Word: militia
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
After a sharp decline at the end of 2007, violence in Iraq seems to be on the upswing. The weekend's violence indicates that both the Sunni insurgency and the Shi'ite militias retain their ability and their desire to strike their enemies. The largest Shi'ite militia, the Mahdi Army, is observing a cease-fire and militia violence has fallen dramatically. But rogue elements of the organization continue to launch attacks against Americans. Sunday's mortars were launched from a Shi'ite enclave...
...interview with the BBC, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq, said that he believed that Iran was behind the assault on the Green Zone. Petraeus and the U.S. military have been blaming Iran's Quds special forces for masterminding Shi'ite militia violence against...
...Court hinged on the justices' interpretation of the 27-word sentence that has been scrutinized all the way down to its puzzling syntax. The critical question for the justices was whether the language confers an individual right to own a gun in addition to providing for "a well regulated Militia...
...members of the Court's conservative wing seemed to think so. They favored a broader interpretation that included individual rights. "The two clauses go together beautifully: Since we need a militia, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed," said Justice Antonin Scalia. In a spirited back-and-forth with the district's lawyer, former solicitor general Walter Dellinger, Chief Justice John Roberts scoffed at the D.C. ban's sweeping restrictions. "What is reasonable about a total ban on possession?" he asked. Justice Samuel Alito joined his colleagues, pointing out that...
...control advocates, the hearing's most ominous sign was Dellinger's reception from Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Court's fulcrum, who clearly pivoted toward a more expansive reading of the amendment. Like Scalia, he decoupled its two clauses, arguing that the state's right to maintain a militia did not imply that individuals did not also have a right to defend themselves in their homes. "The amendment says we reaffirm the right to have a militia," Kennedy said, "but in addition, there is a right to bear arms." Kennedy's crucial swing vote would tip the scales in favor...