Free Republic

WASHINGTON - Falling short of requirements under President Bush's education law, about 1,750 U.S. schools have been ordered into radical "restructuring," subject to mass firings, closure, state takeover or other moves aimed at wiping their slates clean. Many are finding resolutions short of such drastic measures. But there is growing concern that the number of schools in serious trouble under the No Child Left Behind law is rising sharply — up 44 percent over the past year alone — and is expected to swell by thousands in the next few years. Schools make the list by falling short in math...

OCEANSIDE – Representatives of a national lawyers association are calling many of Oceanside Unified's 224 protest-related suspensions potentially illegal because they stemmed from students refusing to return to class when directed by school personnel. James Lafferty, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild Los Angeles chapter, which champions the rights of minorities and seeks to protect civil rights, said the state Education Code makes it illegal to suspend students for truancy. And Kate Yavenditti, a representative for the San Diego branch, agrees that students with complaints of unjust treatment may have a basis for challenging the suspension. “Really what they're...

How many children must die before lawmakers and the courts decide to keep certain classes of sexual predators behind bars permanently? Joseph Edward Duncan III, a registered sex offender from Fargo, N.D., is the most recent addition to the pantheon of convicted pedophiles who have been let out of jail only to prey on other victims upon their release. Duncan was convicted of twice raping a 14-year-old boy at gunpoint in 1980. He was 16 years old at the time he committed the crime. Sentenced to 20 years, Duncan was first released after serving 14 years, violated his parole and...

WASHINGTON -- A vote in the House of Representatives this week to punish Mexico for failing to extradite the suspected killers of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy David March and other law-enforcement officers divided Southland lawmakers, though not entirely along partisan lines. Sponsored by two Colorado legislators, the amendment threatens to cut off aid to any country that refuses to extradite suspects in the killings of U.S. law officers. It would affect about $66 million in aid to Mexico, which has blocked the extradition of suspects who face either death penalty or life imprisonment sentences. It passed 327 to 98....

The lower house of the Polish parliament (Sejm) almost unanimously increased penalties for rapes and other violent crimes. The new regulations will probably be more severe than in any other EU country. Among the new regulations, the penalties for rape were increased from 1-10 years to 5-25 years. Also brutal murders, committed in "sexual circumstances", will now be punishable with at least 25 years of imprisonment (as oppossed to previous 12 years). Also the courts will now be able to prohibit sexual predators from working with children, even for life. The new law was passed with only one vote against...

For decades, the most egregious workplace safety violations have routinely escaped prosecution, even when they led directly to deaths or grievous injuries. Safety inspectors hardly ever called in the Justice Department. Congress repeatedly declined to toughen criminal laws for workplace deaths. Employers with extensive records of safety violations often paid insignificant fines and continued to ignore basic safety rules.

If the San Jose City Council votes today to censure fellow council member Terry Gregory, Mayor Ron Gonzales is proposing to strip Gregory of most of his official duties, saying Gregory would no longer be fit to represent the city at large and no longer trustworthy with taxpayer money. Pending a vote for censure, Gonzales said Thursday that he would direct city officials to not allow any expenditures or reimbursements for travel by Gregory. And he said that next month, he would further penalize Gregory by recommending he not be assigned to any standing council committees, not serve as a...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

U.S. regulators rejected a proposal by the operator of California's electricity grid that would have allowed it to fine companies $110,000 a day for instances of power-market manipulation. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said in an order posted on its Web site Friday that the fines as proposed weren't "just and reasonable." The City of Santa Clara had argued in filings with the commission that clauses in the proposal would have allowed fines to grow as large as $95 million a day for "unproven allegations of harm." The fines were also opposed by power generators and marketers in the state,...

<p>A flurry of bills designed to crack down on illegal immigration in Arizona could penalize many Valley employers and recruit armed volunteers to patrol the state's border with Mexico.</p> <p>The measures would achieve a dual purpose: checking the flow of undocumented workers while saving the lives of those who lost their way in the Sonoran Desert.</p>

<p>First in a series of stories about new laws in California for 2004.</p> <p>Californians' lives will be changed about 900 ways on Jan. 1.</p> <p>Happy New Year?</p> <p>Perhaps.</p> <p>The state's new laws range from ensuring marriagelike rights for gay domestic partners to banning retail sale of the weight-loss supplement ephedra and tightening restrictions on the sale of personal financial information, such as bank account balances and credit card purchases.</p>

N.C. laws aim to protect consumers, register criminals, stiffen penalties Monday, December 1, 2003 12:00AM EST By AMY GARDNER, Staff Writer Tougher criminal penalties and a handful of consumer protections are sprinkled among the new laws that take effect today in North Carolina. On the criminal side, a new law prohibits a person under a domestic violence protective order from purchasing a firearm, in some cases, as long as the order is in effect. A violation would be a felony. Another law creates a specific criminal offense for the practice of rebirthing, the controversial therapy in which a child is...

