The Fact-Free Gun-Control Crusade

The Fact-Free Gun-Control Crusade | National Review Online:
"Amid all the heated, emotional advocacy of gun control, have you ever heard even one person present convincing hard evidence that tighter gun-control laws have in fact reduced murders?"

EEOC Probes Employer Use of Criminal Background Checks

EEOC Probes Employer Use of Criminal Background Checks - Executive Branch Project

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to recent news reports, is making a particular effort to restrict allegedly discriminatory use by employers of criminal background checks. Because African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to be arrested or convicted of crimes than members of other racial and ethnic groups, the EEOC’s thinking goes, an employer policy that excludes job applicants based on past arrests or convictions will have a disparate impact on African-Americans and Hispanics and, if not job-related and justified by business necessity, may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In April 2012, the EEOC issued a new Enforcement Guidance regarding such employer criminal background checks.  Some civil rights advocacy groups praised the document, stating that it willhelp “remove unfair barriers for people who have moved beyond their pasts” and discourage employers from discriminating against employees who have paid their debt to society.”

But critics raised both substantive and procedural concerns about the new guidance. Substantively, critics noted that the new policy does not do enough to make clear in what circumstances an employer may use a background check; it notably contains no “safe harbors” and may chill some lawful use of checks. The Guidance was also criticized for claiming to pre-empt state laws requiring some types of employers to conduct criminal background checks, placing firms in  “a damned if you check, damned if you don’t” bind. Because the Guidance may encourage employers to change their hiring procedures to benefit one racial group, it may also violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Some social science research also suggests that use of criminal background checks may actually lead to increased hiring of African-Americans. Employers barred from checking criminal histories may be inclined to wrongfully use race as a proxy for criminal history. (Disclosure: I work at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for Gail Heriot, one of the signatories to this letter. But the views expressed in this blog post are my own and not necessarily those of the Commission on Civil Rights or Gail Heriot.)

Procedurally, the EEOC voted for the Guidance without giving the public opportunity to comment on a draft, arguably getting full in terrorem effect while bypassing all procedural safeguards. Constance Barker, the only member of the EEOC who did not vote in favor of the new Guidance,discussed other procedural issues at some length in her dissent.

The EEOC appears committed to rigorous enforcement of the new Guidance. At a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, EEOC member Victoria Lipnic emphasized the EEOC’s commitment to pursuing these cases, noting that “Criminal background checks are ripe for the picking.”

Although the EEOC does not ordinarily make investigations public until a case has been filed,  news stories about recent targets of EEOC investigation suggest that the agency is  setting a fairly high bar for “business necessity.” Such investigations include a probe into the use of checks at  a company that provides security services, and also an unnamed firearms retailer, although the employer believes that federal law requires him as a federal firearms licensee to conduct such checks.

Eric Holder's family papers over his ties to abortion doctor

Eric Holder's family papers over his ties to abortion doctor - Conservative News:
"Eric Holder Jr.’s family is moving fast and furiously to bury the U.S. Attorney General’s ties to one of Georgia’s most notorious abortion doctors.
Just cleared by an internal report in the “Fast and Furious” gunrunning debacle, the nation’s top lawman now faces allegations that his connection to Dr. Tyrone Cecil Malloy is a conflict of interest that helps explain Holder’s failure to prosecute abortion providers who run afoul of federal law.
Critics say it may also explain why Holder has been eager to prosecute pro-life advocates who counsel women outside abortion clinics.
Documents obtained by Watchdog show that Holder’s wife and sister-in-law co-own, through a family trust, the building where Malloy operated.
A Georgia grand jury indicted Malloy on Medicaid fraud charges in 2011.
A state medical board twice reprimanded the doctor."

DNR stocks Red Cedar River on Michigan State campus with 3,000 steelhead trout

DNR stocks Red Cedar River on Michigan State campus with 3,000 steelhead trout | MLive.com:
"Scott Hanshue, fisheries management biologist for the DNR, said his agency took 3,000 steelhead with which it usually stocks the Grand River in Lansing and put them in the Red Cedar River.
The steelhead will reproduce and multiply, improving fisheries in the Red Cedar River at MSU, he said."

Opponents dominate public hearing on White River Township dune driveway proposal

Opponents dominate public hearing on White River Township dune driveway proposal | MLive.com:
"A generally respectful, polite tone deteriorated a bit in the last half-hour, when the DEQ officials present opened it up to questions from the public.
Some in the audience didn’t like being told the DEQ was considering the proposed project to be a driveway.
One of the opponents’ claims is that it’s really a road falsely characterized as a driveway, which is more difficult for the DEQ to reject under new rules.
Others considered the fact that the DEQ will discuss the public comments with the applicants, possibly leading to revisions in the application based on the complaints, to be what one called an “inside process” without further public input."

