no third solution » Archive
BP Gains Exemption to Increase Pollution in Lake Michigan
Editor’s note: Several people have pointed out that the article linked to (below) is from 2007; an important point which I somehow overlooked when drafting this post. I understand that public backlash at the time ultimately may have quashed this exemption. With either of these relevant facts in mind, some of the conclusions drawn below (particularly those related to the timeliness of this “exemption” [which I mistakenly thought to be far more current] and the recent Deepwater Horizon disaster) are no longer appropriate. I believe the core argument remains essentially unsullied by this unfortunate oversight and for this reason, I have left the body of this post unaltered from its original published form. Yesterday I read that Indiana has granted BP an exemption to anti-pollution laws, which … Read entire article »
Filed under: environmentalism, Michigan
In Which I Respond to Conservatives About Immigration
In case it gets lost in the interwebs, I participated in a discussion on FB last week. A certain Jim Deakin, a “conservative candidate” for Senate in the State of Arizona, posted a comment: Border patrol picked up 92 illegals aliens last night in Cochise County Somehow, Deakin made his way on to my ‘friends’ list. So, I inquired, what’s the point of this comment? The ensuing conversation between several others (including Deakin) and myself, I think is revealing of the “conservative” stance on immigration. It reveals hypocrisy and ignorance. I made it a point to cite recent data from FactCheck.org, which suggests that immigrants (legal or not) have a net neutral or net positive impact on the economy, so they’re not the “parasites” and scofflaws that the conservatives would … Read entire article »
Filed under: American Politics, immigration
A Lawyer Admits – Jury Nullification is a Right of the People
A lawyer friend of mine started talking the other night about how the jury is really the most powerful component in the entire legal system, because they have the power to nullify laws. I hinted around the topic and he confirmed that jurors definitely do have the right to nullify laws and render verdicts as they see fit, but also confirmed that as a lawyer he is not allowed to inform jurors of this right. I didn’t corner him in to this admission, he came right out and said it. However, the examples he was trying to describe were all strawman varieties. Now maybe this was for simplicity of trying to explain the concept to the other people we were talking with, none of whom were at all … Read entire article »
Filed under: Legalese