Minnesota Court Rules Against Ex-Nurse in Assisted Suicide Case

A judge in Minnesota has handed down a controversial verdict of guilty in the case of former nurse, William Melchert-Dinkel, 48, who encouraged people to commit suicide online. Civil libertarians and right-to-die advocates have criticized the prosecution as an assault on free speech. I share those concerns and believe that there is a strong basis for appeal in this case.

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Iowa Legislators Seek To Criminalize Those Who Disclose Abuses At Factory Operations

Iowa lawmakers have introduced two bills (SF 341 and HF 431) that would make it a crime for activists to procure evidence of animal abuse by factory operations. Many of the past disclosures of abuse by circuses and industry have been the result of activists gaining access to factory operations through employment (as here). This law would specifically target such investigations to protect these companies.

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Bus Driver in New York Crash Had Long Record

The bus accident this weekend that killed 15 people has taken a potential turn toward criminal charges with new disclosures about the bus driver, Ophadell Williams. Williams has reportedly stated that he was hit by a truck before losing control of the bus. Witnesses have now contradicted that account and police have learned that Williams has a long and disturbing record.

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Meet the GWU Law Revue

[Warning: Language]
This is the latest work of our talented students at George Washington Law School. This hilarious video was done by GWU students including Peter Biberstein of our highly respected Promissory Notes group. The group sings at many of our events. You will have to forgive the language of the video, but it is pretty funny. It seems on the verge of going viral with over 300,000 views on YouTube.
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Forget Tiger Moms, Make Way For the Tiffany Moms: NY Woman Sues Preschool For Failing To Prepare 4-Year-Old for Ivy League

As entrance in top schools has become more and more competitive, parents are becoming more aggressive in seeking to guarantee every advantage for their children. In the case of Nicole Imprescia, this means going to court to sue a school over its failure to prepare her daughter for the Ivy League. Her daughter, Lucia, is four. The school is the York Avenue Preschool. It seems that there are “Tiger Moms” but then there are “Tiffany Moms.”

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U.S. News and World Report Rankings For Law Schools Released

This year’s ranking of law schools by U.S. News & World Report have been released for 2011. The rankings have become increasingly important for law schools in steering applicants and encouraging alumni support. Most professors are highly critical of the rankings. For example, in responding to the drop of Missouri law school again in the ranking,Dean Larry Dessem stated “This is magazine marketing masquerading as social science.” I certainly understand such frustration but I have always viewed these ratings in a more positive way. While flawed in some respects, this is a far better resource that I had in applying to law schools. Back then, you had to ask your undergraduate advisers about the best law schools — a highly imperfect source of such information. GW is ranked 20th. The rankings of the top twenty-five schools and their tuition rates are below:
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UCLA Students Triggers Firestorm With Anti-Asian Video

Alexandra Wallace has caused a firestorm of controversy and recrimination after she posted a Youtube video denouncing “Asians in the library.” The original video is below. The tirade attacks Asian students for talking on cellphones and even having their elderly parents show up on weekends to do their clothes and cook their food. The question is whether Wallace should be punished by UCLA, which is looking into the matter.

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NPR Fires Back: Analysis of O’Keefe Video Shows Highly Distorting Edits

In a little discussed release, National Public Radio has identified some alarming edits in the video footage released by James O’Keefe III — purportedly capturing NPR officials slamming conservatives and seemingly agreeing with radical Islamic funders. The analysis linked here shows a series of edits that produce a highly distorted picture, including the removal of statements defending conservatives and expressly warning that NPR’s coverage could never be influenced by financial support.
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Dropping the Hammer: Obama Administration Forces Out State Department Spokesman After Criticizing Treatment of Manning

The Obama Administration has finally responded to the international outcry over the abuse of Bradley Manning. After State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley acknowledged the abuse, the Administration fired him with the apparent approval of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Now, everyone is in agreement: there is no problem in how Bradley Manning is being abused. That is particularly the case with former White House aide Mike Hammer who will replace Crowley. There’s a nice way to start a job — the replacement for the guy who dared to admit concerns over a human rights case.

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Obama Administration Forces Dayton To Lower Standards For Police Officers To Guarantee More Minority Officers

There is a controversy in Dayton over the decision of the police department to lower its testing standards under pressure from the Obama Administration to allow for more minority officers.

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Afghan President Begs U.S. To Halt All Operations in His Country — Obama Administration Refuses To End Operations

I have often used these pages to complain about the billions of dollars and countless lives that we continue to lose in Afghanistan and Iraq – while our states and schools shutdown vital programs for lack of funds. This is particularly annoying with a president of Afghanistan who has repeatedly stated that he wished he had gone with the Taliban and views the United States as an equal threat to his country. Now, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has actually begged the United States to halt all further operations on its soil. One would have thought that U.S. officials would have expressed relief and ordered a rapid pullout. Instead, we are saying that the desire of the Afghan people to have us stop operations is of no import — we will continue to protect them whether they want protection or not.
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Iran Reportedly Recruits Children To Beat Protesters in Tehran

Even those people used to the unhinged diatribes of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were left in stunned silence when he denounced the use of force against demonstrators in Libya as “grotesque” — adding “it is unimaginable that there is someone who kills and bombards his own people.” Now, in addition to Iran’s shooting and killing protesters, the International Campaign for Human Rights says that the Iranian government is trucking in children between 14 and 16 to beat protesters in violation of international law.
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