Congress Quietly Repeals Congressional Insider Trading Ban

Congress Quietly Repeals Congressional Insider Trading Ban · NYU Local:
"While Congress might be stuck in a deadlock on just about every issue imaginable, there’s one piece of legislation that both Democrats and Republicans hate unanimously: the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, a law passed last year designed to prevent insider trading among lawmakers and government officials by requiring them to post disclosures of their financial transactions online.
Both parties and both houses of Congress hated the disclosure portion of the law so much that it was repealed on Friday without debate—the measure was sent to the president by unanimous consent.
The ordeal took about 10 seconds in the Senate and 14 seconds in the House, according to official records."

Margaret Thatcher funeral: President Obama won't send envoy - and leaves it to her old allies from Reagan era

Margaret Thatcher funeral: President Obama won't send envoy - and leaves it to her old allies from Reagan era | Mail Online:
"Sir Gerald Howarth, chairman of the Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward group of MPs and peers, said: 'The bonds forged between the UK and the US through Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher was instrumental in ending the Cold War and liberating millions of people.
'That the present administration feels unable to be represented as the world marks the extraordinary contribution Margaret Thatcher made will be a source of disappointment to those who served with her in that great endeavour.'"
"That's fine. One only wants friends at such occasions.
"If you set out to be liked, you would be
prepared to compromise on anything at any time."

Report: No top-down oversight for state travel

MLive.com: The Wire

Report: No top-down oversight for state travel

April 14, 2013, 1:50 p.m. EDT

Lansing State Journal

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state of Michigan spends at least $40 million a year for employees' travel, but there are inconsistencies in reporting and no high-level oversight, a newspaper investigation found.

The Lansing State Journal reported (http://on.lsj.com/ZiQCHX) Sunday that nobody in state government is responsible for analyzing actual costs incurred by departments for employees' work-related travel expenses. Each agency or department handles its own expenses.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's spokeswoman Sara Wurfel says they "do a solid job of monitoring travel" and are "well-equipped to make decisions" about their needs.

"We have communicated clear standards, along with the guiding principle of fiscal responsibility," Wurfel said.

The newspaper reported the $40.5 million the state spent last year for such travel is an "inconclusive, minimum figure." Although that's about one-tenth of 1 percent of the state's $48.2 billion budget, it represents enough money to cover the operations of some smaller departments and the auditor general's office has not conducted an independent review of statewide travel costs.

The newspaper also found that the State Budget Office, a division of the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, doesn't keep some of the out-of-state travel reports it's required to receive for more than a few months. They aren't reviewed by the budget office or by the state's legislative appropriations committees, which also get them as required by law.

In one instance, total travel costs listed online for fiscal year 2012 did not match a report submitted to legislators. The state attorney general's office reported it spent about $356,000 on travel but the office's website reported about $655,000.

Attorney general spokeswoman Joy Yearout said the difference comes from which costs are reported as travel expenses. The office didn't include state-owned vehicle usage in its legislative report because workers don't receive money back for that.

The newspaper found discrepancies among other departments related to how various expenses are reported.

Tip Line: Did Your Editor Spike Kermit Gosnell Coverage? Report It Here Anonymously

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread:
"Reply 26 - Posted by: angelesgift, 4/14/2013 11:07:05 AM     (No. 9274812)
This is not being covered both because of the obsession with "choice" and because this occurred in a Black neighborhood.
Can you imagine this continuing for so long in a White neighborhood, no matter how poor?
Poor Blacks have been treated as a Useful Idiot voting bloc for so long, the Dems have nothing but contempt for them.
They get the welfare pittance to buy their vote and if they need to kill a baby or three to feed the rest, who cares?
So, heaven knows, liberals don´t want this murder/abortion mill exposed.
But we´re the racist ones for exposing this and telling Black people that they are NOT children or idiots and can learn to take care of themselves."

7th Circuit OKs $25K student-loan discharge for 'destitute' paralegal

7th Circuit OKs $25K student-loan discharge for 'destitute' paralegal - ABA Journal:
"A "destitute" paralegal who has made reasonable efforts to repay her student loan debt is entitled to a bankruptcy discharge of the remaining $25,000 or so despite the fact that she never enrolled in a federal income-contingent repayment plan, a federal appeals court has ruled."

Journalists should wake to Obama’s free speech record.

