The Stafford Voice

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current events

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Westboro

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Wednesday the Supreme Court overwhelmingly ruled in favor of the controversial Topeka, KS Westboro Church. With the 8-1 ruling, it has echoed across the United States in such a fashion that people are almost as outraged at the Court as they are with the picketing and hateful speech.

This ruling however, probably should have never made it to the Supreme Court. It should have been a cut and dry ruling in favor of Westboro. And, while a super-majority of the American people disagree with that, they do certainly have the right to free speech so long as it is on public property. If it was on private property, this ruling could have swayed the other way.

Justice Samuel Alito, the lone dissenter, said Snyder wanted only to “bury his son in peace.” Instead, Alito said, the protesters “brutally attacked” Matthew Snyder to attract public attention. “Our profound national commitment to free and open debate is not a license for the vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case,” he said.

However, this ruling does fall in line with previous court decisions.

“The bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment,” Roberts said, quoting the flag-burning ruling by liberal icon William J. Brennan Jr., is that the government cannot punish words or ideas “simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.”

If you wish to read the entire Supreme Court ruling on the case, click HERE. (PDF)

Electing Putin in 2012

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In Russia, there is no question who is leading things and that person is Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Having served as President from 2000 through 2008, he certainly knows a thing or two about how Russia operates. And, as elections are fast approaching for 2012, there is a buzz about him throwing his name in the hat. But, there is more to it for Russia than electing Putin.

As he looks to be the more popular choice, it certainly seems an easy win. But, if he were to become elected, things could change. One of those things could be what ex-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has been talking about for nearly a year, a sliding back into Soviet authoritarian ways. Which could severely reverse the growth that Russia has taken advantage of over recent years. In other words, the electing of Putin in 2012 could lead to stagnation both economically and politically.

Political stagnation would be very harmful, as political parties have been calling for change. A change to policy that has been sought after for some time. And, with the possible electing of Putin, it could most definitely bring a Cold-War era type of change that would not be liked by the United States and its European allies.

But, that should come as no surprise with the recent START treaty as it heavily favors Russia and their nuclear weapons systems. Even so much on their side, that Russia announced that they would be seeking a more ‘modern’ military by increasing defense spending. Priced at $650B and a GDP impact that would triple it from 0.5% to 1.5%. This is cause enough to see the direction that Russia is headed.

So, you see, it is more than just the politics that are in play with the future election of Vladimir Putin, it is the global impact that it would play.

Collapsing Qaddafi

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The uprising in Libya is leading to the possibility of the collapse of Qaddafi and his long time reign of power. Like Egypt, the people are pushing for more freedom and human rights. But, there is one thing that differs. Egypt had something that could step in immediately and take over, where Libya has Qaddafi and that’s it.

There is no safety catch in Libya. The military is on the side of Qaddafi, and they demonstrate their allegiance when they follow through with orders to fire upon the people. The actions in Egypt were peaceful in relation to the continuing bloodshed in the streets of Tripoli.

The collapsing of Qaddafi, comes as the squeeze is felt from all sides. There are new sanctions that were handed down from the United Nations. The assets of Qaddafi were frozen, and banks weren’t taking his money so as to keep it safe. There are only a handful of people on his side.

It is certain that he will be removed from power. But, questions remain as to who will step into power when he is removed.

North Korea Threatens South Korea; Again

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Tensions on the Korean Penninsula continue as North Korea offers new threats toward its neighbor to the south, again. And as always, when there is little to no attention being given to Kim Jong-Ill, he puts himself in the spotlight.

Saying that if South Korea continues to hold joint military drills during the next few days with the United States, there would be “merciless counteraction.” This comes as the North accuses South Korean activists of sending balloons with leaflets and DVDs that criticize the communist government.

Certainly, this doesn’t help the idea of unification as the last year of events have kept tensions high.

Wisconsin Passes Anti-Union Bill

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After days of protests by both union and tea party members, Wisconsin voted to pass the bill limiting union rights after nearly three days of debating.

FoxNews reports:

The vote ended three straight days of punishing debate in the Assembly. But the political standoff over the bill — and the monumental protests at the state Capitol against it — appear far from over.

The Assembly’s vote sent the bill on to the Senate, but minority Democrats in that house have fled to Illinois to prevent a vote. No one knows when they will return from hiding. Republicans who control the chamber sent state troopers out looking for them at their homes on Thursday, but they turned up nothing.

“I applaud the Democrats in the Assembly for earnestly debating this bill and urge their counterparts in the state Senate to return to work and do the same,” Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, said in a statement issued moments after the vote.

The plan from Republican Gov. Scott Walker contains a number of provisions he says are designed to fill the state’s $137 million deficit and lay the groundwork for fixing a projected $3.6 billion shortfall in the upcoming 2011-13 budget.

The flashpoint is language that would require public workers to contribute more to their pensions and health insurance and strip them of their right to collectively bargain benefits and work conditions.

Democrats and unions see the measure as an attack on workers’ rights and an attempt to cripple union support for Democrats. Union leaders say they would make pension and health care concessions if they can keep their bargaining rights, but Walker has refused to compromise.

