The day after after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking classified government materials, Bradley Manning declared that she identified as female and preferred to be known as Chelsea Manning. Having struggled with her gender identity for years while serving in the Army, Manning’s gender identity disorder (GID) played a key role in her trial and sentencing. The question remains whether she will receive the hormone replacement therapy she has requested to receive while in prison at Fort Leavenworth. Although the prison has reportedly issued a statement that it does not provide hormone therapy or gender reassignment surgery, recent case law suggests that it may be constitutionally required to do so.In this column I will consider whether Fort Leavenworth must provide Manning with the requested hormone therapy. I will discuss several federal courts’ decisions on the issue, all of which suggest an affirmative answer to this question. Although Fort Leavenworth is not bound by these courts’ rulings, I argue that both as a matter of policy and as a matter of constitutional law, the prison must provide Manning’s requested treatment.
Gary Edwards on 15 Aug 13"There is a lot of ruin in a nation," wrote Adam Smith. His point was that it takes a long time for nations to fall, even when they're dead on their feet. And he was certainly right. America took its fatal blow in 1913, one hundred years ago; it just hasn't hit the ground yet. This is a slow process, but it's actually fast compared to the Romans. It took them several centuries to collapse . The confusing thing about our current situation is that America - and by that I mean the noble America that so many of us grew up believing was real - has long been poisoned. Its liver, kidneys, and spleen have all stopped functioning. Its heart beats slowly and irregularly. But it still stands on its feet and presents itself as alive to all those who would let their eyes fool them. And I'm not without sympathy for those who want to believe. They find themselves in a world where politics is almighty, and where their comfort, prosperity, and perhaps their survival all hang in a delicate balance. They don't want to upset anything, and questioning the bosses is a good way to get yelled at. But just because someone wants to believe doesn't make it so. We are not children and we are not powerless. We Producers should never be intimidated by those who live at our expense. So let's start looking at the facts. 1913: The Horrible Year For all the problems America had prior to 1913 (including the unnecessary and horrifying Civil War), nothing spelled the death of the nation like the horrors of 1913. Here are the key dates: February 3rd : The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose income taxes on individuals. An amendment to a tariff act in 1894 had attempted to do this, but since it was clearly unconstitutional, the Supreme Court struck it down. As a result - and mostly under the banner of bleeding the rich - the 16th amendment was promoted and passed. As a result, the Revenue Act of 1