Journalists should wake to Obama’s free speech record. 
Goodale points to the administration’s use of the 1917 Espionage Act to sedate American journalism.
“The biggest challenge to the press today is the threatened prosecution of WikiLeaks, and it’s absolutely frightening,” he said.
During Obama’s two terms, the Espionage Act has been used to prosecute more alleged leakers than all former presidential offices combined.
Goodale said journalists don’t seem to consider this much of a problem.
“They don’t believe it,” he told CJR.
“I actually have talked to two investigative reporters who are household names, and I said,
‘Do you realize what’s happening to you if this goes forward?’
And I talk, I get no response, and the subject shifts to other parts of the book.
No one seems to care.”
Meanwhile, nobody believes that a YouTube video was behind Benghazi, but filmmaker Nakoula is still in jail."

Why Aren’t More People Repelled by the Left?

Why Aren’t More People Repelled by the Left? | Power Line:
WHY AREN’T MORE PEOPLE REPELLED BY THE LEFT?

Here is something I don’t understand: liberals are often revealed as vile, vulgar hatemongers–not all of them, of course, but far too many–yet they never seem to pay a penalty at the polls. Why is that?

Margaret Thatcher’s death has been the latest occasion for the Left to show its true stripes. All across the U.K., there have been demonstrations–vulgar at best, and violent at worst. In Bristol, lefties celebrating a Thatcher “death street party” started fires, destroyed property and battled police:

This evening in Trafalgar Square, liberals have turned out for a long-planned celebration of Thatcher’s death:

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Richard Watson, a 45-year-old from eastern England wearing a party hat, said. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”

As a huge effigy of Thatcher, with a hook-nosed and toting a handbag, made its way down the stairs in front of the National Gallery, the crowd erupted into cries of “Maggie! Maggie! Maggie! Dead! Dead! Dead!” and sang lyrics from the “Wizard of Oz” ditty “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead.”

Here in the U.S., the last similar display from the Left was the Occupy Wall Street movement, but liberal violence and general hatefulness have a long and consistent history. Recall, to take cite just one of many examples, the liberals who attacked buses containing delegates and dropped cement blocks on cars from a highway overpass during the 2008 Republican convention in St. Paul. It is notable that violent leftists are never denounced by Democratic Party politicians. On the contrary, as we have seen most recently with Kathy Boudin, they find them well-paid jobs as professors when they can. And it is not hard to understand why liberals tend to be so angry; nearly every communication that emanates from the Democratic Party is a hateful, over-the-top smear against Republicans.

So to repeat: I don’t get it. Why aren’t more voters repelled by the constant parade of vulgarity, hate and violence that characterizes modern liberalism?

Comprehensive Immigration Reform to include American Right to Work in Mexico?

Comprehensive Immigration Reform to include American Right to Work in Mexico?:

The fact that illegal immigrants in general do not wish to assimilate or learn English, will change the tapestry of our country. 

Eleven million newly amnestied residents and potential Democrat voters will alter our country irreversibly, creating a new power structure, with a single party and no separation of powers. The financial liability will be enormous.

We can accept illegals but they are not accepting us, our culture, our language, they are not coming here to help our culture grow, they behave as entitled occupiers. Illegals swell the numbers of the prison population around the country. 

Gang violence, drug cartel violence and murder are rampant around the southern border.

Illegal aliens are not “undocumented workers,” they have broken the law by crossing our borders without a passport and a visa. We must enforce the rule of law. 

Without the rule of law, whether the law is broken by ordinary citizens or by those in power, we are a lawless country and our civilization will turn into chaos.

The Washington Times reported on May 3, 2010 that illegal immigration is a felony in Mexico, with a punishment of up to two years in prison. 

If an immigrant is deported and is caught re-entering Mexico, the punishment is 10 years in jail. 

Those who violate visas by over-staying, are sentenced to six years in prison. 

Any Mexican aiding or abetting an illegal immigrant is a criminal.

TIP LINE: Did Your Editor Spike Kermit Gosnell Coverage? Report It Here Anonymously

PJ Media » TIP LINE: Did Your Editor Spike Kermit Gosnell Coverage? Report It Here Anonymously:
"In an immoral, unprofessional, bizarre — surely, several other negative descriptors are apt — display of unity, virtually the entire U.S. media industry save for those generally referred to as “conservative outlets” have instituted a blackout of the trial.
Infanticide — the crime that gave even Timothy McVeigh pause — is a left/right issue for your employer?
The media behavior regarding the trial of monster Kermit Gosnell is a turning point: with all of conservative media’s complaints regarding the liberal bias of U.S. media, we never imagined this could happen.
We know there are journalists out there infuriated by their employer’s current behavior: The change must start with you.
We are looking for whistleblowers: if you have any information regarding why your employer is not covering the Gosnell trial, please submit it here. Your anonymity will be protected."

