Sometimes a court’s attitude demonstrates judicial activism as much as its actions. A judicial opinion can tell us much about a court’s view of its role in the balance of separated powers, the hallmark of American republican government. The New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision in Lewis v. Harris speaks volumes: “Although courts can ensure equal treatment, they cannot guarantee social acceptance, which must come through the evolving ethos of a maturing society.� (Emphasis added.) Translation: “Everyone is like me, or will be when they grow up.�

This arrogant certitude is all the justification the court needed to mandate an “enlightened� public policy it found too slow in coming from the legislature: that the state must actively promote same-sex relationships just as it promotes marriage, through the granting of identical rights and benefits. In the court’s words, “under the equal protection guarantee of Article I, Paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, committed same-sex couples must be afforded on equal terms the same rights and benefits enjoyed by married opposite-sex couples.� That is, the non-existent “equal protection guarantee� that the Court long ago read into Article I, Paragraph 1.

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Republican pro-growth tax policies have kept money in the hands of American consumers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, fueling economic growth and creating good, high-paying jobs.  Under Republican leadership, the American economy has grown steadily for the last five years and has created new jobs for 37 consecutive months.  More Americans are working today than ever, and unemployment is low. Gas prices are falling rapidly, the stock market is setting record highs, and wages are increasing. These factors are leading to new high paying jobs and more opportunities for America’s working families.

The Commerce Department reported today a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.6 percent for the third quarter of 2006 – the 20th consecutive quarter of economic growth.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported earlier this month that payroll employment increased by 51,000 in September, dropping the nation’s unemployment rate to a low 4.6 percent.  Since August 2003, the U.S. economy has created 6.6 million new jobs.  In the last 12 months, real wages have increased 2.2 percent, including a 4 percent jump in average weekly earnings, dramatically improving the standard of living for many Americans.

The economic outlook is strong, with 20 consecutive quarters of economic growth averaging 3 percent since Republicans enacted tax relief in 2001, and averaging 3.5 percent since Republicans enacted tax relief in 2003.  Pro-growth tax policies have also brought a surge in tax revenues, cutting the budget deficit in half three years ahead of schedule.

Argentine prosecutors have charged Iran and Hezbollah with the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) that left 86 people dead. This is welcome news. Over the years, I have held numerous Congressional sessions and authored legislative measures with my colleagues to raise concerns over the AMIA tragedy and ensuing investigations; to underscore the international connection to the bombing; to urge the Government of Argentina to pursue the perpetrators of this deadly attack; and urge U.S. authorities to provide assistance as requested by Argentine officials. The announcement is a good first step toward justice.

Furthermore, the charges also shed light on Iran’s support for Islamist terrorists groups around the globe. I hope the international community will cooperate fully with the requests of Argentine authorities toward a successful resolution of this case.

It is hardly news that the press in our democracy plays a pivotal role in the processes of government, and it is hardly news that the role becomes even more pivotal when the government is dominated by one party and the balance of power between the Executive and Congress is severely weakened.

Why then, I ask myself a thousand times a day, has the American news media stepped back from its role during the Bush Administration?

I am no guru.  I haven’t got all the answers, but I do have the perspective of an educator, and it is through that prism that I have answered the question, at least for myself. Read the rest of this entry »

The Secure Fence Act is a great step for border security. We know most Americans believe that preventing illegal entry into the U.S. has to be a priority, and that’s what this bill reflects. The House was absolutely correct to hold hearings across the country both to highlight the depth of the illegal entry problem and to force those opposing security first reforms to explain their stance to the American people. We’ve made some significant progress with this bill, and with the additional funds in the Homeland Security Appropriations which add 1,500 new border agents and brings our total force up to 14,800. We’ll be following this bill closely to ensure that border fencing is constructed and we’ll be paying close attention to determine what additional measures need to be taken.

The San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles has a justifiable “chip on its shoulder.� Despite being part of the City of Los Angeles, it has long been treated as a second-class citizen by local government, a source of great frustration and anger for many Valley residents.

In 2002, this bipartisan issue became so acute that the Valley residents actually voted overwhelmingly to secede from the City of Los Angeles, and GOP Assemblyman Keith Richman was provisionally elected “Mayor of the San Fernando Valley.� Ultimately the initiative was defeated by a majority of the Los Angeles voters from other parts of the City, though the Valley’s discontent remains.

