I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Wearing a medal one did not earn or a claiming military service one did not serve in a job application could land some one in jail in Michigan if lawmakers pass legislation to create a new crime.
State Sen. John Moolenaar, R-Midland introduced legislation last week which would do just that. The legislation would create the “Stolen Valor Law,” reports the Lansing State Journal.
“(The fraud) lacks integrity and diminishes the importance of those who have put their lives on the line,” said state Sen. John Moolenaar, a Midland Republican who sponsored the Senate bill. “Those who have honored their country by serving their country should have their service truly uplifted and recognized and not have it cheapened in any way.”
That “cheapening” could land some one in jail for up to a year as well as charge them as much as $5000 in fines.
The American Legion tells the Journal that while impersonation or wearing medals that were not earned is rare, but there have been several cases in recent years. The Legion says it is currently investigating whether a Marine who wore a Purple Heart at Detroit event had earned the award.
Even if passed, such a law may not survive legal challenge. A law in California that did the same thing, and even went by the same name, was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal court last year and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in March of this year.
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