240 Congressmen, 60 Senators, and President Bush approved the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 despite its blatant attack on the First Amendment.
NewsMax reports that the Supreme Court rejected 5-4 the prohibition of a group’s ability to buy ads 30 days before an election to engage in grass-roots lobbying. This was prohibited in Section 203 [...]
Reuters reports that the Egyptian Grand Mufti has banned the female genital mutilation described in Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s book Infidel, stating that it is harmful and that it is forbidden by Islam.
“The harmful tradition of circumcision that is practised in Egypt in our era is forbidden,” Mufti Ali Gomaa was quoted as saying by [...]
The New York Times reports that parents are happy to have a choice in schools in the Washington, DC, area, despite no immediate increase in student performance in the first year.
I find an increase in performance something that should come gradually. Parents need time to evaluate school performance and choose schools that perform better. [...]
Reuters reports (link dead) that a girl has gone to High Court in Great Britain to overturn her school’s ban on jewelry, so she can wear a “purity ring” that symbolizes her commitment to abstaining from premarital sex.
Lydia Playfoot, 16, from West Sussex, says the silver ring is an expression of her faith and [...]
HT: Club for Growth
The House has released reports on pork projects for Financial Services (PDF) and the Department of Interior (PDF). The reports are scanned PDFs, so I may not have found all the Ohio earmarks.
National Park Service
Fire Fighters’ Hall, Columbus
$100,000
Pryce
Spring Hill Historic Home, Massillon
$100,000
Regula
Cuyahoga Valley National park
$1,750,000
Regula
Environmental Protection Agency
Village of Rushville for Sewage Infrastructure [...]
The Christian libertarian who goes by “Vox Day” interviewed Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) about his run for the presidency. Several points that he espouses hit home with me. He’s not an open-borders libertarian: defense is a legitimate government function. He’s not a pro-choice libertarian: aggression on a child in the womb is still aggression. [...]
Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) reports on the Hill’s Congress Blog that she has proposed a Balanced Budget Amendment. The out clauses seem kind of weak:
This Balanced Budget Amendment contains many safeguards to ensure the necessary flexibility in case of war, natural disaster or an economic downturn. The balanced budget requirement is waived during times [...]
Club for Growth reports that the Senate failed an amendment to the energy bill that would have removed the 54-cent tax on imported ethanol. Both Senators Voinovich and Brown voted to keep higher prices.
Higher-priced imports raise demand on domestic ethanol production, raising its price and the price of its components such as corn.
Even with all [...]
