Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of the leprechauns of the blog from the Turley Clan. It is a beautiful St. Patty’s Day in McLean, Virginia and the leprechauns came to bring treats and tricks.
Continue reading “HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY”
George Washington University President Steven Knapp last night sent an urgent message to all students and faculty and employees regarding the disturbing discovery of swastikas at the International House, which houses 176 Greek students. The first appearance of swastikas appeared a few weeks ago and then again yesterday on the bulletin board of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. It is clearly a hateful demonstration and the university has worked with the campus Rabbi to counsel students who might have been traumatized by the postings. However, the letter below indicates that the University is treating the posting as a possible hate crime and seeking assistance from the police. A colleague wrote me last night after receiving the email to ask if the posting of such an image is really a hate crime now. It is a good question, though one that some faculty or students might not feel comfortable in raising in fear of being viewed as insensitive.
There is a bizarre case in North Carolina where Dorian Harper, 58, and Wanda Larson, 58, were arrested after police found an 11-year-old boy chained to a porch with a dead chicken around his neck as punishment for killing a chicken on the farm. What is interesting is that the couple turned down a plea agreement to felony child abuse, false imprisonment and maiming. It is not clear where the maiming charge comes from in the case, but a trial will expose both to years in jail.
It has been years before anyone seriously in the Administration has claimed that it is “the most transparent Administration” ever — as President Barack Obama once pledged. The Obama Administration instead has set new lows for its pursuit and prosecution of whistleblowers and reporters as well as classifying and withholding information on potentially embarrassing actions or programs. For that reason, there was not much surprise that the White House chose this week — with the National Freedom of Information Day and the Sunshine Week — to remove a federal regulation that subjects its Office of Administration to the Freedom of Information Act.
Below is today’s column in USA Today. The column was actually written after I went to Chicago for Christmas and experienced firsthand the speed traps created by the city to trap drivers. My home town is a case study of the twisted logic that goes into fleecing citizens. Chicagoans are paying the highest cost for parking in the nation after outgoing mayor Richard Daley Jr. signed away a 99-year-lease to all city meters (and later accepted a job with the firm that negotiated the deal).
Illinois also has the second highest property tax rates in the country; the highest cell phone taxes in the country; and the highest restaurant taxes of any major city. Even if you try to flee the city taxes, you are hit with the nation’s highest airport parking fees in the country.
To put it simply, citizens are tapped out. Instead of raising taxes further, the city decided to find a way to generate revenue and actually blame the citizens. It installed a system of cameras that would make Kim Jong-Un blush combined with the shortest yellow lights in the nation.
Now Emanuel has backed down after years of his Administration dismissing complaints from citizens. His close reelection rather than decency appears the motivation. In the past, his government has defended the patchwork system of lights. Chicago officials insisted that other cities are also using the three-second light, including Boston and New York City. However, in New York, no red light camera tickets are issued until 0.3 seconds into the red light and Boston does not have red light cameras at all (and use the three-second yellows only downtown). However, Chicago is not alone in this perverse revenue grab.
The column is below:
Continue reading “Playing Red Light, Green Light With Citizens”
I am back this morning after my glorious hiking trip out West and three days of trekking around Zion National Forest. I finished my time in Zion with a couple of mountain hikes and the Narrows, a long hike in the river through the spectacular rock formations of the park.
There is an old criminal defense saying that “one day on the cover of Time, next day doing Time.” That appears to hold for Robert A. Durst, who recently agreed to be interviewed for a documentary for HBO, “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” on his suspicion for the murder of his wife and two other people. The producers uncovered new evidence and Durst was arrested in New Orleans after checking into a hotel under an assumed name.
We have previously discussed some pretty animated sign language interpreters, but I just had to share this video of a Swedish interpreter.
Continue reading “You Decide: Which Is The Greater Draw – The Singer Or The Signer?”