Can you imagine a bill that intentionally forces marijuana users to inhale a greater amount of tar and carbon monoxide? What about a bill that dramatically increases penalties on medical marijuana providers who develop high-quality strains of marijuana for seriously ill patients? The Drug Sentencing Reform Act, scheduled to be introduced by U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) within the next few days, would accomplish these "goals." Please call your U.S. representative today and urge him or her not to cosponsor this bill. See below for details about how to do this. While the most prominent objective of this bill is...

Democrats stew as GOP talks about dropping sanctions Hold off on the Nobel Peace Prize nominations for anyone involved in bringing Texas Senate Republicans and Democrats back together. After a day of reconciliation, things got testy Wednesday as who had fled to New Mexico demanded an end to sanctions that prohibit them from parking at the Capitol and bar their staffs from the Senate floor. Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, triggered the confrontation when he complained to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst about the sanctions that remain in place until each of the senators who boycotted pays $57,000 in fines levied by...

11 Democrats face stiffer penalties GOP votes to revoke parking, cell phone privileges if senators don't return By R.G. RATCLIFFE Aug. 16, 2003, 1:13AM AUSTIN -- The congressional redistricting standoff intensified Friday as Republican senators voted to enforce fines against 11 boycotting Democrats by taking away their cell phone and parking privileges if they do not return to the Capitol. The Republicans said the fines are necessary to maintain the rule of law in the Senate and show that a political minority cannot halt legislative action by running away. The Democrats, from their hotel in Albuquerque, N.M., again described the...

Issue 2 MOAA Turns Up Heat on Military Tax Relief Despite strong shows of support from both houses of Congress, the military tax bill has not yet been enacted into law. After months of near-victory followed by frustration, MOAA is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to secure passage before the end of this legislative year. The tax bill, which would provide additional tax benefits for military homeowners, drilling members of the Guard and Reserve, and survivors of members killed on active duty, has been passed several times by each house of Congress over the past several months....

DULLES, VA - Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - In an important new chapter in the fight against spam, America Online joined with Virginia lawmakers and Internet industry leaders to unveil a much-needed, timely new weapon in the war against spammers: a strengthened state law that allows for the criminal prosecution of spammers with penalties that include jail time, asset forfeiture, and fines. The unveiling of the new state law comes on the eve of the first-ever Federal Trade Commission (FTC) forum on spam, to be held in Washington, D.C. April 30-May 2. The new anti-spam statute (SB 1139/HB 2290) now...

ASHINGTON, April 17 — Lawmakers in both parties say they will renew a push for economic and diplomatic penalties against Syria when Congress returns at the end of the month, reviving proposals resisted by the White House last year.The lawmakers said they did not envision any immediate military action against Syria. But they said the legislation, which has bipartisan support in the House and Senate, would provide the framework for an aggressive new effort to force Syria to abandon its occupation of Lebanon, support of terrorism and suspected possession of unconventional weapons."I just think it is really time to get...

Q: When I turned 65, I did not join Medicare. Later on I was encouraged to sign up and did so in 1987. Today, I receive $851 a month in Social Security. But $97 is deducted for Medicare. I am told that includes a penalty and that this deduction will go on forever. Is that correct? I thought I had paid my "dues" all these years for Social Security. A: Unfortunately, if you do not sign up for Medicare when you turn 65, you can be subject to penalties (surcharges) that will continue over your lifetime. Monthly premiums increase 10...

PART II : PENALTIES FOR PARTICULAR OFFENCES PART II : PENALTIES FOR PARTICULAR OFFENCES TITLE I: OFFENCES AGAINST RELIGION AND THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH Can. 1364 §1 An apostate from the faith, a heretic or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication, without prejudice to the provision of Can. 194 §1, n. 2; a cleric, moreover, may be punished with the penalties mentioned in Can. 1336 §1, nn. 1, 2 and 3. §2 If a longstanding contempt or the gravity of scandal calls for it, other penalties may be added, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state. Can. 1365...