Free Republic

At a local library a small group of individuals meet on a monthly basis to discuss Russian literature. Over the past ten years they've discussed every author from Pushkin to Dostoyevsky to Tolstoy. At the upcoming meeting they plan to discuss one or two twentieth century Soviet authors. When the date of the meeting rolls around, they find two new people there to participate in the meeting. In short order they learn that these two new participants have no love for Russian authors. In fact, they are two Estonian nationalists that hate everything Russian. They are at the meeting only...

Freedom not to associate is an important American rightIn the Boy Scout oath, a young man promises to keep himself morally straight. Despite pressure from homosexual activists, that pledge will continue to mean something. On Tuesday, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced that they would retain their policy excluding homosexuals from membership and leadership positions. The announcement followed a two-year review by a select committee, which came to the unanimous conclusion that it was “absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts.” The rule had come under fire from homosexual groups recently after Jennifer Tyrrell was forced out of...

While the state Republican and Democratic parties have opposed the voter-approved open primary measure Proposition 14, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown expressed support Tuesday for the idea, saying it could help break partisan gridlock paralyzing Sacramento. When asked by The Bee in March about the initiative, Brown refused to take a position. Brown opened his remarks to the business group the Silicon Valley Leadership Group on Tuesday by lamenting polarizing partisan politics. He then segued into Proposition 14, which would advance the top two vote-getters in a primary to the general election, regardless of their party affiliations. "With the recent...

California voters approve open primaries measure

Secretary of State Debra Bowen said today there will be an "army of lawyers" looking at the constitutionality of Proposition 14 if the measure is approved today. Under the "top two" primary system, candidates of all party affiliations would run on one primary ballot. Only the top two vote-getters would advance to a general run-off election. The change does not impact presidential contests. Proponents, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, say the change would increase voter choice and turnout in primary contests. They also argue that more moderate politicians would be elected because candidates would have to...

Sixty percent of voters support a proposed overhaul California's primary system, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. Proposition 14, placed on the June 8 ballot by the Legislature as part of last year's budget deal, would replace the current party primaries with a system where candidates of all party affiliations run on the same primary ballot. The two candidates who receive the most votes, regardless of party, would advance to the general election. Twenty-seven percent of voters said they did not support the measure, and 13 percent are undecided. The results show a...

For registered members of California's minor parties, Proposition 14 isn't just about winning or losing elections. It's a matter of survival. "It pretty much wipes us out," said John Reiger, former congressional candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party. Proposition 14 would create a "top two" primary in which candidates of all party affiliations run on one primary ballot. The two candidates who win the most votes, regardless of party, would face off in the general election. The system would not apply to presidential primaries. Supporters say the change would let voters choose the best candidate and give the 20...

The very liberal leadership of the California Democratic Party and the equally conservative hierarchy of the California Republican Party agree on virtually nothing, but they equally despise efforts to create some form of "open" primary election. Party activists – leftist Democrats and rightist Republicans – loathe the idea that voters who don't share their ideologies could choose candidates. Political reformers persuaded voters to approve one version in the 1990s. But it was in place for just one election cycle before being voided by the courts in a challenge by the two parties. By and by, however, courts endorsed another version...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The state Supreme Court left intact Wednesday a lower-court ruling that said a private religious high school wasn't covered by California civil rights law and could expel students it believed were lesbians. Over Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar's dissent, the court denied review of an appeal by parents of two girls who were expelled from a high school in Riverside County. A lawyer for the parents said the ruling, which is binding on trial courts statewide, would allow private schools to discriminate against students on any basis they chose, including sex and religion. The girls were juniors at...

A private religious high school can expel students it believes are lesbians because the school isn't covered by California civil rights laws, a state appeals court has ruled. Relying on a 1998 state Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Boy Scouts to exclude gays and atheists, the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Bernardino said California Lutheran High School is a social organization entitled to follow its own principles, not a business subject to state anti-discrimination laws. "The whole purpose of sending one's child to a religious school is to ensure that he or she learns even secular subjects...

INDIANAPOLIS (March 10, 2007) -- Colts coach Tony Dungy's acceptance of an invitation to speak to a conservative Christian group should not be construed as an endorsement of the group's opposition to same-sex marriage, the head of the Indiana Family Institute said. Some local and national gay rights groups have questioned Dungy's decision to appear at a fundraising banquet this month for the institute, which has been a leading supporter of a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between one man and one woman.