News opinion 2008-07-01 Andanh.com

Gun ruling by high court is a victory Tue, 1 Jul 2008 11:02:58 -0500
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Late last week, a majority of Supreme Court justices upheld the clear meaning of the Second Amendment language by recognizing that our Constitution’s framers made gun ownership a protected right. The four conservative justices were joined by swing vote Anthony Kennedy in striking down a decades-old District of Columbia gun ban that was considered the toughest gun law in the country. This law barred the ownership of handguns by citizens and required rifles to be disassembled. When one considers that 143 homicides in 2007 involved shootings in the district, it is obvious that the ban left honest citizens unprotected while not detering violence by lawless elements. This ruling should send a strong message across the country that a citizen’s right to bear arms shall not be infringed. Unfortunately, in recent years anti-gun groups have done all they can to diminish that sacred right with unreasonable restrictions. This ruling should send a message to cities such as Chicago and San Francisco that have strict gun laws that their citizens have an inherent right to defend their families and property. Justice Antonin Scalia also made a good point when he said, “The handgun is the preferred weapon of self-defense in part because it can be pointed at a burglar with one hand while the other hand dials the police.” Republican presidential candidate John McCain praised the decision, saying, “Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today’s ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right - sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly.” It is a real shame that the four more liberal justices of the court ruled in favor of more government restrictions at the expense of freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights. Considering the unfavorable rulings in the recent past in which the liberal wing of the court infringed upon our property rights in the Kelo decision and our free speech rights in McCain-Feingold, the Second Amendment decision was like a breath of fresh air. These rulings demonstrate in the clearest way imaginable that elections matter and that Supreme Court appointments have far-reaching implications for our personal freedoms.

Unity isn’t the union Tue, 1 Jul 2008 11:02:21 -0500
In keeping with his “messiah” image, Barack Obama might have been more at home in Bethlehem, Pa., than in Unity, N.H., when he and his “former” nemesis, Hillary Clinton, opened their new act on the road to mixed reviews. We are supposed to forget everything they said about each other during the primaries. They didn’t really mean it; or did they? This is why so many people are cynical about politicians. You never know if they are telling you what you want to hear, or what they hope you’ll swallow in spite of evidence to the contrary. As recently as late February, Hillary Clinton told “The 700 Club,” “...there is a certain phenomenon associated with (Obama’s) candidacy dangerously oversimplifies the complexity of the problems we face, the challenge of navigating our country through some difficult, uncharted waters.” Has Obama become a ship’s captain in so short a time? Sen. Clinton opposed lifting the ceiling on Social Security payroll taxes, which Obama favors. Last November during the Democratic Presidential Debate in Las Vegas, she said, “I do not want to fix the problems of Social Security on the backs of middle-class families and seniors. If you lift the cap, that is a $1 trillion tax increase. I don’t think we need to do that.” For a Democrat to oppose a tax hike is surprising enough, but does Sen. Clinton now support Obama’s position? In March on CNN’s “Newsroom,” Sen. Clinton questioned Obama’s readiness to be commander in chief. She said she and Sen. John McCain had crossed “the commander in chief threshold. ... You will have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy.” Is he now suddenly ready? On MSNBC’s “Hardball,” Sen. Clinton mocked Obama for arguing that, “living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face big, complex, international challenges the next president will face.” Sen. Obama was also highly critical of Sen. Clinton, saying in January that she is “willing to say anything to get a political or tactical advantage,” a tactic he said “(erodes) people’s trust in government” and that she is “part of a perpetual campaign that ... keeps us from solving problems.” Obama also ridiculed Sen. Clinton’s claims to experience, saying they amount to “osmosis, as a consequence of having been first lady.” Obama has been at odds with himself, as well as Sen. Clinton. He told Iraqi leaders he would consult with them and the U.S. military, but he has also said before such consultations he will order a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. On nuclear power, he was for it before he was against it. Last July, he said, “I actually think we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix.” He repeated his support of nuclear power in September, but by December he said, “I am not a nuclear energy proponent.” Throughout the campaign, Obama said the D.C. gun ban law was constitutional, but on the day the Supreme Court found otherwise, Obama said, “it went beyond constitutional limits.” Now Clinton and Obama want to erase our memory banks, like that gizmo in the film “Men in Black.” They even color coordinated their outfits to demonstrate how in-sync they have suddenly become. One needn’t have been a fly on the wall at their private meetings to conclude some debt relief has been promised to the Hillary campaign in exchange for her support (though she and Bill have made enough money to relieve their own debt, but like true liberals they want others to pay the bill). Speaking of Bill, The London Daily Telegraph reports the former president has told friends that Obama will have to “kiss my a--” to get his support. That he announced his “support” through an aide and not in person doesn’t speak well for a unified party. For all the talk of unity, it isn’t union. One awaits the moment on “Meet the Press” or some other venue when Clinton and Obama are asked if they meant what they said about each other during the primary campaign, or should we believe what they are saying now? If they were lying then, we can’t trust him as president. If they were telling the truth then, we can’t afford him as president.

