Category: Society

Society

BREAKING THE BILLY GOAT CURSE

cubs-shotBelow is my column in USA Today on the start of the World Series today and specifically a few historical disagreements involving the Chicago Cubs. In a true nightmare for a lifelong Cubs fan, I have to fly to San Diego today for a speech Wednesday to federal administrative law judges at their 25th anniversary conference. I am counting on in-flight entertainment to avoid hyperventilating at 25,000 feet. I am however moving ahead with plans to rent goats to help break the infamous curse that has plagued our team since 1945. On Sunday (assuming we do not have a sweep!), we will make these goats the happiest bovidae in the world. In the meantime, my students are allowed to claim “Cubbies” in class to decline to answer any question from me in celebration of the rise of the Cubbies. While the Ottoman Empire may have disappeared since our last World Series win, the Cubbies have lived to rise again.

Here is the column:

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, Religion, Society

Prominent Jordanian Writer Murdered Outside of Blasphemy Trial

nahed_hattarimage001-e1471193063971We previously discussed the ridiculous case of prominent Jordanian writer, Nahed Hattar, 56, who was charged with blasphemy for merely sharing this cartoon. The charge was a disgrace for a nation that long prided itself on being a moderate Arab nation. It is increasingly succumbing to extreme Islamic voices and the charges against this writer were a worrisome development. Now he is dead. A man dressed in traditional Islamic garb shot and killed Hattar as he walked outside of the court in Amman.

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Bizarre, Columns, Congress, Media, Politics, Society

America’s Game of Thrones Election: “Hate’s As Good a Thing As Any To Keep A Person [Voting]. Better Than Most”

game_of_thrones_title_card-1While a curious 28 percent are happy with the current meltdown of our political system, most Americans are disgusted by the choices and tenor of this election. With the two most unpopular nominees to ever run for president for the main parties, both campaigns long ago abandoned the hope of getting voters to actually vote for their candidates. Instead, they are focusing on simply getting voters to hate the other candidate more than their own. In the midst of this race to the bottom, Wikileaks has given the public a new insight into the communications of political operatives, media, and activists. While stolen (and allegedly the product of Russian hacking), the public has been fascinated — and disgusted — by the contents of the emails. The emails have exposed a cesspool of hypocrisy, betrayal, and dishonesty in Washington. The more one reads, the harder it is to understand how this country could fallen into such absolute control of so few with so little integrity. While the Wikileaks emails recently have focused on the Clinton campaign, there is little in Washington that resembles any notion of civil virtue on either side. Strangely, the longer the campaign goes on, the more this election looks like a season of Game of Thrones. Below is my column in USA Today for those seeking insights from the “Seven Kingdoms.”
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Society

CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WIN!!!

unknownunknownThe Chicago Cubs are heading to the World Series for the first time since 1945. Growing up near Wrigley (you can hear the fans from our back yard of our family home where my 89 year old mother still lives), I spent my life as one of those “lovable losers.” Losers no more. 71 years but we are losers no more. We are the National League champions. Now bring on the Indians.

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Academia, Bizarre, Society

Smithsonian Insists That Clarence Thomas Simply Did Not Make The Cut Of Great African Americans At The Opening Of The African American Museum . . . While Anita Hill Did

220px-Clarence_Thomassmithsonian-nmaahc-outside-20160720The opening of the new Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has been marred by a controversy over a political bias in the celebration of African American leaders. While the museum’s displays largely ignore Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, it celebrates the heroism of his accuser from his confirmation hearings, Law Professor Anita Hill. The failure to honor Thomas, in my view, is outrageous. His life story is not just one of the inspiring accounts in African American history, it is one of the most inspiring of American history. His triumph over abject poverty and discrimination should be celebrated by all Americans regardless of how you view his jurisprudential views. Now the Smithsonian has responded and its explanation is hardly compelling.

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Academia, Congress, Media, Politics, Society

Federal Court Enjoins Houston College Of Law In Use Of Name After Lawsuits By University of Houston Law Center

j-3lfi9q_400x400We have been discussing the growing limitations and litigation over copyright and trademark claims in this country. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison granted a temporary injunction in a trademark infringement suit filed by the University of Houston Law Center against the Houston College of Law (formerly known as the South Texas College of Law). Judge Ellison found that there was a sufficient showing that the new name and the school’s red-and-white colors infringed the trademark of the University of Houston Law Center. The Houston College of Law dominantly features a warning that it is not affiliated with the Houston Law Center on its website and material. The opinion is linked below.

