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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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 21, 2017 12 Comments
The Department of Justice decided to eliminate the $3 million fine that Harley-Davidson received from President Barack Obama's administration to fight pollution. The money was supposed to go "to an American Lung Association project promoting cleaner-burning cook stoves." The company reached an agreement with the government last August to pay that fine along with a $12 million fine for the "manufacture and sale of around 340,000 illegal motorcycle tuners."

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 20, 2017 21 Comments
New York City users of the pet-sitting app Rover have discovered that dog-sitting without a kennel license is illegal in the city. New York Daily News reported:
The health code bans boarding, feeding and grooming animals for a fee without a kennel license — and says those licenses can’t be issued for private homes.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 20, 2017 34 Comments
OJ Simpson has received parole for his 2008 conviction of an armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers. From Fox News:
Commissioner Tony Corda begins. He says Simpson committed a crime and was sent to prison. He says Simpson has no prior convictions and is low risk. He has community support and has heard from Simpson and his victim. "The question is if you have served enough time in this case." Corda votes to grant parole.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2017 3 Comments
People rejoiced when the Illinois legislature passed a budget bill mainly aimed at education. I blogged about eduction funding for grades K-12 earlier this month. Public universities have their own problems. Yes, the state has its first budget in two years, but its the first budget in two years:
"You don't get one year's funding and have people say, 'Oh, Illinois is totally fixed now,' " said Rachel Lindsey, interim president of Chicago State University. "I don't think it would be in our best interest to think of ourselves as out of the woods just yet."

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2017 41 Comments
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has kept his word. The Department of Justice has expanded its asset forfeiture program that will allow authorities to seize a citizen's property even if they have not been charged with a crime. The DOJ's program can even apply in the fourteen states that have banned civil asset forfeiture without a criminal conviction.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2017 8 Comments
The investigation into female genital mutilation (FGM) in Michigan has now spread to five other states after authorities identified possible new defendants. The lawyer for Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, the woman charged with performing FGM on numerous girls, disclosed this information in new court documents "to show the complexity of the case and explain why" the court should release her client "from jail to prepare for trial.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2017 19 Comments
The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is entangled in a new controversy only a week after the public lashed out at officials for refusing to release video footage of crimes over fears the videos would incite racism. Recent reports indicate that BART has seen double the amount of rapes in the first six months of 2017 than all of 2016.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 18, 2017 23 Comments
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."

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 18, 2017 13 Comments
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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 17, 2017 14 Comments
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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 17, 2017 26 Comments
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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 17, 2017 7 Comments
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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 16, 2017 6 Comments
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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 14, 2017 5 Comments
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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 14, 2017 38 Comments
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.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 13, 2017 11 Comments
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.
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