In his high school yearbook photo, President Barack Obama sports a white leisure suit and a Travolta-esque collar whose wingspan could put a bystander's eye out. Hey, it was 1979. Maybe that explains the rest of young Barry's yearbook page, with its "still life" featuring a pack of rolling papers and a shout-out to the "Choom gang." ("Chooming" is Hawaiian slang for smoking pot.) Far be it from me to condemn our president for harmless (and amusing) youthful indiscretions. As his predecessor put it, "When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible." [continues 561 words]
WASHINGTON - Drug warriors in Congress are considering a bill that would send parents to jail for at least three years if they learn of drug activity near their children and fail to report it to authorities within 24 hours. One wonders if this a good idea, especially in areas such as Baltimore, where intimidation and murder of government witnesses are common. But when it comes to the criminal law, Congress rarely pauses for reflection anymore. In April, the bill's author, Republican Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. of Wisconsin, floated what might be called the "Jail Janet Jackson" initiative. Instead of enforcing the Federal Communications Commission's indecency regulations with fines on broadcasters, according to Mr. Sensenbrenner, those who violate the regulations should be subject to arrest and imprisonment. [continues 633 words]
Soldiers Not Good For Civilian Operation In her new best seller, "Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores," Michelle Malkin writes that "at the northern border with Canada every rubber orange cone and measly 'No Entry' sign should immediately be replaced with an armed National Guardsman." She suggests something in the neighborhood of 100,000 troops. Armed soldiers at Niagara Falls? Surely not. Malkin is not alone. Politicians such as Rep. Thomas G. Tancredo, R-Colo. and Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., and conservative pundit Bill O'Reilly also are calling to militarize our borders. [continues 441 words]
Soldiers are trained to kill; policemen, to use force as a last resort. Accordingly, there's a deep-rooted American hostility to the idea of using the military for domestic law enforcement. But all that may be about to change. After repeatedly denying they plan to undermine or alter the Posse Comitatus Act, of 1878, which makes it a criminal offense to use U.S. military forces "to execute the laws," Bush administration officials are starting to change their tune. The National Strategy for Homeland Security the administration released on July 16 suggests the time may have come to weaken the protections provided by the Act. As it's phrased in the National Strategy, "The threat of catastrophic terrorism requires a thorough review of the laws permitting the military to act within the United States." [continues 523 words]
Soldiers are trained to kill; policemen, to use force as a last resort. Accordingly, there's a deep-rooted American hostility to the idea of using the military for domestic law enforcement. But all that may be about to change. After repeatedly denying that they plan to undermine or alter the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which makes it a criminal offense to use U.S. military forces "to execute the laws," Bush administration officials are starting to change their tune. The national strategy for homeland security, which the administration released on July 16, suggests that the time may have come to weaken the protections provided by the Act. As it's phrased in the national strategy proposal, "the threat of catastrophic terrorism requires a thorough review of the laws permitting the military to act within the United States." [continues 525 words]
