Academia, Free Speech

Twitter Flags Foreign Policy Expert Tweeting Criticism Of China
Twitter LogoWe have previously discussed Twitter’s robust censorship program that repeatedly has been denounced for bias in taking sides on scientific, social, and political controversies. The problem is that, when you have an army of censors with their thumbs on buttons to flag or bar comments, the tendency is ever expanding levels of censorship. Indeed, much censorship is not thumbless through automatic systems to remove certain comments. That was evident this week. Not only did Twitter flag a picture of a veteran wishing the country a Happy Fourth of July (presumably due to his combat scars) but it flagged New Zealand foreign policy expert Anne-Marie Brady who mocked the Chinese government.  The incident is particularly notable after Twitter recently admitted to censoring criticism of India’s government.

Continue reading “Twitter Flags Foreign Policy Expert Tweeting Criticism Of China” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Torts

Court Rules Air Force Is More At Fault For Mass Shooting Than The Shooter

There was a remarkable decision by a Texas federal judge this week when U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez for the Western District of Texas ruled that the Air Force was legally at fault for the 2017 mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas by Devin Patrick Kelley.  The Air Force failed to enter a prior offense into the federal background check database to bar him from purchasing a firearm. The liability alone is notable but Rodriguez found the Air Force more at fault that Kelley for the killing of 26 people and wounding of 22 others in the massacre at the First Baptist Church.

Continue reading “Court Rules Air Force Is More At Fault For Mass Shooting Than The Shooter” →

International, Politics

Das Kapital, Dude: Polling Shows Sharp Rise In Support For Socialism Among The Young

Polling in the United States and internationally is showing a sharp increase in support for socialism among young people.  Support for capitalism is waning as a new generation embraces views of collective economic policies and programs. Two hundred years after the birth of Karl Marx, his views are now coming back into vogue despite a long history of economic failures in socialist countries. Continue reading “Das Kapital, Dude: Polling Shows Sharp Rise In Support For Socialism Among The Young” →

Academia, Society

Nikole Hannah-Jones Turns Down Tenure at UNC and Accepts Chair At Howard University

We have been discussing the controversy over the University of North Carolina’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media offering a chair and tenure to New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones. After the university rescinded the tenure offer, Hannah-Jones agreed to accept the position on a non-tenured basis.  She then later demanded tenure and the board changed its position after a national campaign. Now, Hannah-Jones has denounced the university and accepted a position at Howard University. Continue reading “Nikole Hannah-Jones Turns Down Tenure at UNC and Accepts Chair At Howard University” →

Free Speech, International

Comedian Sentenced to Prison for “Public Insult of an Antisemitic Nature”

We previously discussed the prosecution of controversial French comedian Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala for antisemitic jokes and comments. The comedian has now been sent to prison for four months for “public insults,” including “public insult of an anti-Semitic nature” and “contestation of a crime against humanity.”  M’Bala’s jokes and comments are deeply offensive to many of us but the prosecution for such comments is a further attack on the core principles of free speech. Continue reading “Comedian Sentenced to Prison for “Public Insult of an Antisemitic Nature”” →

Academia, Bizarre, International

Is French Cuisine a Gateway Food to White Dominance?
In recent years, there has been an explosion of academic work declaring everything from meritocracy to math to be racist or vehicles of white dominance. Offering statistical analysis to support such claims is itself problematic since statistics have also been declared racist. Now however Law professor Mathilde Cohen of the University of Connecticut has found an untapped area of white dominance.  In a talk at Sciences Po Paris and the University of Nanterre, Cohen explained how “French eating habits reinforced the ‘dominance’ of white people over ethnic minorities.” Continue reading “Is French Cuisine a Gateway Food to White Dominance?” →
Columns, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Justice, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Supreme Court

Justice or Just Deserts? Trump, Cosby and Georgia Cases Show Rising Cost of Political Litigation

Below is my column in the Hill on a series of cases that appear propelled by political rather than legal considerations.  The costs to the legal system, the public, or victims in such cases are often overlooked but they are considerable.

Here is the column:

Continue reading “Justice or Just Deserts? Trump, Cosby and Georgia Cases Show Rising Cost of Political Litigation” →

Bizarre

Long Island Man Evades Eviction For 20 Years And Now Relies On Cuomo’s Eviction Ban To Stay In House

We have previously discussed the problem of squatters and trespassers who take over homes and rely on legal delays to keep owners from forcing them out.  However,  few people could imagine the success of Guramrit Hanspal, 52,  who has lived in a house for 20 years without paying a mortgage. What is equally astonishing is that he just succeeded in getting yet another postponement from Nassau County court Judge William A. Hohauser.  Hanspal is now relying on Gov. Cuomo’s March 2020 eviction moratorium, saying that paying rent is merely “a moral obligation” due to the pandemic. If so, it appears a moral obligation that Hanspal has never felt particularly compelling.

Continue reading “Long Island Man Evades Eviction For 20 Years And Now Relies On Cuomo’s Eviction Ban To Stay In House” →

Society

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

Happy Independence Day!

