Could someone explain to me why people think it was against the law for President Obama to trade five prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held by Taliban forces for years? I understand that Congress has passed a law that requires him to notify them before releasing a Guantanamo inmate, but I don't see where … [Read more...] about What’s Illegal About the Bowe Bergdahl Trade?
You Can’t Trust a Killer
We just had Elliot Rodger's rampage in Isla Vista, and we're now seeing another horror story from Waukesha, Wisconsin, in the form of two 12-year-old girls who stabbed another 12-year-old child, supposedly to benefit a supernatural entity known as "Slenderman."Slenderman is an entirely fictional creation of recent vintage:He is Slenderman, a menacing, faceless specter … [Read more...] about You Can’t Trust a Killer
Terrorism In America
Say, did you hear about the new Islamic terrorist cell? So far, they've killed a Christian pastor and they've set a baby on fire. And they're operating right here in the United States!Actually, I lied. It wasn't an Islamic terror cell, it was something called the Mountain Judicial Circuit Narcotics Criminal Investigation and Suppression Team, which is led by Sheriff Joey … [Read more...] about Terrorism In America
Good Faith, Bad Policy
An interesting discussion broke out in the blogosphere last week. It all started with Andrew Cohen in The Week, complaining about the legal fiction of "good faith." When I was a young man learning the law, I was taught about the "good faith" in which all public officials are always and forevermore presumed to be acting. This presumption, this so-called "implicit covenant," is … [Read more...] about Good Faith, Bad Policy
2013 Road Trip Report – Part 1: The Road to Toledo
It looks like I never got around to posting about last year's summer road trip. Since it's getting close to time for my next one, I figure I better post something. Excuse me if I ramble a bit...I started the trip the way I always do, working through checklists of things to pack -- clothes, meds, toiletries, still camera, video camera, computer -- and checklists of … [Read more...] about 2013 Road Trip Report – Part 1: The Road to Toledo