SCOTUS delivered itself of five opinions today as it begins to clear out its end-of-the-term caseload. But none were the Two Big Ones: the marriage equality and Obamacare subsidy cases. That means that on the remaining Mondays and Thursdays of this month and early July, the odds of the Big Ones coming down any particular day will rise. The decision … Read More
Mass Murder Hate Crime Leaves 9 Dead In Charleston Church
I may have been one of the first 1000 people to know what happened in Charleston last night. I was at rehearsal for a play I am in (barely), and backstage, I checked my phone. Nothing on the Breaking News app, nothing big on Twitter. I opened Periscope, and there was a guy working in some Charlotte newsroom who was … Read More
Why I Still Can’t Get 100% Behind Snowden
Whistleblowing is good. Whistleblowing is important. It is important that we know what the government is doing regarding our communications and the impact on our privacy rights. I am happy for the debate, and I thank Edward Snowden for it. But then there is this: Britain has pulled out agents from live operations in “hostile countries” after Russia and China … Read More
Prison Break
Seems like everybody is interested in that prison break from the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility in New York, with two prisoners on the loose. Lots of reporting on where they might be, but the bottom line is…. they could be anywhere by now. Here’s what we know so far: Richard Matt, 48, was serving a sentence of 25 years … Read More
Same-Sex Marriage Still A Battlefield In North Carolina
This morning, North Carolina legislators in the GOP-controlled state House approved a measure that allows some court officials to refuse to perform same-sex marriage duties because of their religious beliefs. House lawmakers agreed 69-41 to override Governor Pat McCrory’s veto of the bill, which the Senate had done last week. The bill, now a law, allows magistrates and register of … Read More
I Don’t Worry About Spying
I know. I should care. Governmental abuse and all that. But I don’t. This past week has been filled with stories about the sunset clauses of The Patriot Act, and overwhelming surveillance methods regarding our phone usage. And I can’t quite give a damn. I like what Edward Snowden did, for the most part. I think he should be granted … Read More
From The “Seriously?” Files
First Amendment at work: “When she went across the stage I just called her name out. ‘Lakaydra’. Just like that,” Ursula Miller said she shouted about her niece. Miller and Henry Walker were two of the four people asked to leave Senatobia High School’s graduation ceremony for cheering. Police at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where the high school ceremony was … Read More
Billy Flynn Out Of Prison
Billy Flynn is out of jail. Nope. Not that one. This one: Or… as he looks today…. Billy Flynn is the convicted shooter in the Pamela Smart (pronounced “Smaht”) case. As a teenager, Billy shot and killed Gregg Smart in 1990. Gregg was the husband of Pamela Smart, with whom Billy was having an affair. Pamela was an audio-visual school … Read More
Short Takes
Yeah, I’m playing catch-up. Been very busy since last week. I have a little to say about a lot of things, so now comes a slam of quick posts. (1) As for the clash in Phoenix between Islamophobes and would-be terrorists, the Islamophobes went home disappointed. No violence. No anything, really: Protesters at Friday’s “Freedom of Speech” rally outside a … Read More
Religious Bigots Use First Amendment Protections To Spew Hate…. Again
Another crazed anti-Muslim right winger — this one in Phoenix — is planning to hold a ‘Draw Muhammad’ Contest right in front of the Islamic Community Center. The organizer of the event, Jon Ritzheimer, has held two protests in Phoenix since the Texas shootings. The chants and slogans at the protests are brash and hateful. Some supporters wear t-shirts that … Read More
The GJ Charges Against The Baltimore 6
A Baltimore grand jury has charged all six police officers accused in the death of Freddie Gray. State Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby announced the revised charges yesterday, but the most serious charges – including second-degree murder – remained. In case you forgot already, Gray suffered a severe spinal cord injury in police custody in April and died a week later. His … Read More
This Can’t Possibly Be A Thing
The Wall Street Journal: A budget advanced by Kansas legislators would eliminate funding for state courts if a judge strikes down a controversial law passed last year. Republican senators and representatives agreed Monday on a two-year judicial budget that would self-destruct if any court blocks or overturns a 2014 law that stripped the Kansas Supreme Court of some administrative authority, … Read More
New Study Shows One-In-Five Women Sexually Assaulted On Campus
A new study published online by the Journal of Adolescent Health finds that almost one-in-five women experience sexual assault ion college. The study, titled “Incapacitated and Forcible Rape of College Women: Prevalence Across the First Year,” which focused on first-year female students at one New York college, attempted to measure how frequently rape or attempted rape occurred by having female students … Read More
Shooting The Mentally Ill
I’ve written about this before — the propensity of the police to open fire on people they know to be mentally ill. Like their current problem with minorities, members of law enforcement seem to have a problem with showing restraint when it comes to the mentally ill. Earlier this week, the US Supreme Court had occasion to address this issue, … Read More
Woman Sues Gays
Our favorite lawsuit: An Auburn woman claiming to be an ambassador for God and his son, Jesus Christ, is suing all homosexuals. Sylvia Driskell, 66, asked an Omaha federal judge to decide whether homosexuality is a sin. Citing Bible verses, Driskell contends “that homosexuality is a sin and that they the homosexuals know it is a sin to live a … Read More