Judge or Representative Sotomayor?

Today, President Obama announced his nominee for the replacement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter. The president has chosen Judge Sonia Sotomoyer, from the Second District Court of Appeals to fill the vacancy.

Judge Sotomayor, if confirmed, would be the first Puerto Rican Justice on the court. She is a respectable judge, but her comments in the following video has raised some controversy on the right.

In the Constitution, there are three branches of government. The Executive Branch is given the job to carry out and enforce laws. The Legislative Branch makes laws/policy. The Judicial Branches job is to interpret, and uphold the Constitution. That's the constitution at its simplicity.

Now that we have reviewed a 7th Grade history lesson, can someone tell me why a Judge, with over 20 years experience, says that the Judicial Branch makes policy? The sole job of the court is to interpret the laws and uphold the Constitution. Elected Representatives do the legislating, not appointed officials.

Other than her comments, Ms. Sotomayor has a record of judicial activism, a racial bias, and being overturned by the Supreme Court.

A Few Cases Involving Judge Sotomayor:

-- In one case reversed by the Supreme Court, Sotomayor and the majority on the appeals court ruled that an inmate could sue a private corporation for injuries he suffered in a halfway house run by that company. Though the company operated the house on behalf of the Bureau of Prisons, Sotomayor argued that the company was not shielded from liability. The Supreme Court reversed the appeals court decision in 2001.

-- In another case, Sotomayor dissented in a 2006 opinion that rejected a challenge to a New York law denying convicted felons the right to vote. She argued in her own dissenting opinion that the state law "disqualifies a group of people from voting."

-- Sotomayor, in 2003, also wrote an opinion that reversed a district court decision that a Muslim inmate's rights were not violated when he was denied a holiday feast. Sotomayor argued that the inmate's First Amendment rights were violated because the feast was important to his religion.

-- In 1999, Sotomayor dissented in a decision to dismiss a case in which a black student claimed his school discriminated against him by transferring him mid-year from first grade to kindergarten. Sotomayor argued that the "lone black child" in the class was not given an "equal chance."

-- In 2007, Sotomayor wrote an opinion holding that the Environmental Protection Agency could not perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine the "best technology available." She wrote it could only consider cost as a factor in more limited ways. This decision, too, was overturned by the Supreme Court.

-- In 1993, Sotomayor threw out evidence obtained by police in a drug case, because a detective lied to obtain the search warrant -- prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain. However, during sentencing Sotomayor made controversial statements by criticizing the five-year mandatory sentence, calling it an "abomination" that the defendant did not deserve.

The President has the numbers on the Senate Floor to confirm Ms. Sotomayor, but in order for the nominee to be sent to the floor for confirmation, rule #4 of the Judiciary Committee states, 10 or more members must vote to send the vote to the floor, and one must be from the minority party. If Republicans do not think Ms. Sotomayor is capable of upholding the constitution, they can simply not vote to send the vote to the floor.

Source: Foxnews

Memorial Day: Honoring the Ultimate Sacrifice

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.

Tomorrow is a day of honoring the brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Many take advantage of our freedom, and overlook these days of honor and remembrance. These brave soldiers put their lives on the line, so we could live ours. The least we can do is honor their sacrifice.

So tomorrow when your going to the baseball game, having a cookout, or just relaxing at home, take a moment to remember the fallen. If you see someone in uniform, tell them thank you. Go to the store and put an American Flag up in your yard to honor the soldiers who gave their lives in the defense of Liberty. Do something to show families who have lost loved ones, that you are aware of the tremendous sacrifice they have given.

Bottom Line: Freedom isn't free, so honor the heroes who have paid for it.

President Obama's Commencement Address

Today, President Obama gave the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame. The President was interrupted by protesters, and addressed the controversy around the honorary law degree he received.

Pro Life Notre Damer's v. President Obama

As you may know, many pro life Notre Dame Students will protest President Obama's commencement speech at their graduation. They are protesting the President's strong pro-choice, and pro-stem cell views.

