Sen. Elizabeth Warren made a surprising appearance at the National Congress of American Indians this week and made an even more surprising statement that she is indeed part Native American. I have been critical of the use of this label (and name calling generally) by the President and others. Yet, the sudden discussion of the controversy was unexpected by Warren. The assumption for years is that Warren had backed off from this claim made during her academic career. She was counted by by two law schools as a Native American. Indeed, we first discussed this issue when Warren was still an academic and her claim that claiming to a Native American offered no advantage to her career. The speech comes at an interesting time for academia where more schools are allowing students to not simply choose their gender (or non-gender) but also their race.
Category: Society
I have been critical of the House Democrats on the Intelligence Committee, particularly for their claims of highly sensitive material in the Nunes memo (which turned out to be facially devoid of such material). However, I believe that the Democrats (and some Republicans) are on solid ground in considering a contempt sanction against former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Bannon has refused to answer questions on the grounds of executive privilege but the White House has not asserted executive privilege in prior hearings as far as we can tell. He simply says that he was told not to answer questions. After failing to appear before the Committee or to answer questions previously, Bannon was already looking at a serious possibility of contempt. He then showed up yesterday with a list of 25 questions that he was prepared to answer “yes” or “no.” Bannon spent 20 hours with the Special Counsel’s investigators but gave monosyllabic responses to a congressional oversight committee and then refused to answer material questions. That sounds a lot like contempt to me.
Continue reading “Bannon Moves Closer To Contempt In Defying The House Intelligence Committee”
There is an interesting fight brewing this week after CBS News reported that the White House is refusing to release a photo of President Donald Trump signing a bill overturning an Obama-era regulation restricting certain people from buying guns. I was previously critical of both the Bush and Obama Administrations in withholding photos for purposes political purposes. These photos are the property of the American people and should not be withheld from the media because the White House does not like the imagery. There is a valid journalistic interest in the photo, which should have been released to CBS.
Below is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the recent column in the New York Times by Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Tribe and others that Devin Nunes could be charged with obstruction of justice. The column contains highly dubious uses of both history and precedent to advance this latest claim of criminality. The ABA Journal and other papers have reported on the theory without any objective of its meritless foundation in constitutional law. The basis for such claim is so attenuated as to border on the fanciful. There are serious possible crimes being alleged without twisting the criminal code to go after supporters of President Trump.
Continue reading “When Mania Goes Mainstream: Experts Claim Nunes Could Be Indicted Next”
Juliet Germanotta is running for Congress in Wisconsin on the Democratic ticket and a pledge to advance a“fiscally responsible” approach to government. That promise seemed less than compelling after she was arrested for trying to sell a $4,800 ring allegedly stolen from Mikaelians Jewelry in New York. Her Facebook page says that she is an ordained minister fighting for equal rights as a transgender woman.
We previously discussed the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s alleged relationship with porn film star Stormy Daniels. At issue was not just the alleged affair previously described by Daniels in an interview in 2011m but a payment in 2016 of $130,000 in exchange for a denial of the affair. That payment was later the basis for a lawsuit by Common Cause alleging possible campaign finance violations. The source of the money, the lawsuit alleged, may have been campaign money and the use of such money for this purpose would have violated federal law. Now, the Trump attorney who created a shield company and anonymous identity to pay off Daniels has stated that the money was his, not Trump’s or the campaign’s. That disclosure however raises additional questions — both factual and ethical.
Given my column strongly disagreeing with the premise of a recent New York Times column suggesting that House Intelligence Chair Devin Nunes could be charged with obstruction of the memo released by the Committee, I am reluctant to raise yet another Times column. However, the Times yesterday ran a piece that highlights the growing angst over every costume and image as a possible act of “cultural appropriation.” In an article entitled “Who’s Allowed to Wear A Black Panther Mask?”, the newspaper interviews experts on whether white children should be allowed to wear the costume of the popular character. While the verdict was that white children could wear the outfits, it was not without trepidation and the need for some pre-playtime exploration of the racial, socio-economic, and political implications for the children.