The Fourth is one of my favorite holidays as an opportunity for all of us to celebrate our common article of faith in the independence of a nation committed to freedom and individual rights.  While the New York Times ran a piece this weekend on the divisiveness of the American flag and the Washington Post ran a story on how the Statue of Liberty is now a sign of hypocrisy, there are many who still view this country as the greatest hope for freedom in the world.  Those are the symbols of the people we strive to be — and the millions who came before us. The American Republic was always meant to be a work in progress.  I have criticized our erosion of freedoms and individual rights (particularly free speech) but those are our transgressions — our failure to live up to what this country stands for or the symbols of our long struggle. For example, the assault on free speech across this country is being carried out despite our founding principles, not because of them.

On this day, it is important to remember and to celebrate what was have accomplished in the protection of liberty. We have the ability to change our society but our constitutional system remains the greatest vehicle of justice and equality in the world.  This holiday unfortunately shows how our differences threaten to overwhelm our common article of faith in this representative democracy. However, there is more than unites us than divides us and this holiday is a reminder of that transcendent fact. Many of us will join today to celebrate these United States and its history and values.  My family will celebrate with a cookout and, of course, lots and lots of fireworks. Continue reading “HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!” →

Columns, Congress, Constitutional Law, Politics

Georgia On My Mind: The Biden Administration Doubles Down on New Challenge Despite Victory of Arizona In Voting Case

Below is my column in USA Today on the Supreme Court’s rejection of the challenge to the Arizona’s new election rules. The 6-3 decision undermines the claims raised in the new challenge to Georgia’s election law.  Indeed, the Biden Administration is pursuing a new challenge that could result in a sweeping loss under the Voting Rights Act.

Here is the column:

Continue reading “Georgia On My Mind: The Biden Administration Doubles Down on New Challenge Despite Victory of Arizona In Voting Case” →

Media, Politics

New Hunter Biden Disclosures Feature $100,000 Donation Of Former FBI Director Freeh To The Biden Grandchildren

We recently discussed the latest disclosures from the laptop of Hunter Biden showing new business dealings leveraging access to his father — and further contradicting President Joe Biden’s repeated denials of any knowledge or involvement with his son’s deals.  Now there is a new disclosure of $100,000 given to the Biden grandchildren by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who was seeking business deals with the Bidens.  As usual, there remains a virtual blackout on the Biden laptop or the mounting evidence of Hunter Biden’s influence peddling. Beyond a couple outlets like the New York Post, voters have to rely on the foreign press for coverage of the disclosures.

Continue reading “New Hunter Biden Disclosures Feature $100,000 Donation Of Former FBI Director Freeh To The Biden Grandchildren” →

Academia, Criminal law, Free Speech

Howard Dean Under Fire For Defending Cosby [Updated]

We recently discussed the ruling of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturning the conviction of Bill Cosby. While the Court differed on what errors warranted such action, all of the justices agreed that the trial was fundamentally flawed. Indeed, it was a disgrace and Cosby could sue for malicious prosecution.  Yet, the incoming dean of Howard University’s fine arts college, Phylicia Rashad, is under attack for declaring her support for Cosby. Rashad played Bill Cosby’s TV wife on “The Cosby Show.” Fortune reported that there are calls for her resignation. Update: Rashad issued a profuse apology and deleted the tweet.

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Academia, International

A “Great Listener and Collaborator”: Stalinist Professor Under Fire For Praising The Soviet Leader

Asatar Bair, an assistant professor of economics at Riverside City College, is under fire this week for his praise of one of the most blood-soaked, tyrannical figures in history: Joseph Stalin.  Bair is a self-described Marxist but most communists draw a line well clear of Stalin who was responsible for killing millions. As will come as little surprise to many on this blog, I strongly support Bair’s right to espouse his Stalinist views even though I find them utterly absurd and offensive.

Continue reading “A “Great Listener and Collaborator”: Stalinist Professor Under Fire For Praising The Soviet Leader” →

International, Politics

New Emails Raise New Allegations of Influence Peddling By Hunter Biden And Direct Knowledge Of President Biden

We have previously discussed the concerted and often embarrassing blackout in the media on stories involving Hunter Biden’s influence peddling during his father’s tenure as Vice President. That includes the burying of the laptop story and the growing contradictions over his father’s denial of any knowledge or involvement in his shady business dealings. Even recent reports that Hunter may have paid prostitutes with his father’s account were blacked out by mainstream media which exhaustively pursued any story related to the Trump children and their dealings and life styles. Now, however, there is a major allegation that Hunter used access to his father to seal previously unknown deals with Mexican businessmen, including Carlos Slim. A picture shows Hunter with the businessmen in the Vice President residence with his father. Continue reading “New Emails Raise New Allegations of Influence Peddling By Hunter Biden And Direct Knowledge Of President Biden” →

Criminal law, Media, Politics

Trophy Kill: Trump CFO Does Perp Walk Over Corporate Perks

Yesterday, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.  and New York Attorney General Letitia James paraded triumphantly in front of hundreds of cameras to charge the Trump Organization and its finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, 73, with a 15-count indictment for failing to pay taxes on corporate perks. Weisselberg was a trophy defendant that needed to be prominently displayed. James ran for Attorney General on the pledge to get Trump and his associates.  The excitement around the courthouse itself had the feel of a thrill kill as the heavily Democratic city celebrated the arrest of someone close to Trump. Continue reading “Trophy Kill: Trump CFO Does Perp Walk Over Corporate Perks” →

Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks