Mary Chastain | Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion - Part 405
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Author: Mary Chastain

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Mary Chastain

Mary is the resident libertarian. She covers stories in every vertical, but her favorite thing to do is take on the media. She saw its bias against the right when she was a socialist.

Mary loves the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks, tennis, cats, Oxford comma, Diet Coke, and needlework.

Just as states have finally taken steps to stop civil asset forfeiture, Attorney General Jeff Sessions wants to take the federal government a few steps back. In a speech to the National District Attorneys Association, Sessions announced that this week the Department of Justice hopes to issue "policies to increase forfeitures."

Saudi Arabia is a country that oppresses females, treating them as second class citizens. Recently, authorities arrested a young woman who wore a skirt and crop top in public. Her head was not covered. The video, posted to Snapchat, "show the woman walking through an ancient fort in Ushayqir, a village in Najd province about 95 miles from the capital, Riyadh," reports the Washington Post.

Sen. Bernie Sanders's wife Jane has taken a page out of failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's book by screaming 'sexism' at Brady Toensing, the man who filed a complaint alleging Mrs. Sanders committed bank fraud while president for the now defunct Burlington College. From The Boston Globe:
“I find it incredibly sexist that basically he’s going after my husband by destroying my reputation, and that’s not OK,” she said in her first interview about the man responsible for an FBI probe that centers on her leadership at Burlington College, a small liberal arts school on Lake Champlain that she led from 2004 to 2011. The college closed last year as it struggled to pay its creditors and lost its accreditation.

The Catholic nuns of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ in West Hempfield, PA, have built an open air chapel on their land as a last effort to stop a company from building a natural gas pipeline on their property. From Philly.com:
A federal judge agreed this month that the pipeline’s parent company, Williams Partners, can condemn a portion of the order’s property for an easement. A hearing in U.S. District Court of the Eastern District in Reading is scheduled for Monday morning.

Celebrated and loved actor Martin Landau passed away on Sunday at the age of 89, only a few hours after we received the devastating news that George Romero died. Landau proved through the course of his career that he could perform any role handed to him. His talents didn't end there. He handed off his brilliance to up and coming actors like Jack Nicholson.

Two years ago, former President Barack Obama agreed to the Iran Nuclear Deal and told The New York Times that "Iran will be and should be a regional power." He also said that Iran has "that ability now to take some decisive steps to move toward a more constructive relationship with the world community." Obama encouraged Iranian leaders "to seize that opportunity." Well, Obama, you got your wish. Iran seized that opportunity and has taken over Iraq. Goods from Iran fill up the Iraqi markets. Not to mention that Iranian militias had a hand in dispelling ISIS from Mosul and other areas.

The House Ways and Means Committee has passed a bill that limits when the IRS can take action on taxpayer assets. From The Hill:
The bill concerns cases where taxpayers are suspected of “structuring” transactions under $10,000 to avoid bank-reporting requirements. Under the legislation, the IRS would only be able to seize funds in suspected structuring cases when the funds came from illegal sources or the transactions were structured in order to conceal other criminal activity. Additionally, the legislation would establish a process to review seizures.

Women's March group is at it again. This time they've decided to protest against the NRA, partially over an ad that features radio host Dana Loesch. Organizers of the group, which include Sharia-loving Linda Sarsour, claim the ad called "for armed conflict against our communities" and insulted people of color. Of course it didn't. The ad actually highlighted the rising violence the left has used lately. But that didn't stop the left from engaging in a smear campaign against Loesch, which Professor Jacobson described in this post.

Last week, the left in Illinois celebrated when the Senate and House overturned Republican Governor Bruce Rauner's veto of the massive income tax hike and budget bill that concentrated on education. This is the first time in three years the cash-strapped state has a budget. Now Rauner and the Democrats will head back to the table to discuss education funding. The bill that passed the House and Senate already has faced criticism that it favors Chicago schools (shocking, right?) over others.

Democrat Oregon Governor Kate Brown is expected to sign House Bill 3391-B which will make abortion free for all, residents and non-residents of the state. From LifeSite News:
The law would force health insurers to cover abortions without any co-pay and give more than $10 million for abortions and other “reproductive services” to Medicaid. Pro-lifers predict that most of the $10 million will go to Planned Parenthood.

Civil forfeiture remains a controversial issue in America since it's "a process by which the government can take and sell your property without ever convicting, or even charging, you with a crime." The procedures are civil, which means defendants do not receive the same protections given to criminal defendants. Connecticut has put an end to this procedure when the legislature passed a law that bans civil forfeiture without a criminal conviction.

Officials in Cook County, the home of Chicago, have threatened to pass out 1,100 layoff notices since a judge delayed implementation of a soda tax. Circuit Judge Daniel Kubasiak placed a temporary hold on the tax until at least July 21. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said this move has forced her hand to fire people.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) authority has decided not to release surveillance videos of robberies occurring at BART stations for fear they videos might incite racism. People have begun to fear for their safety due to the numerous crimes, but fears of stereotyping have taken priority with BART officials.

In May, Kemberlee blogged that the FBI reportedly started investigating failed presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders' wife Jane over a land deal. She allegedly falsified loan documents when she served as president of the now defunct Burlington College. Federal prosecutors have now amped up the investigation after they hauled "off more than a dozen records" from the college and asked "a state official to provide evidence for a grand jury."

After three long years, forces have liberated Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, from the grips of ISIS. From CNN:
"From here, from the heart of the liberated and free Mosul, by the sacrifices of the Iraqis from all the provinces, we declare the great victory for all of Iraq and Iraqis," [Iraqi PM Haider] al-Abadi said. "This is a great celebration that crowned the victories of the fighters and the Iraqis over the last three years."