Woo-hoo! Ding, dong, the ban-witch is dead!
I’m happy to announce that today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns is unconstitutional. (Source) Individuals have a right to bear arms, so says the court, and this DC resident is about to start bearing, baby! 
Background
In 1976, the Council of the District of Columbia passed gun control laws in a misguided and fruitless attempt to curb the violent crime rate. Residents who owned handguns before 1976 could keep them, but only in the home. While the laws banned handgun ownership, residents were permitted to own and keep registered rifles and shotguns inside the home - unloaded and disassembled or trigger-locked.
Tuesday, July 1: Good riddance.
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A little over a year ago, I wrote a Townhall column about a child rapist named Patrick Kennedy. He brutally raped his wife’s eight-year-old daughter. If you’re squeamish, don’t read about the physical damage he caused.
In Louisiana, the rape of a child under 12 is (or was) a capital crime. Kennedy was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to death. His appeal reached the Louisiana Supreme Court, which upheld his death sentence.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that imposing the death penalty for child rape violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. (Source)
Continue reading Supreme Court Rejects Death for Child Rapists
*Scroll down for updates - links to Dobson’s broadcast and Obama’s speech*
Readers have hinted or outright begged me to start blogging politics again. I fill a void and provide a much-needed voice, they tell me. Do I really?
I listened, and here I am again. I knew once I started blogging about Barack Obama, there’d be no turning back. Every day there’s something new. Like a ball of snow rolling downhill, growing larger with each tumble, so is the momentum of political blogging. I don’t know how long it will last. This post is a mixture of politics and faith, so let’s dig in.
Continue reading Barack Obama Enrolls in John Kerry School of Biblical Interpretation
Filed under: Faith, Liberals - Obama
One of the better residual effects of being a formerly popular political blogger is books. I like getting advance and review copies, but I don’t have time to write reviews for all of them. Besides, book reviews don’t pay very well. 
The best I can do is let my 1,500 or so readers know what’s hot off the publishing house presses. These are the books I received in the past few weeks:
- John McWhorter sent me a signed copy of his latest book (thanks, John!), All About the Beat: Why Hip-Hop Can’t Save Black America.
- David Perlmutter dropped my name in Blogwars: The New Political Battleground. Among other things, he wrote that I “attacked” him in a post. I think his comment was tongue-in-cheek, though.
- Columnist Kathleen Parker’s latest book is Save the Males: Why Men Matter, Why Women Should Care. Preach it, sister!
- Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age - Sounds scary.
- From Crayons to Condoms: The Ugly Truth about America’s Public Schools - Can I get a witness?
Reminder: Reading is fundamental. And stay in school, kids! No matter how lousy it is.
Here we go again.
Race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race, race.
Can’t get away from it.
Barack Obama warns supporters to watch out for race-based “attacks” from Republicans. (Also see this story) The timid might be tempted to soft-pedal or avoid legitimate criticism against this half-black candidate.
And that’s what he’s counting on.
Continue reading Race Card-Playing Candidate Warns Against Race-Based Attacks
Monday, June 23: Such thoughtful readers! Thanks for the “speedy recovery” well wishes. The procedure was minor, and I was back to my old self within a couple of days.
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For the past three weeks, I’ve been in muggy SC. En route back to muggy DC. I came down to have and recover from minor surgery (first time under the knife!) and spend time with the family. My mother’s a surgical assistant, as I’ve mentioned before, and knows a lot about these things. I wanted to be near an “expert” as I recovered. The truth is…well…I just wanted my Mommy.
In the same post I talk about surgery and my Mommy, I seek new business! (I dig the blogosphere. Don’t you?) I blog for businesses that don’t have the expertise or time or desire to update their company blogs inhouse. If you need a content provider, let’s talk. Contact me for a free consultation, resume, and work samples: lashawn [at] lashawnbarber.com. I don’t blog or “ghostblog” for politicians.
The way my mind works…
Last week I issued a call to fans of contemporary Christian music (CCM). (If you’re not familiar with the genre, check out Christ Community Music and Christian Music Today.)
I got a lot of great responses, but now I want to drill down. I have quite a few music fan-related ideas bouncing around in my head, but the one I’m focusing on right now is the overzealous CCM fan. Being Christ followers doesn’t make us immune to obsessive fan behavior or any other bad behavior. Man, I should know!
Someone referred me to a fellow Christian and writer named Joanne Brokaw, who blogs at Gospel Soundcheck at Beliefnet. The subject piqued her interest, and she’s asking readers to answer the following questions:
What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve ever done to meet your favorite Christian music artist? And what happened after you met them?
Where is the line between supportive fan and crazy stalker?
There is a point to all this, I promise. You may comment here or there. You also may respond privately at lashawn [at] lashawnbarber.com. Help a sister out!
PS: Bands, Christian or otherwise, I’m collecting musical friends (and backstage passes!), so hit me up on MySpace.
Later…That’s helping a sister out. 
