Go Get ‘Im

Fri   21 Jul 2006   7:36 by Kevin McGehee 71° and cloudy in Coweta County, GA 1 comment [Our Times] [Courting Disaster] [Yee-haw!] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]

In May, New York authorities accused a Smyrna gun store of illegally supplying guns that sometimes ended up in the hands of criminals. The gun store fired back on Thursday. In a $400 million lawsuit filed Thursday in Cobb County, Adventure Outdoors said that New York officials libeled and slandered several gun shop owners by referring to them as “rogue gun dealers.“ The suit takes aim at New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. » AJC: Cobb gun store files lawsuit against N.Y. Bloomberg has become known as “The Nanny” because of his paternalistic statist proclivities since succeeding Rudy Giuliani as New York mayor. He has sought to ban every choice ever made by ordinary people, of which he happens to disapprove—except gun ownership, which was already all but banned outright in New York City decades ago. But of course he still zeroes in on lawful gun ownership by law-abiding Americans as something that needs to be stamped out even if he has to go far beyond his jurisdiction to do it. Not that this is anything new for the Big Apple’s big cheeses; once after a highly publicized stabbing murder in a New York subway, then-mayor David Dinkins told reporters the crime illustrated the need for more stringent gun control in the city. There has actually been talk of Bloomberg running for president. I don’t think he’d do too well in the red states.

‘One Side, Amateur!‘

Thu   13 Jul 2006   17:28 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Courting Disaster] [Wackadoodle] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]

Fitzmas has apparently become Grinchmas, once and for all. In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, accused Cheney, Rove and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby of revealing Plame’s CIA identity in seeking revenge against Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration’s motives in Iraq. » AP: Former CIA Officer Sues Cheney Over Leak As soon as I saw that headline on Protein Wisdom (h/t), I had the exact same conclusion that Jeff offers: Although I will say that this suggests to me that Fitzgerald’s investigation is over. Robert Novak’s recent revelation about two of the three sources he claims for the Plame/CIA link was spurred, according to Novak, by Patrick Fitzgerald’s having told him that part of the investigation involving Novak was over. Some had already speculated that meant the case itself is about to be closed (except for prosecuting Scooter Libby). So, apparently Jabberin’ Joe Wilson has reached the same conclusion; a civil case proceeding during Fitzgerald’s investigation would almost certainly run the risk of interfering with that investigation. And since Fitz didn’t give Wilson Rove’s head on a stick via criminal proceedings, Wilson’s gonna try it his way. I figured when David Corn’s allegations about this “outing” business first came to my attention that there was no substance to it. Someone at the CIA foisted a boondoggle on taxpayers with that criminal referral.

Too True to Be Funny
Thu   13 Jul 2006   9:10 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Humor?] [Courting Disaster] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]	UPDATE: Another, unrelated comic strip below the fold. » Read more "Too True to Be Funny"

Well, DUH!

Wed   5 Jul 2006   16:54 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Courting Disaster] [Here's Your Sign] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]

WEST PALM BEACH—Saying Rush Limbaugh’s Viagra prescription was legally prescribed, the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday that it would not file charges against the conservative radio talk show host for possessing medication in someone else’s name. But Miami-Dade prosecutors will review the file and decide whether charges are warranted against the two Miami doctors involved, according to Assistant State Attorney Paul Zacks. To protect Limbaugh’s privacy, his medical doctor prescribed the erectile dysfunction drug to Limbaugh’s psychologist, according to Limbaugh’s affidavit. » Sun-Sentinel.com: Limbaugh won’t face charges over Viagra found in his possession Because the “mislabeling” led Palm Beach County officials to embarrass themselves by alleging that Limbaugh had committed “another” drug violation. Rush, if you stay in Palm Beach County one moment longer than you absolutely have to, it will be an act of stupidity on your part that will prove you deserve whatever they ultimately manage to spring on you. Because they’re never going to stop trying.

Because People Have Forgotten Kelo?

Thu   29 Jun 2006   14:31 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Courting Disaster] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]

Once again the U.S. Supreme Court has handed a political winner to those of us who have long believed the Court was skewed toward fundamental lawlessness. The United States Supreme Court is not the arbiter of the Geneva Conventions any more than the International Court of Justice is the arbiter of, say, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But I suppose a bunch of lawyers with (bigger than usual) delusions of grandeur, who interpret our Constitution by appealing to foreign laws, should be expected to believe they can decide what the Geneva Conventions mean under our Constitution—even to the point of letting it supersede our Constitution.