Florida sergeant fired for having Trayvon Martin shooting targets

Florida sergeant fired for having Trayvon Martin shooting targets - CNN.com:
"A Florida police sergeant was fired for possessing several so-called Trayvon Martin shooting targets, authorities said Saturday."

The Aerodynamics Of Nihilism

The Aerodynamics Of Nihilism | Zero Hedge:
"The money pours in each month from America, Europe and Japan and overrides anything and everything else. With pre-payments and calls the estimated amount of money provided by the Fed for the world's monetary supply is approximately $100 billion every month.
It is not just the American banks that are the recipients of the hand-out but the foreign ones who ship it back to Europe or buy European sovereign debt courtesy of Mr. Bernanke.
I suspect that if the American taxpayers were aware of the scheme that the citizens would not be pleased but then what the Fed is doing is not generally part of polite conversation in America and so it is not discussed."

Minimum Wage Increase — A Serious Effort Or Just Rhetoric?

Minimum Wage Increase — A Serious Effort Or Just Rhetoric? [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
“Labor economists estimate that for every 10 percent increase in the minimum wage rate, employment among those affected drops by 5 percent,” Block said."

Coast West Music Festival

Coast West Music Festival:

Tax deadline is approaching: Bring us back to 1913 (or better yet, bring us back to pre-income tax 1912) | AEIdeas

Tax deadline is approaching: Bring us back to 1913 (or better yet, bring us back to pre-income tax 1912) | AEIdeas:
"In its annual report to Congress, the National Taxpayer Advocate estimated that American taxpayers spend 6.1 billion hours a year complying with the income tax code, based on IRS estimates of how much time taxpayers (both individual and businesses) spend collecting data for, and filling out tax forms.
That amount of time spent for income tax compliance would be the equivalent of more than 3 million Americans working full-time, year-round (2.22% of payroll employment).
By way of comparison, the federal government employed 2.78 million full-time workers in 2012, and Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer, currently employs 1.4 million workers in the US (both full-time and part-time)."

Landlord Joe Biden pocketed $26,400 in 2012 renting cottage to the Secret Service

Landlord Joe Biden pocketed $26,400 in 2012 renting cottage to the Secret Service - Washington Times:
"Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, took in $26,400 in 2012 by renting a cottage on the property of their Delaware home to the Secret Service, tax records released by the White House revealed."

WPost reporter explains her personal Gosnell blackout

WPost reporter explains her personal Gosnell blackout

I began by asking the AP’s national social issues reporter why he hadn’t been tweeting to AP coverage of the Gosnell trial. I had to ask a few times and then … there it was … finally …. a tweet on the Gosnell trial. Then he told me that the AP was covering the trial (which I knew, as I’ve critiqued it here). I reminded him that I was wondering why he hadn’t been tweeting to coverage of Gosnell. I asked him to correct me if I was wrong about his lack of tweets. He didn’t.

Then I decided, since tmatt has me reading the Washington Post every day, to look at how the paper’s health policy reporter was covering Gosnell. I have critiqued many of her stories on the Susan G. Komen Foundation (she wrote quite a bit about that) and the Sandra Fluke controversy (she wrote quite a bit about that) and the Todd Akin controversy (you know where this is going). In fact, a site search for that reporter — who is named Sarah Kliff — and stories Akin and Fluke and Komen — yields more than 80 hits. Guess how many stories she’s done on this abortionist’s mass murder trial.

Did you guess zero? You’d be right.

So I asked her about it. Here’s her response:

Hi Molly – I cover policy for the Washington Post, not local crime, hence why I wrote about all the policy issues you mention.

Yes. She really, really, really said that. As Robert VerBruggen dryly responded:

Makes sense. Similarly, national gun-policy people do not cover local crime in places like Aurora or Newtown.

Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story

Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story - Conor Friedersdorf - The Atlantic
The dead babies. The exploited women. The racism. The numerous governmental failures. It is thoroughly newsworthy.
"The grand jury report in the case of Kermit Gosnell, 72, is among the most horrifying I've read.
"This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women.
What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable babies in the third trimester of pregnancy - and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors," it states.
"The medical practice by which he carried out this business was a filthy fraud in which he overdosed his patients with dangerous drugs, spread venereal disease among them with infected instruments, perforated their wombs and bowels - and, on at least two occasions, caused their deaths."

