Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Craig Defends Use Of Campaign Funds For Criminal Defense After Bathroom Arrest

Former Senator Larry Craig is back in the news. The former Idaho Senator was once a critic of those who wanted to live off the government or bureaucrats seeking more money from federal coffers. However, his lawyers are in court this week defending his use of $217,000 in campaign funds to pay for criminal defense after he was arrested in a Minneapolis airport bathroom soliciting sex. He insisted that he was still doing on public business at the time. Of course, the police alleged it was public business of a different kind, but Craig says that such travel was part of Senate business because he was traveling between Washington and Idaho on July 11, 2007.

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Society, Things That Tick Me Off

Things That Tick Me Off: Breezewood, Pa.

We returned from Chicago last night after a wonderful visit to my home town to celebrate my mother’s 85th birthday. On the way back, I found another entry in my list of “things that tick me off” – list of those things everything in life that I find extraordinary frustrating or moronic. I created this list as a cathartic exercise to keep me from spontaneous explosions or psychotic episodes. When I encounter something like this, I simply say “I’ll add it to the list.” This week’s addition is Breezewood, Pennsylvania.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Justice, Military, Politics, Society, Things That Tick Me Off

Just Who Gains From Voter ID Laws?

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)- Guest Blogger

It seems that almost everywhere you look, some State is trying to reduce the number of early voting days, purging the voting rolls and making it harder for citizens to cast their votes.  The State of Florida has recently attempted to remove legitimate voters off its voter rolls and the State of Georgia recently attempted to restrict the time when a military absentee ballot can be counted as I wrote about earlier on this blog. Georgia  Now, we have some hard evidence of just who is getting removed or impacted by the various State’s attempts to cure the imagined Voter fraud problem! Continue reading “Just Who Gains From Voter ID Laws?” →

Free Speech, Politics, Religion

Ethics, Chick-fil-A, And Oreos

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

While “making a purchase is not an endorsement of the philosophy of the business,” there may be other ethical concerns at play. When that business donates $2 million dollars to groups that are hell-bent on denying civil rights to a particular group, an individual’s purchase contributes (albeit by a minuscule amount) to a cause s/he may find morally offensive.

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Bizarre, International, Society

China’s Medal Mill

By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

The sign above the gym floor contains one word, “Gold.” It’s a stark, relentless reminder to the children beneath it as to just what their mission requires. China’s obsession with winning Olympic gold has turned gymnasiums into dungeons for its youngest and most promising athletes.  Starting at age five, children are subjected to strenuous training techniques like hanging on rails with their arms extended backwards, swinging on beams, and being given painful lessons on what it takes to beat all comers and particularly Americans.  And the work seems to be paying off at the London games, as 16-year-old Ye Shiwen swam her way to a world record in the 400 meter individual medley beating the old record by almost one second. Her teammate, Sun Yang, won the 400m freestyle. Both attribute their success to “hard work and training.” And in China, that’s no sports cliché.

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Uncategorized

All Demand No Supply? Adam Smith Spotted At Chick-Fil-A . . . And Promptly Fired

Adam Smith appears to have been caught on the wrong side of supply side economics. After the chief financial officer posted a video (below) of himself confronting a minimum wage worker at a drive thru window, his Tucson medical manufacturing company Vante fired him. The question is whether a protest that occurs outside business hours should be the grounds for dismissal.

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Constitutional Law, International, Society

Big Foot Busts? Toronto Police Sued For Allegedly Profiling Women Based On Hairy Legs

Seven protesters are suing Toronto police for $1.4 million, claiming they were unfairly arrested and abused after being profiled by police, who looked for such things as “hairy legs.” That allegedly was one of the ways used to spot protesters — presumably those women with shaven legs were allowed to pass freely by the officers.

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Bizarre, Criminal law

Alaskan Police Arrest Man For DUI — For Floating Down River On Raft

William Modene, 32, has reason to be confused. Modene was floating down Chena River when he was pulled over by Alaskan State Troopers on suspicion of Driving Under The Influence (DUI). He was seen drinking alcoholic drinks — not a practice unknown to many rivers. He blew a 0.313 (four times the legal limit) and was charged even though his vehicle was an inflatable raft.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Politics, Religion, Society

Princeton Professor Calls On Five Largest Hotel Chains To Block Access To Pornography To “Re-Stigmatize” Porn

Princeton University jurisprudence professor Robert P. George has launched a campaign to pressure the five top hotel chains to block access to pornography to “re-stigmatize” the industry. George is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. His view of a free and pluralistic society is strikingly different from my own. While George discusses his deep Catholic faith and fears for the morality of his neighbors, he believes that the solution is deny millions of travelers the right to choose their entertainment each year at these hotels.

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Environment, International, Politics, Society

A Cold Wind Blows: Romney To Kill Support For Wind Power In The United States

In Germany the country is setting records in its reliance on alternative energy sources like solar power and record wind power installations. Japan is now building the country’s biggest solar park which make it one of the world’s largest markets for solar power (Newscientist). Here in the United States, of course, we continue to let the world take the lead in such efforts. Mitt Romney’s campaign has announced that he intends not only to reject calls for greater investment in our wind power industry but to actually kill federal support for wind power.

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Bizarre, Criminal law

Angry Vermont Farmer Flattens Police Cars . . . And Makes Slow Escape

Roger Pion, 34, is a very very angry farmer. Reportedly upset over an arrest last month for resisting arrest and marijuana possession, Pion drove his tractor to the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and ran over five marked cruisers, one unmarked police car, and their van. Even though he made a slow escape, the police could not follow because that is all of the vehicles that they have.

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Academia

Top College Rankings: Princeton, Williams, Stanford, University of Chicago, Yale

The 2012 college rankings by Forbes are out. The top five are Princeton (1), Williams (2), Stanford (3), University of Chicago (4), and Yale (5). I am particularly pleased to see my alma mater — University of Chicago — again recognized in the top schools. Chicago was tied for fifth in the alternative U.S. News and World Report rankings. Rounding out the top ten are Harvard (6), West Point (7), Columbia (8), Pomona (9), and Swarthmore (10).

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