"The Supreme Court refused this week to review the murder conviction of an Idaho man who was prevented by state law from offering an insanity defense. The court's abdication of its responsibility encourages other states to dismantle a central principle of Anglo-American law: that a defendant should not be held criminally responsible when mental illness makes it impossible for him to tell right from wrong."
"In May, Slager pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law after a murder trial ended in a mistrial. He admitted he didn't shoot Scott in self defense and said he used excessive force.
Federal prosecutors are seeking a life sentence. Prosecutors believe Slager committed second-degree murder and should also be punished for obstructing justice."
I think those punishments are completely necessary and he deserves it. There's stories like this all the time but a lot of cops won't admit to not shooting them for self defense.
I think that the officer should get life in prison for killing this man. The man ran but there's other options than firing your gun at him, there was no threat to the officer, he was unarmed, and the officer said he used force that was unnecessary.
The cop shouldn't of shot the man in the back, there was no threat towards the officer. If the man pulled a knife or a gun out then I'll see why the police officer shot him, but because the man had no weapons on him and was just running way he shouldn't of gotten shot.
"The soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team have gone to war five times since 9/11, and 84 have been killed - including 13 during their current deployment to Afghanistan. How would the impending budget cuts affect civilians at their post? And what will it all mean for their spouses and family members who work on the base?"
in my opinion I think that you should have the right to be married no matter if your gay or not. Its not their life its yours i just dont understand why they are so against gay marriage. It's not like its hurting us.
I'm glad that she won this case, because the law states that if your husband or wife were to die, you get the things they leave behind. I don't see why it would be different if you are gay. It just makes no sense. I don't understand why this law was passed in the first place.
I think it's fair to say that the criticisms made against Hagel are in the past now. He should be fit for the job. From a defense standpoint there will be a lot of issues at hand in this administration.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks at a news conference in London on Jan. 19. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP) WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Thursday that the military will lift its ban on women serving in combat roles, which will open about 230,000 posts, including those on the front lines.
A Defense Department study that proposed cutting $125 billion in administrative waste from the Pentagon budget was buried amid concerns the findings would give Congress an excuse to further slash defense spending, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
I think this will be a good thing for the U.S. I am pretty sure that there are enough people who want to fight for our country's freedom so why do we need to keep paying more and more for the military? I don't think they are going to take all of the money the military has.
I think that congress should quit spending money on things we don't need. The military has repeatedly told them not to make more, but congress keeps having more made by spending money to keep the factories running.
"Critics say the law makes it too easy to claim self-defense when violence could have been avoided, and that white people's fears are more likely to be deemed "reasonable" than black people's."
President Trump on Thursday morning released a $1.15 trillion budget proposal that seeks a major increase in military and other security spending while slashing spending in a wide range of other agencies including the EPA and State Department.
"All 100 senators have been asked to the White House for the briefing by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Monday."
I think he was justified, but I can see both sides. He was trying to protect people and in self-defense as he stated it's his job to protect everyone even those abroad. So, I think both sides have a right to their opinion.
I feel like there were probably better ways to deal with the self defense act rather than going straight to an airstrike. It also makes it a little unsettling that Biden didn't have a conversation about it with other congress members and just did it.
I think he shouldn't have done this and taking this action this early into his presidency shows somewhat of a disregard for some of the morals he touted himself on to even get elected. Even if he had found himself justified in doing this to say taking into account those morals he reached this conclusion to go there so quickly is disingenuos
"President Joe Biden on Sunday signed an executive order aimed at helping to ensure all Americans have the right to vote by increasing access to voter registration services and information."
This is important to ensure the right to vote is extended towards everyone,and it gets more people out there to vote. These are important thing when we pick a new leader to represent the country as a whole.
In my opinion, this new executive order is amazing. According to the article, "Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have that vote counted. If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote."(konish) I totally agree with it because it's time for new beneficial changes and reformations.
I think giving more people the ability to vote is great. Hopefully this attempt to bring the voter count up works and more people can voice their opinion on who they think is the best fit for our country.
Biden says that if we allow everyone to vote, it will repair and also strengthen the democracy party. I think it is a pretty good idea, it would mean everyone will have more benefitions.
This is a good thing for Biden because congress will restore the voting rights for Americans, and I think by doing that he will have more people experiencing life, and maybe the people will have good input on him so they will vote for him for the next presidential election again.
