Lessig: “I think it’s quite likely Justice Kennedy is about to flip” on Citizens United Issue

Lessig: “I think it’s quite likely Justice Kennedy is about to flip” on Citizens United Issue

Reviews of Stuntz's The Collapse of American Criminal Justice

Stephen Smith writes, in a long and thoughtful review:


Although Stuntz lost his struggle with cancer last year, we are fortunate that he lived long enough to complete his masterwork: The Collapse of American Criminal Justice. The book weaves into a grand narrative of remarkable breadth and learning the various themes his prior scholarship explored. Collapse gives us a long, hard look at the criminal justice system, both as it now exists and how it has developed over time – and, as the title implies, the picture isn’t pretty. ...

It is only by reforming the system that we can hope to reduce crime and maximize liberty and justice for all – and that, we should keep in mind, is the ultimate goal of a criminal justice system, and of a free society, worthy of the name.

Jonathan Jacobs writes:


The late William Stuntz’s The Collapse of American Criminal Justice manages to explanatorily and thematically link a wide range of issues concerning criminal justice, integrating aspects of constitutional law, criminal procedure, demographic facts, prosecutorial discretion, jury selection, plea-bargaining, mandatory sentences, and other matters. Integrating all of those issues without the focus being blurred or the argument sprawling messily is an admirable achievement.

Santorum: Please Don’t Google

Santorum: Please Don’t Google

“Evil lurks in Super PACs; The California Assembly is making another attempt to require disclosure of donations to political campaigns, and it deserves support.”

“Evil lurks in Super PACs; The California Assembly is making another attempt to require disclosure of donations to political campaigns, and it deserves support.”

SUPER PAC RACE DYNAMICS.

National Journal. “The super PAC ad campaign gives the onetime House speaker hope that he can still capture the nomination—and underscores the new reality of presidential campaigns.”

After All the Machinations at the Supreme Court, Was It Worth It for Texas to Appeal the Interim Maps?

After All the Machinations at the Supreme Court, Was It Worth It for Texas to Appeal the Interim Maps?

Conservative Shirt Warehouse. Freedom In a Convenient, Easy-To-Carry Case

Conservative Shirt Warehouse. Freedom In a Convenient, Easy-To-Carry Case

Americans Divided on Repeal of 2010 Healthcare Law

Americans Divided on Repeal of 2010 Healthcare Law

Gainesville Sun manipulates photo in attempt to manipulate election - http://goo.gl/gnf6M via @alachuapolitix.com

“I should phone and be told that, by law, a super PAC cannot coordinate or communicate with a candidate’s campaign? Please. Spare me. Let an old woman die in peace.”

“I should phone and be told that, by law, a super PAC cannot coordinate or communicate with a candidate’s campaign? Please. Spare me. Let an old woman die in peace.”

China's new sports problem: Stop the Linsanity? | The Economist http://econ.st/whUDc6

Let's just say it, liberalism,at leastObama liberalism, no longer has intellectual currency http://t.co/plLTewG5 tcot

Obama Gives Diplomat Job to Fundraiser, Disaster Ensues http://is.gd/AACBPz

“Chief justice ‘very concerned’ about November’s retention election”

“Chief justice ‘very concerned’ about November’s retention election”

It's getting Tight in Michigan

Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum in Dead Heat in Michigan Primary | Video - ABC News http://abcn.ws/z9mC8i (via @ABC)

Santorum Addresses SuperPAC Donors in Dallas, Releases Negative Romney Ad in Michigan

Santorum Addresses SuperPAC Donors in Dallas, Releases Negative Romney Ad in Michigan: PHOENIX – Off the campaign trail today, Rick Santorum is appearing at a fundraiser for his superPAC in Dallas. Candidates and campaigns are not allowed to “coordinate” with their superPACs, but they are permitted to address these groups. Mitt Romney has spoken at his superPAC...

Limbaugh: Will Media Ask Ron Paul About Double Dipping?

Limbaugh: Will Media Ask Ron Paul About Double Dipping?

KUHNER: End of the Constitution - Washington Times

KUHNER: End of the Constitution - Washington Times

“Gingrich campaign warned 2nd time for financial dealings”

Oh wow this is a surprise. “Gingrich campaign warned 2nd time for financial dealings”

“Is there really a chance that the Supreme Court might reconsider Citizens United?”

“Is there really a chance that the Supreme Court might reconsider Citizens United?”