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Bizarre, Religion, Society

Jerusalem Ultra-Orthodox Groups Display Public Posters Demanding That Women Avoid Main Street

Posters in Jerusalem neighborhoods have reminded women of the hold of orthodox groups over life in the city. The posters ask women in an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood to avoid the main street during the intermediate days of the religious holiday of Sukkot. So women are expected to use side streets in the town of Mea Sharim, one of the oldest Jewish neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, to avoid men seeing them.

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Society

Dodge That: Cubs Take The First Game In National League Series 8-4

chc_1200x630I am in Chicago this weekend for a speech and have the added benefit of watching the game with my 89 year old mother in my hometown. We live close to Wrigley and we had the back door open to hear the roar of the crowd. Montero’s grand slam in the Eighth as a pinch hitter was a thing of utter beauty. The key was clearly my mother who intensified her prayers just before the breakout.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Courts, International, Media, Politics, Society

Turkish Government Raids Judiciary, Arrests 189 Judges And Prosecutors

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor.

220px-Erdogan_croppedYesterday, police in Turkey served arrest warrants on one hundred, eighty nine appeals court judges and prosecutors in the latest post-coup attempt purges. Since the July, 15th military coup, seeking the ouster of dictator Recep Erdogan, thirty-two thousand individuals are currently in jail and over one hundred thousand were sacked from their jobs under the questionable accusation of aiding dissident Fethullah Gulen.

Ankara’s chief prosecutor attacked the judiciary, members of the justice ministry, the Court of Cassation (Turkey’s top appellate court), and the Council of State (the highest administrative court).

The purges are part of seemingly never ending act of paranoia by a dictator bent on returning Turkey to authoritarianism.
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Animals, Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Courts, Religion, Society

Federal Judge Lifts Injunction To Allow The Twirling and Killing Of Chickens To Take Away Sins During Yom Kippur

200px-kapparot_lithographyThere is an interesting ruling in Los Angeles where United States Judge Andre Birotte Jr. has lifted a temporary restraining order against a California synagogue performing Kapparot, a ritual where chickens are twirled in the air and then slaughtered. We previously discussed the controversies surrounding the Yom Kippur ritual.

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Academia, Bizarre, Free Speech, Society

University Of Virginia Professor Takes Leave Of Absence For Criticizing Black Lives Matter As A “Racist” Organization Akin To The KKK

3943f6d800000578-3830775-image-m-3_1476103658138We have been discussing the concerns over free speech on our campuses, including the question of equal treatment given social postings by faculty in their private time. Douglas Muir, an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia’s Engineering School, has become the focus of these concerns after he took a leave of absence after he was criticized for calling Black Lives Matter as the biggest racist organization since the Ku Klux Klan. It was clearly an inflammatory statement and understandably viewed by many as insulting and ill-informed. However, there remain free speech concerns over when such statements have resulted in disciplinary actions for academics.

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Bizarre, Military, Politics, Society

Duterte Denounces The U.S. And Pledges To End Cooperation and Reliance . . . U.S. Responds With $180 Million In Aid

rodrigo_duterte_and_laotian_president_bounnhang_vorachith_croppedThe election of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte constitutes the lowest point for the struggling Filipino democratic system.  Duterte has used profanities against President Obama, the United States Ambassador to the Philippines, Pope Frances, the United Nations and others who have questioned his blood-soaked reign as president.  Recently, he even compared himself to Hitler in not only refusing to stop his extrajudicial killings of alleged criminals but saying that he was prepared like Hitler to murder millions.  This budding tyrant has declared that the very  concept of human rights is the “anti-thesis of government.” Finally, Duterte has pledged to end military training exercises with the United States, break away from the close alliance with the United States, and rely more on China and Russia. He has even been taunting the CIA to try to oust him. For those already familiar with our checkered history of supporting dictators and even enemies of the United States, it will come as no surprise that (just as Duterte is pledging to support Russia and China and fighting the United States), our government just approved another $180 million in aid to someone widely viewed as blood-soaked, anti-American lunatic.

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