Free Republic

PANORAMA CITY, Calif., Aug. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A Supreme Court order handed down today barring the distribution of medical marijuana to sick and suffering patients in California is tantamount to a death sentence for those patients, the Libertarian Party of California charged today. According to the Associated Press, the court voted 7-1 to grant an emergency Clinton administration request and postpone the effect of a prior federal court ruling that permitted the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative (OCBC) to distribute medical marijuana to patients. "How many more have to die before the government opens its eyes to the suffering it ...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by Handgun Control Inc.: Handgun Control Releases 4th Annual Report Card: 25 States Flunk Protecting Kids From Guns -- Handgun Control Inc. Are We Protecting Our Children? 2000 Report Card Laws Related to Children and Guns In its fourth annual analysis of state laws protecting children from gun violence, Handgun Control today announced that 25 states received grades of "D" or "F" for the 1999-2000 school year. Under pressure from the gun lobby, which traditionally wields much power in state legislatures, 15 states either refused to pass measures which ...

The National Council on Disability (NCD) has filed an amicus curiae brief in support of respondents in the U.S. Supreme Court case of the University of Alabama v. Garrett (No. 99-1240), which will be heard on October 11. This case calls into question the constitutionality of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and whether Congress had the constitutional authority under the Fourteenth Amendment to enact it. More...

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Aug. 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Naperville Citizens for Responsible Firearms Ownership today announced the successful launching of a sister organization based in Northbrook, Ill. Formation of the Northbrook Citizens for Responsible Firearms Ownership (NBCFRFO) comes on the heels of a July public hearing at which the Northbrook Board of Trustees discussed placing a handgun ban referendum on the November ballot. The Northbrook group strongly opposes any board action interfering with the right of law-abiding Northbrook citizens to own handguns. More...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The most important and far-reaching issue in the upcoming presidential election is who the next president will choose for the U.S. Supreme Court. That's because the president that the American people pick in November is likely to have the chance to pick as many as three Supreme Court Justices over the next four years. More...

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by Shadow Conventions: Just eight blocks away from the Democratic National Convention, Rep. Maxine Waters called for the resignation of Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey. Rep. Waters (D Los Angeles) is the former head of the Congressional Black Caucus and one of the country's most powerful African American leaders. More...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (August 18, 2000 11:35 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A fired nuclear scientist could help others build a bomb or give advice to a country's nuclear weapons program if he is released from jail, a federal prosecutor told a judge at a bail hearing Friday. "Hundreds of millions of people could be killed," Assistant U.S. Attorney George Stamboulidis said. "The breadth of the potential harm is so great that ... even a reduced risk is too great to take that gamble." More...

WASHINGTON - A day that began with pledges to seek consensus ended on a note of anger and confrontation yesterday as the second Aloha March on Washington got under way. The conflict, including charges of racism, stood in marked contrast to the opening ceremonies at the foot of the Capitol yesterday morning, in which some 50 people, many wearing traditional kihei and lei, gathered to open the follow-up event to a 1998 march marking the 100th anniversary of the U.S. annexation of Hawai‘i. More

Thursday, August 3, 2000 Gov't Resists Calif. Marijuana Law By DAVID KRAVETS, Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO--The Department of Justice on Thursday pledged to continue resisting California's voter-approved medical marijuana law, arguing the government has the right to penalize doctors who recommend cannabis by revoking their licenses to dispense medication. Justice department lawyers argued their position in U.S. District Court here during what may be the final stage of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU contends that the government's position violates doctors' free speech rights, and that many doctors now resist recommending pot for ...

The media is in full blather over Dick Cheney's vote against banning so called "plastic guns" which could slip through metal detectors. Unfortunately, there are no mental detectos to alert the public to this hoax....

By Susan Roth Advertiser Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — In a historic move toward establishing sovereignty, Native Hawaiians would create a governing body to control their own affairs under new federal legislation. Sen. Daniel Akaka plans to introduce the measure in the Senate next week together with his colleague, Sen. Dan Inouye. At the same time, Rep. Neil Abercrombie will introduce the House bill together with Rep. Patsy Mink. All four are Hawai‘i Democrats. For the first time, the bill would set forth a federal process that would allow Native Hawaiians to establish their own government, much like American Indian ...

Danny Naveh, a politician with Israel’s opposition Likud party, cited Barak’s flagging support and called upon him to cancel his trip to the Camp David summit. Key players in the summit have cautioned against such a move. Speaking today on ABCNEWS’ This Week, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said a failure to hold the summit could jeopardize the Mideast peace process. “This is a high-stakes summit,” Albright said. “If there is not a resolution, there could be a descent into violence.”

With very little fanfare, the Dept of Justice has been holding seminars for law enforcement agencies across the country; the subject: Asset Forfeiture. It appears that the DOJ finds it necessary to remind the troops on the front line that "The Purpose of Asset Forfeiture is Law Enforcement". They've been handing out trinkets with that message, including computer mouse pads with those words printed in bold text. Does anyone wonder why the DOJ would take the time and expense to remind police departments all across the nation of the original purpose of something that seriously threatens people's civil rights?