U.S. News
Town Hall Tempest
Written by Jack Kenny
The peasants are revolting — and getting downright ugly about it. That was Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s complaint when she and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland penned a recent op-ed piece for USA Today about opponents of healthcare reform legislation who have been turning out at town hall meetings to voice their objections.
A pandemic and disaster preparation bill (S. 2028) passed unanimously by the Massachusetts Senate earlier this year is receiving wide-spread criticism as citizens mobilize to oppose its passage in the commonwealth’s House of Representatives.
While the U.S. mainstream media is awash in news that the Bush-era policy of torturing detainees “worked” in the case of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, neocon-influenced media outlets have virtually blacked out coverage of the case of child prisoner at Guantanamo Mohammad Jawad. Perhaps that because Jawad — who was released without charges last week and days later announced he would be suing the U.S. government — is a textbook example of how the Bush policy of torture not only didn't work, but how it corrupted the entire U.S. system of justice.
USA Today Misses Mark on Gun Rights
Written by James Heiser
In an August 31 editorial, the editors of the USA Today have entered the debate over the presence of firearms at political protests with a seemingly-reasonable point of view: Use common sense. In the words of the editorial: “Carrying guns openly outside presidential events may be legal in many states, but it sure isn't smart.”
Law enforcement officials believe that the Mafia (and other similar organized crime groups) is attempting to garner billions of federal "stimulus" dollars through contracts with state and local governments with bags of grant money to distribute. The money, of course, comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA or "the stimulus package").
