Rock-N-Box

This event is called Rock-N-Box. It is being held at the Oasis Restaurant on 346 in Whaleyville and is an Amateur Boxing Show, sanctioned by USA Boxing and put on by Jake 'The Snake" Promotions on Saturday May 15th.

This outdoor event will feature boxers from as many as five states including boxers from Salisbury's Main St Gym.

Fernando Guerrero is the Guest Ring Announcer and Tickets are available at the door or in advance by calling, Jake Smith at 410-375-9175.

Tickets are $15 Gen Adm, $300 for reserve table of 10 persons or $500 for a VIP Table of 10 persons. Live music and bands all day starting at 11am. Boxing starts at 1:00pm.

Nightly News At 6 PM

The Roller Coaster Ride Of Best Friends

In 1973 the Albero Family moved to Bowie, Maryland. Mom and Dad has just been divorced and we chose to leave California and come back east to be with Family.

For those of you who know Bowie, we moved into a rental home on Whitehall Drive, (the Whitehall section of Bowie). Bowie was a really cool place. Not perfect but it was a newer community with lots of kids everywhere you turned.

It didn't take but a few minutes after the moving van arrived, people started coming out of their homes to meet their new neighbors. It's funny how life works. Those very same people that came to meet us that very first day are still a HUGE part of my life today.

Bowie was the kind of Town where no one was rich, they were all on their way to becoming something though. In the Albero home, we wondered just how we could be so fortunate to be able to rent such a nice home and survive. Survival meant we had to help support Mom, so at a very young age, (especially my older Brothers) we had to go to school full time and then work full time. Bowie had one of the first early release programs in school where they allowed you to go off to work in high school after 4th period, (if your grades and credits were in order).

Not to be long winded but it wouldn't be fair to my eldest Brother if I didn't share the following. My eldest Brother not only got straight A's his entire life in school, he was accepted into the Coast Guard Academy in 1976. Mind you, the entire time we moved and lived in Bowie, my Brother busted his tail to keep his grades up as well as delivering Mom a weekly paycheck. None of us ever asked Mom for a penny of the money we earned, it was just a way of life. It was our way of staying off welfare and any government assistance.

During that time I quickly met several new friends, especially on that very first move in day. To this day, with the exception of only ONE of those old Best Friends, we have stayed in constant contact, supported each other in good and bad times and I guess you might say we've adjusted in many ways throughout the years.

Since everyone in Bowie pretty much knew the Albero Family, you know, the kids that many times showed up at school in the same clothes we wore the day before, broke, but always well behaved kids, there was a kind of respect everyone had towards my Mother. They knew we all worked after school and over time people stopped picking on us because we were so different.

One Family who lived only 5 houses away was another divorced Mother with two Daughters who were the same age I was. Mom was Sandy Allen and the Daughters were Lynn and Teresa/Terry. Well, Terry and Lynn became some of my very best friends. My God, we had such great times growing up but more importantly, (to me anyway) their Mom Sandy was always so cool to me. Sandy knew how broke we were so she'd call in the afternoon and ask if I was home. Can you come over and cut the grass Joe, she'd ask. Can you come by and plant a shrub for me, paint a door. You name it, she always had something for me to do and I kind of became the handyman of their home. Sandy got the Washington Post, (something we couldn't afford) and she'd ask me to read the Sports Section. It was her way to get me to read on a regular basis, something I always hated in school.

As we grew up from 1973 to 1979, we experienced our first separation as Terry headed off to William & Mary College. Terry had grades like my older Brother and we just knew she'd become a Doctor, Lawyer, whatever she wanted she could have it. I traveled to Williamsburg fairly often to visit Terry and a few other friends fortunate enough to also attend that College.

Unfortunately, after a few trips there, Terry started experimenting with drugs. First came pot, then coke and who knows what else. After college Terry married another great friend of mine when we were kids and together they had a baby boy who is now an adult. Kenny & Terry divorced after a few years as her drug habit got worse. Over the next several years Terry got married a couple more times, divorced, all the while having children along the way.

About 10 years ago I got another call telling me Terry was now in Jail. In and out of rehab numerous times, Sandy, (Terry's Mother) gave her unconditional love to Terry, took her in, got her clean and after a year or so she'd be back into drugs. Never in my wildest dreams did anyone ever think such a wonderful young lady with such wonderful parents would ever fall into such a life. Terry had lost all of her children and was left with mainly mailing them a letter.

