Pakistani media is reporting a disturbing series of comments by Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui who has shown the danger of Sharia law and the erosion of the separation of mosque and state. Justice Siddiqui went on a religious rant recently in denouncing “disrespectful” comments on social media and pledged to treat all such blasphemers as terrorists.
Continue reading “Pakistani Justice Pledges To Treat Blasphemers On Social Media As Terrorists”
We have been discussing the rollback of free speech on U.S. college campuses as well the adoption of de facto speech codes. Cardiff Metropolitan University has issued a list of phrases that are now deemed as inappropriate including “right-hand man” and “gentleman’s agreement” as well as “forefather” and “sportsmanship.”
With the rollout of the new GOP health care law, a new CNN/ORC poll shows that the nation remains deeply divided on the issue. Indeed, little has changed since Obamacare was first passed by a handful of votes. Some 50% of people oppose the removal mandatory health care coverage while 48% are in favor of such a change. While some have called the new plan “Obamacare-lite,” it is clearly a repeal and massive change in the existing law. The thumping heart of Obamacare is the individual mandate and this plan would drive a stake through it.
Continue reading “Poll: Americans Split Evenly Over Repeal Of Obamacare”
The proposed cuts of the Trump Administration of the EPA has many of us deeply concerned, particularly those cuts targeting climate change offices and research. As someone who believe that climate change is one of the greatest threats facing this planet, the evidence continues to mount that we are at or passing a tipping point. Now, an Argentine research base near the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula has recorded the record temperature at 63.5° Fahrenheit (17.5 degrees Celsius). It is an astonishing and frightening increase.
Continue reading “Antarctica Station Reports Temperatures Reaching 63.5 Degrees”
Adam Liptak has a fascinating article out this week on the lack of foundation for a statistic that has been heard in the Supreme Court like a virtual manta: that sex offenders have an 80 percent high rate of recidivism. Liptak. however, has researched the source of that statistic and found that it is based on the most casual and unreliable reference from a 1988 book.
Continue reading “Is The Supreme Court Relying On False Data On Sex Offender Recidivism?”
The Trump Administration has issued a new executive order on immigration. As expected, the second order removes some of the most controversial provisions of the first order and tightens the language. Iraq has been dropped from the list of countries subject to the 90 day ban. However, there will be additional security of Iraqi nationals. That would leave Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. The permanent ban on entry of Syrians has been removed. There is still a limit on all refugees to 50,000 — a 50 percent cut. Current VISA holders and permanent residents are exempted. Notably, this travel ban will be implemented on March 16 and the order will be dated to run from the date of the original executive order (which was . Finally, the preferential treatment afforded to religious minorities has been removed.
The new order removes the edges from the rather casual drafting of the first order. As I previously noted, good lawyering rarely changes the outcome of litigation but bad lawyering can. The first order reflects remarkably bad lawyering — if indeed it was drafted primarily by lawyers. Of course, this still distinguishes between people based on their nationality — the core of the challenge of the earlier litigation. Thus, it is likely that this will face new challenges — or attempts to amend earlier complaints. The rollout with the Secretary of State, Homeland Security Security, and the Attorney General shows a significant change in the level of professionalism from the more improvisational effort of the original order. It was a surprisingly sharp learning curve but the A-Team appears to have shown up to defend this order. The new order is below.
Continue reading “TRUMP SIGNS NEW IMMIGRATION EXECUTIVE ORDER”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed again an utter lack of self-awareness or shame when he denounced the German government for blocking rallies of Turkish nationals — saying that the decision is “no different to those of the Nazi period.: Erdogan has been widely denounced for his destruction of the secular traditions of Turkey and his attack on free speech and the free press. Whatever objections can be raised over the denial of free speech in Germany (and there are many), Erdogan is the last person who could credibly raise them.
With the chorus of calls for an “independent counsel” or “special prosecutor” to investigate the Russian hacking scandal, there has been one element that remains rather ambiguous: what is the specific crime to be investigated? Clearly there is the hacking but that crime is well-known and was committed by Russians who are unlikely to be subject to any real investigation. A special counsel, as opposed to a bipartisan commission, would require the articulation of a crime and the basis for the investigation. I am all in favor of independent investigations of this and other issues. However, if we are going to move beyond a special commission to special counsel we need to have more evidence and a notion of what we are investigating. That may come but we are not there yet. Below is my column in The Hill Newspaper on the subject — and the moral outrage over hacking.
Continue reading “Hacking and the Politics of Moral Outrage”
In a virtually unprecedented move, FBI Director James Comey has reportedly asked the Justice Department this weekend to publicly reject President Trump’s claims that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower before the election. Since the FBI is part of the Executive Branch headed by Trump, it is a truly bizarre moment if true. If this continues, the unitary executive will become the binary executive with the White House in uneasy relations with the rest of the executive branch.
Continue reading “Report: Comey Asks Justice Department To Deny Trump Allegations As Untrue”
We have recently discussed tourists harming wildlife for self-absorbed photos. The latest example of such reckless conduct is from the British Virgin Islands where Dan Bilzerian posted a picture of a bikini-clad woman riding a 100-year-old Galapagos tortoise. Fortunately there is no indication that the tortoise was harmed but such uniquely stupid conduct. Bilzerian is the self-proclaimed “King of Instagram” as well as one of the most self-obsessed individuals that you are likely to encounter. Continue reading ““King of Instagram” Triggers Outrage With Pictures of Friend Riding a 100-Year-Old Tortoise”
President Donald Trump has again triggered a tsunami with a series of tweets. Trump went to his favorite device to accuse his predecessor, Barack Obama, of wiretapping Trump Tower. “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Various news outlets have noted that Breitbart just ran a story on the use or attempted use of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to investigate connections to Russian banks. The story was covering allegations voiced by radio host Mark Levin.
Continue reading “TRUMP ACCUSES THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OF USING FISA TO WIRETAP TRUMP TOWER”
We have been discussing the rising intolerance and violence on college campuses, particularly against conservative speakers. The latest such example can be found at Middlebury College where Professor Allison Stanger was assaulted by protesters and injured after she merely accompanied a controversial speaker to campus. It was a disgraceful but increasingly common scene on our campuses as students fought to prevent others from hearing opposing views or speakers.
There is an internal investigation of Oregon Judge Monica Herranz is accused of helping him leave Multnomah County Court after she was accused of actively helping a Mexican immigrant evade immigration officials who wanted to arrest and possibly deport him.
There is a story out of Canada that could make for a fascinating torts case. Georgian Bay Vodka has been told to recall a batch of its vodka because the bottle shows 40 per cent alcohol by volume, but the alcohol content is actually 81 per cent. Obviously that can present an immediate health risk, but what if someone became intoxicated from a couple drinks and caused an accident? Could this be a case of vicarious liability for inebriation?
We have previously discussed the shocking rollback of free speech in France in the name of combating hate and intolerant speech. The latest fine was imposed on Jean-Marie Le Pen, the father of French conservative presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. His crime was calling Roma “smelly.” It was an offensive and prejudiced comment but the criminal prosecution of such insults demonstrates the slippery slope that France is now on — a slope that inevitably leaves to greater and greater speech control. This is the ninth time that Le Pen has been prosecuted for the crime of insulting other people or groups.
Continue reading “Father Of Conservative French Leader Ordered To Pay €5,000 For Offensive Speech”