Oxford Students Want World’s Top Natural Law Scholar Fired for Religion

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Students at Oxford University have launched a petition calling on the university to remove John Finnis, an emeritus professor of law and philosophy, from his academic position because of Finnis’ purported “discriminatory conduct.” The petition, which has garnered hundreds of signatures, claims the 78-year-old Australian “has a long record of extremely discriminatory views against many groups of disadvantaged people,” and “is known for being particularly homophobic and transphobic.”

Among other things, Finnis is accused of professing that “gay sex is like bestiality—having sex with animals;” that “being gay is ‘evil’ and ‘destructive;’” and that “approving of gay sex is like approving of killing innocent people in a terrorist massacre.” The Oxford Student published Finnis’ response to the charges:

The petition travesties my position, and my testimony in American constitutional litigation. Anyone who consults the Law Faculty website and follows the links in the petition can see the petition’s many errors. I stand by all these writings. There is not a ‘phobic’ sentence in them. The 1994 essay promotes a classical and strictly philosophical moral critique of all non-marital sex acts and has been republished many times, most recently by Oxford University Press in the third volume of my Collected Essays.

. . .

The Oxford petition seeks Finnis’ removal not for anything he has done as a professor, but based solely on his published work. On this point, the petition is clear, noting the university’s harassment policy is unhelpful: “Although it identifies the aims of promoting ‘a positive environment’ of fairness and respect, ‘free from harassment’, it does not provide guidance on how to deal with professors who target disadvantaged people more generally (e.g. through their published work).” . . .

First, the petition signatories view academic research, including scholarship published in top-tier journals and the upper echelon of university presses, as harassment. Second, the petition makes clear that the student signatories view natural law and the precepts of the Catholic church and traditional Christian churches as adopting homophobic, transphobic, and “extremely discriminatory views.” Third, the petition’s reference to awaiting a “person-to-person instance of harassment or victimisation,” exposes the students’ view that a classroom lecture that includes Finnis’ scholarship would be verboten. (Read more from “Oxford Students Want World’s Top Natural Law Scholar Fired for Religion” HERE)

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Supreme Court to Review Illegal Alien’s Gun Possession Conviction

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The Supreme Court will decide whether an illegal alien from the United Arab Emirates was wrongfully convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm.

The case was occasioned in December 2015, when Hamid Mohamed Ahmed Ali Rehaif was arrested in Florida after renting a gun at a shooting range and purchasing ammunition. Federal law prohibits certain classes of people from possessing guns, including illegal aliens.

Rehaif is a citizen of the United Arab Emirates. He came to the United States in 2013 to attend the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), but was dismissed for academic reasons Jan. 21, 2015. His lawful immigration status terminated shortly thereafter on Feb. 23, 2015. Therefore, he was in the U.S. illegally when he rented the gun and procured ammunition.

At trial, the judge told the jury that “the [prosecution] is not required to prove that [Rehaif] knew that he was illegally or unlawfully in the United States.” The legal question the Supreme Court will decide is whether that instruction was correct.

Rehaif contends the government must prove he knowingly possessed a firearm and knowingly violated immigration law in order to secure a conviction. That point is important because Rehaif claims he did not know his immigration authorization expired after he left FIT. If Rehaif was not aware of his changed immigration status, his lawyers argue, he cannot be convicted for being an illegal alien in possession of a fire arm under the relevant law. (Read more from “Supreme Court to Review Illegal Alien’s Gun Possession Conviction” HERE)

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White House Slams Democrats for Puerto Rico Vacation During Shutdown

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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders harshly criticized Democratic lawmakers for flying to Puerto Rico for a political event and vacationing during a partial government shutdown.

Democratic lawmakers like New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez were spotted on the beaches of Puerto Rico during a meeting for a political action committee which supports the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The retreat comes on the 24th day of a partial government shutdown, the longest funding lapse in the history of the U.S. . .

Democrats have refused to budge from their position of $1.6 billion with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even telling Trump in a situation room meeting last week that even if Trump reopened the government they would not negotiate. Trump is now exploring funding options to begin construction on the wall, including declaring a national emergency. (Read more from “White House Slams Democrats for Puerto Rico Vacation During Shutdown” HERE)

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Russia Derangement Syndrome: Dem Senator Says It’s Not Insane to Ask If Trump Is a Russian Agent

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By Townhall. Russia collusion might be the topic of discussion nowadays with the government shutdown, but it’s still a pathogen that has yet to leave the Democratic Party’s system. Today, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) suggested that it’s not insane to ask if Trump, knowingly or unknowingly, is a Russian agent. Warner was interviewed by CNN’s Jake Tapper (via NTK Network):

Jake, I think the earlier evidence this week, where the president’s campaign manager – and we’re unaware whether the president knew – where the president’s campaign manager, at whose direction turned over confidential polling data to a known Russian agent, a known Russian agent, who has ties to Putin,” Warner said. “Why would you turn over that information?”

