What a day! We began with our wonderful Gascon breakfast with fresh pastries and fruits. We then went for a lunch of escargot and local delights in the little town of Montreal. After a visit to Roman ruins and the Medieval town of Larressingle, our hostess surprised Madie and I with a joint birthday with local families and huge fireworks.
Continue reading “Day 3-4: Heux, France”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Rarely do I disagree with our host, but on the Brown polygamy case we do. And not so much on the merits of the case as on the timing of it. I’ve said before I would decriminalize the practice of polygamy and regulate it much as we do other human relationships where there exists real risk of overreaching or exploitation. I think this approach serves the interests of the important right of privacy and protects the vulnerable.
Continue reading “Lessons from Roe in the Brown Polygamy Case”
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
In Atlanta, Georgia, Tiffany Denise Allen is charged with simple battery, simple assault and disorderly conduct. While these charges may not be unusual in themselves, the circumstances surrounding them are. Allen was a manger of a local McDonald’s restaurant. She was off duty but on the premises when Jennifer Schwenker entered the McDonald’s in suburban Marietta with her autistic twins and service dog on July 12. Apparently upset that Mrs. Schwenker brought her service dog into the restaurant, surveillance tapes show Allen proceeded to follow her around the store and out into the parking lot where Allen punched the woman in the face. The recordings show other McDonald’s employees trying to restrain Allen. The operators of the local franchise, J.M. and Jan Owens, are cooperating with police. They told the Associated Press that “At our McDonald’s restaurant, we respect and value our customers. Their safety and well-being is always a top priority [. . .] We strive to comply with all applicable laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is our policy to make our restaurants accessible to all customers, including those with disabilities and special needs, whether or not they need the assistance of service animals.” McDonald’s says Allen is no longer in their employ. Clearly McDonald’s and the Owens’ have done the right thing in response so far, but the scenario does raise some questions.
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
More potential bad news for Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. as Thursday’s Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Department of Justice is preparing subpoenas relating to alleged foreign bribery and alleged hacking of voicemail of Sept. 11 victims. This is in addition to a separate FBI probe into the alleged hacking of voicemail of Sept. 11 victims and a possible FCPA-related (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) investigation by the SEC related to allegations of bribing police in Great Britain. There are also a substantial number of civil suits springing up related to the activities of News Corp.’s now shuttered News of the World operation. While Murdoch and News Corp. have attempted to contain the damage done by the News of the World U.K. phone hacking scandal, it seems like their efforts are failing as the investigation into their operations expands across the Atlantic. The real question lies with A.G. Eric Holder’s Department of Justice willingness to act.
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Yesterday, a group of “gay barbarians” entered Marcus Bachmann’s Christian counseling center in Minnesota and demanded to be disciplined by Marcus himself.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
When the severed head of a wolf, wrapped in women’s lingerie, turned up near the northern Saudi Arabian city of Tabouk, the Anti-Witchcraft Unit swung into action to break the spell that used the wolf’s head. Superstitious belief in magic and witchcraft is widespread in the kingdom. The Saudis have banned the Harry Potter series of books because of its tales of magic and sorcery.
The superstition that is Islam can provide no logical relief from belief in other superstitions.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
We have previously discussed the case of Widener School of Law professor Lawrence Connell who was suspended after using Dean Linda Ammons in hypotheticals in class (here and here). Connell had been charged with engaging in racial and sexual discrimination and harassment in how he taught his criminal law class.
Continue reading “Widener Law Disciplinary Committee Exonerates Criminal Law Prof”
Our second day in Heux was glorious. We ate outside with the kids on local pizza and fresh vegetables — with, of course, local wines. We then went to two wonderful towns, La Romieu and Fources.
Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty-Guest Blogger
It is probably just me, but it seems that every time we hear about a proposed deal to extend the debt limit and avert a government shutdown and a debt default, the plan does nothing more than cut the taxes on the wealthiest Americans and Corporations. The latest proposal by the so-called Gang of Six is just one more example of Congress attacking the Middle Class. Continue reading “The Gang of Six and Their War on Main Street”
Continue reading “Day 1-2: Heux, France”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
In Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, Eileen Ann Bower tested positive for opiates after giving birth to her son. Based on the results of the routine blood test, performed by Jameson Hospital, the Lawrence County Children and Youth Services kidnapped seized the baby three days after its birth. Bower claims her last meal, before giving birth, was a pasta salad with Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning, which contains poppy seeds (the fourth listed ingredient).
Continue reading “Mother Eats Poppy Seed Seasoning – Has Newborn Taken”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a 600-light-year wide ribbon of supercooled material at the center of our galaxy. They used the European Space Agency’s infrared Herschel Space Observatory to get the high resolution image shown above. Ground based radio telescopes have indicated the ribbon is spinning around the galactic center as a cohesive unit.
H/T: Wired Science.
Here is my column this morning in the New York Times. As is the case (even on my own paper, USA Today), the writer does not select the titles. In this case, “One Big, Happy Polygamous Family” seems a bit mocking. Thus, I have added my own title.
Continue reading “Privacy Without Politics: Why The Sister Wives Lawsuit Is About Privacy Not Polygamy”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
London plumber, Ian Puddick, was aghast after reading a text message on his wife’s cell phone. It seems Leena, was having an affair with Tim Haynes, an insurance broker at one of London’s hoary financial houses and a City Director. The affair began at a company Christmas Party (don’t they all) and continued for ten years. Rather than an immediate face-to-face confrontation with all the messiness that involves, Puddick set up several websites and then began to Twitter the racy cyber-dialog between the illicit lovers. One read, “Where do you want to have sex next? The office, al fresco, the flat or all three you greedy girl?” He supplemented the shorthand with videos and a blog– all dedicated to the affair.
Contributed by: Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger
All society’s see themselves as “civilized” which connotes that they are humane in their treatment of all within their purview. One society will compare their society towards another, disparagingly in most cases, seeing the “other” as less “civilized” and more barbaric. We all know the clichés about the cruelties of Mexican, or Turkish prisons for instance and our American tendency is to look down our noses upon the barbarity of those countries in dealing with all prisoners, not just felons. How smug we are in our self-satisfaction that America is a modern culture with no hint of the backwardness and barbarism of less modern cultures. In my view this has been merely the legerdemain of mass delusion. I say delusion because the sad truth we all know is that many of our prisons and many of our Jails are “hellholes”, perhaps only degrees better than certain other more “barbarous” Nations are. Our literature and media have for years dealt with the harshness of our prison system. Indeed our gallows humor puts forth the hardly clichéd image of prison rape as a fit punishment for some. A current story conveys our dilemma in seeing the truth of our own lack of civilization, dealing with those who commit crimes both of heinous and victimless nature. Continue reading “How Should A Civilized Society Deal With Criminals?”