Free Republic

THE Supreme Court last month voided Washington, DC's extreme gun ban as a violation of the Second Amendment. Now, across America, public defenders and other lawyers for rapists, robbers and murderers are filing motions contending that their vicious clients have a Second Amendment right to have guns. If this were correct, the Second Amendment would be a very bad thing. Happily, it's not so. The high-court opinion vindicated the constitutional right of ordinary, responsible law-abiding adults to have a handgun to protect their families, homes and themselves. It also flatly stated that this right does not apply to criminals. Federal...

Leon Quinn got out of prison in New York last year, moved to North Carolina and tried to start a new life. But employers don’t want to hire a convicted felon, and it’s hard to get your own place when you don’t have a job, he said. “It’s like we’re marked as criminals,” Quinn said. “It’s like we don’t have a say.” But, Quinn learned Saturday he does have a say, even with a felony conviction. In North Carolina, people convicted of a felony can vote, once they’ve served their time behind bars and completed the terms of their probation...

Felons Seeking Bush Pardon Near a Record By CHARLIE SAVAGE WASHINGTON — Felons are asking President Bush for pardons and commutations at historic levels as he nears his final months in office, a time when many other presidents have granted a flurry of clemency requests. Among the petitioners is Michael Milken, the billionaire former junk bond king turned philanthropist, who is seeking a pardon for his 1990 conviction for securities fraud, the Justice Department said. Mr. Milken sought a pardon eight years ago from President Bill Clinton, and submitted a new petition in June. In addition, prominent federal inmates are...

The get-out-the-vote effort in Maine broke new ground Wednesday when more than 200 inmates in the Maine State Prison registered to cast ballots. Prison officials said it was the first prisoner education and registration drive held at the facility. Deputy Warden Leida Dardis said the event, which was organized by Maine chapters of the NAACP, allowed representatives from the state Democratic, Republican and Green Independent parties to meet with prisoners in morning and afternoon informational sessions. Maine and Vermont are the only states that give people convicted of felonies the right to vote while in prison. Some states bar felons...

Presidential candidate, Senator Mrs. Bill Clinton (D-N.Y.), told a crowd of New Hampshire Democratic voters that all they need to do in order to ensure lower fuel prices is elect her president next November. “My ‘two-pronged plan’ to lower fuel prices will mean lower heating bills and driving costs,” the New York senator promised. The “supply side prong” calls for comprehensive price-controls. “Under my administration, oil profiteering will come to an end,” Clinton said. “Corporate greed feeding off of human need will be stopped. If we have to seize control of fuel producers to accomplish this—well, they’ve been warned.” The...

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Clinton's Tennessee committee includes 2 felonsAssociated Press - December 24, 2007 2:55 PM ET NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Hillary Clinton's 100-person Tennessee Steering Committee reportedly includes two people convicted of felonies in the 1980s. Gladys Crain of Halls was convicted in 1981 on federal charges connected with a scheme to rig bids on a state highway construction project, and former state House Majority Leader Tommy Burnett of Jamestown was imprisoned in 1984 for failure to file an income tax return. Clinton's Democratic presidential campaign did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment. The Tennessean newspaper...

House Subcommitee Chairman Danny Davis (D-IL) believes it's not sufficient that federal employment be open to felons. He's pushing for job set asides for felons as well: Davis said agencies should work with federally and locally funded rehabilitation programs to hire recently released felons as a way to help them reintegrate into society and reduce recidivism. Justice Department statistics show more than 50 percent of convicted felons offend again. Davis thinks giving some of them government jobs could reduce that number. “We are contradictory in our practices,” he said. “We talk redemption, but the way we treat individuals does not...

On the September 28th Democracy Now! broadcast, hostess Amy Goodman led off the program's headlines with... Black Teen Jailed in Jena Six Case Freed on Bail In Jena, Louisiana, the seventeen year old Mychal Bell -- one of the Jena Six -- has been released on bail after ten months in prison. Bell and five other African American high school students were arrested last year for beating a white student during a schoolyard fight. The fight occurred after white students hung three nooses in a tree in the schoolyard. An all-white jury convicted Bell of aggravated second-degree battery.

