Free Republic

The court is poised in coming weeks to seal Lawrence's fate, along with that of nine other convicted murderers seeking freedom. The justices are expected to answer some difficult questions: When should a killer be set free? What are the limits, if any, on the governor's power to decide? Are such factors as an inmate's prison record and age ever more significant than a horrendous crime committed decades ago? The state parole board had approved Lawrence's release four times since 1993, but three governors vetoed those decisions. Schwarzenegger blocked Lawrence's release twice before judges on the state Court of Appeal...

Proponents and opponents of imposing the death penalty for rape of a child underwent intense questioning Wednesday from a seemingly divided Supreme Court. The hour-long argument came in the case of inmate Patrick Kennedy, sentenced to death for raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter. Kennedy's lawyer, Jeffrey L. Fisher, told the court the death penalty for child rape under Louisiana law violates the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia challenged Fisher's position that the Louisiana law is too broad and that not enough states have enacted the death penalty for child rape...

Thu, December 20, 2007 Fear of torture unfounded 'Humanitarian' concern could derail Afghan missionBy PETER WORTHINGTONWhat gives with these so-called "humanitarian" groups that seek to prevent our military from doing their job in Afghanistan? Never mind that Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan are fighting a war against the Taliban (the Vandoos, at the moment, to be replaced this winter by the Princess Pats -- again), and at the same time are rebuilding schools, giving aid and medical treatment, and trying to restore order and security. For our home-grown "humanitarians," this apparently isn't enough. Right now, a federal court is being asked...

The US prison population has risen eight-fold since 1970, with little impact on crime but at great cost to the taxpayer, researchers say. There are more than 1.5 million people in US state and federal jails, a report by a Washington-based criminal justice research group, the JFA Institute says. Inmate numbers are projected to rise by 192,000 in five years, costing $27.5bn (£13.44bn) to build and run jails. The JFA recommends reducing the number and length of sentences. The Unlocking America report, which was published on Monday, also advocated changing terms of parole and finding alternatives to prison as part...

Hundreds of defendants sitting in prisons nationwide have been convicted with the help of an FBI forensic tool that was discarded more than two years ago. But the FBI lab has yet to take steps to alert the affected defendants or courts, even as the window for appealing convictions is closing, a joint investigation by The Washington Post and "60 Minutes" has found. The science, known as comparative bullet-lead analysis, was first used after President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. The technique used chemistry to link crime-scene bullets to ones possessed by suspects on the theory that each batch...

Is anyone old enough to remember the expression "Go back to Africa"? Can anyone remember when the lynchings of blacks and Asians and the hunting down of American Indians and Mexicans were commonplace? Does anyone remember when Jews -- during the time of the Holocaust -- were turned away at this nation's borders? How about the Chinese Exclusion Act? Can anyone remember when the Irish, Germans and Italians were not welcome here? This country has had a long and sordid history of xenophobia and scapegoat politics, which brings us to the current immigration debate. Prior to this debate, I had...

Nada. The young mom came to apply for food and child-care assistance. She spoke no English. Line by line, bilingual caseworker Anna Lambertson reviewed the Spanish version of the woman’s 10-page application. Anyone disabled in the household? The woman shook her head. What about resources? Cash? A checking account? Savings? Livestock? The young mom shook her head and smiled apologetically. “Nada,” she said. Nothing. What she did have was a $1,000-a-month job as a cook and a 2-year-old son, whom she brought with her to the Kansas Social and Rehabiliation Services office in Kansas City, Kan. After the mother left,...

After a botched execution that took 34 minutes to end a convicted murderer’s life, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has suspended all death sentences until a commission can review lethal-injection procedures “to ensure they don’t inflict cruel and unusual punishment on their helpless victims.” In a gesture of goodwill, Florida’s leading association of murderers also announced a temporary hold on premeditated and/or serial killings as well as brutal rapes, according to a spokesman, “until we can determine if some of our victims experience discomfort or pain.” The Sunshine State Coalition of Capital Criminals released the statement through its ACLU attorney, pledging...

