TAMPA — The question of what law applies in any Florida courtroom usually comes down to two choices: federal or state.

But Hillsborough Circuit Judge Richard Nielsen is being attacked by conservative bloggers after he ruled in a lawsuit March 3 that, to resolve one crucial issue in the case, he will consult a different source.

“This case,” the judge wrote, “will proceed under Ecclesiastical Islamic Law.”

Nielsen said he will decide in a lawsuit against a local mosque, the Islamic Education Center of Tampa, whether the parties in the litigation properly followed the teachings of the Koran in obtaining an arbitration decision from an Islamic scholar.

The suit was filed by several men who say they were improperly ousted as trustees in 2002. The dispute may decide who controls $2.2 million the center received from the state after some of its land was used in a road project.

But attorney Paul Thanasides last week appealed Nielson’s decision with the 2nd District Court of Appeal, saying religion has no place in a secular court.

His client: the mosque.

“The mosque believes wholeheartedly in the Koran and its teachings,” Thanasides said Monday. “They certainly follow Islamic law in connection with their spiritual endeavors. But with respect to secular endeavors, they believe Florida law should apply in Florida courts.”

For the rest of this Story
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/article1158818.ece

Face Forward Comments:
Here it comes America.  You are going to see this more and more all of the time. 
I have two truths for you. America is not a melting pot any longer and Diversity does not make us stronger.

If you listen to the nightly news, you will occasionally get a tidbit of the battles that are being fought in Mexico. These wars range from turf wars to full scale military operations.  Throw in a few political assassinations along the way and you might think you understand what it is like living near the border.

As good as I thought I was at dreaming up nightmarish landscapes and dangerous situations, I had no idea how bad it was, until I read through the latest edition of the El Paso Times.  It is the local newspaper serving  the upper Rio Grande valley of Texas and southern New Mexico. You won’t have to read the whole story (and who would have time to read all of them).  The headlines will be enough to communicate the problem we are facing. Mexico is a country out of control.

Sadly, like any disease, it spreads and the epidemic has crossed our borders. Every major city in CA, AZ, NM, and TX is in danger and some have already began see the symptoms.  Latin gang violence in our cities in in the prisons has almost reached the breaking point.  The war has already been declared on you even if you didn’t know it.

My question; Why doesn’t the current administration take on these drug lords and close down the border?  Does it seem odd that with all the problems our border states are facing, this administration has said almost nothing about defending us.  In fact some border states are now suing the Feds for protection.  Let’s protect the border states, even it means a border war. We have invaded other countries for far less and it would be a great reason to bring all of our troops home.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez

Update: AZ Border Patrol agent killed

Border Patrol agents shot beanbags at a group of suspected bandits before the men returned fire during a confrontation in a remote canyon, killing agent Brian Terry with a single gunshot, records show.

And an illegal immigrant wounded in the gun battle who is now the only person in custody linked to the slaying contends he never fired a shot, according to FBI search warrant requests filed in the U.S. District Court in Tucson.

The documents provide the most detailed version yet of what happened in the deadly gun battle Dec. 14 in Peck Canyon, northwest of Nogales.

The documents say the group of illegal border entrants refused commands to drop their weapons after agents confronted them at about 11:15 p.m. Two agents fired beanbags at the migrants, who responded with gunfire. Two agents returned fire, one with a long gun and one with a pistol, but Terry was mortally wounded in the gunfight.

Border Patrol officials declined to answer questions about protocol for use of force, citing the ongoing investigation.

But Terry’s brother, Kent Terry, said the other agents who were there that night told him that they were instructed to use the non-lethal beanbags first. It’s a policy that doesn’t make sense to Kent Terry.

“You go up against a bandit crew that is carrying AKs, and you walk out there with guns loaded with beanbags – I don’t get it,” Terry said in a phone interview from Michigan. “It’s like going to the Iraqi war with one knife. It boggles my mind. … These guys (Border Patrol agents) are professionals; they should be able to use their judgment call on their own.”

Excerpt From:

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_681d29cf-845a-5aea-9f34-3837d70b8a31.html

Update 2:

The guns found at the site of the killing were the same that the ATF allowed to be smuggled into Mexico.

The AFT has let hundreds of weapons into Mexico

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2976/

ATF Agent: I was ordered to let weapons into Mexico

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/03/eveningnews/main20039031.shtml

Face Forward Comments:

I feel very bad for the family that lost a member. Everyone realizes that working as a Border Patrol Agent is not easy and often very dangerous. I respect these brave men and women that have taken on this needed dangerous and politically unpopular job.

From Ruby Ridge to Waco the ATF continue to show why they are the most dangerous and out of control federal agency we have. 

 Three more attempts to rescind driver’s licenses in NM for illegal immigrants turned away  

The New Mexico State Senate turned back three attempts Monday (Feb. 21) to attach amendments to rescind the state’s current policy allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses onto a piece of legislation sponsored by a Senate Democrat – but Republicans were able to force a couple floor votes, thus getting Democrats on record regarding an issue that riles a large number of voters across the state.

New Mexico is one of just three states (including Utah and Washington) that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. Supporters say the state’s policy drops the rate of uninsured motorists and allows authorities to track undocumented aliens while critics say the policy attracts more illegal immigrants to the state. 

http://watchdog.org/8364/three-more-attempts-to-rescind-driver%E2%80%99s-licenses-in-nm-for-illegal-immigrants-turned-away/

Arizona Acting on More Bills That Go After Illegal Immigration

Arizona is far from backing off from its fight to reduce illegal immigration within its borders.

On Tuesday, a state legislative committee plans to consider a proposal that would challenge automatic U.S. citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. The Senate Appropriations Committee also is scheduled to mull a bill that would require hospitals to confirm whether non-emergency patients are U.S. citizens or in the country legally.

Further, a bill introduced Monday would toughen the state’s mandate that employers check the eligibility of new hires, tighten identification requirements for school enrollment and other public services, and make it a crime for someone in the United States unlawfully to drive a vehicle in Arizona.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/02/22/arizona-acting-bills-illegal-immigration/

Kansas House removes in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in key vote

Members of the Kansas House took a key vote Monday on a bill that would require illegal aliens to pay out-of-state tuition while attending Kansas universities and colleges.

The current law, passed in 2004, allows in-state tuition for those students who have attended a Kansas high school for at least three years, or have a GED, and are in the process of becoming an American citizen. Approximately 415 illegal immigrants attend Kansas schools for higher education

Supporters of the bill say the public has sent the legislature a clear message on where they stand on government help for those who came to the U.S. illegally.

 “It also reflects that the people of Kansas are speaking very loudly and clearly, having been on the campaign trail myself in 2010, there’s no question where the people of Kansas stand,” said Secretary of State Kris Kobach. “They want to stop giving away public benefits to people illegally in the United States.”

But opponents of the bill say the law allows children, who were brought to the US by their parents, the opportunity to become contributing members of society as adults.

http://www.washburnreview.org/2.9005/video-kansas-house-removes-in-state-tuition-for-illegal-immigrants-in-key-vote-1.2009696

Face Forward Comments:

It’s nice to see that while the media is consumed by the union/anti-union nonsense in WI that the push to remove illegals from the US continues.