Fed Appeals Court rules against DOMA

Romance? It’s all about economics, dahling

A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston has unanimously ruled today that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) — defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman — is unconstitutional. The judges ruled that the 1996 law deprives homosexual couples of the rights and privileges granted to heterosexual couples.

Lending credence to those who have long claimed that the same-sex marriage issue revolves around financial considerations, the ruling addressed the matter of federal benefits to same sex “married” couples including the ability to file joint tax returns. The judges referred to the “burden and restrictions” of DOMA saying it penalized homosexuals by limiting tax and social security survivor’s benefits to opposite-sex couples. “If one party is in federal service, the other cannot take advantage of medical care and other benefits available to opposite-sex partners. Survivor’s social security, spouse-based medical care and tax benefits are major detriments on any reckoning; provision for retirement and medical care are, in practice, the main components of the social safety net for vast numbers of Americans,” they wrote.

Two of the three judges who decided the case were Republican appointees. Michael Boudin (President George H.W. Bush) and Judge Juan Terrell (President Ronald Reagan). Chief Judge Sandra Lynch was appointed by Bill Clinton.

Read the decision here.

The court’s ruling did not address the law’s provision, which declared states without same-sex “marriages” cannot be forced to recognize such unions performed in states where it’s legal. It also wasn’t asked to address whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

The Appeals Court said its ruling wouldn’t be enforced until the U.S. Supreme Court decides the case, meaning that same-sex couples will not currently be eligible to receive the economic benefits not recognized by DOMA. That’s because the ruling only applies to states within the circuit, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico. Only the Supreme Court has the final say in deciding whether a law passed by Congress is unconstitutional.

Although media sources claim there is growing acceptance of the practice, thirty states have constitutionally banned same-sex unions. Marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman in at least 42 states. Currently, 31 states have added amendments banning same-sex unions to their constitutions.

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Ardent Obama backer renounces Dems, joins GOP

Former U.S. Rep. Artur Davis condemns Dem path

Former Democrat Congressman Artur Davis (Ala.) has made it official. He is abandoning his longtime party for the GOP.  Davis confirmed the rumor on his website.

“Wearing a Democratic label no longer matches what I know about my country and its possibilities,” Davis wrote. He intends to switch his party registration to in Virginia, where he now lives.

Once considered a Democrat rising star, Davis has grown critical of the party in recent years. He  was the only black member of the House to vote against the Democrats on Barack Obama’s massive governmental takeover of America’s health care delivery system.

As one of Obama’s earliest supporters Davis served as co-chairman for his 2008 presidential campaign. Davis, who represented Alabama’s 7th Congressional District from 2003 to 2011, was notably the first member of Congress outside of Illinois to endorse then-Sen. Obama’s 2008 presidential bid. And it was Davis who seconded the official nomination of Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Now Davis condemns the path he believes the party is taking.

Renouncing the party “is no light decision on my part,” he wrote. “Cutting ties with an Alabama Democratic party that has weakened and lost faith with more and more Alabamians every year is one thing; leaving a national party that has been the home for my political values for two decades is quite another.” But “wearing a Democratic label no longer matches what I know about my country and its possibilities,” he said. Davis’ impressive bio can be read here.

This retreat from the Democrat party by such a longtime stalwart is further evidence of mounting opposition among Democrats to Obama’s radically liberal message and policies that are undermining our Constitutionally-based freedoms.

AZ Rep. Ben Arredondo: Nothing’s my fault

Tested positive for amphetamines; claimed to treat ADHD, narcolepsy

With his lawyer alleging that the charges against him are “manufactured,” Democrat state Rep. Ben Arredondo, 63, pleaded not guilty today to federal counts of bribery, fraud and extortion.

A July 3, 2012 trial date in Federal Court has been set for the former Tempe city councilman, and current state representative who has been allowed to remain on his own recognizance while awaiting trial. He was elected to the state House representing LD 17 in 2010.

Not content to leave well enough alone, Arredondo’s lawyer called him “a dedicated public official targeted by the government in D.C.” He said, “Ben Arredondo is not for sale.”

Would that be the same federal government led by fellow liberal Barack Obama?

Arredondo was caught in an FBI sting. According to the indictment we covered on May 16, he accepted gifts and thousands of dollars in game tickets to sporting events in 2009 and 2010 in exchange for the promise of brokering property deals while serving as a Tempe councilman. Arredondo is charged with two counts of mail fraud and one count each of bribery, attempted extortion and false statements.

The daily reports Arredondo was required to surrender his passport. The federal magistrate noted that Arredondo had tested positive for amphetamines, but said that was common for people taking Adderall, a drug used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.

The indictment (courtesy of the AZ Capitol Times) can be read here. Curiously his usually vocal fellow legislative Democrats have been mum regarding issuing a call for him to step down.

Vernon Parker: He’s baaack

As the clock was ticking and just under the wire at 11:05 a.m. today, Vernon Parker filed his petitions seeking yet another office. This time it’s a Congressional seat. Perennial candidate Parker tried that in the last election cycle after first giving a momentary go at running for Arizona Governor before forsaking his campaign. It was then he tried his hand at running for Congress, only to be soundly trounced, placing fourth while garnering only about 16 percent of the vote.

Parker, who makes quite a to-do about his role as PV Mayor, never reveals it was an appointed position. The only election he has ever won has been a town council slot in the 16-square mile enclave with a 12,000+ population.

The easily distracted and “mistake” prone Parker has trouble keeping focused. But what the hay?  The office for which he runs is clearly incidental. It’s like a dog going after a car. The fun appears to be in the chase. As the old joke goes, what would Rover do if he actually caught one?

