http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/dc-news/ en-us Sun, 6 Jul 2008 11:44:44 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041392/posts Those looking to buy firearms after the Supreme Court ruling against the District of Columbia's gun ban are out of luck. Purchasing regulations have yet to be written. Days after the Supreme Court ruled that residents of the nation's capital can keep handguns at home for self-defense, George Harley walked out of a Maryland gun shop disheartened, his goal of legally having a gun to protect his family put on hold. Since before Harley, 30, was born, the District of Columbia has restricted its residents' ownership of handguns. After the high court's ruling was handed down late last month, Harley... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041392/posts#comment Sun, 6 Jul 2008 11:44:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041268/posts I read an article in the LA Times today about the difficulty of Washington, D.C. residents obtaining firearms (Guns still elusive for D.C. residents). There were at least two major errors in the story, which is not unusual for an LA Times article that has anything to do with guns. First, the article claims that there is a Federal law that prevents the transportation of guns across state lines “the federal ban on the transport of firearms across state lines”. There is no such ban. In fact, federal law *guarantees* that people can transport firearms across state lines, in the... Marktwain http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041268/posts#comment Sat, 5 Jul 2008 23:39:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041159/posts The D.C. police department is expanding its ShotSpotter network throughout the city in an effort to react faster to gunfire and has plans to link the technology to surveillance cameras in hopes of catching gun-toting criminals in the act. Police said the ShotSpotter technology, which detects and locates gunfire, has aided homicide investigations and improved emergency response in Southeast Washington, where it has been used since August 2006. Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041159/posts#comment Sat, 5 Jul 2008 17:34:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040876/posts This is an issue that isn't going away for the Obama campaign and unless they address it in an effort to put it to bed, it will become one of those "distractions" the candidate really hates: A few weeks ago, a diary entry at Daily Kos published several documents purporting to be Obama's birth certificate. One of those documents is now a confirmed forgery, ferreted out by the website Israeli Insider: Jay McKinnon, a self-described Department of Homeland Security-trained document specialist, has implicated himself in the production of fake Hawaii birth certificate images similar to the one endorsed as genuine... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040876/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 22:29:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039770/posts We’re surprised that Sen. Chuck Schumer can keep straight which foreign countries he’s haranguing to pump more oil and which he’s haranguing to stop pumping more oil. A few weeks ago the New York senator and aspiring global Petroleum Czar was threatening to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia if it didn’t produce more oil. Now, he’s outraged that the Iraqi government may give modest no-bid service contracts to Western oil companies as a first step toward more fully exploiting the country’s vast oil reserves. Perhaps Sen. Schumer would approve if the Saudis were to agree to pump the Iraq... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039770/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 15:46:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040123/posts A judge in Georgia has thrown out an air pollution permit for a new coal-fired power plant because the permit did not set limits on carbon dioxide emissions. Both opponents of coal use and the company that wants to build the plant said it was the first time a court decision had linked carbon dioxide to an air pollution permit. The decision’s broader legal impact was not clear, either for the plant, proposed to be built near Blakely, in Early County, Ga., or for others outside Georgia, but it signaled that builders of coal plants would face continued difficulties in... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040123/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 06:31:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040075/posts The Trooprally's drive in heavy rain on the way to WR In a few weeks PrezUSA222 (Chad) will no longer be able to stand with us at Walter Reed on Friday nights. He's got new responsibilities. Responsibilities that will require 12 weeks of basic training, several months on job training, and then a probable tour in Free Iraq. Chad answered the call. He's in the Army now. We presented him with a plaque of a photo montage of most of the troop support signs we've used over the years. The montage is an original creation by iMacMan. After I... DC Chapter http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040075/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 02:44:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039906/posts Republican Blogs by: Ben Giles, July 02, 2008 A blogger’s conference call in Rep. Michelle Bachmann’s (R-Minn.) office gave Republican congressmen a chance to spread their hopes for using the United States’ own resources for oil and natural gas to help offset rising fuel costs. “It is very difficult for us to meet the demands just on the domestic market if we are looking at the fact that we’ve capped our capacity,” said Rep. Marsha Blackman (R-Tenn). “We’ve capped our supply.” According to Blackman, the legislation which prohibits drilling offshore and in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is irresponsible... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039906/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 20:58:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039902/posts A NeW Kind of Choice by: Rachel Paulk, July 02, 2008 Radical feminists have been hard at work for decades stressing the importance of women choosing career paths over homemaking, corner offices instead of kitchens, and power suits to replace aprons. To a certain extent, their message has been accepted and assimilated into mainstream society. The U.S. Department of Labor reported in 2007 that “A record 68 million women were employed in the U.S.