Sudden Outbreak of Common Sense

New York immigration judge halts deportation of married gay man

"A New York immigration judge halted the deportation of an American citizen’s Colombian husband on Wednesday just moments after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, according to an activist group aiding the couple’s legal defense. Brooks’ husband Steven came to the U.S. with his family as a child, and after the two married in New York state Brooks filed a green card petition to help Steven become a permanent resident on the path to citizenship. That green card petition caused a problem with his visa status and suddenly, Steven was facing deportation. Appeal was denied on the grounds that federal law did not recognize their marriage." Continue reading →

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Ohio House Votes Overwhelmingly To Ban Traffic Cameras

"All red light cameras and nearly all speed cameras would be banished from Ohio under a bill that cleared the state House of Representatives Wednesday by a 61-32 vote. State Representatives Ron Maag (R-Lebanon) and Dale Mallory (D-Cincinnati) introduced the measure that would pull the plug on sixteen municipal automated ticketing programs currently in operation. 'Let's be candid about these cameras,' Maag said. 'Their main goal is to generate revenue and this is obvious for several reasons.' So far, residents in seven cities have circulated petitions and succeeded in overturning the decision of their city council to install red light cameras and speed cameras." Continue reading →

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Honduras Startup City Redux: from RED to ZEDE to … Freedom?

"The legislation triggered fierce opposition by municipalities, which feared competition. Those objections were answered in floor debate by the observation that municipalities could themselves convert to ZEDE, winning all the same advantages. On June 12, 2013, the ZEDE legislation passed by a vote of 102 to 26. In broad terms, the ZEDE legislation authorizes the creation of startup cities that will operate under the supervision, but not direct control, of the central government. The ZEDE might not sound much different from China’s special economic zones or Dubai’s International Financial Centre, but the Hondurans have authored a daring new approach to governance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHonduras Startup City Redux: from RED to ZEDE to … Freedom?

Germany: Parliamentary inquiry declares Bitcoins tax-exempt after one year holding time

"Thus, the digital money from the Treasury treated differently than, for example, stocks, bonds or certificates. All of these asset classes are subject to withholding tax of 25 percent plus solidarity surcharge and church tax. In bitcoins falls after a holding period of one year on the other hand, no such tax. The tax exemption of capital gains in Bitcoins findings of a parliamentary inquiry that has provided to the federal government the FDP financial expert Frank Schaeffler and the 'world' exists. 'It is good that investments in Bitcoins is finally legal certainty. Private profits from the sale of Bitcoins are tax-free after one year,' said Schaeffler." Continue reading →

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Supreme Court rules in favor of Florida property owner over denied development permit

"The Supreme Court said a Florida property owner may be owed compensation from a government agency that refused to award him a development permit for his land. The legal issue was whether the agency’s action constituted a 'taking' subject to compensation, under the so-called takings clause of the Fifth Amendment, in a more than 18-year battle by Koontz and his late father over their nearly 15-acre parcel of land. After Florida designated much of the parcel as protected wetlands, Koontz proposed to develop about a quarter of it and dedicate the rest for conservation, only to have local officials insist that he pay money to protect wetlands elsewhere." Continue reading →

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Texas Governor Rick Perry Signs a Pair of Bills Upholding Fourth Amendment

"With Governor Perry’s signature on HB 912, Texas now joins Idaho, Virginia, Florida, Montana, and Tennessee on the list of states that have enacted laws regulating the use of drones in their sovereign skies. Meanwhile, on June 14, Governor Perry signed into another important bill. As explained prior to Governor Perry’s signing of the bill by the blog Law360, HB 2268 'would establish the strongest email privacy protections in the U.S. by becoming the first measure to override a provision in the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act that allows law enforcement to access emails that are open or more than 180 days old using only a subpoena.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas Governor Rick Perry Signs a Pair of Bills Upholding Fourth Amendment

National Lawyers Guild Report Supports Further Marijuana Legalization Initiatives

"As the nation waits for a response from the White House, the NLG joins other organizations and individuals in calling for the end to marijuana prohibition. 'Marijuana legalization will create new jobs, generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, and allow law enforcement to focus on serious crimes,' said Brian Vicente, NLG member and one of the primary authors of Colorado’s legalization amendment. 'It would be a travesty if the Obama administration used its power to impose marijuana prohibition upon a state whose people have declared, through the democratic process, that they want it to end.'" Continue reading →

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U.S. Conference of Mayors asks Obama for flexibility on marijuana

"The United States Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a historic, bipartisan resolution calling on the Obama administration to stop interfering with state and local efforts to deal with the problems caused by marijuana prohibition. 'This resolution will amplify the voices of local officials and voters who are sick and tired of President Obama’s administration doing the exact opposite of what candidate Obama said he was going to do, which was respect state marijuana laws,' a spokesperson for drug reform advocacy group Marijuana Majority said. The resolution, co-sponsored by mayors from 18 cities, lays out a long list of grievances against marijuana prohibition." Continue reading →

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The Rush to Tap Myanmar’s Energy Promise

"Myanmar, also known as Burma, has largely been shunned by the West for most of five decades of military rule that ended last year. Now open for business and shedding sanctions, the cash economy badly needs a working banking system. The population of more than 60 million wants mobile phones, newer cars, and Coca-Colas. But no one sector is as critical to Myanmar’s growth prospects as energy. The country has 7.8 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, worth about $75 billion at current U.K. benchmark prices. It now has 16 energy multinationals working on 17 onshore exploration blocks and 15 exploring or producing in 20 offshore blocks." Continue reading →

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Police Chief Mark Kessler: Academy trains officers to treat everyone like a criminal

"'When I go through the police academy, they treat everyone that you come in contact with is a criminal. Everyone with a firearm is out to kill you. That's what they teach us at the academy.' He continued, 'I have a real hard time swallowing that.' 'That's why you have all these young police officers that graduate from these academies and they come out and they want to kick butt and take names, and ruin lives, over nonsense. They terrorize people over a turn signal, or having a brake light out. They want to search your car right away, they want to demonize the American people, the average citizen, the law-abiding citizen.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Chief Mark Kessler: Academy trains officers to treat everyone like a criminal