More voices you won’t hear in the election campaign

ServSci — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:59:40 -0800

Though mentioned intermittently, Mr. Harper's determination to muzzle critics will not be a “ballot box question” for most Canadians when they vote. Yet the implications for a Canada ruled by an unrestrained Harper majority government are obvious, and terrifying. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has now published an excellent commentary by Maria Gergin called “Silencing Dissent: The Conservative Record”. [via Gerald Caplan for the Globe and Mail] Continuing to quote Caplan, from his conclusion: "This contempt for facts, coming right out of the Bush/Cheney/ Rove playbook, infects every decision being made by the Harper government, from jets to jails to corporate tax breaks, as someone has put it. If you want to hear some sense about defence issues, don’t miss the Rideau Institute’s fine analyses. If you want to know how taxes can be fairer and how desperately needed public services can be paid for, check out the program of Canadians For Tax Fairness. If you want more on our growing democratic deficit, try Democracy Watch."

The Defund ACORN Act is Constitutional

thesmophoron — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:12:59 -0800

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that the Defund ACORN Act of 2009 is not a Bill of Attainder (pdf). The court ruled that the evidence is insufficient to show that the defunding constituted 'punishment' under any of the rubrics of historical definitions of punishment, functional considerations, or demonstrated Congressional intent. David Kopel of the libertarian legal blog The Volokh Conspiracy offers explanation and comment, following up Eugene Volokh's previous post on the District Court injunction. The case has been remanded to the Eastern District of New York for consideration of ACORN's (weaker) due process and First Amendment claims. Previously: [1] [2]

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More voices you won’t hear in the election campaign

The Defund ACORN Act is Constitutional