We have previously discussed the anomaly of the House of Saud executing people in Saudi Arabia under its draconian Sharia laws while Saudi royalty is seen in booze and drug saturated scandals in Western countries. The latest is Prince Aziz al Saud, 29, who allegedly hosted a wild party at a rented Los Angeles mansion with naked female dancers and copious amounts of drugs. He is now being sued for $300,000 by the owner for lost rent after the damage to the mansion was repaired.
We have been discussing how colleges and universities are expanding the range of micro aggressions and hostile or hate speech to troubling levels in terms of free speech and associational rights. Now the expression of political views in the presidential election has been added to speech that students have declared threatening. Someone at Emory chalked the name of Republican candidate Donald Trump around campus. Nothing unusual about that. Students often chalk up statements on sidewalks for causes or candidates. It would not be seen as in any way unusual and the next rain brings a clean slate. However, the statement of support for Trump has led to a protest calling for the supporter to be punished or expelled and for the President to express condemnation of such political affiliations. The students want a statement of support for Trump to be treated as the same as the writing of a swastika. The students have said that they feel threatened in the wake of the statements of political support for Trump.
Continue reading “Emory To Identify Those Who Chalked Support For Trump On Sidewalks and Walls”
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has issued an unanimous opinion overturning a district court that had forfeited $271,080 in cash seized by the federal government, even though owners brothers, Pedro and Abraham Cruz-Hernandez, were never criminally charged. Pedro and Abraham contested the forfeiture under 18 U.S.C. § 983(a) and submitted affidavits attesting that the money is their joint savings. The entire panel rejected the decision of United States District Judge Joan B. Gottschall to uphold the abusive forfeiture. Judge Diane Wood (left) wrote the opinion below for the Court. I wrote a column on the increasing use of our roads by police to mine for cash and property to seize from vehicles. We have also discussed this trend in various blog columns.
383rd District Judge Mike Herrera apparently sees nothing wrong in his action that led to a sanctioning by the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct. Herrera kept his own divorce case on his docket for months but insists that it “made no difference” that the case was before him even though he was one of the litigants. In reality, there may have not been any action taken but Herrera’s utter failure to see the conflict (and appearance) issues is rather shocking. The case itself shows a real mess in representation and conflicting accounts.
Continue reading “Texas Judge Sanctioned After Keeping His Own Divorce On His Docket”
We have been discussing the worrisome trend of professors being subjected to investigations and discipline for “micro aggressions” or hostile environment in classrooms. These actions raise serious concerns over academic freedom. One such case involves University of Kansas Assistant communication studies professor Andrea Quenette. Quenette was subjected to a four-month investigation after using a racial slur in class as part of her lecture. Now, she has been cleared of the offense but she is still being asked to comply with special training and remedial actions.
The appetite of Chinese consumers for endangered and threatened species is considered one of the greatest threats facing environmentalists and animal activists. Even Chinese diplomats have been accused of massive violations of laws protecting these species. As Chinese consumers acquire more disposable income, the demand for such products is increasing. The results are disgusting and no better example is the illegal production of Tiger wine, an aphrodisiac which sells for more than $500 a bottle. The wine is made from the bone of tigers who are raised in shocking conditions, including near starvation.
We have been discussing the increasingly draconian rules in our schools under zero tolerance policies. Incidents that were once handled by a stern conversation or the calling in of parents are now more likely to result in a formal disciplining or suspension or even criminal charges of a student. A case in point is out of New Jersey where a sixth grade has been found guilty of bullying and given punishment for poking fun at a vegetarian classmate.
There is an interesting ruling out of the Florida Supreme Court where a trial court’s order of contempt was overturned due to the failure of the trial court to afford a lawyer for potential juror Noel Plank. He was held in contempt for allegedly appearing at court drunk. The exchange with the Court is detailed in the opinion, which reaches an interesting distinction between direct and non-direct criminal contempt.
For those who believe that candidates engage in little better than baby talk or talk down to voters, a new study may support you. Carnegie Mellon University has studies the speeches of all of the presidential candidates and found that they speak at a low of a seventh grade level for Donald Trump to a high of a tenth grade level for Bernie Sanders. For my part, Sanders scores big time whenever he uses the word “oligarchy” and sends millions online in desperate searches.
Continue reading “Study: Presidential Candidates Speak From Seventh To Tenth Grade Level”
We have previously discussed the increasing difficulty faced by creationists who believe that the earth is just a few thousand years old or that dinosaurs walked at the same time as humans. However, Wayne Propst insists that he has proof and he had to walk no further than his front year. The creationist in Tyler, Texas insists that he has found fossils from Noah’s Ark buried in his yard. “From Noah’s flood to my front yard, how much better can it get?” Not much, Propst, not much.
Democracy can be a tricky thing in presidential elections and ship namings. When the National Environmental Research Council decided to enlist the public in naming its new $300 million boat to be launched in 2019, the public was delighted. The top name? “Boaty McBoatface”. Yes, Boaty McBoatface could soon set sail and I for one cannot wait for the christening.
A Florida jury has handed down a massive privacy violation award in favor of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea. The jury of four women and two men voted to give Hogan $115 million in damages against Gawker Media, Gawker founder Nick Denton and former editor Albert Daulerio for violating his privacy by publishing an excerpt of a sex tape. It is a shockingly large award when one considers that the jury could still add punitive damages on top of the award. Notably, Hogan was seeking $100 million in the lawsuit.
We have another example of copyright and trademark laws have boldly going with no logic has gone before. The latest lawsuit is by two movie studios which contend that a crowdfunded Star Trek fan film has violated copyright law by using the Klingon language, among other alleged violations. To use the Klingon profanity (which cannot be translated on a family-oriented blog): QI’yaH!
Continue reading “QI’yaH!: Paramount and CBS Studio Sue To Claim Ownership Of Klingon Language”
There is a controversy in Royal Oak, Michigan where a group of police officers are seen arresting a 25-year-old man on St. Patrick’s Day. The man, at least when outside of the bar, does not appear to be resisting but officers are shown pulling the man in different direction, dropping him to the ground, and using a taser.
There is an interesting story out of Nashville, Tennessee where an alert, tech-savvy victim was able to solve his own crime. The man, a committed gamer, was shocked to return from a vacation to his apartment to find it ransacked. Gone were various valuable items including his PlayStation 4, PS4, two televisions, a laptop, and other assorted items. Then he noticed something odd: the PS4 was still connected to his wifi.