Important Note:
Opinions are fun. My friends tell me I am someone with lots of opinions and that's fine since I don't get mad at others when they disagree with me. In this same spirit I am interested in hearing yours views as long as you are able to share your views without boiling over. I look forward to hearing from you. I tend to write in the form of short essays most of the time, but contributions do not need to be in this same format or size. Some of the content here will date itself pretty quickly, other content may be virtually timeless, this is for the reader to judge.
Displaying 11 - 20 of 21 <Prev 1 2 3 Next>
The Pulpit and Free Speech?
Posted at: Oct/12/2012 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: People, Society, The Law,
Did you hear that, October 7, 2012 was designated at Pulpit Freedom Day? This is a day when hundreds of pastors were expected to openly violate the law of the land and preach politics or endorse political candidates from their respective pulpits. Technically the law they intend to violate is the Johnson Amendment, enacted in 1954. Sponsored by then Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, this law limits the.....read more…
Comments (0) [Add Comment]
Good Speech, Bad Speech, Obnoxious Speech
Posted at: Sep/20/2012 : Posted by: mel
It is the summer of 2012 and things are not going well in the Middle East. There have been attacks and large scale protest on American embassies and consulates in Pakistan, Egypt, Yemen and Libya. At the center of all this violence is a YouTube video titled “Innocence of Muslims.” It is unfortunate, but most of the world does not understand why we tolerate, and even periodically defend such tras.....read more…
My 4 days on a jury
Posted at: Apr/07/2012 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: The Law,
First of all it is important to say that despite the advice of my coworkers, I have always looked forward to the opportunity of serving on a jury. There is of course the curiosity issue; after years of dramatic TV shows where the guilty party confesses on the stand, I wanted to see what a real trial looks like. There is also my strong belief in the value of participating in our American Judicial.....read more…
An Important week for the Supreme Court
Posted at: Mar/27/2012 : Posted by: mel
Related Category: The Law, Watching America,
Traditionally, when the Supreme Court agrees to hear a case, they are agreeing that there is some critical issue that the lower court “may have” gotten wrong…or at least it is worthy of open discussion. Most cases that the Supreme Court agrees to hear are given 2 hours for presentation of arguments. Now the court has allocated 6 hours to hears arguements over portions of the "Affordable Healthca.....read more…
The burden of Free Speech
Posted at: Oct/05/2010 : Posted by: mel
I know; Free Speech seems like an obvious and totally understood subject. It is the fall of 2010 and the Supreme Court is getting ready to hear the case of Snyder vs Westboro Baptist Church. The Westboro Baptist Church has made a name for itself going around the country picketing at military funerals with the message that the soldiers’ deaths are divine punishment for America’s tolerance of homos.....read more…
Arizona & A broken immigration policy
Posted at: Jul/13/2010 : Posted by: mel
Let me paint the canvas for you. In April of 2010 the state of Arizona passed a controversial law dealing with immigration issues and the border it shares with Mexico. The law is mandated to take effect no later than August 1st of this same year. In early July the Justice Department of our federal government claiming “preeminent authority” filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to block impleme.....read more…
The Rebellious Child
Posted at: May/22/2010 : Posted by: mel
I have boys and between them and their friends I feel like I see the “Rebellious Child” more than enough. Don’t worry, this is not about my kids, this is about the law. I guess I should begin with a short story as it were “ripped from the headlines”. There is little doubt that Terrance Graham was a wayward, rebellious child. At 16, he helped rob a restaurant in Florida and was sentenced to a .....read more…
Why stop at 435?
Posted at: Oct/15/2009 : Posted by: mel
During the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the delegates supported and debated many ideas. The larger states wanted representation in the one chamber based on population. The smaller states didn't think that would be good for them. The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, was the result of the delegates coming together to devise a better plan. This plan, as we know it .....read more…
Campaign Finance reform in reverse
Posted at: Sep/10/2009 : Posted by: mel
Over the last 40 years there has been a slow but steady growth in laws regulating contributions to political campaigns. At the federal level these laws are enforced by the Federal Election Commission. The debate on these laws has risen to the Supreme Count. The arguments are centered around a movie attacking Hillary Clinton. Citizens United wanted to air ads for the anti-Clinton movie and .....read more…
Judges without personal bias?
Posted at: Jul/18/2009 : Posted by: mel
First of all, let me set the stage. It is the summer of 2009 and the U.S Congress is holding hearings on President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court Judge Sotomayor. During 4 days of questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee Judge Sotomayor responded to most questions with one of two possible answers. She either said it was settled law, or she said that she couldn’t answer because issue o.....read more…
