Couple Ordered to Stop Bible Study at Home Without Permit

Developing

Couple Ordered to Stop Holding Bible Study at Home Without Permit

They're backed down... as expected..

County won't force permit on Bible study leaders [This Post Continues after the jump...]

The Illustrated Road to Serfdom

WOW..

I hope everyone reads this.
I'm not saying it IS happening, just that it honestly COULD happen.
The emotion, rather than logic, that got Obama elected is troubling to me, and could be the beginning of something like this. The power of the government over the economy is certainly increasing now, and rather illogically and quickly. And don't forget the speed in which is "must" be done.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
-- Thomas Jefferson (Attributed)

The Illustrated Road to Serfdom [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Sanchez Introduces Border Search Bill

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez - September 11, 2008: Sanchez Introduces Border Search Bill

I have no idea what else the congresswoman has done, but this is VERY MUCH needed and I hope it passes. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Use of brain scans in courts

Wow.. this is incredible.... actually it's NOT credible which is the point.
Reminds me of the Star Trek episode where Kirk is convicted based on "infallible" computer evidence. Or a few others where they had a high tech lie detector in trials. But this seems to go further than just detecting a lie. This seems to suggest that a brain scan can read what a person remembers.. chilling....

India's use of brain scans in courts dismays critics - International Herald Tribune [This Post Continues after the jump...]

ABC News: Grandma Refuses to Return Library Book, Could Face Jail Time

ABC News: Grandma Refuses to Return Library Book, Could Face Jail Time

Books like this should not be in the public library. Banning something from the public library is not the same as totally banning the book. But a library should only keep books that an overwhelming majority (maybe even 100%) of the community supports.

It simply should not be a place for controversial children's books. I shouldn't have to keep my kids away from the library over one or two books. It should be a "super" safe environment for kids. I'm not worried about adults, but kids view the library as authoritative. If it's in the library then it's true, factual, appropriate, etc. Unlike an adult, they don't realize that a book can be in the library and still be wrong or incorrect.

For people that say it's unfair for my beliefs to taint the public library. I would argue that a library without this book is not tainted, even if you like the book, the library is still a good, safe but maybe "incomplete" library. However a library WITH this book, the library become UN-good and UN-safe to me and my kids. Which is more unfair? All libraries are "incomplete" because it's impossible to have every book. But not all libraries are UN-safe. And I'm willing to bet that every adult in the contry could find at least one book that they thought would make a library unsafe for children. So think think about that before you give away your right to limit your own public library.

If stocking ONE book keeps on parent from allowing their kids to come to the libaray, then stocking that book needs to be seriouly reconsidered. For any given community there are 1000's of books that literall NO ONE (in that community) would question. Libraries should focus on those books first. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border

This is disturbing on so many levels. I personally just bought a laptop and one of the first thing I did was to install "whole disc encryption" on it. I have nothing illegal to hide, but I do have private info on the laptop. I'm more concerned about the laptop being stolen than the "authorities" looking at it.

but now the authorities might "steal it" for an undetermined amount of time. And it's going to be longer since they will try and break the encryption on it. My concern now is that the mere present of encryption software might make them think they are all the more justified to violate my privacy in this manner. So it become a vicious circle feeding on itself.

Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border (washingtonpost.com)


PS - Although I would never vote for Obama, just the thought that he might change this policy is a good reason not to be upset if he should get elected. It's THAT significant to me. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

New rule restores rights to Florida's Ex-Cons

This seems like a good thing to me. If you did you time, then you should be released and have most of your rights restored. In some cases, voting rights might need to be taken for good, but not most cases.

New rule restores rights to 115,000 Fla. ex-felons | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Court Rules Officials Did Not Have Right to Seize Children

It's good to see the court view taking a child away from thier parents to be an "extreme" measure only authorized if the children were in immediate danger or when authorized by a court.

Taking all 400 children at once overloaded the system and prevents individual cases from getting the attention they need. It also keeps children waiting way too long.

I'm not defending this cult because I don't know what did or did not happen. But the state abused it's power when it took all the children at once. Only 31 were even thought to be underage teenage girls (only 16 were really underage). So why did the state take all 400 children? Basically because they COULD, and that is wrong.

FOXNews.com - Texas Appellate Court Rules Officials Did Not Have Right to Seize Polygamist Ranch Children - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Parents Who Prayed as Daughter Died to Face Murder Charges

This is disturbing. The girl died from an UNdiagnosed condition. She was healthy except for the last two weeks of her life. Some could call this poor judgment by the parents, but I won't even go that far. It was a mistake, yes.... but not 2nd degree murder.

I suspect it will not go far...

FOXNews.com - DA: Wisconsin Parents Who Prayed as Daughter Died to Face Murder Charges - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News [This Post Continues after the jump...]

'Road-rage' bill targets lane-blocking drivers

I see a good law suit if this passes. I don't know if there is any legal basis for "consistency" in laws, but there should be.

If this were to pass, it would PROVE that speed limits are NOT really based on public safety, but are in fact a revenue source. This law essentially says that if two people are driving the speed limit side by side, then the driver in the left lane can get a ticket for not "allowing" others to pass, even thought to pass them, the other person would have to be SPEEDING.