I think this executive order is amazing for our country. All people should have the right to vote, and this executive order is making it easier for them.
I think this will be beneficial considering all the sneaky tactics that they've been using to get people not to vote, so this will help make voting fairer and give more opportunities to people.
I do believe that it does so happen to be a good thing that Mr. President Joe Biden has signed this act so that more people will have the chance to vote.
I like how voting is continuing to be a bigger issue people are bringing up because people living in America should get a say in who controls the government, regardless of who they are.
People should not be allowed to bring guns to the polling stations. These can be used as a form of voter intimidation which is a crime, though at it's core I have respect for people's right to carry, guns should never be used to scare or intimidate voters
Thanks for posting this Jessica! A good amount of responses so far. I will post a wikipedia link for state-by-state carry rules. If that isn't tricky enough, some states have laws differentiating "carrying" a firearm and "brandishing" (holding it pointed toward someone). I suspect we will be hearing more about this over the next week. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_the_United_States_by_state#Iowa
No people shouldn't be allowed to bring a gun because agreeing with someone else's comment, it would only cause more problems than solutions, therefore it is unnecessary.
I don't think people should bring guns to the voting site because it may cause others not to come and may scare people. It would not be safe and there could be many things to go wrong.
i think that unless you have your concealed carry licence, you should be able to bring it. yes, there is a chance of people being afraid, but there is nothing you can do about that. it isn't going to harm the election in any way and there are rules that have to be followed in order to be given the privilege of the license in the first place
I simply do not see the point. I mean sure you can bring them if you are licensed but that doesn't mean I'm not going to judge you because clearly, the purpose is to make a statement, and not for self-defense. It's not like a grandma is going to point a gun at your head and make you vote Biden.
I personally think that you shouldn't be able to bring guns to voting sites. People are already intimidated going to these places to vote, and adding weapons would just cause more harm than good.
I personally don't believe there is any reason to bring a weapon to voting sites at all. There should be no weapons in a building during a government event.
If the gun holder has a licensed weapon and has years of experience with guns, then I think it wouldn't be a problem. A problem I noticed in the USA is everyone is very paranoid about guns, but not the person holding the gun. If the person has had little to no mental health issues and had years of experience with guns, then It shouldn't be a problem.
It doesn't make sense for people to be able to open carry firearms because votes could feel intimidated by the weapons into voting for a candidate they don't actually like.
i can't think of a reason of why people can bring guns into voting places. yes, they have a right to own one, but i don't think you need to carry a gun with you to vote
I think it's okay for someone with a license to carry to bring one in because that's the entire purpose of a license, but I think it should be kept to only small firearms in the event that someone were to attempt to attack a voting site.
I do not think people should bring guns to voting sites there is absolutely no reason. It only takes one person to get mad or get their feelings hurt and then start shooting then people are hurt or even dead. Especially when the world and the people are like the way they are right now.
I don't think that people should bring guns to voting sites because it would be easy for them to just decide to shoot it up if people don't agree with them.
I don't think it's a good idea to bring guns to voting sites because there is no point to. You wouldn't be in danger more than likely so there is no reason to take a gun with you to vote. And it may make other people uncomfortable and feel less safe while voting.
I think it's a bad idea to let people bring guns to voting sites because theirs literally no reason to, there going to vote, and if anything letting people take guns will just make it worse.
Edie Windsor, the 83-year-old lesbian who sued the United States government for discriminatory treatment under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), expressed optimism today that the Supreme Court will strike down the 17-year old law. "I think it went beautifully," Windsor said from outside of the court after today's oral arguments in United States v.
A day after jurors found her guilty of first-degree murder, Jodi Arias and her attorneys met with a judge in a closed-door hearing Thursday, according to a source with knowledge of the proceedings.
The U.S. military is ending its policy of excluding women from combat and will open combat jobs and direct combat units to female troops, CNN has learned. Multiple officials confirm to CNN that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will make the announcement tomorrow and notify Congress of the planned change in policy.
"We are dropping cyber bombs. We have never done that before," Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work told reporters traveling with him. "Just like we have an air campaign, I want to have a cyber campaign. I want to use all the space capabilities I have."
Ahead of the unannounced trip to the Iraqi capital, Mattis told reporters in Abu Dhabi that he was heading to Baghdad, "because I need to get current on the situation there, political situation, the enemy situation, and the friendly situation."