Iranian People Target “Supreme Leader”

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The Iranian people aren’t neccessarily targeting Ahmadinejad, they are wanting to out the “Supreme Leader.” The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself.

The people of Iran are no longer willing to accept Khamenei, and his ruling. They are not just wanting him outed, butare calling for “Death to the Dictator.” Khamenei goes straight to the heart of the Islamic Republic system.

FoxNews reports on what is being said by Iranians:

The Iranian blogosphere is crackling with excitement over the protests. “People are on an incredible high,” said one observer.

Though the protests in Iran Monday were small compared with those that were brutally repressed in 2009, many of the country’s young people feel particularly engaged.

One of those killed in the clashes this week was a 22-year-old student who reportedly had written on his Facebook page before going out to protest, “Almighty God, help me die standing up, rather than lying low in humiliation.” A 26-year-old student also was killed.

According to sources and a friend of the deceased man, there has been enormous pressure by the regime on his family, to the extent that those who want to offer condolences have not been able to visit them.

“If the regime had given a permit for a peaceful demonstration, no one would need to get shot,” wrote Iranian blogger Potkin Azarmehr.

Former Iranian diplomat Mehrdad Khonsari told Fox News, “Call for reform of the system is non-existent. These people want regime change.”

Senate Votes to Extend Patriot Act

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The US Senate has just voted to extend provisions for the Patriot Act, following the House vote from Monday. The vote extends certain provisions for 90 days that were set to expire at the end of February.

FoxNews reports:

In addition to roving wiretaps for multiple electronic devices, the provisions deal with court-approved access to business records and surveillance of non-U.S. “lone wolf” suspects without known ties to terrorist groups. Senate Democrats are working on a multi-year extension plan that tightens oversight of the measures.

Is Bahrain the Next to Fall?

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There are protests being held in the streets of Bahrain, leaving some with the unanswered question if Bahrain will be the next to fall. It only took 18 days to topple the 30 year long regime of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, while the demonstrations pushed for more freedom and democracy.

As it seems, the dominoes are lined up and waiting to fall. Some, however, have already have either fallen or are in the process. Much like the scheduled protests in Yemen and Iran, the people are starting to realize that the regimes are in it for themselves only. Collecting all they can, and oppressing the people is what they are all about.

So, what are they demanding in the streets of Bahrain?

  • Many Bahraini Shi’ites say they face discrimination in housing, healthcare and access to government jobs, a charge the government denies. Discontent has been expressed in on-and-off unrest since the mid-1990s.
  • The introduction of a new constitution and parliamentary elections a decade ago helped quell the Shi’ite unrest, but tensions have risen again in recent years as Shi’ites have been disappointed with the assembly’s limited clout.
  • The main Shi’ite opposition group, Wefaq, won all 18 seats it contested in parliamentary elections in October, out of a total of 40. It competes with Sunni Islamist groups and the secular group Waad in parliament.
  • The Shi’ite majority want the government to stop granting Sunnis from outside Bahrain citizenship and jobs in the armed forces and national security services to try to change the demographic balance.

Patriot Act Extended by House of Representatives

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The vote to extend the Patriot Act failed last week, but sailed to an easy vote Monday night with a vote of 275 – 144.

FoxNews report:

Last week’s vote surprised many lawmakers, with some not even aware the House was considering it under special, expedited rules.

“Clearly we wanted to see the bill passed,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) when asked to defend his method of summoning the Patriot Act renewal to the floor last week.

Lawmakers crafted the Patriot Act in response to the September 11th attacks.

The Patriot Act extensions deal with special “roving” wiretaps, which allow law enforcement officials to use one search warrant to monitor a suspect’s calls, even if he or she skips from phone to phone. Traditional search warrants only apply to a single telephone line. The bill also grants anti-terrorism officials the authority to search library records.

Thousands Protest in Algeria

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On the eve of the step down of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, thousands of Algerians take to the streets in protest. While they are not calling for the removal of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, they are however chanting for reform.

Algerian protests

FoxNews report:

Thousands of people defied a government ban on demonstrations and poured into the Algerian capital for a pro-democracy rally Saturday, a day after weeks of mass protests toppled Egypt’s authoritarian leader.

Some 10,000 people flooded into downtown Algiers, organizers estimated, where they skirmished with riot police attempting to block off streets and disperse the crowd. Some arrests were reported.

Protesters chanted slogans including “No to the police state” and “Bouteflika out,” a reference to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been in power in this sprawling North African nation since 1999.

WSJ report:

Algerian protests first flared last month, inspired in part by the demonstrations taking place in next-door Tunisia. But in Algeria, anger over a sudden increase in food prices–enacted by the government as part of what it had billed as economic reforms–was also a big trigger.

Since then, Algeria worked to reverse those hikes. In subsequent weeks, as revolts in Tunisia and Egypt inspired other Arab protesters to demand political reform, Algerian opposition leaders have made similar demands. Last week, Algerian authorities vowed to lift a state of emergency that’s been in place since 1992, one demand of political reformers. Opposition leaders have said they aren’t seeking the immediate overthrow of longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.