost her that highly coveted role of “Honorary New York Leadership Council Chair”, the woman who broke political ice twenty-four years ago as the Democratic nominee for Vice President, talked about the big bad wolf of PARTISANSHIP. I’m referring to the... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986498/posts#comment Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:39:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985582/posts A Progressive Bill of Rights I have begun to feel sorry for the Obama campaign. Sure, their candidate is still the frontrunner, but some of the old luster is gone. And his platform, if you can call it that, is so flat, so vaporous.So here’s an idea to spruce things up: Obama should assemble his favorite authorities on law and human rights, in order to draw up a new Bill of Rights for the Unites States. After all, the Obamamites clearly are not pleased with the current one. So instead of just whining, why not present the American people with... AWOL Civilization http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985582/posts#comment Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:31:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985472/posts Preparing to hear oral arguments Tuesday on the extent of gun rights guaranteed by the Constitution's Second Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court has before it a brief signed by Vice President Cheney opposing the Bush administration's stance. Even more remarkably, Cheney is faithfully reflecting the views of President George W. Bush. The government position filed with the Supreme Court by U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement stunned gun advocates by opposing the breadth of an appellate court affirmation of individual ownership rights. The Justice Department, not the vice president, is out of order. But if Bush agrees with Cheney, why did... Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985472/posts#comment Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:19:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972263/posts With the Supreme Court’s decision to examine the constitutionality of D.C.’s gun ban, the nation once again turns to an intense examination of the wording of the Second Amendment. One way to understand an amendment whose words have confused generations is to study its somewhat confusing text. But another way is to examine at whose request the amendment was written. For example, if 200 years from now constitutional scholars are trying to determine whether the Smith Tax Act of 2008 increased or decreased the taxes Social Security recipients paid on their retirement income, knowing that the act came into being... fff.org, commentaries http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972263/posts#comment Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:42:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1963761/posts In 2006 I sent one of our colorado representives ( a democrat ) an email. Stating that the first amendment appeared to be addresed to the congress of the united states, and was in fact a law that the law makers of the united states goverment had to live by. It was what I believed to be the letter of the law. because of the ( congress shall make no laws etc. ) and ask what he thought about it. He wrote back and and told me that the first amendment was for the purpose of seperation of church and... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1963761/posts#comment Sat, 2 Feb 2008 15:29:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939942/posts National Bill of Rights Day customarily occupies a minor place on our calendars, if it occupies a place at all. It falls every year on December 15, commemorating the ratification of the first 10 amendments to our Constitution, which occurred on that day in 1791. Bill of Rights Day is a day for rising above the commotion over the meaning of each specific amendment. It is an opportunity for us to reflect upon the purpose of those amendments as a whole, to step back and consider the crucial questions that our Founders confronted in considering the idea of amending... Heritage Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939942/posts#comment Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:36:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1935002/posts LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP)-A suburban Atlanta prosecutor has dropped a disorderly conduct charge against an anti-abortion activist who was arrested for driving a truck emblazoned with images of aborted fetuses.... Police had arrested Robert Dean Roethlisberger Jr. 44, of Missouri near the Mall of Georgia the day after Thanksgiving when he refused to remove images on a "Truth Truck," owned by Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion group. Police, who said the images were "obscene and vulgar", also impounded the truck and removed the banners. In an e-mail Monday to the Gwinnett Daily Post, Szabo (County Solicitor) said, "To ensure no abridgement of... Breitbart.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1935002/posts#comment Wed, 5 Dec 2007 14:33:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1936984/posts Three GW law professors have endorsed Republican candidate Fred Thompson's campaign for the presidency, joining the Lawyers for Fred coalition. Professors John Fitzgerald Duffy, Orin Kerr and Michael Abramowicz are members of the Law Professors Committee within the coalition. "Sen. Thompson is proud of his experience working as a federal prosecutor," said Darrel Ng, a spokesperson for the Friends of Fred Thompson campaign. "That's why he decided to form something like that (coalition), because of his background." Ng said that having endorsement groups for presidential candidates is an important part of the campaign process. "In campaigns you try to find... The GW Hatchet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1936984/posts#comment Sun, 9 Dec 2007 16:11:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936063/posts A veteran New York City police detective was arraigned on perjury charges in the Bronx yesterday after a suspect in an attempted murder case secretly recorded his interrogation with an MP3 player. Detective Christopher Perino is accused of lying 12 times during his sworn testimony in the April trial of the suspect, Erik Crespo, by saying that he did not conduct an interrogation of Mr. Crespo. At yesterday’s hearing in State Supreme Court in the Bronx, Detective Perino, 42, a member of the department for 19 years, pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of first-degree perjury. He made no further... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936063/posts#comment Fri, 7 Dec 2007 13:23:59 GMT