WASHINGTON -- Nearly 12 percent of Army recruits who entered basic training this year needed a special waiver for those with criminal records, a dramatic increase over last year and 2 1/2 times the percentage four years ago, according to new Army statistics obtained by the Globe. With less than three months left in the fiscal year, 11.6 percent of new active-duty and Army Reserve troops in 2007 have received a so-called "moral waiver," up from 7.9 percent in fiscal year 2006, according to figures from the US Army Recruiting Command. In fiscal 2003 and 2004, soldiers granted waivers accounted...

At the Pentagon’s request, Senate defense authorizers tucked deep within a defense bill a repeal of the department’s restriction on granting security clearances to ex-convicts, drug addicts and the mentally incompetent. The repeal provision now is creating discord between the Senate Armed Services and the Intelligence committees. In its markup of the 2008 defense authorization bill, the Intelligence panel voted to delete the Armed Services provision. The fate of the provision could become a flashpoint this week as the Senate takes up the bill. The Senate Armed Services panel seeks to repeal a seven-year-old law that established mandatory standards disqualifying...

Police say Joel Garibay-Urbina used Juan Jose Rodriguez's identification to get a job. To his bosses at Pilgrim's Pride, he was Juan Jose Rodriguez -- it said so on the birth certificate and Social Security card he presented when the southwestern Arkansas chicken plant hired him six years ago. At his De Queen, Ark., home, he was Joel Garibay-Urbina -- with a wife, three kids and a mortgage under his own name. And to police officers responding to a domestic violence call, he was just the latest illegal immigrant to have two identities after an arrest. It turns out that...

Bobby Grady, a convicted felon in secure detention, didn't know for more than a year that he had a son. When he finally learned of his son's existence, it was only to discover that his parental rights were about to be legally terminated. Now, Grady wants his son. Jeffrey, a Milwaukee doctor, raised Grady's son since the boy's birth (he is being identified only by first name to protect the boy's identity in the community). The 3-year-old has had serious medical problems, which required Jeffrey and his wife to take him for treatment several times a day at some points....

Just in time for the Fourth of July, John Lott, author of the groundbreaking 1998 book "More Guns, Less Crime," has released another amazing book: "Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works and Other Half-Baked Theories Don't." This book provides studies and analysis proving that your every right-wing instinct is based on sound economic analysis. To wit: * Women shouldn't vote: "What changed ... that explains the growth of government? The answer is women's suffrage." * Fox News Channel isn't conservative: "Even employees of Fox News, which is widely regarded as a conservative channel, donate 81 percent of their contributions to...

CONCORD, N.H. -- Convicted tax evaders Ed and Elaine Brown have gained a new supporter: presidential hopeful Ron Paul. In an interview with RogueGovernment.com, the U.S. Representative from Texas compared the Browns to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. He said the Browns are suffering like those leaders. The Browns are holed up in their Plainfield, N.H., home and have threatened violence against federal officials if marshals come to arrest them. They were convicted of an elaborate scheme to hide millions of dollars in income. Their protest has become a rallying cry for anti-tax activists and militia members.

At least 20 former members of Congress convicted of a range of criminal offenses continue to draw taxpayer-supported pensions each year, according to the National Taxpayers Union. Congressional pensions are not public records, and the NTU says it bases its estimates on a lawmaker's time of service, eligibility, and life expectancy. The numbers are adjusted based on factors such as cost of living changes, a former member's military service and marital status. All of the following were former members of the House of Representatives, with the exception of Durenberger, a former senator. Fauntroy was a non-voting delegate in the House...

