President Barack Obama and his Administration set a new level of hypocrisy this weekend with calls on the Chinese government and military to end censorship and be more open with the public while barring disclosure of embarrassing photos of detainee abuse.
Continue reading “President Obama Calls On China to Be More Transparent and Open — And Then Bars The Release of Any More Photos of Detainee Abuse to the Media and Public”
Category: Constitutional Law
We previously followed the investigation into the three deaths in a sweat lodge run by “Spiritual Warrior” James Arthur Ray at the Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, Arizona. Now, the Lakota Sioux Tribe is suing, demanding the prosecution of Ray under the 1869 Treaty of Fr. Laramie for appropriating a Native American ritual.
Continue reading “Indian Tribe Sues Self-Help Author Over Use of Sweat Lodge”
There is a disturbing trial being held in Zambia where the news editor of The Post, Chansa Kabwela, sent photos of a woman giving birth in a hospital car park without assistance to highlight the costs of a nursing strike and poor government policies. She was right. The officials, including Zambia’s President, Rupiah Banda, were horrified. They immediately arrested Kabwela for distributing pornography.
Continue reading “Journalist Charged with Pornography for Sending Pictures of Woman in Unassisted Child Birth to Government Officials”
Here is today’s column from the Washington Post on the benefits of a new type of “good-faith” defense. While “religious convictions” are usually a reference to personal faith, it turns out that it has a distinct and disturbing meaning for criminal sentencing.
Continue reading ““Religious Convictions”: When Children Die, Religion Is No Defense”
Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered actual trials for five 9/11 suspects rather than military tribunals. The decision places the United States squarely back on the road of the rule of law in giving due process even to our most hated defendants. The five defendants include 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The other four are Waleed bin Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi and Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali. However, this courageous act was diminished by an inexplicable decision of Holder to order five other defendants — including USS Cole suspect Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri — be tried in a military tribunal. I discussed this decision on this segment of MSNBC Countdown.
Continue reading “9-11 Defendants to be Given Real Trials as Holder Stands on Principle — Sort Of”
Many of us expressed outrage at the actions of the city leaders of New London, Connecticut when they used eminent domain to seize the property of citizens against their will in order to give it to the Pfizer corporation. This anger grew with the inexplicable decision of the Supreme Court in Kelo v. City of New London to uphold the abusive action. Now, after all of the pain the city caused its own residents and $80 million it spent to buy and bulldoze the property, Pfizer announced this week that it was closing the facility — leaving the city worse off than when it began. For prior testimony on the Kelo decision, click here.
Continue reading “Kelo’s Revenge: Pfizer Abandons New London Site After Town Used Eminent Domain to Destroy Homes of Residents”
ACORN is continuing its approach of “the best defense is a good offense.” The group has not only sued the filmmakers who recently disclosed misconduct by the organization, but it is now suing Congress for its ban on federal funding to the organization, alleging a bill of attainder in singling out the non-profit.
Continue reading “ACORN Challenges Congressional Ban on Federal Funds”
It appears that opponents of same-sex marriage cannot even tolerate the thought of gay couples being buried together. Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri (R) has vetoed a bill that would have added “domestic partners” to the list of people authorized by law to make joint funeral arrangements. He feels that idea of joint burials smacks too much of a marriage.
Continue reading “Keeping Corpses Straight: Rhode Island Governor Bars Same Sex Couples From Joint Funeral Arrangements”
Glenn Beck has lost a bizarre trademark fight with the founder of glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com, Isaac Eiland-Hall. Eiland-Hall created the Internet sensation to mock the style of Beck and Fox News — leading to a challenge over the use of Beck’s name with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Continue reading “Glennbeckrapedandmurderedayounggirlin1990.com Wins in Trademark Challenge Against Glenn Beck”
A MARTA bus driver in Atlanta has been suspended after he allegedly stopped the bus and told passengers to pray. LeRoy Matthews stopped the bus on Nov. 3rd at 7:30 pm for the impromptu religious observance.
Continue reading “God is My Co-Pilot: Atlanta MARTA Driver Forces Passengers to Pray”
Many followed the case (here) of Daniel Hauser of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota when his fundamentalist Mom fled with him to avoid chemotherapy for his cancer on religious grounds. Few may be aware of the end of the story. He has completed his last chemotherapy sessions and is now cancer-free — thanks to the judge who overrode his mother’s objections.
There is an intriguing case in London where the British courts will decide who is a Jew and who decides such a question. The British have long maintained publicly supported religious schools — an affront to the separation of church and state. Now, inevitably, the state must decide who can be excluded from one of the Jewish schools run by the government. Not surprisingly, at the heart of the controversy is Lord Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, who recently blamed secularism for the decline and potential fall of Western Civilization, here. He insists that only children with Jewish mothers (recognized in Orthodox synagogues) are truly Jewish.
Continue reading “Separation Anxiety: British Courts To Decide Who Is a Jew”
Jeddah police arrested two female professors from King Abdulaziz University this week for the crime of driving themselves to the mall. Police were shocked by the sight of a woman behind the wheel of a car and immediately pulled them over. We have previously followed the struggle of women to enjoy this freedom of movement in the Kingdom (here)
Continue reading “DWF (Driving While Female): Two Professors Arrested in Saudi Arabia for Driving Themselves to the Mall”
The good people at Hezbollah are offering the world another insight into extremist thought. The militant group has banned “The Diary of Anne Frank” from schools as Zionist propaganda by focusing on the plight of some Jews. I suppose when you are teaching kids to blow up innocent people, an account of an innocent victim can appear propagandistic.
Continue reading “Hezbollah Bans “The Diary of Anne Frank” As Zionist Propaganda”
Blockbuster and Facebook are the defendants in two interesting privacy lawsuits in Texas where Cathryn Harris is suing them for revealing her name and movie rental tastes. Even more shocking is that anyone is still renting “The Jewel of Nile” with Michael Douglas in 2009.