Legal Commentary

Second Circuit Rejects Obama Administration?s Effort to Block Privacy Lawsuit

Posted on March 22, 2011
In a significant victory for civil libertarians and a loss for the Obama Administration, the Second Circuit has reinstated a lawsuit based on the unlawful warrantless surveillance programs launched by former President George W. Bush. The Obama Administration has been aggressively fighting to kill this privacy lawsuit as it has dozens of other lawsuits seeking [...

Prosecutor of Paris Hilton Arrested For Buying Crack

Posted on March 22, 2011
Ok, this is a bit awkward. Clark County Deputy District Attorney David Schubert, 47, achieved an element of fame by prosecuting Paris Hilton for cocaine possession. He is now back in the news after being arrested for . . . you guessed it . . . buying crack cocaine...

Too Popular To Sell? FDA Committee Calls For Ban on Menthol-Flavored Cigarettes

Posted on March 21, 2011
FDA advisory group called the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee has asked the Administration to bar the sale of menthol cigarettes as a danger to human health. The reason? They are too popular. I do not smoke and I do like smoking. However, I find it increasingly bizarre to ban products because people like them [...

Mohawk Leads To Brawl in Texas

Posted on March 21, 2011
This is the second mugshot we have seen this month which will also be evidence submitted at trial. Johnathan Washburn’s interesting hair style caught the eye of a man taking pictures of interesting things on the street. Washburn, 23, became irate at being photographed and his friend, Timothy Beard, 19, demanded that the man delete [...

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Revenue Addiction: New Hampshire and Other States Move to Cut Tobacco Taxes to Increase Sales

Posted on March 21, 2011
There has long been an ironic relationship between states and tobacco. While insisting that they are raising taxes on tobacco to combat smoking, states have long been addicted to the revenue. Now, some states are lowering taxes to encourage more smoking to generate more revenue to deal with budget shortfalls...

Arab League Denounces Military Strikes By U.S. and Allies on Libya

Posted on March 21, 2011
Now this sounds familiar. The United States has again launched a military campaign in an Arab nation to help the inhabitants and has unleashed growing criticism from other Arab countries. In the meantime, the United States and its allies have been denounced as crusaders and Nazis by those fighting with Gaddafi...

Now This Is Cargo Space . . .

Posted on March 21, 2011
This fuel truck is not ground support for the C-130, but cargo as part of the Japanese relief effort at Yokota Airbase . A friend told me of going on a military flight to Afghanistan and finding a huge RV strapped in the middle of the plane for a general to enjoy privacy and comfort [...

The Coronation of the One-Eyed Men: Two Former Bush Officials Are Reportedly Leading Contenders For Next FBI Director

Posted on March 21, 2011
Civil libertarians have long objected to the continuation (and in some cases the expansion) of Bush policies in the national security areas by President Barack Obama. Obama has blocked the investigation and prosecution of Bush officials for torture, renewed the military tribunal system, extinguished dozens of public interest lawsuits against telecommunication companies and agencies as [...

IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits?

Posted on March 20, 2011
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger If Republicans get their way that’s a distinct possibility. Under a GOP-backed bill the Internal Revenue Service would be required to police how Americans pay for abortions. Under the Republicans’ “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act”, known as H...

Rebecca Black ? Friday

Posted on March 20, 2011
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger It’s 13-year old Rebecca Black’s video that has gone viral with 25,000,000 views.

Bad Moon Rising

Posted on March 20, 2011
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger Break out the headphones/earbuds for Creedence Clearwater Revival in glorious STEREO! Misheard lyric: There’s a bathroom on the right.

Gullet?s Travels: How ?Mark of Ireland? Got His Name

Posted on March 20, 2011
Submitted By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger   Greetings from Dublin Ireland, the home of the most famous dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and author of Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift. Suzanne and I have embraced the Irish and the hug seems mutual...

A Jack & Rudy Post: Dog Gone Wild on Saint Patty?s Day!

Posted on March 20, 2011
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger Here?s a picture of my older brother Jack Murphy. It was taken on Saint Patrick?s Day. Jack is a real party animal. He especially likes to party hearty on the day in March when we commemorate the patron saint of the Emerald Isle...

Just How Sunny is Sunshine Week?

Posted on March 20, 2011
  Submitted By Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger I know what you may be thinking. What is that crazy title all about? It wasn?t discussed much in the Corporate Mass Media, but this past week was dubbed, Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week was supposed to celebrate ?open Government practices?...

Northwestern Journalism Professor Pulled From Class

Posted on March 19, 2011
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger Famed Northwestern University professor David Protess, whose class helped free more than 10 innocent men from prison, won’t be teaching the investigative journalism course in the upcoming quarter. Protess will continue to head the Medill Innocence Project, but any affiliation with the journalism course is unknown...

