 |
|
 |
|
News
Commonwealth Update - 7.14.10
Thursday July 15, 2010 - 03:36 AM
Inside this issue: Gambling bill stalled in Committee; Kagan responsible for DOMA ruling, unfit for SCOTUS; NOM bus tour in New England this week; Obama Administration begins federally funded abortions; Arlington student waits for school committee to act; From FRC: Ultra-liberal congress waiting for lame duck session?
| |
Gambling bill stalled in Committee
|
|
| |
“I’m not sure there’s going to be a bill,’’ Gov. Deval Patrick told the Boston Globe yesterday, as the wrangling over a compromise bill continued in conference committee. The Legislature has until July 31, the end of the session, to hammer out the details of a final bill and have both chambers approve it before sending it to Patrick for his signature.
The news of an ongoing battle between House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate leaders over slot machines at racetracks is a positive development. However, the appetite for expanded predatory gambling may still trump the personal desires of legislative leaders.
Patrick prodded DeLeo by referring to the slot machines at the tracks as a “no-bid contract” for those venues. Speaker DeLeo responded in kind by suggesting that if slots are not part of the final gambling bill, he may hold up the other legislative priorities of Patrick and Senate President Therese Murray.
Please take a minute today to call Governor Deval Patrick and ask him to veto any casino legislation that comes to his desk that lacks an independent cost/benefit analysis.
Governor Deval Patrick
617 725-4005
888 870-7770
Online Contact Form HERE
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Kagan responsible for DOMA ruling, unfit for SCOTUS
|
|
| |
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said it best when he wrote “the blame for this decision lies directly at the feet of Elena Kagan and her boss, President Obama.”
The current administration made it clear that it wanted DOMA overturned, but as Solicitor General, Kagan is responsible for defending existing federal laws in court. “But instead of trying to win the case, she intentionally sabotaged it, dropping the strongest arguments in favor of DOMA,” Perkins continued, referring to her omission of procreation as the main reason for protecting man-woman marriage.
More from FRC:
It was an omission so stunning that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) brought it up in her Supreme Court confirmation hearings last week. "Could you please explain why the Justice Department abandoned the argument that traditional marriage rationally serves the legitimate interest of promoting the raising of children by both parents, which Congress could reasonably conclude is the optimal environment for raising children?" he asked. She stammered through a response, claiming that she wasn't the "decision-maker." Now, Kagan may delegate some details to other Justice Department attorneys, but as the White House's chief litigator, she has the final say. That bothered Sen. Grassley, along with Kagan's open hostility for DOMA. "You took an oath to defend the laws of the United States, including DOMA. Would you agree that calling a law discriminatory and advocating for its repeal is no defense?" (Watch the exchange here.) Kagan tried to convince Sen. Grassley that her office "vigorously defended" DOMA before Judge Tauro. How? By renouncing the most powerful justification for DOMA used by Congress? The bottom line is that defending marriage was Elena Kagan's responsibility as Solicitor General. But if she won't fight for the law when she's paid and appointed to, then she certainly won't fight for it when she's an unaccountable Supreme Court justice.
For weeks we have been encouraging you to call Sen. Scott Brown, asking him to vote against Kagan when her nomination comes before the U.S. Senate. This week, Sen. Brown made it clear that he would oppose the DISCLOSE Act, a campaign-finance bill that would tie the hands of many conservative organizations, while allowing unions and other liberal groups to remain unaffected. I have more in this week's MFI Spotlight:
Here are the THREE STRIKES against Elena Kagan:
- During her time as a dean at Harvard University, she kicked the ROTC off of campus in protest of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. (HERE)
- During the Clinton administration, she manipulated medical science to fit a political agenda in support of partial birth abortion. (HERE)
- As solicitor general, she failed to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to the best of the Justice Department’s ability, resulting in a negative ruling.
A committee vote is scheduled for July 20, with a full vote by the Senate expected soon thereafter.
