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BOSTON -- Sen. John Kerry's sister assured a rally of feminist Democrats here yesterday that her brother will name several pro-choice justices to the Supreme Court if elected president.     "There are three things my brother is going to do when he's elected president," Peggy Kerry told a Boston event held yesterday at the Harvard Club by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Feminist Majority.     Mr. Kerry will restore $34 billion to the United Nation's population fund for family planning, she pledged, and the Democrat will make sure that "CEDAW," an international treaty to eliminate discrimination against women, is...

I have created a public register of "bump lists" here on Free Republic. I define a bump list as a name listed in the "To" field used to index articles. Free Republic Bump List Register

Last week, Oklahoma judges considered a fundamental question - the status of international law in state courts in the U.S. And they made a paradigm-shifting decision. Not only did they properly treat a U.S. treaty as binding law, they also relied on a March decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. (The ICJ, the U.N.'s highest tribunal, is also often referred to as the World Court.) The result was to halt an execution that would have taken place May 18--the execution of Mexican national Osbaldo Torres, whose right to assistance from the Mexican consulate was not...

WASHINGTON, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- In a letter sent today, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Whip Steny Hoyer, Representatives John Larson, Jan Schakowsky, and more than 120 other Democratic Members of Congress who support the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) emphasized to the Federal Election Commission that the law as enacted does not impose the same restrictions on independent political organizations that it requires of federal elected officials and candidates. The Federal Election Commission is scheduled to meet next week to address the issue of independent political organization expenditures and is expected to issue a ruling in May. The...

<p>COLUMBUS - Former Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr said that federal campaign-finance reform upheld last week by the U.S. Supreme Court amounts to the "criminalization of politics."</p> <p>It’s an argument he lost before the court, which voted 5-4 to uphold major provisions of a law designed to dampen the influence of unregulated "soft money" on elections.</p>

All speech is equal, but ... By Don Erler Special to the Star-Telegram Once upon a time, the "marketplace of ideas" determined how voters would decide elections. Just as General Motors, Toyota and BMW compete in the automotive marketplace for our business, so did candidates, parties and groups of interested citizens battle for our votes. Now campaigns have become so highly regulated that freedom of speech and press is now prohibited for specified voters and groups within the last 60 days of a general election. In order to reduce the ap-pearance of corruption caused by money in the political process,...

Who Speaks for the People? By Christopher G. Adamo December 15, 2003 We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America. --The United States Constitution-- Upon reading the text of the Preamble to the Constitution, as well as the remainder of that document, certain foundational principles of the American experiment become altogether undeniable. The founders clearly understood...

WASHINGTON -- Flush with victory following the Supreme Court's decision on political money, the sponsors of the campaign finance law have a new target: the Federal Election Commission. Now that the court has upheld the ban on corporate and union checks to political parties, the law's proponents are looking to eliminate the agency they say created "soft money" in the first place. Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., said legislation to replace the FEC with a new agency is among the top priorities of the law's sponsors, who also include Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Rep. Martin Meehan,...

Would you be willing to start a daily thread with this intent? Or conversely, a thread that is bumped to the top regularly? I would help. I have too many responsibilities to commit to hosting it. Lazamataz To get this started my suggetion, Start putting pressure on your local rep. and senator to undo this monstrosity. Everytime you see them, ask them, What are you going to do about this? another idea, let them know that you are cutting back by 1/2 your contribution to them as a protest. Pressure Pressure Pressure!

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY New York, 23 September 2003Koffee Annon*snip*I respectfully suggest to you, Excellencies, that in the eyes of your peoples the difficulty of reaching agreement does not excuse your failure to do so. If you want the Council’s decisions to command greater respect, particularly in the developing world, you need to address the issue of its composition with greater urgency. But the Security Council is not the only institution that needs strengthening. As you know, I am doing my best to make the Secretariat more effective – and I look to this Assembly to support...

