RANGEL TO WRANGLE OUT OF 13 VIOLATIONS
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THE WOODWARD REPORT
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THE WOODWARD REPORT
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Charles RangelJudge Strikes Down Key Provisions in Arizona Immigration Law
A day before Arizona’s controversial immigration law was set to be enforced, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton put on hold a provision that required officers to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws.
“The federal government’s ability to enforce its policies and achieve its objectives will be undermined by the state’s enforcement of statutes that interfere with federal law,” Bolton wrote.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said she will appeal the ruling.
Woodward Note: The opinion administered by Bolton, who was appointed by Clinton, is a complete crock. Nothing in the Arizona law differentiates from federal law. It may be in contrast to what the current administration wants to enforce in the future in regards to immigration policy, but as it stands now, anyone who is in the country illegally is subject to deportation. In addition, there is no federal law that precludes law enforcement from determining legal status of an individual who has been lawfully detained. The Arizona law simply mandates that upon arrest or citation the individual’s legal status must be checked. Furthermore, the law in Arizona is not aimed towards hardworking illegals who are employed in labor intensive jobs. This is a law which aims to deport those who are lawbreakers, those who are drug dealers and human traffickers. Now, because of the court’s decision, it is illegal for the police to ask for anyone’s legal status regardless of what crime they are arrested for.
How do you feel knowing that a single judge has nullified the votes of the entire state of Arizona?
Rep. Charles Rangel Charged with 13 Ethics Violations
The bipartisan House Ethics Committee earlier this week charged Rangel, the powerful New York Democrat, with 13 separate ethics violations in a 40-page long "Statement of Alleged Violation."
Rangel, who maintains his innocence and claims that he will be exonerated, will likely serve as a campaigning tool for Republicans in this year’s midterms.
The committee is charging that Rangel violated the letter and spirit of the rules of the House and acted in ways that reflected “discredibility on the House” and that he engaged, among other things, in conduct that:
Violated the solicitation and gift ban
Violated the code of ethics for government service
Violated the House gift rule
Violated U.S. Postal Service laws and Franking Commission regulations
Violated House Office Building Commission’s regulations
Violated the Purpose Law and the Member’s Congressional Handbook
Violated the Ethics in Government Act and House Rule XXVI.
The ethics subcommittee investigating Rep. Charlie Rangel has recommended a reprimand for the Harlem Democrat. A different subcommittee will try Rangel in September and recommend a punishment, which will be voted on by the entire House.
Iran’s President Claims U.S. will Attack Two Middle Eastern Countries in the Next Three Months
So what is new with the spotlight country in the Middle East? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the erratic, yet calculating President of the Islamic Republic claimed this week that the U.S. plans to attack two Middle East countries in the next 3 months. He failed to specify which two but any knowledgeable analyst of the Middle East comes to conclude he means Syria and Lebanon. Why? Hezbollah, headquartered in Lebanon, has armed itself with over 50,000 rockets and has made clear that it is ready for war at any time. Fighting on this scale would immediately bring in Syria, which would in turn invite Iranian intervention in defense of its major Arab clients.
Nevertheless, the claims that the U.S. is going to start a war in the region is far fetched and not supported by any evidence. So what is the Iranian President up to? It seems that Ahmadinejad is using such a statement in a sort of desperation. No longer are the U.S. and Israel the only two nations who might support an attack on Iran. The UAE ambassador recently expressed desire for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and many in the Arab peninsula, such as Saudi Arabia, are beginning to turn against the regime.
WikiLeaks Releases Thousands of Classified Afghan War Documents
On Sunday, the website WikiLeaks made available a database of more than 75,000 secret U.S. military reports, dating from January 2004 to December 2009, from a total of 91,000 it said it had received from an undisclosed source.
The dump of documents is largely meaningless and used by the website WikiLeaks to gain publicity.
The most notable information gathered from the leak is that it confirms suspicions among American officials that Pakistan’s military spy service has been guiding the Afghan insurgency with a hidden hand, while Pakistan simultaneously receives more than $1 billion a year from in aid to help fight the militants.
The White House called the dump of the documents "irresponsible" but White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs claimed no new information was made available by the documents.
July the deadliest month of Afghan war for US
NATO announced Friday that six more U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan, bringing the death toll for July to at least 66 and surpassing the previous month's record as the deadliest for American forces in the nearly 9-year-old war.
A day before Arizona’s controversial immigration law was set to be enforced, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton put on hold a provision that required officers to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws.
