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Malay Mail
06-07-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Fighting fire with knowledge: Fire and Rescue Dept to establish 38 community fire learning centres over three years
PUTRAJAYA, July 6 — The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) is aiming to set up 38 new Community Fire Learning Centres (CFLCs) across the country within the next three years Its director-general, Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad, said currently, seven CFLCs are already operating at several locations: the Jalan Hang Tuah Fire and Rescue Station in Kuala Lumpur; JBPM Johor Headquarters; Kuantan Station in Pahang; Ayer Keroh Station in Melaka; Precinct 14 Station in Putrajaya; and the Batu Lintang and Serian Stations in Sarawak. He said these centres represent a shift in the function of fire stations - from being solely emergency response facilities to becoming hubs for public education on fire safety and rescue awareness. 'CFLCs provide a platform for the community to visit fire stations, learn about safety, and gain practical knowledge in fire prevention,' he told reporters after officiating the Precinct 14 CFLC today. Also present was Datuk Izwan Hasli Mohd Ibrahim, chief executive officer and director of Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd (PJH). According to Nor Hisham, all CFLCs will offer interactive modules such as fire extinguishing demonstrations, rescue tool usage, and hands-on emergency drills. 'These initiatives are crucial to fostering a culture of safety as a shared responsibility, not just the tasks of firefighters alone. 'CFLCs will also function as inclusive, community-friendly learning centres offering experiential education, with child-friendly approaches and engaging, outdoor-style activities,' he said. The CFLC initiative is part of JBPM's proactive efforts to strengthen its connection with the public through structured fire safety education. It also supports the department's broader mission to make fire stations more people-oriented. These centres play a vital role in educating the public, especially students and young people, about fire safety, prevention, and emergency preparedness. The Precinct 14 CFLC was developed through a collaboration between JBPM and PJH, reflecting a shared commitment to community well-being. — Bernama
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Contributor: A refresher course in American truths
Is it possible, at this deeply ideologically divided time, to articulate a set of principles of American constitutional democracy that those across the political spectrum can agree upon? This was our goal in creating, along with Drexel University law professor Lisa Tucker, a project we titled, 'We Hold These Truths.' Our objective was to have a diverse group of individuals draft these principles, to release them on the Fourth of July, and to use them for public education. The first step was to recruit about 20 prominent individuals from across the ideological spectrum to volunteer their time to be part of the drafting effort. As we reached out to people, we were delighted at the enthusiastic response. The drafters included former Republican Govs. Christine Todd Whitman and Brian Sandoval. It included prominent Democrats such as Stacey Abrams, Pete Buttigieg and Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin. Retired four-star Army Gen. Wesley Clark and civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill were among the first to agree to participate. We recruited a conservative former U.S. Court of Appeals judge, Thomas B. Griffith, and a liberal one, David Tatel. Best-selling author Brad Meltzer joined the drafting group. We added prominent law professors, former Yale Law School dean Harold Koh and New York University professor Melissa Murray. And we succeeded. In a little over a month, we were able to come to unanimous agreement on a set of basic principles of American constitutional democracy. We hope these principles remind us that what unites us as a country, our deeply held underlying values, is greater than what divides us. We decided early on to focus on five areas: the rule of law, democracy and elections, separation of powers, personal freedom, and equality. We divided into five subgroups to work on these topics and to propose principles to the entire drafting group. There then was the opportunity for responses and revisions. The key, of course, was to make the statements sufficiently specific so they were not platitudes, but also general enough to be articulation of basic values. For the rule of law, we stressed that to preserve liberty, fairness and the stability of our democratic society, the power of government and other actors must be limited by law and they must be accountable. All people, no matter their station, must stand equal before the law, subject to the same rules, protections, privileges and sanctions. The rule of law demands due process, that before the government may deprive any person of life, liberty or property, the individual must have a meaningful opportunity to challenge the deprivation before an independent and neutral adjudicator. Law enforcement — investigations, prosecutions, adjudications and pardons — must be conducted according to law, with respect for human dignity and without regard to the personal or political interests of the executive. And the rule of law cannot be preserved without an independent judiciary that is neither subject to intimidation by the executive or legislative branches of government, nor beholden to the demands of political parties. For separation of powers, we stressed that a fundamental structural feature of the Constitution, and its chief safeguard of our liberty, is separating and placing limits upon