Maryland Delegate Nicholaus Kipke and Sen. Bryan Simonaire are pushing for passage of the Fallen Soldier Privacy Act of 2008 to criminalize the the commercial use of a deceased soldier’s name or image. It is a controversy triggered by tee-shirts produced by anti-war activist Dan R. Frazier of Flagstaff, Ariz., whose online business Carryabigsticker.com sells anti-war shirts and other items that use soldiers’ names. The law is, in my view, unconstitutional and could lead to an interesting court fight if Congress follows suit with its own legislation. Continue reading “Maryland Considering Criminalizing Use of Soldiers Names and Images in Protest Tee-Shirts or Material for Sale”
Category: Criminal law
The police are seeking an imposter who pretended that he was the father of the dead actor Heath Ledger to secure hotel rooms, convince Tom Cruise to console him, and almost convince John Travolta to buy him free tickets to the United States. It is conduct that fits both criminal and tort theories of culpability. Continue reading “Police Seek Arrest of Imposter of Heath Ledger’s Father”
Wesley Snipes’ counsel rested his case without presenting a single defense witness or having Snipes himself testify. It is a move the minimizes risk on the stand but maximizes the likelihood of a conviction on the tax charges. Continue reading “Snipes Rests Case Without Presenting Defense Witnesses or Testifying Himself”
Where is the NGA — National Geiger Association — when you need them?
Facing an apparent shortfall of new permits to impose on citizens, the New York city council (with Mayor Bloomberg’s reported support) is moving to require that any citizens who want to own devices that detect biological, chemical, and radiological dangers must first register and secure a permit from the city. If Bloomberg wants to run for President, this would not be the way to do it. There is a strong suspicion that the problem with these devices is that they will reveal a much greater level of such dangers and require officials to address countless false — and true — readings. Continue reading “You Will Have to Peel My Cold Dead Fingers From My Geiger Counter: New York Moves to Require a Permit to Own Detectors of Radioactive, Biological, or Chemical Threats”
After the loss of many American lives and billions in American dollars, the justice system in Afghanistan seems to be de-evolving back into the Taliban-style Islamic extremism. Journalist Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh, 23, has been sentenced to death for merely downloading material deemed blasphemous to Islam relating to the role of women in Islamic societies. Not only has the U.S.-backed government sentenced him to death, one of its top “justice” officials has threatened to severely punish any reporter even expressing support for Kambakhsh. Continue reading “Afghan Justice: Government Sentences Journalist to Death for Blasphemy Against the Prophet”
In his confirmation hearing, Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey was rescued by Sens. Chuck Schumer and Diane Feinstein from having to admit that waterboarding has long been defined as torture by U.S. and international courts. At the time, he first denied (under oath) knowing what waterboarding is and then, when told, insisted that he needed more time to think about it. Now, after months, he has suggested that it is not a matter of time or knowledge — he may simply refuse to answer the question that would implicated President Bush in a war crime. Continue reading “Months Later, Mukasey Still Thinking About Waterboarding and Says He May Never Say Whether it is Torture”
Pilots are charging that the Bush Administration doled out $5 million as an award to flight instructor Clarence Prevost in the Moussaoui case without seriously inquiring into who was actually responsible for bringing the terrorist-wannabe to the attention of the government. Members of Congress are asking for explanations on why other instructors credited with the disclosure were ignored. Another question should be the size of this payout. Continue reading “Pilots Challenge $5 Million Award for Instructor Credited in Moussaoui Arrest”
In light of the $5 million given to a witness in the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, this column may be of interest. Continue reading “Zacarias Moussaoui and the Mad Pursuit of a Trophy Terrorist”
As leaders in both parties in Congress and the Justice Department seek to scuttle any real investigation into America’s torture program, a federal judge may have thrown a wrench into the works. This week, U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts not only found the tapes to be evidence but demanded that the government file a full explanation on their destruction in 2005. Continue reading “Federal Judge Orders Administration to Explain the Destruction of CIA Torture Tapes; Finds Tapes to be Evidence”
After pushing the country into the disastrous Iraq war and then being forced out as head of the World Bank in scandal, Paul Wolfowitz has been given yet another chance to serve his country in his signature fashion as the head a high-level advisory panel on arms control and disarmament. At the same time, another made man Steven G. Bradbury has also been renominated for his position despite (or because of) his endorsement of torture Continue reading “A Made Man Returns: Wolfowitz Gets Another Government Job”
For those interested in why Wolfowitz could possibly secure gainful employment in government after his disasters in Iraq and the World Bank, this prior column may be of interest on how to succeed in the Bush Administration: Continue reading “Earning Your Bones in the Bush Bada Bing! Club”
The criminal trial of Wesley Snipes for tax evasion was already something of a curiosity with its focus on Section 861 tax movement described by experts as a virtual “cult.” Now, the government has revealed unhinged letters where Snipes claims nonresident alien status and appears to threaten the government with “collateral damage” if they pursue his case. Continue reading “Making a Bad Situation Worse: Wesley Snipes Sends Bizarre Letters to IRS Claiming to Be Alien and Threatening “Collateral Damage””
In the latest shocker for civil libertarians, the Senate appears set to grant immunity to telecommunication companies after they participated in the unlawful domestic surveillance program. The Democrats faced intense criticism last year and hoped that the attention and ire of voters would subside with the distraction of elections. The fix was in, however, months ago when Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) picked the Senate Intelligence Committee’s proposal (favoring immunity) to be the legislation to go first to the floor. Continue reading “Rockefeller and the Senate Close to Granting Immunity for Telecommunication Companies”
Just as the media is looking back at the ten-year anniversary of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff are facing accusations of lying under oath in a very similar case. The evidence under uncovered by the Free Press appears quite credible and damning for both Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff Christine Beatty. Continue reading “Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Accused of Perjury — Could Face Criminal and Bar Charges”
When two emotionally disturbed teenagers at the the Judge Rotenberg Education Center in Boston were given extreme shock treatments after a prank call, seven staff members were fired. It now appears that that was too small of a purge. This week, it was revealed at officials at the Center ordered the destruction of the videotapes of the two boys being abused — despite direct demands that they preserve the tapes. The Center’s defense is virtually identical to that of the Bush Administration in destroying the CIA torture tapes: it was necessary to avoid the inadvertent release of the image to the public and the harm such release would produce. In doing so, the Center may have committed crimes by destroying evidence of its own potential guilt. Continue reading “School Destroys Tapes of Harmful Shock Treatments Given to Two Students in Hoax Case”