Book Recommendation: Prosecution Complex: America's Race to Convict and Its Impact on the Innocent [Hardcover]

Book Description
Publication Date: March 5, 2012
American prosecutors are asked to play two roles within the criminal justice system: they are supposed to be ministers of justice whose only goals are to ensure fair trials, whatever the outcomes of those trials might be--and they are also advocates of the government whose success rates are measured by how many convictions they get. Because of this second role, sometimes prosecutors suppress evidence in order to establish a defendant’s guilt and safeguard that conviction over time.

Daniel S. Medwed, a nationally-recognized authority on wrongful convictions, has wrestled with these issues for nearly fifteen years, ever since he accepted a job as a public defender with the Legal Aid Society of New York City. Combining his hands-on experience in the courtroom and his role as a teacher and scholar in the classroom, Medwed shows how prosecutors are told to lock up criminals and protect the rights of defendants. This double role creates an institutional “prosecution complex” that animates how district attorneys’ offices treat potentially innocent defendants at all stages of the process--and that can cause prosecutors to aid in the conviction of the innocent. Ultimately, Prosecution Complex is not intended to portray prosecutors as rogue officials indifferent to the conviction of the innocent, but rather to explain why, while most prosecutors aim to do justice, only some hit that target consistently.

Editorial Reviews
Review
"Daniel Medwed provides a fascinating ethical, legal, and psychological perspective on the work of prosecutors, the power-players in our criminal justice system. With gripping accounts from real criminal cases gone wrong, he shows how the best-intentioned prosecutors can convict the innocent while racing to convict the guilty. Prosecutors can fall prey to cognitive biases that we all share in our everyday lives, but with nearly-absolute discretion, they lack adequate checks and safeguards to correct for such bias. This book simply must be read by all who care about the past and the future of criminal justice."
-Brandon Garrett,Roy L. and Rosamund Woodruff Morgan Professor of Law, University of Virginia


“Professor Daniel Medwed has written a compelling book entitled Prosecution Complex. The book offers inside knowledge based on his experience as a litigator and serious scholar of miscarriages of justice in the criminal justice system. Anybody concerned with fairness and examining the role of prosecutors at every stage of our criminal justice process will find this book absorbing, sobering, and informative. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is looking at our American legal system and seeking reforms. This is a must read!”
-Charles J. Ogletree,Founding and Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice


"Wrongful convictions will continue until prosecutors are one day held accountable for their deliberate misconduct. Prosecution Complex examines their misbehavior and the tragic consequences. It also shows us how to fix the problems."
-John Grisham,New York Times best-selling author of The Litigators
About the Author
Daniel S. Medwed is Professor of Law at the University of Utah and is a member of the board of directors of the Innocence Network and the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product Details
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: NYU Press (March 5, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0814796249
ISBN-13: 978-0814796245
Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

“Does Money Corrupt the Political Process?”

“Does Money Corrupt the Political Process?”

Want to Know Which For Profit Businesses are Contributing to Super PACs?

Want to Know Which For Profit Businesses are Contributing to Super PACs?

Super-PAC craze sweeps the nation - The Hill's Ballot Box

Super-PAC craze sweeps the nation - The Hill's Ballot Box

Elected Officials And Leaders Endorsing Mitt Romney:

Governor Rick Snyder
Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley
Attorney General Bill Schuette, Michigan Campaign Chairman
Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, Michigan Campaign Co-Chair
Speaker Jase Bolger, Michigan Campaign Co-Chair
John Rakolta, Jr., National Finance Chairman
G. Scott Romney, National Finance Co-Chair

Former Attorney General Mike Cox
Former Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard
Saul Anuzis, Republican National Committeeman
State Representative Holly Hughes, Republican National Committeewoman
Ambassador Peter F. Secchia, former Republican National Committeeman
Nancy Danhof, Secretary of the State Board of Education
Melanie Foster, Vice Chair of the Michigan State Board of Trustees
L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive
Ed Haroutunian

Congressman Dan Benishek, 1st District
Congressman Bill Huizenga, 2nd District
Congressman Dave Camp, 4th District
Congressman Fred Upton, 6th District
Congressman Tim Walberg, 7th District
Congressman Mike Rogers, 8th District
Congressman Thad McCotter, 11th District
Former Congressman Vern Ehlers
Former Congressman Joe Knollenberg

