Word: laws
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...after Friday those calculations look timid. Now three states require full marriage for gays, and Vermont is on the brink of becoming the first state where gay marriage would be made legal by lawmakers, rather than the courts - a significant milestone. The Vermont House passed a law allowing gay marriage on Friday, and the Senate is expected to follow suit on Monday. Gov. Jim Douglas has promised to veto it, but an override fight will quickly follow, probably by next week...
...Religious opponents to gay marriage were not convinced. "We, the Roman Catholic Bishops of Iowa, strongly disagree with the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court which strikes down Iowa's law defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman," the bishops said in a statement issued Friday. "This decision rejects the wisdom of thousands of years of human history. It implements a novel understanding of marriage, which will grievously harm families and children...
...evidence of violations are diligently gathered and delivered to a prosecutor and investigating judge - both of whom are independent of police forces," notes Guillaume Dider, spokesman for France's Justice Ministry. "I categorically deny that there is any indulgence shown towards police forces who violate the law and abuse the rights of citizens...
...Still, Amnesty's allegations of increasingly aggressive French police activity have not arisen in a void. President Nicolas Sarkozy has largely fulfilled election pledges to impose law and order and respect of authorities by encouraging maximalist enforcement. Even prior to his election, Sarkozy introduced a performance-based reward system that promotes police officers based on various on-duty criteria - including arrest rates. (See pictures of Sarkozy...
...very clear attitude that has taken hold in the past few years that arrests and prosecution are preferable to prevention," says Amnesty's Diaz-Jogeix. "Quotas are a reflection of that," he adds. "They are a numerical determination of how many people authorities think must be breaking the law, rather than adding up those actually caught in violation." Based on the findings of Amnesty's report, the next quota French officials may want to consider is one for cops who've become too used to making the law, rather than enforcing...