http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/firstamendment/ en-us Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:56:20 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410165/posts Her parents say a New Jersey elementary school teacher told a third-grader the Bible was inappropriate reading material for quiet time. NJ.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410165/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:56:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409152/posts The case is Elane Photography, LLC v. Willock, and I blogged about it here, when it was being considered by the New Mexico Human Rights Commission. The decision was handed down last Friday, but the opinion wasn’t distributed until yesterday. I hope to blog more about it today, but here’s my analysis from last year: Elaine Huguenin co-owns Elane Photography with her husband. The bulk of Elane’s work is done by Elaine, though she subcontracts some of the work some of the time. Elane refused to photograph Vanessa Willock’s same-sex commitment ceremonies, and just today the New Mexico Human Rights... Volokh Conspiracy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409152/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:11:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407904/posts Taunton second-grader suspended over drawing of Jesus Father angered by forced psychological evaluation of boy, 8 By Gerry Tuoti, Staff Writer GateHouse News Service Posted Dec 14, 2009 @ 10:20 PM Taunton — A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross. The father said he got a call earlier this month from Maxham Elementary School informing him that his son, a second-grade student, had created a violent drawing. The image in question depicted a crucified Jesus... Taunton Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407904/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:50:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406891/posts The lawyer who handled the years-long battle by Pastor Stephen Boissoin over "hate speech" charges for a letter he wrote to the editor of a local newspaper that cited the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality is forecasting a nationwide "witch hunt" in the U.S. prompted by an expanded "hate crimes" law signed by President Obama. Gerald Chipeur,  who supervises law offices across Canada, worked from his Calgary headquarters on the defense of Boissoin, who was accused by a university professor of instigating hate against homosexuals with his letter to the editor. As WND reported, an appellate court in Canada recently reversed... WND http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406891/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:40:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406700/posts A father has been hit with an unusual restraining order: Keep his daughter away from any religion that is not Jewish. After the girl's parents split up, the father went to a Catholic church and had the girl baptized, CBS station WBBM-TV reports. Joseph Reyes, 35, had his daughter baptized and sent his ex-wife a picture of the ceremony. Rebecca Reyes says she only learned of her daughter's Baptism when Joseph sent her the picture, and that he sent it out of malice. Joseph Reyes denies this. "I sent it because Rebecca asked me for pictures," he said. Rebecca Reyes... cbs3.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406700/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:09:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405652/posts Lesbian nominee approved by Senate committee despite pro-family outcry Washington D.C., Dec 11, 2009 / 12:48 pm (CNA).- Despite the complaints of her critics that she supports same-sex "marriage" as well as previously endorsing polygamous relationships, the Senate HELP Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Chai Feldblum to be one of five commissioners on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and sent her nomination to the Senate for a full confirmation. “At this time of challenge, Americans need committed, capable public servants working full time on their behalf,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and... Catholic News Agency http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405652/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:10:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404292/posts One of the more troubling aspects of the contentious debate over Net neutrality regulation is the way some proponents have sought to cast Net neutrality as “the Internet’s First Amendment.” As a die-hard free speech advocate, I find this truly outrageous and a complete contortion of the true purpose of the First Amendment. As I have argued here before, it is incredibly dangerous thinking that puts our real First Amendment liberties at stake by empowering a regulatory agency with more means of controlling online speech and expression. Simply stated, the Internet’s First Amendment is the First Amendment, not some new,... The Technology Liberation Front http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404292/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:48:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399962/posts A while back in (December, 1906) prominent members of New York's Jewish community organized a strike against Christmas exercises in the city's public schools. In light of state laws prohibiting the teaching of "religious doctrines or tenets of any particular Christian or other religious sect," they asked the Board of Education to bar school-based festivities that had in the past included such elements as religious hymns, pictures of the Madonna, holly, mistletoe, and Christmas trees. (They also maintained that any "symbols of Judaism, Mohammedanism, or infidelism" should be banned as well.) When the Board of Education failed to respond to... reason magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399962/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 05:22:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398275/posts As a local pastor, I