the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government such that they check and balance one another's power. For democracy and elections, the crucial point is that the one depends on the other. We elect representatives to make the laws we must abide by. To succeed, elections must be transparent and fair. A democratic society enfranchises voters to the fullest extent possible, makes elections accessible and refrains from erecting unnecessary barriers to voting. Voter suppression is antithetical to democracy, and it exists when eligible voters are unable to register to vote, cast a ballot or have that ballot counted. Also, our constitutional republic depends upon our shared commitment to the peaceful transfer of power, to accepting, honoring and respecting election results regardless of whether our preferred candidate wins. The personal freedoms accorded throughout the Constitution and its many amendments are an essential protection against government tyranny and reflect the inherent rights of every person in the United States. Democracy depends on freedom of speech and the press. The government has no right to intimidate or punish anyone simply on the basis of their views and ideas. The Bill of Rights protects those suspected and accused of crimes with provisions that limit police searches and arrests, ensure the privilege against self-incrimination and provide for fair trials. Our society respects fundamental aspects of autonomy, including the liberty to make important decisions about one's life. Finally, equality is a precondition of freedom. We all are free only when each of us, not just some of us, is free from discrimination, exclusion and threat. Our differences are our strength, not our weakness. Where autocracy and authoritarianism demand allegiance to uniformity, democracy demands the opposite — differences of people and opinion. Every person's voice is of equal worth in the workplace, the public square and the voting booth. Equality of opportunity — in education, employment and participation in our democracy — is a right, not a privilege regardless of color, ethnicity, religion, poverty or wealth. The government's decisions about our lives must be free of discrimination, racism, prejudice, and favoritism. Readers can find the principles, beginning July 4, at 249 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Our hope is that Americans of every political persuasion will reaffirm these values, acknowledging that government of, for and by the people — not monarchy, autocracy or religious rule — is the best way to secure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We are not naive about what can be achieved through this effort. But we strongly believe that there is value in reminding ourselves, in the words of the Declaration of Independence, of the truths that we hold to be self-evident. Erwin Chermerinsky is the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law and a contributing writer to Opinion Voices. J. Michael Luttig served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit from 1991 to 2006; he was appointed by President George H.W. Bush. If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Wall Street Journal
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
How the Parental Rights Movement Built to a Supreme Court Win
Spurred on by the perceived leftward drift of schools, conservative parents launched a movement to amass more power in public education. On Friday, the Supreme Court handed them a far-reaching victory. The ruling, in a case featuring parents who objected to LGBTQ-theme books introduced in elementary classrooms in a Maryland county, says parents can generally opt out of instruction that contradicts a child's religious upbringing.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas voters give Legislature low marks despite supporting key priorities, poll shows
AUSTIN (KXAN)— Texas voters gave the state Legislature poor marks for its overall performance during the recently concluded session while expressing strong bipartisan support for several major priorities, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll released Wednesday. Only 26% of registered voters approved of the Legislature's job performance, while 45% disapproved, the poll found. The approval rating represents a decline from previous sessions, with 37% of voters saying the Legislature made their lives worse compared to 22% who said it made their lives better. June 2024: Texas poll tracks voters' views on 2024 election, border security, power grid Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, said the findings reflect ongoing concerns about legislative effectiveness. Despite the low overall ratings, Texas voters showed overwhelming support for several key legislative accomplishments: 84% supported increasing funding to improve the state's water supply reliability 74% backed increasing funding for the public education system 71% favored lowering property taxes by increasing the homestead exemption 65% supported banning cell phone use in K-12 public schools during school hours The poll revealed sharp partisan divides on some issues while showing bipartisan consensus on others. Republicans and Democrats both strongly supported water infrastructure investments and property tax relief, but split significantly on social issues. The Legislature's school choice initiative, creating educational savings accounts, garnered 53% support overall, with 67% of Republicans backing the program compared to 42% of Democrats. Gov. Greg Abbott had made school choice a top priority after previous failures to pass such legislation. MOST READ: Texans' approval of Trump, Abbott sours: Poll More controversial measures received mixed reception. A requirement for public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms, already signed into law by Abbott, had 44% support and 43% opposition. The measure was backed by 68% of Republicans but opposed by 67% of Democrats. Prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in K-12 schools proved deeply polarizing, with 78% of Republicans supporting such bans while 80% of Democrats opposed them. The poll also found divisions among Republicans on cannabis policy. When asked about outlawing hemp-derived cannabis products, only 31% of all voters supported a ban while 53% opposed it. 