ABC reporter arrested in Denver for photographing Democrats hob-nobbing with lobbyists

ABC Reporter Arrested in Denver Taking Pictures of Senators, Big Donors (http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/MoneyTrail/story?id=5668622)

Police in Denver arrested an ABC News producer on august 27, 2008, as he and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures on a public sidewalk of Democratic senators and VIP donors leaving a private meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel.

A cigar-smoking Denver police sergeant, accompanied by a team of five other officers, first put his hands on Eslocker's neck, then twisted the producer's arm behind him to put on handcuffs.

The sheriff's officer is seen telling Eslocker the sidewalk is owned by the hotel. Later, he is seen pushing Eslocker off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic, forcing him to the other side of the street.

View the ABC video at http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5670682

 

ABC Reporter's Attorneys Want All Charges Dropped http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Conventions/Story?id=5678763&page=1

Eslocker's attorneys said Thursday that their client is "innocent of all three crimes."

"He and his news crew were standing on public sidewalks covering an event of public significance and performing a press function protected by the First Amendment," said a statement issued today by Eslocker's attorneys, Daniel Recht and Steven Zansberg.

Video of the arrest shows a cigar-smoking Denver police sergeant, accompanied by a team of five other officers, first put his hands on Eslocker's neck, then twisting his arm behind him to put on handcuffs.

"Frankly, we are outraged at the conduct of the individual officers. Their interactions with Mr. Eslocker are captured on tape." (click here to read the full statement by Eslocker's attorneys)

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Supreme Court affirms gun rights

The Supreme Court struck down Washington, D.C.'s ban on handgun possession yesterday, and decided for the first time in the nation's history that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual's right to own a gun for self-defense. (Boston Globe)

Justice Stephen Breyer said the decision "threatens to throw into doubt the constitutionality of gun laws throughout the United States," and called that a "formidable and potentially dangerous" mission for the courts to undertake. He was joined by Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Gun ruling won't change much, according to ATF chief (Houston Chronicle)

Cheers, fears meet Supreme Court gun ruling (LA Times)

"The way I look at it, it's the right that ensures all others," he said outside his taxidermy shop -- which was stuffed with turkeys, wart hogs and other trophies that Houston hunters paid him to preserve. "You can't have freedom of speech and freedom of the press if you're unsafe."

In California, Charlotte Austin-Jordan has some painful reasons to disagree. She lost two children to gun violence in South Los Angeles -- her 13-year-old daughter, Ja'Mee, in 1988 and her 25-year-old son, Corey, in 1996.

John McCain cheers Supreme Court decision, fires shot at Barack Obama (NY Daily Times)

John McCain and the gun lobby seized on the Supreme Court ruling Thursday as a wedge issue against Barack Obama, who said he was for tossing the District of Columbia's handgun ban but also favors regulation.

Gun ownership was a "sacred" right akin to free speech and assembly, McCain said, as opposed to Obama's "elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness."

Deadly Consequences -- But the Right Call (Washington Post)

This case, for me, is one of those uncomfortable situations in which my honest opinion is not the one I'd desperately like to be able to argue. As much as I abhor the possible real-word impact of the ruling, I fear that it's probably right.

Guns, yes and no (LA Times)

Individuals have a right to own firearms, the Supreme Court rules. But there can still be limits.

Dobson accuses Obama of fruitcake views of constitution.

Mr. Dobson’s remarks focused on a June 28, 2006, speech in which Mr. Obama, in Washington, mentioned passages from the Bible that he suggested were in conflict with present-day practices. Mr. Dobson made his criticisms shortly after Joshua Dubois, the Obama campaign’s religious affairs director, offered to meet with Focus on the Family leaders and suggested to some people that Mr. Dobson was nervous about Mr. Obama’s willingness to compete with Republicans for the evangelical vote.

Read the entire article at NYTimes.com

 

And according to LATimes "And by the way, who asked him?"

In January on a radio program Dobson told the host he could not support Sen. John McCain either because of the restrictions of the McCain-Feingold bill and new proposals, supported by and named for McCain, to limit the ability of groups such as Focus to reach constituents with action messages on pending legislation.

 

Christian leader says Obama distorting the Bible

Dobson, who has previously said he will not vote for McCain because of his past support for stem cell research, on Tuesday said the Arizona senator wasn't doing enough to stop gay marriage in his home state.

The comments by broadcaster James Dobson are among the sharpest religious attacks to date on the Illinois senator, who will face Republican John McCain in the November election.

Polls show evangelicals are slowly moving away from the Republican Party, though Obama's support of abortion rights and gay rights are likely to give pause to many.