Lost Lake Tribune May 27, 2009

North Korea Has Two Confirmed Nuclear Weapon Tests And May Have Already Completed a Third.

SEOUL, South Korea — There are unconfirmed reports that North Korea has launched another missile, its third since conducting a nuclear test Monday, Pentagon sources tell FOX News. A South Korean presidential official told South Korean media that a short-range missile was fired from North Korea's east coast into the Sea of Japan, according to a Sky News report. Earlier Tuesday, North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles from the east coast city of Hamhung, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. South Korea's spy chief said two other missiles were launched Monday, and North Korea also warned ships to stay away from waters off its west coast through Wednesday, suggesting more test flights. U.S. officials were concerned that more tests could be on the way after the North Korean government issued a travel advisory to ships traveling off its coast that is in effect until Wednesday. The missile launches came as leaders around the world condemned North Korea for Monday's underground nuclear test. Retaliatory options were limited, however, and no one was talking publicly about military action. There have been two separate confirmed tests of nuclear weapons by the communist nation in the past three days. The United Nations and China have condemned the confirmed actions of North Korea. Information gained from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522062,00.html

President Obama Appoints Hispanic Judge From Second Circuit Court to High Court

President Obama nominated federal Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, citing her "inspiring life story" and "distinguished career" in his decision. Sotomayor, 54, would be the first Hispanic on the high court if confirmed. She would succeed Justice David Souter, who is retiring. The president, in his announcement, said he was looking for a justice with a "common touch and a sense of compassion" as well as experience and depth of knowledge. He said Sotomayor, who grew up in a Bronx housing project and has an extensive judicial background, would come to the Supreme Court bench with more varied experience than anyone currently on the court when they were appointed. Sotomayor, who said she was "deeply moved" by the president's decision, called herself an "ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences." Obama called Sotomayor an "inspiring woman who I believe will be a great justice." "Judge Sotomayor has worked at almost every level of our judicial system, providing her with a depth of experience and breadth of perspective that will be invaluable as a Supreme Court justice," Obama said. Sotomayor's selection indicates that Obama is interested in diversifying the court. If she is confirmed, Sotomayor will become the third woman to be a Supreme Court justice, and she will join Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the current court. Obama had said he was looking for a nominee who demonstrates empathy and "intellectual fire power," as well as possesses the "common touch." The president on Tuesday described Sotomayor, a judge for the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, as someone who fits these criteria. She is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents, and she was raised in a Bronx housing project. She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9, growing up under the care of her mother. Sotomayor supposedly became interested in law after watching the TV show "Perry Mason." She graduated from Princeton University and earned her law degree from Yale University. Sotomayor was appointed a federal district court judge in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush and then elevated to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton. At that time, Republicans held up her confirmation, but she eventually passed the Senate 68-28. Tuesday's selection drew swift praise from liberals like the Rev. Al Sharpton, who called the choice "prudent" and "groundbreaking." New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrats from Sotomayor's home state, also praised the pick and released a letter they wrote to Obama earlier in the month recommending her as an "excellent selection." Souter generally sided with the liberal wing of the high court, so Obama's selection would not tilt the ideological balance of the body. But Sotomayor was considered one of the most liberal of Obama's potential nominees, and she could set off a fight from the right during confirmation -- even though Republicans are far outnumbered on Capitol Hill. "This is not a bipartisan, consensus pick," one senior GOP Senate leadership aide told FOX News. As an appellate judge, she sided with the city of New Haven, Conn., in a discrimination case brought by white firefighters after the city threw out results of a promotion exam because two few minorities scored high enough. Ironically, that case is now before the Supreme Court. A YouTube video of Sotomayor speaking at Duke University about what some interpreted as judicial activism also stirred controversy. In the video, she said: "All of the legal defense funds out there, they're looking for people with court of appeals experience" because "the court of appeals is where policy is made." Obama's nomination is the first by a Democratic president in 15 years. His announcement also gives the Senate four months -- more than enough by traditional standards -- to complete confirmation proceedings before the Court begins its next term in the fall. Republicans have issued conflicting signals about their intentions. While some have threatened filibusters if they deemed Obama's pick too liberal, others have said that is unlikely. "Senate Republicans will treat Judge Sotomayor fairly," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a written statement. "But we will thoroughly examine her record to ensure she understands that the role of a jurist in our democracy is to apply the law even-handedly, despite their own feelings or personal or political preferences." The announcement comes after the president met with his legal team Monday at the White House to discuss the selection. He also read through written material on potential picks over the weekend at Camp David, according to a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The choice of new supreme court justice is ironic seeing that all eight of Sotomayor's choices that have been appeald to the supreme court have been overturned.

