Category: Society

Academia, Bizarre, Society

“Stop White People”: Resident Advisers Create Controversial Course

UnknownThere is a controversy at State University of New York (SUNY) that is reminiscent of our recent discussion about the exclusion of white students in a housing advertisement at Claremont. The SUNY controversy concerns a course put together by Resident Advisors Ciaran Slattery, Nicholas Pulakos, and Urenna Nwogwugwu, entitled “#StopWhitePeople2K16.” Once again, the controversy raises the question of equal treatment at universities since SUNY would presumably react aggressively at RAs holding a course entitled “#StopBlackPeople2K16.”

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Congress, Politics, Society

The Farce That Is FOIA: The State Department Stonewalled The Associated Press For Three Years On Foundation Donor Story

StateDepartmentI recently discussed the implications of Associated Press story on access given to donors to the Clinton Foundation. However, what is not getting much attention is that the Obama Administration delayed these journalist investigators for THREE YEARS in seeking this information from the State Department. Three years and the AP had to go to court to secure what is clearly public information. The Obama Administration is not unique in its resistance to disclosures, even in what President Obama once pledged would be the “most transparent” government in history. FOIA has long been reduced to a farce by bureaucrats who force public interest, journalistic, and legal groups to go to court to secure information. The lack of outrage over what the AP was put through is ample proof that the government has won in harassing efforts to use FOIA. Only the most organized groups tend to persist in such efforts.

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Saudi Arabia Sentences Egyptian For Sorcery

200px-Coat_of_arms_of_Saudi_Arabia.svgSaudi Arabia continues to remind the world of its continued belief in primitive superstitions and its adherence to a medieval Sharia legal system. A Saudi court has reportedly sentenced an Egyptian man to six years on charges of attempting to disturb public order, violating the kingdom’s labor laws and communicating with a sorcerer to bewitch his employer. That’s right, sorcery to bewitch his employer. On top of those charges, the Saudis reportedly charged the Egyptian of acquiring a secret military document listing the movements and names of Saudi troops and of emailing this document to the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon.

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Bizarre, Religion, Society

Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis Declare That Women Must Not Be Educated At Universities

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish rabbis in the Satmar sect have banned women from going to university as a “dangerous” threat to their faith. A decree has been issued against what is described as what “has lately become the new trend that girls and married women are pursuing degrees in special education. Some attend classes and others online. And so we’d like to let their parents know that it is against the Torah.”

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International, Society

Enough About Ryan Lochte . . . Meet Piotr Malachowski

14089233_1065370773558627_7143975296149248463_n13925275_1059140470848324_7170938614047840697_nWe continue to be served a steady diet of Ryan Lochte stories from his being dropped by sponsors to continued investigations. Given his long history of immature conduct and comments, the exhaustive media attention for Lochte may be much to do about nothing. A far more worthy subject is Polish Olympian Piotr Malachowski who is auctioning silver medal for boy with rare cancer. Malachowski has shown the true character of a Olympian.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Russian Mufti Calls For All Women To Be Subjected to Genital Mutilation To “Reduce Lechery”

Ismail Berdiyev, a leading mufti from Russia’s North Caucasus region, has called for the universal use of clitoridectomy, or female genital mutilation, for “all women to reduce lechery” and “sexuality.” The shocking and disgusting proclamation by Berdiyev is magnified by the the supportive public statement by a senior priest in the Russian Orthodox Church, Vsevolod Chaplin, who wrote on Facebook: “My sympathies for the mufti. I hope he doesn’t retreat from his position because of the howls and hysterics which will start now.”

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, International, Religion, Society

Burkinis Are Not Nice: French Resort Latest To Ban Muslim Swimming Suit

Nice has added its famous beaches to the list of resort areas where the burkini is banned. Like the ban on the veil, it is hard to see how such bans are not openly discriminatory towards Muslims. I fail to understand the rationale for such a ban, particularly when many people now adopt full covering (especially for child) to protect against the damaging sun rays.

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Columns, Congress, Constitutional Law, Media, Politics, Society

Trump’s Extreme Vetting: More Of A Political Than A Constitutional Question

495px-Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore220px-Ellis_island_1902Below is my column in the Washington Post on Donald Trump’s proposal of “extreme vetting” for immigrants to the United States. While some have suggested that the proposal would violate the Constitution, I do not agree. There are ample concerns or objections that can be raised as a matter of policy. However, such vetting is neither unconstitutional nor unprecedented. Particularly if implemented with congressional approval, I believe that such a heightened level of scrutiny would pass constitutional muster. Conversely, this is clearly something that Congress could prevent legislatively.

