Free Republic

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Two people have been arrested in the murder of an Egyptian Christian family, authorities said Friday. The suspects were to be arraigned Friday afternoon in state Superior Court. The Hudson County prosecutor's office would not release the identities of those arrested or the charges they face until they appear in court.

Authorities have made a major break in the case of the slain Jersey City family, with two suspects scheduled to be arraigned today. Although the Hudson County prosecutor's office isn't releasing the names of the two people or saying what the charges are, local press reports one of them is a former tenant of the building where the Coptic Christian family lived and was found murdered Jan. 14. As WorldNetDaily reported, Hossam Armanious, was found in his home with his wife and two daughters -- Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8 -- bound and gagged with their throats slashed.

Lance Handy knows what it's like to lose a constitutional right most people take for granted. At 22, the St. Paul man was convicted of a felony drug charge and for the next three years lost his freedom and his right to vote. Once he completed his sentence,that right was returned, because Minnesota is one of 35 states that restore voting privileges to convicted felons. Handy's concern now, nearly a decade later, is for the thousands of other ex-convicts across Minnesota who mistakenly believe they've permanently lost their voting rights because of their crimes.

How to address the recent spate of purple prose regarding the pros and cons of sorting out the Cons? You know the ones I mean; the neocons, the paleocons, even theocons and I suppose, some excons. For those of you outside the virtual Beltway, the 'cons' referred to above would be those who espouse conservativism, and the latest rage among liberals (and some cons themselves) is to pigeonhole its proponents. Yes Virginia, as strange as it may seem, there is Diversity amongst the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. And this seems to both surprise and elate its enemies.

<p>MIAMI — A three-judge federal panel is deliberating a class action lawsuit by former felons who say they deserve to have their voting rights restored now that they have served their time.</p> <p>The lawsuit, filed against Republican Gov. Jeb Bush and rejected by a district court last year, was brought on behalf of 600,000 ex-cons, including non-violent offenders as well as rapists, murderers and child molesters. The panel from the 11th Circuit Court heard the appeal last week.</p>

[Note from DM: please read the last paragraph first, then read through the whole article.] They had come by the hundreds, eager and excited about the possibilities that had enticed them to this unique event. But the exhilaration did not last long. As I approached the podium and stood before them Wednesday morning, their faces spoke volumes before I ever heard their voices. There was more than disappointment displayed in their facial expressions and other body language. They were utterly disgusted, and many of them were quite angry. I was the guest speaker for this first-of-its-kind job fair, but it...

27 ex-cons worked at DSHS Staffers worked with vulnerable children, adults A background check of state employees who care for vulnerable children and adults revealed 27 people with felony convictions for assault, rape, incest and other crimes. The Department of Social and Health Services reports that 20 of the employees voluntarily quit when their criminal records were discovered. The remaining seven were transferred to non-caregiving jobs, the Seattle Times reported Saturday. ''I'm relieved we went through the process we needed to,'' said Ken Harden, DSHS assistant secretary. ''Our job here is to protect the citizens of this state. We can't...