Immigration Reform Update
The Senate is set this week to take a second shot at passing Ted Kennedy's immigration "reform" bill over the objections of the American people, but the battle is far from over. While we are concerned that the process in the Senate appears to be rigged in favor of this "grand compromise," there is mounting speculation that the bill may face higher hurdles in the House of Representatives, where members are more responsive to their constituents.
Indeed, there was an encouraging sign in the House Friday when Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) succeeded in passing an amendment that would withhold certain federal funds from cities that have adopted "sanctuary policies" for illegal aliens in violation of federal law.
Rep. Tancredo has tried repeatedly in recent years to pass this amendment, but it has always failed. So you can imagine the shock in Washington when 49 Democrats crossed over to support the Tancredo amendment! Those 49 Democrats provided the necessary margin of support to pass the amendment on a vote of 234-to-189. It is also worth noting that a similar amendment proposed in the Senate during last month's debate on comprehensive immigration "reform" failed to pass by one vote.
What does that tell us about the fate of the Senate's immigration plan in the House? As Rep. Tancredo suggested, "If I were [Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, I'd be asking if she [sic] could pass a vote on amnesty on the House side. If she lost 50 Democrats on this one, and she says she needs 70 Republicans to pass the immigration plan, this is an interesting indicator of things coming down the pike, and that the times, they are a- changing."
(Source: Gary Bauer, End-of-Day, 6/18/07)
The Nifong Case And Restoration Of The Law
The Nifong Case And Restoration Of The Law
Mike Nifong has been disbarred and disgraced over the false charges he brought against Duke Lacrosse players. Perhaps this should be a lesson to over zealous prosecutors, but the lesson should also be applied to judges and decisions that are lawless, but are made into law from the bench. Nifong made charges against people who he knew were innocent. He knowingly tied bits and pieces of non-evidence together in order to make a case that had absolutely no truth to it. In doing so, he essentially ruined the lives of those involved with the case.
Nifong failed to turn over evidence that he knew would have cleared the accused. He misled the public with inflammatory comments about those involved in the case. And he manipulated the court case to boost his chances for political success. So the North Carolina Bar Association disbarred the dishonest Nifong. Criminal charges may be sought next. And Nifong likely will be punished further for his dishonesty. The case, itself, was thrown out of court and all charges were dismissed. So what is the lesson in all of this? Some might be convinced that this is just an example of justice gone awry.
Justice in the United States court system has been awry for a long time. Nifong was disgraced for lying, manipulating evidence and trying to use a court case for political gain while people suffered because of his actions. Let's take this a step further. The battery of lawyers, including American Civil Liberties Union attorneys, in the Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton Supreme Court cases that legalized abortion also manipulated evidence, lied, used a court case for political gain and millions have suffered since. Neither of the women in these cases sought an abortion or ever had an abortion after the case was decided. Yet these vile lawyers and judges are revered instead of disgraced. Nobody held them accountable.
Indeed, the same could be said of the court cases that took public prayer out of the schools and those that forbid the Bible to be taught unless it was done so in a secular way. Think about it-a secularly acceptable Bible? Or how about the decision that mandated teaching the theory of evolution?-talk about lying, manipulating evidence and using the court for political gain. The Nifong case was just a tiny example of how justice in the current court system is masked for personal or political gain. Jesus said in Matthew 24:12, "And because lawlessness shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." God's law is broken in the hearts of men. It is only through those hearts that the law will be restored.
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
