Wash. Times' Knight not grown-up enough to check basic facts

In his latest Washington Times op-ed titled, “Wanted: Grown-up governance,” Robert Knight of Coral Ridge Ministries sought to paint the current administration as “a gang of perpetual adolescents,” adding that brain research “has shown that adolescents ... haven't developed the part of the mind that governs risk aversion.” He went on to berate the Obama administration for its fiscal policies and accused “the Washington gang” of “yearn[ing] to surrender American sovereignty to the United Nations and international legal elites.”

That inanity aside, Knight went on to unleash a torrent of misinformation -- not the first time he's done so.

Knight wrote:

In the name of love and peace, our nation's adolescent leaders are ignoring the constitutional mandate to secure our border. Instead, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s Justice Department is suing Arizona for acting like a state run by grown-ups and enforcing federal immigration law. At the same time, Justice is blessing “sanctuary cities” that explicitly vow to ignore the law. Right on, dudes! Mr. Holder also dropped charges against members of the New Black Panther Party who were videotaped intimidating Philadelphia voters in 2008. Wow, look at those cool fatigues and baton!

Many of these power-wielding adolescents in government and the media apparently are unfamiliar with our Constitution. This is by design. When Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was dean of Harvard's Law School, constitutional law was dropped from the list of mandatory courses, while international law was added.

Some basic facts: The Holder Justice Department is not suing the state of Arizona for “enforcing federal immigration law”; DOJ believes the Arizona immigration law is unconstitutional -- and numerous experts agree -- and its lawsuit is centered on the fact that immigration policy is “strictly” the purview of the federal government. Further, the Arizona law does not simply “enforc[e] federal immigration law” -- the state law is a dramatic departure from federal policies.

Knight's claim that the attorney general “dropped charges” against members of the New Black Panther Party also has been thoroughly debunked. Fact: The Bush Justice Department made the decision not to pursue criminal charges in the case, and in May 2009, the Obama DOJ “sought and obtained” the “maximum penalty” against one of the New Black Panthers accused of carrying a baton outside the polling station.

Knight's claim that as dean of Harvard Law, Kagan “dropped” constitutional law from its list of “mandatory classes” in favor of international law is false as well. The facts: Prior to Kagan's tenure, constitutional law at Harvard was not a requirement for first-year law students. Furthermore, Kagan did not drop con-law, but added “new first-year courses in international and comparative law, legislation and regulation, and complex problem solving,” which were unanimously approved.

To grown-ups, facts do matter.