What I'd like to share here is that I too had been exposed with "opportunity." Terry's friends always offered me free drugs and I always refused. No one seemed to think that pot would lead to anything else, except me. I watched most of my young friends start off with pot and ultimately ended up living off their parents and never really making anything of their lives.

If only they could have seen how GOOD we actually had it. If only they could have seen Joe Albero with absolutely nothing, work hard all your life and make something of it. So why have I dragged all of you through this entire story so far.

Today, this morning, I received a call letting me know my very dear and one of my oldest friends, my Sister, died. The drugs took their toll on her life and she is now drug free and gone at 49 years old. What a way to get off such an addiction, eh? First Mom, then little Sarah, then Dawn Mitchell and now Terry Allen. It's been quite a roller coaster ride, especially these past few months.

I spoke to Sandy this morning and they haven't even come close to any kind of arrangements. We are only on this earth but of a blink of an eye, as Mom said just before she passed. Make something of it people. Drugs will kill you. Drugs will take over and control your lives. Drugs will hurt everyone around you, especially those who love you the most.

Terry leaves behind many people who loved her but most of all she leaves behind innocent children, her own children, who never really got to know their Mom and what she was capable of. We only have so much time on this earth to teach what we know is right. If you even suspect your child is experimenting with drugs, know that YOU will probably do EVERYTHING in your powers to save their life. Know that you will drain every single penny you have worked for and earned just to try and help that child get clean again. More importantly, know the odds of your child surviving is as slow, hard and long as someone fighting cancer for a good 20+ years and ultimately dying.

R.I.P. my old friend.

Lost Dog

Hey Joe:

My dad is visiting and his dog dug under my fence and we can't find her. Her name is Maggie she is a small Sheltie, only 12 pounds. Mostly white with black. One blue eye and one brown. Will send picture if I find one. Lost from 118 S. Camden Fruitland. 410-251-5228.

Bob Culver Bids $100.00 Each For Two V.I.P Tickets, Can You Top It?

Call Captain Bob Culver for reservations ~ 410-430-9079

Joe,

"Thank you for the chance to still get tickets. I will open the bid for the tickets at $100.00 a piece."

Bob Culver

Seachaser Cruises

Top Bob Culver's bid and get your business advertised on Salisbury News. The top bidder also gets a one month FREE ad here on Salisbury News.

FBI Files Discuss Cronkite Aiding Vietnam Protesters

Legendary CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite allegedly collaborated with anti-Vietnam War activists in the 1960s, going so far as to offer advice on how to raise the public profile of protests and even pledging CBS News resources to help pull off events, according to FBI documents obtained by Yahoo! News.

The documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, say that in November 1969, Cronkite encouraged students at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., to invite Maine Sen. Edmund Muskie to address a protest they were planning near Cape Kennedy (now known as Cape Canaveral). Cronkite told the group's leader that Muskie would be nearby for a fundraiser on the day of the protest, and said that "CBS would rent [a] helicopter to take Muskie to and from site of rally," according to the documents.

The claims are contained in an FBI memo recounting a confidential informant's report on a November 1969 meeting of a Rollins College protest group called Youth for New America. The group was planning rallies near Cape Kennedy on Nov. 13 and 14 — the latter being day of the Apollo 12 launch from Cape Kennedy, which President Nixon would be attending — as part of a nationwide Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam. That protest action culminated in a huge march on Washington on Nov. 15.

GO HERE to read more.

Blame It On Bush Begins Again

U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits

WASHINGTON — The federal Minerals Management Service gave permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first getting required permits from another agency that assesses threats to endangered species — and despite strong warnings from that agency about the impact the drilling was likely to have on the gulf.

Those approvals, federal records show, include one for the well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and resulting in thousands of barrels of oil spilling into the gulf each day.

The Minerals Management Service, or M.M.S., also routinely overruled its staff biologists and engineers who raised concerns about the safety and the environmental impact of certain drilling proposals in the gulf and in Alaska, according to a half-dozen current and former agency scientists.

Those scientists said they were also regularly pressured by agency officials to change the findings of their internal studies if they predicted that an accident was likely to occur or if wildlife might be harmed.

