Year: 2012

Criminal law, Politics, Society

Florida Shooting Forces Debate Over The “Stand Your Ground” Law

Federal authorities have announced that they are now intervening in the investigation of the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida. That will certainly enhance the completion of forensic evidence, which we discussed earlier as critical to a case like this one. I have previously cautioned that this is not such an easy case as has been suggested, even with the 911 tapes. One of the greatest barriers is the Florida “Stand Your Ground” law.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Society

The Rubens Regulation: Knesset Tells Skinny Models To Eat Or Starve

The Israeli Knesset became the latest legislative body to ban skinny models. The new law prohibits both Israeli and foreign ads with “underweight” models and requires disclosure of when pictures have been manipulated to make the model look thinner.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Russian Court Bans Scientology Books As “Extremist”

A court in Moscow has upheld a lower court decision declaring books on Scientology to be extremist literature and banning publication or distribution of such books. This decision follows moves by other countries against Scientology as a criminal or fraudulent enterprise as well as testimony against the church by former high-ranking church members.

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Bizarre, International, Media, Military, Politics, Religion, Society

Karzai: Americans Are “Demons”

We have previously discussed Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated inclinations toward the Taliban and harsh treatment of women. Then there was Karzai’s recent position that women are worth less than men — presumably even those American women keeping Karzai and his corrupt family and friends in power. This week Karzai has added that Americans are “demons” and no better than the Taliban. Karzai then called for divine intervention to defeat the Americans and the Taliban — a dangerous call in a nation known for religious fanaticism: “Let’s pray for God to rescue us from these two demons. There are two demons in our country now.”

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Academia, Criminal law, International, Society

Unexplained Phenomenon: Leading North Carolina Physics Professor Arrested In Argentina For Allegedly Smuggling Cocaine

Professor Paul Frampton of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is not in his classroom his week because he is sitting in Devoto Prison in Buenos Aires for allegedly smuggling cocaine in his luggage. Frampton insists that he is innocent and that he will return to his research into “phenomenology” at the physics department. Frampton is an accomplished physicist and an adviser to the National Republican party, including drafting the science portion of the Republican platform for the 1988 Convention.

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Military, Politics, Society

Biden: Killing of Bin Laden Most Audacious Plan in 500 Years

Vice President Joe Biden is known for yielding to rhetorical over factual observations. He was in fine form this week when he told an audience at the fundraiser that the plan to kill Osama Bin Laden was the greatest and most audacious plan in 500 years. While the Bin Laden raid was incredible, there are a few raids that may have equal or greater claim to that title. To put that into perspective, the raid surpassed such minor skirmishes as the Battle of Trenton, Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, and the Raid at Cabanatuan – just to name U.S. operations. There are also a few notable foreign rivals like Operation Eiche (Oak) to rescue Mussolini, the Dambusters Raid on Ruhr, the Pegasus Bridge landing, Operation Chariot to destroy the St Nazaire dry dock, and the Entebbe raid to rescue Israeli hostages.

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Criminal law, Free Speech, Media

Chicago Police Arrest Two Journalists For Willful Commission of “Whatever”

The same week that a video showed a Chicago police officer choking a young man on St. Patrick’s Day, this video shows police arresting reporters outside of a hospital without apparent justification. The video shows Photographer Donte Williams and WGN Reporter Dan Ponce complying with orders and seeking to work out the disagreement on their presence at the scene. The officer proclaims “Your First Amendment rights can be terminated if you’re creating a scene or whatever.” This appears to be the “whatever” category.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Free Speech, Politics, Society

Two Federal Courts Reach Opposite Results On The Constitutionality Of The New Graphic Cigarette Images

We have been following the constitutional challenges to the new cigarette advertising regulations requiring graphic images on packages. I have been highly critical of those images and agree with the constitutional and policy concerns raised by the regulations. Now we have two decisions — one from the Sixth Circuit and one from the D.C. district court — reaching opposing results on the constitutionality of regulations. The district court decision sets up the possibility of a split in the circuit with the appeal now going to the D.C. Circuit.

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Criminal law, Society

Video: Chicago Police Officer Chokes Young Man Mouthing Off At St. Patrick’s Day

The video below is from St. Patrick’s day in my hometown Chicago. A young man, who may be drunk, is mouthing off to a Chicago police officer. The officer then escalates the confrontation by choking the young man and throwing him to the ground.

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Media, Society

Cloudy With A Chance of Dismissal? Weatherman Sues CBS Over Gender and Age Discrimination

Kyle Hunter, a television weatherman, has sued CBS for sex and age discrimination for what he claims is an overriding preference given to young attractive women to give the weather forecasts. We have followed this controversy in earlier stories over whether attractive looks can be an appropriate (even an overriding) criteria for anchors, waitresses, or other professions. Hunter insists that he encountered a cold front at every term.
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Politics, Society

The Corruption Curve: Study of All 50 States Show No Curve Breakers When It Comes To Transparency and Honesty

A study by the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity and Public Radio International paints a rather dim picture of the state of transparency and honesty among the several states. Eight state governments received a failing F grade while no state received an A. Thus, in this class, getting a B tops you in the top ten percent of the class.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering

Court Bars Representation By Counsel Who Offered His Own New York City Loft As Collateral On Bond For Accused Madam in Prostitution Case

A New York City lawyer has been removed from a case involving a high-end prostitution ring because the judge, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan found his relationship with the accused “Madam” to be “murky.” Attorney Peter Gleason had put up his own $2.5 million New York City loft as collateral on the $2 million bond for Anna Gristina (shown here in a photo with her husband).

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Criminal law, Politics, Religion, Society

Dutch Report: Boy Castrated in 1950s After Accusing Priests of Abuse . . . In Order To Cure His Homosexual Tendencies

There is a horrific Dutch story out this week. In the 1950s, a boy named Henk Heithuis came forward to allege abuse by priests. He was interviewed, put into a Catholic psychiatric facility, and then castrated to cure him of his homosexual tendencies.

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