Free Republic

As Catholic bishops in Ontario scramble to figure out how to square McGuinty’s new law mandating Gay-Straight Alliances with Catholic teaching on sexual morality, homosexual activist groups say that they are prepared to challenge Catholic doctrine in court come September. Ontario Gay-Straight Alliances Coalition lawyer Doug Elliott told the homsoexual news service Xtra! that if Catholics “driven by the position of the Vatican” think they have found a loophole in the legislation, then they will be hauled before the courts. “If the schools try to play games with kids …. the law is clear. We won’t put up with any...

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) - A Wisconsin judge on Thursday voided a controversial Republican-backed law restricting the collective bargaining rights of public sector unions. Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi said Republican lawmakers violated the state's open meetings law in rushing the legislation through during massive protests at the state Capitol earlier this year. The Wisconsin proposal, championed by Republican Governor Scott Walker, eliminates most collective bargaining rights for public sector unions and requires them to pay more for pensions and health coverage. The law has been on hold pending the legal challenge. Mike Tate, chairman of the state's Democratic Party which...

Madison - A Dane County judge has struck down Gov. Scott Walker's legislation repealing most collective bargaining for public employees. In a 33-page decision issued Thursday, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said she would freeze the legislation because GOP lawmakers on a committee broke the state's open meetings law in passing it March 9. The legislation limits collective bargaining to wages for all public employees in Wisconsin except for police and firefighters. "It's what we were looking for," said Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, a Democrat. Ozanne sued to block the law after Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca...

“With Kagan apparently set to vote in the Supreme Court’s ultimate decision on the Affordable Care Act . . . the chances that the law, or part of it, will be ruled unconstitutional are diminished. Justice Anthony Kennedy likely remains the critical vote, though there has been speculation that a more conservative court member could end up voting to uphold the law.”

Last week, political theorist Nancy Pelosi told Tufts University that “elections shouldn’t matter as much as they do.” Representative Pelosi’s discourse on democracy follows her previous lectures on Congress (“We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it) and constitutional law (“Are you serious?”). See video of her remarks below. (Hat tip: RealClearPolitics)

A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday ordered "no further implementation" of the Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill that limits collective bargaining rights. Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said that her earlier restraining order saying the law shouldn't be enacted had either been ignored or misinterpreted. Sumi stopped short of saying the law was not already in effect. She said she will take more testimony on that issue. The Legislative Reference Bureau posted the law on a legislative website Friday, leading Walker's administration to declare the law was in effect. Sumi revised her original March temporary restraining order blocking the...

MADISON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin judge has ruled that there should be no further implementation of a law taking away nearly all collective bargaining rights for public workers. Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said Tuesday that her earlier restraining order saying the law shouldn't be enacted had either been ignored or misinterpreted. Sumi stopped short of saying the law was not already in effect. She said she will take more testimony on that issue. The Legislative Reference Bureau posted the law on a legislative website Friday, leading Gov. Scott Walker's administration to declare the law was in effect. Sumi...

Politico published an eye-opening report on Saturday by Ben Smith about “Media Matter’s war against Fox.” Smith wrote that the organization continues to transform itself into an exclusively Fox News-battling group.Media Matters founder David Brock told Politico that his organization’s activism has developed into a “strategy of containment.” This strategy includes extensive work to compile intelligence on the employees of the cable news channel. (Snip)“Somebody in that organization is giving us primary source documents.”

MacIver Institute @MacIverWisc Madison, Wisconsin, USA The Free Market Voice for Wisconsin. We are a Wisconsin based think tank that believes in free markets, individual freedom and responsible government. http://www.maciverinstitute.com Getting reports that protesters have entered the offices of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, a couple of blocks off the square.6 minutes ago

Republican lawmakers in Indiana have given up on a controversial anti-union bill that drove Democratic legislators out of the state, but Democrats want to see other controversial bills dropped before they return, the Indianapolis Star reports. Like Wisconsin Democrats before them, Indiana Democrats yesterday fled their state to stall a vote on a state bill that would weaken unions. But while the legislative battle rages on in Wisconsin, the Indiana labor measure known as the "right to work" bill is now effectively dead. Republicans in the state say they will move the issue to a legislative committee for review later...

Advertisement Half of America’s voters favor public sector unions for government workers, but they strongly oppose the tactic by Wisconsin state senators to flee their state to prevent a vote that would limit the rights of such unions. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 25% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of this tactic, while 67% disapprove. State legislators in Indiana have used the same approach to avoid a vote in their state.

Half of America’s voters favor public sector unions for government workers, but they strongly oppose the tactic by Wisconsin state senators to flee their state to prevent a vote that would limit the rights of such unions. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 25% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of this tactic, while 67% disapprove. State legislators in Indiana have used the same approach to avoid a vote in their state. Sizable majorities of Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party reject such a strategy. Democrats are fairly evenly divided, with 48% approving and...

Should AWOL Lawmakers Be Punished? Yes. If you don't do your job, you face consequences. Maybe. But only if state laws call for disciplinary action. No. They are engaging in a legitimate protest. Other (leave a comment).

ALERT *** ALERT *** ALERT *** ALERT **** ALERT *** ALERT *** Flash Rally Protest! Join us! When: Friday, February 25, 2011 Time: 12:00 (Noon) - 1:00 pm Location: Indiana Statehouse, 200 W Washington Street, Indianapolis MEET ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE STATEHOUSE (Capitol Street) Sign Messages: Theme "Dems" Get Back to Work! Why the Protest: As many of you probably have heard, the Indiana House Dems. WENT MISSING IN ACTION! They didn't show up for the job that 'We the People' elected them to do - represent us. This is a BIG DEAL! If we missed work, what...

Ind. GOP leader: No compromise with absent DemsBy Deanna Martin, Associated Press – 1 hr 15 mins ago INDIANAPOLIS – A political stalemate in Indiana showed no signs of ending anytime soon as House Democrats met privately Wednesday in an out-of-state hotel and Republicans refused to negotiate away their legislative agenda to lure them back. While the tactic mimicked one used a week earlier by Senate Democrats in Wisconsin who fled to delay a vote on an anti-union bill, the Indiana Democrats said their protest was not about one GOP-backed proposal but a slate of them. In both states, Democrats...