Recently, we saw how Wisconsin Justice David Prosser is running for reelection after calling Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson a “total bitch.” Throwing aside notions of judicial decorum, Prosser has insisted that he meant every word, including his promise to “destroy” her. Now, it has been disclosed that Prosser and three of his fellow conservative justices voted to rejected an ethics rule barring them from hearing cases of major campaign contributors and then reportedly adopted a rule drafted by corporate lobbyists.
Continue reading “Wisconsin Conservative Justices Accused Of Adopting Ethics Rules Written By Corporate Lobbyists”
Category: Politics
As the costs of the latest military campaign in Libya reaches hundreds of millions of dollars for the United States, Germany is pulling out of the operation out of concern over being pulled deeper in the conflict. In the meantime, Britain is expanding the mission to call for the assassination of Gaddafi — the leader of a sovereign nation in the midst of a civil war.
The Ninth Circuit has handed down a decision affirming the earlier decision striking down the Stolen Valor Act. Passed in 2005, the Act has been criticized by civil libertarians as an attack on free speech. Here is a prior column on the Act. Now, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski has added his own voice to this debate — finding such lies protected under the first amendment. In a concurring opinion, Kozinski notes “Saints may always tell the truth, but for mortals living means lying.”
Continue reading “Ninth Circuit (En Banc) Affirms Earlier Ruling Striking Down Stolen Valor Act”
Florida pastor Terry Jones is back. If you recall, he caused an international sensation in pledging to burn a copy of the Qur’an (Koran) and then backed down in exchange for a new car. Well, Jones has now proceeded in holding a trial of the holy book and proceeded to burn it after his flock found it guilty. Jones serves as the judge for the trial at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Continue reading “American Taliban: Florida Pastor Burns Qur’an After “Trial” By His Church”
In a significant victory for civil libertarians and a loss for the Obama Administration, the Second Circuit has reinstated a lawsuit based on the unlawful warrantless surveillance programs launched by former President George W. Bush. The Obama Administration has been aggressively fighting to kill this privacy lawsuit as it has dozens of other lawsuits seeking judicial review of the unlawful program. The case is Amnesty v. Blair.
Continue reading “Second Circuit Rejects Obama Administration’s Effort to Block Privacy Lawsuit”
Wisconsin voters are experiencing a different judicial campaign in the bid of Justice David Prosser to remain on the state Supreme Court. The issue? Prosser calling Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson a “total bitch.” Prosser has gone public to say that he did in fact call Abrahamson the name, but he stressed that he meant it. He also promised to “destroy” her. The controversy has now pulled other justices into the fray on both sides.
Continue reading “Wisconsin Supreme Court Erupts Into Name Calling and Finger Pointing”
Civil libertarians have long objected to the continuation (and in some cases the expansion) of Bush policies in the national security areas by President Barack Obama. Obama has blocked the investigation and prosecution of Bush officials for torture, renewed the military tribunal system, extinguished dozens of public interest lawsuits against telecommunication companies and agencies as well as other controversial moves. Now, two former Bush officials are considered leading contenders to take over the FBI despite their involvement in some of the worst abuses during the Bush Administration. They are James Comey and Kenneth Wainstein. As discussed below, they are a case of the coronation of the one-eyed man as King of the land of the blind.
FDA advisory group called the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee has asked the Administration to bar the sale of menthol cigarettes as a danger to human health. The reason? They are too popular. I do not smoke and I do not like smoking. However, I find it increasingly bizarre to ban products because people like them too much. If the Administration wants to seek a prohibition of tobacco, there are good faith reasons to do so. However, most Americans continue to believe that adults have a right to choose to smoke. If tobacco is legal, I do not see why citizens should be barred from buying the type of tobacco that they prefer.
Continue reading “Too Popular To Sell? FDA Committee Calls For Ban on Menthol-Flavored Cigarettes”
There has long been an ironic relationship between states and tobacco. While insisting that they are raising taxes on tobacco to combat smoking, states have long been addicted to the revenue. Now, some states are lowering taxes to encourage more smoking to generate more revenue to deal with budget shortfalls.
Continue reading “Revenue Addiction: New Hampshire and Other States Move to Cut Tobacco Taxes to Increase Sales”
Now this sounds familiar. The United States has again launched a military campaign in an Arab nation to help the inhabitants and has unleashed growing criticism from other Arab countries. In the meantime, the United States and its allies have been denounced as crusaders and Nazis by those fighting with Gaddafi.
Continue reading “Arab League Denounces Military Strikes By U.S. and Allies on Libya”
Submitted By Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
I know what you may be thinking. What is that crazy title all about? It wasn’t discussed much in the Corporate Mass Media, but this past week was dubbed, Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week was supposed to celebrate “open Government practices”. I for one, wasn’t convinced that our government had any “open” practices. The Freedom of Information Act was passed in 1966 and it was designed to allow individuals the right to find out exactly what government was doing on our behalf. The Act has been amended on several occasions and it has aged with mixed results. Continue reading “Just How Sunny is Sunshine Week?”
Submitted By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Greetings from Dublin Ireland, the home of the most famous dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and author of Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift. Suzanne and I have embraced the Irish and the hug seems mutual. Dublin is caught up in the frenzy of the five-day Saint Patrick’s Day Festival and, even more so, with the spectacle of European Rugby’s version of the Super Bowl played yesterday at Aviva Stadium. The city is teaming with rugby fans from five other nations. We’ve met so many wonderful people here from our ever helpful doorman at the Brooks Hotel, Connor, to our favorite barkeeper, Pawel, to scores of others, all anxious to help two hopelessly lost American travelers. We’ve even met a Turley or two.
Continue reading “Gullet’s Travels: How “Mark of Ireland” Got His Name”
At a time when the American people overwhelmingly oppose our continued military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Obama has responded by committing the United States to another war. Today, the U.S. attacked Libyan forces with over a hundred cruise missiles hitting the capitol and surrounding areas. With the two wars already draining the United States of billions a day, these cruise missile attacks alone will cost hundreds of millions in both the equipment and commitment of forces.
Continue reading “Missiles Away! Obama Commits U.S. To Third Military Campaign”
Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw) Guest Blogger
Over the past few weeks and months, we have read repeatedly about how politicians are upset that the government is doing nothing about jobs. We hear it from the Right and we hear it from the Left, but the unemployment rate is still around 9.0% with many out of work Americans no longer looking for work. With this background, I was incensed when I read about a Minnesota legislative proposal to bar citizens on public aid from having more than $20.00 cash in their pocket at any time! Continue reading “Is This The America That We Want?”
Iowa lawmakers have introduced two bills (SF 341 and HF 431) that would make it a crime for activists to procure evidence of animal abuse by factory operations. Many of the past disclosures of abuse by circuses and industry have been the result of activists gaining access to factory operations through employment (as here). This law would specifically target such investigations to protect these companies.