News & Media
Palinland Hates the First Amendment
I spent a summer in Alaska and loved it. I saw no indication of a people who would be dumb enough to elect Sarah Palin. I guess I didn’t pay attention. There is a prosecutor there who doesn’t care that the Supreme Court has already ruled that non-obscene “child porn” that does not depict real children is protected by the
Boston Globe Editorial on U.S. v. Stevens
The Boston Globe’s editorial staff has weighed in on U.S. v. Stevens. No big surprise that a newspaper thinks that we ought to preserve the First Amendment.
NYT Calls for Obama to Live up to Campaign Promise
Obama hasn’t exactly lived up to all of his campaign promises. In fact, he hasn’t done a whole hell of a lot at all. The New York Times calls him out on his failure to put a brick back in the wall between church and state — a wall that his predecessor spent eight years whacking at it with a
Immoral or Scandalous Matter?
by Jason Fischer One of the “peculiarities” of U.S. trademark law is that the government has a stick up its collective ass about recognizing trademarks that may be suggestive of dick-and-fart humor. Section 2 of the Lanham Act (the federal statute that creates trademark rights) provides: No trademark by which the goods of the applicant may be distinguished from the
This is COLUMBUS DAY!!!
This is COLUMBUS DAY. I’d like to invite anyone whose name ends with a vowel (Persians excluded) to raise their hands, extend their middle fingers, and flip off the Native Americans, the hippies, and everyone else in the International Association of Crybabies who has a piss and a moan about Christopher Columbus. This is not “indigenous people’s day,” it is
Pig in a Poke
When the judge tells you “no contact” with another person, that means NO FRIGGIN CONTACT! That includes, not surprisingly, a “facebook poke.” A reason that “Social Networking Sites Suck.“
You can Cheat on your Spouse but NOT on your Taxes
Rephrase: you can probably get away with cheating on your spouse, but the IRS will always catch you. Case in point, Mr. Walter Halby who attempted to reduce his tax liability by claiming medical expense deductions for his patronage of prostitutes. Mr. Halby claimed $100,000 in deductions for payments to prostitutes as necessary treatments for medical conditions (sexual addiction and
One Nation "Under God" in Picture Book Form
This is all kinds of awesome. Use the scroll over function. I found this at Shit Planet. That blog brings us the eternal question, which is more amusing? The Legal Satyricon or watching a guy shove his own balls up his own ass?
Hate Crime Legislation
The Moderate Voice has a thoughtful post on why Hate Crime legislation is wrong-headed.
Asshat of the Day: DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse
Woodhouse said: “The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists – the Taliban and Hamas this morning – in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize,” DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse told POLITICO. “Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving
It's official… The Nobel Prizes have lost all significance
by Jason Fischer Maybe I’m just too young to realize that it’s always been effed up this way, but when I was a kid, I used to think it meant something to hear that someone had won a Nobel Prize. Now it is clearly just a leftist love fest with no real accomplishment value whatsoever. Congratulations, President Obama, on your
Interview: Marc Randazza advocates for client sued by Glenn Beck
Marc Randazza speaks to Declaring Independence about the case in which Glenn Beck sued his client for creating the satirical website GlennBeckRapedAndMurderedAYoungGirlIn1990.com. Together, Randazza and host Christopher Wilson discuss that the website is a parody aimed at mocking the commentator’s rhetoric, as well as the nature of the case, in which Beck claimed trademark infringement and called for the website
Free Speech Coalition v. Holder —- 18 U.S.C. § 2257 Delendum Est!
The Free Speech Coalition has filed its long-awaited complaint seeking to have 18 U.S.C. § 2257 declared unconstitutional. The Background – The War on Sex Social conservatives on both the right and left take great delight in attempting to carve out an erotic speech exception to the First Amendment. The far right thinks that their imaginary friend knows what is
Not every crucifix should be a thorn in an atheist's eye.
You don’t need to read this blawg for very long to figure out that I, for one, am a rabid atheist. I have little tolerance for those who try and push their superstitious agenda on to others by hijacking the instrumentalities of the state. I am even more concerned about it when it is done by those who want to
Buy This Book
I don’t plug products on this blawg very often. However, my little sister wrote a book called Go Tweet Yourself: 365 Reasons Why Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and Other Social Networking Sites Suck. Flip Twitter the bird. Tell Facebook to f#@% off. Lose it on LinkedIn. Somewhere between the advent of Facebook and launching Twitter to the masses, the Internet betrayed
United States v. Stevens Oral Arguments
From the sounds of the on-the-ground reports I am getting, it seems that United States v. Stevens is looking good for those of us on the side of Free Speech. Only Alito seems skeptical of the free speech arguments. Sotomayor seemed to strongly challenge the government’s position, and Scalia seemed to be reviving his prior free speech theories as articulated
Hysterical Erotophobes Freak Out Over Bikini Clad Baristas
Some people in Clearview, WA are losing their minds over a cafe whose servers wear bikinis at work. “These girls are basically stripping for tips,” pastor and organizer Shahram Hadian told a crowd of about a 100 Tuesday night at the Clearview Foursquare Church. Speakers one after the other recounted experiences with bikini espresso huts and questioned why police and
Wrentham, MA Considers Adult Entertainment Zoning Regulations
Its nice to see a reporter get the coverage right: Municipal zoning bylaws may limit such uses, but cities and towns can’t completely prohibit them. A municipality that does not provide certain locations within the community where adult uses may reasonably operate is essentially denying that form of free speech, and they could locate where non-adult businesses, such as retail
Was a Contract Formed?
Jennifer suggests a cute idea for Halloween. Natalia will go as Tinkerbell. Jennifer will be Wendy. I should be Peter Pan. This is appropriate for many reasons. I laugh and say “yes, that sounds adorable.” Then, I see Jennifer with a grin that seems just a tad over-sized. “God damn it! You are gonna make me wear green tights, aren’t
The Only Thing on Twitter Worth Reading
Twitter is stupid. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it until it goes the hell away (or at least evolves into something worthwhile). That said, Shit My Dad Says is frigging awesome. Twitter should just shut down all the other twitter accounts and sell ads on this guy’s feed.