State Senator Goeff Hansen
State Senator Dave Hildenbrand
State Senator Rick Jones
State Senator Roger Kahn
State Senator Mike Kowall
State Senator Jim Marleau
State Senator John Moolenaar
State Senator John Pappageorge
State Senator Phil Pavlov
State Senator John Proos
State Senator Tonya Schuitmaker
Former State Senator Alan Sanborn, Macomb County

State Representative Jim Stamas, Majority Floor Leader
State Representative Dave Agema
State Representative Jon Bumstead
State Representative Mike Callton
State Representative Kurt Damrow
State Representative Jeff Farrington
State Representative Frank Foster
State Representative Joe Haveman
State Representative Gail Haines
State Representative Joe Haveman
State Representative Kurt Heise
State Representative Ken Horn
State Representative Bradford Jacobsen
State Representative Marty Knollenberg
State Representative Eileen Kowall
State Representative Matt Lori
State Representative Greg MacMaster
State Representative Chuck Moss
State Representative Margaret O’Brien
State Representative Mark Ouimet
State Representative Lisa Posthumus-Lyons
State Representative Wayne Schmidt
State Representative Deb Shaughnessy
State Representative John Walsh
State Representative Ken Yonker
State Representative Dale Zorn
Former State Representative Brian Palmer
Former State Representative Bill Runco

Bill Bullard, Oakland County Clerk
John McCullough, Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner
Mike Gingell, Chairman, Oakland County Board of Commissioners
Andrew “Rocky” Raczkowski, Former House Majority Floor Leader
Paul Welday, Former Candidate For Congress
Dennis Cowan, Former Chairman, Oakland County Republican Party
Ronna Romney, Former Republican National Committeewoman

Carl Meyer, Treasurer of the Michigan Republican Party
Hank Fuhs, Secretary of the Michigan Republican Party
Linda Lee Tarver, Ethnic Vice Chair of the Michigan Republican Party
Eileen McNeil, Outreach Vice Chair of the Michigan Republican Party
Sarah Ledford, Youth Vice Chair, Michigan Republican Party
Gerry Mason, Former Grassroots Vice Chair of the Michigan Republican Party
Scott Greenlee, Former Coalitions Vice Chair of the Michigan Republican Party
Matt Hall, former Youth Vice Chair of the Michigan Republican Party

John Haggard, 1st District State Committee Member
Judy Rapanos, 4th District Chair
Paul DeYoung, 6th District State Committee Member
Joe Haas, 6th District Chair
Allan Filip, 8th District Chairman
Theresa Mungioli, 9th District Chair
Theresa Stayer, 9th District State Committee Member
Stanley Grot, 10th District Chair
Tom Stroup, 11th District Chair
Linda Birgel, 1st District State Committee Member
Denise Pallarito, 1st District State Committee Member
Joan Runnels, 2nd District State Committee Member & Lake County Chair
Paul Leidig, 2nd District State Committee Member
Andrew Emmitt, 3rd District State Committee Member
Sharon Yentsch, 3rd District State Committee Member
Todd Gambrell, 4th District State Committee Member
Maxine McClelland, 4th District State Committee Member
Gerald Wall, 4th District State Committee Member
Bill Womer, 3rd District State Committee Member
Russell Spencer, 8th District State Committee Member
Mary Stasek, 8th District State Committee Member
Jean Gush, 10th District State Committee Member
Gary Howell, 10th District State Committee Member
Pamela Smith, 10th District State Committee Member
Scott Czasak, 10th District State Committee Member
Martha Snow, 11th District State Committee Member
Victor Cassis, 11th District State Committee Member
Mike Mitchell, 11th District State Committee Member
Deloris Newell, 11th District State Committee Member
Mary Katherine DeCuir, 12th District State Committee Member
Nicola Hawatmeh, 12th District State Committee Member
Julia Michals, 12th District State Committee Member
Richard Cunningham, 13th District State Committee Member
Walter Koppy, 13th District State Committee Member
Mary Treder Lang, 13th District State Committee Member
Torion Bridges, 14th District State Committee Member
Susan Licata Haroutunian, 14th District State Committee Member
Michael Humphries, 15th District State Committee Member
Frankie Middleton, 15th District State Committee Member