Tonight, I will speaking at the Hirshhhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. as part of a panel discussing the ongoing controversy over the removal of confederate and other historical monuments across the country. I have been critical of this movement that has extended not only to Robert E. Lee statues but statues of Christopher Columbus and other historical figures (here and here and here and here and here). The event, Monuments and the First Amendment, will be held at:
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 • 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Hirshhorn Museum
Independence Avenue Southwest
Washington, DC 20560
The Trump Administration has been openly hostile to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and recently proposed massive cuts in the new budget. Director Mick Mulvaney was viewed as an appointment designed to dismantle the consumer protection agency. Now, as NPR reported, Mulvaney has ordered the dropping of the case against Golden Valley Lending which alleged charged consumers up to 950 percent interest rates. The Administration owes the public a full explanation for this decision. There may be a reason (such as deferring to state prosecution) but the decision on its face is troubling.
We recently discussed the protests over Anthropology professor Lawrence Rosen using the word “ni**er” in a class on offensive terms to discuss the free speech issues surrounding language. I supported his right to use such terms and questioned where the line would be drawn in university classes. Some faculty however supported the students and now Rosen has cancelled the class. It is a worrisome development for those concerned about academic freedom.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has shocked the world with his blood-soaked reign including his orders to police to murder drug suspects and his bragging about his own murders. Thousands of suspected drug dealers have been killed under Duterte. Duterte has mocked those who object to the extrajudicial murders, including teenagers found dead. Now Duterte has found a way to shock the world again after telling soldiers to shoot female rebels in their genitals. Many of us were alarmed by President Donald Trump’s praise of Duterte as “a good man” and praising his crackdown on drugs. Duterte however shows no ability to control himself any more than his son (who has been implicated in drugs and corruption) or his henchman . . . or his mouth. However, this not just some clown in office. Duterte is actively encouraging extrajudicial murders as a policy of this close allied nation.
Continue reading “Duterte Tells Soldiers To Shoot Female Rebels In Their Genitals”
We recently saw a national outcry over a teacher dragged from a school board meeting for raising concerns over school policies. Now, the West Virginia House of Delegates is under scrutiny for the treatment of a woman, Lissa Lucas, who appeared at a hearing over a drilling bill and attempted to list the contributions accepted by both Democrats and Republicans from the gas and oil industries. She also raised an event the night before where the members wined and dined with industry lobbyists. She was forciably removed from the hearing after Chairman, John Shott (R-Mercer) ruled her comments as non-germane and personal. Many voters would likely disagree and say that the extent of corporate-related money is not relevant to the legislation.
Below is my column on the ongoing controversy over the majority and minority memos from the House Intelligence Committee. President Donald Trump has sent the Democratic memo — which is much longer and detailed — back to the Committee for revisions. He accused of the Democrats of intentionally loading up the memos with classified information to argue that the White House was withholding embarrassing information. This column below argues for disclosure of not just as much of these memos as possible but underlying material.
Continue reading “In The Case Of The FISA Memos, Transparency Is National Security”
Princeton Professor Lawrence Rosen is facing protests after various students accused him racist language in a recent class. What is different about this controversy is that the class was on racist language and oppressive symbolism. In an effort to discuss the limits of free speech, Rosen used the n-word and asked if it is protected speech. Some students answered that question by walking out and protesting to the university. It is concerning that even a discussion of this word in a relevant class is now viewed as worthy of discipline by some faculty and students. This controversy is occurring after more schools have banned Huckleberry Finn due to the use of the n-word.
There could be a ticket war starting after the Milwaukee Brewers moved to reduce the number of Cubs fans at Miller Park. In recent years, the park has sounded like Wrigley with large numbers of people driving the two hours to Milwaukee. Not only do Cubs fans want to cheer for their team but the tickets are generally cheaper. However, that could be a thing of the past after the team opened early tickets to Wisconsin residents only. Of course, entrepreneurial Brewers fans could easily circumvent the plans and resell the tickets to Cubbie fans. The question is whether this will spark a ticket war.