Under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Minerals Management Service is required to get permits to allow drilling where it might harm endangered species or marine mammals.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is partly responsible for protecting endangered species and marine mammals. It has said on repeated occasions that drilling in the gulf affects these animals, but the minerals agency since January 2009 has approved at least three huge lease sales, 103 seismic blasting projects and 346 drilling plans. Agency records also show that permission for those projects and plans was granted without getting the permits required under federal law.

GO HERE to read more.

Salisbury Fire Department To Celebrate National EMS Week

The Salisbury Fire Department announces that the week of May 16-22, 2010 is EMS Week, and this year’s national theme is “Anytime. Anywhere. We’ll Be There.” Members of the department will be conducting several events during EMS Week 2010, with the highlight being an Open House and presentation of the Department’s EMS Provider of the Year Award on Wednesday, May 19th. The ceremony will begin at 10am, at Station 16 at 325 Cypress Street, Salisbury. The open house will also include blood pressure screanings, equipment displays, and station tours; it is free and open to the public.

Members of the Salisbury Fire Department work diligently, year round, to provide the highest quality care and services available to our citizens. In 2009, the Salisbury Fire Department responded to a total of 11,303 calls for service, with 8,452 of those responses requesting emergency medical services. Currently, the Salisbury Fire Department staffs three Advanced Life Support (ALS Paramedic) Ambulances and an ALS Paramedic Engine 24 hours a day. Two additional ambulances can supplement this when needed. So when you see the “Fire Engine” at a neighbor’s home, it may not be for just a fire emergency anymore. Our Firefighter/Paramedics are highly trained in multiple disciplines, maintaining 72 hours of continuing education every two years. Our Firefighter/EMT-Bs are the finest and most competent BLS providers you’ll meet, particularly due in part to our ever increasing call volume and their commitment to training.

The Salisbury Fire Department will be scheduling talks throughout the week at local schools, churches, organizations and assisted living facilities. We will wrap up EMS Week on Saturday with two free CPR classes being offered to the public. Pre-registration for the free, layperson CPR classes is required; to sign-up, please contact Lt. Rob Frampton at 410-548-3120.

Acting Salisbury Fire Chief Richard A. Hoppes invites the public and media to our events for EMS Week 2010. If you have any questions regarding EMS Week, please contact FF/NREMT-P Melissa Brown at 410-548-3120.

A Tradition of Excellence in Public Safety

Suspect Captured

Resume: On Wednesday, May 12th, at approximately 3:45 p.m., Troop 3 detectives responded to an undisclosed address in the Woodland Manor Mobile Home Park, in Felton, after receiving a call regarding the whereabouts of Norman Henry.

Officers arrived at the residence and searched inside. They located Henry hiding underneath a bed located in the rear master bedroom. Henry was taken into custody without incident and transported to Troop 3 for processing.

Henry was formally charged with Reckless Endangering 1st (felony), Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal (felony) and a host of other traffic offenses. Henry was committed to the Department of Corrections in lieu of a $5,710.00 secured bond.

WORCESTER COUNTY BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS

DATE & TIME: May 10, 2010 @ Approximately 1538 hrs
Case # 10-0063

LOCATION: Taylor Bank, Berlin, Worcester County
CRIME: Forgery and Theft from $1,000 under $10,000
VICTIM: Matthew Gardner

Suspects: Amber Nicole Payne (Female), Laurel, DE
Deposition: Held on $10,000 Bond

NARRATIVE:

During the above listed date and time, WCBI was investigating a case of stolen
checks and forgery from the victim, Matthew Gardner. The suspect, Amber Nicole
Payne stole Matthew Gardner’s checks and forged his signature on twenty checks.
Amber Payne cashed a total of $48,100 in checks at various Taylor Banks in
Worcester County, MD.

On 5-10-10 at approximately 1538 hours, Amber Payne was arrested and processed
at the Berlin Barrack. Payne was charged with 19 counts of forgery, 3 counts of
Theft less then $1,000, 16 counts of Theft from $1,000 to under $10,000 and
Theft scheme $10,000 to under $100,000. Amber Payne was held on $10,000 bond
and held at the Worcester County Jail.

