Yesterday, the California Assembly Public Safety Committee voted 4 – 2 to approve Senate Bill No. 399, which allows any prisoner to petition the sentencing court for “recall” (i.e., cancellation) if they have served at least 10 years of a life-without-parole sentence for any crime committed before turning 18 . These juvenile offenders, almost all of whom were convicted of first-degree murder with any number of aggravating circumstances (e.g. multiple murders, murder for hire, murder of a police officer or firefighter, and torture of the victim), would then be allowed a rehearing …
According to Amanda Carpenter at The Washington Times, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orzag decided to change the way the Obama administration counts the number of jobs saved or created under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, otherwise known as the economic stimulus package. Instead of determining whether jobs are saved or created, the Obama administration will count “jobs funded.” Apparently, determining whether or not the government spending boondoggle is stimulating job creation is too much of a hassle. This decision is a play taken straight out of …
It was revealed this week that U.N. member states owe $18 million in parking tickets to the City of New York. According to the news story, the top three debtor missions are Egypt (over 17,000 tickets for $1.9 million), Kuwait (over 11,000 tickets for $1.3 million) and Nigeria (over 8,000 tickets for $1 million). Nigeria has also been accused of “failing to pay real estate taxes on commercial parts of its ‘Nigeria House’ building on 44th Street and Second Avenue.” The rest of the top 10 parking deadbeats are (in …
The EU’s epic folly in appointing arguably the least qualified candidate in Europe to its newly-created post of Foreign Minister, continues to rebound on the struggling organization. The never-elected Cathy Ashton, whose resume boasts no diplomatic experience at all, has appeared before the European Parliament a second time to face questions from its members about her suitability to be Europe’s top diplomat. When asked about whether the EU should replace France and Britain in a single seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), she embarrassingly admitted she knew nothing …
Today at Noon Eastern Standard Time there will be a one-hour national webinar to assist churches and interested citizens in the task of rebuilding strong marriages. The webcast will feature speakers from various disciplines and faith traditions. Chuck Colson, Prof. Brad Wilcox of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, researcher and author Elizabeth Marquardt, Chuck Stetson of the group Let’s Strengthen Marriage, and Dr. Christopher West are among the presenters. To learn more and to participate in the webinar, click here. The webinar is a prelude to …
The United Nations is in the midst of a $1.87 billion renovation project. Few argue that the U.N. building isn’t in vital need of an overhaul – it is falling apart at the seams and New York schools no longer allow students to visit the U.N. building because of its failure (perhaps inability is a better word) to comply with city safety standards. While the need for a renovation of the U.N. headquarters is clear, there are outstanding questions about the estimated costs and implementation of the plan. For instance, …
After a three-week holiday break, the House of Representatives returned to session yesterday, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) marked the occasion with an op-ed detailing her “record of achievement” and outlining her agenda for the rest of the 111th Congress. Pelosi writes: “At the halfway mark in this Congress, our priorities are clear: strengthening the security of the American people and building a new economy that offers our families lasting prosperity.” But the 111th Congress is not the first Congress Speaker Pelosi has presided over. When Pelosi was first handed …
This past weekend a brouhaha developed across the nation over remarks Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) made in 2008 about then-candidate Barack Obama, as reported in the book “Game Change” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. Putting aside whether his vocabulary was appropriate for a senator, in private or public, there is an interesting case being made in his defense. It essentially goes like this: Harry Reid’s rhetoric is excusable because of his voting record. As Harold Ford said on the Today program on Monday: “If his voting record raised …
In today’s Washington Examiner, Barbara Hollingsworth writes about the injustice being committed to D.C. children by ending the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. Hollingsworth’s impassioned words get at the heart of the crisis: It’s virtually impossible to get rid of federal programs that don’t work, so it’s even more astounding that a successful education program for low-income African American children is being phased-out by Democrats on Capitol Hill. Without, I might add, a peep of protest from President Obama, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Revs. Jesse Jackson …
The reportedly successful test of a Chinese anti-missile system should give US planners at DOD, Foggy Bottom, and the White House pause. While Chinese statements did not provide much detail, unofficial Chinese reporting strongly imply that this test involved a Hongqi (Red Flag)-9 missile. Other unofficial Chinese news sources report that the test involved intercepting a ballistic target at an altitude above 20000 meters. This, according to a Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao) report, made the interceptor better than a Patriot PAC-3. Much as China tested an anti-satellite system even as …
