Yesterday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) delivered a speech at the University of the District of Columbia's David A. Clarke School of Law, during which he discussed the Supreme Court and the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Justice David Souter. During his speech, Sen. Leahy highlighted the Court's imminent decision in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. One v. Holder (NAMUDNO), expected to be the Court's most significant ruling of the Term and, as Senator Leahy called it, "one of its most important decisions in years."

If you're interested in issues related to nuclear weapons, President Obama delivered a very intriguing speech in Prague this weekend. It's very encouraging to see a serious issue like nuclear weapons given prime placement on Obama's first European tour as president. He sets a high bar, and does it in front of a foreign audience. But, the speech also carries many of the legacy positions of fear-mongering to support unnecessary programs and delay in bringing about speedy changes in policy that have characterized several decades of the American nuclear experience.

When you were elected to the U.S. Senate, you swore a solemn oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and bear true faith and allegiance to the same, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion." Do we need to review what that means? Very well -- let's review. "Allegiance" is defined as loyal and obedient servitude. The mission of our government, defined by the Constitution, is to establish justice and to promote the general welfare. This is what you've sworn to serve, loyally and obediently, without reservation or evasion. Whatever your politics, this is the side you're on, or you are not as good as your word. Now, let's talk about justice. Let's talk about the general welfare. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of

Last week, I had the honor of meeting a proud graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Lt. Dan Choi. Lt. Choi has served honorably in the 1st Bn., 69th Infantry of the New York Army National Guard, including a deployment in Iraq. Now, it appears his service may come to an end simply because he has publicly said these three words: "I am gay."

Barack Obama met the AMA last Monday at its annual meeting in Chicago. He received everything from applause to boos to cautious comments of support afterward. But in a time where its membership is at best only 20-30% of American doctors, does the AMA really matter?

There is a plague of venomous snakes in southern Iraq. Patrick Cockburn reports: "We have been surprised in recent days by the unprecedented number of snakes that have fled their habitat because of the dryness and heat," Wissam al-Assadi, one of the town's vets said. "We saw some on roads, near houses and cowsheds. Farmers have come to us for vaccines, but we don't have any." The plague of snakes is the latest result of an unprecedented fall in the level of the water in the Euphrates and the Tigris, the two great rivers which for thousands of years have made life possible in the sun-baked plains of Mesopotamia.

I am a Palestinian born in the United States. My father is from a town in the West Bank and immigrated to the United States as a young man just before the war of 1967. He does not have the right to return to his hometown to live, but he, his brother and sisters travel back to visit family that still live in their childhood home. I am planning my first trip to Palestine this summer after over a ten year absence. Like many Palestinians in the diaspora, my mind stays in Palestine while physically removed from it.

The open letter I published last week on Daily Kos convinced computer chip giant AMD Corporation to change a product code name, according to an online report on technology site CNET News. I had complained about the company's recent decision to name a new computer chip "Congo" because of the connection between conflict minerals used in electronic devices and the brutal war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I learned last week that my friend and law school classmate Luke Cole had died in a car accident while vacationing with his wife in Uganda. Luke was an incredible guy with an infectious positive energy about him and the belief that he could change the world for the better. In a number of big and small ways, he did.

Let's get something straight: No one is going to take anyone's guns away. There is no gun ban coming from the Obama administration. The rhetoric about gun bans is ridiculous. Most of us know the NRA leadership and others use the specter of gun bans to raise money. But, it's divisive, and damaging for all law-abiding gun owners.

Read Older Articles