Category: Media

Israel Arrests Activists Yelling Insults at Rahm Emanuel

Two Israeli activists were arrested for shouting insults at White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in Israel this week. The activists spotted Emanuel in Jerusalem’s Old City with his family and shouted “Jerusalem is not for sale.” Heck, Rahm Emanuel is known to say worse stuff in a shower, here. That would be protected speech in the United States, but it appears that you can be arrested for shouting at celebrities and high-ranking officials in Israel.
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Illinois School Scraps Girl Varsity Basketball Team’s Visit To Arizona

There is a growing controversy in Illinois where School District 113 has blocked the Township High School ‘s Girls Varsity Basketball Team from traveling to Arizona in December due to the passage of that state’s controversial immigration law. I was asked to consider the argument of the District that it was compelled to bar such travel as a constitutional matter. While I respect (and share) the concerns of the Board over this law, I do not believe the trip is barred as a matter of constitutional law. Given the hard work of these girls in achieving such a honor, I believe the board should reconsider its decision if they make the championship. While there remain legitimate objections to the law, I do not believe that this bar on travel is compelled as a legal matter.

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England To Shield Identities of Alleged Rapists

Rape shield laws have always been controversial with defense counsel and some civil libertarians because they shield the identity of the alleged victim but not the alleged attacker. Now, the coalition government in England appears ready to address that controversy by banning the identification of both alleged victims and criminal defendants in rape cases.

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The Soprano Defense: Mafia Boss Released Early Due to Depression

Mafia boss Salvatore “Vito” Vitale has been released early from prison in Italy due to depression. It appears that Vitale has found jail emotionally hard — more so than his role in murdering a 13-year-old boy and then dissolving him in acid before his incarceration.
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Blumenthal: Politics’ Unlikely Walter Mitty

The controversy over Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal’s claim of service in the Vietnam War continues. After the New York Times was accused of leaving out exculpatory statements made by Blumenthal on one such occasion, the newspaper insists that the earlier comment does not alter the misleading representations, here. Moreover, newly disclosed statements like “I wore the uniform in Vietnam and many came back to all kinds of disrespect” undermine his defense. Below is my column today on the New York Times blog discussing the scandal.

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Daughter of Scientology Head in Australia Goes Public With Allegations of Abuse

The increasing wave of former Scientologists going public appears to be growing. The video below details the allegations of Scarlett Hanna, daughter of Vicki Dunstan, president of the Church of Scientology in Australia, and Mark Hanna, a former Asian/Pacific director of public affairs for the church.

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Obama to Ask For $205 Million To Give To Israel for a Rocket Defense System as Part of a $3.15 Billion Aid Package

President Barack Obama is moving to increase military aid to Israel to $3.15 billion, including $205 million for a short-range missile defense system. With cities and states in the United States selling off parks and closing programs (and the federal deficit reaching disastrous levels), it is astonishing that the Administration is still gushing out such money — particularly for one of the wealthiest nations on Earth.
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Kagan’s Palin Moment? White House Does Away With Journalists For Kagan’s First Interview as a Nominee

The White House appears to have found the solution to Sarah Palin’s problem with pesky press and embarrassing interviews. The White House posted Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s first “interview” on its website and decided it would be better without an actual journalist.
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Supreme Monopoly: Kagan’s Nomination Confirms The Lack of Educational Diversity on The Court

Below is today’s column (one of two columns today on the Supreme Court) addressing the troubling exclusion of schools other than Harvard and Yale on the Supreme Court — a type of academic cartel that is damaging to both that institution and our educational and legal systems generally. Click here for the other column in USA Today. Time Magazine also ran a long story on the reliance on graduates from Harvard and Yale, here.
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Samsung Sues Columnist Over Lampoon

We have been following the lawsuit (now dropped) against a writer in England by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) for his criticism of their profession. Now, Samsung is suing a columnist for making from of its executives, who have been involved in a series of criminal cases and controversies. Michael Breen with the Korea Times is being sued for defamation for a parody by the electronic giant. The company is pursuing both civil and criminal charges against Breen — a move that seems to struggle to confirm the arrogance and heavy-handedness alleged in the column.

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