Lerner, Right to Keep Silent

IRS Scandal

Gosh, wish I came across this sooner.

I can't remember anytime I would see any government regulation of free speech a benefit to a free people.

This is a long article, but worth the read.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

Bradley A. Smith: Connecting the Dots in the IRS Scandal

The mainstream press has justified its lack of coverage over the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservative groups because there's been no "smoking gun" tying President Obama to the scandal. This betrays a remarkable, if not willful, failure to understand abuse of power. The political pressure on the IRS to delay or deny tax-exempt status for conservative groups has been obvious to anyone who cares to open his eyes. It did not come from a direct order from the White House, but it didn't have to.

First, some background: On Jan. 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Citizens United v. FEC upholding the right of corporations and unions to make independent expenditures in political races. Then, on March 26, relying on Citizens United, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the rights of persons (including corporations) to pool resources for political purposes. This allowed the creation of "super PACs" as well as corporate contributions to groups organized under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that spend in political races.

WALL STREET JOURNAL - FULL STORY

INTERNAL REVENUE AND FREE SPEECH

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The above concept, no, an actual Natural Human Right which is encoded in our Constitution.

People of good intention little at a time constantly attack the concept of free speech. Of course it is for a momentary "GREATER GOOD".

Like taxes, that arguable "GREATER GOOD" is neither momentary, or a lasting "GREATER GOOD".

Like since when is the "GRATER GOOD", free speech is regulated by the Internal Revenue Service???

I am no scholar on American History, but seems to me remembering something about no taxation without representation?!

House Cat Traps Owners

Well, let me just say here, I live among cats. I have no special like or dislike of cats as I just view them as a wonder. 

Wonder why anybody would make pets of them.

Vicious House Cat Traps Oregon Couple, Who Call 911

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland police had to be called in to subdue a 22-pound house cat that trapped its owners inside their bedroom after attacking their baby.

The baby was not injured in the Sunday incident.

Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman, said officers responded to a 911 call that evening from a couple who had locked themselves in their bedroom with the baby and their dog after the cat attacked the child.

Simpson said the 911 operator could hear the cat screeching in the background as the couple awaited help.

Officers used a dog snare to capture the cat and placed it in a crate.

Simpson said the owners told the dispatcher the cat has a history of violence. He said the cat remained with its owners.

CNS NEWS

That is one cat, no matter what would remain in my home.

ALMA RADIO TELESCOPES.

Learned about this on the I saw it on the TV show 60 MINUTES,   Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) , which is a collection of radio telescopes atop a mountain 16,000 feet (5,000 m) above sea level in Chile.

The site, space.com supplied a code which explains what this is all about.

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

ALMA Image Release: ALMA turns its eyes to Centaurus A

A NEW IMAGE of the center of the distinctive galaxy Centaurus A, made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), shows how the new telescope, which is still under construction, allows astronomers to see with unprecedented quality through the opaque dust lanes that obscure the galaxy's center.

Centaurus A is a massive elliptical radio galaxy (a galaxy that emits strong radio waves) and is the most prominent, as well as the nearest, radio galaxy in the sky. Its very luminous center hosts a supermassive black hole with a mass of about 100 million times that of the Sun.

As seen in visible light, a dark dusty band obscures the galaxy's center. This dust lane harbors large amounts of gas, dust and young stars. These features, together with the strong radio emission, indicate that Centaurus A is the result of a collision between a giant elliptical galaxy and a smaller spiral galaxy.

FULL - STORY ON Centaurus A