U.S. House of Representatives Read Constitution Aloud
The first time the U.S. Constitution — the supreme law of the United States — was ever read aloud in the House of Representatives was two years ago. The second time will be Tuesday morning.
The reading comes as a recommendation from new House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, who also recommended the first reading. In a statement released Monday, Goodlatte said:
“One of the resounding themes I have heard from my constituents is that Congress should adhere to the Constitution and the finite list of powers it grants to the federal government. Our constitutional principles remain timeless and it is fitting that we start the 113th Congress by reading the Constitution aloud on the floor of the House of Representatives.”
Compared to Thailand’s Constitution, which is now in its eighteenth version, the U.S. Constitution is remarkable in that it has stood the test of time. The U.S. Constitution, although amended 27 times, is the original founding document of the United States.
Petitions to Oust U.S. Attorneys Gain Momentum
While U.S. District Attorney Carmen Ortiz has dropped the charges against Aaron Swartz following the digital rights activist’s suicide, a petition to boot Ortiz is gaining ground. The petition has already amassed over 26,000 signatures — more than the 25,000 required to generate an official response from the White House. A related petition on the site to remove U.S. Attorney Steve Heymann, the lead prosecutor, is also steadily accumulating signatures with just more than 2,000.
Swartz faced felony charges for hacking into JSTOR, MIT’s academic research database. JSTOR eventually dropped the charges, but the U.S. Attorney’s office continued to push the prosecution. If convicted, Swartz was facing decades in prison and millions of dollars in fines.
Related story: Digital Rights Activist and Hacker Aaron Swartz Found Dead
Thailand’s Minimum Wage Hike Forcing Manufacturers to Burma
Thailand’s recent minimum wage increase is sending the country’s factories to neighboring Burma. Manufacturers in the southern province of Ranong say a shortage of raw materials and the wage hike, which went into effect January 1, are forcing them across the border.
The Ranong Chamber of Commerce said it hopes to set up a free market zone between the two countries on the border, according to the Thai News Agency.
Related story: Minimum Wage Hike Costing Jobs
Secret Doc On U.S.’s Surveillance Law Released
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released a document that supposedly details how U.S. officials are to interpret the Foreign Intelligence Services Act (FISA), a counter-terrorism surveillance law. The document, unfortunately, is almost completely censored.
The FISA Amendments Act, called the United State’s “snooping law” or “spy law,” was reauthorized in late 2012 by Congress for another five years. The amendments call for added oversight and foreign protections, allowing the U.S. to “conduct surveillance on suspected terrorist abroad without a court order.”
Related story: Freedom of Press vs. FISA
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