Information gained from: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/26/obama-announce-supreme-court-nominee-tuesday-morning/

Calif. Supreme Court upholds right of votersto amend constitution, protect marriage ADF attorneys filed brief supporting voter-approved marriage protection amendment

SAN FRANCISCO —May 26-- The California Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to recognize the votes of more than 7 million Californians and uphold the state constitutional amendment which affirmed marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Advocates for redefining marriage filed suit last November, challenging the constitutionality of the amendment and again asking the court to forcibly redefine marriage in the Golden State in defiance of the fundamental right of Californians to amend their state constitution. “In America, we respect the results of fair elections. The California Supreme Court arrived at the only correct conclusion available: the people of California have a fundamental right to amend their own constitution,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R. Nimocks. “This is the second time California has voted to protect marriage. Once again, when marriage goes before the voters, they affirm that marriage means one man and one woman. All 30 states that have voted on whether to affirm marriage as one man and one woman in their state constitutions have done so.” Last November when lawsuits were filed against Proposition 8, the high court ruled that it would not temporarily suspend implementation of the amendment and granted a motion by defenders of the amendment, led by ADF-allied attorney Andrew Pugno, to intervene in the lawsuit Strauss v. Horton. ADF attorneys submitted a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the Family Research Council in January to defend California’s marriage amendment, arguing that the authority to amend the state’s constitution rests with the people, who already legitimately approved Proposition 8 in November. Multiple lawsuits filed with the high court–including Strauss v. Horton, Tyler v. State of California, and City of San Francisco v. Horton–challenged the legitimacy of amending the constitution to restore the definition of marriage used throughout the history of the state. Although the court upheld the constitutional amendment, it allowed the existing licenses issued to same-sex partners to stand. “By allowing the previously-issued same-sex ‘marriage’ licenses to remain valid, the court is perpetuating the problem that it itself created. And it’s doing this despite the clear vote of the people that marriage means one man and one woman and that anything outside of that is not marriage,” Nimocks said. ADF attorneys were involved in defending Proposition 8 from attack prior to last year’s election and also defended California’s Defense of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, before it was struck down by the California Supreme Court in May 2008. According to US Census Bureau Statistics same-sex partners represent only 0.5 percent of the total population of California. Opinion issued by the California Supreme Court in Strauss v. Horton

Information Copied from http://www.alliancealert.org/2009/05/26/calif-supreme-court-upholds-right-of-voters-to-amend-the-constitution-protect-marriage/ and http://www.gaydemographics.org/USA/Census_Table_PCT14_State.pdf

