Free Republic

The federal judge who overturned California's same-sex marriage ban this week is a Republican who once came under fire for his membership to a powerful all-male club that had only recently allowed blacks to join. But after Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker struck down the voter-approved ban known as Proposition 8, he became something else in the minds of some: a gay activist. Rumors have circulated for months that Walker is gay, fueled by the blogosphere and a San Francisco Chronicle column that stated his sexual orientation was an "open secret" in legal and gay activism circles. Walker himself hasn't...

Let's look at how the gay-marriage thing in California has unfolded so far: The state’s Supreme Court in 2008, on a one-vote margin, decides to redefine marriage to dump one key parameter that had always and everywhere in human history been part of marriage: that it be between complementary sexes, not identical ones. Within months, the voters of the state overrule the court, amending their constitution to say that, no, you can’t redefine basic social institutions against the will of the people. The losers sue the state. And Wednesday, a federal judge – a judge, as in one – overrules...

An openly homosexual federal judge in California ignored a warning from the state's own Supreme Court about the coming chaos of polygamy and incest if same-sex "marriages" are established to enjoin enforcement of the state's constitutional definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman only – and now he is being targeted by an impeachment campaign. Judge Vaughn Walker, who openly has lived a homosexual lifestyle, yesterday issued an order that the state could not enforce its own constitutional requirement that marriage is between members of the opposite sex only. The ruling from Walker said, "race and...

Judge strikes down 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California'... JUDGE: Having considered the trial evidence and the arguments of counsel, the court pursuant to FRCP 52(a) finds that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional and that its enforcement must be enjoined.

Court enjoins enforcement of Prop 8... Will be released at 2 pm pt... Judge strikes down 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California'..

The federal court in Massachusetts got its history and constitutional law wrong with its ruling that the federal Defense of Marriage Act violates “states’ rights” and federalism in defining marriage. For all federal law, DOMA defines “marriage” as one man and one woman and “spouse” to mean a husband or a wife. The district court struck down this federal definition of marriage in two decisions claiming that it intrudes on state sovereignty to regulate marriage, as well as other constitutional provisions. This extreme decision ignores extensive American history showing federal oversight of the states’ definition of marriage. But a double...

The jury is in. By all accounts MassResistance was right about the new Massachusetts "anti-bullying" law for schools which was passed unanimously by the Legislature in March with great fanfare and self-congratulation -- not to mention cheers from the Boston media. It's completely ineffective.

(Boston Globe reader writes:) I WATCHED the Fourth of July Esplanade program and fireworks on TV. The last part of the program was broadcast across the United States, presumably as an example of what a true American celebration should look like. I searched in vain for more than a few faces in the crowd that weren’t Caucasian, and couldn’t imagine what people of color must have thought to see that huge group of white people. Even the representatives of the armed services and the Boston Pops itself were overwhelmingly white. I’m not sure what the reason is behind this lack...

Massachusetts HB 1400 will be voted on in committee soon, perhaps as early as July 13th. It would establish a presumption of equally shared parenting in case of divorce or separation. If a judge deviated from an equally shared arrangement, he/she would have to write an opinion detailing the reasons for ordering unequal parenting. This article is a pretty balanced view of the subject on the part of a paper that’s on record as opposing the bill (Boston Globe, 7/5/10). Full disclosure: the article quotes Dr. Ned Holstein who is a board member of Fathers & Families as am I....

It is no secret that many of us who reject Obama's neo-communist agenda have turned to the Founding Fathers for guidance; when you think your country's founding principles are under attack, it's natural to re-acquaint yourself with the writings of the extraordinary group of men who wrote our founding documents.   When we examine this genius cluster, George Washington is perhaps the best loved.  Last week Glenn Beck recommended the four-year old, 1208-page tome, George Washington's Sacred Fire, which discusses pop culture fave topics like the religious beliefs of our first President.  The book shot to number one on Amazon's bestseller...