Some students are planning to make a big stir to protest the graduation commencement speaker, while others are planning peaceful protests. The students who plan to give the police a run for their money, they must remember that the news media, regardless of their reason of protest, will mark them as just crazy, violent protesters. The students who protest peacefully will have a better chance of getting their message across. Especially when a recent Gallup poll shows more Americans are pro-life, rather than pro-choice. The same thing happened with the civil rights movement. Malcolm X wanted to lead violent protests, while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to protest peacefully. Who was projected better in the world? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Bottom line: Protesting is a great communication tool, but the whole point of protesting is to get a message across. And the whole point is lost, when violence is used.

Change of Heart: President Obama to Block Release of Detainee Photos

Today, President Obama has reversed his previous decision to not block detainee photos requested by the American Civil Liberties Union.

WASHINGTON--In a sharp reversal, President Obama announced Wednesday that he will not release hundreds of photos potentially showing U.S. military personnel abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"My belief is the publication of these photos would not add any additional benefits to our understanding of what was carried out in the past by a small number of individuals," Obama said in a brief appearance. "The most direct consequence would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and put our troops in greater danger."

Obama added that he's made it clear to military officials, however, that the abuse of detainees is "prohibited and will not be tolerated."

Obama told his legal advisers last week that he did not feel comfortable with the release of the photos because he believes they would endanger U.S. troops, and that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented in federal court, a senior administration official told FOX News.

The Pentagon had planned to release the photos by May 28 in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. That decision was made after the Justice Department lost its latest round in federal court and concluded that any further appeal probably would be fruitless.

But on Tuesday, the president raised the issue of these photos with Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, during a White House meeting and told him of his decision to argue against this release, the official said.

Full Article

President Obama has made the right decision. Nothing good will come out of releasing these detainee photos. Releasing the photos will only put our troops more at risk, and further Anti-American opinion. As I have stated earlier, political popularity never outways National Security.

Miss California Keeps Her Crown

Today, the owner of the Miss USA Pageant, announced that Miss Carrie Prejean, the current holder of the Miss California Crown, would keep her crown. He said she was asked a tough question, and answered it honestly.

Now I know I haven't written about this story, because I don't understand what the big deal is. A 21 year old woman gave her honest opinion, and then left wing bloggers and MSNBC News Anchors tried to destroy her for it.

In America, everyone has the right to thier own opinion, and everyone should respect that. Her answer was not a radical answer. She said where she comes from, marriage is between a man and a woman. She also said America is a place where one can choose. She never held anything against the gay community. Miss Prejean has been bashed for not giving the answer that best represents the State of California, yet one must remember Proposition 8 PASSED in California. Proposition 8 was the referendum to keep marriage between a man and a woman. Also, her answer was the same as the current President of the United States, and yet the left wing blogosphere, and press, are holding nothing against him for it. This again clearly shows the liberal bias, and double standard the mainstream media produces everyday.

Wanda Sykes, The White House Correspondents Dinner, and The Mainstream Media

Over the weekend, the annual White House Correspondents dinner took place. Controversy arose when comedian Wanda Sykes reffered to Rush Limbaugh as a terrorist, and wished death upon him. Below is the video of the dinner. To fast forward straight to the Limbaugh comments, go to 2:04.

Just for a minute, pretend this was a Conservative Comedian, say Dennis Miller, wishing death upon a liberal commentator such as Keith Olbermann, would this get the same coverage? The answer: absolutely not! The mainstream media would portray Mr. Millers comments as hate speech. Do not take my word for it, take this example highlighted by CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs. A man published a joke in a local news paper making fun of Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid. He wrote, "If a soldier was trapped in an elevator with a gun, two bullets, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama Bin Laden, what would happen? The answer, the soldier would shoot Nancy Pelosi twice, and strangle Harry Reid, and Osama Bin Laden." The mainstream media attacked the man for printing such a joke, and the man has since apologized. Will there be an apology from Ms. Sykes, probably not. This just shows the double standard, and liberal bias in the mainstream media.

Was it Worth it?

The White House has released the photo-op pictures over New York City. This photo-op is estimated to have cost the tax payers over $330,000. Take a close look at the photo, and see if it was worth the money, and the producing mass panic over New York City.