Free Republic

Berkeley Schools Redraw Plan for Integration Following more than two hours of lengthy debate last night, the Berkeley Board of Education finally decided to adopt a new plan to integrate Berkeley schools that plays down the importance of race in favor of parental income and education levels. The plan passed three to one, with one absention, despite some board members’ concerns that it left the district vulnerable to lawsuits from those who believe the new plan is in violation of Proposition 209. The current plan assigns students to schools based solely on which racial category the students fall into:...

The Death of Marriage I February 5, 2004 By Roger F. Gay The decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Court to extend all "protections, benefits, and obligations conferred by civil marriage" on same-sex couples continues to be a subject of discussion and debate around the internet. Unfortunately, many liberals and conservatives alike have bought into the ideas suggested by partisan advocates. Much of the discussion is ill-informed and options are limited to those that will do the least good. It can be quite difficult to move a debate from a state of superficial partisan bickering to clear and objective discussion,...

<p>The Massachusetts Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for the nation's first same-sex marriages by ruling that anything less than full, equal marriage rights for gay couples is unconstitutional.</p> <p>"The Massachusetts high court has required the state Legislature to remedy what they have determined to be unconstitutional discrimination against same-sex couples," Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said Wednesday. "Massachusetts must now allow for the issuance of marriage licenses, and that's exactly what my bill would do."</p>

KIEV (Reuters) -- More than 12 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukrainian soldiers are once again "comrades." The Ukrainian parliament passed a law Wednesday banning the use of "sir" as an address in the country's armed forces. The law allows soldiers to only use "comrade" when addressing officers and fellow servicemen. The deputies gave no explanation for their decision. "Comrade" was a typical address in the army and throughout society in the Communist era. But Ukraine has tried to replace it with new terms since the end of Soviet rule in 1991.