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24 Feb 2011 14:26

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U.S.: House Democrats move to repeal Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA)

  • yesterday The Obama Administration advanced on what’s been an agonizingly slow process of hedging and pivoting on gay marriage, as they no longer plan to defend the DOMA in federal court. The announcement was rejoiced by marriage equality activists, as it showed a shift in the President’s publicly stated views.
  • today House Democrats (headed by NY Rep. Jerry Nadler) moved to repeal the DOMA, which will almost assuredly fail in a Republican dominated chamber, but does thrust the issue squarely back into the national consciousness. Barack Obama could be the most pro-gay President in American history if he just steps out on this. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2011 13:45

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U.S.: Saudi citizen in Lubbock, Texas charged for bomb, terror plans

  • The would-be jihadist? Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, a Saudi citizen attending community college in Texas, was arrested today on charges of attempting to build a bomb for terrorist purposes. He allegedly purchased bomb components, as well as chemical components, and kept a journal detailing his dedication to jihadist philosophy. He is accused of plotting to kill former President George W. Bush, as well as attack reservoirs and hydroelectric plants in Colorado and California. He’s also said to have collected names and addresses of three U.S. military officers who’d been stationed at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2011 13:20

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U.S.: A bad day for the Baltimore Police Department

  • Baltimore cops busted for kickbacks: Reports have come out that the Baltimore Police Department is charging seventeen officers, as well as a pair of brother auto mechanics, with running an extortion scheme through a towing company. Basically, the cops took bribes from the mechanics, proprietors of Rosedale’s Majestic Auto Repair shop, to steer accident tows and repair to their business instead of a city-authorized one. This scheme lasted two years, and now stands to cost those involved a maximum of twenty years in prison. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2011 10:42

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U.S.: Toyota’s got floormat issues: They just recalled a bunch of cars

  • 2.17
    million     the number of cars Toyota recalled today for gas-pedal/floormat issues
  • 5.3
    million     the number of cars previously recalled for similar issues source
  • » What’s the issue? Simply put, the floormats aren’t fully secure, so that when you’re driving, it can move around and get caught inside the gas pedal mechanism. This issue is unrelated the that acceleration problem Toyota’s cars have infamously had recently.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2011 21:21

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U.S.: Edith and Thea: The women behind Obama’s DOMA reversal

  • Meet Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer. This trailblazing couple lived together for 44 years – long before gay rights were recognized and respected. The couple married in Canada in 2007 and lived in New York, where their marriage rights were recognized. Their story is even the subject of a documentary. Spyer, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, died in 2009 at age 77. Windsor, 81, wasn’t recognized as Spyer’s wife due to DOMA and had to pay $350,000 in inheritance taxes after Spyer’s death. So, as one might do when forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars over a law they don’t like, she sued the government. (A male couple, Gerald V. Passaro II and Thomas M. Buckholz, did the same in similar circumstances.) Let’s just emphasize – someone being forced to pay $350,000 in inheritance taxes after their spouse dies, just because they’re the same sex as the person they love? It’s no wonder Obama backed down. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2011 14:54

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U.S.: Jury finds Shawna Forde guilty, sentences her to death

  • crime In 2009 Shawna Forde, the leader of Minutemen American Defense, committed a home invasion near the Arizona/Mexico border, hoping to find drugs to sell for the group’s finances. They ended up shooting and killing a Hispanic father and his daughter, aged 9, both U.S. citizens.
  • verdict A court sentenced Forde with the death penalty yesterday, finding her guilty of orchestrating the home invasion and subsequent killings of Raul and Brisenia Flores. The girl’s mother, who survived the shooting with injuries, said Brisenia was shot point-blank while begging for her life.
  • response Latino activists are upset by the lack of coverage this story received compared to the murder of Robert Krentz last year, which caused stridently anti-illegal immigration rhetoric and policy to flourish. Compared to the tepid response to this case? Yeah, it’s a starkly bad double standard. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2011 12:42

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U.S.: More on Obama’s reversal on the Defense of Marriage Act

  • The President believes that DOMA is unconstitutional. They are no longer going to be defending the cases in the 1st and 2nd circuits.
  • A so-called anonymous source talking to the National Journal • Explaining what the whole Obama-DOJ-not-defending the Defense of Marriage Act means for current court cases. Let’s be clear, though – the law is still law, but Obama will choose not to have his people take it to court, because he feels that the law will not pass muster. This is not a step he takes lightly, though. Obama also, in a note, told Congress that if they want to defend the statute, they still can. But his folks won’t mess with it. Obama supports repeal of the bill, but the DOJ has defended DOMA in court as recently as January. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 Feb 2011 12:28

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U.S.: Obama to DOJ: Stop defending Defense of Marriage Act in court

  • then Obama held onto the belief that gay marriage shouldn’t be legalized for far longer than a lot of people expected him to. Then he evolved. It was kinda weird.
  • now Now, he wants the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court, saying it’s unconstitutional. Wow, big deal kids. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Feb 2011 10:42

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U.S.: Wisconsin Democrats drown anti-union bill in amendments

  • 200 number of amendments Democrats in the Wisconsin State Assembly plan to attach to that union-busting budget bill they’re fighting against
  • seven number of amendments they had dealt with by 5:30 a.m., after a brutal all-night session with many long, brutal debates source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Feb 2011 23:47

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U.S.: New Jared Lee Loughner mugshots, courtesy of a legal battle

  • A bunch of news organizations fought hard for these photos. More than a dozen media outlets, in fact. And these pics of Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect in last month’s Gabrielle Giffords shooting, only came to light after a court decision forced their release (which prosecutors and defense attorneys fought against, saying that they unfairly biased potential jurors against Loughner). But it wasn’t a total loss for the lawyers. They managed to prevent the release of the search warrant records in the case. That said, these photos don’t seem quite as bad as the iconic one released after he was arrested. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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