PUBLIC MARKS from jasontromm with tag open

After much speculation, a staffer to Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, admitted to Cox Newspapers today that the senator is the lawmaker who placed a “secret hold” on legislation that would open up the obscure world of government contracting to public scrutiny. Until now, it was a political whodunnit as to who quietly blocked legislation introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would create a searchable database of government contracts, grants, insurance, loans and financial assistance, worth $2.5 trillion last year.

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a leading critic in Congress of open borders, blasted the decision today by Republicans and Democrats in the Senate to compromise on immigration reform and offer the possibility of citizenship to an estimated 10 million people who entered the country illegally through 2004.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid supports legislation that would enable illegal aliens in the United States to remain in the country and attain citizenship, but a dozen years ago he sharply criticized proposals that could be construed as amnesty, introducing a tough immigration-reform bill that argued open borders increased the threat of terrorism and rewarded lawbreakers who placed a heavy burden on the criminal justice system, schools and social programs.

With abortion and executive privilege to be two huge issues facing Samuel Alito during his confirmation hearing this week, the Supreme Court nominee said Monday that a good judge always keeps an open mind and that no person is above the law.

With many large churches across the U.S. announcing they won't be open on Christmas Day, some pastors are defending their decision to stay closed, even going so far as to blast those who question their motives.

Liberties should be as unlimited as possible -- unless and until there arises a real threat to the open society.