Author: jonathanturley

Military, Politics, Society

Panetta: Iraq Really Was A Response To 9-11

For years, the Bush Administration was denounced for the false statements and intelligence that led to the Iraq invasion. Even after it was shown that there were no weapons of mass destruction, many Americans continued to believe that Iraq was being invaded as a response to the 9-11 attacks. Now, in the latest morphing of the Bush and Obama Administration, our new Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wasted no time in re-casting Iraq in the same flawed image. In a public appearance, Panetta told troops that they were in Iraq because of the attack on 9-11.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Putinodox Faith: Russian Official Proclaims That Putin Was Sent By God

It appears that Vladimir Putin is not just an action hero but an actual gift of God. First deputy administration chief Vladislav Surkov set a new standard for sycophants and lickspittles everywhere by announcing that Putin was sent here by God to lead the Russian people. Wow, I thought he was just sent by Marvel.

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Bizarre, Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Military, Politics, Society

McConnell: Casey Anthony Verdict Shows Terrorist Suspects Should Not Receive Real Trials

Many have objected that the Casey Anthony trial and verdict has displaced attention to every thing from three wars to a growing economic crisis. Now, however, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested that the impact of the Anthony verdict may extend to national security trials and serve as an excuse to deny terrorism defendants a federal trial. McConnell stated that the verdict shows that we cannot trust our court system in trying terrorism suspects. The clear import is that we should use the widely ridiculed military tribunal system because we cannot risk defendants actually prevailing in court.

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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law, Torts

Florida Principal Under Fire After Performing Hypnosis on Two Students Who Later Committed Suicide

Florida High school principal George Kenney is under fire for using hypnosis on students — two of which later committed suicide. Kenney had been told by school officials not to use hypnosis on students, but parents have rallied to his side in the controversy.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Lawyering, Society

Pennsylvania Lawyer Gets 10-25 Years After Hunting Accident

Attorney David Manilla received a sentence of 10-25 years behind bars for a hunting accident in which Barry Groh was killed. Normally, such accidents are tragic but routine — without criminal charges. However, Manilla was barred from owning guns due to a prior conviction. Manilla, 49, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and firearms offenses, including possession of a gun as a felon. Manilla’s effort conceal the crime aggravated the underlying crime.

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Bizarre, International, Society

Icelandic Town Discovers Source of Construction Problems — Angry Elves

The town officials of Bolungarvik have been plagued by construction delays and accidents in their effort to complete a tunnel and an avalanche barrier. Local citizens believe the problems are the work of angry elves and have begun singing songs and offering prayers to appease them.

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Society

Wife Gets Cancer, Husband Gets Fired

Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger

 I’ll compress the facts of this case in order that I get to the heart of what is wrong here. A Massachusetts Accountant’s wife has Stage IV Lung Cancer, with a prognosis of months to live. He went to his employer of 13 years, with whom by their own admission he had an exemplary record, to request a flexible schedule so that he could assist his wife. He was fired by them instead and has been unable to get another job. Friends of the family have expressed interest in assisting but are daunted by the task of setting up a fund. Continue reading “Wife Gets Cancer, Husband Gets Fired” →

Uncategorized

“Go the F**k to Sleep”: Destined to Become a Bestselling Book?

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

Several  weeks ago, I read some interesting news about a “not yet published” picture book titled Go the F**k to Sleep. The book had begun climbing Amazon’s best-seller list on the strength of preorders that people had placed. According to an article in The New York Times, neither the book’s author Adam Mansbach nor his publisher could account for the “phenomenon.” Galleys of the book had not been distributed. The only people to have seen the work were, purportedly, “a handful of booksellers who received a PDF via e-mail.”

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Criminal law, Free Speech, Politics, Society

Rage Against The Machine

Submitted By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

Has the Emperor of Gotcha' Been Got?

Britain’s largest weekly tabloid, News of the World,  closes today, but not from lack of advertisers or readers. Instead, the Rupert Murdoch led tabloid succumbed to its own excesses amid shocking allegations of  interceptions of cellphone voice mails of the families of a murdered 13-year-old girl, servicemen and women slain in Afghanistan, and victims of  the 2005 London terrorist bombings.  Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who worked for News of the World,  is accused of the electronic hacking.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Supreme Court

The Interior Of Your Car Is A Public Place

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

In Indiana, an intoxicated passenger in a car pulled over by police, is guilty of public intoxication.

Indiana code defines public intoxication as being “in a public place or a place of public resort in a state of intoxication caused by . . . use of alcohol . . . .”

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Religion, Science, Society

America’s Eternal Internal Battle

Submitted by: Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger

Last night Ann Coulter, a person I loathe, appeared on the Bill Maher Show. She was pushing her new book “Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America.” Cringing as I watched her the thought nevertheless occurred to me that “She really believes this crap she sells.” This minor epiphany led me on to other thoughts. The battle in American politics has essentially devolved into a two sided affair between opponents convinced of the “demonic,” to use Ann’s term, nature of their ideological opposites. In this ongoing struggle one can’t merely disagree with us on a given political/societal issue, without our believing them to be hateful and worthy of being despised. Their motivation must undoubtedly be sociopathy and/or undemocratic. I must admit that I myself often feel that way about those who disagree with me and I say this with the rueful knowledge that when I do I am allowing myself to engage in stereotypical behavior.
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Religion, Science, Society

The Search For Goliath and Samson

Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

In Israel, archeologists began a dig this week at the remains of the Philistine city of Gath. Long regarded in the Hebrew Bible as the “bad guys” of the ancient world, the Philistines are emerging as a complex civilization with Hellenistic roots.  In fact, the Philistines arrived from ancient Greece about 1200 BCE, and gained control of the major seaports of Ashkelon and Ashdod, as well as the Gaza strip. The ancient city of Gath stood on the far frontier of the coastal-bound Philistine empire and adjacent to the Israelites, who occupied the inland hills. Gath had been inhabited since prehistoric times and the conquering Philistines were all too happy to take up residence in a ready-made encampment.

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Congress, Constitutional Law

Does Congress Have A Constitutional Obligation To Raise The Debt Ceiling?

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

Section four of the Fourteenth Amendment, known as the public debt clause, states that “the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law … shall not be questioned.” The clause was included to prevent Southerners or their sympathizers from preventing payments owed to Union soldiers or their widows. However, the language goes beyond the narrow issue of Civil War debts.

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