Author Archive | David Kopel

According to this report, both unruly fans and several players for the Indiana Pacers will face criminal charges for their conduct in the November 19 basketbrawl. The fan who threw a chair may be in the most serious trouble. Prosecutors say they are likely to file elony assault charges against him. Insofar as any indictments […]

Daniel Drezner demonstrates why policy wonks should stick to writing about policy — and leave sex to the professionals.

The NBA Players’ Union is appealing the suspensions of Indian Pacers Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jermaine O’Neal. Under the rules, the appeal goes directly to David Stern, so they are asking that it be handled by an arbitrator. Once Stern refuses, can a lawsuit be far behind? Stern’s already getting phone calls from Jesse […]

One reader e-mails re: my basketbrawl posts, “For you to call anyone a coward, while you hide behind a pseudonym, is a joke.” Guilty as charged. I suppose I’m as wary about tenure as Stern is about alienating his fanbase.

I’ve reveived lots of heated e-mails on my basketbrawl posts. Was I too harsh on David Stern? I don’t think so. Stern acted quickly and forcefully against the offending players — as he should have — but did not condemn the fans’ behavior in his prepared statement nor did he indicate his support for any […]

I know of no other way to describe the NBA Commissioner’s complete failure to impose any sanction designed to redress the actions of unruly fans in Detroit. Today David Stern announced severe, and warranted, suspensions of the NBA players involved in the Friday’s courtside riot in Detroit. Yet Stern announced no measures — indeed, could […]

I have little patience for spoiled-rotten professional athletes, especially in the NBA. Yet after this weekend’s fiasco in Detroit, I have even less patience for unruly sports fans. In this column, the Miami Herald‘s Dan Le Batard nails it: It was ugly and awful and historically staining, and now, it will get worse as the […]

Condoleeza Rice has described herself as “a Second Amendment absolutist.” An article in the Montgomery Advertiser explains why. She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where her father, a Presbyterian minister, was a strong advocate of civil rights: Rice has said memories of Birmingham’s racial turmoil shaped some of her core values. During the bombings of […]

Chicago and several of its suburbs ban the possession of handguns. A new law in Illinois prevents the conviction of a person for violating the handgun ban, if the person used the handgun for lawful self-defense on his property. The new law (720 ILCS 5/24-10) states: It is an affirmative defense to a violation of […]

The New York Times reports on the further travails of Ellen SImonetti, aka “Queen of Sky.”

A new one-minute film from Honestreporting.com sums up the legacy of the founder of modern terrorism. With one despot already gone, another Middle East despot may not survive much longer, according to a report from the indispensible StrategyPage.com: “With its military falling apart and all its traditional sources of foreign aid drying up, the Syrian […]

This letter on Dean’s World says it all. A few of the great quotes: “A lot of us grew up being told to question authority, and a lot of that authority we now question is the left-wing orthodoxy of your generation…” “In other words, I’ve experienced firsthand just how hateful, intolerant, and irrational you guys […]

Pax Christi, one of the leading organizations of the Catholic Religious Left, is touting a new Zogby poll which headlines “Catholic voters ultimately turned-off by single issue messaging of conservative Catholic leaders.” Horsefeathers. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bush lost the Catholic vote 47-50 in 2000, and won the Catholic vote 52-47 in 2004, for […]

Several readers have pointed out that Milbank was probably referring to newly elected Senator Tom Coburn when he suggested Republicans would seek the imposition of the death penalty for abortion providers on the Diane Rehm show today. As I noted in my initial post, some pro-lifers do advocate this extreme position, and Coburn is among […]

There is no doubt that there were many election irregularities throughout the country. How serious were they? ABC News reports that some see these problems as evidence of a conspiracy to “steal” the presidency. Serious election experts do not take such claims seriously. Dan Tokaji addresses and debunks many of the conspiracy claims on his […]