Why the War on Terror Cannot Be Fought in Court—Reason #78,314,875,703,392

Tue   20 Jun 2006   9:10 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [War] [Courting Disaster] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]

The lawyer for a Georgia Tech student being held on terrorism-related charges can view some of the classified evidence being used against his client. But he can’t share that information with the accused. That’s just one of the ground rules being sought by federal prosecutors in the case against Syed Haris Ahmed. Court motions filed Friday show a secretive atmosphere that will increasingly surround courts in the future as more terrorism cases are being made, legal experts say. It also shows the fine line between protecting suspects’ civil rights and protecting national security secrets. One of the government’s motions seeks a closed court hearing to discuss the matter. Another states, “even when members of the defense team obtain a security clearance at an appropriate level, they are not entitled to review classified information absent a demonstrated need to know the information.“ “Why is the government entitled to say what I need to know?“ said Jack Martin, Ahmed’s attorney and a former intelligence officer in Vietnam who was appointed in this case because he has a security clearance. “If I can’t disclose [information] to my client, that puts me in an impossible position. If they do that, then they make a fair trial impossible.“ » AJC: Secrecy surrounds terror case vs. Tech student An excellent point. If the case against this bird depends on classified intelligence, he should be classified—as an enemy combatant. That way, instead of kvetching about how his client can’t get a fair trial, this lawyer guy could be kvetching about how his client isn’t getting a trial at all.

Wimps

Sat   17 Jun 2006   9:30 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 4 comments [Courting Disaster] [Wackadoodle] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]

In comments here I wrote: Yeah, and what’s there to say about [Cynthia McKinney] that I haven’t already said a million times? Let alone everybody else in blogdom with two brain cells to rub together? At that time I hadn’t read this morning’s online news that, apparently, the D.C. grand jury doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together. A grand jury declined to indict Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney on Friday in connection with a confrontation in which she admitted hitting a police officer who tried to stop her from entering a House office building. The grand jury had been considering the case since shortly after the March 29 incident, which has led to much discussion on Capitol Hill about race and the conduct of lawmakers and the officers who protect them. “We respect the decision of the grand jury in this difficult matter,“ said U.S. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein. McKinney did not immediately comment. » AP: Grand Jury Declines to Indict Rep. McKinney in Police Scuffle In fairness, I guess I can see why they didn’t act—she’s bound to be found Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity. If we set a precedent of locking up the clinically insane, where will the drive-by media find people to report the news? Then again, what news would there be for them to report anyway?

This Is an Outrage!

Tue   13 Jun 2006   6:59 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Courting Disaster] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]

How dare this judge uphold a generation of jurisprudence in the face of Michael Newdow’s hurt feelings!? A Sacramento federal judge on Monday tossed out atheist Michael Newdow’s challenge to the phrase “In God We Trust” as the national motto and its inscription on coins and currency. Newdow argued that the slogan violates the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which keeps government out of religion. But U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. points out in an 18-page order that the federal appellate court with jurisdiction over California held in a 1970 opinion that the motto “has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion.“ “Its use is of a patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise,“ the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled then. Newdow argued that the case cited by Damrell was “wrongly decided.“ “Wrongly decided or not,“ the judge wrote, “this court must, and does here, follow 9th Circuit precedent.“ The same appellate opinion disposes of Newdow’s claim that the use of the motto on coins and currency amounts to government coercion to proselytize or evangelize on behalf of monotheism, Damrell wrote. Newdow said Monday he is optimistic about his chances on appeal to the 9th Circuit. » Bee: Sacramento judge dismisses Newdow’s challenge to ‘In God We Trust’ I’ll bet he is.

What a Dumb$#!t

Tue   30 May 2006   11:23 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Courting Disaster] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]

O’Flaherty was publicly admonished in 2002 by the Commission on Judicial Performance for giving prospective jurors permission in two trials to lie to get out of jury duty if they didn’t want to publicly admit they had racial biases. The two cases involved minority defendants and took place in 2000. O’Flaherty, who has served 18 years as a Placer Municipal and Superior Court judge, admits he made a mistake. “I could have handled it a different way,“ he said. “I haven’t repeated it since.“ Jones, a 10-year veteran of the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, said he believes O’Flaherty’s error in judgment was major. “When a judge has anyone sworn to tell the truth and then a short time later gives them permission to lie, it undercuts the whole purpose of what goes on in court,“ Jones said. Officer David Faingold, president of the Roseville Police Officers Association, said his union couldn’t overlook the incident. “We are placed on pedestals for truth and honesty in law enforcement. It has to hold true for a Superior Court judge,“ Faingold said. » Bee: Police groups oppose Placer judge The judge’s wrongdoing was in encouraging would-be jurors to lie under oath to spare themselves public embarrassment. If avoiding public embarrassment is a valid reason to lie under oath, then the integrity of our legal system falls under grave suspicion. This idiot needs to be kicked off the court. (It’s worth bearing in mind here that many of Bill Clinton’s defenders argue he only lied under oath in his deposition in the Paula Jones case—the act that led to the events that brought that case to Kenneth Starr’s attention—to spare himself public embarrassment over his illicit affair with a White House intern. Of course, in reality he lied in an attempt to deprive Jones of evidence that, under applicable sexual harassment law, would have bolstered her case.)

Clinton Overruled
Sat   27 May 2006   9:28 by Kevin McGehee in Coweta County, GA 0 comments [Courting Disaster] [Yippee-Ki-Yay!]	The effort to keep a former Kenneth Starr associate off the courts has failed. H/t: new Wizbanger Lorie Byrd.

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