For a parallel story, check out this My View commentary by Don Sorchych, Publisher and Editor of the conservative Sonoran News, an online and hard copy newspaper serving numerous North Phoenix and North Scottsdale areas. The newspaper’s mission statement says it is dedicated to exposing corrupt and unethical local, county, state and national business and political practices. That’s obviously why Vernon Parker is on its radar.

For even more background on problem-plagued candidate Vernon Parker, we have a plethora of revealing posts. We invite you to check them out HERE.

Poland: Obama’s comment shows “ignorance, incompetence”

Angry Polish PM: “We cannot accept such words”

An embarrassed White House has admitted Barack Obama made a colossal error Tuesday while posthumously awarding the Medal of Freedom to Jan Karski, a resistance fighter against the Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II.

Obama referred to a “Polish death camp” while honoring the  Polish war hero — a remark that drew immediate and fierce complaints from Poles who said Obama should have called it a “German death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland,” to distinguish the perpetrators from the location.

Outraged Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski called it a matter of “ignorance and incompetence.”

During the ceremony honoring Medal of Freedom recipients, Obama said that Karski “served as a courier for the Polish resistance during the darkest days of World War II. Before one trip across enemy lines, resistance fighters told him that Jews were being murdered on a massive scale and smuggled him into the Warsaw Ghetto and a Polish death camp to see for himself. Jan took that information to President Franklin Roosevelt, giving one of the first accounts of the Holocaust and imploring to the world to take action.”

Sikorski tweeted that the White House would apologize for “this outrageous error” and that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk would address the matter on Wednesday. “It’s a pity that such a dignified ceremony was overshadowed by ignorance and incompetence.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s strong statement on Barack Obama’s error can be read HERE.

We agree with Poland’s strong rebuke. From our perspective, THIS was also an embarrassment.

Mitt Romney officially 2012 Republican nominee

Texas win puts Romney over top

Mitt Romney has locked up the 2012 Republican presidential nomination with a massive win in the Texas primary Tuesday. With 1198 delegates, Romney has now surpassed the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination.

The Texas Secretary of State has the election results posted HERE.

CBS News has the estimated delegate count here. Full primary campaign results can be seen here.

Now onward to November. We’ve got work to do!

Bob Dylan did exactly what for this country?

The Medal of Freedom is presented to people who have made meritorious contributions to the national interests of the United States, inspired others with their actions; enriching and changing others lives for the better.  Barack Obama’s list is filled with liberals, union organizers and those who will appeal to, and bring out the votes of, specific segments of the country.

Bob Dylan, a man who used music and protests to deride our Vietnam veterans and the war in which they valiantly fought was one of Barack Obama’s choices today for the nation’s top civilian honor. Obama called him a “cultural icon.”  This honor comes within four days of the issuance of this Presidential Proclamation commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

Calling Bob Dylan a “hero” the day after Memorial Day is an affront.  Awarding him the nation’s top civilian honor is a disgrace. And if you needed any reminder, these actions reveal Barack Obama as a blatant phony.

Fool on the Hill takes a mental health break

Bye, Bye Biden?

It’s no secret VP Joe Biden is the consummate gaffe king. Recently Keith Koffler of White House Dossier, wrote a post titled Is Everything All Right with Joe? which included a collection of six video snippets that clearly illustrated the weirdness exemplified by Biden.

Koffler concluded, “Biden has always been prone to odd statements and verbal miscues. But if this new, accelerated pattern becomes entrenched, how long can a presidential campaign tolerate a portion of the ticket blabbering out nonsense chatter before it has a serious problem on its hands?

Today we read that Biden is off on a weeklong vacation ostensibly to “prepare” for his daughter‘s wedding next weekend. Aside from bringing along his checkbook, how much preparation does this man who already owns custom-fitted tuxedos need? 

This leads us to wonder if the vacation is the precursor to a trip off the ticket for the Fool on the Hill?

Speaking of which — Obama has a private meeting scheduled with Hillary scheduled during Biden’s break. US News & World Report suggests it might signal bye-bye to Biden. The poll running on the site does not bode well for Joe. It looks as though the vast majority of those voting agree the guy is a drag on the Dem ticket.

Last October we wrote that blunder-prone Biden was “An expendable drag on the Dem ticket.”

Smart cutie provides bright start to week & Update

We introduced you to home-schooled spelling whiz, Lori Anne Madison in mid-March. At the time the incredibly poised 6-year-old vanquished students well over twice her age to win Virginia’s Prince William County Spelling Bee, qualifying for the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee.

In the competition beginning today and running through Thursday, she will compete as one of 278 students who have qualified for the top spelling event — now in its 85th year. The competition doesn’t have a lower age limit, but no one younger than 8 has ever previously qualified for the nationals.

The super spellers come from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Europe; as well as the Bahamas, Canada, China, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

Read Lori Anne’s impressive résumé here.

Scripps National Spelling Bee round results will be posted on HERE in real time on Wednesday and Thursday. Live updates and results also will be posted on both days via Twitter@ScrippsBee.

 

Thursday’s semifinals will not include the youngest speller in bee history, 6-year-old Lori Anne Madison of Lake Ridge, Va., although she made a valiant effort. Lori Anne misspelled one of her two words during the preliminary rounds — “ingluvies,” which she started with an “e” — and her score on Tuesday’s 50-word computer test wasn’t enough to make up the difference.

“It was close,” said spelling bee director Paige Kimball.

We hope to see this great little girl back next time around. Her pluck along with diligent determination and hard work gave us all a new little heroine to admire.  

 

Gallup: Veterans support Romney by 24%

On Memorial Day comes a Gallup poll worth noting. U.S. veterans — about 13% of the adult population — support Mitt Romney over Barack Obama for president by 58% to 34%. Non-veterans give Obama a four-point edge.

Check out the poll results here. Scroll down to view charts.