watched, listened and read with amusement the comments of people about the role of the “church” during the recent same-sex marriage scenario. Many shared verbally on talk shows and by the written word in papers, blogs and so forth that the church had no right to be involved in politics during the same-sex debate. Albeit the Catholic Church received most of the criticism, I am sure those complaining wanted their comments directed to all churches that were against same-sex marriage. I found one item somewhat amusing. Those who were appalled at the Catholic Church being... Bangor Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398275/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 09:54:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2396877/posts If one examines the Courts opinion in the 1962 case and cross-references it with modern arguments by groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation, they will find an argument for implied compulsion where no actual compulsion exists. As articulated by Justice Douglas in his 1962 opinion, “It is said that the element of coercion is inherent in the giving of this prayer… [students in a classroom are] in a sense a “captive” audience.” This view resonates rhetorically with the contrived idea the First Amendment is intended to protect people from religion, rather than its explicit intent to protect the free... Fightin Words http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2396877/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:46:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392580/posts Some D.C. Council members and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton are reaching out to the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington to see whether they can find a compromise so the Church will not end its social services contracts with the city if the council legalizes same-sex marriage. After a week of heated rhetoric, District officials said Thursday that they see a way for Catholic Charities to continue operating programs with city money while assuring that the organization's gay and heterosexual employees would be treated equally if they got married. Washington Compost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392580/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:21:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389724/posts | The formal introduction: Mike Adams is a professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and a syndicated columnist. The informal: He is probably the most outspoken Christian conservative professor in the United States now teaching at a state university. He's gone from passive writing to fiery prose, and from an incendiary lifestyle to one centered on true ideas. Q: Tell us about your 1.8 GPA in high school. I can't believe you brought that up! That was off limits! Q: How hard did you have to work to get a 1.8? My goal was to graduate with a 1.0,... WORLD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389724/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:01:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2388431/posts Combine all of the above and you have effectively nullified one of the cornerstones of the First Amendment of the Constitution: The right to free speech. After all, free speech in a Socialist State could wind up with what we’re doing right now: Holding the heads of our government accountable for their actions. Remember that phrase for just a moment, will you? Yet Obama is over in China, “nudging” their leaders about the importance of unimpeded access to the Internet for their citizens, saying: “I think that the more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes, because then citizens... Grand Rants http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2388431/posts#comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:21:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387851/posts Officials: Anita Dunn may be leaving with her little red book, but her husband enters as the next White House counsel, bringing experience in suppressing dissent, assaulting the First Amendment and limiting speech. Dunn, whose favorite philosophers include mass murderer Mao Zedong, was expected to leave after a short stint. She rose to fame as chief strategist for former Senate majority leader, now national health care guru, Tom Daschle. While serving as White House communications director, she was the commanding general of the administration "war" on Fox News. Like her philosophical mentor, Mao, and her colleague, FCC diversity czar Mark... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387851/posts#comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:16:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385988/posts HARTFORD, Conn. -- Firefighter Mike Di’Giacomo said his SUV is banned from in the firehouse because the bumper stickers he has on it, displays his political views. Di’Giacomo said he has never run into a problem like this in the 10 years he has been with the department. The bumper stickers read: Somewhere in Kenya, a village is missing its idiot I’ll keep my guns, freedom and money. You keep the change Obama Bin Lyin. Impeach Now Eyewitness News Channel 3 Hartford CT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385988/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:23:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385034/posts Of all the sins of the campus left, the worst is hypocrisy. Academic freedom is a spigot they turn on and off at their convenience. This evening, Ray Luc Levasseur, a convicted terrorist who served 18 years of a 45-year sentence, will participate in a "Colloquium on Social Change" at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, sponsored by a "progressive" faculty group called "Social Thought and Political Economy." Levasseur was the leader of the United Freedom Front, which worked for social change from 1976 to 1984 by bombing government buildings, robbing banks, murdering a New Jersey state trooper, and attempting... