The Alliance for Justice issued a report on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and found that the judge takes a notably hard-line stance on crime. William Yeomans, the Legal Director of the Alliance for Justice, said that she has consistently ruled against criminals more strongly than her fellow judges have. (0:28)
By Suzia Van Swol – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service and Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News
The House Armed Forces Subcommittee held a Military Personnel hearing, today, on “Sexual Assault in the Military: Prevention.”
The subcommittee heard testimony from Carolyn Collins, program manger of the Army’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Program, Raymond Bruneau, manager of the Marine Corps’ Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program; Katherine Robertson, deputy manager of the Navy Installation Command’s Counseling, Advocacy and Prevention Program and Charlene Bradley, assistant deputy for the force management integration in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Prevention and Response Office.
This was one in a series of hearings that this subcommittee will conduct on the subject of sexual assault in the military, this year. The hearing today focused on Prevention Programs that are currently in place.
Chairwoman Susan Davis (D-CA) said: “Just as we have the responsibility to ensure that victims of a sexual assault receive all the support that can be provided following an attack, we also have an obligation to do all we can to prevent such attacks from ever taking place. The Department of Defense has made significant improvements in recent years, but the question we need to ask is, has enough been done?”
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) asked the witnesses whether and why the question “do women belong in the military” was still an issue and stated that this needed to be addressed. She said there needs to be a “change in cultural attitudes” towards woman in the military, and more “effective laws.”
The prevention and after-care systems that were identified by the panel seemed focused on the woman; offering counseling for victims. There was no evidence of rehabilitation programs in place for the men who commit this offense.
Mr. Bruneau said: “People are our most important resource. Marines have a long history of taking care of their own. Which means that we do not intentionally harm one another. Nor, do we leave a comrade behind. Victims of sexual assault are entitled to our support and care and deserve to be returned to the fight as fully functioning marines. The marines as always, are committed to caring for their own, as it’s the right thing to do.”
The subcommittee showed three videos by the witnesses that have been created by and for the military in an attempt to highlight the serious nature of sexually criminal behavior.
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, who is also President of the US Conference of Mayors says that an AK-47 assault rifle is cheaper on the streets of Miami than a Playstation. He also says there are more gang members in America than police officers, and that youth violence accounts for 20 percent of all violence in America (:40).
Louie Gohmert (R-Tx.) spoke at the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing saying that the best way to stop gang violence is through education. He says that without an early gang oriented education program, preventing gang violence is very difficult. The only way to effectively cut down gang violence is by encouraging local law enforcement to partner with community centers and schools. (0:45)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey discusses the progression of organized crime organizations during his speech today at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. (0:29)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey spoke before the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) about the challenges the US faces in combating the growing threat of international organized crime.
Mukasey’s speech focused on examining the many different types of threats the US faces, and what our government is doing to combat such threats. Mukasey noted that the enemy we face is constantly becoming more advanced, often using the internet and cyber technology to do things such as launder money and communicate with other criminal groups. He described international criminal organizations as “alive and well,” noting that organized crime groups deal with everything from smuggled cigarettes to manufacturing drugs.
The Attorney General emphasized that the government has been successful in foiling criminal plots in places such as New Jersey and Los Angeles, and talked about how our leaders have communicated with law enforcement agencies abroad to stop more crime from emerging around the world.
Mukasey said that by prioritizing the threats of criminal groups facing our nation (he suggested we worry about the greatest risks facing us first), and by having our governmental agencies share information about crime amongst one another, we can continue to succeed in keeping America safe.
The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies interrogated FBI Director Robert Mueller on a number of issues pertaining to the progress of his department. Issues covered during the hearing were the FBI’s fiscal year 2009 budget request, the progress the FBI has made in counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and cyber security, and the methods the department uses to carry out their wide-spanning activities. (more…)
During his speech to the World Bank about “Building Better Cities,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg answers a question about how the police force in New York City has been so successful at reducing crime. We have tried to allocate the police department to problem places with problem people, he says, instead of putting them “where people scream the loudest.” He says that the police department reflects the community in respect to demographics. That is “key,” because it is critically important that people feel “the police officer understands you.” It’s a two way dialogue, he says, and without that, crime fighting is not effective. (1:30)
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee met today to discuss policy in
Panelist and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher talked about narcotics trafficking and other concerns in
Biden and the Republican leader of the committee Dick Lugar (
