Scrolling around...July 10, 2013

Feds to Spend $900,000 to Put 'LGBTQ' Teens in 'Transitional Living Programs'
The Department of Health and Human Services through its Administration for Children & Families plans to spend almost $1 million on “transitional living programs” for homeless lesbian, gay, lesbian, transgender and/or questioning (LGBTQ) youth...

Redesigned Window Stops Sound But Not Air, Say Materials Scientists
By exploiting some exotic acoustic techniques, researchers have built a window that allows the passage of air but not sound

White House Has Known For Months Obamacare Implementation Wouldn't Work
...In April, several consultants focusing on the new online marketplaces, known as exchanges, told National Journal that the idealized, seamless user experience initially envisioned under the Affordable Care Act was no longer possible, as the administration axed non-essential provisions that were too complex to implement in time. (Read the story for some examples and commentary.) That focus has intensified lately, as officials announced that they would not be requiring employers to cover their workers next year or states to verify residents' incomes before signing them up for insurance...

Former FISA judge says secret court is flawed
...Robertson said that FISA court judges have been scrupulous in pushing back at times against the government, repeatedly sending back flawed warrants. He also said he came away from his FISA experience "deeply impressed by the careful, scrupulous and fastidious work by the Justice Department" in obtaining secret surveillance warrants.

But he warned that Congress' 2008 reform of the FISA system expanded the government's authority by forcing the court to approve entire surveillance systems, not just surveillance warrants, as it previously handled. Under the FISA changes, "the court is now approving programmatic surveillance. I don't think that is a judicial function," he said.

Robertson said he was "frankly stunned" by a recent Times report that FISA court rulings had created a new body of law broadening the ability of the NSA to use its surveillance programs to target not only terrorists but suspects in cases involving espionage, cyberattacks and weapons of mass destruction.

As the FISA court's role has expanded, Robertson said, the system has failed to add authoritative legal adversaries who could act as effective checks on the government's programs in secret court proceedings...

Military Chaplains Launching Campaign to Protect Religious Freedoms – for Christians
A group of military chaplains is launching a campaign to protect religious freedom in the U.S. Armed Forces – but only for service members of the Christian faith.

The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty said Monday it planned to reach out to Christian members of the military in coming months to inform them of their "constitutionally guaranteed religious liberties." The alliance will connect with those soldiers through its 2,400 member chaplains – which represent nearly half of the total number of chaplains in the military...

Judge blocks new Wisconsin abortion law
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday evening to block enforcement of a new Wisconsin law that bans doctors who lack admitting privileges at nearby hospitals from performing abortions.

U.S. District Judge William Conley granted the order following a hearing in a lawsuit filed Friday by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and Affiliated Medical Services. It alleged the requirement would unconstitutionally restrict the availability of abortions in the state, violates the U.S. Constitution's due process guarantee and unconstitutionally treats doctors who perform abortions differently from those who perform other procedures...