The state’s highest court has ruled Lowell school officials can’t fire a teacher who failed two English fluency tests. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court said a lower court could not overturn an arbitrator’s decision in favor of the teacher, Phanna Kem Robishaw. Robishaw began teaching in the Lowell public schools in 1992 after fleeing the Khmer Rouge regime. She was one of five teachers at her school of Cambodian birth, where nearly half the student population was Cambodian.... ....Robishaw had four state teaching licenses but failed the English tests in part, she said, because she was suffering from post-traumatic stress.

The fact that mainstream media coverage of the Muslim terrorist attacks in Moscow was predictable makes it no less craven. The Wall Street Journal (the hero of the story) ran the story above the fold, with a dramatic photo of a survivor, correctly identifying the bombers as an "Islamic insurgency." The New York Times likewise put the story on the front page. Their headline, however, reads: "Attack Victims Are Mourned as Russia Weighs Its Response." So as not to offend anyone, no mention of the identity of the attackers is made. A second New York Times story addresses the nettlesome...

SCOTT BROWN campaigned for the US Senate as a problem solver who values good ideas more than partisan labels, and he should make good on that vow in the debate over a bill to create jobs. What began as an ambitious package of business tax breaks and other incentives has given way to a timid $15 billion measure that will have only minor effects on unemployment. Brown could end an impasse - and dispel profound mutual distrust between Democrats and Republicans - by signaling a serious commitment to help develop and pass a more ambitious jobs bill.

. . . Delahunt’s people have offered one ridiculous excuse after another for his weeklong silence. The congressman, they have said, is traveling in Israel. He was, but it isn’t as though there are no phones there. He doesn’t remember much, they say. Talk to the Braintree police . . . Look, I’ve known Delahunt for years, and I’m not, at this point, reading too much into his actions. But Bishop’s alleged slayings constitute a huge tragedy, and how they happened is a matter of urgent business. There were not just red flags that she was criminally dangerous; there were...

WASHINGTON, DC, February 17, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has been forced to give up the foster care program it ran with the aid of public funds, after repeated warnings that there would be no other choice should the D.C. City Council insist that the archdiocese recognize gay "marriage" partners in its employment practices. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Catholic Charities handed over the foster-care program intact to the National Center for Children and Families on February 1. Catholic Charities, whose foster program included 43 children, 35 families and seven staff, runs more than 20 social...

NEW YORK – The New York Times is looking into the work of one its reporters following accusations that he plagiarized from The Wall Street Journal and other sources. The paper published an editor's note online Sunday and in papers Monday that said reporter Zachery Kouwe "appears to have improperly appropriated wording and passages published by other news organizations." The Times said Journal editors pointed out similarities between a Journal story from Feb. 5 and Times pieces later that day and on Feb. 6. The Times said a search found other similar examples taken from media outlets like Reuters and...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The New York Times is conducting an investigation after a Wall Street and finance reporter was found to have improperly used wording and passages from other news organizations. Zachery Kouwe, who joined the Times in 2008 from the New York Post, "reused language from The Wall Street Journal, Reuters and other sources without attribution or acknowledgement," the Times said in an editors' note. The Times said Kouwe appeared to have "improperly appropriated wording and passages published by other news organizations" in a number of business articles over the past year and in posts on NYTimes.com's DealBook blog....

I have been posting my thoughts in the comments section to articles appearing in the Boston Globe (on Boston.com) for well over a year and had never been ‘disappeared.’ Until now. Here is the evidence of my omission. (See frame 3 (three).) ...

(snip) Slowing down isn't in Air America's plans either. ''In five years we'll be on 600 radio stations," Sinton boasted. ''The brand will be pervasive, and I think it will be a quaint memory when people said, 'Boy, what a stupid idea.' "

A CHARISMATIC Democrat emerges out of nowhere to become chief executive. Democrats rule the House and Senate. They push an unpopular agenda. This is the Massachusetts story behind the stunning story of Scott Brown’s victory, and it is a microcosm of Washington. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick won election by promising hope, change and a different kind of politics. Barack Obama ran on the same promise. Now, President Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress are pushing an agenda that infuriates voters. Martha Coakley ran a poor campaign for US Senate. The tepid prosecutor lost her case to a slick politician....