Strange article by Aluf Benn in Ha’aretz, arguing that what Sharon is asking from Bush in return for withdrawal from Gaza is de facto recognition of Israeli annexation of the Etzion bloc of settlements, the same settlements Israel would have acquired under the Camp David proposals of 2000. Benn concludes that Israel has fought 3.5 […]
Author Archive | Sasha Volokh
Modern Antidiscrimination Ideology, ‘Nuff Said:
From the Guardian: David Winnick, a member of the Commons home affairs select committee, said only somebody who was “psychotic” would question anti-discrimination laws.
Jury verdicts time series:
Does anyone know where I can quickly find a good time series on average jury verdicts (or some other similar proxy for volume of litigation in some form) from the early 1960s to the late 1990s?
The Heckler’s Veto at Virginia Commonwealth University:
Meryl Yourish reports: A student group called Supporters of a Safe Israel at Virginia Commonwealth University wants to bring the [very controversial] Daniel Pipes to VCU for a lecture. However, due to the current anti-Israel climate on many college campuses, whenever a group brings a pro-Israel speaker, the colleges demand extra security due to the […]
The Absurd World of “Middle East Studies”:
Why do the poobahs of the world of “Middle East Studies” recoil in horror any time anyone threatens to call attention to their discipline? Because it is such a relentlessly one-sided, politiciized discipline that it could not possibly withstand public scrutiny. The latest evidence? The refusal of the Middle East Studies Association–which has slathered all […]
“Victory” for Diversity of Opinion at Emory:
Erin O’Connor reports (and I heard this story when I spoke at Emory about speech codes and academic freedom on Tuesday) that when the College Republicans at Emory sought funding for the student council to bring David Horowitz to speak on campus, two university administrators appeared before the council to urge it not to approve […]
ACLU Employs Terrorism Apologist for 9/11-Related Job:
I’ve now confirmed with the ACLU that Matt Bowles’ official title with the ACLU is “National 9-11 Field Organizer.” Mr. Bowles is author of a remarkable anti-Israel article which at best apologizes for terrorism against Israel, and at worst, and as I read it, endorses terrorism against Israel. (He endorses the “Second Intifada,” accuses Israel […]
Apparently Phony “Hate Crime” at Claremont McKenna:
My Con Law II student Trent England writes:You might find interesting the scandal at my alma mater, Claremont McKenna College, where a professor has been [allegedly] caught trying to frame students with a fake hate crime. CMC has a long tradition as an outstanding small liberal arts college focused on the study of government and […]
National Field Organizer for the ACLU Disrupts Campus Speech (UPDATE: and, DOES THE ACLU TERRORISM COORDINATOR SUPPORT TERRORISM?):
No, really. The speech was by Daniel Pipes, whose account is here. Unlike Pipes, I don’t see any reason to believe that the ACLU, as such, was behind the disruption, as opposed to the Field Organizer, a Mr. Bowles, acting as freelancer, as he acknowledged in response to Pipes’ inquiry. But (UPDATE: in response to […]
“The Passion” Not Leading to Increased Anti-Semitism:
This article is headlined “‘The Passion’ May be Reducing Anti-Semitism.” That seems like too broad a conclusion to draw from the data presented, but that data, showing that the film isn’t leading Americans to blame today’s Jews for the death of Jesus is interesting, though to me, at least, expected. I’d be more interested to […]
Background music:
Will Baude plays wordless classical and jazz music during his Drezner exam and says: Some of my music-loving friends are baffled by this ability to not hear what’s on; they love music so they can’t just ignore it and let it be helpful background noise. [This isn’t to say that I don’t love music, but […]
The most influential bloggers:
In addition to the bloggers Tyler lists below, the list also has John Grisham at #103, Nathaniel Hawthorne at #104, Jane Austen at #105, our own Jacob Levy at #130, Tyler on this site at #151, and myself at #200.
More on Arafat’s Complicity in Terror:
According to Ha’aretz, Arafat’s cabinet wants to act against breakaway factions of the Fatah movement that are engaging in freelance terrorism in combination with Hamas. Arafat refuses to countenance such action. If Debka is correct, this is because Arafat favors this terrorism. It’s been clear for years that Arafat is the main obstacle to peace […]
Guest Commentary on Crawford v. Washington by Prof. Richard Friedman: I asked Prof. Richard Friedman of the University of Michigan Law School to provide VC readers with a commentary on last week’s Supreme Court Confrontation Clause decision in Crawford v. Washington, a decision that has not received sufficient attention in the blogosphere (but see here […]
Another “Early” Defense of Lochner:
Philosopher Eric Mack defended Coppage v. Kansas, one of the leading Lochnerian Supreme Court decisions in “In Defense of ‘Unbridled’ Freedom of Contract” The American Journal of Economics and Sociology (January l980), pp. l-l5. It’s interesting that there were virtually no defenses of Lochner for over forty years, but that right around 1980 the case […]