Rep. Vic Williams has baked his brain a bit too much in the Tucson, AZ, sun … Free-speech advocates and social media users say an anti-stalking proposal in Arizona goes too far by criminalizing “annoying” or “offensive” comments posted online. A bi-partisan bill seeking to update telephone harassment and stalking laws by adding the use of computers or smartphones to existing legislation has gone virtually unchallenged in the Legislature and
April 4, 2012
April 4, 2012
“New Estimate Raises Civil War Death Toll”
Up by 20% over previous accepted estimates. From the NYT: By combing through newly digitized census data from the 19th century, J. David Hacker, a demographic historian from Binghamton University in New York, has recalculated the death toll and increased it by more than 20 percent — to 750,000. The new figure is already winning acceptance from scholars. Civil War History, the journal that published Dr. Hacker’s paper, called it
April 4, 2012
“Freedom of Speech Wanes in Britain”
Whereas feeling offended becomes something of a positive right. Multiculturalism 1, Liberty, 0. Bonus perversion: legal precedent has now been set for criminal incarceration based on the purported feelings of a message’s receiver / “target”. Raising the question, how long before the legal move is made from prosecutions based on ostensible malice of intent on the part of the author / utterer to prosecutions based on “the author / utterer
April 4, 2012
Just a guy from the neighborhood! (and his little dog, too)
— Who, you know, launched the political career of our President (and maybe even had a hand in crafting the “autobiographical” narrative that transformed Barry in “Barack Obama”). After having previously led the Weather Underground. And having fought his entire adult life to overthrow “the system” in one way or another — whether from without, by way of explosives, or from within, by way of poisoning the institution of pubic
April 4, 2012
“Impeach the Supreme Court Justices If They Overturn Health-Care Law”
No, really. This is now an all-out coup being attempted in the midst of what can only be described as a surreal, all-out public temper tantrum. It’s stunning to watch, frankly. My concern is, many on the right who live within the Beltway bubble feel that pressure from the organized, vocal left and have a habit of caving to it — provided they can find a rationalization to do so,
April 4, 2012
In which I offer a gentle but pointed response to Professor Althouse by way of a compelling pop-cultural reference
Father Damien Karras: “I think it might be helpful if I gave you some background on the different personalities Regan has manifested. So far, I’d say there seem to be three. She’s convinced –” Father Merrin: “– There is only one.” (h/t bh) You’re welcome, Professor.
April 4, 2012
Nancy Pelosi predicts a 6-3 victory for ObamaCare
Think she’s reading Allah? (Pelosi makes her prediction at around the 33:55 mark.) Look, if SCOTUS is as cynical and motivated by the threat of a screeching backlash from the progressives as Allah surmises — and it decides to rule favorably on ObamaCare out of some complex calculus of political variables (include “how people view the tenor and division within the court”) — the c0untry is all but gone, anyway:
April 4, 2012
“Federal court tosses Colorado’s Amazon tax”
Another court slaps back and thieving Democrats, who will vote themselves the right to pinch money from any pocket they can conceivably reach. Denver Post: A federal court has thrown out a 2010 Colorado law meant to spur online retailers like Amazon to collect state sales tax. The law had already been temporarily blocked in federal court last year, but U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn’s ruling Friday permanently handcuffs