Orders student's claim against speech limits reinstated
A federal court reinstated a lawsuit that claims a school district adopted a policy restricting free speech in order to appease a homosexual-rights agenda endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The case involves student Timothy Morrison, who complained he was barred from expressing his Christian beliefs under a policy adopted by the Boyd County, Ky., school district in an agreement with the ACLU.
The ACLU worked on the school's policies after officials refused to allow students to start a "Gay Straight Alliance" organization. In an agreement to end a lawsuit over the decision, the district adopted a speech code that defined harassment as "the use of language … in such manner as to be commonly understood to convey hatred, contempt, or prejudice or to have the effect of insulting or stigmatizing an individual," and prescribing punishment for such actions.  The speech code, however, triggered a lawsuit by the Alliance Defense Fund on behalf of Morrison, who feared punishment if he expressed his Christian-based disapproval of homosexuality.
The case had been dismissed at the district court level but was reinstated by a panel from 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
"We hold that ...   more »

Gov. Spitzer, DMV all targeted for 'sanctioning' illicit behavior 
The state of New York is now being sued over its new policy to provide driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
A lawsuit was filed by the public-interest watchdog group Judicial Watch on behalf of a New York taxpayer, with defendants including Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner David Swartz and the New York State DMV.
According to New York State law, with respect to driver licenses, the DMV Commissioner "shall require that the applicant provide his or her social security number."
Under the new DMV policy, however, applicants will not have to provide a Social Security number to receive a driver's license. They must only provide a foreign passport and some secondary form of identification, such as a lease or a copy of parole papers.
"Eliot Spitzer wants to use his public office to sanction illegal behavior and put all of us at risk through his plan to give driver licenses to illegal aliens," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch. "If Governor Spitzer wants to change the rules, he has to follow the rules – which means going through the New York State Legislature and otherwise following New ...   more »

'This really is like Russian roulette. Spin the chamber and take your shot'
Pfc. Leif Hamre
A U.S. soldier in Iraq is being punished for refusing an anthrax vaccine that has a questionable safety record and apparently will be drummed out of the service.
But such punishments may be of no avail to the military; the word already is out in a government report that up to an estimated 44,000 service members could end up with "severe adverse events (including) disability or death" from such mandatory medicines.
The recent case involves Pfc. Leif Hamre, 22, who reports he's been subjected to threats and intimidation after refusing to take the controversial anthrax vaccine and was given a variety of punishments, including 18-hour work days.
Hamre reports he was given an ultimatum in June to take the vaccine or be punished but couldn't accept the medication, especially after he discovered the military wasn't even handling the vaccines under the rules for storing it at the correct temperature.
In an open letter to friends and family members, he said, "The tactics they have used to coerce me into taking the shot are unregulated, unscrupulous and downright un-American."
He reported he then was given ...   more »

Halloween comes and goes for most of us. But for members of Wicca--one of the fastest growing religions in the world--the season of Samhain is a magic time.
The Halloween Sabbat (celebration) concludes for Wiccans on November 1 with the final turn of the year-wheel. Mother Earth nods a sad farewell to the god who will be reborn at Yule (December 20), and the life cycle begins again. This is a time to honor the Earth Mother, remember the Ancients, and revere the Horned god of the Hunt.
According to the Celtic Almanac, the Wiccan year begins following Halloween. The seasonal scenario that follows is reminiscent of the earth goddess and dying-god cults of ancient civilizations.
* Yule is on December 20 and celebrates the goddess giving birth to the Sun god.
* The next season is Imbolc and marks the recovery of the goddess after giving birth to the god.
* The Spring Equinox (Ostara) marks the first day of Spring. The goddess awakes as the days grow longer and the light overtakes the darkness. The goddess fills the earth with fertility.
* Beltane celebrates the transformation of the boy god into manhood. He is filled with lust for ...   more »

A majority of likely voters - 52 percent - would support a U.S. military strike to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, and 53 percent believe it is likely that the U.S. will be involved in a military strike against Iran before the next presidential election, a new Zogby America telephone poll shows.
The survey results come at a time of increasing U.S. scrutiny of Iran. According to reports from the Associated Press, earlier this month Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran of "lying" about the aim of its nuclear program and Vice President Dick Cheney has raised the prospect of "serious consequences" if the U.S. were to discover Iran was attempting to devolop a nuclear weapon. Last week, the Bush administration also announced new sanctions against Iran.
Democrats (63 percent) are most likely to believe a U.S. military strike against Iran could take place in the relatively near future, but independents (51 percent) and Republicans (44 percent) are less likely to agree. Republicans, however, are much more likely to be supportive of a strike (71 percent), than Democrats (41 percent) or independents (44 percent). Younger likely voters are more likely than those who are older to say ...   more »