David Drake

(Washington, DC) - Judicial Watch, the public interest group promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law, announced today that a U.S. District Court in Missouri denied a request by the American Civil Liberties Union lawyers made on behalf of a member of the Westboro Baptist Church to prevent the state from enforcing its statute limiting protests “in or about” the location of funeral services (Shirley L. Phelps-Roper v. Jeremiah W. Nixon, et al., No. 06-cv-4156-FJG). The ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law on behalf of protesters who disrupted military funerals by picketing and conducting other protest activities.

The court order, issued by federal Judge Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr., essentially adopts Judicial Watch’s argument that Missouri’s “funeral protection law” is well-grounded in Eighth Circuit judicial precedent and is consistent with the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, Judge Gaitan specifically cites Judicial Watch’s amicus brief concerning the right of family members and friends of those killed in battle to mourn their loss. The judge writes: “…amicus Judicial Watch notes that Missouri also has an interest in protecting funeral attendees’ First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion.” Judge Gaitan ruled that the ACLU’s client failed to demonstrate a “likelihood of success on the merits” of her arguments. Her request for a preliminary injunction was, therefore, denied.

“We’re pleased the court seems to recognize the right of funeral attendees to mourn those who died defending our country without being disrupted by protesters,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Unlike the ACLU, most Americans believe that mourners should be able to engage in quiet and reflective prayer at funerals. As the court noted, ‘…picketing soldiers’ funerals and belittling the sacrifices made by soldiers are intolerable actions’”

Comedian and potential Minnesota Senate candidate Al Franken will leave liberal talk radio station Air America in two weeks, he announced [Monday] on his show.

The announcement paves the way for Franken to explore a possible Democratic challenge to freshman Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) in 2008.

Air America also announced yesterday that the station is on the block. Franken said he wanted to stick around through the transition and his last show will be Feb. 14. He said if he makes his decision by then, he will announce his intentions on his show.

She then smiled, raised her eyebrows and nodded knowingly at the questioner.

Her nod and the ensuing eruption of laughter had rally-goers convinced she was talking about her husband, whose Oval Office affair with intern Monica Lewinsky exploded into the Sexgate scandal and led to impeachment proceedings.

"She was talking about Bill being a bad man. There was no doubt whatsoever," said Tyrone Williams, 55, an engineer from nearby Bettendorf, Iowa.

Here's what happened:

A man in the crowd asked Clinton what she had in her background that would make her a good commander-in-chief, given that the world has "evil" leaders and a lot of them "happen to be men."

Clinton rephrased the question for the audience because most did not hear what the man said. "The question really is," she said, "we face a lot of dangers in the world, and in the gentleman's words, we face a lot of 'evil men.'

"People like Osama bin Laden comes to mind."

She paused.

"And what in my background equips me to deal" --Clinton waited a beat and got a gleam in her eyes -- "with evil and bad men?"

Bingo.

It took about 30 seconds for the crowd to stop guffawing.

As I read the quotes I just typed, I'm not moved to laugh. (It was one of those you-had-to-be-there moments.)

As was Dustin Burnaugh, 21, a Davenport resident who said he thought she was referring to "the whole Clinton scandal.

"Everyone was thinking it, and she didn't want to say it. That's what everyone was thinking."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid purchased 60 acres of land in northern Arizona from a pension fund at a price experts say constituted an extremely good deal.

The land was sold to Reid, D-Nev., for $10,000 in 2002 by Las Vegas lubricants distributor Clair Haycock, a friend who controlled the employee pension fund that owed it, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The purchase put Reid in full control of a 160-acre parcel in Bullhead City, Ariz.

Six months after the deal closed, Reid introduced legislation to address the plight of lubricants dealers who had their supplies disrupted by the decisions of big oil companies, the Times said.

Records and interviews show that beginning in the mid-1990s, Reid tried several times to push legislation that would have protected lubricants distributors from abrupt cancellations by their suppliers. Though unsuccessful, the legislation sent a clear message to the oil firms that there was congressional interest in the matter, according to Sarah Dodge, then-legislative director for an industry group that worked on the bill.

