Marshall Manson's blog
Posted at 10:16pm on Mar. 8, 2007 Rep. Shadegg's Great Idea
By Marshall Manson
Rep. John Shadegg yesterday introduced what he calls "The Enumerated Powers Act." (It's H.R. 1359, though the full text isn't yet in Thomas as of this writing.)
The Act "would require Members of Congress to include an explicit statement of Constitutional authority into each bill that is introduced. It would hold Congress accountable for its actions," said Shadegg in a press release.
Read on . . .
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Posted at 8:41pm on Dec. 3, 2006 A Wreath for Every Grave
By Marshall Manson
A few weeks ago, for Veterans Day, I wrote a column urging Americans -- especially those of us who haven't served -- to transform their appreciation into action.
Today comes this column from the Washington Post's Mark Fisher describing a man from Maine named Morrill Worcester who had an idea -- to adorn the graves at Arlington National Cemetery with wreaths for Christmas. It seems, thanks to Christmas products business, that he had extras. So he drove down and, with some friends, walked the rows, laying a red-bowed wreath on each grave. He began this tradition more than a decade ago, and he's done it each year since.
Read on . . .
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Posted at 10:48am on Nov. 11, 2006 Transforming appreciation into action
By Marshall Manson
How can those of us who never served possibly demonstrate our gratitude, appreciation and reverence for the men and women who wore the uniform and fought the fights to protect our freedom?
To be sure, we have our holidays. Today, for example, is Veterans Day – the day set aside for expressing appreciation to those who endured the torment of war on our behalf. In the spring, there’s Memorial Day, which is dedicated to those who gave their lives.
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Posted at 3:37pm on Oct. 19, 2006 Corruption. Plain and Simple.
By Marshall Manson
My old friends at the Center for Individual Freedom have an astonishing must-read investigative report about corruption of the legal system in south Texas. And it speaks volumes about the need for common sense legal reform and good, impartial and honest judges.
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Posted at 8:59am on Sep. 8, 2006 On Flags and Freedom
By Marshall Manson
Like every city in America, Washington, DC has key highway corridors that commuters use each day on their way to work and home again. One of these is Interstate 66. It is a key route for workers who live west of town in the Virginia suburbs to make their way into their offices each day.
Through much of its route, I-66 sits below ground. For that reason, countless overpasses crisscross the highway, the edges of each guarded with a chain link fence, presumably to keep pedestrians from falling into the high speed traffic far below.
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Posted at 7:50am on Aug. 7, 2006 Do the Laws of Physics Apply to Politics?
By Marshall Manson
On a business trip this week, I started reading Bill Bryson's fantastic book, A Short History of Nearly Everything. The book is a series of short accounts of key scientific discoveries that begins, literally, with the formation of the universe. In a later chapter, Bryson spends more than a few pages with Sir Isaac Newton, he of Newton's laws, gravity and all that fun physics stuff. For this post, I'm specifically interested in his third law of motion. Here's a nice summary:
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Posted at 5:06pm on Feb. 9, 2006 Welfare for Politicians
By Marshall Manson
Promoted from Diaries by Thomas
Sentors Dick Durbin and Chris Dodd said yesterday they will push for public financing of federal election campaigns, the Hill reports.
Let's define exactly what that means: Taxpayer dollars would pay for campaign staff, campaign ads, opposition research, lawn signs, bumper stickers and all the rest.
Perfect. Welfare for politicians. Just what we need.
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Posted at 12:30pm on Nov. 18, 2005 Murrow movie illustrates pathetic state of modern journalism
By Marshall Manson
The newly released film "Good Night, and Good Luck," chronicles famed journalist Edward R. Murrow's running duel with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the early 1950s.
It presents a compelling message that implores us all to be more engaged and vigilant in defending individual freedom and individual rights.
But equally interesting, the film's unusual construction gives us a window into journalism in its golden years, and the contrast with today's all-empty-suit-all-the-time cable wind-bags couldn't be more apparent.
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Posted at 4:10pm on Nov. 3, 2005 A Great Month for Legal Reform, Sort Of
By Marshall Manson
October was a great month for legal reform in Washington. Well, sort of.