14 Of The Obamas’ Most Decadent Vacations On Your Dime

14 Of The Obamas’ Most Decadent Vacations On Your Dime | Right Wing News

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick to preside over alien hearings for $20K

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick to preside over alien hearings for $20K | MLive.com
"Former Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, mother of ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, jumped at the chance to serve on a mock congressional panel to inquire about extraterrestrial life on Earth, according to the Detroit News.
..The gig, dubbed the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure, is scheduled to take place from April 29 to May 3 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Kilpatrick is reportedly receiving $20,000 to participate.
"The Citizen Hearing on Disclosure of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race will attempt to accomplish what the Congress has failed to do for 45 years — seek out the facts surrounding the most important issue of this or any other time," the event website says.
"For this reason the motto for the Citizen Hearing on Disclosure is 'If the Congress will not do its job, the people will.'"

Fiscal Problems Not Stopping Flint From Pursuing $2.4M Hydrogen Bus

Fiscal Problems Not Stopping Flint From Pursuing $2.4M Hydrogen Bus [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"In a city with an unemployment rate near 18 percent and a fiscal situation so bad it requires an emergency manager, the Flint Mass Transportation Authority is trying to buy a hydrogen bus that sells for $2.4 million — more than seven times as much as a traditional bus.
..A typical diesel bus cost about $327,000, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The MTA is requesting that it be able to use federal stimulus funds it was approved for three years ago.
In September 2009, Reuters reported that the Mass Transportation Authority would get $2.2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to buy two zero-emission buses and that the buses would be deployed in 2010.
However, the MTA’s choice to make the buses, Fischer Coachworks, went out of business in 2010"

Trayvon Martin's Family Settles Wrongful Death Suit

Trayvon Martin's Family Settles Wrongful Death Suit:
Trayvon Martin's family has reached a settlement in a wrongful death suit they filed against the homeowners association of the sub-division where Martin was killed........"the figure is believed to be in excess of $1 million. 
The settlement does, however, state that Zimmerman is not part of the agreement.
Lawyers for Martin's family have made it clear that they still plan to file a civil claim against Zimmerman at a later point."

Democrats are Blocking Resolution to Honor Lady Thatcher

Democrats are Blocking Resolution to Honor Lady Thatcher
"A Senate resolution to honor Lady Thatcher was supposed to pass last night. 
However, per well placed sources on the Hill, Democrats have a hold on the resolution.
To refuse to honor a woman of such great historical and political significance, who was deeply loyal to the United States, is petty and shameful. 
One truly has to wonder, what is it about Lady Thatcher that gives them pause? 
Her unfaltering commitment to freedom? 
Or perhaps the way she fought for individual liberty and limited government?"

Biden Directly Confronts NRA and 'Black Helicopter Crowd' as Gun Deal Looms

Biden Directly Confronts NRA and 'Black Helicopter Crowd' as Gun Deal Looms - J.K. Trotter - The Atlantic Wire:
"A visibly emotional Biden indulged no such circumspection, comparing the most vehement opponents of expanded background checks, which 92% of Americans support, to conspiracy theorists.
"The black helicopter crowd is really upset," Biden said, taking on a kind of faux voice in describing fears about background checks —
"It's kind of scary, man," he said."

N.Y. Dad’s Pistol License Suspended Over Something His 10-Year-Old Son Said — and It Could Be 8 Years Before He Gets It Back

N.Y. Dad’s Pistol License Suspended Over Something His 10-Year-Old Son Said — and It Could Be 8 Years Before He Gets It Back | TheBlaze.com:
".......a teacher overheard the students talking and informed the principal, who then immediately called police and filed a report.
He said the principal told police something to the effect of, there’s a “kid with a gun, ready to go.” 
Mayer maintains that no serious death threats were made by the students. 
The Hauppauge Public School District has not returned several messages left by TheBlaze, therefore, it is not clear what they are claiming was said.
School officials then “interrogated” the boys, Mayer explained.
It was later determined that the 10-year-old boys did not have access to a BB gun, paintball gun or any actual firearms."

DJs' April Fools' prank leads to small-scale panic

DJs' April Fools' prank leads to small-scale panic:
A pair of longtime disc jockeys have gotten in hot water for their annual April Fools' Day joke.
The problem:
They joked about water quality, saying "dihydrogen monoxide" was coming out of residents' taps.
It caused small-scale panic among some radio listeners in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla., metro area.
 "The two DJs, Val St. John and Scott Fish, who have been with WWGR-FM here for 16 years and 10 years respectively, were suspended indefinitely.
The radio station has recanted the joke and been apologizing during station breaks."