Liberty Update

Federal Issues:
When Big Labor Wins, American Workers and Students Lose Why is it that overly-unionized state economies like Michigan's stagger, whereas states like Florida that are freer from Big Labor's stifling hand flourish?Why do heavily-unionized companies like the Big Three automakers decay, while less-stifled companies prosper? Similarly, why do students who are free to leave failing schools succeed more, whereas students in jurisdictions constrained by powerful teachers unions languish?It's not mere coincidence. Read more now.

Freedom Line:
Who Is Rashid Khalidi and Why Should You Care? On Tuesday of this week, John McCain's Presidential campaign made an unusual demand: that the Los Angeles Times release a video of a party that Barack Obama attended in 2003.The party was for Rashid Khalidi, who is variously portrayed as just another Obama neighborhood college professor friend or as a radical Palestinian activist and former PLO spokesman.Khalidi is currently head of the Middle Eastern Studies Department at Columbia University, which Andrew McCarthy, Contributing Editor of National Review and former federal prosecutor, describes as a "bubbling cauldron of anti-Semitism." Read more now.

Confirmation Watch:
It's Not All About the Supremes With just days to go before we elect a new President, it's been the forgotten consequence of our ballots: Americans will not only decide who gets at least a four-year lease on the White House, but will also indirectly be choosing who will get lifetime seats on the federal bench.This year's election has been about anything but our unelected third branch of government -- the judiciary. Instead, it's been about Iraq, Afghanistan, the War on Terror, foreign policy, national security, health care, taxes, jobs and, most prominently, the economy. But then, two weeks ago, the Supreme Court got raised in electoral conversation by Gen. Colin Powell as he endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama. Read more now.

FreedomCast:
The Importance of Ballot Measures Lost in 2008 Elections Next Tuesday, November 4th, voters go to the polls in what is being hailed as the biggest election in recent history. By now, most voters, including the great undecided, have made their selection for president and vice president, and most other political offices.What voters may not have taken the time to do, however, is research the issues to determine how they will vote on any ballot initiatives or referendums. According to the Initiative and Referendum Institute, voters in 36 states are set to decide 153 ballot propositions.Recently, Paul Jacob, President of the Citizens in Charge Foundation, joined CFIF's Renee Giachino to discuss a number of those ballot issues, how the process works, and the pros and cons of this form of direct democracy. Read more and listen to the interview now.

Editorial Cartoons:
The Cartoons of Michael Ramirez View more of Michael Ramirez's latest cartoons on CFIF's website now.

CFIF History & Civics Quiz:
Question of the Week Which of the following presidential elections had the highest turnout of the U.S. voting age population?(a) 1960(b) 1972(c) 1996(d) 2000 Get the correct answer now.

Jester's Courtroom: Tales Stranger Than FictionFeaturing bizarre and sometimes humorous real life stories from the courtroom. No "Costumes" in the Courtroom In separate instances, in different courtrooms, individuals recently have been chastised for their attire. First, Delbert Barnard, an intellectual property attorney, was criticized by Judge Randall Rader of the Washington D.C. Federal Circuit for dressing for court as if he were about to play a round of tennis. "Next time wear a tie. This is a Federal Circuit," Judge Rader told Barnard.In his own defense, Barnard explained that the one dress shirt he had brought did not survive the trip very well. "I had popped a collar button on my one and only dress shirt. I put it on, and put the tie on to see if it could lay flat ... and it wouldn't. I thought to myself, out here on the West Coast a lot of people will wear a suit with a turtleneck. I had a dark polo shirt. So I wore that," Barnard said.Fortunately for his client, his lack of fashion didn't cost him the case -- the court found in favor of his client.A Kentucky woman who lacked fashion sense for a courtroom visit was not as lucky. Kirstie Arnold, 28, was ordered to serve three days in jail after ignoring two warnings and a fine regarding her court attire.After Arnold showed up in hot pants to court, District Judge Janet Booth reportedly lost her patience. "Why shouldn't I put you in jail for contempt today? ... You apparently don't care about the court's orders," Judge Booth said.Arnold's response, "I forgot," didn't sit well with the judge. "How could you forget?" Judge Booth exclaimed. "No, seriously, how could you forget? It's a complete disregard of court order. Complete. You should go to jail today, and you're going."Before sentencing Arnold to serve three days of temporary detention "for disregard and disrespect of court proceedings," Judge Booth suggested that next time Arnold won't forget to dress appropriately.Source: Lawyers Weekly Read more now. Since many of these gems do not attain national attention, the Jester welcomes you to share with us your favorite wacky stories from a courtroom near you! Please be sure to provide the source. You may e-mail us at info@cfif.org.

Notable Quotes:
Quote of the Week The Drudge Report:"ABCCBSNBCNYTLATWSJCNNMSNBCAPREUTERSAFPPOLITICOFTTIMEWASHPOSTNEWSWEEK:CAN THEY ALL BE WRONG?" Get more Notable Quotes. Do you have a notable quote you'd like to share with the Center, e-mail it to info@cfif.org. Be sure to provide us the source of the quote.
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