Free Speech, International, Justice, Media, Society

Snowden, Greenwald, And Poitras Receive Prestigious Human Rights Award In Berlin

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

220px-Edward_Snowden-2In another showing of international support for the activities in revealing to the public the abuses of the NSA, whistleblower Edward Snowden, journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras each received the Carl von Ossietzky award in Berlin today.

The award is bestowed to honor those who exhibit extraordinary civic courage or commitment to the spread or defense of human rights.

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Bizarre, Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Justice, Lawyering, Media, Military, Politics, Science, Society, Supreme Court, Uncategorized

The CIA Lost Its Soul and Took Ours With It

220px-John_Brennan_CIA_official_portrait

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw)-Weekend Contributor

This past week’s news reports of the Senate report on the CIA Torture program were both distressing and enlightening.   I was dismayed to not only read what the full extent of the CIA’s Torture program was, but also when I read pundits and former CIA officials claim that rectal rehydration was merely a medical procedure! I was further discouraged when commenters on this blog made claims that waterboarding and other torture tactics were either necessary or what the devils deserved.

Very few pundits or commenters seem to care if the so-called Enhanced Interrogation techniques were legal or ethical when the CIA resorted to them shortly after 9/11.  This “debate” over the actions taken in our name by the CIA has gone from a report based on the CIA’s own words to denials that the techniques were torture, to claims that great intelligence value was gained using the torture and claims that it was a biased report written by Democrats. Continue reading “The CIA Lost Its Soul and Took Ours With It” →

Free Speech, International, Media, Politics

Police In Turkey Arrest Journalists And A Newspaper Editor After A Nationwide Crackdown

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Flag of TurkeyWe have written HERE and HERE of the continuing effort by the Erdogan Government of Turkey in attacking opposition by heavy handed actions against journalists and media critical of the government and President Erdogan. In another sign of the descent into suppression of opposing views the Turkish government ordered its police forces to raid the newspapers and publications deemed to have links to a rival of the President

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Environment, Hikes, Society, Travel Blog

MORNING ON THE BILLY GOAT

IMG_1782I did my morning hike on the Billy Goat Trail this morning and I was a bit sluggish in the 29 degree temperature at dawn. I was beginning to think that it would have been better to stay at home (particularly when I broke though an ice pond and soaked a leg) when I spotted a beaver. I have had a record of beaver sighting this winter and this big boy walked right in front of me between the river and a pond. It also seems that a great hike always offers a prize and that was my reward.

Continue reading “MORNING ON THE BILLY GOAT” →

Courts, Torts

Lawyer Disbarred After Nightmare Probate Case Against Brothers

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

early-pianoAfter what was seemingly a never ending probate contest between a Washington State lawyer and his brothers, the State Supreme Court unanimously voted to disbar lawyer Russell Kenneth Jones, upholding the Washington State Bar Association Disciplinary Board’s unanimous recommendation that Jones be sanctioned with disbarment.

The case brings to light how vexatious behavior and unbrotherly love can come alive in probate matters and shows quite definitely the advantage of having trusted third-parties involved to take some of the emotion out of probate proceedings.

The nearly eighteen year battle was one of the worst a presiding judge had seen. The ruling from the State Supreme Court provides some rather unique behavior described below in its ruling:

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Uncategorized

Legal Music to Your Ears: The Golden Era of Podcasts

Cara L. Gallagher, Weekend Contributor

RudyTo say I follow the courts like most people follow professional sports would be an understatement. Court watching is my spectator sport and I’m one of its biggest (nerdiest?) fans. It’s taken me years, but in June of 2013 I had my Rudy-moment when I stepped out of the stands and onto the field. That was the summer I first covered the Supreme Court for C-SPAN. Since then I’ve sat in the front rows covering the decisions in the final weeks of the Supreme Court’s term, created my own blog on the Supreme Court, interviewed Court experts like Jonathan Turley and SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein, and I continue to teach and write about the courts. I’m a SCOTUS junkie who has Google alerts set to “Supreme Court” and “circuit court,” Hootsuite streams set to monitor the latest #SCOTUS news, and bookmarked pages of sites like this blog and Howard Bashman’s HowAppealing.com.  The only time I can’t feed my addiction is when I have to operate heavy machinery, liking driving and biking to work.  Recently my commute to and from work just got so much better thanks to two new legal podcast series I’ve discovered. Continue reading “Legal Music to Your Ears: The Golden Era of Podcasts” →

Congress, Politics, Society

Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code Severely Straining Washington Marijuana Businesses

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Entreating the GodfatherWashington marijuana businesses are becoming financially tenuous in large part due to the imposition of heavy taxation. The matter has been further compounded beyond simply an unsustainable state excise tax of twenty five percent levied at all stages of the supply chain (marijuana producers, processors, and retailers) but a federal tax code that prevents the excise tax and conventional business expenses from being deducted from federal income taxes. This is due to a prohibition specifically applicable to marijuana. The accounting effect of this means marijuana businesses must also pay federal tax on what the business pays in state taxes.

Marijuana retailers have stated in interviews this double taxation alone swallows much of their profits. It shows another formidable challenge to the survivability of the licensed cannabis industry in Washington..

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Bizarre, Justice

Trouble in Whoville III: How The Grinch Grave Robbed Christmas

stealing-wreath-cemeteryThe_Grinch_(That_Stole_Christmas)We have another story of a thief likely to receive a lump of coal for Christmas. This time the Whoville is located in Saco, Maine where a video shows a woman allegedly stealing a Christmas Wreath from a headstone in a cemetery.