If a law encourages and facilitates breaking the speed limit, then I would argue the the speed limit law is inconsistent and therefore should be struck down. Granted, I don't know what legal basis there is for a law to be required to be consistent with other laws, but common sense says there should be such a requirement for laws.

Personally I think speed limits are set more to get money from tickets than for any other reason. Speeds could be raised considerable and only effect a small percentage of truly reckless drivers if safety was the only concern. But they aren't because then there would be no money coming in for traffic tickets.


'Road-rage' bill targets lane-blocking drivers | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Feds might be looking into your finances

Right now, feds might be looking into your finances

Each year, federal agents peek at the financial transactions of millions of Americans — without their knowledge.

This is troubling to me. I realize it is a useful tool to fight crime but it also can be abused. As Christians, it is commonly believed that a day will come that you will not be able to buy or sell things without government approval. This seems like a step in that direction. We just need to be careful what power we give the government to look into our private lives.

Full Story after the jump...

By Thomas Frank
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Each year, federal agents peek at the financial transactions of millions of Americans — without their knowledge.

The same type of information that raised suspicions about New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is reviewed every day by authorities to find traces of money laundering, check fraud, identity theft or any crime that may involve a financial institution.

As concerns about fraud and terrorist financing grow, an increasing number of suspicious deposits, withdrawals and money transfers are being reported by banks and others to the federal government. Banks and credit unions as well as currency dealers and stores that cash checks reported a record 17.6 million transactions to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in 2006, according to a report from the network, a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department.

"I don't think Americans understand that their financial transactions are being reported and routinely examined," said Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Treasury Department's database now contains records of more than 100 million financial transactions going back to at least 1996, said network spokesman Steve Hudak.

Teams of agents from the FBI, IRS, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies regularly review newly filed financial reports and launch investigations. Federal and local authorities search the database to find information about people that can help ongoing probes. Treasury Department analysts study the reports to detect trends in fraud and issue reports alerting financial institutions.

"The government has access to untold volumes of records and can draw all sorts of conclusions about us, and many are going to be wrong," Steinhardt said.

Bankers disagree. "For the typical bank customer, this means very little because there's nothing they're doing that's likely to be viewed as out of the ordinary," said Richard Riese, head of regulatory compliance for the American Bankers Association.

The reporting system dates to the early 1970s when federal agents sought to pinpoint drug dealers by looking for people making large cash deposits.

Financial institutions have long been required to report cash transactions over $10,000. Those reports — simple notices of a deposit or withdrawal — account for more than 90% of the records the enforcement network gets each year.

Far more controversial are secret "suspicious activity reports" filed by financial institutions and reviewed by teams of agents spread around the country. The investigation of Spitzer began when a bank spotted potentially suspicious transfers from several accounts and filed reports with the IRS, according to a federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official did not want his name used because he's not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

The number of suspicious activity reports soared from 413,000 in 2003 to 1 million in 2006, according to the enforcement network.

Federal law requires the reports to remain secret. They are written by officers at financial institutions who specialize in detecting suspicious activity, such as a series of large transactions.

The analysis can protect customers by spotting unusual withdrawals that may indicate fraud, said Robert Rowe, senior regulatory counsel of the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Many of the reports are a waste, said Riese of the bankers association. "We're reporting on a lot of things everybody knows law enforcement doesn't have the resources to pursue," he said.

Hudak said the "vast majority" of reports "are filed for a good reason. … There are law enforcement officials and investigators who use these reports and read them every day."
[This Post Continues after the jump...]

Parents must have teaching credentials to home school their kids

But of course, public schools, don't have to be accountable to anyone.

I think any parent should be allowed to home school their children until the child fails a grade twice or fails several standardized tests. But if the parents can successfully teach the children, I don't care what pieces of paper they have or don't have.

Homeschoolers' setback sends shock waves through state [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Real ID - Not as Bad as You Think?

I for one welcome an ID card that is hard to get and can quickly be scanned by government agencies to prove my identify and to get services from the government.

However, I don't want it scanned to get into a bar, or to rent a car, or by any private company selling me something or providing me something. There needs to be protection against this type of abuse, and the current system does not have it as far as I know.

DHS: Real ID is 'pro-consumer' and 'antiterrorism' | Tech news blog - CNET News.com [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Condominium Owners ban Smoking

I'm really getting confused... IS this still a FREE country?

Condominium owners tell smokers: Take it outside

This is indeed a slippery slope - where does it stop?

• Ban watching PG-13 or above movies because someone my hear a bad word.
• Ban non-organic food because the pesticides get into the air and can harm humans.
• Ban certain cleaning or pest control products (even though they are legal) because the residue may be harmful.
• Ban private religious activity because you don't want someone summoning Satan (or the stay puff marshmallow man) next door.
• Ban entering the building if you are sick (germs can spread easier than smoke)
• Ban having a Gun in the building even if you have a license
• Ban scented candles or air fresheners (I'm extremely allergic to some of these items)
• Ban any music or other sound that can be heard outside the condo, even if only during t he time the door is opened to come in or out.
• Ban Sex (it doesn't physically harm anyone, but it makes the people not getting any feel bad and thus effect the mental health of people living in the condos)

[This Post Continues after the jump...]