Salisbury Police Department Press Releases

On May 13, 2010 at approximately 1:57 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police responded to a residence on the seven hundred (700) block of Roger Street for the report of an assault with a knife. Upon arrival the officers met with the adult male victim who advised that the below listed suspect had attempted to stab him with a kitchen knife. The victim advised that he had been involved in an argument with the suspect for a period of time, which escalated into a physical altercation. The suspect then approached the victim with a kitchen knife and attempted to stab the victim. The suspect was still at the scene and was taken into custody without incident. There were no injuries.

ARRESTED: Florence Virginia McClean, 18 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: First degree assault
Second degree assault
Reckless endangerment
Possession of a dangerous and deadly weapon
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201000019086

On May 13, 2010 at approximately 3:00 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to Devage’s Restaurant on East Main Street for the report of a theft. Upon arrival the officers were advised that the below listed suspect had taken a tip jar containing U.S. currency from the counter area and had fled on foot from the restaurant. An employee of the restaurant chased and caught the suspect, and held the suspect for the arrival of the officers. The suspect was taken into custody and the jar and currency were recovered and returned to the restaurant.
ARRESTED: Juvenile, 16 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to guardian
CC # 201000019089

On May 13, 2010 at approximately 5:45 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant charging the suspect with two (2) incidents of prescription fraud that occurred in January and February of 2009.
Salisbury Officers identified the suspect as having passed two (2) fraudulent prescriptions at a pharmacy on Parsons Road in Salisbury.

ARRESTED: Precious Jewel Selby, 49 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Obtain CDS prescription by fraud (2 counts)
Obtain CDS prescription by forgery (2 counts)
Possession of CDS (2 counts)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 200900030026

Hatchet Robber Terrorizes Home Depot Employees / Patrons

Location: Home Depot, 3600 Miller Road, Miller Road Shopping Center, Wilmington, Delaware

Date of Occurrence: Thursday, May 13th, 2010, at 8:00 p.m.

Suspect(s): Andre Walker, 45, of Channing Drive, Bear, Delaware

Resume: At approximately 8:00 p.m. last evening, Troopers were dispatched to the Home Depot on Miller Road in reference to a subject robbing the business with a hatchet.

This investigation revealed Mr. Andre Walker entered the business and selected an orange bucket and hatchet from display. He made his way over to the ‘Garden Center’ and placed the merchandise on the counter. The clerk rang up both items and started to complete the sale. Mr. Walker then grabbed the hatchet and demanded cash. He also grabbed the female employee by her shirt.

The suspect then started swinging the hatchet at the register damaging it. He took the register and threw it to the ground where he started to hit it with the hatchet again until it opened. Walker grabbed the cash and fled the store.

Once in the parking lot, Walker approached a vehicle occupied by a citizen who was sitting in his car. Walker got into the passenger side of the car and surprised the driver. It was unknown what his intentions were; however, Walker then exited the vehicle and started walking back toward the Home Depot. A Home Depot Manager confronted Walker at which time he started to swing the hatchet at him too.

Walker fled the scene and headed east. The State Police dispatcher center, RECOM, issued a broadcast to all police agencies to be on the lookout for Walker. A Wilmington Police Officer spotted Walker along the 500 block of West 37th Street. Walker, who was still holding the hatchet, refused to stop when told to do so and resisted arrest when officers confronted him. A Wilmington Police Officer tased him and took him into custody without further incident.

Andre Walker was formally charged with Robbery 1st (felony), Possession of a Deadly Weapon during the Commission of a Felony (felony), two counts of Aggravated Menacing (felony), Criminal Mischief (misdemeanor), Offensive Touching (misdemeanor) as well as a charge from the Wilmington Police Department for Resisting Arrest (misdemeanor). He was turned over to the Department of Corrections in lieu of a $60,750 secured bond.

Correctional Officers Getting Shafted Again

I sent this to "ASK RICK" to get an answer from him before he presented his budget to County Council and have yet to receive a response.

Why is it that only the Officers at the Wicomico County Dept. of Corrections have received an additional pay cut this year and the next year?

Yes all county employees have furlough days taken out of their pay based on their salary. The officers of WCDC also have a six hundred dollar decrease. This comes out of their hazardous duty allotment. Is the Detention Center less dangerous?

Mr. Pollitt you said that their would be no more salary reductions then cut these officers pay with not even informing them. This allotment was done to stem the tide of officers leaving WCDC for other Detention Centers.

