The jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd has died at the age of 80. Byrd was a major figure during a very vibrant period, and he led or joined lots of now-classic recordings. I’ll confess I think of Byrd as being somewhat overshadowed by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard in his prime. Also, Byrd mostly lost me after Blackbyrd […]
Archive | February, 2013
The War on Drugs, Overcriminalization, and the Rise of Militarized Police Raids
Deroy Murdock has an interesting National Review column describing the rise of abusive, military-style police raids: Overarmed federal officials increasingly employ military tactics as a first resort in routine law enforcement. From food-safety cases to mundane financial matters, battle-ready public employees are turning America into the United States of SWAT. FBI agents and U.S. marshals […]
IQ2US Debate: Prohibit Genetically Engineered Babies
Intelligence Squared is hosting a provocative debate on the motion “Prohibit Genetically Engineered Babies” — this Wednesday, February 13, 6:45-8:30pm, at the Kaufman Center, 129 West 67th Street (btw Broadway and Amsterdam), New York City. As IQ2US describes the issue: Imagine a world free of genetic diseases, where parents control their offspring’s height, eye color […]
Attempted Assassination of Critic of Islam in Denmark
Fortunately the target, Lars Hedegaard, was not injured. The BBC reported Feb. 5: Mr Hedegaard heads Denmark’s Free Press Society, which argues that religious and ideological interests are threatening freedom of expression. He also heads the International Free Press Society, founded in 2009, which launched an international campaign to support the Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert […]
Crime to Create a “Hostile Environment” That “Substantially Interferes” with Person’s “Psychological Well-Being” Based on Race, Religion, Sex, Etc.?
That’s what this New Mexico bill would provide: BULLYING.– A. Bullying consists of a pattern of intentional conduct, including physical, verbal, written or electronic communication, that creates a hostile environment and substantially interferes with another person’s physical or psychological well-being and that is: (1) motivated by an actual or perceived personal characteristic, including race, national […]
Letter to Senator Cruz on constitutional issues in federal gun control proposals
On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights will hold a hearing “Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence: Protecting Our Communities While Respecting the Second Amendment.” Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is Chair of the Subcommittee, and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is the Ranking Member. The Subcommittee has solicited letters […]
Is citizen control of taxes and spending unconstitutional?
By David Kopel on February 11, 2013 1:40 pm in Constitutional History, Constitutional Law, Judicial Power, Taxes
Colorado’s Constitution (Art. X, sect. 20) is the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Like similar provisions in other states, Colorado’s TABOR requires voter approval for tax increases, and for most spending increases that exceed inflation plus population growth. Several state legislators have filed suit in federal court to have TABOR declared unconstitutional. Allegedly, requiring voter approval […]
A Call For Drastic Changes In Educating New Lawyers
By Nick Rosenkranz on February 11, 2013 1:30 pm in Academia, Education, Law School Tuition and Loans, Law Schools, Legal Profession
New York Times coverage of the mid-year ABA meeting, and the report of its Task Force on the Future of Legal Education, here.
Thrower Symposium on privatization: video available
Last week, I announced the Emory Law Journal’s Thrower Symposium on privatization. The symposium was a big success, and video is now available. Here’s the panel with my own presentation; my remarks start around 27:24 and run until around 41:09. In addition, I have various remarks in the Q&A immediately following my presentation.
Every rung goes higher, higher
Once again, Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post has broken a cybersecurity story: A new intelligence assessment has concluded that the United States is the target of a massive, sustained cyber-espionage campaign that is threatening the country’s economic competitiveness, according to individuals familiar with the report. The National Intelligence Estimate identifies China as the country […]
They really don’t know clouds at all
Every new computing technology seems to bring with it a privacy flap. Cloud computing is going through that phase right now, at least outside the United States. Canadian and European elites fear that putting data in the cloud will somehow let the US government paw through it at will, a fear that usually centers on […]
Introducing a nicer Baker
Well, that was quick. At the age of 6, my grandson, Asa Baker-Rouse, has already accumulated more Internet clout than I’ve been able to assemble in a career. What’s more he did it with pure sweetness. (Perhaps that’s where I went wrong.) A Middlebury student named Bianca Giaever turned one of Asa’s stories into a […]
YouTube Banned in Egypt for a Month, as Punishment for Hosting “Innocence of Muslims” Video
AhramOnline reports: Egypt’s administrative court on Saturday ordered the ban of YouTube in the country for a month for not removing the controversial anti-Islam film, The Innocence of Islam. The court’s verdict also applies to any website that aided in the sharing of the 13-minute film…. The AP reports much the same, though adds that, […]
“The Life and Afterlife of Aaron Swartz”
In New York Magazine, Wesley Yang has this very interesting story on Aaron Swartz and the reaction to his death. Among the new details: Early in the case, before Swartz was indicted, prosecutors offered Swartz a plea to a single count of violating the CFAA with a three-month recommended jail sentence. Swartz turned down the […]
Persuasion
An interesting story about two of Fred Phelps’ granddaughters’ leaving the Westboro Baptist Church — interesting both for its own sake, and also for the account of how they seem to have been persuaded, apparently in part by conversations with David Abitbol, an Israeli web developer and blogger at Jewlicious. As a lawyer, a teacher […]