Sen. Coburn R-OK: “Let Them Eat Cake”

Gov. Paterson Statement on Dr. Tiller Murder

From the BNO Newsroom.

WICHITA, Kansas (BNO NEWS) — New York Governor David Paterson issued the following statement on the murder of Dr. George Tiller on Sunday.

“I was deeply saddened to learn that Dr. George Tiller, a well-known provider of and advocate for women’s health care, was gunned down this morning at his church in Wichita, Kansas. With his murder, we are robbed not only of a dedicated and courageous physician, but also of a husband, father and neighbor. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Dr. Tiller’s family, friends and community. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

“Dr. Tiller was targeted for his belief in the right of women to make their own health decisions. He protected that right and sought to ensure that his patients were provided with the medical, emotional and spiritual counsel they needed to make the right choice for themselves and their families. He continued this work despite the threat of harmful retaliation, physical attacks and the destruction of his clinic. We will forever remember his fearlessness, compassion and commitment.

“We in New York are no strangers to these types of attacks and cannot help but to recall Dr. Barnett Slepian, a Buffalo physician murdered in October 1998 for his own commitment to women’s rights. In this era of violence, we must recall the teachings of tolerance and peace and use these lessons to overcome such acts of hatred and desperation.”

4th Dept App Div Declares Canadian Gay Marriage Valid for Benefits in New York

Patricia Martinez v. County of Monroe, 1562 CA 06-02591 (43-05)

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“[A]bsent any New York statute expressing clearly the Legislature’s intent to regulate within this State marriages of its domiciliaries solemnized abroad, there is no positive law in this jurisdiction” to prohibit recognition of a marriage that would have been invalid if solemnized in New York (May, 305 NY at 493 [internal quotation marks omitted]; see also Van Voorhis, 86 NY at 37). The Legislature has not enacted legislation to prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages validly entered into outside of New York, and we thus conclude that the positive law exception to the general rule of foreign marriage recognition is not applicable in this case.

The natural law exception also is not applicable. That exception has generally been limited to marriages involving polygamy or incest or marriages “offensive to the public sense of morality to a degree regarded generally with abhorrence” (May, 305 NY at 493), and that cannot be said here.

Defendants nevertheless contend that recognition of plaintiff’s same-sex marriage is contrary to the public policy of New York, as articulated by the Court of Appeals in Hernandez v Robles (7 NY3d 338), and thus falls within an exception to the rule requiring recognition of valid foreign marriages. We reject that contention. Hernandez does not articulate the public policy for which it is cited by defendants, but instead holds merely that the New York State Constitution does not compel recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized in New York (see id. at 356). The Court of Appeals noted that the Legislature may enact legislation recognizing same-sex marriages (see id. at 358-359) and, in our view, the Court of Appeals thereby indicated that the recognition of plaintiff’s marriage is not against the public policy of New York. It is also worth noting that, unlike the overwhelming majority of states, New York has not chosen, pursuant to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (28 USC § 1738C), to enact legislation denying full faith and credit to same-sex marriages validly solemnized in another state.

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Background from Jurist:

In June, the New York State Assembly passed a bill [A08590 materials; JURIST report] to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill, proposed by New York Governor Eliot Spitzer [official website] and sponsored[press release] by Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell [official website], was defeated by the Republican controlled Senate and returned to the Assembly last month. The New York Times has more. The Democrat and Chronicle has additional coverage. 

Life for the Elderly in Bush’s America

This piece on Maine from the NYTIMES on how badly off many of our elderly are this winter, makes one wonder where are the two Republican US Senators, who vote with Bush on so many issues?Can’t they exert any influence on their “compassionate conservative” leader?