Republicans may make U-turn, back campaign finance reform plan By IAN BISHOP IAN BISHOP Sun Washington Bureau WASHINGTON As the George W. Bush fundraising machine fills up during pit stops across the country, a sobering scenario is gripping Republicans: The likely pacesetter for 2008 is approaching in the rearview mirror. And she isn't a Republican. Hillary Rodham Clinton may force Republicans to shift gears in support of overhauling the presidential public financing system, which President Bush spurned in 2000 and will do so again during the current election. Bush is expected to pocket a previously unimaginable $200 million without the...

<p>WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court rose for its recess only a few weeks ago -- but the justices are probably already back in study hall. With no retirements embroiling the country in a nasty debate, the most stable Court in history will return to town next month and hold an extraordinary four hours of oral argument in a single case -- the challenge by Sen. Mitch McConnell and others to the constitutionality of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act, better known as McCain-Feingold.</p>

Democratic-leaning interest groups are emerging as a "shadow party" working to raise millions of dollars to try to defeat President Bush while working around a new law designed to take big money out of politics. Unlike national party committees, the groups can accept soft money - donations from corporations and unions and unlimited contributions from any source - for next year's election. "Welcome to campaign finance reform," said Harold Ickes, a former Clinton administration adviser taking part in the effort. "The genesis of all these new groups in large measure is the need to raise soft money and to do...

Less than a year since a law meant to remove big money from politics took effect, Democratic-leaning interest groups are working to raise millions in large donations in hopes of unseating President Bush and promoting their issues. The groups are emerging as a shadow party with an important advantage. Unlike national party committees, they can accept soft money - contributions from corporations and unions in any size and unlimited donations from any source - for next year's election. "Welcome to campaign finance reform," said Harold Ickes, a former Clinton administration adviser taking part in the effort. "The genesis of all...

Nation's Leading Interfaith Organization Submits Amici Curiae; Urges Court To Uphold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 8/6/03 2:39:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Kim Baldwin of The Interfaith Alliance, 202-639-6370, ext. 106; web: http://www.interfaithalliance.org WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Interfaith Alliance, the nation's leading interfaith organization, joined with five diverse religious organizations in submitting an Amici Curiae to uphold the constitutionality of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), a vital piece of legislation that will help restore public confidence in the political system and enable ordinary citizens to participate meaningfully in the democratic process. There is a...

The Red is not Dead. By Darren Morrison Yes, that is right Marxism is alive and well and killing Christians. The number one killer of Christians throughout the world and history is Marxism. I know that today you hear more about Muslims killing Christian but the most deadly tool of Satan to kill those who follow Christ is the Marxist. I Marxism has many names and many brands, Marxism was the Idea of a German man Karl Marx, who wrote the communist manifesto. There are various different kinds of Marxism; the one that comes most to mind is Communism. There...

I just saw on FNC that the Campaign Finance Reform exempts the Socialist Party from listing its donors. It was also stated that there are no entities on the right afforded the same exemption. It is done under the notion of protecting free speech for an extreme political entity.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The lead sponsors of the nation's new campaign finance law have a new goal: abolishing the federal agency responsible for enforcing it. Lawmakers including Sens. John McCain and Russ Feingold were announcing legislation Thursday that would replace the Federal Election Commission with a new agency. They and campaign finance watchdog groups have long argued the FEC - headed by three Democratic and three Republican commissioners - is more concerned with protecting the major political parties' interests than enforcing the law. The commission, created by Congress more than a quarter-century ago as one of several post-Watergate reforms, enforces...

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement today in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ban on direct, political contributions: “The Supreme Court’s decision today ..." *I do not have permission to post McCain's comments but I saw them at http://www.phxnews.com/

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the government can ban campaign contributions from advocacy groups, a warm-up decision to the showdown over the broader new campaign finance law. Justices rejected a constitutional challenge to the 32-year-old federal donation ban, which applies to groups with a point of view on issues such as gun rights and abortion. The case, involving a North Carolina anti-abortion organization, was a prelude to the court's handling of the 2002 campaign finance law. By a vote of 7-2, the court said the right to free speech does not trump Congress' goal of limiting the corrosive effects...