Walter Scott Follow-Up

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Crime, Racial HomicidesLeave a Comment

It has been a year and a half since Walter Scott’s death.  I wrote about it here… but basically, he was running from a cop and was shot IN THE BACK As HE WAS RUNNING AWAY.  The video makes this crystal clear: There’s even indication that the cop planted evidence on/near the body.  Yes,. look at the video. So what … Read More

Does Korematsu Provide Precedent For A Muslim Registry?

Ken AshfordConstitution, Godstuff, Race, Supreme Court, Trump & Administration, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

No. No, it doesn’t.  Not even a close call. Let’s just all get on the same page. This is happening: Trump surrogates are already citing Japanese internment camps from WW II as “precedent” for Muslim registry pic.twitter.com/DVnjtom0mc — Brendan Karet (@bad_takes) November 17, 2016 And the obvious question is…. would it be constitutional for the government to require citizens to … Read More

What Happens If Trump Loses?

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Rightwing Extremism/ViolenceLeave a Comment

Prepare for a meltdown from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump if he loses the election. He has repeatedly told supporters that he fears the election could be rigged, an indication that even if Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton wins, Trump might not accept it. “First of all, it was rigged,” Trump said of the Democratic primary during a recent rally in Columbus, … Read More

Judge Roy Moore Is Toast

Ken AshfordConstitution, Courts/LawLeave a Comment

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has been suspended from the bench for telling probate judges to defy federal orders regarding gay marriage. The Alabama Court of the Judiciary (COJ) issued the order Friday suspending Moore from the bench for the remainder of his term. “For these violations, Chief Justice Moore is hereby suspended from office without pay for the remainder … Read More

Winston-Salem Clown Mystery Solved

Ken AshfordCrime, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Hoaxer: Claims of “Killer Clown” sightings in Winston-Salem have made national headlines and made Winston-Salem one of the locations for a rash of recent claims from Greenville, South Carolina to one outrageous claim of a man who claims to have pursued one of the these clowns with a machete. These sightings are similar to other incidents that seem to run in … Read More

“It Was Better In The Original German”

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Immigration and Xenophobia, Rightwing Extremism/ViolenceLeave a Comment

Many people are saying that last night’s “Immigration Policy” speech by Trump in Phoenix Arizona was historical.  I’m one of those people.  Just WHY it was historical is a point of contention. To me, the speech was historical because it contained the 21st century version of some of the worst ills of the world’s past.  Divisiveness and demagoguery.  Mad red0faced … Read More

Breaking: Big Victory For Voter Rights — No Voter ID In Upcoming NC Elections

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Constitution, Courts/Law, Election 2016, Supreme Court, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

NC voter ID law will NOT be enforced in fall election after the U.S. Supreme Court denies stay request (in a 4-4 split — obviously, had Scalia lived, it would have been a loss for voting rights advocates, but he didn’t so……) The stay was a request by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and state officials to delay a permanent injunction blocking provisions in … Read More

Is The “Second Amendment People” Comment Trump’s Worst Gaffe?

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Gun Control, Rightwing Extremism/ViolenceLeave a Comment

As we all know by now, Trump yesterday hinted that gun lovers could (or should? or would?) shoot Hillary Clinton and/or a Supreme Court nominee as a response to Hillary Clinton selecting judges for the Supreme Court.  Here’s the comment and campaign responses in a nutshell: The spin from the Trump campaign is laughable.  Today, his campaign surrogates received the … Read More

Aaaand Trump Steps In It

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Gun ControlLeave a Comment

He was doing so well, until he started riffing.  He went a little too far from the script. Hillary wants to abolish, essentially abolish the Second Amendment. By the way, if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges — nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I dunno. [Applause and … Read More

Is This The End Of The Line For Judge Roy Moore?

Ken AshfordConstitution, Courts/Law, Gay Marriage, Godstuff, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore is set for a hearing at 1:30 p.m. (2:30 EST) today on charges he violated Alabama’s ethical standards for judges. Moore is asking the Alabama Court of the Judiciary to dismiss the ethics complaint filed by the state’s Judicial Inquiry Commission. The Judicial Inquiry Commission is asking for a summary judgment against Moore … Read More

50 Years Ago Today

Ken AshfordGun Control, HistoryLeave a Comment

Fifty years ago today, Charles Whitman, a 25-year-old engineering student and former Marine armed with a small arsenal of weapons, killed 13 people and wounded over 30 more during a shooting rampage atop the University of Texas Tower in Austin. The episode casts a long and complicated shadow. It is considered by some to have marked the beginning of the … Read More

Breaking: 4th Circuit Overturns Lower Court; Finds That GOP “Intentionally” Passed “Discriminatory” Voting Rights Law

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Constitution, Courts/Law, Local Interest, Race, Supreme CourtLeave a Comment

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit invalidated North Carolina’s stringent new voting restrictions, holding that the law violates both the United States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. The North Carolina measure, the Fourth Circuit held, has a discriminatory impact on black voters, impermissibly burdening their voting rights under the VRA. More boldly, the court also … Read More

Rape Survivor Jailed

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Mental HealthLeave a Comment

Lovely: A bipolar rape survivor was jailed for nearly a month in Houston after she broke down while testifying against her rapist. In jail, she was allegedly abused and mistaken as a sex offender. Now she’s suing the prosecutor who sent her to jail, a jail guard who allegedly hit her, and others. The 25-year-old woman, known as Jane Doe, … Read More