MIAMI, Dec. 15 -- Executions by lethal injection were suspended in Florida and ordered revamped in California on Friday, as the chemical method once billed as a more humane way of killing the condemned came under mounting scrutiny over the pain it may cause. Gov. Jeb Bush (R) ordered the suspension in Florida after a botched execution in which it took 34 minutes and a second injection to kill convicted murderer Angel Nieves Diaz. A state medical examiner said that needles used to carry the poison had passed through the prisoner's veins and delivered the three-chemical mix into the tissues...

Navy rejects San Francisco for warship commissioning ceremony - Saturday, December 2, 2006 (12-02) 12:37 PST San Francisco (AP) -- The U.S. Navy has rejected plans to commission its newest and most powerful warship in San Francisco because of concerns that the city doesn't support the military. Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter vetoed plans this week for a commissioning ceremony for the Makin Island in San Francisco, said retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. J. Michael Myatt, chairman of the citizens' commissioning committee. Instead, San Diego will host the ceremony in which the crew formally takes charge of the...

MONTPELIER, Vt. - A judge who sparked outrage when he sentenced a repeat sex offender to two months in jail said Friday he will retire. Vermont District Court Judge Edward Cashman didn't mention the case that had made him a target of heated criticism from lawmakers, editorial writers and national cable news commentators. In January, he imposed the short sentence on Mark Hulett, 34, who had been convicted for repeated sexual assaults on a young girl. Cashman said the short sentence was the best way to get Hulett the sex offender treatment he needed. But he drew fire from Gov....

When Border Patrol Agent Ignacio Ramos pulled the trigger last February, all he knew was that his partner was lying on the ground behind him – bloodied from a struggle with a fleeing suspect – shots had been fired and now, it appeared, the drug smuggler he was pursuing had turned toward him with what looked to be a gun in his hand. In the split-second he had to respond, Ramos determined the course of his and his partner's lives – federal prison for the next 20 years for assault with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharging...

This week, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights announced its opposition to S. 147, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005, which it found to “discriminate on the basis of race.” It is possible the Senate will be asked in the next few weeks to consider this legislation, and I hope my colleagues will agree with the Civil Rights Commission and oppose this legislation. Here is what the commission had to say: The Commission recommends against passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005, (S. 147) as reported out of committee on May 16, 2005, or any...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - This famously liberal city is serving notice that illegal immigrants are welcome, even while Congress is considering tough new penalties. Police won't harass you. Education and health care are available. Here's the hitch: You probably can't afford to live here. Back in 1985, when Cambridge first declared itself a "sanctuary city," rent control kept apartments affordable. Today, however, Cambridge no longer has rent control; cheap apartments were turned into luxury condominiums and the city - home of Harvard and MIT - is among the most expensive places to live in the United States. The average rent for...

Three Strikes and You're ... in Like Flint By Hal G.P. Colebatch American and British criminologists have long been puzzled and angered by the fact that Britain seems to have learnt nothing from the experience of New York in successfully reducing crime. The big drop in virtually all types of crime in New York has generally been attributed to the zero-tolerance policy associated with Mayor Guiliani. Now Britain, far from adopting zero-tolerance, looks like it's adopting a policy of not prosecuting many serious crimes at all. This is the subject of an official Home Office directive to all British police...

Malone may not have to take back seat to Parks City has plenty of candidates for honorary road names By Lori Buttars The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake City is celebrating the renaming of 200 East between South Temple and 600 South in honor of the late civil-rights icon Rosa Parks. Seen here is the intersection of 200 E and 300 S. (Ryan Galbraith/The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City plans a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the arrival of Rosa Parks Boulevard to a six-block strip along 200 East. Utah's capital already has named streets after two other civil-rights...