Joshua Leatherman, Allegan County Chair
Jake Jelsema, Barry County Chair
Aaron Baylis, Bay County Chair
Joe Groff, Clare County Chair
Phillip Goodrich, Ionia County Republican Chair
Al Heilman, Kalamazoo County Chair
Michelle O’Neal, Lapeer County Chair
Barbara Van Sickel, Macomb County Chair
Todd Gambrell, Midland County Chair
Juanita Pierman, Oceana County Republican Chair & 2nd District State Committee Member
Kathleen Berden, Sanilac County Chair
Rick Shaffer, St. Joseph County Republican Chair
Sandra Hanson, Van Buren County Republican Chair
Joseph Xuereb, Wayne 11 County Chair

MAKING THE DECISION TO RUN

By Carol Hess
http://PoliticalResources.com
chess@politicalresources.com

Seeking public office can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It can also play havoc with your personal and professional life. If you are considering running for elective office, you should take the following test. Answering these tough questions will give you a better perspective on many of the elements involved in making that decision.

The big question is: why do you want to run for office?
a. Do you have a desire for or interest in public service?
b. Do you have strong feelings on a number of key issues?
c. Do you feel there is a need for a change in leadership?
d. Do you think you can do a better job than the incumbent?
e. Can you answer the question of why you want to run for office in one sentence?
The following are some factors to consider.
1. Do you have a strong sense of your own worth and believe in yourself?
2. Can you ask friends, family, associates for money and other assistance?
3. Can you withstand criticism and have your personal life closely scrutinized?
4. How does your family feel about your running for office? Are they 150% behind you?
5. What will happen to your job while you run? Can you put in the amount of time necessary to win?
6. Can you face the thought of being defeated?
7. Have you thought carefully about the amount of stress, expense and exhaustion that are part of political campaigns?
Take a moment and evaluate yourself.
1. Do you like people?
2. Are you personable?
3. Do you like meeting people?
4. Do you speak well in public?
5. Can you respond quickly and analyze a situation under pressure?
6. Can you handle frustration?
7. Are you in good health?

If you answered YES to the above questions, you are ready to think about the next step in running for office. Campaigns take skill and commitment. There is some luck, but mostly it is hard work.

Carol Hess is President of Political Resources, Inc. She was a Campaign Manager and Consultant in the 1970's and early 1980's.

“The super PAC confusion”

“The super PAC confusion”

Sherman Attacks Berman for Corporate Super PAC Support: Pictures Included

Sherman Attacks Berman for Corporate Super PAC Support: Pictures Included

#Prop8 Rehearing En Banc Petition Due Soon

#Prop8 Rehearing En Banc Petition Due Soon

Iran stops oil sales to British and French firms

(Reuters) - Iran has stopped selling crude to British and French companies, the oil ministry said on Sunday, in a retaliatory measure against fresh EU sanctions on the Islamic state's lifeblood, oil.

"Exporting crude to British and French companies has been stopped ... we will sell our oil to new customers," spokesman Alireza Nikzad was quoted as saying by the Ministry of Petroleum website.

The European Union in January decided to stop importing crude from Iran from July 1 over its disputed nuclear program, which the West says is aimed at building bombs. Iran denies this.

Iran's oil minister said on February 4 that the Islamic state would cut its oil exports to "some" European countries.

The European Commission said last week that the bloc would not be short of oil if Iran stopped crude exports, as they have enough in stock to meet their needs for around 120 days.

Industry sources told Reuters on February 16 that Iran's top oil buyers in Europe were making substantial cuts in supply months in advance of European Union sanctions, reducing flows to the continent in March by more than a third - or over 300,000 barrels daily.

France's Total has already stopped buying Iran's crude, which is subject to fresh EU embargoes. Market sources said Royal Dutch Shell has scaled back sharply. Shell had no comment on the announcement.

Among European nations, debt-ridden Greece is most exposed to Iranian oil disruption.

Motor Oil Hellas of Greece was thought to have cut out Iranian crude altogether and compatriot Hellenic Petroleum along with Spain's Cepsa and Repsol were curbing imports from Iran.

Iran was supplying more than 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) to the EU plus Turkey in 2011, industry sources said.

By the start of this year imports had sunk to about 650,000 bpd as some customers cut back in anticipation of an EU ban.

Saudi Arabia says it is prepared to supply extra oil either by topping up existing term contracts or by making rare spot market sales. Iran has criticized Riyadh for the offer.

Iran said the cut will have no impact on its crude sales, warning that any sanctions on its oil will raise international crude prices.