Cara L. Gallagher, Weekend Contributor
How many articles, journals, blog posts, podcasts, and Tweets does it take to understand King v. Burwell? The short answer: Several. One can easily find himself in their own “death spiral” of content, to use the parlance of the media and Justices recently, and still end up in the same place – confused, but maybe hungry for more.
I was hungry for more and followed the analyses closely, but even I got a bit lost in the weeds of the case. It’s been over a week since oral arguments were delivered in King v. Burwell, which took a second stab at the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court. By Thursday of last week, at least five friends and students asked me “What the heck is this case really about?” I forwarded links to articles and podcasts that delivered simple, straightforward explanations, and recommended writers to follow on Twitter. But I know some of those well-intentioned folks will never open that link, listen to the podcast, or even open the email. What to do?… Continue reading “Making heads and tails (and “death spirals”) of the healthcare case, King v. Burwell”
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw) Weekend Contributor
The Obama Administration has been pressuring members of Congress to pass the bill that will give President Obama the “fast track” authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP) agreement without any debate in Congress. Fast track authority would not allow for any amendments and the bill would remain secret until just before it is voted on.
“President Obama is currently pressing members of Congress to pass Fast-Track authority for a trade and investment agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). If Fast Track passes, it means that Congress must approve or deny the TPP with minimal debate and no amendments. Astonishingly, our lawmakers have not seen the agreement they are being asked to expedite.” Nation of Change Continue reading “If The TPP is Such a Great Idea, Why Keep it a Secret?”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The bizarre world that churns inside Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s presidential palace reached a new zenith with the unveiling of surveillance control rooms inside, giving him unprecedented ability to personally spy on seventy seven million Turkish citizens. In a feat of technical engineering rivaling that of George Orwell’s Big Brother, the president will certainly enjoy the spectacle of his new spyglass.
According to Al-Monitor, the system has 143 displays that allow President Erdogan to tap into closed-circuit television systems in the streets of eighty one of Turkey’s provinces along with its government’s Mobile Electronic System Integration (MOBESE) and those used in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
With the system about to become live, Erdogan will now be able to personally watch all public demonstrations, city life, military and police operations, and other events he finds of concern.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The 9/11 terrorist attack on New York City continues to affect the lives of many, especially those first responders who dared the situation and served with courage and Honor.
The tragedy manifests in manners that are beyond the emotional scars that might remain with individuals. The health effects to the body may persist for many more years. Inhaling of and exposure to toxins and carcinogens in their various forms continue to haunt the New York Police Department and other agencies more than a decade later.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a website devoted to memorializing the line-of-duty deaths of all law enforcement officers serving in the United States and its territories, 9/11 related illnesses are the second leading cause of death among officers of the New York Police Department. This encompasses over two hundred years of records for each of the various single categories.
Continue reading “A Leading Cause of NYPD Officer Deaths Is 9-11 Related Illnesses”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Today is historical, or horological if you prefer. It is a day in which the mathematical representation π aligns with our clock sequence, that is 3/14.
But, this year marks the only time within a hundred years when the month / day / two digit year format can result in the ability to observe π day to its greatest precision
Judge Amy Salerno of Franklin County, Ohio has been reprimand for a serious breach of judicial ethics. Salerno lashed out at jurors after they acquitted a defendant and said that it was a “slam dunk” case. Salerno was ranked as the worst judge in the Columbus Bar Association survey in 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013. She appears intent on continuing her ignoble distinction. We previously discussed the case.
Continue reading “Ohio Judge Reprimanded After Berating Jurors For Acquitting Criminal Defendant”
I am speaking today at the Utah Bar Association conference in St. George, Utah. The close proximity to one of my favorite places on Earth, Zion National Park. Yesterday, I drove from Bryce National Park in the snow to hiking in shorts and a tee-shirt in Zion National Park. Few states have such an amazing climate change within just a couple of hours by car. I went from snow showers in Bryce in the morning to 70 degrees in Zion. I had the opportunity to drive through Dixie National Park, which was a bit daunting with the snow flurries but absolutely gorgeous. I then made it to Zion to climb Angel’s Landing and three other trails.