Free Republic

One of the biggest of the big oil companies may be responsible for the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, but Washington's response to the BP PLC spill would give an advantage to such major oil companies while threatening to put their small competitors out of business. Energy legislation that Senate leaders said they may take up this week would sharply raise or eliminate a $75 million cap on oil company liability for economic damage from spills — a change that poses no great threat to giants like BP, which is setting aside $10 billion out of its huge profits...

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says oil companies that cause major spills like the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico should face unlimited liability for economic damages. Federal law caps liability at $75 million for economic damages beyond direct cleanup costs. Pelosi said at a news conference that she supports legislation eliminating the cap as part of a series of bills Congress is working on in response to the spill.

While Michigan abortionist Dr. Abraham Alberto Hodari has admitted that he forcibly restrained a patient in order to continue with an abortion procedure when the patient wanted him to stop, he maintained that “it was the best option given the circumstances.” “The assertion that I forced this woman to have an abortion she didn’t want is outrageous,” Hodari said. “I don’t go into the streets to kidnap women so I can abort their babies. They come to me of their own volition.” “To allow a patient to change her mind in the midst of the procedure would be too risky,”...

QUEENSBURY -- Town Supervisor Dan Stec has asked police to investigate whether a letter to the editor published in The Post-Star earlier this week, in which a man threatened to go to Stec's home with "50 people holding torches and pitchforks," broke the law. Stec said concerns by members of his family prompted him to speak with Warren County Sheriff Bud York to ask the Sheriff's Office to look into the commentary from Queensbury resident Jeff Tackett. Tackett wrote a letter published in Sunday's Post-Star about the plight of a local contractor whose work truck collided with a town of...

A 12-year-old girl is prohibited from bringing aspirin to California public schools without a note from her mother or father – but in many California districts she may sign herself out of classes, leave her junior-high campus without parental permission, secretly have an abortion and return to school before the end of the day – and her own family may be none the wiser. Parents and educators across the state have been in heated debate over school policies allowing children to be excused during class time without parental notification for "confidential medical services" such as abortions, birth control, and drug...

Because I know you were worried. Section 2531 (pp. 1431-1433) of the "Bend Over And Take It, America" bill seems tantalizing at first glance. IN GENERAL.—To the extent and in the amounts made available in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary shall make an incentive payment, in an amount determined by the Secretary, to each State that has an alternative medical liability law in compliance with this section. Hooray! Some medical liability reform at last! With financial incentives to the states who implement it! Not so fast.

A Japanese man misdiagnosed as having rectal cancer is suing the hospital that he says unnecessarily gave him an artificial rectum. The man, who has not been identified, underwent surgery to remove a tumor in March at a university hospital in Miyzaki prefecture, western Japan. Following the surgery, his doctor informed him that no cancerous cells had been found in the removed tissue. The complainant is seeking 35 million yen (USD $385,000) in damages.

WASHINGTON – Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and one of his hardline lieutenants face the rare prospect of being held personally liable for alleged violations of individuals' rights in the aggressive aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks. High-ranking officials usually are protected from such civil rights claims. Not necessarily in these cases. Three federal courts have left open the possibility that former Bush officials may have to reach into their own pockets to compensate people who were swept up in the law enforcement and intelligence efforts after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Yahoo Inc. has won a legal battle over its long delay in removing nude photos that an Oregon woman claimed her ex-boyfriend posted on its Web site without her knowledge or permission. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed that Internet service providers such as Yahoo are generally protected from liability for materials published or posted on their sites by outside parties. But the court left open the possibility that the woman, Cecilia Barnes, could sue Yahoo over whether it had promised to remove the photos and the unauthorized profile, amounting to a breach of contract. Barnes filed a...

Rush Limbaugh, the man who did more than anyone else to create the modern Republican brand in the 1990s, is now destroying it. Everyone knows he has "jumped the shark" culturally—become a black-shirted joke even as he dominates the headlines. But it's worse than that for Republicans. Limbaugh has taken the great GOP calling card—toughness—and shredded it. The party of Lincoln is in danger of becoming the party of Jell-O. Witness the specter of party leaders from Georgia Rep

Midwest News Illinois Bill Would Require Gun Owners to Buy $1M in Liability Insurance February 18, 2009 An Illinois state lawmaker is proposing that gun owners be required to carry personal liability insurance of at least $1 million. Rep. Kenneth Dunkin's bill seeks to amend the state's Firearm Owners Identification Card Act to provides that any person who owns a firearm in the state maintain a $1 million or higher policy of liability insurance "specifically covering any damages resulting from negligent or willful acts involving the use of such firearm while it is owned by such person." A gun owner...

