Category: Society

Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Media, Politics, Society

FEDERAL COURT DENIES ADMINISTRATION MOTION AND SETS ACA CASE FOR FINAL RULING

800px-Capitol_Building_Full_ViewThis afternoon, Judge Rosemary Collyer issued her ruling on the motion by the Administration to forego a ruling on the merits in the United States House of Representatives v. Burwell, a challenge brought by the House to unilateral action taken by the Administration under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). After losing its motion to dismiss the case on standing grounds, the Administration sought (over the objections of the House) to remove the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia without ruling on the merits of the case. Judge Collyer denied the motion and set the case for final briefing and ultimately a final ruling.

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Bizarre, Media, Military, Politics, Society

C for Censorship? CBS Bars Advertisements Of “The Truth” Movie On Bush Military Record

Truth_2015_posterThere is an interesting story coming out of CBS this week where the network has refused to air advertisements for Truth by Sony Pictures Classics. The problem is that the film starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford places CBS in a negative light in exploring the network controversy over airing the 2004 news story on former President George W. Bush’s military service record. The story was discredited and CBS fired producer Mary Mapes. Anchor Dan Rather later retired from CBS. [For full disclosure, I worked for CBS as an on-air analyst with Rather and thought very highly of him in our work on the Bush v. Gore coverage].

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Animals, Environment, Politics, Society

Hiker Found Guilty In Alaska In Tripping Traps That Killed Bald Eagle and Endangered Hikers

trapped-eagle-e1441350775692-930x699There is a bizarre case out of Alaska where hiker Kathleen Turley (no relation despite our shared name and mutual love for hiking) was found liable for springing traps John Forrest’s near a hiking path. The Juneau native insisted that she encountered the traps when it caught a bald eagle that she rescued from the trap. She tripped other traps to protect fellow hikers and her dog. However, the court found that that was no defense and that, under Alaskan law, she is liable.

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Bizarre, International, Society

“Please Be Careful As [Passengers] May Have Shifted During Flight”: Airbus Seeks New Design To Stack Passengers On Planes

lead_largeWe have been discussing the race to the bottom in airlines in the treatment of passengers from endless special charges to the elimination of every possible convenience or comfort. As I fly back to Washington this morning, I thought I would share the latest vision of the industry to stuff more people into planes by stacking them like kindling. It would seem that airlines may have to change their standard warning about luggage shifting in overhead bins to alert passengers to the danger of failing passengers who shifted during flights.

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Society, Travel Blog

FAREWELL OKLAHOMA CITY

220px-Bricktown_Canal_Water_Taxis_in_Oklahoma_CityI leave this morning for home after a wonderful stay at Oklahoma City. As I have written before, I have a particular affection for this beautiful city and its citizens. Indeed, I have been saddened of late with the continued mismanagement of my home city of Chicago where politicians have run the economy into the ground through waste, runaway pension plans, and excessive taxation. The contrast with Oklahoma City is striking. This has always been exceptionally well-run. The city is continuing a long investment and downtown improvement plan which has transformed the city with new parks, buildings, and recreational areas. This has been done without incurring a huge debt by carefully balancing new revenue with new construction. The Olympic-level rowing facility near downtown is an example of the creative planning by the city — a beautiful addition to the riverfront that is making the city a global presence in the sport. The BIDs or business improvement districts have been fueled by an intense civic pride at Oklahoma City that is evident everywhere you turn. Where Chicago is an example of the failure of a political system, Oklahoma City is a model of how a city can marshal its resources, particularly its people, to improve the city.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

You Won An IOU: Illinois Forced To Halt Payments On Lottery Winners Due To Lack Of Funds . . . But Continues to Run Lottery

illinois-lotteryWhile I loved spending a few days back home in Chicago this week, it was depressing to see how decades of mismanagement of the city and the State continue to take a toll on citizens and businesses. The latest absurdity is the announcement by the Illinois lottery that anyone who wins more than $600 will simply get an IOU for their winnings due to a lack of cash. Yet, the state is still encouraging citizens to play the lottery.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Politics, Religion, Society