Faux News Hypocrisy

Republican Culture of Corruption: 2007 So Far

With thanks to:http://www.democrats.com/republican-scandals-2007When Republicans were swept out of power in 2006, they blamed the Mark Foley scandal for their losses and declared an end to Republican scandals.So how’s that working out?Here’s a list of Republicans scandals through August 2007. The Republican ”culture of corruption” is worse than ever!Keep this list handy and send it to any Republicans you know who think their party’s scandals are behind them. Source–Senate Guru 2008:http://tinyurl.com/2jwnfj

 

 

[Cross-posted at my DKos diary.]Does it seem like there’s a new Republican scandal in the news every single week? Well, that may be because there is:January 23, 2007: Republican radio personality Scott Eller Cortelyou of Denver arrested on suspicion of using the Internet to lure a child into a sexual relationshipJanuary 29, 2007: Republican former Jefferson County, Colorado, Treasurer Mark Paschall indicted on two felony charges “in connection with an allegation that Paschall solicited a kickback from a bonus he awarded one of his employees”January 31, 2007: Republican Congressman Gary Miller is named by Republicans as ranking member of oversight subcommittee of House Financial Services Committee despite the FBI’s investigation into his land dealsFebruary 14, 2007: Major Republican fundraiser Brent Wilkes and former CIA executive director Kyle “Dusty” Foggo are indicted by a grandy jury for corrupting CIA contractsFebruary 16, 2007: Major Republican donor Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, aka Michael Mixon, is indicted in federal court on charges of providing material support to terroristsMarch 5, 2007: Ethics complaint filed against Republican Senator Pete Domenici for his role in the Attorney Purge scandalMarch 6, 2007: I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney found guilty of obstruction of justice and perjuryMarch 8, 2007: Republican former U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich admits to extramarital affairMarch 23, 2007: Former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles, an oil and gas lobbyist who became an architect of George W. Bush’s energy policies, pleads guilty to obstructing justice by lying to a Senate committeeMarch 27, 2007: Criminal charges filed against Republican Pennsylvania State Senator Robert Regola in connection with the death of a teenage neighbor who was shot with the senator’s gun; he is accused of three counts of perjury, allowing possession of a firearm by a minor, recklessly endangering another person and false swearingMarch 27, 2007: Ronald Reagan’s budget director, David Stockman, “indicted on charges of defrauding investors and banks of $1.6 billion while chairman of Collins & Aikman Corp., an auto parts maker that collapsed days after he quit”March 28, 2007: Robert Vellanoweth, a Republican activist and appointee of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and felony driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, after a crash that killed three adults and one childApril 18, 2007: The FBI raids the home of Republican Congressman John Doolittle, investigating his ties to Jack AbramoffApril 19, 2007: The FBI raids a business tied to the family of Republican Congressman Rick Renzi, as part of an investigation into his business dealingsApril 23, 2007: The FBI questions Republican Congressman Tom Feeney about his dealings with Jack AbramoffApril 23, 2007: Federal auditors find repeat violations of federal election law from the 2004 Senate campaign of Republican Senator Mel MartinezApril 26, 2007: David Huckabee, son of Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, is arrested at an Arkansas airport after a federal X-ray technician detected a loaded gun in his carry-on luggageMay 4, 2007: Bruce Weyhrauch and Pete Kott, former Alaska state Republican legislators, were arrested and accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from the corrupt VECO CorporationMay 4, 2007: Republican state Assemblyman Michael Cole is censured and stripped of his leadership position after the married father of two spent the night at a 21-year-old intern’s apartmentMay 11, 2007: A field coordinator for Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry is indicted for voter fraud in North CarolinaMay 12, 2007: NBC News breaks the story that the FBI is investigating Republican Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons for suspicion of accepting bribes in exchange for securing government contractsMay 15, 2007: Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy is arrested for drunk driving (he pled no contest on June 1, but didn’t publicly disclose the event until June 11)May 18, 2007: Republican former South Dakota State Representative Ted Klaudt is charged with eight counts of second-degree rape, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of sexual contact with a child younger than 16, two counts of witness tampering and one count of stalking against two foster children in his careMay 21, 2007: Republican state Senate candidate Mark Tate is indicted on nine counts of perjury and two counts of election fraud by a grand juryJune 11, 2007: Republican Senator Larry Craig is arrested for lewd conduct in the men’s bathroom of an airportJune 19, 2007: South Carolina Republican state Treasurer and South Carolina Chairman of Giuliani for President Thomas Ravenel is indicted by a grand jury on cocaine distribution chargesJuly 2, 2007: President George W. Bush commutes the sentence of former Cheney Chief of Staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby following Libby’s conviction on obstruction of justice and perjuryJuly 3, 2007: A grand jury report declares that the sale of public land to Republican Congressman Ken Calvert and his business partners violated the lawJuly 11, 2007: Republican state Representative and Florida co-Chairman of McCain for President Bob Allen is arrested for soliciting a male undercover police officer, offering to pay $20 to perform oral sexJuly 16, 2007: Republican Senator David Vitter holds press conference acknowledging being on the D.C. Madam’s list and past involvement with prostitutesJuly 16, 2007: Story breaks that Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was involved in a sweetheart real estate dealJuly 19: Republican former state legislator Coy Privette is charged with six counts of aiding and abetting prostitution July 24, 2007: Michael Flory, former head of the Michigan Federation of Young Republicans, pleads guilty to sexual abuseJuly 26, 2007: Media report that Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski will sell back land purchased in a sweetheart deal, following close scrutiny of the shady transactionJuly 29, 2007: Glenn Murphy Jr., recently-elected Chairman of the Young Republican National Federation, is accused of sexually assaulting a sleeping manJuly 30, 2007: The FBI and IRS raid the home of Republican Senator Ted Stevens following investigations into Stevens’ dealings with the corrupt VECO CorporationAugust 2, 2007: Bush administration senior adviser Karl Rove disregards a Congressional subpoena and refuses to testify before the Senate Judiciary CommitteeAugust 6, 2007: Investigation called for after House Republican Leader John Boehner leaked classified information regarding a secret court ruling over warrantless wiretappingAugust 8, 2007: Republican Senator Larry Craig pleads guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct following his June 11 arrestAugust 9, 2007: Major Republican donor Alan Fabian is charged with 23 counts of bankruptcy fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and perjuryAugust 15, 2007: Republican state House candidate Angelo Cappelli is arrested for perjury and grand theftAugust 22, 2007: Republican political consultant Roger Stone resigns his role with the New York state Senate Republicans after reports surfaced that he made a “threatening, obscenity-laced” phone call to the 83-year-old father of Governor Eliot SpitzerAugust 27, 2007: Story breaks that Republican Senator Larry Craig was arrested and pled guilty – he had not publicly disclosed the events to that pointThat seems like an awful lot of corruption, scandal, hypocrisy, impropriety, and jail-worthy crime, huh? A lot of corruption. One might say an entire Culture of Corruption.