Warner then told Tapper that it was this kind of information that Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort gave the Russians that they would have used to interfere in the 2016 election.

(Read more from “Russia Derangement Syndrome: Dem Senator Says It’s Not Insane to Ask If Trump Is a Russian Agent” HERE)

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Trump Targets Dems Over DACA Amid Shutdown Talks

By The Hill. President Trump on Sunday hit Democrats for their hesitance to include protections for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in talks to end a prolonged government shutdown, despite his own administration’s insistence that the program be left out of negotiations.

“Democrats are saying that DACA is not worth it and don’t want to include in talks,” Trump tweeted. “Many Hispanics will be coming over to the Republican side, watch!”

The president’s tweet contradicts comments he and Vice President Pence have made in recent days about DACA, which allows young immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children to live and work here without fear of deportation. (Read more from “Trump Targets Dems Over Daca Amid Shutdown Talks” HERE)

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Government Shutdown Could Negatively Impact Immigration Courts for Years to Come

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We’re currently in the midst of the longest running government shutdown in American history. The reason for the shutdown is simple: Republicans and Democrats see the issue of illegal immigration and border security very differently. President Donald Trump wants more than $5 billion to build a wall along the southern border while Democrats oppose the move. . .

According to Bloomberg, the lack of funding is forcing immigration courts to pull those who are not detained off the court calendars. Those individuals will be rescheduled once the shutdown comes to an end. The other problem though? Judges’ calendars are booked out for the next three or more years. Rescheduling those individuals will be even more of a challenge because of it.

“Finding available time slots to reschedule hearings could result in years of further delay,” Susan Long, co-director of Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, which gathers data on federal spending, told Bloomberg. . .

“While there has been a big focus on immigration enforcement, there has not been sufficient focus to the immigration court system. We’re housed in the Department of Justice, and, frankly, the Department of Justice has not advocated either as forcefully or skillfully for us,” [Dana Leigh] Marks told PBS’ Amna Nawaz. “As the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement resources has grown, what’s happened for the courts is that we have fallen behind and not received proportional increases that we would need to stay current with the cases that come into our system.” (Read more from “Government Shutdown Could Negatively Impact Immigration Courts for Years to Come” HERE)

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Biden’s Brother Explains Why Some Family Members Voted for Trump

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By Townhall. Joe Biden’s younger brother Frank Biden said that not all members of the family were on board with Hillary Clinton in 2016 so they cast their vote for Donald Trump.

Biden told The Palm Beach Post the family members felt “slighted” by the Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign strategy. He said he believes his brother would have been able to pick up states the former secretary of state lost had he run.

“We never would have lost Pennsylvania, and all my relatives — the Finnegan family — who voted for Donald Trump because they felt slighted by Hillary and her campaign,” Biden said. “We never would have not gone to Michigan as the campaign decided not to do because they felt entitled to the votes of those people. (Read more from “Biden’s Brother Explains Why Some Family Members Voted for Trump” HERE)

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Joe Biden Hurt by Obama’s Call for ‘New Blood’ in Politics

By Washington Examiner. Former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, is reportedly slighted by former President Barack Obama’s call for “new blood” in politics.

The 44th president, during a private Obama Foundation reception last week in Hawaii, told attendees there was a “deficit” in political leadership and that there was a need for “new blood.” Though he appeared to be speaking broadly about politics, not specifically the Democratic Party, the Hill reported Sunday that Obama’s comments were a cause of consternation for Biden given the longtime senator’s loyalty to the former president and the way his ex-boss discouraged him from running in 2016 against eventual nominee Hillary Clinton.

“The president loves this guy, loves Joe, thinks the world of him. He would go in a battle ditch with Joe, but that’s different than giving his brand to him,” one Obama ally told the outlet. “He has an incredible soft spot for him. And I’m sure he’ll do everything he can to make Joe feel good, but he won’t come out and make Joe his candidate. And I think that hurts Joe.” (Read more from “Joe Biden Hurt by Obama’s Call for ‘New Blood’ in Politics” HERE)

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President Trump Fires Back at ‘Insulting’ Questions Raised by NYT Article

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President Donald Trump joined Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro by phone on Saturday, responding to a Friday New York Times report on the FBI’s Russia investigation.

