News & Media
Zealot's censorship attempt backfires (the best $40.96 I ever spent).
Tina Harden of Longwood, Flori-duh decided that four books in the Lake Mary public library did not meet her standards of morality. The Cecily von Ziegesar books Reckless, The It Girl, Notorious, and Don’t You Forget About Me apparently clashed with Ms. Harden’s view of what other people ought to read. So she refused to return them from the library.
Time to end the drug war
Better men than I have articulated reasons that the drug war is a stupid policy, implemented by stupid people, with stupid results. A picture says a thousand words, but a video wraps it all up in a neat bundle. The search below turned up an amount of marijuana sufficient to warrant a misdemeanor arrest. To bust a guy with a
The best commentary on the Harvard "racist" email controversy
We commented on the story, and rather well. But, Eugene Volokh absolutely brings it home in this post.
New Rule…
…No American patriotism allowed on Cinco de Mayo. It might get in the way of Mexicans celebrating their defeat of the French (an unimpressive accomplishment, really, since everyone beats the French). Interestingly enough, Cinco de Mayo isn’t even celebrated in Mexico.
Marijuana keeps men honest
Tommy Chong, at a rally to derail the candidacy of Mary Beth Buchanan, said that marijuana keeps a man honest, “because when you lie, you have to remember.” (source) If any readers are looking for a campaign to donate to (after you write a check to Steve Cohen), it couldn’t hurt the Republic if you sent a check to Jason
Yeah? Well I have a pussy too…. AND a gavel!
Jennifer LaPenta, 19, spent 48 hours in jail because she entered a courtroom wearing a shirt with the message “I have the Pussy, So I make the Rules.” Apparently, traffic and misdemeanor court judge Helen Rozenberg did not approve of the message. And, presumably by having a pussy of her own, she was immune to LaPenta’s magic pussy power. She
A Supreme Court decision that I would love to see
Brought to you by the Onion.
Frontline echoes The Legal Satyricon
By J. DeVoy For several years, this blog has been shrieking about the utter worthlessness of higher education — or at least that its purported benefits are oversold. Finally, the mainstream media has begun to notice. Tuesday’s Frontline episode, College Inc., was no exception. The upshot: For-profit colleges enroll 10% of all students. Yet they receive 25% of all Federal aid
And the homophobe circus continues
As yet another anti-gay demagogue gets busted with a male escort. (source)
And Now For Something Completely Different
In the City of Brotherly Love, Philly fans boo the tasing of an asshat running on the field. Then there is no pleasing you, Philadelphia. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riCu3LJOgmk]
Response to the Harvard e-mail controversy
By All Hands Last week, one Harvard law student forwarded a fellow classmate’s six-month old e-mail to people guaranteed to take offense to it. The original e-mail’s damning line, which has been seized upon by Above The Law, Eugene Volokh and others, is this: “I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed
Rape charges defeated by skinny jeans
By J. DeVoy Apparently juries have a problem convicting men of rape when their alleged victims are wearing skinny jeans. The pants are so narrow and hard to get on or off that reasonable minds believe “collaboration” is necessary for their removal. An Australian man was acquitted of rape Friday when a jury ruled there had to be “collaboration” to
It's true, the Catholic church ain't all bad
Nicholas Kristof shines a positive light on the beleaguered Catholic world. [T]here seem to be two Catholic Churches, the old boys’ club of the Vatican and the grass-roots network of humble priests, nuns and laity in places like Sudan. The Vatican certainly supports many charitable efforts, and some bishops and cardinals are exemplary, but overwhelmingly it’s at the grass roots
I wonder if anyone's considered this angle yet
by Jason Fischer A new law in Oklahoma requires women who seek an abortion — including when the pregnancy results from incest or rape — to (i) have an ultrasound performed; and (ii) have the fetus described to them (source). (Apparently, a few Oklahoma lawmakers have been watching too much television, where everyone goes all gooey as soon as the
What the First Amendment is all about
Judge William Downes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming ordered the University of Wyoming allow William Ayers speak on its campus with this explanation: “This court is of age to remember the Weather Underground. When his group was bombing the U.S. Capitol in 1971, I was serving in the uniform of my country,” Downes said. “Even
Belgium Bans Burkhas
Belgium has banned the burkha. (source) One might think that this is an intrusion on civil liberties — and I suppose that one could credibly argue that it is. You ought to be able to wear a burkha if you want to. On the other hand, I question how many women wear burkhas voluntarily. I bet that sub-group of burkha-wearers
Nostalgia rush
By J. DeVoy If you’ve ever wondered how much easier it would be to beat Super Mario Brothers with characters from other Nintendo classics, you’re not alone — and now you can indulge your fantasy. In Super Mario Crossover, you can play through Super Mario Brothers as Mario, Link (Legend of Zelda), Bill R. (Contra, pictured above), Simon Belmont (Castlevania,
"We would prefer a caucasian waiter, mkay?"
If this is true, it’s pretty nasty. Rodney Morgan, and his family (visitors from the U.K.), recently stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Floriduh. According to the Naples News, “they made it clear they didn’t want to be served by a black waiter or one with a foreign accent.” (source) Okay, there’s WTF #1. I’ve asked for strange things at
Charlie Crist Leaves Republican Party
It looks like Charlie Crist is going to run as an independent. (source). Given that Charlie is a relatively level-headed and mentally stable guy, it seems like a rational move to leave a party that has been taken over by bat-shit-crazy-Palinite teabaggers, which is the constituency that is lining up to fellate Marco Rubio right now.
From the "Thank God Congress Has Nothing Better to Do" Desk: Four U.S. Senators Write Stern Letter to Facebook
by Jason Fischer Plenty of whiny types are up in arms over Facebook’s recent “personalization” improvements, which automatically link fan pages for companies, bands, television shows, etc. to users’ profiles, based on their self-proclaimed favorites. Also, when a user specifies their favorite music, movies, books, and the like, that information may now be accessed more readily by parties not in