Limits on CIA Interrogations

FOXNews.com - Congress Pushes Limits on CIA Interrogations in Face of Threatened Bush Veto - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum:

"Republican presidential contender Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, voted against the measure Wednesday."

WOW!! I had expected McCain to vote FOR this. I wonder what his reasons are. I support limiting what the CIA can do, but maybe not this much.

The CIA should have a window of very harsh methods (including water boarding) for getting current information quickly. But once that window has passed, there are less and less reasons to continue to use the harsh methods. To me "torture" is the POINTLESS inflicting of pain and suffering to punish someone, or to "get even" or just to be cruel or to get a false confession. If there is reasonable reason to believe the person has information that can stop an eminent attack, or lead to the capture of other terrorist, then I say just about anything goes. But if they hold out for days or a week or two then...

A - The info he has is old anyways.
B - He may start giving false info just to stop the interrogation
C - He may not really know anything (or anything more than he already told)
D - He may just be strong willed and have "beaten us".

There comes a time when the risk of option 'D' becomes small enough and the chances of A,B or C (or others) being true become large enough that we must stop the harsh techniques. They have become pointless and therefore I would consider continuing them to be "Torture". He could still be subjected to other less harsh, more long term, techniques but eventually he should become "just a prisoner" and simply held.

Until trial of course.

=================================================================
By the way, the argument that Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller made that "Retaliation is the way of the world. What we do to others, they will do to us — but worse," is just silly. Terrorist have no limits on what they are willing to do. What we do with our prisoners may be used in propaganda, but will in no way make terrorist attack us more or in "worse" ways. Nor will it make them treat people they kidnap or capture "worse". It shows Mr Rockefeller doesn't know what he's talking about, and is just using this as his own propaganda against President Bush. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Police collecting DNA samples During Traffic Stops

I'm not sure I like this. Just because you are being pulled over for a traffic violation, doesn't mean you should be forced to give a DNA sample. It just seems too open for abuse. Police can claim to have seen you roll through a stop sign when you really didn't. I trust the vast majority of police officers and will take there word for it for a $30 or even $300 fine. But there has to be a limit for what a police officer and do just on his word.

If we want to give police the right to collect DNA from anyone, then give them that power. Don't tie to to some observation of some minor violation. That puts too much pressure on police to make up a violation to collect information. They should not be put in that position.

I trust police at their mere word for a LOT of things. But there has to be a limit. And DNA collection goes past that limit in my mind.

Police Swabbing Mouths During Traffic Stops In Serial Killer Hunt - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando

*** UPDATE ***

Daytona Cops to take DNA in all Arrests

This Orlando Sentinel story says DNA is collected in all ARRESTS which is much different from just a traffic stop. It doesn't make it clear that is is ONLY for arrests, but that is implied. This is better and not that much different from finger printing that also happens when a person is officially arrested.

My only concern with DNA use (which is an entirely different issue) is how the common man (myself included) cannot see or examine DNA. Fingerprint match is an art and a science too, but at least I could see both fingerprints and see the similarities and the patterns. I might still be fooled by someone claiming two prints match, but only if they are close to matching. If they were grossly different, then that would be spotted. With DNA you simply have to take the expert's word. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Real ID could mean real travel headaches

Real ID could mean real travel headaches | CNET News.com

The really ODD thing is that there is no published law requiring a person to show ANY ID to fly from state to state. So why is there not a requirement to show a certain TYPE of ID.

The constitution requires that "full faith and credit" be given to documents of states by "every other state". Shouldn't this apply to the federal government too? Especially since the federal government doesn't issue ID cards it self. One would think it would be required to give full faith and credit to the ID cards issued by each state. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Ford Calims to OWN all photos of Ford Cars

UNBELIEVABLE!!

Think you are free to use any photos you take of your own property?
Think again!!

Ford says you can't use your own photos of your own car the way you want to use them..

I hope this is quickly shot to hell...

Ford Slaps Brand Enthusiasts, Returns Love With Legal Punch » Adrants

Ford: Car owners are pirates if.... [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Gun-Free-Zones

This is starting to come to light....

FOXNews.com - Media Coverage of Mall Shooting Fails to Reveal Mall's Gun-Free-Zone Status - Opinion

Let's see, which makes more sense...

• Gun Free Zone - 8 Killed, when done, the gunman killed himself
• Gun's Allowed Church - Only 2 killed, gunman shot by armed church member while the gunman had plenty of ammo left.

[This Post Continues after the jump...]

RV parking rules

Brevard revisits RV parking rules | floridatoday.com | Serving Brevard County and Florida’s Space Coast

Our county commissioners have too much time on their hands. Where are people supposed to park their RV's if they can't park them on their own property? What is the point of OWNING property if you can't use it as you want to.

If you want to control your neighbor's property, then BUY it.. otherwise deal with it. [This Post Continues after the jump...]