It is hard to attract and retain officers and reductions such as this makes it only harder. Maybe the only way to get the attention of council and others is to file a lawsuit for this unlawful action. I do not write this as veiled threat, but as an action that has already been investigated.

I welcome any and all comments to this post.

Offshore Gas Platform Sinks Off Venezuela; No Leak

CARACAS, Venezuela – A natural-gas platform sank off Venezuela on Thursday after workers escaped in lifeboats and the last few leaped into the Caribbean Sea. The oil minister said there was no threat to the environment and all 95 workers were safely evacuated.

Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez told state television that workers disconnected a tube leading from the gas fields to the Aban Pearl platform, preventing any leak or harm to marine life. He said alarms went off three hours before the sinking, giving the crew time to evacuate.

Many stepped into lifeboats and drifted free, said Abraham Natera, the rig's superintendent. Ramirez said the Indian captain and two assistants, including an American, stayed behind until the platform was badly tilting and about to collapse, and then hurled themselves into the water.

"They had to jump from the platform because at the last moment there was no possibility of getting off by boat," Ramirez told reporters.

The navy picked up the evacuees using a frigate and boats after the gas platform sank below the surface at 2:20 a.m. (2:50 a.m. EDT; 0650 GMT), Ramirez said.

GO HERE to read more.

Holder Hasn't Read Arizona Law He Criticized

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who has been critical of Arizona's new immigration law, said Thursday he hasn't yet read the law and is going by what he's read in newspapers or seen on television.

Mr. Holder is conducting a review of the law, at President Obama's request, to see if the federal government should challenge it in court. He said he expects he will read the law by the time his staff briefs him on their conclusions.

"I've just expressed concerns on the basis of what I've heard about the law. But I'm not in a position to say at this point, not having read the law, not having had the chance to interact with people are doing the review, exactly what my position is," Mr. Holder told the House Judiciary Committee.

This weekend Mr. Holder told NBC's "Meet the Press" program that the Arizona law "has the possibility of leading to racial profiling." He had earlier called the law's passage "unfortunate," and questioned whether the law was unconstitutional because it tried to assume powers that may be reserved for the federal government.

Rep. Ted Poe, who had questioned Mr. Holder about the law, wondered how he could have those opinions if he hadn't yet read the legislation.

More from the Washington Times

Holder Balks At Blaming 'Radical Islam' For Terror Attempts

Despite crediting the Pakistani Taliban with fostering the recent failed car bombing in Times Square, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. was reluctant Thursday to say radical Islam was part of the cause of that and other recent attacks.

Mr. Holder, testifying to the House Judiciary Committee, repeatedly balked at a half-dozen questions from Rep. Lamar Smith, the ranking Republican on the committee, about whether "radical Islam" was behind the attempted car bombing, last year's so-called "underpants bomber" or the killings at Fort Hood in Texas.

"There are a variety of reasons why people do these things. Some of them are potentially religious," Mr. Holder told the committee Thursday, though he would not go further than saying people who hold radical views may have "had an ability to have an impact" on Faisal Shahzad, the man the Justice Department says tried to detonate a car bomb in Times Square.

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Fat Police: Bill Would Require Government To Track Body Mass Of American Children

A bill introduced this month in Congress would put the federal and state governments in the business of tracking how fat, or skinny, American children are.

States receiving federal grants provided for in the bill would be required to annually track the Body Mass Index of all children ages 2 through 18. The grant-receiving states would be required to mandate that all health care providers in the state determine the Body Mass Index of all their patients in the 2-to-18 age bracket and then report that information to the state government. The state government, in turn, would be required to report the information to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for analysis.

The Healthy Choices Act--introduced by Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee--would establish and fund a wide range of programs and regulations aimed at reducing obesity rates by such means as putting nutritional labels on the front of food products, subsidizing businesses that provide fresh fruits and vegetables, and collecting BMI measurements of patients and counseling those that are overweight or obese.

Section 101 of the bill amends the Public Health Services Act by stating that health care providers must record the Body Mass Index of all children ages 2 through 18. "The provision relates to all children in states that accept grants under the bill," a spokesperson for Rep. Kind told CNSNews.com. "However, it is important to note that no one is forced to come in for a doctor’s visit to get their BMI tested. BMI will be taken at times when the child makes an otherwise scheduled doctor’s visit."

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Sensenbrenner: Judicial Action Necessary To Repeal New Health Care Law

Since repeal is unlikely, the courts may be the only way to defeat the new health care law, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said on Tuesday.

