http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:indepundit/ en-us Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:39:43 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3011894/posts A Colorado judge's threatened contempt sanctions against Fox News investigative reporter Jana Winter—who refuses to reveal a confidential news source—has refocused public attention on how journalists operate. News must often be gathered from confidential sources, or not at all. Given how vital is the freedom of the press in a democracy, that confidentiality must be maintained. It is time that Congress recognize this and enact legislation that enables journalists to protect their confidential sources and newsgathering materials. Ms. Winter covered the July 20, 2012 mass shooting that killed 12 people and injured 58 others in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater.... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3011894/posts#comment Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:39:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3009438/posts Those who support stricter gun control fear that the passage of time since the Dec. 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School will result in further watering-down of measures. They should not, however, discount the risk that attempts to shave a few weeks or months off the usual legislative process will result in bad laws, with unintended and lasting consequences. While pro-gun forces may overstate the case against expanded background checks — they are not, for example, a prelude to disarming the citizenry — President Obama and his allies have understated the difficult legal questions posed by extending the background-check... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3009438/posts#comment Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:07:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2997180/posts Two weeks ago, a unanimous Supreme Court rebuffed the Securities and Exchange Commission Gabelli v. SEC. The SEC maintained that its enforcement actions for fines under the Investment Advisers Act weren't subject to the five-year statute of limitations. This wasn't the first time the courts have pushed back a federal agency for overreaching. It won't be the last. But the SEC's audacity prompts a broader policy question: What good is accomplished by imposing monetary penalties on corporations, as the agency attempted to do in Gabelli? The answer is that when such penalties are sought by the government, they probably do... David Rivkin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2997180/posts#comment Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:57:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2987454/posts Could there be a better illustration of the cultural divide over firearms than the White House photograph of our skeet-shooting president? Clay pigeons are launched into the air, but the president's smoking shotgun is level with the ground. This is not a man who is comfortable around guns. And that goes a long way toward explaining his gun-control agenda. Lack of informed presidential leadership aside, there is a gulf between those Americans who view guns as invaluable tools for self-defense, both against private wrongdoers and a potentially tyrannical government, and those who regard that concept as hopelessly archaic and even... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2987454/posts#comment Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:44:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2985242/posts I cannot believe there are people out there who think we should get rid of the Constitution. The crazy part is, they want to get rid of the document but keep all of the provisions! Professor Seidman really struggles to defend his points in this video, at least David Rivkin was there to be the voice reason. Fox & Friends http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2985242/posts#comment Mon, 4 Feb 2013 20:45:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2977124/posts Three false arguments, pushed hard by the Obama administration and accepted on faith by the media and much of the political establishment, must be laid to rest if the American people are to understand the issues at stake in the federal "debt ceiling" debate. The first is that Congress's failure to raise the debt ceiling—the amount of money the federal government is authorized to borrow at any given time—will cause a default on the national debt. The second is that federal entitlement programs are constitutionally protected from spending cuts. The third is that the president can raise the debt ceiling... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2977124/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:05:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2869072/posts Is Roger Ailes clerking for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia? One might be forgiven for thinking so following last week’s oral arguments on the health-care law before the nation’s highest court. As has been pointed out elsewhere, some of Scalia’s questions from the bench made use of the tone and even the diction of the attacks on the Affordable Care Act frequently heard on Fox News and conservative talk-radio shows. After Scalia picked up on the idea that a government empowered to have its citizens buy health insurance or face a penalty may also strong arm them into buy some... The Daily Beast http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2869072/posts#comment Fri, 6 Apr 2012 21:01:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2846984/posts Last Friday, the White House announced that it would revise the controversial ObamaCare birth-control mandate to address religious-liberty concerns. Its proposed modifications are a farce. The Department of Health and Human Services would still require employers with religious objections to select an insurance company to provide contraceptives and drugs that induce abortions to its employees. The employers would pay for the drugs through higher premiums. For those employers that self-insure, like the Archdiocese of Washington, the farce is even more blatant. The birth-control coverage mandate violates the First Amendment's bar against the "free exercise" of religion. But it also violates... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2846984/posts#comment Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:08:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2820253/posts The Obama media is hiding the truth. We must push back against the media's smear campaign before it is too late. They successfully took down Herman Cain and have started attacking Newt, Perry and others. Do not forget what they did to Sarah Palin, Sharon Angle, Christine O'Donnell, George Allen, Scott Walker and dozens of others? They will not rest until they re-elect their "chosen one," Barack Obama. Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/P8Wg4NYXVhM The National Republican Trust PAC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2820253/posts#comment Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:12:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2792859/posts Why did the United States apologize to the family of Al Qaeda Propagandist Samir Khan? David Rivkin debates Sally Kohn, Founder of Movement Vision, on America Live with Megyn Kelly on Fox News. DavidRivkin.com, Youtube.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2792859/posts#comment Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:14:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2791306/posts Cindy Bryan, Mississippi House of Representatives candidate (D-91), has always said her priority is bringing jobs to her district. That’s exactly what she has demonstrated in her “listening campaign,” traveling throughout her district and meeting voters from all walks of life. Waging a strong campaign in a district traditionally taken for granted as a Democrat stronghold, Bryan has now been chosen one of the “Best Candidates for Job Creation” by Mississippi’s Business and Industry Political Education Committee (BIPEC). “I’m very proud to receive this recognition from BIPEC and our state’s leading employers,” Bryan said. “Since my days as a mayor,... Official Wire, BryanForRepresentative.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2791306/posts#comment Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:53:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2785466/posts Mississippi District 91 House of Representatives candidate Cindy Bryan has been waging a strong campaign against Democrat Bob Evans—but few observers expected the results of a recent independent poll. Conducted September 20 through 26, the poll of likely voters found that Bryan, a fiscally conservative Republican focused on job growth, leads the incumbent Evans by 9.4 percentage points, more than twice the margin of error. Thirty-five percent of the voters polled in a representative sample of the district favored Bryan, while 25.6% favored Bob Evans. Since the lead is greater than twice the poll’s 4 point margin of error, Bryan’s... OfficialWire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2785466/posts#comment Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:03:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2784520/posts District 91 House of Representatives candidate Cindy Bryan is committed to bringing jobs to Mississippi and to her district—something her opponent, Democrat Bob Evans, has neglected to do. Now Bryan’s campaign is gaining momentum rapidly, particularly since a leading industry advocate gave her a resounding endorsement. The Mississippi Manufacturers Association Political Action Committee (MMA PAC) recognized Bryan’s commitment to business and jobs. When she served as mayor of New Hebron, Bryan demonstrated her ability to obtain significant resources to improve the local economy. The MMA PAC endorsement follows on the heels of another critical endorsement—by the Associated Contractors of Mississippi,... Official Wire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2784520/posts#comment Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:45:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2777716/posts The city of Jerusalem has been fought over for nearly 3,000 years and remains one of the most contentious places on Earth. This fall, the battle will reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The case—Zivotofsky v. Clinton, brought by the parents of Menachem Binyamin Zivotofsky, a U.S. citizen born in Jerusalem on October 17, 2002—involves a 2002 effort by Congress to force U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. It sought to do so by, among other things, requiring the State Department to identify Israel as the place of birth on passports issued to U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem. The high... The Wall Street Journal, DavidRivkin.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2777716/posts#comment Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:47:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2774378/posts Only Congress has constitutional authority to establish U.S. immigration policy, and fundamental reform requires legislative action. Thus the administration’s recent announcement that deportation will be sought only for undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes in the United States violates the separation of powers and is unconstitutional. No president, of course, can hope to expel every undocumented person in the United States — they number perhaps upward of 11 million people. Human and financial resources to identify, apprehend, process and promptly deport millions have been lacking for years as has, arguably, the political will to do so. In this environment, immigration... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2774378/posts#comment Tue, 6 Sep 2011 18:33:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2766211/posts In the most comprehensive judicial opinion to date, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit last week ruled (2-1) that Congress cannot compel Americans to buy and maintain health insurance. Unlike the Florida district court that earlier found ObamaCare unconstitutional, the 11th Circuit did not invalidate the entire law. But it likewise reaffirmed the fundamental constitutional rule that our federal government is one of enumerated powers with judicially enforceable limits. Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 in order to guarantee near-universal health-insurance coverage. According to this law, individuals... DavidRivkin.com, The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2766211/posts#comment Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:27:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2759197/posts The debt-ceiling crisis has prompted predictable media laments about how partisan and dysfunctional our political system has become. But if the process leading to the current deal was a "spectacle" and a "three-ring circus," as Obama adviser David Plouffe put it, the show's impresarios are none other than James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. Our messy political system is working exactly the way our Founders intended it to. To the extent House members were the most intransigent during the process—a matter of opinion, in any case—they were meant to be. The House of Representatives is the "popular branch," as described in... The Wall Street Journal, DavidRivkin.