According to the California Institute for Federal Policy Research, the imbalance between what California pays the federal government in taxes and what it gets back in the form of federal funds has gotten worse every year since my opponent, Rep. Brad Sherman, took office. In 2003—the most recent year for which data is available—Californians sent $50 billion more to Washington, D.C., than they got back in return: a record high for any state in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

Without any evidence, my opponent, Cathy McMorris, has tried to put a fake label on me by claiming I’m the Tax Man. So let’s look at who’s really taxing America.

Fact One: A debt is a tax. A debt is a tax wearing a Halloween mask. The only difference is that when you take the Halloween mask off a debt, it looks a lot worse instead of better. The fact is that the Republicans, with Cathy McMorris’s help, have raised your National Debt $3 Trillion Dollars in the past five years. That’s $10,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States. And it’s a tax, because you and your children and your grandchildren are going to have to pay it. So, when Cathy McMorris says she doesn’t raise taxes, ask her when she’s going to take off her Halloween mask. When she does, you’ll see the face of a spend and bankrupt Republican.

Fact Two: Trickle Down Economics is just piling the table higher for the rich and hoping a few scraps will fall off. It’s like having a hungry dog and putting more food on the table for its owner: It’s like McMorris’s strategy of cutting taxes even more for the multinational corporations and the billionaire Republican contributors and having the rest of us hope that some scraps fall off to keep us from going broke. Washington’s farmers and workers are hungry and are working like dogs, but how many of the Republican policies actually help us directly? Mostly, they help rich Republicans who keep telling you that one of these days you’re going to get some real good scraps. Read the rest of this entry »

The only thing more outrageous than the majority ruling are the three concurring/dissenting justices who wanted to by-pass the majority’s pretense of involving the Legislature (”Marriage or Faux Marriage and you get to name it”) and declare a fundamental right to same-sex marriage. It could hardly get worse if you gave out gavels in a mental institution.

The majority had enough sense to know that nobody with a functioning brain would fall for the notion that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right deeply rooted in the history, traditions and conscience of the people of New Jersey or anywhere else on the planet. Nonetheless, after admitting that there is no Equal Protection Clause in the NJ Constitution, all seven agreed that since they had previously declared it to be there, it is expansive enough to include same-sex marriage. But, of course, they didn’t bother to explain how the state’s marriage laws, which apply equally to men and women and heterosexuals and homosexuals denies anybody equal protection.

The greater travesty here is the outright assault on democracy and the abuse of the separation of powers. The New Jersey Legislature should tell the court that they are not subservient to the court and will not obey their unconstitutional power grab. If they don’t, the people of New Jersey should save a gazillion dollars and just eliminate the legislative and executive branches and yield their right to rule themselves to seven unelected lawyers.

The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to the same rights, benefits, and obligations as heterosexual couples, and the Far Right went ballistic. Literally. Just read this quote from Matt Daniels of the Alliance for Marriage: “They are holding a gun to the head of the legislature of New Jersey and saying pick between two bullets — one that allows civil unions and one that allows marriage.”

This is the extreme rhetoric of a sinking ship. Two people of the same-sex are in love and want to protect their relationship and their children from discrimination, and our enemies compare this to murder.

The truth is that the New Jersey decision is perfectly in line with the will of the people of New Jersey. The state has a long tradition of being inclusive and fair-minded. It has a civil rights law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and it has a strong hate crimes law. The legislature had already approved a statewide domestic partnership law with little to no opposition. And, recent polling data also shows that 50% of New Jerseyans support marriage equality and, by a margin of 2 to 1, they support some sort of relationship recognition such as civil unions. Read the rest of this entry »

1. ABC News has reported the winner of the World’s Fastest BlackBerry type-off. ABC had reported on my writing of the book “The Dancer’s Dead” on the BlackBerry, during the campaign. My opponent in the “type-off” was the political editor for ABC News, claiming the fastest pair of thumbs at ABC. He said, prior to the contest, “New York City pride is on the line, and I don’t intend to lose.â€?

When I was practicing law, I’d write briefs of the BlackBerry, but it is more difficult to type under pressure, knowing you’ve only got one take. My son, at college, saw my hands shaking on the video, and enjoyed cheering me on with the Aggie “Future Leaders of Tomorrow” who watched. It created a stir at my youngest daughter’s high school friends, who rely heavily on text messaging. The video featured the chain of custody, as the fax came in and was handed to me for typing. My technique relies on the left index finger, right thumb and touch-typing without looking at the keyboard. Read the rest of this entry »