With a link to the docs…. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upholds the Second Amendment:

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ET AL. v. HELLER

CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT

No. 07-290. Argued March 18, 2008-Decided June 26, 2008

District of Columbia law bans handgun possession by making it a crime to carry an unregistered firearm and prohibiting the registration of handguns; provides separately that no person may carry an unlicensed handgun, but authorizes the police chief to issue 1-year licenses; and requires residents to keep lawfully owned firearms unloaded and dissembled or bound by a trigger lock or similar device. Respondent Heller, a D. C. special policeman, applied to register a handgun he wished to keep at home, but the District refused. He filed this suit seeking, on Second Amendment grounds, to enjoin the city from enforcing the bar on handgun… Read More

Four years ago I got a call asking if I would speak to some high school students at the RNC Convention in New York City. The caller told me I would be on a panel with Mike McCurry, President Clinton’s press Secretary. Immediately I was worried that this panel was mismatched.

The group was the Junior Statesman Symposium at the RNC. The Junior Statesman Foundation is the partner to the Junior State. The Junior State is a non-partisan, student-run civic education organization. It was started in California seventy-four years ago but has since been formed in other states.

The Foundation supports the activities of the Junior State and conducts several summer school programs at prestigious campuses like Stanford, Georgetown, and Yale. They also offer several week-long programs that encourage civic responsibility among high achieving high school students.

I had the chance to go to the Summer School programs at UC Davis (now at Stanford) and Georgetown when I was 25 years younger and 200 pounds lighter. I can say it changed my life.

They have added the weeklong symposium at both the RNC and DNC Conventions. This is the… Read More

San Franciscans are infamous for their “creative” ways of demonstrating their liberal/socialist ideology. But I think this time they’ve gone too far. The International Herald Tribune is reporting that there is a group of citizens campaigning to place a measure on the ballot renaming the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the “George W. Bush Sewage Plant.”

The “Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco” came up with their idea in the place where all truly brilliant ideas are birthed: a local bar. Not only is this proposal completely disrespectful to the office of the President of the United States, it is a waste of taxpayer money. For all its claims to be the international city of “tolerance,” San Francisco isn’t sending a very tolerant message about President Bush and his administration.

Regardless of your political opinion of any given president, the office they represent should not become the object of… Read More

FR Publisher Jon Fleischman is in the midst of a multi-day trip to the State’s Capitol, maintaining, renewing and initiating contacts to better serve FR readers. This morning we’re pleased to offer this guest commentary from Lester Snow penned exclusively for the FlashReport. Snow serves in the Schwarzenegger Administration as the Director of the State Deparment of Water Resources…

Various factors have contributing to the drought conditions we currently face. The Sierra snowpack is only 67 percent of normal,… Read More

FR Publisher Jon Fleischman is in the midst of a multi-day trip to the State’s Capitol, maintaining, renewing and initiating contacts to better serve FR readers. This morning we’re pleased to offer this guest commentary from Lester Snow penned exclusively for the FlashReport. Snow serves in the Schwarzenegger Administration as the Director of the State Deparment of Water Resources…

AB 1634 just got out of Senate Local Gov’t this morning. The bill has been changed, amendments make it into a kind of 3 Strikes bill for pet owners. If you get caught with a non-fixed animal that is not permitted to be that way it’s a $50 fine the first time, $100 the 2nd anda mandatory spay/neuter on the 3rd occurance with the pet owner paying for the costs.

Cats only get 2 strikes…which will make dog owner/cat haters giggle and probably cause a rash of discrimination lawsuits. But wait, if cats have 9 lives then that must mean 18 strikes, which is unfair to dog owners and will thencause…… Read More

I’m off to Sacramento through Friday – working to maintain all of the contacts on which I depend to bring you news and commentary! On my SWA flight up from “The OC” are Assemblymen Van Tran and Todd Spitzer. Tran was down for a McCain cashectomy on major GOP donors hosted by George Argyros. I ran into Spitzer yesterday for the swearing-in of Orange County’s new Sheriff, Sandra Hutchens. Oh, gotta go! What’s that phrase? “Wheels up!”… Read More

The Fresno State Bulldogs – the only unseeded team in College World Series history to make the final three game series, will play a deciding third game for the NCAA Men’s Baseball Championship today at 4:00 pm PDT, on ESPN.

The Bulldogs, who struggled against teams such as Sacramento State just before the WAC tournament last month, have been on an absolute tear – knocking out nationally ranked Long Beach State, San Diego, 3rd ranked Arizona State, 6th ranked Rice and 2nd ranked Georgia last night. They face Georgia again tonight for the title.

If they win it will be the first national title for a men’s sports program at the University.… Read More