The California Supreme Court ruled that Lisa Torti of Northridge may be held liable for injuries to a woman she pulled out of a vehicle following a Halloween night crash in 2004. Combined with previous rulings holding that individuals may be held liable for not helping in such situations, persons finding themselves at accident sites are faced with a legal dilemma. If no assistance is rendered, the passerby may be sued for damages occurring from his neglect to intervene. If assistance is rendered, the intervener may be sued for any damages caused by the intervention. The Court ruled that the...

As Obama lengthens his lead, the Republicans are praying that the election becomes close enough for the Democrats to steal. But meanwhile, ACORN, the radical community group, is becoming an embarrassment for Obama. It is not as if its shenanigans are likely to tip the result, with the Democrats so far ahead. But as it is raided by the FBI in state after state (11 so far), it is becoming identified as the electoral equivalent of Greenpeace, extremists who will stop at nothing to get their way. What makes ACORN particularly embarrassing for Obama is that he used to be...

During the next Santa Ana wind event, many San Diego Gas & Electric customers may have their power shut off. SDG&E said it will turn off power lines in high-risk wildfire areas during red flag conditions. In 2007, SDG&E power lines were determined to be the cause of the three major wildfires in San Diego County.

Researchers Say Notification Laws Not Lowering ID Theft Over the past five years, 43 U.S. states have adopted data breach notification laws, but has all of this legislation actually cut down on identity theft? Not according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who have published a state-by-state analysis of data supplied by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). "There doesn't seem to be any evidence that the laws actually reduce identity theft," said Sasha Romanosky, a Ph.D student at Carnegie Mellon who is one of the paper's authors. Romanosky's team took a state-by-state look at FTC identity theft complaints filed...

A resilient society depends on active, engaged citizens. The way for Washington to encourage resilience is not to throw more money at problems or to place new burdens on business. Government should harness the inherent strength of the American people and the private sector in order to build a society that may bend--but not break--if catastrophe does strike. The American people are ready, willing and able to take a more active role in our civil defense. As the White House's own Lessons Learned report on the federal response to Hurricane Katrina notes, faith-based organizations and community groups successfully provided support...

Bill Clinton Calls On NH to Make 'Independent Judgment' By Fred Lucas CNSNews.com Staff Writer January 04, 2008 Nashua, N.H. (CNSNews.com) - Before introducing his wife at a rally here this morning, former President Bill Clinton was dismissive of the Iowa caucus results, where his wife came in third place, nine points behind Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, and called on New Hampshire to make an "independent judgment." "New Hampshire is given the chance to prove you are the first primary," the former president told the cheering crowd. "You have the chance to show you're well known and deeply deserved...

Not being a lawyer, this question will exist more as a philosophical one, much as we treated it on Saturday's Northern Alliance broadcast. Mitch Berg and I debated the efficacy of gun-free zones in the wake of the Omaha mall shooting that left nine people dead, but before the two shootings at New Life church facilities that left eight dead. In at least the first shooting, the perpetrator conducted his murder spree in a commercial facility whose owners had marked it as a gun-free zone, a designation that keeps concealed-carry licensees from bringing their weapons into the building. We both...

Woman mauled by home-invading pit bulls 07:45 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 KING5.com Staff Animal control officers say the victim was covered in blood after the dogs attacked PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - In what deputies describe as the worst mauling they've ever seen, two pit bulls entered a Wauna-area home via the pet door and attacked a woman in her bed. Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. spokesman Ed Troyer said a neighbor's Jack Russell terrier also entered the home in the 10600 block of 132nd St. Court NW through the dog door and the pit bulls attacked the terrier...

The recent indictment of two Rider University administrators following the alcohol-related death of a student at a fraternity is prompting colleges and universities across the state and country to review their alcohol policies. But perhaps a bigger worry for schools is the amount of liability they might be asked to bear for students' dangerous behavior. "I can assure you there are a lot of conversations taking place on campuses about this," said George Brelsford, dean of students at Rowan University in Glassboro. "Certainly we are watching this case very closely. We are reviewing everything we do as it relates to...