Category: Society

Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Woman Reportedly Beheaded In Afghan Market For Shopping Without Husband

260px-Flag_of_Taliban.svgAs Afghanistan continues to reach accommodations with Taliban forces, another case illustrates vividly the extremist Islamic values advanced by the group.  In the village in the Northern province of Sar-e pul, a 30-year-old woman was reportedly beheaded in the market by Taliban fighters.  Her crime?  She “went to the city alone without her husband.”  Of course, as we discussed in another story today, our long-time ally Saudi Arabia continues to maintain the same medieval Islamic abuses in the treatment of women.

 

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, International, Religion, Society

Saudi Arabia Reportedly Jails Man For Protesting The Mistreatment of Women In The Kingdom

125px-Coat_of_arms_of_Saudi_Arabia.svgSaudi Arabia flagOur close ally Saudi Arabia has again proven that it imposes the same type of extreme and arbitrary justice as nations like Iran.  The latest outrage out of the Kingdom was the jailing of a man for campaigning against the nation’s repressive state control over women. For merely speaking up for women, the man is now reportedly in jail for a year.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Society

Duterte Brags About Throwing Criminal Suspect From A Helicopter

We have previously discussed the total meltdown in the Philippine’s with the election of Rodrigo Duterte, a man whose hostility toward civil liberties is match only by the uncertainty over his sanity. rodrigo_duterte_and_laotian_president_bounnhang_vorachith_croppedWe have previously discussed Duterte’s foul-mouthed tenure in office, including profanities directed at the Pope, President Obama, and anyone else objecting to his evisceration of human rights and the rule of law. Recently Duterte bragged about how he personally murdered suspects as an example for police who were a bit more reluctant to engage in extrajudicial murders. Now, Duterte has bragged that he personally threw suspect to his death from a helicopter.  Duterte continues to brag about his extrajudicial murders but there remains no action taken against him.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

Germany Moves To Impose Crippling Fines On Social Networks For “Fake News”

I recently wrote about the growing threat of government regulation of speech on the Internet under the guise of combatting “fake news.” Germany has been ground zero for civil libertarians for the rollback of free speech. Angela MerkelGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel long ago established herself as a menace to free speech, particularly in her decision to first apologize to authoritarian Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a satirical poem and then approve the prosecution of the comedian is a shocking and chilling disgrace. Now, Germany is considering imposing a legal regime that would allow fining social networks such as Facebook up to 500,000 euros ($522,000) for each day the platform leaves a “fake news” story up without deleting it. Governments have finally found a vehicle to get citizens to allow them to curtail or chill speech — ironically in the name of facilitating “real news” or “truth.” It is perfectly Orwellian and Merkel’s latest contribution to the erosion of free speech in the West. I recently discussed the issue as part of an interesting segment with Ted Koppel.

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Bizarre, Politics, Religion, Society

Have A Haramy Christmas: Islamic Leader Warns Wishing Friends “Merry Christmas” Is Worse Than Murder

We recently discussed how rabbis have issued warnings to hotels and other businesses not to display Christmas trees as offensive to Jewish values, even threatening to pull the kosher certification from businesses.  Now, a leading Muslim authority has declared that even wishing neighbors a “Merry Christmas is worse than murder. It is “haram” or forbidden. The view of Dr. Zakir Naik is not new (and he stated this view years earlier), but there is an interesting alternative take on the issue in The New York Times by a Muslim writer on the shared traditions between Christianity and Islam.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Society

THE REAL DANGER OF FAKE NEWS

Freedom_of_SpeechThe Obama Administration and many Democratic leaders have made “fake news” a rallying cry for more government and private regulation of the Internet — as well as a rationale for the devastating loss of Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump. Below is a column exploring the dangers of this new justification for speech regulation, which are already becoming evident in various countries around the world. I recently discussed the issue as part of an interesting segment with Ted Koppel.
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Academia, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Media, Society

Oregon Professor Causes Firestorm Over Black Face Costume Worn At Party Off-Campus

shurtz-nancyThere is a controversy at the University of Oregon that embodies our long debate over the free speech rights of employees over statements and conduct in their private lives. Law professor Nancy Shurtz triggered a firestorm after she wore blackface to a Halloween party. She was dressed as Dr. Damon Tweedy, the author of Black Men In A White Coat. The school launched a formal investigation and found that, while there was no “ill intent”, Shurtz violated the school’s anti-discrimination policies. That has caused a debate over the extension of such rules to the conduct of faculty or students off campus and off hours.

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Congress, Politics, Society

Drill Now, Drain Later? Gingrich Reports That Trump Wants To Abandon The “Drain The Swamp” Pledge [UPDATED]

220px-cypresses495px-Donald_Trump_by_Gage_SkidmoreThere is a basic rule about “talking points”: you follow them but do not quote them as talking points. That lesson seems to have escaped former House Speaker and Trump confidant Newt Gingrich who has caused a stir by revealing that President-elect Donald Trump is now disclaiming his pledge to “drain the swamp.” Instead, Trump is focusing on working with Congress to get his priorities through in rapid succession from opening up new drilling to rescinding Obamacare. Update: Donald Trump has denied Gingrich’s representation and Gingrich now says that he simply got it wrong.

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Politics, Society

Illinois Leads Nation For Third Year In Population Decline

illinois-state-flagI am in Chicago for the holiday and was struck by a recent report that shows that my native state is losing more people than any other state. It is a combination of factors to be sure but I have been critical of the politicians in Illinois (and particularly Chicago, my home town) for years in bankrupting the state and driving up taxes on every possible group. This is the third consecutive years for Illinois in leading the decline.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Politics, Society

Georgia Police Sergeant Sues After Being Terminated For Flying Confederate Flag In Her Backyard

flag28n-2-webThere is an interesting first amendment case filed in Georgia where a police sergeant is contesting his termination after flying the Confederate flag at her home. It is of course perfectly legal to fly a confederate flag and Silvia Cotriss, a 20-year-veteran of the police, said that she was simply celebrating her heritage. However, her neighbors found the flag offensive and complained.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Religion, Society

Muslim Teenager Arrested After Making False Report Of Abuse By Trump Supporters In New York Subway

yasmin_seweid-1481327466-991-1481328678-6425Yasmin Seweid, 18, a Baruch College student, raised a national controversy after she reported being harassed on the New York City subway by supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. She has now been arrested for fabricating the story and filing a false report as well as obstructing governmental administration.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Italy Moves To Remove The Promise Fidelity As A Condition For Marriage

la-dolce-vita-vintage-style-italian-posterThere is a fascinating new law in Italy that seems a victory for the growing population of polyamorists around the world. Italy may drop the promise for couples to remain faithful in marriage as a commitment that may be viewed as outdated or objectionable by many modern couples who do not view sexual “fidelity” as a precondition for marriage.

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Academia, Lawyering, Society

Women Outnumber Men in Law Schools For The First Time In History

220px-belva_ann_lockwood_-_brady-handyThis year passed a milestone for law schools. For the first time, women make up a majority of law students with just over 50 percent of the seats at accredited law schools in the United States. It is a particularly poignant moment for those of us at George Washington Law School where Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood graduated and ultimately became not only one of the very first female lawyers in the United States but the first woman admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. The incoming class owes a debt of gratitude to pioneers like Lockwood who bravely fought entrenched discrimination and ignorance to reach this incredible moment in history.

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