My friend Arvin Tseng points to this story: A week ago Saturday, about 250 residents of the community settled into their seats at Memorial Stadium, expecting a local version of an Easter play. Depending on whom you talk to, what the audience got was either a sadistic torturing of the Easter Bunny or a lesson […]
Archive | April, 2004
Please save us from ourselves, Ms. Legislator!
News.com reports: A California state senator said Monday she was drafting legislation to block Google’s free e-mail service “Gmail” because it would place advertising in personal messages after searching them for key words. “We think it’s an absolute invasion of privacy. It’s like having a massive billboard in the middle of your home,” said Sen. […]
More on Free Speech in Canada:
While Canadian authorities are busily penalizing speech critical of homosexuality, Daniel Pipes reports that Mohamed al-Asi recently presented a speech at York University in Toronto (sponsored by Muslim, Middle Eastern and Pakistani student groups) accusing the “Jewish Lobby” of responsibility for the 9-11 attacks. As blatantly false speech intended to promote hatred against a specific […]
NYT on DDT – Better Late than Never: This Sunday New York Times magazine story, “What the World Needs Now Is DDT” has sparked lots of comment. The story points out that DDT is arguably the most important tool for fighting malaria in the developing world. A recent Cato Institute paper makes the same point […]
The New York Times Needs A Lesson on The First Amendment:
The Times closes an editorial today on Justice Scalia’s apology as follows:Justice Scalia’s apology is welcome. Most unwelcome, though, and offensive to the First Amendment, was his suggestion that he retains a “First Amendment right” to bar audio and visual coverage of his public speeches by the electronic media. There is no such right, as […]
Light blogging and conference advertising:
Blogging will be low, and responses to blog-oriented e-mails will be slow or nonexistent, until I’m through the next several weeks of conferences– especially this one:”Colonialism and Its Legacies,” the 2004 Annual International Meeting of the Conference for the Study of Political Thought, will be held April 23-25, 2004 at the University of Chicago’s Gleacher […]
Scalia and the Fourth Amendment:
Justice Scalia really ought to apologize to the reporters whose recordings of his speech were illegally seized and erased by federal marshals. I know that Scalia did not ask or authorize the marshals to do this, but they were acting on his behalf, in an attempt to enforce with his anti-recording policy. It would be […]
Jeff Jacoby on the 9/11 Commission:
I haven’t been following this issue closely, but Jacoby seems to make some pretty good points.
Canada: A “Pleasantly Authoritarian Country”:
Picking up on a theme expressed on the Volokh Conspiracy and elsewhere (and citing my You Can’t Say That!), John Leo notes the growing threat to freedom of speech from antidiscrimination legislation in Canada. (Via Instapundit) In particular, Canada, joining many of its provinces (and several European countries), is on the verge of making public […]
Volokh beats North Korean tyrant:
Well, in a limited venue, as Steve Sachs reports: Nowadays, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il is primarily known for his reclusive nature, his pursuit of nuclear weapons, and his tyrannical rule of a famine-ridden gulag state. But those who know him well also know him as something of a film buff. In fact, in […]
Things best left not reported to the police:
From the Cameron Herald (Texas), via Vice Squad: [L]ast Friday evening[,] a man walked into the [police] department to report that a woman had stolen his crack cocaine. . . . [Police officer Philip] Anelli said the man told him that he and a woman were riding around when he decided to pay for two […]
Rockin’ Book Tour Enters Home Stretch:
The Rockin’ Book Tour for Restoring the Lost Constitution is drawing to an end. This week I go to Notre Dame. Next week to the Pacific Northwest. This week:Thursday 4/15:South Bend, IndianaNotre Dame law school (1:00pm, Moot Courtroom) Next week: Monday, 4/19:Eugene, OregonUniverstity of Oregon law School (noon, Room 142)Portland, OregonThe Cascade Institute & The […]
“The Americans Are Jews”:
Boston Globe:The 70,000-member police force the US-led coalition has sought hard to promote collapsed in disarray in many parts of the country. Hundreds of police officers and members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps quit during the fighting, as barracks and police stations were taken over by militias. Many switched sides and fought US troops. […]
Sunday Song Lyric:
While we’re on the subject of great songs popularized by someone other than the composer, I thought it appropriate to post one of my absolute favorites: “Crazy.” This song was one of Patsy Cline‘s greatest hits, but she did not write it. Rather, the lyrics were penned by Willie Nelson. Not being much of a […]
Song Lyric Revisited:
One reader takes me to task for omitting the poignant prologue to last week’s song lyric, Cole Porter’s “Every Time We Say Goodbye”: We love each other so deeply That I ask you this, sweetheart, Why should we quarrel ever? Why can’t we be enough clever, never to part? The ever-vigilant James Lindgren also found […]