Out of the blocks Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST
Last week, as the Governor was signing the public-employee pension reform bill that the General Assembly had passed, there was talk about the bipartisan cooperation that had been key to that success.

Decency be damned Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST
After Friday's sham presidential runoff election, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe was audacious enough to fly to the annual summit of the African Union in Egypt. He was thumbing his nose at decency.

Carry-on excesses Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST
Travelers have to look hard these days to find a silver lining in the ordeal that awaits them when they take to the air.

Reactions to Supreme Court's guns ruling Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST
The one big factor that seems to escape the debate on whether the U.S. Supreme Court was correct in interpreting that the right to keep and bear arms is indeed an individual right, is that criminals don't pay attention to gun restrictions.

Arts fund chairman expresses thanks Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST
I am so proud of and grateful to the Louisville community for its tremendous and generous support of the Fund for the Arts. As chairman of the 2008 campaign, I'd like to personally thank the 27,000-plus donors who helped us exceed our $9 million goal.

'Louder than words' Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST
After reading your editorial titled "Pool-ish pleasures," once again your paper has to have the last word.

Guns for safety? Dream on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST
The Supreme Court has spoken: Thanks to the Court's blockbuster 5 to 4 decision Thursday, Washingtonians now have the right to own a gun for self-defense. I leave the law to lawyers, but the public health lesson is crystal clear: The legal ruling that the citizens of Washington, D.C., can keep loaded handguns in their homes doesn't mean that they should.

The right's last redoubt Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:18:00 EST
If the long conservative era that began with Ronald Reagan's election is over, will the judges appointed during the right's ascendancy be able to block, frustrate and undermine the efforts of a new progressive majority?

The words presidents say Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:22:00 EST
People campaign for the presidency by talking their heads off. By the time the winner reaches the White House, the habit is so ingrained that it is impossible to shake.

Economic fireworks Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:29:00 EST

Readers' views Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:08 EDT

Tired of so much, you know, cluttered speech

Stop saying .you know?. If I'm listening to someone speak, it's because I want to know. Loading speech with this deadwood makes the speaker sound indecisive and weak.

Weak and puny English does an injustice to the language. Fill spoken English with enough deadwood and you have another dead language.

English cannot stay a powerful world language if it is spoken by hesitaters and fad addicts. Strength comes from clarity, logic and precision . not from nonsensical repetition. .You know. is illogical, imprecise and unclear.

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:41 EDT
Whoa.

That's the cautionary word for Mayor Jim Newberry and the Urban County Government as they consider whether to start the ball rolling this week on a new city hall.

A new government center may be a great idea, but laying the political groundwork more carefully could go a long way toward making the project a reality and a source of widespread civic pride.

In May, a firm Newberry hired to evaluate the city's property, maintenance costs and future needs said it would cost less to demolish or sell several of the city's downtown properties and build a new city hall than to rehabilitate what we've got.

Fair enough. Our current city hall is a converted hotel that has consumed millions in retrofit and maintenance dollars, but has never quite fit the job.

Immigration snarl Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:08 EDT

The president, Congress and federal bureaucracy can't figure out what to do about the unauthorized flow of immigrants across the southern border into jobs in this country.

So it's not surprising that a Lexington jury refused to single out a Lexington landlord for blame.

What's surprising is that federal prosecutors brought 62 criminal counts against William Jerry Hadden in the first place.

Expecting landlords to police what the federal government has been unable to police is unfair and unrealistic.

Economic news! Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:48 EDT

A Canuck in Kantuck: No steak for you!
I have gotten to the point I am so desperate for a good, barbecued steak I am willing to wrestle anyone — big men on motorcycles, women bearing tattoos, children holding sippy cups —for one.

Chinese Dir