Free Republic

Like a lot of Californians, Stockton businessman Matt Davies, 34, expected that when Barack Obama was elected in 2008, the new administration would not prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries operating under a law passed by California voters in 1996. After all, as a candidate, Obama contended that he saw federal enforcement against medical marijuana as a waste of resources. On Oct. 19, 2009, Deputy Attorney General David Ogden released a memo that instructed the Department of Justice not to focus federal resources "on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use...

Chris Williams, a Montana medical marijuana grower, faces at least five years in federal prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 1. The penalty seems unduly severe, especially because his business openly supplied marijuana to patients who were allowed to use it under state law. Yet five years is a cakewalk compared to the sentence Williams originally faced, which would have kept the 38-year-old father behind bars for the rest of his life. The difference is due to an extremely unusual post-conviction agreement that highlights the enormous power prosecutors wield as a result of mandatory minimum sentences so grotesquely unjust...

What's driving gun sales spike? Federal law, women and zombies. BELLEVUE – Karen Manley stood strong in the range Tuesday afternoon, her right hand firmly gripping a handgun. “There had been a rash of home invasions,” said Manley, of Brier. “If anything happens, I could defend myself, my kids, and my home.’ Women are just one factor behind a recent spree of gun sales, locally, and across the nation, according to gun lobbyists. The FBI reported Tuesday that it received 154,873 buyer background check requests on Black Friday, up roughly 20 percent over the same day last year. The requests...

If elected, Mitt Romney vows to “end” it. If re-elected, Barack Obama says he’s “open to amending” it. But regardless of who wins the presidency next month, conscientious voters need to know this: Obamacare is already costing taxpayers lots of money, and within the next few months it will cost millions of dollars more. It’s bad enough that President Obama’s “if you like your Doctor, you can keep your Doctor”promise has proven false. And it’s bad enough that his promise to “bend the healthcare cost curve downward” has proven to be fictitious, as well (according to MIT Economist Jonathan Gruber...

The legislation created two conflicts that rose to the national stage. The first is whether any government may morally and legally interfere with freedom of association based on the birthplace of the person with whom one chooses to associate. The second is whether the states can enforce federal law in a manner different from that of the feds. Regrettably, in addressing all of this earlier in the week, the Supreme Court overlooked the natural and fundamental freedom to associate. It is a natural right because it stems from the better nature of our humanity, and it is a fundamental right...

SAN ANTONIO, April 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called on Thursday for a federal law to ban talking on a cell phone or texting while driving any type of vehicle on any road in the country. Tough federal legislation is the only way to deal with what he called a "national epidemic," he said at a distracted-driving summit in San Antonio, Texas, that drew doctors, advocates and government officials.

Two former U.S. attorneys general are urging House Republicans to adopt a new rule in the new Congress to rein in federal criminal charges. It's an important step to protect innocent Americans from the net of an overzealous government leviathan.The recommendation from Edwin Meese III and Richard L. Thornburgh would require that every bill creating a new or enhanced federal criminal penalty be referred to the HouseJudiciary Committee for review of its criminal-law provisions. For instance, if a bill defines a new violation to be enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and punishes violators with criminal penalties,...

Juan's room shows a life shaped by American education. It's painted in the colors of Dallas' Thomas Jefferson High School, his new alma mater. Trophies and medals brag for him: top 10 percent of his class, captain of two sports teams, a district first-place finisher in track, an almost perfect SAT score, the only football player in band. He's a poster child of American schooling, with wishes to enter the military or teach English. Neither option is open to Juan, who has grown up in the country illegally. Now he must realign his goals to fit his immigration status. Thousands...

We know White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel asked Clinton and his longtime adviser, lawyer Doug Band, to talk to Joe Sestak about the race and offered a position to him if he did not run against Arlen Specter. We know the laws involved : Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Also: TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 29 § 600 Also: TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 11 § 211 The...

Is an illegal immigrant a criminal, by virtue of being in the country illegally? No, a civil infraction is not a crime Yes, all of those people are criminals by virtue of their immigration status I don't know I don't care

Tiny Turtles Not Safe for Children Published : Wednesday, 11 Nov 2009, 10:12 PM CST Sophia Reza FOX 4 News DALLAS - They're cute, but they are trouble. FOX 4's Sophia Reza reports some local stores are selling baby turtles even though they are illegal and can carry salmonella. VIDEO at the link

Needed: A 'clean line' to determine lawfulness"You don't need to know. You can't know." That's what Kathy Norris, a 60-year-old grandmother of eight, was told when she tried to ask court officials why, the day before, federal agents had subjected her home to a furious search. The agents who spent half a day ransacking Mrs. Norris' longtime home in Spring, Texas, answered no questions while they emptied file cabinets, pulled books off shelves, rifled through drawers and closets, and threw the contents on the floor. The six agents, wearing SWAT gear and carrying weapons, were with - get this- the...