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2759197/posts#comment Fri, 5 Aug 2011 19:14:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2751950/posts At least four Democratic senators are advocating legal action against News Corp. for allegedly violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by paying British police for information. Former Department of Justice attorneys David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey argue that legislation enacted to police bribery in government contracting is not applicable to news gathering. DavidRivkin.com, The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2751950/posts#comment Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:33:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2748540/posts The United States cannot constitutionally default on its existing public debt even if the debt ceiling is not raised, constitutional scholar and attorney David Rivkin said during a Federalist Society news event. Instead, he said, the country should focus on the fiscal responsibility of new borrowing. “The United States, to put it more clearly, is one of the few countries in the world that is technically incapable of defaulting on its public debts, so we cannot have a situation like in Greece or Portugal or Ireland, ” Rivkin, co-chairman of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism, said during a telephone... CNS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2748540/posts#comment Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:41:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2747306/posts Republican House candidate Cindy Bryan does not rattle easily. When a mean-looking, five-foot rattlesnake was recently found at the home of a friend, she simply grabbed a hoe and killed the venomous reptile with a few good whacks. Voters of the 91st district are hoping she will take the same fearlessness with her to the House of Representatives, and Bryan would be happy to oblige. "I am telling the establishment in Jackson, to those who campaign one way and govern another, I will be a citizen-legislator -- not afraid to do the dirty work of cutting out the go-along-to-get-along mentality,”... Official Wire, BryanForRepresentative.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2747306/posts#comment Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:58:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2739491/posts Ever since the War Powers Resolution became law, presidents have made clear that — whatever its reporting requirements may be — it does not and cannot limit their constitutional authority as chief executive and commander in chief to commit U.S. forces into armed conflicts around the world. Indeed, although numerous reports have been made to Congress after the deployment of U.S. troops, no president has accepted that the War Powers Resolution governs each and every use of American military force, or that it requires any specific congressional authorization before the president can send U.S. forces into harm’s way or can... The Hill, DavidRivkin.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2739491/posts#comment Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:40:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2730662/posts Former White House lawyer, David B. Rivkin, Jr. is having quite a run. On the heels of his national success planning and leading the lawsuit by 26 plaintiff states challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, Rivkin is being honored as one of the best law firm writers in America. The prestigious 2011 Burton Award for Legal Achievement has been awarded to Rivkin for his Washington Post article, “Why the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy is Doomed,” which ran in the Feb. 13, 2010 edition. The article, written by Rivkin and his Baker Hostetler law colleague Lee A. Casey,... Official Wire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2730662/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jun 2011 17:25:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2723816/posts With three important anti-terrorism tools set to expire, conservatives shouldn’t allow themselves to be misled by inconsistent constitutionalists over what our nation’s fundamental law requires. Put differently, why should politicians who voted for constitutional monstrosities like Obamacare have any particular credibility when it comes to national security? And yet each time portions of the PATRIOT Act or related legislation comes up for reauthorization, we’re treated to long-winded harangues, heavy on paranoia but light on case citations, by opponents suddenly interested in checking federal power. Short on specifics and specific abuses, they claim the provisions requiring reauthorization violate the civil liberties... DavidRivkin.com, National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2723816/posts#comment Mon, 23 May 2011 16:31:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2707256/posts Watch this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9N3nJdsTAE GOPTrust.org, youtube.com/goptrust http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2707256/posts#comment Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:10:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2700005/posts The Campaigner-in-Chief, Barack Hussein Obama launched his $1 billion re-election campaign yesterday. This is the first shot in what will be the most important battle in modern day politics and one that will determine the future of our great republic. Consider this: In just 2 years, Obama took over much of the American healthcare system, auto industry, banking industry, housing industry and student loan industry among others. His Administration’s pro-European style government added a whopping $3.6 TRILLION to the national debt. THIS WAS JUST TWO YEARS! Now just imagine what 8 years would bring. His campaign is expected to break... GOP Trust PAC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2700005/posts#comment Tue, 5 Apr 2011 16:37:30 GMT