government

All posts tagged government

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s ban on travel from several predominantly Muslim countries, delivering to the president on Tuesday a political victory and an endorsement of his power to control immigration at a time of political upheaval about the treatment of migrants at the Mexican border.

President Donald Trump signed a bill Monday night ending the government shutdown, capping off a nearly three-day deadlock and reinstating funds until February 8, a senior administration official said.

The Senate passed the measure earlier Monday 81-18.

DACA? Immigration?

Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas)

Stockman accused Obama of seeking an “unconstitutional and unconscionable attack on the very founding principles of this republic” in the president’s recent suggestion that he was willing to undertake executive action toward to goal of reducing gun violence.

“I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary, including but not limited to eliminating funding for implementation, defunding the White House, and even filing articles of impeachment,” Stockman pledged. “The president’s actions are an existential threat to this nation. The right of the people to keep and bear arms is what has kept this nation free and secure for over 200 years. The very purpose of the Second Amendment is to stop the government from disallowing people the means to defend themselves against tyranny. Any proposal to abuse executive power and infringe upon gun rights must be repelled with the stiffest legislative force possible.”

Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas)

via Steve Stockman Threatens To Impeach Obama Over Gun Control Push.

Those wanting to buy beer on Sunday will get their chance to voice their opinion the matter November 8th.   97 of Georgia’s 159 counties will hold referendums on the sales off beer and wine off premise on Sundays.  Georgia is one of 3 states left that banned the sales on Sunday, alongside Indiana & Connecticut.   [AJC via @ ]

via Georgia Sunday Sales Referendums Nov. 8 | Beer Street Journal.

Quoted from: Truth and Justice For All.


“After yesterday’s reminder of the tendency of legislators to put irresistible names on horrible legislation, here’s another one:  “The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011.”  As Julian Sanchez notes over at Cato@Liberty, “What kind of monster would dare be on the record opposing that bill?”

Interestingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the bill seems to have little to do directly with child porn or porn peddled to children.  Instead, it requires Internet service providers and others on the Internet (e.g., Google) to retain temporary ISP information (i.e., the Internet addresses temporarily assigned to you as you surf the web, send email, etc.) for eighteen months.  Since thanks to the Supreme Court authorities may already access that information without encountering any 4th Amendment issues, it means that whatever Federal agency wants to learn what you have been doing can do so via a simple subpoena of which you’ll never receive notice.  Oh, and since the data is there anyway, it means your local law enforcement or DAs can accomplish the same thing.

(More, also at Cato@Libery, by Jim Harper:

This isn’t a bill about child predation. It’s a bald-faced attack on privacy and limited government. Congress can move legislation like this, even in the era of the Tea Party movement, because child predation is a taboo subject. The inference is too strong in too many minds that opposing government in-roads on privacy is somehow supporting child exploitation. Congress and its allies use taboos to cow the populace into accepting yet more government growth and yet more surveillance.

Anyone want to bet whether “The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011” will become law?)

Finally, again from Julian Sanchez:

All things considered, this might start to look like a pretty bad idea: Burdensome on technology companies, harmful to the privacy of the great majority of innocent Internet users, and unlikely to be much use against the most sophisticated cybercriminals. But haven’t you read the name of the bill? Why do you want to protect child pornographers? Sadly, there’s every reason to think this kind of cynical misdirection will successfully intimidate opponents into silence.”

via Speaking of Awful Legislation’s Bad Names | Truth and Justice For All.

From what I can tell this means the TSA should not be allowed to search you if you have your own plane.

“Seek and Ye Shall Find Department

Remember I couldn’t remember the regulatory authority I thought established the public’s right to fly?  I came across it yesterday.  It’s 49 U.S.C. § 40103 – “Sovereignty and use of airspace.”  The first section reads:

(a) Sovereignty and Public Right of Transit. – (1) The United States Government has exclusive sovereignty of airspace of the United States.

(2) A citizen of the United States has a public right of transit through the navigable airspace. ….

It’s generic pablum and prefaces provisions unrelated to “right of transit.”  And, of course, this doesn’t mean beans in the wake of 9/11, and the TSA’s grab of authority to impose unconstitutional search powers.”

via Gone But Not Forgotten | Truth and Justice For All.

“Tonight was a big night for alcohol in Georgia.  Sunday sales (SB 10) has passed by a vote of 127-44, allowing for the state to sell alcohol off premise on Sunday.  If you’re not in Georgia, here’s a bit about the alcohol situation in the state.  Sales of alcohol (wine, beer, liquor) were only permitted between 12pm & 12 am (2 am for some counties) for ON premise only.  That means bars.  Grocery stores can sell beer and wine in the state, but not on sunday.  That goes for all package stores.”

via Georgia Passes Sunday Sales | AtlantaBeerMaster.com.