—75% of employed women worked on full-time jobs, while 25% worked on a part-time basis” and “Women accounted for 51% of all workers in the high-paying management,... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039902/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 20:53:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039692/posts Several Prince George's County correctional officers who had access to a 19-year-old inmate found strangled in solitary confinement Sunday have initially declined to speak to investigators of the slaying, a source familiar with the interrogations said. The Maryland State Police and federal agents were investigating the death of Ronnie L. White, who was killed less than 36 hours after he was booked into the county correctional center on first-degree murder charges in the hit-and-run death Friday of county police Cpl. Richard S. Findley. It wasn't clear why the correctional officers reportedly declined to answer questions. Sgt. Curtis Knowles, president of... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039692/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 13:07:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039249/posts Apparently, some District residents aren't waiting on the District Council and the Fenty administration to work out the specifics of how to modify the gun ban to comply to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week. Gun shops in Maryland and Virginia suburbs told The Washington Post's Allison Klein that they've gotten a number of inquiries from D.C. residents trying to buy hardware. See the article here: The Washington Post: Gun Shops Await New D.C. Rules. The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039249/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:52:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039248/posts Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) has decided to introduce legislation tomorrow that will address the Supreme Court ruling on the city's gun ban. The bill would repeal the prohibition on handguns. He made the announcement at the council's news briefing held in preparation for tomorrow's meeting. It would still require that a firearm be disassembled, unloaded and trigger-locked in the home but would tweak the current law to allow an exception for self-defense. A draft of the bill will not be available until this afternoon, he said. Mendelson said he would still wait until the fall to introduce more... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039248/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:51:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038647/posts Academedia Bias by: Malcolm A. Kline, June 30, 2008 Too often we treat academic and media bias separately when their relationship is much more symbiotic. After all, not only are media elites trained in academia but they frequently return to school to teach and “give something back” to the educational system that spawned them. “I’m combining my journalism career with teaching because journalism is teaching,” George Washington University professor Frank Sesno told student journalist Amy D’Onofrio in an interview that was posted on June 13 in The GW Hatchet Online. “I’m enjoying working in the classroom, helping shape students going... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038647/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:13:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038530/posts The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision upholding the right of the people to keep and bear arms, even in the District of Columbia, has made liberals across the country squeal even louder than they did when the Soviet Union collapsed. The case originated with a “Special Police Officer” named Dick Heller, who carries a handgun as part of his duties, when he requested a permit to store his firearm in his Washington D.C. residence for self-protection. The city denied Heller the permit. He sued, and the District Court ruled against him. But his appeal was granted by the D.C. Court of... North Star Writers Group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038530/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:22:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038510/posts IN APPEALING to the Supreme Court to save the D.C. handgun ban, local officials rightly thought of what was best for the people of Washington, D.C. A lower court had already invalidated the ban, and there was a chance -- albeit limited -- of prevailing. Instead, the high court agreed that the ban is unconstitutional. Officials again must think of those citizens in fashioning the strongest legal protections against gun violence. Even before the court issued its historic -- and misguided -- 5 to 4 ruling Thursday, law enforcement officials for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) were working on a... WaPo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038510/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:38:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038494/posts Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling upholding the clear meaning of the Second Amendment – a ruling it should never have been necessary to issue at all. In D.C. v. Heller, the Court struck down Washington D.C.'s handgun ban, correctly determining that the District is still in fact part of America and therefore subject to the Constitution's guarantee that individuals can keep and bear arms. That it even got to this point, much less that four black-robed idiots still can't comprehend plain English – or, more likely, perfectly well can but simply don't want and thus... North Star Writers Group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038494/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:15:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038203/posts WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court may have struck down the District's 32-year-old ban on handguns, but that doesn't mean you can go out and buy one today. D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles says D.C. will start issuing permits to own a gun in 21 days, once the Supreme Court hands their decision down to the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. "This is not open season with handguns," Nickles says. "We are going to strictly regulate the registration of handguns. There will be no authorization of automatic or semi-automatics." The city may also require that trigger locks be kept on... wtopnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038203/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:45:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037862/posts Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) may have one of the best-known faces in the world, but that doesn’t mean he is recognized everywhere, even in Washington. Washington Sports Club employee Takehia Wheeler was manning the front desk to scan members’ identification cards Friday morning when the presidential candidate walked in with his entourage. The gym opened a month ago in the Columbia Heights district. “He came in and walked past me,” Wheeler told In The Know. “I was like, ‘Sir, you need to come back.’ ” Wheeler said Obama looked familiar, but she didn’t recognize him. So she asked for his... thehill.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037862/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:58:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037917/posts If New York’s commissioner of education, Richard Mills, is to be believed, one of the great success stories in the history of American public education is unfolding in the Empire State. The commissioner has released 2008 state test results showing that a stunning 97 percent of the 708 third-graders in upstate Warren County are achieving “proficiency” in math. Only five of the county’s third-graders scored at level 1, defined by the test protocol as reflecting “serious academic difficulties.” The state’s other third-graders aren’t doing quite as terrifically as those in Warren County, but they’re pretty close—with 90 percent demonstrating proficiency... City Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037917/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:42:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037531/posts Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is scheduled to pay a solemn visit to wounded Iraq veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington on Saturday, Politico has learned. The visit will be Obama’s third. Obama’s staff is keeping his trip low key. It is not on his public schedule, and his campaign would not confirm it. A pool of reporters will go with him, but will not accompany him inside. (snip) McCain occasionally visits soldiers at Walter Reed on weekends when he is in Washington, most recently May 31. McCain’s visits are usually unannounced to the press, and sometimes he... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037531/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:41:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037372/posts A nice day's work at the Supreme Court ought to be enough to sober the conservatives who look forward to spending election day sulking because they're unable to fall in love with John McCain. Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion, a tribute to the Constitution's clear and plain language upholding the Second Amendment, demonstrates amply that the importance of justices of the Supreme Court is equaled only by the importance of the man who appoints them. Though trusting any pol is necessarily a leap of faith, Mr. McCain makes more reassuring noises about that presidential responsibility than the man standing in... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037372/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:28:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037359/posts Looking for Union Label by: Emily Miller, June 27, 2008 Last Thursday, the AFL-CIO officially endorsed Barack Obama, throwing its weight behind the presidential hopeful by continuing its $53.4 million campaign called Working Families Vote 2008 against the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. Yet partisan politics will not significantly affect plummeting union membership, wrote Professors Jeffrey and Barry Hirsch, co-authors of the Florida State University Law Review article “The Rise and Fall of Private Sector Unionism: What Next for the NLRA?” Union membership is likely to continue its steady decline, and chances for a revival of previous membership rates, even... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037359/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:09:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037351/posts First Amendment At Risk by: Emily Ham, June 27, 2008 For many congressional representatives, this year Fourth of July is not only a day to observe the freedoms Americans hold dear, its also the deadline to sign a petition that could be the dividing line between broadcast freedoms and a form of governmental censorship and control. At a press conference held on June 11 (Radio Independence Day), members of Congress, the press and organizations throughout Washington D.C. gathered on the steps of the Cannon Senate Building to ask Congress members to stand up for broadcasters’ rights. Speakers beseeched the House... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037351/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:06:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037340/posts Eleanor Holmes Norton is hoping to save nearly 2,000 city students from the dreaded federal voucher program that allows them to attend well-functioning private schools in a safe and nurturing environment. Mrs. Norton vehemently opposes the voucher program because of its imposition on the District´s public schools, which, of course, perform at levels of bad and worse. Mrs. Norton and the like-minded in the Democrat-controlled Congress want to end the $18 million program because it works, is a big hit with the parents of disadvantaged students and provides low-income families with a choice. Some of the testimonials of the parents... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037340/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:52:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037295/posts Washington, D.C., will become a safer place to live and work thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday against the city's absolute ban on handguns. The Court ruled that the Second Amendment's guarantee of the right to bear arms is an individual right, not just one that permits states to maintain militias, striking down one of the nation's toughest anti-gun laws. As someone who lived in the District at the time the city imposed its ban 32 years ago, I say it's about time. I bought my first gun in 1974 after my husband was mugged in broad daylight... GOP USA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037295/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:50:11 GMT