Over at Time.com, Michael Kinsley has a very good column on the “outrage” over MoveOn.org’s advertisement about General Petraeus. A taste: These days, mock outrage is used by every side of every dispute. It’s fair enough to criticize something your opponent said while secretly thanking your lucky stars that he said it. The fuss over […]
Archive | September, 2007
More on People v. Flores:
To follow up on my post yesterday about People v. Flores, here’s a Newsday story about the case; meanwhile, Scott Greenfield has more details in this post over at Simple Justice.
Explaining Brodhead
As a high-profile case of prosecutorial misconduct affected his own institution’s students, how is it possible to explain Duke president Richard Brodhead’s passive response? A few explanations can be eliminated. Duke officials did not – – at least privately – – initially believe Crystal Mangum’s fantastic lies. Duke cops told their superiors the case would […]
The Administration’s Response
“Pandering” (New York Times). “Clearly terrified of the racial and gender activists on his own faculty” (Wall Street Journal). “Did little, if anything, to defend the lacrosse players or to criticise the faculty for its lynch-mob mentality” (Economist). “Weak-kneed” (Newsweek). “Seemingly terrified of the protestors and a radicalized faculty with the power to turn him […]
Stuart Taylor responds:
Sorry to have been absent for awhile, but I am happy to note that while I’ve been giving a speech this evening to a North Carolina group (the Fair Trial Initiative) devoted to helping poor death row inmates, most of the responses to critical comments that I would have been motivated to write have already […]
Republican mayor says “I Do” to SSM:
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, a Republican, announced today that he’s changed his mind and now supports gay marriage: · I am here this afternoon to announce that I will sign the resolution that the City Council passed yesterday directing the City Attorney to file a brief in support of gay marriage. · My plan, […]
Mankiw’s Case for a Carbon Tax:
On Sunday, economist Gregory Mankiw wrote a piece in the New York Times making the case for a “carbon tax.” Among other things, Mankiw discusses how a carbon tax could be adopted without imposing regressive tax burdens. [The] natural aversion to carbon taxes can be overcome if the revenue from the tax is used to […]
Duke Coverage: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
As of early April, now at the head of the guilt-presuming pack, The New York Times vied from early April 2006 on in a race to the journalistic bottom with trash-TV talk shows hosted by the likes of Nancy Grace, CNN’s egregiously biased, wacko-feminist former prosecutor. The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, […]
Some Choice Words on Law School Faculty Hiring
from Jeff Harrison, professor at University of Florida law school. The handling of the [Chemersinky] situation so many have written about sounds like there is no other interpretation than Irvine blundered. But Pleeeeze, no more claims of being outraged that politics entered into the decision. I have seen decanal hiring, faculty hiring, tenure review letters, […]
A Remarkable Story:
Over at Simple Justice, Scott Greenfield has an astonishing post about a criminal case that deserves much wider attention: People v. Flores, in which a defendant was accidentally convicted of murder and then sentenced for murder even though the murder charge had already been dismissed. If the facts of Scott’s post check out, this case […]
Goldstein on the Current Court and the Supreme Court’s Docket:
Over at SCOTUSblog, Tommy Goldstein makes some very thoughtful points about the the previous and upcoming Supreme Court Terms. In particular, he makes some quite perceptive comments about the presently fashionable claim that we now have a consistently conservative Court: [T]he characterization of this Court is part caricature and is deeply dependent on the near-accident […]
Eskimo words for snow:
While in my native Kiev a couple of weeks ago, I picked up a Dictionary of Russian Vulgar Slang (Bol’shoi slovar’ mata). But this was only volume 1 of a multi-volume dictionary. This roughly 200-page volume was entirely devoted to the meanings and usage of the word “dick.” Volume 2, devoted to yet another word, […]
Remarkable Editorializing in the New York Times:
“Reporters” Steven Erlanger and Helene Cooper: Under international law, Israel is considered an occupying power in Gaza, even though it has removed its troops and settlers. Denying civilians access to the necessities of life is considered collective punishment and a violation of international law under both the Hague and Geneva conventions although the amounts involved […]
The End of “Crime & Federalism”?:
Looks like it, unfortunately.
No Good Environmental Deed Goes Unpunished:
A computer recycler discovers environmental regulations can discourage enviornmentally desirable activity.