Immigrants try to revive stalled bill By JULIANA BARBASSA -- Associated Press Writer (Published: June 13, 2007) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) As President Bush pressed lawmakers to get immigration reform back on track, immigrants across the country were marching, praying, writing lawmakers and hitting the road for Washington in a desperate push to revive the stalled measure. Before the bill collapsed in the Senate last week, most immigrants agreed it was flawed. But seeing a rare opportunity for change slipping away - and recognizing it may not come again for years - many insisted they wouldn't let it go without a...

Proving once again that US Senators do not care a whit for the American voters who elected them (senators who also appear to be suffering from some terminal stupidity virus), this less than august body voted Wednesday to allow the proposed “Z-Visa” to also be disseminated to illegal immigrants who have been convicted of terrorist and criminal acts. The Democrat-run Senate voted down Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) amendment to the Amnesty Bill that would have excluded illegals who have been convicted of criminal acts, including gang activity. If passed, the Illegal Immigrant Amnesty Bill will now permit convicted felons and...

The US immigration bill faces a big vote in the Senate today as architects of the delicate bipartisan legislation seek to either limit debate or table it. Supporters of the bill face dozens of amendments from opponents. Yesterday, an effort by Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn to bar large numbers of illegal immigrants from taking advantage of the proposed programme was blocked. AdvertisementHis amendment sought to exclude anyone convicted of felonies, document fraud, identity theft, or ignored deportation orders from gaining legal status. The Senate adopted a less-sweeping alternative offered by Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy that included crimes such as...

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's move to restore civil rights to state residents with certain felony convictions is a clear victory for the people who will get the right to vote, serve on juries and hold occupational licenses... Of nearly one million disenfranchised Floridians, about 80% will now automatically get the right to vote. They're expected to vote overwhelmingly Democratic, because they're disproportionately poor and African-American. In a state where the 2000 presidential election was decided by a hotly contested, razor-thin vote, a Republican governor appears to have given an advantage to Democrats... "There could be as many as a million,"...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Most felons released from prison will have their voting and other civil rights restored under a rule approved Thursday by Republican Gov. Charlie Crist and the state clemency board. All but the most violent felons would avoid the need to get on a long list for a hearing before the board, which sometimes takes years. The board voted 3-1 with Attorney General Bill McCollum, another Republican, strongly objecting. Crist has made it clear since before he was governor that he was in favor of making it easier for felons who have done their time to vote. He...

Saying the Maryland General Assembly has swung too far to the left, Republican leaders called on Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday to veto four bills if they get to his desk, including measures that would provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrants and voting rights to felons. "We hear in our communities, 'What are they doing down there?'" said Del. Anthony J. O'Donnell, the minority leader from Southern Maryland. "They're giving in-state tuition to illegal immigrants? Accelerating parole to repeat drug offenders? Giving the right to vote to offenders, including those who have committed treason against the United States? Giving Maryland's electoral...

In a decision that could impact tens of thousands of current state residents, the Senate approved a bill that will allow all convicted criminals, including those found guilty of multiple violent crimes, to vote again after they have completed their court-ordered sentence. Most Senate Democrats ignored the concerns of Republicans, defeating three amendments before voting 28-19 to pass the bill on March 23. Five Democrats joined 14 Republicans in voting against the bill. On the same day, the House postponed debate on its version of the proposal, and is scheduled to resume on March 26. In the Senate, supporters of...

As part of his effort to help ex-felons get jobs and become integrated into society, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums wants to make it easier for them to get jobs with the city, his spokesman, Mike Healy, said Wednesday. Dellums wants to end the requirement that prospective city employees disclose whether they have been convicted of a felony by checking a box on the standard employment application, according to Healy. "There may be some jobs that ex-offenders who aren't violent can come out and do if they're qualified," he said. Healy said applicants for jobs in the Police Department and some...

If you have a criminal record in your past, are you forever barred from rejoining corporate America and taking advantage of professional opportunities? Not necessarily. It is achievable, but definitely an uphill battle, says Pat Kendall, career coach and author of "Jumpstart Your Online Job Search and eResumes: Everything You Need to Know". According to Kendall, an estimated 80 percent of companies perform background checks on job applicants. Today's terror-aware atmosphere and litigious society makes employers responsible to a greater degree for checking out the candidates they hire. It can be very difficult for most employers to get past a...

