More on Aaron Swartz
by New information about Aaron Swartz’s hacking activities at MIT tell quite a different story than the one that was initially revealed by Swartz’s former attorney …
Category: Law
Thoughts About Aaron Swartz, “Hacking”, and the Law
Although I did not know Aaron Swartz, as a technologist I am deeply intrigued – and alarmed – by the circumstances surrounding the well-known programmer’s recent …
Ayn Rand on Objective Laws
Ayn Rand in The Virtue of Selfishness: “All laws must be objective (and objectively justifiable): men must know clearly, and in advance of taking an …
Sotomayor Backers Prepare to Oppo Firefighter
Is there no depth to which liberal ideologues will not stoop? It seems that some of Sonia Sotomayor’s more devoted advocates are preparing to aim a campaign of “scrutiny” at Frank Ricci, the New Haven, Connecticut firefighter who sued the city for promoting less-qualified minority firefighters at the expense of whites.
If they perform the same sort of murderous character assassination on Ricci as they’ve done in the past to Robert Bork and more recently to Joe the Plumber, and Sarah Palin, the dyslexic fireman won’t have a chance.
Justice / Law / Technology
MySpace Stalker’s Conviction to be Dismissed
The LA Times says that U.S. District Judge George H. Wu will throw out the conviction of Lori Drew, the mother who stalked and harassed Megan Meier, a classmate of her daughter’s, until Megan committed suicide, when his written ruling is filed, probably next week.
The Justice of DNA Evidence
Matt Yglesias is so slick and charming he darn near took me in when he wrote about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that denied an Alaska man the opportunity to obtain – at his own expense – a DNA test that might exonerate him of a crime. After all, why shouldn’t William Osburne be allowed to test DNA that wasn’t available at the time/place of his trial and conviction?
Must We Draw a Line on Free Speech?
In response to the murder of abortionist Dr. George Tiller, the Houston Chronicle’s editors asked a pertinent question today – “When does anti-abortion rhetoric cross …
Thought Crimes Bill Expected to Pass House
HR 1913, the latest far-left attempt to pass special provisions for hate crimes, is expected to pass through the House of Representatives this week, perhaps even tomorrow.
Hate crimes are abominations most often carried out by dullards and xenophobes. You know, the kind of people your parents warned you about as a youngster. Nevertheless, all hate crimes legislation is bad legislation.
Gay Rights / Law / Society
Judges Should Eat More Fortune Cookies
My fortune read: “Common sense is all the sense there is.” I nodded knowingly, thinking of the Ward Churchill case and how Colorado University will most likely be forced to reinstate the horse’s behind. The little slip of paper seemed even more appropriate after the Iowa Supreme Court struck down the state’s marriage defense law. Where has the common sense gone in our judiciary branch? Methinks judges should pay more attention to their fortune cookies.