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385034/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:59:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384792/posts The phrase “Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement” sounds innocent enough. Who could be against such an agreement? But in fact it appears to be a pretext for a massive invasion of privacy, motivated in part by the entertainment industry seeking to maintain copyrights. But once unleashed, such an assault on freedom will know no bounds. What if Big Brother finds on your laptop that you think ID supports certain traditional moral views, and what if any articulation of such views comes to be regarded as a hate crime? (Click excerpt link for MUST SEE VIDEO!) Uncommon Descent http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384792/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:22:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382254/posts "You put that camera away! You put that camera away!" What started out as a peaceful protest in front of a church in Newark ends with an officer taking a news crew down. BreitBart TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382254/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 18:13:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377431/posts <p>JACKSON, Miss.-- University of Mississippi football fans who refuse to stop chanting "the South will rise again" are on the verge of losing one of their favorite fight songs, the school's chancellor said Monday.</p> <p>Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones said "From Dixie With Love" will no longer be played at games if fans continue the racially offensive chant.</p> AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377431/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 15:48:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2374947/posts This column is in answer to the linked NAACP objection to my column(s.) Below are the column in question and the letter. Please read both before perusing my response. http://www.daveweinbaum.com/column100109.html http://www.therolladailynews.com/opinions/letters_to_the_editor/x1340500084/NAACP-takes-issue-with-Weinbaum-online-column First I want to thank the NAACP for providing me with column fodder as this can be problematic on a weekly basis. www.daveweinbaum.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2374947/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:54:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372604/posts Senior congressional Democrats want a report on the ouster of Honduran president Manuel Zelaya to be retracted. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) made the demand in a letter dated Tuesday to James Billington, the Librarian of Congress. They asked the Law Library of Congress to withdraw and correct the August 2009 report titled “Honduras: Constitutional Issues.” “The report, which has contributed to the political crisis that still wracks Honduras, contains factual errors and is based on a flawed legal analysis that has been refuted by experts from the United States, the Organization of American States, and... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372604/posts#comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:27:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370450/posts A Cape Girardeau man was arrested for flag desecration Friday, a case that was dismissed within hours because of a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared flag burning was protected speech under the First Amendment. Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said that he was unaware of the case, Texas v. Johnson, that invalidated the laws of 48 states, when he filed misdemeanor charges against Frank L. Snider III. Missouri's law was passed in 1980. When asked whether the state law could be enforced, Swingle said he needed to research the issue. After reviewing the court's opinion, he... Southeast Missourian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370450/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:49:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369877/posts SNIPPET: "A hate crimes bill sent to President Obama for his signature raises a red flag for Christians." SNIPPET: "Barber explains that Liberty Counsel intends to challenge the constitutionality of the hate crimes legislation." ONE NEWS NOW.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369877/posts#comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:29:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369430/posts The Federal Communications Commission's unanimous support yesterday for a rule that would open the door to government regulation of the Internet has raised the concern of free speech advocates, but there are other members of the Obama administration who support similar measures. The president's newly confirmed regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein, drew up a "First Amendment New Deal," a new "fairness doctrine" that would include the establishment of a panel of "nonpartisan experts" to ensure "diversity of view" on the airwaves. Sunstein compared the need for the government to regulate broadcasting to the moral obligation of the U.S. to impose new... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369430/posts#comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:05:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2367986/posts First Amendment: Diversity czar Mark Lloyd's FCC votes Thursday on the issue of net neutrality. Advertised as providing access to all, it will do to the information superhighway what Lloyd proposed for talk radio. Not much was said when $7.2 billion was included in the stimulus bill "to accelerate broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas and to strategic institutions that are likely to create jobs or provide significant public benefits." The administration has big plans for the Internet — like controlling it. Susan Crawford, the so-called Internet czar, told the Wall Street Journal in April that the broadband billions... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2367986/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:43:57 GMT