Self described gang-banger turned liberal talk show host Randi Rhodes showed the depths of perverse liberal thinking today on her show by declaring, "They were not shooting at rescue helicopters in New Orleans. The media was trying to portray them that way. What if they were just trying to get attention, saying to the rescuers - look, I am here. Come and rescue me." Even after being used to the filth and depravity oozing out of the liberal mind for the past few years, this comment was stunning.

Two volunteers from an immigrant aid group who are accused of transporting illegal entrants were released from federal custody after a court appearance Monday afternoon, capping a day a protest and rallies that attracted hundreds. More than 100 No More Deaths volunteers and supporters let out a cheer and a round of applause when they heard the news: U.S. Magistrate Hector Estrada went against the federal prosecutor's recommendations to hold the two at least two more days. Shanti Sellz and Daniel Strauss, both 23, who were arrested by Border Patrol agents on Arivaca Road on Saturday, walked out of the...

Church leaders to discuss role in immigration Leonard MartinezEl Paso Times A Catholic cardinal, 17 bishops from the United States and Mexico, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and the Mexican foreign minister will meet in El Paso next week in what is being described as a historic meeting about the church’s spiritual, moral and legal obligation toward immigrants. The conference, the first of its kind along the U.S.-Mexico border, will include 150 diocesan staff members from the two countries and will feature a variety of workshops on treating immigrants and fulfilling their religious needs. “As members of a universal church, we...

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Death penalty opponents set off yesterday on a five-day walk to protest the state's plans to execute a serial killer who admitted killing and raping eight young women in Connecticut and New York in the early 1980s. About two dozen protesters began the 30-mile journey that will end at the prison where Michael Ross is scheduled to be put to death Friday in what would be the first execution in New England in 45 years. "So many people have asked me, 'Why are you doing this for Michael Ross?' " said Robert Nave, executive director of...

Thanks to a liberal, permissive system that sacrifices good judgment for political correctness, 3 innocent people are dead According to the rules, which say that a prisoner must not be brought into court wearing prison attire or handcuffs to avoid prejudicing the jury, Mr. Nichols was escorted to a special room on the same floor as the courtroom so he could change into street clothes and have his handcuffs removed. His escort, a female deputy sheriff, was quickly overpowered and her gun was wrested from her before she was pistol whipped, and left bleeding in a hallway as her desperate...

CBS 2 Please do not link to printable views of stories. The full story can be accessed using the link below. Thank you.http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/local_story_308133947.html CBS 2 Chicago WBBM-TV | cbs2chicago.com Some Despondant Democrats Head For The Border VIDEO: State Dems React To Election Results Nov 3, 2004 6:39 pm US/Central Illinois is overwhelmingly democratic, one of the few blue states. Now that the Republican president is reelected, a lot of Democrats here are feeling a bit despondent. And there are some: so broken down that they are considering leaving the country all together for Canada. A spokesperson for the Canadian...

<p>Would you support a temporary work visa for illegal aliens?</p>

By Rob Modic Dayton Daily News Thursday, December 18, 2003 DAYTON -- Elizabeth Snowball, torn between grief and desperation over the plight of her two sons, begged a judge for leniency Thursday in the sentencing of one. "We live this every day," she told Judge Jeffrey E. Froelich of Montgomery Common Pleas Court. "I mean, I love my children with all my heart." Ms. Snowball said she hoped he would impose a minimum six-year prison sentence on Vincent Snowball, 21, but Froelich imposed a 13-year term. Vincent's brother, Casey M. Snowball, 16, was fatally shot by a homeowner while the...

PROVO, Utah (AP) - Some of the 120 workers taken by Immigration and Naturalization Service officers from the Champion Safe manufacturing company in Provo have been sent to their home countries, others have been released and some still are being held. The company's business has been brought to a halt. About 90 officers from the INS and Provo, Orem and Utah County law enforcement agencies, raided the business Wednesday, taking 120 workers unable to prove they were U.S. citizens or legal residents. Champion attorney Jose Silva said the INS released about 15 workers later Wednesday after they were able to...