D.C. Church Claims Bike Lane Would Violate Freedom Of Religion

imrs.phpThe United House of Prayer on M Street NW in Washington, D.C. has a curious view of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. The Church has claimed that the city is denying the freedom of religion by seeking to add a bike lane on one side of its street. While there is a rich literature on the scope of the protections afforded to religious practices, it is perfectly delusional to claim that the addition of a bike lane violates “constitutionally protected rights of religious freedom and equal protection of the laws.”
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Academia, Society

Back to the Future With The Chicago Cubs

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The 6-4 win of the Cubbies was an incredible moment for those of us raised in Cubbie blue. We moved closer to making this scene in Back to the Future II a reality. You may recall Marty McFly standing within sight of Hill Valley’s famous clock tower when there’s a sports flash in the sky declaring that the Cubs have swept Miami to win the World Series. 2015 as foretold by the prophesy.
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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Religion, Society

Sick 74-Year-Old Brit Faces 350 Lashes For Possessing Homemade Wine In Saudi Arabia

P-6e3039b7-72e8-4f94-8b30-e3b30803464e.thumbSaudi Arabia is about to add another victim to its adherence to the medieval Sharia law system imposed by the Kingdom. Karl Andree, 74, is a sick asthmatic Englishman who has survived three periods of cancer treatment. He has already been held in prison for a year but will now face 350 lashes . . . for having homemade wine. He has been held for a year despite that fact that his wife Verity is dying of Alzheimer’s — all under the Kingdom’s insistence on carrying out the tenets of Islamic morality codes.
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Environment, Hikes, Society, Travel Blog

The Glory of The Wasatch Mountains

IMG_3299Yesterday, I flew from Chicago to Utah for a conference at the Utah Valley University. As an avid hiker, I never miss an opportunity to hit the trails in Utah, one of my favorite places on Earth. One could spend a lifetime experiencing the natural wonders of Utah and only scratch the surface. On this trip, I went directly from the airport to hike the Wasatch Mountains, which were in full Fall glory. Given my flight, I started rather late to do the Red Pine trail, a challenging hike that takes you to the high ridge of this alpine hike where you can see two gorgeous lakes.

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Free Speech, Politics, Society

Ethical Certainties: Why Pro-Life Supporters Cannot Morally Abandon Their Cause

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Life
Life
Life
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The issue of abortion is at the very least highly contentious. Decades of heated arguments are not likely to end this discussion soon even in light of various statutory and common law mandates laying out a legal framework for which it is permitted or denied. The matter is a perennial source of political maneuvering, and litmus tests that can in some areas make or break the careers of politicians. This article will not discuss the ethical or legal aspects of abortion but rather the perspective and moral position of those who support pro-life, and why they cannot abandon their cause. It is an exercise in empathy that is applicable to other subjects in ethical studies.

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Academia, Bizarre, Society

Clemson University Apologizes For Holding Mexican Food Night

ClemsondiningWe have often discussed how universities have become battle grounds over so-called “microaggressions” and offensive terms or images involving race, religion, or culture. Some of these efforts raise serious questions of the erosion of free speech as well as double standards applied to faculty and students. The example of the sensitivity toward such objections was evident this week at Clemson University, which apologizes for racial or cultural insensitivity for holding “Maximum Mexican” night featuring Mexican cuisine. Two students were offended and the university has apologized.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Courts, Politics, Society

Berkeley Under Fire For New Race-Based Program

Seal_of_University_of_California,_Berkeley.svgThere is another controversy brewing in California over allegations that the University of California at Berkeley is again trying to circumvent a state law that bars the use of race in educational decisions. Berkeley has announced a $20 million fund to endow scholarships for African-American students and to hire a diverse faculty. Critics say that it clearly runs afoul of the law and is another example the refusal of administrators to comply with a state policy for absolute racially blind decision-making in admissions and other educations decision making.

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