Police reports indicate at least fifteen wreaths stolen from various graves at Laurel Hill Cemetery. After a previous incident, a family member of one of the deceased placed a wildlife camera on a tree to record any future thefts. The camera proved worthy in its capture of a Grinch in the act.

But that was not the ending of this Christmas Story.

Continue reading “Trouble in Whoville III: How The Grinch Grave Robbed Christmas” →

Academia, Media, Society

Welcome Cara Gallagher

542939_3812264539126_468486008_nI am delighted to announce the addition of another weekend contributors, Cara Gallagher, to our crew. Cara teaches government, politics, and law to high school students at The Latin School of Chicago. She is a wonderful writer will bring a new and fresh perspective to RIL. We have benefited from writers — both as contributors and commenters — from wide social, demographic, and professional spectrum. One of the most interesting aspects of this blog is to see how differently people view the same issues or images. While our discussions are often passionate, we strive to maintain a civil and diverse discussion. I believe Cara will be an exciting new voice as a commentator.

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Criminal law

“I Just Recorded It Because It Was Funny”: CTA Seeks Two Men Shown Slapping Around Elderly Man On Subway

6198432_GThe Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is looking for at least two young men who slapped and taunted an elderly man for fun on the blue line this week. The video below is incredibly depressing to watch the sadistic fun of the young men. The person taking the video was identified when he captured his own image in the video. He later told the media that “I don’t know why they did what they did. I just recorded it because it was funny.” You can watch it and determine for yourself how funny it is. If your reaction is like mine, you will be left with a chilling notion of kids who seem to lack any sense of humanity.

Continue reading ““I Just Recorded It Because It Was Funny”: CTA Seeks Two Men Shown Slapping Around Elderly Man On Subway” →

Academia, Congress, Environment, International, Politics, Science, Society

Poll: Half of Republicans Favor Carbon Limits As Scientists Warn Of “Uninhabitable” Planet

220px-AlfedPalmersmokestacksgopREPUBLICANSA new poll shows broad support for carbon limits, including half of all Republicans. The poll comes out as scientists warn (as reported in the NY Times) that time is running out on climate change and, without decisive action, the world could eventually become uninhabitable for humans. Today, the Pope added his voice to the overwhelming weight of world scientists that time is running out. Likewise, island nations are now demanding action and calling on the world to witness the loss of their very existence to the rising seas.

Continue reading “Poll: Half of Republicans Favor Carbon Limits As Scientists Warn Of “Uninhabitable” Planet” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Media, Religion

New Zealand Man and Two Myanmar Citizens Arrested For Posting Advertisement Of Psychedelic Buddha Wearing Headphones

buddhaWe have yet another crackdown on free speech in the name of religion. A New Zealand bar manager in Myanmar was arrested with two Myanmar employees for “insulting Buddha” by posting an advertisement showing a psychedelic image of Buddha wearing headphones. Philip Blackwood was arrested with the bar’s owner, Tun Thurein, and an employee. The men could be sent to prison for two years because the image insulted Buddhists.

Continue reading “New Zealand Man and Two Myanmar Citizens Arrested For Posting Advertisement Of Psychedelic Buddha Wearing Headphones” →

Criminal law, Society

Lawsuit: Baltimore Police Taser Woman Videotaping Them In Public and Then Erase The Videotape On Her Cellphone And Arrest Her On Later Dropped Charges

Screen Shot 2014-12-12 at 7.38.54 AMThere is another disturbing video of a citizen being arrested after trying to videotape police in public. Kianga Mwamba, 36, says that she was tased by police and arrested after she tried to film the arrest of a man with her mobile phone. The police took her phone, deleted the video, and arrested her. The video was later recovered from the cloud and shows an officer telling her at the end: “You a dumb bitch, you know that?” She was charged with the serious crime of trying to run over a police officer, but those charges were later dropped. However, no charged or discipline have been brought against the officer.

Continue reading “Lawsuit: Baltimore Police Taser Woman Videotaping Them In Public and Then Erase The Videotape On Her Cellphone And Arrest Her On Later Dropped Charges” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Report: Tanzanian Albinos Being Killed And Eaten In Folk Medicines

Albinistic_girl_papua_new_guineaThere is a highly disturbing, and disgusting, story out of Tanzania involving the systemic killing of albinos to eat their hair and flesh as part of African medicines. What is most striking disclosure is that witch doctors are behind the murders and have been found to pay $600, in one case, for the severed arm of a young girl. Yet, despite over 70 such murders, only 10 have resulted in charges because (according to some in the country) powerful families believe in and use albino medicines prepared by witch doctors.

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Uncategorized

Bad Brand? Sebelius Responds To Rising Criticism of Obamacare By Suggesting A Name Change

250px-Cocacola-5cents-1900_edit1220px-Kathleen_Sebelius_official_portraitThere has been a great deal of introspection among leading Democrats after the bruising defeat in the last election — much of its directed at the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or “Obamacare.” It has ranged from Schumer’s view that the law was political blunder to Harkin’s view that it was a poorly drafted mistake. This week, the highest ranked Democrat, Senate majority leader Harry Reid, said that the Obama Administration may have doomed Democrats in Congress with its poor management and blunders in the rollout of the program. Now the person ultimately responsible for that mismanagement and failure, former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, has her own prognosis: bad brand name.

Continue reading “Bad Brand? Sebelius Responds To Rising Criticism of Obamacare By Suggesting A Name Change” →