Kelly Holt
Mississippi House Passes Bill To Track Children
The Mississippi House has passed H.B. 608 providing for the establishment of a longitudinal data system to track education and student outcomes in the workforce which will require a multi-agency database. According to the PPJ Gazette for Feb. 21, this means tracking Mississippians from cradle to grave — almost.
Arizona Defends State Commerce Against Feds
Last week, the Arizona State Senate passed a bill, in a 21-8 vote, that could make Arizona the first state to challenge federal overreach into the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It also penalizes federal agents attempting to violate the law. S.B. 1178 states that all goods grown or made in the State, and all services performed within it “are not subject to the authority of Congress under its constitutional power to regulate commerce among the several states."
Mayor Defends Chicago's Widespread Camera Surveillance
CBSChicago.com reported on Feb. 8 that Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is defending the city’s use of surveillance cameras. On Tuesday, the Mayor rejected the demands of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which had called for the city to stop adding cameras to its network.
Austin, Texas, Forming Solid Resistance to TSA
Austin, Texas — known for Longhorns, live music, and legislative lollapaloozas — is poised to be the subject of a different kind of notoriety. The nationwide undertone of opposition to the TSA is surfacing in the state’s capitol city. Austin is developing a downright defiance of the agency’s shocking treatment of American air travelers into a cohesive defense of liberty.
Jesse Ventura Sues TSA and DHS Over Airport Screening Violations
Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura is set to wrestle with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through a lawsuit he filed on Monday, according to The Hals Report for January 25. After enduring enhanced screening last November at a Minnesota airport, Ventura claims the TSA full-body scan and pat-down violated his privacy rights.
6 New States Make 25 Joining Fla. Lawsuit Against ObamaCare
Just one day before the House voted to repeal ObamaCare, six additional states joined a Florida lawsuit against the measure — bringing the total challenging the law to 26 -- more than half the states in the Union, according to Fox News, Jan. 19.
Texas Man Arrested for Warning of Speed Traps
The capitol city of Texas has added another dimension to the town motto "Keep Austin Weird" with a bizarre crusade against speed traps. After launching his website, SpeedTrapAhead.org three years ago, Lance Mitchell became a burr under the saddle of officials in fast-growing Lakeway, a toney community northwest of Austin, by warning drivers of — well, speed traps ahead. But Mitchell’s persistent crusade has now earned him an arrest and jail time for allegedly violating city signage laws, according to the Dec. 25 Austin American Statesman. Our "Constitutional" Supreme Court?
The November 22 New York Times editorial titled “Our Constitutional Court” included the surprising observation that the Supreme Court "… rewrite[s] the terms it uses to fulfill the constitutional mission of limiting each branch of government. Redefining itself as a constitutional court, this court seems limited only by limits it opts to recognize."
Judge Draws Ire in Suspending Oklahoma Sharia Ban
Two days after Oklahomans voted in the mid-terms to ban Islamic, or Sharia, law from state courtrooms, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it would file suit. Said suit was filed on Thursday, and on Monday, Fox News reported a prominent Muslim had won a temporary restraining order in federal court.
TSA Test Markets More Agressive Frisking
Front-of-hand frisking by police was once reserved for criminals caught in the act. But now the ACLU is questioning a new technique being tested at Boston Logan Airport. In an unbelievable move, the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) new policy is fueling the debate of privacy over safety with its aggressive palms first, slide-down body search technique, according to the BostonHerald.com Business on August 21. Donna Goodison wrote that the new procedure replacing the TSA’s back-of-the-hand patdown and being implemented in Boston and Las Vegas McCarran, is a test before a planned national rollout.