“The federal government’s ability to enforce its policies and achieve its objectives will be undermined by the state’s enforcement of statutes that interfere with federal law,” Bolton wrote.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said she will appeal the ruling.
Woodward Note: The opinion administered by Bolton, who was appointed by Clinton, is a complete crock. Nothing in the Arizona law differentiates from federal law. It may be in contrast to what the current administration wants to enforce in the future in regards to immigration policy, but as it stands now, anyone who is in the country illegally is subject to deportation. In addition, there is no federal law that precludes law enforcement from determining legal status of an individual who has been lawfully detained. The Arizona law simply mandates that upon arrest or citation the individual’s legal status must be checked. Furthermore, the law in Arizona is not aimed towards hardworking illegals who are employed in labor intensive jobs. This is a law which aims to deport those who are lawbreakers, those who are drug dealers and human traffickers. Now, because of the court’s decision, it is illegal for the police to ask for anyone’s legal status regardless of what crime they are arrested for.
How do you feel knowing that a single judge has nullified the votes of the entire state of Arizona?
Rep. Charles Rangel Charged with 13 Ethics Violations
The bipartisan House Ethics Committee earlier this week charged Rangel, the powerful New York Democrat, with 13 separate ethics violations in a 40-page long "Statement of Alleged Violation."
Rangel, who maintains his innocence and claims that he will be exonerated, will likely serve as a campaigning tool for Republicans in this year’s midterms.
The committee is charging that Rangel violated the letter and spirit of the rules of the House and acted in ways that reflected “discredibility on the House” and that he engaged, among other things, in conduct that:
Violated the solicitation and gift ban
Violated the code of ethics for government service
Violated the House gift rule
Violated U.S. Postal Service laws and Franking Commission regulations
Violated House Office Building Commission’s regulations
Violated the Purpose Law and the Member’s Congressional Handbook
Violated the Ethics in Government Act and House Rule XXVI.
The ethics subcommittee investigating Rep. Charlie Rangel has recommended a reprimand for the Harlem Democrat. A different subcommittee will try Rangel in September and recommend a punishment, which will be voted on by the entire House.
Iran’s President Claims U.S. will Attack Two Middle Eastern Countries in the Next Three Months
So what is new with the spotlight country in the Middle East? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the erratic, yet calculating President of the Islamic Republic claimed this week that the U.S. plans to attack two Middle East countries in the next 3 months. He failed to specify which two but any knowledgeable analyst of the Middle East comes to conclude he means Syria and Lebanon. Why? Hezbollah, headquartered in Lebanon, has armed itself with over 50,000 rockets and has made clear that it is ready for war at any time. Fighting on this scale would immediately bring in Syria, which would in turn invite Iranian intervention in defense of its major Arab clients.
Nevertheless, the claims that the U.S. is going to start a war in the region is far fetched and not supported by any evidence. So what is the Iranian President up to? It seems that Ahmadinejad is using such a statement in a sort of desperation. No longer are the U.S. and Israel the only two nations who might support an attack on Iran. The UAE ambassador recently expressed desire for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and many in the Arab peninsula, such as Saudi Arabia, are beginning to turn against the regime.
WikiLeaks Releases Thousands of Classified Afghan War Documents
On Sunday, the website WikiLeaks made available a database of more than 75,000 secret U.S. military reports, dating from January 2004 to December 2009, from a total of 91,000 it said it had received from an undisclosed source.
The dump of documents is largely meaningless and used by the website WikiLeaks to gain publicity.
The most notable information gathered from the leak is that it confirms suspicions among American officials that Pakistan’s military spy service has been guiding the Afghan insurgency with a hidden hand, while Pakistan simultaneously receives more than $1 billion a year from in aid to help fight the militants.
The White House called the dump of the documents "irresponsible" but White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs claimed no new information was made available by the documents.
July the deadliest month of Afghan war for US
NATO announced Friday that six more U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan, bringing the death toll for July to at least 66 and surpassing the previous month's record as the deadliest for American forces in the nearly 9-year-old war.
Woodward Note: For many, especially on the progressive side of the spectrum, Iraq has been viewed as the bad war and Afghanistan the good war. Although according to CIA Director Leon Panetta only between 50 and 100 al-Qaeda fighters remain in Afghanistan the war forges on. In the entire seven-year course of the Afghanistan war under Bush, from October 2001 to January 2009, 625 American soldiers were killed. In 19 short months, Obama has nearly doubled that number to 1,189 Americans killed. It is time for Obama and the Joint Chiefs to take responsibility, stop blaming Bush, and develop a better strategy.
Photo By: RD/Leon/Retna
Photo By: RD/Leon/Retna
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