Adel R. Ahmad, a Tampa pizza deliveryman, kept his license to carry a gun for four years even though he was wanted by police for shooting and killing a teenage boy over a stolen order of chicken wings. Leroy W. Cerny, of Miramar, kept his license to carry a gun even though he pleaded no contest to shooting from his kitchen door into a backyard tree, a misdemeanor.

Court Restores Inmates' Voting Rights Thursday, December 28, 2006 A state appeals court is restoring the voting rights of about 100,000 local jail inmates across the state who are serving a year or less for felony convictions. The state said it would not appeal the decision from the 1st District Court of Appeal. The affected inmates were eligible to vote until last year, when the state disenfranchised them. For three decades, California's secretary of state had interpreted that the state Constitution barred voting by those in state prisons and those on parole. The appeals court said in it's decision last...

SEATTLE, WA - For illegal immigrant teenagers with college ambitions, Washington state is the place to be. It's one of only 10 states that offer in-state tuition to undocumented students at public universities and colleges. In most other states, illegal teens have to pay non-resident or international rates. But even though help is available, few students are signing up. Chana Joffe-Walt reports on the barriers to an affordable education. Francisco was the type of kid in high school who could really get in your nerves. The study body president type - uber-energetic, really hard-working and friendly to everyone: I was...

A record 7 million people _ or one in every 32 American adults _ were behind bars, on probation or on parole by the end of last year, according to the Justice Department. Of those, 2.2 million were in prison or jail, an increase of 2.7 percent over the previous year, according to a report released Wednesday. More than 4.1 million people were on probation and 784,208 were on parole at the end of 2005. Prison releases are increasing, but admissions are increasing more. Men still far outnumber women in prisons and jails, but the female population is growing faster....

Arizonans who vote in future elections could win $1 million thanks to a proposed ballot initiative — the Arizona Voter Reward Act. But while one lucky winner could be paid for voting, countless Arizona residents with felony convictions have to pay in order to vote. In Arizona, first-time felony offenders who have completed their sentences must pay all the fines, fees and other costs associated with a conviction before regaining the right to vote. This requirement is essentially a modern-day poll tax, barring from the polls those individuals who do not have the ability to pay their legal financial obligations....

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - A California court issued arrest warrants Wednesday for former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, former senior counsel Kevin Hunsaker and three private investigators tied to the technology giant's pretexting scandal after they were charged with felonies in connection with the H-P boardroom leak scandal. The five are charged with fraudulent wire communications, wrongful use of computer data, identity theft and conspiracy. ~ snip ~

I have seen billboards that are harder to read than liberal Democrats. This is a group of people with no vision. They complain without offering solutions. When they do complain, they cannot do so without resorting to personal attacks. They offer nothing but vitriol. They don’t have a platform, they have a paragraph, “Republicans are evil, we hate Bush and get us out of Iraq.” When I was of the age and size to play in a sandbox, a common argument closer was, “Just because.” The Democrats are still playing in the sand box. “Just because” doesn’t get you far...

Excerpts - With Hewlett-Packard Chairwoman Patricia Dunn's status in jeopardy for seeking phone records, possibly illegally, in search of leaks, the HP board is in an uproar ~ snip ~ On one side are Dunn and two staunch supporters: Verizon (VZ) Vice-Chairman Lawrence Babbio and former Medtronic (MDT) Chief Financial Officer Rob Ryan. Dunn and her supporters are focused on the need for rock-solid business processes and clear adherence to good governance policies—whether for financial reporting or complying with regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley. "I personally believe Patricia Dunn worked her butt off in the interest of HP," says one...

