News & Media
No One Has The Right To Live Without Being Shocked
Of course, don’t let any of the academic circle-jerk (The U.S. legal academy) hear you say that. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ3VcbAfd4w&feature=player_embedded] H/T: Marc D.
And this is who Jesus allegedly died for?!
By J. DeVoy A Florida man recently pled no contest to five misdemeanor theft counts arising from his theft of food from various restaurants and stores. Though spared jail time, the court required the defendant, George Jolicoeur, to pay court costs and restitution. This conduct was hardly new for Jolicoeur, who had been grifting free food from businesses for years. A Seminole County Sheriff’s Officer report details an August 2007 incident in which Jolicoeur attempted a refund scam at a 7-Eleven. Jolicoeur, described as having “labored breathing, similar to wheezing,” claimed to have purchased $50 worth of beef jerky that turned out to be moldy. When Seminole cop Jeff Sabounji went to Jolicoeur’s home to arrest him, the officer reported hearing “what sounded
NPR Story on SLAPP Suits
I was interviewed on the subject of SLAPP suits by Nazanin Rafsanjani. The interview is available here.
Congress Weighs Law Against Some Lawsuits
Discusses the Federal Anti-SLAPP legislation pending before the House of Representatives. Transcript available here. The Citizen Participation Act, which would introduce anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) remedies in Federal law if adopted, is designed to deter lawsuits filed to silence critics of powerful entities.Read more…
Happy "Good" Friday
Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man, living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of 10 things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these 10 things, he has a special place full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish where he will send *you* to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever til the end of time…but he loves you.” — George Carlin According to the christian mythology, 2000 odd years ago, they nailed the best guy in the world to two pieces of wood.
Hope and change in the face of rejection
By J. DeVoy Not an April Fool’s joke — just a good, if trite, op-ed from Susan Estrich, with whom I normally disagree. From law school and college students facing graduation just weeks away to applicants who are realizing for the first time that their best isn’t good enough, there’s something for everyone. I know that no one gets all Aces, that life is rarely a straight flush, beginning to end, and that what matters most is not the cards you are dealt but how you play them. A charmed childhood is no guarantee of a charmed life, and learning to deal with rejection is one of those bitter pills we all have to swallow sooner or later. I know
Rep. Steve Cohen with more badassery!
hot on the heels of being named a Legal Satyricon First Amendment Bad Ass for introducing Federal Anti-Slapp legislation, Rep. Cohen gives a shout out to Alex Chilton, may he rest in slack. [YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9LGwzGnx5w&sns=em]
Majority of Tea Party movement is female
By J. DeVoy New facts about the Tea Party movement emerge in a recent Quinnipiac University poll. 74 percent are Republicans or independent voters leaning Republican; 16 percent are Democrats or independent voters leaning Democratic; 5 percent are solidly independent; 45 percent are men; 55 percent are women; 88 percent are white; 77 percent voted for Sen. John McCain in 2008; 15 percent voted for President Barack Obama
Garcetti v. Ceballos potentially subsumes public employees' First Amendment rights
By J. DeVoy Public employees in political jobs often walk a difficult line when they speak about current affairs. Historically, this speech was protected by the Pickering-Connick test, established in Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District, 391 U.S. 563 (1968), and Connick v. Myers, 461 U.S. 138 (1983). Under that test, courts engaged in a two-step inquiry: First, whether the employee’s speech was a matter of public concern based on its content, form and context, and Second, if the speech was a matter of public concern, if the public employer had an adequate justification for treating the employee differently from any other member of the general public. In 2006, the United States Supreme Court added a
Comparing Cocks – Granite State Takes the Lead
Condomania apparently did an extensive survey of cock sizes throughout the United States. This article, from the Phoenix New Times, proudly boasts the Grand Canyon State’s fifth place finish. According to the study, New Hampshire has the biggest average penis size in America. That makes sense, what with all that self-confident “Live Free or Die” thing going on. At the other end of the spectrum, poor Wyoming comes in dead last. That makes sense too, since Wyoming is Dick Cheney’s home state.
