We have all been on planes or trains or buses with people who seem to show up with streamer trunks to store above your seat. This guy in Queensland Australia however is truly in a class by himself.
Continue reading “Australian Man Fined For Trying To Move Fridge On Train”
The New York Times is reporting that “Donald Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father’s candidacy.” That would be a significant development in supporting allegations of “collusion.” I am still skeptical of the alleged crime of collusion and even more skeptical of the alleged crime related to this meeting. I am also confused by the NYT story which says that the email from publicist Rob Goldstone acknowledged that the information was coming from the Kremlin but the article quotes Goldstone in saying that he had no knowledge of any such connection to the Russian government.
Richard Painter, an ethics lawyer under former President George W. Bush, has declared that the meeting of Donald Trump Jr., with a Russian lawyer who claimed to have compromising information on Hillary Clinton during the campaign, “borders on treason.” Others have said that the disclosure could be the long sought after “smoking gun” on collusion and evidence of criminal conduct. I am afraid that I have to continue my record as something of a “buzz kill” on these stories. There is not a clear criminal act in such a meeting based on the information that we have. Moreover, it is not necessarily unprecedented.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shared an anti-media moment in Hamburg when they faced journalists and Putin asked “These are the ones hurting you?” Trump responded “These are the ones. You’re right about that.” While I have been very critical of what I see as distortive and biased coverage of the Trump Administration, I have also been critical of Trump’s attacks on the media. This is an example where journalists have a legitimate right to recoil at the scene. Trump was commiserating with a man who has decimated the free press in Russia where dozens of journalists have been killed. With Trump calling for reductions in the protections afforded to media and attacking the media, there is a heightened and understandable sensitivity to these type of scenes.
As many on this blog know, I am hold a near absolutist view of free speech that has led me to long criticize hate speech laws around the world. We are seeing a steady expansion of criminalized speech, often under ill-defined or highly subjective standards. That is why a recent decision of a court in Cape Town caught my eye. A controversial art display inSouth African National Gallery entitled Fuck White People was reviewed by the Cape Town Magistrate. The court declared that the display, including both art, tee-shirts, and other items was not hate speech. I am always relieved when free speech prevails over criminalization. However, there is still uncertainty over the standard. Because the artist invoked the struggle of Albert Luthuli and Nelson Mandela, the campaign was deemed non-hateful speech. Would that have been the same result is an Afrikaner printed works and tee-shirts with the same message about Black people? Again, the point is not to disagree with the ruling. The point is that speech regulation often rests on uncertain and shifting standards.
Continue reading “Court: “F**K White People” Not Hate Speech”
The search of Amelia Earhart is a mystery that seems to deepen by the year. The latest intriguing twist is the photo above. Marked “Jaluit Atoll,” the photo shows a short-haried woman wearing pants and sitting with her back to the camera. Near her is a tall man resembling her co-pilot Fred Noonan. The 1937 photo was taken on a dock in the Marshall Islands and is being cited as support for the theory that the two were captured alive and died in Japanese custody during World War II on the island of Saipan.
Recently, President Donald Trump took credit for the move against Qatar as a sponsor or funder of Islamic extremism while again reaffirming support for Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s main critic. It was a curious moment since the ties between Saudi Arabia and terrorist groups, including the 9-11 hijackers, is well established. Now, a report from a respected think tank in England details how Saudi Arabia is the leading sponsor of Islamic extremism in Great Britain. The Henry Jackson Society, a foreign affairs think-tank, has demanded an official inquiry about the “clear and growing link” between Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies and Islamist organisations, hate preachers and Jihadist groups promoting violence. The British government has buried a Home Office report into the existence and influence of Jihadist organisations, commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015.Continue reading “Report: Saudi Arabia Remains Top Sponsor Of Islamic Extremists in Great Britain”
It appears that Qatari will be left “waiting for Gadot” for some time after the government banned the move “Wonder Women.” The reason is that lead actress Gal Gadot (who plays Diana Prince) is Israeli. The government joins Lebanon and Tunisia in banning the film. The Muslim countries appear to agree with Wonder Woman in saying ” It’s about what you believe.” Gadot believes in the Torah and that is enough for the Qatar government. (Of course, Wonder Woman added “And I believe in love. Only love will truly save the world.”) That part is clearly not part of this decision.