In Tennessee, liberal activists are busy registering ex-felons to vote in time for the November elections. Tipster Tom sends a press release issued by the local NAACP chapter: 100,000 Ex-Felons Gain Right To Vote In Tennessee - In Time For November Elections On September 5, 2006 at the Clarksville - Montgomery County Board of Education, Building 621 Gracey Ave., Clarksville, TN, starting at 6:30 p.m. a special panel of guests that will include: Representatives from the Election Commission, TN Bar Association, The Brennan Center for Justice, as well as a Former Convicted Felon who will vote for the first time...

Alabama must allow all felons to register to vote under current state law, a Jefferson County judge ruled Wednesday - a decision Secretary of State Nancy Worley said could lead to polling places in prisons. Circuit Judge Robert Vance Jr. said any felon should be able to register and vote until the state Legislature passes a law that defines crimes of moral turpitude. No such definition exists under state law, Vance said. Vance said his order is on hold, however, until the state submits the voting change to mandatory review by the Justice Department under the federal Voting Rights Act.

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals fans annoyed by bad behavior in the stands can now report it by cell phone. The hot line number should be easy to remember -- (513) 381-JERK. Fans using too much foul language will get a warning from stadium security. Those who continue could be ejected and have their season tickets and personal seat licenses taken away. More serious offenses could lead to arrest. The team doesn't want to become the "curse police," but expects fans to behave themselves, said Bob Bedinghaus, the Bengals' director of development for Paul Brown Stadium.

A Mexican customs facility planned for Kansas City's inland port may have to be considered the sovereign soil of Mexico as part of an effort to lure officials in that country into cooperating with the Missouri development project. Despite adamant denials by Kansas City Area Development Council officials, WND has obtained emails and other documents from top executives with the KCSmartPort project that suggest such a facility would by necessity be considered Mexican territory – despite its presence in the heartland of the U.S.

Supreme Court Says Muzzleloaders are Legally Firearms Cheyenne- Posted 6/28/06 Associated Press The ruling comes in an appeal by a convicted felon who says he thought he was allowed to own a black powder rifle. Such rifles are excluded from the federal definition of firearms. A spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department says the ruling will come as a blow to some Wyoming residents who have felony convictions in the past but who are now dedicated black powder hunters. Governor Freudenthal says he would favor changing the state law to allow convicted felons to continue to hunt with...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Three poll workers accused of casting ballots in the name of dead voters were among six people indicted on charges of violating election laws in a state Senate race, a prosecutor announced Wednesday. Prosecutor Bill Gibbons said his investigation found no evidence of a widespread conspiracy to throw the election to either candidate. Democrat Ophelia Ford was certified the winner over Republican Terry Roland by 13 votes last September. The state Senate overturned the election this year amid allegations of irregularities. "There was an effort on the part of certain individuals ... to cast some illegal votes...

While Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and John Kerry (D-MA) attempt to push a bill through the Senate that would restore voting rights for felons -- including killers, rapists and child predators -- such a law would receive a cold reception by most Americans, according to a just-released poll. And some believe Clinton and Kerry -- with the help of some news organizations -- are trying to sneak their bill under the public radar. A new poll conducted by Zogby Interactive for Associated Television News and The O'Leary Report shows that a clear majority of Americans, including blacks and Hispanics, are...

Court Denies Felons Voting Rights ArgumentBy LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press Writer Last update: May 05, 2006 – 2:23 AM NEW YORK (AP) - A landmark civil rights law cannot be used to argue that barring felons from voting discriminates against minorities because they are imprisoned at a higher rate, a federal court ruled Thursday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which removed barriers to black voters, was not an avenue of relief for 21 plaintiffs, which include six current prisoners. The plaintiffs sued the state in November 2000. Judge Jose A. Cabranes, who...

A UW-Madison professor dismissed earlier this month for a felony conviction collected pornographic images on his school computer for a decade, according to documents released Friday. The UW Board of Regents voted April 7 to dismiss L. Keith Cohen, a 30-year faculty member of the UW-Madison Department of Comparative Literature. On Friday, the UW released a copy of the board's decision to The Associated Press under an open records request. The firing was done over the objections of a UW-Madison faculty committee.Cohen was arrested in March 2005. Authorities said he had driven to suburban Milwaukee to meet a 14-year-old boy...

