This week, as a Chicago native, the euphoria of the Bears continuing their resurgence on the field with a win over the Detroit Lions yesterday is being dampened by this video from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). On the video, a young man knocks out an elderly man as others laugh and cheer.
Continue reading “Video Shows Chicago Youths Laughing After Elderly Man Is Knocked Out on CTA Platform”
Category: Society
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
The GOP Debate on Foreign Policy was held at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Saturday night. The debate was not on a topic the GOP Presidential hopefuls looked forward to as the Obama Administration – despite their many serious flaws – has had some success in the area of foreign policy. This is not to say that the Obama Administration’s performance in the area of foreign policy hasn’t been realistically uneven, but they’ve had enough victories to make the topic less than easy pickings for the usual mud-slinging of the campaign trail.
What was more telling than the absence of effective smear or substantive criticism was when the subject of waterboarding came up. Would you vote for a candidate that advocates breaking the laws and violating the Constitution of this country? Apparently politicians not only think you will, but now consider it a selling point if the laws they advocate breaking involve torture.
Continue reading “Fear and Torture on the Campaign Trail 2011”
Below is my column today in The Washington Post. The article explores the famed Katz test and whether, in trying to save privacy in America, the Supreme Court may have laid the seeds for its destruction. The test ties our privacy protections to our privacy expectations. Thus, as our expectations falls, warrantless surveillance rises — causing our expectations again fall and in turn allowing warrantless surveillance to rise further. It becomes a face to the bottom of privacy. The terrible truth is that the death of privacy in America will not be accompanied by thunderous applause, but a collective yawn from an indifferent people. Here is the column.
Continue reading “How Much Privacy Do You Expect? The Death of Privacy In America”
Submitted By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
That ultimate question uttered by Senator Howard Baker encapsulated the Watergate Era as Congress grappled with assessing culpability of President Richard Nixon, who was then at the zenith of his presidency. Now almost forty years later, the nation is again captured by a fall from grace as steep and as fast as Nixon’s. And again that question has to be asked of “America’s Football Coach.”
Continue reading “Down In the Valley I: Penn State – What Did They Know and When Did They Know it”
We have been following the unfolding scandal at Penn State. There is widespread agreement that the coaches on the team, as well as the university, acted reprehensibly in their response to the alleged sexual abuse of young boys by Jerry Sandusky (at least outside of the rioting students who appear to believe Coach Joe Paterno should not be blamed for doing little after learning of an alleged rape of a minor in a shower). The question is whether Paterno or Penn State could face credible complaints seeking civil liability for negligence.
Continue reading “Can Penn State Or Paterno Be Sued For Negligence?”
For years, Palestinians have complained about the use of force at roadblocks by the Israel Defense Force. This week a tragedy has highlighted those concerns for the Israeli populace after the IDF killed a 55-year-old Israeli rabbi and settler, Dan Mertzbach, after he failed to stop. Notably, according to reports today, “[t]he Defense Ministry announced to the National Insurance Institute on Friday that Mertzbach will be recognized as the victim of a ‘terror event.'”
We have yet another killing in the name of Sharia law. Two Afghan men broke into a home virtually next door to the Governor’s house in Ghazni City at 4:00 a.m. and pulled a mother and her daughter into their backyard. They were first stoned and then shot for alleged immoral activities.
Continue reading “Widow and Daughter Executed In Afghanistan For “Immoral Activities””
A new poll below shows just how wedded the American voters are to faith-based politics. Two-thirds of voters say that it is very important (39%) or somewhat important (28%) for a presidential candidate to have strong religious beliefs. However, it has to be the right religion. Forty-three percent admitted that they would be uncomfortable with a Mormon in the White House. The numbers are even greater in opposition to a Muslim (64%). However, it is an atheist that draws the most universal opposition. Sixty-seven percent say they would not want an atheist in the White House. It would indicate that the attacks on atheists (and here) in this country and abroad may be resonating with voters and that faith-based politics remains good politics for candidates.
Continue reading “Poll: Americans Want A Faithful President But The Right Faith”
Texas Governor Rick Perry appears to want to streamline government . . . if he can just remember which major agencies will be eliminated. I include this tape not to mock Perry — I have previously stated my disregard for politicians in both parties. Rather, in my classes, I have a policy that students cannot read from their notes or their computers in presenting a case. The reason is that I often see lawyers in court who read from notes out of habit. It is a habit formed in law school. What I have found is that students who are barred from using notes tend to develop excellent skills of presentation and quickly become comfortable with speaking without a crutch. I am not saying that this is Perry’s problem who simply appears to have the type of mental block that we all experience from time to time. However, for lawyers and law students, it is a familiar problem in oral presentations. It is a painful 53 second to watch, but it is not an uncommon problem for public speakers and lawyers alike.
Continue reading “A Lack of Education or Energy? Perry Gaps on Third Agency To Be Axed”
Suffolk County, New York has taken the budget cuts to a new low: firing Santa David McKell, 83, to save $660. Fortunately, the Obama Administration is continuing our spending billions in Iraq and Afghanistan so McKell could still look for a job from Halliburton, though Santa positions tend to be limited.
As fellow law professor sent me this video of Oakland police shooting a photographer. The video raises serious questions of the unjustified use of force.
Continue reading “Video: Oakland Police Officer Shoots Photographer With Rubber Bullet Without Any Apparent Provocation”
As discussed in a prior column, many civil libertarians view President Barack Obama as betraying core civil liberties in expanding on Bush-era surveillance programs, secrecy orders, and other measures. Now, even conservative justices are questioning the Administration’s demand to be able to engage in round-the-clock surveillance of citizens without a warrant using GPS technology. The sweeping new claim would gut the protections of the Fourth Amendment in the latest attack on civil liberties by Barack Obama.
Continue reading “Obama Administration Argues For “Orwellian” New Powers To Track U.S. Citizens”
The Texas Dept. of Public Safety will not revoke or suspend the license of Crockett Keller, a handgun instructor who ran a radio ad telling Muslims and non-Christian Arabs that he would not teach them how to handle a firearm. Keller has agreed that he will train Muslims while adding that he views them as “the enemy.”
The University of Illinois law school has been fighting to regain its footing after a scandal over the admission of students due to their political connections. Now, the school is reeling from a new controversy: the disclosure that the school has published misleading data on admissions in six out of the last ten years.
Below is my column today in The Los Angeles Times where I discuss the continuing trend of arrests of citizens videotaping police. We have followed many more cases but a couple are mentioned in the column. What is most disturbing is that prosecutors and police are continuing to fight court rulings upholding the right of citizens to videotape police.
Continue reading “The Right of Citizens To Videotape Police”