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Bizarre, Media, Politics, Society

Milwaukee Coverage Reveals Sharp Conflicts In Reporting Of Race Retaliation and Violent Speech

Screen Shot 2016-08-16 at 9.40.26 PMFox News and conservative media has been reporting that black protesters have been hunting white citizens in retaliation for the recent police shooting, including a reporter who said in a YouTube statement that he had to leave the area in fear of being killed. The question is, if these reports are true, why there has been no hate crime reporting or Justice Department investigation. There is also a sharp conflict raised over CNN’s reporting of the statements of Sylville Smith’s sister. The sharp contrast in coverage suggests either exaggeration from one side or avoidance from another. There of course should only be one side in the reporting of news, but this is the latest example of the reason why so many mistrust the media.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Fifty Shades of Grey: Daughter Admits To Have Made False Rape Allegations Against Father Based On Best Selling Book

220px-50ShadesofGreyCoverArtA father was most likely spared a rape conviction by a lawyer’s crash reading of the best-selling sadomasochistic sex novel Fifty Shades of Grey. The accuser was his daughter who admitted that she made the allegation to get back at her father. As we have previously discussed, such false rape case often do not result in charges for the false victim. In this case, there is no reference for such charges.

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Animals, Environment, Society

California Island Fox Makes Incredible Recovery After Comprehensive Conservation Program

With climate change and other environmental crises, it is hard to often find positive environmental stories but here it is.  The National Park Service has announced that various conservation and legal measures have result in bringing back the beautiful Island fox from the brink of extinction.  The recovery of the Island Fox is an example of how it is possible for humans to repair some of the damage that we do and actually save animals from extinction.

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Columns, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Media, Military, Politics, Society, Supreme Court

TRUMP’S TRIBUNALS: THE GOP NOMINEE EMBRACES USE OF GITMO TO TRY CITIZENS

Camp_x-ray_detainees495px-Donald_Trump_by_Gage_SkidmoreBelow is my column in USA Today on Donald Trump’s statement that he thinks that American citizens should be tried at Guantanamo Bay with other “terrible people” accused of terrorism.  I have previously criticized Hillary Clinton for her views on free speech and executive power.  However, the suggestion that U.S. citizens could be sent for faux trials at Gitmo is truly chilling.  Here is the column.

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Bizarre, International, Media, Religion, Society

Jordan Arrests Writer For Sharing Anti-Terrorist Cartoon On Social Media Deemed Offensive To Islam

image001Flag_of_Jordan.svgCartoons and Muslim countries have a long and troubling history, including the Danish cartoons that led to a global spasm of violence where Muslims killed Christians and burned churches in retaliation of an insult to Mohammad.  The fact that cartoons are satire or that this is an exercise of free speech has little meaning in countries that punish blasphemy and many which follow medieval Sharia law.  Many view Jordan as one of the more progressive Arab countries, but that reputation has been severely undermined by a ridiculous and abusive arrest of Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar for merely sharing a cartoon deemed offensive to Muslims. Notably, the cartoon actually mocked terrorists and their expectations of virgins and heavenly rewards for murdering people.  Mocking the terrorists over such beliefs was deemed as a criminal insult to Islam.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics, Society

Trump: Americans May Be Tried In Military Tribunals Under His Administration

495px-Donald_Trump_by_Gage_SkidmoreCamp_x-ray_detaineesI have long been a critic of military tribunals as constitutionally dubious and practically ineffectual institutions. The tribunals at Guantanamo Bay have resulted in few actual trials and undermined the standing of the United States as a nation committed to the rule of law. The principle rationale cited by former officials in defense of Gitmo has been that it would not be used to try citizens. Now in a deeply disturbing interview, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has stated that he might try citizens at Gitmo — maintaining a shadow court system for stripping citizens of basic rights of due process just a few miles off the United States shore.

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Free Speech, Media, Society

Twitter Accused (Again) Of Violating Free Speech Principles

Twitter LogoAs we previously discussed, Twitter has become a lightening rod for the free speech community — repeatedly accused of content-based censorship and a liberal bias. Now Twitter is again being accused of a departure from the policy of unfettered free speech in the filtering of negative comments against President Barack Obama. The culprit of this latest violation is former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo who in 2015 allegedly ordered employees to remove abusive or offensive replies to President Obama during a Q & A session.

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