Because an employee pension fund had owned the land Reid purchased, labor law experts contacted by The Times said, a below-market sale would raise additional questions. Pension fund trustees like Clair Haycock have a duty in most cases to sell assets for their market value, the experts said.

"I think this would have been considered a potentially serious issue" at the time, said Ian D. Lanoff, who led the Labor Department's pension division during the Carter administration and was provided basic details of the case - though not the identity of the lawmaker - by The Times.

"Theoretically it's a serious issue for the trustee who sold the property, though practically it may not be" because the pension plan is now closed and its obligations were met, Lanoff said.

Reid's interest in the barren parcel dates back to the period of 1979 through 1982, when he and Clair Haycock bought the 160 acres. Haycock bought a three-eighths interest, equivalent to 60 acres, for $90,000 - $1,500 an acre. Reid, then a Nevada lawyer and political figure, bought the other five-eighths, the equivalent of 100 acres. They did not divide the parcel.

The property has sweeping mountain and mesa views and now abuts a housing development, which could make it attractive to developers. But there are some limitations. The land has a steep wash, or desert streambed, and the adjacent land has a gravel pit.

In the early 1990s, California investors bought the entire 160 acres from Reid and Haycock for a little over $1.34 million - — around $8,400 an acre. The new owners obtained approval to develop a mobile home and recreational vehicle park. But a few years later they defaulted, and Reid and the pension fund were once again the land's joint owners.

[...]

How good a deal did Reid get? Paying $166 an acre for Mohave County land is "a super deal," said the county assessor, Ron Nicholson. But the precise answer in this case, Nicholson said, is complicated by the fact that only a minority portion of a partnership was for sale; minority shares can be difficult to sell. Other experts who reviewed the transaction for The Times acknowledged the complexity of the deal but said the senator appeared to have acquired valuable property for a fraction of its value.

[...]

At least twice, Reid appealed to the Mohave County assessor to lower the land valuation and decrease his taxes, in 2002 presenting a 2001 appraisal that valued the land at $1,000 an acre. The assessor's office made a downward adjustment for 2003 but still places the value at about $1,748 an acre.

[...]

Reid has long been known as a champion of Nevada interests, particularly gambling and mining. But he seemed an unlikely choice to advocate for the beleaguered lubricants industry when he took up the issue in 1994. He did not sit on the Energy Committee.

At that time, the Haycocks went to Reid for help, according to a former employee of the lubricants industry trade group, Petroleum Marketers Assn. of America, who was involved in the events. The employee asked that his name be withheld because his current job involves congressional contacts.

The Haycocks had lost business in 1994 when Mobil Oil Co. canceled the family's distributorship, costing the firm a lucrative contract with the Las Vegas-area General Motors dealers, which had to use Mobil products.

The family was "incensed that this had happened and there was nothing they could do about it," said the former trade group employee.

Reid mentions constituent

The Haycocks - who were considered industry leaders - say they do not recall discussing the matter with Reid. But the former trade group employee said the Haycocks convinced Reid to take action.

Reid "did it because John or Clair asked him to do it," said the former employee.

With the legislative session coming to a close, Reid brought the issue to the Senate floor on Oct. 5, 1994. He described a Nevada constituent whose "franchise agreement to sell lubricating oils to car dealers in Las Vegas was arbitrarily canceled with 30 days' notice," adding: "This seems grossly unfair."

A Washington lawyer who represented the Haycocks in their dispute with Mobil recalls that dealers turned to Reid after other avenues of redress had been exhausted.

"The Haycocks provided access to Sen. Reid," said Al Alfano, the attorney, who still represents distributor interests. However, Alfano said, Reid's efforts brought no relief to the Haycocks. Although the issue remains a concern for many distributors, he said, the Haycocks lost interest after the mid-1990s.

Nonetheless, Reid cited the same constituent example almost word-for-word in 2002, soon after the land sale, and again in 2003 when he introduced legislation...

