Below The Beltway

America’s Third President was born 265 years ago today.
Since there isn’t anything to write about Jefferson that hasn’t already been said, it seems appropriate to let his words speak for themselves from the text of the two written documents that he was most proud of throughout his life.
First, from the Virginia Statute For Religious Freedom:
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A high school student in California is suing his teacher for making allegedly “anti-Christian” remarks:
A student and his family have filed a federal lawsuit demanding that a popular European history teacher at California’s Capistrano Valley High School be fired for what they say were anti-Christian remarks he made in the classroom.
Chad Farnan, a 16-year-old sophomore, [...]

The battle for internet freedom suffered another setback today when Australian leaders announced plans to make filtering mandatory for all internet feeds:
Telecommunications Minister Stephen Conroy says new measures are being put in place to provide greater protection to children from online pornography and violent websites.
Senator Conroy says it will be mandatory for all internet service [...]

Chris Core, a morning host on WMAL in Washington is being sued by a Prince William County resident who wrote a column admitting that he hired day laborers:
A local newspaper columnist is suing radio host Chris Core over comments he made on his show in early October.
Woodbridge resident Gary Jacobsen said Core “falsely and maliciously” [...]

I put this entry up at The Liberty Papers last night.
I’m obviously in the minority on this one, but I think the jury got it 100% wrong.

Today’s Washington Post reports that a government agency is recommending that a private school funded in part of the Saudi Government be shut down:
McLEAN, Va. — A private Islamic school supported by the Saudi government should be shut down until the U.S. government can ensure the school is not fostering radical Islam, a federal panel [...]

Apparently, lap dances are protected speech, at least in Oregon:
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Marion County judge has ruled that lap dances in Salem are protected by the free speech provisions of the Oregon Constitution.
Judge Albin Norblad’s ruling struck down a city ban on “prohibited touching” - sexually exciting physical contact for pay.
The case involves [...]

I’ve written in more detail at The Liberty Papers about the major cases that came out of the Supreme Court today, but here’s a roundup.
In FEC v. Wisconsin Right To Life, the Court declared unconstitutional those provisions of the McCain-Feingold law that restrict advertising that specifically mentions a candidate for office 30 days before a [...]

Yesterday, I wrote about the case of Abdel Kareem Nabil, a college student being held in an Egyptian prison after posting anti-government remarks on his personal blog. Today, an Egyptian judge sentenced him to four years in prison:
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — An Egyptian blogger was convicted of insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak and sentenced to [...]

Today’s Washington Post tells the story of a man sitting in a jail in Egypt for doing nothing more than dare to criticize a government institution on his blog:
A former college student, Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, is sitting in an Egyptian prison, awaiting sentencing tomorrow. His alleged “crime”: expressing his opinions on a blog. [...]