Maybe we should try to make this a better country, not a meaner country.
"That's just the way it is." That was what was told little black children that had to sit in the balcony at the movies when I grew up. .....Well we can and should change things! It doesn't have to be this way!
So many of us identify with Mitt Romney. I guess it's because our fathers too are billionaires. We too know the problems of having to ship some of our money to the Cayman Islands.
Obama rejected my first draft of his inaugural speech. He really didn't like the opening: "What up?"
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Judge Posner and the Use of Photographs in Judicial Opinions
Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner is one of the most respected judges in the United States, and is a well-known pioneer in the area of "law and economics." Reuters reports today that Posner has become a pioneer in another, much quirkier area: the use of photographs copied from the Internet to spice up his judicial opinions.
The use of photos to illustrate points probably does not seem all that novel to most people, but it is still rare enough in the legal world that it causes double-takes. When Mark Cuban's lawyer recently used a photograph of Cuban and the Mavericks celebrating their championship as part of a summary judgment motion (in a case questioning Cuban and the Maverick's management of the team), the tactic was hailed as innovative and "brilliant." As the Reuters article points out, Posner's use of photos goes back to at least 2007, but he has used them more frequently in the past few months.
In his opinion in Gonzalez-Servin v. Ford Motor Co. in November 2011, Posner included photos of both an ostrich and a man in a suit with their heads buried in the sand to reinforce his point that "[t]he ostrich is a noble animal, but not a proper model for an appellate advocate." In an opinion issued last week in Grayson v. Schuler, Posner again included photography -- this time a photo of reggae singer Bob Marley, intended to illustrate what "dreadlocks" are.
According to the Reuters article, Posner found the Bob Marley photo online, copied it, and then pasted it into the opinion. Asked whether such use violated any copyright laws, Posner said he believed that what he had done fell under the doctrine of "fair use." "It's not as if we're selling our opinions in competition with a photographer. Using the photo in a judicial opinion couldn't conceivably be hurting the copyright holder," he said.
Fair use or not, David Corio, the photographer who took the Marley picture, said he was surprised to see it used in the judicial opinion without any credit or attribution, and believed that "a judge of all people would be decent enough to ask permission before using an image."
Editor: Corio is so cute , naive and behind the times. Everyone knows now that rules don't apply to rule makers.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Federal Prosecutor Will Take the Fifth in Congressional Fast and Furious Probe
Jan 20, 2012, 08:11 am CST
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Disbarred Ex-DA Who Pressured Workers in His Office for Sex Gets 1 Year, Apologizes for 'Flirting'
Jan 19, 2012, 04:08 pm CST
AVIATION & SPACE LAW
Probate Lawyer, 65, Says She Forgot Loaded Gun in DFW Carry-On, Faces Potential Felony Case
Jan 19, 2012, 03:12 pm CST
WHITE-COLLAR CRIME
Lawyer Arrested, Charged with Stealing $600K from Guardianship and Family Trust Accounts
Jan 19, 2012, 12:34 pm CST
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Laurel:
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Memo to Supremes: Got ethics?
Friday, January 20, 2012 | Posted by Jim Hightower
Good grief – how can someone so smart be so stupid? So clueless? So wrong?
John Roberts is not just any someone. He's Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the judicial body of last resort with god-like power to impose "justice" and alter the rules that the rest of us are expected to obey. But what rules of ethical conduct must these nine justices obey?
The answer is: None. While there are written codes of conduct for every other judge in America, the Supremes have majestically exempted themselves from any such enforceable ethical burden. This is now causing a public stink for the Court, since three of the exalted jurists have recently been exposed for participation in nakedly political events to advance the fortunes of right-wing corporate interests for whom they've been ruling. This political partisanship is expressly prohibited by the code of conduct that governs other federal judges, so why should these nine public officials be exempt?
Because, explained Chief Justice Roberts, all nine of us are "jurists of exceptional integrity and experience." He added that they do "consult" the code, ducking the obvious difference that he and his eight privileged colleagues can ignore the code with impunity. "At the end of the day," sniffed the imperious Roberts, "no compilation of ethical rules can guarantee integrity." Wow, Chief, how sage is that? Since written rules can't "guarantee" your integrity, why have them for lower courts, for any public office holder, or even for common citizens?
Roberts proves that you can't cover stupidity with a law degree and a black robe. A coalition of citizen organizations is demanding that the Court stop toying with the integrity of the judicial system and at least follow the code of conduct for other judges. To join the push, contact www.commoncause.org.
"Judicial Ethics and the Supreme Court," The New York Times, January 6, 2012.
"John Roberts on Ethics: Move Along, Nothing to See Here,"www.huffingtonpost.com, January 4, 2012.
"Eleven National Groups Call On The Supreme Court To Reform Its Ethics Rules And Formally Adopt The Code Of Conduct For U.S. Judges,"www.commoncause.org, January 9, 2012.
"2011 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary," www.supremecourt.gov, December 31, 2011.