Continue reading ““It’s About What You Believe”: Qatar Bans Wonder Woman Over Israeli Actress”
By: Cara L. Gallagher, weekend contributor
It was back to the Supreme Court for me this week. An unusually sleepy end of the October 2016 term, except for gossip of a potential retirement (Kennedy, not Ginsburg, this time), came to a dramatic end when the Chief Justice announced in the final minutes of the Court’s last day that they would hear the travel ban/pause cases next term.
There were two clear victories on Monday with this announcement that the Justices would hear the government’s cases defending President Trump’s two executive orders. One was for an imam named Dr. Ismail Elshikh, whose mother-in-law in Syria will now be able to travel to the United States. The other went to John Doe, an anonymous lawful resident who has been trying to get his wife home from Iran. Their victories came in the form of exceptions to the orders which allow their families to be reunited.
The rest of the Court’s 13-page order largely holds onto the spirit of the executive orders issued by the President, with some caveats.
Using the text of the decision, below is what the Supreme Court said in the grant, followed by the potential effects of those decisions, what all this means, and what happens next.
Background and the previous cases
Continue reading “The real winners in SCOTUS’s decision on the travel ban orders”
For those hoping that Russians will gradually reject the authoritarian rule by Vladimir Putin, a new poll will be a disappointment. Russians have long favored the strongman leader and that taste for authoritarianism has not greatly diminished. A new poll shows that Russians place Stalin at the top of the list of the greatest historical figures of all time. Putin tied with poet Alexander Pushkin for second place. The poll was conducted by the Levada Centre.
Continue reading “Russians Select Stalin As Greatest Leader Of All Time In New Poll”
Below is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the Supreme Court order lifting the stay over the Trump immigration order. With the exception of those with bona fide relationships, the Trump Administration has the authority to enforce its travel limitations. As discussed earlier, the order could prove not the next but final chapter of the immigration controversy given the 90 day period set under the Trump order. However, a more immediate issue of concern should be the prior coverage and court decisions leading up to the unanimous order of the Supreme Court.
Continue reading “The Immigration Order and the Regaining Objectivity In the Media and the Courts”
There is an interesting conviction in the United Kingdom this month where Andrew Dobson, 49, was sentenced for the importation of a sex doll. The problem is that the doll was too childlike. As a result, he pleaded guilty to importing an indecent object, two counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing indecent images of children. The plea resulted in a sentence of two years and eight months in prison.
Continue reading “English Man Sentenced To Jail For Importation Of Childlike Sex Doll”
The Supreme Court handed down a stinging defeat for the Trump Administration in a unanimous decision in Maslenjak v. United States, where the Administration sought to strip an immigrant of U.S. citizenship over a false statement made on an immigration form. In a decision by Justice Elena Kagan, the justices declared that the government could not strip citizenship from Divna Maslenjak because she falsely stated that her husband had not served in the Bosnian Serb army in the 1990s. Notably, the Obama Administration had taken the same hard position in the case and the Trump Administration continued that position on the appeal.
Continue reading “Supreme Court Rules 9-0 Against Trump Administration in Immigration Case”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been denounced worldwide for this attack on the free speech, free speech, and democratic traditions in Turkey. He is viewed as a leader with a highly limited intellect who has used Islamic values to get Turks to give him unchecked power. Now he has fittingly rejected the concept of evolution after his government announced that the subject will no longer be taught to children because it is unproven and too controversial. Instead, Turkish children will be raised with the type of distorted, uninformed perspective of their President.
The Iranians have given the world another absurd application of its brand of Islamic faith. The government has declared that Zumba exercises classes are effectively banned in Iran because the dance “contravenes Islamic ideology.” The “rhythmic movements” of Zumba appear to be anti-Islamic. There is no room for rhythmic dance in the Islamic Republic.