20050211-1021

"Arizona Revisits the Jury Patriotism Act" looks at some of the issues surrounding jury duty across the country, focusing on an Arizona law (obviously) that has made it hard for chronically ill seniors to demonstrate they cannot serve.

What's up with "Army Grants Discharge to Black Chaplain"? It says "More than a century later, an Army board has upheld the court-martial but granted Plummer a posthumous honorable discharge," which raises several questions in my mind. One, what are they looking at a century old case for? Two, how in the world do you uphold the court marshal but change the discharge? Someone who understands these things please explain this seeming illogic to me.

In furtherance of "security," we have "House OKs Citizenship Check for Licenses," under which you would have to be a citizen to get a driver's license. What's the Federal government doing involved with this? Good question.

Along the same lines, "House to Vote on Immigration Bill" states that a "guestworker" program is still not coming up for a vote. I'm not sure what I think of that one. It isn't right the way we have people who need work who can't legally get it, but it also isn't right to reward them for having broken the law to be here. I'm not sure what the right answer is, the amnesty or deporting them all.

I've been asked to look for crime news, and so the following:
"Texas Father Criticized After Baby's Death" drives home a point I made yesterday that some people are monsters.
"Ill. Man Charged With Second Murder" is similar, at least he seems to be stopped now, hopefully they will lock him up for life.