We recently discussed the controversy surrounding Kathy Griffin and her disgusting image of a bloody severed head of President Donald Trump. Griffin held an equally bizarre press conference on Friday that first took responsibility for the scandal and then insisted that she is being set up by white men and blatant sexism. If this was an effort by attorney Lisa Bloom to repackage the scandal, it was a miserable failure. Indeed, the press conference could be a lesson for all lawyers in high-profile controversies of how not to respond to a scandal. There seemed to be not preparation of Griffin and no development of a single coherent narrative (rather surprising for an entertainer). The set up for the press conference at the law firm was awkward and made the client look like a caged animal. Bloom’s lead in remarks seemed more like a stump speech than a legal defense. Griffin was the object of the exercise rather than a human being in distress. Bloom’s effort to blame Trump for her client’s conduct contradicted one of a number of different narratives being advanced at the same time. The result was a Jackson Pollock press conference of paint splatters. The problem is that they did not make for a pleasing final image. I am not sure what Bloom sought to achieve, but it could not have been what actually occurred. In a rambling press conference, she insisted “Cut the crap, this wouldn’t be happening to a guy.” Indeed, it would. If Anderson Cooper held up the bloody severed head of Donald Trump on CNN, he would also be looking at the end of his journalistic career as would other comedians like Jerry Seinfeld.
Continue reading “Griffin: “This Wouldn’t Be Happening To A Guy.””
We have yet another example of how free speech is being eviscerated in Europe through an assortment of different legal standards. An unnamed 45-year-old Swiss man is an example of how the defamation laws can have the same impact on free speech. He was 
We have previously discussed how Clinton has blamed self-hating women, the Russians, and a long list of reasons for her loss . . . except for herself. Despite losing the virtually unloseable election to Donald Trump, Clinton continues to be celebrated by Democratic insiders in speeches and continues to blame others for her historic loss. That campaign was in full view this week with Clinton’s appearance at the annual 
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup was interrupted by a bizarre act of a fan throwing large catfish on to the ice. Jacob Waddell, 36, is charged in the incident though one of the charges may surprise you.
A If Reece Park could not quite remember how he made it home after his bender the night before, this helpful selfie might refresh his hazy memory. Tasmanian Constables Natalie Siggins and Jeremy Blyth decided to take Park home and put him to bed after spotting him drunk on the street. They memorialized the moment for the morning after.
Yale has been the focus of rising concerns over academic freedom and the treatment of faculty after the appearing of a disturbing videotape showing Yale students abusing Professor Nicholas Christakis who sought to have a civil conversation over an email written by Christakis’ wife. Two of the students who were most vocal in this controversial confrontation have now reportedly been honored with the 
Joseph Andrew Floyd Jr., 20, and Zachary Lloyd Brown, 21, are the poster boys for increasing penalties for animal welfare. The two South Carolina men thought it was uniquely funny to catch a small alligator and then tape themselves pouring beer down its throat. They now face harassment charges though the penalties are minimal.
There was a disturbing story out of South Orange, New Jersey recently where a group of 
We have been discussing the erosion of free speech in England with an ever expanding range of criminalized speech. Individuals and groups now regularly call police to charge people who say anything deemed offensive or insulting to a race, religion, or group. It appears suicide bomber Salman Abedi was among the outraged insulted and filed a complaint with his school over an “
There are some people who talk about exposing themselves to art and then there is Ronald Thompson, 47. Thompson was arrested after a surveillance video in Lakeland, Florida showed him driving away from a storage center with a large stolen swan art piece. Oh, yes, I forgot . . . he was driving a stolen truck . . . and he was buck naked. Indeed, but for the modestly placed white bucket, the images would not be fit for a family blog like ours.
One of the most damaged individuals from the various controversies surrounding President Donald Trump has been his National Security Adviser, General H.R. McMaster. McMaster of course replaced the most damaged individual, General Michael Flynn who is now the subject of multiple investigations. McMaster was brought in to bring professional and credibility to the position. He was an excellent choice. However, the use of McMaster to try (unsuccessfully) to deflect concerns of Trump’s disclosure of highly classified information to the Russians destroyed much of his reputation in Washington. Now, what remains of that reputation seems to be rapidly evaporating with McMaster’s dismissive “not concerned” response to a high-level advisor (Jared Kushner) reportedly asking the Russians to create a secret, secure communications line through their embassy or other location. While that allegation does not appear a criminal violation in and of itself, it would a highly disturbing addition to an already troubling story on the close relations between the Trump officials and the Russians. The 
The sister of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi came to the defense of her dead brother. The words of Jomana Abedi fell considerably short of reassuring the public about her family and its association with Islamic extremists. It is now known that 
The Washington Post released a bombshell story on Friday that alleges that senior White House aide (and presidential son-in-law) Jared Kushner met withSergei Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to Washington to set up a private communications channel with the Kremlin. The channel reportedly was sought for secret and secure and direct communications with the Russians. Once again, there is nothing on its face unlawful about either the meeting or the desire for a secure communications line. However, the allegation (if true) would deepen the unease over the associations between the Trump camp and the Russians. The increasing number of meetings has raised questions over why Trump officials were so solicitous to the Russians — a concern that reached its apex with