This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.
Five years since Peter Jennings died. He still tops my list of people I want to be when I grow up.
I was already obsessed with this song before this video premiered with Charlie Pace and Megan Fox in it. Well-done video for an awesome song.
Washington has funded mosques, schools, institutes, and community centers that are trying to modernize Islam around the world. Except, apparently, in New York City.
Fareed Zakaria in “Build the Ground Zero Mosque” on Newsweek.com.
Now, to win new clients and take on more sophisticated work, legal outsourcing firms in India are actively recruiting experienced lawyers from the West.
Interesting article from the New York Times on a new trend: outsourcing “grunt” legal work to Indian lawyers. On the one hand, this could partially explain why young law school grads are having trouble finding work. But on the other hand, it’s a cool emerging market for management-savvy lawyers.
High-tech companies volunteer to digitize Arlington National Cemetery's records (WaPo)
“The companies, all members of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, will meet with cemetery officials next week to create an assessment of the type of technology needed to create an automated system, a process that [Sen. Mark Warner] said ‘should not be that big of a challenge.’”
I’ve been getting A LOT of spam Facebook friend requests lately. Usually they are from random Indian people. Today’s name, though, is, erm, particularly creative. These Facebook spammers must be running out of ideas.
The Music-Copyright Enforcers - NYTimes.com
Interesting article on enforcing copyright law in the Internet age and the challenges of getting businesses to pay for the music they play.
Jon Stewart gives up on Congress. After watching this, you can’t blame him. At all.
California judge rules same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional
Big news coming out of California today: a federal judge has ruled that the state’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
A majority of Californians voted to approve the ban, known as Proposition 8, in November 2008.
Specifically, the judge found “overwhelming evidence that Proposition 8 violates (the plaintiffs’) due process and equal protection rights and that they will continue to suffer these constitutional violations until state officials cease enforcement of Proposition 8. …
“Because Proposition 8 is unconstitutional under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, the court orders entry of judgment permanently enjoining its enforcement; prohibiting the official defendants from applying or enforcing Proposition 8 and directing the official defendants that all persons under their control or supervision shall not apply or enforce Proposition 8.”
In the ruling, the judge wrote: “Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.”
The defendants, the supporters of the ban, argued: “gay marriage was an experiment with unknown social consequences that should be left to voters to accept or reject,” according the AP. The plaintiffs (obviously) argued that the ban violates their civil rights.
Interestingly, the judge, Vaughn Walker, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Also, the two lawyers representing the same-sex couples who filed the lawsuit were Ted Olsen and David Boies, who represented Al Gore and George W. Bush, respectively, during the 2000 election.
This will almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court, and will most likely yield to a very lengthy and interesting debate.