Pirro brought up the topic during a wide-ranging interview, saying, “New York Times reported that the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation the day after you fired James Comey in may of ’17. And the investigation was whether you were actively working for Russia or unwittingly. So I’m going to ask you, are you now or have you ever worked for Russia, Mr. President?”

Without hesitation, the president fired back, “I think it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked. I think it’s the most insulting article I’ve ever had written.”

Trump went on to attack the “failing” New York Times as “a disaster of a newspaper,” adding, “And if you read the article, you’d see that they found absolutely nothing. But the headline of that article — it’s called ‘the failing New York Times’ for a reason — they’ve gotten me wrong for three years. They’ve actually gotten me wrong for many years before that.” . . .

I can tell you this, if you ask the folks in Russia, I’ve been tougher on Russia than anybody else, any other — probably any other president period, but certainly the last three or four presidents, modern day presidents. Nobody’s been as tough as I have from any standpoint including the fact that we’ve done oil like we’ve never done it, we’re setting records in exporting oil and many other things. Which is, obviously, not great for them, because that’s what they — that’s where they get their money for the most part.

(Read more from “President Trump Fires Back at ‘Insulting’ Questions Raised by NYT Article” HERE)

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Watch: Reporter Has Bad News for Those Waiting for Mueller Bombshell

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ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl said on Sunday that those who are hoping for a “bombshell” in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation are likely to be disappointed, according to his sources. . .

“What I am getting is that this is all building up to the Mueller report and raising expectations of a bombshell report,” Karl said. “And there have been expectations that have been building, of course, for over a year on this. But people who are closest to what Mueller has been doing, interacting with the special counsel caution me that this report is almost certain to be anti-climactic.”

(Read more from “Watch: Reporter Has Bad News for Those Waiting for Mueller Bombshell” HERE)

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Here’s Why Ocasio-Cortez Just Picked a Fight With CBS News

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The freshman representative from New York’s 14th congressional district does not appear to be heeding Whoopi Goldberg’s advice to get to know her Washington surroundings before she starts “pooping on people.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), who was sworn in just a couple weeks ago, has already picked fights with several lawmakers, including several in her own party. For example, she protested outside Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office demanding she get more progressive on climate change. She then sparred with former Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) over the future of the Democratic Party.

Author Roxane Gay agreed it was a “disgrace” that CBS’s 2020 staff had no African-American voices. Yet, other Twitter users defended CBS and suggested they were hiring not based on race, but simply who was best suited for the job.

Members of the media also pushed back at Ocasio-Cortez’s narrative, including National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar, who said she was no better than President Trump with her “media scold.”

. . .

After her spar with the media, Ocasio-Cortez moved on to shaming her colleagues who she suggested fundraise more than they do legislate.

(Read more from “Here’s Why Ocasio-Cortez Just Picked a Fight With CBS News” HERE)

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Pastor Loses Job After Church Sign Stating ‘Homosexuality Is Still a Sin’ Causes Uproar

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Pastor Justin Hoke of Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church in Weed, California, has lost his job following both community and alleged internal backlash over the language used in his most recent church sign. . .

According to SFGate, “a couple dozen” community members gathered to protest the sign on January 6. The protest, called the “Shastina Love Rally,” was organized in part by local resident Amelia Mallory. . .

In an article published just several days ago, Yahoo Lifestyle quoted Pastor Hoke, who said: “We believe that Jesus commands all Christians to let their light shine. We also believe that salvation is only for sinners. Jesus said he came to call sinners, not the righteous. If we give in to cultural demands to stop calling sin ‘sin,’ then we are robbing people of opportunity to hear the truth.” . . .

The pastor also noted that he wasn’t “fired,” but that the church faced a potential fracture in the wake of the fervor surrounding the sign, and that in order to keep the church intact, he felt it was best to vacate his position. Hoke repeatedly stated that he wanted to be circumspect in the way he spoke about the incident because he “loves” the people at Trinity Bible Presbyterian.

Regarding the protesters, Hoke said: “I believe they’re sincere — sincerely wrong, but sincere. I believe that it is hypocritical that their position is taught in schools and pushed on children, while our position is asked to be kept within the walls of the church.” He added that he hopes and believes that “within their midst, there are people whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, and that the command for all Christians is to preach to them the gospel faithfully, calling them to repentance and faith, that they might be changed by the Holy Spirit and brought into the family of God.” (Read more from “Pastor Loses Job After Church Sign Stating ‘Homosexuality Is Still a Sin’ Causes Uproar” HERE)

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