Consequences

It has been said that one of the great gifts to mankind is "consequences." Consequences teach us and mold us. Justice Steven Breyer dissented from the majority opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller, the case that confirmed what reasonable people have known for over 200 years - that the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitition protects an individuals right to keep and bear arms. Reports are that Justice Breyer was robbed by a "machete-wielding intruder" at his vacation home in the West Indies. I assume there is no constitutional right similar to the 2nd Amendment in Nevis, but perhaps Mr. Breyer may have a different opinion on the right to keep and bear arms after his ordeal. There are consequences to his votes. If one more justice had voted with him, the Supreme Court would have essentially deleted the 2nd Amendment from the Constitution. While it is unfortunate that Mr. Breyer had to go through such a harrowing ordeal, it might be a good reminder to him that our forefathers saw the need for individuals to be able to protect themselves against thugs such as the one who robbed Mr. Breyer. He should keep that in mind in the event he votes on a similar issue in the future.

Casey Anthony Lesson - Don't Talk to the Cops

Here is further evidence that Glenn Reynolds' quip that the lesson from the Casey Anthony trial is to not talk to the cops. If she had been tried in federal court, she would have possibly received 20 years for the same conduct.

Remember, Martha Stewart was also convicted of lying about a crime that they could not prove she committed.

Can the President Order the Assassination of an American without Due Process

Well, apparently, the answer is yes. It seems like some liberal ought to be saying something about this. Maybe those who were up in arms about Gitmo might oppose this. If it were George Bush, they would be screaming this from the rooftops. Money quote:

There are no mitigating factors, here. Obama is arguing the executive has the power to execute American citizens without a trial, without even so much as an airing of the charges against them, and that it can do so in complete secrecy, with no oversight from any court, and that the families of the executed have no legal recourse.

I find this to be disgraceful. Now, he not only thinks he's the Messiah, he thinks he's God.

Tennessee Proposes Banning Police Scanners for Felons

HB 2506 proposes that anyone with a felony conviction in the past five years cannot own a scanner. According to this article, some police believe that making it illegal will be a great help to them.

Pardon me, but this is yet another stupid and ill-advised bill. First, will the criminals actually follow the law? Probably not. This is just another way to trump up charges on someone to force a plea deal. Second, how will they enforce this? Do they plan on ignoring the Fourth Amendment and searching every felon's home every so often? Finally, this is another slippery slope. I know it isn't popular to defend the rights of criminals, but first it will be the criminals and next it will be us. After all, if anyone has access to a scanner, it might give them an advantage over law enforcement, right?

Red Light Cameras Violate Civil Rights

That's what the Florida Civil Rights Association and the National Motorist Association say and I agree with them 100%. The true MORONS in this country are those who believe that "if you aren't running red lights you have nothing to fear." How is that any different from giving up your Fourth Amendment rights because "if you aren't guilty you have nothing to hide?" Simple - it isn't. For the record, I don't run red lights any more or less than anyone else. Everyone occasionally has a yellow turn to red as they are entering the intersection which is a technical violation despite the fact that it is not necessarily dangerous. Those technical violations make up the bulk of the red light tickets (along with rolling rights on red which rarely cause an accident).