Those crazy guys in Hamas are at it again. After banning women from riding motorcycles and men working as hairdressers and other “immodest acts,” Hamas has shutdown the Palestinian version of “American Idol” as “indecent” under Islamic laws and values. However, it appears kid shows featuring dismemberment and camps for kids to learn kidnapping are perfectly decent.Continue reading ‘Just Say No To Idolatry: Hamas Shuts Down Program As “Indecent” Under Islamic Law’
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cherae
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Romney Stance On Felon Voting Rights "Out of Step": Wash. Post
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In an editorial, the Washington Post raps Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for "smugly" touting his belief that the voting rights of defendants convicted of violent crimes should not be restored even if they have served the requisite time behind bars and stayed on the right side of the law after release. "I'm not letting felons who had committed violent crimes to vote," Romney said in a candidate debate. "I think it's a position that's reasonable, and that's the position I've got."
The Post says Romney's "parsimonious stance is out of step with the vast majority of states." Many automatically restore a felon's voting rights on release; others, like South Carolina, restore voting rights after an inmate successfully completes post-release supervision. Maine and Vermont allow felons to vote while incarcerated. Even Virginia - traditionally one of the stingiest states in the country when it comes to restoring felons' voting rights - has recently moved to reform and quicken the restoration process. Romney supporters "clearly think there are political points to be scored on this front," the Post says, adding that candidate Rick Santorum's views on the subject are more in line with majority thinking around the nation.
Editor: You know....I'll bet only about 1% ever voted in the first place! Big to-do about nothing. Just pandering to our mean side. Besides, if they did vote, it would be a way to keep up with where they are.
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dahlia
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MA Gov Patrick To Unveil Corrections Plan Costing $2.3 Billion By 2020
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Video chats for inmates and their loved ones as an alternative to staff-intensive family visits is one of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's envelope-pushing ideas for streamlining state and county corrections that the president of the Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association said he commends, reports the Boston Herald. "I applaud him for attempting to shift the paradigm of how we deliver corrections services. We need to think outside the box," Norfolk Sheriff Michael Bellotti said.
Patrick's $550 million Corrections Master Plan, estimated by his administration to cost as much as $2.3 billion to fulfill by 2020, will be rolled out today. Yesterday, the Herald reported he wanted to build up to three secure assisted-living centers for elderly inmates. Two sheriffs objected to lavishing luxury on aged convicts, adding it could entice hard-luck oldsters to commit crimes. "I've heard some of the wisecracks that are out already, and I don't make much of them," Patrick retorted. Secretary of Public Safety Mary Elizabeth Heffernan defended the plan, saying any notion "luxurious accommodations" would be constructed for geriatric jailbirds "is simply not true." The plan relies on DOC and sheriffs agreeing to share resources, such as van-pooling inmates to court.
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brandy:
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Everyone loves Al Green:
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Posted: 20 Jan 2012 02:01 PM PST
(Eugene Volokh)
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The Telegraph (UK) reports:
An Indonesian civil servant who posted a Facebook message asserting that God did not exist was taken into protective custody after being badly beaten by a mob, some of them his colleagues.The atheist identified as Alexander, who goes by just one name, now faces five years imprisonment for blasphemy after police officially arrested and charged him on Friday.The Indonesian Council of Ulema, the Islamic religious authority, reported him over his remarks on a Facebook page he moderated which said: “God does not exist[.]” Mr Alexander, 31, turned up at his government planning offices in Dharmasraya, western Sumatra, on Wednesday to be confronted by a group of men who beat him and then took him to the police.
Posted: 20 Jan 2012 11:33 AM PST
Documenting what Americans throws out.
by Jenna Isaacson Pfueller
All Thrifty States aims to document in stills, audio and video the people, scenes and items found in thrift stores nationwide. The project hopes to provide a window into the regional selections of used goods, the current economic climate in America, the breadth of organizations that benefit from second-hand items and the environmental impact of second-hand consumption.
by Jenna Isaacson Pfueller
All Thrifty States aims to document in stills, audio and video the people, scenes and items found in thrift stores nationwide. The project hopes to provide a window into the regional selections of used goods, the current economic climate in America, the breadth of organizations that benefit from second-hand items and the environmental impact of second-hand consumption.
The deadline for funding is Thursday Jan 26 at 11:59PM PT.
This is a wonderful and unique project that deserves to be funded. Help out an independent photojournalist and contribute now.
More on this project can be found on American-Journal.org.
Donate to All Thrifty States on IndieGoGo here: www.indiegogo.com/All-Thrifty-States.
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All Day I Dream About Photography |
Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:00 AM PST Our photographer of the week is Stephen Cosh, a 41 year old street photographer concentrating mainly on groups of people, situations and bins. Most of his work is black and white as he finds that colour can get in the way of a good image but occasionally he will use a little colour. Stephen shoots with a Leica M9 and a Fuji X100. I leave you to enjoy 10 only of his selected works           Related posts: |
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