The Definition of Irony
To prove that she’s not really a spoiled little brat, Alicia Gustaferro has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the producers of ABC’s “Wife Swap.” Yeah, that’ll show em. (source)
$29M Infringement Suit Waged by 3 Gay Adult Studios
Addressing a case where piracy transcends into appropriation of copyrighted work. Copyright laws prohibit the unauthorized commercial use of another’s content. Three studios filed suit, including Corbin Fisher, because infringers were passing off the studio’s content off as their own original content. Read more…
Quote of the day
I think that she is confusin the term “lesbian” with “second wave feminist,” but its a great quote anyhow. “To me, a lesbian is a person with a dour world view who meets a similar woman, bonds with her, and they proceed to have a sex life so banal and tedious that it rivals that of middle-class heterosexual couples. I’m just trying to have fun. (source)
New York Yankees: highest paid athletes in the world
By J. DeVoy A recent study shows that the New York Yankees’ average player salary is higher than any other sports team in the world.
Seen in Madison…
By J. DeVoy Talk about sending the wrong message. If EBT cards can be used for donuts – I’m not entirely sure – it demonstrates why healthcare reform is toothless without preventative measures to ensure a healthier population. Advertising the store’s eagerness to accept government aid in return for junk food can’t help.
Absurdly beta, insecure facebook group of the day
By J. DeVoy There’s plenty of fish in the sea, so can you not flirt with my fish? Uh, no. Absent a relationship, men and women have zero duties to refrain from flirting and hitting on targets of the opposite (or same) sex. As for non-engagement, non-marriage relationships, how is anyone even supposed to know up front that his or her intended target is in one? It’s the target’s duty to disclose…if he or she does at all. Even then, it’s not a sure thing — “I have a boyfriend” has become such a stock test for women that it’s impossible to tell if a girl has one and, even if she does, whether that actually precludes anything from happening.
Minnesota to state employees: No hotel porn for you?
The Minnesota House of Representatives recently killed a bill that would have prohibited government employees from staying at hotels that offer pornography on their in-room televisions when on official business. The Senate version of this bill, however, S.F. No. 2861, has made it out of committee and awaits a final vote. The availability of porn in most hotel rooms seems like a given in this day and age. The intent of this bill is not necessarily to make Minnesota state employees stay at cut-rate roach motels, but seems intended to coerce larger, reputable hotels to make a value judgment and remove their adult content in order to receive state business. Because the bill only allows for employees to stay in
One quarter of Republicans believe Obama is the Antichrist
By J. DeVoy And here I thought Antichrist merely was the most badass film to come out of Cannes since Pulp Fiction. In a recent poll, 24% of Republicans, 6% of Democrats and a composite 14% of Americans believe that Obama is the son of Satan incarnate. Among other statistics, 40% of respondents said that they believe Obama is a socialist. Other positions are a bit more believable: 38 percent say he wants to take away Americans’ right to own guns. 29 percent think he has done many things that are unconstitutional. 27 percent say he resents America’s heritage. 27 percent say he does what Wall Street and the bankers tell him to do. Some are more readily dismissed: 32 percent say
Pwned by the mancession? Go east, young man!
By J. DeVoy Gay porn is booming in Prague. As out-of-work men look for a way to earn a living, more are turning to adult entertainment. This is especially true for the Czech Republic, which has become one of the largest exporters of this commodity. Apparently the E.U. is quite accepting of this arrangement: In many European countries, especially the Czech Republic, the views on sex and sexuality tend to be more liberal than in the U.S. Also, the majority of gay actors describe themselves as straight, many of whom have girlfriends and wives. They say they are “gay for pay” and do it solely for the money. And there are market forces to consider. According to a gender and
GoDaddy follows Google's lead, exiting China
By J. DeVoy In response to new regulations requiring domain name registrants to supply the Chinese government with extensive personal information, including photographs, GoDaddy.com has announced its intention to stop doing business in China. Since 2000, GoDaddy has been one of the leading domain name registrants in the United States, but may be best known for its controversial Super Bowl advertisements. Ultimately, this is a win for those concerned with privacy, and especially those concerned with anonymous domain name registration. Yet, even with Google’s backing, it’s unlikely that China’s policies will change. Because domain registration and web search are such competitive fields, a race to the bottom by market participants or entrants will ensure that the Chinese government gets exactly