“Judicial action is the only way to stop Obamacare, at least until January 2013, and the reason for that is that political action will be impossible, even if Republicans win both houses of Congress in the November election, because any major change to Obamacare, which is an entitlement program, and in most cases not subject to annual appropriations by the Congress, will be vetoed by President Obama,” said Sensenbrenner, former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

"So, we have to put all of our eggs in the judicial basket,” he added.

Sensenbrenner made his remarks at a forum on the constitutionality of the health care law sponsored by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch.

On the dais with Sensenbrenner was Randy Barnett, professor of legal theory at Georgetown University Law Center, who argued that there was a strong political element to overturning the new health care law, enacted in March, which requires every person to buy health insurance or receive it from their employer, while states are required to establish insurance exchanges.

“You cannot separate politics from the courts,” said Barnett.

“One of the things that supporters of this bill are depending on is that the Supreme Court generally defers to Congress, and especially defers to Congress when Congress passes something that is very popular, if something has widespread support, or is considered to be imperative to the national security of the country,” Barnett said.

“It’s all of these imperatives that are brought to bear on the Supreme Court that causes them to give the benefit of the doubt to their co-equal branch of government,” he said. “That all changes either when a bill turns out not to be necessary to the security of the country or very, very unpopular.”

At least 20 states are challenging the constitutionality of the health care law in court. Barnett said that individuals have also mounted legal challenges. The chief argument against the new law is whether the government can legally compel people to enter into an economic agreement with a private company, i.e., forced to buy health insurance.

The Obama administration has said the health care legislation is constitutional based on the Commerce clause of the Constitution. Sensenbrenner said the Supreme Court ruled in 1868 that insurance did not constitute commerce.

Here is more

Seating Komrade Kagan-- What Is At Stake?

By Mark Alexander · Friday, March 4, 2005

"The Constitution...is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary which they may twist and shape into any form they please." --Thomas Jefferson

Our Constitution continues to suffer assault from the Left, and the future of liberty and the rule of law suffered likewise.

Leftists on the Supreme Court are, again, "interpreting" the so-called "living Constitution" as a method of altering that venerable document by judicial diktat.

Worse yet, these Left-judiciary Supremacists -- Justice Anthony Kennedy and Court Jesters Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens -- cited "national consensus" as a factor in Tuesday's Roper v. Simmons ruling. In other words, they disregarded the Constitution's prescription for federalism and republican government in the name of unmitigated democracy. Which is to say, while riding roughshod over the Ninth and Tenth Amendments as they overturned the laws of 19 states, the Supremes blithely pushed the nation one step closer toward what everyone since Plato has described as governance in its most degenerative form.

Writing for the majority, Kennedy claimed that Americans had reached a "national consensus" against capital punishment for "children," citing as evidence that only 20 states allow a 17-year-old to be sentenced to death. Of course, Kennedy's logic is utterly at odds with decisions such as Roe v. Wade. In that 1973 decision, the Supremes serendipitously discovered a right to privacy that allowed for the aborting of children, despite the fact that all 50 states had laws at the time either prohibiting or tightly regulating abortion. So we must ask you, Justice Kennedy -- what's all this rubbish about a "national consensus?"

You recall, of course, that in a recent case, the Supremacists discovered a clause in the Constitution specifically stating that a 14-year-old is mature enough to abort the life of her child without parental consent. Now, in Roper v. Simmons, they've found a contradictory clause, which avers that a 17-year-old is not mature enough to be held accountable for capital murder.

Adding grievous insult to this "national consensus" injury, Kennedy cited "international consensus" noting "the overwhelming weight of international opinion" as a factor in the Court's decision. Kennedy referenced the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when writing, "The United States is the only country in the world that continues to give official sanction to the juvenile death penalty." Here, his message was all too clear: The High Court is building a tradition of referring "to the laws of other countries and to international authorities as instructive for its interpretation" of the U.S. Constitution.

Read the rest of the essay
here

Noteworthy Quote

"[T]he opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not ... would make the judiciary a despotic branch. ...
[T]he germ of dissolution of our federal government is ... the federal Judiciary ... working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped. ...
They are construing our constitution from a co-ordination of a general and special government to a general and supreme one alone."

--Thomas Jefferson