Stephanie Miller: making fun of Casper Weinberger who died one day earlier, "He's in Purgatory now...[making fun of him is fair game] because tragedy plus time [equals comedy]." The Stephanie Miller Show - March 20, 2006

Stephanie Miller and Crew with "Weekend At Tammy's", a parody of "Weekend At Bernie's" that made 'fun' of deceased country singer Tammy Wynette, with her children digging her up out of her grave to perform at concerts. The Stephanie Miller Show - January 11, 2007

Mike Malloy: "It's fun to speak ill of the dead", speaking about Enron's Ken Lay.
The Mike Malloy Show - July 5, 2006

Janeane Garofalo: "[Republicans need to have inflicted upon them] some kind of suffering to remind them that they've done something to our consciousness." The Majority Report - May 19, 2006

Al Franken: "There [Strom Thurmond] goes, back to the grave."
The Al Franken Show - November 28, 2006, 40 minutes into the second hour of his program.

Al Franken: "Tom Cruise has been dumped by Paramount. Did Tom Cruise kill JonBenet Ramsey? Because tragedy plus time equals comedy." The Al Franken Show - August 23, 2006, Opening Monologue

Abortion:
- Repeal the Bush restrictions on stem cell research. (Jan 2004)
- Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003)
- Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
- Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record. (Dec 2003) [100% rating from by NARAL, the self-described "nation's leading advocate for privacy and a woman's right to choose. With more than one million members and supporters, NARAL Pro-Choice America is fighting to protect the pro-choice values of freedom and privacy."]

On Budget and Economy:
- Democrats will expand prosperity, GOP will "squander" it. (Aug 2000)
- New economy will thrive on investment and trained workers. (Aug 2000)
- Voted NO on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)

Civil Rights:
- Allow driver's license for immigrants. (Jan 2004)
- Support reparation legislations. (Jan 2004)
- Sunset the Patriot Act. (Nov 2003)
- Voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
- Voted YES on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
- Voted NO on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)
- Voted NO on Amendment to prohibit flag burning. (Dec 1995)
- Increase subsidies for women-owned non-profit business. (Mar 2004)

Crime:
- Invest in rehabilitation, not prisons. (Oct 2003)
- Mandatory prison for gun use; prevention for juveniles. (May 1994)
- Voted NO on repealing federal speed limits. (Jun 1995)
- Voted YES on mandatory prison terms for crimes involving firearms. (May 1994)
- More funding and stricter sentencing for hate crimes. (Apr 2001)

Drugs:
- Apologizes for never having smoked marijuana. (Nov 2003) (Heh, the guy does have a sense of humor, unlike 99.999999% of all other Democrats - Ed.)

Education:
- Voted against school prayer; for condom distribution. (Mar 2000)
- Voted YES on $52M for "21st century community learning centers". (Oct 2005)
- Voted YES on $5B for grants to local educational agencies. (Oct 2005)
- Voted YES on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education. (Mar 2005)
- Voted NO on $75M for abstinence education. (Jul 1996)
- Voted NO on requiring schools to allow voluntary prayer. (Jul 1994)

Energy and Oil:
- 50% Excess Profits Tax on oil companies' undeserved profit. (Oct 2006)
- Accept some American responsibility for global warming. (Nov 2003)
- Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
- Voted NO on drilling ANWR on national security grounds. (Apr 2002)
- Voted NO on terminating CAFE standards within 15 months. (Mar 2002)
- Voted NO on preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling. (Apr 2000)
- Voted YES on ending discussion of CAFE fuel efficiency standards. (Sep 1999)
- Voted NO on defunding renewable and solar energy. (Jun 1999)
- Voted NO on approving a nuclear waste repository. (Apr 1997)
- Voted NO on do not require ethanol in gasoline. (Aug 1994)

Environment:
- Voted YES on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations. (Sep 2005)
- Voted NO on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior. (Jan 2001)
- Voted YES on transportation demo projects. (Mar 1998)
- Voted YES on reducing funds for road-building in National Forests. (Sep 1997)
- Voted YES on requiring EPA risk assessments. (May 1994)

Gun Control:
- Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
- Voted YES on background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
- Voted NO on loosening license & background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
- Voted NO on maintaining current law: guns sold without trigger locks. (Jul 1998)

24: The Movie

Main article: 24: The Movie

Kiefer Sutherland has confirmed that 24: The Movie is in the pipeline, and the show's creators have already started working on the script. It should be noted that the film would be a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day, not an actual 24-hour-long film as this would be financially straining on production and impossible to show in theaters.