Brent crude oil prices were up $1 a barrel to $118.35 shortly after Iran's state media announced last week that Tehran had cut oil exports to six European states. The report was denied shortly afterwards by Iranian officials.

"We have our own customers ... The replacements for these companies have been considered by Iran," Nikzad said.

EU's new sanctions includes a range of extra restrictions on Iran that went well beyond U.N. sanctions agreed last month and included a ban on dealing with Iranian banks and insurance companies and steps to prevent investment in Tehran's lucrative oil and gas sector, including refining.

The mounting sanctions are aimed at putting financial pressure on the world's fifth largest crude oil exporter, which has little refining capacity and has to import about 40 percent of its gasoline needs for its domestic consumption.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by David Cowell)

RT Rolling out the New Steak and Chicken Fajitas Monday at 11 am. Stop on by for our new steak Menu and Fajitas @gatorbeefs.

How a Filthy Rich 196 People Will Buy Our Election | Economy | AlterNet

How a Filthy Rich 196 People Will Buy Our Election | Economy | AlterNet

Top 10 reasons to elect anybody but Obama - HUMAN EVENTS

Top 10 reasons to elect anybody but Obama - HUMAN EVENTS

The Long Slog: Projecting the Republican Race Through June http://dld.bz/aS8Vg gop mitt santorum newt paul

GOODBYE, GOP

GOODBYE, GOP

Breaking News: Supreme Court Grants Stay in Citizens United Montana Sequel, Special Statement of J. Ginsburg

Breaking News: Supreme Court Grants Stay in Citizens United Montana Sequel, Special Statement of J. Ginsburg

Beef 'O' Brady's® Ranked #1 Sports Bar

Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 has ranked Beef 'O' Brady's as #1 in the Sports Bar category!

Please RT Steak Out @ Gator Beefs in Gainesville Florida $5 Off Coupon http://dld.bz/aRPWH

Gator Beefs Blog: Try one of our New Steak menu items!!! http://ping.fm/K9Yz8

“Return of the DISCLOSE Act: The legislation, which failed in the last Congress, would bring badly needed transparency to federal campaign donations.”

“Return of the DISCLOSE Act: The legislation, which failed in the last Congress, would bring badly needed transparency to federal campaign donations.”

Do you want to know how to monitor Twitter Conversations?

There is a great Monitoring tool out there that will allow a user to monitor a conversation between 2 twitter users. It's called Tweetsbetween. Tweets Between is a twitter tool that allows you to see the most recent conversations between two users of your choice!

This is another tool in the arsenol of political oppo's, or perhaps a cheater??

Check it out!!

TWEETSBETWEEN

Wanting Still Another 4, Hope and Change Are Out The Door

Support for Ted Cruz US Senate: http://ping.fm/oQtdS

Doctors, pharmacies ordered to provide records on Whitney Houston... http://t.co/ILoPxyDx

Taxpayer Funds Flow to Green Energy Firms With Obama Ties | Madison Project http://ping.fm/oLyRa via @madisonproject

Thought of the day

"Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance."
Daniel Kahnemann, Thinking Fast and Slow (FSG 2011) at 201.

“Citizens United Means Anyone Can Still Get in the GOP Game” http://j.mp/Ay30Dy

A thought from Nassim Taleb

A simple exercise to understand why the world represented by the press is not the one in which we live: Consider that about 6,200 persons die every day in the United States, many from preventable causes. Compare to what people think from exposure to the media (hurricanes, murders, freak accidents, etc.). Then generalize to about anything discussed in the press. Then call any journalist you run into a fraud.

-Nassim Taleb

Gator Beefs Blog: Be the MVP of your next party: Gator Beefs party platters... http://dld.bz/aKfzY

Ruth bader Ginsburg said US Constituition is not that great.

What? Are you serious? A sitting US Supreme Court Judge says that the South African Constitution is better. This is an outrage!

Here is her quote:

"You should certainly be aided by all the constitution-writing that has gone one since the end of World War II. I would not look to the US constitution, if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012. I might look at the constitution of South Africa. That was a deliberate attempt to have a fundamental instrument of government that embraced basic human rights, had an independent judiciary... It really is, I think, a great piece of work that was done. Much more recent than the US constitution - Canada has a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It dates from 1982. You would almost certainly look at the European Convention on Human Rights. Yes, why not take advantage of what there is elsewhere in the world?" Ginsburg

Ruther Bader Ginsburg: Not that great.

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