Please call Sen. Brown today at (202) 224-4543 or (617)-565-3170.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
NOM bus tour in New England this week
|
|
| |
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) kicked off its Summer for Marriage Tour 2010 today in Augusta, Maine. The bus tour promoting the institution of marriage makes New England stops Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Here are the details:
Manchester, New Hampshire
Summer for Marriage Tour Stop:
Thursday, July 15, 2010 from 12:00pm - 1:00pm
City Hall Plaza
900 Elm Street
Manchester, NH 03101
Albany, New York
Summer for Marriage Tour Stop:
Saturday, July 17, 2010 from 2:00pm - 3:00pm
West Capitol Park
Albany, NY 12210
Providence, Rhode Island
Summer for Marriage Tour Stop:
Sunday, July 18, 2010 from 2:00pm - 3:00pm
State House, South Steps
Providence, RI 02903
More information on the Tour, including other East Coast stops, visit www.marriagetour2010.com.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Obama Administration begins federally funded abortions
|
|
| |
The Obama administration has officially approved the first instance of taxpayer funded abortions under the new national government-run health care program. This is the kind of abortion funding the pro-life movement warned about when Congress considered the bill, reports LifeNews.com.
The administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million to set up a new “high-risk” insurance program under a provision of the federal health care legislation enacted in March. It has quietly approved a plan submitted by an appointee of pro-abortion Gov. Ed Rendell under which the new program will cover any abortion that is legal in Pennsylvania.
The high-risk pool program is one of the new programs created by the sweeping health care legislation, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Obama signed into law on March 23. The law authorizes $5 billion in federal funds for the program, which will cover as many as 400,000 people when it is implemented nationwide.
"The Obama Administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million in federal tax funds, which we've discovered will pay for insurance plans that cover any legal abortion," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee.
Johnson told LifeNews.com: "This is just the first proof of the phoniness of President Obama's assurances that federal funds would not subsidize abortion -- but it will not be the last."
Source and More Information: LifeNews.com
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Arlington student waits for school committee to act
|
|
| |
Arlington High School senior Sean Harrington is hoping his three-year-long effort to bring the Pledge of Allegiance back to school is one step closer to a successful conclusion. Next week, a school committee subcommittee meets on Tuesday, July 20, to discuss and vote on a proposal from the school committee chairman.
Harrington, who will be a senior in the fall, told Fox News Radio: "I'm not a person who quits and I don't back down. It's a very righteous cause and needs to be followed through until the end." Harrington said he's mulling whether he should pursue litigation or file an inquiry with DESE about the pledge being said at the high school.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
From FRC: Ultra-liberal congress waiting for lame duck session?
|
|
| |
Lame Ducks Are for the Birds
Unless there's a major swing in public opinion, the Democrats' campaign season is shaping up to be more of a farewell tour. Anxious to get back home and tamp down the criticism, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and company are bailing out of Washington a full week early. Considering all the unfinished business she's leaving behind, Pelosi's July 30 exit is a little surprising. Or is this just part of the Democrats' overall plan? What if House leaders are saving their most controversial issues until after November when voters are powerless to do anything about it? That's a question more insiders are starting to ask as some of the big ticket legislation on spending, the military, global warming, and campaign finance sit curiously idle.
With their 19-month joyride coming to an end, members know that it could be "game over" for their ultra-Left agenda. But if Pelosi's party takes a beating on November 2, members will have plenty of time in November and December to exact revenge. If liberals couldn't be restrained with their jobs on the line, then they certainly won't think twice about abusing their power on the way out the door. "It's been almost 30 years since anything remotely contentious was handled in a lame-duck session," writes John Fund in the Wall Street Journal, "but that doesn't faze Democrats who have jammed through ObamaCare and are determined to bring the financial system under greater federal control."
Unfortunately for conservatives, that could mean everything from repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to legislation attacking pregnancy care centers and the pro-life Hyde Amendment. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) could squeak through, along with "card check" and cap-and-tax legislation. And that's not all. Look for some of Congress's most notorious porkers to get major parting gifts from the Appropriations Committee. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) is one of the members who sees trouble ahead. "Members of Congress are supposed to represent their constituents, not override them like sore losers in the lame-duck session." Of course, "representing their constituents" hasn't exactly been a hallmark of this Majority. But it's never too late to start! Ask your members to respect America 's wishes after November and leave the policy-making to the next Congress.
Source: Family Research Council
|
|
|
Top
|
|
|