 

 

FINDLAW Reports Craig to Resign

“Tell me Something I don’t Know?”"Tweetie, I haven’t got enough time…there isn’t enough time, you are so clueless; but here’s something from FINDLAW’s top reporters’ notebooks.” Senator To Step Down Following Criminal Guilty Plea ControversyREPORT: IDAHO G.O.P. SENATOR LARRY CRAIG TO RESIGN(Friday, Aug. 31, 2007) – Republican officials in Idaho allege that Idaho Senator Larry Craig will resign tomorrow, September 1, 2007. The move follows the controversy over Craig’s guilty plea for disorderly conduct after being arrested in a sex-sting at a Minnesota airport men’s room. Read more…Related Resources• Senator Craig’s Guilty Plea (Minn. v. Craig)• Criminal Charges• Craig’s duet with Paul Shaffer, singing “I can dodge the press!”• FindLaw’s Criminal Law Center

Republican Senator Craig-Idaho-Arrested in Public Restroom

What is it about public restrooms and Republican “social conservatives”?  Craig was/is Romney’s guy in the western region.  I wonder how this will go over with all those evangelicals Romney has been sucking up to? 

 

Roll Call, citing the report, said Sgt. Dave Karsnia made the arrest after an encounter in which he was seated in a stall next to a stall occupied by Craig. Karsnia described Craig tapping his foot, which Karsnia said he “recognized as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct.”

 

 

Roll Call quoted the Aug. 8 police report as saying that Craig had handed the arresting officer a business card that identified him as a member of the Senate.“What do you think about that?” Craig is alleged to have said, according to the report.Last fall, Craig called allegations from a gay-rights activist that he’s had homosexual relationships “completely ridiculous.”Mike Rogers, who bills himself as a gay activist blogger, published the allegations on his Web site, http://www.blogactive.com, in October 2006.

 

Read the entire article here