SLEEPY EYE FAMILY AGREES TO CHEMO SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE CUSTODY OF AILING 13-YEAR OLD

Last update: May 26, 2009 - 6:56 PM NEW ULM, Minn. - A judge returned 13-year-old Daniel Hauser to his parents’ custody today despite objections from the Brown County attorney in New Ulm. During a one-hour hearing, Brown County District Judge John Rodenberg asked both parents, Anthony and Colleen Hauser, if they understood that Daniel needs chemotherapy to save his life. Both said: “Yes.” The judge then said: “I take you at your word” and transferred his custody back to the parents. The court will allow alternative therapies to be used complementary to the continued court-ordered chemotherapy treatments, according to attorney Calvin Johnson, who represents the parents. Daniel is scheduled for a round of chemotherapy on Thursday at Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. Daniel’s tumor has grown outside the chest wall, according to doctors who saw him Monday. Daniel, who has Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was in the custody of Brown County authorities since his parents balked at chemo therapy after one round of treatment. Colleen and Daniel then fled to California for a week before returning early Monday. The judge ordered the Hausers to follow the chemotherapy regimen ordered by Minneapolis Children’s Hospital. Daniel was in the court house but not the court room during the hearing. The boy’s lawyer, Phillip Elbert, said Daniel “is willing to start chemotherapy one round at a time and wants to be consulted before and after.” Brown County Attorney James Olson objected to the custody switch: “I am concerned that if Daniel doesn’t like the second round of chemo, he’s not going to go do it. He’s going to run away and we’ll be right back where we are.” Olson said there is “an issue of trust.” A medical evaluation of Daniel’s cancer, conducted on Monday, shows his tumor is “now protruding outside the chest wall,” according to a copy of his medical records made public by the court. “There is full compression of the airway making the initiation of standard chemotherapy imperative this week,” the report from pediatric oncologist Dr. Michael K. Richards at Minneapolis Children’s Hospital said.The report said the tumor is larger than it was when he was first diagnosed earlier this year. A van brought Daniel and his parents to the courthouse shortly before the start of the hearing. A family spokesman told reporters today that after spending 12 hours with the family Monday he feels that the Hausers are ready to be more cooperative about how to best to treat their son's Hodgkin's lymphoma, but he could not say the same for Daniel. "I think the real problem is that Danny is going to be very resistant, even if the parents were to give their OK" to proceed with chemotherapy, said spokesman Dan Zwakman, who added that two doctors examined Daniel for a total of three hours Monday, but he did not have any update about the boy's condition. Earlier today, Daniel and his mother were riding an all-terrain vehicle, heading across the road to the family's dairy farm. Calvin Johnson, an attorney for the teen's parents, said Daniel was in the company of Brown County child protection workers Monday and had his cancer evaluated at a Twin Cities hospital. Hodgkin's lymphoma was diagnosed in Daniel in January, and a Brown County judge ordered him into medical treatment earlier this month after his parents ceased his chemotherapy, citing religious and other objections. Doctors have testified that the boy has a 90 to 95 percent chance of surviving if he receives a recommended course of chemotherapy but only a 5 percent chance if he does not. In an extraordinary twist to the story, Colleen and Daniel's return was videotaped by a California film company, Asgaard Media, which arranged their charter flight back to Minnesota and made the video of their account available to authorities. Information Copied From http://www.startribune.com/local/46107247.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU1yDEmP:QMDCinchO7DU Obama Announces New Fuel Economy Standards Tuesday, May 19, 2009 President Obama announced tough new rules Tuesday for fuel efficiency and emissions in the U.S. auto industry, calling for a national standard that all automakers would have to meet. The president, calling the proposal an "historic agreement," announced new standards that will require all automakers, including Detroit's foreign competitors, to increase fleet fuel efficiency by 5 percent per year starting in 2012. "The status quo is no longer acceptable," Obama said, warning that the American appetite for oil comes at a "tremendous price." Flanked by auto executives and officials, the president said the proposal would simultaneously help end U.S. dependence on foreign oil, lead automakers to develop more advanced products and save consumers money in the long-term. "This rule provides the clear certainty that will allow these companies to plan for a future in which they are building the cars of the 21st century," Obama said. "Yes, it costs money to develop these vehicles. But even as the price to build these cars and trucks goes up, the cost of driving these vehicles will go down, as drivers save money at the pump." The standards are expected to add $1,300 on average to vehicles. But Obama said drivers would make that back within three years due to savings on gas. The new rules will require a fleet fuel efficiency standard of 35.5 miles per gallon by model year 2016, a big jump from the 2009 model year requirement of 25 mpg. A senior administration official said the changes (when compared to current pollution and vehicle use totals) will have the effect of removing 900 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air, taking 177 million cars off the road and shutting down 194 coal-fired power plants. A senior administration official called the standards "tough and historic" and predicted it will be achieved with only minor modifications to vehicle and engine design. "You will see some changes," the official said, adding that "off-the-shelf" technology will allow most automakers to retro-fit their cars, light truck and SUVS "without dramatically changing them." For 2016 -- the final year new the rules will apply -- the fleet fuel efficiency standard for all domestically sold passenger cars will be 39 mpg. It will be 30 mpg for all domestically sold light trucks and sport utility vehicles. The average of these two equals a passenger car and light truck fuel efficiency standard of 35.5 mpg. The current requirements are 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.1 mpg for trucks. The tighter standards will first affect the 2011 model year for cars and trucks. Information copied from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520680,00.html Editorial. What is freedom? Freedom is the liberty to do that which is right without threat of negative recourse from the government. If you do wrong and threaten others' freedom then you lose your freedom to protect the freedom of others. This is the teaching of Romans 13:1-7. This is exactly the recurring theme of this issue of the LLT. One the one hand, the parents of Daniel Hauser do not have the freedom to use the medical treatment that they consider correct for their son. On the other hand, the freedom that Americans use to have to buy inexpensive vehicles in every niche market will disappear and will be replacved by expensive powerful vehicles or equally expensive powerless fuel-saving vehicles. If expensive powerful vehicles are chosen, car manufacturers will spend more and more on fines for not meeting the CAFE standards and will continue to raise prices (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520664,00.html). If expensive fuel-saving vehicles are chosen, Americans will die in small car related collisions in record numbers. So freedom has been taken away, why? Because people like you and me have not done enough to defend it. So let's change course and defend freedom here in the homeland. This is the opinion of editor Benjamin Fugate