'Among Republicans, 46% supported the ban, 39% opposed it, but 15% said they didn't know. So, Republicans are very divided on this,' Henson said in an interview with KXAN's Will DuPree. Henson noted that the divisions reflect broader changes in Republican attitudes. 'If you look at some of the other data on marijuana, on particularly medical marijuana, we do know that over the last decade or two, Republicans have become more divided with more Republicans being more open to decriminalization or you know various kinds of low-level recreational use and we're seeing that at play here.' The poll found traditionally low public attention to the legislative session, with only 7% of voters following it 'extremely closely' and 40% following 'somewhat closely.' More than half said they were not following the session very closely or at all. The results suggest that while voters may not approve of the Legislature's overall performance, many of the specific policies enacted during the session — particularly those focused on infrastructure, education funding and property tax relief — align with public preferences across party lines. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
21-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Court blocks Louisiana law requiring schools to post Ten Commandments in classrooms
Religion Supreme CourtFacebookTweetLink Follow A panel of three federal appellate judges has ruled that a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in each of the state's public school classrooms is unconstitutional. The ruling Friday marked a major win for civil liberties groups who say the mandate violates the separation of church and state, and that the poster-sized displays would isolate students — especially those who are not Christian. The mandate has been touted by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, and marks one of the latest pushes by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms. Backers of the law argue the Ten Commandments belong in classrooms because they are historical and part of the foundation of US law. 'This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education,' said Heather L. Weaver, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. 'With today's ruling, the Fifth Circuit has held Louisiana accountable to a core constitutional promise: Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith.' The plaintiffs' attorneys and Louisiana disagreed on whether the appeals court's decision applied to every public school district in the state or only the districts party to the lawsuit. 'All school districts in the state are bound to comply with the US Constitution,' said Liz Hayes, a spokesperson for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which served as co-counsel for the plaintiffs. The appeals court's rulings 'interpret the law for all of Louisiana,' Hayes added. 'Thus, all school districts must abide by this decision and should not post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she disagreed and believed the ruling only applied to school districts in the five parishes that were party to the lawsuit. Murrill added that she would appeal the ruling, including taking it to the US Supreme Court if necessary. The panel of judges reviewing the case was unusually liberal for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a court with more than twice as many Republican-appointed judges, two of the three judges involved in the ruling were appointed by Democratic presidents. The court's ruling stems from a lawsuit filed last year by parents of Louisiana school children from various religious backgrounds, who said the law violates First Amendment language guaranteeing religious liberty and forbidding government establishment of religion. The ruling also backs an order issued last fall by US District Judge John deGravelles, who declared the mandate unconstitutional and ordered state education officials not to enforce it and to notify all local school boards in the state of his decision. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the mandate into law last June. Landry said in a statement Friday that he supports the attorney general's plans to appeal. 'The Ten Commandments are the foundation of our laws — serving both an educational and historical purpose in our classrooms,' Landry said. Law experts have long said they expect the Louisiana case to make its way to the US Supreme Court, testing the court on the issue of religion and government. Similar laws have been challenged in court. A group of Arkansas families filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month challenging a near-identical law passed in their state. And comparable legislation in Texas currently awaits Gov. Greg Abbott's signature. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Kentucky law violated the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution, which says Congress can 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' The court found that the law had no secular purpose but served a plainly religious purpose. And in 2005, the Supreme Court held that such displays in a pair of Kentucky courthouses violated the Constitution. At the same time, the court upheld a Ten Commandments marker on the grounds of the Texas state Capitol in Austin.
