Category: Bizarre

Academia, Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Politics, Supreme Court

Rhodes Alumni Launch Campaign to Remove Justice Barrett from School’s Hall of Fame
Rhodes College

The petition by an alumni group at Rhodes College is seeking to remove Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett from the school’s “Hall of Fame” due to her vote in the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The petition accuses Barrett of violating the school’s honor code by testifying untruthfully in her confirmation hearing. In reality, the letter engages in gross misrepresentations of her testimony in the latest attack on her character and honesty. It is a letter that should be condemned by people regardless of their view of reproductive rights.  The letter also declares Justice Barrett to be a threat to democracy because she holds opposing views on constitutional interpretation. Continue reading “Rhodes Alumni Launch Campaign to Remove Justice Barrett from School’s Hall of Fame” →

Bizarre, Politics

“The 6 justices … Should Never Know Peace Again”: Harvard Instructor Calls for People to “Accost” Justices in Public

We recently discussed the Georgetown law professor who defended “more aggressive” protests targeting the Supreme Court justices, but Harvard clinical instructor Alejandra Caraballo wants to guarantee that “The 6 justices who overturned Roe should never know peace again.” Accordingly, Caraballo is calling for people to “accost them every time they are in public.” That harassment, according to Caraballo, is the “civic duty” of every American.

Continue reading ““The 6 justices … Should Never Know Peace Again”: Harvard Instructor Calls for People to “Accost” Justices in Public” →

Academia, Bizarre, Congress, Politics

University of Delaware Continues Fight to Shield Biden Documents From Public Review

After a setback before the Delaware Supreme Court, the University of Delaware is continuing its dogged effort to prevent the public from seeing the senatorial papers of President Joe Biden. The continued litigation, at public cost, has been criticized as an effort to shield President Biden from potentially embarrassing material from being accessed by the media or public interest groups. For a research institution, it is a curious role to prevent access to documents but clearly a role supported by President Biden and his family. What is particularly troubling is the reason being claimed by the university. Continue reading “University of Delaware Continues Fight to Shield Biden Documents From Public Review” →

Academia, Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Politics, Supreme Court

Georgetown Law Professor Rosa Brooks: The Problem is the Constitution Which Enslaves Us

Georgetown University Law School Professor Rosa Brooks has drawn accolades and criticism for her appearance on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” after declaring that Americans are “slaves” to the U.S. Constitution and that the Constitution itself is now the problem for the country. Continue reading “Georgetown Law Professor Rosa Brooks: The Problem is the Constitution Which Enslaves Us” →

Bizarre, Congress

Key Witnesses Challenge Bombshell Allegations of Key Witness Before the 1/6 Committee

There is an old expression in the media that some facts are just too good to check. It is a recognition that journalists can sometimes be reluctant to endanger a good story by confirming an essential fact. The Select Committee on the Jan. 6th riot is facing a similar accusation this week after critical witnesses not contradicted some of the most explosive assertions of last week’s witness, Cassidy Hutchinson. Specifically, critical witnesses said that no one on the Committee reached out to confirm her account of former President Donald Trump lunging for the wheel in “the Beast” in a physical altercation with his security team on that day.  The controversy highlights the failure of the Committee to offer a balanced investigation.

Continue reading “Key Witnesses Challenge Bombshell Allegations of Key Witness Before the 1/6 Committee” →

Academia, Bizarre

“Anybody Here, Seen my Old Friend Abraham?”: Cornell Silent on Disappearance of Lincoln Bust and Gettysburg Address

Cornell University has been silent after Cornell University biology Professor Randy Wayne raised the sudden disappearance of a bust of President Abraham Lincoln in front of a bronzed Gettysburg Address plaque in a library display. Wayne told The College Fix that he had heard that the display was removed after a complaint, but there is no confirmation of the reason since the university has not responded to him or media inquiries. Wayne is left asking the same question as Dick Holler in his 1968 song “Abraham, Martin and John“:

“Anybody here, seen my old friend Abraham?

Can you tell me where he’s gone?

He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good, they die young

You know I just looked around and he’s gone

Professor Wayne simply heard “Someone complained, and it was gone.” Continue reading ““Anybody Here, Seen my Old Friend Abraham?”: Cornell Silent on Disappearance of Lincoln Bust and Gettysburg Address” →

Bizarre, Congress, Politics

Fast and Curious: Kinzinger Holds Up Eric Holder As Paragon of Integrity and Independence in an Attorney General

The hearings on January 6th have had many riveting moments where former Trump officials detailed their efforts to convince former president Donald Trump that legal and factual claims of a stolen election were unfounded and unsupportable. From Vice President Michael Pence to Attorney General Bill Barr to an array of Justice and White House lawyers, there were many profiles of courage that emerged from the testimony. There have also been glaring disconnects like Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) chastising those who refused to accept the results of the 2020 elections and sought to challenge the certification in Congress. Thompson challenged the election of George W. Bush. (His fellow Committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) sought to challenge Trump’s certification in 2016),  However, one of the most glaring disconnects came yesterday when Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) cited former Attorney General Eric Holder as an example of the ideal of an apolitical and independent Attorney General. Holder was one of the most political attorneys general in history and Kinzinger previously denounced him for his abuse of office as a partisan. He was held in contempt over his obstruction of the Fast and Furious investigation.

Continue reading “Fast and Curious: Kinzinger Holds Up Eric Holder As Paragon of Integrity and Independence in an Attorney General” →

Bizarre, Free Speech, Science, Society

Phallus Saxa Loquuntur: Ancient Roman Insult Excavated In Northumberland
(C) The Vindolanda Charitable Trust

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

An archeological excavation at Vindolanda in Northumberland revealed again the notion that once an insult or offense is written into the public forum it can never be successfully retracted, often coming back to haunt despite efforts to bury the story.