Cargo officials say developing a security plan could create a worker shortage by barring illegals and felons. ********** Cargo industry officials are worried that a federal ID system aimed at boosting security could cost many port workers in Los Angeles and elsewhere their jobs, something that would bottle up the flow of goods destined for virtually every U.S. community. Details of the program -- more than three years in the making -- are still being worked out. But according to industry officials who have discussed it with the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard, illegal immigrants and people convicted...

The story of this nation has been collectively written by the immigrant pen. Titled “The American Dream,” this wildly successful and popular tale is about to gain a new author. Yet instead of simply writing the next verse, this wave of immigrant authors seems intent on starting a new book. There is no longer satisfaction with building for the future; an entitlement culture has grown. This contemporary tale is to be authored by illegal immigrants, but the pen, paper, and publishing are paid for by the American taxpayer. Not offended yet? Soon. When reading this piece, remember that the term...

AUSTIN – As many as 3,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Texas are on probation or parole in their home state but most are probably living under no form of supervision, and state officials are providing their names to local authorities because they could be suspects in new crimes. In letters to many of the state's police chiefs this week, the Texas Department of Public Safety provides the names and criminal histories of the evacuees and urges local authorities to consult the list to "develop possible suspects for certain crime problems that have advanced since Hurricane Katrina." Nearly 300 of those...

Any immigration legislation passed by Congress this year will not include the inflammatory provisions approved by the House last year that make it a felony to be in the United States illegally, Republican leaders on Capitol Hill said yesterday. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said in a joint statement that "it remains our intent to produce a strong border security bill that will not make unlawful presence in the United States a felony." The commitment removes a primary concern held by many Democrats who say that the yearlong imprisonment carried by a felony conviction...

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 655 (Republicans in roman; Democrats in italic; Independents underlined) H R 4437 RECORDED VOTE 16-Dec-2005 7:26 PM AUTHOR(S): Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin Amendment QUESTION: On Agreeing to the Amendment Ayes Noes PRES NV Republican 156 65 9 Democratic 8 191 3 Independent 1 TOTALS 164 257 12 ---- AYES 164 --- Aderholt Akin Alexander Bachus Baker Barrow Bartlett (MD) Bass Beauprez Berry Biggert Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blunt Boehlert Bonilla Bonner Bono Boustany Bradley (NH) Brady (TX) Brown (SC) Burgess Burton (IN) Buyer Calvert Camp (MI) Campbell (CA) Cannon Cantor Capito Castle Chabot Chocola Coble...

Seattle, WA – In an opinion that opens the doors to nearly 50,000 felons suddenly having the right to vote, King County Superior Judge Michael Spearman overturned Washington State law concluding that rights of felons who could not vote because they had not paid their court fines and victim restitution was a violation of the equal protection clause of the Washington State Constitution. In making this decision Judge Spearman ignored prior case law and concluded that the state had not provided justification for denying the right to vote to felons who had not paid their fines. Washington State Republican Party...

RALEIGH (AP) — Vandals damaged three military recruiting centers in the Triangle this week in what appeared to be a war protest. Authorities said someone spray-painted windows at two Durham centers and hurled a rock through the window at a center in Raleigh on Tuesday night. The vandals also defaced doors and sidewalks at the locations.

The Clintons pass in the night Written in conjunction with Eileen McGann Bill and Hillary Clinton are the first couple to appear simultaneously and independently on the national political stage. They are using their special circumstances as a convenient shield for one another, fulfilling, at once, Hillary’s dream of no accountability and Bill’s of being able to take both sides of an issue. Did Hillary know that Bill was pardoning the FALN terrorists to help her win Puerto Rican votes in New York? Oh, she was opposed to the pardon. Did Hillary find out that Bill was granting pardons to...