The discussion about the Hamdan case continutes

On Thursday, June 29, the US Supreme Court ruled on the case of Hamdan v.Rumsfeld, a case in which a foreigner accused of being Osama bin Laden's driver and bodyguard was to be tried by the Bush adminstration through the process of military tribunal. Since OCngress first convened in 2001 to initiate responses to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, the Bush administration has undergone a strategic plan of NOT asking for a declaration of "War", which is required for the President to use US troops. Since no was was declared, thought the Bush people, all enemies apprehended would not be held as "Prisoners of War" under the Geneva Conventions, but instead as "Enemy Combatants". Regardless of the Conventions, the CONSTITUTION is clear: either declare War or don't use the troops, and don't hold the prisoners under military rule. The Hamdan case was decided in such a manner as to tell Bush that Hamdan was to be tried under civil statutes, not military ones, but the Hamdan ruling did not go far enough. The justices should have EXPLICITLy stated that the military operation in Iraq was unconstitutional. We have a set of rules for the operation of this nation, and neither Congress nor the White House nor the Supreme Court.

Many thanks to Mr. Lewis.

For more information, go to www.cei.org and read this: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1194410.php

On Monday, June 26, the Supreme Court took on the case of "Massachusetts v US Environmental Protection Agency".

At question in the case is whether or not the EPA can regulate CO2 emissions as it regulates emissions termed "pollutants". For more details, see this excellent piece in the Orange County Register:
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1194410.php

You may also want to listen to this conversation between Gardner Goldsmith and Marlo Lewis, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (www.CEI.org). Marlo is one of the most outstanding individuals on the subject of environmental policy, and he has much to say!

Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media

Following the controversial revelation by the NYT that the Bush Administration was gathering data on financial transactions (by the thousands per day), NY Republican Peter King decided to hop onto his soapbox to tell viewers of Fox News that he wants the editors and reporters prosecuted for "Treason". This is, of course, because we are at "War".

Mr. King ought to be careful of how he uses the language. Some of us still remember the real meaning of words, and the words of the Founders.

Check out Free Talk Live every night, at www.freetalklive.com...

It's time to offer the BAD ATTITUDE Award for excellence in being closed-minded.

Thank you VERY much, Andru. Gard anticipated your appearance on "Against the Grain", and he was not disappointed.

A Conspiracy First! Andru Volinski, the lead attorney behind the lawsuits that have wrought havoc in NH for over a decade, that have pitted town against town in a never-ending cycle of large-scale plunder and redistribution of wealth, hung up the phone on Gardner Goldsmith Friday, June 24.

The subject was whether the government can define what is an "adequate" education, and whether adequacy is, by its nature, a subjective term.

Andru was... reluctant to address the reality of it. (Smile)

Can we get the suit Extra Crunchy, please?

http://www.cspinet.org/new/200606121.html

Keying off a theory of Bill Fletcher, Gardner Goldsmith explained his difference of opinion that people who emigrate to the US do so because US foreign policy has caused strife in their nations. In most of the nations which have seen massive exoduses of their populations, the presence of US military came after the establishment of tyrranical regimes that spurred people to flee. Trung Doan, a friend of Gard's in college, was one such man. His story is remarkable and instructive.

Bloody Foreigners

Concluding our conversation with Mr. Fletcher, formerly of Tran Africa and the AFLCIO.

The issue of immigration bubbles under the surface, as Congressmen and Senators find it impossible to agree on a new "immigration reform" bill.

While the politicians may think people are not watching them closely, such a view would be sadly mistaken. Bill Fletcher and Gardner Goldsmith discussed the view of the pro-union, "progressive" side in this debate. This is part one of two of this fascinating conversation.

For more information, see this story:

http://www.fee.org/publications/the-freeman/article.asp?aid=4634

On June 19, 2006, the US Supreme Court upheld (5-4) the Clean Water Act, and the power it grants to the federal government to regulate private property, even when it the use of said property poses no direct threat to any constitutionally protected right of a US citizen.

The case was called "Rapanos v United States", and most conspirators will note that most cases in which anyone is in the position of "'Your Name Here' v United States" are likely to be found in favor of the US.

This segment of "Against the Grain" covers the decision, and what is at stake.

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/

According to Ron Suskind, author of the new book "The One Percent Doctrine", al Queda had plans to attack the NYC tube system with cyanide gas. The plan was thwarted, not by the Homeland Security Department, and the millions they take from us in tax dollars, but because al Zawahiri called it off. It was only discovered by an independent reporter, three years after it happened.

This inspires reasonable people to wonder about the proper role of the federal government in combating homeland terror, and if one were to find a constitutional rationale for federal control of such security matters, to wonder if letting the feds handle so many cities is really feasable.

The Institute for Justice is the premiere free-market, pro-constitution legal organization of its kind. The staff works with great diligence to combat encroachments into our liberties. Most recently, the IJ picked up the case of Zerobrokerfees.com, a Massachusetts internet company that lists photos of peoples' homes for sale. The company is being accused of breaking the NH real estate licensing laws, and the IJ is going to take on the NH attorney general and Real Estate Commission on First Amendment grounds.

The economics of backward thinking, thanks to the AMA.

On Wednesday, June 14, Iain Murray, of the Competiteive Enterprise Institute, joined Gardner Goldsmith to discuss the move by the AMA to tax soda.

There have been may such "small" things pro-government activists have tried to do to make others change their peaceful behavior. They smack of elitism and arrogance.

Gardner Goldsmith joined his audience in seeing the absurdity of the "soda tax".

On Tuesday, June 13, the AMA announced that it would soon vote on adopting a policy to work for a 1 Cent per can (what size can?) tax on sweet sodas.

"Against the Grain" welcomed Iain Murray, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (www.CEI.org), to discuss the implicaitons of this possibility, and the philosophy behind it. This segment introduces the topic.