The subject of this Roman insult, Secundinus, must have been so infamous of a cad to have invited such scorn from a nemesis; the latter resolved to carve into rock the insult “SECVNDINVS CACOR” along with a very prominent phallus.

Continue reading “Phallus Saxa Loquuntur: Ancient Roman Insult Excavated In Northumberland” →

Bizarre

Weekend Photos: Teapot Dome Gas Station

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

On yet another road trip we happened along this strange form of filling station–a tribute of sorts to the Teapot Dome Scandal. It has been one hundred years since the ensuing investigation, which greatly embarrassed the Harding Administration and later sent Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall to prison on corruption charges.  In a twist, in 1985 the Department of the Interior added the station to the National Register of Historic Places.

Continue reading “Weekend Photos: Teapot Dome Gas Station” →

Bizarre, Criminal law

The Late Show with the Capitol Police: Crew of Comedian Stephen Colbert Arrested in Capitol

Last night, Fox News broke the story that the U.S. Capitol Police arrested a group of staffers with CBS’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and charged them with unlawful entry. The crew was reportedly shooting a skit dealing with Jan. 6th but ended up with the same charge that has been levied against the vast majority of those arrested after the riot. Fox is reporting that the crew was told to leave but regained entry through a staff member of Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D., Mass). They also interviewed House Intelligence Chair and Jan. 6th Committee member Adam Schiff (D., Cal.). The arrests could put Speaker Nancy Pelosi in an awkward position. Continue reading “The Late Show with the Capitol Police: Crew of Comedian Stephen Colbert Arrested in Capitol” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Media, Politics

“That’s Now in the Hands of the FBI”: Newly Obtained Texts by Hunter Shed Light on Gun Controversy

The Washington Examiner recently gained access to texts on Hunter Biden’s laptop with the help of a computer expert.  One of the newly acquired texts addressed the scandal over his lost gun. In prior interviews, Hunter insisted that he was never aware of federal law enforcement getting involved in the case and did not believe that it was true. However, in the text, he attacked his sister-in-law Hallie for throwing out the gun. He laments that her tossing the gun to protect him meant that the matter was now “in the hands of the FBI.”

Continue reading ““That’s Now in the Hands of the FBI”: Newly Obtained Texts by Hunter Shed Light on Gun Controversy” →

Bizarre, Lawyering

Controversial Clinton Lawyer Marc Elias Slams ‘Team Normal” for Supporting Lies
(MSNBC/via YouTube)

The hearings of the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6th riot have featured a number of Republican lawyers, including former Attorney General Bill Barr, who opposed efforts to challenge the election after finding no support for the widespread election fraud claims of former President Donald Trump. The media called them “Team Normal.” That does not sit well with the most rabid activists who spent years demonizing Barr and others. Yet, the most ironic dissenting voice is that of former Clinton campaign General Counsel Marc Elias, who just ran a vehement column “Calling B.S. On Trump’s ‘Team Normal.'” Elias is a lawyer previously sanctioned in court and accused of lying about the hidden funding of the Steele Dossier by the Clinton campaign.

Continue reading “Controversial Clinton Lawyer Marc Elias Slams ‘Team Normal” for Supporting Lies” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Politics

President Biden Repeats False Claim about the Second Amendment

President Joe Biden on Wednesday repeated a claim about the Second Amendment that some of us have repeatedly challenged as untrue.  In asserting that “the Second Amendment is not absolute,” President Biden repeated his claim that certain weapons were prohibited at the time that the Second Amendment was ratified. That is simply untrue. Continue reading “President Biden Repeats False Claim about the Second Amendment” →

Bizarre, Free Speech, Media, Politics

No Laughing Matter: The Third Circuit Reverses NLRB Sanction Over Joke

In our age of rage, humor was one of the earliest victims. It is not that humor is not allowed, it is merely selectively tolerated. Thus, Twitter suspended the satirical site, Babylon Bee, with the support of many who claim to support free speech. In Canada, a comedian was actually prosecuted for trash talking in a comedy club. Even non-comedians can find themselves on the wrong side of a punch line. Recently, Ben Domenech of The Federalist found himself pursued over a single tweet teasing the employees at his publication. After referencing the struggle of Vox Media with a union, Domenech joked in a tweet that the salt mines await any employees who spoke of unionizing. No one was calling for a union at The Federalist and it was received by the staff as an obvious joke. However, a liberal lawyer from Massachusetts, Joel Fleming, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. In a highly controversial opinion, NLRB administrative law judge, Kenneth Chu, ruled against The Federalist. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit just overturned Chu and stated the obvious: it was a joke. Continue reading “No Laughing Matter: The Third Circuit Reverses NLRB Sanction Over Joke” →

Academia, Bizarre, Congress, Politics

The GW Commencement Controversy: A Response To Rep. Susan Wild

This weekend, I was unable to attend our law school graduation after traveling to Utah to speak to the Federal Bar Association. I have only missed a couple of graduations in almost 30 years of teaching. I soon, however, received emails from students and colleagues that made me somewhat thankful that I was unable to attend.

This year’s commencement speaker was Rep. Susan Wild (D) who represents the 7th District in Pennsylvania and is a distinguished graduate of our law school. Wild chose the commencement address to launch into a personal attack that accused me of being an example of the use of law for “wrongful ends.” She falsely accused me of changing a critical legal point in my testimony in the Clinton and Trump impeachment hearings on whether impeachable conduct must be indictable crimes. I felt that a response was warranted. Continue reading “The GW Commencement Controversy: A Response To Rep. Susan Wild” →