Student Arrested With 4th Amendment on Body Sues DHS and TSA

Posted on March 19, 2011
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger The Rutherford institute, on behalf of Aaron Tobey, has filed a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Virginia. Aaron Tobey was arrested for disorderly conduct at Richmond International Airport (RIC) when he stripped down to his shorts exposing a portion of the [...

Wonderful World

Posted on March 19, 2011
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger Today we have Sam Cooke in glorious STEREO!

Is This The America That We Want?

Posted on March 19, 2011
  Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw) Guest Blogger Over the past few weeks and months, we have read repeatedly about how politicians are upset that the government is doing nothing about jobs.  We hear it from the Right and we hear it from the Left, but the unemployment rate is still around 9...

Rush Limbaugh and Some Other Heartless Americans Make Light of the Plight of Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Victims

Posted on March 19, 2011
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger In recent days, Rush Limbaugh was heard making fun of Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims living in a refugee camp on his radio program. Rush seemed to think it was funny that the refugees had already organized a recycling effort at the camp...

Missiles Away! Obama Commits U.S. To Third War

Posted on March 19, 2011
At a time when the American people overwhelmingly oppose our continued military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Obama has responded by committing the United States to another war. Today, the U.S. attacked Libyan forces with over a hundred cruise missiles hitting the capitol and surrounding areas...

Let Them Eat?iPads!: William Dudley Antoinette Visits Queens

Posted on March 19, 2011
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger William Dudley, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, recently visited Queens where he got a ?street-corner? education on the cost of living. Evidently, the Federal Reserve has been trying to sell its monetary policy to average folks?who aren?t exactly buying into to its talking points...

Pay and Pray: Pastor Accused of Withholding Communion After Parishioners Refuse To Hand Over Their Tax Refunds

Posted on March 18, 2011
Pastor John Goodman is accused of having a rather curious view of attending his flock: fleecing before ministering. Members of the Houston Unity Baptist Church have accused Goodman of refusing to give them communion after they declined to hand over their tax refund to the church...

Swill and Swim: Royal Caribbean Offers ?All-You-Can-Drink? Package

Posted on March 18, 2011
We have often discussed dram shop actions and liability for “over-serving” patrons at bars and other businesses. Royal Caribbean appears willing to go where few other business is now willing to venture. The cruise line has introduced a new one-price, all-you-can-drink cruise packages...

Former High-Ranking Democratic Officials Charged With Wide Array of Fraudulent Election Documents

Posted on March 18, 2011
Two former high-ranking members of the Oakland County (Michigan) Democratic Party are facing election corruption charges in an alleged scheme to to trick Tea Party supporters to draw votes away from Republican candidates. Former Democratic Party Chairman Michael McGuinness and ex-operations director Jason Bauer were arraigned this week...

What Do You Do If You Are In A Car Hit By A Tsunami?

Posted on March 18, 2011
If you are this guy, you keep on filming. I saw this video on Reddit. Most people would put videotaping behind a few other priorities like escape, prayer, and uncontrolled screaming.

Fowl Play: New Jersey Teens Criminally Charged With School Prank

Posted on March 17, 2011
We have been following the trend toward using criminal penalties to handle pranks and simple misconduct by students in our schools. Now, three high school students in New Jersey are facing criminal charges for a simple senior prank of releasing chickens at the school...

Meet Big Splash ? The World?s Most Expensive Dog

Posted on March 17, 2011
This red Tibetan mastiff is quite a looker but the question is whether it is a $1.5 million looker. Big Splash (or Hong Dong in Chinese) was purchased by a Chinese coal baron for 10 million Chinese yuan,. At 180 pounds, that is over $83,000 a pound. He is fed organic diet of tripe, boiled [...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK?S DAY

Posted on March 17, 2011
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of the leprechauns of the blog from the Turley Clan. The kids woke up to find that the leprechauns had arrived once again. They drank a beer and fell into Madie’s leprechaun trap (they wrote to say that it took quite an effort to pull Patrick O’Flannigan out of [...

The Hurt Lawsuit: Soldier Sues Makers of ?The Hurt Locker? Over His Portrayal in Movie

Posted on March 17, 2011
Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver who is currently deployed in Afghanistan has sued over his alleged portrayal in the hit movie “The Hurt Locker.” Sarver says that movie was based on him and shows him committing unprofessional acts and practices. This has led, he alleges, to comments and teasing from other soldiers...

Obama Yields To ?Copyright Hawks? and Lobbyists To Seek Criminalization of Copyright Violations

Posted on March 17, 2011
The Obama Administration has again yielded to a powerful lobby over objections from citizen groups. We have been following the increasing draconian and excessive copyright claims made in the United States. Now, President Obama wants to make it a crime — a change long sought by the Chamber of Commerce and so-called “copyright hawks...

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