Making a Federal Case by: Emily Ham, July 24, 2008 In a study documenting the total number of federal crimes within United States law, researchers have found that there has been a major increase in the definition of such offenses since the founding of the nation in 1776. “When the country started, there were basically three crimes: piracy, counterfeiting and treason,” said former Attorney General Edwin Meese, “At the time of our [1998] report, there were some 4,000 crimes.” Meese, who now serves as chairman of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, noted that while two centuries...

Now that the excitement of Super Tuesday has passed, we should remember the kinds of policies and principles at stake, Exhibit A: three pieces of legislation pending in Congress that would dramatically increase the liability of private companies for alleged acts of employment discrimination. The first would resurrect the discredited idea of "comparable worth." The second would add various sexual orientations to the classifications protected from employment discrimination. The third is a plaintiffs' bar wish list, aimed mostly at overturning cases it lost in the Supreme Court. There are actually two versions of comparable worth legislation, the Fair Pay Act...

Berkeley Attacks U.S. Marines - MAF Responds!PROTEST OF BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL * TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2008 * 2134 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAY – BERKELEY, CA - CLICK HERE for MAP * Council Meeting Begins at 7:00 PM (We are asking people to be there early, however – if possible, start arriving by 5:00 PM) ** Also… If you can, please join us for our “picketing” of the City Council Chambers. We will be out there at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way beginning at 5:00 AM for the morning news. We will have a presence all throughout the day...

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is pushing to close San Francisco's cannabis clubs by turning its guns on their landlords - warning them that renting to pot dispensaries could cost them their buildings. The agency intends to send letters by week's end to 80 owners of buildings housing medical marijuana clubs, similar to notices it fired off recently to landlords in Los Angeles and Sacramento, according law enforcement sources. "By this notice, you have been made aware of the purposes for which the property is being used," said a copy of the letter sent to Sacramento landlords, signed by the...

Violates Military Uniform Code by wearing uniform while campaigning, Wears officer's uniform that does not match rank at which he retired HARRISBURG - Republican State Committee Executive Director Scott Migli today questioned Joe Sestak, Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, for his repeated violations of federal law and U.S. Navy regulations as it relates to appropriate conduct for the wearing of military uniforms. Those violations include wearing his uniform while engaged in campaign activities and wearing a uniform that displays a rank above what the grade at which he retired from service. "Joe Sestak's improper use of the military...

A convicted killer who has been on Washington state's death row since 1991 is asking a Seattle federal court to overturn his conviction — or at least his death sentence — based on alleged prosecutorial and police misconduct. Jonathan Lee Gentry, 48, who has been on death row longer than any inmate now in the state's prison system, was convicted of the June 13, 1988, slaying of 12-year-old Cassie Holden of Pocatello, Idaho, while she was visiting her mother in Bremerton. Since he was sentenced to death in 1991, Gentry's case has been before the state Supreme Court twice and...

Bill Summary & Status for the 109th CongressNEW SEARCH | HOME | HELP | ABOUT COSPONSORS H.R.3132Title: To make improvements to the national sex offender registration program, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [WI-5] (introduced 6/30/2005)      Cosponsors (88) Related Bills: H.RES.436, H.R.3133Latest Major Action: 9/15/2005 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. House Reports: 109-218 Part 1, 109-218 Part 2 COSPONSORS(88), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date) Rep Alexander, Rodney [LA-5] - 7/27/2005 Rep Bachus, Spencer [AL-6] - 7/14/2005 Rep Baker, Richard H....

Industry wants undocumented law enforcedSean O'Hara NMBW StaffThe state and contractors all want to stop unscrupulous construction companies from hiring undocumented workers and then passing them off as independent contractors, for which they claim no responsibility -- and pay no withholding taxes. But the state says it is "shorthanded" and Department of Labor officials won't say if they'll seek funds from legislators next year to enforce a new law meant to deal with the problem. Contractors say they doubt the state has the means to enforce the new law -- and they point to recent cuts in the state Labor...