We recently saw rather bizarre case of a college president having to publicly apologize for saying the “all lives matter” rather than “all Black lives matter” in supporting protests over the Ferguson and New York grand jury decisions. (Ironically, I listened this weekend to protests where leaders chanted “all lives matter” in Washington). Now, Serhat Tanyolacar, a University of Iowa visiting professor and printmaking fellow, has been denounced for a piece of art designed to protest racism after the decision. Iowa officials have declared the art to be the equivalent to hate speech and ordered its removal within hours — with President Sally Mason denouncing the art and apologizing profusely. Now, however, students are calling for the artist to be fired and for a new speech-regulating committee to be established for such public forums.
Despite the public pledge of President Obama to pull out of Afghanistan, we continue to spend huge amounts of money in the war and the Obama Administration has fought to keep U.S. troops in the country. Now an estimate from the Financial Times and independent researchers put the cost of the war at roughly $1 trillion with a commitment of hundreds of billions more in the coming years. There continues to be no serious debate over our ongoing losses both in personnel and money in this war.
The last ten years have been a windfall for insurance companies: first with the post-9-11 legislation and then Obamacare. Now however, lobbyists are threatening to cancel the Super Bowl unless Congress renews the TRIA—the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act to cover insurers so that they will not have to actually pay out for any costs associated with terrorism. There may be good reasons for the bill coverage but there are also some unanswered questions. Do not expect too many answers however.
Former Murray County Chief Magistrate Judge Bryant L. Cochran has been found convicted by a federal jury in a bizarre case where he engineered the false arrest of a woman who alleged that she had been sexually propositioned by Cochran. He was also convicted of tampering with a witness and for sexually assaulting a county employee. The conspiracy detailed in the indictment is a rather twisted tale of a sex-crazed judge, meth-using mother of four, treacherous friends, and corrupt cops. Hint: it turns out that like Agatha Christie, virtually all of them are guilty of something.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
In 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.
Continue reading “Snowden, Greenwald, And Poitras Receive Prestigious Human Rights Award In Berlin”
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”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
We 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
I 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.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
After 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:
Continue reading “Lawyer Disbarred After Nightmare Probate Case Against Brothers”
Cara L. Gallagher, Weekend Contributor
To 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”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Washington 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..
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”
I 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.
The 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.
A 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.