Early in the month, Congress approved and the President signed a bill that would protect firearms manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits that aim to hold gun makers responsible for the actions ― almost always illegal ― of individuals.
Later in the month, the House passed a bill to protect restaurants and other food companies from lawsuits that blame them for their customers' obesity.
And at the end of the month, the House approved a bill to reduce the number of meritless lawsuits by strengthening Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This excellent piece of legislation (HR 420) moves the legal reform ball forward in several crucial ways. Key provisions include:
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Posted at 7:50pm on Nov. 2, 2005 AP slimes Alito with story about Reserve service
By Marshall Manson
The Associated Press is out with a story that opens with this breathless lede:
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito joined the Army reserves while he was a college student because his lottery number made it likely he would be drafted for the Vietnam War, college roommates said Wednesday.
So? Alito served his country honorably. He received basic and officer candidate training while at Princeton and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1972. He served until 1980 when he was honorably discharged as a Captain. Bottom line: he put on the uniform and, as such, protected our freedom.
But the most appalling part of the story comes near the end:
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Posted at 4:37pm on Oct. 31, 2005 Bill to Protect Free Speech Gets House Vote THIS WEEK
By Marshall Manson
The House is going to vote this week on a major piece of campaign finance legislation. This bill, the Pence-Wynn-Ney bill for those who have been following the issue, starts the process of restoring Americans' First Amendment Rights, which were gutted by BCRA.
Most importantly for RedState readers, however, is this little nugget: House leaders have tacked on a proposal to exempt virtually all online communications from campaign finance laws.
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Posted at 6:35pm on Oct. 27, 2005 UN at 60: Shape up or Shut Down
By Marshall Manson
A recent Presidential proclamation declared Monday, October 24, to be United Nations Day here in the United States. The occasion, the proclamation explained, was the 60th Anniversary of the world body's founding in the twilight of the Second World War.
Indeed, for the last several months, the U.N. has sponsored a variety of 60th Anniversary celebrations.
But 60 years after it was founded with such high hopes, the U.N. has little to celebrate. Rather than distinguishing itself through its achievements, the world organization is notable for its failures and irrelevance.
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Posted at 12:16pm on Oct. 12, 2005 Federalism disaster: Heightened Military Role in Disasters
By Marshall Manson
Promoted from the diaries by Erick
Given the suffering and anarchy that followed Katrina's devastation of the Gulf Coast, it's tempting to look for scapegoats. For politicians on the receiving end of the post-disaster finger-pointing, it's even more tempting to offer a laundry list of new plans , reforms and investigations.
It's into this mousetrap baited with good intentions that President Bush has blithely wandered.
In his national address outlining his plan to bring New Orleans to sea level by filling it with cash, President Bush mentioned a proposal that is only now beginning to attract the attention it deserves.
Specifically, the President suggested that the active-duty military should have a more central and direct roll in responding to future disasters.
Read on . . .
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Posted at 4:00pm on Oct. 11, 2005 New U.N. Scandal, Same Old U.N. Scandal
By Marshall Manson
This week, indispensable reporter Claudia Rosett exposed the latest U.N. scandal in a devastating investigative report published by FoxNews.com.
Like the Oil for Food scandal before it, the latest disclosures indicate corruption and conflict-of-interest at the highest levels of the world organization's leadership. And just as it did with Oil for Food, the U.N.'s response to the scandal-du-jour has been to clam up.
Ms. Rosett's investigation centers on Giandomenico Picco, an Italian diplomat and experienced U.N. official who is part of Secretary General Kofi Annan's inner circle. Over the years, he has served as one on the world body's most important envoys, leading missions in Afghanistan and Iran, among others.
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Posted at 5:51pm on Sep. 27, 2005 Nothingness at the U.N.
By Marshall Manson
Earlier this month, the United Nations claimed to have attracted the largest ever gathering of world leaders and heads of state. The U.N. says that leaders from 151 of the 191 member nations attended the massive summit. (Note: Because it was not confirmed by independent auditors, I make no representations about the accuracy of this figure.)
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